DMJ

Overall, very good but not great...but I'd almost argue that it has very little to do with anything that actually happened between bells. For starters, this was essentially an unpromoted match, meaning you really didn't have the "air" of it being a big deal the way you would had they saved this exact same match (move for move) for SummerSlam. Similarly, as this was on a TV show, you're stuck with accepting a 4-minute commercial break (thankfully there was only one during the match). Again, this may just have to do with time constraints or whatever instructions they were given, but Banks' suicide dive and Charlotte's moonsault were BIG moments that I feel like would've been sold longer and given more room to "breathe" on a pay-per-view show rather than on RAW where, literally within 2 minutes of Charlotte backflipping from the top turnbuckle to the arena floor, we were seeing them trading submission finishers. Too rushed. Finally, the post-match. I sound like a broken record at this point but, again, just seems like it would've been a bigger moment in Brooklyn. The Pittsburgh crowd did their best to show their NXT love and obviously were behind Sasha (and Balor), but you really can't compare the crowds of a city like Pittsburgh (or even my beloved Cleveland) with the atmosphere of a NYC crowd. ***1/2 is how i rated it. It will likely make many lists of Best TV Matches of the Year, but I doubt it will make my Top 10...which is just a bit sad because I'm fairly convinced that, if you adjust the setting and add an extra 2-3 minutes of just ssstttrreeetttcchhhinng time between the big spots with ample selling or just letting the performers bask in the "Holy Shit" and "This is Awesome" chants that they received, this would've been an easy 4 stars.

Definitely a strange choice. I didn't watch and haven't watched regularly in awhile, but is Del Rio injured? Isn't he on SD? I'm actually a bigger Ziggler fan than a Del Rio one, but Del Rio was my pick to challenge Ambrose for a number of reasons. I'm guessing Ziggler is turning heel in the build, but it won't freshen him up unless they really alter just about everything about him. Maybe even give him a bodyguard like Nash suggested.

Was that roughly the same time period as Cornette's NWA stable in the late 90s? I remember that idea really sucked too, the kind of angle that, to a knowledgable wrestling fan made some sense, but, to the fan who had only recently been tuning into wrestling thanks to the nWo and Steve Austin would probably have come off like the dumbest "rip off" of the nWo, even if only because of their name and the fact that, IIRC, Cornette's goal was to somehow "take over" the WWE and written it to traditional wrestling.

The League of Nations immediately jumps into my mind. ADR and Sheamus weren't exactly hot before teaming up, but this stable put them in 3 Man Band range. Del Rio and Sheamus didn't even make the PPV card last night, so, just goes to show where they are on the pecking order...

Fan of this one too. On my blog I described it as "tightly packed with good work, nice sequences, and credible pin attempts." I gave it 3 stars and would've had it as my MOTN except I enjoyed the Macho Man/Flair match more. Meltzer gave it 3 and a quarter FWIW. DDP was awesome in 95.

I'm hoping that one of the ideas they have is to return to some squash matches ala NXT (where the idea of JTTSes has actually helped create buzz about the clear victors (your Corbins or Balors) *and* the jobbers who put them over, such as Breeze, Swann, and Dillinger). I'd go a step further and use locals or generic NXT undercard guys. For example, Orton is boring as shit at times, but I'm not opposed to watching him work a 5-minute squash where he essentially "plays the hits" and murders some jabroni. Then, as Corbin does the same elsewhere on the card for a few weeks, the idea of an Orton/Corbin match would be a bit more appealing. Instead, we'll likely get that match within the first month, cold, and it'll have no intrigue. For another example, yeah, the AA/Usos matches could be good, even great, but would it not be better to build up AA with vignettes and then "exhibition" matches where they just toss around and destroy locals, giving the wider audience a chance to familiarize themselves with their signature offense before we get AA/Usos?

Watching the RNC...not because I'm a fan, but because it's in my city (Cleveland). A few thoughts so far... I liked Scott Baio in his Chachi and Charles gimmicks, loved Bob Loblaw run, but this aging Hollywood Republican schtick is not nearly as interesting as it could be. Maybe a diva on his arm would've helped? The Lone Survivor got huge pops. Makes me wonder how long it is before one of the GOP bookers thinks about giving him his own push in a small local territory to see if he could ever be a national star...based on the current nominee, a lack of political experience does not seem to be an issue. Like most RAWs, I feel myself getting bored and turning this off before the main event.

I'm a bit surprised to see so much hate on this match. I thought it was actually pretty good. I don't really understand the "This match buried the Horsemen" argument. Yes, they lost on their home turf...but they were outnumbered and outsmarted. Should they have been outsmarted? No...but wrestling has its tropes and babyfaces getting turned on, whether its the numerous times Sting teamed with Flair or Dustin Rhodes making Arn Anderson his tag partner in 94', is a common one. I understand hating the swerve for its repetitiveness, but as someone else said, at least we didn't see Curt Hennig clean house and then turn - he turned the first second he got in the ring - and if they had played their cards right, Flair vs. Hennig should've been a money feud. It just fizzled out, though. Positives: - Benoit is outstanding here. He comes out of this match looking like he too could've been poised to be a bigger factor in the destruction of the nWo. I would've liked to have seen him in almost a "B-team Killer" mode, working his way through the nWo's lesser guys until maybe getting a shot at Syxx. - People hate on Bagwell so much, but I thought he was more than serviceable, bumping into the cage, eating chest chops, and in the rare moments he was on offense, delivering acceptable, standard heel fare (chokes and taunts). Some reviews seem offended by his mere presence in this match when, if you ask me, its Konnan who is the obvious weak link, doing nothing to draw heat and not selling much. - Some reviewers have implied that this match was "heatless" or that the "We Want Sting" chants showed how little the crowd really cared about the participants. My interpretation was different, but maybe I need to get my ears checked. I felt like they popped pretty well for Mongo and Flair's entrance (not to mention Hennig's). I think I heard sizable cheers when Benoit fought back from being in a 2-on-1 position. The crowd loved Syxx getting cut off and beaten down the second he came in. The "We Want Sting" chants, to me, were totally reasonable as, for the majority of the match, it did seem that Hennig was not going to participate, meaning that the crowd may have been thinking, "Who will the Horsemen's mystery partner be?" The Stinger coming into this match as WCW's fourth member would've been awesome and not out of left field at all. Can you blame fans for being conditioned to believe Sting would show up in the last 3 minutes of the show to save the day in the fall of 97'? When you factor in his history with the Nature Boy, I actually think that would've been the better finish from a crowd-pleasing standpoint, but its obvious that the bookers felt, right or wrong, that the nWo needed to win this match in order to maintain their dominance leading into the storyline's climax at Starrcade. I guess you can hate the booking so much that it spoils the match, but watching it in full today, I thought it was a solid match with enough cool moments, crowd interest, and even brutality (Flair getting his head slammed is just nasty) that it worked for me.

Just watched this in full for the first time in many years, maybe even since it happened. Wow, such a sad, sad match to watch because, before the accident, this match was definitely headed to 4-star territory and maybe even higher because you can really tell that audience was going to friggin' explode when they saw the Stunner. As others wrote, Owen is fantastic here and their chemistry is remarkable. I like how, with Bret, in his feud with Austin, you still had a guy that wanted to win cleanly because he was all about personal pride over anything - it was generally Austin who made Bret "go vicious." Owen, on the other hand, is "naturally" a cheating, despicable heel so he actually seems to enjoy trying to break Austin's hand and has no qualms about, at one point, trying to walk away from the match when the going gets rough. It's a dynamic that, frankly, Austin really hadn't worked with much on PPV that year (or ever beforehand?) as, if you look at his 97', he was generally feuding with babyfaces and tweeners and none of whom were willingly to play a cowardly role like Owen did (Bret, Shawn, And Taker being his singles PPV opponents that year, plus the Final Four and Stampede match). Obviously, Austin's health was the biggest victim of the accident, but one also has to feel a bit bad for Owen too and how this match and, based on what I've heard, an inability for him and Austin to ever really talk it out and discuss it must have affected his career. Owen was never going to be a longterm main eventer, but there was no doubt a natural, organic rematch that could've happened between the two. In fact, as a house show opponent for Austin post-WM14, he may have even been the ideal. I don't think there was enough trust for that to happen and Owen was relegated to not just midcard duty, but almost lower midcard duty for quite awhile afterwards, first being used to put over HHH and then eventually in the tag scene with another guy that was rumored to not be someone Austin liked, Jeff Jarrett.

I get that and give credit to the company for being poetic...but if a tree falls in the woods and 30 million people don't see it because they were watching the Finals instead, it's not a "moment" to anyone but the most insular fans.

But isn't the point of the briefcase that Ambrose could've cashed in at anytime? Like the big Draft show coming up? Or even the very next night on Raw? It just seems like they picked the very worst option. Again, I haven't watched it or read detailed results so I could be dead wrong, but even if you argue that the WWE wanted to have the "crowd leave happy" and needed to immediately take the title off Reigns due to the Wellness Violation, it still seems like they made an extra unnecessary and counterproductive step because, unless Vegas was vehemently against Rollins and pro-Reigns, I doubt the crowd would've shat on Rollins leaving with the title. The Ambrose switch was a good idea, but it just seems so narrow-minded to do it on a night when you know you haven't maximized the amount of eyeballs you've got on your show. Ambroses victory will be as remembered as that time Dolph Ziggler became a World Champion on a random episode of SD.

Still haven't finished watching the MITB show, but obviously couldn't avoid reading about the title change. Has anyone talked about how ridiculously poor the WWE handled this happening on the same night as the biggest sports story of the year, if not the decade? I mean, they basically guaranteed themselves absolutely zero coverage from any mainstream sports sites when I think one could argue that Ambrose's first title win might've actually gotten at least a little play on a slower news week. I'm a Clevelander, so I'm obviously bias, but of the dozens of texts, Facebook messages, etc. that I've received since Sunday night, not a single one has even mentioned Ambrose, someone who is actually pretty popular among my circle of wrestling fans (and, honestly, among my friends, any World Title change would usually lead to a series of phone calls and texting from across the country as a way to keep in touch). I did read that the Raw rating went up a bit, so I could be wrong...but it still feels like a lost opportunity to elevate Ambrose in an important way. I mean, to Clevelanders at least, it's like having Hogan slam Andre on the night John Lennon was shot.

I predict we won't see many, if any, "big" returns. I haven't watched in close to two months (aside from the Network specials) but aren't they keeping Kane, Show, and Henry on ice? All three seem like surefire returns to Smackdown to me. I wouldn't be surprised to see The Boogeyman show back up either as he seems to have maintained a decent relationship with the company (he appeared on Swerved at one point) and has the kind of gimmick that could consistently answer the question "What do you wanna fill segment 4 with this week?"

Rumour has it that Brock Lesnar may be fighting at UFC 200. My gut reaction is that it's a fine idea, especially if it means he gets to beat up a tomato can because it will only help his WWE aura, which is lacking a bit now that he's run out of credible opponents. I don't see how a one-sided mauling would help UFC but I also don't see why Lesnar would want to risk his longterm WWE drawing power by competing in a real contest and potentially getting beaten decisively. Curious what people with more knowledge of UFC think. If all goes according to plan, is the longterm plan Reigns/Lesnar at WM33? What happens if Lesnar loses in his UFC comeback? Does this mean more crossovers could be possible? Rousey?

I love the video, posted it on Facebook and got a ton of likes for it. It is as if Tommy Wiseau of "The Room" got to direct one angle and this is what we got. Absolutely breathtaking stuff. But will the gloriousness of this bizarre performance art masterpiece sell a single Slammiversary PPV buy? I know I'm not interested...and yet I've been telling everyone I know, fan and non fan, that it's the best video I've seen in years and have probably watched it 7 or 8 times by now.

Jake Roberts doc is now in Netflix, btw

Akeem - Stupid gimmick? Yeah...but time has actually been pretty kind to it. Amazing theme song, more entertaining than most things we get today or in the past decade, I'm not going to defend the arguably racist elements, but again, if you call this the WWE's most shameful character ever, you simply haven't been watching. The Model - Smart wrestling fans know the greatness of Rick Martel...but when I was 8 years old in 1992, I wasn't a "smart wrestling fan." Martel, to me, was The Model and he was so easy to hate. I didn't know about Strike Force. I didn't know about AWA. I knew that the Model was an asshole who blinded Jake Roberts, fought with another jerk named Shawn Michaels over Sherri, and had a knack for doing pretty well in Royal Rumbles. A very solid midcard heel run, even if it might pale in comparison to career peaks that happened elsewhere and earlier. Johnny B. Badd - How else are you going to get Marc Mero over in the early 90s (without the aid of parading his bombshell wife around)? I'm not going to argue that Badd was a "good" gimmick, but if it was so horrendous, it would've been DOA. Instead, it supported a multi-year run as a constant babyface in the TV Title picture and actually produced some good-to-great matches against Regal and DDP. In a recent interview, Mero stated that it was his most well-known role - which tells you something when you consider that Mero was an inescapable TV personality during Sable's rise to stardom. I'd put the Badd gimmick just a few small notches below Doink as Mero took a one-note gimmick and managed to stretch it well beyond its expiration date.

Could be dead wrong, but I always assumed the blue house shows did okay when Taker was still active too.

I'm hoping this is just a reference to this being The End of the "Takeover" name - I mean, its fine, but its not fantastic and I think NXT could stand to use something a bit more creative for every Network special. I, personally, always liked some of the one-off names that Heyman would come up with for his bigger ECW shows or some of the nicknames WCW attached to their Clash of the Champion specials (you know a show is gonna be good when its subtitled "Knocksville USA" or "Season's Beatings"). I also think NXT being put on cable would ultimately kill the brand. Take everything unique and great about NXT and being an NXT fan - from the show being a compact, concise episode to not having to feature countless RAW recaps to not being needlessly promoted as "appointment viewing" as much as something that viewers can explore and enjoy on their own time to purposefully being designed to promote wholly new talent for the short-term and letting the main roster be the place where the "glass ceiling" and "lifers" reside - and watch it evaporate as the company is forced to deal with network notes, sponsors, and Vince actually watching the thing. I can not thing of one positive, from a fan perspective or a business perspective, to turning NXT into SmackDown.

I think Cody was pretty underrated. He carried the Legacy team with DiBiase and, when Legacy was involved in six-mans, was probably the most dynamic guy on his team based on the matches I recall. I liked the feud and matches with Rey. Their WM23 is one of the few matches from that card I remember liking. The Rhodes Scholars was a fine team, not great but not horrid, and led to a pretty good feud with Sandow that I liked more than any of the Stardust storylines save one (more on that below). Then there was the TV feud with the Authority that I just loved and I think really showcased Cody's range and potential. Great sympathetic babyface work out of the Rhodes family there and it just felt "realer" than most other storylines going at that time or today. I wasn't a huge fan of the tag team with Goldust because it was never clear, as it went on into 2014 and 2015 if they were heels or faces. I'm a huge Dustin fan, but the "tween" position was such a waste of a guy so good at getting crowd reactions one way or the other. Their teaming did lead to a Goldust/Stardust match last year that most people hated but I thought was one of the top 20 (maybe even 10) WWE matches of the year (I think it was on Fastlane).

I gotta go with No. I'm racking my brain trying to think of a black wrestler who, at some point in his career, didn't have their "blackness" as a key part of their role. Jay Lethal was pretty much a plain, hard-working babyface, then he became a guy who did impressions, and was dubbed "Black Machismo." Shelton Benjamin was a college standout amateur wrestler...but the WWE ended up pairing him with a stereotypical "big mama" character straight out of a Martin Lawrence movie. Booker T had the opposite trajectory - beginning as a caricature and eventually becoming an undefinable, unique character that was plugged into roles that had less to do with his race. The Rock is an interesting figure in this because I think his blackness is too often ignored or "under-played" if that makes sense, not only in his WWE run, but even today as a Hollywood megastar. I mean, the WWE certainly didn't hide his heritage, from the very beginning making a big deal of his father and grandfather, but I wouldn't say they ever went out of their way to truly highlight him as proof of the company's diversity, more often doing subtle associations to use him as their more "urban" star (for example, having Wyclef Jean perform his entrance theme while hip hop was rarely used for any male white wrestler at the time).

"Lady Balls" as the title of Steph's book? Was "Nepotitties" taken?

Not sure if I'm recalling my facts wrong (don't have time to look it up), but I could swear that Dutch (or "Zeb")'s health has made travel hard. I'm also not sure what his contract was like but would've guessed that it was always a short-term deal. At least by getting on TV a bit over the past few years, he can ask more at autograph signings and whatnot. I'm not saying it doesn't suck to get released, but it does suck worse for guys that are in their prime. I wouldn't even be surprised to see the Zeb character show up in the future sporadically for big shows or Network shows or whatever - like Backlund and Okerlund and whoever else.

I have to agree with a lot of what you wrote and I couldn't name half the moves or callbacks or Japan references you did. My issue with this match wasn't that it wasn't good - it was definitely good - I just felt like it wasn't great. And, unfortunately, when you have a match being pushed and pushed as being great *before* the bell even rings, by the announcers, by the IWC, even by the reputations of their previous bouts, when it's not great, it's disappointing. Is that absolutely fair for what was their first match on PPV on the main roster? Maybe not...but it doesn't change the fact that this match wasn't the MOTY candidate that I wanted and was at least half-expecting. At the end of the day, if I were to list the best matches/segments these two have had with eachother since joining the WWE, this match would probably rank towards the bottom of the list. Again, that's not to say it was a below average match, but I found myself much more intrigued with Zayn and Owens' brawling during the Miz/Cesaro match than really anything except for a few stretches (the apron spot, Zayn's through-the-ropes tornado DDT) in their actual match.

So surprised to hear Steve Austin call this a "masterpeice" on his podcast this week. I'd like to think I've just seen *more* of these two than he has, so I'm maybe more bored of both of them than he is...but that's not it. He reviews every Network show and, since getting the Network, I pretty much only watch the Network shows, so, our viewing is pretty much identical. I think this is the perfect example of a match that really relies on the viewer being a fan of the performers - if you're sick of both, this was a tedious drag of a match that offered nothing fresh or exciting. If you're a fan of both guys, it was everything you wanted it to be, a back-and-forth "greatest hits" bout. Lastly, I just want to say - I'm not an anti-Jericho guy. I thought that last year (I think it was), his series with Bray Wyatt was actually better than most critics said. I didn't out-and-out hate the AJ Styles match at WrestleMania (aside from the booking of the finish). I just thought that this Ambrose bout was really nothing special, a painful reminder of just how much both guys' stocks have fallen due to overexposure. I wouldn't be surprised if, 10 years from now, I saw this same match and liked it better. Right now, though, I'm so sick of both guys that they came into it with me not interested and they never won me to the other side.