How the WWE Ruined Roman Reigns' Big Wrestlemania Moment

I've rarely used this blog to talk about modern wrestling since for the most part I've been having more fun recapping stuff from 22 years ago over the stale product of today, but with Wrestlemania on Sunday, I felt I'd throw my two cents into the main event of this year's event. An event that I honestly feel has been the worst ever. Not so much for the people involved on the card, but from a company that just didn't try with anything. And when they did try with anything, they usually killed all heat for an angle by hot shotting it on Raw. Any storyline with a trace of a chance to get the crowd excited for the biggest event in the industry felt like no effort or thought went into it. And the worst case in this comes with the two men challenging for the company's richest prize.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of Roman Reigns. I have no ill will for Joe Anoa'i, the man playing the role. I just don't care for the character, which feels like something the WWE produced, and not something that got over with the fans on their own. Reigns is the prototypical wrestling superstar that Vince McMahon loves. Muscular, good looks, good hair, looks like a bad ass. It doesn't matter if he's not the most technical in the ring, or good on the microphone. All that matters is that people buy that he's the man of the next decade.

Well, unfortunately for Vince, that hasn't happened. In fact, if anything, the road to Wrestlemania has hurt Roman worse than anything could have. Before the WWE handed him a Superstar of the Year award and nearly billed him as an descended god, he was getting over. Prior to the hernia that took three months off his career, he was getting great reactions, and the fans began to get behind him. He was being pushed quickly to the top spot, but it still felt slow enough that the crowd was ready to buy a bright future for him. Hell, when he returned from said injury the crowd was still behind him, and he was getting solid reactions.

Then the Royal Rumble happened. And while one could argue the crowd's disdain was mostly because the returning Daniel Bryan was eliminated, I argue the mess became worse with how poorly everyone the fans even remotely liked was handled. Mainly Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose. Instead of building an interesting final four with three of the top guys, and Reigns, and an ending that could have helped make Reigns look good, they throw Bryan out mid-way, have Kane and Big Show toss out Ambrose and Ziggler like geeks, and have Reigns throw Kane, Show, and Rusev out like nothing. And even the involvement of the Rock didn't help matters. Mistake number one in how badly the company handled this mega push.

Speaking of Kane and Big Show, in the middle of this push to the Rumble and into Wrestlemania, that's pretty much all Roman ever fought on Raw, despite the fact that the crowd has been tired of both men being involved in storylines for years that seeing them get superman punched week after week did nobody any favors. And in the middle of this run to keep Roman strong, they have him get pinned by Big Show. Yes, Seth Rollins interfered, but there should be zero reason that the man who we're supposed to buy into being the man who can defeat Brock Lesnar should be losing to anyone, especially Big Show.

The WWE did do something right in having Reigns feud with Bryan, but even that storyline was a mess, making both men look like petty jerks trying to desperately vie for the love of the fans. Bryan did his best to make Reigns look good in what was a great match at Fastlane, and the first true sign that there is something in Reigns that could work as a major player, much to my own chagrin. So Bryan does the job, and the WWE rewards his making Reigns look strong by dumping him  in the middle of the nonsense that is the Intercontinental championship storyline.

So in two months, they've done jack all to fix the problems the writers and Vince have caused. And made things worse by trying to make this Samoan bad ass into a comedy character. Reciting fairy tales, quoting Sylvester the cat, literally comparing himself to Superman complete with whoosh sounds and flying gestures. While he is gaining confidence on the microphone, and slowly improving, trying to make him John Cena just doesn't work. It's further proof that the WWE's reliance on scripted promos doesn't help anyone.

So with one month left, and Brock Lesnar appearing all of two times on TV before this, how does the WWE handle Roman Reigns? Do they try to do whatever they can to prove to the audience he's as good as they say? Not really. They have him lose again on TV (This time to Seth Rollins), air multiple video packages of him being awesome instead of displaying it, and have him sound like a petulant child whenever someone tells him that he can't beat Brock Lesnar. And while all this is meant to make the crowd get into him, the reactions get silenter and silenter. And you can blame all the internet fans for the dead reactions, but even the most bitter person knows that those crowds aren't all the IWC, and a lot of the dead reaction is from casual fans. Casual fans that don't buy the hype, and don't look to him as the man who can defeat Brock Lesnar.

If anyone actually did a good job in building Roman as something special, as well as making this match come off a a must-see attraction, it's Paul Heyman. Heyman was pretty much given the unenviable task of trying to promote this match to an audience that mostly doesn't buy it, and as Paul Heyman always does, he does a fantastic job. He constantly calls Reigns a bad ass, and someone who has a bright future. He plays into his own history with Reigns' family, and that he knows the lineage Reigns has. And while he guarantees that Brock will administer a "prison beating", Reigns will still take it like a man, and people will respect him when he's carried off. Heyman manages to do everything in his power, and while it has made him look better than both Reigns and Brock in some regard, if anyone did their damnedest to patch the mess, it's Paul E.

And then we get to the Raw before Wrestlemania. The WWE's final chance to make Brock and Roman at Wrestlemania look like a must see classic. A chance for Brock and Roman to go face to face, and  instead of leaving a lasting impression to make Roman look like he has a better chance than anyone to be the man to conquer the conqueror, what do they do? They have both men play tug of war with the WWE title and fade to black. That's the best they could come up with. Either they're already losing hope on Roman Reigns, or they honestly just did not care, thinking that this would be a moment people will look and say "Boy, he really has a chance now."

I can tell you how easily they could have swayed the crowd somewhat in Reigns favor with that one segment. Have Reigns and Brock stare down for a while, and eventually Brock goes for a cheap shot. Reigns gets in some blows and both men brawl for a couple minutes. Eventually Roman gets caught in a German Suplex from Lesnar. Brock wails on Roman and sets him up for the F5. Roman manages to escape, and shove Lesnar into the ropes. As Brock bounces back, he gets a Superman punch from Reigns. It doesn't fase Brock, so Roman manages to land a second. He gets a third, and it knocks Lesnar down. The crowd starts to finally get behind Roman, as he sets up the spear. As he goes to do it, Brock slides out of the ring. Brock clearly still wants to fight, but Paul is holding him back, constantly yelling to Brock "You have him on Sunday! You have him on Sunday!". Roman stands tall, and for the first time in this whole mess of a feud, looks like the man who may be able to end the reign of Brock Lesnar. But I guess that's just too hard and instead we end on a lame tug of war.

and that's honestly it. They could have done so much to make this match hot, make Roman look like the future, make Brock look like a beast, and they did nothing. Even considering Brock's limited contract, this was still a joke of a build to the main event of the biggest event of the year. And in what should be Roman Reigns' big moment, the writers, bookers, and even Vince himself destroyed every chance they had to turn the crowd in his favor. Sunday will be an interesting night, and while I know the crowd will crap over it, I still expect a better match then we all seem to think will go down. I may not like Brock, I may not like Roman Reigns, but I honestly think both men will put on a fine match. Not a five star classic, but something still fine. It's just the WWE have done everything in their power to ensure that I'm unable to care about it.

Believe that.

A Taste of the New Generation: Shadow of Hulkamania: WWF Monday Night Raw: April 5th, 1993

The year is 1993. Wrestlemania IX has just come and gone, and the world is in a dark place. The industry that for a while seemed to finally be shrugging off the shackles of the dying Hulkamania was beginning to see the light of a fresh crop of new talent, ready to prove their talents. Ready to shine bright. But in one fell swoop, the dark cloud of Hulkamania covered that light, and regained his grip on the company. Yes, despite Hogan's own growing disinterest in the wrestling world, and his ludicrous desire to become a movie and tv star, he hold the gold instead of the deserving former champion Bret Hart, and the WWF's then emerging monster heel Yokozuna.

The world revolves once more around Hulk Hogan. The man whose attempt to deceive people on the Arsenio Hall show led to the WWF in a heap of legal issues. The man who as we'll see doesn't have loyalty to Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. No, Hulk Hogan only has loyalty to Hulk Hogan. The fifth era of Hogan-Senpai is upon us. However, this run will be brief, but like the road to Wrestlemania, we're gonna cover every edition of Raw as we head to the next WWF Pay Per View event, the King of the Ring. So let's head to the April 5th edition of Monday Night Raw.

Raw is back in the Manhattan Center. Our commentators are Vince McMahon, Randy Savage... And no Rob Bartlett. So, even though Vince and Macho are not the most tolerable commentators, there will thankfully be a lot less annoyance. But don't get too comfortable with the thought of no Bartlett, he'll be back next week. But the end days are coming.

It's time for our opening contest with Virgil taking on Bam Bam Bigelow. Savage says that despite Hogan's win, his reign is under investigation, you know since he wasn't a contender, nor was that a fair match. But since it's President Jack Tunney on the case, you know this is only gonna get worse before it gets better.

Virgil starts with some athleticism and a few arm locks all while the crowd chants "Virgil sucks". Baseball slide from Virgil gets nothing. A slam and a headbutt misses, and Virgil goes for a roll up for only two. His attempt at a crucifix pin fares no better as Bam Bam drops him with a samoan drop. Vince says that Wrestlemania IX will go down in history as the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. Yeah, you tell yourself that.

Bam Bam keeps the offense for the majority of the match while Vince reminds us about Bret being attacked by Luger at the Wrestlemania brunch. Crowd seems to 180 on Virgil chanting for him. Vince tells us that Rob Bartlett is still lost in Las Vegas. Can he stay there? Rest hold complete with the arm drop spot with Virgil trying to regain offense, but it fails as Bam Bam gets in a bearhug. The arm drop spot gets to two as Virgil once again tries to regain offense, but fails. Whip to the corner from Bam Bam is met with kicks from Virgil. Virgil goes up top and tries for an ugly clothesline, and a missile dropkick for two.

Eventually Virgil's speed catches up to him as a sprigboard cross body is met with a headbutt from Bigelow, who then finishes him off with the flying head butt. Overall, not a horrible match, albeit very bland for the most of it.

Up next is the Raw debut of Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler made his debut in the wrestling business in the early 70's, and throughout that decade became one of the biggest names in the industry, and after his win of hte NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship in 1974, Lawler dubbed himself the "King of Wrestling". This would become his character for the rest of his career.

Lawler's most notorious pre-WWF angle involved comedian Andy Kaufman, who had stepped into the ring declaring himself the Intergender Heavyweight Champion. This led to a feud with Lawler, which at the time was hard to determine if it was real or fake, it being the latter since Lawler and Kaufman were good friends. The culmination led to a wrestling match with Lawler beating Kaufman, and later Andy slapping Lawler on David Letterman.

In 1992, Lawler debuted with the World Wrestling Federation, though his position to this point has remained as announcer for Superstars. This is his first appearance on Monday Night Raw, which will lead to a long run on commentary, which he still does today although now he's been moved to Smackdown.

Lawler cuts a promo on the crowd in attendance that he should be treated respect and the idiots in the crowd should bow down and kiss his feet. The crowd responds with a "Burger King" chant that infuriates the King, who threatens to leave if they don't stop. They continue to do so, and so he exits.

We're taken back to Wrestlemania IX as Mean Gene interviews Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna. Well, not so much interviews as he tells us what we know. Fuji doesn't think the match should have been sanctioned, and Jack Tunney should make a major decision. Well if the match wasn't sanctioned, why did Fuji put the belt on the line in the first place? As much as I laud Hogan for having the gold, you gotta admit the one who really screwed over Yokozuna was Mr. Fuji.

Next up in singles action is Bob Backlund taking on Kimchee. First off, both men enter to no music whatsoever, which just feels odd in the age of big music and ballyhoo. Small "Bobby" chant for Mr. Backlund. Kimche denies a handshake, and Backlund avoids his offense, eventually landing a few of his patented trips. Kimchee gets the advantage back with several body slams. Vertical suplex is reversed by Backlund, but Kimchee gets him with an elbow to the face, and a stomp to the groin.

Headlock by Kimchee to Backlund, who breaks out of it and tries for a back drop which is countered into a sunset flip for two. Kimchee slams Backlund face first into the mat ant reapplies the headlock. Backlund gets a back suplex to break out, gets a hip toss and a body slam. Backlund gets a bridge for the three count. Not a terrible match, but then again I haven't hated any match Backlund has been involved in yet. He's energetic, and brings something different in the ring than the average worker. He's just fun.

Next up is Jumping Jim Brunzell taking on Damien Demento. And on the phone line, because we just couldn't have a Raw without him is our good buddy Rob Bartlett. Bartlett informs Vince that he's stranded in Vegas because he blew it all on the shrimp cocktails. Randy Savage just tells him to get over it. I agree with the Macho Man. Let him rot in Sin City. Even Vince is tired of him and pretends that the connection is dying.

Not much action so far in the match as we start with basic holds. Demento gets some punches in the ropes, tries a back drop, but gets rolled up by Brunzell for two. We get the same spot only with a sunset flip instead. Hip toss attempt from Brunzell is denied as Demento continues offense, landing a big leg drop. Demento looks to the heavens for the voices, and confinues his offense with some elbows which only get him a two count.  Crowd chants "boring".  I'm inclined to agree.

Demento tries to ram Brunzell into the buckle, but the former Killer Bee counters. He regains offense landing a beautiful dropkick on Demento for a two. Demento regains offense and lands a big neckbreaker for a two, and follows with a knee drop for the three count. Heh, I actually wasn't expecting a victory for Demento. Dull match overall. Brunzell was fine, I just find Demento to be quite bland in ring. Just felt like neither men clicked in this one.

Jerry Lawler comes back out for his match, but the crowd continues their chant of "Burger King" which leads him to up and walk off again. I like this mainly because it works for Lawler's character. He's arrogant and full of himself, but very thin skinned. Of course it makes perfect sense for something as basic as a burger king chant to annoy him to this level.

Up next instead of Lawler's match is the Steiner Brothers taking on the Beverly Brothers. We've seen these two teams go at it in previous editions of this blog, and I've always enjoyed their work together. Vince informs us that the Steiners have challenged Money Inc to a future tag team title match. So I guess when the Nasty Boys gave their title shot to the Mega Maniacs they were never reimbursed for that title shot.

Scott Steiner and Beau start off and Scott gets a big throw to kick things off as this match starts rather slow. Every attempt at offense by Scott is met with Beau Beverly complaining that his hair is being pulled. Headlock from Scott followed by a shoulder block, but Beau gets a knee to the gut and a slam to keep him down. Scott counters and gets a big underhook powerbomb, which Savage thinks is a suplex, or "Suplay".

Blake gets the tag in, and after a while, Scott tags in his brother Rick. Black gets some kicks o the corner and a very crisp powerslam. After some whipping, Rick catches Blake for a powerslam of his own. Tag to Scott who gets a big belly to belly. Beau gets a cheap shot, and the Beverlys get a double team while Referee Bill Alfonso is distracted. Tag to Beau who lands an axe handle to the back of Scott, and a nice backbreaker for a two.

After a commercial break, we return with a headlock on Scott. He tags in Rick, but due to a distraction from the Beverlys, it doesn't count. The Beverlys continue double teaming while Fonzie is distracted. Even choking out Scott with the tag rope. After several years of seeing the choke hold being phased out, it's weird to see a choke hold. Blake Beverly lockss in a bearhug to Scott. Suplex attempt from Blake is met with a suplex from Scott. Tag to Beau who keeps Scott from tagging in. Leg drop from Beau misses and Scott gets a big tilt a whirl slam that damn near looked like a powerbomb.

Tag to Blake and a tag to Rick. Big back body drop from Rick and a massive Steinerline. The match breaks downas the Beverlys accidentally hit each other. Scott gets a big frankensteiner (Nearly falling on his own head) for the three. I really enjoyed this match. Started slow, but picked up. And I love both tag teams involved as well, especially the Steiners.

Well, the third time is the charm as Jerry Lawler comes to ringside again. The "burger king" chants ensue. But before Lawler can cut out again, his opponent Jim Powers get a cheap shot on the outside, and rams the King into the steel post. Shot off the top rope to Lawler and a series of whips to the buckles, followed by a clothesline. Jerry escapes the ring to regain his senses. He focuses on Randy Savage, belieivng the chants are his fault.

Lawler tries a headlock, but Powers gets in a hip toss and a body slam. Lawler leaves the ring again to argue with Macho Man some more as "Burger King" chants rain down on him. Powers is still in control, and the chants aren't jelping Jerry very well. Powers gets a big back body drop, but his dropkick is denied by the king. He tells Powers to kiss his feet, and gets a right hand to the head. Irish whip and an elbow to Powers, followed by some patented fist drop. Macho Man goes into full DeNiro as he thinks Lawler is taking to him. Boot to Jerry from Powers who rams Lawler into the buckle multiple tiles. Knee lift from Powers and another big back body drop. Another attempt is countered from the King, who gets his piledriver for the three with a handful of tights for good measure. Not a bad match. A bit too many irish whips, but I thought Powers made a good opponent, and Lawler did a great job playing to the crowd.

Post-match, Lawler directs his attention to Randy Savage at the table. He says that Savage and the rest of the scum from the Rotten Apple are right where they belong. Sitting comfortably watching the greatest wrestler in the world. They're gutless and so is Savage. Jerry puts the challenge out to Savage, as we learn that Money Inc will take on the Bushwhackers. Oh goody.

Not a bad episode of Raw by any stretch. I thought Bam Bam and Virgil was fine, Backlund and Kimchee was fine, and enjoyed King's antics. The Steiners and Beverlys as always managed to put on a great tag team match. And no Rob Bartlett save for a minute on the phone. The only dark spot I'd say would be the Damien Demento and Jim Brunzell match. But overall that didn't hamper what was ultimately a servicable episode of Raw. Well worthy of a B. Nothing worth seeking out, but nothing overly offensive.

A Taste of the New Generation: Shadow of Hulkamania: Wrestlemania IX

It's finally arrived. After almost three months of Raw recaps, we're finally ready to look at what is considered the showcase of the immortals. It's Wrestlemania IX from April 4th, 1993. We are live from Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas Nevada , or to be more specific the parking lot of Caesar's Palace with an attendance being an abysmal 16,891, just slightly mor people than Wrestlemania VII.

Being outside does give this event its own unique feel. Not to mention the WWF going all out with the colliseum feel of the event. Even in 1993 the WWE was really in love with Roman... architecture. We've got vestal virgins, togas, camels, sedans, and much to Mean Gene's hopes, and . I'll give credit to them, they didn't skimp. Commentators tonight are Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan and...

Jim Ross?

The longtime voice of WCW, Ross had left the company when Eric Bischoff became the executive producer. It wouldn't be too long until Ross would find his way to the WWF, and his debut with the company on commentary was right here on Wrestlemania. Sure, you could say making your first televised WWF appearance in a toga is a bit embarrassing, but knowing the company's feelings for the ol' Oklahoman, this is definitely the least embarrassing thing they'd have him do.

It is weird to hear Jim Ross speaking so fast and with so much energy in him. Of course this is long before his bouts with bells palsy, but to see him look more youthful and energetic after coming into wrestling as a fan in the late 90's and being used to how he was then, it just feels hard to fully get used to. Still, having someone on the table who knows the business as well as J.R is definitely a step up from the goofery of Rob Bartlett which I've had to endure months of.

"Finkus Maximus" welcomes Caesar and Cleopatra as they arrive via elephant.  Followed by Randy Savage coming to ringside on a Sedan, being fed grapes by the vestal virgins. And then out comes Bobby Heenan on a camel. You want to know how bad this Wrestlemania is? Heenan on a camel is one of two moments in the WWE's list of greatest Wrestlemania moments. The other... we'll get to it. Also, I love that we're built this whole big Roman-esque look to everything, and you can see gigantic power lines above the arena.

Our opening contest is the WWF Intercontinental Championship on the line. It's champion Shawn Michaels taking on challenger Tatanka. However, coming down with Shawn is one Luna Vachon. Vachon was a member of the famous Vachon family, and niece to hall of famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon. Luna would debut in the mid 80's for Florida Championship Wrestling, and several other companies until signing with the WWF and making her debut right here at Wrestlemania IX.

Before the match begins, we see Sensational Sherri head to ringside, as this feud with her and Shawn hasn't ended since the Royal Rumble. What happened to Marty Janetty, the other part of this feud? Fired again thanks to rumors of being intoxicated during the match with HBK back at the Rumble. We're going deep into the new generation, so we may need to keep a counter of how many times he's been fired at this point. This would be three at this point. Him and Shawn fired in '87, followed by Marty being fired in 1992, and now again in 1993.

Ross tells us that Sherri has no allegiance to Tatanka, and is just here to continue her issues with Shawn Michaels. Michaels takes a while to get his gear off, while Savage makes jokes about Luna being ugly and a "vestal virgin for different reasons." I know I rag on Rob Bartlett while Savage was also not a very good commentator. Usually his stuff focused more on "Do the thing!" and "Lock and load! Get it on! Ooh yeah!". But compared to Bartlett, Savage is a godsend. Though being between a great play by play man in Jim Ross, and a great storytelling in the Brain, he really stands out as annoying, which is a strange thing to think of when mentioning Randy Savage.

After a minute of stalling, we're under way. Shawn tries several leg takedowns, only to be thrown off. This is followed by a series of wrist locks, but Tatanka quickly powers out as Shawn over flops. Headlock by Shawn for a while, but gets turned into a back drop from Tatanka, who then gets a chop, and a whip. Shawn goes up top, but gets turned into several arm drags and a dropkick. Heavy whip as Shawn does his overselling flip. Luna tries to come to Shawn's aid, but Sherri quickly stops her from doing so.

Shawn eventually gets a thumb to the eye and rams his head into a turnbuckle. Sunset flip off the top rope, which lands horribly, gets a kick out at two. Michaels gets caught into an inverted atomic drop. Running DDT from Tatanka, followed by a leg drop to Shawn's arm. And back to the arm bar, and some chops to the shoulder. I do find it funny to see Shawn constanty trying to grab at Tatanka's hair while the ref keeps catching him. However, it just turns back into an arm bar and arm based offense for a while, slowing this match to a crawl.

Michaels tries to get back momentum with an irish whip to the corner, but he ends up running shoulder first into the buckle, and in classic Shawn Michaels style overselling the offense with some flops. More arm bars, followed by a big shoulder breaker and an elbow byTatanka. Tatanka gets a big chop off the top rope. The second attempt is met with a super kick by Shawn. However, this is long before it became his finisher. Shawn throws Tatanka over the rope as Luna tries to get offense in, only for Sherri to stop her again.

Head first into the apron goes Tatanka, as Shawn gets a flying clothesline off the apron. A pretty good clothesline for an arm that was worked on all match by the way. Michaels tries to keep Tatanka out of the ring with stomps to the face, but then focues his attention to Sherri. Swinging neckbreaker from Shawn only gets a two count. Tries again after a dropkick but only gets a two count. And back to slow restholds. Tatanka recovers, but Shawn takes him to the corner with jabs. Really messy victory roll only gets a two.

Something tells me the spot was botched, because he tries this again, and gets dropped with an electric chair by Tatanka. Only a two count by Tatanka. He misses an elbow as Shawn lands an axe handle off the turnbuckle. However, it's no sell time for Tatanka who war dances over all of Shawn's offense. Hard chops follow, which Shawn oversells with aplomb. Cross body off the top rope only gets a two.

Michaels is then caught with a catapult to the turnbuckle, but a roll up only got a two count. Samoan Drop attempt is countered to another near fall. Michaels dives off the top and gets caught with a powerslam for two. Shawn throws him out and attempts a dive off the apron, but smashes his head into the steps. Shawn grabs the referee and drags him out of the ring, but gets a Samoan Drop from Tatanka. However, this means that Shawn got himself disqualified to retain his belt, to the disdain of Tatanka.

Overall, I didn't hate this match. I think Shawn worked his best with Tatanka, and while I'm still not impressed with him, this was probably Tatanka's best match so far. Problems however lie with the match being way too long, with too many restholds inbetween periods of fast action. And the ending was a load of crap too. It was just a way to have Shawn keep the belt while not ending Tatanka's undefeated streak as of yet. Which is stupid because if they are so invested in Tatanka, now would have been the best time to give him a run with the IC strap. But for what it was, I definietly think this was passable. There have been better opening matches at Wrestlemania, and there damn sure have been worse ones.

Post-match, Sherri claps for Tatanka on the apron despite, you know, losing the match technically, and gets yanked off by Luna who hits a hard clothesline and a body slam.  She follows with some kicks before being chased off by Tatanka. He helps carry her off to the back.
Mean Gene is backstage looking swank in his toga. He's interviewing the Steiner brothers. Sadly, if you were hoping for some wacky nonsensical Steiner promo, but it was pretty basic "we're going out there and wrestle" promo.

It's a tag team match next with the Headshrinkers taking on the Steiner Brothers. Not too much of a reaction for the Steiners honestly. Jim Ross makes his first use of the term slobberknocker in the WWF much to the confusion of both Macho Man and Bobby Heenan. Fatu and Scott start the match off. Again a slow start, but Scott starts with an arm drag takedown, followed by a double leg takedown and an arm bar. However Fatu gets offense back in with a headbutt in the corner, but a big hip toss is followed by Scott. It's pretty much a series of hard rights, and a massive clothesline by Scott with Fatu's patented flip from the offense.

The shrinkers get double team offense in the corner, with Samu taking out Rick over the rope. But the Steiners get to the top and hit double steiner lines. A really cool spot in my opinion. Meanwhile, Jim Ross tells us that Luna has attacked Sherri backstage, which Bobby finds super.

Tags to Samu and Rick Steiner. Rick gets a big clothesline, and sends Samu skull first into the post. Tag to Scott who gets the underhook backbreaker. Irish whip, as Samu flapjacks Scott all the way out of the ring. This gives Afa enough time to hit Scott with his bamboo stick while referee Fonzie is distracted. Samu keeps offense in, and even rams Scott's head into Fatu's head. Tag to Fatu who lands a back breaker and a headbutt off the second rope. Rick makes the save, but the distraction leads to a double headbutt and Samu coming in.

Scott gets the boot to Samu, but Fatu is back in, who knees him out of the ring. Rik distracts the ref causing Scott to be attacked some more. Scott gets a facebuster, but Fatu no sells it and lands a big kick to the face. Tag to Samu, who gets in a face rake, an elbow, and a big dropkick. Scott tries to fight back, but gets an eye poke from Samu. Tag to Fatu, who gets an elbow and headbutt in but only gets a two. Scott tries again to break free, but both men get hit with a double clothesline. However, it's still all Headshrinkers, as Samu gets a body slam in. He goes up top, but Scott avoids the flying headbutt.

Tags to Fatu and Rick Steiner. Rick gets in rigns, body drops, slams and clotheslines. However he foolishly tries a double noggin knocker which leads them to get back the offense, and a face crusher to Rick. Fatu puts Rick on his shoulder as Samu goes off the top rope, but Rick gets a powerslam off Fatu's shoulders on Samu. An interesting counter, but looked really bad. Tag back to Scott, who gets a belly to belly to Fatu, but gets a kick for his troubles and a body slam. Scott gets a frankensteiner that near crushed his neck in the process for the three.

I wouldn't call this the worst match ever, but much like Tatanka and Michaels it felt like it went on way too long. It also felt extremely sloppy with a lot of blown spots. That said, I do feel that all four men tried their best, but things just went sour fast. A shame since I like both teams.

Mean Gene is backstage with Doink the Clown who has given the statue of Caesar behind them a makeover. Gene is upset with how the clown has been mean to kids, but most importantly how he ninja'd Crush with the old fake arm trick. Doink says he's bringing a sense of humor to Wrestlemania IX, and that he guarantees that Crush will be seeing double vision. Hint hint.

This leads to our next match with Crush vs Doink. Crush is in full Shaka Brah mode while Doink is just... just the best thing ever. At least for the next few magic months that he's a heel. He squirts his flower at Crush, which leads the big Hawaiian to give chase. Body slam to the outside and a hard ram to the post before the match even begins.  Both men are finally in as Doink tries to beg for mercy. Chokes and right hands from Crush which is followed by a hard whip to the corner.

Doink attempts offense, but nothing phases Crush. Another far less hard ram into the ring post, and a neckbreaker.  Guillotine over the rope from Crush. It's been pretty much entirely offense on Crush's part. Eventually Doink tries to escape under the apron, but gets grabbed before his exit. Big military press from Crush, who then applies the vice as Doink gets the ropes, and knocks out the ref. He tries to exit under the rope, but he gets caught once more. Really bad spin kick from Crush as he applies the vice once more. But then all of a sudden...

I'm seeing double! Four Doinks!

A second Doink comes out from under the apron and lays into Crush with the fake arm. This Doink is actually Steve "Skinner" Kiern.  After a double Doink dumping, the real one wakes the referee up and gets the three. After the match, the refs look under the ring and are unable to find the second Doink.
This is one of the more wrestlecrap worthy moments ever in an admittedly crappy show, but I can't say I completely hated it. It made sense considering how heel Doink has been known for trickery. And it's not like he didn't set us up for this early on. As for the match, it was clearly more angle than match.

But if you're looking for something actually offensive, Todd Pettingill interviews some Japanese photographers (complete with wacky telescope lens) about if there was two Doinks. The photographers are more invested in Yokozuna and laughing over the top. Ah the 90's and racism as subtle as a punch to the nuts.

Next up it's Razor Ramon against Bob Backlund. Not too much of a reaction to the former WWF champ who comes out to no music. Backlund tries to shake Razor's hand, but he throws a toothpick at him instead. Loud Razor chants for the heel who throws Backlund into the corner a couple times. Backlund counters with his leg trips. Razor gets a couple body slams and stomps in, and some whalloping right hands. Macho mentions us about Bret Hart being knocked out by the Narcissist at the Wrestlemania brunch.

Big series of hip tosses by Backlund. He goes for an underhook suples and a huge atomic drop. Backlund goes for a slam, but gets cradled for a three. I can't say this was a horrible match, but it just sorta ended. A pointless match other than to give Razor a match at Mania. But hard to complain.

Gene Okerlund is backstage with Money Inc as he believes their reign as tag champs is in jeopardy mainly due to facing the all powerful Hogan-Senpai. We see Brutus get his face smashed in. Dibiase talks about money and the odds being in their favor, and IRS ways that they'll turn Brutus Beefcake's face into a jigsaw puzzle, while telling us that if you think Beefcake looks bad, wait until you get a load of Hulk Hogan.

It's time for the WWF tag title match between the Mega-Maniacs and Money Inc. And holy crap is Hogan ever looking bad. His left eye is completely blackened. The prevailing story (not the one involving a fight with Savage) is that Hulk injured his eye in a jet ski accident. Which I find kinda hilarious considering Beefcake had his face destroyed from a para sailing accident. Of course I like to imagine the real reason was he was smashing in Beefcake's face with the briefcase over and over, and it ended up smacking him in the eye bad.

Dibiase and IRS start offense before Hogan and Brutus can get in, but both men quickly throw them out so they can finish their whole pomp and circumstance. Brutus and IRS eventually start the match off. Money Inc work down Beefcake with chops and a big elbow from Dibiase.  Quick double teams and tags. Axe handle off the top by Dibiase, but he injures hmself off the protective mask. Dibiase tries to hit his head on the tunbuckle, and that doesn't work either. Beefcake gives him some head rams in the buckle for his troubles and tags to Hogan who gets punches off the turnbuckle.

Clothesline by Hogan who continues to lay fists into Ted Dibiase. Tag to Beefcake leads to a double boot. Body slam and a tag back to Hogan who gets the axe handle off the rope to success. You know, since Ted isn't technically cheating with a big metal mask. Hogan clotheslines Dibiases over the top and both men work on IRS, throwing him out too. Money Inc have had enough and try to walk out, but the ref tells them that if they try to walk out, they'll lose the tag titles. Which makes no sense since that wasn't a prior stipulation.

Upon retruning, Dibiase regains offense with a thumb to the throat. Both men use the tag rope to choke out Hogan while Beefcake foolishly distracts referee Earl Hebner. More chokes in the rope from both men. Dibiase then applies the Million Dollar Dream, which leads to the classic ref grabbing the arm and dropping it, and of course it gets up on the third drop, giving Hulk back his offense. Beefcake breaks the hold by getting the sleeper on Dibiase while IRS has the ref distracted.
Tags to Beefcake and IRS as Beefcake lays fists into IRS and gets a big knee, while taking out Dibiase with an atomic drop. But Dibiase manages to get the briefcase into the back of Beefcake to regain the offense. Tag to Dibiase who tries to rip the mask off, and finally manages to do so.

Quick tags as both men lay into the face of Brutus. But Beefcake manages a double clothesline and a sleeper to IRS. But Dibiase axe handles Brutus, sending both men into Hebner, knocking him down. Tags to DIbiase and Hulk Hogan who lays in the rights, a big boot to Dibiase, and then smashes both men with Beefcake's mask. Both men go for the pin, and since Hebner's down, Jimmy Hart flips his jacket around to look like a referee jacket to make the three.

Both men celebrate with the titles as another referee runs down and raises the hand of Money Inc, disqualifying the Mega Maniacs. And being the gracious losers they are, they try to beat down referee Danny Davis, but Jimmy Hart throws him out for them. And we end as the gracious heroes grand stand despite being rightfully DQ'ed. Hogan opens Dibiase's briefcasem taking the money out of there, as he hands them out to fans in the front row.

So this makes a second title match to end with a screwy finish. The match overall wasn't offensive, but the endng just proves the hypocrisy of Hulk Hogan. The virtuous babyface needed to smack the heels with a weapon, and have his manager, who isn't a referee, try to make a three count.  I hate you Hogan-Senpai. I don't care if you ever notice me. But hey, at least that's it for Hogan tonight, right?... R-right?

*Sigh* we'll get to it.

Mean Gene is backstage with Mr. Perfect and reminds us about how Lex Luger knocked out Bret Hart at the brunch earlier in the day. This is a very basic promo... up until the now legendary botch by Perfect calling Luger "The Lexorcist". Yeah, yeah, "So much for Mr. Perfect", but even perfect people can do a perfect botch perfectly.

It's time for out next match with Mr. Perfect taking on "The Narcissist" Lex Luger. Big extravagant entrance complete with beautiful women and mirrors with pyro on them. Thank goodness they raised them pretty high or more than likely they would have been burned far worse than they likely were. Also, why do mirrors need pyro? That never made sense to me.

Both men put wristlocks in until Perfect backs Luger into the corner. More wristlock counters as things start at a slow pace. Thumb to the eye and a whip from Luger is countered with a shot to the gut and a knee lift. Big dropkick by Perfect sends Luger rolling out of the ring. Jim Ross reminds us that all of Luger's wins have been knockouts so far.  Luger gets clubbing rights and rams Perfect's head into the corner. But Perfect grabs Lex's foot and begins to work on the knee, complete with a spinning leg lock.

Perfect continues to trip Luger with kicks to the leg, sending him into the corner with hard chops. Tries to whip, but Luger holds on to get another chop. Lex reverses sending Perfect back first into the buckle. He does it again sending Perfect crashing harder, as the commentators remind us about Perfect's history of back problems. Luger puts in shots to the back with his metal plate arm. He  then gets a big back breaker and an elbow for a two count. Perfect fights back with boots and rights but Luger gets the offense again and tries to pin him with his feet on the ropes, but gets caught.

Big powerslam by Luger only gets a two count again. Perfect gets a big sunset flip, but another two count. Sleeper by Perfect is countered quick by sending him back first into the buckle. More rights by Perfect, who gets an inside cradle for another two count.  Big back body drop from Perfect, followed by another hard whip to the buckle and a big catapult. Luger begs for mercy as Perfect goes for the corner punches, only to be countered. But Perfect gets a clothesline for a near fall. Neckbreaker attempt only gets two as well. Perfect goes up top and gets a messy dropkick for a two count thanks to Lex getting the rope. Perfect tries a backslide, but Lex turns it around for a three despite Perfect being in the ropes. Post-match, Luger lays out Perfect with the metal plate arm.

Not a really good match, which is a shame since I really enjoy Mr. Perfect. I don't blame Hennig for the match, as he put in a lot of effort, it's just that Luger is really bad and it showed in this match. Bland offense for the most part, and Felt sloppy in a few places. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but compared to the matches with Perfect I've covered prior, this is definitely the low point.

Perfect gives chase to Luger and brawls with him outside, but Shawn Michaels comes to Lex's aid., smashing him with garbage cans. Looks like we're moving away from the feud with Luger and we're getting Perfect and Shawn next. That's a massive step up in every aspect.

Up next it's Giant Gonzalez against the Undertaker. Gonzalez has shaved the fur for the event (Or lost it, I dunno), which means we get a great shot of his airbrushed ass crack, and mystery front spot.  Taker comes to the ring on a chariot complete with a vulture. The match begins with clubbing forearms by Gonzalez which do no damage to Taker. Taker tries to give rights to Gonzalez, but he gets grabbed iwth a chokehold. Taker ascends the ropes and tries a choke, but gets hit with a low blow. More rights and his patented old school, but it doesn't knock Gonzalez down.

Boot and a clothesline from Gonzalez who does the only thing he can do really, which is boots, clotheslines, chokes, and the occasional throw. He does get a chinlock on Undertaker for a loooong while. We get the arm drop spot once again, but Taker gets it up on the first drop. He breaks out of the lock, but gets tossed out of the ring. Gonzalez rams Taker into the steps, and sends him knee first into them as well. But with the magic of the urn, Taker gets back up and back in. Headbutt by Gonzalez does no damage as Taker keeps getting up. More rights and lefts from Taker, since really that's all oyu can do to the man. Taker gets him down, and focuses on Harvey Whippleman, but Gonzalez grabs a chloroform soaked cloth to knock out the Undertaker and get disqualified.

So first off, that was a horrible match. Gonzalez is absolutely awful in the ring, and Taker can't even work to make the match interesting since he literally is unable to do more offense than rights and lefts. Also, the WWE has always built the importance of the Undertaker's streak, but it's still funny to see one of said streak matches ends in a really terrible DQ. One more also to that, what the hell does it say about a massive giant who needs to cheat with chloroform to keep someone down, even if it is the Undertaker? This is easily the worst match of this event so far, and just proves how terrible Gonzalez was. And if you're paying attention that makes three matches that have ended either in disqualification or a count out. Man this show sucks.

The sucktitude of Gonzalez is shown even more as he does a terrible chokeslam to referee Fonzie. Undertaker is stretchered out of the arena as everyone tries to get Gonzalez out of the ring. The crowd chants for Hogan for some reason, but Taker comes back out to the disbelief of Gonzalez. Taker clubs him some more and keeps clotheslining him until he finally knocks Giant Gonzalez down. Security eventually breaks everything up as they finally get Gonzalez out of here.

Mean Gene is backstage recapping the events leading up to our main event with Bret Hart and Yokozuna. And of course what other man is there to lend his insight to this match than...

HULK FRIGGING HOGAN

Why? What does Hogan have to do with this feud with Bret and Yoko? It's not like he's gonna leave with the belt or anything?

*Sigh* we'll get to it...

Hogan pretty much turns this stuff about Bret into his own tirade about Hulkamania, and issues the first challenge to whoever wins the title. Because, as has been made clear, the world revolves around Hogan-Senpai.

It's time for our WWF title match. Yokozuna challenging WWF Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Not a very loud pop for Bret, which is kind of a shame. Bret starts with a running dropkick and some punches in the corner until Yoko shoves him off.  Bret can't even waistlock Yokozuna as he gets shoulder blocked out of the ring. Bret trips Yoko in the ropes and gets a catapult and more right hands. Once freed, Bret goes for multiple clotheslines, but Yoko gets a big one on Bret.

Big body slam followed by a leg drop on Bret. Loud USA chants despite the fact that neither man involved are from the US. Yoko puts in a long nerve hold to Bret until he gets a shot to the throat and a whip to the corner. Bret gets a boot and manages to take him down with some sort of bulldog. It only gets a two count, but Yoko gets back up and lands a massive kick. Back to the nerve hold. Heenan makes note how stupid the crowd is for chanting USA. Yoko misses a big splash in the corner, and Bret gets another bulldog for a two count as Yoko throws him off.

Big elbow off the second rope only gets a two count. Bret tries clotheslines again and he gets him down momentarily. Punches in the corner, but Yoko counters. Bret causes the turnbuckle to be explosed as he rams Yoko into it. He manages to lock in the sharpshooter, but with the referee distracted, Mr. Fuji throws the salt in Bret's eyes which leads to the three count. We have a new WWF champion in Yokozuna.  And if we had ended the show right here, I don't think I'd have much to complain about this decent in ring albeit underwhelming Wrestlemania main event.

But out comes Hulk Hogan to complain to the referee about the salt in the eye. Mr. Fuji decides to suddenly challenge Hogan to a title match against the new champion Yokozuna. And with the "blessing" of Bret Hart, he accepts the challenge. Fuji throws his salt, but hits Yoko instead. Clothesline and a leg drop. 1, 2, 3. Hulk Goddamn Hogan wins the WWF championship. Screw you Yoko. Screw you Bret. Like I've said already...

The world revolves around Hulk Hogan.

So why? Why did this happen? Simply put Hogan didn't like Bret as champion and wanted to be the focal point of the company once more. And instead of establishing a new heel champion or all this malarkey the WWF was doing with R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Bret, it didn't matter one lick, because both end up looking like jokes while Hulk Hogan remains god of the WWF Ring. Give me a break.

Hulk Hogan lies on Arsenio, gets Vince in hot water, his popularity is already dying, as is Hogan's interest in the product itself. Don't forget for one second that his modus operandi was that pipe dream of becoming a movie star, so everything he did with the WWF was secondary. And even with all that, and a hungry new crop of guys needing to help restablish this company for the 90's, here we are stuck with the relic of the 80's. A perfect middle finger to a show that already F'ed everyone badly.

And that's how I feel about Wrestlemania IX. A terrible, bland, poorly booked wrestling show that just also happened to be their biggest event of the year. No memorable matches, no classic moments. And the ones that were are memorable for all the wrong reasons. It's the ultimate representation of the low point in Wrestlemania history, and the beginning signs of the WWF's tumultuous run in the mid-90's. A product that needs a fresh outlook, but is trapped in the staleness of the past. This show gets an F from me easily. One of the worst shows of all time.

A Taste of the New Generation: Shadow of Hulkamania: WWF Monday Night Raw: March 22nd, 1993

It's time for another edition of the Taste of the New Generation, and holy crap. Raw's officially reached double digits. It's the tenth episode of Monday Night Raw, and we're once again in the Manhattan Center. Commentary team is the real Vince McMahon, Macho Man Randy Savage, and Rob Bartlett as Rob Bartlett. I'm assuming after the hack job of being Vince McMahon last week, Vince is hopefully going to bring the end of Bartlett's impersonations.

Our opening contest this week features Luke and Butch, the now Hall of Fame bound Bushwhackers. Their opponents this week are Damien Demento and the Repo Man. We have an uncomfortably long time waiting for the Bushwhackers, only to discover they're up on the balcony. Sadly we won't see some New Jack-esque dive, but we go to break as it still takes several minutes for them to finally arrive to the ring.

After having some fun with one of the sign ladies (thankfully a lot less fat jokes this week), we finally get some action. Vince tells us that next week there will be a special called "The March to Wrestlemania" which will feature six-man tag action, which fill feature the whackers and midgets. Ah, the less PC 1993, how I miss thee.

Demento starts with offense, but Butch gets in a bite to the ass, while Luke gets Repo with one. Collision with both opponents is lef with a double clothesline by the Bushwhackers. Demento looks to the clouds as Repo gets cheap shots in on Luke. More distractions from the ref which are met with double team offense from the heels.

Demento continues offense with a whip to the corner, a shoulder block, and a leg drop to the lower extremities. Heels get in quick tags, but both Demento and Luke collide with each other. Tag to Repo and tag to Butch, who gets in several shots to knock down both Repo and Demento. He follows with a double noggin knocker. A double clothesline is met with a trip, giving Demento time to lay shots on both men. A body slam is met with a tackle and a near pin. But the ref's distracted. But the Bushwhackers still get in their battering ram for the three in a fun opener. While I wouldn't call the Bushwhackers good in any capacity in-ring, this at least had some action and never felt too slow.

No, we'll save that boringness for a squash match with Tatanka next against Reno Riggins. Riggins gets early offense, but Tatanka turns it around by leapfrogging after an Irish whip, and laying in chops and a big body drop. Riggins turns things around by grinding Tatanka into the ropes and getting  a sleeper that Tatanka breaks out of quick. Atomic drop, leapfrog, a flip, and a chop from the Native American. And then we go into a dull armbar. Riggins breaks out and lays in his chops, only to get harder ones from Tatanka. Irish whip, which Tatanka turns into a springboard cross body, but misses.

And then we get the same old spot. Riggins rams Tatanka into the buckle, which he no sells and does his war dance. Hard chops follow, along with a power slam, and his Samoan drop for the three. While Tatanka put in more variety in this match than his previous jobber matches, this was still a bland match with a bland worker in Tatanka.

We then get a video package of the late Andre the Giant as he is announced as the first ever inductee to the WWF Hall of Fame. While there really wouldn't be a more fitting choice for the first person to go in, it's weird to see the WWF toy with the concept of a hall of fame all the way back in 1993. It would pop up every now and again in the 90's, it actually woudn't become an annual pre-Wrestlemania tradition until eleven years later in 2004.

Still, it's really cool to think this oft-considered frivolous honor was first conceived to pay tribute to the late, great Andre. The video package is also top notch, showing Adre's most legendary moments with the company up until his final Wrestlemania appearance at Wrestlemania VI. It's set to a sombre little tune, which does its job of being emotional, and fits well with the footage being used.

Raw returns to action with the WWF tag team champions Money Inc. taking on Scott Rich and Jeff Armstrong. Since they really didn't tell me which one is Armstrong, and which one is Rich, I'll just go with hair jobber and bald jobber. Pre-match, IRS reminds us, as he always does, that tax day is approaching, and you better not be caught being a dirty tax cheat. Rob Bartlett likes that IRS wears a tie. Rob definitely sounds subdued this week. Thank god.

Forget I said anything, because we see Rob is changing channels while we have a wrestling match going on. Good to know the mentality of the commentators not giving a damn about what goes on in-ring can be traced back to the early days of Monday Night Raw. Also, Vince maybe should keep his mouth shut of having no competition on Monday Nights. That's gonna bite him in two years.

Shoulder block and a clothesline from Dibiase starts the match off. He then sends someone else over the top rope. Tag to Irwin who works over Rich. Tag back to Dibiase who lays chops on bald jobber. After that, Money Inc. hit a double clothesline on bald jobber. Powerslam by Dibiase, who quickly tags in IRS to hit the Write-off on bald jobber for the three. A by-the-books jobber squash, but made a mess with more of Rob Bartlett's shtick at ringside. This is one half of one of the main events to Wrestlemania. Why are we doing a stupid channel changing bit.

It's our weekly Wrestlemania report with Gene Okerlund, who appears to have allowed his tie to be the field trip for the magic school bus this week. We learn that the contract signing for Bret Hart vs Yokozuna will take place on either Superstars or All-American Wrestling. Because lord knows that wouldn't be good tv for Raw or nothing. Get those episodes on the network, Vince!

Gene also reminds us about Wrestlemania IX being the world's largest toga party, and is especially excited over the vestal virgins. Gene just can't stop talking about the vestal virgins. We also learn that Randy Savage will come to ringside on a sedan, and may or may not have some of said vestal virgins alongside him. You know, given those rumors about him and Stephanie, Macho Man seems a bit too excited about being around virgins.

It's main event time this week as Doink the Clown will face off against The Ugandan Giant Kamala. Doink's sporting a shorter green fro this week, which definitely is off putting when you consider how Doink usually looks. He's also carrying another box to ringside. Hopefully it's another pie for Rob Bartlett.

Doink offers his present to Kamala, but chooses not to give him it, and instead locks in some holds on the Ugandan Giant. He spends a lot of time on the arm until Kamala lays in some chops, but an eye rake from Doink brings us back into the rest holds. And I think that's my issue with Doink in-ring. As a character, you're bound to get some wacky shenanigans, but when he actually wrestles, it's mostly slow, methodical rest holds with barely any amazing offense. It's not a major issue, but when you get it in matches like the one with Koko a couple weeks back, it just becomes boring and forgettable.

Kamala escapes, and gets a big charge in the corner, as he lays in offense as we go to break. But when we return it's Doink back in control momentarily. Rob suggests that Doink could go one on one with "that guy from the Burger King commercials." Ah yes, that memorable clown from the Burger King. I think his name is Donald Rick Monald. For god's sake Bartlett if you're gonna make a reference, at least get it right. Kamala gives chase until Doink gives him the present. This distracts him long enough to get counted out. And inside the box is the blackest present of them all...

NOTHING!!

Okay, that made me laugh harder than I should have. Gotta admit, I railed on Doink in the ring, and then he immediately validates himself with more amazing shenanigans. I totally fell for the phony present trick, and it made for a unique ending.

Kamala's pissed and continues chase. Doink dives under the ring and escapes out the other side. He grabs a chair and bonks Kamala as he tries to exit.  Like a big Ugandan whack-a-mole. But eventually Kamala learns from his mistakes, and goes out the other side, and sneak attacks Doink. He grabs the chair, and continues chase.

Okay, the match was nothing, but damn was the post-match stuff just great. The fake present, the whack a mole, and the final chase of Doink. Just pure gold, and the kind of fun stuff this show really has been missing since it started.

This Raw was a much better show on all fronts. The opener with the Bushwhackers was pretty fun, the Money Inc. Match was okay despite being muddled with Rob Bartlett's crap, and I loved everything about Doink vs Kamala, with the exception of the actual match. The only dull point was the Tatanka match. In the end, for the final Raw before Wrestlemania, it did its job well enough in being entertaining. So, this Raw gets an A-, if not entirely for the ending of Doink/Kamala.

And with that, we've finished every Raw prior to Wrestlemania IX, That means it's time to head straight to the big event itself. Join us next time as we look at what is considered by many as the worst Wrestlemania of them all. Does it live up to that? We'll see.