The Year in PPV- 2001, Part II

Let's continue 2001 by seeing the end of the Power Trip and the beginning of the Invasion...


6. Judgment Day

The undercard for this show is absolutely CRAMMED with big name stars who get tons of time to do what they do best. For example, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit wrestled for over 20 minutes in a 3 Stages of Hell match (Regular match, Submission match, and a Ladder match) for Angle's Olympic Gold Medals, there was a 30 minute tag team turmoil match for a future WWF Tag Team Championship match that had a lot of intrigue surrounding the mystery of who would be Chris Jericho's partner, Chyna fought in her last WWF match as she defended the Women's Championship against Lita (a Diva's dream match for some), and the Hardcore Championship was defended in a Triple Threat with Rhyno, Test, and Big Show.

The two main events continued the feud between the Brothers of Destruction and the Two Man Power Trip. Triple H defended the Intercontinental Championship against Kane in a Chain match, and Stone Cold Steve Austin defended the WWF Championship against the Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match. Both these matches lacked in technical quality, but they made up in hardcore quality and overbooking. It's a nice contrast for many of the well-wrestled matches on the card, providing a bit more variety to the show.

Recommended


7. King of the Ring

You know a show is great when the main event Triple Threat for the WWF Championship featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho, is NOT the match everyone was talking about by the end of the night. An interesting note to make about this match is the potential involvement of Triple H. The Game was injured with a torn Quadriceps muscle and would miss action until January in 2002. With how this feud teased the dissention between Benoit and Jericho, one has to wonder if the original plans called for a Fatal 4-Way. Even more disappointment occurred at the end of the match when Benoit injured his neck and he wouldn't see action again until May of 2002. And if you wanna add more craziness, just wait til you see who makes an appearance at the end.

But the MVP of this evening is Kurt Angle, as he proved to be an integral part of the King of the Ring tournament and was involved in one of the most brutal matches in WWF history. The night's focus would normally be involved on the tournament, with the winners of Christian vs. Angle and Rhyno vs. Edge facing off. But, Angle had his mind focused on his Street Fight with Shane McMahon later on in the evening. That's right, Angle had the opportunity to compete in 3 matches on the same night. And that Street Fight is nothing to sneer about. It's HARDCORE as anything I ever saw in ECW. It's got tons of blood, people flying through glass, and a whole bunch of weapons and big spots. It's a must watch match on a night full of quality encounters.

Highly Recommended


8. Invasion

Picture this: We had a time in history when WCW and ECW banded together to put the WWF out of business. HOW ON EARTH DID THEY SCREW THIS UP!?!?!? Well, the Invasion PPV is certainly one of the best examples, since it got the big storyline off to a lukewarm response. This show should have had some of the most epic dream matches you could imagine. This should have featured the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, the nWo, Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, and a few others, but instead it featured the WCW midcard taking on the established WWF superstars. The matches are also too short to mean anything, making many of them just whiz on by without much care. Makes a lot of the evening feel pointless if you ask me. The only midcard match that works is the Hardcore Championship match between Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. Now THERE'S a dream match to have during the Invasion.

By the time we get to the main event, it's an oversaturated 5 on 5 tag match with team WWF (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and the Brothers of Destruction) taking on the Alliance (Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Rhyno, and the Dudley Boyz). Sure, these 10 guys beat the crap out of each other, but wouldn't it have made sense to split these matches into 4 main events and made the momentum of stars flow better throughout the entire evening? Think about it: Brothers of Destruction vs. Dudley Boyz, Jericho vs. Rhyno, Angle vs. Page, and Austin vs. Booker in a battle of the World Champions. The only reason these 10 men fought in one crammed match was for the ending (which was another BIG problem with the Invasion).

Skip It


9. SummerSlam

This show had "Bodies" by Drowning Pool as the theme. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!?! Headbanging aside, this show actually is a MASSIVE improvement from Invasion in that it actually delivers bigger matches with bigger names. In order to do this, however, some of the WWF talent had to defect to the Alliance by turning on Mr. McMahon (a pattern that got old REALLY quick). Nevertheless, one can't deny the amount of talent on this show. From the opening match that saw Edge challenge Lance Storm for the Intercontinental Championship, to the showdown between Chris Jericho and Rhyno, to the main event between Booker T and The Rock for the WCW Championship, there was a lot to enjoy on this card.

One of my favorite matches of the evening was Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy in a ladder match for the Hardcore Championship. Remember that dream match I talked about in my Invasion review? Add a ladder to that....yeah, it got even better. But the match that really caught my attention was the WWF Championship match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. These guys had a fierce chemistry with each other and involved a lot of fists thrown, blood spilled, technical wrestling, and overbooking. It's a terrific match, that probably a lot tend to forget because the ending. But don't worry, I'm sure they redeemed themselves down the road with a rematch.

Highly Recommended


10. Unforgiven

It's a show like Unforgiven that shows even with a number of good moments, the Invasion still provided tons of head-scratching decisions. This show has a poorly worked tag match between the Brothers of Destruction and KroniK, a throwaway United States Championship match before the main event, and a feud about the destruction of a mop (I'm serious....). With some of those flaws, how can this show still be credible? I'm glad you asked. For starters, it opened with a 4-way tag team elimination match for the WWF Tag Team Championships with the Dudley Boyz defending against the Hardy Boyz, Big Show and Spike Dudley, and Lance Storm and the Hurricane. This night also included an awesome Hardcore Championship match with Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho, The Rock defending the WCW Championship in a handicap match against Booker T and Shane McMahon, and Edge and Christian squaring off for the Intercontinental Championship. And to make the night even greater, we come to the main event.

In a match for the WWF Championship, Kurt Angle challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin, in Angle's hometown of Pittsburgh, only a few weeks after 9/11. Just take a wild guess what happened? I know the result is heavily projected, but it's that feel good moment the fans needed after the tragedy that befell the country earlier that month. I have absolutely no problems with the execution of this match, or this moment. It's one of the biggest defining moments in Angle's career and was the perfect way to end this night.

Recommended


Thoughts: Even if the Invasion has more than its fair share of questionable booking decisions, I'll be darned because it has some of the best matches in company history. I didn't really care for Austin's heel turn, especially with the logistics of why he would EVER join WCW (a company he openly despised working for), so I was really glad to rally behind Angle as the American babyface to challenge this turncoat. The Rock returned, Triple H and Benoit got injured, and we got to see Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Diamond Dallas Page in the WWF. It's a very mixed bag of momentum for main event and midcard matches, but I enjoyed a lot of the match quality over the arching storyline. But how would they bring the Invasion to an end? 

Concluded in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 2001, Part I

2001 is one of those heavily debated years for the WWF in terms of quality. On the one hand, it was a financially prosperous and dominant year for the company with both WCW and ECW going out of business. It was time for the WWF to stand tall, and without a significant form of competition, it was presumed we were on our last days of the Attitude Era. As the Aggression Era drew nearer, the traditional style of overbooking was being moved to the side in exchange for matches that relied more on the wrestling quality and physicality between opponents. Who got over depended less on what kind of character they had and more on the kind of match they could put on to entertain. Needless to say, there are TONS of great superstars and matches present on this year.

And on the other hand, we have a year that had one of the single biggest DISAPPOINTMENTS in wrestling history: the Invasion Angle. Everyone has an opinion on this storyline, and you're going to hear mine in due time. This was not only horribly executed, but also led to a a heavily saturated roster of wrestlers and title belts, had way too much going on for its own good, and even worse, didn't have many of the players needed to make the proper payoff. But that's a little down the road.

Let's at least get things off to a good start with one of the best Royal Rumbles of all-time...


1. Royal Rumble

From top to bottom, this Royal Rumble PPV is pure quality in both match quality and storytelling. From the Dudley Boyz challenging Edge and Christian for the World Tag Team Championships, to Ivory defending the Women's Championship against an injured Chyna, many matches are solid on technique but are boosted thanks to the overall booking and entertainment value of the superstars involved. As far as match quality, the best on the undercard (and maybe of the evening) was the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship that brought some closure to Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho's epic and competitive rivalry. And if you're looking for a good match with entertaining booking, watch the WWF Championship match between Kurt Angle and Triple H. Not only is the match well-wrestled, but also has enough overbooking to keep the Attitude Era fans interested.

This Rumble is usually considered one of the best, and it's VERY easy to see why. This focused on the ideas of it coming down to five men: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker, Rikishi, The Rock, and Kane. Kane particularly makes a massive statement in this Rumble with his elimination of 11 men (the most in a single Rumble match until 2014). But the match doesn't stop there. We have some hardcore moments in the middle of the match, moments that pit friend against friend and brother against brother, a handful of surprise returns, and an appearance from Drew Carey. Yes, DREW CAREY entered the Royal Rumble match and it was STILL amazing to watch.

Highly Recommended


2. No Way Out

Yet again we have another high quality show on the Road to WrestleMania. This one has more matches to work off of, so naturally there are a few throwaway matches (Hardcore Championship and a match between Jerry Lawler and Stevie Richards comes to mind), but when this show is good, it's REALLY good. The Intercontinental title was on the line in a Fatal 4-Way (Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. X-Pac vs. Chris Benoit), the Tag titles were on the line in a triple threat tables match (Dudley Boyz vs. Brothers of Destruction vs. Edge and Christian), and Stephanie McMahon fought Trish Stratus in an overbooked mess of a match you can't look away from. But then, like any PPV before WrestleMania, this night was all about setting up the main event for the Showcase of the Immortals.

The show's main event saw Kurt Angle put the WWF title on the line against The Rock, and I really enjoyed this match. Sometimes when you're getting ready for the Show of Shows, the best chase is to see who walks into Mania as the heavyweight champion and these guys fought in a very competitive matchup. The man who won it deserved to be champion on this night. But the match that stole the show was the Three Stages of Hell match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H. Things got so personal between these two, that they could only settle the score in a match this barbaric. The first fall was a regular wrestling match, the second fall was a Street Fight, and the third fall was a Steel Cage match. This was a really well done match and could've easily main evented the show. The fact that this match went on only halfway through the show is a testament to the amount of effort and the show had going for it.

Highly Recommended


3. WrestleMania X-Seven

When people discuss the greatest Mania event of all-time, Mania X-Seven is usually the favorite selection. While I admit the show is really good, I always have a tough time putting it as the absolute favorite (but it would still be in my top 5). With a throwaway tag team match with the Right to Censor taking on the APA and Tazz, a squash match for the Women's Championship between Ivory and Chyna, a Gimmick Battle Royal whose entrances lasted longer than the match itself (I get it's a nostalgia trip, but it's definitely one of the weakest battle royals I've ever seen), I couldn't understand why people will collectively agree it's the best Mania in history. But then we get some solid midcard title matches to help add some quality to the undercard, with Chris Jericho and William Regal opening the show for the Intercontinental Championship, Raven defending the Hardcore Championship in a triple threat against Kane and Big Show, and a surprisingly underrated European Championship match with Test and Eddie Guerrero.

And then we made our way to the main events. In a match that darn near stole the show, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle put on a physical and competitive technical showdown on the biggest show of the year. While they had tons of matches that improved on quality, the standard and groundwork for their future classics were laid here. In a piece of overbooked match heaven, Shane McMahon and Mr. McMahon took part in a Street Fight with Mick Foley as guest referee, in a match that pitted the most dysfunctional family in sports entertainment against each other, and found a way to connect it to the ending of the Monday Night War. Finally, if you thought the Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian couldn't come up with a THIRD epic ladder match for the World Tag Team Championships, think again. These guys took part in TLC II, and while it's my least favorite of their trilogy of matches, I can still appreciate the spots and the spectacle they put on.

Finally, we had two epic main events between four of the company's biggest stars. First, Triple H and the Undertaker squared off in a match that had them brawling throughout the arena. They obviously topped themselves with their encounters at Manias XXVII and XXVIII, but you could see the signs of what was to come a decade later with this match. And then it was time for the match everyone wanted to see: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. Thanks to that amazing video package to Limp Bizkit's "My Way," the anticipation had reached its boiling point and fans couldn't wait to see these two icons go at it. You were able to see how personal it had gotten, how much blood both were willing to spill, the lengths Stone Cold would go to win the title, and the determination of The Rock to not give up. This match had everything going for it until the ending. Some really love this ending, I'm not to fond of it. In my opinion, it overshadowed an already memorable match, but hey, give them credit for shocking the crowd.

Highly Recommended


4. Backlash

This Backlash was your basic run of the mill post-Mania filler show, that was only boosted by its main events. Of the main events the weakest was the Duchess of Queensbury Rules match between Chris Jericho and William Regal. The Chicago crowd wasn't really feeling the booking of that match, and I think it actually hurt the quality these two men had put in their feud. The match that surprised a lot of fans was probably the Last Man Standing match between Shane McMahon and Big Show. The spot at the end is absolute perfection and left that audience either breathless or screaming "Holy $h!t."

In a wrestling purist's wet dream of a concept, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle continued their feud in an Ultimate Submission match, which is essentially a 30-minute Iron Man match that can only be won by submission. It took a little time to get the crowd invested, but once Angle and Benoit get that chain of momentum going, it's a pure classic. Then, in a truly high stakes main event, the World Tag Team Champions Kane and Undertaker took on the WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Intercontinental Champion Triple H in a winner take all matchup. Is it the greatest main event? Definitely not, but it has a lot of star power and a gimmick that was sure to shake things up.

Mild Recommendation


5. Insurrextion

By this time, EVERYONE knows how I feel about the UK PPVs, so I won't dwell on that. This was an absolute filler show that did not even need to be on the PPV schedule. There is such a lack of direction in some of its matches (why on earth would you open with Eddie Guerrero vs. Grand Master Sexay?!?!?), and a lot of the good matches are just rematches from Mania, Backlash, and will continue to be rematches at Judgment Day.

One of the best matches on the card that stood out to me was the Tag Title match that put four teams together in an elimination match (Edge and Christian, Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and X-Factor). Of the matches that were rematches, the best was (of course) Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle's 2 out of 3 falls match. The main event was a handicap match between the Two Man Power Trip and the Undertaker. It was fine for what it was, but this show could have easily just been a Monday Night RAW episode instead of an actual PPV. Thankfully, I only have to review a few more of these UK exclusive shows, and then I don't have to watch any more ever again.

Skip It


Initial Thoughts: The Road to WrestleMania was PHENOMENAL. Nuff said. Those 3 shows were spectacular. Even Backlash was a fine follow up. The big problem was within everything AFTER this point. The one thing I know a lot of people were complaining about was the handling of Austin's character, but this stage of his heel turn was fine for me. It was down the road were stuff started to get really stupid and pointless, but we will begin to handle those problems next time...

Continued in Part II...


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The Year in PPV- 1986

This review is going to be brief. Absolutely brief. There is little to no significance in this year on overall quality and history for the company. It's a filler year between two of their most important years in the '80s. Everyone remembers '85 for the first Mania, and everyone knows '87 for Mania III and the beginning of the PPV expansion with the first Survivor Series. So here's the strange year in the middle that I'm sure many would be willing to skip. So I guess when I was looking at this year, I was trying to see if it was worth the efforts of skipping or if there were some matches and moments worth checking out.

So let's dive right into 1986 by heading to WrestleMania 2...


1. WrestleMania 2

The most interesting part of WrestleMania 2 is its production value. To up the ante from its predecessor, WWF thought it would be a great idea to do 3 mini Manias from different venues in the United States, each with its own set of commentators, celebrities, and main events. The first part of the event took place in the Nassau Coliseum in New York and really warmed up the show with some underwhelming midcard matches. Sure, Randy Savage made his Mania debut against George Steele, but the encounter between the Macho Man and the Animal for the Intercontinental Championship is far from a WrestleMania classic. Not to mention the main event for this portion was a worked boxing match between Mr. T and Roddy Piper. Normally, if a boxing match is physical, it's not a pretty sight, but what happens when you are choreographing a boxing match and it just falls flat on every account? Watch this match to find out.

Then we get to the second part, my personal favorite section in the show, taking place at the Rosemont Horizon in Illinois. Each of the three venues produced at least one memorable moment, but the Illinois section provided two. First, there was a 20-man battle royal that not only featured WWF superstars, but also a handful of NFL players. This match was a pretty entertaining battle royal, and led to the celebrity Hall of Fame induction of William "the Refrigerator" Perry. After that, one of the biggest Mania gems took place when the Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine) defended the WWF Tag Team Championships against the British Bulldogs. For my money, this is the best match of the night, and I wish more people would talk about it.

Finally, the third section of WrestleMania 2 took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in California. This section was all about the main event steel cage match between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy for the WWF Championship. The match is ok, but it's your standard cage match AND your standard Hogan match. It's kind of underwhelming for a match to close your WrestleMania and really sealed how much of a disappointment Mania 2 was. It couldn't hold up to the original, and once III came into the picture, 2 looked even worse because of it.

Skip It


2. The Big Event

There's a lot of variety on this show that probably would've been a much better Mania than the Mania we got. There are tons of solid matches highlighting the colorful characters, without having to rely on a multi-venue gimmick or the promise of a celebrity's presence. On the midcard, I particularly liked the Jake Roberts/Ricky Steamboat match. These two are a pair of the biggest names of the era and have a really intense and physical clash at The Big Event. A very underrated gem worth checking out. Also, the pacing for this event on the Network is wonderful. To cram 10 matches in 2 hours might seem like a huge issue, but I actually think it plays up to this show on editing. Back then, matches didn't have to be that long, and even so many matches went to the 20 minute time limit.

The main event saw Hulk Hogan defend the WWF Championship against Paul Orndorff. It was your classic betrayal story in the name of the industry's richest prize and really elevated Orndorff's game and let's be honest, he's a much better heel than a babyface. I really wish Orndorff would've stayed in the company longer because he had some serious potential to be a mainstay player. Other than that, it's your basic Hogan match, but with a crowd THIS large, that is definitely NOT a problem with me.

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: This year is absolutely harmless and transitional. It's the point where the company was a success due to the first WrestleMania, but not big enough of a success from WrestleMania III. It's fine to watch, but overall not too important.


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The Year in PPV- 1996, Part III

As 1996 concludes, glimpses of the Attitude Era are placed into the New Generation...


9. In Your House 10: Mind Games

Mind Games is a pretty important PPV for the sake of hardcore wrestling. Taking place in Philadelphia, the first match saw Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer, and the Sandman, sit at ringside and interject themselves into the action as a publicity stunt prearranged between Vince McMahon and ECW. After that opening highlight, the pressure was on for the WWF to deliver a match to keep the crowd happy, which meant it would have to appeal to the fans that had a heavy bias towards the ECW style of wrestling. Thankfully they had the right two wrestlers for that main event: Shawn Michaels and Mankind.

Their WWF Championship match is my favorite from 1996 due to their contrast in styles that seemed to mesh so perfectly. Shawn was a charismatic showman who specialized in high flying moves and technical wrestling. Mankind (formerly Cactus Jack when he was in ECW) was all about brawling, using weapons, and putting his body on the line in the name of hurting his opponent. I really wish their feud was more long term because this match is fantastic. There are so many moments seen here that paved the way for what the Attitude Era main events looked like, as well as the hardcore division, that it can't be ignored as a groundbreaking match for the company. And a true testament to how great Shawn always worked was that while this was one of Mick Foley's biggest career highlights, it was just another day at the office for Shawn.

Mild Recommendation


10. In Your House 11: Buried Alive

The show opens with an early encounter between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Although, I can't see much storyline here, it is great to see these two future mega stars fight each other. Unfortunately, if you're asking me, this opening match is the show's highlight on wrestling quality. Everything else is pretty harmless, but lackluster. Perhaps the most unique of buildups was for the match between Vader and Sycho Sid. Billed as a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship, the match also focused on how both big men used the powerbomb as a finishing maneuver, and the debate was being held on who did the better powerbomb.

This PPV has its name for a reason, though, and the main event saw Mankind and the Undertaker fight in the very first buried alive match. While I'm not the biggest fan of the Buried Alive match, I understand that it's an Undertaker trademark, so I at least appreciate seeing its first appearance. Not to mention the fact that these two would have had to TRY to have a bad match together, and the ending does look really cool as a way to end your PPV.

Skip It


11. Survivor Series

This show is once again top quality at Madison Square Garden, but I think a lot of people forget how well-rounded this show was. Right out the box we had a traditional Survivor Series match featuring Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, and the New Rockers taking on the team of Doug Furnas, Phil Lafon, and the Godwinns. Then there was a match with the Undertaker and Mankind that gave Taker a grand entrance and a more updated and darker look. Then we had the debut of Rocky Maivia (The Rock) as he teamed with Marc Mero, the Stalker, and Jake Roberts to face Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush, Jerry Lawler, and Goldust, which is always a fun moment just to see all the big names present for the debut match of the future People's Champion.

Then Bret Hart returned to take on Stone Cold Steve Austin in a precursor to their WrestleMania 13 classic. The only real low point on the show was the elimination tag match that took place before the main event. While the roster is good by having Yokozuna, Savio Vega, Jimmy Snuka, and Flash Funk taking on Faarooq, Vader, "Razor Ramon," and "Diesel," the match's result feels like a big middle finger to the fans who wanted something conclusive. Finally, the main event showed the MSG fans at their best by booing the WWF Champion Shawn Michaels and cheering heavily for the challenger Sycho Sid. I believe that they believed Shawn had a good run with the belt, but were ready to see someone new hold the title. The match is also very good and builds up Sid as a potential champion and adds a bit of depth to Michaels thanks to the match's conclusion.

Highly Recommended


12. In Your House 12: It's Time

There's not too much to talk about with It's Time, but there is one thing I've been ignoring that I wanted to address here. Are Owen Hart and the British Bulldog babyfaces or heels? That might seem weird to say, but for goodness sake, we have seen them throughout the year take on face teams and heel teams and the crowd responds differently with every match. With that said, I really don't care since I am entertained by both these guys whenever they performed (both as heels and babyfaces), it was just a question I wanted to bring up. Anyways, on to the only match worth talking about on this show.

The main event saw WWF Champion Sycho Sid put the belt on the line against Bret Hart. There was a definite shift in the crowd's reaction to the Hit Man, as well as Bret's attitude towards the company. It played into effect here when more focus seemed to be on Shawn Michaels on commentary for the match than the match itself. Still, Sid and Bret doesn't strike me as the biggest money match you could have for the title, and the match really doesn't pick up until the end when Shawn gets involved. But it's an important match to act as a catalyst for Bret's run as a crybaby.

Skip It


Final Thoughts: There's a lot to be said about how 1996 ended. With Shawn and Bret's real life hatred entering storyline, and more unorthodox superstars like Austin, Mankind, and Sid entering the main event scene, events were being set in motion for what would become the Attitude Era. There was still some time to go before it came into full fruition, but it's always great to see how far back those early seeds were planted. 1996 surprised me with how easy it was to binge watch and how entertained I was. There's a lot of quality here and features many all-time greats on the roster, so it's definitely worth the watch and pretty painless to go through.


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The Year in PPV- 1996, Part II

1996 continues with a redemption act following one of the WWF's biggest blunders...


5. In Your House 8: Beware of Dog

Many fans remember when the original Beware of Dog event aired during a big thunderstorm that actually cut the PPV feed for most of the show. Power was restored right before the main event, so you had at least two matches that could be broadcast in their entirety. When they rescheduled the event as Beware of Dog 2, they added those two matches to the very beginning of the show and broadcast three additional matches that were supposed to take place at the original event. This show has a lot of quality, and the only thing I would tweak about it would be the order of the matches. The casket match between the Undertaker and Goldust is solid but is more of an upper midcard main event. The Vader vs. Yokozuna match is solid big man filler between matches so that works. The opener between Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Marc Mero seemed to fit really well, so no complaints there.

A lot of people remember this event for the Strap match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Savio Vega, and for good reason because it's the best Strap match I have ever seen, but this show deserves a lot more focus on the WWF Championship match. Shawn Michaels put the belt on the line against the British Bulldog in a match that I was in no way expecting to be as superb as it was. I had no doubts that they could have a great match, but this match going into it was nowhere on my radar. It was one of the biggest forgotten gems I have ever seen and had it been shown at the end (as a book end between the opener and the three Beware of Dog 2 matches), this show's pacing would be amazing from start to finish. A surprising nomination for one of the best PPVs I have seen from the New Generation.

Highly Recommended


6. King of the Ring

This edition of King of the Ring had a pretty stacked undercard, all of which were given time and buildup to follow through on. Some worked well (Undertaker vs. Mankind, and Goldust vs. Ahmed Johnson for the Intercontinental Championship), while some did not (Jerry Lawler vs. Ultimate Warrior). Needless to say, the undercard helped present a show that was about more than just the King of the Ring tournament, a show that could have actual feuds culminate on a night that's usually about the results of a tournament.

With that in mind, the biggest moment, hands down, is the results of the King of the Ring tournament. Jake Roberts advanced to the finals by defeating Vader, and Stone Cold Steve Austin advanced by defeating Marc Mero. These two have a very quick match, and the result might also be important, but it's the promo that changed EVERYTHING. This is the promo that is the birth of Austin 3:16 and ushered a new attitude into the New Generation. And if that isn't enough to make people happy, then the main event for the WWF Championship between Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog should satisfy. Once again, these two put on a great match and the match's ending leads to absolute CHAOS to close the night.

Highly Recommended


7. In Your House 9: International Incident

International Incident may have the appeal of an In Your House event, but its quality ranges on the importance of an Insurrexiton or Rebellion show. The matches may have good talent attached (Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Marc Mero, and the Undertaker vs. Goldust for example), but this the definition of pre-SummerSlam filler. You could have easily gone from King of the Ring to SummerSlam and it wouldn't have made a difference. That is how unimportant International Incident is, despite how impressive the roster is.

The midcard may overwhelm, but that's only because they made sure to keep the main event stacked. In a six-man tag, Camp Cornette took on the team of Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, and Sycho Sid (who was replacing the Ultimate Warrior who was fired...yet again). It's got the excitement of your standard 6-man tag main event, but it doesn't really stand out on its own. If anything I would have preferred a WWF Championship match with Michaels and Owen Hart that would at least tie his rivalry with Camp Cornette after feuding with Bulldog and before feuding with Vader.

Skip It


8. SummerSlam

This show may have a lot of quality matches and moments, but there are two moments that are so memorable in the history of SummerSlam, that both deserve praise. The main event between Shawn Michaels and Vader is pretty important as it created a David and Goliath story on a big stage for the WWF Championship. Vader had been so dominant all yer, and HBK was on the roll of a lifetime as champion, that it only made sense these two would collide in a match where something had to give. Shawn is one of the greatest workers in history, and Vader is one of the most agile big men wrestling has ever seen, so a great match was not out of the question.

But the match that really made a statement was the Boiler Room Brawl with Mankind and the Undertaker. Not only was this another influential match on the WWF's hardcore division during the Attitude Era, but it was also a match that could have been marked as the end of their feud, but instead elevated it further with one heck of a twist at the end. It may be a little lengthy and drags in spots, but the ending is worth it, as it is one of the best examples of how a swerve can work as long as the results are long term.

Highly Recommended


Thoughts: This segment of shows really took a lot of focus off Bret Hart (since he stepped away for a while) and really let Shawn hang with some other challengers. Having Vader and British Bulldog in long term feuds with the Heartbreak Kid really being the glue that helps elevate their credibility (specifically for Jim Cornette as a manager). Apart from that you also had Austin climbing the ranks and waking EVERYONE up with that promo, Mankind rising to the top thanks to his feud with the Undertaker, and so many other things all clicking together to showing their strengths to compete against what WCW had to offer. This section was in the beginning of the Monday Night Wars, and their momentum was pretty strong, but as 1996 comes to an end, the biggest question could be what would they do to keep the fight going?

Concluded in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 1996, Part I

1996 should go down as the year of the Heartbreak Kid. After seeing the fan following he had been receiving in 1994 and 1995, the WWF finally decided to put the responsibilities of being "the man" on Shawn Michaels. With Bret Hart getting up there in age, Diesel and Razor Ramon contemplating leaving for WCW, and the Undertaker not really being a marketable face of the company (at least at that time), it was time for there to be that main event alternative. The '80s had Hogan and Savage, so for the '90s Michaels was thrown in the main event scene along with Bret Hart to see how it would go. To make matters even more interesting, Bret would take time off for a number of months so Michaels was fighting in the main event scene on his own against the likes of Diesel, Vader, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Mankind, and Sycho Sid. Since he's my favorite wrestler of all-time, what do I think of arguably the most beneficial year in his career?

Let's begin the year of the Showstopper by heading to the 1996 Royal Rumble...


1. Royal Rumble

This event had a really strong undercard of matches behind it, opening with Ahmed Johnson vs. Jeff Jarrett. After that, the WWF Tag Team Championships were defended by the Smoking Gunns against the Godwinns, and the Intercontinental Championship was defended by Razor Ramon against Goldust. The main event of the show was a great WWF Championship match between Bret Hart and the Undertaker. The match's ending is crucial because it planted some serious seeds that were important in building the Road to WrestleMania. It began the pathway of the WWF Champion, and began a new rivalry that would develop throughout the few months leading to the granddaddy of them all.

The Royal Rumble match is a bit of a mixed bag this year. Sure, there are a handful of big names attached (Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Diesel, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Vader, Yokozuna, and Shawn Michaels to name a few), and Jerry Lawler adds a very interesting spin on surviving the Royal Rumble, but there are a handful of cons as well. A large number of spots are given to jobbers and wrestlers from other companies and territories, making one wonder why they deserve to be in a match to potentially headline WrestleMania (would it have been too difficult to throw Jarrett, Johnson, Goldust, or Razor into the mix instead?). The other biggest problem involves Vader, after being eliminated, eliminating other wrestlers and as a result they were allowed to continue. 2 problems with that. The first and most obvious is that that has not happened in any other Rumble match, and the second problem is that one of these guys was the winner of the match, so he won on a technicality. Still, the match is pretty good, and pretty important in building towards one of the biggest matches in WWE history.

Recommended


2. In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage

Rage in the Cage does a fantastic job of pitting four men against each other in the build towards the WrestleMania main event. In one match, you have Shawn Michaels putting his main event spot on the line against Owen Hart. These two had a very underrated rivalry after Owen kicked Shawn in the head and put him out of action for many months. This night not only culminated their feud, but would send the victor on their way to a rightful spot in the main event. For the WWF Championship, Bret Hart put his title up for grabs in a steel cage match against Diesel. Like any other match these two have had, it's a fantastic effort between the two, but it's the ending that splits these two on completely different pathways on the Road to WrestleMania.

In a match that history should NOT remember, the rivalry between Razor Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid culminated in a Crybaby match. The match is fine, but the gimmick is absolutely ridiculous that it not only completely buried Kid's status in the company, but it looked like a huge step down from Razor. I know both were on their way out soon, but still...

Recommended


3. WrestleMania XII

This WrestleMania played up to the Hollywood gimmick (not as well as 21, but that's beside the point) since it was taking place in Anaheim, California (only about 20 minutes from my hometown of Fullerton). Having being to a few episodes of RAW in the Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond), I love feeling the rich history of some of the WWE PPVs to take place there (such as this and WrestleMania 2000). The show opens up with a star studded 6-man tag match that saw all of Camp Cornette (Vader, Owen Hart, and the British Bulldog) take on the team of Yokozuna, Ahmed Johnson, and Jake "the Snake" Roberts. This was the best way you could open Mania at that time, since you had a combination of big guys, talented wrestlers, and charismatic characters all in one match. Also be on the lookout for the WrestleMania debuts of two of the biggest names in WWE history. The first being Stone Cold Steve Austin (working as the Million Dollar Champion with Ted DiBiase as his manager) having a solid match with Savio Vega, and the other being Hunter Hearst Helmsley taking on the returning Ultimate Warrior (and this match brings new meaning to the phrase "Game Over").

But now let's get into some of the main events. In an absolutely bizarre publicity stunt, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper fought Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl that eventually led to a car chase on the freeway, where the WWF blatantly used footage of the O.J. Simpson car chase. I'm not sure whether to feel uncomfortable or laugh my pants off at how ridiculous that is. The beginning of the match is actually pretty good, displaying realism and some early elements of hardcore wrestling in the company. Then they get on the highway, and then they get back to the arena and it just gets STRANGE. In a pretty high profile big men match, Diesel took on the Undertaker and these guys actually had a really good match with each other. I'm actually surprised. Admittedly, Nash's best matches are from his days as Diesel, and the Undertaker had to have great matches pulled out of him by his opponents at that time, but here something really clicks. As far as Taker's early Mania matches, this is my favorite (until we get to Kane at Mania XIV).

However, when history looks back at Mania XII, the match they are going to talk about is the 60-minute Iron Man match for the WWF Championship. The first match of its kind in the company, it makes sense for it to debut on a grand stage like Mania, but the concept itself is so extravagant that you need the right two people to carry it forward. Thankfully for the WWF, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were the right two people for the match. While it may seem boring and a drag for some fans (myself included in some spots), it is an absolutely essential match for every fan to watch at least once. The chemistry between the two is impeccable (go figure since they hated each other) and it leads to one of the greatest WrestleMania moments in history (and Vince McMahon's greatest moment on commentary).

Highly Recommended


4. In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies

This post-WrestleMania filler show turns out to have some very unique encounters. Some of the feuds roll over from Mania, but there's also room for some new matches right? Whoever thought a match between Goldust and the Ultimate Warrior would be a good idea should either be fired on the spot or given a raise (I'm not sure which one is more deserved). I don't feel like this did any favors for either guy and this match proves that when you have two bizarre individuals clash for the sake of just being bizarre, it doesn't mesh as well as you'd think.

In terms of the Monday Night Wars, this night is pretty significant, as it was the last PPV appearance of Razor Ramon and Diesel before they defected to WCW. In his last In Your House appearance as Razor, Scott Hall took on Vader in a solid encounter that utilized Razor's status to build up Vader as a main event threat. And in the main event, Shawn Michaels put his newly won WWF Championship on the line against Diesel in a No Holds Barred match. On his last PPV appearance as Big Daddy Cool, Kevin Nash made sure to elevate Shawn as a credible champion as much as possible. It's a great match between these two best friends that set the standard for how WWF Championship and no disqualification matches would be conducted for many years.

Mild Recommendation


Initial Thoughts: I wasn't wrong when I called this Shawn's year. Diesel, Razor, and Kid were all on their way out, and Bret was taking some time away from the ring after Mania. Of course, throughout the year, other superstars would come through the ranks, but for the first few months, there was only focus on one man. Within the next few months, guys like Mankind and Stone Cold Steve Austin would grab the attention of the wrestling world and pump some new blood into the New Generation.

Continued in Part II...


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The Year in PPV- 1988

This year can be summed up in two words: Mega Powers. This year was all about the experiment of building Randy Savage as the next main event player. However, it was easy to see that the WWF didn't want to defect TOO far away from Hulk Hogan in case the experiment failed, so they went with the best scenario possible: combine the two for the most insane team up EVER!!!! Having Savage and Hogan together was a gold mine for 1988 since you had tons of charisma and merchandise you could shell out for both these superstars, plus Hogan's matches were boosted in quality thanks to the type of worker Savage was as a tag team partner.

Let's see how the year of the Mega Powers started by going to the first ever Royal Rumble event...


1. Royal Rumble

Just as a disclaimer: the first Royal Rumble event has nothing to do with the Mega Powers. Moving on. With the first ever Royal Rumble show, I have one question on my mind: Why on earth is the Royal Rumble match not only NOT the main event of the show, but why is it not even the SECOND biggest focus on the show? The first Royal Rumble match may be historic, but it in no way has aged gracefully. Something about this particular era in wrestling didn't work for the Rumble match. It may be from the poor ring work solely since it does have the star power for it. It should be pointed out that this match only had 20 participants, yet it seemed to go on forever. The best thing to do if you want the historical value is to just fast forward to the end of the match.

The main event of the show was actually a two out of three falls tag team match between the Islanders and the Young Stallions. WHAT?!?!? But the main thing this show is booked around is the contract signing between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant for their WWF Championship re-match at The Main Event. WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!? Talk about a disjointed show that needed to find a focus. When your PPV's main draw is a contract signing, then there is a SERIOUS problem to discuss in booking the card. Just put the darn Rumble match last on the card? It's the NAME of the show....how hard is that?

Skip It


2. WrestleMania IV

This is the largest WrestleMania card in history with 16 (I repeat...SIXTEEN) matches. However, not many of them really amount to anything. Their roster was so stacked they had to open with a 20-man battle royal, and were still able to have a WWF Tag Team Championship match, an Intercontinental Championship match, a six-man tag, a regular singles match, AND a 14-man (I repeat...FOURTEEN) tournament to crown the vacant WWF Championship. However, most of this WrestleMania is all about that "epic" tournament that took place in Trump Plaza so let's focus on that.

The tournament featured 14 men: Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Dino Bravo, Don Muraco, Jim Duggan, Greg Valentine, Butch Reed, One Man Gang, and Ricky Steamboat. At the end of the day, EVERYONE knew it was going to come down to some kind of main event clash between Hogan, Savage, Andre, or DiBiase and that's just what we got when Hogan and Andre were simultaneously eliminated (in a rather big disappointment of a Mania re-match), giving DiBiase a BYE in the semi-finals, making him much more fresh for the main event than Savage (who had to fight in three matches to get to the finals). It's a fantastic setup for the main event that not only pitted an underdog babyface against a well-rested heel, but it also promised a NEW WWF Champion, and arguably a new face for the company. It's one of those absolutely perfect pay offs, and I just wish the buildup had a little more pomp and circumstance (PUN INTENDED) to it.

Mild Recommendation


3. SummerSlam

So the first SummerSlam may have emanated from Madison Square Garden and had a 10-match card, but it's a show that revolves around 2 moments: a match that lasts less than a minute and a skirt. That may undercut the moments a little, but they are pretty important historical matches nonetheless. After Brutus Beefcake was unable to make it to SummerSlam to challenge the Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. So an open challenge was put forth to see if someone could end the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in history, and that challenge was answered by the Ultimate Warrior. I think you could figure out what happens next.

The main event saw four of the biggest icons of the '80s clash in an epic tag team match. The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) engaged in a war against the Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant). To add to the match, Jesse Ventura was the special referee, and the ending was made very memorable thanks to Miss Elizabeth. Like the first WrestleMania this show is pretty underwhelming until the iconic main event tag team match. And in even more irony, SummerSlam is usually considered the second biggest show of the year, and both first installments of these iconic shows took place at Madison Square Garden.

Mild Recommendation


4. Survivor Series

Survivor Series back in the day only had about 4 to 5 matches on the card, and they all go on a for a while, so its watchable factor is all in the hands of whether or not you like those kind of matches. To open the show they went with Team Warrior (Ultimate Warrior, Sam Houston, Brutus Beefcake, Jim Brunzell, and the Blue Blazer) taking on Team Honky Tonk (Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Ron Bass, Danny Davis, and Bad News Brown), followed by a match that brought 10 (I repeat.....TEN) tag teams together with Team Demolition (Demolition, the Brain Busters, the Bolsheviks, the Fabulous Rougeaus, and the Conquistadors) taking on Team Powers of Pain (Powers of Pain, the Rockers, the Young Stallions, the Hart Foundation, and the British Bulldogs). Look at the talent featured within the first two matches and you have why so many fans had fun during this era in wrestling.

Then, we had Team Andre (Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, Harley Race, Mr. Perfect, and Dino Bravo) challenging Team Duggan (Jim Duggan, Jake Roberts, Ken Patera, Scott Casey, and Tito Santana), once again showing how star studded some of the teams could be at Survivor Series. Finally, we had the main event that saw the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) team up with Hercules, Koko B. Ware, and Hillbilly Jim take on The Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Boss Man) and their team featuring the Red Rooster, Haku, and Ted DiBiase. The most crucial part about this match is towards the end, which cleverly planted the seeds for events that would occur within the next year. But I'll save that for another time...

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: Let me get one thing clear...the Mega Powers REALLY work for this year. Unfortunately, not much else does. The rest of the year in terms of booking is pretty subpar. The company knew they had the crowd's money in their wallets by the time they formed the Mega Powers that it didn't matter what else happened on the cards. Still, this is the first year to incorporate the Big Four PPVs, so there is some historical value to it. If you love Savage and Hogan, this is the year for you to watch. But if you like more variety in your shows, this is one you could probably skip.


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