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Wrestling Recap: Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown! (Survivor Series ’05)

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The Date: 27 November 2005
The Venue:  Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, Michigan
The Commentary: Jerry “The King” Lawler, Joey Styles, and Jonathan Coachman (Raw); Michael Cole and Tazz (SmackDown!)
The Referees: Mike Chioda (Raw) and Nick Patrick (SmackDown!)
The Stakes: Traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match for brand supremacy
The Competitors: Team Raw (The Big Show, Carlito, “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters, Kane, and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels), Team SmackDown! (World Heavyweight Champion “The Animal” Batista, John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL, “The Legend Killer” Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio)

The Build-Up:
After what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) following a steady decline, WWF Chairman Vince McMahon essentially made his company the only game in town. Seeking to keep the spirit of competition alive in what became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), McMahon spearheaded the “Brand Split” and separated the WWE’s flagship show, Raw, and secondary broadcast SmackDown! into two distinct brands, with their own belts and pay-per-view events. While Raw and SmackDown! Superstars would interact at the “Big Four” events and have the occasional interpromotional matches, the idea of the two shows battling to decide which was the superior brand didn’t arise until this match. Unsurprisingly, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff fired the first shot, leading his SmackDown! counterpart, Theodore Long, to invade Raw. Following an interpromotional tag team bout at Taboo Tuesday, both General Managers signed off on this match, leading to many brawls between the brands. World Heavyweight Champion Batista even suffered an injury after a Raw attack, while Randy Orton replaced Eddie Guerrero after the latter’s tragic and untimely passing.

The Match:
I was really into WWE at this time, primarily because my family had finally gotten Sky so I could watch SmackDown! Thus, I was pretty biased towards the Blue Brand and rightfully so as they had the better competitors and in-ring action, but Raw was always treated as the bigger show. This sentiment is reflected in the boneheaded decision to have the entire commentary team working this match, leading to distracting arguments between the embittered SmackDown! commentators (who also dominated the commentary as they were the superior duo) and their Raw counterparts, who were outclassed by their impassioned colleagues. Although Batista was eager to start and lead by his example, his concerned teammates convinced him to wait on the apron due to his injured shoulder, leaving upstart Randy Orton to start against Shawn Michaels, who had both upset each other in the build. They shoved each other into opposite corners before the arrogant Orton slapped HBK, prompting Shawn to slap him right back and humble the youngster with a flurry of take downs. As Tazz laid into Styles and the Raw commentary team, Orton worked over HBK for a near fall but missed a knee drop, allowing HBK to tag in Chris Masters. Masters dominated Orton with his bulk, forcing JBL to break up a pin fall and leading Orton to tag in Bobby Lashley. The two big boys charged each other and proved equally unmovable and, though Lashley crashed into the corner off a splash, he fought off the Master Lock and planted Masters with a belly-to-belly suplex. Carlito begged off when Masters forcibly tagged him in, leading Lashley to drill him with a powerslam and send him scrambling to HBK for a tag.

Big men dominated the early portion of this heated clash between the WWE’s two brands.

Shawn showed fearlessly clambered to the top rope and got tossed off and around the ring, and Lashley even planting Carlito with a Dominator when he launched a sneak attack. However, Kane Chokeslammed Lashley as he tried to hit the Dominator on Shawn, allowing HBK to easily pin the big man. Rey Mysterio took over, targeting Shawn’s leg and utilising his speed, only for Kane to again interject himself and allow Masters to take over with a military press. Kane officially tagged in as Cole and Tazz continued to spit venom at their colleagues, finally shutting down Rey’s lightning fast moves with a big boot and a back breaker. When Mysterio kicked out of a cover, Kane applied a bearhug, forced Rey to slip free and tag in the injured Batista. Batista quickly took control with some shoulders to Kane’s ribs and a Spear, blasting the entire Raw team when they rushed the ring, allowing Mysterio to hit Kane with the 619 and get him eliminated off Batista’s patented spinebuster. Though the Big Show immediately retaliated with his massive Chokeslam, Batista kicked out so Kane and the Big Show landed a Double Chokeslam to eliminate the wounded champion. JBL frantically attacked the Big Show, only to be manhandled by the giant’s pure power. Orton and Mysterio distracted the Big Show long enough to leave him prone for the Clothesline from Hell, kicking off a finisher-fest as Rey hit the 619, Orton landed the RKO, JBL hit another Clothesline from Hell, and Rey finally put the big man away with a springboard senton. The match descended into a brawl in and outside the ring, JBL tossing HBK with a Fallaway Slam on the outside and Masters failing to pin Mysterio in the ring. Carlito took over, stomping and choking Rey and slapping on a chinlock when he kicked out of a pin attempt.

Orton captured the win but was confronted by a vengeful Undertaker in the aftermath…

JBL made short work of Carlito after being tagged in, giving SmackDown! the edge. Thanks to another assist from JBL, Mysterio eliminated Masters, leaving the rattled HBK as the last man standing for Raw. Once tossed into the ring, HBK also ate the 619 but spectacularly blasted Mysterio with Sweet Chin Music off a springboard jump and then immediately bested JBL after ducking the Clothesline from Hell and hitting another superkick to even the odds. Orton stalked the exhausted HBK, who dodged an RKO and dived on Orton on the outside. A diving forearm and Shawn’s signature kip up saw HBK go on a flurry that ended with his trademark diving elbow drop. Shawn was too fatigued to make the cover, however, so he tuned up for Sweet Chin Music. Shawn was forced to waste his kill shot on JBL, though, when the spiteful Bradshaw rushed in with a steel chair, allowing Orton to hit the RKO and take the win for SmackDown! and continue his Survivor Series winning streak. As the SmackDown! commentary celebrated and the Raw team ate crow, the SmackDown! Superstars rushed the ring, to congratulate Orton. This was an okay match with some fun spots, but nothing that hasn’t been seen numerous times in similar matches. Even when guys like Lashley and Mysterio got time to shine, the focus was more on the bickering commentary, which really took away from the in-ring action. The match was further overshadowed when an ominous gong echoed, the lights went out, mist filled the aisleway, and chanting druids walked out with a casket, which flew open following a burst of lightning to reveal the returning Undertaker! Looking for revenge after Orton and his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, sealed him in a casket and lit it on fire the previous month, the Undertaker attacked the SmackDown! roster and glared at Orton as he watched, terrified, after fleeing up the rampway.

The Aftermath:
Naturally, this dramatic ending led to another match between Randy Orton and the Undertaker, with the two fighting in a Hell in a Cell match that saw the Undertaker emerge victorious. Orton and Mysterio went on to battle for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22, with Mysterio winning a sadly short triple threat match to start his first, somewhat disastrous run with the big belt. The Big Show and Kane became the World Tag Team Champions and successfully defended the belts against Carlito and Chris Masters at that same event, which also saw JBL capture the United States Championship from Chris Benoit. Bobby Lashley did little of note in the months following this match, though he was in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22, while Shawn Michaels became embroiled in a deeply personal feud with Vince McMahon that ended at that event. Although Raw and SmackDown! continued to compete and trade competitors, they wouldn’t meet in a traditional Survivor Series match again until 2008. The following year, the first Bragging Rights pay-per-view focused on interpromotional matches, though this only lasted two years before it was folded back into the Survivor Series and other cross-promotional pay-per-views.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy this first-ever Survivor Series clash between Raw and SmackDown!? Which show was your favourite at the time? Were you also distracted by the bickering commentary? Did you like that Orton was so successful in Survivor Series matches? Which traditional Survivor Series match is your favourite? Leave a like and tell me what you think in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Survivor Series matches for me to review.

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXVIII)

Dr. K3 Comments

To celebrate the Undertaker’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The Date: 1 April 2012
The Venue: Sun Life Stadium; Miami Gardens, Florida
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jim “J.R.” Ross
The Referee: Shawn Michaels (guest referee)
The Stakes: “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell match

The Build-Up:
Alongside his legendary WrestleMania streak, the Undertaker amassed an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented, and notorious, names. Over the years, the Undertaker crossed paths with “The Game” Triple H many times, clashing during the Ministry of Darkness days, opposing his attempt to dominate the main event scene, and supporting him as his backstage influence grew over time. After defeating Triple H in a hastily thrown together match at WrestleMania X-Seven, the Undertaker impressed with back-to-back WrestleMania bangers with Triple’s D-Generation X buddy, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Indeed, HBK’s doubts that his friend could succeed where he failed turned out to be true when Triple H lost a brutal, show-stealing match against the Undertaker at the otherwise lacklustre WrestleMania XVII that saw both competitors fined for an unprotected chair shot. When the Undertaker returned from a hiatus to demand a WrestleMania rematch, angered that he couldn’t leave the ring under his own power, Triple H initially disregarded HBK’s encouragement to take the match and refused, not wishing to tarnish the Undertaker’s legacy. However, when the Undertaker called Triple H a coward and accused him of living in Shawn’s shadow, the insulted Triple H was goaded into accepting, demanding to face the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. Shawn Michaels. whom the Undertaker had sensationally retired, was later revealed to be the special guest referee for this dramatically billed “End of an Era” match.

The Build-Up:
Living up to his nickname as “Mister WrestleMania,” Shawn Michaels sauntered to the ring first, sadly not rocking his special guest referee ring shorts. Compared to the previous year, Triple H’s entrance was far more lowkey, with him simply passing through a giant, skull-themed archway, while the Undertaker opted to emerge from behind the LED screens surrounded by the usual fog and darkness (though he was rocking an uncharacteristic, shaved head). Like before, the Undertaker and Triple H stood eye-to-eye, extended their staredown to watching the infamous Hell in a Cell lower (to Metallica’s “The Memory Remains”, no less). Once the cell was in place, the two started with a slugfest again; this time, the Undertaker dominated, though Triple H soon fought back after avoiding a corner splash. The Undertaker shut down Triple H’s flurry and tossed him outside, bashing him off the steel steps and tossing him into the mesh cage. A few hard-hitting headbutts and more tosses into the cell kept the Undertaker in control, though a bit of simply choking and whips into the ring steps didn’t hurt either. Although Triple H tried to fight back in the ring, the Undertaker shrugged off his signature knee smash and landed his trademark rope walk strike this time around. Back outside, the Undertaker bashed Triple H “right between the eyes” with the hefty ring steps, shoving them into the ring and continuing the assault as the Game lay prone across the ring apron. A desperation DDT bought Triple H time to regroup and he bashed the Deadman’s face off the steel steps, a trickle of blood on both men’s foreheads, though the Undertaker tossed Triple H off as he tried for a Pedigree on the ring steps.

A far more brutal match than last year, full of emotion and explosive near falls!

After Triple H planted the Undertaker across the steps with a massive spinebuster, he got caught in the “Hell’s Gate” and, in desperation, muscled the Phenom into a powerbomb-like slam for the first near fall. Triple H then grabbed two steel chairs and immediately attacked, stunning the Deadman long enough to drive him into the ring steps set up in the corner. Triple H followed up with more chair strikes to the Undertaker’s spine and gut, attacking so relentlessly that HBK tried to intervene. Refusing to cover the Undertaker, Triple H demanded Shawn force a submission from the battered Undertaker, who refused to stop the match, enraging the Game. After another vile chair shot, Triple H grabbed his trusty sledgehammer, this time refusing to show compassion, and dropped the Phenom with a shot. When the Undertaker kicked out, Shawn took the sledgehammer from his friend to spare the Undertaker further harm but hesitated to “end it” by calling for the bell. To keep the match going, the Undertaker slapped the Hell’s Gate onto him, earning him another shot from the sledgehammer. When Triple H went for another shot, the Undertaker kicked him in the balls and applied Hell’s Gate again, repeating the end of their last match and causing Triple H to pass out. However, with Shawn still down and referee Charles Robinson struggling to enter the cell, the match continued, but the Game unexpectedly kicked out after being hit with a Chokeslam. Furious, the Undertaker took Robinson out with a Chokeslam and tried for the Tombstone Piledriver, only to be hit by HBK’s Sweet Chin Music, drilled with the Pedigree…and to kick out at two!! Like J.R, the King, and Michael Cole, the audience were at aghast and amazed at that, perhaps the greatest false finish in wrestling history, and Triple H tossed HBK from the ring in frustration.

The Undertaker’s brutal assault ended the match but all three left as peers.

Empowered by a sudden burst of energy, the Undertaker hit his patented Snake Eyes/Big Boot/Leg Drop combination and dropped Triple H with the Tombstone Piledriver. The crowd erupted once more when Triple H kicked out and even Shawn was an emotional wreck from the scintillating action. The Undertaker and Triple H exchanged blows as they struggled up, much to the delight of the captivated fans, though Triple H emerged victorious with a Pedigree…which the Undertaker again kicked out of! Exhausted, the Undertaker stumbled towards a steel chair as Triple H reclaimed his sledgehammer, smacking the chair into Triple H’s face and gut and across his spine. Ignoring HBK’s pleas, the Undertaker continued his assault, frustrated that Triple H continued to kick out, echoing Triple H last year by yelling at him to “Stay down!” Refusing to quit, Triple H taunted the Undertaker with a crotch chop and earned himself a shot to the face with his sledgehammer. Like HBK before him, the stubborn Triple H pulled himself up using the Undertaker’s tights only to be dropped and ultimately defeated with a horrendous Tombstone Pildedriver. Relieved to see the match end, Shawn Michaels helped the Undertaker up so he could celebrate his twentieth WrestleMania win. Out of respect for his tenacious foe, the Undertaker helped HBK get Triple H to his feet and the three embraced, basking in the adulation and respect of the crowd, as the “era” finally came to an end. Although the competitors didn’t use the Hell in a Cell as much as I’d like, this was a far better match than last year’s thanks to the added emotion offered by Shawn Michaels. I liked that many spots from their previous match were repeated with a twist, and Triple H’s increased ruthlessness really sold how desperate he was to win. That Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combo may be one of wrestling’s greatest moments and, in hindsight, this might’ve been better served as the final match for both competitors. While it’s maybe a touch too long, I liked how much more action-packed and emotionally charged the narrative was and would definitely recommend this one over the WrestleMania VII match.

The Aftermath:
Largely seen as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, this match really was the “End of an Era” in many ways as both men went their separate ways after this. Triple H got into a heated and ultimately controversial feud with the returning Brock Lesnar while the Undertaker eventually returned to the ring for an emotionally charged WrestleMania showdown with the disrespectful CM Punk. Of course, this wouldn’t be the last time that the Undertaker shared the ring with Triple H as they tangled for the “Last Time Ever” at the 2018 Super Show-Down in a very poorly received match that saw the Game emerge victorious. As bad as that was, however, things got even worse when the Undertaker teamed with his psychotic brother, Kane, to fight Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a tag team match so infamous that even the Undertaker was embarrassed about it.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Do you think the third time was the charm for the Undertaker and Triple H? Were you also disappointed by how little the Hell in a Cell was used? Did you think the Streak was over after that Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combination? In hindsight, do you think this should’ve been the end of all three men’s in-ring careers? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this month? What dream match would you have liked to see him compete in? Share your thoughts below, check out my other reviews Undertaker matches, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest others for me to cover.

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXVII)

Dr. K1 Comment

To celebrate the Undertaker’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The Date: 3 April 2011
The Venue: Georgia Dome; Atlanta, Georgia
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Scott Armstrong
The Stakes: No Holds Barred match

The Build-Up:
Over his legendary career, the Undertaker amassed an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented and notorious names and earned the greatest winning streak in wrestling history with 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. After two highly celebrated back-to-back WrestleMania bouts with “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels ended with HBK retiring, the Undertaker found himself tangling with Shawn’s D-Generation X running buddy, Triple H. Previously, the two were randomly thrown together for a decent match at WrestleMania X-Seven; this time, they issued a silent challenge after returning to the ring around the same time. Interestingly, Shawn Michaels questioned whether “The Game” could succeed where he had failed and, though he paid the price for trying to attack the Undertaker, HBK expressed doubts in his friend’s ability. A decorated veteran who had both dominated the main event scene and transitioned to a position of backstage power, Triple H firmly believed he was the best person to break the Undertaker’s celebrated winning streak. However, the two had little interaction prior to the match as it was sold on the spectacle of pitting them against each other more than anything.

The Match:
While the Undertaker is known for his overly long and dramatic WrestleMania entrances, Triple H is equally notorious for eating a lot of airtime with an elaborate entrance, though WrestleMania XXVII’s was a bit of an odd one. The Game was initially flanked by shield-bearers, draped in a regal cloak, garbed in his skull mask and helmet, and accompanied by Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. This was only an interlude, however, as Triple H switched to his ring gear after a brief blackout and stormed to the ring as normal, strangely ditching his “King of Kings” persona and any mind games the Metallica track might’ve played. Similarly, the Undertaker opted to simply rise from billowing smoke as simulated rain peppered the LED screens, though he was sporting a particularly fetching trenchcoat. The two went nose-to-nose prior to the bell and wasted no time getting into a slugfest once the bell rang, with Triple H briefly pummelling the Undertaker in the corner before being tossed over the top rope. Triple H continued to hammer the Undertaker on the outside until being sent into the ring steps, though the Game saved himself from being driven through the announce table by tackling the Deadman through Michael Cole’s special plexiglass cube. Having asserted his dominance, Triple H challenged the Undertaker to continue their fist fight, with the Undertaker knocking the Game down with a flying clothesline. After briefly softening Triple H’s arm, the Undertaker went for his signature rope walk only to be jerked off the top rope by his opponent. Triple H followed up by clotheslining the Undertaker back to the outside but got dumped to the floor when he tried to Pedigree the Phenom through the other announce table and then crushed when the Undertaker launched himself over the top rope and crashed into him from the ring!

Triple H relentlessly attacked the Undertaker, even bashing him in the head with a steel chair!

Though both men were exhausted from this, Triple H frantically escaped a Tombstone Piledriver onto the steel steps. However, when the Undertaker charged at the Game, the Deadman was driven through the announce table courtesy of Triple H’s trademark spinebuster. Although he struggled to stay upright in the ring, the Undertaker scored the first near fall off a Chokeslam. After mounting a comeback with some corner punches, Triple H slipped out of a Last Ride attempt, ate the Snake Eyes, but countered the Undertaker’s follow-up big boot with another spinebuster to get his first near fall. To even the odds, the Undertaker repeatedly smashed a steel chair over Triple H’s back, earning him a Pedigree out of nowhere! When the Deadman kicked out right before the three count, Triple H tried for a superplex and got nailed with the Last Ride, desperately getting his shoulder up at the last second. Angered and frustrated, the Undertaker drilled Triple H with the Tombstone Piledriver…only to be incensed when the Game still kicked out! The Undertaker was so enraged that he teased hitting a Tombstone Piledriver onto the steel chair, only for Triple H to squirm free and plant the Deadman with a DDT to that same chair! Though they both struggled up, Triple H nailed another Pedigree, but his lackadaisical cover all-but ensured that the Undertaker kicked out at two. Triple H then exploded when the Undertaker kicked out of another Pedigree immediately after! Thus, the Game demolished the Deadman with the steel chair, repeatedly smashing it over his spine until the chair was a mangled mess. Enraged when the Undertaker continued to stir and ignored his orders to “Stay down!!”, Triple H floored the Phenom with a shot to the head but was consumed by a mixture of awe, despair, and anger when the Undertaker struggled up, seemingly torn between his desire to win and his respect for his opponent.

Despite repeated finishers and collapsing after the match, the Phenom was victorious.

Refusing to die, the Undertaker tried for a Chokeslam, only to be too weak to follow through. Punch drunk, barely standing, the Undertaker demanded the fight continue, only for Triple H to drill him with his own Tombstone Piledriver. However, Triple H recoiled in stunned disbelief when the Undertaker kicked out at the last second. In desperation, Triple H retrieved his trusty sledgehammer from under the ring, only to get caught in the “Hell’s Gate” submission. Trapped in the middle of the ring, with the useless ropes far out of reach, Triple H frantically reached for his sledgehammer, only to fade from the pain and reluctantly submit right as he passed out. Although the Undertaker was treated to a massive fireworks display for continuing his unprecedented winning streak, the Deadman lay prone and exhausted on the canvas in the aftermath as a limping, distraught Triple H looked on. Even J.R. and the King were in silence as the referee and medics checked on the Undertaker, who collapsed on the outside and needed to be carried out on a stretcher. This was a bit of a stretch (no pun intended) for me as I’ve seen the Undertaker endure worse beatings before, so the idea that a few Pedigrees and chair shots would be enough to leave him in such a state is a bit difficult to believe. The entire match was built around the idea that Triple H was a ruthless opponent the likes of which the Deadman had never fought, though even this was undercut by the Game’s reluctance to hurt him. I liked that they utilised the No Holds Barred rule to incorporate the steel chair and some hardcore brawling, but I still think there could’ve been more of this and that Triple H should’ve been utterly remorseless. This would’ve forced the Undertaker to fight defensively and out of desperation and sold Triple H as a relentless foe, one who only realised how far he’d gone when the Undertaker collapsed at the end. Overall, it was a decent match more about Triple H’s ego than anything and therefore failed to match HBK’s similar efforts from previous years.

The Aftermath:
Regarded as a brutal, show-stealer of a match at an otherwise lacklustre WrestleMania, this match saw both competitors fined for violating company policy with an unprotected chair shot. As was tradition at the time, the Undertaker took a long hiatus following his win, both to prepare for his next bout and to sell the idea that Triple H had taken him to (and past) his limit. While the Undertaker was gone, Triple H took over as Chief Operating Office (COO) and ended up fighting his old friend Kevin Nash in a bizarre storyline that derailed CM Punk’s championship run. After recovering from a fractured vertebrae and settling his issues with Kevin Nash in a ladder match, of all things, Triple H was confronted by the returning Undertaker, who demanded a WrestleMania rematch after he failed to leave the match under his own power. After Triple H refused as he didn’t want to tarnish the Undertaker’s legacy and HBK advised him to avoid another match with the Deadman, the Undertaker mocked Triple H, accusing him of being a coward who lives in Shawn’s shadow. This angered Triple H enough to not just accept the rematch but also demand they fight in a Hell in a Cell match. Shawn Michaels was then drafted as the special guest referee and the two fought in what Triple H claimed was one of his favourite matches, the theatrically named and highly regarded “End of an Era” match, at WrestleMania XXVIII.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy the Undertaker’s second WrestleMania match with Triple H? How do you think it compares to their previous WrestleMania match? Were you surprised to see a chair shot to the head included? Did you think that Triple H was going to win at the time? Do you agree that it was a bit of a stretch to pretend like the Undertaker was taken to his limit? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches of his? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below, go check out my reviews of other Undertaker matches, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest others!

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. HBK (WrestleMania XXVI)

Dr. K3 Comments

To celebrate the Undertaker’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The Date: 28 March 2010
The Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium; Glendale, Arizona
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Matt Striker
The Referee: Charles Robinson
The Stakes: No Disqualification Streak vs. Career grudge match

The Build-Up:
The Undertaker earned his status as a bona fide wrestling legend by the amassing an unprecedented WrestleMania winning streak (21 wins between 1991 and 2013) and sharing the ring with a smorgasbord of wrestling’s biggest names. One of the Undertaker’s most notable foes was “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, formally a prima donna who (in cahoots with his “Kliq” buddies) greatly influenced World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chairman Vince McMahon back in the day. In the past, the Undertaker and HBK made history with the first-ever Hell in a Cell match and ’Taker was ready to beat Shawn if he didn’t do business. However, the two stole the show with their iconic WrestleMania 25 clash, which came some time after Shawn’s unexpected comeback and personal growth and was regarded by the Undertaker as his best match. However, when HBK challenged the Undertaker to a rematch at the 2009 Slammy Awards, the Deadman (then the World Heavyweight Champion) refused as he believed he had nothing to prove to either himself or Shawn Michaels. HBK became obsessed with getting another shot at the Streak and, after he failed to legitimately earn a shot at the Undertaker’s championship by winning the 2010 Royal Rumble match, the desperate HBK cost the Undertaker the World title at Elimination Chamber. Enraged, the Undertaker was goaded into accepting a rematch, however he demanded not only that it be a no disqualification bout but that HBK’s legendary career would also be at stake, which HBK happily agreed to out of sheer pride.

The Match:
Although Shawn Michaels was still rocking white-hued gear for this match, he ditched the angelic attire and entrance for his more traditional, rambunctious jaunt to the ring, presenting himself as a man so determined to defeat the Undertaker that he’ll retire if he fails. Similarly, while the Undertaker again rose from the stage and was bathed in darkness and strobe lights, the Deadman’s entrance was noticeably lowkey for a WrestleMania, with him simply stalking to the ring and glaring at HBK, who again showed no fear and not only stared right back but even mocked his signature throat cut taunt. Like last time, the match started with a slugfest, with HBK using his speed and knife edge chops to lay into the Undertaker. This time, the Undertaker shrugged off the attack and landed his Snake Eyes/Big Boot combo early, crashing into HBK with a corner splash and nailing his signature rope. However, not only did HBK slip out of a Chokeslam, but the Undertaker seemed to tweak his knee on the landing, giving HBK a target. The Phenom lashed out like a wounded animal and tried to end things early with a Tombstone Piledriver, only for the rabid HBK to desperately go for the Crippler Crossface and kick at the Undertaker’s damaged knee. Shawn worked the knee with stomps in the corner, constantly shutting down the Undertaker’s enraged punches by going low and ending up dumped to the outside as a result. When the Undertaker geared up for his suicide dive, HBK took him down with a shoulder tackle to the knee but again got sent outside when he tried for the Figure Four Leglock. The Undertaker followed, noticeably limping, ramming HBK spine-first into a ring post and dropping his patented leg drop across the ring apron.

The desperate HBK pulled out all the stops to cut the Deadman down and soften him up for the pin.

However, once back in the ring, the Undertaker got caught in a Figure Four, forced to endure the pain and avoid a pinning predicament, before eventually reversing the hold. After the two traded strikes again, HBK reeling from the Undertaker’s massive shots, Shawn landed his flying forearm but got planted with a massive Chokeslam after he kipped up for a near fall. HBK squirmed out of a Tombstone Piledriver and caught the Undertaker in the Ankle Lock before transitioning to a grapevine variant for a two count, the Undertaker frantically kicking HBK’s face to get free. Shawn then clotheslined the Undertaker over the ropes but got caught in mid-air off a moonsault and planted with a Tombstone Piledriver on the outside! However, the Undertaker got distracted attacking a concerned medic and was too slow tossing HBK in the ring for a cover, so he tried for the Last Ride…only for HBK to counter into a facebuster for a two count. Eager to capitalise, Shawn’s ribs got messed up when the Undertaker countered his signature diving elbow drop, though HBK impressively flipped through the “Hell’s Gate” to try for a pinfall. Shawn then followed up by hitting a surprise Sweet Chin Music for a near fall, leading a frustrated HBK to tune up a second shot from the corner. The Undertaker clumsily countered the superkick with the Last Ride for another super close two count, much to the Deadman’s frustration and awe. After being unceremoniously tossed to the outside, Shawn was helpless as the Undertaker stripped the announce table. However, he scurried out of a Last Ride attempt and left the Phenom prone across the table with Sweet Chin Music. HBK then clambered to the top rope and smashed the Undertaker through the table with moonsault that barely hit its target and left both men winded amidst the debris.

Despite his best efforts, HBK’s career ended at the hands of the hobbled Undertaker.

Frantic, determined to win, HBK desperately forced the hobbled Undertaker into the ring and scored with Sweet Chin Music once more…for a two count! When HBK went for it again, the Undertaker answered with a huge Chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver, only for Shawn to kick out right before the three count, much to the amazement of the crowd and the anger of the Undertaker. Barely standing, the Undertaker dropped his straps but, at the last second, pleaded with his opponent to stay down. Too stubborn or prideful to quit, Shawn clawed his way up using the Undertaker’s tights, mocked him with a taunt, and defiantly slapped him in the face. Incensed, the Undertaker abandoned his brief moment of pity and drilled HBK with a jumping Tombstone Piledriver to score the victory, bringing Shawn Michaels’ historic career to a close and the Undertaker to 18-0 at WrestleMania. After celebrating his win, the limping Undertaker helped Shawn to his feet to voice his respect. They shook hands and hugged and the Undertaker left the ring so an emotional HBK could bask in the overwhelming response from the raucous crowd. This match addressed a few issues I had with the last one, namely that the Undertaker’s weakened leg played a greater role in the narrative, with him limping, stumbling, and falling about from HBK’s attack. A lot of the match beats were the same but sped up, and the two didn’t take advantage of the no disqualification rule to implement weapons, which was strange. The emotional hook of the match was palpable and there was a sense that HBK was desperate to win, but I would’ve liked to see him doing more to achieve victory, such as attacking the Undertaker with chairs or whatever. People always like to compare this to their WrestleMania 25 bout, and I do think that one has a slight edge, though there’s not much in it to alter my rating. Still, a fitting send-off for HBK, even if it didn’t live up to its full potential.

The Aftermath:
To celebrate the end of his illustrious career, Shawn Michaels came out to the ring the next night on Raw to deliver an impassioned speech. In it, he talked about his career and thanked those who had supported him throughout it, specifically the fans, Vince McMahon, Triple, and long-time rival Bret “The Hitman” Hart. The whole episode was a tribute to Shawn and the Undertaker even made an appearance at the end, silently tipping his hat to HBK as a sign of respect. Following this, HBK was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and mostly stuck to his retirement, making the odd appearance on Raw, before finally returning to the ring as the special guest referee for the “End of an Era” match between Triple H and the Undertaker. Immediately following WrestleMania XXVII, the Undertaker took a hiatus. When he returned, he suffered a horrific injury and was said to be left in a “vegetative state” by an unknown attacker, soon revealed to be his twisted brother, Kane. After suffering decisive losses to his brother, the Undertaker made a dramatic return, silently agreeing to a WrestleMania rematch with Triple H, who made it his business to pick up where HBK left off. Though HBK tried to give Triple H the edge in the aforementioned “End of an Era” match, all three men embraced as equals by the finale and infamously shared the ring in a disastrous tag team match at the 2018 Crown Jewel. Following this universally mocked travesty, HBK settled into a backstage role as a trainer and producer for the NXT developmental brand, ironically placing the so-called “degenerate” as one of the WWE’s principal corporate figureheads.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to the Undertaker’s rematch with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXVI? How do you think it compares against their previous WrestleMania match? Did you like the focus on the Undertaker’s injured leg? Were you also disappointment by the lack of weapons and ringside brawling? Do you think this was a fitting final match for HBK? How are you celebrating the Undertaker this month, what are some of your favourite matches and moments of his? Whatever you thought about this match, leave a comment below, check out my other Undertaker content, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest an Undertaker match for me to review in the future.

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. HBK (WrestleMania 25)

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To celebrate the Undertaker’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

The Date: 5 April 2009
The Venue: Reliant Stadium; Houston, Texas
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jim “J.R.” Ross
The Referee: Marty Elias
The Stakes: Singles match with the Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak on the line

The Build-Up:
Over his decorated career in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the Undertaker amassed the greatest winning streak in wrestling history – 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013 – and battled a who’s-who of the biggest names in wrestling. One of his most notable adversaries was “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, once one of the biggest prima donnas in the industry who (alongside his “Kliq” buddies) held a great deal of sway over WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. The Undertaker and HBK battled on and off throughout the 1990s, making history in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match. Some time after his dramatic comeback and notable character change, HBK was embroiled in a bizarre feud with John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL after finding himself low on cash, which was the background to Shawn challenging the Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak. After defeating both JBL and Vladimir Kozlov, Shawn earned the right to battle the Undertaker at what was billed as WrestleMania’s 25th anniversary, with HBK attacking the Deadman after they teamed up on Raw. The two engaged in a war of words, with HBK expressing his respect but lack of fear towards the Undertaker and backing this up by never flinching when the Undertaker employed his signature spooky gimmicks. HBK even donned white attire that mirrored the Undertaker’s and cast himself, as a born again Christian, as the natural contrast to the Phenom’s darkness, establishing both men as uncompromising forces of nature heading into the match.

The Match:
This contrast of light and dark continued at WrestleMania 25, with Shawn Michaels descending from the heavens in his white attire while the Undertaker ascended from the stage, surrounded by lightning and flames. The visual of the two legends in the ring was enough to elicit a near-deafening buzz from the crowd, who watched with anticipation as the two danced around each other and exchanged strikes in the early going, with HBK using his speed to dodge the Undertaker’s reach and landing chops and forearm shots. The Undertaker quickly asserted himself, catching HBK’s fist and launching him into (and over) the corner, only for Shawn to pounce upon the Deadman after feigning a knee injury. Annoyed, the Undertaker overpowered Shawn and unleashed a flurry in the corner, finally dropping HBK and taking control of the match. Shawn weathered the assault and continued to fire back with knife-edge chops, only to be turned upside down off an Irish whip into the far corner and a back body drop. The Undertaker showcased his incredible strength with a military press slam and scored a one count off a running elbow before focusing on Shawn’s left arm, wearing him down for his signature rope walk. Wily as ever, HBK dodged at the last second when the Undertaker went for a running big boot, leaving the Deadman hung up in the corner, then targeted the Phenom’s left knee to chop the big man down. The crowd erupted as HBK applied the Figure Four Leglock to further punish the Undertaker’s leg, scoring a quick one count but eventually releasing the hold when the Undertaker punched him in the face.

The back-and-forth action almost ended in disaster when the Undertaker went for a suicide dive!

While HBK continued to target the knee, the Undertaker fell back on pure power, muscling Shawn into the corner for another beat down but noticeably hobbling as he landed a couple of body splashes and his signature Snake Eyes/Big Boot combination. The follow-up leg drop scored the first two count of the match and, frustrated, the Deadman called for a Chokeslam. Shawn surprisingly countered with a Crippler Crossface, maintaining the hold even as the Undertaker desperately rolled into a pinning predicament and powered up. The Deadman bought a reprieve and earned a near fall off a side slam and the two went back to exchanging blows, with the Undertaker getting madder with each strike. HBK exploded off the ring ropes for his trademark forearm shot and leapt to his feet, landing two inverted atomic drops and dropping the Phenom with a running clothesline. Even when the Undertaker snatched him out of mid-air as he went for his patented top rope elbow drop, HBK countered with a low kick and tried for the Figure Four again, only to end up the Undertaker’s “Hell’s Gate” hold! After HBK scrambled to the ropes to break the hold, the competitors tumbled outside, where the Undertaker bashed HBK’s face off the ring steps, only to miss his apron leg drop, further damaging his leg. Shawn followed up with a baseball slide but crashed and burned off a moonsault to the outside, giving the Undertaker time to catch his breath. As Shawn struggled to his feet and refused to quit, the Undertaker flew over the ropes with a suicide dive and damn-near killed himself when the “cameraman” failed to catch him! Desperate to buy the Undertaker time to recover and win by any means necessary, HBK dragged the referee into the ring to begin a ten count, only for the Deadman to (eventually) roll back into the ring, much to Shawn’s utter dismay.

The two traded finishers near the end, but it was the Deadman who came out on top.

Enraged, HBK tried for Sweet Chin Music, only to get hit with a Chokeslam and barely kick out at two! However, after slipping out of a Tombstone Piledriver and shrugging off another Chokeslam attempt, Shawn finally hit his signature super kick, only to take too long making the cover and for the Undertaker to kick out. After a defiant kip up, Shawn almost got nailed with the Last Ride, only to squirm out of it and attempt a cover, which the Undertaker reversed to finally drill HBK with his massive powerbomb…for a two count! Incensed and amazed, the noticeably groggy Undertaker uncharacteristically climbed the top rope, only to eat the canvas when HBK dodged his diving elbow drop. After both struggled up, Shawn got dropped with a Tombstone Piledriver after attempting a headscissor from the ring ropes. Unbelievably, HBK kicked out just before three, much to the distraught Deadman’s chagrin. The Undertaker dropped the straps and did his signature throat cut taunt to signal a second Tombstone Piledriver, only for HBK to desperately counter with a DDT. Shawn followed up with his diving elbow drop and summoned all his strength for another Sweet Chin Music…and another heart-stopping two count! Both men clutched at each other and returned to throwing strikes, barely able to stand and being equally matched and stubborn. Though HBK fought out of another Tombstone attempt and countered a running corner splash, his luck ran out when he went for a Moonsault and got caught in mid-air and drilled with a Tombstone Piledriver, giving the Undertaker his seventeenth WrestleMania win. I really enjoyed the story being told here of the tenacity and pig-headedness of both men, who refused to quit or stay down and kept finding the will to continue. I also liked that it wasn’t just a finisher- or spot-fest and that they sold their biggest shots as potential match enders and grew increasingly frustrated and desperate when their opponent somehow kicked out. However, it’s a shame all that focus on wearing down the arm and leg didn’t factor into the end that much.

The Aftermath:
Widely regarded by many, including the Undertaker, as one of the best matches of either man, this bout was listed as WWE’s greatest WrestleMania match of all time, and it’s easy to see why (even with that botched dive). Following their gruelling contest, both men took four months off to recuperate. When Shawn Michaels returned later that year, he re-formed D-Generation X with his long-time friend Triple H and got into it with the upstart Legacy faction while the Undertaker distracted himself capturing CM Punk’s World Heavyweight Championship in a Hell in a Cell match. At the 2009 Slammy Awards, the WrestleMania 25 match won “Best Match of the Year”, prompting HBK to challenge the Undertaker to a rematch. When the Deadman turned down the challenge, believing he had proved himself the superior, HBK became obsessed with getting another shot at the Streak. After he failed to win the 2010 Royal Rumble match and legitimately earn a shot at the Undertaker’s championship, HBK cost the Deadman the World title at Elimination Chamber, finally goading the Undertaker into a rematch but with one caveat: HBK’s star-studded career would also be on the line!

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Did you enjoy the Undertaker’s captivating match with Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25? How would you rate it against the Undertaker’s other WrestleMania matches? Do you think the botched dive ruined the match? Did you think that HBK would break the Streak at the time? Which match between the two is your favourite and how do you think this compares to the follow-up bout? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments of his? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below, go check out my other Undertaker match reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest an Undertaker match you’d like me to cover.

Wrestling Recap: Kane vs. Austin (King of the Ring ’98)

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The Date: 28 June 1998
The Venue:  Civic Arena; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: First blood match for the WWF Championship and Kane’s life!

The Build-Up:
The day after my twelfth birthday (and clashing with Global James Bond Day), on October 5th 1997, Glenn Jacobs made a dramatic debut as Kane, the scarred, monstrous younger half-brother of the Undertaker. Following this, Kane ran wild throughout the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF), attacking everyone in a bid to force his reluctant brother to face him in the ring. Eventually, the Undertaker acquiesced, leading to two defeats for the Big Red Machine. However, on 1 June 1998, Kane defeated the Undertaker on Raw is War to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship, the company’s top prize, which was held by the phenomenonal “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. At the time, Austin was embroiled with an industry-defining feud with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, refusing to confirm to Vince’s demands and openly defying the chairman’s authority with a brazen attitude. After repeatedly fending off Vince’s misguided stooge, Dude Love, Austin faced a physical threat like no other when Kane challenged him to this “First Blood” match. Speaking for the first time via a voice modulator, Kane drenched Austin with a blood bath and raised the stakes of the match by promising to immolate himself if he didn’t win the title!

The Match:
I think Kane said it best when he once stated that few people remember him winning the WWF Championship on this night thanks to the absolute war the Undertaker and Mankind enacted in the previous match! They didn’t even put a match between the Hell in a Cell and the main event to cool the audience down! I always remember it, though, since I was such a huge Kane fan back in the day and it saw him capture the WWF’s biggest prize from their most successful superstar, and all so soon after his initial debut. Proving that he isn’t some muscle-bound meathead, Kane sported a new attire for this match that completely covered every part of his body, making it seem all-but impossible that any trace of blood could be detected by the referee. Austin fearlessly stormed to the ring, his right arm heavily bandaged following a staph infection, and immediately hit his signature Lou Thesz Press and running elbow drop. Austin then clobbered Kane with the championship belt and removed a turnbuckle pad, though neither man could take advantage of the exposed bolt. Kane quickly ended Austin’s onslaught with some powerful strikes and chokes, shrugging off Austin’s blows but failing to hit the Tombstone Piledriver and being pushed outside. As they brawled around the ring, Austin bounced Kane’s face off the ring steps and the Hell in a Cell started to lower, much to J.R.’s anger. After whipping Austin into the steel steps, Kane ran him into the lowering cage and tried to crush Austin under the cell as it locked into position. Austin’s face bounced off the cage once more and J.R. quickly explained that the minor scratch on the Rattlesnake’s back wouldn’t count towards the match stipulation, allowing Kane’s decimation of the champion to continue. Austin began a comeback by ramming Kane’s head into the cell door, leading to Kane being lifted off the ground when the cage inexplicably rose! After a nasty tumble, Kane was repeatedly rammed into the security guardrail and walked up the entrance ramp, only for Austin to take an ugly back body drop to the concrete and a suplex on the rampway.

Despite a dominating performance, Kane didn’t look like a winner by the end of this mediocre match.

Kane smashed Austin’s head off a light and tossed a security railing at his head as McMahon watched anxiously from his luxury skybox. Austin brought the action back to the ring and finally bashed Kane’s head off that exposed ring bolt, choking him on the ropes and then taking him back outside to smash him over the head with an electrical fan. A touch more brawling led to Earl Hebner being taken out when Kane choke-tossed Austin at the railing. Kane then nailed his Diving Clothesline, though Austin countered a second attempt and stomped on Kane in the corner. This led to Mankind (somehow still not dead) inexplicably running in with a steel chair, though he never got a chance to use it as Austin quickly fought him off and planted him with a Stone Cold Stunner. This distraction allowed Kane to recover, though Austin booted Kane in the balls when he went for a Chokeslam and blasted him with a Stone Cold Stunner as well. J.R. just about had a coronary when the Undertaker came limping out to swing a steel chair at Mankind, but blasted Austin when Foley dodged the shot. The Undertaker clobbered Kane and Mankind and manhandled the referee back into the ring, reviving him with one of the gasoline cans, only to be smacked from behind by Kane. Austin frantically fought Kane off and damn near took his head off with a chair shot, but it was ultimately academic as Austin was bleeding profusely from the Undertaker’s chair shot! Thus, the unconscious Kane was declared the winner and a stunned, bloody Austin was left arguing with the referee. It would’ve been tough for any match to top the Hell in a Cell that preceded this one, but this match lacked a lot of energy. It told a good story of Austin being physically dominated by Kane, who clearly had the upper hand and allowed Austin to be a scrappy underdog, but there wasn’t much to this one. The ending has always irked me as it seemed like the Undertaker didn’t mean to hit Austin, yet he revived the referee to help Kane win, despite the two still attacking each other. Kane also looked pretty weak in the end as he was flat on his back when he was announced as the winner.

The Aftermath:
While many people might remember King of the Ring 1998 more for the brutal Hell in a Cell match, a greater and far less impressive footnote came out of the match as Austin confronted Kane over his tainted victory the very next night on Raw is War, challenging him to be a man and grant him a rematch. Austin won the match, regaining the championship and ending Kane’s title reign at around twenty-four hours, and all because the WWF had booked themselves into a corner with the ludicrous immolation stipulation! Still, Kane and Austin continued to feud into July, where the Undertaker and Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to become WWF Tag Team Champions. After defeating the Undertaker at SummerSlam, Austin was pinned by both Brothers of Destruction at Breakdown: In Your House, leading to the title being vacated and Austin being fired at Judgment Day: In Your House when he referred a match between the two and it ended in a no contest. This led to the infamous “Deadly Game” tournament at Survivor Series, where the Rock captured his first WWF Championship and the escalation of Austin’s war with the McMahons. As for Kane, it would take ten years for him to win another World Championship when he captured the revived Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) title at WrestleMania XXIV, and twelve years before he became a WWE Champion again, with him finally besting his brother in a heated rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2010 Bragging Rights event.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Kane’s anti-climactic title win at King of the Ring 1998? Were you surprised when Kane won or did you really think he was going to set himself on fire? Do you think it was a mistake to air this match after the Hell in the Cell match? What did you think to Kane dropping the title the very next night? How are you celebrating Kane’s debut this year? What are some of your favourite matches and moments from Kane’s long and complex career? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below to let me know what you think about Kane, and go support me on Ko-Fi.

Wrestling Recap: Rock vs. Lesnar (SummerSlam ’02)

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The Date: 25 August 2002
The Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; Uniondale, New York
The Commentary: Michael Cole and Tazz
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: Singles match for the Undisputed Championship

The Build-Up:
By 2002, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was in a state of flux. After their main rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), went out of business and the company was purchased by Vince McMahon, an ill-fated “Invasion” angle saw WCW superstars appear on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) programming. Once this storyline was abruptly ended, the WWF was legally forced to rebrand as WWE and, to keep the spirit of competition alive, the first-ever “brand split” occurred. This meant WWE Superstars and championship belts would be exclusive to either Raw or SmackDown!, with each brand favouring a different presentation (Raw focused more on storylines while SmackDown! focused on in-ring wrestling). Despite this, there was still one top prize in the company, the WWE Undisputed Championship, which “The People’s Champion”, the Rock, had captured the previous month. In a first for the WWE, the Rock’s SummerSlam challenger was decided at the annual King of the Ring tournament, which was won by newcomer Brock Lesnar. Debuting the night after WrestleMania X-8 and embarking on a tear, the monstrous Lesnar was an accomplished amateur wrestler and champion who quickly made a name for himself by decimating his opponents. Coined “The Next Big Thing” by his agent, Paul Heyman, Lesnar went unpinned following his debut and even made short work of the legendary Hulk Hogan on his path to the championship. After winning the King of the Ring, Lesnar immediately targeted the Rock, interfering in his matches and engaging in brawls, and much of the build-up for the match emphasised the training and conditioning the two were undergoing in preparation for it.

The Match:
I remember when Brock Lesnar first debuted, decimating opponents with powerbombs and his sick-ass F-5. At the time, I was somewhat unimpressed; he just looked like a generic big guy, after all. He rarely spoke (and, when he did, he sounded awful), and he didn’t have the same aura or charisma as, say, Batista, who debuted around the same time. Yet, I remember being very surprised when Lesnar won the King of the Ring and was catapulted to this main event match and I have to at least give the WWE credit for actually trying to push new stars in the main event scene. While the audience was in relative awe of Lesnar during his entrance, the Rock’s initial pop was soon joined by a chorus of boos since everyone knew he was leaving to film The Scorpion King (Russell, 2002). Yet, undeterred, the Rock sprinted out to kick off a slugfest with his monstrous young challenger. With the crowd chanting “Rocky sucks!”, Lesnar shut down the Rock’s flurry with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and repeated backbreakers, scoring a couple of two counts. Targeting the Rock’s already injured ribs, Lesnar repeatedly drove his shoulder into the Rock’s gut in the corner and then punted him out of the ring, where Heyman landed a cheap shot to the champion. Lesnar followed, knocking the Rock over the barricade and muscling him into it before the braying crowd. Back in the ring, Lesnar landed an overhead throw for another two count and Heyman tripped the Rock as he mounted a comeback, leading to the champion being stomped and choked on the canvas. A powerslam shut down another Rock comeback, who continued to be berated by the extremely vocal crowd as Lesnar worked the ribs. This eventually cost him when the Rock caused Lesnar to hit the ring post and, after both leapt to their feet and Lesnar challenged the Rock to knock him down, the Rock scored his first two count off a DDT. The Rock decked Heyman and then tied Lesnar into a Sharpshooter (to a sea of boos), but Heyman tossed a chair into the ring. With the referee distracted, Lesnar drove the chair into the Rock’s injured ribs and slapped on the bearhug that “retired” Hulk Hogan. Much to the chagrin of the crowd, the Rock fought out of the hold, hitting a low blow when the referee was distracted (to yet more boos!)

Lesnar’s dominating performance saw the monstrous youngster capture his first WWE Championship.

Lesnar quickly recovered, though, muscling the Rock into the corner, only to get dropped by a massive clothesline and smacked out of the ring. Visibly pissed by the crowd’s apathy and boos, the Rock tore apart the Spanish announce table, slamming Heyman face-first into it and absolutely launching Lesnar into the ring post! This gave the Rock the chance to hit a Rock Bottom on Paul Heyman through the announce table before tossing Lesnar back into the ring to hit another Rock Bottom. However, Lesnar kicked out at two, much to the delight of the crowd and the astonishment of the champion. Lesnar then surprised the Rock by suddenly hitting his own Rock Bottom (or “Brock Bottom”, as Tazz coined it) for another near fall! The Rock then countered an Irish whip, hit with a spinebuster, and prepared to hit the People’s Elbow…only for Lesnar to spring up and whip him out with a clothesline. However, the Rock slipped free when Lesnar went for his patented F-5 and tried for the Rock Bottom twice more. Each time, Lesnar fought back, but the second time saw him scoop the Rock up and annihilate him with the F-5! And, just like that, Brock Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion in history, much to the adulation of the crowd, who showered the Rock with boos and insults. This was a decent enough match that told a very simple story of the fired-up veteran being absolutely dominated by his young, upstart challenger. The Rock showed no fear, constantly fighting out of the challenger’s holds, but was no match for Lesnar’s pure power. There was a story here about how the Rock’s veteran instincts weren’t to be counted out, but it wasn’t played into much since he spent most of the match on the receiving end of a beatdown. The most interesting thing, for me, is the crowd completely turning on the Rock, to the point where he was clearly annoyed by their jeers. When he tried to do a speech after the match, the crowd absolutely tore him apart, leading to him washing his hands of them.

The Aftermath:
As mentioned, the Rock left the WWE for about six months to film The Scorpion King, so he never got a rematch with Brock Lesnar for the title. In fact, the two never fought again in a televised match and, when the Rock did return, it was as an arrogant Hollywood superstar heel. Lesnar’s win meant the WWE Undisputed Championship became exclusive to the SmackDown! brand, leading to the belt being rechristened the WWE Championship. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff repurposed the WCW Championship as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for Triple H, kicking off his “reign of terror” with the belt. As for Lesnar, he spent the next few months defending the belt against the Undertaker, leading to a brutal and dominant Hell in the Cell victory at No Mercy, and Edge, before being screwed out of the championship when Paul Heyman turned on him in favour of the Big Show at Survivor Series. Lesnar would turn face in the aftermath, regain the belt (and suffer a nasty concussion) at WrestleMania XIX, and spent most of 2003 feuding with Kurt Angle. He eventually turned heel again and realigned with Paul Heyman before finally dropping the belt to Eddie Guerrero and eventually leaving the WWE in controversial fashion.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the generational clash between the Rock and Brock Lesnar? Were you impressed by Lesnar back then? What did you think to Lesnar’s dominating performance? Were you surprised that the crowd turned on the Rock? What did you think to Lesnar’s first run in the WWE? Which SummerSlam match or event is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Rock vs. Lesnar, and SummerSlam, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wresting Recap: Women’s Money in the Bank (2017)

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The Date: 18 June 2017
The Venue: Scottrade Center; St. Louis, Missouri
The Commentary: Tom Phillips, John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL, Byron Saxton
The Referees: Danilo Anfibio, Jason Ayers, Mike Chioda, Dan Engler, Charles Robinson, and Ryan Tran
The Stakes: Five-woman ladder match for a chance to cash-in on a World Heavyweight Championship at any time within a year

The Build-Up:
Since World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has dominated the wrestling landscape, they’ve understandably been at the forefront of creativity with their celebrated Superstars, their impact on pay-per-view entertainment, and the creation of memorable matches. The company has long awed audiences with their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) matches, a concept “Y2J” Chris Jericho took to the next level when he came up with the “Money in the Bank” ladder match. Debuting at WrestleMania 21, this multi-man ladder match saw the winner retrieve a briefcase to cash in for a championship match anywhere, anytime and immediately became an annual fixture following its first self-titled event. However, for about ten years, the gimmick was exclusive a men-only match, unsurprising considering women’s wrestling was long an afterthought in the WWE, where cheerleaders and models rolled around in mud pits. In 2015, competitors like Paige were at the forefront of changing the perception of women’s wrestling and, after Stephanie McMahon took credit for spearheading a revolution in the division, the women finally got their first-ever all-female WWE pay-per-view event. Though not a ratings success, WWE’s female superstars continued to push for a bigger spotlight, leading to this first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. The match came about after the competitors all brawled with each other and demanded a shot at SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, leading to SmackDown Live General Manager Shane McMahon to announce the match and further fire up the competitors. Accordingly, much of the build-up regarding this match focused on the historic nature of it being the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and many of the competitors sought to live up to their family’s legacy and set a new standard not just for the women of the WWE, but for all of wrestling.

The Match:
These days, it’s not uncommon for big matches and championship bouts to open shows. The Money in the Bank pay-per-view often staggers these extreme, violent, and pulse-pounding bouts so they open and close the show, thus ensuring the crowd doesn’t get burned out. This explains why the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match opened the show in 2017, though I do think it should’ve taken the main event slot just to add extra emphasis on the groundbreaking event. Regardless, the match featured some of the top women’s competitors at the time in the WWE, and perhaps ever, including two of NXT’s lauded “Four Horsewomen”: The overrated and insufferable “Queen” Charlotte Flair and the fiery Becky Lynch (some time before her incredible run as “The Man”). They were joined by Tamina (truly the odd one out), Carmella (accompanied by flash-in-the-pan sensation James Ellsworth), and a staple of the women’s division, Natalya. As soon as the bell rang, they all dashed outside to grab a ladder, except for Becky and Tamina, who duked it out in the ring before Tamina asserted her dominance and teased the first climb of the match. Charlotte quickly stopped to that and took over as queen bee, downing her foes with her long legs and suplexes, before Tamina took her out, crushed Becky in the corner, and destroyed Carmella with a Samoan Drop. Obsessed with keeping her ladder, Tamina superkicked Natalya to the canvas and catapulted her into the ladder after setting it up in the corner. After collapsing it onto Becky, Tamina was driven into the ladder by Charlotte, though she got dumped back outside by Natalya before she could do any more damage and Tamina finally dropped after Becky blasted her with the ladder. Becky and Natalya then fought over the ladder in a tug o’ war that ended with Becky being slammed spine-first onto it.

A disappointing bout with too many dead spots and an awful ending…but at least Charlotte didn’t win!

Though Natalya set the ladder up, she took too long positioning and climbing it, allowing Charlotte to hit an electric chair drop just as Natalya’s fingers grazed the briefcase. Carmella then cut off Charlotte’s climb, beating and clambering over her as she was caught in the rungs, resulting in the two exchanging shots at the top of the ladder, Charlotte almost unhooking the briefcase, and both being dumped when Tamina toppled the ladder. Natalya and Becky then resumed their rivalry, with Natalya tying Becky into the Sharpshooter. Carmella broke the hold and attacked Natalya before Charlotte squaring off with Charlotte, before Charlotte took a nice double-underhook suplex from Natalya. A whip into a ladder and a springboard kick saw Becky take Natalya out to begin her climb, before being whipped into and flung off a corner ladder courtesy of Carmella’s handstand headscissors. Charlotte reasserted herself with her big kicks but Tamina intercepted her as she went for the briefcase, resulting in both tumbling to the canvas following a headbutt. A Spear from Charlotte saw Tamina awkwardly tumble outside, and another saw her clumsily collide with the ring steps, before Charlotte took down Tamina and Natalya (and herself) with a corkscrew moonsault to the outside. Becky cut Carmella off with a powerbomb and, with the crowd behind her, clambered to the briefcase…only for James Ellsworth to topple the ladder to a cascade of boos! With Carmella unresponsive, Ellsworth climbed on her behalf and unhooked the briefcase, resulting in Carmella becoming the first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank, to a cacophony of displeasure and disbelief from both the crowd and some of the referees.

The Aftermath:
This was a disappointingly slow and uninteresting affair, save for the controversial, insulting, and absolutely ridiculous ending. Unlike most ladder and Money in the Bank matches, the competitors largely spent their time on the outside, leaving just two to four women in the ring at once, which was weird as half of them hadn’t really received that much damage! The match was structured to paint Tamina as a dominating force, which kind of worked but Charlotte also had to be a dominating figure and completely stole her thunder, as bland as Tamina is. The crowd favoured Becky and Natalya as plunky underdogs and fighting spirits, but were in uproar at Carmella’s win, and that she needed a man to get the victory! There was basically no extreme spots, no ladder play beyond the basics, and nothing memorable about this first women’s Money in the Bank contest except for its ludicrous conclusion (which is best forgotten!) Perhaps in an effort to course-correct, or perhaps as part of their awful booking, the WWE immediately addressed the controversy on the following episode of SmackDown Live, where Ellsworth defended the outcome since the match had “no rules”. However, General Manager Daniel Bryan decided that wasn’t fair and stripped Carmella of the briefcase. He thus had the six women redo the match in the main event of the show, banning Ellsworth from the arena, only for Carmella to win anyway! Carmella held the briefcase for just under a year, finally cashing in on Charlotte in April 2018 to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Despite successfully defending the belt against Charlotte and the “Empress of Tomorrow” Asuka, Carmella was dethroned in August…by Charlotte. Natalya defeated the other competitors at Battleground to become the number one contender, capturing the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Naomi at the 2017 SummerSlam. Becky, Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina were also forced to co-exist in a traditional Survivor Series match, the build-up to which saw Becky’s popularity skyrocket following an errant shot by Nia Jax. Following this inaugural women’s Money in the Bank match, the WWE’s female competitors have competed for the briefcase at every subsequent Money in the Bank pay-per-view, cementing their legacy in the stipulation.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match? Were you pissed about the ending or did you think it garnered great heel heat for Carmella? Who was your pick to win? Were you disappointed by lack of big ladder spots? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included in this first match? What’s your favourite women’s Money in the Bank match? Whatever your thoughts on the Money in the Bank match, share them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap: Hogan vs. Warrior (WrestleMania VI)

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The Date: 1 April 1990
The Venue: SkyDome; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: “The Ultimate Challenge” singles match for the WWF Championship and the Intercontinental Championship

The Build-Up:
On 31 March 1985, Vince McMahon took a massive gamble on WrestleMania, a wrestling extravaganza watched by over one million viewers that forever changed the wrestling landscape. Today, WrestleMania is a peerless premier wrestling event known for career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with easily one of the most memorable of these being this unprecedented contest between Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior and WWF Champion “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. After years of Hogan being the undisputed face of the WWF and easily the most mainstream star in professional wrestling, McMahon wanted a passing of the torch to a new hero for the ages and so cooked up “The Ultimate Challenge” for the Hulkster. Born James Hellwig, the man who became known as the Ultimate Warrior (and, later, simply “Warrior”) started out as an amateur bodybuilder. After being spotted while training, Hellwig agreed to join a group of other bodybuilders (including Steve Borden) as a professional wrestling team. After touring the independent scene and teaming with Borden as the Blade Runners, the Ultimate Warrior initially made his name in the WWF by destroying competitors in quick matches. This culminated in a last-minute decision to have him crush reigning Intercontinental Champion the Honky Tonk Man in around thirty seconds, cementing his status as one of the WWF’s most popular competitors as much as his wild energy, chiselled physique, and colourful ring attire. With fans cheering the Ultimate Warrior just as loudly, if not more so, than Hulk Hogan, the stage was set for a showdown between the two after a confrontation at the 1990 Royal Rumble. Not only would this pit the WWF’s two top stars against each other, not only did both men stay as virtuous characters in the build-up, but this would also be the first time both the WWF and Intercontinental Championships would be on the line in a single match. The end result has gone down in history as one of the quintessential WrestleMania Moments as, despite the Ultimate Warrior failing to replace Hogan as the WWF’s top star, it represented a changing of the guard that would, eventually, change the landscape of the WWF’s main event picture.

The Match:
It’s funny to think about how fans gravitated to the Ultimate Warrior, favouring him almost as much if not more than Hulk Hogan, considering how similar their gimmicks and mannerisms were. Both men were larger-than-super superheroes decked out in colourful attire, both ploughed through opponents, and both had a never-miss finisher sequence with a ridiculous final move that never should’ve worked but, somehow, always did! Still, the Ultimate Warrior does stand out a lot more with his face paint and jacked-up physique; the guy was like a living action figure! Unfortunately, one aspect where they differed (as expertly observed by Ventura) was that the Ultimate Warrior would sprint to the ring, run the ropes, shake the ropes, and get all fired up and gassed before the match could even start! This was true here, on what would end up being the biggest night of Jim Hellwig’s entire career, though the crowd simply ate it up as they loved this guy…and it’s hard to blame them as he exudes superhero appeal. Of course, the crowd was at least 50/50 for both men as Hulk Hogan continued to get the same response as you’d expect, still every bit the living legend kids and adults gravitated towards, and the atmosphere of seeing both men in the ring was simply electric. Since both men were popular babyfaces, a rarity even nowadays, there wasn’t the same vitriol between the competitors as in a traditional face/heel dynamic, though the two still engaged in a tense stare down to start since they both wanted to be the undisputed top dog in the company. As the young up-and-comer, the Ultimate Warrior made the first move, shoving Hogan, initiating the first tie-up, and giving Hogan a taste of his own medicine by throwing him into the corner. Naturally, Hogan returned the favour during the second tie-up, with both men posing and playing to the crowd before going for the tired old “test of strength” spot. Again, the crowd loved seeing the two titans testing each other’s limits, which eventually saw the Ultimate Warrior overpower the Hulkster and drive him to his knees.

Despite the thrill of seeing these two titans clash, the gassed wrestlers spent more time in rest holds.

Of course, Hogan rallied and turned the tide, presenting both men as essentially evenly matched in terms of power and popularity. Though surprised to see the Ultimate Warrior power back to his feet, Hogan tripped his foe to the mat for a quick one-count and then the two titans ran the ropes looking for shoulder tackles and traded scoop slams, gassing themselves even more! The Ultimate Warrior then hit a stiff, clunky clothesline and sent Hogan tumbling to the outside, where he began favouring his left knee. Limping, clearly in pain, Hogan struggled to stay on his feet so the Ultimate Warrior immediately targeted the limb with sharp kicks, before the two traded eye rakes back in the ring. Referee Earl Hebner admonished both men as tensions rose, before Hogan forgot about his knee pain and unloaded on the Ultimate Warrior with big shots and the ten-punches and another scoop slam. Two elbow drops, a two-count, and a small package later and Hogan unloaded on the Ultimate Warrior with chops, a clothesline, and the odd rest hold just to catch his breath. Still, the Intercontinental Champion kept kicking out, even after a backbreaker, resulting in a frustrated Hulkster arguing with the referee and wearing his opponent down with a chin lock that just went on and on and on. Hogan then hit a few spiteful knee shots to the spine and a backdrop before returning to the hold, showing he’s not afraid to fight dirty, before the Ultimate Warrior caught a second wind. After the Ultimate warrior fought free, both men a double knock down gave them even more time to catch their breath, and both men struggled up at the same time. However, the Ultimate Warrior was in a frenzied state, shrugging off Hogan’s blows and sending him reeling with a headbutt and repeated clotheslines. His face paint all but gone and his adrenaline spiking, the Ultimate Warrior tossed Hogan into the corners and laid in some chops, driving Hogan to his knees once more before hitting a suplex and getting his first near fall. The Ultimate Warrior then continued to dominate the WWF Champion by grabbing him in a pretty weak-looking bearhug that was more of a cuddle than the devastating hold Ventura and Monsoon sold it as.

A missed Leg Drop and a Splash saw the Ultimate Warrior share the victory with Hogan.

Still, this allowed Hogan to do the time-tested “three arm” spot but, as you’d expect, Hogan’s arm refused to fall the third time and the Hulkster mounted a comeback with some rabbit-like punches. However, as the Ultimate Warrior ran the ropes, he collided with the referee, meaning there was no one there to make the count when Hogan tried to pin his rival after reversing a diving shoulder block. This allowed the Ultimate Warrior to hit a back suplex, but both he and Hogan had to settle for the visual pinfall and a slow two count as Earl Hebner was too out of it to make the final count. A back elbow saw the action spill to the outside for a slugfest, which ended when Hogan got rammed into the ring post. Once back in the ring, the Ultimate Warrior hit the Gorilla Press Slam (an impressive, if ungainly, achievement) and then hit his patented Running Splash! However, the Ultimate Warrior was too slow going for the pin, resulting in a rare finisher kickout and the Hulkster “Hulking Up” However, Hogan missed the Atomic Leg Drop (!) and the Ultimate Warrior splashed him again for the biggest win of his career! Hogan just had to power out at 3.1, though, and keep the spotlight equally trained on him by presenting the Ultimate Warrior with both belts and raising his arm in a passing of the torch. This was an okay match but, as ever, one bogged down by rest holds and plodding offense. Both men were so gassed at the start of the match that their blows and holds just came off as so weak and obvious stalling. The energy was there, however, and the crowd loved seeing the two share the ring and shrug off each other’s moves. I think this might’ve worked better with a big stare down, test of strength, unflinching clotheslines and trading scoop slams, and then a finisher-fest (with the Ultimate Warrior also kicking out of the Atomic Leg Drop), but it was okay for what it was: a spectacle between two titans of the company.

The Aftermath:
Despite the Ultimate Warrior’s win and the very specific requirement that the winner would become a dual champion, the Ultimate Warrior was forced to vacant the Intercontinental Championship, resulting in Mr. Perfect becoming the champion after a lengthy tournament. Surprisingly, Hogan didn’t immediately vie for a rematch and instead left to film the under-rated sci-fi comedy Suburban Commando (Kennedy, 1991). Though the Ultimate Warrior rekindled his rivalry with “Ravishing” Rick Rude and helped the Legion of Doom at the 1990 Survivor Series, none of these storylines benefitted him. His mega push fizzled out and saw him dropping the belt to turncoat Sergeant Slaughter at the 1991 Royal Rumble after interference by Sensational Sherri and the “Macho King” Randy Savage. This led to Hogan recapturing the belt and returning to the top of the mountain at WrestleMania VII, where the Ultimate Warrior “retired” Savage. Although the Ultimate Warrior fought with the Undertaker and was prepped to face Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hellwig walked out of the WWF after demanding financial compensation. The Ultimate Warrior made brief (and infamous) comebacks in 1992 and 1996, but disagreements about money saw him follow Hogan to World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After a ludicrous tease regarding his presence, the Ultimate Warrior, more unhinged than ever, opposed “Hollywood” Hogan’s New World Order (nWo), leading to Davey Boy Smith being critically injured by a gimmicked trapdoor, a hilariously botched fireball incident, and one of the worst matches in WCW history as Hogan got his win back at the 1998 Halloween Havoc. After years of being estranged from and vilified by what’s now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, buried the hatchet with Hogan, and gave a stirring speech to his fans that became disturbingly prophetic after he was found dead the very next day.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the “The Ultimate Challenge” at WrestleMania VI? Were you a fan of the Ultimate Warrior back in the day and excited to see his big win? Do you think the match should’ve been altered to play into Hellwig’s strengths? Were you surprised when Hogan kicked out of the Ultimate Warrior’s finisher? What did you think to the Ultimate Warrior’s title reign and how should it have been done differently? Were you happy to see the Ultimate Warrior honoured by the WWE after so many years of animosity? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Let me know your thoughts and memories of this iconic clash, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Savage vs. Hogan (WrestleMania V)

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The Date: 2 April 1989
The Venue: Boardwalk Hall/Trump Plaza; Atlantic City, New Jersey
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Dave Hebner
The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship

The Build-Up:
Vince McMahon gambled it all with WrestleMania. The event aired on 31 March 1985 and was seen by an unprecedented one million+ viewers and ultimately altered the wrestling landscape by bringing in some of the biggest names in wrestling, music, sports, and television. Now regarded as the biggest wrestling event in the industry, WrestleMania has become synonymous with career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with easily one of the most dramatic of these being the implosion of the “Mega Powers”, a super-team comprised of “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan and the WWF Champion, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. After previously being fierce rivals, Hogan and Savage first joined forces in 1987 at Saturday Night’s Main Event XII after Savage’s wife, Miss Elizabeth, recruited Hogan to help Savage fend off the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation. Sealing their partnership with a dramatic handshake, the Mega Powers teamed from 1987 to 1989, clashing with Hogan’s long-time rival, the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and Hogan even helping his friend capture the WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV. However, cracks began to form in their partnership after Savage grew increasingly jealous and justifiably concerned about Hogan’s intentions towards Miss Elizabeth. After Hogan accidentally tossed Savage from the 1989 Royal Rumble match and then abandoned Savage during a tag team match at The Main Event II to get Miss Elizabeth to safety, Savage confronted his partner backstage. Despite Hogan and Miss Elizabeth’s best efforts, the furious Savage physically and verbally assaulted Hogan and Miss Elizabeth, dissolving the Mega Powers and leading to Hogan challenging Savage to this championship match to settle the score in what’s often touted as one of the best examples of long-term storytelling in wrestling.

The Match:
Even to this day, I find it baffling that the WWF decided to make Randy Savage the bad guy in this feud. Sure, the idea of Hulk Hogan turning heel was preposterous at the time, but Savage had every right to be suspicious of Hogan. Still, Savage’s turn into a neurotic, paranoid, jealous and obsessive character certainly fed into his already unhinged persona, though I think it was equally ridiculous not to change up his colourful ring attire and entrance music. Despite Savage being fully justified in attacking Hogan, the crowd were firmly against the champion, who notably came out alone since Miss Elizabeth chose to stand in a neutral corner during the match as she was loyal to both men. Ventura wasted no time in joining Savage in chastising Miss Elizabeth, branding her a “gold digger” who’ll favour whoever wins, a “smart” strategy according to Gorilla Monsoon considering the awkward position she’s found herself in. Hogan (labelled “Lust Hogan” by Ventura, who doesn’t hold back in criticising the Hulkster), still as popular as ever, marched to the ring and immediately riled Savage up with his posing and pageantry, to the point where Savage was ready to whack his friend-turned-foe with the championship belt! After handing the belt over to referee Dave Hebner, Savage whipped Hogan into a frenzy by slipping out of the ring and posing on the turnbuckles before the Mega Powers finally got into it. Overwhelmed by Hogan’s power, the champion retreated to the ring apron to keep some distance, again slipping to the outside after being floored by a shoulder block. When they tied up again, Savage gained an advantage with an eye rake and continued to psych Hogan out, leading to the challenger to chase the champion around the ring and Savage to use Miss Elizabeth as a human shield!

Savage riled Hogan up at every turn and and kept him grounded with dull rest holds.

With Ventura awkwardly advocating for spousal abuse and Savage inviting Hogan back into the ring, the challenger surprisingly kept Savage at bay with some wrestling fundamentals, favouring takedowns and headlocks, only to be planted with a back body drop. After avoiding a running elbow drop, Hogan resorted to throwing “illegal […] closed fists”, leading to another eye rake from Savage and a top-rope double axe handle for the first near fall of the match. Savage employed his own ground game with an arm bar, planting a knee into Hogan’s face and grabbing his hair to add insult to injury, only for Hogan to rally and send Savage flying through the ropes. After quickly tossing the champion back into the ring, Hogan rammed his face into the top turnbuckles and planted him with a clothesline, two elbow drops, and an eye rake of his own. However, Savage countered with a boot and brought Hogan down for another two count before slapping on a chin lock to the now-bloodied Hogan. Both men seemed extremely gassed and were sweating profusely despite the slow pace of the match as Savage maintained the hold, before the “Pukesters” encouraged Hogan back to his feet. This time, Hogan caught Savage’s kick, hit an atomic drop, but missed another running elbow. Savage quickly capitalised by shoving Hogan chest-first into a corner and trying to score a cheap victory off a roll up and a handful of tights, but the Hulkster still kicked out at two. Frustrated, the Macho Man redoubled his attack, throwing Hogan from corner to corner and targeting the cut above Hogan’s eye. Stomping on Hogan’s hand and delivering a disrespectful slap to his face, Savage basked in his glory and paid for it when Hogan rallied with a beatdown in the corner, only to suffer some kind of arm injury when clotheslining the champion. Regardless, Hogan easily lifted Savage and dumped him to the outside in an impressive show of strength. After aggressively waving off Miss Elizabeth’s help, Savage hit an eye poke and eventually shoved Hogan off a ring post after Miss Elizabeth caused Hogan to hesitate from hurting her man. After Savage couldn’t help but get in Miss Elizabeth’s face and chastise her, the referee sent her to the back to keep her from distracting from the match and Savage continued his methodical attack against his former partner.

Savage’s ground game and Diving Elbow naturally led to Hulk rallying and scoring the victory.

After landing a beautiful axe handle off the top rope and to the outside, Savage tossed Hogan back in the ring and began targeting his throat, using the ropes to his advantage and landing stiff elbow shots to his opponent. A quick scoop slam led to a standing splash and another two count before Savage took a page out of Ventura’s playbook to choke Hogan with his wrist tape. After choking Hogan to the canvas, the Macho Man went to the top rope and hit his gorgeous Diving Elbow…only for Hogan to power out and start “Hulking Up!” Despite Savage’s best shots, Hogan wouldn’t be deterred; he shrugged off every blow and dropped the champion with a big boot. The Atomic Leg Drop followed soon after and signalled the end of the match after Hogan pinned the champion for the three count. Naturally, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Hogan clumsily strapped the belt to his waist, Ventura just about had a coronary, and the Macho Man stormed from the ring in humiliation and rage, leaving Hogan to pose and play to his very vocal fans. This one was pretty decent, but still the same, tired Hogan formula. Hogan took quite a beating here and Savage looked pretty strong as he targeted Hogan’s wound and wore down the Hulkster with chin locks, takedowns, and repeatedly fleeing from the ring. Unfortunately, these elements dragged the match out way too much for me. I was expecting a bit more aggression and agility from the Macho Man, only to be frustrated by rest holds as the two obviously gassed competitors fought for breath. I was also disappointed that Miss Elizabeth didn’t factor into the match, or the ending, more, and that Hogan was dominated the entire time but won without any real issue in the end. I would’ve liked to see a bit more energy, some more moves being thrown, and to see Savage dodge the Atomic Leg Drop, miss a second Elbow Drop, and then take the fall…but I guess that didn’t work for Hogan, brother.

The Aftermath:
Despite his emphatic win, this wouldn’t be the end of the issues between the former Mega Powers. After Hulk Hogan starred in the much-maligned No Holds Barred (Wright, 1989), the Macho Man brought in Hogan’s co-star, Tom “Tiny” Lister, Jr., as his film character, Zeus, to battle Hogan and his friend, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake at the 1989 SummerSlam and in a tag team steel cage match at the 19989 No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie event. The Mega Powers collided for the WWF Championship once more at The Main Event III and, though Savage lost the match, he eventually aligned with Sensational Sherri, won the 1989 King of the Ring (transforming into the unhinged “Macho King” in the process) and eventually had an emotional reunion with Miss Elizabeth at WrestleMania VII, despite being forced to retire after losing to the Ultimate Warrior. However, disagreeing that his in-ring career was over, Savage followed Hogan’s example and jumped ship to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), eventually becoming WCW Champion and not only reforming the Mega Powers with Hogan but also fighting alongside him in the New World Order (nWo). However, the two eventually butted heads when “Hollywood” Hogan’s ego wouldn’t allow him to see anyone but him become WCW Champion, leading to Savage dropping the belt to his old rival and splintering off from the nWo with first the Wolfpac and then “Team Madness”. Their fates seemingly entwined, Hogan and Savage eventually found themselves on the same side with Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff rallied WCW’s young up-and-comers into a power-hungry group, though the company dissolved before he could really get involved. Although Randy Savage had a brief (and disastrous) appearance during Total Non Stop Action’s (TNA) early run under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), he wasn’t there when Hogan was present, though he and Hogan continued to be on-again, off-again friends and rivals over the years, with the Macho Man even recording an infamous rap track chastising the Hulkster! After tragically passing away from a heart attack in 2011, Savage was posthumously inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame (after a lengthy absence due to a strained relationship with Vince McMahon) and fondly remembered by many, including Hogan, as one of wrestling’s all-time greats.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the dramatic showdown between the Mega Powers? Do you agree that Savage was justified in suspecting and attacking Hogan? Were you disappointed that the match was more mind games and rest holds? Would you have liked to see Miss Elizabeth play a bigger role in the finish? Which of Hogan and Savage’s many matches was your favourite? Can you name a match between former tag team partners that you enjoyed? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year? Leave your comments about this classic WrestleMania match below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.