The Wrestling Thread

[Marshmallo]

is there a link to watch smackdown ?

It's on Sky Sports 3 the now.

[DomDom]

WWE No Mercy 2000

After what could be considered as a return to good solid PPVs in 2000 with Unforgiven, this is another one which I can't really remember, apart from the main event, and Steve Austin getting his hands on Rikishi.

The card for this is ...

The Dudley Boys Tag Team Table Invitational ( * )

X-Pac vs. Chris Jericho, Steel Cage Match ( *** )

Steven Richards and Val Venis vs. Billy Gunn and Chyna ( 1/2* )

Rikishi vs. Steve Austin, No Holds Barred Match ( **1/2 )

William Regal vs. Naked Mideon ( DUD )

Los Conquistadors vs. The Hardy Boys ( **3/4 )

Chris Benoit vs. Triple H ( ****1/4 )

Kurt Angle vs. The Rock ( **** )

The Dudley Boys Tag Team Table Invitational

This is a gauntlet match. We're going to open this thing with Tool Cool and the team of D'Lo and Chaz. Hey, it's Lo Down ! They were a cracking team. Was sad that they never got a proper shot. We start with a brawl and Scotty is sent hard into the corner. Chaz then sets a table near the corner. Well, he tries but Scotty stops him. Brown and Sexay to battle in another corner of the ring. 10 punches in the corner with Scotty. Scotty tries to set the table and Chaz interupts. Sexay on the middle rope and he comes off with a Missile Dropkick to brown. Chaz rams the edge of a table into the gut of Scotty. Chaz puts Scotty on a table. Lo Down ram a table into the gut of Sexay. Table into the gut of Scotty as well. Hanging Vertical Suplex from Chaz to Scotty. Why did he not try and put him through the table there. Sexay with a Suplex on Brown. Chaz misses a charge. Scotty crotches Chaz with a table. Chaz gets set on a table and Scotty heads for the top rope and he gets stopped. LO DOWN ON SEXAY !!! Brown then puts Sexay on a table and heads for the top rope. SCOTTY SENDS CHAZ THROUGH THE TABLE AND THEY'RE OUT OF THE MATCH !!!

Too Cool then go on to face Tazz and Raven, and they get a decent sized pop. Wouldn't want to be Too Cool in a match like this. Raven has already found himself jobbing in a meaningless match a month into his WWE run ! Tazz and Raven set their table on the floor and Too Cool go out and brawl with them. Too Cool lay Raven on a table. TAZZMISSION FROM TAZZ TO SCOTTY !!! Sexay goes in to break it and Scotty has been saved. Double Clotheslines on Tazz and Raven. Belly 2 Belly Suplex from Tazz to Sexay and then he brawls with Scotty on the floor. Table set in the ring. DOUBLE SUPLEX OVER THE TOP ROPE THROUGH THE TABLE ON SEXAY ... that gets blocked. Sexay put himself through the table by accident, and the referee accepts that. BULLDOG FROM SCOTTY TO RAVEN !!! WORM UNDER THE TABLE FROM SCOTTY !!! DOUBLE SUPLEX SENDS SCOTTY THROUGH A TABLE !!! Too Cool are out.

The Dudley Boys are next in the match and this is a proper battle coming. Raven and Tazz take control and Raven and Ray get sent into each other. BUBBA BOMB ON TAZZ !!! WAZZUP HEADBUTT ON RAVEN !!! Devon brings a table into the ring, but Ray gets hit with a T-Bone Suplex. Devon with a Back Elbow on Tazz and then he sends Raven face first into the top buckle. Devon with a Suplex on Raven and then Ray sets up a table. Devon heads for the top rope to put Tazz through a table. LEG DROP SENDS DEVON THROUGH THE TABLE !!!

The Right to Censor team of Bull and The Goodfather are the last team that are going to enter. Another lucky multi-man win coming here ? Bull wastes no time getting a table ready, but the Dudleys go on the attack. Kama and Devon brawl on the floor while Ray and Bull do their business in the ring. Bubba Bomb is blocked by Bull and then we see a ref bump. Oh god, we ARE getting a cheap RTC win, aren't we ? 10 Punches in the corner from Bull. POWERBOMB SENDS BULL THROUGH THE TABLE !!! Of course, the referee is out. KAMA FUCKING CROWNS RAY WITH A CHAIR !!! HE PUTS RAY ON THE TABLE AND THE REF CALLS IT !!! Another referee comes in and confirms what happened and we restart the match. Right hands from Devon and he gets sent into the corner. THE HO TRAIN ... misses. 3D AND THE DUDLEYS WIN !!!

This wasn't the best of matches at all. Every team just did a bunch of punch/kick stuff and then broke a table. Of course, seeing people go through tables is always fun so I'm always gonna give points for it. It isn't a very good opening match though, but it popped the crowd which I suppose helps. *

Lita and APA vs. Trish Stratus and T&A

This issue with Lita and Trish is still going ? I thought that was done when Summerslam came around ? T&A have attacked Bradshaw backstage and so there's a brawl going down. T&A have now taken out Faarooq too. T&A then turn up and then Trish attacks from behind. Are we even going to get a match ? Trish kicks Lita all the way down the aisle and then sends her back into the ring. BULLDOG FROM TRISH TO LITA !!! Albert then catapults Lita throat first into the middle rope. The Hardy Boys hit the ring and save Lita.

I suppose there's no match here to speak of. N/A

X-Pac vs. Chris Jericho, Steel Cage Match

Baseball Slide and the match starts on the floor. Kicks and then chops from Jericho. Pac with an eyerake and he misses a chair shot. Right hands and then the match goes into the ring, as Pac slams the door into his face. Pac with stomps. Chops from Pac in the corner. Pac then beats down Jericho and chokes him. Pac wants to escape and Jericho stops him in short order, so Pac hits a Spin Kick. Kicks from Pac and another Spin Kick. Pac is now going for the escape. Springboard Dropkick crotches Pac on the top rope and then Jericho hits a Suplex. Right hands and then Pac gets sent face first into the cage. Chops from Jericho and Pac into the corner. Bulldog from Jericho. Right hands from Jericho after that. Jericho with kicks to the gut and then he goes for the escape and Pac stops him. Jericho kicks him into the middle of the ring and then a Top Rope Missile Dropkick takes down Pac. LIONSAULT ... hits the knees. Pac goes for the door again and is stopped, so he buries the knees, but Jericho does his best to hold on. Jericho gets sent face first into the cage. Pac sends Jericho hard into the cage again. Right hands again from Pac and then he runs into the ropes. Back Body Drop sends Pac into the wall of the cage. Pac comes right back into the match with a running elbow. Really ? Jericho then attempts a fight back. Jericho then runs right into a Spinning Heel Kick. Kicks and a Spin Kick in the corner from Pac. BRONCO BUSTER !!! Pac is now looking to escape the match and Jericho manages to stop him. JERICHO WITH A TOP ROPE SUPERBOMB TO TAKE PAC BACK INTO THE RING !!! Pac gets sent into the wall of the cage. This happens a second time and then Pac wants a time out. Isn't going to happen ! Jericho is now going for the escape but Pac grabs onto his foot. Jericho gets crotched on the top rope from there. Pac is now going for the escape and he has the chair he had earlier. CHAIR OVER THE HEAD FROM PAC TO JERICHO !!! Pac is now going for the escape by going over the top. Pac is on the top and then he gets taken down by Jericho. Jericho and Pac are now both on top of the cage. WALLS OF JERICHO ON TOP OF THE CAGE !!! PAC REVERSES AND SENDS JERICHO CRASHING INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING !!! Pac then celebrates a bit and goes for the escape. JERICHO CROTCHES PAC ON THE CAGE DOOR AND ESCAPES !!!

I'll give points for effort there, as both men busted ass big time and both men also took some massive bumps. I don't think they got enough time go get where they were going though. Also, what's with the massive logic gaps ? Why would X-Pac go over the top when he has been trying to use the door all the way through the match. That certainly takes away from things. It's a good match though. Just not as good as you expect. ***

Right to Censor vs. Billy Gunn and Chyna

Richards and Venis are representing RTC in this one. This is bound to be a classic match. Gunn and Venis will get this match going. Lockup and Val with right hands when they break it. Head first into the top buckle goes Gunn. Back Elbow coming off though and then right hands and a Body Slam from Gunn followed by a Knee Drop. Into the corner where Venis gets some right hands. Venis is whipped hard into the corner and then Richards goes to attack from behind. Chyna sends Venis into the steps and then back into the ring he goes. Back Drop Suplex from Venis and in comes Richards, but he runs right into a Gorilla Press Slam, and then in comes Chyna. Tie Snapmare and then some work. Into the corner and another tie Snapmare. She then swings Richards around the ring. Chyna gets attacked from behind as she jacks jaws with Venis, but she takes control again. In comes Gunn. Head first into the top buckle and then Gunn misses a charge. Single Arm DDT from Venis as he's tagged in and they work on the injured shoulder of Gunn. Venis then stretches the arm of Gunn over the top rope and then a right hand. Kicks to the chest of Gunn and then Richards chokes Gunn. Gunn continues to sell the shoulder regardless. Richards to the top rope and he lands a Double Axe Handle on the shoulder. Arm Bar from Richards. Gunn tries to get the fans into him. Gunn fights out of the move and runs into the ropes. DDT FROM GUNN !!! That was a big one too. Chyna wants to get into the ring. She does and she is the house on fire. Venis into the ropes and a Back Elbow from Chyna. RAZZLE DAZZLE FROM CHYNA !!! FAMEASSER FROM GUNN TO RICHARDS !!! Swinging Neckbreaker from Chyna to Richards and then the rest of RTC hit the ring. PEDIGREE ... EDDIE HITS CHYNA WITH A PIPE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

This was a poor match, but I'm willing to give something for the selling of the shoulder from Gunn even when the RTC were forgetting to go after it. I never thought Stevie Richards and Val Venis would be the weak links in such a match. 1/2*

Rikishi vs. Steve Austin, No Holds Barred Match

Steve Austin does that late arrival thing that he normally does, and he does it in a big truck. Austin gets out and the brawl is on. This is HOT right from the word go. Austin takes control and then sends Rikishi into the truck twice. He then swings the door of the truck into the head of Rikishi and lays in some stomps. Right hands follow that from Austin and then he sends Rikishi into the steps again. Rikishi then gets launched over the spanish announce table and lands a bunch more stomps. Austin then chokes Rikishi with some cable. The brawl now heads into the crowd where Austin continues the brawl. Rikishi shows some spirit and fights back. He then throws a drink in Austin's face when that doesn't work. Rikishi with kicks to the stomach of Austin. Austin then goes for a Piledriver on the concrete, but Rikishi reverses with a Back Body Drop, so Austin just gets right back up and whips Rikishi with his belt. Austin then pulls out what looks like rope, but Rikishi throws him away. You can't keep an angry Austin down and he comes back with a Clothesline. Austin wraps the rope around Rikishi and then hangs him. Austin lets him go and then gets a monitor, but Rikishi comes back with right hands and then he throws Austin over the announce table. Rikishi misses a monitor shot, and then the ringside brawl continues. Superkick from Rikishi. Rikishi now has a chair. He misses a shot. AUSTIN CROWNS RIKISHI WITH A PAIR OF CHAIR SHOTS !!! Austin then grabs the chair again. A THIRD CHAIR BUSTS RIKISHI OPEN !!! Austin then absolutely mauls Rikishi with the chair and he then grabs a baseball bat. Austin goes for a sledgehammer shot and misses. He slams the back door of his truck into Rikishi and then has another chair. CHAIR TO THE HEAD !!! Austin then has Rikishi in the back of his truck and gets in. Austin then takes Rikishi out of the arena in the truck. Austin then takes Rikishi out of the back of the truck and hits right hands. He lays Rikishi against a wall. HE'S GOING TO KILL RIKISHI !!! THE POLICE STOP IT FROM HAPPENING !!! That's yer match.

I know that wasn't exactly a match, but there was enough there to rate, and rate it I will. It might have been one sided, but this was an extremely satisfying fight. It's always amazing to see Austin in this mood. He was like The Terminator. Rikishi would do some big stuff, but then Austin would come back and hit even harder than he did before. You could feel some real hate here. Great segment. **1/2

William Regal © vs. Naked Mideon - WWE European Championship

Although most things were hits in WWE at this point, this was definately a massive swing and a miss. Mideon gets the fans behind him. Lockup and Regal goes to the arm. Mideon with a reversal and Regal just goes back so Mideon with a Headlock and he takes Regal down. Hiptoss from Mideon and then a Clothesline. Mideon wants to strip but decides not to at this point. Headlock from Regal. Regal into the ropes and he charges Mideon down for a two count. Drop Toe Hold from Regal and then he's sent into the ropes. Body Slam and a Dropkick from Mideon. Right hands from Mideon and then Regal into the corner. Mideon runs into a boot and then he gets sent shoulder first into the ringpost. Knees to the head and then Regal slams the face of Mideon into the ring apron. Regal then taunts the crowd. Regal into the ropes and Mideon gets sent over the top rope. Mideon takes his tank top off and Regal isn't amused. Right hands from Mideon and then Regal into the corner. Clothesline from Mideon. Mideon then bites Regal. Old habits die hard. Headbutt from Mideon. Butterfly Suplex from Regal and that gets a two count. Chinlock this time from Regal. Mideon gets chucked to the floor and Regal with right hands. The referee has words with Regal. Mideon goes back into the ring and then strips off. He kisses Regal and hits right hands. Back Elbow from Mideon and then Regal gets hit with the Back Body Drop. He heads for the top rope. Regal crotches him up there. Regal is REALLY pissed off now. He goes for the Regal Stretch and decides against it. REGAL CUTTER !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

What a fucking terrible match. DUD

The Hardy Boys © vs. Los Conquistadors - WWE World Tag Team Championships

Matt goes for a mask right off the bat. I'll do as much as I can to call this because it's going to be hard. Hold on, one looks more like Edge than the other. So I'll call them Edge and Christian. Okies ? Edge with the Arm Ringer and Matt reverses. Edge then with a Hammerlock into a Headlock and into the corner. Jeff comes in with a Clothesline. Head first into the corner and then right hands and a choke from Jeff. Jeff gets over Edge and then hits a right hand and a Dropkick for a two count. Right hand from Edge. Edge clubs away at the back and then Christian tags in. The Conquistadors collide but Christian attacks from behind. Jeff avoids a Back Body Drop and then hits a Spinning Enziguri and Matt comes back into the match. Double Back Elbow gets a two count for the Hardys. Matt into the ropes and then more right hands and gets another two count. Jeff into the ring and they send Christian into the corner. POETRY IN MOTION !!! Edge tries to come in to help and then Christian makes sure that he can't be unmasked. Dropkicks from Edge and Christian and Jeff and Matt on the floor. Edge and Christian to the floor and they get whipped into each other and back into the ring. Jeff then tries to unmask Edge again and in comes everyone again. Jeff gets sent into the ringpost and then Edge is in the ring with him. Snapmare and a Rolling Neck Snap. Back into the ring goes Edge with Jeff. Edge with right hands. I can't believe I can tell these guys apart. Jeff into the ropes and he comes back, but Edge then sends Jeff into a Cross Body on Christian. Christian gets right back up and stomps away on Jeff and then is tagged in properly. Edge with a cheap shot on the floor. Jeff runs into a Powerslam from Edge and that gets a two count. Christian back into the ring. Chinlock from Christian. Jeff gets out, but Christian just lands a Body Slam and then goes to the top rope. CHRISTIAN WITH THE CORKSCREW SENTON ... MISSES !!! Matt wants to tag into the match. Hot tag and in come Christian and Edge. Ugh, finally confused. Back Drop avoided. Double Back Drop Faceplant from the Hardys. RAIL RUN FROM JEFF TO EDGE ON THE FLOOR !!! CHRISTIAN WITH A HUGE SPRINGBOARD PLANCHA !!! MATT HARDY WITH A PLANCHA OFF THE TOP ROPE !!! He got Jeff the most there. Back into the ring with Christian and Matt. REVERSE DDT FROM CHRISTIAN !!! SWANTON BOMB FROM JEFF !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... EDGE SAVES !!! TWIST OF FATE ON EDGE !!! HE UNMASKS EDGE TO FIND ANOTHER MASK !!! CHRISTIAN WITH THE UNPRETTIER !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

There was the obvious flaw with Edge and Christian not being able to use their actual movesets for most of the match because they didn't want to be found out. The match was a decent enough fare though. They went through some decent sequences, but most of it was Los Conquistadors nonsense. Not that I minded. A lot of it was entertaining enough. **3/4

Chris Benoit vs. Triple H

This was during Triple H's very brief 2000 babyface run. This match just HAS to be awesome. HHH is MEGA over. They're actually jumping up and down chanting his name. Absolute madness. Lockup and into the corner they go. HHH with right hands in the corner and then he unloads kicks to the legs. HHH then slams the knee into the canvas. HHH drags Benoit to the apron and smashes the leg into the apron and then the ringpost. He then rams it into the apron again. Chop Block from HHH. It's awesome to see someone work a body part right from the start. Elbow Drops to the leg from HHH. He drags Benoit to the ropes and then drops his body across the leg of Benoit. Into the corner they go. BRUTAL Knee Drop across the back of the leg which is laid on the middle rope. HHH is absolutely relentless on that leg. He's kind of like Dean Malenko. Knee Breaker and this is superb stuff from HHH so far. Another Knee Breaker but Benoit with the Sunset Flip is quickly countered and HHH locks in the Indian Deathlock. HHH WITH THE MUTA LOCK !!! What the f**k does he think this is ?!?! Right hands from HHH and then Benoit drops HHH over the top rope with the Back Drop Suplex. Benoit then sends HHH into the ringpost with a Catapult. He then sends HHH into the ringsteps. Benoit is doing everything he can to take control. Into the ring they go and Benoit with right hands and then chops. Some fans chant "Boring !" like absolute c***s. HHH tries to come back with right hands which doesn't last long. Single Arm DDT from Benoit and hopefully that becomes the focal point of the match for Benoit. He then sends HHH shoulder first into the ringpost. Hammerlock Back Drop Suplex from Benoit and that gets a two count. Kicks to the stomach from Benoit and then a Hammerlock Northern Lights Suplex and that gets a two count. All sorts of aggression from both men. Benoit continues to sell the leg and sends HHH into the ropes and hits a hard Clothesline. HHH baits Benoit to the floor and sends him into the steps, but he gets dropped on the announce tab;e and then sent back into the ring. Snap Suplex gets a two count for Benoit and then the Elevated Arm Bar. HHH with right hands to escape, but Benoit with an Arm Drag and then he goes to the Cross Armbreaker. If this was anywhere outside WWE, that would be a killer. HHH gets out. Hammerlock Back Drop Suplex. Benoit signals for the end and then heads for the top rope. FLYING HEADBUTT OFF THE TOP TO THE SHOULDER FROM BENOIT !!! SMALL PACKAGE FROM HHH !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Kicks to the arm from Benoit out of anger. Forearms from Benoit and then HHH avoids a Suplex. REVERSE SUPLEX FROM HHH !!! Right hands from HHH and he comes back into the match. Benoit into the corner and right hands from HHH. High Knee from HHH and then the Neckbreaker and that gets a two count. Right hands from HHH and Benoit sends him into the corner but runs into a boot and then HHH sets him on top. TOP ROPE SUPERPLEX FROM HHH !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! ROLLING GERMAN SUPLEXES FROM BENOIT OUT OF NOWHERE !!! HHH fights out. DRAGON SUPLEX FROM BENOIT !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! ANOTHER DRAGON SUPLEX FROM BENOIT !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! HHH into the ropes and he comes out with the Knee 2 Face. BENOIT WITH THE CRIPPLER CROSSFACE ON HHH !!! HHH is now trying to escape, but Benoit manages to keep the move locked in. HHH is again managing to get to his feet. DEATH VALLEY DRIVER TO ESCAPE THE CROSSFACE !!! Stephanie McMahon comes to ringside. She slaps Benoit. THAT DISTRACTED BENOIT ENOUGH FOR THE PEDIGREE ... BUT IT'S COUNTERED !!! PEDIGREE THIS TIME ... NO !!! LOW BLOW BEHIND THE BACK OF THE REF !!! PEDIGREE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

I have no idea how I'm not rating this match higher. There aren't many faults that I can think of. Both men set the stall out early. HHH went right for the knee and was almost Dean Malenko-like in his work, and was busting all sorts of cool shit. When you're outshining Benoit in the bodywork stakes, you know you've done well. It must have just been lacking a little something down the stretch. That was a very good match though, as was par for the course for these guys. ****1/4

The Rock © vs. Kurt Angle, No DQ Match - WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Nobody gave Kurt Angle a chance in hell going into this match. He had a good run, but he still felt very much like an uppermidcarder. All of that was about to change in this one. Stephanie gets onto the apron and then Angle attacks from behind and attacks Rock. Kicks and then a right hand sends Angle to the floor. Rock's head gets slammed off of a table and then again. Angle then gets a chair. Chair across the back of Rock. Back into the ring they go and Angle with a forearm and then he chokes Rock over the middle rope. Stephanie then has words with Rock on the other side of the ring. Right hands from Angle and then Rock comes back with a Clothesline and then right hands. Samoan Drop from Rock and that gets a two count. HHH is watching from backstage. Angle is heading for the back, and Rock takes him down with a Clothesline. Head first into the railing and then the brawl heads over to the tech area. ROCK SENDS ANGLE THROUGH THE ENTRANCE STRUCTURE !!! Rock is doing quite a bit of damage here. He then takes Angle into the railing. Angle then whips Rock into a lighting structure. Elbow strikes to the back of the head. Head first into the railing and then Rock with a right hand using a lifesize cutout of himselg, but Angle back into the match and he sends Rock into the ring and Angle with a bit of stomping. Angle with stomping in the corner. Choke in the corner with the boot from Angle. Stephanie then chokes Rock over the middle rope. Right hands from Angle. HHH is still watching and has the exact same expression. Angle misses a charge. Stomps from Rock after that and then into the corner. Rock then crotches Angle using the ringpost. Rock then hammers the knee of Angle with a steel chair. Angle then comes back with a kick, but gets caught and the Dragon Screw from Rock. SHARPSHOOTER FROM ROCK !!! ANGLE TAPS !!! Stephanie was distracting and Rock is raging. Stephanie gets chased by Rock, but Angle catches him with the Belly 2 Belly Suplex and job done as far as Steph is concerned. Rock draped over the apron and Angle with elbow strikes to the throat. Back into the ring and Angle knocks down Rock with a right hand and Angle taunts the crowd. Rock comes back with right hands but Angle then takes him down with a Flying Forearm. That gets a two count. Chinlock from Angle follows that. Rock comes back but Angle with a kick, but then Rock sends him over the top rope. The brawl goes back to ringside. Angle then drops Rock chest first into the railing. Right hands and then Rock sends Angle into the steps. Head first into the table goes Angle again and again. Rock spits water in the face of Angle, and that angers Angle into sending Rock into the ringpost. Stephanie puts the title belt into the ring. Why is she distracting ? It's No DQ ! TITLE BELT TO THE HEAD ... countered but not quite. TITLE BELT TO THE HEAD FROM ANGLE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! Angle can't believe it. He heads for the top rope and Rock stops him up there. SUPERPLEX FROM ROCK !!! Angle has a busted eye now. ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Release German Suplex from Angle and then he does some posing. ANGLE WITH THE MOONSAULT ... MISSES !!! The fans are right behind Rock here. Rock comes back with right hands. FLOATOVER DDT FROM THE ROCK !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! First time he's done that for a while. Rake to the eyes from Angle, but then he runs into a Belly 2 Belly Suplex. SPINEBUSTER FROM THE ROCK ... Stephanie gets in the ring and shouts at Rock. ROCK BOTTOM ON STEPHANIE !!! THE PEOPLE'S ELBOW FROM ROCK TO STEPHANIE ... ANGLE COMES IN AND STOPS THE MOVE !!! HHH IS HEADING FOR THE RING !!! HE UNLOADS ON ANGLE !!! PEDIGREE ON ROCK !!! HHH then takes Stephanie to the back. ANGLE IN TO STEAL ThE WIN !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! Right hands from Angle. DDT FROM THE ROCK !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! The brawl heads to ringside and then back into the ring, but Angle goes right back to the floor. Into the ring they go. Angle goes to the floor again. Rikishi now heads for the floor. Rikishi looks an absolute mess and he sends Angle into the ring. Rock with right hands to Angle. Low Blow from Angle. ROCK BOTTOM FROM THE ROCK !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! Rikishi gets into the ring. RIKISHI WITH THE AVALANCHE ON ROCK !!! By mistake. SUPERKICK AND HE HITS THE ROCK BY MISTAKE AS WELL !!! ANGLE SLAM ON RIKISHI !!! ANGLE SLAM ON THE ROCK !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREEEEEEEEEEEEE !!! KURT ANGLE HAS SHOCKED THE WORLD !!!

One of those Rock matches that is just pure epic storytelling from start to finish. Interference, massive nearfalls and big madness all round really. The key here was the shock result though. Such a shock that the fans ended up cheering the guy they had been booing through the match. A belter of a main event when it comes to pacing and drama, but both guys could have done better and, a few months later, did just that. ****

OVERALL

*******

This one is NOT a gem. Okay so it definately peaks at the end, but do you want to sit through that much crap and disappointment to get to those last two matches ? No. You don't. Unless you're a huge Angle fan and you want to see that first big title win.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

After all I said on the subject when it first happened....I'm loving Jack Swagger at the minute

[DomDom]

He needs to get that shit eating grin back on a regular basis, although I'm not sure how it would fit with him.

It was one of his best points. I'm still not sure on him as a main eventer, but he's giving it a right good fucking go.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

In every match he's had since he won the title, I think he's looked phenomenal. I'm looking forward to him and Orton and Extreme Rules, it'll be interesting to see what they do.

[djchapsticks]

They were tainted with a wee bit of Canadian...Drew is the first fully Scottish one

Born and raised in Oban though. They only moved to Canada in the late 80's.

[djchapsticks]

I'm still watching 1997's Raw is War tapings.

I'm up to the 2nd week of May and slap bang in the middle of what, for me, was a truly iconic time in the WWF. Austin is so fucking good that McMahon has insisted on giving him about 3 interviews per show and about 20 minutes airtime to talk. He's 100% the hottest wrestler in the company because he's slughtering everyone, even the fans for buying austin 3:16 shirts, and they love him for it.

The Hart Foundation is now at it's peak with Pillman and Neidhart joining the week before and Owen winning the IC title off Maivia, an occurence that will see him become the Rock.

Other than the guys scrambling around the main event though (Mankind, Taker, Austin, Hart Foundation, HBK) there is a whole load of nothing happening. About the most interesting is Shamrock debuting against Vader. Ahmed Johnson is feuding with the Nation (before they were the black nation) and it's really tedious, they've been treading water big time since January and it's not going anywhere. It doesn't matter though as it seems about an hour and a quarter of the 2 hours of Raw are just dominated by the Main Eventers all wanting have a go at one another.

Looking back now, it's easy to see why Austin was the hottest property in Wrestling at that point. All of 1997 when he was in full on tweener mode was just superb stuff building up to the McMahon fued.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

Born and raised in Oban though. They only moved to Canada in the late 80's.

Traitors

[DomDom]

Anyone who has ever doubted Bret Hart on the mic should watch his work in 1997. Not as if he has ever been bad on the mic. Only people who think you must cut 20 minute promos think he wasn't good on the mic. But he excelled in that year.

[djchapsticks]

Anyone who has ever doubted Bret Hart on the mic should watch his work in 1997. Not as if he has ever been bad on the mic. Only people who think you must cut 20 minute promos think he wasn't good on the mic. But he excelled in that year.

Exactly, he got a hard time for stumbling over his words every now and then, but he was churning out 8, 9, 10 minute promos at a time. Two minor backtracks in a promo doesn't make him a bad speaker.

Best thing about him was that, I think a lot of what he was saying was coming straight from his own personal feelings. He wasn't happy the direction WWF was going, he genuinely didn't understand why he was suddenly being booed and he turned those irritations into gold.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

Bret Hart bores me...... Im not saying hes the worst. There have been plenty of guys worse than him.....I just get bored listening to him.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Shuggie_Murray7

[DomDom]

ICW. Wall to wall madness and fun.

Got to meet Toma as well. Knew who it was as soon as I seen him. His band are naw bad. Really liked the first song, wasn't THAT sure on the second, and heard most of the third which I liked. The noise in that hall made my brain want to implode though.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

ICW. Wall to wall madness and fun.

Got to meet Toma as well. Knew who it was as soon as I seen him. His band are naw bad. Really liked the first song, wasn't THAT sure on the second, and heard most of the third which I liked. The noise in that hall made my brain want to implode though.

Don't lie

[Toma_BullyWee]

ICW. Wall to wall madness and fun.

Got to meet Toma as well. Knew who it was as soon as I seen him. His band are naw bad. Really liked the first song, wasn't THAT sure on the second, and heard most of the third which I liked. The noise in that hall made my brain want to implode though.

The second song was rough as arseholes. We couldn't really hear any vocals onstage and the guitars all came together to create this big ugly noise of nothing, so our singer fucked his voice trying to hear himself, and I got lost a few times due to the sheer noise/lack of food and bucky overdose.

Still, it was a good night and well worth it just to see Andy challenge the 8 year old to a square go. Andy would have kicked his c**t in.

[DomDom]

Aye, the last song in particular sounded like one of them songs that get have phrases like "wall of sound" thrown at them. It was pretty ridiculous. I actually really liked the sound of it too. 10/10 for effort to the bassist jumping around like a maddy.

That opening promo was the highlight of the entire night actually. I was laughing like f**k most of the way through it. Especially Lionheart's out of nowhere "is that a fucking pink shirt ?".

You know, Insane Recap #3 is actually gonna be forthcoming. I reckon the greatness deserves to be reviewed.

Edited April 18, 2010 by DomDom

[Toma_BullyWee]

Aye, the last song in particular sounded like one of them songs that get have phrases like "wall of sound" thrown at them. It was pretty ridiculous. I actually really liked the sound of it too. 10/10 for effort to the bassist jumping around like a maddy.

We've just finished a rough demo of that actually. It's on the MySpace if you want to hear how it should sound properly.

www.myspace.com/whatthedeadknow

I didn't notice he had left the stage until I saw our other guitarist leaning against the ring. Strange boys indeed.

[DomDom]

I listened to the songs on there. Was pretty impressed.

[DomDom]

Looks like I'm gonna be skint for the entire second half of 2010.

Dragon Gate UK II

The best thing is clearly Susumu/Shingo II. That first match is as good as any match that has happened in the UK.

[Sir Kevin Of Kilsyth]

TNA Lockdown Area No-Shows - S.Waltman.

Stupit p***k. Gets so many chances.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

TNA Lockdown Area No-Shows - S.Waltman.

Stupit p***k. Gets so many chances.

I'm guessing Doug Williams is a no show too due to being unable to fly out there?