The 1st Annual Wrestling Almanac Year End Awards
Hello everyone, we are here with the 1st of many years to come, with our rendition of year end awards. This year was littered with Great and God-Awful moments, matches, and memories. We here at the Wrestling Almanac are here to highlight the up’s and down’s that happened in the Year 2024. We have 16 mammoth awards to give out, so let’s get to them!
THE “X-PAC HEAT” WRESTLER OF THE YEAR - Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho is a GOAT, there is no denying that, but times have not been kind to Y2J. “X-Pac Heat” for those out of the know, is meaning for general dislike for a wrestler, that the fans just want to go away and not come back for a while. Jericho went from a “Le Sex God” with runner up for this award Sammy Guevara to feuding with Hook and starting yet another group in AEW, The Learning Tree, to ROH Champion. People are tired of Jericho and want to see him cool off and show up somewhere else.
RELOCATION OF THE YEAR - Ethan Page
No one benefited a change of scenery than Ethan Page. Ethan came to AEW after the breakup of The North in TNA, and set his sights on breaking out in AEW. Ethan soon got lost in the shuffle and eventually was a 3rd Hardy Boy. Ethan moved to NXT and was an instant success. Ethan would dethrone Trick Williams and gain gold quickly in NXT, and show the world what “All-Ego” is all about.
WRESTLING MEDIA MAKER OF THE YEAR - Brian Zane (Wrestling with Wregret)
If you are a fan of wrestling, you are usually a fan of other fans talking and commentating on wrestling. And if you want a genuine opinion and unbiased look, you can look no further than our winner this year, Brian Zane, and his channel, Wrestling with Wregret. From looking at defunct promotions, to failed runs for some wrestlers, to his Classic PPV reviews, Brian has got it on his channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/wrestlingwithwregret
TURN OF THE YEAR - Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens did nothing wrong. Let’s get that out of the way. Cody Rhodes aligned himself with a man and family who tortured and demolished Kevin Owens, over and over. Kevin Owens “turn” as it is loosely termed here, was one that made sense, and has about half the fanbase on his side. I’ll say it again, Kevin Owens did nothing wrong, except the piledriver on Randy maybe…
THE “JIM CORNETTE” TALKER OF THE YEAR - Drew McIntyre
Jim Cornette is a legend who is still talking to this day. Jim got himself in hot water many times with his words, so it is only natural to name an award after an icon. And this year we have a clear cut “Talker” in the Scottish Psychopath, Drew McIntyre. Drew cut down every opponent in his way this year from Seth Rollins, to Sami Zayn, to Jey Uso. And went word for word against the “PipeBomb” himself CM Punk.
SKIPPY’S BOOB OF THE YEAR - Ricochet
If you have been a fan of any of our work, you know Skippy. The reliable buddy of the page, and he was given an award. He chose to point out the biggest “boob” of the year, and it went to the once admired Ricochet. From starting fights with fans on X, to putting on non-wrestling aerial ballet shows inside the ring, Ricochet has definitely destroyed any aura he had creating pre-WWE and in NXT. Mr. Ricochet, you deserve to be covered in TP, you big boob!
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR - Axiom & Nathan Frazer
This year was not the greatest when it came to Tag Team wrestling, but one team stuck out over the others, as they stayed in the Title picture nearly all year. Axiom and Nathan Frazer is our Tag Team of the year. Fraxiom as some call them might have had some rocky moments, but in the end they kept getting the job done and ensured they held onto the gold to end the year.
THE UNSTOPPABLE FINISHER OF THE YEAR - Tsunami (Bronson Reed)
Bronson Reed was on the short list for breakout wrestler of the year, but was barely beaten (more on that later). But one thing that can be guaranteed was that Bronson Reed cemented himself as a scary presence, and partly was due to his often-injurying Finisher the Tsunami. The big man took down the likes of Braun Strowman, Eric, and Seth “Freaking” Rollins with multiple splashes from the big man. I’m betting he won’t be invited to many pool parties this coming year.
FEUD OF THE YEAR - CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
Feud might not be the right word to use with these two. War of the year might be closer. Starting at the Royal Rumble, with Drew injuring Punk’s arm, and costing him a match at Mania, moved to Punk costing Drew his newly won Title at Mania. Once Punk was cleared to wrestle, these two went to war that culminated in bloody Hell in a Cell match, with Punk being (barely) the winner. Only knock on this would be the inclusion of a bracelet substory. Yuck.
WORST MOMENT OF THE YEAR - AEW show Backstage footage of Brawl with Perry/Punk
This didn’t need to happen. This didn’t need to be seen. This was an obvious ploy for ratings, but storyline? Merch? Future Plans? Nope didn’t effect any of this and it has hurt AEW since. Ratings started to dip starting here (plus other underlying problems), but this moment definitely was the fart in church, and everyone knew it.
EVENT OF THE YEAR - WrestleMania XL (40)
WrestleMania is the granddaddy of them all, and this year they fully put their money where their mouth was. Some of the last few years, Mania has been a one match pony here and there, with somethings just thrown in. This year was a cohesive show with only one glaring turd of a match (i.e. Uso Superkick crapfest). The Rock returned as the final boss, Rollins gave every ounce of his being, Dakota Kai was hot, and Cody finished his story. This show stood over all others this year.
BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR - Oba Femi
This big man made his way into NXT this year and made NXT his hunting grounds all year long. From holding the North American Title for so long, to earning the number one contendership for the NXT Title, Femi showed no sign of stopping in 2025. The main roster will be calling very soon, and just like NXT, WWE might soon be on notice from Big Oba Femi.
BEST MOMENT OF THE YEAR - Bryan Danielson wins one more World Title in London
Its easy to say Cody “finishing his story” is the best moment of the year, but that seemed obvious at this point. Danielson was getting old and he only had a few left in him, so in front of a UK crowd Danielson turned back time and dethroned rising superstar Swerve Strickland to win the AEW World Title. Celebrating with his family in the ring and winning that last one for the gipper was feel good from the start.
WOMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR - “Timeless” Toni Storm
This was a landslide of a victory this year. Toni Storm reinvented herself and dominated the AEW Women’s division for the majority of the year. Even though she lost to protege Mariah May, Toni was still the talk of women’s wrestling all year, and even to the end of the year with her “Rookie” Toni Storm character. But most importantly…watch for the show!
MATCH OF THE YEAR - (tie) Ospreay/Danielson (AEW Dynasty) & Punk/McIntyre (WWE Bad Blood)
We have a tie in one of the most important categories of our awards. The reason being that both were the best at what they were trying to do. If you are looking for the best “Wrestling Match” you go with Ospreay/Danielson. If you are looking for the “Best Grudge Match” and the best emotion filled match, then you go with Punk/McIntyre. You can’t go wrong with either of these matches, so enjoy both.
MALE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR - Gunther
There is not doubt that about 10 different men could walk away with this award this year, but one stood out above all others. Gunther revived the IC Title, until he dropped it in a great banger against ultimate underdog Sami Zayn. Gunther, instead of crying about it, went on to win the King of the Ring and then winning the WHC at SummerSlam. Gunther has held the title since, and isn’t dropping it anytime soon. The Ring General was the 2024 General.
Well folks that was 2024’s but, lets just wait and see how 2025 plays out and we will convene next Year for the next set of award winners!
A Match in Time Re:View - Shane and the Beanstalk
THE MATCH - SHANE MCMAHON VS. THE BIG SHOW (LAST MAN STANDING MATCH)
SETTING THE STAGE - The date is April 29th, 2001. The venue is the Allstate Arena, in Rosemont Illinois. The match? David vs. Goliath in modern terms. Shane McMahon for the second straight year (post-WrestleMania that is) faced with the challenge of subduing the Giant known as the Big Show. But it is a lot more than just a normal match. We are coming off WrestleMania 17, where Shane McMahon had defeated his father in a Street Fight. This also coming off of Shane revealing that he had signed the paperwork and bought WCW right from under his father's grasp. Mr. McMahon was less than pleased at both happenings within a week, and sought some revenge in the form of the Big Show. It all started when Shane was trying to recruit WWF names to his new WCW and seemingly had found his first man in Big Show. Well, if you wouldn't know who won the pony, Big Show was aligned with Mr. McMahon and quickly turned on Shane with a massive chokeslam. The fighting would continue and include big man Test in the fray after sneak attacks left Big Show and then Test reeling. Shane would then introduce his fairy tale ending to the match via "Shane and the Beanstalk". It just asked the question, which competitor would fall from the beanstalk at Backlash?
RE:VIEWING THE MATCH - Our match today starts with Shane entering with his fairy tale book and quickly running from the big man. The cat and mouse games would go under the ring with Shane getting the slight advantage to start off with. But as soon as it started it ended with a massive clothesline. Shane would try everything he could, from massive chair shots, to using his book as weapons. Shane would ultimately bring out ether/chloroform (was never truly named on commentary) to subdue the Big Show, in one of the more unique ways a wrestler has tried to put his opponent down for the ten count in a Last Man Standing match. However, the count would get interrupted with Mr. McMahon coming down to make the save, bashing his own son multiple times with a steel chair. Both men would answer the 10 count, with Big Show actually costing himself the match by picking Shane up. Big Show was more interested in dealing pain then winning the match at this point. This would continue over and over until Test would show up, with a massive boot to the face of Big Show. Big Show would turn his attention to Test for a while, until all 3 men made their way up the entrance-way. Big Show would find a lead pipe and would chase Shane up the stage setting. Test would subdue Big Show with weapon shots and punches. This gave Shane time to say his prayers and plunge over 25 feet from the set and through Big Show's heart. The problem was that both men were not going to get up, so ever the crafty one, Test found a camera crane and stood the McMahon son up enough to win the match and make a moment that no one would ever forget.
BREAKING IT DOWN - Well there we have it, one of the craziest bumps anyone has ever done (safely). Overall as a match there is not much to see here. Wikipedia has this match listed at less than 12 minutes, which is very short for a Last Man Standing match. Plus beyond the big spot of the match, there isn't much more than punches and weapon shots. I mean most Last Man Standing matches don't have chin locks or chain wrestling, but it is what it is. I really think it is safe to say that 2001 was a banner year for Shane. Mania 17, Backlash, King of the Ring, and his work for the Invasion, Shane was everywhere for the whole year. Like I just stated, Shane would move forward with Kurt Angle at King of the Ring in one of the best matches of 2001, and then onto the Invasion of WCW/ECW vs. WWF. Big Show on the other hand would get a shot at Tets and Rhyno for the Hardcore title next month at Judgement Day, then was pretty much an afterthought during the Invasion. He would form the Big Ass Show with Billy Gunn, so...yeah...that happened too. But as for this match, it was a stinker until Shane risked it all.
RATING - 5.5 out of 11 (Extra point for big bump alone)
Well another match in the books, about a million more to review. I''ll catch up eventually probably. But if there is a match I should add to the list, leave a comment and I'll will get to it very soon, but for now, STAY TUNED!!!
ReBooking: The Men’s 2023 Rumble
So the Royal Rumble has come and gone, and it was the first of the Triple H regime. It was memorable, but it was also very…lacking. Some things were done well and others not so well. Today we will go through the match many spend all year waiting for, and see what we can correct in a rebooking of the Men’s 2023 Royal Rumble.
The men’s Rumble this year kicked off with two of the big bruiser's in the business today in Gunther and Sheamus. That was a great way to kick off things, even though I am not a huge fan of Sheamus as a babyface, but seeing him consistently and not injured is nice. a few more guys come in, nothing really to note, then Karrion “Don’t Call Me Killer” Kross came out and was quickly dumped out which I found quite surprising. This guy should of been in there for quite a while, but I guess he is becoming another failed hire from Triple H. Drew McIntyre was the next big guy in and doing big guy stuff with his Banger Bro Sheamus. We had the obligatory Lashley/Lesnar segment, and soon were both gone, which was fine. Seth Rollins was the next real name that could win, then Rey being a no-show due to a legit injury suffered the night before. Dom “Is a worse wrestler than Logan Paul” Mysterio was next, then soon the Judgement Day group was all in the ring, with the gasp return of Edge (I thought the internet reported he would face Balor in Hell in a Cell at Rumble? Fuck you Meltzer). Then we got down to the last few spots, and the question was, where was Cody gonna come out to? Well this is where the Rumble went down the shitter for me. Cody coming out at 30 was horrible. Not that he was in the Rumble or even if he won, just how it was all handled. Cody came out at 30, had a full match with Gunther who had been out there for 60+ mins, and was having trouble (way to push your superstar Tirps). In the end Cody won and the internet is already ready to turn on him because they want Sami, but thats for a later time. Now lets get to how I would book things…
First of foremost, I will book Cody winning, just not the way they did it. And the one thing I would do before the event is to NEVER announce that Cody was coming back. You know you have shit for surprises this year, and this one would of helped the whole event let alone this match. With that out of the way, I would keep the first 2/3’s of the match the same, including Kofi eating shit trying his “kofi Spot” which I would ban for a few couple years, because it is the worst part of the Rumble now. Now I would also do whatever it took to get another good surprise in the Rumble this year, possibly Cardona, not Jay White, even another “legend” like Scott Steiner who just signed a Legends contract with brother Rick. Hell even Bron Breakker would be fine, but take someone out like Otis, and at 28, have this surprise come out. Then we have 29, and that will be Cody, it would be the greatest return spot for him. Then at 30, you have Logan Paul. People will think someone even bigger than Cody would come out after him, then you have the heat-magnet come out as every hates him already so it works. The fans are happy, and now you have things play out the same way, but in my booking I would have Cody and Rollins as the last two. Now if I had full control, I would have Rhodes/Rollins reenact the 94’ Rumble of Hart/Luger. This way you can have Rollins one night and Rhodes the other, but we all know that Sami Zayn is now the Daniel Bryan/Kofi Kingston simpathetic babyface that might get a shot at Mania, which I am okay with as well.
And that is how I would of rebooked the Men’s 2023 Royal Rumble.
A Match in Time: Undertaker Debut
Today's review comes to us via request from Jeffy, and he chose for me to take a look at the introduction to the world of the one and only Undertaker at Survivor Series 1990. Don't forget to leave a comment for the match you want to see reviewed next. Only got one left in requests and need more! Enjoy!
THE MATCH - THE MILLION DOLLAR TEAM (TED DIBIASE, GREG VALENTINE, THE HONKY TONK MAN, AND THE UNDERTAKER) VS. THE DREAM TEAM (DUSTY RHODES, BRET HART, JIM NEIDHART, AND KOKO B. WARE)
SETTING THE STAGE - On November 22nd, 1990, only a few months before my birth, The WWF ran the fourth annual Survivor Series. Emanating from the Hartford Civic Center, in Connecticut, the WWF were heading fast towards the 7th WrestleMania. But let's focus whats going on now in wrestling and the world. The world was flipped upside down, as Operation Desert Storm was enacted in only August, with full on war starting two days after the next year's Royal Rumble, and would soon bleed into the wrestling world with former US hero Sgt. Slaughter becoming an Iraqi Sympathizer. However at this time, the lackluster World Title reign of The Ultimate Warrior was still waging until said Rumble where Slaughter would dethrone the 'roided goon Warrior. In the other company of WCW, Sting is still reigning high as champion, and is in for the fight of his life against the dreaded BLACK SCORPIAN...yeah I know, another stinker. Not as big as the stinker that was about to be laid on this night. See what I did there? A mysterious egg had appeared and was set to hatch this night, and good lord what was Vince smoking this time? The Gobbeldy Gooker debuted, with poor Hector Guerrero donning the horrible gimmick. It was meant to be a mascot, but it soon had the worst gimmick written all over it and was quickly canned. But let's get to the debut we are actually here for.
The Undertaker, aka Mark Calloway, aka Mean Mark Callous, aka the Deadman, debuted on this night, with manager Brother Love (not Paul Bearer at first, a shock to some). There isn't much I can say that hasn't already said about this 40 plus year career. When I got into wrestling, he was the American Badass, so I have always had a soft spot for that era of Taker over the Deadman gimmick. Which I know I am in the minority. But to me The Last Ride was so much better than the Hell's Gate, but that's my opinion in my blog, but moving on. Undertaker was about to be out in WCW, and green as hell, but his look captivated Vince and he was soon on his way to Legend status. This is the night and the moment that will be etched in history, and we are going to take a look right now!
REVIEWING THE MATCH - The match starts with Dusty's team making it's way to to the ring followed by Ted's. But Ted is missing a man, and finally calls out his last teammate, accompanied to the ring by his manager Brother Love. The Undertaker takes his first steps towards immortality, and begins the match for his team against Bret Hart. Taker easily overpowers the Hitman with a falling chokeslam, and is soon taking down each man on the Dream Team. Koko would be the first to succumb to Taker's wrath with a picture perfect tombstone piledriver (which Koko would bitch and moan about landing on his head, when you can clearly tell he was being a wussy bitch as usual...don't get me started on the worthless P.O.S.). Ted's team takes the early 4-3 advantage, with Bret returning to the ring next. The hits would not register from the Hitman, so I guess the Undertaker got bored, and tagged in Valentine. Dusty would soon be in the ring, as the team would tag in and out as they rotated the beating of Valentine. Greg would finally get out of the beating and tag Honky in. Neidhart would get the next tag in and easily over power Honky with a powerslam, and we would be back to 3 on 3. Dibiase would come in next to square off against the Anvil. But Jim would tag in the Dream, so he could finally get his hands on the man who had caused the Dream so much grief over the last few months. Dibiase would get an assit from his man Virgil, which allowed Dibiase to get and easy pin on Anvil, leaving Dusty and Bret to face Ted, Greg, and The Undertaker. Taker would be the next in to give Dusty and Bret a beating. Taker would take his assault to the top rope, delivering a massive axe-handle, and putting Dusty away for the 3-1 advantage. Brother Love would try and get some cheap shots in on Dusty as he was outside the ring. Dusty would try and get some revenge but The Undertaker would come out to make the save, but Taker took too much time and Taker was counted out. Ted Dibiase, and Greg Valentine, would be left to face Bret Hart. Valentine would try the Figure 4, which Bret would reverse into a pin taking it to a 1 on 1 affair. The two men would take the fight to the outside and back, wearing each other down. At one point, Bret would feign a hurt knee, to get a roll-up. Virgil would try and get involved, but was handed a Million Dollar fist to the face for his troubles. Bret would go for the high octane moves, eventually going for a crossbody, which Ted would roll from and clinch in the 1-2-3.
BREAKING IT DOWN - As a match, it was meh for me. But two things really stood out for this match. Bret Hart was already one of the best workers on the roster, at this point and it wouldn't be long until Bret was able to break away from the Anvil, and show the world what he had. The finish of the match was bleh, and the eliminations really came out of nowhere in this one. But that is not why we are here, we are hear to talk about The Undertaker and his debut. Man did he really kick ass and come off as an unstoppable threat. This night was one of the worst for Survivor Series as all the survivors would meet in a match later one as an ultimate survivor match, which of course Hogan and Warrior would win, so that made tricky planning on Taker's part. Can't have Hogan kill him in his first night, so can't have him in the last match, so what to do? Have him look great without really losing. Taker getting counted out as he choked Dusty to death was perfect, and Taker still would be the talk of the the wrestling world from that night on.
Rating - 5 out of 11 (debut of Taker 10 out of 11)
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!!
Top Ten SummerSlam Main Events
The WWE proclaimed "Biggest Party of the Summer", Summerslam is passed, so I thought best that we look into the main events of the Wrestling Mid-Summer Classic, and rank them from 11 to 1. Why 11? Watch "This is Spinal Tap" and you will know why. Minor note, I am not counting any Money in the Bank cash-in's as the Main Event. It will be the match that was actually advertised and the match that came before any cash-ins.
11. Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (2015)
This one makes it onto the list for one and only one reason. For that fact and that I could not really think of a full match that surpassed this one leaves me no choice but putting The Undertaker's sarcastic laugh as the 11 spot on this list. Now it was an okay match with a crappy ending, followed up by a forgetful Hell in a Cell match, but this moment of Taker sarcastically
laughing back deserves a spot.
10. Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna (1993)
Every 90's fan of WWF remembers the Lex Express, as the newly turned babyface Lex Luger traveled around the country "campaigning" to be the one to face Yokozuna at Summerslam in 1993. With Hulk Hogan off filming crappy TV shows, Vince McMahon needed his new white meat baby face to face the foreign threat of the massive Yokozuna.Things would come to a head on the USS Intrepid for the Yokozuna Body Slam Challenge, as Luger arrived in a helicopter, and slammed the big man. Unfortunately at Summerslam Luger won by DQ and more or less the push was killed then and there. The eventual push would go back to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 10. Therefore that is why this match is so low.
9. Roman Reigns vs. John Cena (2021)
I am putting last year's main event here for two reasons. 1. I must acknowledge my Tribal Chief, and 2. This match was not that bad. Cena can still go, even after taking so much time off between matches (Unlike The Rock, who gets gassed after 5 mins). It was an up and down affair with your usual OMG kick out spots, and a few other daring moments that you typically don't see in a Cena or Reigns match. I just really hated the build for the match, with Reigns telling Cena no to a match and then Cena pretty much stealing the shot from Finn Balor, cause he signed the contract first. Yeah, kinda lame and lazy.
8. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (2014)
This match was crazy. The true beginning of "Suplex City Bitch", as Lesnar threw poor John around like a rag-doll. It was all too shocking that Cena was fed to the wolves and pretty much jobbed out to the Beast Incarnate.
7. Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit (2004)
I will probably never go into the Benoit stuff but i will review his matches and put it at that. Now this match was quite strange from a booking point of view. Yes Randy was becoming an up and coming star, and yes Benoit probably wasn't drawing that well as a Champion, but this really made no sense. But it would lead us to many things down the road that needed to happen. They needed to get the belt off Benoit and they had already established that HHH just couldn't beat Benoit. So what do we do? Drop it to someone else to drop it back to HHH. In comes the youngest champion ever. Orton would beat Benoit in Canada and the rest is history as they say. We get the thumbs down and Orton is off to the races to a main event star. That Summerslam had a very weird crowd and it was overall a weird night but Orton captured his first of World title gold.
6. Elimination Chamber (2003)
Now if this match did not go on last, Lesnar vs Angle would definitely take this year higher up. But HHH defended his title against Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, a newly haircutted Kevin Nash, heel Evolution Randy Orton, and the freight train Goldberg. This was the second ever Elimination Chamber match and it had big shoes to fill, and it didn't fully fill them. We are in the era of HHH's reign of terror, and that shows through in this match as Orton, his lackey, doing a fine job until he was eaten alive by Goldberg, just like everyone else in the match besides Nash, who caught a superkick, and proceeded to Jack-Knife everyone to hell (And would be his last match for quite some time), HHH would use his sledgehammer of burial with a nat 20 crit. Evolution would stand tall at the end of the night, like usual.
5. Jeff Hardy vs. C.M. Punk (2009)
Jeff Hardy and TLC, do I need say more? Well I will a little bit but if you are wondering why Jeff Hardy is in such horrible shape, doing these matches so frequently would be a reason. But the very nice slow burn turn of Punk into the Straight Edge Messiah was beautifully done in their previous matches. Punk would win the match and the title this night and Jeff would soon be out the door for many years, but this was a great cap on their amazing feud.
4. The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (2002)
A lot of Brock and Undertaker matches main evented Summerslams. But this would be Brock's first and probably best. The Next Big Thing was here and the one and only Rock would be the one to do the honors for the rising star. The New York crowd pretty quickly turned on Rocky and would take that resentment to early the next year with his feuds with Hogan and Austin. But the star was born this night and Brock was truly strapped with a rocket that night.
3. Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker (1997)
This match was the true beginning of the path that led us to Survivor Series. Bret Hart faced the Undertaker with Shawn Michaels being the special guest ref. The match itself was just as great as you would expect from Hart and Taker. Hart would eventually win after spitting on Michaels, making HBK swing a chair and accidentally hitting Taker instead. Michaels said he would call it right down the middle, and kept his word as he counted the 1-2-3. This would of course also lead the the creation of DX and arguably the greatest gimmick match, HBK vs. Taker in HELL IN A CELL!
2. Edge vs. The Undertaker (2008)
Speaking of said Cell from the Hell. Undertaker and Edge had been feuding since WrestleMania 24, and this was the last stop. Taker had been put away "forever" after their TLC match, but due to Edge's cheating on Vicki Guerrero, was set to step into the Deadman's Domain. This match really sticks out to me, so it probably isn't number 2 on your list which is fine, it's my list and that's why I do this to get the conversation out there. But back to the match. A brutal match with everything from tables, chairs, Undertaker spears, and the eventual chokeslam through the mat into hell. Great stuff.
And number 1...
1. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (1992)
You all knew this was going to be number one, and that's why it is number one. Nothing can really compare to the Excellence of Execution, putting on a clinic, practically by himself. If you read Hart's book, you will learn that the whole summer Davey Boy instead of preparing for his biggest match, was off doing blow with Anvil. Hart tried to prepare his Brother-in-law for the match but once the bell rung Davey Boy was "fooked". Hart led the way and painted a masterpiece, which is still great viewing and always will be.
So how did I do? What did I miss? How would you rank them? If you are enjoying things so far try and subscribe or bookmark. And the biggest thing I need from you right now is to just spread the word! I know a few friends are out there, tell your wrestling buddies, tell your family, tell that cheesy greaseball local promoter, tell everyone!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
A Match in Time: Mind Games
Hello one and all, I am back and this time I have a match to rewatch and review for the blog. I will be doing things a little bit different from the casual reviewer as my meter goes to 11 and I am not going to use stars since everyone uses those as a rating system. I like to go above and beyond and I think you will see matches that are not quite talked about in the same shades of Taker vs. Michaels WM 25, but still deserve to be watched and re-experienced for all watchers and wrestling lovers. The other thing to explain is the format. I will "Set the Stage", "Re:View the Match" and then "Break It Down". But you can probably guess how that all works as we go, so let's jump into the first review for the blog.
THE MATCH - SHAWN MICHAELS VS. MANKIND (IN YOUR HOUSE 10: MIND GAMES)
SETTING THE STAGE - On September 22th, 1996 WWF presented their 10th version of the In Your House series, entitled Mind Games. The event emanated from the new built Core State Center, in Philadelphia PA. A.K.A. Prime ECW country at the time, and it would show right off the bat. During the first contest, ECW's Sandman along Paul Heyman, and Tommy Dreamer, would "intervene" in a match between Savio Vega and Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. Beer would be spit, Sandman would bust himself open and offcials would escort the Hardcore Boy'z out the door. This was not a simple "invasion" but more of a scripted event that only the boys in the ring did not know was coming.
One thing to note on the landscape of wrestling at the time is that it was teased on this night, but one day later, Jim Ross would introduce "Diesel" and "Razor Ramon" or as I like to call them Rah-Zor and Die-Zel. These would of course be Glen Jacobs (future Kane and former Issac Yankem), alongside Rick Bogner, taking the names but not the talent of the original Diesel and Ramon. This night also included the 'messiah of burgers and wrasslin'" Jim Cornette losing to Jose Lothario in less than a minute. The Tag titles would change hands from Billy and Bart Gunn over to Owen Hart and the British Bulldog. This night also offered the first in ring match in the Federation for the soon to be "World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry as he would easily defeat the man who was helping him learn wrestling down in Memphis, Jerry "The King" Lawler. With the semi-main event being The Undertaker defeating Goldust. All being commented on by Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and the Perfect One, Mr. Perfect (SOOOO underrated as a commentator).
Now onto the match we are here to review. The main even consisted of the WWF Champion Shawn Michaels defending the belt against raising lunatic Mankind. Mankind had only debuted for the company a few months back on the RAW after Wrestlemania, by attacking the Undertaker and starting a fued that would last most of the year of 1996. Things had taken a massive turn at the previous month's Summerslam, in the first ever Boiler Room match, that saw longtime manager of the Deadman, Paul Bearer switch sides and double-cross The Undertaker and siding with Mankind. This would be the first title shot for Mick Foley in the WWF and certainly not last.
Shawn Michaels had achieved the boyhood dream at WrestleMania 12, by besting Bret Hart in a grueling Iron Man Match. The title was his and the company was his to lead, but things weren't going the greatest for the Heart-Break Kid. Sub-par rivalries against Diesel (as he was getting ready to jump ship), British Bulldog, and the ill-fated abortion of a rivalry with the Man They Call VADER. But Michaels was still a heart throb to the ladies in the crowd, and to one in particular in the back, but Shawn was still the man. Shawn was looking for someone to bring out a different side of himself, and he would seemingly find that man in the Foley persona known as Mankind. Well, the stage is set, now it's time to dive back into the match at Mind Games.
RE:VIEWING THE MATCH - Our WWF Title match for the night begins with some druids dragging a casket down to the match, probably one off Paul Bearer's showroom. Inside would hole the challenger, Mankind. Now don't forget about the casket, as it will come back into the story later. The Champion, would make his entrance as well, with a swell of kids and young ladies crying out for HBK. The action starts off fast and furious, with Mankind getting the early advantage. After a huge clothesline over the rope, Foley try's to rip up the floor mat, and gets stuck underneath as Shawn beats him down under the mat. Michaels would follow that up with a 2nd rope twisting cross-body, and then slamming Mankind's head down upon the exposed concrete. Action would resume in the ring with the Champion now with the advantage after his usual elbow drop. With every elbow drop, comes with setting up the band. But Mankind quickly exited the ring, trying to get things back together. The match would almost turn into the brawl as stiff strikes and a slap gets exchanged. The two men would tussle to the ground with an early attempt at Mankind's Mandible Claw. Yet again the action would go to the outside, with Michaels' mean streak showing as he would suplex Mankind on the outside with Mick's leg hitting the steel steps. Michaels would target the knee, with a dragon twist, followed up with the Figure-4 Leg Lock. Now one of the best parts of the psychology of Mankind comes after Shawn tries to go to the well one too many times and is dropped throat first on the top rope. Mankind would call for Paul Bearer as he sat on the outer apron and ask for a pen, which he would stab into his abused leg, that HBK was working on. This would be an act to get the feeling back into his injured limb. Mankind would take the offense to HBK with the fists, knees, and occasional biting. Every time Michaels would try and get back into the match, Foley would counter. Most of Michaels' offense for a bit would be him getting out of the way as Mankind would be come barrelling down upon him, until Michaels would throw Mankind into the ropes, getting his neck caught between two ropes. But that wouldn't stop Mankind from locking in a Mandible Claw while stuck in the ropes. Michaels now enraged and desperate, he would grab a chair and hit the same knee from earlier and the hand used for the dangerous Mandible claw (with Hebner dealing with Bearer elsewhere). At this point I noticed that not a lot of actual moves have been used in this match, but it works beautifully in this match. Mankind would do Mankind things, with his patented apron elbow to the outside, followed up by a swinging neckbreaker. Seemingly Mankind would now try everything except the kitchen sink to put away Michaels, with no luck. Michaels would kick out of the double-arm DDT, and the piledriver, causing Mankind to pull out some hair, and go to his Cactus Jack hardcore roots, by grabbing a few chairs. and getting desperate enough to try and force HBK into the casket from earlier. But this got Shawn hulked up to the point he starting hitting his signature moves. Foley would crotch Michaels on the top turnbuckle, but after a reversal Michaels would fall atop Mankind as they flew backwards out towards the Spanish Announce Table. (Its always the damn Spanish table) Both men would get back into the ring, as Bearer once again distracting the ref, as Foley grabbed another chair and climbed to the top. Michaels would take one of the earlier chairs as a step up Sweet Chin Music to the chair into the face of Mankind. This would signal the end of the match as that stinky hyena Vader came down to try and salvage his push, but Sid would also run down to tell him "Nuh uh bitch I get your title shot!" This would cause a DQ finish, but things weren't done, as Bearer blasted HBK in the back of the head with the urn, and Mankind locking the mandible claw in. Foley would call for the casket, but The Undertaker would be inside (SOMEHOW! No clue how!...), and would chase off Mankind and Bearer. Good ole' Fink would announce the winner...AND STILL WWF CHAMPION, Shawn Michaels!...even if it was a DQ.
BREAKING IT DOWN - Well the match was very different to say a Michaels/Hart technical shootout, but it was great to see Mankind bring a new side of Michaels that he was not used to doing, the Brawler. I do hate the DQ finish, but it had to go that way. You have a guy in Foley, who is trying to be a huge heel that was still fighting Undertaker. But you also had the smallest champion at the time in Michaels who had to look bigger than Andre. It made sense trying not to hurt either of these two moving onto the future. It does suck to see Vader crash so fast as well but oh well, his fall was Sid's gain, as he would be the one to beat Michaels in New York for the title at Survivor Series. I remember obtaining the WWE Inside the Vault DVD (I think thats what it was called) It was the only one they made and it chronicled the best matches they had in the vault of Shawn Michaels, and this match was on it. I skipped over it many times to get to the Hell in a Cell match with Taker, or go back to the now snooze-fest of the Iron Man match with Hart. (50 mins of rest holds? Come on!) But when I did watch this match, it soon became a favorite, and thus a great match for me to start off in the blog. With that I will give it a solid 7 out of 11. I docked it for the DQ finish, but beyond that, it was a great meshing of styles. I highly recommend you watch and leave a comment on what match should be next.
RATING - 7 out of 11
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
A Match in Time: TLC 1
Today's review comes to us from my buddy Skippy. I let him choose a match he wanted to see reviewed, since he lets me use his Peacock account so I can do this blog and do these reviews. Thank Skippy, on with the review!
THE MATCH - EDGE & CHRISTIAN VS. THE HARDY BOYZ VS. THE DUDLEY BOYZ (SUMMERSLAM 2000)
SETTING THE STAGE - On August 27th, 2000 WWF was comfortably ahead in the ratings over WCW and ECW that they wouldn't have to worry about either for much longer. In WCW, Kevin Nash is one day away from winning the WCW Title from Booker T, who had just won it a month beforehand at the debacle known as Bash at the Beach 2000. The man named Stone Cold Steve Austin is one month away from returning from a neck-injury (in kayfabe from being hit by a car), and search for the man who laid him out last November. The Rock and HHH have been fighting back and forth since Wrestlemania, with the McMahon's trying to regain power. Mick Foley is Commissioner, bang bang. And we are here with the biggest party of the summer!
So far tonight we have seen Right to Censor beat Too Cool and Rikishi, with the first appearance of future diva Victoria, as one of the Ho's. She would resurface in 2 years. X-Pac would beat Road Dogg in the last match of the Run-DMC version of DX. Chyna would become a 2 time Intercontinental Champion, Steve Blackman made Shane McMahon take his first huge bump, and Benoit beat Jericho in a Best 2-out-of3 Falls Match. Soon to come would be a "Stinkface" match (don't expect a review of that one) with Terri and The Kat, with the main event supposed to be a triple threat match with The Rock, HHH, and Kurt Angle. It would mostly be Rock and HHH as a botched Pedigree on the announce table concussed Angle to the point that he can't remember the match.
That brings us to our match today. The first ever TLC match came about from the constant attacks on one another between Edge & Christian, Dudleys, and Hardys. E&C would be chasing and holding the titles all spring, since WrestleMania 2000 and the Triangle Ladder Match. The Hardy's would be fighting for the Hardcore title, and T&A (Test and Albert) most of the spring, with the help of new Team Extreme member Lita. The Dudleys were coming fresh off a feud with DX (X-Pac and Road Dogg) as Bubba was on a quest to powerbomb every woman he could through a table, last being Tori. The three teams that defined tag team wrestling in the early 2000's would be set on a collision course for the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, put together by Commish Foley, and we are now here for the first of many of this new match type genre.
REVIEWING THE MATCH - Our 6 men of the night make their ways to the ring with the last two being the home grown Hardy's. They decide to rush to the ring and get the action going. And that action started furious, with Edge and Christian bringing in the chairs. The Hardy's would take them and use them against the other 4. But after an attempted Poetry in Motion, Jeff ate the steel in the face. Soon the Ladder's would join the fray, and get set up for the first time. Bubba Ray would be the first to climb with the Hardy's powerbombing him off with ease. Jeff and Devon would be next, with Edge hitting a double Russian Leg Sweep on the two. Christian would try next with Bubba hitting a high risk Bubba-Bomb on him, and Christian folding like an accordion. Jeff would be pushed off and landed on another ladder see-sawing that ladder into his brother's face. This would be followed up by the Dudley's patented "Whazz Up" on Edge, which of course signaled the third aspect of our match, TABLES! The tables would quickly be erected, and Christian quickly received the dreaded 3D through said table. Now we get to a point of setting up things for later in the match as they stacked two tables ontop of two other tables, that will come back later. The Hardy's would gain advantage after a Twist of Fate/Leg Drop combo from Matt to Edge, followed by a leap frog leg drop to add insult to injury on Edge. Even more damage would befall Edge, as they sandwiched Edge within a ladder, and tossing Christian rib first on top of him. The biggest bump of the match so far would come next as Jeff Hardy took a 20ft ladder to the outside and tried to land on Bubba Ray with a Swanton Bomb, but Bubba skipped town and Jeff crashed and burned through the tables. The massive ladder would be pulled into the ring, as the remaining 5 men climbed over each other to try and grab those Tag Team belts. It would come down to Bubba Ray as the last man standing, and he would climb, but as they say in wrestling, you set it up, you go through it, as Edge and Christian sent Bubba packing and out through the 4 tables I mentioned earlier. Edge and Christian seemingly had the match won, until Lita made her way to the ring and knocked it over, sending the champions tumbling outside the ring. Matt Hardy set the ladder back up and climbed to the glory land, until Devon Dudley tilted the ladder, sending Matt backwards out of the ring and through yet another table. Lita would come check on her boyfriend, Matt, as Edge would come and spear the hell out of her, rendering her out of the match. Some how, some way, Jeff Hardy was up and climbing again, as he raced Devon to the belts. Edge and Christian would pull the ladder away leaving the 2 swinging. Devon would fall off and a ladder shot to Jeff knocked him down as well. Edge and Christian would finally climb the tall ladder and retain their Tag team Titles.
BREAKING IT DOWN - Wow, what a match. So a lot of things to cover and talk about. If you read Matt and Jeff's book, they were told they would of won the titles at WrestleMania 2000, but it changed to Edge and Christian, as the plan changed that they would win this match in their home area, with Cameron NC right down the road from the arena. But, that did not come to fruition, and they would have to wait a little longer to dethrone the champs. Next month at Unforgiven, the Hardy's would finally take down E&C inside a steel cage match, but it almost feels like too little too late. The hometown win would of made more sense, but with E&C being the whining cheat to win heels, it made sense that they should win the match they were not wanting to compete in. The match itself was the next logical step from their Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000, and would be followed up with TLC 2 at WrestleMania X7. I hate to say it, but I think either of the Mania matches are better than this one, but all 3 as a set are a work of beauty. Now I will take the time to say something about the insane stunts of Jeff Hardy, and I truly think he needs to retire. Every time he does another stunt, he cuts even more time with his kids, even more time off of being able to function later in life, and matches like this set the stage that he had to up himself each time, until there is nothing left. But next time I will be reviewing another match via request from a buddy Jeffy. We will go back to 1990, but that is the only hint for now.
Rating - 8 out of 11
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!!