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Things seem to be falling apart for Baxter’s crew as Wolfie D is pissed. Wolfie shows a picture of PG-13. WOlfie does a great promo saying girls and kids used to be around him but not anymore. Wolfie D is dead and he renames himself as Slash. Derrick King has been used as the enhancement talent buffer the past two weeks. It does give us a chance to hear Dave yell Mr. Personality every week. Good back and forth match with King taking most of it portraying the storyline that Slash is a bit unhinged. King argues with the ref and Slash is able to hit the neckbreaker for the win. *3/4

Reckless is running his mouth which brings Regal out to shut it up. MCW continues to pull away for me in the Memphis war just based on talent as this also a good bit of fun for the four minutes it lasted. Reckless hits a nice gutwrench powerbomb and a tornado DDT on the bigger Regal. Reckless gets cocky missing a moonsault which segues right into the Regal Stretch for the win. **

It had been a couple of weeks so we were due for Spanky and Dragon to be matched up against each other. We get the notice that due to SEC football, MCW is moving to 10:00 AM so 1 hour earlier. This match was given more time than usual and had more busted out from both competitors. Spanky starts out really hot and hits a springboard dive and belly to back suplex within the first two minutes. Dragon takes over and is stiff hitting some chops and a kick before trying to fire up a USA chant. Dragon then starts working over the arm of Spanky and you can see the glimpses of what made Danielson one of the best workers of all time right here. He has a viciousness but technical precision that is unmatched. Dragon continues the onslaught with Spanky getting in hope spots. Cattle Mutilation is applied by Spanky is too close to the ropes. Even the putrid MCW crowd is rallying behind Spanky because of how good the work is. Dragon locks in a choke that Spanky fights from before hitting a lot of big bombs including a face first suplex before going up top for the frog splash. Spanky rolls through that but gets kicked right in the face. We get a couple of nice replays showing Spanky reversing it into the bulldog earlier and the German Spanky delivered. Spanky delivers another high impact move but again Dragon crotches him climbing to the top. Dragon goes for a superplex but the referee gets wiped out when Dragon is shoved down. Spanky hits the frog splash and gets the visual pin. Dragon then takes a short cut with a low blow and a Cop Killah for the pin. This was a great match that got nearly 10 minutes and told a wonderful story. The progression of both is clear since January but Dragon especially is forming into a wonderful wrestler. I would put this match as essential viewing for a Danielson connoisseur. **** (7.8)

I had a nice writedown of this match that got ate so let me just hit the highlights now. Reil/Dixie started things off and had a pretty great opening stanza with Dixie bumping like a loon and hitting the highspots when needed. Reil was heeling it up with a gaudy gold bowling shirt. Quackenbush was next and he was also impressive against Dixie running through a variety of unique moves including a full nelson camel clutch. It was really neat seeing Quack work heel here. Montoya attacks Quack while Dixie is on the outside getting counted out. Montoya makes short work of Quack and then the match grinds to a halt. We get Flash Wheeler beating Montoya and then Zieg before Dr. Hurtz comes out. Flash looked good vs Montoya but blows a few spots the longer he wrestles and looked ready to get out of there by the end. Homicide is the last competitor and runs through some of his offense on Hurtz before Hurtz hits a DDT and middle rope legdrop to win in anticlimactic fashion. **1/4 for the whole thing but the opening was exciting.

First time looking at Corino as a face in ECW. Corino has some choice words for Lou E before the match starts. I appreciated how Corino didn't change much of his offense and still was brawling and throwing nut shots. This was a good back and forth match that had Corino's leg getting worked over and he could provide sympathetic selling getting the crowd behind him. The finish was a schmozz with Lou E coming in running interference and Scotty getting the surprise victory. Good match and debut for face Corino. *** (6.1)

Nice to have two fancam matches from these two after the tag angle we just saw. Opening of this is pretty great with Tajiri being a prick and making fun of Psicosis in a hilarious manner after he hits him low. Psicosis looks good taking a beating and then dishing it out when needed. They do a bit of a stage brawl which was disconnected from the rest of the match and lost the crowd but Tajiri gets the crowd back with a baseball slide back inside the ring. Build to the finish again has Tajiri teeing off with different combinations but he misses a moonsault and Psicosis gets an upset win with the big leg drop from the top. ***1/2 (6.8)

Rhino jumps RVD at the bell and this match is almost exclusively on the outside. This was a better brawl than you typically get from RVD because Rhino was on top forcing the action to remain constant instead of mugging for the crowd and setting up the next stunt spot. Rhino is being put over strong as he dominates RVD even when the action goes inside. RVD is able to get a breath of air with a kick and that rallies the fans behind him. Finish was disappointing as after all that table setting, RVD just runs through his big moves and looks to have the match in hand before Credible runs in for the lame DQ. Why weapons are ok but not run ins, Ill never know but that is ECW for you. Sandman cleans house with his cane as the show goes off the air. **1/4

All of FBI is in this which is cool because I like Sal on the outside and want to see him in a match proper. Joey on commentary says Psicosis and Tajiri probably wont be able to coexist since they are facing off in singles the next night. Tajiri kicks the shit out of Mamaluke and then a completely brutal combo chopping down Big Sal like a tree. Psicosis gets caught on the first pescado but Mikey piles on and everyone goes down on the outside. Tajiri gets the hot tag after Whipwreck is worked over a bit and has a fun sequence going through everyone like a buzzsaw before he mists Psicosis on accident. Psicosis then kicks Tajiri and it is ambiguous whether he meant to or not. Guido and the FBI pick up the win with the Kiss of Death. Fun match. **3/4

We get the tag match that was supposed to happen earlier in the month here as Emilio is back. Emilio is in these snazzy blue trunks for the match. After Buccanero/Guerrero seem to be easing into a first fall victory, Niebla ties Guerrero up and Emilio gets a quick pin on bucanero to steal the first fall. Infernales are embarrassed and pissed and the second fall is more of a brawl. They are able to escape with the second fall. I liked the third fall because it ebbs and flows and it isn’t apparent who is winning the match until the INfernales win after some mistakes from Niebla and Emilio. I would have liked to have seen a longer match here as the Niebla/Charles team was fun and worked well together but it was fun while it lasted. *** (6.2)

Oh, this was more like it in showing something from Ayako. She takes a big ol Aja signature ass kicking here. Aja is brutal with punches, kicks, lariats and everything else. The main thing that made this match for me was how Ayako came back by either taking things to the mat as well as being stiff when given the openings. Ayako’s jump moonsault into Aja’s boots looked like it hurt a lot on the stomach of Hamada but she is still able to propel Aja to the outside and hit a beautiful moonsault. Another jumping moonsault inside and suddenly Hamada may have a chance here. She powers Aja up to the top rope and looks for the finisher that Starr blew in the Jd’ match but Aja is able to crank on a sleeper. Aja tries an Iconoclasm herself but Ayako gets one last feat of strength in her and slaps her up to the top rope and then hits a brutal palm strike before delivering a beautiful Iconoslam that I thought could be it. This mainly just served to piss Aja right off as she ends the offensive arsenal with a stiff right hand and then waits for Ayako to power up before going for the spinning back fist. This gets blocked! Ayako is rolling again but her strikes get blocked this time and she gets hit with a missile dropkick from Aja. Aja is ready to go back to the spinning back fist and it is a nasty one to get a close two count. That is a big nearfall for Ayako. One more follows and that is the end of the match. This felt like a war and was a blast to watch. Compact and brutal. **** (8)

This had more personality than the previous mini stuff due to Novillerito mixing it up with the matador spots and the rudos really giving a vicious performance full of hurtful looking dives and fouls. Kahos gives a brutal foul against Octagoncito. Second fall was more like the norm with Octagoncito diving around and winning with a second fall. Octagoncito pulls out a great rana in the finale and then follows that up with a dropkick to the outside. Novillerito then is mixing it up with Abismo Negro before getting kicked really hard. Finish has Novillerito coming back and winning with a rana. Again, one of these mini matches that is good but you could put all of them for 2000 on a 2 disc compilation and they wouldn’t be that distinguishable from one another. ***1/4 (6.4)

We get the McMahon extended family reconciliation with them leading right up to and eventually having HHH and Angle shake hands with each other. Foley comes out and shows clips of the kiss from Angle to Steph on Monday. Foley also announces that Rock will face one of them in the ring tonight. Backstage HHH and Angle are bickering and Shane tells Steph they should discuss it. Shane comes back with the solution that he will face Rock to keep the family in harmony. Steph comes back to Shane and offers up herself to face Rock. She hypothesizes that it would be champion vs. champion. Shane comes back with HHH/Angle and puts the kibosh on Steph facing The Rock and says HHH will be doing it. Angle brings up the stuff from Monday and storms out leaving the building. Steph chases him down and says that Kurt fits and belongs. Steph brings up the three I’s but Kurt says he is not wanted and leaves. Foley comes out before the match and says that Steph and Shane are banned from ringside but he sets up Steph vs Lita and Shane vs Steve Blackmon for Monday night. The match itself is a greatest hits version but good an entergetic. The finish continues the theme of Angle/HHH working together as Kurt returns and lays out Rock allowing HHH to get the pedigree and the pin. At the end of the show, HHH and Angle raise each others hand on the entranceway. **1/2

Quick match that you knew were leading to some miscommunication on the face team. That happens soon enough as Jeff hits the swantom on DVon and E&C escape with the win. Afterwards, Bubba gets pissed and the Dudleys and Hardys are clearly not on the same page. ½*

The primera has one of our better heel beatdowns we have seen. Silver King and Wagner are especially nasty with cheapshots and short rabbit punches neutralizing all three Villanos. The Villanos of course come back in segunda and I’ll never tire of III hulking up and Silver King mugging in the process. The rudos are really reeling when the Villanos get on the same page. They win on a cool triple roll up. Third fall continues the pace of back and forth and I like the continuity of Wagner and Villano fake fouling and fouling each other throughout different promotions. This time Wagner does foul III and gets the pin. Please tell me this leads to an apuestas. ***1/4 (6.6)

KDawg is on commentary gloating about the Animals being the new tag champs even though they got a big assist from Sting. Jindrak and O’Haire give one of the biggest double arm drags to Juvy you will see. Above Average Mike Sanders has emerged and is with Disco on the outside. The power moves work well against the Animals. I guess the Animals are face as Perfect Event come out and beat up the Animals along with Sanders turning. Who the fuck can tell anymore with this company. *3/4

This provides some good insight into the brawling nature of M2K as we cut to a ring that has the bottom rope removed, a ladder and tons of brawling all around. The ending stretch that we see shows M2K being pretty bruising and TM and Susumu having a heated sequence. I liked the finish with TM blowing red mist into Masaaki and pinning him. NR

This is Otto Schwanz and Cham Pain as the Dupps. Another cool look at a dark match in a tv taping. The Haas brothers do some unique flippy stuff and it looks like they are angling for a job before taking the fall. Both this and the prior match gave some neat insight and felt like a Sunday Night Heat or WCW Worldwide equivalent match. *1/4

I assume someone taped this off of the satellite feed of SmackDown. Joey Abs looked pretty legit great in this enhancement match against Brutal Bob. His power moves look good and have explosion. The crowd being so quiet is such a contrast to the other WWF stuff we have seen from this year. Bob does some heeling and misses a moonsault. Abs has a good back body drop and a powerslam for a nearfall. Bob actually gets a near victory after that with a scoop slam which surprised me. Abs puts Bob away with a powerbomb. Not bad at all. *1/2

As Toryumon grows in 2000, the new people that are being inserted mainly Genki and Saito here are adding a lot of depth that retains interest of the viewer. This was the best Saito has looked so far with some great strikes against SUWA. We got an abbreviated match but I appreciate the variety of matches Crazy Max has vs. up and comers here, vs their new rivals in M2K and vs the established stars like the Dragon Kid/Tiger Mask tag a few days earlier. ***1/4 (6.4)

I was real excited to see Ayako in Jd’ and like Sumie as well but I am struggling with this promotion. For one, their opponents weren’t much. Starr botches the final moments and Yabushita is pretty generic on her attack when on top. Secondly, the clipping of Jd’ is really annoying and arbitrary. We get 16 out of 23 minutes here but they will cut right after a heat sequence or a hot tag with no reasoning. Lastly, Jd’ as a promotion feels like the epitome of when people reference the dead period of joshi. This is a less than half full Korakuen Hall with minimal crowd heat. Overall, I was excited for a more obscure promotion and some new names but this wasn’t a discovery and became more of a chore by the end. **

Angle has a pretty scathing promo for HHH and HHH is out looking pissed. Shane is the mediator and tries to calm them down. Foley sets up our main event six man for tonight as the Dudley Boyz/Rock vs HHH/Angle/Shane. We then cut to a backstage spot where Angle thanks Steph for coming back for her on SmackDown and gives her a friendship kiss on the cheek. We get some more backstage segments of Shane talking to HHH to talk him off the ledge and Shane telling Kurt to not screw up their marriage and that he isn’t buying what Kurt is saying either. Just Joe spreads some news to both HHH and Angle that someone wants to meet them in ten minutes. HHH and Kurt meet and a limo comes up. We then cut to both HHH and Angle exiting the limo with Vince McMahon. HHH and Kurt have a look like they just came from the principal office. Vince tells them to protect Shane tonight. The match is upon us now and man is Rock over to molten levels. Like I have discussed before, WWE is presenting some really fun main events right now that are given some time but also want you seeing more. The crowd is clamoring for a table and it looks like Shane is going to be sent through one when E&C come out and lay out the Dudley’s with chairs. HHH and Angle then get on the same page and destroy the Rock. This is excellent work in showing that if they can work together, the Rock is no match for them. Raw ends with them two and Shane having their arms raised in victory. **3/4

Shane is still in Benoit’s corner. This match made me look up if Benoit and Taker ever had a big match. They do have a 12 minute one later in the year at Rebellion which I look forward to. Besides that and one on SmackDown in a couple of weeks, nada which is pretty amazing. The action is fun with Benoit moving around but also hitting some high impact moves. Taker makes his comeback and looks to have Benoit dead to rights when Shane comes in with a chair. Kane makes his return and turns on Undertaker chokeslamming him making the ring collapse ala Foley at No Way Out. Kane then rides off on Taker’s bike. A pretty nonsensical turn and considering the source, I would imagine not much of a justification and explanation is coming. ¾*

Benoit and Jericho brawled backstage with Jericho having Benoit’s locker room door locked and then pounding on him in the hallway. Good four minute tv match although Val again is just not quite there as a worker or character compared to the other people he is mixed up with. Life comes at you fast and in 1998 he would have shined. Jericho hits the lionsault but Benoit comes out and he beats down Jericho again. They are making this feud really personal. A 2/3 fall stip is weird for the angle that has presented but we will see how the SummerSlam match is worked. *3/4

Madden gets Jerry Lawler pervy when they show a fan with a low cut dress in the front row. A sign says WWF sucks its true its true. IF ONLY. Tony plugs the PPV replay. I would have been ashamed to have ordered that. Nash says that WCW has decided Hall is too dangerous for live tv. Nash does a promo with a cut out of Hall and goes shooty. He calls out Booker and Booker comes out in street clothes. Steiner runs out and attacks Booker with a pipe. Goldberg is on the screen with Madaja and says any bitch that’s been with Steiner isn’t a lady. Goldberg jackhammers Madaja through a table though thankfully we cut away. Some more awful WCW main event stuff here. NR.

My eyes just glaze over with these two wrestling. They have their greatest hits match. The referee gets wiped out with a guitar shot from Booker. Booker goes for the sidekick and misses but the leg is hurt. After 20 minutes of action, they are deciding that is hurt again. Jarrett hits the Stroke and pins Booker but Goldberg runs in for the DQ. He tells Russo 1 down, 2 to go and that Vince should watch his ass because he is next. *1/2