UFC 86 PPV REVIEW

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

So can the ultimate fighter become the ultimate champion? That’s what I’m hoping to find out as I take in the latest show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson defends the Light-Heavyweight title against Forrest Griffin in UFC 86: Jackson v Griffin, shown live here in Britain on Setanta Sports. As usual, our hosts for the evening are Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

The show starts with action from the lightweight division, between Tyson Griffin and Marcus Aurelio. The first round started pretty slowly, so much so that the crowd soon began to voice their displeasure, until things went to the mat where Griffin, in the guard position, unleashed with the ground and pound, which almost cost him as Aurelio tried to synch in an armbar a couple of times. Back on their feet, Griffin connected with a good shot to the body as the round came to an end.

Round two began like a kickboxing fight, with Griffin connecting with some good combinations before Aurelio got him in the clinch and took the fight to the fence. A short time later Griffin got the take down, but Aurelio quickly managed to work his way back up, and took Griffin’s back, only for Griffin to roll over into the guard position. After a few blows Aurelio almost synched in a triangle, but after Griffin escaped he was able to keep up the good work in the guard.

Round three began in the same vein as round two. Aurelio looked exhausted, and didn’t seem to have any answer to Griffin’s kicks and punches, and when he went for a shoot, Griffin showed good defensive work. As the round went on Aurelio’s punches looked very weak compared to Griffin’s. However, after Griffin got the take down, Aurelio looked a lot better, going for a couple of submissions while Griffin went for the ground and pound, and with the fight going the distance, the judges gave their unanimous decision to Griffin, and rightfully so. His work rate looked far superior to that of his opponent.

Then it’s up one weight to the welterweight division, with Josh Koscheck taking on Chris Lytle. Round one began with a feeling out process between the two fighters, before it went to the ground and Lytle attempted a guillotine choke, releasing it a few seconds later when he realised he couldn’t get it locked in fully. Koscheck then began to work well in the guard, making room for himself so he could deliver some strikes. After a couple of transitions between the two fighters, the round ended with Koscheck in the guard again, and connecting with a hammer fist as the horn sounded.

The second round saw an exchange of blows between the two fighters, before both went for two well defended take downs. When the fight did go to the ground, Lytle once again went for a guillotine, but once again released the hold. Then Koscheck went to work with the ground and pound, opening a nasty looking cut near Lytle’s right eye. Lytle looked helpless as Koscheck unleashed with the elbows and the punches, with the blood even spurting onto an octagon-side camera. Lytle was starting to wear thee crimson mask as he tried in vain to defend himself, but Koscheck was still able to rain down with the bombs as the round ended.

To the surprise of this writer, Lytle was allowed to come out for the third round, and his situation seemed to spur him on, first going for a kimura, and then going for a guillotine, before Koscheck returned to the position where he did his best work. The blood began to flow again as Koscheck aimed at Lytle’s cut with some elbows. But the work rate soon went downhill, and the referee stood the fighters up. As the fight entered it’s last minute, Lytle swung wildly before they got into a clinch up against the fence, which was released due to inactivity, and as the round and fight came to an end, both fighters connected with a couple of blows, and with the second fight of the show going the distance, the judges gave the unanimous decision to Koscheck, a decision that didn’t sit too well with the audience, but was very well deserved. Kudos also to Lytle for fighting on, despite the cuts.

It’s back down to the lightweights next with Joe Stevenson facing Gleison Tibau. This one began quickly. After a nifty exchange, a blow sent Tibau to the ground, where Stevenson almost synched in a guillotine. It was then back and forth action, with each fighter scoring with a take down, with Stevenson scoring a take down, and Tibau locking in an alma-platter shoulder lock. Try as he might Stevenson couldn’t get out of the lock, and decided that patience was the best tactic as the clock ticked down to the end of the final round.

The second round saw the usual exchanges, before a clinch to the fence and a couple of take downs from Tibau, who then showed great skill on the ground as he went for a guillotine. Tibau then went for a take down, and it proved to be his undoing, because as soon as they hit the ground Stevenson locked in a guillotine. Seconds later Tibau was tapping, and Stevenson was declared the winner. A good comeback from Stevenson here, although Tibau did look the better fighter, until then.

Middleweight action follows, with Patrick Cote and Ricardo Almeida going at it. This one began with an interesting move, with Almeida jumping the guard and trying to lock in a guillotine, before they went to the ground. That didn’t last long as they soon returned to their feet, soon going into a clinch against the fence. Cote showed some great defence as he tried to avoid the take down, but that couldn’t last forever as Almeida eventually took him down. Cote tried to push Almeida away, but no matter what he tried he couldn’t keep his opponent off him as Almeida punched right through the guard. All Cote could do was try to cover up as Almeida went with the ground and pound as the round came to an end.

Round two took some time to actually start, as there was a problem with Almeida’s right glove that had to be fixed. When it eventually began Cote looked like he wanted to keep the fight upright, but Almeida pulled the guard and tried to go to work. This didn’t work that well, and the fight soon went back upright. Almeida didn’t look too happy in this position, always backing away from Cote, and even dropping his hands on a couple of occasions. In truth it didn’t make for very good viewing, especially when Almeida got the body locks up against the fence. A brief guillotine attempt provided a few seconds of excitement, before a Cote right sent Almeida to the ground as the round came to an end.

Almeida again looked nervous at the beginning of the third round, seemingly unwilling to engage in an exchange of blows with Cote, always backing away from his opponent. Again, this didn’t make for exciting viewing, especially when you have one fighter want to fight, and another backing away most of the time. It was only when the fight entered it’s last thirty seconds that Almeida really went to work, scoring with a take down and going for the ground and pound, but Cote managed to get the into Almeida’s guard as the fight came to an end. The judges were split with their decision, with Cote getting the win. Not the most exciting UFC fight I’ve ever seen, but an interesting one nonetheless.

Main event time, with Forrest Griffin challenging Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the UFC Light-Heavyweight title, the battle of the coaches in the last series of The Ultimate Fighter. With an absolutely electric crowd cheering them on, round one saw both fighters trade blows early on, with both me getting some good shots in, and Griffin looking the better fighter, until Jackson scored with a good short that sent Griffin down, with Jackson following him into the guard. But it wasn’t long before they both got back to their feet, ending the round with another exchange of blows.

Round two began with Griffin scoring with a couple of kicks that clearly hurt Jackson, before Griffin got a front face lock, connected with a couple of blows, and took the fight to the ground. Jackson seemed unable to do anything with Griffin as he transitioned to side control and went for an Americana, before getting the full mount. Again, Jackson seemed powerless against Griffin’s attack, giving no answer to the punches or the elbows, such was Griffin’s domination.

Jackson’s left leg was clearly bothering him as the third round began, and seemed unable to do anything until he scored with an uppercut combination. Both fighters got off some good combinations, with Griffin continuing to go after Jackson’s left leg. As the round went on Jackson’s leg seemed to recover as both fighters continued with the stand up game, with a slugfest developing as the round ended.

The fourth round began with some good combinations from Jackson, opening up a cut near Griffin’s left eye, before they went to the ground with Jackson in Griffin’s guard. Griffin soon locked in a triangle, which Jackson broke out of by standing up and slamming him down. Seconds later Griffin went for an alma platter before they returned to their feet. Jackson connected with some good shots, and seemed to be working more than Griffin towards the end of the round.

Both fighters began to look exhausted by the time the fifth and final round started. Both fighters got off some good combinations, with Griffin once again getting off some good kicks on Jackson’s injured leg. Both men were giving their all, and with the crowd screaming their hearts out, it was really something to watch, with the action continuing right up to the final seconds. So, after twenty five minutes of great action, it went down to the judges decision, with Griffin getting the unanimous decision, and becoming the new UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion. All I can say about this one is wow!

With some time to kill, there’s a bout from earlier in the show, with Melvin Guillard facing Dennis Siver in the lightweight division. Guillard caught Siver early, sending him down to the mat, before sending him down a second time, and then going for the kill with the ground and pound. Siver offered no defence, so the referee stepped in and stopped the fight, giving Guillard the TKO win.

In conclusion - I’m going to say it once again - wow! Griffin v Jackson was an excellent fight, and definitely a candidate for any MMA fight of the year. Putting on a great display, they had the crowd in the palms of their hands from the beginning to the end. We haven’t had a main event with that sort of emotion since Randy Couture beat Tim Sylvia.

As for the undercard, while Cote v Almeida didn’t exactly make for engrossing viewing at times, the rest of the fights delivered with the great action, especially Koscheck and Lytle. UFC 86 may go down as one of the best shows of the year, thanks to messrs Jackson and Griffin, and given what happened here, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a re-match within the next twelve months. After all, Dana White likes to give the UFC fans what they want, doesn’t he?

ROH IN ENGLAND

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

For this edition of The Two Sheds Review we’re taking another trip stateside. Well, sort of, because in August 2006, Ring of Honor came to the Liverpool Olympia in merry old England for two shows, the first of which, Unified, we’re looking at here. This main event for this one features a unification match, with ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson facing Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness. There also appearances from the likes of Robbie Brookside, the Briscoe Brothers, Doug Williams, SUWA, and many more.

After a couple of opening promos, it’s on to the opening match, which features Colt Cabana, Matt Sydal, Jonny Storm and Spud in a four corners survival match. It’s fast-paced, hard hitting, and at times funny. It’s also a fantastic way to start the show with four great wrestlers showing their wares in what could only be termed as frantic. We even get Cabana channelling the spirit of the late British wrestler Big Daddy at one point. Sydal came out the worthy winner in this one, defeating Spud with his Sydal press, one of the best top rope moves I’ve seen in recent times, and all four men got a standing ovation as they left the hall.

As the wrestlers leave, Chris Hero comes running through the crowd, jumps into the ring and grabs the microphone. Needless to say that the locals don’t take very kindly to this interruption, and Hero himself is soon interrupted by the returning Colt Cabana. Hero runs for cover back through the crowd.

Prince Nana then arrives on the stage with a microphone in hand. Like Hero before him he gets a warm Liverpool welcome as he introduces the crown jewel of The Embassy, Jimmy Rave, coming to the ring for his match-up with Davey Richards. As Rave and the Prince enter the ring the fans throw loads of toilet rolls at them, which doesn’t do much for their mood. While the first match was fought at a very frantic pace, this was almost the polar opposite, fought at a much slower and more methodical pace, giving this viewer the perfect opportunity to assess the talents of the wrestlers on the show - and they were good. Unhampered by a faux rock star gimmick, Rave looked great, with Richards looking even better. This is only the second match I’ve seen Richards in, but I can see why certain sections of the internet are buzzing about this guy’s talents. Mention must also be made of Prince Nana, patrolling around ringside and showing that managers do still have a part to play in the world of professional wrestling. As for the match, after numerous false finishes and almost thirty minutes of tremendous action, Richards got the pin after his butterfly brain buster. Nana went ballistic afterwards, coming into the ring and shoving the referee. To cap things off, the second standing ovation of the evening followed.

After a promo from the Briscoes promising to win the tag-title later in the evening, it’s on to more singles action, with Claudio Castagnoli against B.J. Whitmer. This one didn’t last as long as the last one, but it was just as action packed. Double C attacked Whitmer before the bell, and you could tell from then on just what sort of match we were going to get. The two of them soon started to brawl around ringside, before giving the fans a closer look at the action, again making me wonder why referees just don’t count them out when they do this. They eventually returned to the ring, where the technical wrestling returned as well. The back and forth stuff followed, with plenty of near falls, before Whitmer got the pin with a roll-up, having started off by trying to take Claudio down with a piledriver.

Whitmer didn’t have much time to celebrate his victory, as Chris Hero made his second appearance of the evening, helping his erstwhile partner in attacking the winner. Colt Cabana then ran down to the ring to make the save, leading to the next match of the evening - Cabana v Hero, a match that Hero didn’t even want in the first place. Part brawl, part technical wrestling contest, this impromptu match is a great little bout, with Hero playing the part of the heel very well. Of course, Cabana is the man here in England, and has the crowd in the palm of his hand as he went for all-out victory, which he achieves with his colt 45 backbreaker. You know, I think I’m now even more of a Cabana fan, if such a thing is possible!

After Bryan Danielson promises victory in the main event, there’s more Brits in action as Doug Williams and Jody Fleisch face Japanese opposition in the form of SUWA and Go Shiozaki, with the winners getting a tag-team title shot at the following night’s show, Anarchy in the U.K. It’s the usual good solid work from Williams and Fleisch here, although I couldn’t help but wonder if Fleisch was going to injure himself whenever he leapt from the ring to ringside (see my review of the King of Europe Cup 2007 DVD and you’ll see why). SUWA and Shiozaki continue to impress whenever I see them, with SUWA’s somewhat underhanded tactics making him the heel of the proceedings, although as the match went on, Shiozaki began to display those traits as well. So what we’ve got here is an excellent back-and-forth encounter between two very good teams, putting on a great display of wrestling in their attempt to get a title match, and after what seemed like an eternity of great action, Williams got the pin for his team, taking down Shiozaki with his chaos theory suplex. This didn’t sit well with SUWA, who came into the ring and clobbered Williams with his kendo stick, before clobbering his own partner. It was only when Williams, Fleisch and Shiozaki teamed up that SUWA stopped his attacked and headed for the hills. Lasting nearly thirty minutes, this was an excellent match. I can’t really say nothing more than that.

After a promo from B.J. Whitmer saying that he’s going to look for new challenges in ROH, and an advertisement for the ROH Straight Shootin’ DVD series, it’s on to the first title match of the evening, with Robbie Brookside defending the now defunct Frontier Wrestling Alliance British title against Chad Collyer. While this wasn’t as intense as some of the previous matches, it was still good nonetheless. You always know that you’re going to get a good, solid performance from Brookside here, and Collyer was more than able to match him. We even got something I never thought I’d hear at an ROH show, as Brookside led the chorus with his trademark “we want more” chant. Mind you, this show was being held in his hometown, so I supposed it had to be expected. The end came in traditional Brookside fashion. After getting to the ropes when Collyer had the Texas cloverleaf locked  in, Brookside came back to take him down with his cross-armed iconoclasm to get the pinfall win. Good stuff from both wrestlers here. Not to flashy, but just right.

Then it’s straight on to the next match, as Jay and Mark Briscoe challenge Austin Ares and Roderick Strong for the World Tag-Team titles. I’ll tell you what, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the Briscoes in action, and boy have they improved as a tag-team, and with their added bulk they certainly look the part of wrestlers these days. Aries and Strong also showed great synergy as a team, and I can see why they were ROH’s top tag-team at the time. But what about the match, I hear you ask? Well, to coin the old phrase, it’s a great example of tag-team wrestling, with some great double-team moves from both combinations mixed in with some hard hitting action and great technical wrestling, with some combinations of moves I’ve never seen before. The crowd were right when they began chanting “this is awesome”. As for the ending, on the way to several false finishes which were preceded by countless great moves, which included Aries getting a DDT’d on the ramp, Aries managed to escape the Briscoe’s springboard doomsday device, getting the pin after coming down on the top rope with a 360 splash. Do I need to say how great this match was again?

Main event time, with World Champion Bryan Danielson and Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness battling it out in a unification match. Fought under pure wrestling rules, it’s a hell of a contest between two of the best wrestlers in the world at the moment. Danielson and McGuinness go all out in a tremendous show of technical wrestling and ringside brawling, combined with a great storyline and an electric atmosphere. There’s just too many great moments here to pick out just one. The ending came with a referee stoppage. Angry because McGuinness had escaped the cattle mutilation, Danielson connected with a series of elbows to the side of McGuinness’ bloodied head. The Brit had no response to this, falling into unconsciousness, leaving the referee no decision but to stop the bout.

In conclusion - wow! Ring of Honor certainly know how to put on a great wrestling show, and this was a great wrestling show. Excellent performances from all concerned here, and I don’t really need to go on about how good this show was. If you’ve never seen an ROH show before, then Unified would be a great place to start. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Mark Sloan for supplying a copy of this release. “ROH Unified” is available to buy online at www.a-merchandise.co.uk, official sponsors of The Two Sheds Review website.

Night of Champions Review

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s that time of the year again, when every title in World Wrestling Entertainment is defended on the same show in the Night of Champions, shown live here in Britain on Sky Box Office.

We begin with tag-team action, as Fit Finlay and Hornswoggle challenge John Morrison and the Miz for the WWE Tag-Team Championship. I’m still slowly warming to the Morrison/Miz team, but the fact that it’s Finlay and Hornswoggle challenging really says something about the tag-team division at the moment. Anyway, that’s the rant over, let’s get on to the match. Morrison and Miz put in another great team performance, and you can’t say anything about Finlay’s performance either, but Hornswoggle, that’s another matter entirely. Although he’s one popular little guy, he shouldn’t be in a match like this. After all, didn’t Vickie Guerrero strip him of the Cruiserweight title because she didn’t think he’d be able to defend himself in a proper match? So what we got here was Morrison and the Miz taking the little guy apart, and being unable to put him away, before he got the hot tag to his old man, who proceeded to clean house. Then Hornswoggle was tagged in, was thrown by Morrison off the top rope, and then pinned. So they couldn’t beat him with usual wrestling moves, but they could by simply throwing him off the top rope. Mixed feelings on this one, readers.

Hopefully, things will change a little with the next match, as Matt Hardy defends the United States title against Chavo Guerrero. As usual, Chavo has Bam Neeley watching his back. Now that’s more like it. A very nice little match here, with Guerrero taking Hardy down with a chop block and then working over the injured limb for a while, with help from his trusty bodyguard. Hardy made a brief comeback, but was clearly hampered by his bad knee, which allowed Chavo to regain control. More work on the knee followed, before a very interesting ending, which saw Hardy counter the third of Chavo’s three amigos with a twist of fate to get the title retaining pin. Good stuff here, and I hope we get to see these two against each other again. They showed good chemistry here, and it can only get better with further outings.

Then it’s time for Kane to defend his ECW title against the Big Show and….wait….did I see that right? Mark Henry? Mark bloody Henry is in this match now? Well, this was one of the ones I was looking forward to, mainly because Kane and the Big Show have had some good matches in the past, but now Mark Henry’s in it….well, I think you can see what I’m getting at here. Now when it was Kane v Show, it wasn’t too bad, and we saw some good stuff there, but when it became Henry v Show, with Kane being attended to by doctors at ringside after taking a heavy bump on the ring apron, it just wasn’t that exciting, bringing back memories of the recent Big Show/Great Khali match, and judging by the reaction (or lack thereof) of those in attendance, I’m not the only one who felt that way. Thankfully, Kane managed to get back into the match, and joined with Show to take Henry down with a double choke slam, which meant we saw more Show v Kane action. But then, horror of all horrors! After Kane caught Show on the top rope and took him down with a suplex, Henry sprang to life and big splashed Kane as he lay on the mat. A three count later and Mark Henry was the new ECW Champion? Did you hear that Shane Douglas? Did you hear that Sandman? Did you hear that Masato Tanaka? Did you hear that Terry Funk? Did you hear that Raven? Did you hear that Tommy Dreamer? Mark Henry is now the ECW Champion, and I hope that the dozen or so fans he has are now happy!

Time for the second tag-team title match, with Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes defend the World Tag-Team titles against Ted Dibiase Jr. and his mystery partner. Dibiase came to the ring alone, asking for the match to be put off for a while because his partner was late and wasn’t in the building. The plea fell on deaf ears, and the ref ordered the match to start straight away. Then it turns out that Dibiase’s partner was actually Cody Rhodes, who turned his back on Holly who attacked him and took him down with a DDT. Rhodes then tagged Dibiase in, who locked in the million dollar dream, and with the hold still applied, he then added a leg sweep, taking Holly down. A pinfall later, and we had new World Tag-Team Champions in the form of Rhodes and Dibiase. For some reason this hasn’t really shocked me, but it will be interesting to see if Holly gets a new partner to go against this young duo.

Chris Jericho’s up next, defending his Intercontinental title against a mystery opponent, who turns out to be new Raw roster member Kofi Kingston. I have really seen much of Kingston before, so I was interested to see how he’d match up against Jericho. Oh, and for some reason Lance Cade is at ringside watching the match. (You can tell I don’t watch Raw much these days, can’t you?) Anyway, back to the match, and I’ll tell you something, this Kingston bloke is good, pulling off some impressive moves, especially his flying body block which had shades of a frog splash about it. As for the match, good stuff here, and back and forth encounter between two wrestlers who seemed well suited to each other, mixed in with some fans who didn’t get what this match was about as they started a boring chant. We also got a surprise appearance from Shawn Michaels, who came through the crowd to distract Jericho, who knocked his rival off the ring apron. This gave Kingston the opportunity he needed, as he took Jericho out with a spinning kick to get the title winning pin to end a good match. Things didn’t end there though. As Michaels was helped to back, troubled by his eye injury, Jericho delivered a right fist to the injured eye. Good way to continue the feud, and I get the feeling we’ll see Michaels v Jericho at Summerslam.

Women’s action follows, with Mickie James defending the Women’s title against Katie Lea, who has Paul Burchill along for company. You know, I still get a strange feeling when I see people I’ve met wrestling for the world’s biggest wrestling promotion, which is the case with the two Brits here. I’ve followed Katie’s career since I first saw her wrestle back at the Revival show in 2002. Seems a long time ago now, and that match wasn’t exactly the greatest example of women’s wrestling I’ve ever seen, but the fact that she’s now in WWE shows just how far her career has progressed. This was an impressive outing for the Divas, with Katie working over Mickie’s left arm and shoulder, doing everything she could to put the champion away. But it wasn’t enough, as Mickie countered a back suplex attempt to take Katie down with a DDT. I really liked this match, and hopefully Katie will get another chance to become the first Brit to win the women’s crown. Well, hopefully before Leyla El does!

Main event time #1, as Edge defends the World Heavyweight title against perennial foe Batista. Messrs Ross and Foley seem to go to great pains to point out that Batista has never actually beaten Edge in a title match. When I first heard that these two were going to go at it again on pay-per-view, my first thought was “what again?” But instead of a match we’ve seen countless times before, we got something that was very satisfying and very entertaining. Edge is perhaps the best heel in the WWE at the moment, and Batista is perhaps the best foil he has ever had. Their chemistry in the ring together is almost perfect. It was a back and forth encounter, with Batista, realising that this was his last title opportunity against Edge, wrestling his heart out in an attempt to win the big gold. The drama was provided by Vickie Guerrero, who is really coming into her own as the evil general manager, stopping the count when it looked like big Dave was going to win. Hey, she even took a bump as Batista threw her over the top rope onto her comrades at ringside. All of this, of course, was part of the big plan as Edge clobbered the referee and special referee Chavo Guerrero came down to the ring and made the three count. Great action and drama here, and the last time you’ll see these two in a match, for a while at least.

Main event time #2, as Triple H defends the WWE title against perennial foe John Cena. Messrs Cole and Lawler seem to go to great pains to point out how these two are great fan favourites, and how Triple H has never really recovered from his previous defeat at the hands of Cena. Now, I’ve read quite a few comments over the past few days about how this was the best match of the show. I beg to differ. Okay, it was a very good contest, but for me it just couldn’t compare with the previous match, especially as far as drama and tension are concerned, possibly because there was no natural face/heel divide in this one. The best part of this match were probably the last ten minutes, where the two weary warriors, one with a dodgy knee, went all out in an attempt to win the match. Cena kicked out after the pedigree, Triple H reached the ropes during the STFU and kicked out after the FU, and we even had Triple H countering a second STFU with his version of the crossface. You have to wonder if this was his tribute to a certain wrestler who left this mortal coil about a year ago. Cena didn’t tap out to this submission move, but finally fell to the second pedigree of the night, with Triple H getting the title retaining win seconds later to end what was a very good bout, even if it wasn’t match of the night.

In conclusion - the second Night of Champions was a very good show, with the exception of the opening tag-team match, which left me scratching my head a little, and a certain title change, which left me shaking my head a lot. Hey, it only took the guy twelve years to win his first major title! The two main events certainly delivered what they set out to do, although it did surprise me at the time that neither of those titles changed hands, because it left Raw without a major championship. But when all is said and done, Night of Champions definitely gets the thumbs up from this reviewer. Well done all, unless your name is Mark Henry that is.

Frank Warren Presents Best of Boxing

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s time for The Two Sheds Review to take a look at the world of professional boxing again, and what better place to do it than here in good old Britain, and with the help of one of the world’s biggest promoters.

Frank Warren Presents Best of Boxing contains eight of the greatest fights seen on these shores since 1995. After we hear a little about how Mr. Warren became one of the most powerful sporting figures on the planet, it’s onto the action. Every fight presented here bar one is a world title fight, and features the cream of British talent, and the good thing is I remember each and every one of them, having watched them all live on television.

For instance, who can forget Nigel Benn’s brutal fight with Gerald McClellan in 1995? Benn looked like he was going to lose it after going down in the first round, and again in the eighth, only for the Dark Destroyer to come back and retain his WBC Super-Middleweight title.

Or Frank Bruno’s emotional WBC World Heavyweight title win against Oliver McCall. Bruno’s fourth attempt at winning the gold saw him out point and out box the American all the way. It truly was an astonishing night.

Then there’s Naseem Hamed. The Prince was like Marmite, you either loved him or hated him, but you had to give him credit for his boxing skills, and the way he cockily obliterated featherweight great Steve Robinson in his own backyard to gain his first world title.

There’s two efforts from Chris Eubank here, although sadly they are losing ones, as we see him trying to regain his super-middleweight title from Irishman Steve Collins, and his second cruiserweight title encounter with Carl Thompson. I would have preferred to see his first fight with Thompson here, but you can’t have everything.

The collection is rounded off with three of Britain’s modern greats. There’s Amir Khan’s final amateur fight against Cuban legend Mario Kindelan, Joe Calzaghe’s demolition of Byron Mitchell, and Ricky Hatton’s finest hour as he defeats Australian Kostya Tszyu, cementing his position as one of the best fighters in the world today.

In conclusion - if you’re a long time British boxing fan, you’ll enjoy this DVD. Although, sadly, all of the fights are only in highlight form, you’ll still see a ton of great action, and now that this release is very reasonably priced, it’s certainly value for money

Guest Booker with Raven

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s June 1996. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall have just left the mighty World Wrestling Federation, and will soon jump ship to World Championship Wrestling, helping to launch the New World Order, and to ignite the Monday Night Wars. But what would have happened if they’d taken a different turning, and instead of heading to WCW, they head to ECW, and what if the ECW Champion, Raven, had just been installed as the new booker?

Well, this is what you’ll find out with Kayfabe Commentaries’ “Guest Booker with Raven” DVD, as one of the greatest creative minds in modern wrestling history puts forward his ideas about how Hall and Nash would have been booked if they’d gone to ECW.

Raven is given the brief that he must book all of Hall and Nash’s angles from their first appearance in June 1996, right through to ECW’s first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, the following April. And boy, does he do a good job.

With his mind working overtime, Raven comes up with some fantastic ideas about how Hall and Nash’s arrival in the land of extreme would be handled, how Hall would be positioned for a run at the ECW title, and how Nash would become the proverbial killing machine, putting out wrestlers left right and centre. He also brings in others such as Sean Waltman, Terry Funk, as well as ECW stalwarts the Sandman and Tommy Dreamer in one overall booking plan where, if it had happened, it would have made for tremendous television.

Basically, this release is one of the best wrestling-related DVDs I’ve seen this year, and it’s a joy to see Raven’s creative forces at work, and you get the feeling that if he was given the book in a major wrestling promotion today we’d get some damn good television out of it.

So how does this spot of fantasy booking end? Far be it for me to spoil the fun, so I guess you’ll just have to buy a copy and see for yourself.

With thanks to Mark Sloan and A-Merchandise for supplying a copy of this release. “Guest Booker with Raven” is available to buy through A-Merchandise, one of the official sponsors of The Two Sheds Review website, at www.a-merchandise.co.uk.

The Ultimate Fighter Final

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

Having recently reviewed the DVD release of The Ultimate Fighter 5, what better time is there for me to review the finale of the latest series (even though I’ve never seen any of the other episodes, so you‘ll have to excuse me if I don‘t exactly know much about some of the fighters), which was shown on a twenty-four hour delay on Bravo this past Sunday. As always, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are there to call the action, so let’s get on with this thing.

The show begins with action from the middleweight division, as Matt Riddle, making his professional debut, takes on Dante Rivera. If truth be known, the first round wasn’t really that exciting, as both fighters seemed to spend most of the time up against the cage vying for position in a clinch, and things only got slightly better when Rivera pulled Riddle into his guard as the round came to an end.

The second round looked like it was following the same script as the first, until the final minute or so when Riddle took Rivera’s guard. Rivera was able to reverse the position, but as the clock ticked down Riddle went for an armbar, and then a triangle choke, but couldn’t synch either in properly.

The third round had a bit more action, and Riddle in particular looked good, although Rivera had his moments. However, the referee had to constantly warn them about the lack of action, until Riddle got the guard again towards the end of the round and went for the ground and pound as the clock ran out. So with the fight going the three round distance, the judges gave the unanimous decision to Riddle. A deserved win, but I just couldn’t get into this one for some reason.

Down to the lightweight division next, with Spencer Fisher taking on Jeremy Stephens. Now this was more like it. A very good first round saw Fisher take Stephens down early, and even though Fisher was working almost constantly in the guard and the side, Stephens also worked well, unleashing with blows of his own and a couple of submission attempts. It seemed that Stephens had an answer for everything Fisher did.

The first half of round two saw both fighters take the stand-up route, with both me getting off some good blows and showing some good work in the clinch, until Fisher reversed Stephens’ takedown attempt so he had the advantage on the ground. Once again both fighters worked all the time while they were on the mat, with Fisher seemingly able to transition at will. The round ended with the fighters returning to their feet, and Stephens taking Fisher straight back down to the mat at the end.

Round three saw more stand-up action, until Fisher went for the takedown which Stephens defended with the sprawl, before almost getting a guillotine choke locked in. Fisher was able to escape, and it wasn’t long before both fighters were back on their feet. Stephens quickly took Fisher down and began to work in the guard, opening up a cut near Fisher’s left eye to join the cut he already had on his right arm. As the fight entered it’s final seconds, Stephens went for another guillotine choke, which Fisher was able to defend from as the fight came to an end. The judges gave the unanimous decision to Fisher, although one couldn’t help but feel sorry for Stephens in what was a very good and very entertaining fight.

Action from the welterweight division follows, with Diego Sanchez facing Luigi Fioravanti. The first round was interesting to watch. The intense Sanchez unleashed with some good combinations, but Fioravanti was able to go like for like with him. As the round came to an end Fioravanti was able to take Sanchez down, but Sanchez immediately got back up to his feet.

Round two saw action from the beginning. Fioravanti seemed to injure his right leg or ankle while moving away from Sanchez, before getting caught with a right hand that sent him crashing to the mat. Sanchez jumped on him immediately, looking to finish things off, but Fioravanti’s defence was enough to keep him away until they returned to their feet. A few moments later both men connected with good shots, but only Fioravanti went down. Once again Sanchez went to work, and once again Fioravanti showed some good defensive skills as he was able to get away from Sanchez’s finishing attempts.

Although both fighters were visibly tiring as the third round began, it proved to be just as action packed as the previous two. Whenever Sanchez went for a takedown, Fioravanti was able to counter. Even when Sanchez was able to take his back, Fioravanti was able to escape. However, things soon changed when Sanchez connected with a head kick which staggered Fioravanti before a big knee sent him to the mat. Sanchez went in for the kill, and it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to stop the fight, Sanchez getting the TKO victory. Another good fight here, with two good performances, especially from Sanchez.

Then it was time for The Ultimate Fighter final, middleweight action with Amir Sadollah facing C.B. Dollaway. A very short, and somewhat controversial fight saw Dollaway take Sadollah down early before showing some good skills on the mat, transitioning well as he went to work. However, Sadollah came back soon and locked in an armbar. Dollaway tapped Sadollah’s leg just once, and the referee stopped the fight, with Dollaway claiming that he didn’t tap. Despite the protests the result stood, with Sadollah getting the submission victory, the title of The Ultimate Fighter, and a six figure UFC contract. This was certainly an interesting fight, and one that will be discussed for quite a while.

Main event time in the middleweight division, with Evan Tanner, now looking like Grizzly Adam’s illegitimate son with his bushy beard, facing off against Kendall Grove, a battle of the generations as it were. The first round was the proverbial game of two halves, with both fighters putting in some good work. Grove opened up a cut on Tanner with an elbow in the clinch, while also connecting with a good jumping knee. Tanner had his moments as well, and was able to use some good defence as Grove tried to take his back.

Round two looked like it belonged to Grove. Although Tanner spent a great deal of the round in the clinch with Grove, the former Ultimate Fighter winner was able to do the most damage, again connecting with his jumping knee, as well as an elbow that clearly stunned Tanner, who looked spent as the round came to an end, which allowed Grove to connect with more blows and kicks.

Tanner began the third round by getting in the clinch up against the cage again, trying to take Grove down to the mat. Tanner’s failure was met by more inside elbows from Grove. Tanner looked more exhausted as the round went on, especially when the two fighters tried to exchange blows as he realised that the only way he could beat Grove is with a knockout. The fight ended with Grove connecting with another big knee. So with the fight going the distance, the judges gave the decision to Grove via split decision, which was a little surprising to some as it seemed that Grove was dominant throughout.  Another very good three rounder, which leaves me wondering where Evan Tanner will go from here.

Finally, a fight from earlier in the evening, with Marvin Eastman and Drew McFedries in the middleweight division. Action packed from the beginning, with McFedries coming out with a flying knee, and Eastman with a takedown, before countless blows from McFedries took their toll, and with Eastman holding on to a leg and clearly suffering, the referee stepped in to call a halt to proceedings. Explosive and impressive stuff from McFedries here.

In conclusion - proof that you don’t have to have a good fight card filled with quick stoppages. With four fights going into the third round and providing great entertainment along the way, The Ultimate Finale proved once again that the UFC are the best they are at what they do. I did consider declaring a fight of the night, but it’s a hard decision to make, so I’ll just give kudos to everyone here for their efforts. Well done again UFC for putting on another good show.

UFC 85: BEDLAM

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

They’re back, and this time they’ve brought a little controversy with them - a fighter failing to make weight, another who connects with illegal blows, and a questionable referee decision is were the main talking points as the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the O2 Arena in London for UFC 85: Bedlam, broadcast live here in Britain on Setanta Sports. As usual, our hosts for the evening are Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

The first fight of the broadcast sees action from the heavyweight division, as Brandon Vera faces Fabricio Werdum. This turned out to be a very interesting fight. With both fighters having their moments in the early part of the round, Vera connected with a couple of blows that clearly rocked Werdum, who recovered well by getting into a clinch. Then it was Werdum’s chance, taking Vera down and moving from position to position, before getting the mount and unleashing with the ground and pound. Vera covered up and defended well and didn’t look as if he was in any trouble. But then came the first controversial moment of the night as the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Vera immediately told the referee that he was okay, and he was completely fine as soon as the fight was stopped. Werdum was declared the winner by TKO in what was a good performance, but the question will remain about whether Vera could have continued.

Then it’s down to the middleweight division, with Nate Marquardt taking on Thales Leites. This is another that will be remembered for a couple of controversial moments. After the initial feeling out process in the first round, Leites connected with a punch that knocked Marquardt down. The Brazilian went to work on the mat, trying to get the mount, but Marquardt soon escaped back to his feet, and towards the end of the round rocked Leites with a good combination what staggered him for a few seconds.

The second round saw the first controversial moment of the fight. After taking Leites down, Marquardt connected with a knee to the head while Leites was down on the mat, an illegal move under UFC rules. Leites was clearly stunned by the move, and the referee called the doctor in to check if he was okay. So after the doctor cleared him to continue, he allowed him a rest period, and then took one point away from Marquardt for the illegal blow. When the fight restarted, Marquardt upped the aggression, unleashing with the ground and pound, with one right hand looking like it broke Leites’ nose. As the round went on Marquardt continued to hammer away as the blood flowed down his face. But the round ended with Leites on top, having executed a very good take-down. After the round finished, the referee called the doctors in again, concerned at Leites’ breathing after he was apparently choking on his blood during the round, and again the doctors cleared him to continue.

The third round began with Marquardt taking Leites down again, but the Brazilian defended himself quite well before going for a couple of submissions. Then came the second controversial moment, as Marquardt connected with an elbow that the referee thought was to the back of Leites’ head. In fact, replays showed that it connected to the side of the head, and not the back, and once again Marquardt was deducted another point. Back in the fight Marquardt took Leites down again, and opened up a cut above his right eye with the ground and pound before moving around for position. But as the clock ticked down both fighters were clearly exhausted, and with just a few seconds left, Marquardt picked Leites up and delivered a piledriver, planting Leites down on his head. It was the last significant moment of the fight, as it went to the judges decision, and the points deductions proved to be highly significant, as Leites was given the split decision. A very good fight here, but like the previous one it will probably be remembered for those two points deductions.

A fight from earlier in the evening next, with Jason Lambert facing Luiz Cane in the light heavyweight division. This one didn’t last that long. After engaging in a clinch for the first couple of minutes, Cane began to unload with the heavy artillery, knocking Lambert off his feet three times before the referee stepped in and called a halt to the action, awarding the TKO victory to Cane. A good display of punching power from the Brazilian here.

Back to live action next, with a man who’s getting something of a cult following in these parts of the world, Marcus Davis, taking on Mike Swick in the welterweight division. The first round began with the usual feeling out process, but it wasn’t long before Davis took Swick down to the mat. However, the quick one was soon able to get control for the remainder of the round, unleashing with a series of blows and elbows, one of which opened up the scar tissue on Davis’ face.

The second round began with a good exchange of blows, before it went back down to the mat with Swick in the full mount and again going to work. But as Swick transitioned from full mount to half guard, Davis made an unsuccessful attempt at a kimura, which Swick was able to escape from before returning to his feet. After a couple of moments with both fighters in the clinch, Davis took Swick down, with Swick almost synching in a triangle, before taking Davis down again with a sweep as the round came to an end.

The third round was fought at a much slower pace. A few punches and kicks were exchanged by both fighters before they once again got into a clinch against the fence. Then Swick, having been warned about it throughout the fight, had a point deducted for continually holding the fence. Afterwards, things sped up a little when Swick took Davis down again, and the fight ended with Swick delivering the ground and pound, and with Davis’ face a bloody mess. So with the fight going the full distance, the judges gave the unanimous decision to Swick, which was wholly justified for a great performance.

Up one division to the middleweights next, and the man that all the fans came to see, Britain’s own Michael Bisping, taking on Jason Day. After the feeling out process, Bisping took Day down and immediately went to work, unleashing with the ground and pound, and looking good while doing so. Day was able to get back to his feet after a minute or so, but Bisping took him right back down, going from full mount to side control, and when Day tried to get to his feet, Bisping simply dragged him back down to the mat and continued with the ground and pound. Day simply had no answer to Bisping’s onslaught, and it wasn’t a surprise when the referee stepped in to stop the punishment, giving the Count the TKO victory. For me this is Bisping’s best victory in the UFC. If he keeps going on like this then he’ll definitely be a serious contender to the middleweight title.

Main event time, with Matt Hughes taking on Thiago Alves. Now this fight had some controversy before it even began. The fight was originally scheduled as a welterweight bout, but Alves failed to make the weight because of an ankle injury, coming in four pounds over, and rather than see the fight scrapped, Hughes agreed to make this a catch weight fight, so when both fighters came to the Octagon, Alves looked visibly bigger than Hughes. But down to the fight itself. Early on as they got into a clinch against the fence, Hughes pulled Alves down into the guard, which proved to be a little costly as Alves connected with a few good shots, one of which opened up a cut on Hughes’ nose. They soon returned to their feet, before Hughes took Alves down again, moving from side control to half guard, but the lack of work from both fighters drew several warnings from the ref, until Alves got to his feet. The round ended with Alves returning the favour and taking Hughes down, connecting with a few good punches.

The second round began with Hughes taking a knee to the face, which saw the cut on his nose bleed again, before they went back down to the mat, with Alves moving from position to position before they went back to their feet. Then came the decisive moment, as Alves connected with a high knee to the head, with Hughes landing awkwardly on his left knee as he went down. The referee stepped in immediately to stop the fight, Alves getting the TKO victory. Part of me really wanted Hughes to win this one, but Alves thoroughly deserved his victory for his great performance.

With some time to kill, more preliminary fights were shown, beginning with Matt Wiman against Thiago Tavares in the lightweight division. This one was certainly action packed. The first round began with an early take down, Tavares went for a guillotine choke, before going for what looked like an armbar. Wiman was able to escape these attempts before trying for a couple of submissions of his own, most notably a heel hook, and the fast-paced action continued throughout the remainder of the round, with both fighters looking exceptional.

The second round saw Wiman coming out swinging and connecting a couple of times, with Tavares responding in kind. This continued until Wiman pushed Tavares down to the mat, where the great action continued, before they returned to their feet. That was then a  big right hand stunned Tavares, as did the knee. The referee then stepped in to call a stop to things as Tavares slumped to the mat, with Wiman getting the TKO win. A very good fight here, with both fighters giving it their all. A shame all MMA fights can’t be like this!

Then it’s the middleweight encounter between Jorge Rivera and Martin Kampmann. The first round saw Rivera connect with a couple of good kicks, before they went down to the mat with Kampmann in the guard position. Once there Kampmann unloaded with a few shots, and Rivera went for an armbar, before Kampmann was able to take Rivera’s back before going to the mount, almost getting in the arm triangle choke. Rivera managed to survive, but didn’t survive the guillotine that Kampmann applied seconds later, tapping out within seconds. A very good performance from Kampmann against the veteran here.

In conclusion - when you consider all the problems with this show, with Chuck Lidell’s injury, other fighters pulling out at short notice, and the problems at the weigh-in with Thiago Alves, then this is a very good show. It may not have been filled with the biggest stars, but it produced some great fights and performances, particularly from Michael Bisping  among others. UFC 85 comes highly recommended. A good job all around, and once again Dana White and his crew have left many British mixed martial arts fans very happy.

1985 WRESTLING CLASSIC WWF

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

Ladies and gentleman, I think I’ve unearthed a gem from the past, dating back to November 1985, the World Wrestling Federation show “The Wrestling Classic”, featuring a sixteen man single elimination tournament, and another match in the legendary feud between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. After the initial introduction from Vince McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes, it’s handed over to the commentators, Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

The first round of the tournament begins with Corporal Kirchner facing Adrian Adonis. Adonis here is managed by Jimmy Hart. Kirchner began with a couple of arm drags, but Adonis soon took control, but as the Corporal went for a suplex, Adonis countered with a DDT to get the pin and three count. A typical TV match, not lasting that long, and a bit sloppy at times.

Then it’s Nikolai Volkoff against the Dynamite Kid. Remember folks, this show was held during the Cold War, so we hate the Russians here! This is a quick one. As Volkoff is enchanting the crowd with the singing of the Russian national anthem, Dynamite climbs to the top rope and connects with a dropkick as Volkoff finishes, A three count later and the Brit is through. That’s the way to deal with those pesky commies!

Following that quick win, it’s Ivan Putski, Polish power himself, against “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who, of course, has the lovely Miss Elisabeth by his side. It’s a battle of power against speed here, and Savage is at his best here as the oft-cowardly heel. Putski overpowers Savage early on, but Savage gets the quick pin with a roll-up with his feet on the middle-rope. This is Savage in his prime here.

Following this, what looks like a great match on paper as Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat faces Davey Boy Smith. The early exchanges between these two are great, but sadly it doesn’t last that long, as Smith crotches himself on the top rope when Steamboat moved out of the way and suffers an injury. The referee calls an instant halt to the match, awarding the match to Steamboat. This had the makings of a great match. A shame it had to end so early.

Next up, the Junk Yard Dog versus the Iron Sheik. The Sheik attacked the Dog before the bell, but with his head butt as the main weapon, JYD came back strongly, until the Sheik applied the camel clutch. But the Dog managed to get out of the hold, and while the Sheik was attacking him in the corner, he became preoccupied with the ref, pushing him out of the way. This gave the Dog the chance to connect with another powerful head butt so he could get the pin. Probably the best match of the show so far.

A battle of the heels next with Terry Funk facing Moondog Spot. Instead of wrestling, Funk suggests that they don’t, and they both should leave the ring and declare the match a draw. So with both wrestlers outside the ring, the referee starts the count, and Funk attacks Spot. The ringside brawl goes back to the ring, and as Funk throws Spot into the ring, the referee finishes his count, awarding the win to Spot via count-out. Very interesting way to do a match.

Mr. Fuji’s man, Magnificent Muraco, then goes up against Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana. Muraco overpowered Santana early, but the Mexican’s speed brings him back into the match, but the Magnificent one soon brings his power back into play again, and he takes Santana down with a power slam, and counts three for Muraco’s pin. However, realising that Santana had his foot under the rope, the referee re-started the match, and with Muraco still celebrating, Santana got him with a small package to get the pin. I take back what I said before. This is the best match so far.

After Mean Gene interviews Bobby Heenan, in which the Brain reiterates the bounty he’s put on Paul Orndorff’s head, it’s Mr. Wonderful’s turn in the final first round match, as he goes up against his former running buddy “Cowboy” Bob Orton. Needless to say that Orton is wearing a cast on his left arm. A good match sees Orndorff targeting Orton’s injured arm, before the Cowboy comes back and shows just how damn good he was back then with some good solid wrestling. But Orndorff comes back strongly with some powerful shots, but when Orton adjusts his cast, he clobbers Mr. Wonderful and goes for the pin. But the referee doesn’t count, and when he calls for the bell, Orton celebrates until the ref reveals that he’s actually disqualified him for using the cast. A really enjoyable match with a great storyline and a good ending.

McMahon and Hayes then go through who’s facing who in the next round, and Hayes looks like he’s up to no good with the way he’s grabbing hold of the hostess.

Then it’s on to the quarter-finals, with Adrian Adonis facing the Dynamite Kid. During the match Ventura leaves his commentary position at ringside, claiming he’s got to talk to Randy Savage about his match backstage. Back in the ring Adonis and Dynamite put on an excellent wrestling contest, making me realise just how much Adonis deteriorated in his later career. Dynamite, as always, looked great here, another example of just how great a wrestler he was, and it was the Brit who came out on top, kicking out of Adonis’ roll-up attempt by kicking him into his manager Jimmy Hart, who was standing on the ring apron. A three count later and Dynamite was through to the semi-finals.

Mean Gene then interviews Ventura, who says he’s been telling Savage about the flaws of all his possible opponents. He then gets annoyed when Mean Gene accuses him of being an unbiased announcer.

The second quarter-final is a dream match, with Randy Savage facing Ricky Steamboat. Of course, everyone knows about their match nearly two years later at Wrestlemania III, and while nothing can compare to that classic, this is still an excellent match between two wrestlers made for each other. Some great exchanges between the two, and a controversial ending. As Savage stood on the ring apron, he pulled something out of his tights, and as Steamboat tried to execute a back suplex, Savage clobbered him with the foreign object. Steamboat was out as he hit the ground, with Savage going for the immediate cover to get the three count.
It’s a battle of the dogs in the third quarter-final, with Moondog Spot facing the Junkyard Dog. The strange thing about this one was that there was actually no referee in this match. Spot attacked JYD early, but came back quickly and took Spot down with his big head butt. He then went for the pin and made his own three count. As the bell rang, ring announcer Howard Finkel announced that the Dog had won the match as Gorilla Monsoon revealed that a ringside judge had given him the decision. Quite bizarre, if you ask me, or could it just be a case of poor organisation here?

Mean Gene then interviews Bobby Heenan again, saying that he’s been scouting for talent all night long, and that he’s hoping someone will pick up the bounty on Paul Orndorff’s head.

Back in the ring, the final quarter-final sees Paul Orndorff facing Tito Santana. Santana came into this one with his left leg heavily bandaged. Like the previous face v face battle, this was a great technical contest with both wrestlers matching each other move for move. But when Santana re-injured his leg, Orndorff began to work over the injured limb. But it wasn’t long before both men began brawling around the ring, failing to notice that the referee was counting both men out, therefore eliminating both of them from the tournament. A good little match here, and a shame it didn’t go a little longer.

McMahon and Hayes then run-down what’s happening in the tournament. Once again the Lord is acting like an ageing lothario as he starts kissing the hostess. You know, if he did that sort of thing now he’d get arrested and thrown prison. But apart from that, they announce that the Junkyard Dog has drawn a bye in the semi-finals, because Orndorff and Santana eliminated themselves, meaning that there would be only one semi-final match.

Mean Gene then interviews Hulk Hogan. It’s the usual hyperbole from the Hulkster, who basically talks about how he’s going to tear Piper apart.

Then it’s on to the only non-tournament match on the show, as Roddy Piper challenges Hulk Hogan for the WWF title. This is actually the first Hogan/Piper singles match I’ve seen, and it begins before the bell even rang. It’s kind of your typical Hogan mid-80’s match here. Lots of brawling at the beginning of the match before Piper locks in a sleeper hold, and when it looks like Hogan is out of it, he raises his finger and begins his fight back. The referee then takes an accidental shot, which gives Piper the chance to hit Hogan with a chair. But after Hogan manages to get the chair off Piper, he applies a sleeper of his own, until he gets attacked by Piper’s bodyguard Bob Orton from behind. The referee, who had recovered by now, disqualified Piper immediately, and as the bad guys were attacking Hogan, Paul Orndorff returned to the ring to make the save. Well, I wasn’t expecting a classic here, but it was good nonetheless.

Back to the tournament, and the only semi-final, another dream match with the Dynamite Kid facing Randy Savage. This was another great match, and another example of just how great these two were. Savage was again at his heel best, while Dynamite was more than a match for him. Again, it’s a shame that this one didn’t go longer because it could have been an even better match. The Macho Man again came out on top. As Savage climbed to the top rope, Dynamite connected with a dropkick that crotched Savage on the top. The Kid then climbed to the top himself, and brought Savage crashing down with a superplex, but when they landed, Savage grabbed Dynamite’s legs with his own legs, raised one shoulder and got the pin. Great stuff here.

Mean Gene then interviews Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff. After complaining about the attack from Orton and Piper, they challenge the dastardly duo to a match, saying that they’ve got a little surprise for their enemies.

The final match of the evening, the tournament final, sees the Junkyard Dog face Randy Savage. Lots of posturing from these two before the match began, with Savage using Elizabeth as a shield when the Dog threatened him, and the Dog bashing his own head with a chair that Savage had brought into the ring. Savage, clearly fatigued by the match with Dynamite, is simply overpowered by the Dog early on, but it isn’t long before Savage brings out the trademark stuff, axe handles off the top rope onto the arena floor, as well as choking the Dog on the ringside barrier. But once they get back in the ring it’s a different story. JYD connects with his trademark head butts, and although Savage has a brief comeback, the Dog backdrops him over the top rope onto the floor. The exhausted Savage is unable to make the count, meaning that JYD wins by count-out, and the tournament. But just as Mean Gene is about to interview the Dog, Jesse Ventura gets into the ring to complain about the Dog’s bye into the final,  but leaves the ring when the Dog walks towards him. Enjoyable stuff here.

McMahon and Hayes then wrap things up, and thankfully his Lordship isn’t fawning over the hostess anymore.

In conclusion - remember what I said at the beginning of this piece about unearthing a gem? Well, I was right. The Wrestling Classic is just that. A very good tournament with some of the top stars of the day featuring some very interesting matches, culminating in a good final. The Hogan/Piper match wasn’t that bad either, and it certainly was interesting to see those two one-on-one for the first time.

But it makes me wonder how things would have turned out if the WWF had persisted with this show concept. After all, this was billed as the first annual Wrestling Classic, and was broadcast on pay-per-view. Would we have seen the King of the Ring tournaments on pay-per-view seven years later? And in what month of the year would the Survivor Series have been held, as The Wrestling Classic was held in November? Things would certainly have been different, but this is all just speculation. The Wrestling Classic is a very good show, good for older wrestling fans who want to hark back to their younger days, and younger fans who want to take a look at old WWF shows. So if you can get a copy of this show, then grab it with both hands. As the old saying goes, you won’t be disappointed.

WWF ONE NIGHT STAND

THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

It’s gimmick match overload time again - but it’s not on a TNA show, as WWE give us the annual extreme rules pay-per-view that used to belong to ECW - One Night Stand, with Triple H defending his WWE title against Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match, and the Undertaker and Edge fighting it out over the vacant World title in a TLC match. All of the usual commentators are there, including The Adamle, so it’s straight on to the action.

The show begins with Jeff Hardy facing Umaga in a falls count anywhere match, which for me is a very good way to start the show. As expected, they didn’t stay in the ring very long, after Hardy pulled the top rope down as the Samoan charged towards him. We then got the obligatory brawl through the fans, which led them to the hallways, where Hardy connected with a clothesline by sliding down a banister. After this they took their brawl outside to the car park, which saw them ram each other into trucks. Soon, Hardy started to climb to the top of a truck. Umaga followed, but was soon kicked down. Hardy followed him down seconds later, coming down on Umaga with a swanton from the top of the truck - although we didn’t actually see either man land on the ground. A three count later and Hardy was victorious. A very good match here with some rather unique spots. The rest of the show has a lot to live up to.

ECW’s only match of the night follows, a Singapore cane match featuring C.M. Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison and the Big Show, former ECW Champions all of them. This one started with the Big Show throwing everyone around as if they were rag dolls, before the other four men in the match ganged up on him and took him down, before they each grabbed a cane for themselves to take him out completely. Then they took care of each other, and when the big guy got back to his feet, having taken care of Morrison’s partner the Miz, he found himself with a face full of steel steps after Morrison hit him in the knee, which resulted in a cut near his left eye. But as the others continued to fight, the Big Show recovered, grabbed a rubbish bin full of canes, and cleaned house, eventually getting the pin on Dreamer after a choke slam and another cane shot, earning a title shot against Kane. Another very good match, and it’s good to see that the Big Show is once again being treated as a monster.

Next up, the first blood match between old rivals John Cena and John Bradshaw Layfield. As was expected with these two, this was nothing more than a brawl, with very little actual wrestling as they basically just punched and kick each other around the ring and ringside area. They also heat each other with chairs and microphones, as well as being rammed into the ring posts. But no matter what he tried, JBL just couldn’t make Cena bleed. And it was the same for Cena as well. Cena’s offence didn’t last long though, and he soon found himself tied up in the ropes as JBL brought a whip into the ring. He didn’t get to use it though, as he kicked his opponent in the gut, then used the chain that JBL had introduced moments earlier to apply a unique version of the STFU. Seconds later JBL began bleeding from the mouth, and the referee called a halt to the action. Nothing quite like a good old fashioned brawl now and again.

Diva action follows, with Beth Phoenix taking on Melina in an I quit match. Diva matches seem to have improved in recent months, thanks in part to their TNA Knockout counterparts, and this was another case of this. While it didn’t feature any fancy high spots, it did feature great wrestling as each diva tried for submission, in order to get their opponent to say those magic words. Both girls were impressive here, especially Melina. In the end the Glamazon came out on top with a rather unique submission hold that folded Melina up like an accordion. Melina had no choice but to say I quit. So why can’t women’s wrestling be this good all the time in WWE?

The fall-out from Ric Flair’s retirement continues with Shawn Michaels facing Batista in a stretcher match. This one would have a lot to live up to following their previous encounter at Backlash a couple of months ago, and the match stipulation for this one just added to the growing tension between these two. Good exchanges in the ring was matched with some rather inventive uses of the stretchers at ringside. Both wrestlers had their opponent on the stretchers a number of times, but the interesting intervention from Chris Jericho, in which he pleaded with Michaels to show more heart after Batista put him on the stretcher certainly changed the manner that this match was contested. The Animal up the aggression, and before taking Michaels down with a second Batista bomb, he said “I don’t love you, and I’m not sorry.” Batista then placed Michaels on the stretcher, and as he wheeled him up the aisle to the finishing line, Jericho returned to try to urge Michaels on again. It was then that Batista inflicted more punishment with a spine buster on the steel steps, before placing Michaels on the stretcher again and pushing him over the finishing line. Well, this one started out slowly, but the drama grew throughout, and the intervention from Jericho added to that drama, which made for a great match. Excellent stuff here.

Raw main event time, with Randy Orton challenging Triple H for the WWE title in a last man standing match. This match will probably be remembered for one thing, and we’ll get to that in due course. These two took it to each other as soon as the match began, and it’s somewhat ironic that Triple H focused his early attack on Orton’s left arm, throwing him into the steel steps, and then, back in the ring, throwing him into the ring post twice. The action then got hardcore, as they fought around the ring, on the ECW announce table, and with the steel ring steps. If an inanimate object deserved overtime pay for this show, then those steps do. Orton pulled out all the stops, even choking Triple H with an electrical cord, but he still couldn’t put the Game away. Then, it happened. As Triple H struggled to his feet, Orton went for the RKO, which Triple H countered by throwing him over the top rope. Orton landed hard on the floor, and you could see him immediately tell the referee that he’d broken his collarbone. But despite the injury, the match continued, until Triple H clobbered Orton with his trusty sledgehammer, putting Orton down for the ten count, and giving Triple H the title retaining win. A good match, up until the unfortunate injury to Orton. Whether Triple H knew about the injury is a matter for debate, but surely they could have brought the sledgehammer spot in a few moments earlier so Orton could get the medical attention he needed.

Smackdown main event time, with Edge facing the Undertaker for the vacant World title in a TLC match. But this one had a extra stipulation - if the Undertaker lost, he was gone from the WWE, history. A brutal match to end the show, with both men using all of the implements available to them to beat the hell out of each other. We got bumps through tables, massive chair shots, and good use of the ladders in what was a very good match. Indeed, the sickest of the bumps came when the Undertaker choke slammed Edge onto a ladder from the ring apron. Of course, we got an appearance from Hawkins and Ryder, who got choke slammed through tables for their troubles, before Edge himself got power bombed through two tables as he was climbing the ladder. Then the interference of Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neeley failed, before the Undertaker took the sickest bump of the night. As he climbed the ladder to claim the belt, Edge recovered enough to push the ladder down, which sent the dead man flying out of the ring and crashing through four tables. Seconds later Edge climbed to the top of the ladder to win the belt and to send the Undertaker packing. This was definitely the match of the night, full of high drama and high tension between two men who pulled out all the stops to achieve the ultimate goal. Is this the last we’ll see of the Undertaker? I doubt it, but the WWE will be a poorer place until his eventual return.