Match 1: Hawkins/Ryder vs Rey Mysterio
Good match to open the show. It a bit short but the action was quick and it had a nice story, the “Edgeheads” wanted to beat up Mysterio to help Edge in his match this Sunday. Ryder and Hawkins didn’t look strong, but at the same time they didn’t get pinned, but the important was Rey and even though the result was a DQ he did have the upper hand on his opponents. This dropkick on the chair after the match was just a thing of beauty. Ryder and Hawkins have great potential in my opinion; they have good talent in the ring and good tag team chemistry.
MATCH RATING: **
There was a little Jessy promo about Festus. Jessy can speak really well and he did there. It was ok for the purpose it had.
Match 2: Jimmy Wang Yang vs Domino
It was another good match that got enough time for an exhibition one on one match. Domino sold really well all the moves of Wang Yang who was electrifying as usual. It wasn’t a squash match, it kept Deuce and Domino in the Tag Championships picture but it also was a good way of showing the potential of Wang Yang to the crowd. It was a competitive match, they should watch that on Raw and to the same thing.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
Match 3: Miz/John Morrison/Layla vs Chuck Palumbo/Jamie Noble/Michele McCool
The match didn’t really last long when Palumbo shoved Noble to the ropes and he went right in McCool who was standing on the apron.
MATCH RATING: NR
After the match as emergencies and Noble were looking at Michelle, Palumbo came down and it looks like he snapped. He just beat the hell out of Noble on the outside. He punched him, ran him into the post, hit his finisher on the floor until McCool came to stop him but Palumbo just overreacted and hit her right back to the floor. Palumbo then went out with the crowd booing him. It was a really effective segment if they want to go with Palumbo as the heel and Noble as the face. It’s a really good storyline there.
MVP came out to talk a little trash about Flair; he showed on pictures what they’ll look like after the Rumble. The best one was him showing himself as a Hall of Famer. Flair came out to say he’d win at the Royal Rumble to a big pop. Ok segment, nothing special, but nothing wrong with that.
Match 4: Fit Finlay vs Great Khali
Bellfast Brawl
Ok match. I thought it would have been better but it was a brawl. Khali had the upper hand on Finlay until Khali tried to attack Horny, then Finlay just started to hit Khali with the shillelagh, chair until he came bloody. There was no clear winner, but it was ok to show that Finlay will do anything to protect Hornswoggle.
MATCH RATING: *1/4
McMahon told Finlay that Khali would come really angry at him this Sunday at the PPV. He then remembered his son that the Rumble is every man for himself so he couldn’t trust anybody. I like those McMahon segments.
Batista then came out to say he wants to win the Rumble to main event Wrestlemania. You see, we know that, but Batista did a nice job and he was fired up for this segment so it was short and sweet.
Match 5: Big Daddy V vs Undertaker
The match was really slow paced and it was average. V on the attack was really boring, but then Taker did the comeback and it became really better, still not good. V kicked out of the chokeslam, but eventually passed out to a modified version of the triangle choke. The ending sequence was quite good. V had blood coming from his mouth after the match, Henry came down to help his “partner” and shouted to the Undertaker that he went to far.
MATCH RATING: *1/4
CM Punk came out with Mysterio and Edge came with Ryder and Hawkins.
Match 6: Edge vs CM Punk
Really nice main event. If you forget the botched springboard clothesline by Punk, the match was a great way to bring Punk back since he lost the ECW title this week and to get Edge the big win before Sunday. There were some really nice counters and chain wrestling, these guys are really talented and with that double amount of time, they could have a classic since they both know how to play the crowd. Edge got the win with the spear but Punk got enough offence and came close to win enough to prove that he is still a “championship material” wrestler.
MATCH RATING: ***
Final Review: The go-home show was great. I would’ve liked an in-ring match from Batista instead of a short promo like he did but overall the stories on Smackdown are just plain simply awesome. The Edge/Mysterio story is the main point of the show and that’s what it should be so it’s good. Taker looked strong and the Palumbo/McCool/Noble story continues so easy thumbs up this week.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
ECW 01.22.08 Review
Match 1 : Battle Royal
The show opens with a battle royal. It was an ok opener to show a little “preview” of the Royal Rumble, but the star in this one was Shelton Benjamin and I really think he could benefit having a strong run in the Royal Rumble Sunday.
MATCH RATING: *
Diva Dance Contest: I hate those sorts of segment.
Match 2: Kofi Kingston vs David Owen
Kofi did ok there. He showed nice athletic moves but looks to crazy in the ring, jumping all around the places for no reason, but still showed some nice potential, the clap in the hand by example could really get the crowd into the matches. Lots of work to do, but good potential.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 3: Colin Delaney vs Great Khali
The squash of the night. I hope they go farther with Delaney’s character in the next weeks.
MATCH RATING: NR
Match 4: Chavo Guerrero vs CM Punk
No DQ match for the ECW Championship match.
Ok main event for ECW. The No DQ stipulation made it more interesting than the other matches the weeks before. There were some nice moves like the face first suplex on the steps and good wrestling skills, but in my opinion, the match was just too short. It should have been much longer like 10-15 minutes to really be sorry for Punk that would have wrestled a good match. Anyway Edge entered the ring and speared Punk after he did the GTS on Chavo. Chavo rolled on Punk for the cover and got the win.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
Final Review: I think they are going somewhere with a Punk/Edge storyline a match that with a good storytelling until Wrestlemania or No Way Out could be a match of the year, knowing the talent of the two guys. It was an ok show, the usual squash stuff and the usual Shelton hyping stuff. They should really go faster with stories on ECW. Thumbs in the middle.
The show opens with a battle royal. It was an ok opener to show a little “preview” of the Royal Rumble, but the star in this one was Shelton Benjamin and I really think he could benefit having a strong run in the Royal Rumble Sunday.
MATCH RATING: *
Diva Dance Contest: I hate those sorts of segment.
Match 2: Kofi Kingston vs David Owen
Kofi did ok there. He showed nice athletic moves but looks to crazy in the ring, jumping all around the places for no reason, but still showed some nice potential, the clap in the hand by example could really get the crowd into the matches. Lots of work to do, but good potential.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 3: Colin Delaney vs Great Khali
The squash of the night. I hope they go farther with Delaney’s character in the next weeks.
MATCH RATING: NR
Match 4: Chavo Guerrero vs CM Punk
No DQ match for the ECW Championship match.
Ok main event for ECW. The No DQ stipulation made it more interesting than the other matches the weeks before. There were some nice moves like the face first suplex on the steps and good wrestling skills, but in my opinion, the match was just too short. It should have been much longer like 10-15 minutes to really be sorry for Punk that would have wrestled a good match. Anyway Edge entered the ring and speared Punk after he did the GTS on Chavo. Chavo rolled on Punk for the cover and got the win.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
Final Review: I think they are going somewhere with a Punk/Edge storyline a match that with a good storytelling until Wrestlemania or No Way Out could be a match of the year, knowing the talent of the two guys. It was an ok show, the usual squash stuff and the usual Shelton hyping stuff. They should really go faster with stories on ECW. Thumbs in the middle.
Raw 01.21.08 Review
Sorry for delay.
The first ever wrestling show in HD starts with Micheals vs Kennedy, you can’t go wrong with that.
Match 1: Shawn Micheals vs Ken Kennedy
Just a textbook, smart, entertaining TV wrestling match. There was a nice chain wrestling bout before the commercial break. Shawn teased the sweet chin music on Kennedy but he escaped. After the commercial break there was good back and forth action between the two wrestlers and the ending sequence was really good, logical though. Shawn did the superkick on Kennedy for the 3 count.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Vince McMahon gives the pep talk to Orton for the handshake he has ordered for Raw. I prefer that side of McMahon than the HHH feuding one, because we’ve seen him feud with HHH for 10 years now. He can talk with the best of them and this was a nice segment.
Match 2: Beth Phoenix vs Mickie James
This match was a good women wrestling match. Mickie and Beth are the two best female wrestlers on Raw and they proved it right there. Mickie still lost but in a competitive match.
MATCH RATING: **
The little interview with Cody Rhodes, Kendrick and Holly wasn’t really good but at least it was some character advancement from all 3 wrestlers, we don’t get to see them talk much but just little segments like that would be good.
Match 3: Hornswoggle/Finlay vs The Highlanders
SQUASH to put over the Irishmen.
MATCH RATING: NR
Chris Jericho does a wonderful promo in the ring. He’s really dramatic in this one and hell he should be, JBL tried to strangle him on TV live in front of his kids. It was a real nice effort from Jericho, he proved that you don’t have to shout in the mic to make people interested in what you say. He did say to JBL that he made this one personal even though he didn’t want that and that it would be a fight at the rumble.
Jeff Hardy then gets the McMahon pep talk. He doesn’t want to shake it apparently but he says to McMahon that he will give every body something to talk about until their big match Sunday.
Match 4: Brian Kendrick vs Umaga
That’s a really fine squash for me. Umaga got beat for the last two weeks and even before so he had to go in the Rumble strong. Kendrick got enough offence in this one to show that he wasn’t any jobber, but Umaga just killed him with a big samoan drop for the pin.
MATCH RATING: *
Santino did another beautiful line backstage in the girls segment, just watch it he’s hilarious.
Match 5: Hardcore Holly vs Carlito
This one was just to show that the tag champs still exist. It was short and nothing horrible. 3 minutes match don’t mean a lot.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 6: Triple H’s gauntlet chance
Over the top rope match
Triple H is in the ring and Regal announces the first participant, Snitsky, after a little battle, Triple H gets him out pretty easily. Mark Henry is next, he beats up Triple H a bit but nothing to shake up the cerebral assassin, he throws the big man over the top rope, the third participant is; William Regal, he comes to the ring and he tries to battle Triple H. He is able to contain him for a while but HHH does the spinebuster and gets Regal over the top to qualify for the Rumble.
MATCH RATING: *
McMahon comes out and he announces the two participants in the championship match Sunday. They both enter the ring and speak a bit. Jeff says he respects more many people than Orton, by example Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Lilian Garcia, Jordan from the crowd, Billy from the crowd and he goes on and on, until he comes back to the ring and faces Orton in the eyes. Orton extends his hand but Hardy responds with the Twist of Fate to close the show.
Final Review: The go-home show for the Rumble was ok. There was truly one good match, being the opener and the rest was just textbook building for the Rumble. I like how the Championship match is looking to be, it could be a sleeper pick for MOTY if they have enough time. Thumbs Up!
The first ever wrestling show in HD starts with Micheals vs Kennedy, you can’t go wrong with that.
Match 1: Shawn Micheals vs Ken Kennedy
Just a textbook, smart, entertaining TV wrestling match. There was a nice chain wrestling bout before the commercial break. Shawn teased the sweet chin music on Kennedy but he escaped. After the commercial break there was good back and forth action between the two wrestlers and the ending sequence was really good, logical though. Shawn did the superkick on Kennedy for the 3 count.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Vince McMahon gives the pep talk to Orton for the handshake he has ordered for Raw. I prefer that side of McMahon than the HHH feuding one, because we’ve seen him feud with HHH for 10 years now. He can talk with the best of them and this was a nice segment.
Match 2: Beth Phoenix vs Mickie James
This match was a good women wrestling match. Mickie and Beth are the two best female wrestlers on Raw and they proved it right there. Mickie still lost but in a competitive match.
MATCH RATING: **
The little interview with Cody Rhodes, Kendrick and Holly wasn’t really good but at least it was some character advancement from all 3 wrestlers, we don’t get to see them talk much but just little segments like that would be good.
Match 3: Hornswoggle/Finlay vs The Highlanders
SQUASH to put over the Irishmen.
MATCH RATING: NR
Chris Jericho does a wonderful promo in the ring. He’s really dramatic in this one and hell he should be, JBL tried to strangle him on TV live in front of his kids. It was a real nice effort from Jericho, he proved that you don’t have to shout in the mic to make people interested in what you say. He did say to JBL that he made this one personal even though he didn’t want that and that it would be a fight at the rumble.
Jeff Hardy then gets the McMahon pep talk. He doesn’t want to shake it apparently but he says to McMahon that he will give every body something to talk about until their big match Sunday.
Match 4: Brian Kendrick vs Umaga
That’s a really fine squash for me. Umaga got beat for the last two weeks and even before so he had to go in the Rumble strong. Kendrick got enough offence in this one to show that he wasn’t any jobber, but Umaga just killed him with a big samoan drop for the pin.
MATCH RATING: *
Santino did another beautiful line backstage in the girls segment, just watch it he’s hilarious.
Match 5: Hardcore Holly vs Carlito
This one was just to show that the tag champs still exist. It was short and nothing horrible. 3 minutes match don’t mean a lot.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 6: Triple H’s gauntlet chance
Over the top rope match
Triple H is in the ring and Regal announces the first participant, Snitsky, after a little battle, Triple H gets him out pretty easily. Mark Henry is next, he beats up Triple H a bit but nothing to shake up the cerebral assassin, he throws the big man over the top rope, the third participant is; William Regal, he comes to the ring and he tries to battle Triple H. He is able to contain him for a while but HHH does the spinebuster and gets Regal over the top to qualify for the Rumble.
MATCH RATING: *
McMahon comes out and he announces the two participants in the championship match Sunday. They both enter the ring and speak a bit. Jeff says he respects more many people than Orton, by example Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Lilian Garcia, Jordan from the crowd, Billy from the crowd and he goes on and on, until he comes back to the ring and faces Orton in the eyes. Orton extends his hand but Hardy responds with the Twist of Fate to close the show.
Final Review: The go-home show for the Rumble was ok. There was truly one good match, being the opener and the rest was just textbook building for the Rumble. I like how the Championship match is looking to be, it could be a sleeper pick for MOTY if they have enough time. Thumbs Up!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
ROH Undeniable Review (4th ROH PPV)
Match 1: Vulture Squad vs Age of the fall
Quick and solid opener to get the crowd into the match. I didn’t really know Tyler Black but in this match he did some amazing things for his size like his back flip over the top rope. AOF looked really strong even though Vulture Squad did their usual flips all over the place.
MATCH RATING: **1/4
Match 2: Lacey vs Sarah Del Ray
Too short to mean something, but the action was ok.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 3: Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero
Usual Cocky Hero stuff, but it became really good when Hero mocked Bryan’s injury and his moves. Dragon became on fire and started nailing Hero with everything he could. It was as you’d imagine a really fine contest, not exceptional. Usual moves by both men. The ending was awesome with Bryan Danielson stomping on Hero’s face until he was knocked out. It kept Dragon strong and Hero got nice offence to keep him strong too and the selling was good.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Adam Pearce came out to the ring and invited Kevin Steen to meet him in the squared circle. He then asked Pearce to join Hangmen 3 that would eventually become Hangmen 4 with Steen. He then asked his partners to bring a defenceless Generico to the ring and told Steen to punch his old partner. I really like that kind of mind games by Pearce. Finally, Steen attacked the Hangmen 3 to a nice pop by the crowd but the number gains on Steen before Delirious came to the rescue and the 6 man tag. Nice segment.
Match 4: Kevin Steen/El Generico/Delirious vs Hangmen 3
In this match what impresses me is how Steen is playing the face to perfection. He’s a natural heel but looks to be natural face too. Anyway this match was basic ROH tag match, beatdown of a guy, hot tag, break down of every body, nice combinations of moves and close nearfalls until Delirious gets pinned.
MATCH RATING: ***
Match 5: Roderick Strong vs Austin Aires
Incredible battle. It was back and forth, violent, great wrestling and amazing athleticism. There were many points in the match that you thought the match was over but they kept kicking out. The only downside in my opinion is the selling. Strong kept working on Aires back and minutes after that he did a brainbuster has if there was no problem with his back. Aires did lots of moves on Strong and minutes after he was up beating down Aires as if there was nothing. If you forget that slightly missed part of the match, it’s just incredible. The finish is crazy and the wrestling is great.
MATCH RATING: ****
Match 6: The Briscoes vs Rocky Romero/Davey Richards
ROH Tag Team Title match
Great tag team battle. There were non-stop action parts and slower parts to fill the action, it was really well done and it wasn’t a spotfest with no-selling. There were so many nice tag moves and amazing stuff that I can’t even recall all of them. The Briscoes apply tag team wrestling to perfection with their frequent tags and No Remorse Corps did a really nice job working on Jay’s arm and at one point you could even think that Jay would tap out. It had enough time to tell a good story and the ending was restless and all 4 men were involved in another Briscoes classic.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 7: Nigel McGuinness vs Tekashi Morashima
ROH Title match
What a great way to end the show. The emotion in this match was unbelievable. You could feel that the crowd was really behind Nigel but also respected Morashima and it was just one of the “stiffest” battles. I’ve ever seen, in some parts, it reminded me a bit of a wrestling classic, Joe vs Kobashi in 2005. There were some no sells but most of it they were well placed and didn’t bother me because you could see that both men were digging down and trying to give that second effort to get the win. There were brutal lariats, awesome moves and a really hot crowd. There were no slow parts or rest spots, it was just continued action and really close nearfalls.
MATCH RATING: ****
Final Review: Solid show. Not as good as the previous 3, but still good show and ROH continues to role. Only problem for me in ROH is the selling. Many matches are just moves after moves with no psychology or selling. Hopefully there’s a Danielson, a master of selling that can give ***** matches, but this is my only problem with ROH. Other than that, there were some really awesome matches there. THUMBS UP!
Quick and solid opener to get the crowd into the match. I didn’t really know Tyler Black but in this match he did some amazing things for his size like his back flip over the top rope. AOF looked really strong even though Vulture Squad did their usual flips all over the place.
MATCH RATING: **1/4
Match 2: Lacey vs Sarah Del Ray
Too short to mean something, but the action was ok.
MATCH RATING: ¾*
Match 3: Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero
Usual Cocky Hero stuff, but it became really good when Hero mocked Bryan’s injury and his moves. Dragon became on fire and started nailing Hero with everything he could. It was as you’d imagine a really fine contest, not exceptional. Usual moves by both men. The ending was awesome with Bryan Danielson stomping on Hero’s face until he was knocked out. It kept Dragon strong and Hero got nice offence to keep him strong too and the selling was good.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Adam Pearce came out to the ring and invited Kevin Steen to meet him in the squared circle. He then asked Pearce to join Hangmen 3 that would eventually become Hangmen 4 with Steen. He then asked his partners to bring a defenceless Generico to the ring and told Steen to punch his old partner. I really like that kind of mind games by Pearce. Finally, Steen attacked the Hangmen 3 to a nice pop by the crowd but the number gains on Steen before Delirious came to the rescue and the 6 man tag. Nice segment.
Match 4: Kevin Steen/El Generico/Delirious vs Hangmen 3
In this match what impresses me is how Steen is playing the face to perfection. He’s a natural heel but looks to be natural face too. Anyway this match was basic ROH tag match, beatdown of a guy, hot tag, break down of every body, nice combinations of moves and close nearfalls until Delirious gets pinned.
MATCH RATING: ***
Match 5: Roderick Strong vs Austin Aires
Incredible battle. It was back and forth, violent, great wrestling and amazing athleticism. There were many points in the match that you thought the match was over but they kept kicking out. The only downside in my opinion is the selling. Strong kept working on Aires back and minutes after that he did a brainbuster has if there was no problem with his back. Aires did lots of moves on Strong and minutes after he was up beating down Aires as if there was nothing. If you forget that slightly missed part of the match, it’s just incredible. The finish is crazy and the wrestling is great.
MATCH RATING: ****
Match 6: The Briscoes vs Rocky Romero/Davey Richards
ROH Tag Team Title match
Great tag team battle. There were non-stop action parts and slower parts to fill the action, it was really well done and it wasn’t a spotfest with no-selling. There were so many nice tag moves and amazing stuff that I can’t even recall all of them. The Briscoes apply tag team wrestling to perfection with their frequent tags and No Remorse Corps did a really nice job working on Jay’s arm and at one point you could even think that Jay would tap out. It had enough time to tell a good story and the ending was restless and all 4 men were involved in another Briscoes classic.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 7: Nigel McGuinness vs Tekashi Morashima
ROH Title match
What a great way to end the show. The emotion in this match was unbelievable. You could feel that the crowd was really behind Nigel but also respected Morashima and it was just one of the “stiffest” battles. I’ve ever seen, in some parts, it reminded me a bit of a wrestling classic, Joe vs Kobashi in 2005. There were some no sells but most of it they were well placed and didn’t bother me because you could see that both men were digging down and trying to give that second effort to get the win. There were brutal lariats, awesome moves and a really hot crowd. There were no slow parts or rest spots, it was just continued action and really close nearfalls.
MATCH RATING: ****
Final Review: Solid show. Not as good as the previous 3, but still good show and ROH continues to role. Only problem for me in ROH is the selling. Many matches are just moves after moves with no psychology or selling. Hopefully there’s a Danielson, a master of selling that can give ***** matches, but this is my only problem with ROH. Other than that, there were some really awesome matches there. THUMBS UP!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
ROH Reckless Abandon
I’m now reviewing the new release from ROH; Reckless Abandon. It was a show taped on November 30th 2007.
The show starts with a promo with Age of the fall. Basic promo keeping their gimmick.
Match 1: Claudio Castignoli vs Seth Skyfire
Good opener. Nothing great here but just a good match to get the show going. It was good back and forth action and Skyfire held his own against Double C.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
Match 2: Delirious vs Adam Pearce
Falls Count Anywhere
Really nice match. Wasn’t too long, but had some nice spots. Really good battle to continue the feud between Delirious and the Hangman 3 team. The finish was really well booked. Wild action but not a spotfest.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
Match 3: Chris Hero vs Jigsaw
The awesomeness continues for Chris Hero. What a match it was, great back and forth contest that started slow with the usual cockiness from Hero but quickly turned into an amazing wrestling contest. Back and fort and intense. Not botched spots, just maybe the ref once. There were many believable nearfalls and Jigsaw did some really impressive stuff in this one. What a match it was.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 4: Bryan Danielson vs Necro Butcher
Dragon wanted to prepare for Morashima so he faces the toughest brawler in North Amercia. It’s just a brawl, not your typical Danielson match. It was fine for the role it had to play and it showed that Dragon could brawl if he needed too.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Match 5: Sylas Young vs Nigel McGuinness
Basic match to get Nigel back after his biceps injury. It was an ok match, nothing is a “must see” in this match but it was a fine contest and Sylas did a good job.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
After the match Sweet & Sour Inc. attacked Nigel. Really nice segment.
Match 6: Human Tornado vs Erick Stevens vs Davey Richards
Tornado’s gimmick is just awesome. The match was good. There were sloppy moments where they didn’t look to know what they were going to do next, but in general it was really nice. Erick Stevens really wanted to kill Davey because he took him out for 2 months and that was the story of the match. Tornado continued to role with his dancer gimmick. This guy’s got huge potential with the fans.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Match 7: Austin Aires vs Roderick Strong
30 minutes Iron Man Match
It started really slow and maybe they forced an epic match in this one. There was too much mat wrestling and slow stuff at the beginning. After the 20 minutes mark, it was just awesome. The ending was well booked, Roderick had the advantage and tried to keep Aires on the outside. Aires finally made it back to the ring and was able to tie the match before making Roderick pass out with the submission. It was a really good athletic contest even though it was forced a bit.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 8: Vulture Squad vs The Briscoes vs Age of the fall vs Hangman 3
Some parts it was spotfest style, some parts it was really just awesome action. I don’t like spotfests but with the number of participants in this one it was ok. The action was non-stop and there were almost no botched spots. Ruckus and Evans are just awesome to see. It was a clash of styles because each team was different from the others and it gave a fantastic result, even if the match was a bit short and rushed.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
Final Review: No match got over the **** and no match got below the ** mark. That reviews the show in a good way, it was a well balanced show. Some matches would have benefit more time and other matches would have been better with less time. It was a pleasant watch and just shows how the ROH roster is deep and amazing. Ruckus and Jack Evans stole the main event and Jigsaw had a great match with Hero. Thumbs up!
The show starts with a promo with Age of the fall. Basic promo keeping their gimmick.
Match 1: Claudio Castignoli vs Seth Skyfire
Good opener. Nothing great here but just a good match to get the show going. It was good back and forth action and Skyfire held his own against Double C.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
Match 2: Delirious vs Adam Pearce
Falls Count Anywhere
Really nice match. Wasn’t too long, but had some nice spots. Really good battle to continue the feud between Delirious and the Hangman 3 team. The finish was really well booked. Wild action but not a spotfest.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
Match 3: Chris Hero vs Jigsaw
The awesomeness continues for Chris Hero. What a match it was, great back and forth contest that started slow with the usual cockiness from Hero but quickly turned into an amazing wrestling contest. Back and fort and intense. Not botched spots, just maybe the ref once. There were many believable nearfalls and Jigsaw did some really impressive stuff in this one. What a match it was.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 4: Bryan Danielson vs Necro Butcher
Dragon wanted to prepare for Morashima so he faces the toughest brawler in North Amercia. It’s just a brawl, not your typical Danielson match. It was fine for the role it had to play and it showed that Dragon could brawl if he needed too.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Match 5: Sylas Young vs Nigel McGuinness
Basic match to get Nigel back after his biceps injury. It was an ok match, nothing is a “must see” in this match but it was a fine contest and Sylas did a good job.
MATCH RATING: **1/2
After the match Sweet & Sour Inc. attacked Nigel. Really nice segment.
Match 6: Human Tornado vs Erick Stevens vs Davey Richards
Tornado’s gimmick is just awesome. The match was good. There were sloppy moments where they didn’t look to know what they were going to do next, but in general it was really nice. Erick Stevens really wanted to kill Davey because he took him out for 2 months and that was the story of the match. Tornado continued to role with his dancer gimmick. This guy’s got huge potential with the fans.
MATCH RATING: ***1/4
Match 7: Austin Aires vs Roderick Strong
30 minutes Iron Man Match
It started really slow and maybe they forced an epic match in this one. There was too much mat wrestling and slow stuff at the beginning. After the 20 minutes mark, it was just awesome. The ending was well booked, Roderick had the advantage and tried to keep Aires on the outside. Aires finally made it back to the ring and was able to tie the match before making Roderick pass out with the submission. It was a really good athletic contest even though it was forced a bit.
MATCH RATING: ***3/4
Match 8: Vulture Squad vs The Briscoes vs Age of the fall vs Hangman 3
Some parts it was spotfest style, some parts it was really just awesome action. I don’t like spotfests but with the number of participants in this one it was ok. The action was non-stop and there were almost no botched spots. Ruckus and Evans are just awesome to see. It was a clash of styles because each team was different from the others and it gave a fantastic result, even if the match was a bit short and rushed.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
Final Review: No match got over the **** and no match got below the ** mark. That reviews the show in a good way, it was a well balanced show. Some matches would have benefit more time and other matches would have been better with less time. It was a pleasant watch and just shows how the ROH roster is deep and amazing. Ruckus and Jack Evans stole the main event and Jigsaw had a great match with Hero. Thumbs up!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Smackdown 01.18.08 Review
Undertaker entered the ring with a HUGE ovation from the crowd. He then warned the 29 other wrestlers in the Royal Rumble about his presence. Big Daddy V and Stryker interrupted him. Stryker said he didn’t know how the Undertaker would throw him over the top. There was then a brawl between Taker and V with Taker having the upper hand. It was a really nice segment to open the show and if they keep this feud like this it could be “watchable” because I don’t think these two will give 20+ minutes wrestling classics.
Match 1: Fit Finlay vs Great Khali
The match was really better than what I expected. It wasn’t fast paced or good on a wrestling point of view, but it was entertaining. Finlay tried to fight back during the match and there was good interaction between Hornswoggle and Singh. Finally got the win with the vice grip after he tried to save Horny from Khali once again. The story continues.
MATCH RATING: **1/4
Vicky and Edge are backstage. They want to keep but Chavo interrupts and says he’s sorry for what he said about Vicky a week earlier. He asks if himself, Edge and Vicky could be a happy family together and obviously the answer is yes and they all join hands.
Match 2: Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs Deuce N’ Domino
Good match there. It wasn’t a squash as you’d expect they’d give Yang and Moore, it was well balanced in terms of momentum from each team. There was a nice chemistry between the two teams and even thought Moore and Yang were never in danger of loosing the match, it was a competitive match with a good pace. Not a lot of slow parts in this one. Maybe too short.
MATCH RATING: **3/4
Match 3: Batista vs Mark Henry
Nothing special. Not horrible but not good either. It was just to show that Batista is able to beat the big guy. Henry took control of the match for a part of it, but then he came back with spears and won with the spinebuster.
MATCH RATING: *3/4
MVP enters the ring to do the VIP Lounge with the guest being: Ric Flair. The segment was great. There were good verbal exchanges and Ric Flair is still, in my opinion, the best on the mic in this company. He compared MVP to a younger Ric Flair and then denied that and chopped MVP on the chest. He felt backwards in his furniture.
Match 4: Michelle McCool vs Layla
Ok match for women. It wasn’t a waste of time and we saw some nice wrestling moves done by McCool. Her finisher was really nice.
MATCH RATING: *1/2
After the match there was an interesting segment with Palumbo, Noble and McCool. This story is starting to be really good with the great acting by Noble of course but all 3 men are doing a fine job and this story could be a nice mid-card feud.
Match 5: CM Punk/Rey Mysterio vs Edge/Chavo Guerrero
When you put 4 guys of this much talent into one ring, it can’t give a bad result and it didn’t. It was a great tag team contest. Punk and Mysterio teamed up very well together, they did some nice team moves. Once Punk got the hot tag to Mysterio, the crowd just exploded. Mysterio did the 619 to Chavo but Edge then hit Rey with a chair for the DQ finish. This match was really good and no dull moments, I’d take 10 minutes more of this kind of action.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
After the match, Edge, Chavo, Hawkins, Ryder attacked Mysterio and Punk and stood tall in the ring after the beatdown of the two faces to end a great show.
Final Review: The show was just awesome and Smackdown is doing an incredible job to build up the Royal Rumble. The Edge/Mysterio feud is not as good as the WWE Title match on Raw but it’s still very good. The undercard is nice too, Taker/V, Chuck/Noble and the tag division continues to be better. The main event did what it was supposed to do. Easy thumbs up.
Match 1: Fit Finlay vs Great Khali
The match was really better than what I expected. It wasn’t fast paced or good on a wrestling point of view, but it was entertaining. Finlay tried to fight back during the match and there was good interaction between Hornswoggle and Singh. Finally got the win with the vice grip after he tried to save Horny from Khali once again. The story continues.
MATCH RATING: **1/4
Vicky and Edge are backstage. They want to keep but Chavo interrupts and says he’s sorry for what he said about Vicky a week earlier. He asks if himself, Edge and Vicky could be a happy family together and obviously the answer is yes and they all join hands.
Match 2: Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs Deuce N’ Domino
Good match there. It wasn’t a squash as you’d expect they’d give Yang and Moore, it was well balanced in terms of momentum from each team. There was a nice chemistry between the two teams and even thought Moore and Yang were never in danger of loosing the match, it was a competitive match with a good pace. Not a lot of slow parts in this one. Maybe too short.
MATCH RATING: **3/4
Match 3: Batista vs Mark Henry
Nothing special. Not horrible but not good either. It was just to show that Batista is able to beat the big guy. Henry took control of the match for a part of it, but then he came back with spears and won with the spinebuster.
MATCH RATING: *3/4
MVP enters the ring to do the VIP Lounge with the guest being: Ric Flair. The segment was great. There were good verbal exchanges and Ric Flair is still, in my opinion, the best on the mic in this company. He compared MVP to a younger Ric Flair and then denied that and chopped MVP on the chest. He felt backwards in his furniture.
Match 4: Michelle McCool vs Layla
Ok match for women. It wasn’t a waste of time and we saw some nice wrestling moves done by McCool. Her finisher was really nice.
MATCH RATING: *1/2
After the match there was an interesting segment with Palumbo, Noble and McCool. This story is starting to be really good with the great acting by Noble of course but all 3 men are doing a fine job and this story could be a nice mid-card feud.
Match 5: CM Punk/Rey Mysterio vs Edge/Chavo Guerrero
When you put 4 guys of this much talent into one ring, it can’t give a bad result and it didn’t. It was a great tag team contest. Punk and Mysterio teamed up very well together, they did some nice team moves. Once Punk got the hot tag to Mysterio, the crowd just exploded. Mysterio did the 619 to Chavo but Edge then hit Rey with a chair for the DQ finish. This match was really good and no dull moments, I’d take 10 minutes more of this kind of action.
MATCH RATING: ***1/2
After the match, Edge, Chavo, Hawkins, Ryder attacked Mysterio and Punk and stood tall in the ring after the beatdown of the two faces to end a great show.
Final Review: The show was just awesome and Smackdown is doing an incredible job to build up the Royal Rumble. The Edge/Mysterio feud is not as good as the WWE Title match on Raw but it’s still very good. The undercard is nice too, Taker/V, Chuck/Noble and the tag division continues to be better. The main event did what it was supposed to do. Easy thumbs up.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
ECW 01.15.08 Review
The show starts with the Cutting Edge. Great segment to open the show. Punk challenging Edge was a good moment of the segment, but then again I didn’t like the fact Chavo interrupted and just challenged Punk for a third time in a row.
Match 1: Highlanders vs Johnny Nitro/Miz
Basic TV match to get the champs over.
MATCH RATING: *1/4
Kelly Kelly came out to say she had a nice body… alright!
Match 2: Colin Delaney vs Kane
SQUASH!
MATCH RATING: NR
Match 3: Shelton Benjamin vs Nunzio
Fine squash! I hope Benjamin gets a competitive opponent soon.
MATCH RATING: ½*
Match 4: CM Punk vs Chavo Guerrero
If Chavo wins he gets a title shot for the ECW title (Yeah I know I wrote that for the last 2 weeks)It was an average main event match. I’d say it was maybe the worst of their 3 but still very watchable. Chavo worked on Punk’s injured shoulder as we thought he would. Edge on commentary was gold again. And finally Chavo was able to win and to get the title shot he wanted for next week.
MATCH RATING: *3/4
Final Review: At least they got something good going with Punk’s feud. It should be really interesting. I hope they keep the Tag Champs’ program going with Moore and Yang because it’s really what could “re-shine” the tag team division. Thumbs in the middle.
Match 1: Highlanders vs Johnny Nitro/Miz
Basic TV match to get the champs over.
MATCH RATING: *1/4
Kelly Kelly came out to say she had a nice body… alright!
Match 2: Colin Delaney vs Kane
SQUASH!
MATCH RATING: NR
Match 3: Shelton Benjamin vs Nunzio
Fine squash! I hope Benjamin gets a competitive opponent soon.
MATCH RATING: ½*
Match 4: CM Punk vs Chavo Guerrero
If Chavo wins he gets a title shot for the ECW title (Yeah I know I wrote that for the last 2 weeks)It was an average main event match. I’d say it was maybe the worst of their 3 but still very watchable. Chavo worked on Punk’s injured shoulder as we thought he would. Edge on commentary was gold again. And finally Chavo was able to win and to get the title shot he wanted for next week.
MATCH RATING: *3/4
Final Review: At least they got something good going with Punk’s feud. It should be really interesting. I hope they keep the Tag Champs’ program going with Moore and Yang because it’s really what could “re-shine” the tag team division. Thumbs in the middle.
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