EOTR Retro: The 5 Best WWF PPVs Of 1999

By @TrueGodImmortal

Let me be clear: 1999 was the worst year of the Attitude Era. It didn't feature a lot of great matches or shows, but it was a year of moments, for better or worse. The PPV market was booming for WWF however, and they would end up seeing big profits during this year and huge popularity. While it would be easy to pinpoint and look at the worst shows, I wanted to look at the best of the best. Let's get into it.

5. Fully Loaded 1999

-While this show wasn't the greatest, it had some upsides to it and a lot of fun moments overall. Jeff Jarrett vs Edge was a solid match, along with The Acolytes tag team match with The Hardy Boyz. I could have done without a few matches in the middle of the card, but I did enjoy seeing Triple H vs The Rock in the Fully Loaded Strap match and the First Blood main event between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Undertaker for the WWF Title. Overall, this event was solid enough, not a classic but solid enough.

4. Armageddon 1999

-I'm not extremely fond of this show as far as some of the matches, but then there are matches that I love. It's a double edged sword like with most shows from the year. I enjoyed the Tag Team Battle Royal, the triple threat for the European Title, and I thought the Chris Jericho vs Chyna match was pretty good, but there are matches here like the Kurt Angle vs Steve Blackman, the Women's match, and the 3 minute WWF Title Match between Big Show and the Big Boss Man that served no purpose. I liked Triple H vs Vince McMahon in the main event, but it went far too long and had a lot of filler in the match. My favorite match of the night however and the highlight of the show was the electric tag team title match between The Rock and Mankind vs The New Age Outlaws. A solid event, not the best, but good enough to watch again.

3. Backlash 1999

-This is the only event on here from the first half of the year, and it wasn't a bad event. With a huge main event there to carry the show, the WWF didn't see the need to put in too much effort when creating this card. Still, the opening six man tag was decent, the Hardcore title match was interesting, and the No. 1 Contenders match for the tag team titles would be good as well. While the Boiler Room Brawl between Mankind and the Big Show disappointed along with the oddly paced Undertaker and Ken Shamrock match, I have to say good things about the two best matches of the night. Triple H vs X-Pac was a really good battle and the main event of The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin definitely didn't disappoint and was the match of the night. Backlash was a fun show to watch and on paper, it could have been a classic. Still, it turned out much better than a majority of the WWF PPVs on the year.

2. Summerslam 1999

-Truthfully, Summerslam is usually hit or miss, and while there were some low moments on this show, overall it was a good event. I liked the fact that the main event was a triple threat, as it allowed for three different styles to clash in one mega match. Triple H, Mankind, and Stone Cold Steve Austin went at it for 20 minutes in a really fun main event that saw Mankind walk away with the title and the win. The rest of the event is hit or miss, but I enjoyed the ridiculousness of The Rock vs Billy Gunn (minus the sight of the portly white woman's cheeks), and I thought the Tag Team Turmoil was great as well. Outside of that, the match of the night might actually be Test vs Shane McMahon, which was a surprisingly good contest. Overall, Summerslam 1999 isn't a classic (no 1999 PPV was), but it was a solid event for the worst year in the WWF Attitude Era.

1. No Mercy 1999

-While this event was far from perfect also, it was easily the most entertaining event of the year without question. Aside from having The Fabolous Moolah wrestle in her senior years, and The Godfather fighting Mideon, this show was solid all around. The show boasts one classic match, with the excellent Ladder Match between The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian for the managerial services of Terri and 100,000 dollars. That match was Ladder Match perfection and it was the match of the night. However, I still enjoyed the Four Corners match, and some of the action between Val Venis and Mankind was great, while surprisingly the Chyna and Jeff Jarrett match was watchable. The main event, Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin was a really good contest, and the ending set the tone for what could have been the greatest triple threat ever. All in all, this is a solid event, and the best event of 1999 without question IMO.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 2:31 AM  No comment

EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love

By @TrueGodImmortal

At one point, Stone Cold Steve Austin was getting ready to become the man in the WWF. He was on the path to the Intercontinental Title, but after an interesting tag team title run with Shawn Michaels as his partner, that team dissolved due to Michaels' injury, and Austin was left without a partner. With Austin having to go at it alone against Owen Hart and British Bulldog in a match for the WWF Tag Team Titles. At the time, Austin was hellbent on going at it alone, but Mick Foley (portraying Mankind at the time) was insistent on being a friend and partner to Austin. Austin kept telling Foley no, and he even gave him a Stone Cold Stunner for his trouble.

However, when the time came for the match to go down, Austin was clearly overmatched by the tandem of Owen and Bulldog. 

As the match went on and on, all of a sudden, we were treated to an appearance by an alter ego of Mick Foley, better known as Dude Love. Austin was completely shocked, but this time, he didn't reject the help of Foley. Dude Love and Austin worked together to take Owen and Bulldog to the limit and when the final bell sounded, Dude Love and Stone Cold were now the new tag team champions. It was the typical odd couple tag team booking, with Austin being hesitant to trust Dude Love, and not fully accepting him, but the dynamic was really interesting. The plan for these two wasn't clear honestly, but one could imagine they would have held on to the tag team titles for a little while longer than they did.

With a tag title reign of over 55 days, most of which the tag titles weren't even defended, Austin and Dude Love were in the history books as tag champs, but they didn't get much of a run. They did have some house show matches defending against Owen and Bulldog, and when Austin defeated Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Title, Foley had alternated back to his Mankind persona. The Austin and Dude Love tag team is one of those that could have had some potential to be great if they continued into the rest of the year against teams like Triple H and Shawn Michaels as they created D-Generation X, The Road Warriors, and maybe even Brian Pillman and someone else, or the original Hart Foundation of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart.

Yes, this was a very short lived tag team, but the possibilities are what made me cover this team. Much like with Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold, the what ifs are so important and very intriguing. Could Austin and Dude Love have been a solid team up until the Royal Rumble when Austin was due for his huge meteoric push leading into Wrestlemania 14? That's what I believe, but still, we have their initial tag team win, the 6 man tag team match the next week on RAW (they teamed with The Undertaker to take on Bret, Owen, and Bulldog), and their various segments (including the one that led up to them teaming) to always remember. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love will not go down as one of the greatest teams ever for obvious reasons, but they are without a doubt an interesting makeshift tag team that had a temporary impact during the summer of 1997.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 2:20 AM  No comment

EOTR Retro: The 5 Worst WCW PPVs

By @TrueGodImmortal

Though WCW is remembered fondly for a number of their great moments and matches and the NWO storyline, there were many low moments in the history of the company. Today, I wanted to take a look at the five worst WCW PPVs in the company's history and I'll be honest, it wasn't easy to pick them out. That's how bad some of the WCW time periods were. Let's take a look at the five worst.

5. Halloween Havoc 1995

-There used to be a very special feel around Halloween Havoc.... but this year was not one of them. Despite a solid opening contest between Johnny B. Badd and Diamond Dallas Page, we saw Randy Savage wasted on a 1 minute match with the Zodiac (then a 5 minute match with Lex Luger that made no sense), a way too long battle between Lex Luger and Meng, a weird match with Sabu and Mr. JL, but nothing compares to the debacle that was the Hulk Hogan vs The Giant saga. Just avoid this at all costs. It is a horrible show.

4. Superbrawl 2000

-I just.... I don't understand. This could have been a solid event... maybe. I don't know. I really just don't....I mean.... perhaps the saving grace of the show is James Brown. That's right. WCW brought in James Brown to sell a show. If that doesn't tell you how bad this was then I don't know what else to tell you. Brian Knobbs vs Bam Bam Bigelow was as horrible as it sounds, the James Brown segment features a fake James Brown and went 12 minutes, The Wall battled The Demon (no relation to Finn Balor), Tank Abbott vs Big Al, Big T vs Booker T (Ahmed Johnson fell off so badly), a terrible tag team stretcher match, a weird Lex Luger vs Hulk Hogan match with both men well out of their prime and a 8 minute triple threat main event between Scott Hall, Sid Vicious, and Jeff Jarrett for the WCW Title. This event is absolutely awful from top to bottom with literally no saving grace besides Ric Flair vs Terry Funk.... 20 years beyond their prime.

3. Uncensored 2000

-Honestly, Uncensored was just a horrible PPV idea period. Aside from 1997 and 1998, all of the Uncensored events sucked. This was a cringe worthy event and a recent watch of the show was full of skips and head shakes and all around sadness. Norman Smiley and The Demon as a tag team? The Wall vs Bam Bam Bigelow? Billy Kidman randomly teaming with Booker T to take on Harlem Heat 2000? Dustin Rhodes vs Terry Funk? Sting vs Lex Luger? A 7 minute WCW Title Match between Sid Vicious and Jeff Jarrett? Another Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair match? Who the fuck was booking this bullshit? Nash? Russo? Bischoff? Hogan? This was absolutely awful and a disgust to watch as a wrestling fan.

2. Uncensored 1995

-The 1996 version of the event was awful as well honestly, but this show is my least favorite of them all. It's honestly a clusterfuck of a PPV, with some of the most random matches and the worst booking. Let's look at some of the matches. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes. In a King Of The Road match. Well okay. A martial arts match with Meng and Jim Duggan. A boxing match with Johnny B. Badd and Arn Anderson. What the fuck type of event is this. Randy Savage and Avalanche? Someone pray for the viewers. Big Bubba Rogers and Sting in the most boring match with a subpar ending? The main event? Hulk Hogan vs Vader where they teased the Ultimate Warrior arriving only for the.... Renegade, a knock off version of The Warrior to come out and save the day, face paint and all. I have nothing left to say about this event. At all.

1. New Blood Rising 2000

-Dear Lord, help us all. Fuck WCW and anyone who loved them during 2000. This is dirt. This is dog food. This is garbage. This is awful. Sting vs The Demon. 52 seconds. A mud rip off the clothes match with two women who did nothing wrestling wise. Ernest The Kat Miller against the Great Muta. A strange tag team title match. A Canadian Rules match. A triple threat that turned into a one on one match because Goldberg didn't want to take the Jackknife and walked out during the match while the announcers criticized him for not doing business, but worst of all, it features the JUDY BAGWELL ON A FORKLIFT MATCH. FUCK YOU WCW. FUCK YOU. Like, the event was named after the New Blood Rising group and it wasn't even a group in existence by the time the show came around. If that doesn't show how trash this show was, then I've got nothing left to say except fuck you WCW.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 1:48 AM  No comment

Eyes On NBA: Carmelo Anthony Needs More Trade Options

By @TrueGodImmortal

I won't take up too much of your time here, but I will definitely say one thing straight to the point: Carmelo Anthony is making things harder for himself and blocking his path out of New York. It's obvious as well. The Houston Rockets lack the assets to trade for him, and the Knicks have made it clear they want to get as much value as possible for him. The Rockets don't have players that are truly wanted by the Knicks to make this trade make sense, so perhaps it's time for Carmelo to see about other options if he wants out of New York. The question is, which options work the best for him? Which options make the most sense? Let's take a look at the best options to consider.

*Cleveland Cavaliers
-This was one of his preferred spots to end up at, yet somehow he's changed his tune. If the thought process is that Melo wants to compete for a championship, then Cleveland is his best bet and his sure shot. Playing next to one of his best friends LeBron James has to be lucrative and Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, J.R. Smith, and Tristan Thompson all will be solid teammates for Melo. The Cavs are the favorite in the East again and if you can make the trade for Kyrie to bring him to New York in exchange for Melo, in some way, everybody wins. This is the option that makes the most sense.

*Boston Celtics
-A one year rental of Melo for a draft pick and maybe Jae Crowder or Terry Rozier (don't let Danny Ainge hear that). Melo would fit very well into this system next to Isaiah Thomas and the newly acquired Gordon Hayward alongside the developing Jaylen Brown and the rookie Jayson Tatum would be a huge contender to compete against any team in the East. It would also keep Melo in the Eastern Conference, which has easier competition.

*Los Angeles Lakers
-In reality, this would be the best option for him in the West right now. The Lakers don't have a solidified option at the 3, and they don't have a consistent scorer. Perhaps there is an asset that the Lakers could give up alongside Jordan Clarkson to pull off a Knicks trade? It's not likely, but Melo as a leader working with KCP, Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram would be the most ideal situation for a 15 year vet who isn't the most defensively sound. Maybe next year in free agency.

*Portland Trailblazers
-This is highly unlikely. However, I could see Melo working well next to Dame and CJ. Still, the trade wouldn't make much sense unless we saw a Nurkic and one other player traded for a one year rental of Melo. Still, a big 3 of Melo, Dame, and CJ is offensively dangerous. Imagine having to guard all three of these guys on the same team.

*Oklahoma City Thunder
-An unlikely trade but one that could be interesting if it meant Russ, Paul George and Melo played together. Would they mesh well? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, this is a great destination for him and an actual chance for him to be on a contender again. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out, but I would enjoy seeing Melo play in a Big 3 for the Thunder.

Where does Melo end up? Only time will tell. If he's smart, he will waive the clause for the Cavs trade and get ready for his first ever trip to the NBA Finals. Otherwise, he's going to be disappointed with the outcome. I guess we have to wait and see where Melo ends up. Maybe he stays in New York. Time will tell.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 5:10 AM  No comment

Eyes On WWE: Ranking Kurt Angle's Summerslam Matches

By @TrueGodImmortal

Kurt Angle isn't set to wrestle again (yet), but when he was an active competitor in the WWE, he was one of the best without question. From his arrival in 1999 to his departure in 2006, Angle had a lot of great moments and matches. Today, I wanted to look at his matches at Summerslam and rank them from the worst to best. It would be nice if Angle was to wrestle again at the Summer event, but maybe next year. With that being said, let's take a look at his matches.

6. Kurt Angle vs Eugene
Summerslam 2005

-If there was anyone who could get a good match out of Eugene, it was Angle. Still, this match wasn't really a fun one to watch, and though it was a solid contest, it didn't really draw me in. It was short, to the point, and slightly entertaining at times, but this match was beneath Angle and he deserved better at the event. Angle wins by submission fairly easily.

5. Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero
Summerslam 2004

-This match wasn't really a favorite for me, but many people loved it. I think Angle and Eddie work well together, and this match was a very solid contest, but something was missing from it. It played off of their match at Wrestlemania 20 so the psychology was there, but it was just something off about the bout. Eddie and Angle battled it out, but Angle would walk away victorious with the win by submission.

4. Triple H vs Kurt Angle vs The Rock
Summerslam 2000

-I would rank this higher, but honestly, Angle was missing for so much of the match. Aside from that, this is a great contest and it proved how tough Angle was to return after being knocked out early on and visibly suffering from a concussion. With three of the best in the business going at each other, you were bound to see something special and that's what you got here. Rock walks away victorious  and retains his WWF Title, but Angle showed his tenacity throughout this match.

3. Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle
Summerslam 2002

-The most underrated PPV match in the career of Kurt Angle if you ask me. Rey and Angle worked great together, and this match was no exception, as they crammed in such an explosive match in a small window of time. Rey brought the fight to Angle, and Angle came right back at him, with each man giving the other everything they could handle. They almost botched the finish, but aside from that, this match is flawless and one of the best Summerslam opening contests. Angle wins by submission.

2. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle
Summerslam 2003

-This match was special and it seems to be underrated. Brock and Angle had great chemistry and this match showcased it on the highest level possible. They went at each other with everything they had, and with Brock as the heel, he would display a lot of offense. Angle would be able to keep up and match Brock move for move, eventually having a huge moment when Brock tapped out for the first time. To see Angle make Brock tap out was massive and only made Angle look like a million bucks in the process.

1. Kurt Angle vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Summerslam 2001

-A true classic. Angle and Austin had some good matches together in the past, but this was easily their best. Austin had turned his back on the WWF, joining the Alliance, while Angle stepped up for the WWF to be their new hero. This would result in a classic contest that saw Angle and Austin go at each other with vigor and aggression, and this is a rare time that I can say Austin might have outperformed Angle. Austin was at his best in this match and despite an indecisive finish, this is easily the best match that Angle has had at Summerslam. It's a flawless classic match that has an ending that actually makes sense. Angle should be proud.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 5:21 AM  No comment

EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: Three Tag Team Reunions Smackdown Live Needs

By @AmeenKnows 

Last week I touched base on the state of the Smackdown Live Tag Team Division. I could have used harsher words to describe just how much disdain I actually have for the grotesque state of said division, but I like to play nice. And yes, I used the words grotesque and disdain so you can see I know fancy words. However that's unimportant. I've thought up 3 particular teams I would want to see reunited on Smackdown. Three teams that I think could bolster the division and breathe new life into it. I wanted to use actually plausible actions instead of doing something like randomly putting Rollins and Ambrose back together and moving them to the Blue Brand.

*Luke Harper and Erick Rowan
-I kicked off with Harper and Rowan because its the easiest option to book. Gimmick aside, it's very clear that WWE just doesn't see how special Luke Harper really is as a singles star. He may not wow you with the showmanship, but Harper can get his hands dirty with the best of them. Erick Rowan hasn't done anything, besides creep out Renee Young, and it's clear creative has no plans for him similar to the first split the two experienced in 2014 when Harper was Intercontinental Champion for a week and Rowan was in a stairs match. Putting them together brings back an interesting dynamic where they both will become the hardest hitting and most physical team on the brand which bodes well meshing with Highflyers (Usos) and more technical/hybrid styles (The New Day). Also, the duo doesn’t speak so they can float between tweener as a face to knock off the Usos or as a heel randomly attacking the New Day.

*Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
-This is the most unlikely of the three teams due to character but would be the most exciting to see. Sami Zayn is the loveable underdog babyface and Kevin Owens is the trash talking prizefighter who hates his bestfriend. In order to set this up it would take a huge change of heart from either star thus making it highly unlikely since both are really good in their roles. Teaming up in ROH was one of my favorite things about both of them. They were so in sync with each other from years of knowing each other so each match became special because they presented something different each time. With them in the Division you know you're going to get two talkers who can carry the division if need be and can make forgotten guys who randomly get a title shot (like the Ascension) look good with a good amount of time in a match.

*Moustache Mountain
-I figured this one would also be hard to pull off considering no United Kingdom Tournament competitor will be called up anytime soon and WWE clearly sees Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne as the clear cut runners of the division, so pairing up with Trent Seven as Moustache Mountain in WWE seems a bit unlikely, however that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun. The current Progress Tag Team Champions are fun to watch because of their showmanship, similar to fellow Brit Jack Gallagher, and their abilities to wrestle their asses off. They've got two good fighting styles that usually always mesh well together: a brawler and a mat wrestler. I don't have to tell you how great potential matchups will be. Just search "Moss & Slater vs Moustache Mountain" and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

-Ameen

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Eyes on the Ring 7:19 PM  No comment