Monday Night Raw
Date: July 22, 2019
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Renee Young, Michael Cole
It’s a big night around here with Raw Reunion, featuring just about every big name you can think of who didn’t have anything better to do tonight. In other words, it’s time to try to get people to watch the show and since we don’t have many people of this generation to present (or Summerslam in less than three weeks), here we are. Let’s get to it.
Before we start, I want to point out Ezekiel Jackson has been in the intro since the brand split in April and he’s still not shown up.
No Way Out 2005
Date: February 20, 2005
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 9,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
This is a different kind of show as there is little doubt about where things are going for Wrestlemania but they’re trying to keep up the pretense of some surprises that could still come. That includes a barbed wire steel cage match with JBL defending the World Title against Big Show and a #1 contenders match between John Cena and Kurt Angle. Let’s get to it.
Hello You!
Back again with some more 205 Live. This week we actually get a rematch of the match that got me interested in watching the show again in the form of Jack Gallagher Vs Chad Gable. The last time these two took to the ring it was an absolute corker, so hopefully we get just as good a match this time out.
Also, last week Mike Kanellis promised doom for the show due to his personal life going to the dogs, so there’s a good chance we’ll see some chicanery from him this week as well.
So without further ado, let’s take to the skies for another week of 205 action!
Monday Night Raw
Date: February 14, 2005
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 7,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
We’re back in America but the show is in a bit of a weird place at the moment. It’s the last show before No Way Out, meaning the last show before we can officially begin the Road to Wrestlemania. The fans are chomping at the bit to see Batista finally snap and turn on HHH but we need to go through the motions of acting like Batista might go after JBL instead. The inching forward continues tonight so let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: July 16, 2019
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
It looks to be an eventful night this week and believe it or not, a big focus is going to be on Shane McMahon. We’re going to have a town hall meeting where wrestlers and people on the show can air their grievances with Shane, which could go a lot of ways. Other than that, Daniel Bryan is going to make a career changing announcement. Let’s get to it.
Monday Night Raw
Date: July 15, 2019
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves
It’s time for the new era as Paul Heyman is in charge starting with this week and as luck would have it, we’re less than four weeks away from Summerslam. Tonight we’re going to find out who will be challenging Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar at the pay per view, which should tell you where things are going. Let’s get to it.
Extreme Rules 2019
Date: July 14, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Renee Young
We’re finally wrapping up a long stretch with what feels like a show from one company or another every week for months. This is a show built around violence and a full three matches out of the twelve have some form of gimmick that includes violence. The card doesn’t look bad though and hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.
“Sometimes there’s days you never forget! And one of those days is this Sunday with Extreme Rules!”
Smackdown
Date: February 10, 2005
Location: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Attendance: 18,757
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
We’re over in Japan for the first time in Smackdown history and it’s tournament time. With less than two weeks to go before No Way Out, we need a #1 contender for Wrestlemania so it’s time for a tournament to get us to that point. There are two first round matches tonight and one of them actually seems interested. Let’s get to it.
Hello You!
Back again with some more 205 Live action, as this show will be the go home for Extreme Rulz, where Drew Gulak will defend his Cruiserweight Title against Tony Nese.
So without further ado, let’s get Live with the 205!
Monday Night Raw
Date: February 7, 2005
Location: Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Attendance: 16,657
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
This is a first for the company as they are now heading over to Japan for a rare international Raw. It’s a stacked card too with the Tag Team Titles on the line, Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho in a submission match and Edge FINALLY getting his World Title shot against HHH. Given the way things are going, we might actually get some lengthy matches out of all three. Let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips
It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and after last night’s long list of changes, you have to think that the card is mostly set for a change. Tonight is likely going to focus on Shane McMahon, with Roman Reigns possibly even gracing us with his presence for a change. We’re still waiting on the Eric Bischoff regime to start though, meaning this might not be the strongest show. Let’s get to it.
Monday Night Raw
Date: July 8, 2019
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
We’re in the second week of the Paul Heyman era around here and so far, things have been rather successful. What matters most coming out of last week was how different things felt in the area of the show just feeling more energized. It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules, and hopefully we get something that can overcome the Baron Corbin Effect. Let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2005
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Attendance: 9,200
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
It’s always nice to see a birthday show. This was taped after Raw on Monday so the fans are going to be a little more worn out than usual. We’re coming off of the Royal Rumble where JBL retained the World Title, but now he has a barbed wire cage match with Big Show. Oh and John Cena, who was the runner up in the Rumble and clearly the next top challenger. Let’s get to it.
Monday Night Raw
Date: January 31, 2005
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Attendance: 9,200
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
It’s the night after the Royal Rumble and that means the Batista train is pulling away. Batista won the Royal Rumble last night and that puts him on the path to Wrestlemania. The question though is…well ok it’s not really a question about which champion he’ll face but how will they get there. Let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: July 2, 2019
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
For the first time in a very long while, Smackdown actually has some catching up to do with Raw. Last night’s show was pretty good for a change and a lot of that has to do with the Paul Heyman influence. While it isn’t clear if Eric Bischoff’s influence will begin tonight or not, it certainly does make for an intriguing possibility. Let’s get to it.
Monday Night Raw
Date: July 1, 2019
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
So depending on which version of WWE’s own story you believe, this may or may not be the first show under Paul Heyman’s control. It doesn’t seem to be the case, but at this point they certainly need something fresh. Tonight is likely going to be more about the amazing mixed tag, which is probably going to headline the pay per view to even less interest. Let’s get to it.
We’re in The City (The City Of Angels) but all I see is dead wings and tonight’s main event is a six-man tag match with all the important people so fuck knows what they’re going to do for the rest of the hour.
Royal Rumble 2005
Date: January 30, 2005
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Attendance: 12,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Tazz
We’re finally to one of the more important shows ever and the main event is a two horse race. This is clearly the year of John Cena or Batista and either one is a great option to win. They’re owning their shows right now and both of them seem to be locks to walk out of Wrestlemania with the World Titles. Predictable does not mean bad though and that seems to be the case here. Let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2005
Location: Alltel Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means more polishing up John Cena for either winning the Royal Rumble or getting the next big title shot after the show. Other than that, we have a rather spiffy three way feud for the World Title, which is a lot better than I was expecting. Maybe they can even continue it as we get through the final show. Let’s get to it.
Hello You!
I decided to put the Hardcore TV reviews on ice, mainly because I don’t think anyone was actually reading them. Seeing as 205 Live is probably the only show that super-reviewer Tommy Hall doesn’t recap around here, I decided I’d try it out for a few weeks and see what everyone thinks.
Recaps going forward will probably be up on Wednesday evenings at the earliest because the show is on pretty late in the UK and I have things like sleeping and a regular day job that I have to contend with. Whenever I’ve watched 205 Live I’ve tended to enjoy the wrestling on it quite a lot, though the crowds can sometimes be pretty dispiriting, so I’m optimistic going in to this.
Anyway, let’s take a look at 205 Live for 25/06/2019
Monday Night Raw
Date: January 24, 2005
Location: Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and since it’s Batista’s match to win, he has to qualify tonight. Other than that, we should get more not too bad promos from Randy Orton and HHH before their World Title match on Sunday, which will be a lot worse than the buildup. Let’s get to it.
Smackdown
Date: June 25, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips
Since the schedule is so packed together these days, this is the fallout for Stomping Grounds, the followup show from last night and one of the setup shows for Extreme Rules all at once. Kofi Kingston retained the WWE Title over Dolph Ziggler on Sunday but now has to deal with Samoa Joe. Other than that, we could be in for some more matches being set up for the next pay per view. Let’s get to it.
Hello You!
So we’re back again with another Six of the Best, this time looking at what was, for a while, the fifth biggest pay per view event of the WWF/E calendar in the form of King of the Ring. KOTR as an event ran from 1993 until being discontinued in 2002.
I will be looking at just the KOTR PPV’s themselves for this and not the times WWE brought back the tournament for television purposes. I also won’t be covering any of the tournaments prior to the first PPV version of the event in 1993, as I have actually never seen any of the matches from them and couldn’t even tell you if footage of the matches actually existed or not. If they do then please feel free to confirm that in the comments section.
This one was difficult in the sense that I really didn’t know whether to include one particular match and only eventually decided to go with it after watching it again. We’ll get to that when we get to it. Aside from that particular match, the rest of the list wasn’t too difficult for me to narrow down, as KOTR events tended to be a bit meh when compared to the likes of Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and Summer Slam. As a result, narrowing the list down to Six didn’t take too long as the really good matches from these events stand out quite clearly.
As always, these are just my own personal picks. This isn’t supposed to be some sort of objective list or anything. If I leave out a match that you think warrants inclusion, then please feel free to put it down in the comments section below. As with previous lists, I’ll be listing the matches in chronological order.
So without further to do, let’s take a look at Six of the Best for King of the Ring!