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http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-61715/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-61715/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2015 03:42:43 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews Bray Wyatt Brie Bella Cesaro Dean Ambrose John Cena Kane Kevin Owens Money in the Bank Nikki Bella NXT Paige Roman Reigns Sheamus Smackdown Stephanie McMahon The Bella Twins wrestling WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12504 The week is nearly through and for the first time in forever, we've got some room to breathe until the next WWE live event hits the Network. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this is your weekly breakdown of Thursday Night Smackdown. I'm here to make your job easier by telling you WHAT'S COOKIN […]

The week is nearly through and for the first time in forever, we've got some room to breathe until the next WWE live event hits the Network. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this is your weekly breakdown of Thursday Night Smackdown. I'm here to make your job easier by telling you WHAT'S COOKIN and WHAT DOESN'T MATTER!

COOKIN is in BOLD!
DOESN'T MATTER is in ITALICS!

The show begins with the same Dusty Rhodes memoriam graphic that kicked off Raw, NXT, and Money in the Bank. We're spared the montage featuring the song "Raging Fire" by Phillip Phillips. It's not that I don't love the �Dream, and it's not that I don't adore that video and song—but I can't keep crying during wrestling. It's not a fun way to start things off. I was so excited to watch NXT last night and that video at the top of the show turned me into an emotional wreck for the fourth straight time. So in that regard, I'm happy we skipped it, but I'm sure we'll have a chance to see it before the night is through. The first face we see inside the arena is "Mr. Money in the Bank," the Celtic Warrior Sheamus! Sheamus calls the fans in attendance "narrow-minded people with pea-sized brains." He says that while the fans might have chanted "You Look Stupid," he doesn't feel stupid, now that he's in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Sheamus rattles off a number of names that could pose a threat to his dominance in the WWE, including Seth Rollins, the Authority, and even the former World Champion Brock Lesnar. Sheamus assures the audience in attendance, and viewers around the world, that nothing is going to stand in his way: "You will be entertained." Once Sheamus is done speaking, Dean Ambrose's music hits and the Lunatic Fringe makes his way down the ramp. He says that he doesn't speak "Irish Gibberish," and just wants to clarify what Sheamus is saying. He tells the only Irish-born WWE champion that he already stood in his way, when he defeated him on Monday night. Apparently Dean doesn't understand that wins and losses don't matter in the WWE. Dean also says that if it wasn't for Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns would be "Mr. Money in the Bank." Ambrose calls him a potato farmer. Like—if Sheamus was Asian, and Ambrose called him a "rice farmer," that would be offensive. But potato farmer? Apparently not. Ambrose challenges Sheamus to another match, a bout that the former champion is more than willing to accept. Before a brawl can breakout, the Director of Operations enters: "Nobody is stealing anything tonight," Kane began, ready to book tonight's opening contest. Tonight's Smackdown will begin with a handicap match between Dean Ambrose and the duo of Kane and Sheamus. The match is underway and Ambrose does a fine job of eluding his enemies for quite a while. He tosses both men out of the ring individually so that he might focus on one opponent at a time. Dean Ambrose hits the top rope, but Kane grabs his leg and Ambrose is crotched on the turnbuckle. Kane and Sheamus sought to put the boots to Ambrose in this legal two-on-one encounter. As they continued to gain the upper hand, Roman Reigns' music hit and the Samoan Superman appeared out of nowhere! He saved Ambrose, although causing the disqualification for his friend in the process.

We come back from commercial break and get ready for Diva's action between the former NXT and Diva's Champion Paige and Brie Bella. I think it's insane that Brie and Nikki have legit, non-ironic fans. I like the Bellas quite a bit, but as far as their character, they're most certainly heels! They cheat to win, they're bullies, they're fucking MEAN GIRLS ! And there are still hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of men and women who idolize the Bellas. Nikki doesn't escort her sister to ringside so as to prove the Bellas can win without "Twin Magic." Paige isn't beat for Brie's bullshit and hammers away at the 0-time Diva's champion and wife to Daniel Bryan. I personally think Brie is the most attractive Diva on the roster, but looks don't win matches—TOP ROPE POWER BOMBS DO! Brie hit a power bomb on Paige and we head into another break. We return and Brie is in complete control. I think the reason we've seen so many Bella/Paige matches as of recent is because they're unquestionably the best athletes on the main roster. As far as women, I mean. Putting Summer Rae on television would be the farther thing from what fans are seeing in NXT, and in essence, an invitation for main roster ridicule. But when could we see the likes of Sasha Banks, Charlotte, or Becky Lynch on the main roster? Hopefully sooner rather than later. This match keeps going and the women fall from the ring and to the outside; Paige hits the top rope, but loses her balance thanks to an interruption by Alicia Fox. Brie walked away with Alicia by her side; the two were joined by Nikki Bella on the stage, who presented Alicia with a set of red and black t-shirts. It would seem as though the Bella's are forming an army. Could that be the answer to my earlier question? Might Paige rally an army from NXT? Pretty decent match, and a fantastic story being told, considering the shallow nature of the Diva's Division.

Kevin Owens is backstage with Renee Young: "Say I beat him, use the microphone." Kevin Owens has a phenomenal way of communicating that's akin to Steve Austin in that I believe KEVIN OWENS is speaking, and not some WWE character. It's similar to how CM Punk was booked, but not nearly as over the top. Owens is speaking about his open challenge to the main roster, but clearly stating his NXT title will not be on the line. "Call me crazy Renee, I just kind of like it when guys—uh, you know— EARN their title shot?" That's when someone a few inches taller than Owens appeared off camera. How do we know this? Because Kevin looked up slightly and asked, "Can I help you?" It was Cesaro! The Swiss Superman says that he's been hearing a lot about "Fight Owens Fight," and wants to see what it's all about. Or something like that. The dialogue became a little incoherent, but the point was clear: Kevin Owens vs. Antonio Cesaro TONIGHT on Smackdown!

Dolph Ziggler appears in the arena wearing his now-signature denim vest, alongside his latest Squeeze Lana. Regardless of how I might feel about Ziggler, the dude scores some of the most CHOICE tail in the WWE. Why do I call �em tail? You're lucky I'm not calling them broads, okay? Ziggler reminds me of Bobby Budnick—you know? The red-haired trouble maker from Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts?" He was also John Connor's friend in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The point is he looks like a conglomerated caricature of the 1980s and 90s. Teen Wolf's opposition this evening is none other than the "Inspirational" Bo Dallas, who doesn't wait but a few steps before addressing his opponent as well as Lana on the mic: "You left Rusev with a broken heart, a broken body, and a broken soul! Despicable! Then you move on to Dolph Ziggler—LITERALLY the worst rebound ever! If Dolph Ziggler's profile popped up, I'd swipe left, and keep looking for a real man! He's out there somewhere Lana, all you have to do—is BO-LIEVE! This match is off to a good start with a drop kick from the Show Off, but Bo is quick to return the offense and raise the intensity from a steady seven to tumultuous ten. Bo is highly impressive in the way he dispatches with a former world champion; he locks his opponent in a front face lock and proceeds to fire away with a fury of knees. But that's not enough to defeat Dolph Ziggler of course. He come almost instantly and hits Dallas with a "Zig Zag" for a quick victory. Rusev could be seen backstage swearing, but Lana remained inside the arena—kissing the victorious Show Off.

I think it's really weird that the WWE is sponsored by Carl's Jr. and Hardees. Those are two fast food chains not available in all markets. We have Carl's Jr. here in SoCal but no Hardees. They have Hardees down along the "Bible Belt" but no Carl's Jr. My friends back in New Jersey? They have neither! Just Stewart's Root Beer and Sonic. Just a strange sponsor and an even stranger side note. Back to the action.

The New Day is in the ring as Xavier Woods prepares for battle against Adrian Neville. Neville was part of the threesome that defeated the New Day this past Monday, and Xavier wastes no time in putting the boots to Neville. Literally, puts the boots to him in a major way; Xavier kicks Neville in the back a dozen times before backing off and mounting a more scientific offensive. The action spills to the outside and Neville flies over the top rope, only to find himself cornered by the New Day. The odds aren't in Neville's favor, but the new tag team champions arrive to at least even the playing field. Neville goes for a Red Arrow but loses his balance and continues to mix it up with Xavier as the Prime Time Players deal with Big E and Kofi Kingston on the outside. Adrian goes for a second—this time SUCCESSFUL—Red Arrow, and earns the victory over Xavier Woods.

Seth Rollins heads down to ringside to address his upcoming title defense against Brock Lesnar at Battleground. Hey here's a question—why wasn't Michael Cole pissed about Lesnar's return? Aren't we to believe that Cole sued Lesnar over the F5 he suffered the night after Wrestlemania? He was all: "Oh my! Brock Lesnar! Vintage Monday Night Raw Network App Mountain Dew!!" Seth is standing in the ring by himself: "I am the biggest star in WWE; I am the WWE world heavyweight champion; and I am the undisputed future of this industry!" Seth goes on to describe the role of a WWE champion, mentioning the unprecedented scrutiny and the lack of respect he receives on a daily basis. "When I heard Brock's music on Monday the first reaction I had was SHOCKED. I mean, Brock Lesnar was maybe the absolute last person I expected Triple H and Stephanie to present as my challenger. I mean the last time I saw Brock, he was brutalizing WWE employees—a camera man, Michael Cole! (SEE?!) "But as he walked down that ramp and circled this ring, the shock turned to understanding. There's no other way. This is how it has to be. I've beaten everybody else! Orton, Reigns, Ambrose— EVERYBODY ! For me to cement my legacy, I have to defeat Brock Lesnar at Battleground. The same Brock Lesnar who conquered the Undertaker's streak at Wrestlemania. The same guy who took Roman Reigns and John Cena to Suplex City. That guy walked into the ring on Monday; he stood toe-to-toe with me, and he did NOTHING . And do you know why he did nothing? Because Brock Lesnar remembers Wrestlemania. Brock Lesnar knows better than anybody how DANGEROUS I can be! If he had taken one swing at me, I would've knocked his teeth down his throat and that mystique he walks around with will be gone forever!" Seth finished by saying he "can't wait" to wrestle Brock Lesnar at Battleground.

We get a quick reminder of the mind games being played by Bray Wyatt. This past Monday, Bray held up a photo of Roman Reigns' daughter, all while singing: "I'm a little teapot, short and stout…" Dean Ambrose and Roman are backstage, getting set for their tag team main event match. You'd think they'd be ready after two years of main eventing Smackdown in tag team matches, but no. Dean is making fun of Sheamus's hair, and Roman is staring into space, troubled by his current problems involving Bray Wyatt. He tells Dean that they need to get business done so that he can go home.

The next match is the "Kevin Owens Open Challenge," featuring the "King of Swing" Cesaro challenging the NXT champion in a non-title contest. Cesaro has a very cool look, and continues to sport his Kidd and Cesaro shirt in support of Tyson's quick recovery. This match is off and running and under the watchful eye of Charles "Lil' Naith" Robinson. They each hit the ground running and Owens even attempts multiple pins prior to the one-minute mark of the match. Things spill outside early, and Cesaro hits Kevin Owens with a somersault dive through the ropes. The action didn't stop there; Cesaro followed up with a running European Uppercut to Owens against the barricade. Owens enters the ring, but Cesaro remains on the offensive with a running clothesline. Owens tosses Cesaro's skull into the steel post and drags his opponent back into the squared circle. We head into a commercial, and by the time we return, Cesaro is back on his feet and going at the NXT champion with everything he has. Owens surprises the former tag team champion with a tornado DDT from the middle rope, and attempts to put the Swiss Superman away with his version of the "Neutralizer." Cesaro countered and tried for the big swing but to no avail, however he did hit a massive torture rack slam. Back and forth this match went across multiple commercial breaks. The WWE really seems to be high on this Kevin Owens guy, and with good reason. Nobody has had the caliber of contests that Kevin has in recent weeks, especially when you account for the stars he's mixing it up with. He's defeated Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena—and Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro was crotched on the top turnbuckle and that was the straw that broke the Camel's back. Owens responded with an Irish whip, followed by the Pop Up Powerbomb. Kevin Owens is your winner and this was absolutely, positively—the match of the night.

There's a backstage segment where the Miz buries the Big Show as an actor while trying not to talk shit about his upcoming movie with Dean Cain, "Vendetta."

We head into commercial and when we return, we see the Dusty Rhodes video again. Though I skipped through most of it, fearful that I might breakdown like Renee Young again, I still managed to see the tail end. Dusty is standing alone in the NXT ring with no audience, his hat in his hand, and a solemn message. For who exactly? I mentioned on this week's episode of "The Last Cast with Mark and Gary" that I think he might have prepared that final bit of footage with his own mortality in sight. I'm not saying he knew he was going to die, but people get older, and some people prepare video wills and final testaments . What do you think? Was it just some random footage, or did the �Dream record his final words in advance?

It's the main event—a tag team match playa! Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are so close that it's almost obvious they're going to have issues down the line. It's like one of those couples who spend 7-days-a-week together for the first six weeks of their relationship. They're gonna burn out and that shit isn't going to last, but do you tell them? No. You just watch, and that's what we're doing with Dean and his boyfriend Roman. Kane and Sheamus are the former Shield brother's opponents tonight. I'll be honest with you guys—I'm an avid and outspoken proponent of medical cannabis. I took a few big hits at the beginning of this match because I just don't care. So I'm not 100% on the move-by-move analysis. But it can't just be me, can it? Sheamus and Kane? Is that doing it for you? Versus Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose—two guys that are duller than dirt when they aren't working opposite Seth Rollins. I just didn't care and once I finally got back into the nuts and bolts of this match—when the initial buzz subsided—I was right to be wary. This match laborious and predictable and came at the end of a very strong two hours of WWE programming. Look through the column—there's not many italicized portions this week, at least in contrast to the bold, right? That means this was a pretty good week! Owens vs. Cesaro, Xavier vs. Neville, the mischievous Diva's, and a few pretty solid promos. And then this. I'm sorry if I'm being a downer, but I'm generally pretty optimistic about the WWE. This was just miserable. The match ended when Roman went for the Superman Punch, only to be distracted once more by Bray Wyatt—this time on the TitanTron. Sheamus took advantage and blindsided Roman with a Brogue Kick to earn the 1-2-3 on the 2015 Royal Rumble Winner.

Following the main event, Roman sat in the squared circle, staring off into the distance while Bray remained on the screen: "Happy Father's Day Roman—RUN!" The lights went out and when they came back on, Roman was in the ring with a photo of his daughter.

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/educated-guess-wwe-elimination-chamber/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/educated-guess-wwe-elimination-chamber/#comments Wed, 27 May 2015 22:52:11 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Reviews Adrian Neville Bad News Barrett Big E Bo Dallas Cesaro Chamber Darren Young Dean Ambrose Dolph Ziggler El Torito Elimination Elimination Chamber IC Title John Cena Kane Kevin Owens Kofi Kingston Los Matadores Lucha Dragons Naomi Natayla Nikki Bella NXT Title Paige Primetime Players R-Truth RAW Rusev Ryback Seth Rollins Sheamus Smackdown Stephanie McMahon Tag Team Wrestling The Ascension The Authority The New Day Titus O'Neil Triple H Tyson Kidd US Title WWE WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Network WWE Tag Team Championship WWE World Heavyweight Championship Xavier Woods http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12019 Wait—wasn't I just here two weeks ago? Yeah, I could have sworn I've already done an "Educated Guess" for the month of May? Oh that's right! The WWE has gifted us with THREE Network Specials [AKA Pay-Per-Views] over the course of a six-week span. This weekend is the Elimination Chamber, which is the first-ever full-length […]

Wait—wasn't I just here two weeks ago? Yeah, I could have sworn I've already done an "Educated Guess" for the month of May? Oh that's right! The WWE has gifted us with THREE Network Specials [AKA Pay-Per-Views] over the course of a six-week span. This weekend is the Elimination Chamber, which is the first-ever full-length main roster event exclusive to the WWE Network. King of the Ring was only an hour long, and aside from the quarterly NXT specials, we don't get much in the way of LIVE in-ring action that isn't also available through your local cable providers. The �Chamber will go off the air a mere hour before the "Free Month of May" concludes, and will feature the first ever tag team Elimination Chamber match as well as the main roster debut of Kevin Owens. It can be assumed that WWE is planning something to keep the cheapskates hooked through June, but what ever could it be? My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I refuse to make predictions. Instead I collect all the knowledge I can acquire and present you with my monthly—or weekly at this point—"Educated Guess."

Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas
Is there any doubt as to what might be the opening bout on the card? I think not. The only question is whether or not the WWE is going to drop the ball on Adrian Neville, by affording Bo Dallas a victory. I can see both sides of the coin, but choose to argue in favor of "The Man That Gravity Forgot." Adrian lost the King of the Ring tournament in the finals and failed to defeat John Cena for the United States Championship two weeks later on Raw. If Adrian Neville is to become a player on the WWE main roster, he needs to be handled with care until more athletes of his ilk arrive, otherwise he could be just another seat filler, a la Kaval or Evan Bourne.
Educated Guess: Adrian Neville

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Divas Championship
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Naomi vs. Paige
For the first time in many months, I've halfway curious about the WWE Diva's championship. The women down in NXT have done a fine job of stealing the spotlight in recent months, but that's no slight against the current crop of women on the main roster. Nikki Bella has been improving by leaps and bounds as of late, and so has Naomi, who has been a top performer since she was first given the chance to prove herself. Those two WWE Divas will go head-to-head-to-head in a triple threat match with the former NXT Women's Champion Paige. The three-way dance formula is perfect if the idea is to strip Nikki of the title without hurting her credibility on the cusp of a possible NXT invasion. But I don't think it's time for Nikki to lose the title. Say what you will about the Bella's, but they've maintained their grip on the purple butterfly belt since the summer. Why build such an impressive streak if you're going to drop the title to Paige, a former Diva's champion, or Naomi, who quite frankly, isn't in the same league as Paige or the incoming crop of talent. I think it'd be smart to leave the title around Nikki's waist until someone like Charlotte or Sasha Banks is promoted to the main roster. I think Nikki should be the symbolic end of the "Diva Era," and affixing the strap to someone like Naomi would be pointless.
Educated Guess: Nikki Bella

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
I wasn't really sold on an Elimination Chamber event in the smack-dab center of the Spring until this match was announced on Raw two weeks ago. Granted, that might have been the same night the event was announced. It doesn't matter! This is a true dream match that fantasy bookers and wrestling nerds across the world have been discussing since Kevin Owens became a force to be reckoned with in both Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. The way in which Owens' has dealt with the United States champion over the past two weeks has been utterly remarkable, and I really can't wait to see how this match unfolds. Up until now, most of Owens' opponents have been smaller than him, save for NXT announcer Alex Riley. This will be Kevin Owens' greatest challenge since debuting for the WWE, without a doubt. I don't think there will be a winner, and if there is, he'll have his hand raised as a result of a disqualification. I think one of two things will happen; Kevin might lose the will to compete all together. As he's said time and again, he fights for a prize, but the US Title isn't his prize. Kevin Owens might lose interest in fighting John Cena, and could introduce a steel chair to the match, the same as he's done with Sami Zayn. On the other hand, Kevin Owens has quite a few enemies in the WWE. Think about this for a second: in addition to John Cena, Kevin Owens is currently feuding with Sami Zayn, Finn Balor [by proxy of the NXT title], Samoa Joe, and potentially even William Regal. There is no shortage of angry individuals who might interrupt this match, and I for one am hoping to see Samoa Joe.
Educated Guess: No Contest

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day (c) vs. Kidd and Cesaro vs. Los Matadores vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Prime Time Players vs. The Ascension
It's the first-ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber Match! Well, outside of a video game that is. We wondered how this match would happen and whether we would get three, four, five, or six teams. We got six! Which means four teams will be crammed into those Plexiglas pods, as they wait for their number to be called. I think the inclusion of Los Matadores, the Lucha Dragons, and the Ascension was a mere formality. I expect a few high spots from each team, especially the Lucha Dragons, but when it comes right down to it, this is a three-team program. The Primetime Players are becoming a very interesting part of what's already been a breakout success between the New Day and the "Best Team Ever." I expect this to come down to the two warring teams, and I strongly believe we'll see Kidd and Cesaro walk away as new-two-time tag team champion.
Educated Guess: Kidd and Cesaro

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Sheamus vs. Ryback vs. Rusev vs. R Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett
I have to say—I really don't care. I know it sounds callous; the intercontinental championship is being featured in an Elimination Chamber match, and I should be excited. The WWE is finally treating its longtime number two title with the same respect that NJPW gives its belt by the same name. But when it really comes down to it, I don't care about three of the combatants, and I don't want to see the other three with the intercontinental championship. Dolph Ziggler could retire tomorrow for all I care, I really don't enjoy his work. I'm sure his program with Rusev and Lana will take center stage as far as the "Show Off" is concerned, so as much as I might like to see Rusev with the white IC belt, I'm assuming they'll continue their feud without any kind of gold involved. Then there's King Barrett and Sheamus, whom I enjoy very much, but I don't want them to be Intercontinental Champion! I want Sheamus in the main event, and I think King Barrett's monarchy is the perfect foil to John Cena's US title reign. Then there's the Big Guy—don't care about the Big Guy. I also assume, since we don't see Bray Wyatt anywhere on the card, that we might get a surprise run in from the "Eater of Worlds," which would in turn eliminate Ryback. So who's left? Who haven't I mentioned? Oh yeah! R Truth—whose gimmick is that he's a rapper who's afraid of Spiders. Okay—here's why that's funny to me. About ten years ago there was an underground rapper who made headlines when he smoked PCP and proceeded to "eat his girlfriends breasts off of her body." In addition, he claimed to have seen and felt spiders all over his arms and legs during the experience. So maybe R Truth's gimmick is that he's on PCP.
Educated Guess: Sheamus

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose is without a doubt a future WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Without question! I don't think however, that Dean Ambrose is winning his first world title on an impromptu �Network special that was only booked so as to trick dumb cheapskates into signing up passed the "Free Month of May." That being said, I expect this to be the match of the night if Kevin Owens and John Cena fail to deliver. Although they will. And who cares? Cena and Owens are newly-christened enemies who are sure to have a match that ends under precarious circumstances. Dean and Seth have a longstanding rivalry stemming from an ultimate betrayal suffered more than one year ago. I'm sure Seth is going to "cheat to win," as was the mantra of the late great Eddie Guerrero, but that doesn't mean the preceding 20-minutes or so won't be an enjoyable thrill-ride. These guys always deliver, and if you don't agree, then watch some of their previous pay-per-view battles available on the WWE Network. Oh but if you watch Hell in a Cell, turn it off before the ghost shows up. No question who's winning, but I look forward to the journey from beginning to end nonetheless.
Educated Guess: Seth Rollins

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:47:30 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews John Cena Professional Wrestling Smackdown Stephanie McMahon TNA TNA Impact Triple H Vince McMahon Wrestlemania Wrestlemania 31 WWE Wwe Smackdown WWE Wrestlemania http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11685 How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the […]

How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the show that began on UPN, can currently be seen on SyFy, and will appear on the USA Network in 2016—it's SMACKDOWN! My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and while you don't care who I am, you'll be happy to know that I'm with you each and every week for a quick take on the Thursday Night Delight. When you don't have time to tune in, you can count on me to tell you WHAT'S COOKIN' and WHAT DOESN'T MATTER!

The show began with Jerry "The King" Lawler standing inside the ring, awaiting the entrance of the newly crowned King of the Ring, Bad News Barrett. Once Barrett appeared, he immediately began to battle the King in a "War of Worlds." Barrett said that HE was the only King in the WWE, and that Jerry Lawler is nothing more than a "commoner." He even went so far as to say: "Forgive me if I'm wrong Jerry, but the trailer parks of Memphis don't have any castles, do they?" He insists that Jerry say the same four words, that all of the fans will be forced to say: "All Hail King Barrett." Dolph Ziggler shows up for his match against Bad News Barrett, and takes exception to the way he speaks to Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Their match is quickly underway, and features the same sort of WWE Big Guy vs. Little Guy spots; Dolph Ziggler goes up high, but Barrett cuts him off low, and so on until Bad News Barrett is in firm control. The contest continues until the "Celtic Warrior" Sheamus interjects, attacking Dolph Ziggler and costing Barrett the bout by disqualification. Sheamus is seeking retribution for the stitches he suffered at the hands of Ziggler at the King of the Ring last week. Bad News Barrett is less concerned with the loss—because why would any WWE Superstar give a shit about wins and losses—and proceeds to put the boots to Ziggler alongside Sheamus. Just then, the "Man That Gravity Forgot" showed up to even the odds against the imposing combination of current and former Kings of the Ring. Neville brought the fight to Barrett, dishing out the onslaught right into a commercial break. Was this COOKIN'? Find out in the NEXT segment.

When the action resumed, all four competitors were still around the ring, preparing for an impromptu tag team match up. Neville and Ziggler would seek to depose the diabolical duo of Bad News Barrett and Sheamus. This was a continuation of the first segment, but brought with it a whole new feel thanks to the aerial mechanics of Adrian Neville and the relentless brutality of the former WWE champion, Sheamus. Although the smaller-statured team had their share of difficulty battling back from the brink of defeat, it was the unlikely Irish and English allies that were ultimately slain thanks to the underdog forces of Ziggler and Neville. Neville's "Red Arrow" didn't come into play, but he certainly had his chance to soar through the clouds and onto his unsuspecting opponents on the outside, which gave Dolph Ziggler the leverage he needed to finalize things with the Zig Zag. Dolph earned the 1-2-3 for a hard-fought victory after two matches with Bad News Barrett. I really like it when Raw or Smackdown begin with a MATCH, and it never seems to happen anymore. The best we can ever hope for, is a short monologue about the opening match. And that's what we got here, and included therein were some hilarious bits from Barrett. Might we see a future feud between the King of the Ring and the King of the Announce Desk? Dare I say—at Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas, Texas? I expect a JAM-PACKED CARD, with all the bells and whistles. What better place to give Jerry Lawler his REAL Wrestlemania Moment? This segment and the preceding match were both highly enjoyable, they kicked Smackdown off in a positive way, and they were without a doubt COOKIN'!

The night begins to slow down with Lana in the ring who's receiving an insanely positive reaction. I'm not a fan of the Lana face turn, and I know most other critics aren't keen on it either. So who are these idiots in the crowd showering her with adulation when they should be feeding her heat? It's very strange. Tonight's show emanated from Ottawa, a city in Ontario just over the American border, that doesn't get as many live events as the New York or Chicago markets. The crowd was hot all night, which could have attributed to the overall positive feel of the program. Once Lana was at her peak of babyface support, Rusev made his arrival and ordered her to leave the ring, much the same as Marvelous Marc Mero back before the Attitude Era. Rusev then proceeded to deliver an impassioned speech about how he's stronger than John Cena, paying special attention not to mention America while wrestling in Canada. He spliced sentences together incorporating both English dialogue and what I perceived to be Russian, although Rusev is of course Bulgarian. At the end of the night, this segment really DOESN'T MATTER, because it was just Rusev talking and Lana walking, the latter was far more interesting than the former.

Fandango has become one of those performers who nobody ever expects to win, at least in my eyes. His music hits and while people still dance and do the "Fandango," there's never any question as to who's going to win. The answer is almost always: "Not Fandango." Which is a shame! This is the guy who beat Chris Jericho in his WWE debut, wrestling on the grandest stage of them all—WRESTLEMANIA—at Met Life Stadium in the shadow of New York City. And now his music hits and people think: "Well, no matter who he's wrestling—his opponent is going to win." Tonight was no different, when Fandango went up against one of the most peculiar entities in WWE in recent years, Luke Harper. Harper made quick work of Fandango within just a matter of moments. Do you know how I know this match was really short? I stepped onto my balcony to feed my house plants while Harper's entrance music was playing, and when I came back inside, his music was playing again. Following the match was a strange turn of events between former partners, when Erick Rowan appeared and seemed as though he had his sights set on Harper. He walked down to ringside with his sheep mask, and shocked the audience by attacking Fandango. Neither man said a word, and Erick Rowan returned from whence he came, leaving Harper alone in the ring, bewildered as he stared into the eyes of the plastic sheep mask.

The tag team championship hunt has fast become one of the most entertaining aspects of the WWE since Kidd and Cesaro captured the titles before Wrestlemania. Since then, the New Day have won the belts, and are still mixing it up with the former tag team champions. Tonight is a six-man tag team match, pitting all three members of the New Day against Kidd and Cesaro, as well as a mystery partner of their choosing. Smackdown is weird because there are never any surprises, unless you're inside the arena. But even then, you know nothing substantial is happening at a Tuesday night TV taping. I had no idea who Kidd and Cesaro would choose, though in hindsight their decision to pick RYBACK rather predictable. This wasn't in any way the classic confrontation that their earlier matches have been, partially due to the inclusion of Ryback, but also as all three members of the New Day are forced to work simultaneously, without Xavier on the outside as a manager. There were some insane spots in this match, including a number of aerial innovations, and a DDT from the barricade by Cesaro. When the end came, the New Day won it just as they have before—with Kofi Kingston grabbing a handful of tights for the one, two, three. It was COOKIN'!

Naomi and Tamina were next, and lead off with a searing promo aimed at whomever may have "Forgotten" various nuances of either woman's repertoire. This was a standard effort by Naomi against Emma. Naomi is an above average professional wrestler by WWE Diva standards, while Emma is still learning. I think it better serves Naomi to spend time with more seasoned Divas at this stage, so that when Emma is ready to sit at the learning tree, Naomi has knowledge to pass along. Naomi won the match, and following the bell, Tamina clocked Emma in the jaw with an absolutely beautiful Super Kick. It was interesting, was it entertaining? Eh—I didn't LOVE it. In the interest of never copping out and giving you one of two responses, I'm afraid I'd have to say this segment and match therein just DIDN'T MATTER!

I'll tell you right now that this match between the Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores didn't matter. At all. The Mexican Team wrestled the Puerto Rican team that pretends to be a Mexican team. This was a clash of styles that proceeded to make the Matadores look like a joke. Granted, they are a joke team that wanders around with a miniature bull, I'm just not keen on how the WWE feels the only way to build new Superstars is at the detriment of pre-established performers. The Lucha Dragons won and Los Matadores took out their frustrations on El Torito. It DOESN'T MATTER!

Tonight's main event was a contract signing, unlike any other we've seen before. First off, rather than the standard two men at a table, this was a four person set-up, featuring Kane presiding over the entire ordeal. Second, Seth Rollins refused to participate! Once the Lunatic Fringe, the Viper, and the uh—Roman Reigns, were seated inside the ring, Seth Rollins emerged from the backstage area with J&J Security in tow. He informed the audience that as champion, he reserves the right to have the Director of Operations sign his contracts for him. Kane says that might be true—in theory. Earlier in the evening, Seth Rollins called Kane "irrelevant," which the "Big Red Machine" brought to light when explaining to Seth why he WASN'T going to sign his contact for him. Seth eventually made his way to ringside, but did so with a plan; he used his close relationships with Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and even Randy Orton to his advantage, in an attempt to turn the three against one another before he even entered the ring. The challengers didn't buy in to his trickery, and soon Seth was standing in the center of the squared circle, surrounding by the three number one contenders, and J&J Security. While tensions heat, Dean Ambrose slowly began to assemble a table in the corner of the ring. Nobody realized what he was doing as he sought to start the war right then and there. He grabbed the microphone and said, "Look, we all know how this is going to turn out. I call the table." With that, he tossed Joey Mercury toward the table, but it didn't break. All four Payback participants were engaged in battle inside the ring, along with Noble and Mercury, as well as the Operations Director Kane. This was an interesting way to end Smackdown; we've seen contract signings in the past, but this was different and well worth a watch if you've already made it this far into the show. I'm going to certify the main event as COOKIN'!

This was a fantastic week for World Wrestling Entertainment in terms of cable television programming. NXT is always on point, and the �Network shows offer something for everybody, but Monday Night Raw and Thursday Night Smackdown have a tendency to UNDER deliver. This week's episode of Raw received unanimous praise, minus some polarizing viewpoints on the Sami Zayn appearance, and Smackdown continued to produce quality in-ring entertainment. Until next time, keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players” ; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw-5/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw-5/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:54:34 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Top Lists Alundra Blayze Andre the Giant Axelmania Bad News Barrett Batista BNB Booker T Bray Wyatt British Bulldogs Brock Lesnar Bushwhackers CM Punk Curtis Axel Daily Show Daniel Bryan Dolph Ziggler Hart Foundation HHH J&J Security John Cena Jon Stewert Lana Luke Harper Macho Man Madusa NWA R-Truth Randy Orton RAW Rey Mysterio Rikishi Roman Reigns Rusev Seth Rollins Smackdown Stephanie McMahon Sting Strike Force Superstars TNA Triple H Undertaker Wade Barrett WCW Wrestlemania WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10176 The Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Wrestlemania is only four weeks away, and tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from my home—the GARDEN STATE of New Jersey! Of course now I live on the West Coast and was in Las Vegas for Ring of Honor […]

The Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Wrestlemania is only four weeks away, and tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from my home—the GARDEN STATE of New Jersey! Of course now I live on the West Coast and was in Las Vegas for Ring of Honor when all of my friends were heading to the Prudential Center, but I dare say this was the best episode of Raw since the start of the New Year. I'm certainly apprehensive about the upcoming "Grand Daddy of Them All," but if the next three weeks follow tonight's lead, I think we'll be in good shape by the time the "Road to Wrestlemania" ends right here in California. New Jersey has always been a hotbed for independent wrestling, and I think this episode was staggered in a way so that it appealed to the die-hard fans in Newark. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, with you as always to deliver my "Highlight of the Night"—The Top Moments from Raw. Let's get started with a very special HONORABLE MENTION …

Honorable Mention
Aside from the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, this year's Hall of Fame class leaves quite a bit to be desired. Arnold Schwarzenegger is being advertised based on his one-night appearance on Smackdown in 1999, rather than his close relationship with Superstar Billy Graham and other WWWF Superstars during the 1970s and �80s. The Bushwhackers will always hold a special place in my heart, but can't compare to the British Bulldogs, Strike Force, the Hart Foundation or any number of other teams from that era, who are not in the Hall. Rikishi most certainly deserves the honor, and I'm happy his sons have been tasked with inducted him, but is Rikishi really a big enough name to be the second biggest induction of the year? Tonight the WWE announced another name for this year's class of 2015—a woman who not only belongs in the Hall of Fame, but probably should have gone in long before Trish Stratus and Lita. Of course I'm talking about Madusa AKA Alundra Blayze. I honestly thought that she was blacklisted by the WWE, but I guess that's not the case. Congratulations to the former 3-time WWF Women's champion—I can't wait to see who inducts her in Santa Clara.

5. Bray's Burning Casket
Cheap-Heat's Gary Mastriano is a very talented wrestling journalist, who also happens to be one of my oldest friends—but Gary and I are divided as to how this year's Undertaker storyline is set to play out. When Bray Wyatt appeared in the Undertaker's casket at Fastlane, I received a text from Gary that read: "So am I supposed to be excited by the Undertaker?" Meanwhile, I'm marking out just as much as my first name might suggest. I think this could be a really cool program, however I can certainly understand why Gary has his reservations. The Undertaker has had consistent contests at every Wrestlemania from 23 with Batista, up until 29 against CM Punk. Unfortunately, the "Dead Man's" last outing was such a disappointment that hundreds upon thousands of self-proclaimed "Creatures of the Night" are now turning on the idea of "one more match." Regardless of whether you're excited to see the "Phenom" square off against the "Eater of Worlds," Wyatt has been highly impressive since starting down this path, especially tonight when he set fire to the casket he constructed in honor of the Undertaker. Might we get some sort of stipulation, such as a Casket Match? Will we see the Undertaker before Wrestlemania, or will he save his return for Levi Stadium? Bray's character is so much more defined than the rest of the roster, which could come easier for Superstars playing specific roles, such as a backwoods cult leader in a rocking chair. I'm excited to see how the next three weeks of Raw will go now that Bray Wyatt has already torched one of the Undertaker's signature symbols, and look forward to their meeting on March 29th.

4. The IC Title Belt
Various historians will suggest that the Intercontinental Championship is the most prestigious singles title in the WWE, and while that might have been true once-upon-a-time, the current state of the belt is questionable at best . I remember a six-year period lasting from 2003 until 2008, where the IC championship wasn't defended at Wrestlemania. That's ridiculous—especially when research uncovers an eleven-year streak of defenses broken only by the "Hollywood Backlot Brawl" at Wrestlemania 12. I think it was probably the influx of WCW championships, such as the Cruiserweight and U.S. titles, that watered down the IC belt. When the roster was split, I imagine pushing the Intercontinental Champion as a main eventer might have been the better route to take, rather than introducing a SECOND world championship. All that being said, I think we COULD be on the verge of a new era for the white leather IC belt. Just because the title wasn't defended at one third of all Wrestlemanias, doesn't mean there haven't been an enormity of stellar champions since, including Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, and even Dolph Ziggler. The shenanigans revolving around the "stolen" title belt aside, the opening matchup between Ambrose and Barrett did more than just offer a comedic outlet for R Truth, it introduced each of the key players going forward. I think everyone involved, including the former NWA world champion R Truth, has a good shot at becoming the next champion. I don't want Ambrose to win, as I feel both he and Barrett are the kind of unestablished talent that's tainted the title, especially as Wade has held the belt what—FOUR times, already? Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper are both incredibly talented workers, either of whom I would be happy to see walk out of Santa Clara holding the championship title high. But truth be told, as much as I love Ron Killings, there's no plausible finish that doesn't include Daniel Bryan wearing the belt, leading 70,000 fans in a "Yes" chant. If the WWE plans to build the U.S. championship with John Cena, then who better to bring back a level of dignity to another historic title belt than Daniel Bryan? I also imagine the WWE isn't interested in another mutiny should Bryan fail to win a big match, particularly at Wrestlemania 31. The intercontinental championship might be a consolation prize for now, but I predict exponential growth for the title and its future holders, mainly due to the countless number of NXT stars set to break through to the main roster.

3. Axelmania!
I pick a lot of my moments based on what they represent, or what they might lead to later on—but this was truly a must-see moment that I dare say isn't going to lead anywhere. John Cena came out and addressed the Newark audience, talking about how he wants to wrestle Rusev at �Mania, but will instead enter his name in the "Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal." This doesn't sit well with Stephanie McMahon for SOME reason—did Cena say anything disrespectful? I understood the idea of Stephanie taking offense to Cena throwing around a name like Andre, but he didn't do it in a blasphemous way. He simply stated that he would be entering the �Battle Royal. The back and forth between the fourth-generation McMahon and the fifteen time world champion was outstanding; I love it when Stephanie gets on her moral high horse in situations like this, suggesting that Cena can't just announce he's in a match—"since when do Superstars book their own matches?" This continued until the BIGGEST pop of the night; as Cena argued with Stephanie, the music hit and Curtis Axel appeared, wearing a Hulkamania-style t-shirt with "Axel" replacing "Hulk." What really moved me about this segment was a combination of how over Curtis Axel was, and how great he came across on the microphone. He's clearly been rehearsing in the mirror, as he didn't slip or stumble, and made every word count in making the overture to challenge John Cena at Wrestlemania. Personally, I would really like to see that match—not more than Cena vs. Rusev II, but I think there's true potential in an Axel/Cena squabble, especially if John Cena can capture the U.S. championship. Axel was in the zone, as he mimicked Hulk Hogan's mannerisms PERFECTLY . But John Cena wasn't done talking just because he was set to compete. In a calm and cool tone, Cena warned Curtis that he should really get out of the ring, because if the match starts, he "will not walk out." The match was a squash, but the story of the segment was the shirt-ripping and pandering by Axel. I'll admit that I've been down on this guy since he split from Paul Heyman, but given his extraordinary pedigree, I think we've just now started to see what the "Axe Man" is capable of.

2. Triple H Fires Booker T
While the showdown between Triple H and Sting is sure to be the biggest match at �Mania, I'm not 100% confident in the way that WWE is structuring their rivalry. For one thing, WCW closed FOURTEEN years ago—why is this program based on WWF's feud with World Championship Wrestling? I think there's a story to be told based on what Booker suggested in the ring with Hunter; perhaps the reason Sting never signed has more to do with the political atmosphere in the WWE, rather than his desire to continue on with the NWA. There's been a lot of rumors in the past about Hunter and his "friends" burying talent before they have a chance to get over, so there's certainly a chance Triple H didn't want Steve Borden stealing his spotlight in 2001. With Rey Mysterio now gone, Booker T is the last vestige of WCW, outside of the U.S. championship, so it makes all the sense in the world for him to get involved in a WCW storyline. I thought Triple H's promo was really good, and it helped fill in the gaps between 2001 and the upcoming match at �Mania. I wasn't sure what to expect when Triple H "fired" Booker T. Obviously he wasn't really fired, this isn't TNA—people aren't terminated on television when they least expect it. But I didn't think he was going to invite Book' back to the announce desk so soon. I thought for sure he would have let the �Universe believe that he fired Booker T, only to have him return the following week. But I guess it worked as a part of what Triple H was trying to convey, and that is the greatest extent of his power in the WWE. I hope to hear from Sting before the match, perhaps he'll have some incite as to how the past fourteen years have been for him as an outsider looking in. I think it's safe to say Sting will go over at Wrestlemania, he'll probably hang around the roster for a year, wrestle Undertaker in Dallas, and go into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016.

1. "The Daily Show" starring Seth Rollins
It's funny how celebrity involvement works in professional wrestling; oftentimes outside personalities get booed off the stage, as was the case with Kathie Lee and Hoda during their Susan G. Komen cross-promotional appearance. But sometimes a guest clicks in a way that even the most ardent internet fans are impressed, and that's what we had tonight with the Daily Show's Jon Stewart. I was confused as to how a TV show from a Viacom network might interact with Universal properties, but was pleasantly surprised when I heard the official Daily Show theme, and saw a pretty convincing mock-set. Seth was pretty entertaining, and made me laugh on occasion with his routine jabs at Jon Stewart's success as a film director. I respect Jon Stewart because he's obviously a wrestling fan. Both he and his pal Adam Sandler can be seen at multiple events on either side of the country. When Jon listed some of the most influential names in history, such as Bruno, Hogan, and Austin, he clearly knew what he was talking about, which made me trust what he had to say relating to Seth's position at Wrestlemania. Leave it to a comedian to get to the point—"What has the Authority done for Seth Rollins?" As Jon said, it's not Seth in the main event at Wrestlemania, it's not Seth challenging for the world title, and no matter what, it won't be Seth who reigns supreme in California. I really liked the brutal honesty from Stewart, playing Devil's advocate, even suggesting that Seth Rollins might be too good for the Authority. I especially enjoyed Stewart's repartee with J&J Security—I imagine the "Katzenjammer Kids" reference went well over the head of the WWE Universe. In the end, Jon Stewart walked the line of sensibility to perfection; he didn't engage in an official match such as Seth Green, but he also didn't half-ass his appearance as did Al Sharpton. He came to Monday Night Raw with a purpose, and that was to use his enormous celebrity to enhance the developing program between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins. He wasn't there to push a book, or a movie, or even his upcoming comedy special that was mentioned in passing after his appearance. Following the low-blow to Rollins, Jon Stewart ran up the ramp swinging his jacket in victory. When he got to the back, he gave the best interview of the night, frantically inquiring whether or not he was safe backstage. Jon Stewart proved tonight that he is more than just a celebrity, he is a member of the WWE Universe, and for one night , he was a SUPERSTAR!

I'm still not sure what kind of main event to expect out of Brock Lesnar, an unpredictable world champion with no contract in place after �Mania, and Roman Reigns, who has yet to connect with the WWE Universe. I'm quite impressed with the WWE's effort in building up the undercard in such a dynamic way. About three months ago I started writing an article about John Cena as IC champion, and how a Superstar of his magnitude could positively influence the title. I ended up scrapping the idea however, as Cena is now challenging for the U.S. belt and Daniel Bryan is in the intercontinental hunt. I'll be the first to admit that the WWE's current landscape is littered with potholes and pitfalls, but it reminds me of that old saying—about breaking eggs to make an omelet? I think I'll leave you with that. Until next week this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat and to follow me on Facebook by LIKING "Mark Haggerty's Pro Wrestling."

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/what-if-monday-night-wars-2-0/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/what-if-monday-night-wars-2-0/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2015 18:49:37 +0000 Bill Wright Blogs Other Blogs AJ Lee AJ Styles Bash at the Beach Daniel Bryan Fall Brawl Goldberg Gunner HHH Kharma Lucha Underground Nitro NXT Paige RAW Ring of Honor ROH Roman Reigns Smackdown Starrcade Stephanie McMahon Sting Triple H Vince McMahon WCW World War 3 WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9305 For my second entry into the series of “What If?” I am going to explore a possible future that WWE could persue anytime they wanted to apply this unusual but exciting business plan. You see the lack of competition has given WWE no pressure to run on for innovation and aggressive change.В When people are […]

For my second entry into the series of “What If?” I am going to explore a possible future that WWE could persue anytime they wanted to apply this unusual but exciting business plan.

You see the lack of competition has given WWE no pressure to run on for innovation and aggressive change.В When people are your business, and you advertise the with out us there is no you, then how can you afford to ignore us?

Two year in a row you don’t give the fans the man they want, and you don’t even keep Bryan in the ring for a solid length of time.В So now the chosen Reigns gets boos and momentum changes. В Just another shining example of how WWE is losing steam due to over a decade with out a serious competitor.

So what if WWE allows itself to become its own competitor?В What if Vince allows Triple H or someone he trusts to run a competing brand such as WCW? В You see nXt should remain development territory, but if WWE was to use the Network to show alternatives to the main brand, you create an internal competition.

Let me show you what I mean.

THE PITCH

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon become enraged with Vince on Raw and vow to put him out of business.В Announcing that they will be putting on their own show on Monday Nights to compete with Raw, but the new WCW Nitro will only show on the WWE Network.
Nitro will relaunch WCW as a Network exclusive highlighting new talent and new championships completely removed from Raw and Smackdown.

Now we have two feds competing for fans attention and putting dynamic differences in creative and presentation.
A bonus being that Nitro would give fans another reason to own the Network for new wrestling not just historical rehash (which we all do love).

Presentation:

WCW would focus on the Wrestling and pull itself as a contrast to the promoriffic sketch based sports entertainment.В WCW would also bring in new talent to fill the shallow roster with cheap hungry marketable talent that Impact, ROH, Lucha Underground and the indies is swelling with.

Titles:

I would bring back the WCW Title for your main guy, steal the US Title back for Nitro, and crown Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships to round the roster out.В In time your can also bring in a Womens champisonship when the ladies flesh the rest of the roster out.

The cruiserweights made Nitro so bringing back the tag title exclusive to that decisions will keep the titles very different and exciting.
And Divas are Raw, on WCW we want women who can wrestle like AJ Lee and Paige, so bring back Kharma and get this division the most competitive in wrestling for the fairer sex.

PPVs:

WCW would start with four very unique PPVs remaining different than WWE but still adding to the need to pay your $9.99.

Fall Brawl: War Games would bring in team warfare in two cages of complete chaos.

World War 3: would make the sixty man three ring madness return, often hiring one night only and indy guests to earn a spot on the permenant programming.

Bash at the Beach: would bring us to the beach for classic outdoor summer fun!

STARRCADE: would return with Battle Bowl giving fans an amazing combination tag team battle royal for the belt!

The Roster:

There are endless names here but this is my top five picks to jump start a new WWE network exclusive WCW.

AJ Styles: The consumate cruiserweight. The perfect guy to make this new cruiser division mean as much as a heavyweight title.В A man fans anticipate to see in the WWE someday and this is a great way to bring him in

Gunner: He has the look and the skills to be a WWE champion, but what a great way to bring him in and keep WCW fresh!

Samoa Joe: Fans love to chant “Joes gonna kill you” and many dream of his run in WWE, so start him with WCW and let his Impact on the WWE universe begin!

Goldberg: Gonna gamble, then gamble big and bring the Phenom in for a year to jumpstart the new Network exclusive program and sell out your live arenas with thia marquee name. A year undefeated in new WCW while Ryback build his on Raw and Smackdown, then you have your mania match!

Sting: Just a presence alone will sell tickets to see where his justice will land. Even if he only made impact appearances it would put a solid corneratone of your relaunched brand.

Recap: WCW nestalgia, a roster that allowed new talent to get exposure.В A WWE network exclusive and a chance to really compete with yourself seems like it is full of wins.

Yes next we will do ECW, but first let your voice be heard.

Would you like WWE Network to relaunch WCW, and if so who and what would you like to see?!

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown-2/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown-2/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 05:19:29 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Other Reviews Reviews Al Snow Bad News Barrett Bella Twins Big Show BNB Brie Bella Damien Sandow Daniel Bryan Dean Ambrose Dolph Ziggler Erick Rowan HHH J&J Security Jamie Noble Joey Mercury John Cena Kane Lana Luke Harper Michael Cole Miz MizDow Monday Night RAW Naomi Natalya Paige RAW Roman Reigns Rosa Mendes Royal Rumble Rusev Ryback Seth Rollins Smackdown Stephanie McMahon The Authority Total Divas Triple H Wade Barrett WWE X-Pac http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9156 What’s Cookin & What Doesn’t Matter Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown Written by Mark Adam Haggerty We are a mere three days away from the 28th annual Royal Rumble event in Philadelphia, and this week's episode of Smackdown had its share of important moments including four qualifying contests for the �Rumble match itself. Ladies and gentlemen […]

What’s Cookin & What Doesn’t Matter
Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

We are a mere three days away from the 28th annual Royal Rumble event in Philadelphia, and this week's episode of Smackdown had its share of important moments including four qualifying contests for the �Rumble match itself. Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to Cheap-Heat for this week's installment of "What's Cookin' and What Doesn't Matter." My name is Mark Adam Haggerty on hand as always to tell you what was worth wasting space in the DVR, and what you can delete without thinking twice. This week's episode of Thursday Night Smackdown was the second since WWE's B-show made its return to the original night on which it debuted in 1999. Monday Night Raw did a fine job of setting up the storyline going into the triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but little was done to build the 30-man battle royal that will decide the number one contender at Wrestlemania. I was happy that the WWE instead used Smackdown as a platform to advertise the �Rumble, which they did throughout the entire night. Let me stop with the longwinded introduction and allow the Superstars to speak for themselves.

Smackdown begins the same way it did last week with the arrival of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan. Bryan is once again dressed to compete although his confrontation with Kane will have to wait until later in the evening. Bryan lists an assortment of hot-button issues relating to his rivalry with the Authority, saying that he could talk about any one of them, but instead he chooses to introduce the three men John Cena saved on Monday Night Raw—Ryback, Erick Rowan, and Dolph Ziggler. All three men make their respective entrances, and all three give equally impassioned promos regarding their two weeks away from the WWE Universe. First up Ryback reiterates his tale of growing up a WWE fan, and leads the crowd in chanting "Feed me more." Chuckling, Ryback makes mention that "everybody loves the �Big Guy,'" and hands the microphone to Erick Rowan. Rowan's never been known for his command of the English language, but proceeded to execute a fine display of "wordsmanship," capped off by speaking seductively to his very own sheep mask. Might we get a bit more Al Snow out of Erick Rowan than anyone ever anticipated? Finally Dolph Ziggler has his chance to address the audience and per usual steals the show. Daniel Bryan asked what Ziggler was up to recently, allowing the Show Off to respond, "Oh you know me, ate some stuffed crust pizza, watched the Triple H and Stephanie fitness DVDs." Dolph told Bryan that he'd much rather accept whatever the Authority had to dish out, than sit at home on his couch complaining on a podcast. The party would soon come to an end at the hands of the Authority; Kane's music hit and the Big Red Machine was escorted onto the stage by Seth Rollins, J&J Security and his former championship tag team partner the Big Show. Seth begins and exchanges words with Dolph Ziggler, further illustrating the money to be made from pitting these two tenacious young talents against one another. Kane and the Big Show were next, belittling the Show Off and informing him that he would now be forced to start from the bottom, beginning with a Royal Rumble qualifying match against the man who stripped him of the intercontinental title less than one month ago. And that match is up first.

About twenty minutes into the show and the first match is already underway between the dynamic Dolph Ziggler and the unpredictable IC champion Bad News Barrett. Bad News would maintain the upper hand for the first half of the battle, laying into the former world champion with a series of brute shots, presumably in an attempt to weaken Ziggler for the "Bull Hammer." Dolph finally achieved some measure of comeuppance when he managed to turn a drop kick into a series of corner attacks, but was once again reversed out of an Irish whip putting Barrett in charge once more. A close encounter with the corner post leads Dolph to favor his right arm, which makes for the perfect target in Bad News Barrett's assault. All hope seemed lost for Dolph and his chances in the Royal Rumble, until Barrett's Bull Hammer missed, giving Ziggler a split second to perform another drop kick and hit the champion with the Zig-Zag for the victory. If there wasn't a years-worth of hype regarding Roman Reigns winning the �Rumble, I'd have Dolph Ziggler on my short list of potential victors. But unfortunately the decision has been made, and although Bryan might still be an option, the most we can hope for out of Ziggler is a star performance. Backstage, Reigns is speaking with Renee Young about the volatile situation between both he and the Big Show. He tells Renee that Big Show is a little man trapped in a Giant's body, unlike Andre the Giant who didn't need to remind anyone how big he was. I'm not sure how a promo about Andre the Giant helps put Roman over just three days away from what could be the biggest moment of his career. I was afraid the entire segment was going to go back up the beanstalk as soon as he started talking about giants, but luckily he steered clear of the nursery rhymes.

The next qualifying match features Ryback once again emerging from the locker room to a raucous reception, as he prepares to go toe to toe with the undefeated Rusev. This match is far less technical than the earlier battle between Barrett and Ziggler, but was still more entertaining than the usual strong-man-match the WWE is notorious for booking. Before the match can begin, we head backstage to where Fandango of all people is picking his number for the Royal Rumble. Once drawing what seemed to be good news, Fandango proceeded to get exceptionally �handsy' with Rosa Mendez, allowing the Lunatic Fringe Dean Ambrose to steal his thunder. Back in the ring, the match is underway and both individuals have plenty to lose should they allow their shoulders to lay flat for a three count. Not only is Ryback's spot in the �Rumble up for grabs, but Rusev's highly-praised winning streak is on the line every time he steps into the squared circle. Rusev is an incredible young talent who has an uncanny ability to stay in character no matter what the context of the contest, even yelling at Ryback in his native tongue throughout—whether that be Bulgarian or Russian is a matter for a linguistics expert. Ryback's fortitude helped him win the advantage by power slamming Rusev almost through the canvas. The fight would flood out onto the floor, where the referee's count reached higher and higher. Michael Cole shouted from ringside, warning Ryback that the count was edging closer to ten. Like something out of a video game, Ryback left Rusev in the entry way just as the official counted to nine, making it safe inside the ring by ten.

Brie Bella is set to compete with Naomi, as Paige and Natalya call the action from ringside. This match is much less about the contest between Brie and Naomi and more about the upcoming tag team match between the Bellas and Paige & Natalya. During the first moments of the match, we're given a peak at some prerecorded comments by the Bellas, who make fun of everything from Natalya's husband, to her cats, to Paige's unusually pale complexion. Paige responds by referring to herself as a "Glampire," further informing the commentators at ringside that she and Natalya aren't friends, so much as they have a common hatred for the Bella Twins. This match was a complete afterthought to building the Total Diva's storyline and the upcoming tag team match at the Royal Rumble. This was undoubtedly the low-point of a night otherwise filled with quality content. Backstage Luke Harper predicts his own fortune coming out of the Royal Rumble, "You can send anyone you want. But don't send anyone you want back ." An absolutely terrifying promo with creepy shadow effects giving way to utter darkness. Harper is getting set to square off against Erick Rowan in Rowan's Royal Rumble qualifying match. Although interesting and talented in his own regard, Erick Rowan can't compete with the agility and expertise of Luke Harper. At nearly seven feet tall, the former Brodie Lee can fly around the ring like any luchador while still crippling his opponents with a number of high intensity offensive moves. The match is good for what it is—a battle of giants. Rowan keeps in step with the more seasoned superstar, but it's only a matter of time before Erick Roman is cast out of the Royal Rumble match, at the hands of his former friend Luke Harper. Backstage once again Kane is stressing the importance of his match against Daniel Bryan, and insists on using "Seth's security." Do J&J work for Seth or the Authority? Because I have no trouble buying Noble and Mercury as employees of the WWE. I have a harder time imagining they're privately contracted by Seth Rollins. Before heading into the main event, we see Damian Mizdow backstage alongside his greatest inspiration The Miz. Mizdow apologizes for impersonating X-Pac on Monday, but thinks perhaps the crowd kind of liked it. The Miz laughs, telling Mizdow that nobody cheers for him and if it appears that they are, they're just applauding the Miz through him. Once on the way to his trailer, The Usos roll up on Mizdow and proceed to explain the finer points of the Royal Rumble and being, "every man for himself."

The main event is finally at hand to decide whether or not Daniel Bryan will be in the 2015 Royal Rumble this weekend in Philadelphia. Michael Cole describes Kane as, "One of the greatest performers in Rumble history." Uh—they why didn't he ever win the thing? Flawed reasoning; total number of eliminations means nothing when you've been competing in the match for fifteen years. This no holds barred match is off to a violent start as Kane goes to work attempting to put Daniel Bryan on the injured list once again. Kane searches under the ring for an implement of destruction and returns with a kendo stick in hand, ready to decimate Daniel Bryan. He lands a few stiff shots, but the tables are soon turned and Daniel Bryan works Kane to his knees and then alternates between vicious kicks and heinous Kendo stick shots. J&J make their presence known throughout the match however, saving Kane from defeat every time Bryan has victory within his sights. Just then we're interrupted by a commercial, which I can understand on a live show such as Raw, but this is a taped program! And what's worse, they're WWE commercials! Why are you interrupting the main event on your second biggest show to advertise the WWE Network? Back from the break and Jerry Lawler tells us what we missed, action that we can surely catch if we download the WWE app. Well, that's not exactly true King. I live in Southern California and watch TV three hours earlier than I did back in New Jersey. Raw and Smackdown air at 5 in the afternoon, and when I try to use the app, I get a message saying that the second screen isn't available in my market. It's not the same as being without the �Network for a year, but I'm starting to understand how the UK and Irish fans felt when the WWE was pushing something they physically couldn't use. The match continues around the ring where Kane struggles to mount an offensive, and is eventually caught in the "Yes Lock" in the center of the ring. Once again Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble make the save and become more entrenched in the matchup than ever before. Daniel thwarts their assault on his own, only to be sent back into the clutches of Kane once more. A series of reversals however and Daniel Bryan hits the "Devil's Favorite Demon" with an intense running knee. By this point, no former cruiserweight or tag team champion could stop Daniel Bryan from getting the pin and earning his chance at winning the Royal Rumble. As the match concluded and Bryan wandered backward up the ramp, the Big Show bashed Bryan from behind and returned him to the ring where the Authority set to stomping him down. Soon Rowan, Ryback and Ziggler appeared to help, followed by more bad guys, and more good guys—heels, faces, tecnicos, rudos, exoticos! Everybody was in the ring! Then the music hit, the theme signifying the arrival of the Lunatic Fringe. Dean Ambrose hit the ring, followed by the equally impressive entrance of Roman Reigns. Smackdown went off the air as the entire roster laid waste to one another in anticipation for this Sunday's Royal Rumble.

At the end of the night, only Erick Rowan was ousted from the 30-man over-the-top rope Royal Rumble match—sad yes, but it leaves the potential for a more qualified contender. Although logic might convince us Daniel Bryan or Roman Reigns might walk away from Philadelphia, ready to walk into Santa Clara in the main event, that doesn't mean the action from bell-to-bell is any less interesting and therefore I'm very excited for this weekend's pay-per-view. Thank you for your continuous readership, and I look forward to seeing you again next week with another edition of, "What's Cookin' and What Doesn't Matter."

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-ppv-reviews-march-2001-wrestlemania-17-vs-greed/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-ppv-reviews-march-2001-wrestlemania-17-vs-greed/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2015 17:51:15 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Reviews WWE Network Reviews Animal APA Bam Bam Bigelow Big Show Bill Goldberg Billy Kidman Bobby Hennan Booker T Bradshaw Bubba Ray Buff Bagwell Buff Daddy Bull Buchanon Chavo Guerrero Jr. Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Chris Kanyon Christian Chuck Palumbo Chyna DDP Devon Diamond Dallas Page Duke The Dumpster Droese Dustin Rhodes Dusty Rhodes Eddie Guerrero Edge Elix Skipper Eric Bischoff Ernest Miller Farooq Garrett Bischoff Goldberg Greed Hardy Boyz HHH Hugh Morrus Ivory Jason Jett JBL Jeff Hardy Jeff Jarrett Jim Crockett Kane Kevin Nash Kid Romeo Kidman Konnan Kurt Angle Kwee-Wee Lance Storm Lex Luger Macho Man Matt Hardy Mean Gene Michael Hayes Mick Foley Mickey Rourke Mike Awesome Natural Born Thrillers Nature Boy Nick Patrick NWA Paul Heyman Raven Rey Mysterio Jr. Ric Flair Rick Steiner Right to Censor Road Warrior Road Warrior Animal Ron Simmons Scott Hudson Scott Steiner Sean O'Haire Sgt. Slaughter Shane Helms Shane McMahon Shawn Stasiak Stacy Keibler Starrcade Stephanie McMahon Steve Austin Stevie Richards Stone Cold Tazz Team Canada Test The Cat The Dudley Boyz The Iron Sheik The Magnificent Seven The Rock The Undertaker The Wrestler TLC Tony Schiavone Totally Buff Triple H Vince McMahon WCW William Regal World Championship Wrestling Wrestlemania Wrestlemania 17 WWE WWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9121 Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews March 2001 – Wrestlemania vs. Greed Featuring Mark Adam Haggerty & Gary Mastriano Welcome to the official premier of Doubleshot, the twice-monthly once-over of some of the best, the worst, and the wildest events in sports entertainment. I'm Mark Adam Haggerty joined as always by Gary Mastriano as we get set […]

Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews
March 2001 – Wrestlemania vs. Greed
Featuring Mark Adam Haggerty & Gary Mastriano

Welcome to the official premier of Doubleshot , the twice-monthly once-over of some of the best, the worst, and the wildest events in sports entertainment. I'm Mark Adam Haggerty joined as always by Gary Mastriano as we get set to discuss the dueling pay-per-view events that made March 2001, perhaps one of the most explosive months in professional wrestling history. I'll kick things off talking about WCW Greed, followed by Gary's thorough examination of Wrestlemania 17. Could WCW's final attempt at drawing a big-money audience even compete with what's been called "the greatest Wrestlemania of all time?" We'll find out in this week's edition of Doubleshot !

"If it's professional wrestling, it's gotta' be GREED!"
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Growing up in New Jersey and living just a quick train ride from Madison Square Garden, I was definitely more inundated with the WWE product than I ever was with WCW. Therefore when the Turner extension of Crockett Promotions collapsed, I felt little sympathy and instead rejoiced for the home team. Fast forward fourteen years to where I'm twice as old at 28, and presumably twice-the-wiser. In 2015 I'm far more concerned with what goes on between the ropes than I am with what happens on the mic, and thanks to the WWE Network I've been able to discover a litany of new moments to treasure from the early days of WCW up until its final hour. Today I'm taking a look at the very last pay per view from WCW, the aptly named Greed. World Championship Wrestling had started straying from its usual set of monthly event titles, and along with January’s Sin, Greed was to be the dawning of a new day in WCW. In fact the plans to reboot the company were much larger than one pay-per-view and didn't even include a March event. But the decision makers demanded a final show and thus Greed was born, perhaps serving as the final nail in the proverbial coffin for WWE's longtime rival.

Once the show hit the air live from the Jacksonville Coliseum, Tony Schiavone proceeded to introduce audiences to the newest tradition in World Championship Wrestling, “Welcome to the first ever Greed!” Alongside Scott Hudson, the perpetual voice of WCW Schiavone wished everyone a belated Saint Patrick’s Day on this March 18th and the show was off and running.

Opening Contest
Kwee Wee vs. Jason Jett
So if you aren’t aware of who Kwee-Wee is, that’s perfectly fine. A Cruiserweight during the dying days of WCW, Kwee-Wee wore loose fitting pink pants and styled his hair in sort of a vertical blowout. His opponent is Jason Jett, an equally unknown yet radically less ridiculous competitor. The match is in Kwee-Wee’s favor for much of the onset until Jett earns the upper hand and delivers an onslaught of impact moves along with an inventive submission described by Hudson as a “pendulum surfboard.” The two battle what becomes a series of reversals that culminate atop the turnbuckle for a suplex reversed into a powerbomb reversed into a hazardous release-hurricanrana that drops both men square in the center of the ring. Various pin attempts on both sides until Kwee-Wee finds himself on the floor; Jason Jett makes a play to the audience, letting them know that he’s going to “play possum.” As Kwee-Wee makes it back into the ring, he goes for an ill-fated high risk maneuver that’s well-scouted by the well aware Jason Jett. Jett lifts Kwee-Wee for the “Crash Landing,” his throwaway suplex finishing move. 1-2-3 and Jason Jett picks up the victory.
Winner: Jason Jett – 12:17
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars

Cruiserweight Tag Team Finals
Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. & Billy Kidman
It’s the final match in the tournament to crown the first ever WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions. Only eight days before the company closes, might as well outfit some new guys with some new leather straps. Out first is “Primetime” Elix Skipper who’s teaming with the sensational Kid Romeo against Rey Mysterio sans the mask alongside a much trimmer-than-recent Billy Kidman. Phenomenal contest featuring four high-caliber talents, and yes I’m including the lesser-known Kid Romeo in that lineup. The first thing I noticed was the uncanny teamwork on display from two teams that are comprised of singles competitors. I wish the cruiserweight tag division had the chance to get up and running because some of the double team offense in this match was faster and more fluid than the stale heavyweight tag title scene during the same event. The action in the ring soon spilled onto the floor and down toward the entrance way, where the team of Skipper and Romeo were met with twin cross body attacks courtesy of Mysterio and Kidman. The match returns to the ring where the heels take control before the match turns into utter tornado pandemonium once again and is soon punctuated by a springboard shooting star press by Kidman to his opponents on the outside. Amidst the madness, Rey and Romeo are left alone in the ring. The usual array of rope tricks and high flying tactics win Rey the advantage for a moment, but the future WWE World Champion is soon caught midway through an Asai moonsault and driven head first into the mat by Kid Romeo. He goes for the pin, and we have our inaugural WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions.
Winner: Skipper & Romeo – 13:46
Rating: 3 Stars

Shawn Stasiak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
We’re first privy to the beautiful Stacy Keibler, who’s appearing under her real name rather than her former alias “Miss Hancock.” She introduces the individual whom she declares “The Mecca of Manhood"—Shawn Stasiak. Stasiak enters the arena and proceeds to insult his opponent Bam Bam Bigelow, as well as the fans in Jacksonville. Stacy and Shawn throw numerous 8″x10” photographs of Stasiak into the crowd, and are soon interrupted by the legendary "Beast from the East." Stasiak works this match just the way any squirrelly heel should, always escaping to the outside so as to avoid confronting the tattooed head butt of Bigelow. Bam Bam dominates the match, minus a few lucky shots from Stasiak. Almost as soon as Stasiak begins to mount a formidable offense, Bam Bam returns fire with more shots to weaken the man formerly known as "Meat." Bigelow hits the flying head butt and signals for the "Greetings from Asbury Park." Just as Bam Bam is ready to finish Stasiak, Stacy Keibler climbs to the apron in an attempt at distracting the Beast. Sean Stasiak seizes the opportunity and a can of hairspray from the diabolically clever Keibler, temporarily blinding Bam Bam Bigelow and winning the match with a hangman's noose neck breaker. A terrible match with enough star power to keep me from hitting fast forward.
Winner: Shawn Stasiak – 5:55
Rating: 1 Вј Stars

Backstage, the newly crowned cruiserweight champions are still celebrating their historic win over Rey Mysterio and Kidman and are just now getting around to strapping the belts around their waists. But whereas 99.9% of professional wrestlers have no trouble in accomplishing this rather mundane task alone, Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper insist upon helping one another. In fact they insist on doing a whole lot of touching. This makes me wonder what kind of program was to develop between these exceptionally talented cruiserweights, considering Romeo's South Beach gimmick and their apparent common penchant to embrace.

Team Canada (Lance Storm & Mike Awesome) vs. Konnan & Hugh Morrus
WCW's Team Canada is comprised of several villainous wrestlers, some of which were even born right here in America. Tampa's own Mike Awesome is one such individual whose imposing ring presence is the perfect addition to Lance Storm's technical workrate. Storm takes the microphone and utters his timeless catchphrase, "If I can be serious for a minute." Storm and Awesome are getting set to deal with a personal problem, but the next thing on Team Canada's agenda are the tag team title belts, according to Lance Storm. They ask that the Canadian national anthem be played and demand the audience stand to show their respect. Rather than "O' Canada," the fans in Jacksonville instead hear the hideous laughter of a perennial mid-carder, signaling the arrival of both Hugh Morrus and Konnan. As the music began to play in lieu of Storm's request, Scott Hudson said the whitest thing in history: "This must be some Puff Daddy remix." While Hudson was being hip, Schiavone was overselling the significance of Bill Demott, referring to him as, "The legendary Hugh Morrus." The match begins with utter chaos but pandemonium soon gives way to a match with Team Canada on the offensive. These were perhaps four of the best workers on the entire roster at this time, every movement was well choreographed without losing any semblance of spontaneity. But much the same as many matches on the card, the contest never hit that climactic point of urgency that makes for dramatic professional wrestling. The end came when Morrus's high risk offense put him in the trajectory of Mike Awesome's most dreaded weapon—the Awesome Bomb. Morrus was drilled into the canvas and Team Canada won the contest.
Winner: Team Canada – 11:28
Rating: 2 Stars

Backstage once again and we see the Rhodes boys, Dusty and Dustin getting set for their tag team encounter with Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett. Dustin insists on getting ready for the match and strategizing, but the only strategizing Dusty plans on doing involves 240 burritos—his secret weapon in the upcoming, "Kiss My Ass Match." Elsewhere members of the Magnificent Seven are working on Buff Bagwell's "Ric Flair documentary," interviewing Rick Steiner about his match with Booker T later in the night. I would have liked to see the footage Buff compiled while shooting that documentary as it was of course scrapped days later when Vince McMahon took over the promotion.

WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) vs. Shane Helms
It should come as no surprise that Chavo Guerrero and Shane Helms put on what was undoubtedly the match of the night for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The cruiserweight division is one of the defining elements that made World Championship Wrestling recognizable, whose legacy can be traced back to the days of Flyin' Brian Pillman and his light heavyweight battles with Jushin Thunder Liger. So it was only fitting that this last WCW pay-per-view feature two of the most talented in-ring performers at the time, competing for perhaps the most prestigious junior heavyweight belt in American wrestling. Shane recently split from his Three Count "bandmates," Shannon Moore and Evan Karagias and had debuted a solo hip-hop themed gimmick dubbed the "Vertebreaker." Vertebreaker was also the name of Helms' crippling finishing hold, a modified back to back double underhook piledriver that he hoped would earn him a victory over the tenacious Chavo Guerrero Jr. The match spills onto the outside, prompting Chavo to execute a beautiful cross-body frog splash onto the floor, showcasing the veteran grace of the young Guerrero at just 30 years old. The tactful rookie from North Carolina was not to be outdone, coaxing the cruiserweight champion into a lengthy bout of chain wrestling ending with Helms on the offensive. Pragmatic execution gave way to innovative submissions by Chavo Guerrero, placing Shane Helms in a precarious spot far away from becoming the new champion. In a moment where confidence gave way to hubris, "Sugar" Shane was able to get the upper hand on Chavo, leading to a death-defying Vertebreaker and a final decision in favor of Helms. Shane Helms would go on to be the final WCW Cruiserweight Champion ever, bringing the title with him to WWE TV in the coming weeks.
Winner: Shane Helms – 13:57
Rating: 4 Stars

The Ric Flair documentary continues backstage with "Double J" and the "Nature Boy" preparing for their no holds barred battle with the Rhodes family in just under an hours' time. Buff should perhaps put the camerawork on hold for a moment as his title match with the WCW Tag Team Champions is up next. Meanwhile the challenger for the US World Heavyweight title is on hand to deliver the most stereotypically 90s rap promo in the history of 2001 professional wrestling. This must be where Scott Hudson is learning how to be cool, because Booker T not only says, "Save the drama for your mama," but also delivers a nice, "Don't hate the player, hate the game." Now, before anyone starts firing away with, "Those were his catch phrases!" No they were not. While Google can't tell me where the �Player' line originated, I can tell you that there was an episode of the Jamie Foxx Show in 1997 called, "Save the Drama for Your Mama." That was 1997; back when nobody let Booker T on the mic for fear that he'd call Hulk Hogan the "n-word" again. Moving on.

WCW Tag Team Championship
Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo (c) vs. Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell
Could this even be called a match? Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell make their way to the ring at their own leisure, in no way prepared for any sort of athletic interaction. Once inside the ring both Lex and Buff cut unbelievably hilarious promos where Lex insists, "Buff is the Stuff." This event took place mere days before the fall of WCW, so I have to assume a main event level talent such as Lex Luger was aware of the impending fate of the company. So what better way to say goodbye to the only promotion willing to outfit you with their world title belt, than to cop out of your final moment in the spotlight—bravo Lex Luger. As funny as "The Total Package" was, I would have much preferred to see Lex show up in peak condition one last time, without a "bro-stitute" like Bagwell reaping the rewards of someone else's career. The members of the Magnificent Seven are soon interrupted by the Tag Team Champions, a team that was soon demolished once they debuted in the WWE—the duo of Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo. At the time I was a WWE fan who watched Nitro on a delay and read what I could at the newsstand, so I'll always remember "The Natural Born Thrillers" as the powerful yet agile tag team who took over the pages in the final issues of WCW Magazine. The tag team champions O'Haire and Palumbo make short work of the Monday Night War veterans Luger and Bagwell, performing a double Swanton attack into a double cover. The �Thrillers retain the titles and subsequently invade the WWE as champions.
Winner: O’Haire & Palumbo – :54
Rating: 1 Star

Chris Kanyon vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller
Believe it or not both of these dynamic individuals went on to enjoy brief stints as WWE Superstars, but not without first becoming WCW household names. The late Chris Kanyon had become involved in some sort of love-triangle involving Ernest "The Cat" Miller and his valet Miss Jones. Or at least that's the way it would appear, as Kanyon's infatuation with Jones seemed to be his only Achilles heel in this alteration with the "world karate champion." As an outsider watching this match out of context, I had trouble understanding who was playing what role—heel or babyface? Kanyon broke the cardinal rule of "Bros before Hoes," when he turned on his friend M.I. Smooth, otherwise known as Ice Train. Still in attendance, however not alongside Kanyon, Smooth would instead stand in support of Ernest Miller. The brawling would soon segue into blatant chicanery when Ms. Jones hit the apron, directly interfering in the match and thus getting an accidental boot on behalf of the Cat in the process. With the distraction in place, Kanyon would now have time to hit the "Flatliner" face plant on Miller. However it was M.I. Smooth who would turn the tables once more, coming to the Cat's aid and helping the former uh—nothing champion, Ernest Miller never won anything—get the victory! Serious side note though, he was Eric Bischoff's son Garrett's karate instructor and Bischoff was like, "Hey I'm sort of in the business of hiring my friends for more money than their worth, is that something you'd be interested in?" He did appear in the 2008 Oscar-nominated film "The Wrestler" alongside Mickey Rourke, so that's something to be proud of.
Winner: Ernest “The Cat” Miller – 10:31
Rating: 1 Вѕ Stars

Once again in the dressing room the dastardly duo of Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger seemingly implode following their disastrous loss to The Natural Born Thrillers. Speaking of imploding, a certain "American Dream" is set to explode in just a short while as Dusty Rhodes is hard at work devouring 240 burritos.

US World Heavyweight Championship
Rick Steiner (c) vs. Booker T
I feel like if I'm going to make fun of Booker T for his outdated catchphrases, I'd be out-of-line had I failed to mention Rick Steiner's, "You want some, come get some; if you don't like me, bite me!" Geeze Louise, those two lines are the cat's pajamas—absolutely absurd. I admire the way in which WCW remained faithful to the United States championship over the years, always presenting it as a near-main event level title without allowing it to fall into the wrong hands. Rick Steiner is dedicated to defending his championship regardless of what obstacle may lay before him. The intensity of Steiner comes face to face with the bravado of the former WCW World Champion, "You think you can take my belt," Rick asked? "You ain't takin' shit!" And the match is underway. The initial interplay involves the two veterans colliding in a series of no holds barred shots around the ringside area, until finally the action is contained within the squared-circle. Rick Steiner might go forever overlooked as the "other Steiner," but only a week removed from his 40th birthday in 2001, the United States champion still looked as good as he did in 1983. Steiner continued his reign of domination on the former Harlem Heat member with a catastrophic double under hook powerbomb, rattling Booker and leading to a near-three count. Managing to thwart each of Booker's advances, Steiner remained in control by implementing an arsenal of ground-based choke-holds, until the tragically titled "ghetto blaster" bought Book' enough time to catch up to the Dog Faced Gremlin. In a moment of spontaneous action, Booker's educated kick missed Steiner and instead found the face of referee Mickie Jay. Steiner would then capitalize on Booker's concern for the referee, delivering a textbook German suplex, but the referee was in too much pain to make the count. As victory was within sight for the current title holder, Steiner's rival Shane Douglas made a surprise appearance from the audience and attacked Rick with his right arm, sealed inside a rock-solid plaster cast. Steiner fell into the clutches of Booker T and his Rock Bottom knock-off, "The Bookend." By this point, Mickie Jay was back in action and able to count the pin fall for the final WCW US World Heavyweight Champion in history—Booker T!
Winner: Booker T – 7:31
Rating: 2 Вѕ Stars

The Magnificent Seven has been the most visible entity in backstage shenanigans this evening and once again the cameras head toward the dressing room where Road Warrior Animal is screaming for help, and screaming at the floor where his fellow stablemate Buff Bagwell is laid out unconscious. Lex Luger appears on the scene to ascertain that Animal is responsible for whatever happened. Animal argues that he wants to find "this guy" as bad as anybody, which makes me wonder where that angle was going? Let's examine the members of the Magnificent Seven for a Moment: Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, Rick and Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Road Warrior Animal. By this point Hulk Hogan was gone, Macho Man was gone, Nash had taken his ball back to Detroit. There was only one man left on the WCW roster with enough star power to take down each member of the Magnificent Seven, a man who had been feuding with Lex and Bagwell just two months earlier—Bill Goldberg. The formerly undefeated world heavyweight champion was out for surgery following a questionable loss to "Totally Buffed" at Sin earlier that year. Of course Creative scrapped the surprise attack storyline due to the demise of WCW, but I'm willing to bet it was Goldberg that attacked Buff Daddy at Greed, and Road Warrior Animal just one week before.

“Kiss My Ass” Match
Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs. Ric Flair & Jeff Jarrett
Dusty Rhodes is an exemplary figure in the wrestling industry having sold-out arenas from Texas to New York City. The "son of a plumber" was an especially vital cog in the intricate machine of World Championship Wrestling from its infancy with Jim Crockett to its last night in Panama City Beach, Florida. He headlined Starrcade and invented The Great American Bash—and Dusty Rhodes goes out in a "Kiss My Ass" match where he prepared by eating 240 burritos. Never mind forcing the man to wearing polka dots, he made it work! This was far more humiliating than anything Vince McMahon ever did, and he did it to himself. What can be said about this match? It featured two of the biggest stars in NWA/WCW history, alongside two of the most revered talents of the 1990s in Dustin Rhodes and Jeff Jarrett. But when it came down to it, this was a match about people farting on one another, and isn't that what really killed WCW? Ric Flair flat out refused to compete in the match, and then joined Jeff Jarrett halfway through only to finish the fight in less than ten minutes when Dusty Rhodes proceeded to humiliate the highly decorated "Nature Boy." This must have really sucked for Jeff Jarrett who left one company after losing his championship in a "Good Housekeeping Match" to a woman, only to finish his tenure with another by kissing Dusty Rhodes' ass.
Winner: Dusty & Dustin Rhodes – 9:58
Rating: 2 Stars

WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Scott Steiner (c) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The inclusion of internationally renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer has always given WCW's main events a sense of importance. Even in matches such as this, Buffer commands respect for the bout by captivating crowds with a trademark tambour in every word he says. The competitors in contention for the world heavyweight title this evening are both fine wrestlers capable of working within their means but neither DDP nor Scott Steiner were ever quite capable of exceeding expectations. Like almost every other match that came before it, the main event makes use of the ringside surroundings, but these two combatants take it further—into the audience. It's at this point that Tony Shiavone decides to remind the crowd that this is a falls count anywhere match. Steiner pulls a crutch from the crowd that according to Scott Hudson was stolen from a young child in a DDP shirt. The action soon makes its way back to the ringside area where this hardcore collision decelerates to a slow-paced battle of rest holds. Hudson continues to sell this spectacle as the WCW's "last chance against the tyrannical reign of Ric Flair and the monstrous Scott Steiner." Leading into their battle, Steiner has been responsible for defeating everyone from Goldberg to Kevin Nash, with Diamond Dallas Page next on his list of former champions to retire. Steiner raised Page for the running power slam but was reversed, shoved into the turnbuckle and caught by the "Diamond Cutter" on the rebound. Page covered Scott for the win, but referee Nick Patrick was interrupted mid-count when former US Champion and brother to the world title holder Rick Steiner emerged to save Scott's title. Steiner pulled Patrick from the ring, but was soon met by Diamond Dallas Page who leapt over the top rope and onto the �Gremlin below. So much for DDP not exceeding expectations, huh? Back inside the squared-circle, DDP's on the offense and looking for his fourth WCW title, until the raucous pandemonium catches Patrick off guard, giving Steiner the opportunity to hit Page with the belt. DDP's face erupted from the artery, blood flowing from his head into his hair as Steiner made the cover just in time for Nick Patrick to regain his senses. Your winner and still the WCW World Heavyweight Champion—"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner.
Winner: Scott Steiner – 14:14
Rating: 2 Вѕ Stars

Final Thoughts
When the dust had settled and Greed was at an end, so too was the historic lineage of NWA and WCW. For a final show I would have hoped for more, but that's what the final Nitro in Panama City aimed to be, a "Night of Champions," so it was dubbed which saw Booker T capture the WCW World title from the villainous Scott Steiner. The business-as-usual booking had been abandoned on that final night in Florida, so as absurd as Greed was, it wasn't the last hurrah and therefore has to be judged just as any other pay-per-view event. Like many WCW shows from the late �90s and early 2000s, the highlights came from the midcard matches most notably the cruiserweight title bouts, both the singles match between Chavo and Helms, as well as the finals of the cruiserweight tag tournament. It was matches such as these that went on to help inspire TNA and its X Division the following year, and I think any fan of modern day wrestling might enjoy seeing some of the early �Impact Players' like Elix Skipper in his �rookie year.' Overall not a fantastic show minus the aforementioned bright spots; with ten matches, the average score was around two and a half stars.

"Where it All Begins, and Ends, Again… for real…"
Written by Gary Mastriano

Writing a review of Wrestlemania 17 is an extremely daunting task. I am not going to lie- I have been putting off this review for a few weeks. How can one rate and review what is unanimously viewed at the greatest Wrestlemania of all time, and arguably the single best wrestling card in history. To have this be the first review in our Doubleshot look back at WCW vs WWF PPVs is even more daunting. To start at the end of an era is extremely awkward. And believe me, this is the end of an era. Wrestlemania 17 has an heir of celebration more than any other event put on by Vince and Co. And why not? He won. He took out his biggest competition after a heated rivalry that produced the most financially successful era in pro wrestling history.

The celebration starts right from the insanely good opening video package, a theme you will see throughout the night. As the video package subtly tells us- this is it folks. People around the world are watching Wrestlemania tonight. All eyes are on the WWF. Even homeless couples will be watching this event from the back of their broken down car in a junkyard… somehow. Wrestlemani 17 would go on to be the 5th most purchased PPV of all time. It had almost 100,000 more buys than the �Mania's immediately before and after it. Clearly this was the apex of Pro Wrestling's salad days.

I would be short sighted if I failed to mention what took place just a few short days before Wrestlemania 17- the Purchase of WCW by Vince McMahon. While I won't go into the historical immplications of that event, I will mention that it is something that hangs very awkwardly over the entirety of Wrestlemania 17. It always seems to steal the attention from the card itself. I have always wondered if Vince should have saved that announcement for the night AFTER Wrestlemania 17. If creative was so set on turning Stone Cold heel (more about that decision later), than what better celebration would Vince have on Raw the next night having finally tamed his two biggest enemies- Stone Cold Steve Austin and WCW? Well anyway- on with the show:

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal
I have already documented my huge man crush on Chris Jericho in other columns. It was a great move to have him start the show. Jericho was red hot as a face, and about to enter the finest year of his first run in WWE. Before the year was up Jericho will have won the WCW title, and go onto defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night. I have always believed whoever's music you hear first at a Mania will go onto to do big things (ie Cena at Mania 20). The opening contest is almost as important as the main event. This match between Jericho and Regal, while a little too short to be considered a classic, is a terrific match that often gets lost on a stacked card. It is worth a rewatch for sure. Jericho picks up the victory, via Lionsault, which was surprising to me because I never considered that as finishing move.
Winner: Chris Jericho – 7:08
Rating: 3 Stars

Tazz & the APA vs. Right to Censor
Tazz and the APA defeat Right to Censor in 3:52
Tons of talent litter this match. Seriously every wrestler in this match could go, including the underrated Bull Buchanon. What should have been a hard hitting smash mouth match turns out to be… a hard hitting smash mouth match. Very odd booking for Tazz and he plays the face in peril the majority of the match until getting the hot tag to the APA for the win. Did WWF just not know what to do with Tazz? He gets the first huge pop of the night. The WHAT IF scenario's with Tazz are endless in WWE. While this may have been a throwaway match at Mania 17, it is a match that shows how deep the roster was at the time. Right to Censor would be a huge faction if they debuted in 2014, while here they are just relegated to fodder for the incredibly over APA.
Winner: Tazz & the APA – 7:08
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars

WWF Hardcore Triple Threat Match
Kane vs. Raven (c) vs. Big Show
Man this was a weird match. What was Raven doing here? When did Raven arrive in the WWF? Did he ever wrestle another match other than this one? Sorry if I don't remember, but some parts of this era of WWF are hazy to me. My initial interest was waning at the time, and I honestly stopped watching altogether for a while after Mania 17. Some cool moments highlight this match- the glass window spot was cool. Kane legit ran over Raven's leg. And give it to Paul Heyman on commentary (more on him later I promise) with the funniest line of the night- "Peach Snapple, that's my favorite kind!" This match was basically Raven getting his ass kicked for 10 minutes and Kane and Big Show trading off who was dealing the punishment. A very unique match up that spent too much time in the backstage area and not enough time in the ring.
Winner: Kane – 9:17
Rating: 2 Stars

We get a few backstage segments including Kurt Angle hamming it up with Edge and Christian. These guys were just gold together. Jimmy Snuka's at WWF New York. No one cared about Jimmy Snuka in 2001, 2015, or 1985. Sorry. And finally a shot of the Rock "arriving" to the arena. I recall WWE doing a ton of these "arriving" moments- in fact they do one later with Austin, and did one at the start of the show with Shane. I have never been a fan. Do you want me to believe that they started the show without the WWF Champion even being present? And that there are no penalties for being late to work in WWF? Wouldn't the Rock want to be on time for the biggest match of his career?

WWF European Championship
Test (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Test never really seemed like he fit in with the WWF/WWE. Of course everyone knows that he was a bodyguard for Motley Crue before being recruited to join the WWF, but I am no sure he belonged. He wasn't offensive in the ring and was a part of some pretty high profile programs. I am not sure if I imagined this or not- but did Test REALLY date Stephanie McMahon? Like in real life? I don't know why I thought I heard that somewhere. Eddie does what Eddie usually does in this match- puts on solid match with whoever he is in there with. Saturn does what Saturn does best- creeps around awkwardly on the outside of the ring. Half a star because I miss the European title.
Winner: Eddie Guerrero – 8:30
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Kurt Angle. Chris Benoit. Two of the greatest in ring performers of all time. I wonder if we will ever see two wrestlers with as much intensity as these two in the same company at the same time. I have always preferred Angle out of the two. Not only do I think he's the better wrestler (and slightly better human being… only slightly though) he also had SO much more personality than Benoit. This match was built all around their respective submission holds. Paul Heyman kicked us off with a terrific line about this match- "I am as excited for this match as a man can be with his clothes on." With these guys together in a ring, you know what you are going to get. Pure athleticism from two masters of sports entertainment. The match starts off exactly how you would expect it to, with mat wrestling and early submission teases. Benoit starts to get the upper hand in these exchanges, so Angle turns this into an Attitude era brawl with some stiff right hands, a table spot, and an Irish whip into the steps. Angle gains the upper hand and then this match turns into a suplex fest, from the two masters of the move. Angle and Benoit trade each other's finishers in a preview of tonight's main event. Heyman sums it up- "I have never in my life seen a better display of hold and counter hold in my life." A ref bump proves to be important as Angle taps while in the crossface. Once the ref is back up (rather quickly) the action picks up even more. Benoit blocks Angle's moonsault (I feel there should be an entire column dedicated to the beauty that is a Kurt Angle moonsault). Benoit connects with the headbutt, but Angle rolls him up with a handful of tights to score a win with a great piece of storyline. Neither man looked weak, and Angle's heel character got more dastardly. JR sells the match by saying "this is not the end of this rivalry." And he was right. This wasn't the last match these two would have, nor was it the best. That distinction goes to their Royal Rumble match a few years later. As it is, this match is a great 4 star match between two ring generals that could have benefited from a few more minutes as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle – 14:04
Rating: 4 Stars

WWF Women's Championship
Chyna vs. Ivory (c)
Again I cannot talk about how cool Right to Censor was. Ivory was the perfect female member of the group and worked so well as a heel. I really enjoyed her mannerisms during her entrance. She really sold the "better than you" female heel. Chyna comes out shooting a bazooka…? Great psychology in this match, with Ivory focusing on Chyna's "injured" neck early on until Chyna takes complete control and squashes Ivory for the remainder of the match. Chyna even picks Ivory up after a huge power bomb only to embarrass her more by casually pinning her. I get the appeal of Chyna as the 9th Wonder of the World, and she deserves her kudos for the surprisingly solid in ring work she did with Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero, but Ivory deserved better than this.
Winner: Chyna – 2:39
Rating: 1 Star

Street Fight w/ Mick Foley as Referee
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Another terrific video package sums up the feud… Seeing Shane show up on Nitro was so surreal and completely AWESOME that it added another layer to what was already a heated feud. Shane comes out first to the familiar sounds of No Chance in Hell sporting a Mania 17 jersey with "Vince we Have a Problem" on the back. Remember when Shane used to have customized shirts like that? That was really really cool. Shane shouts out to his new WCW employees. The crowd has NO IDEA how to react to the WCW guys. Shane is the face in this feud, as the son standing up to his father, but are we supposed to like the WCW employees? Aren't they the enemy? Again some confusing booking with the WCW angle. Clearly the WWF wasn't sure how to handle the purchase yet, and thinks are awkward accordingly.

As for the match, it is exactly what you would expect if you have ever seen a Shane or Vince match. Shane brings the high spots, Vince gets his ass kicked. And everyone here plays their part to the T. Trish as the scorned mistress finally turning on Vince was a great moment. Stephanie plays it up as the Billion Dollar Princess Daddy's girl character that she had perfected by then. And what can be said about Linda? For someone with no acting/wrestling experience or training, she does a great job being completely catatonic. I don't think anyone gives her enough props for being able to sit still without blinking or moving. And my God that pop she gets when she sits up in the corner. Seriously if you want to hear a GIGANTIC POP, watch that moment on YouTube. Or better yet- watch this match. It is so silly and over booked and fun.
Winner: Shane McMahon – 14:12
Rating: 3 Stars

TLC 2 for the WWF Tag Team Championship
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian
This match is kind of the elephant in the room when discussing Wrestlemania 17. IGN lists this match #5 on their all- time Wrestlemania matches, and WWE.com ranked it in their top 20 matches ever. I don't think I am going to go that far, as super insane spot fests aren't always for me. Don't get me wrong- I'm not going to hate on this match. Sure it is pretty much 15 minutes of spots with no psychology in between, but it sure is fun as hell. I have always preferred my gimmick matches with a little bit more eb and flow and purpose (see Shawn Razor ladder match, Shawn Taker Cell match, Shawn Jericho ladder match, Shawn Michaels in any gimmick match ever). However one cannot deny how impressive this match is. Who can forget the great moments like Jeff's suicide dive off of the gigantic ladder? How about Edge's spear off the ladder to Jeff Hardy? Or the multiple run ins from Spike Dudley, Rhino, and ultimately Lita that led to some great moments. The exciting conclusion comes when Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray fall through 19 tables stacked high on the outside of the ring in a completely insane spot. Everyone in this match put their bodies on the line to put on a classic that pretty much defined each of their careers afterwards. Other than Edge, I don't think anyone involved in this match has ever stepped out of the shadow of this match. Pure insanity in a gimmick match that hasn't been topped since, despite multiple attempts, that spawned its own PPV.
Winner: Edge & Christian – 15:47
Rating: 4 Stars

The Gimmick Battle Royal
Duke the Dumpster Droese is honestly one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. The New Generation has always been my favorite era of wrestling and the goofy gimmick that came along with it were awesome. This match, while unnecessary, was super fun and goofy. Great to see a lot of fun gimmicks. More of WWF celebrating their past. Having Mene Gene and Bobby Hennan call the match was an absolute treat. I've said it before, but it needs repeating- Bobby Hennan is the SINGLE GREATEST COLOR COMMENTARTOR OF ALL TIME. Fans of today's product will never be able to appreciate how incredible Hennan was. Imagine if Paul Heyman had a bit more comedy in his promo style- that's Hennan. Hennan's cracks on Sgt Slaughter are worth the price of the PPV (or $9.99 for the Network) alone. The Gimmick Battle Royal sums up a lot of what was great about Wrestlemania 17. For all the seriousness of matches like Austin vs Rock and the McMahon family drama, the WWF could still have fun. Was this the only match that Michael Hayes ever wrestled at Wrestlemania? I could be wrong about that, but that would be an interesting fact. And I tell you what—Droese looks like he could still go.
Winner: The Iron Sheik – 3:07
Rating: 2 Stars

The Undertaker vs. Triple H
This was one of my favorite matches for a long time. Time hasn't been fair to this match, especially after these two men topped it 10 and 11 years later, but for a long time this stood as one of my top 5 matches of all time. This was, by far, the best match of Undertaker's career up to this point. Undertaker never had a great in ring performance before the switch to the Biker Taker gimmick. This was also the first time I can remember Taker's undefeated streak being mentioned as well. Triple H was on the tail end of the single best heel run in company history from 1999-early 2001.

It's interesting to note that this feud was very similar to the one they would have 10 years later at Wrestlemania 27- Triple H claimed he had beaten everyone there is to beat, except the Undertaker. Motorhead plays a live version of the best theme song in wrestling and out comes Helmsley. Limp Bizkit ushers in the American Badass, and shit is about to go down. Houston's own Undertaker takes it to Triple H early on the outside. All bets are off in this one, as the action spends little time in the ring. The first great spot happens when Taker lifts HHH up for a monstrous back body drop. A ref bump leads the action to the outside again and into crowd. A lot of brawls during the attitude era spilled into the crowd, but I cannot think of one as memorable as this. The sigh of Triple H and the Undertaker battling on a lighting structure amongst 65,000 is as iconic as they com 28:07 e. Taker chokeslamming Trips right into the crowd is hokey when you see the pads the Hunter lands on, but at first viewing, it is an amazing moment. The action eventually finds its way back to the ring, where the equalizing sledgehammer is brought into play. Triple H goes for a tombstone pile driver, but it is reversed by Undertaker, but unfortunately the referee is still down. A sledgehammer shot by Triple H during a last ride leads to an incredibly close 2 count. Trips fights a bloodied Dead Man into the corner, which leads into a Last Ride for the finish.

Upon viewing this match again for the first time in a while, I can say that it still holds up. It is nowhere near as good as their second and third Wrestlemania chapters, but it is a great semi-main event to this card. Triple H showed once again his versatility by being able to go into an all-out brawl with the Undertaker. Both men seemed incredibly motivated to steal the show. This match, like this overall card, never slows down to breathe. It is incredible that these two would go on to get even better and produce two better matches than this 10 years later.
Winner: The Undertaker – 18:57
Rating: 4 ВЅ Stars

No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock (c)
A few months ago Steve Austin did a running commentary of this match on his podcast. If you haven't listened to it yet I strongly recommend it. The amount of insight he provides is amazing. Austin says going into this match that he was more confident than he had ever been. He describes how he and Rock constructed the match. How they called it on the fly. And his only regret of his career being the ending of the match. I highly recommend giving it a listen.

Much has been made of the pre match video package featuring Limp Bizkit's My Way. Many have called it the greatest video package of all time. It would be hard to argue that. WWE consistently produces terrific video packages, and this one is near the top of the list.
As soon as Austin's music hits, the crowd becomes unglued. Another gigantic pop from the 65,000 Houston fans. JR delivers one of my all-time favorite lines calling Austin a "folk hero". Rock hits the ring second, as a champion always should. JR makes me feel bad about myself by reminding me that Rock is only 28 years old at the time of this match, headlining his third Wrestlemania. Overachiever.

When looking back at this match, the conclusion shouldn't have been such a surprise. Austin wrestles the entire match as a heel. I understand the storyline that he needs to win the match and the title back so desperately. But Austin is the constant aggressor. Rock is almost always the face in peril, while he clearly isn't the fan favorite here in Houston. Austin even jaws off to the referee when things aren't going his way. Rock continues to preserve even when all of his offense is booed by the crowd. Such amazing character work done by both men.

Rock is busted open early as much of this match spills outside. The ring bell plays a significant part of the match when both Rock and Austin's faces are painted on it. Both men also taste the exposed turnbuckle, which leads to Austin being busted open. One thing to remember about this match- it isn't pretty. Austin and Rock create a brutal masterpiece. This is the best brawl match the Attitude era ever produced. My favorite spot of the match comes when Austin tries to apply the million dollar dream. That call back was incredible. Rock sloppy delivery of the sharpshooter has never bothered me either. Both spots should be commended for their relationships to Austin's Wrestlemania 13 match with Bret Hart, arguably the match that kick started the Attitude era. Only fitting the Attitude era would come to close in almost a full circle fashion.

Now let's talk about the finish. Turning Austin heel wasn't a terrible move. It made sense to the character's journey. Austin had missed almost a year due to injury, during which he saw the Rock climb to the top of the card and take his spot. Austin's road to redemption had to go through the Rock. And he would do whatever it took to get there. It made sense. Now I am not sure it was the wisest business decision knowing that the Rock was leaving. Essentially there was no number 1 face anymore, with Austin as a top heel, along with Triple H and Kurt Angle right behind him. WWF would try the Invasion angle to mixed results, but one can only wonder how much of that was affected by Austin's heel turn. It also probably wasn't wise to turn Austin heel in Houston, where he was the "folk hero" JR spoke of. Again, I think turning Austin heel was a GOOD move, but the WWF probably wanted more of a reaction than they received.

One thing that has always bothered me about this match is Vince's involvement. I have no problem with him being involved in the finish, he should have. Austin and the Rock were his two greatest adversaries and it is just right that he shows up. However the timing of Vince's involvement is strangely paced. First he shows up and just stands around a bit. Than he saves Austin after the People's Elbow. We should have seen kick to the gut, stunner, new champ. Instead we get an awkward 5 minutes of uncertainty. Instead of one shocking heel turn, we get an awkward slow turn, ref bump, and endless chair shots before it's over. Steve Austin says he regrets turning heel that night. He wishes he would've just called an audible and stunned Vince. I am not sure that was the right move either. Just a spot of Austin selling his soul. I don't think this takes away much from the match, but I do wish it was a clean and obvious heel turn, instead of being a little bit over booked at the end.

As it stands this match is a classic. There have been better matches at Wrestlemania, but this the best final match ever. No one deserved to headline the biggest Wrestlemania ever, or put an end to the attitude era, more than Austin and the Rock. Of their many encounters, and 3 Wrestlemania matches, this is easily the best. It is the darkest, hardest hitting, most brutal title match I can ever remember at Wrestlemania. Part of me wants to knock the awkward ending, but every single moment leading up to the ending is so perfect that it is impossible not to rate this match as five star match.
Winner: Steve Austin – 28:07
Rating: 5 Stars

Final thoughts
Wrestlemania 17 will forever be known as one of the best wrestling cards of all time. Looking at the roster and matches shows how stacked WWF was at the time. After the purchase of WCW, Wrestlemania 17 was Vince McMahon pounding his chest in victory. He had won the Monday Night Wars. He had the top two stars of all time headline a titanic card. He even went out and produced a memorable event that will stand the test of time. I can't decisively call Mania 17 the greatest Mania of all time. I think Mania 19, 22, 24, and 28 can each make an argument for that title. But from top to bottom Wrestlemania 17 delivers. Every person contributes and plays their part perfectly. The video packages are second to none. Every talent seems hungry to prove themselves, especially in light of the coming uncertainty and arrival of WCW talent. And enough cannot be said for the commentary work of JR and Paul Heyman. They sold every match as being important and delivered the best play by play/color commentary for a single event I have ever heard. You can have you iconic JR calls all you want, for my money this was the best work he ever did. And Heyman shows that he is truly one of a kind. Wrestlemania 17 has a few flaws, namely the awkward ending and the strange timing of the WCW purchase hanging over it. It sometimes feels like there is too much going on, and everything is a little too rushed. However it is a great call back to the older Mania cards, with 11 matches and little to no filler. It will certainly be interested recounting our steps through the WWF and WCW PPV history to see how we got to this point- the true highpoint in professional wrestling history "Where it All Begins, and Ends, Again."

Ladies and gentlemen that's it for our premiere edition of "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews." Join us next time as Gary and I head back to 1995 before the Monday Night War had even started. Until then my name is Mark Adam Haggerty alongside Gary Mastriano, reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat, your number one source for original columns, countdowns and coverage of the wide world of professional wrestling.

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:13:24 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Other Reviews Reviews Antonio Cesaro Brock Lesnar Cesaro Daniel Bryan Dean Ambrose Hall of Fame HHH HOF Hulk Hogan John Cena Kane Macho Man Monday Night RAW Randy Savage RAW Seth Rollins Stephanie McMahon The Authority Triple H WCW World Championship Wrestling WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8856 The Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty The WWE's flagship broadcast is back with a somewhat preferable program to what we were force-fed last week, although the show is still plagued by many of the same problems that have made recent episodes of Monday Night Raw intolerable. […]

The Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

The WWE's flagship broadcast is back with a somewhat preferable program to what we were force-fed last week, although the show is still plagued by many of the same problems that have made recent episodes of Monday Night Raw intolerable. The first thing anyone tuning in might notice is the electricity flowing through the crowd in New Orleans who are just as happy to see John Cena as they are to chant, "John Cena sucks!" Initially ecstatic to host the WWE product for the first time since Wrestlemania 30, the fans of New Orleans seemed to lose their passion rather early as even April of last year made more sense than January of 2015. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to another exciting edition of The Highlight of the Night; my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I'm here every single week to present you with the Top Five Moments from the WWE's longest running series. Last week I found myself scaling and repelling along the Monday Night Raw card looking for anything that might pass as entertaining. This week wasn't as difficult, but still presented its own set of challenges—did Roman Reigns really cut a promo about a beanstalk? When you don't have time to watch a three hour television show, I'm here to let you know what Top Five Moments were worth checking out.

5. Good Old WWE Personality Tests…
Whenever the WWE has a breakout talent, the first thing Creative likes to do is script a psychiatric session between said Superstar and a fake therapist. Although I didn't find much humor in the series of skits featuring Dean and the doctor, it did manage to keep the Lunatic Fringe in the forefront of the WWE Universe's mind until his impromptu battle with Rusev. I liked the segment depicting Dean associating words with photos, especially the nod to Kane's former persona, "Isaac Yankem DDS." I like Dean Ambrose and hope he has a prosperous career, but I cringe when he attempts the comedy as it suffers greatly from overwritten dialogue and incredibly poor timing. He is not John Cena, he is not the Rock, and I'm sorry to say INTERNET—he is not "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The finale of the skits was somewhat predictable; the roles were reversed and Dean Ambrose was now playing therapist to his doctor. What wasn't predictable however was the match with the United States champion later in the evening. While the match was decent enough, it rested heavily on Rusev's performance, leaving much to be desired as far as the Lunatic Fringe and his in-ring capabilities. I question the judgment of any keyboard warrior that may bash John Cena, all the while touting the skillset of Dean Ambrose. It's going to be a dark day when reality hits and the WWE Universe realizes Dean Ambrose is a "five-move wrestler." I don't understand the logic in booking Ambrose in such a negative way this evening when it would have seemed simple enough to keep him backstage doing the therapy gimmick. Instead he incites the ire of Rusev for no reason other than to play babyface, only for the match to end due to Ambrose's knee injury. I don't really know what the process behind promoting Ambrose is, but so far 2015 is turning out to be much the same as 2014—a year in which Dean Ambrose earn zero singles' wins on pay-per-view.

4. Daniel Bryan's Back in New Orleans
Daniel Bryan's return to television is unquestionably the most provocative element of the current storyline. Sure the main event title picture is fuzzy and fun to predict, but far more members of the WWE Universe have invested themselves in Daniel Bryan than they have in anyone else—even John Cena. After an astronomical rise in popularity, Daniel was sidelined and many of his fans were left waiting and wondering if they'd ever see their favorite Superstar again. I really like the ongoing dichotomy between Daniel Bryan and Stephanie McMahon, and I hope it's something we continue to see evolve over the next few years. Nobody ever complained about how often Vince McMahon mixed it up with Steve Austin; I think this could be a defining rivalry in the development of Stephanie McMahon as a formidable antagonist in the WWE Universe. It would seem that quite a few folks are disappointed with the decision to reignite the feud between Kane and Daniel Bryan, but I'm actually in favor of seeing the former WWE World Champion get his further comeuppance against "The Big Red Machine." Obviously Bryan Danielson's neck injury was the result of more than a decade's worth of wrestling a very stiff style—but DANIEL BRYAN's injury came at the hands of "The Devil's Favorite Demon." Speaking strictly Kayfabe, how could Bryan return to action without first getting his revenge against the man who almost ended his career? The WWE was most certainly going to pit these two against one another, so I say what better time than on Smackdown? Let's get it out of the way so we aren't faced with a wasted pay-per-view match the way we were following Wrestlemania 30. I was surprised at the tenacity with which both Bryan and Kane attacked each other on Raw, especially considering nobody seems sure how safe it is for Bryan to return to the ring. If their street fight is any indication of what to expect, then I look forward to their clash this Thursday and cautiously anticipate exciting things for Daniel Bryan as we speed toward Wrestlemania 31 here in California.

3. The Lumberjack Match
The WWE is notorious for distancing itself from the term "professional wrestling," instead choosing the far more nauseating moniker of "sports entertainment." For a company that wants to separate their product from the other �rasslin' shows on TV, implementing a Lumberjack match seems right in line with a Scaffold Match, or a Hair vs. Hair—oh wait, they do that all the time. My point is that Vince McMahon cannot have it both ways, and that is why after thirty years of attempting to coin a phrase, the majority of fans still refer to their favorite pastime as "professional wrestling." The lumberjack match has always been one of my favorite match-types because it gives the audience a unique look into the semi-casual side of their favorite superstars. It's always interesting to see how Bad News Barrett interacts with Rusev or how Justin Gabriel, "takes lumberjack matches very seriously," as he posted on Twitter. The Lumberjack stipulation may very well offer moments of team work, but can more appropriately spell dissent as the contest this evening featured the most heinous heels in the WWE locker room. I had to assume that John Cena would fail to defeat Seth Rollins, because as backwards as the booking seems to be, I couldn't very well predict three men getting fired one night, and getting rehired at the beginning of the very next show—that's stupid. I thought John Cena was really impressive in this match, which is sort of a strange sentence to type. Not that I don't find Cena impressive on a regular basis, but he's the type of wrestler I don't feel the need to highlight. He's been coming off the top rope for years it seems, but recently John Cena has been upgrading his high-risk offense game to include splashes and dives to the outside of the ring. Say what you will about the 15-time title holder, no champion in history has ever worked as hard as Cena to improve every facet of their arsenal. While I agree he has far fewer maneuvers on hand than Daniel Bryan or Antonio Cesaro, John Cena is constantly adding to his repertoire so as to meet the demand of every new challenge he faces. Seth Rollins is proving far more versatile than I think anyone might have ever guessed. While proving his capabilities in brawling with Dean Ambrose, he is able to take it to the air when soaring with Dolph Ziggler, yet still makes for an arduous opponent across from the most decorate champion in the company. I thought this match was really great despite all of the clichéd complaints there are to be made about a WWE match. The way the first promo by John Cena transitioned into the match kept the beginning of the show moving at a steady pace that would come to a crashing halt as soon as the next segment began. A highly entertaining opener that unfortunately did nothing to foreshadow the in-ring action to come.

2. "I wasn't done yet!"
For the past several weeks, the final segment of Monday Night Raw has been awarded the top spot by default. This week I've allowed for nostalgia to take over, so while the exciting conclusion may not have been number one, it was definitely worth watching. Contract signings are generally very predictable and I suppose this was as well to a degree. In the center of the ring stood a table cloaked in a black cloth which made me say, "What are the odds that table doesn't get broken? Slim to none." Of course I was correct, but the beauty in this segment wasn't in broken shards of wood, but in the words exchanged between Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins. After quite some time of hearing Heyman speak for Lesnar, I'm finally hip to the way in which Mr. Dangerously arranges his thoughts. But that doesn't mean I'm any less eager to hear them aloud via the voracious vocals of Paul Heyman. Quite often Paul is mismatched with someone that can't quite compete in his arena of verbal jibes, but this week he is surrounded by Triple H, John Cena, and Stephanie McMahon—three personalities known for their talent on the microphone. However, it was Seth Rollins who made for Paul's greatest adversary, once again leading me to wonder how many of Rollins' promos are scripted and what's coming from the brain of Colby Lopez. Cena seemed purposefully detached during this segment, opting to keep his cool rather than rely on the same jokes he's been making since 2005. Brock Lesnar surprised quite a few people including myself when he took control of the mic and referred to Rollins as, "Mr. Curb-Stomp," proceeding to tell Seth how he'd beaten Triple H, The Undertaker, and John Cena. He wasn't going to lose to Seth Rollins. By the time the confrontation escalated beyond signing any contracts, the players were in motion and rather than watching the dominant Lesnar reign supreme, Rollins made his mark on the forthcoming match by Curb-Stomping both Cena and the champion. What could we expect from this volatile situation as we are now less than two week's removed from the Royal Rumble? We'll find out next week, but until then look for my upcoming article regarding how the Triple Threat Match might turn out.

1. The First Member of the 2015 Hall of Fame
I hardly think it's a cop out to name the "Macho Man" Randy Savage induction package the number one moment of the night. Whereas the induction announcement of another superstar from yesteryear might not make this list at all, the long awaited inclusion of Randy Savage is something to celebrate. Following his exit from the WWF in 1994, Randy Savage made the jump to World Championship Wrestling. Although many of his friends and colleagues would return home to the WWE after WCW's close in 2001, Randy Savage would never be among them. This lead many to speculate on why the "Macho Man" was apparently blacklisted by Vince McMahon—did it have something to do with Randy and STEPHANIE McMahon back in the mid-90's? Was it instead Randy's decision? Perhaps the former heavyweight champion still felt in some ways disrespected by a company that took him out of the ring, only to put him behind an announce desk. Whatever the woes may have been, when the Randy Savage documentary DVD came out in 2014, those same speculators from years ago began rumbling about whether or not this was finally the year we'd see Savage in the WWE Hall of Fame. TMZ broke the news early on Monday morning which then-in-turn prompted WWE to tease the announcement, both on WWE.com and The WWE Network. Throughout the evening we were privy to really well-produced vignettes and segments involving Superstars honoring Savage by attempting their best "Macho Man" impressions. Finally the word came down from on high, and the announce team gave the official word that The Macho Man Randy Savage would be the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Following the announcement was another very nice video package, although much longer and this time set to the song "The Heart" by NEEDTOBREATHE. I've always been a very emotional wrestling fan and I would be doing the WWE and this article a disservice if I failed to mention how touched I was when I saw this video. It was really intense for someone who grew up watching Randy Savage, idolizing the man behind the glasses and hoping against hope that he'd one day return to the WWE. Our collective hearts as "Macho Man" fans might have been broken that fateful May morning in 2011, but his spirit will live on and ours may now be lifted. I'm a little angry with the decision to allow Hulk Hogan the honors of inducting Randy, as I feel very strongly it should be his brother "Leaping" Lanny Poffo AKA The Genius. But that's an argument for another day—a day we aren't still celebrating the life of Randy "Macho Man" Savage.

This week's episode had twists and turns but did it have any wrestling? There were a bevy of bouts per usual but they were likely lost in the shuffle of another show devoted to promos and furthering The Authority storyline. I'm getting tired of saying, "I hope the WWE can turn things around," at the end of every single Monday Night Review, but it's the only sentiment that truly sums up my incredibly dismal perception of the current state of the WWE. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you, if you don't have anything nice to say, you're probably reviewing Monday Night Raw.

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:16:40 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists 2 Cold Scorpio Adrian Neville AJ Styles Austin Aries Batista Bill Goldberg Bobby Lashley Booker T Bret Hart British Bulldog Bryan Danielson Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Christian Christian Cage Christopher Daniels CM Punk CZW Daniel Bryan Darren Young Dave Batista Davey Boy Smith Davey Richards David Arquette Dean Malenko Degeneration X Dwayne Johnson Eastern Championship Wrestling ECW Eddie Guerrero Edge Elimination Chamber Eric Bischoff Extreme Championship Wrestling Four Horsemen Goldberg Hell in a Cell HHH Hollywood Hogan Impact Jake Roberts Jeff Jarrett Jerry Lawler Kane Ken Shamrock Kevin Nash King Booker King of the Ring Kurt Angle Latino Heat Mankind Matt Sydal Mick Foley Money in the Bank Montreal Screwjob Mr. Perfect New World Order Nigel McGuinness Nitro NJPW NWA NXT One Night Stand Owen Hart Paul Bearer Paul Heyman Perry Saturn Phil Brooks Psycho Sid Radicalz RAW Razor Ramon Ready 2 Rumble Rey Mysterio RF Video Ric Flair Ring of Honor Rob Feinstein Rocky Maivia Roddy Piper ROH Royal Rumble Ryback Sami Zayn Samoa Joe Scott Steiner Sean Waltman Shane Douglas Shane McMahon Shawn Michaels Smackdown Starrcade Stephanie McMahon Steve Austin Stone Cold SummerSlam Survivor Series TAKA Michinoku Ted DiBiase The Alliance The Rock TNA Todd Gordon Total Nonstop Action Triple H UFC Ultimate Warrior Undertaker Vampiro Vince McMahon Vince Russo Wade Barrett WCW Wolfpac Wrestlemania Wrestling Society X WSX WWE WWF XFL http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8812 Lucky Thirteen #2 Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that […]

Lucky Thirteen #2
Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that contained the first five Wrestlemanias. From that day I was hooked. I began tuning into WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night every single week, and by the spring of 1993 I was begging my parents to order Wrestlemania 9 on pay-per-view. Over the past 20 years I’ve had my share of favorite moments, but I often ask myself, what was the best year in professional wrestling? Maybe not best, but how about the most influential? Most impactful? Okay here it is: What was the Most Important Year since I Became a Fan? When other sites limit their lists to Top Ten, we take it a Step Further with the Lucky Thirteen—counting down the Top Years of the Past 2 Decades.

13. 2003
The list had to start somewhere and after cutting away seven years of nonsense I thought, what better place to begin than with 2003. Looking back I feel as though the year felt much bigger than it really was. Momentous occasions like Wrestlemania XIX and Stone Cold's retirement drew considerable attention but it's hard to isolate many other memorable moments. By this point Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor were both open and doing business, although nowhere near the level of success that they'd each see within a few short years. WCW had been closed since 2001, so WWE was slowly filtering out the Turner-holdovers and rebranding wrestlers like Booker T and Rey Mysterio as WWE Superstars. Twenty-oh-Three was the year Bill Goldberg made his long-awaited debut on Monday Night Raw where he famously told Dwayne Johnson, "You're next Rock!" In addition to a handful of interesting gimmicks and storylines scattered across the calendar, 2003 featured must-see-TV for anyone curious as to what lurked beneath the red and black mask of "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane. While it may appear dull in hindsight, 2003 was a fun time featuring the sex and violence of the Attitude Era, mixed with the incredible in-ring action so many of us value today.

12. 2010
Twenty-Ten proved to be an auspicious time for all wrestling organizations. Wrestlemania 26 featured the final match in the venerable career of "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels when he failed to defeat The Undertaker in Glendale. But as one man's career ended, eight more were just getting started; the initial NXT program was a far cry from the extraordinary show we see each week on the WWE Network, but it did introduce the WWE Universe to Superstars such as Ryback, Wade Barrett, Darren Young, and even the future WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Twenty-Ten was the year in which the unimaginable happened when Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to WWE television after a thirteen year hiatus. But 2010 was big for the competition as well. Not only were independent promotions the world-over hitting their stride due to the added exposure brought-on by social media, but TNA was enjoying one of its most visible years to date thanks to signing Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and a number of other established talents. In addition to inflating their roster, TNA made several changes to their product; they would begin to implement a traditional four-sided ring, and even attempted to compete live on Monday's with WWE Raw. The year 2010 was an exciting time for wrestling fans across the planet, and is the most modern year on my countdown.

11. 2007
It’s true that 2007 can hardly be considered a great year for professional wrestling, let alone the WWE. For a while it seemed that active wrestlers appeared on Nancy Grace more than they ever did on Raw or Smackdown. But if I'm here to countdown the most important years in wrestling, this certainly had its share of newsworthy events. In the summer of 2007, the WWE suspended more than half of its active roster in response to a litany of wellness violations for a variety of substances, most notably Human Growth Hormone. This year was historic for being the official end of "The Ruthless Aggression Era"—a period of time significant for exposing younger talent and transitioning the product out of the overtly controversial Attitude Era. In 2007 TNA expanded its flagship show IMPACT to two hours and embarked on what would be a defining age for the promotion. One of my favorite events in history happened in 2007, "The King of Europe Cup." The �Cup was a one-off event that took place over a two day period in the United Kingdom. A must-watch event that is readily available on YouTube and features well-known workers such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Matt Sydal, Davey Richards and a man who won the ROH World title in 2007—Nigel McGuinness. Sadly it's safe to say the most infamous moments of 2007 occurred between June 22nd and June 25th as the world became aware of the chilling circumstances surrounding Nancy, Daniel, and of course "The Crippler" Chris Benoit. Unfortunately for all of the positives, 2007 will forever be marred by the heinous actions of a troubled man that led to irreparable changes across the industry and what has been dubbed, "The PG Era."

10. 2006
It would appear as though 2006 was the last year representing any semblance of what was once regarded as a pop culture phenomenon. The ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view the previous year was such a success that WWE officials opted to resurrect Extreme Championship Wrestling complete with a one-hour timeslot on the Sci-Fi Channel. Edge and Rey Mysterio each made history in 2006 by becoming world champion; first Edge at New Years' Revolution and then Rey at Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. Poised to be a contributing factor in the �New ECW', former champion Kurt Angle shocked the world in 2006 when he signed with TNA Wrestling. This year was famous for launching the career of current TNA Champion Bobby Lashley, as well as helping to define that of former Ring of Honor World Champion CM Punk. There were over a dozen debuts throughout the year due to ECW on Sci-Fi and Smackdown's "New Superstar Initiative." In Ring of Honor, the world title picture was dominated by Bryan Danielson who secured his spot atop the card from September 2005 until December 2006. In addition to WWE and TNA, MTV delivered an over the top unreal wrestling experience known as "Wrestling Society X." WSX only lasted one short season but familiarized fans with future names such as Matt Sydal and reintroduced established stars like Sean Waltman and Vampiro. Twenty-oh-Six was a great year for good storytelling that included Vince McMahon's rivalry with Shawn Michaels, Booker T becoming King Booker, and the continuing drama between Edge and John Cena. Rounding out the top ten, 2006 was an enjoyable year without much in the way of defining moments but never short on excitement.

9. 2000
When the new millennium dawned on the world of professional wrestling, so too did a number of landmark milestones and controversial occurrences. WCW released the unsuccessful "Ready 2 Rumble," starring a variety of World Championship Wrestling athletes and the man who would soon become WCW Champion—David Arquette. Not only was 2000 the year all WCW titles would be stripped and reassigned, it was also the year in which the World Championship was devalued and strapped to a B-list Hollywood celebrity. But not all was bad in the world of sports and entertainment as 2000 marked the first time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live, which he did to rave reviews. While Eric Bischoff returned to WCW, a new set of "Radicalz" debuted in the WWF; Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all jumped ship and began appearing on WWF TV in the early months of the new millennium. The Year Two-Thousand was a defining era for the Undertaker who chose this year to swap his demonic demeanor for the apparel of the "American Badass." Hulk Hogan would say his final goodbye to his WCW fans thanks to a scenario gone wrong involving the Hulkster, Jeff Jarrett, and head-writer Vince Russo. An exciting year for wrestling of course with Kurt Angle capturing his first of many world titles, but perhaps the biggest thing to happen in 2000 was the debut of Vince McMahon's now defunct football league—The XFL. Whether you're a football fan or an admirer of the "Scream" film franchise, 2000 had something for everybody to get excited about.

8. 2005
If ever a year signaled things to come it was 2005. For fans of the WWE, 2005 was the year Monday Night Raw returned home to the USA Network after a five year run on Spike TV. Two first-time world champions were crowned at Wrestlemania—John Cena and Dave Batista. But TNA had its own share of successes in 2005: the company made its highly anticipated debut on Spike TV; Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe had the only 5-Star Triple Threat Match in history; and Christian Cage signed a deal, opening the gates to a deluge of ex-WWE Superstars. ECW was in the midst of a resurrection that would culminate in 2006, but 2005 was the year the WWE hosted the first "ECW One Night Stand," in New York City. On the independent scene, a former backyard wrestler named Phil Brooks won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from the highly decorated Austin Aries, thus placing CM Punk on WWE's radar. Later that year another future WWE Champion would capture the ROH World Title and hold it for over four hundred days—"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. Back in the WWE, six daring individuals were getting ready to introduce the world to "Money in the Bank," and later that year Shawn Michaels faced Hulk Hogan for the first time ever at Summerslam. Chris Jericho was fired by Eric Bischoff and then Bischoff himself was released resulting in Eric leaving the arena in the back of a garbage truck. But even in the silliest of times, sadness rears its ugly head and it was in 2005 that the world was forced to say goodbye to the former WWE Champion, "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero. From the highs to the lows, 2005 was an important year that no one will ever forget.

7. 1994
Not such an enormous year for the industry-leading WWF, but a landmark time period for much of the competition. Having survived his battle with the US Government, Vince McMahon was back in full control of his company; 1994 was the year of Wrestlemania X and the infamous bout between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels that would set the bar for ladder matches to come. The Undertaker mysteriously disappeared at the Royal Rumble and come Summerslam, the WWF fans were privy to not one—but TWO Undertakers! Of course this was the year that the Hart Family rivalry between Bret and Owen kicked into high gear, including a match of the year contender at Wrestlemania and a championship cage match at Summerslam. But outside the confines of the WWF, events began to take place that would lay the foundation for the Attitude Era. The NWA was the longstanding governing body of professional wrestling in the United States and Japan for several decades. In 1994 the NWA title was to be decided in Philadelphia at Todd Gordon's Eastern Championship Wrestling, with Shane Douglas set to win the gold. Instead Douglas disregarded the title, disgracing the NWA in the process by claiming he would not represent a company that, "died, R.I.P. seven years ago!" ECW broke away from the NWA and declared themselves Extreme Championship Wrestling with "The Franchise" as their champion. Down in WCW, Eric Bischoff was moving ahead by leaps and bounds thanks to an array of positive changes in production, including the debut of WCW Saturday Night at Disney's MGM Studios in Orlando. But perhaps there was nothing in '94 as monumental as when WCW signed Hulk Hogan. Bischoff wasted no time in booking the dream contest WWF refused to feature at Wrestlemania VIII two years earlier. In his debut match alongside Mr. T and Shaquille O'Neil, Hulk Hogan defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the WCW Title. Who's to say if things had gone differently in �94, the industry of today might be something else entirely.

6. 1998
The Attitude Era might have started in �97, but 1998 was the year in which the world was introduced to the brand new World Wrestling Federation. WCW turned up the heat on the competition by introducing a brand new Thursday night program on TBS titled, "Thunder." This was the year that saw The Four Horsemen reunite on Monday Nitro including Ric Flair who had since left the company. The NWO was continuing to grow and would eventually split into two entities: NWO Hollywood with Hulk Hogan, and NWO Wolfpac lead by Kevin Nash. WCW cornered the video game market in �98 with one of the most prolific wrestling games in history—WCW/NWO Revenge for the Nintendo 64. Over in the �Federation, Superstars were beginning to get "hardcore" and a new title with a 24/7 stipulation was introduced on TV. Not only were the �falls' taking place backstage and in the audience, but from on top of the Hell in a Cell as Mick Foley was launched from the structure, and then drilled through it at the 1998 King of the Ring. WCW continued to beat the WWF in the Monday Night War due to a consistent strategy based on booking their top matches on cable, rather than pay-per-view. Bill Goldberg, who had already made a name for himself by maintaining an unprecedented winning streak made history when he became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. But Bill was far from the only bald-headed badass to win gold in 1998. Earlier that year, Stone Cold Steve Austin captured his first world title after defeating Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV in Boston. It was a profitable year for all wrestling companies including ECW, but 1998 would be the last year WCW would succeed in dominating the WWF in the ratings.

5. 1996
Maybe it's because Shawn Michaels' boyhood dream came true at Wrestlemania XII; or the initial formation of the NWO at Bash at the Beach; even the insane rivalry between "The Excellence of Execution" and "The Texas Rattlesnake." Whatever it was, my personal favorite year in professional wrestling was 1996. The spring began with a bang as Scott Hall made his first appearance on Turner Television, joined just a few weeks later by Kevin Nash. In June of 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke from Ted DiBiase and became the King of the Ring; during his royal coronation, Stone Cold uttered a phrase that would change his career forever—"Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" But just as heels began to turn face, so did longtime heroes turn to the dark side. Along with the debut of the New World Order was the introduction of the evil Hollywood Hogan, who won the WCW title in August 1996 and held it just six days shy of one year. The Survivor Series that fall was famous for memorable main event matches as well as a number of debuts including that of the first ever third generation WWF Superstar, Rocky Maivia. Paul Bearer made the turn on �Taker in favor of the far more deranged Mankind; The Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts returned for a short period, each feuding with Jerry Lawler; Roddy Piper was featured on both WWF Wrestlemania and WCW Starrcade; ECW was beginning to break out nationwide. But most importantly—the Monday Night War was just getting underway. WCW debuted Nitro on TNT in the autumn of �95, and it was in 1996 that WCW finally succeeded in stealing Vince McMahon's spotlight.

4. 2001
In terms of the industry changing forever, 2001 might have been the most cataclysmic year in wrestling history. It was this year that WCW fans became aware of what was to become of their preferred promotion. Although many familiar faces were involved in negotiating the resurrection of WCW, it was Vince McMahon who purchased his competition for a mere $2.2 million dollars—a price that included licensing, tape libraries, and the contracts belonging to twenty-two WCW performers. In addition to the end of World Championship Wrestling, Paul Heyman signed a deal with Vince McMahon in 2001 some months after ECW was unseated by the WWF as Spike TV's premier wrestling program. The World Wrestling Federation was the winner of the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era was at an end. The summer of 2001 was highlighted by the Invasion storyline featuring an enormity of former WCW and ECW talents rallying together against the WWF with Shane and Stephanie McMahon leading the charge. This would be the year that Stone Cold Steve Austin would turn heel twice, first by joining forces with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania and then by turning on the WWF and joining the Alliance. Speaking of Wrestlemania, Houston hosted the Seventeenth annual extravaganza—an event like none other that included the highly revered TLC triple threat tag match won by Edge and Christian. On September 13th, Vince McMahon and the WWF Superstars set a national precedent by appearing in Texas just days removed from the World Trade Center attacks in what Vince called, "the largest public gathering of its size since the events of Tuesday." In December of 2001 the two world titles were unified in a competition that would see Chris Jericho beat The Rock as well as Steve Austin in the same night to become the first ever Undisputed WWF Champion in history. The year 2001 was a peculiar period for the wrestling industry as it was the only year in which the WWF was faced with no immediate competition.

3. 1999
With the Attitude Era in full swing, 1999 was an enormous year for the WWF both inside the squared circle as well as on Wall Street. The WWF became the first wrestling promotion in history to go public in 1999, and followed the success with a series of groundbreaking business decisions still in effect today. The company introduced Smackdown on the UPN Network on Thursday Nights as competition to WCW's Thunder on the TBS Superstation. The Rock was enjoying his inaugural championship title reign and would face Steve Austin for their first of three �Mania encounters at Wrestlemania XV in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the good can often be overshadowed by the tragic; on May 23, 1999 the world of professional wrestling lost one of its favorite stars when Owen Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri. Owen will never be forgotten as his passing was one of the most earth-shattering moments in history—wrestling or otherwise. Behind the scenes, longtime WWF head writer Vince Russo had become disenfranchised by the �Federation and jumped ship to rival WCW where Eric Bischoff was forcibly removed from his post as president. As WCW struggled during turbulent times, the WWF continued to prosper with the continuation of the McMahon/Austin saga, the further explored escapades of Degeneration X, and the debuts of The Big Show and Chris Jericho. The WWF would experience its first Monday night ratings victory since 1996 when Mick Foley defeated The Rock for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on a taped episode of Raw airing January 4th 1999. Titles changed hands that same night on TNT when Hollywood Hogan won the WCW title from Kevin Nash for a fifth time thanks to a booking misstep nicknamed "The Finger Poke of Doom." The Land of Extreme was also abuzz in �99 as this was the year ECW would debut on national cable television thanks to The Nashville Network, soon-to-be-known as Spike TV. The last year of the 20th Century was a period of growth for the WWF, but proved to be an unpredictable era for WCW, making it difficult to compete in the coming years of the new millennium.

2. 2002
If 2001 was the end of an era, 2002 was the dawning of a new age across the varied landscape of professional wrestling. The WWF began by changing its name to World Wrestling Entertainment in light of a conflict regarding the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign was dubbed "Get the �F' Out" and would help introduce audiences to an entirely new breed of "Ruthless Aggression," in the now-WWE. Two new promotions would rise from the ashes of the fallen WCW and ECW. There was former WCW Champion Jeff Jarrett's Southern-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling—a subsidiary of the National Wrestling Alliance. TNA was originally intended to be a pay-per-view only promotion hosting ten dollar events once a week. In 2002 they crowned their very first Heavyweight Champion, former UFC and WWF competitor "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock. Meanwhile RF Video—a pro wrestling video distribution company, was looking for a new promotion now that ECW was gone. Rather than working with established groups such as CZW, RF owner Rob Feinstein founded Ring of Honor and ran their first event, "The Era of Honor Begins" in April 2002. Back in the WWE, the entire roster was split into two warring halves—one set for Smackdown and the other relegated to Raw. The year was infamous for the seemingly relentless parade of surprise appearances that lasted the entirety of 2002. Former Superstars like Mr. Perfect and Scott Steiner became part of the current roster once more; Eric Bischoff debuted as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw; the NWO opened No Way Out; but perhaps most surprising of all was the return of Shawn Michaels after more than four years away from the ring. Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match when he defeated five other superstars including Triple H. Maybe one of the greatest years in the past two decades, but not quite number one.

1. 1997
The Number One Year of the Past Two Decades is 1997, and it shouldn’t be hard to see why. This year was the official launch of The Attitude Era in the WWF, signifying Vince McMahon's intention to compete with WCW on a whole new level. The competition didn't waiver however, as World Championship Wrestling was eager to meet the demand of audiences across the world. The "New Generation" made way for D-Generation X, a heel group similar to the NWO featuring Shawn Michaels and Triple H at the forefront. It was DX at the center of one of the most scandalous nights in wrestling—"The Montreal Screwjob." WCW was having its best year since Eric Bischoff took control of the company and bested their direct competition every week thanks to compelling storylines and the introduction of a former Atlanta Falcon named Bill Goldberg. The NWO storyline had yet to run its course and was complimented by the slow-build and impending confrontation between Hollywood Hogan and Sting at Starrcade. The Undertaker would become the WWF Champion for the first time in nearly six years when he defeated Psycho Sid at Wrestlemania XIII in Chicago, the same night Bret Hart and Steve Austin would wrestle their Match of the Year to a stunning conclusion. Paul Heyman's third party promotion dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling would present their first ever pay-per-view event Barely Legal thanks in part to the promotion they received during the ECW Invasion of Monday Night Raw. The WWF became far more innovative during this period and introduced audiences to the Hell in a Cell and by circumstance the demonic younger brother of the Dead Man, Kane. It was also in 1997 that a hapless play-by-play announcer named Vince McMahon became one of the most detestable villains in professional wrestling history. The WWF would also begin debuting a number of midcard titles including the European Championship first held by The British Bulldog, and the Light Heavyweight Championship won by Taka Michinoku. WCW continued to maintain their edge in the ratings due to quality in-ring performances as well as plot twists and surprise appearances from WWF Superstars-turned-WCW Big Boys. It's not really a question: when asked about the single most action-packed and influential year from the past two decades of wrestling, I don't hesitate when I say 1997.

Conclusion
This list is ripe for discussion and debate, just as any other countdown featured in The Lucky Thirteen. You might agree, you probably disagree, I may have even listed your favorite year toward the bottom. It’s nothing personal, I promise. This list lives outside of the WWE Universe, but is of course greatly influenced by it. In regards to not including 2014, I didn’t want to include a year that hadn't yet concluded when I began compiling my information. I will say however with NJPW, the birth of the WWE Network, the salvation of TNA, and the first ROH Classic PPV, 2014 is sure to climb higher than any other year of the “Reality Era.” Whatever your feelings may be, I hope to see you again next week for another exciting countdown exclusively at Cheap-Heat. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been—The Lucky Thirteen.

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw-2/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/highlight-of-the-night-the-top-moments-from-raw-2/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:55:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Adam Rose Andre the Giant Bad News Barrett bellator Big E BNB Bray Wyatt Brock Lesnar Bunny Cesaro Dean Ambrose Dolph Ziggler Erick Rowan HHH Hulk Hogan John Cena Kane Leo Kruger NXT Owen Hart Papa Shango RAW Rosebuds Ryback Seth Rollins Shawn Michaels Stephanie McMahon The Authority Triple H Tyson Kidd UFC Vince McMahon Wade Barrett WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8620 Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty If the devil is in the details then I'd like to meet the sanctimonious show-runner responsible for keeping up continuity. After last week's landmark effort I was convinced the WWE had turned a creative corner, but unfortunately I was again too […]

Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

If the devil is in the details then I'd like to meet the sanctimonious show-runner responsible for keeping up continuity. After last week's landmark effort I was convinced the WWE had turned a creative corner, but unfortunately I was again too quick to jump the gun. Let me first preface this week's edition of "The Highlight of the Night" by saying I had to scour tonight's card in order to find Five Moments that weren't utter disappointments. The in-ring action was scarce to say the least, however the matches we did see were ripe with staged high-spots and sensational desperation. Why would the WWE book an entire three-hour broadcast around The Authority? I fear the Creative Powers might be attempting to swerve the WWE Universe on an incredibly lofty scale—of which the size might prove too much to balance, thus alienating a large segment of long-time fans. Whatever the case may be it's my job to report on the events as they happen, and if this episode of Monday Night Raw did anything—it happened. Let's get right to it and break down The Top Five Moments that I didn't completely hate.

5. A Triple Threat Saves the Day

Ironically enough my Fifth Moment of the Night might have actually been the most important thing that happened during the entire broadcast. The second Raw hit the airways, we the viewer were privy to an enormous sea of WWE Superstars flooding the twenty-by-twenty squared circle. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder inside the ring and of course the first thing I thought was, "Oh I hope Vince McMahon is coming out to give a �Ruthless Aggression' speech." But it was the King of Kings and The Billion Dollar Princess set to regale the guys and gals with the new law of the land. I'm not so keen on segments depicting heroes and villains intermingling like average employees working in some office building. The human-resource skits in which Triple H scolds Superstars in front of one another are entirely too reminiscent of "Office Space" and makes me see the members of the main roster as human beings which can prove to be problematic to the product. People use to see Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant as Super Heroes and that's where hyperbolic terms like "Superstar" came from. Nobody ever fired Andre the Giant and made him cry; nobody ever beat up Hulk Hogan's dad; nobody ever wrangled an entire locker room of WWF athletes and lifted the curtain for the world to watch. Call me old fashioned, I just think there are ways to evolve without sacrificing key fundamentals. However though it may be dim, there is some sun peeking out from behind that cloud, in the form of Triple H announcing the WWE World Heavyweight Title match at The Royal Rumble will now be a Triple Threat—with Seth Rollins. Huge news no matter how you feel because this will be the first major opportunity for Rollins to take home the gold. And if you recall, Seth is currently in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase meaning he could conceivably lose the match and then try for a second pin after incapacitating the winner. It's also important because it breaks up the monotony of Cena versus Lesnar which I, for one, am sick of seeing. I think Lesnar will more than likely retain when the night is at an end, but anything is possible considering The Beast Incarnate is said to already be in talks with both UFC and Bellator.

4. Party Time All the Time

During what amounted to an all-around impressive outing between Big E and Adam Rose, I couldn't help but think, "Wouldn't it be funny if I put this match on my list." I've been convinced for weeks now that Adam Rose is but a guise constructed for Leo Kruger to gain the trust of the WWE Universe. His attitude and mannerisms have been completely-Kruger and I was sincerely impressed with what he offered during this matchup with the New Day's resident Powerhouse. I wasn't actually planning to list them as a Top Moment of the Night though, are you crazy? But then something spectacular happened when two faceless Rosebuds entered the ring and proceeded to demolish Big E and The New Day on behalf of Adam Rose. Despite ongoing reports of NXT talent debuting as The Bunny, these Rosebuds were none other than Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. I don't know what this means for the two highly-skilled singles stars, and question whether it's the beginning of an alliance with Rose or rather retaliation against The New Day. If the team of Kidd and Cesaro can absorb this momentum and continue forward at a top rate of speed I have no doubts that we could be looking at the next WWE Tag Team Champions. Finally, I think it could be time for Adam Rose to ditch the rest of the Party Posse and send them back to the Exotic Express. Unless he insists upon fixing his gimmick soon, I fear it may be too late and he will forever be relegated to Santino Marella Territory.

3. The Ambulance That Looked Like Papa Shango

Okay let's put the brakes on and address the inconspicuous voodoo shaman in the room—am I the only one who thought the ambulance looked like Papa Shango? I know I'm not because there were a ton of tweets regarding the same exact Magic Eye that I seemed to be drawn to—and it wasn't a sailboat! Anyway, let's discuss this match. There was a lot of WWE-hate going into this contest as all across Twitter, smarks rang out with their collective complaint: "They're billing this as the first ambulance match but there have been ambulance matches before." Oh Internet Wrestling Community how quick you are to disregard what's right in front of you! This match was in fact billed as the, "First-ever Ambulance Match on Monday Night Raw." Now as far as that being true I have no idea, it's just been bugging me since the match was first announced. Uh—not much to say except what a waste of time and an utter detriment to both Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose, not just as men but as enthralling TV characters. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as we here in The �States see Raw on the USA Network, known for their �Characters' and the absurd situations in which they find themselves. I was just hoping the bogusness of Barely Legal wouldn't bleed through into something I treat like a religion. I thought they went to the ambulance a little too fast, although in a �shoot' Ambulance Match I assume the number one priority would be getting to the Ambulance so no logistical qualm with that. I refuse to believe there are any white folding tables with big red crosses painted on the top being used in the world of legitimate medicine. What the hell purpose would they serve, other than to maybe hand out vaccines but the TRUCK-LOAD? But that can't be what they're for because this was taped in The United States of Vaccinations, not Azerbaijan! So once again, I want to know what's up with these painstakingly comical pieces of furniture. Perhaps they're commonplace among the colleagues of Dr. Amman, but I think it's more likely they were spray painted white as an afterthought, and then Vince saw them and said, "Put a big red cross on �em, that'll look official." Though the match itself was overly-scripted and saturated with weaponry, the feud between Ambrose and Wyatt appears to be reaching a boiling point and I'm happy Bray walked away victorious. I assume the two will meet once more at The Royal Rumble, although to what end I cannot predict. Maybe there's a bigger match on the horizon or even some sort of spot in the �Rumble itself. I just hope Dean gets a singles win on pay-per-view in 2015.

2. Bad News for Dolph Ziggler Fans

Don't be a jerk and ask me to pick a match of the night because it would have to be a default drawing and the winner would likely be Bad News Barrett versus Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. What is up with the IC belt nowadays, I mean does anybody give a damn about it anymore? It's been passed around more freely than an unmarked orange bottle of pills at E.D.C. and once again a new champion has been crowned "King of the Inter-continents." The WWE has become unquestionably predictable and as soon as this one-fall matchup was kicked back into gear as a two-out-of-three falls contest, I knew we'd see Bad News Barrett walk away champion. The best fall was the third as the first was rushed in an apparent effort to have Kane come down to announce the added stipulation. And the second was a squash serving only to tie the score at one victory-a-piece. WWE Superstars are such peculiar character specimens, just as I mentioned before with Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose. Take Bad News Barrett for example: he was a heel who went away due to injury and garnered an impressive following, he returned on Raw last week to seemingly defend the WWE Universe against Cesaro, and now he's being pushed like any brute-force bad guy doing the bidding for The Authority. It goes back to what I said initially about consistency and this company's inability to monitor its own program. I'm extremely happy for Bad News as I consider him a far more deserving champion and a more lucrative team player than Ziggler. I thought the match was well contested despite the twists that made the action nearly impossible to follow. I've said it before and I'll say it now with a little bit more conviction: the WWE needs to get rid of Glen "Kane" Jacobs as soon as they can get him on a plane to Stanford. He's outlived his usefulness and it's only a matter of time before he starts costing more money than he's bringing in. Plus there was so much Kane on this show, especially during matches such as this that should only rely on the chemistry between those involved. An earnest effort on behalf of Dolph Ziggler and the New Intercontinental Champion, but hardly worth a re-watch.

1. Let's Get to Those Consequences

The WWE never ceases to amaze me in their segmented approach to storytelling. I can't remember the last time I listed anything other than the final moments of Raw as Number One here on "The Highlight of the Night." It's consistently the most compelling piece of business on the card which isn't a good thing when there are barren pockets of airspace in every single episode of TV. However, as much as I'd like to see a contract signing or hostage negotiation placed somewhere else on the show, tonight's finale was fitting and couldn't have happened at any other time aside from the final fifteen minutes of Raw. Let's get the cringe-worthiness out of the way right now: "You're fired." Okay is everybody done shaking out the shudders? I think it's a safe bet we'll see all three Superstars by the time the Rumble gets here in less than a month. So either they're going to spin this program in a way that makes no sense, or they're going to keep three rising stars off the second-maybe-third biggest show of the year. It was far too goofy for what I'd like to see from the WWE in 2015, and made an otherwise humorous few moments feel awkward. As for "Cena Appreciation Night"—I love John Cena so in my house, every night is John Cena Appreciation Night! I've heard some rather harsh criticisms regarding Mr. Cena's acting in the waning moments of television, but I thought he was as good as ever. If you're really setting aside time to take shots at a wrestler's acting ability on Monday Night Raw, then perhaps you'd better assess what you actually enjoy about pro wrestling because your priorities seem to be a bit skewed. I loved the final seconds of Raw, and laughed like a lunatic during the initial music cue that brought hundreds of balloons down upon the WWE Universe. Just as John Cena's friends are fired, Stephanie and Triple H present the Doctor of Thuganomics with the big thumbs up and a rousing rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever—What a brilliant moment in wresting comedy that didn't need to be edited or altered. It was perfect and helped to add an exclamation point to an otherwise boring string of sentences.

When I can't come up with anything to say as relates to the matter at hand I usually cop out and share a personal anecdote. The first time I was allowed to "stay up late" and watch Monday Night Raw was the episode in which Shawn Michaels collapsed after receiving an educated kick care of "The King of Harts" Owen Hart. What a captivating way to engage an audience, especially younger viewers such as myself who were far more convinced of Kayfabe. I'm not asking the WWE to send "Stone Cold" into someone's house with a gun or to blow up another limousine, I'm simply yearning for the same unpredictability that had me hooked as a third grader in 1995. I think I sold everyone on my disdain for tonight's Raw already, so I don't see a need for any sort of snappy send-off. This episode was atrocious and I'm only hoping it was some sort of seat-filling train wreck that needn't be referenced going forward. The Royal Rumble is less than three weeks away and nothing has been announced other than a Triple Threat Title match and a few entries in the �Rumble itself. Can the WWE pick up the pace in promoting one of the Big Four Events, or will they fall flat just as they did with the Survivor Series? Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty, join me next week to discuss what I'm hoping against hope shan't be another abysmal failure on behalf of the "Leader in Sports Entertainment."

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