Scott Keith 
It was a hell of an NXT Takeover last night, and we’re got reviews from myself and Tommy Hall to celebrate:
The SmarK Rant for NXT Takeover–WarGames II (11.17.18)
Takeover: WarGames II
NXT taped some stuff for upcoming TV at the show as well.
Enjoy your Sunday and I guess enjoy Survivor Series if you’re actually watching it.
The SmarK Rant for NXT Takeover – WarGames II (11.17.18)
Live from Los Angeles, CA
Your hosts are Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson & Nigel McGuinness
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for NXT Takeover–WarGames II (11.17.18)
Tonight! NXT is taking over with WARGAMES. Plus Gargano v. Black, Ciampa defending the NXT title against the Dream, and a 2/3 falls match between Baszler and Sane where hopefully Kairi brings out some backup this time.
Tomorrow, it’s Survivor Series, although let’s be real here, no one gives a shit. Six hours!
Enjoy your evening!
Today! It’s NXT Takeover later and a really lame UFC!
Enjoy the daily thread and go about your lives in peace.
The SmarK Rant for WWE Survivor Series 2017 – 11.19.17
Live from Houston, TX
Your hosts are Michael Cole and friends. Yes, we’ve now entered the time of FIVE MAN commentary teams. Four hours of this upcoming, friends.
(Don’t remember this one at all!)
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Survivor Series 2017–11.19.17
The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – Survivor Series Showdown 93 – 11.21.93
Taped from whatever high school gym they were taping TV at that week.
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Bobby Heenan, plus Gorilla Monsoon & Jim Ross. TWO HIGH SCHOOL GYMS. That’s a big show!
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Survivor Series Showdown 93–11.21.93
The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Old School – Maple Leaf Gardens 04.21.85
Hey, my special “Not RAW or Nitro or Smackdown” week continues as I explore the territories in the mid-80s. This morning it’s a show from Maple Leaf Gardens in the thick of Hulkamania.
Taped from Toronto, ON
Your hosts are Jack Reynolds & Jesse Ventura
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Old School–Maple Leaf Gardens 04.21.85
It’s Wednesday night! My inbox continues to overflow with AJ / Brock / Bryan emails.
RAW was another flop,but hotshotting the crap out of Smackdown resulted in a ratings bump.
Tonight is NXT and sports and probably Trump tweets something stupid.
Go!
The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 01.14.84
OK, so much like I decided to move ahead a couple of years in Mid-Atlantic because 82 was boring me, 82 is also pretty depressing for Mid-South, so let’s magically wind forward 2 years to the beginning of 1984 instead and see what Bill Watts was up to at the dawn of Hulkamania.
Your host is now young Jim Ross, along with Bill Watts.
So, uh, not sure if you’ve heard yet, but Becky Lynch is off Survivor Series. It’s been flying under the radar today.
Tonight, we discover what they’re gonna do about it on Smackdown. I say just cancel the match and give the rest more time. No one’s particularly invested in this PPV anyway.
Chat about that and other stuff, like whether the Canucks can maintain first in the division (spoiler: no) right here in this very thread!
The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 12.05.94
Brought to you by TYCO. Shoulda got Geico with your money instead. But I ain’t saying she’s a gold digger.
Taped from Poughkeepsie, NY
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels. This is gonna be…something.
The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling- 01.05.85
So I wanted to go back to Mid-Atlantic, but the tag team tournament was boring the pants off me, so let’s jump ahead to the era we’re all more familiar with, starting in early 1985!
We’re now in an arena instead of the studio shows from the earlier run.
Your hosts are Bob Caudle & Johnny Weaver
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling–01.05.85
Who do you think was in the most miscast role in pro wrestling? Off the top of my head it was when Spike Dudley turned heel and joined the Dudley Boys on Smackdown in 2004, then became known as “the Boss” and started ordering Bubba and Devon around like some Mafia Don.
Dean Malenko as the suave ladies man super-spy? Honky Tonk Man as a smiling babyface friend of Hulk Hogan in 1986? The Miz as WWE champion?
Three weeks ago, there was an uproar about WWE running a show in Saudi Arabia. Tremendous pressure was put on them to cancel the show. A British dork on HBO gave a scathing commentary about it. The sky was falling onto Titan Towers.
Since then in the world of 24 hours news, we’ve had two horrible mass shootings, a creepy male stripper mailing bombs to high ranking Democrats, unstoppable California wildfires, mid-term election coverage ad nauseam and the President tweeting batshit crazy statements daily.
In the three weeks since then, no one remembers or cares that there was an uproar about WWE running a show in Saudi Arabia.
That’s why they didn’t give up tens of millions of dollars and cancel the show.
Look man, just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean it’s a good thing or the right thing to do. And hopefully that’s the last we’ll have to talk about this subject for another year.
Hey, it’s football Sunday (both North and South of the 49th parallel) but it’s also Remembrance Day here in Canada and I believe something similar in the US, so let’s all keep it civil and respectful just for one day, OK? At least until after 11:00am in your local timezone.
That’s about all I got for the moment. Check out my review of the Ted Dibiase collection today, as I wanted a break from the McMahon-Helmsley Era for a couple of days.
The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Collections – Million Dollar Man: Priceless
Today is normally Smackdown day, but I was kind of in the mood for something completely different, so here’s a shitload of Ted Dibiase matches I haven’t covered before! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned lately how amazing that the WWE Network is for the times when I just want to review something, but it’s pretty amazing. What I should really do is redo SuperClash III so I can continue ragging on the dying AWA, but that’s a project for another day.
Ted introduces the collection, and pays off an intern who is setting up The Virgil Collection so he can take it over. It appears to be a single t-shirt. Poor Virgil. Hopefully he too gets a collection.
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Million Dollar Man Collection!
Tonight, there’s a nothing UFC on FS1 featuring the Korean Zombie.
Cody Rhodes is out of ROH Global Wars with some kind of head injury.
The Canucks continue to shock everyone by being in first place in the Pacific, although they lost a shootout to the Sabres this afternoon after blowing a 3-1 lead with 2:00 left. Hope everyone took Elias Pettersen in their drafts.
Chat about the goings-on here!
Ugh, the snow has started falling here and won’t stop for another six months. Goodbye, pavement, I’ll miss you!
Apparently Hulu is finally coming to Canada soon.
Lots of various sports this weekend, including the CFL playoffs for the Canadian types on the blog.
That’s about all I’ve got this morning, take it away!
The SmarK RAW Rant – 12.27.99
Live from Greensboro, NC, the LAST RAW OF THE CENTURY.
Your hosts are Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler
The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA Team Challenge Series!
No word of a lie, I almost feel like my entire career has been merely a series of incidental occurrences, all building up to this moment. I feel like Ultimate Warrior running down to the ring at Summerslam 88, so excited to destroy his hapless opponent that he doesn’t even know where to begin.
Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–AWA TEAM CHALLENGE SERIES!
Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12.05.94
Although there’s one major story that we’re just waiting for this week, we start with one of the more tragic tales in wrestling history: The life and death of Art Barr.
I’m gonna be honest, daylight savings changed everywhere else in the world besides Saskatchewan so I can’t even remember if this is the right time for the Night threads. Whatever, if I’m early, deal.
NXT and NXT UK on the Network tonight. I’m working on the historic Diesel/Art Barr issue of the Observer for tomorrow.
Probably some kind of college sports tonight.
Apparently yesterday was the day to vote for Trumpians yesterday. When will we learn that democracy just doesn’t work?
The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 07.07.97
Live from EDMONTON, ALBERTA! My first ever live RAW, although you’d probably have to be looking really closely to see me.
Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.
https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/jose-lothario-passes-away-83-years-old-269611
Could you just stop now, 2018? RIP to a legend.
It is Smackdown taped from Englandtown tonight as the boring build to Survivor Series continues.
WWE bought the WWC tape library today. They should sign Carlito while they’re at it. Dude was RIPPED on GLOW.
Chat about the stuff here!