As Raw came to a close last night, we saw the image of Ryback in a racing jacket and skully reminiscent of (GOLDBERG) staring at a fallen John Cena. WWE announced a few days ago that Cena injured his right Achilles tendon on the European tour, which in turn drew speculation on whether he would miss time and drop the title in the process. That doesn’t look like the case as he is still working with the injury and the match with Ryback will be on for Extreme Rules in May. It was one of the main focal points on a really good episode of Monday Night Raw.
Just like last week with its debut, I’ll discuss three points that were good and three that were bad. Surprisingly enough, there wasn’t much that was BAD on this show, but a few that irked me:
I should be hopped on caffeine right now as this college life is draining me, but it didn’t stop me from watching a pretty good Monday Night Raw. Emanating from London, England during their annual European tour, it was highlighted with a John Cena/Ryback confrontation alongside Mick Foley, Fandango continuing to be a sensation, and a 6-Man Tag Main Event that featured Undertaker’s first in-ring match on Raw in 3 years. To be honest, I only watched bits and pieces of this show due to school priorities, but there were some parts I really liked. So without further ado, I’ll discuss the top 3 things that were really cool and 3 things that just sucked.
While most of the American wrestling fans if not the world was excited for WrestleMania 29, New Japan held a show on the same night called “Invasion Attack”. As the title suggests, the card featured talent from outside of the promotion including CMLL stars Mascara Dorada and El Terrible and former WWE star/current NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Rob Conway. The stacked event couldn’t eclipse what was the main event: a culmination of a full year of dominance and an ace upheaval. The IWGP Heavyweight title was up for grabs as champion Hiroshi Tanahashi made his eighth defense against Kazuchika Okada in one of the best matches of 2013.
The two main feuds entering WrestleMania VII were between Hulk Hogan and WWF Champion Sgt. Slaughter and The Ultimate Warrior and “Macho King” Randy Savage. While Savage and Warrior stole the show the blindfold match between Jake Roberts and Rick Martel, comes in at a close second as one of the best matches on a pretty forgettable card.
The blind fold match was a smart performance, total crowd pleasing match. Why after all these years why does the this match have replay value? Good suspense. The suspense was over whelming, the match realistically had three or four wrestling moves. The match had great psychology, which Jake is king of, both Roberts and Martel really played to the crowd. I cant think of any other match that had such impact in such a short time. I fact the blind fold match may be both performers greatest contribution to WWE. I do enjoy the feud between Rick Rude and Jake Roberts as well but this type of over is just amazing.
This submission was chosen and written by Khal Bundy.
This is one of those matches that I didn’t watch when it went down (as I wasn’t really watching wrestling at the time), but in my gorging of the years I missed, this one stuck out as being one of those Mania matches that is the definition of “show-stealing.” You know, what Dolph Ziggler always claims he does, whether he truly does steal the show or just puts on a good match (there IS a difference).
Shawn and Jericho had been building a feud, one that has Chris proclaiming his standom of Shawn Michaels, but ending up causing Shawn all kinds of havoc. They are some of the BEST storytellers of the modern era, and they knew how to put on a show in the ring, so there was no way this match was going to be crap. Also, Michaels was at a point where he was establishing WHY he was Mr. Wrestlemania; it’s not about having the biggest marquee match on the bill, but having a solid back-and-forth clinic that could steal the show.
Their feud was already amazing, but this match was on a card that included Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle, The Rock vs. Steve Austin, AND a streetfight between Hogan and McMahon. They had no title on the line, and went on fifth, but they put on the ski masks and threw Mania 19 in their Jansports with a properly laid out bout that told a great story, allowing each other to shine.
Outside of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels for the strap, WrestleMania XIV was straight trash. The second match that sorta really mattered or stuck out to me was Cactus Jack (Terry Funk) & Chainsaw Charlie (Mick Foley) vs. New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Titles in a Dumpster Match.
I’m such a mark for the New Age Outlaws, so anytime something involving the duo is occurs my attention was undivided. The dumpster match was a wrestling match, it was a brawl and very entertaining chairs, ladders, trash cans, backstage action…After plenty of “Hardcore” action (which was becoming a thing), Funk and Foley put the Outlaws into a dumpster located backstage and won the match, but the following night on Raw, the decision was reversed because the champions weren’t put in the right dumpster.
Bret Hart versus Steve Austin in a No Disqualification Submission match. Really is the most, memorable match for me. I cant for the life of me remember the main event championship match. Over all Hart and Austin’s rivalry was well booked. The program started after Austin won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament
The ending was memorable Bret applied a Sharpshooter, Austin who did not submit and tried to resist but passed out from the pain and loss of blood. Hart continued to attack Austin which lead to a double-turn as the fans turned on Hart and began cheering for Austin. The double turn was very well done.
“USA, that’s what they’re saying”, “That’s how bright they are, one guy’s from Canada, the other’s from Japan” – Heenan being brilliant!
Yokozuna was a great superstar for his time with his physical challenges of being large, and really portraying the character he had to. Not many know, he wasn’t Asian… believe it or not, he’s Samoan and is connected somewhere to the Maivia’s (The Rock’s family name) and Uso’s (Rhikishi’s family name). Yokozuna at this point was very far over, and was the super villain of the WWF.
Brett Hart obviously comes from a long line of wrestling greatness and the dungeon training as well as discipline, under the jurisdiction of his late and legendary father Stu Hart. Brett was a favorite at the time, was extremely over as the face, and was the hopeful contender to finally end the reign of Yokozuna. The odd’s were in his favor and the match was set at the grandest stage of them all… Wrestelmania IX at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas Nevada… outdoors nonetheless, how amazing!
This particular event for Emilio and I, was the first time, Good Ol’ JR started to show face as a regular on the broadcast team. Heenan, JR, and Savage called a great card, however we witnessed shortly thereafter, Heenan and Savage slowly slipping into the spotlight of WCW.
This match, was overall, a decent fight between Brett and Yoko. No one expected or really cared to see the “surprise” ending… and I use the term loosely, because why would a handful of salt, put Brett Hart who wrestled with a broken sternum and still won a match against Dino Bravo, at a house show years prior to this, out of commission? It didn’t make sense.
Hart truly was the excellence of execution, and even impressed many with putting Yoko into the sharpshooter… but when Mr. Fuji (Yokozuna’s manager) interfered and threw salt into the eyes of the Hitman, the match took an unexpected turn. WWF always tried to show the world’s conflict through feuds and matches, BUT WE WEREN’T FEUDING OR INVOLVED WITH ANY CONFLICTS BETWEEN USA, JAPAN, OR CANDA… so this ending made no sense.
Hogan was very dormant and stale at this point between Wrestlemania VII through IX, and shortly after IX he picked up and left. Hogan shows up at the end to save the day as Brett signals for him to enter the ring and finish the match. In his cheesy yellow cowboy boots and red leggings, using a cliche leg drop and yellow t-shirt rip, with his bandana on and all his product placement clearly visible, Hogan performed his entire repertoire in 90 seconds, which goes to show, the other superstars made him look good. He wins the belt, does the hand to the ear pose and all that jazz, and is the hero with music and pyro at the end, to close “the granddaddy of them all.”
Fast forward to June where he looses the belt to Yokozuna (after refusing to loose it to Brett), he ups and leaves. I chose this as a memorable match because it shows how simple WWF once was, compared to the now complex Wrestlemania moments that are so much better. But we still respect the classics!
Enjoy, and look forward to this magnificent event of tomorrow.
This was where my fandom for Cena started, WrestleMania XX. The Mania that made me a fan again. My absence started WrestleMania XIV, shocking I know. It was a dark period in your boys life. Funny story I was dating the crazy bitch at the time and decided to end it the very Sunday of the PPV. Besides being bat-shit loony the last straw was purposely getting us lost in Jersey, causing me to miss the entire live PPV.
I was newly single,and watched the replay alone, feeling like the weight of the world lifted. I was amazed that Cena was that dude, the throwback jerseys, the “freestlyes”, a face using chicanery to win his matches.
Show kicks out on the first FU, Cena hits Show with knucks behind the ref’s to win the title. I think this was the last time MSG would unanimously cheer John Cena.
This would be Cena’s first title with the WWE. The following year he would win his first WWF Heavyweight Championship.
Pac, aka Syxx, aka 123 Kid, underwent butthole surgery (sphincteroplasty). The video above you see Pac flying anus-first into the steel turnbuckle. X-Pac told TMZ…”he lost so much blood after tearing his anus apart during a wrestling match in Minneapolis last weekend…he nearly died.”
In a totally unrelated note, how fucken terrible where those commentator?
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