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[DomDom]

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Macho Madness : The Best of The Macho Man Disc Three

We continue, finally, with the final disc of this amazing set.

Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Savage - WWE Sheffield 19/04/1992

I remember watching this show on the TV. This is a quality match considering it was on a UK PPV. How many good matches did we even get over here ? The main purpose of this was to put HBK over as a credible threat, and Sherri was her usual awesome self. She really did see a lot of Randy Savage over the years. HBK wasn't quite at mid 90s level yet, but he was REALLY good here. ***1/2

Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage and Bret Hart - WWE Prime Time 20/07/1992

Deary me, did someone order a dream match ? This would have been absolutely godly if everyone brought their A game. They didn't though, as I have seen it before, but this is still a terrific watch. I think the intention was to give the advertised dream match but nobody was really wanting to play ball in this one. It was all very much by the numbers which, when you consider Hart and Flair were involved, and it wasn't an important match, should have been expected. Fun match though. ***

Yokozuna vs. Randy Savage - WWE RAW 28/02/1994

Randy Savage made a twat of himself in the Royal Rumble when he was left with this guy, so we get this match. Yeah, I don't know what's going on either. Using the size of Yokozuna to tell the story of the match was the usual trick around this time but it worked wonders. He was also agile enough around this time to give anyone a run for their money and he was horribly under-rated. This was a fun match. **1/2

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage - WCW Bash at the Beach 1995

We're back to the good ol' Savage/Flair fued. There's more of this to come on this DVD set I believe. This is some sort of lumberjack match, and it also featured on an episode of Baywatch one time. No. I'm not kidding. I don't want to see Randy Savage's dad with no shirt on. This match gets tedious fast. The lumberjacks get far too much time in the match and it completely ruins the whole thing. Might be the worst match I've seen involving these two guys to date. **

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage - WCW Nitro 22/01/1996

This is a pretty good early Nitro match. The main events on this show used to be like blockbuster movies. Just sit back and enjoy the fast paced ride that gets going. This one didn't have the epic side that some of the stuff had, but it didn't have a super ending which got the fans going. Good match. **1/2

Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page - WCW Great American Bash 1997

Randy Savage is a member of the nWo by this time. Falls count anywhere in this bad boy. This was an intense fight. There isn't much more than fist fighting and and brawling around the arena, but it worked here because of the crazy fued these two guys were having. Neither man seemed to be interested in winning the match and that helped too. Really good brawl. ***3/4

Randy Savage and Sid Vicious vs. Kevin Nash and Sting - WCW Bash at the Beach 1999

This is where the set has it's ultimate low point. If it doesn't, then I'll be very surprised. This is a god awful match which sums up all of the bad in WCW. I was tempted to go negative stars on this, bit went for the lowest rating. DUD

OVERALL

*******

This is an incredible set. Well, the first two discs are just filled to the brim with the awesome, and the third disc isn't without it's moments. One of the best DVD sets I've seen in yonks.

[The Naitch]

I actually enjoyed Bragging Rights last night - all the better as it was 'free' on Sky Sports, rather than on Sky Box Office.

[RussellV1]

I actually enjoyed Bragging Rights last night - all the better as it was 'free' on Sky Sports, rather than on Sky Box Office.

Yeah me too. I thought the main event in particular was a great match.

I forgot that it was a 12am start so I missed the first 10-15 mins before I had an "ah shit" moment

Batista's heel turn was awesome too

Edited October 26, 2009 by RussellV1

[DomDom]

Can't help but be surprised that it took a match at an hour long to be better than the other matches in the fued. I was shocked at that. Superb main event, and surely people now realise that this is the norm for John Cena.

[YER SISTERS YER MAW]

I really enjoyed that. I'd say Bragging Rights was a big success, and can see this being an annual PPV for a good few years. The Iron Man match was a belter. Orton's facial expressions in that match were top notch. A couple of good twists in the other matches too.

[KilliePie]

Was suprised that the Ironman match was'nt as boring as I was expecting it to be, thought Orton was pretty good in the match, loved the pyro bit.

Was disappointed that my prediction of Ted DiBiase costing Orton the title never happened.

Raw should be interesting tonight, as for once you cant tell who is gonna be fueding with Orton or Cena next. Would'nt surprise me if they just kept it going to Survivor Series because they have nobody else to fued with at the moment.

Anyone got any idea who might be fueding with Cena or Orton next?

I think we'll probably see Jerishow - DX for a couple of months now.

[tm91]

I bought the Hell in a Cell PPV and was disappointed - We get this for free and I greatly enjoyed it. Solid PPV all-round, and Cena/Orton was immense. Orton is frustrating in that he's always approaching greatness, but never quite reaches that level - whether its because of booking or not I don't know - but last night he was flawless. Epic storytelling from Orton, and the match itself was very well crafted.

Glad 'Taker retained as well, but he didn't look anywhere near his best, he looked uncomfortable all night.

[DomDom]

SPOILERS AHEAD

WWE Bragging Rights 2009

Apparently R-Truth and Matt Hardy help to dominate Smackdown. They really, really don't. R-Truth can't even get past a bloody rookie. Anyroads ...

The Miz vs. John Morrison

'MON THE MIZ !!! This should be a hell of an opener. The Miz must have been thinking to himself "how could I look like more of a c**t ? I'll wear a mouthguard !". It worked as well. BRUTAL bump to the floor from Miz when he gets thrown over the top. Man, that must have hurt. The ending was actually really poor. Would it have hurt to let Miz go over with his finisher ? Morrison took worse moves in the match and survived. It was an alright opener, but both men are capable of more. ***

Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs. Melina, Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly

This match actually could be alright. The Smackdown team has some decent talent and Kelly Kelly has clearly improved quite a bit from when she first appeared. Michelle McCool does her best Angelina Love impression in this. God loves a trier I suppose. Kelly Kelly makes a cracking beatdown person as she has loads of flashy offense to get the fans behind her during the beating. They really did go out there with a fire up their arse and they provided a good fun six person tag as a result. ***

That's the best rating I've given a Diva match for a VERY long time. Maybe as long as the initial Beth vs. Mickie fued.

The Undertaker © vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista - World Heavyweight Championship

"What time is it ? IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME !!!"

I hope they pull the trigger on the most predictable heel turn ever in this match. Punk's another guy who has got the "I'm such a cock" look down pat. Look at the smile he gives Batista from the top rope. That's a barrel of awesome. The commentators described this as 100mph and that was a fair enough assessment and it was hella fun. I can't rate it highly because it was horribly slapped together stuff, but it's still worth watching from an entertainment standpoint. **3/4

After the match, we have someone in the ring with a microphone and Batista and Rey are there. Don't make it too obvious now guys. Rey says how close he and Batista were. Batista says HE was close, and he's tired of coming close. He's tired of his best friend stabbing him in the back. The look on Batista's face there is phenomenal. One of pure bitterness. He then puts a beating on Rey Rey, but he's conflicted about it. Not conflicted enough to stop him throwing Rey about 300mph into the railing though. Jesus. He adds a kick to the head for good measure. That heel turn was superb stuff.

SIDENOTE : The Undertaker was wrestling like this back in early - mid 2002 when he had injuries, so I reckon news about his retirement might be a bit premature, but he certainly isn't moving very easily at the moment.

Team RAW vs. Team Smackdown

14 man tag ? How can this be anything other than a fun match ? It should at least ensure that this PPV stays good. Cody Rhodes has AWESOME ring gear, with Rhodes being written on the back in the same way as the Raw logo is. That's awesome. Swagger is also in the spirit, wearing black and red. The ending is interesting, as it asks the questions of "why ?" as far as The Big Show's actions go, but this was a fun 14 man tag, as if it could have ended up any other way. ***3/4

Randy Orton © vs. John Cena, Iron Man Match - WWE Championship

One thing you can't get away with in an Iron Man Match is the "plan as you go along" sort of match that most people do on most wrestling shows. Matches like this have to be very well planned and mapped and this one was. That might be why this one ended up being the best match of their fued. There was no room for error whatsoever. The first 25 minutes and last 15 minutes in particular were pretty high drama, and I liked the load of falls. SUPERB RKO in this match to counter the Attitude Adjustment. This match had a little bit of everything in it, and you really can't complain about the top quality of the action throughout. ****1/4

SIDENOTE #2 : John Cena's cut getting cleaned and the time being stopped was as a result of the cut Cena had being an actual hardway cut, and not being a bladejob, and there is a strict no blood policy at the moment. If you look closely, you can see the same thing happening during Matt and Jeff's battle at Wrestlemania.

OVERALL

********

Lowest rating is **3/4. Three matches at *** or over. The main event is ****+. If you miss this show, get the DVD. It's the most consistant PPV for quality since Canadian Stampede back in the summer of 1997. Might not have the blowaway matches that PPV had, but you'll never be unhappy watching this bad boy.

[Parscelona]

Sure, Orton vs Cena will be a good match to watch as the two have great chemistry in the ring however the stipulation that Cena will leave Raw if he loses, makes it sounds like he will win the match. so it looks like Cena will be champion, again.

While Batista and Mysterio friendship seems to be going down the pan. I can see Batista turning heel by attacking Mysterio if Rey unintentionally costs Batista the title or wins the title himself, simply because Batista stated how much he meant the title means to him..

Bragging Rights was pretty predictable, Orton and Cena was a good fun match which Superman ended up winning... however i'm not sure that i was too keen on Orton tapping when he only had to hold on for another five seconds.

Thought it was fairly obvious that Big Show was going to turn against Team Raw to help Smackdown, however i was delighted with a victory for the almighty Chris Jericho and also a well deserved win for the superior wrestling brand.

I was disappointed with the world heavyweight championship match, it just seemed a little too rushed for me, i honestly don't understand why the Undertaker retained the title as he is clearly crippled and needs time to heal. Josh Matthews interviewing Mysterio and Batista signalled that Batista was turning heel, i loved it when Batista went "i'm going to rip your head off", that was some funny shit.

Batista is long overdue a heel turn however i think they may have jumped the gun a little bit early, i mean Batista was brought in to replace Jeff Hardy. However now that leaves the faces as Undertaker, who is going to drop the title soon and take time off again so that only really leaves Mysterio as top face while John Morrison isn't even ready for main event level. Sure when Edge comes back as a good guy that will beneficial however he's not going to be back for a good six months so Smackdown badly requires a face...time for Christian to arrive.

[DomDom]

i loved it when Batista went "i'm going to rip your head off", that was some funny shit.

I was genuinely creeped when he said that. The facial expression and everything was mental.

Rey going into the railing was funny. Would have been better with a Batman style "KERPOW".

[RussellV1]

Who the f**k are these guys?

Kofi Johnston

Edited October 27, 2009 by RussellV1

[Sir Kevin Of Kilsyth]

That even eclipsed the Summerfest incident lol.

[DA Baracus]

Kofi Johnson is one half of a new tag team that also features the always impressive Jeff Harvey.

[DomDom]

SPOILERS AHEAD

WWE RAW 27/10/2009

I haven't looked forward to an episode of RAW so much in a long time. Gotta wonder where the WWE title goes after this.

JeriShow head for the ring, and Chris Jericho has his trophy with him, which doesn't seem to be tearing The Big Show up inside. A couple of NASCAR drivers are guest hosts tonight. Show is still a proud member of the RAW roster. Jericho says that Show is a man of loyalty. Jericho also likes that DX were given red faces as well. Show says that what he did, he did for himself. Show says he's the next opponent for Undertaker. Eh ? We're interupted by the NASCAR drivers. THEY USE FUEL AS THEIR MUSIC~~~!!! f**k YEAH~~~!!! One of them shakes the hand of The Big Show. A skinny kid calls The Big Show weak. CRUSH THAT WEE FUCKER !!! The one that isn't a pipsqueak plays a heel. To be fair, he is pretty good at it. They make Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston and The Big Show vs. Triple H. Fair dos.

Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston

Thankfully, this was given quite a bit of time. Kofi Kingston seems to be moving up a wee bit since losing the US Title. Interfered in the main event on Bragging Rights and then winning a high profile match with Jericho the next night on RAW. There's just something about this guy that I don't buy as a main event player, so I hope he's not there just yet. Love the Steamboat style chops from Kingston. "He calls this the Boom Drop.". We know. You tell us every time he fucking wrestles. This was a really good match. ***1/2

After the match, Randy Orton sends Kingston off of the ramp, and the fans are not happy with that one bit.

Randy Orton is backstage blaming Kingston for his defeat last night, and he says that he has only just begun on Kofi Kingston. Legacy show up and they have a NASCAR car for Randy Orton. Orton looks chuffed, and Legacy say that the title will be coming back to them soon enough.

Jack Swagger is backstage with the guest hosts, and he wants John Cena tonight for the title. They say that they'll name the opponent tonight, but they don't want Cena wrestling tonight. The Miz is back there and he has his belt, and points out he's the only person representing RAW who won a match at Bragging Rights against a Smackdown guy.

Sheamus is going to be on RAW tonight. He is making his debut. Deary me.

Melina and Santino Marella vs. Chavo Guerrero and Jillian Hall

A mixed tag team match AND Santino ? This might be my favourite match ever. I guess Santino is always fun when it comes to the wrestling side of things. When the women got into this match, it was all over the place. I guess we needed that reminder of why I hate Diva matches in WWE. I'll give it points for Santino being slightly amusing. 1/2*

John Cena is now heading for the ring ... not quite though, as Legacy's music hits and Dibiase and Rhodes now head for the ring. Legacy says that they're bringing back the title at Survivor Series. Huh ? They're making the challenge. John Cena is heading for the ring. He basically talks a lot of shite about the title match from Bragging Rights. Cena says people will think RAW is going into re-runs. Cena then introduces Cody and Dibiase to MVP and Mark Henry.

Legacy vs. MVP and Mark Henry

The Legacy team have come on leaps and bounds. Everything they do just now is good. They have their style in there and believe it or not, at this point it's pretty distinctive, which I think is pretty odd. They're like vultures, and they actually wrestle like a team that have been together for about 10 years. I don't understand Legacy losing such a match after DX doing everything they could to make them look like gold. Pretty much a bog standard tag match. *

Randy Orton heads for the ring. He isn't happy, and wants a shot, but Kofi Kingston is backstage with Randy Orton's brand new car. He scratches it with keys and then jumps around on it. I take back everything I said. Give Kofi a shot NOW ! He pours paint on Orton's car just to be an extra big pain in the arse.

Evan Bourne vs. The Miz

Won't find me arguing with this match. Swagger comes down and hits on Eve. He says that nobody is watching the match. That's because they are getting bored by how disappointing it is. They basically went out and did nothing untill Swagger showed up. Poor show. DUD

Jamie Noble vs. Sheamus

"Me name is Sheamus."

f**k off Sheamus. I don't want to see him in squash matches. Give him normal matches. He's better at that. If you can't go a couple of minutes without being boring, you have problems. Even the fans pick up on how terrible he is. His kick to the face was amusing though. DUD

The Big Show vs. Triple H, Lumberjack Match

Oh fucking joy. I hate lumberjack matches. Cena is the referee for this match. This is a bit of a nothing match here. Just a fisticuff brawl followed by a bit of a melee. It was nice to see the revenge on The Big Show from the RAW guys. 1/2*

The NASCAR guys make John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels with the help of Hornswoggle. Good work midget.

OVERALL

********

Entertaining at times and a good match make this a decent enough episode of RAW.

[DomDom]

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have signed for TNA.

I shit you not.

[EdinburghLivi]

Sounds like Flair is heading the same way.

[KilliePie]

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have signed for TNA.

I shit you not.

That wont last long and I doubt he'll have many matches, if any.

[KilliePie]

Sounds like Flair is heading the same way.

I did'nt think TNA could get worse, Ric Flair is an overated arsehole.

[DomDom]

That wont last long and I doubt he'll have many matches, if any.

Why won't it last long ? Hogan is a household name and will only be a good thing for TNA.

I'm stunned that it's happened, but I'm delighted, because it MIGHT be the push that TNA needed.

[KilliePie]

Why won't it last long ? Hogan is a household name and will only be a good thing for TNA.

I'm stunned that it's happened, but I'm delighted, because it MIGHT be the push that TNA needed.

Yeah it will be good for TNA and put ratings up but it wont make there shows any better, and he cant wrestle much anymore so I dont see him doing much. Also if Russo is still gonna be in charge then I dont see it lasting to long.

Last time Hogan signed for TNA he did'nt even make a proper appearence.