WWE Survivor Series 2015

WWE Survivor Series 2015 - November 2015

Atlanta, Georgia

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is vacant (due to injury to Seth Rollins), the Intercontinental Champion is Kevin Owens, the United States Champion is Alberto Del Rio, and the WWE Tag Team Championships are held by the team of New Day. The Women's Champion is Charlotte.

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler

The show kicks off with our nation's anthem, sung by Lillian Garcia. The Atlanta crowd was respectful, no doubt a bit nervous considering that tonight's show landed on a list of potential ISIS targets leaked by global hacker outfit Anonymous. 

This is followed by a video package about the Undertaker, whose appearance on tonight's show marks his 25th year with the WWE, and tonight's other momentous draw, the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament. 

Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio kicks off the official show (there was a traditional Survivors match on the pre-show I didn't bother watching), the crowd not necessarily firmly in Reigns' corner, but certainly not as negative as his detractors will likely argue. A somewhat muted "Let's Go Roman/Roman Sucks" chant breaks out, but its considerably less spirited than the one's Cena gets. The story of this match was Del Rio targeting Reigns' shoulder and Michael Cole selling it big time on commentary. Unfortunately, this element was to be ignored for the most part later in the night. El Patron worked extra hard to give the match its pace and movement, taking some big slams from Reigns and even slipping himself onto the arena floor through the ropes at one point, a spot that simply can't feel good no matter how many times you practice it. While the match had a solid pace, like most WWE bouts, the closing minutes were where these two brought the goods, delivering some nice near falls and one excellently-executed armbar spot leading to the finish. While some in the crowd obviously didn't get what they wanted, it was a fine match to kick off the show. (3/5)

After a backstage segment, we get our second tournament semi-final as Dean Ambrose took on Kevin Owens. The crowd was a bit more alive for this, actually cheering both guys. Unlike the more methodically-paced Reigns/Del Rio opener, these two wasted little time in getting right into the action, Ambrose in particular showing loads of energy. When Owens got the upperhand, though, he slowed things down, trying his best to wear down the Lunatic Fringe with taunts and headlocks. From here, this became a back-and-forth battle that ran through some of both men's signature moves, including Owens striking nothing but the mat with his moonsault and Ambrose connecting with a big rebound clothesline. With an actual storyline behind them, these two could deliver an absolutely awesome match. While this wasn't it, I wouldn't mind watching them try to top what they did here because, if this is the "baseline," their best effort is going to be a Match of the Year candidate. (3/5)

Pretty sick Tables, Ladders, and Chairs commercial. Almost worth a bonus point even.

A traditional Survivor Series match was next, but I'm fairly sure the only thing anyone is going to remember from this one is Xavier Woods' absolutely STUNNING hairdo, a Jeffersonian pompadour. The teams were The Lucha Dragons, the Usos, and Ryback taking on New Day, Sheamus, and Wade Barrett. Woods started things off for his team, his hair serving as a huge, fluffy target for Jimmy Uso. A few minutes later there was a well-timed and even better-executed 4-man plancha, punctuated by a respectable crossbody splash off the top rope from Ryback. Moments later, after stomping one of the Usos into completely submission, Xavier busted out the trombone and led his team in some rhythmic gloating, keeping the audience fully engaged in a match that was of no real consequence. Somewhat surprisingly, King Barrett was the first competitor eliminated, giving the babyfaces a 5-4 advantage. Jimmy Uso was out next, succumbing to a pretty cool double-team maneuever from Woods and Kingston, before Sin Cara ended up eating a spear to the arena floor from Big E and Brogue Kick from the Celtic Warrior. Big E was eliminated next, which drew jeers from the Atlanta crowd. Unwilling to continue without their powerhouse anchor, Woods and Kofi helped their New Day partner out of the arena, leaving Sheamus behind to take on the remaining Uso, Ryback, and Kalisto. While the work from here on was strong and suspenseful, with Sheamus helping to make both Jay Uso and Kalisto look strong, the crowd's disappointment in losing New Day was noticeable, with audible exclamations of "Boring" only drowned out by the occasional "Feed Me More" chant. What started as a very strong Survivors match, ended with a bit of a thud. (2/5)

Rolaids Advanced commercial for some reason.

Yet another Undertaker video, this time one hocking Deadman schwag. 

Time for Paige challenging Charlotte for her WWE Divas Championship. While not as good as the Charlotte/Nikki matches, those benefitted from a very clear face/heel split, with Charlotte fighting from underneath in both. This one was more even and less clear-cut in terms of who the audience was behind, despite the WWE's hail mary approach to drawing heat based on the death of Reid Flair. While Paige tried her best to draw the ire of the crowd, Charlotte wrestled a more aggressive style here and the crowd didn't seem to know how to react to a dominate babyface diva, something I'm not necessarily sure we've seen since the days of who? Chyna? From Beth Pheonix to Kharma to even (and most recently) Nikki Bella, divas with the size and style of Charlotte have typically played the villain, while divas the size of Paige or AJ or, before them, Molly Holly and Lita have typically been in plucky underdog roles. Anyway...the back-and-forth featured some good wrestling, but the audience didn't seem to care too much, barely popping for Charlotte's spears in or outside the ring. Even more noticeable, though, was the lackluster crowd response to the finish, which was about as definitive an ending as I've seen in a WWE ring in quite some time. Far from bad, but certainly no better than average, here's hoping that Creative is going back to the drawing board and, based on what we saw here, ending this rivalry to provide us something fresher. (2.5/5)

Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler was next, a battle between two guys with more in common than not. What  I didn't like about this match is that, despite years more of experience and even a noticeable size advantage, Ziggler was on the receiving end of a ton of punishment. I understand making Breeze look good, but this one should've been all about the Showoff's dominance and Breeze's crafty, sneaky, treacherous attempts to survive (with help from Summer Rae). Instead, this was "just another Ziggler match," relatively even, entertaining in the moment but full of Ziggler selling/overselling and likely to be forgotten minutes after the bell rang. All in all, this was the type of match that could main event an episode of Superstars (or maybe SmackDown), but served as filler in this context. (2.5/5)

And another promo...

The Wyatt Family arrived next for their showdown with Kane and The Undertaker, otherwise known as the Brothers of Destruction. As expected, the Deadman got a special entrance featuring flaming Taker logos and a casket that flashed images of the iconic character in his various transformations. Pretty nifty stuff. The match kicked off with Rowan hopping into the ring and eating a double chokeslam from the Brothers, which caused Bray to pace around the ring, selecting himself and Luke Harper as the official match participants. If one expected to see Kane doing the heavy lifting, like I did, they'd be pleasantly surprised (as I was) by how involved Taker was from the very early going, connecting with an Old School and guillotine leg drop on Luke Harper to the delight of the crowd. Tagged back out, Kane then took the role of face-in-peril. While this sort of match layout is nothing new or special, it was the right one for this bout, an opportunity for The Undertaker to play hero one more time in front of a crowd that was firmly in his corner. In one of the cooler spots of the match, Braun Strowman got chokeslammed through a table (leading to a massive "Yes" chant), though I thought Luke Harper's tilt-a-whirl clothesline on Kane a few moments later was almost equally vicious. A definitive finish, an impressive feat of strength by the Phenom, capped off what was easily the match of the night, in no small part due to the fact that it was a simple story, told right, in front of a crowd who it mattered to.  (3.5/5)

Main event time - Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Solid, but not outstanding match - this one had a few great moments, a few hiccups, and a crowd that was a bit muted. If there was fear that Ambrose's fans would drown out any support for Reigns, that prophecy did not come to fruition to these ears. Of course, Ambrose is not as over as he was last summer or even last year at this time. Both guys worked hard, but this one just didn't exude the "epic" feel that it could have. An extra 2-3 minutes would have helped. While not as fun as the tag match that came before it, this was easily my favorite of the night's tournament matches.  (3.5/5)

…but the show was not over! Triple H showed up to ruin Roman Reigns' massive and confetti-filled victory party, offering his hand in friendship to the new World Champion. After spearing the Game, Sheamus arrived, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, and celebrated as the new WWE World Champion. Lest someone believe this moment was designed to shift the focus to the Celtic Warrior, Survivor Series closed out with a dramatic shot of Reigns, with tears in his eyes, exiting the arena in defeat. Well-executed closing to the show, though, far, far, far away from original. (BONUS .5!)


With an watchability score of 2.93-out-of-5, Survivor Series 2015 was a decent show with some bright moments but nothing close to essential viewing. The main events (and post match) delivered the goods, albeit in rather predictable fashion. The tag match was an Undertaker birthday party, a chance to see the Deadman have a good time playing the hits alongside his storyline brother, Kane - it had none of the suspense or brutality of Taker's matches with Lesnar, but it still had enough "big match feel" to get the crowd hotter than they were for any other match on the card. Unfortunately, the tournament matches were good - but not great. By not having either Reigns or Ambrose go through three opponents in one night (a not-entirely-unrealistic idea when you consider they could have squashed some midcarders in 4-minute bouts on the pre-show), the final, while very good, was never going to reach the emotional heights that made Bret Hart winning the 94' King of the Ring tournament or Macho Man capturing the WWE World Championship at WrestleMania IV such iconic moments for WWE fans. The post-match added some spice to the main event scene, but its the same flavor as we've seen with nearly every other cash-in the WWE has produced, including the ending of the superior SummerSlam 2014 show.

FINAL RATING - Watch It…With Remote in Hand

WCW Starrcade 96'

Starrcade 96' - December 1996

Nashville, Tennessee

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, "Hollywood" Hogan is the WCW World Champion, the United States Championship is vacant, Lord Steven Regal is the Television Champion, the Outsiders hold the WCW World Tag Team Champion, and Dean Malenko is the WCW Cruiserweight Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan

After some words from our commentary team, Starrcade 96' kicks off with a "Cruiserweight Unification Match" featuring J-Crown's Cruiserweight Champion, Ultimo Dragon, defending his 8 titles against WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Dean Malenko. "Iron" Mike Tenay joins the announcers for this, a match that begins with some solid, straight-up wrestling, both guys sticking to the mat and trading submissions and reversals left and right. The agility on display is astounding, but the crowd is largely indifferent until Dragon and, his invaluable manager (in this match at least), Sonny Onoo, start to really heel things up and get the fans behind Malenko. When the action spills to the outside, the intensity of the action picks up and we start getting some actual near falls and high spots after the lengthy "human chess game" these two had started the match with, but just as quickly they return to mat work and a considerable amount of time is spent on a visually-unexciting ankle lock. A huge Orton-like powerslam wakes the crowd up out of their slumber and a spike piledriver is equally well-received, but this match features too many lulls to be considered a masterpiece, even if its peak moments are spectacular. The finish is a bit too contrived for me to reward it points, but if you don't mind overtly-choreographed sequences, you'll be impressed by it. (3/5)

The next contest is the finals to a tournament for WCW's vacant Womens' Championship, pitting Japan's Akira Hokuto vs. Madusa. Unlike the previous contest, which pitted a Japanese heel against a stoic American iceman, the fans can actually get behind Madusa for this one as she comes out waving the stars and stripes. Hokuuto's real-life husband, Kensuke Sasaki, is in his wife's corner, but she doesn't need it - from the very start, she dominates her opponent with some hairtosses and an impressive number of submissions (including, at one point, biting Madusa's foot). Madusa's comebacks are spirited, but less technically-impressive, not that it matters when the basic story of the match is the exotic, unorthodox foreigner taking on the meat-and-potatoes, fundamentally sound hometown girl. A botched DDT leads to a slight hiccup, but it is impressively breezed through via a sick northern lights suplex out of Hokuto. Equally impressive is Madusa's initial powerbomb (her second attempt is reversed in nasty fashion). The stiffness of the suplexes in this match is absurd and the nearfalls are believable - the fact that either woman is able to continue delivering big spots in the closing minutes is a testament to their toughness (as is the final death blow that Hokuto delivers - a brainbuster that looks like an absolute career-ender). Very strong women's match that doesn't overstay its welcome and would only be better with a crowd that was more engaged. (4/5)

Roddy Piper is in the back and he proceeds to cut a wild promo that may not make total sense (when he references Jurassic Park it is unclear whether he's knocking Hogan's age or talking him up as a wrestling T-Rex), but is captivating nonetheless. Piper's delivery is wonderful and modern viewers will be in for a treat considering that practically no one cuts promos like this anymore - veering in and out of coherence, but remaining remarkably centered on selling the match and its consequences. Bonus point for the Hot Rod! 

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Rey Mysterio is next...and I'm sensing a pattern here as this is the third match to feature a WCW talent vs. a talent from Japan. Tenay is back on commentary, where he notes that this is the first time these two have competed on PPV. The action begins with Liger and Mysterio trading some well-paced offense with Mysterio on the receiving end of the bulk of it, including an excellently vicious powerbomb. There's a hiccup when Mysterio goes on offense, but it may be a bit of a blessing in disguise - the pause on the outside allows Liger to switch gears a bit and play heel, dropping Rey onto the floor with a suplex to the arena floor and a nasty powerbomb into the ring apron not dissimilar to what Kevin Owens has been dishing out lately. The commentary in this match is a bit lazy, though Tenay and Schiavone try their best to keep Dusty and The Brain focused. At one point, Dusty and Bobby debate Ligerr's weight and, minutes later, The Dream goes off on a tangent trying to compare Mysterio to hard-working teams in other sports but never completes the thought. Fortunately, an jaw-droppingly good dropkick out of Liger (followed by a release german) will snap any home viewer out of the funk that the extraneous and irrelevant commentary might put them in. In fact, the lethargic crowd is also worth tuning out because the performance Mysterio and Liger put on deserves far better reactions. While not an all-time classic, a hotter crowd and better commentary could've easily lifted this up a half-point. (3.5/5)

Chris Benoit (accompanied by Woman) makes his way to the ring next, set to take on Jeff Jarrett in a No Disqualification match. This match is based on the idea that Flair had endorsed Jarrett, but that the rest of the Horsemen were still somewhat suspect. To start things off, Jarrett tries to prove himself by outwrestling Benoit, but the Wolverine arrogantly outmaneuevers him and ends up hitting him with a series of stiff strikes. Jarrett's willingness to take punishment is remarkable here as some of Benoit's offense is just absolutely vicious and Jarrett spends a majority of the match bumping and selling. There is a bit of a lull in the action when Benoit locks in a sleeper, though the biggest part of the problem is that, despite the fact that Jarrett is in his hometown, he's just not over enough as a babyface to get the crowd behind him. The No DQ stipulation does not play much of a role until the final few minutes, when Woman prevents Jarrett from applying his figure four. Arn Anderson makes an appearance, followed by Hugh Morrus, Konnan, and Kevin Sullivan, and the match concludes with a dramatic, confusing finish that raises more questions than it answers about the future of the Horsemen. Whille I wouldn't call this any kind of masterpeice, the stiffness and drama on display is certainly above average. (3/5)

Unable to get a word out of Anderson, Benoit, or Jarrett, "Mean" Gene settles for comments from Steve "Mongo" McMichael and his wife Debra. The McMichaels get more heel heat than anyone else the whole evening, Debra showing more charisma in this brief interview then I think she did in her entire WWE run. 

Next up, a video package about the mysterious Sting. Too short to earn any bonus points, it is still noteworthy when you consider that the "pay off" of this angle wouldn't happen for another 12 months. Can you imagine that sort of longterm booking today?

WCW World Tag Team Champions, The Outsiders, make their way down the aisle, joined by their pesky cornerman, Syxx. Their challengers tonight are the legitimately tough-as-nails Faces of Fear, Barbarian and Meng. The nWo get face pops for their arrival and do little to quell them, mugging for the camera every chance they get. I was pleasantly surprised by how watchable the Nasty Boys/Outsiders/Faces of Fear match from World War III was the previous month and, again, this one works much better than it may appear on paper. While Meng and Barbarian were certainly not a fresh or innovative team, their powerhouse offense is still impressive and Hall sells with enthusiasm. While the nWo come in as babyfaces, Nick Patrick's questionable refereeing draws jeers from the crowd who, as much as they might favor the bad guys, still want to see a fair contest. Nash's Jacknife Powerbomb gets the biggest reaction of the match and wraps things up well before this match overstayed its welcome. (2.5/5)

In the back, Ted DiBiase, Vincent, Miss Elizabeth, and "Hollywood" Hogan cut a promo on Roddy Piper. Its incredible how much more comfortable Hogan seems as a heel here in 96' than he did playing the babyface role he'd been using for over a decade in 95'. While his promo isn't the most coherent peice of talking I've ever heard, it is spirited and, most shockingly of all, somewhat "hip," a descriptor I'm not sure could have ever been used for Hogan prior to this run or even after. Bonus point awarded for this promo and the Piper one earlier. (+1)

Eddie Guerrero takes on his longtime rival  Diamond Dallas Page next in a match to decide who will be crowned the new United States Champion - despite the fact that the title was never lost by former champion Ric Flair and The Giant, who had taken possession of it. Ignoring that, though, both Guerrero and Page are highly motivated here, putting together a match that features a respectable amount of big spots and actual technical wrestling. While Page has a noticeable size advantage, he doesn't dominate here - in fact, he comes across as too eager at times, launching himself over and through the ropes a number of times, giving the match a story that sets it apart from what one might expect. When Page does take control, he punctuates his more standard stomps and punches with a decent suplex here and a cheap, rope-assisted abdominal stretch there. A vocal portion of the crowd is firmly behind Page, which hurts things a bit (considering Page works the match as a pure, classic heel) and leads to some of the more explosive sequences still not getting the crowd reactions they deserve. The final minutes of the match, before the New World Order get involved, are fantastic and not dissimilar to the some of the "bomb throwing" closings that the WWE relies on now in their big contests. While I wouldn't call this match a classic, it is no worse than average and, with a crowd willing to actually root for the babyface, might have even come off as better than that. Extra half-point for the post-match action, which gets the loudest response of the night and lends even more credibility to the new United States Champion. (3/5)

The Giant vs. Lex Luger is next. These two had a match a year or so earlier (I think) that I didn't hate too much, so I came into this one expecting something at least average. Luger is incredibly over at this point, his offense eliciting immense cheers from the crowd. While I'd never call Lex an elite ring general, he's smart enough to make himself look great by making sure The Giant looks awesome. Early on, the Giant connects with a kick to Luger's ribs that sends the Total Package all the way to the arena floor, the kind of spot that is just cartoonish enough to be enjoyably believable. The minutes that follow have the same tone, flavored with The Giant's outstandingly heelish taunts. There are a few hiccups when these two start trying to get fancy and use the ropes, but when they stick to the basics, the crowd is amped. The final moments, with its surprise appearances, are great fun and a reminder that, at this point, WCW were hitting high creative peaks that the WWE could not yet match. (4/5)

Main event time and the crowd is absolutely electric for this, which adds a ton to what is, objectively, a 1-dimensional slugfest between Roddy Piper and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. While the maneuevers employed by both performers are largely unimpressive, the amount of mileage they get from their character work is a testament to their brilliance - the fact is, they get bigger reactions for eye pokes and roundhouses than the undercard guys did with their stunning aerial displays. Hogan, in particular, puts forth his best heel effort yet. While he still seemed to be working on his villainous character back at August's Hog  Wild and had nearly perfected it at Halloween Havoc, in this match, Hogan preens and prances so much that it is impossible not to boo the guy - a fact that the commentators bring up when it becomes obvious that despite the sea of black-and-white nWo t-shirts in the stands, it is Piper who has the crowd's full support (the "Roddy!" chants add a ton to the match's heat). There's a surprisingly good sequence involving a Piper side headlock and the myriad of swerves in the final minutes are executed incredibly well, considering they are nearly sidetracked by an angry fan seeking to even the score for Piper's side (a moment that just further shows how visceral the reactions Piper and Hogan were getting). While many of complained about the "bait-and-switch" with the title, I'll give some credit to WCW. Sure, most would've believed going into the match that this one was for the big gold belt...but the commentators navigate around the issue throughout the match and, even at Halloween Havoc and World War 3, Piperr himself always builds up the bout as a personal grudge match, not a title fight. It would be too kind to rate this match as any sort of classic, no matter how hot the crowd is, but to just call it average degrades the fact that I don't believe anyone in attendance that night ot watching at home was disappointed. A main event that was nearly as perfect as one could expect from two guys who were years removed from their in-ring peaks. (3/5)

.....but this one ain't over! No, following the match, we get another dramatic twist to the nWo storyline, this time involving The Giant arguing with the Outsiders and Hogan. As a cliffhanger finale to WCW's 1996, it is an absolutely awesome, intriguing angle that sets up the next night's Nitro in a way that comes off as organic. Excellent work from Hogan and further proof that The Giant might be the night's MVP. (+1)

With a highly respectable watchability score of 3.5-out-of-5, Starrcade 96' is an all-around fun watch without a single bad match. What really helps this show, more than featuring a handful of good-to-great matches, is that even the "so-so" matches have post-match or pre-match bonuses. Look no further than the main event for a clear-cut example of a match that might not feature great wrestling, but makes up for it with "big fight atmosphere" and post-match storyline development that makes you want to see where the story goes from here. While the card lacks a true classic, as an overall watch, there is rarely a dull moment, placing it snugly and barely underneath Curt Hennig Level.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All

WCW World War 3 (1996)

World War 3 - November 1996

Norfolk, Virginia

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan is the WCW World Champion, the Cruiserweight Championship is held by Dean Malenko, and the United States Championship was technically vacated at this point (Flair was injured and The Giant had essentially stolen the title). The Television Champion is Steven Regal (though he does not defend the title on this show) and the World Tag Team Champions are the Outsiders, Hall and Nash.

COMMENTARY: Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan

The last WCW pay-per-view, Halloween Havoc 96', earned a rare "Curt Hennig Level" rating, thanks in no small part to an excellent opening contest and a closing segment that hit all the right nostalgia buttons. This time around, the show would kick-off with a rematch from Hog Wild as Rey Mysterio Jr. squared off against Ultimo Dragon. This one starts with loads of submission, ground-oriented attacks, which doesn't electrify the crowd inititally but pays off by making the lightning-fast high spots come off as bigger exclamation points. Dragon hits an awesome spinning torture rack backbreaker, a combo powerbomb-into-a-guillotine, a fisherman brainbuster, a classic brainbuster, and an airplane spin among other big moves, dominating his opponent to a nearly gratuitous level. To his credit, Mysterio sells everything excellently without playing dead at any time, believably kicking out dramatically without overdoing it. A piledriver on the outside of the ring (followed by a huge splash from Ultimo Dragon) should reasonably end the match, but Dragon tosses his beaten opponent into the ring, where Mysterio miraculously mounts a comeback full of high spots. Mysterio's execution at this point is absolutely incredible, the crowd "oohing" and "aahing" with every maneuever, reversal, and kickout. Really fun match full of one incredible move after another that may be a bit unbelievable at times, but is inarguably a really entertaining bout. (4/5)

After some words from Diamond Dallas Page, we get to our next match - Chris Jericho vs. Nick Patrick. The stipulation here is that Jericho will have one arm tied behind his back. This one is a continuation of a storyline started at Halloween Havoc when Patrick, the "nWo ref," helped Syxx score a victory over the Lionheart. Jericho is accompanied by Teddy Long, presumably his manager though I definitely didn't recall that ever being the case. The match begins with Jericho dominating and Patrick bumping all around the ring before he momentarily gets the upper hand. The crowd is fairly dead for this despite Schiavone trying to assert otherwise on commentary. A fairly "by the numbers" match considering its stipulation, hardly recommended for even the biggest Jericho fans. (1.5/5)

I'm tempted to award a bonus point for the quick peak backstage, where a shirtless Marcus "Buff" Bagwell is hanging out with the CompuServe nerds...

Ric Flair, arm in sling, makes a grand entrance, joining "Mean" Gene to cut a promo about the New World Order. It's a great one too, passionate and to-the-point but impossible not to enjoy. Unfortunately, its an inessential segment and undeserving of a score.

The Giant takes on Jeff Jarrett in a rematch from Halloween Havoc next. I liked their previous bout a decent amount, impressed by Jarrett's selling and The Giant's effective use of his admittedly limited defense. What might be most interesting here is that The Giant's dominance draws a fair amount of cheers, the crowd really eating up the dismantling of Double J. A few minutes in, the crowd pops for the arrival of Sting in the rafters and the in-ring action becomes the least important part of the match as the Stinger makes his way towards the ring. In a twist I certainly didn't recall, WCW's Franchise player takes Jarrett out with a Scorpion Death Drop, allowing The Giant to then finish him off with his chokeslam. Interesting storyline development, but far from a must-see match...which is kind of unfortunate because the little bit of work both guys did perform in this match was pretty crisp, athletic, and engaging. (2.5/5)

Roddy Piper makes his way down the aisle, contract in hand, ready to issue his challenge to "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan for December's Starrcade PPV. Instead of Hogan, though, the newly-turned Eric Bischoff makes his way down the aisle, backed up by Ted DiBiase and Vincent. After Bischoff flaps his gums a bit, Piper cuts arguably his best WCW promo - noting that he taught Vincent how to fight, calling Sleazy E an "Eddie Munster lookalike," and beckoning the Hulkster out of the back. Adding to the scene is the fact that the audience is rabidly anti-nWo, tossing all sorts of trash from minute one to the very end. When Hulkster shows up, he's backed up by The Outsiders, The Giant, Syxx (with camera), and "Miss nWo" Elizabeth. This leads to Hogan demanding that Hot Rod "show em' the hip," calling Piper a cripple before he agrees to sign the contract. Piper slaps the taste out of his mouth, but the numbers game is too much as the nWo holds him back and allows Hogan to hit his hip with a (not-so-impressive) chairshot. Adding insult to injury, Hogan spray paints his leg as well before ending the segent by spitting in his face. In terms of despicability, this is peak nWo stuff. Of  course, Piper manages to come out of this looking pretty tough too, getting back on his feet as the nWo leave him behind and grabbing the mic to tell Hogan it's going to take much, much more to keep him down at Starrcade. While not perfect, this is a great segment that effectively builds a match and does so with enough interesting one-liners to make it "water cooler" talk level entertainment. (4/5)

The next bout is a continuation of the never-ending Sherri/Colonel Parker storyline as Harlem Heat takes on The Amazing French Canadians, Jacques Rougeau and Carl Oullette. The stipulation here was that, if the Heat won, Sherri would get 5 minutes alone with Parker, meaning that there is little question as to what the finish will be. Considering Rougeau's age, he's still the best performer of the four, kipping up early and smartly leading his team through a series of classic double-team maneuevers. The crowd is mostly dead, though, popping very little for Stevei Ray's hot tag and subsequent guerrilla press slam. A ref bump pulls the audience back, but after this point, the nonsense just piles so high it is impossible not to laugh at the ridiculousness. For starters, the heels' decision to build an elaborate scaffolding to hit their finisher comes out of nowhere and seems to go against the traditional characters they have (as compared to, say, Public Enemy doing the same thing). Then, you  have the referee, waking up out of his sleep on the mat and realizing that he should still be asleep. Finally, you have Stevie Ray and Sherri on the outside, essentially watching this all unfold. Overbooked, poorly executed, and completely tone deaf, this match deserves at least some credit for the comedy of its final two minutes. (1.5/5)

Starrcade 96' commercial. 

"Mean" Gene welcomes "The Total Package" Lex Luger and asks him his thoughts about Sting, who had handed him a baseball bat on a recent episode of Nitro. Luger hypothesizes that Sting handing him the belt might symbolize that he has joined the New World Order. Luger then details, in a very mild-mannered, calm, and straight-forward way, why he thinks he will win the night's big battle royale. Okay. 

Psychosis vs. Dean Malenko for Malenko's Cruiserweight Championship is next. Some have knocked this match (and much of Malenko's output) for not pulling in the audience, the criticism being that better performers would be able to "right the ship" when the audience isn't engaged while Malenko, for all his skill, was woefully ignorant of what the audience actually cared about. I think there is truth in that statement. Malenko would've benefitted from heeling it up a bit more to make the audience want to see Psychosis beat him. Still, the good heavily outweighs the bad in this match (and most any Malenko bout from this era). He puts on a clinic and epitomizes the "Iceman" attitude, physically dissecting his opponent with logical moves that target Psychosis' shoulder, neck, and legs. A few more hope spots would've made this one seem less one-sided, but its also somewhat refreshing to see a dominant champion actually dominate when current WWE World Champion Seth Rollins has something like a 3-12 record since winning the gold in April. Overall, not an all-time classic match, but still considerably above average thanks to loads of tight sequences, submissions galore, and even a few attention-getting twists (for example, Psychosis slips on his first high risk maneuver and is weaved into the match so organically it is commendable) that fans of cruiserweight action will be undoubtedly pleased for checking this one out. (3.5/5)

The WCW Tag Team Championships are on the line in the next bout, a Triangle Match between the reigning titleholders The Outsiders and the top two contenders, The Faces of Fear and The Nasty Boys. This match is surprisingly watchable considering that no one involved is that strong a bumper and 4-out-of-6 are essentially lumbering, clobbering, stiff grinders. Nash and Hall initially get cheered like faces and neither of the other two teams do anything to elicit sympathy, but somehow it still works as a whole. There are hiccups and seemingly unintentional breaks in the action, but there is also a real sense that the titles are important and that the teams want them - not necessarily because there is hatred for the nWo (neither team seems to care about that part of the story at all) but because the Faces of Fear and the Nasty Boys legitimately represent the old school toughness that the cowardly nWo members mock. The match might run a couple minutes longer than it needs to and the finish isn't perfectly executed (one doesn't need to look too hard to notice Hall waiting for his cue on the left side of the ring), but considering I went into the bout expecting to be bored to tears, the fact that it kept my attention is enough for me to nudge it close to average range. Had this been a straight-up two-on-two situation, I think the results would have been considerably more yawn-inducing. (2/5)

Main event time - a 60-Man Battle Royale featuring such top names as Eddie Guerrero, The Giant, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Lex Luger, Ciclope, "Big" Ron Studd, Ice Train, Stevie Ray, Roadblock...uh, yeah, when you have to fill a match with 60 competitors, the bottom of the barrel will be scraped. The match itself is an almost unwatchable clusterfuck of meaningless brawling and, at certain points, sheer idiocy. At one point, a half-dozen men try to eliminate Ron Studd by piling on top of him, lapsing on the basic premise of a battle royale mere minutes into the action. Then there's Eddie Guerrero eliminating himself...but somehow being permitted back into the match (he ends up being one of the final 10 or so guys). Wrestlers take breaks at random moments and the only interesting storylines pushed in this thing are the Horsemen's feud with the Dungeon of Doom and the growing tension between the American Males. The only time the crowd comes alive is the final 5 minutes, when the nWo, fully intact, starts to gang up on the sole representative of WCW left - "The Total Package" Lex Luger. After all is said and done, Bobby Heenan calls this "the greatest battle royal in history," seemingly forgetting that he actually called and had a tremendous role in the actual greatest battle royal in history 4 or so years earlier at the 92' Royal Rumble. Pretty terrible, but it is kept so short that its brevity actually helps keep it from an absolute zero rating. (0.5/5)

With an overall rating of 2.43-out-of-5, The 96' edition of World War 3 skates by with a somewhat passable rating thanks to two strong cruiser bouts, an excellent Piper/nWo segment, and a Battle Royal featuring 60 men that somehow wraps up in under 25 minutes (it helps that 8-9 guys are eliminated before the match even begins). Had either tag match been above average, the overall rating would've been even higher, though, I will say that the WCW World Tag Team Titles bout is better than it would look on paper. Recommended if you really, really, really like WCW in 96', have a few beers in the fridge, and will likely fall asleep in the third hour. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuever

   

    

       

                                                                                                                                                                                         

WWE Hell in a Cell 2015

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings 

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 - October 2015

Los Angeles, California

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Seth Rollins was the recognized WWE World Champion, John Cena was the United States Champion, Kevin Owens was the Intercontinental Championship, and Charlotte was the Divas Champion. The reigning Tag Team Champions were The New Day.

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry "The King" Lawler

Going into tonight's opening contest, I was fully expecting to see a bit of a swerve - but nothing like the one we got. John Cena arrived first, laying down the gauntlet of his United States Championship Open Challenge. Zeb Colter then rode out and introduced Cena's challenger - the one and only Alberto Del Rio, returning after many a moon wrestling mostly south of the border. The commentators put ADR over big time, bringing up his huge 2011 Royal Rumble victory and subsequent title win over Cena later that summer. The in-ring action wasn't too bad, but it wasn't too incredible either, with neither guy busting out anything incredibly special. What hurt things more than the somewhat middle-of-the-road sequences was the fact that much of the match was built around Del Rio attacking Cena's hamstring, which makes for a bit of a disconnect when El Patron's finisher is an arm submission. Despite it being a bit anti-climactic, I did like the "out-of-nowhere" ending - it establishes Del Rio's kick-to-the-head as a legit game-ender and started off the night on the right foot by not laboriously going through finisher after finisher. Still, compared to the battles Cena has fought throughout the course of this year, this was not up to par. (2.5/5)

The Cell was lowered and Hell was delivered in the next match, Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns. The crowd seemed fairly apprehensive about getting behind Roman here, but as the match wore on, he earned their respect, taking the first major bump of the match by getting chokeslammed through a table onto the arena floor. Not to be outdone, Wyatt got powerbombed through a table in the ring and, in the match's final big spot, took a spear into the corner, through a table on the outside. I liked Wyatt's character work here too - especially when he started hanging weapons off the cell, which made for a great visual and really meshed with his character being not dissimilar the creepy sadists that "Hotch" and his crew hunts down on Criminal Minds. What didn't I enjoy? Like their match at Battleground, this match ebbed and flowed a bit too much for me, featuring lengthy gaps of non-action breaking up select moments when the intensity and carnage shined. I do think this match was an improvement, though, as we didn't have to watch Wyatt and Reigns fill up that empty time with their WWE2K16 taunts. Quality false finishes at the tail end, but I don't see myself dying to rewatch this one anytime soon. (3/5)

The WWE Tag Team Championships were on the line next with The New Day (sans Xavier Woods) defending the straps against The Dudley Boys. To me, this match sadly symbolizes the end of the WWE's "fixed" tag team division - doubly sad because The New Day might be the best team to come from the division's rebirth in 2013/2014. Unfortunately, injuries led to the demise of The Usos, Cesaro/Kidd, and Rowan & Harper. The Prime Time Players and "The Dust Brothers" had their moments too and who could forget The Miz and Mizdow? Unfortunately, in their place, we have The Dudley Boys and....no one else worth mentioning. While this match wasn't "bad" (if you want to see bad tag team action, check out Harlem Heat's work in 95'-96' WCW), it definitely pales in comparison to what the aforementioned teams were doing at the birth of the Network Era. There were some noticeable hiccups here and the finish was about as convoluted as they come. Plus, without Xavier around, the live crowd seemed a tad less engaged with the act than usual (unsurprisingly). Here's hoping this match is the final straw of this feud. I have no idea what the Dudleys do next and, no matter how many people tell me how great Bubba Ray was in TNA, I don't particular care to see him get that big singles run over any number of younger, fresher talents. Here's hoping the WWE bring up one of the better teams from NXT sooner than later. (2/5)

Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte for Charlotte's Divas Championship was next, a continuation of their long-simmering feud. I enjoyed their last match a good deal as it really showcased Nikki Bella, but this one was even better, possibly because it was a bit more even. There were several excellent sequences, including a vicious Alabama Slam into the apron, a Bronco Buster-to-the-lower-back in the corner, and some vicious forearms and slaps - and that was just Nikki's offense! Charlotte shined in her remarkable reversals, many of which showed incredible agility. Whoever laid out this match did a terrific job, too, as they really built suspense in the last minutes after a rapid succession of innovative and fresh maneuevers. People nitpicking the way Nikki grabbed the ropes when she had Charlotte's figure four reversed are forgetting that there is more than one way to peel an orange and that not every figure four reversal needs to utilize the tired trope that Charlotte's old man used twenty years ago. What doesn't make sense about Nikki wanting to break the hold after working on Charlotte's lower back for most of the match? Without a doubt, the best match of the night up to this point. (3.5/5)

The WWE World Championship was on the line in the 5th contest, a spot that one typically doesn't see World Championship matches. Champion Seth Rollins spent the first few minutes of the match getting destroyed by the demon Kane, bumping big time for the monster. I really enjoyed Kane's Extreme Rules  match with Daniel Bryan from 2014, but that one had the benefit of a heavy, borderline cartoonish use of weapons and machinery. This was a straight-up "Attitude Era style" wrestling match with a table not getting introduced until considerably late in the game (and for a questionable, imperfectly-executed spot). Having such a technically-proficient, but not necessarily "brutal" match didn't make a ton of sense to me, but that's not to say this one didn't have its moments (Rollins' frogsplash and the "Eddie" chant that followed being a particularly cool one). (3/5)

The ho-hum continued with the next content, a fairly cold Kevin Owens vs. Ryback match for Owens' Intercontinental Championship. While I liked their match at last month's Night of Champions show more than most, this one was noticeably less exciting, burdened with positioning on a card that did it few favors. While I wouldn't qualify this one as a complete dud, the lack of crowd engagement really kept it from leaving much of an impression aside from a few impressive feats of strength from both competitors. (2/5)

Main event time - The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell. This match delivered everything one could have wanted: stiff shots left and right, weaponry, visits to Suplex City, and more blood than the WWE Universe has seen in at least a couple years. Unlike Wyatt/Reigns, Taker and Lesnar went full throttle from the very start to the bitter end. Unlike every other match on the show, the crowd really cared too, split fairly evenly between Lesnar supporters and "Creatures of the Night" as they were once called. Whether it was a blade job or not, Lesnar's head was split wide open and the involvement of the medics from then on added extra realism to the contest. The not-always-pretty (arguably sloppy and dangerous) use of a steel chair and some stiff ground-and-pound work out of Lesnar (when escaping Taker's triangle choke) nudged this one even closer to "old school Roman coliseum" level of bloodsport. The final third was spectacular, in no small part due to the originality of Lesnar literally ripping the ring open to try to drive the Deadman to hell once and for all and the match culminating in a circle-closing nod to the finale of Battleground. Of the three bouts these two have had over the past two years, this might have been the best one. (4/5)

I'm going to be a bit kind here and not take away any points for the post-match shenanigans. Had we not already seen the Phenom vanquish the New Face of Fear 7 months ago, it would have been an amazing capper to the show…but we did see Taker/Wyatt and it wasn't so good that I was demanding a second helping. To make matters worse, with JBL heaping tons and tons of praise and respect onto the Undertaker throughout the match, the fact that he didn't step up to help out the man who he literally called "The Greatest Of All Time," was noticeable. I am not the least bit excited about where this storyline is going. Hopefully, the WWE has learned that hot-shorting programs out of desperation, like they did with Undertaker and Wyatt last spring, exhausts the audience on what would otherwise be an intriguing rivalry.


With an overall rating of 2.86-out-of-5, Hell in a Cell was exactly what most fans predicted it would be - a show that didn't underperform, but certainly didn't overperform either. I found the pacing of the show to be better than most of the Network Events, with Creative wisely bookending the show with its two hottest, most over matches (Cena's US Open and Brock/Taker). I liked that Wyatt/Reigns were given plenty of time, but wish they would've done more with it. New Day/Dudleys and Ryback/Owens were absolute filler, proof that these feuds have run their course and that everyone involved needs a new dance partner. Charlotte/Nikki was easily my second favorite match on the card and I'm proud that, many, many months after I jumped on the Nikki Bella Bandwagon, more and more critics and fans are beginning to recognize that saying Nikki Bella has "improved" is not good enough - she's gone from averaging an F to averaging a B and I'm not sure any female wrestler since Trish Stratus has seen that much growth while simultaneously positioned as the cornerstone of the division. If the Creative team had been smart enough to firmly establish her as a heel and the agents had worked harder with her to cement that heel persona in-ring, she would be even more over - but considering that Nikki Bella spent most of the year in character limbo, playing a "tweener," we'll never really know what her ceiling was. All in all, not a bad wrestling show, but one that doesn't leave me thrilled about what's coming down the pike. The faster we move to the Royal Rumble, the better.


FINAL RATING - Watch It…With Remote in Hand

WWE Insurrextion (2002)

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings 

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

WWF Insurrextion - May 2002

London, England

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Hulk Hogan is the WWE World Champion, Eddie Guerrero is the Intercontinental Champion, the Women's Champion is Jazz, the Hardcore Champion is Stevie Richards, and the Cruiserweight Champion is Tajiri (though he would not appear on the card). The Tag Team Champions at the time were Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo. 

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

Insurrextion...because spelling it properly is for losers! Like most UK-only specials, I came into this one not expecting anything consequential to happen. Let's see if I was right...

"Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero heads out first for tonight's opening contest, defending his Intercontinental Championship against the former title holder, Rob Van Dam. From the very start Guerrero and RVD work an extremely fast pace and busting out some of their signature offense, keeping the rowdy crowd fully engaged for every counter, nearfall, and high spot. RVD gets the immense cheers that makes it perfectly believable that, according to Court Bauer, he was once pencilled in to take the World Championship after the brand split later that year. Eddie does a nice job of maintaing control as the heel, drawing a loud "Eddie Sucks" chant from the crowd. Eddie's use of submissions is quite good as well here as he logically targets Van Dam's legs, locking in various grapevines but also connecting with some lightning-quick dropkicks to his opponent's knees. Van Dam's desperation superkick is excellent, but from here, one really wishes RVD would've spent even a little bit more time selling the damage to his leg once he takes control. The ending is a cop-out, but it at least features one of the coolest maneuevers I've ever seen Rob Van Dam pull off - a pop-up into a dropkick to the jaw that I'm not sure I've seen him execute many times prior or after. Fun opener that would've been even better with a real finish. (3/5)

Backstage, Terri Runnels is with Women's Champion Jazz and Molly Holly. The segment ends with Terri revealing her bra, which would earn a bonus point if I was 12.

Trish Stratus and Jacqueline arrive to take on Jazz and Molly Holly. I really enjoyed watching Holly on "Table For 3," but that didn't necessarily have me psyched for this bout. Surprisingly, it is fairly solid - Trish is probably the worst worker of the bunch, but she's more over than any diva on the current roster. While I'd argue that today's divas are more creative and athletically gifted, the competitors in this bout get the simple stuff right and hit their spots with gusto and confidence that today's talents often seem to lack. Then again, wrestling in front of a rabid crowd that isn't treating you as a bathroom break probably boosts your spirits more than trying to engage a dead audience. (2.5/5)

Backstage, X-Pac is hanging out with Scott Hall, practing his nunchuck skills for some reason. 

Bradshaw vs. X-Pac is next as Jim Ross plays up their rivalry. As I noted in my review of WWE Backlash 2002, the New World Order are laughably low-tier by this point, feuding with one-half (not even BOTH halves) of the Acolytes when, just a few months earlier, they were being booked as the top heel group in the company. This match starts off rather unimpressively, but one has to give credit to Bradshaw, who ends up getting a fair bit of color to get this match over. There are all sorts of hiccups in this one, but neither guy gives up or half-asses anything, putting more passion and energy into this match than it probably deserved. (3/5)

The Hardcore Championship is on the line next, with Stevie Richards defending against Booker T. Stevie Richards' WWE run has always been an interesting thing to me - here's a guy who got over in ECW with a loudmouth, weasely sidekick gimmick based entirely on his personality, but once he got "the call up" was made to be a rather generic worker, especially after the Right To Censor gimmick. Granted, Richards was a so-so worker at best, never one to be confused with the exciting hardcore guys like Sabu or Van Dam, the spectacular technicians like Guerrero or Malenko, or the violent bad asses like New Jack or Sandman. This match is hardly one for his Best Of DVD as the crowd is quieter here than at any previous moment in the show. The use of weapons is relatively tame as the hardest-hitting spot of the night might actually be a botched back body drop over the top where Booker hits his lower back against the ring apron. As the match wears on, Richards gets to show off some respectable resiliency, Booker T doing a very solid job of making the Hardcore Champion look more credible here than I think he'd looked in any other match in his WWE run. Crash Holly, Justin Credible, Jazz, and Tommy Dreamer all make appearances in the "post-match," though the 24 Hour Defense rule means that everytime you think you've seen a resolution, another twist waits around the corner. Like the previous match, the "meat" of this one is surprisingly stronger than it would seem on paper, these two showing off more chemistry than one would expect. Good, not great match. (2.5/5)

Brock Lesnar and Shawn Stasiak team up to take on The Hardys next. At Backlash, Lesnar soundly defeated Jeff Hardy, but Team Extreme refused to go down without a fight, retalliating on an episode of RAW. Meanwhile, Shawn Stasiak had only recently returned to the WWE with his new "weirdo" gimmick. The Hardys arrive first sans Lita, who was injured while filming the television show Dark Angel, which I guess was a thing in 2002? Lesnar and Heyman then arrive without Stasiak, who runs in from behind them and starts the match off against Heyman's prior instructions to simply stand on the outside and let Brock handle things. Heyman yells at Stasiak from the outside, telling him to tag in the Beast, but he doesn't listen and ends up the victim of some Hardy offense before Lesnar is able to tag himself in. From here, Lesnar brutalizes like only he can - hitting Matt Hardy with a backbreaker-into-a-whiplash powerslam and then just toying with him with a slam here, a suplex there, and basically anything else he felt like. After Lesnar accidentally spears the corner, Stasiak tags himself in and Jeff Hardy is able to come in and take control, hitting his Whisper In The Wind and, moments later, his Swanton. The post-match reminds the fans who this match was really designed to showcase and we even get to see a rare tornado powerbomb (worth an extra .5 in my book). (3/5)

The European Championship is on the line next, with Spike Dudley defending against former champion, William Regal. The story of this match is that Spike Dudley gets injured within the opening minutes, but before he can be carried to the back, Regal continues on his attack. While not a reinvention of the wheel, there is logic to the proceedings and Regal does an excellent job of drawing heat from a crowd that, to some degree, wanted to cheer their countryman. Good storyline progression here, but not the best finish and I would've liked to see even more Regal dominance. (2/5)

The Big Show vs. Steve Austin follows, with Ric Flair inserting himself as an extra special guest referee. Big Show had joined the nWo on RAW, a move ostensibly designed to give some life to the fledging heel posse (at this point, with Hogan back in a babyface role and Nash "suspended" [I believe he was actually injured], the group was basically just Hall and XPac). The "What" chants are deafening before a single punch is thrown. While I wouldn't argue that Big Show was relevant or a strong character in 2003, Austin always knew how to work with him, really making the Big Show's simple offense look powerful and pacing things properly to establish himself as an underdog, the cocky bad ass who is unable to rely on his usual bag of tricks to intimidate and control the match. Instead, Austin attacks Big Show's legs, working hard to keep Big Show on the mat where his size won't play a factor. When Big Show hits something as simple as a headbutt, though, Austin bounces like he's been shot by a cannon - its an impressive performance from a guy that, by his own admission, wasn't necessarily in the best mindset of his career. As one might expect, the closing minutes are full of shenanigans, some well executed (the ref bump, Nash's run in) and others not so much (Flair chasing XPac and Hall to the back). Not essential viewing, but fun stuff that shows that years earlier, Austin/Big Show should've been a license to print money as the two could achieve so much in the ring by doing relatively little.  (3/5)

Main event time - The Undertaker vs. Triple H. This is their first match since Taker cost Triple H his Undisputed World Championship at Backlash. In the build-up, Triple H was arrested for attacking the Deadman, while Taker struck back by costing Triple H a Number One Contender's match against Chris Jericho on Smackdown. If I'm not mistaken, The Undertaker won the rights to challenge Hogan at Backlash and had yet to receive his title shot so the winner of that match would've had to wait in line anyway. Whatever. Taker comes out to the sound of Limp Bizkit while Triple H makes his entrance to Motorhead, garnering a huge ovation from the crowd (arguably even bigger than the one Steve Austin earned). I was a huge fan of their WrestleMania 17 match, so I expected this one to be a decent outing. Unlike their most recent WrestleMania matches, this one is not an "epic by design" - instead, they go after eachother quickly and without any respectful hesitation. If you loved the bloated pretension that marked their last two matches, this one is not for you, but if you're a fan of either character and enjoy watching them work without the inflated self-importance that a WrestleMania spotlight brings to a match like this, it's a fun watch. Sure, the stakes aren't nearly as high as the ones they'd wrestle for in the future - there's not even a title on the line - but that doesn't mean there's no drama. In fact, a broken top rope adds an unexpected twist to the match, the two combatants forced to improvise and adapt on the fly, essentially tasked with wrestling the remainder of the match without any use of the ropes. After an excellent near fall from a picture-perfect chokeslam, a chair is momentarily introduced to the match, though it almost seems to have less impact than the signature offense that follows it. Unfortunately, a sudden finish hurts things a bit. While I'm not a huge supporter of "finisher spamming," its odd to see an Undertaker/HHH match wrap up with such a basic sequence of spots, nothing that one would expect a match of this magnitude to end with. (2.5/5)

With a respectable 2.69-out-of-5 average match rating, Insurrextion is not withouts its moments. The opener is quite good, the Austin/Big Show match is solid, and there's always something intriguing about watching a superstar like Brock Lesnar this early in his career. Unfortunately, like most international PPVs, Insurrextion comes off as a wholly inconsequential affair in terms of progressing storylines or offering "must see" matches. As a glorified house show, it works - but I'm not sure anything on this one is worth visiting for the first time or revisiting for a second helping. This is one for completists only.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuever

WWE Live from MSG

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings 

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

WWE Live from MSG - October 2015

New York, New York

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE World Champion is Seth Rollins, the United States Champion is John Cena, Kevin Owens holds the Intercontinental Championship, and Charlotte is the Divas Champion. The New Day are the reigning WWE World Tag Team Champions.

COMMENTATORS: Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, and JBL

The first stop on Brock Lesnar's "Go To Hell" Tour is Madison Square Garden, but its not the Beast who kicks off the show - its Sheamus and Rusev taking on Dolph Ziggler and "The Viper" Randy Orton. Orton is particularly fired up tonight, playing to the crowd a bit more than usual in his entrance. From the onset, having the crowd "dark" rather than lit up gives the show a different feel and really helps put the focus on the in-ring action. The heels do a nice job of cutting the ring in half during this one, punishing Ziggler with all sorts of slams and submissions. I particularly liked the way Rusev would either grab Dolph's arm or just step on it while tagging in his partner to make sure the Showoff couldn't reach the corner - a small thing that adds realism to the contest. Orton's hot tag got the audience on their feet, the RKO minutes later getting the biggest pop of the match. Nothing special, but not bad. (2.5/5)

After the match, Rusev grabs a mic and blames his partner for the loss, which leads to Lobsterheard hitting him with a Brogue Kick and telling him to kiss his "arse." This is followed by a video recap of the latest events in the Dual Kane storyline and some words from Kane.

Back in the ring, Stardust vs. Neville is our next match, a continuation of their summer rivalry. Neville's athleticism is always fun to watch and, considering how much time they've spent in the ring together, it doesn't surprise me that his chemistry with Cody is pretty good..but the crowd just seemed to care less and less with each second passing, popping for a Neville's moonsault, but not really reacting to anything Stardust did (even when he ludicrously donned Neville's cape). Neville's Red Arrow sealed this largely unremarkable match. (1.5/5)

Renee Young is in the back with "The Advocate" Paul Heyman who cuts a promo about the greatness of Madison Square Garden and his client, Barack Lesnar. Good promo, but not essential enough to warrant a bonus point.

Team Bella arrives next for their 6-woman match against Team PCB - who really shouldn't be referred to as that anymore considering that Paige has explicitly turned on them TWICE now. I would've much preffered this to be Nikki and Alicia (with Brie on the outside) vs. Charlotte and Becky as it just makes absolutely no sense that the faces would want to team up with Paige after she  verbally assaulted them and then deserted them in their match less than a week ago. Becky and Alicia start things off, Paige tagging herself in and delivering some big knees to Fox. A small "We Want Sasha" chant breaks out but dies down rather quickly (or is muted by the audio department?). Nikki is brought in and the heels take control, Alicia getting back in before Brie gets tagged in to keep the match from getting anywhere above average. Compared to Nikki and Alicia, Brie is noticeably less confident and capable. Charlotte comes in for the hot tag and goes for the Figure 8, but Paige tags herself in, costing the good gals the advantage. Brie is back in briefly before Alicia gets in to deliver a textbook suplex and lock in a headlock. Nikki keeps the pressure on with a front headlock of her own, the crowd dying down as its pretty hard to cheer a face-in-peril when said face is not really a face. Charlotte and Becky's refusal to tag in got a great response, but it also led to Team Bella getting cheered, which seems to run a bit against what the division needs: clear faces and clear heels. The in-ring action wasn't particularly bad at any point, but the idea of "addition by subtraction" would've made it much better, specifically keeping Brie on the outside as a manager and not having Paige in this one at all as her inclusion defied logic. (2/5)

Breast Cancer commercial. Man, unlike the Beast in the East special from July, this show is coming off more and more like an episode of Smackdown or something - recycled matches from RAW and loads of video recaps and backstage segments.  

The Intercontinental Championship is on the line next as Kevin Owens defends against Chris Jericho. Finally we get something fresh! Rich Brennan notes that winning the title here would make Jericho a 10-time Intercontinental Champion. Before the match begins, Y2J cuts a promo about how tonight is the 25th Anniversary of his very first professional match, shouting out to Lance Storm (who gets a respectable pop and is sitting in the front row), his father Ted, and even Don Callis. Jericho finishes his promo with his catchphrase and one has to wonder why no one considered having Owens cut him off - something a braggart heel like Owens would do so well. The match kicks off with Owens and Jericho trading control before the violent Quebecer slows things down with a classic headlock. From here, Jericho fights his way out and ends up back on offense for a stretch, using his speed and agility to outmaneuever his opponent. A "This Is Awesome" chant breaks out, though, it's not really warranted. Owens counters a Lionsault and hits his cannonball before heading to the top rope to attempt a senton (which is countered). Jericho locks in the Walls, but Owens is able to reach the ropes, not yet out of gas. Jericho connects with a Codebreaker but can't make the cover. Owens hits a superkick that would make Shawn Michaels jealous, but ends up in trouble nonetheless, having to escape another Walls of Jericho by poking his opponent in the eye and scoring a flash pin. Solid finish to a good, but not necessarily great match. More time might've got it there. (3/5)

Yet another commercial hyping NXT and then yet another video package. The amount of filler on this show is getting to be a bit much.

The WWE Tag Team Championships are on the line next with The New Day defending against The Dudley Boys. Like the prior match, this is an opportunity for The Dudleys to capture their TENTH WWE Tag Team Championships. The New Day arrive first to a sizeable reaction, cutting a funny promo about their opponents tendency to make dated 90s references before starting a "Save The Tables" chant. The Dudleys then come out, obviously amped to be back in the most famous arena in the world. Kofi and D'von start things off and an audible "We Want Tables" starts. A ton of quick tags happen from there, no one getting a clear advantage until Xavier thwarts the Dudleys' signature headdrop spot. From here we got standard action, not dissimilar to the superior 6-man we got on RAW this week (unsurprisingly, having Woods and Cena in the match made it seem that much more exciting). The finish was well-executed and the post-match added some drama, but this rivalry is ready for a stipulation bout (and its rather obvious what that stip should be). There is nothing left to accomplish with these teams squaring off in regular ol' tag bouts. Also, if there are plans to bring in Spike Dudley, tonight would've probably been the best opportunity for it...unless there's a show in Phillie coming up? (2.5/5)

Jon Stewart is in the house. Hopefully he won't play a role in tonight's US Championship match.

We get yet another video package, this one hyping up the long-running rivalry between Big Show and Brock Lesnar. Their history is undeniable, but that doesn't mean I'm more interested in this match than I would be in Lesnar vs. Cesaro or Lesnar vs. Ambrose or Lesnar vs. just about anybody else. 

The Big Show comes out first and a "Suplex City" chant starts before Brock Lesnar even arrives. Lesnar looks to be in incredible shape, the Conqueror smiling a little bit as he strolls to the ring with Paul Heyman. The Big Show overpowers Lesnar at the start, tossing him over the top rope early on, establishing his size and strength advantage over the Beast. Watching Lesnar work as the clear babyface, getting almost manhandled by The Big Show, is a fun change of pace, though, Lesnar doesn't play the underdog for long. After a flurry of impressive suplexes, Lesnar dumps Big Show down with a fireman's carry and then F-5s him in short order. Too brief to be considered even remotely special. It was a total waste of time to build Big Show up over the past few weeks if you are going to have him lose in under 5 minutes here. The post-match only further establishes the impotency and irrelevancy of Big Show. No Lesnar showing of the past year has been "bad," but this one seems like the most inessential and lazily booked. (2/5)

Main event time - John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for Cena's United States Championship in a cage match. A "John Cena Sucks" chant welcomes Da Champ, who takes the time to give a hug to the widow of Arnold Skaaland sitting in the front row. Thanks, JBL, I was wondering who that ol' biddy was. The crowd is alive for this, giving loud mixed reactions to both competitors. Fairly standard action, though there were some highlights - Cena hitting a bulldog on Rollins from the top and, later, delivering an electric chair, Rollins reversing Cena's leg drop from the corner into a sit-out power bomb, Rollins getting in his signature rolling duplex combo, etc. As the match wore on, Cena and Rollins noticeably milked things to stretch the match, but that's not to say the deliberate pacing was ineffective - a sequence at the cage's door helped raise the suspense that the prior several minutes lacked and the pinfall and escape attempts from then on got huge reactions as the audience came to believe that either man could reasonably win. Rollins' innovative use of the cage door towards the end added an exciting transition to the match and, this time around, the "This Is Awesome" chant seemed at least somewhat deserved. As one might have expected, Kane arrived to play spoiler, keeping Rollins from a guaranteed victory and allowing Cena to score the win. The post-match was precisely what one would've expected as Kane took out the Architect with a chokeslam and a tombstone piledriver. All in all, an above average match but far from essential viewing. (3/5)

With an average match rating of 2.36-out-of-5, Live from MSG lacked the uniqueness that made Beast in the East one of the more enjoyable shows of 2015. If this is what the WWE is presenting at its house shows, I'm not too eager to spend money on a ticket one. Most of the matches were carbon copies of matches from previous Network specials and recent episodes of RAW. With absolutely no twists or turns and a crowd that seemed more than willing to sit back and accept what it was getting (I was expecting a bit more of a rowdy atmosphere considering how much of this show would qualify as "same old shit"), the best way to describe this show would be lackluster. Unsurprisingly, it also registers as the lowest scoring modern show I've seen on the Network since Survivor Series 2014. Recommended for Owens completists and any left on Earth whose still craving a Cena/Rollins match. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuever

WCW Halloween Havoc 96'

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings 

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Halloween Havoc 96' - October 1996

Las Vegas, Nevada

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Champion coming into the event, while his fellow nWo teammate, The Giant, is in unofficial possession of the US Championship (Ric Flair is technically United States Champion). The Cruiserweight Champion is Rey Mysterio Jr., the Television Champion is Steven Regal (though he's not on the card), and the WCW World Tag Team Titles are held by Harlem Heat.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes

Halloween Havoc 96' kicks off with a Cruiserweight Championship Match - Rey Mysterio Jr. defending against Dean Malenko. Befoore the bell can even ring, Malenko is on the attack, trying to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf within the first minute. While a tad too choreographed at the start, when the moves performed are so dazzling, its hard not to be wowed by the athleticism. When the match slows down and the moves become a bit more targeted, things are no less smooth but the match benefits from the suspense having time to build. While Mysterio would go on to have a ton of guys one might call his greatest opponent, I'm not sure Malenko has any better opponent. Against Rey, the Iceman is able to not only demonstrate his inventive submission arsenal, but he's also able to hit powerbombs and suplexes with ease. From here, the action ebbs and flows with a mix of concussion-causers in the ring and high risk maneuevers galore outside of it. Moments when the wrestlers are noticeabily and awkwardly positioning themselves for the next big spot tarnish the match a bit too much for me to give it a glowing review, but if you can overlook that issue, the action in this match is unbelievable at times. (3.5/5)

Jeff Jarrett's first WCW pay-per-view appearance, I believe! Lee Marshall is in the house as well.

Eddie Guerrero takes on Diamond Dallas Page in a continuation of their long-running rivalry over Page's BattleBowl ring. Back when DDP won the thing, the announcers clearly stated that he who held the ring held a contract for a World Title match…months later, neither Guerrero or Page has had the sense to cash it in. This is probably for the better because they have awesome chemistry with one another. After starting off with some action on the outside of the ring, Guerrero and Page take things inside and go through a series of exchanges based all around headlocks and solid reversals, a nice change of pace from the balls-to-the-wall spots of the previous bout. Also, unlike the previous bout, the more devastating maneuvers are sold for appropriate lengths, Guerrero spending ample time on the floor, hanging from guardrails, hunched over and such. Page, meanwhile, throws enough heel quirks into his in-ring persona that the crowd has no choice but to boo him even if, slowly but surely, its obvious that he is getting over as a character (and one that can dish out some excellent offense at times).  Page's quarreling with Nick Patrick allows for Eddie to catch a second wind believably, leading to a somewhat ill-performed pinning sequence that's saved by a vicious lariat from DDP and, moments later, Guerrero firing back with a pair of on-the-jaw European uppercuts and a crossbody to the outside that is perfectly captured by the camera man. The final few minutes solidifies Guerrero's toughness while also giving DDP the continued push up the card that he was well-earned by this point in his WCW career. While I would've enjoyed a slightly more suspenseful finish (maybe one that played into a time limit or featured an "out of nowhere" Diamond Cutter?), I was very much pleased with the effort and story these two told. Very solid match. (4/5)

A bizarre Randy Savage/Slim Jim promo comes up next as Macho announces the winner of the WCW Halloween Havoc Sweepstakes and is now the proud owner of a Slim Jim Monster Struck. Network Nugget of Weirdness! Oooooh yeah! (+1)

Chris Jericho is in the back, nerding it up with a CompuServe geek.

Before our next match, Dean Malenko shares some thoughts with Mike Tenay. Not much to say about that.

In the stands, Ted DiBiase stands with pseudo-United States Champion, The Giant. DiBiase is pretty great in this role, talking down Jeff Jarrett for not accepting a place in the New World Order. The Giant gets some words in too before the two make a Shield-like entrance through the crowd. Tony makes it very clear that this is not a US Title match and that the belt is actually the rightful property of Ric Flair, who makes his way down the ring last for moral support. The bell rings and Jarrett struts a bit, frustrating the Giant with his quickness and cockiness. Giantt dominates, though, tossing Jarrett from an atomic drop position in a big spot and following it up by tossing Jarrett halfway across the ring by his throat. Jarrett attempts to tire the big man down with a sleeper but can't get him off his feet. Ric Flair attempts to a lend a hand by lending a chair, but Jarrett can't escape his monstrous opponent, who hits him with an elbow drop, a headbutt to the crotch, and then a backbreaker (one of my favorite Giant/Big Show moves). Flaiir grabs a mic to rally Jarrett, but it only seems to motivate Giant further, who levels his opponent with more of the same basic offense he'd been utilizing since the start. Of course, when you're 7 feet and 400+ pounds, you don't need a vast array of holds to impress the audience. Similarly, Jarrett is quite good in this bout, fighting with a ton of fire in the few moment when he's not effectively selling The Giant's size and power. Jarrett is not a great babyface, but Flair's involvement helps at keeping the crowd actively rooting for the good guys. The finish is a bit disappointing, but only because the actual match was considerably better than I predicted going in. If  Jarrett is this motivated for the rest of his WCW run, I may end up having to reevaluate my generally lukewarm, indifferent view of his career. (3/5)

Ted DiBiase is back in the crowd, seconded by his longtime bodyguard, Vincent (aka Virgil) and Syxx, who, like The Giant, makes his way through the crowd from the "nWo Entrance" to take on Chris Jericho. From the first minutes, the action here is intense, fast-paced, and stiff, noticeably less choreographed than the Mysterio/Malenko opener and even more personal than Guerrero/DDP. Unlike in WWE, where Syxx (as 1-2-3 Kid) was often pitted against noticeably larger, slower opponents, its fun to see him paired up against a worker capable of keeping pace with the former Lightning Kid and more than willing to sell convincingly for the guy. Both guys take give and take some big moves - Jericho flying over the corner and onto the floor, Syxx dropkicking a turnbuckle and landing backfirst, Jericho launching himself with a springboard splash to the outside, the villainous nWo member connecting with an elbow drop on the Lionheart prone on the apron...as the match goes on, the action gets more intense as Nick Patrick's poor officiating draws harsher and harsher boos. In terms of telling the story of the dirty ref, this is an exceptional example that lays the cheapness of its finish extra thick - which is a good thing when that's exactly what is needed to cement Nick Patrick's heel turn. Good in-ring action and a meaningful conclusion that doesn't bury the loser. (3/5)

After some words from the Total Package, Lex Luger squares off against Arn Anderson, the two feuding over personal issues related to the fall-out from Fall Brawl. This is a relative "sprint," but its not a bad one. Long-running rivals, Anderson and Luger do a masterful job of using a few classic high spots to great effect and Tony Schiavone's commentary pushes how personal this match is. Dusty doesn't help much with this "boolah boolah" references, but they don't detract too much either. A ref bump allows the guys to take this one a step further on the outside, a nice touch that leads to an intense finish. From here, the post-match nudges the needle even further towards "Must Watch" territory - the drama and story is beautiful, an angle that proves without question that WCW had considerably more than just "The nWo Storyline" going for it in the fall of 96'. A no worse than average match with a closing scene that makes one want to hunt down the next night's Nitro on the Network. Solid stuff. (3/5)

The Horsemen action continues with Mongo McMichael and Chris Benoit taking on The Faces of Fear, Meng and Barbarian. Like so much of tonight's show, this match is surprisingly good - maybe even great at times. All four men bring fire to the match and seem determined to live up to their reputations. Meng and Mongo square off to satisfying, if a bit cartoonish, results, while Benoit bumps with gusto to his monstrous opponents. His passion seems to inspire Barbarian to bust out some of his best offense too - including an awesome release belly-to-belly from the top rope. The  Faces of Fear's double-team maneuevers are almost equally impressive, which makes the actual finish a tad less so. Again, like the previous match, the post-match action only helps as Benoit looks tougher than nails trying to stand up to the Dungeon of Doom. On commentary, Schiavone makes it clear that Flair and Jarrett can't come out for the save as they are heading to the hospital with Anderson, while Kevin Sullivan and Woman further their reality-based rivalry. All in all, a quality 10 minutes of action that I'm not sure the next bout will live up to. (3/5)

Ted DiBiase is in the stands again, hyping the arrival of the number one contenders to the WCW World Tag Championships, The Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Their opponents: Harlem Heat, a team that I've only been impressed with in bits and peices, some of their matches being tolerable, but many being quite dull. This one takes a bit to start, but the crowd is certainly hot for it - at least it seems so, though, there is some sort of distraction in the initial minutes that seems to have most of the fans' (and even the commentators') attention. Hall starts things off with Booker before Nash and Stevie Ray square off (with Nash actually getting face pops at the onset). Nash's offense isn't spectacular, but his selling here is quite good - bumping for Stevie Ray and taking a vicious scissor kick from Booker to establish them as a genuine threat and credible champions. Hall comes in for the save but, after a bulldog from the top, ends up having to rely on Nash to save him from Harlem Heat momentum. All the while the crowd is generally supportive of the Outsiders, popping for their cheap shots and, at one point, seeming to chant "Razor!" after Hall plants a kiss on the lips of Sister Sherri (a babyface move if I've ever seen one). While far from a classic, the crowd is hot, and there's barely a slow minute in any of it. All four men, but especially the Outsiders, do what it takes to keep the crowd engaged and make each other look good. The finish isn't perfect and I wouldn't call this "Must See," but this is easily one of the better Harlem Heat matches I've seen recently. (2.5/5)

Classic World War 3 commercial featuring the weird conpiracy theorist guy! Network Nugget of Nostalgic Awesomeness! (+1)

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan has arrived, sporting a ridiculous wig and hyping his upcoming film work (3 Ninjas: Kick Back at High Mountain and Santa With Muscles) on the mic before making his way down the aisle (with The Giant in tow) to defend his WCW World Championship against longtime rival "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Savage shows up with his Monster Truck and the Giant is sent to the back and from here we get a good stretch of Hogan stalling and stooging. When the action begins in earnest, Savage immediately starts selling like Hogan's swinging a tire iron at him, but that's not to say things get boring. The crowd is very engaged and Hogan's performance is actually pretty fun to watch - if the Hulkster seemed to be a bit unsure of himself at Hog Wild in August, his work here is remarkably confident and smooth, seeming to relish in the opportunity to play the cowardly heel that has to use dirty tactics to get the advantage. Savage, known for putting loads of details into his matches, obviously came into this one with a game plan - not only do we get some great moments with the aforementioned wig, but there's a classic guardrail spot, Miss Elizabeth showing up to add even more drama, a well-timed ref bump, and even some nice twists after Nick Patrick shows up. The two threw the kitchen sink into this match and while there are no big high spots, there are also no lulls. While not highly recommended, when you consider this match in context, it brings a comedic element to the show that no other match offered and it does it well. (3/5)

The show does not end there, though. Hulk Hogan cuts a great heel promo, gloating about his victory, but is interrupted by the arrival of Roddy Piper, who proceeds to deliver one of his most impassioned speeches of that decade. Unfortunately, the awkward ending hurts things a little bit - like many great Saturday Night Live sketches, the premise is excellent and the lines all hit their target, but without a solid ending, its an imperfect scene that suffers from a lack of real resolution. (4/5)


All in all, Halloween Havoc 96' is easily the best show I've seen in many, many months. With an average match/segment score of 3.88-out-of-5 (admittedly bolstered by two bonus points for the World War III commercial and Randy Savage giving away a monster struck), Halloween Havoc 96' is the rarest of rare shows, a treat to watch from beginning to end. The worst match on the card, The Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat, is still arguably the best 2-on-2 tag match Harlem Heat had had in seven months (I did rate the triangle with Luger & Sting and the Steiners from Clash XXXIII higher, but am not sure I'd make that same call if I had to again). Every match delivers what it needs to - from the opening contest to the main event and there is a noticeable lack of goofy, washed-up 80s gimmicks in the midcard clogging up the ring. Instead, with Jarrett, The Giant, Mysterio, Malenko, Jericho, Syxx, Guerrero, and Benoit all in prime spots, the stage is set for Hogan, Savage, and Piper to serve as the "star power" that brings the show to a satisfying crescendo.

FINAL RATING - Curt Hennig Level