WWE Vault Grab Bag VII
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bill Mercer, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles

It’s that time again as I have a bunch of matches ready to go from the WWE Vault (and maybe a few from some other WWE associated channels) and we’ll be looking at some random ones. I have no idea what’s going to be on here and that has made for some fun versions of this before. Let’s get to it.

From July 11, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts, a dark match after Raw (and six days before Money In The Bank).

CM Punk vs. John Cena

Non-title, I think. Cena starts fast by sending him into the buckle a few times and they’re quickly on the floor. Punk is sent over and into the announcers’ table, with Cena pausing for a drink to spit in Punk’s face (our hero). Back in and Punk gets in a shot of his own, allowing him to wipe some of the water out of his face. Cena is sent into the steps (as tended to be the case in a lot of his matches), allowing Punk to grab the mic (uh oh).

He wants to congratulate Derek Jeter (who had just gotten his 3,000th hit) and hits Cena in the head with the mic and then congratulates himself for the cover. Granted it only gets two so Punk grabs a figure four necklock. That doesn’t last long so Punk gets two more off of a DDT. With that not working, Punk loads up the announcers’ table but Cena cuts him off and…misses a flying shoulder to send him right back to the floor.

A chair is brought in as I guess this is a street fight (makes sense) and Cena is beaten down again. The leg lariat cuts off a comeback attempt and we’re in the chinlock. Punk seems to load up the People’s Elbow but stops to yell at a fan (who might be John Cena’s father), even grabbing him over the barricade. Said fan (and said Cena’s father) punches Punk, allowing Cena to whip him into the chair in the corner. The AA gives Cena the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B-. It was clearly the kind of match where they weren’t exactly in high gear out there and that’s the point of a dark match. Having Cena Sr. get involved made it feel a bit more special and Punk’s Jeter deal in the middle was funny. They would have the big showdown in six days, but it was nice to see them do this king of match, as they’ve probably done it a hundred times.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 26, 1984. I’ve been dreading and waiting for this one. There’s no way to put this as it’s the time Mean Gene Okerlund teamed up with Hulk Hogan.

Now since this is the best wrestling channel ever, OF COURSE they include the fairly famous training videos, with Hogan going to see Gene at five in the morning (ignore the clock saying it’s about 8:55) and finding him smoking a cigar. Hogan freaks out over Gene wanting to have pancakes, bacon and eggs and coffee so Hogan is going to make him breakfast. This means a bunch of raw eggs, which has Gene thinking twice (that image was in his Titantron video at Wrestlemania X7).

Hogan is willing to let it go for now because they need to run a few miles before the sun comes up. They go running (in the middle of the day) and Gene actually keeps up with him for the most part). Then Hogan tells him they need to do it again, this time with the Eye Of The Hulkster. The run continues (now with Gene in different clothes) through the streets but Gene stops for a beer and a bratwurst.

Hogan cuts that off and it’s time for Day 2, as they hit the gym (Hogan’s Mean Gene O Mania shirt is great.). It’s off to Day 3, with Hogan showing up at 6am and I guess they break into an empty arena to run the steps. Hogan even does one of them with Gene on his shoulders and then makes Gene do it with Hogan on his back (what an imagine). Day 4 sees Hogan using Gene as a wheelbarrow up a flight of stairs and Gene thinks he’s ready. That’s not enough so we go full training montage, set to Real American. Dang this was great and…oh yeah we have a match (the opponents haven’t been mentioned to this point.

Hulk Hogan/Gene Okerlund vs. George Steele/Mr. Fuji

As I try to get my head around Gene in trunks (and Hogan in blue, unfortunately not matching Gene in black), Hogan and Fuji start things off with Hogan sending him flying. Steele comes in for a pose off with Hogan and we’re clipped (“FULL MATCH” my spleen) to Steel hitting Hogan in the throat to take over. Hogan Hulks Up and slugs away, with Steele bailing out to the floor.

Gene even goes to the apron to stomp on Fuji’s fingers but stops to high five Hogan, which means a tag. Gene actually gets in to face Steele and immediately crawls through the legs and brings Hogan back in to fire away. We’re clipped again to Hogan beating on Fuji but having to cut off an interfering Steele. Gene pulls the salt away from Fuji and actually kicks him down, allowing Hogan to drop Gene onto Fuji for the pin at 3:30 shown (the whole thing runs about 10:20 so they clipped the heck out of it).

Rating: B. Ok I don’t think I’m spoiling much here when I say the match isn’t the point. This was ALL about the gloriously 80s training videos, with Gene going from a cigar smoking pancake eater to the peak of his physical prowess in about four days through the power of Hulkamania. It’s a great example of “so bad that it’s great” and I had a blast with the whole thing. If you’re a fan of 80s wrestling and haven’t seen…well if you’re a fan you better have seen it.

Post match Gene and Hogan clear the ring and pose, which is as amazing as you could imagine.

From Rochester, New York, June 5, 1990, a dark match at a Wrestling Challenge taping.

Rockers vs. Demolition

Demolition’s Tag Team Titles don’t seem to be on the line here and this is Smash/Crush as Ax (here too) is still recovering from his health issues. Michaels tries the speed on Crush to start but can’t get an O’Connor roll. Instead Crush pulls him out of the air, only for Jannetty to come in with a dropkick to the back to knock them down. Smash comes in and gets his arm worked over by both of them before Jannetty flips over him.

Michaels is back in with a high crossbody for two, though the kickout sends him outside for a cheap shot from Ax. That means it’s time to start in on Michaels’ back, with Crush getting in the required bearhug. A backdrop (eventually) gets Michaels over and the it’s back to the bearhug. We actually get a third bearhug before Michaels is driven into the corner.

Crush charges into a boot and Michaels gets in a harder than expected clothesline. Jannetty is in for the fired up comeback but Smash cuts him off. The Demolition Decapitator is broken up so Crush tries it again, this time with a bit more success. Michaels dives off the top for the save and the double fist drop connects. Smash makes his own diving save but Ax gets in a cheap shot to Michaels to give Smash the pin at 9:06.

Rating: B. This took some time but they were rolling by the end, with the Rockers being able to keep the pace going and Demolition, even this version, being good enough with the power. The big saves at the end were rather good and these guys had chemistry together. It’s a shame we didn’t get more of them, as it could have gone well on a big stage.

Post match Michaels staggers around like he’s drunk. Well, it’s a possibility. We also get a replay of the interference, making me think this was going to be released somewhere but wasn’t for whatever reason.

From August 4, 1986 in Fort Worth, Texas in the WCWA (WCCW).

Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher

Gary Hart is here with Butcher, who gets checked for weapons before the match. Shockingly enough Butcher jumps him on the way in and Brody is right there for the opening brawl (as opposed to the main brawl and likely post match brawl). Butcher’s kicks to the gut are shrugged off and Brody kicks him down to quite the reaction. Brody stomps him on the apron and grabs the mic but Butcher is back with the spike to the face.

Hart is offended that the referee thinks Butcher had a foreign object and Butcher slowly hammers away. Brody knocks him down but they’re both banged up and bloody so they need a breather. That doesn’t last long as Brody gets a chair to blast him in the head and of course they go out into the crowd. They fight behind a big door with Hart trying to hold it closed, only for Brody to come out with a piece of wood to knock Butcher back towards ringside. The referee throws it out at 7:33.

Rating: C. This is the definition of “you know what you’re going to get” and that’s exactly what happened. You have this match for the sake of pure insanity with everyone going everywhere and all the blood and such. It was another run of the mill match between them, though Hart trying to hold the door closed was worth a look.

Post match Brody stays on him until Hart hits Brody with a chair. That lets Butcher get the board and hammer Brody in the head. Some wrestlers come out and get beaten up as Brody is carried out. Hart still insists that Brody was the only one cheating.

From Monday Night Raw, June 28, 1999, the highest rated match in Raw history.

WWF Title: Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker

Austin is challenging, having made the match before he was cheated out of being CEO the previous night at King Of The Ring. Austin starts fast by taking him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. That’s broken up and Undertaker pounds away, only for Austin to come back with the Thesz press. The middle finger elbow gives Austin two but the threat of a Stunner sends Undertaker outside.

Back in and Paul Bearer offers a distraction so Undertaker can get in a big boot. Lawler says Austin doesn’t have a heart anymore, “like the Scarecrow in the Wizard Of Oz.”. They go outside again, where Austin’s piledriver attempt is countered with a backdrop. Back in and Undertaker clotheslines him into a chinlock as the fans are still right behind Austin.

Old School sets up another chinlock but Austin fights up again…and is knocked into a third chinlock. Back up and it’s a double clothesline for a double down but Undertaker sits up. The Stunner connects out of nowhere but Bearer pulls the referee out. Back in and another Stunner gives Austin the title back at 12:03.

Rating: C. This was oddly similar to the Mankind title win earlier in the year, as you could kind of tell that the title was going to change hands but the match wasn’t exactly great. It’s little more than a dull house show level match with the chinlocks killing the momentum, but you knew what was coming and that kept things interesting. Fans love it when big things like this happen, hence the giant 9.5 rating, even if the match wasn’t much to see.

Post match Undertaker jumps Austin again and busts him open.

From WCW Saturday Night, April 8, 1995.

Sting vs. Steve Austin

Austin has Colonel Robert Parker with him. Sting works on the arm to start but Austin is back up with a headlock. That’s reversed into a backdrop and Sting gets his own headlock. Austin gets up and backs him into the corner, with Schiavone wondering if we’ll get a clean break or not. Schiavone: “Not.” Sting shrugs it off and catapults Austin into the corner, with a rollup getting two. The splash hits raised knees though and Austin hammers on the ribs, including a hard whip into the corner.

The Boston crab stays on Sting’s ribs but Austin gets caught holding the rope. Sting is back up with the clotheslines and the running faceplant, setting up the right hands in the corner. A posting sets up a heck of a top rope splash but Sting misses in a huge crash. They fight over a Tombstone with Sting finally planting him but Austin rolls outside. Back in and Sting grabs a cradle for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. It’s kind of amazing how much better Austin got in such a short time. He only had about a month to go in WCW before moving on to ECW and discovering the personality that would make him a star. At this point, he’s a clearly talented but kind of generic heel, with Parker not exactly helping him. Sting was his usual self and the fans were into it, but this was a still developing Austin.

From May 30, 1986 in the UWF in Houston, Texas.

UWF Title: Terry Gordy vs. Jim Duggan

This is the finals of a tournament to crown a new champion but hang on as the One Man Gang is here. Gang says he heard there was going to be a tournament here and he never got an invitation, which is ridiculous because he can beat anyone. He issues the challenge right here right now, with Duggan telling him to make his move. The brawl is on and they head outside, where Gang gets posted. Duggan can get in a chair shot and they head back inside, with Gang hammering away as Gordy and Michael Hayes just look on.

Duggan’s right hands are shrugged off and Gang stomps him out to the floor. That doesn’t last long either as Duggan gives him a running forearm as Gang is already busted open. Some hard chair shots have Gang down and Duggan throws the referee into the cameraman. Gang misses the splash back inside and Duggan spears him out to the floor. The bloody Duggan can’t follow up though and Gang throws a chair inside.

We go to host Jim Ross, who welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Ross throws it to Duggan (in a towel for some reason), who talks about the beating from Gang, who apparently left after Duggan went down from blood loss. Duggan was given five minutes to get ready and got up, but Steve Williams was there to tell him not to do it. That wasn’t going to happen either because he wanted the gray matter stuffed back in his head so he could fight.

Gordy pulled him back inside to start the fight and we see the last few minutes, with Duggan slugging away to put Gordy down. The spear connected but Duggan was too banged up, allowing Gordy to avoid another spear and send him outside. Hayes posted Duggan again and…well that’s it. Gordy would go on to win the match, which isn’t shown here. Not enough shown to rate but the brawl before the match was way better, as Duggan can do the brawling as well as anyone at this point.

From October 9, 2003 in Turku, Finland.

Smackdown World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is challenging and this was a Hidden Gem on the WWE Network. This is billed as presented in the most complete form possible, which usually means a music edit. Lesnar goes outside before the bell and yells at fans and we’re clipped to the match in progress and Lesnar bailing to the floor. It works so well that Lesnar does it again as the fans aren’t thrilled.

Lesnar grabs and throws down a chair before getting back inside and powering Undertaker into the corner. They finally lock up and go nowhere as this is absolutely a “we’re not really trying here” house show match to start. A big shove sends Lesnar outside and yep we’re stalling some more. Back in and Undertaker drops him with a shoulder into a hiptoss so….let’s go outside AGAIN.

This time Lesnar rips up a sign and goes back inside to lock up again. Lesnar takes him into the corner again and kicks away, only to get caught with some arm cranking. Old School connects to get the fans back on their side and Undertaker grabs la majistral of all things for two. We’re clipped again to Undertaker missing a charge and crashing out to the floor as I wonder if it was clipped due to fans chanting, as there are some loud ones.

A whip to the steps has Undertaker in more trouble and Lesnar cranks on the leg in a variety of fashions back inside. The leg is wrapped around the rope but Undertaker knocks him into another corner. That’s cut off with a big spinebuster to give Lesnar two and it’s back to the leg cranking. Undertaker fights back but gets caught in an F5 out of nowhere for a near fall.

Back up and Undertaker knocks him down, setting up a limping big boot for two. The referee gets bumped and Undertaker hits the chokeslam for a not very delayed near fall. Lesnar misses a clothesline and takes the referee down again so the Last Ride gets no count. Well Undertaker counts but that doesn’t count. I think. Lesnar gets in some chair shots and the referee gets up to count the pin at 14:47 shown. I can’t imagine they clipped much out of this one.

Rating: C. I’ve seen this one before and it’s quite a house show match. You can tell they weren’t exactly going at top gear here but it’s part of a European house show tour so they’re not going to have the most energy. It doesn’t help that Biker Taker and Lesnar didn’t have the best chemistry either. The match was perfectly ok for the spot they were in, but it’s not exactly great.

Post match Undertaker beats him down with the chair to get some heat back. Cue Rhyno to go after Undertaker but Eddie Guerrero runs in (on his birthday) to make the save.

From Terry Funk’s WrestleFest.

Rob Van Dam vs. Dory Funk Jr.

Bill Alfonso is here with Van Dam and Funk would be about 55 here. Before the match Alfonso insults Funk’s family, including his grandson by saying….yeah I have no idea, as was often the case with Alfonso. Van Dam poses a lot to start and Alfonso goes nuts with the whistle until Funk grabs a headlock. A running forearm puts Van Dam on the floor and we get more whistling.

Back in and Van Dam sweeps the leg for a corkscrew legdrop so Funk fires off the uppercuts. Funk mocks Van Dam’s pose and they go outside, with Funk being rammed into the apron. Van Dam’s big running flip dive barely graces Funk and they’re both down. Back in and Van Dam hammers away as Alfonso goes nuts with the freaking whistle. A springboard legdrop gives Van Dam two but Funk is right back with the uppercuts.

Eventually a butterfly suplex sets up the spinning toehold but Van Dam makes the rope. That means a Van Daminator can hit Funk and we pause for a bit before Van Dam can fire off more right hands. One heck of a Five Star gets….nothing as Van Dam just punches him again. Funk is back up with backdrop but gets small packaged for a rather near fall. Funk sits him on top for a nasty belly to back suplex, which is enough to shoot the half and cradle Van Dam for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. This is a perfect example of a “well, that’s a match that actually happened”. The show was in honor of Terry Funk so of course Dory was there, and even in his mid-50s he could still more than handle himself in the ring. Van Dam wasn’t a big star yet but you could see the potential, and if Dory was willing to work with him, there must have been something there.

From February 23, 1990 in Detroit, Michigan, a dark match before The Main Event.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Mr. Perfect

The Genius is here with Perfect, Sapphire is here with Rhodes, and this is their only recorded singles match. They circle each other to start, with Rhodes mocking Perfect with some prancing. A pair of shoulders put Perfect on the floor and Rhodes brings him back in to pound away in the corner, reminiscent of a monkey with some funk. Back in again and they jaw at each other until Perfect sweeps the leg for the Robinsdale Crunch.

Perfect works on the leg in the corner and in the middle until Rhodes gets a small package so bad that it doesn’t even get one. The Figure Four keeps the leg in trouble but Rhodes finally turns it over and gets his far worse version. That’s broken up as well and Perfect is sent into the ropes, where his head gets tied up ala Cactus Jack. Perfect gets loose so Rhodes knocks him down for the elbow, only for Genius to offer a distraction. Sapphire goes after him so Perfect goes after her, allowing Rhodes to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:28.

Rating: C-. I can’t imagine you were expecting a good match here but that was not the point of Rhodes in the WWF. As usual, the charisma and energy were off the charts and Rhodes could get the fans behind him no matter what he was doing. If nothing else, it’s always weird to see Perfect lose, especially as this was just about a month and a half before his first official loss at Wrestlemania VI.

Post match, dancing ensues.

From (I believe) August 19, 1991 in Rochester, New York.

Undertaker vs. Ultimate Warrior

Paul Bearer is here with Undertaker and this is one of the first casket matches. Undertaker tries to jump him before the bell and gets sent face first into the casket instead. The casket is already dented (must be cheap materials) and they get inside, where Undertaker chokes away. Warrior shrugs that off and knocks him down, only to get caught with a kneeling uppercut.

A rather safe Tombstone lets Undertaker….come close to putting Warrior in the casket but he stops to choke instead. Undertaker FINALLY puts him in the casket but Warrior gets up, grabs the Urn, and knocks Undertaker silly (Bearer’s ridiculous reaction is the highlight of the match) to win at 5:50.

Rating: D+. There was nothing to this other than for a way to have Undertaker lose without getting pinned. Warrior was about a week away from vanishing from the company for good, resulting in Randy Savage having to be brought back out of retirement to take his place. I’d call that an upgrade, as Savage fighting Undertaker could have been awesome. Either way, not a good match to wrap things up with here.

Post match Warrior runs away as Undertaker gets out of the casket.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah this wasn’t one of the better overall selections, with very little worth seeing. The Mean Gene training videos were great old school fun, but that’s really about it. There’s nothing overly terrible (the casket match came close) but it’s really just a bunch of random stuff, which is the point of something like this. You don’t know what you might be seeing on any given day on the WWE Vault and it’s fascinating to see what they throw out there. These things are some of the most fun I get to have either way, as I love the randomness of the stuff they release, as it could be just about anything.

 

 

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Every John Cena vs. Randy Orton Title Match
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham, John Bradshaw Layfield, Wade Barrett

Oh well why not. I have no idea who thought this needed to be a big five plus hour compilation but I’m kind of surprised that it was that short given how many times they fought over the years. They’ve done this time after time because they’re one of the biggest rivalries WWE has had over the years. I’m probably going to regret this but let’s get to it.

From Summerslam 2007.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Cena is defending and they go with some grappling to start, only for Cena to grab a headlock takeover. Orton takes over with one of his own, with Cena reversing into a failed STF attempt. Back up and Orton slowly pounds away as the fans are rather behind him to start. Cena shrugs off some right hands and gets two off a bulldog as the pace picks up a bit.

The flying shoulder completely misses though and Orton gets to smile a lot. Back in and Orton grabs the rare standing chinlock, followed by the more standard grounded version. Cena powers out, leaving the fans rather annoyed at the developments. A missed charge in the corner puts Cena down again though and Orton starts in on the ankle of all things. The big stomp to the head misses but Orton is right back with another chinlock (he has a reputation for a reason).

Cena is out faster this time but walks into a dropkick, allowing Orton to grab a chin…headlock for a change. Now it’s off to a sleeper as Orton is indeed managing to mix up the boring holds. Cena powers out again and initiates the finishing sequence, only for Orton to break up the FU. The backbreaker cuts Cena off again and Lawler goes off about how Orton shows no emotion, which doesn’t seem to be a positive.

Back up and Cena misses a charge to the floor, allowing Orton to send him hard into the steps. Cena gets back in for a Blockbuster of all things, meaning it’s time to go up. The top rope Fameasser looks to set up the FU but Orton snaps him throat first across the top again. The Punt is loaded up but Cena pulls him into the STFU. Orton finally makes the rope and grabs an RKO for two, though he comes up favoring his knee. Said knee is launched into the air with another FU to retain the title at 21:30.

Rating: B-. They were trying but it wasn’t there yet, with Orton not really feeling like a major threat to take the title. The RKO was his big weapon and that didn’t work, so there wasn’t any reason to stay out there any longer. You could tell they were going for the big showdown here but Orton wasn’t quite ready to be the top threat.

From Unforgiven 2007.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Cena is defending and his father (recently attacked by Orton to make this personal) is in the front row. Cena starts fast and hits a heck of a clothesline as this is more personal than being about the title. Orton is knocked outside and dropped again out there but it’s too early for the STFU. The quick chase lets Orton hit the hanging DDT for two and Cena gets pulled into the chinlock (oh this is going to be a long collection).

A headlock takeover cuts Cena off again and it’s already off to the sleeper and then the chinlock, with Orton really mixing things up here. Cena finally fights up to start the comeback and slugs away in the corner. He gets angry enough to shove the referee for the DQ at 7:21.

Rating: D+. Yeah that’s not a pay per view title match. I completely get what they were going for here, but that’s not worthy of this spot. You do this in the main event of Raw or something, not here where it’s supposed to be some big moment, especially not a month after Cena already beat Orton clean. This did not work and it’s not a good sign when “at least they didn’t waste more time before doing this stupid finish” is the highlight.

Post match Orton goes after Cena Sr. so Cena Jr. jumps him and grabs an STFU on the floor. Cena Sr. even gets in a Punt and is allowed to walk to the back.

From No Way Out 2008.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Orton is defending, having been awarded the title after Cena got hurt but Cena is back early for revenge and the title. An early small package gives Cena two as this is already off to a rather different start. The fans are split and Cena points it out to Orton, who seems….well about the same as usual. Orton is back up to send him into the corner for some right hands but Cena grabs his running bulldog for two.

A kick to the chest (recently repaired) puts Cena down but he’s able to pull Orton into a rollup for two more. Cena charges into an elbow in the corner and gets punched down again, allowing Orton to stomp on the ankle. Orton pounds on the pectoral muscle (quite the odd visual) and grabs a headlock to block the ProtoBomb. That’s switched into a chinlock for a bit, at least until Cena is up with the flying shoulders.

Now the ProtoBomb connects to set up the Shuffle but Orton bails to the floor in a smart move. Cena isn’t having that and pulls him back inside to slug it out, with Orton grabbing the backbreaker. That bangs up Orton’s knee though and Cena goes up, only to miss the top rope Fameasser.

Orton can’t follow up so Cena grabs the ProtoBomb into the STFU, with Orton very slowly making the rope. That’s enough for Orton to roll outside and hold his knee, demanding that he be counted out. Cena goes after him and gets RKO’d, which is good for a nine count. Back in and Cena wants to fight so Orton slaps the referee for the DQ at 15:49.

Rating: B-. This was more like it, with Orton being more interesting as the champion rather than challenging. Cena isn’t likely to lose to Orton in a straight fight so Orton using his twists and turns to cheat and retain is a smart way to go. Orton also felt more on Cena’s level here, as it’s better to have him knocking Cena back down the mountain than trying to take his spot. The ending being a way to set up another match isn’t great to see again, though adding HHH for the three way at Wrestlemania wasn’t much better.

Post match Cena can’t get the referee to change his mind so he beats up Orton instead.

From Summerslam 2009.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Cena is challenging and they actually go technical to start, which goes to an early standoff. Orton takes over on the corner and drops Cena with an elbow to the face. It’s already time for the slow stomping, with Orton going around in a circle before the big knee drop gets two. The backbreaker gives Orton two more and we’re already on the chinlock. Cena fights out and goes with an early finishing sequence, including a rather well received Shuffle.

Orton pops up with a powerslam but misses another powerslam. Cena is right there with his own missed shoulder though, sending him crashing out to the floor. The hanging DDT gives Orton two but Cena is right back with the top rope Fameasser for two of his own. The AA is broken up though and it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. Back up and…Orton shoves the referee for the DQ at 13:30.

Before I can “oh come on, again?”, we get the announcement that Mr. McMahon has ordered the match to restart and if Orton gets disqualified again, he loses the title. Back in and Cena gets two off a side slam and Orton is sent outside. Orton gets a whip into the steps to put Cena down for a change and drops him for two more back inside. That’s enough for Orton to grab his title and walk out for the countout at 17:04.

McMahon, restart again, same stipulation that we got for DQ’s. Back in and both finishers are escaped so Orton grabs a rollup and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 18:04. Cue another referee to say what happened so we restart it AGAIN. Cena pulls Orton into the STF but a “fan” (played by Brett DiBiase, who never went anywhere in WWE) runs in to jump the referee. Security takes him out and we pause again, with Orton going outside, where he snaps Cena’s throat over the top. The RKO FINALLY retains the title at 20:44.

Rating: C+. These matches are managing to avoid bleeding together, but it’s like they’re trying to find different ways to up the silliness on these finishes. Orton having one of his minions out there to save him is right on point but they did one too many restarts for the point to work. Cena has a legitimate complaint for the loss, but dang they need to have someone win one of these things clean already.

From Breaking Point, a month later.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging in an I Quit match, which should mix things up a bit. Also, if anyone interferes on Orton’s behalf, he loses the title. They stare at each other to start before Cena powers him into the corner for the release fisherman’s suplex. The running shoulder misses (again) and Cena is knocked outside for the trip to the announcers’ table. A monitor to the head knocks Cena silly and the threat of the hanging DDT won’t make him quit.

The DDT drops him again and it’s time to bring in a chair. The RKO onto the chair is blocked and Cena fires off the finishing sequence but the STF is broken up. They go outside with Cena being whipped into the steps, with Orton stomping his head onto said steps. That’s still not enough for the quitting so naturally Orton pulls out handcuffs to attach Cena to the top rope. With that not working either, Orton uncuffs him but then cuffs Cena’s wrists together, which he wraps over the top of the post.

That leaves Cena’s arms over his head and the rest of him pretty much wide open, with Orton hammering on his ribs. Cena won’t quit but he will spit some water in Orton’s face, which seems to be less than brilliant. Orton grabs a kendo stick and unloads on Cena’s ribs but Cena still won’t quit. A low blow gives Cena a needed breather but Orton is back up with a nasty chair shot to the head.

Orton cuffs him around the post this time and another chair to the back puts Cena down again. Cena ducks another chair shot though and hits a backdrop, allowing him to grab the key. With the cuffs off, Cena attaches himself to Orton instead and they go back inside…where Orton gets the RKO. That doesn’t mean much though and Cena pulls him into the STF, with Orton’s own arm doing the choking, for the submission at 19:49.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a definite step up, as they got away from the same formula that they had done so many times. I remember watching this live and the beating seemed to go on a lot longer, so the pace wasn’t as slow as I was expecting. Cena finding a way to win in the end is fine as you know he’s pulling that off, but at least they had a better match on the way there.

From Hell In A Cell 2019.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Cena is defending inside the Cell. Orton tries to get out but Cena cuts that off and they go inside, with Orton taking over. The big shoulder misses again so they go outside, where Cena is fine enough to muscle him up for some rams into the Cell. A charging version doesn’t work so well though and Cena is sent hard into the Cell and the steps. Said steps are (after a failed attempt) thrown inside but Cena avoids the hanging DDT and throws the steps at Orton’s head.

Cena doesn’t however avoid the backbreaker so Orton can take over again. Now the hanging DDT can connect but Cena is right back with a quick AA for two. The super AA doesn’t work and Orton slowly takes over again, with a chair to the back getting two more. Orton starts hearing voices but Cena gets away from the running knee on the chair to the head.

The STF goes on and naturally the ropes don’t mean anything (points for getting the rule right) so Orton goes after the referee again. Back in and Orton taps so naturally Cena goes to wake the referee up, earning himself an RKO for two in the process. Orton gets creative by tying Cena’s arms in the ropes and THEN grabbing a chinlock. That’s enough to load up a Punt for the pin and the title at 21:25, even with the knee banged up.

Rating: B-. It’s ok, but the Cell only added so much to the whole thing. They probably could have done the same thing with a street fight, but that’s not how the schedule worked around this point. At the same time, this didn’t feel anything like a blowoff match, despite being in the Cell. How can these two just not get this stuff right?

From Bragging Rights, three weeks later.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Orton is defending in an anything goes, falls count anywhere sixty minute Iron Man match (thirty second rest period between falls) and if Cena loses, he’s off Raw. They take their time to start (obviously) and Cena grabs a headlock to grind away for a bit. Back up and Orton knocks him into the corner before blocking the running bulldog. The slow beating continues but Cena pulls him into a quick STF for the very fast tap at 3:55.

Cena – 1
Orton – 0

Orton takes him down to start and drops the jumping knee, setting up the rather expected chinlock. Cena powers out and hits a Throwback of all things, plus a top rope Fameasser. The Shuffle is loaded up but Orton pops to his feet for the RKO to tie the score at 9:00.

Cena – 1
Orton – 1

Back up and Orton knocks him off the apron for a crash into the barricade. It’s time to clear off the announcers’ table, with Orton hitting Cena in the head with a monitor for two on the floor. Lawler thinks maybe Cena should have taken the fall, for the rest period. This continues a nice trend of the match, with Lawler playing this mostly straight and the other commentators actually asking his opinion as the expert.

That’s WAY too rare in all modern wrestling and it’s very refreshing to see. Orton gets two off a microphone to the head and hold on as we pause for the cut on Cena’s head from the monitor shot. The clock actually stops for a bit, only to come back at the same time as Cena goes nuts. That doesn’t last long though as Orton gets in the signature whip into the steps to cut him off.

They go back inside, with Orton hammering on the cut as we have 15:00 down. The RKO is countered though and Cena is able to initiate the finishing sequence, with the Shuffle connecting. The AA is loaded up but Orton counters into an RKO (that looked GREAT and Lawler can’t believe he pulled that off) for…actually a double pin at 16:47.

Cena – 2
Orton – 2

The medics use the rest period (seems to be two of them, which makes sense at the double pin) to check on Cena’s cut before Orton misses a charge into the post. A super AA plants Orton hard for the pin at 19:23.

Cena – 3
Orton – 2

Cue Legacy to jump Cena between the falls (remember, anything goes) and Orton, who has still not gotten up, gets the pin at 20:21.

Cena – 3
Orton – 3

Kofi Kingston runs in with a chair to chase Legacy off (good, as otherwise there’s no reason for them to leave) and the two people actually in the match can barely get up. They go up to the entrance, with Cena being rammed into the tech area (uh oh). Orton finds a control panel and presses a button, which sets off some pyro. Realizing that could be fun later, Orton throws him through some of the set for more explosions and the pin at 25:20.

Cena – 3
Orton – 4

With Cena still down, Orton goes over to play with the pyro board some more and now he has an idea. Cena is nice enough to crawl onto the stage so Orton can crack him with a chair and drag him to the middle of the stage. Then Orton uses the pyro to blow Cena up, because he’s a bit out there and just making him give up to a spinning toehold is too much to ask.

They go back to ringside and Cena is whipped into the steps again as they’re clearly (and fairly) burning off some time by laying around a good bit. We’re halfway done as Orton throws the steps at Cena’s head and stomps away to leave him laying. Orton grabs a chair for a hard shot to the post, which is at least in the vicinity of Cena’s back. They get back inside and Cena grabs a small package to tie it up at 32:47.

Cena – 4
Orton – 4

Orton jumps him during the rest period and gets yelled at for not giving Cena “thirty seconds”. You know, about five minutes after ORTON TRIED TO BLOW CENA UP. Geez I love stupid wrestling logic. Anyway the hanging DDT on the floor gives Orton another pin at 35:06.

Cena – 4
Orton – 5

And yes, the attempted murderer does give Cena thirty seconds this time, apparently having learned his lesson. They go back inside with Orton stomping away and dropping the big knee for two more. Orton slowly hammers away but misses a charge and gets caught with a quick shot. That’s enough for Orton to bail out to the floor, where he looks at the clock (20:00 to go) and realizes it’s time to burn the clock.

Cena slowly follows him up and lands a heck of a right hand to send Orton back to the ring, meaning Cena has to burn more energy (and time) to get to him again. For some reason Orton lets him get inside again and tries a hanging DDT. That’s reversed into an AA attempt, which sends Orton running into the crowd. Is there any reason why Orton hasn’t run out to the parking lot and driven away? That would seem to be a better option than going anywhere Cena could catch him.

Naturally Cena catches him in the crowd and hits him with a trashcan, which has Orton staggering back down the steps. We have 15:00 to go as Orton is sent back to ringside for two. Cena sends him into the steps and then through the barricade as you can see the energy coming back for Cena with 12:00 to go. Cena hits him with the steps for some payback and then sets up a pair of steps near the announcers’ table. The AA through the table destroys Orton (who sells it like he’s on fire) to tie it up with 9:14 to go.

Cena – 5
Orton – 5

Orton is still down at the end of the rest period so Cena is smart enough to cover him again for two. Lawler: “How did he do that???” You mean how did he kick out of a move after he had more time to recover? Cena loads up another table and picks up Orton, who is described as dead weight, but he can kick out. Why Cena doesn’t put on the STF on the floor is beyond me as they get back inside with six minutes to go. Cole: “When is the last time you saw John Cena use a table?” He asks this as he’s standing because Cena broke the table he was at less than four minutes ago.

Anyway Cena misses a top rope legdrop through the table and they’re both down with 5:00 to go. They take their sweet time (well over a minute) getting up and slug it out until Cena starts firing off the shoulder. The referee is knocked down by mistake so the RKO connects to no cover.

Another referee comes in for the two so Orton shoves the new referee down at 2:00 to go. Orton goes nuts and starts rubbing his own head until he gets an idea. Apparently that was just to set up the Punt, which Cena reverses into the STF (and he’s cranking on the chinlock this time). Orton is in trouble for almost 45 seconds until he taps with 4 seconds left.

Cena – 6
Orton – 5

And of course time expires because Orton has to obey the rest period, which wouldn’t matter anyway so we’re done at 60:00.

Rating: B. Oh this is a tricky one, as I like a lot of it, but there was a time where they just felt like they were getting ridiculous, with Orton having basically no reason to do anything but run for a long time. Now that being said, once Cena started his comeback, it got a lot better, but it felt like a collection of a bunch of stuff at times with only a loose idea throughout the whole thing. It worked, but it felt like it could have been more with a little better planning and more coherence.

From TLC 2013.

Raw World Title/Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

TLC match, winner take all to unify the titles. They fight into the corner to start and Cena grabs a headlock. That’s broken up and Cena is sent outside, allowing Orton to set up the first ladder. Cena is right in to break it up so Orton grabs a chair and knocks him silly. Another chair shot only hits chair so Cena takes it back and unloads on him to take over.

Naturally it takes too long to set up a table though and Orton sends him hard into the steps. There is a table set up in the corner but it’s still way too early for Orton to get up the ladder, as Cena makes the save. The right hands are cut off with the scoop powerslam and Orton gets another ladder. Cena manages to go up instead, only to get suplexed right back down. Orton gets so frustrated that he throws a ladder at Cena, which hits the floor instead.

Some chair shots to the back have some better luck and Orton loads the chair up in the corner. That takes too long again so Cena initiates the finishing sequence, with the Shuffle being broken up. Orton sends him into the chair and goes up but gets pulled down again, at least with a touch of the titles this time. A ladder shot sends Orton off the apron and through a table so Cena can go up.

Orton is back up with a save of his own and an RKO drops Cena again. Cena gets up as well and hits him with the steps a few times, which allows him to set up another table in another corner. Again that takes too long and Orton stomps him onto the steps, followed by some mic shots to the head. Orton loads up the announcers’ table and of course takes too long, earning an AA through said table.

Cena goes for the belts but Orton is right there to turn the ladder over, leaving Cena hanging. That lets Orton pick up a chair and Cena is left helpless, which doesn’t really work when you notice that his feet are beneath the top rope, meaning there is pretty much nothing preventing him from dropping down on his own. Some chair shots bring him down but Orton is back up with a spear through one of the tables in the corner. They’re both down so Orton goes outside and finds a reference to Breaking Point, as he whips out some handcuffs to attach Cena to the bottom rope.

This time Orton gets smart by throwing the key into the crowd before hitting Cena with a ladder. Orton loads up another ladder but Cena unscrews the turnbuckle and gets free. That lets him go up and hit Orton with the turnbuckle, only to have Orton grab the rope (as Cena is still handcuffed). Cena is pulled head first into the other table in the corner and Orton wins at 24:35.

Rating: B. This was fun in a lot of ways, at least partially due to Cole sounding like a moron so many times. They were going for the violence here and as usual, that’s more interesting than seeing them have a regular match. You can only get so much out of that and thankfully they didn’t try to do anything too complicated. Cena’s crash into the table looked rough and Orton felt like he won, which is how this should wrap up.

From the 2014 Royal Rumble, a month later.

WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging in a straight match for a change. They go to the mat to start and the Pittsburgh fans go from BORING to LET’S GO CENA to CENA SUCKS in the first thirty seconds. Orton gets in a headlock takeover and it’s off to the DANIEL BRYAN chants. Cena gets to his feet and turns up the pace but gets cut right back off. After a You Can’t See Me, Orton grabs a suplex for two as the fans switch to a RANDY SAVAGE chant. Orton grinds away on a chinlock and yeah those BORING chants are getting louder.

They go outside with Cena being sent into the steps (it’s like an old friend at this point) before Daniel Bryan gets another chant as Orton gets two. A DDT gets the same and the fans either want Angle or Divas, but get an Orton pose instead. Cena initiates the finishing sequence and smiles at the booing crowd, who aren’t sure what to do as Orton breaks up the Shuffle. Orton’s superplex is broken up as well and Cena hits a top rope Fameasser for two more.

The AA is countered into Orton’s backbreaker for another near fall as they’re playing up the idea that they know each other so well, but everyone knows this stuff so it’s only so interesting. The hanging DDT is countered with a backdrop to send Orton outside, where he grabs the hanging DDT onto the floor. Back in and the RKO is countered into an STF, which is broken up just as fast.

The referee goes down so Cena the STF for an unseen tap. Naturally Cena goes to check on the referee and gets belted in the face for two as the referee is back in it. Cena pops up for an AA and a near fall, followed by an RKO and a near fall for Orton. Fans: “WE WANT DIVAS!” Naturally Orton does his pose right in the middle of the ring because he’s at least leaning into the thing. The Punt and AA are both countered so Orton pulls Cena into an STF (with a kind of cool looking sleeper variation) and the fans aren’t sure how to take that one.

Cena escapes so Orton gives him an AA (more an FU really, as he doesn’t drop down with Cena), leaving him with quite the massive smile. Back up and Cena gives him an RKO (nice one at that) before trying the super AA. That’s broken up so Orton settles for a tornado DDT into the STF….and we’ve got Wyatts. The fans go NUTS for something different and the Wyatts show up on the apron for a distraction. One more RKO retains the title at 20:50.

Rating: C+. So this is the night of the infamous Royal Rumble, where the crowd completely hijacked the show in the name of Daniel Bryan. That’s the well known instance, but this is another case of the same thing. The fans did not want to see this match and they let Orton and Cena know about it. Now of course Orton leaned all the way into it and rolled with the hatred and it worked well, though Cena was basically just doing his thing.

Now, why did they react this way? Well it’s not that surprising really. First of all, we were less than a month removed from Orton beating Cena in the big unification match, so it’s not like this was anything new. Then you factor in that this is the Royal Rumble, which has a reputation of being the show with what is little more than a token title defense before we find out the winner of the Royal rumble to set up Wrestlemania. That leaves you with a match where there is little reason to believe the title is going to change hands between a pairing that the fans do not want to see. How did WWE expect this to go?

The match itself was pretty much the norm for Cena and Orton as well, which is where things fell apart even more. The problem is we’ve seen Orton vs. Cena over and over and you know what you’re going to get. It’s clear that the fans were not interested in seeing this again but WWE trots them out one more time, which is where it fell apart. Having them steal finishers and then the Wyatt interfering worked, but this was a case where the fans weren’t interested and finally snapped. It’s a fascinating moment and WWE kind of had it coming.

And from Backlash 2025.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Cena, now a heel for a big change, is defending and Orton, the hometown star, gets an absolute monster pop as the fans sing with their Voices. They take their time to start with Cena offering a handshake and then slapping Orton in the face. That earns him a big slap back from Orton, who grabs a headlock to keep Cena in trouble. Cena gets knocked outside but takes over out there, meaning it’s some right hands to Orton back inside.

The fans count along so Orton switches places with him for twenty right hands, much to Orton’s….I guess we can call that delight. The big knee drop connects for two so Cena grabs a sleeper of all things. Orton gets a suplex to escape but Cena is right back with the finishing sequence. The AA is of course escaped and a powerslam puts Cena right back down. Cena’s STF attempt doesn’t exactly work as Orton is back up with the hanging DDT. The RKO is countered into an AA, which is countered into an RKO (that still looks awesome) and they’re both down again.

Now the AA can actually connect for two so Cena goes back to the flying shoulders. It turns out that sticking your neck out is a bad idea against Randy Orton, who grabs an RKO to put Cena down again. The Punt is loaded up but Cena is back with an AA for another near fall. Another RKO is countered and the referee gets taken down so Cena hits a third AA. That makes Cena smile, which can’t go well. Cena grabs his trusty belt and walks into an RKO for a pretty slow two.

They go outside with Cena knocking Orton into the referee into the steps, leaving Orton to AA Cena through the announcers’ table. Orton loads up another table for another AA, with the fans declaring this awesome. Another referee runs down to count the near fall so Cena belts him by mistake. Orton hits an RKO and there’s no one to count, so here is Nick Aldis to check on the referee.

Agents come in so it’s a bunch of RKOs to take them down as the fans go even nutsier. R-Truth comes in to cut off the Punt and gets RKO’d (with Orton screaming WHY at him). That means a low blow can cut Orton off, followed by the belt shot so the original referee can count the retaining pin at 27:48.

Rating: B+. It was ridiculous, it was stupid, it was insane at times, and I had a lot of fun with the thing. They were going with the idea of the two of them being treated as this legendary pair and it was happening one last time so they just had a bunch of fun. It felt like a big song and dance medley to wrap up their feud and with that in mind, it was a great time.

Overall Rating: B. The big criticism of Orton vs. Cena is that it was done to death and that was really obvious here. It’s not so much that the matches were bad, but it was basically treated like this all time epic rivalry and that never felt earned. Cena vs. Punk or Edge just feel like such bigger deals and more natural, but Orton got so much of the attention. I did like watching some of these matches, but there wasn’t one on here where I was looking forward to seeing it again. That’s Orton vs. Cena in a nutshell, as it’s good but not exactly great and nothing you would really want to see.

 

 

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One-Sided Beatdowns
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Paul E. Dangerously, Lance Russell, Joey Styles, Vince McMahon, Jim Cornette, Tony Schiavone, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Kevin Sullivan, Tommy Dreamer, Todd Grisham

So this is something that WWE put together on the Vault, which is basically a 40 minute collection of squash matches. That is the kind of thing which can make for some fun violence, as some of those squashed can be all kinds of entertaining. I’m going into this mostly blind so this should be good. Let’s get to it.

Little bit of a weird thing here: on YouTube, the identifications on some of the matches are all over the place, with Big E. being listed instead of Sid Vicious, a match with Bayley on commentary listing her in the match and some other names being nowhere near close. No idea what’s up with that.

From Monday Night Raw, December 10, 2001.

Hardcore Title: Undertaker vs. Spike Dudley

Undertaker is defending and Spike throws in a bunch of weapons before the bell, with Undertaker swatting a trashcan out of the air. Undertaker doesn’t care so Spike goes and sits on his motorcycle, which is enough to start the destruction. The beating begins on the floor and Spike is thrown inside for a hard right to the head.

Spike is tied in the Tree of Woe (which Lawler seems to have never heard of before) but he gets out for a low blow. Some trashcan lids to the head just annoy Undertaker, who smashes him in the head with the same lid. Undertaker drives a forearm over Spike’s face and the Last Ride onto a trashcan retains at 2:36. This wasn’t quite one sided but ticked off Undertaker can be most enjoyable.

Post match Undertaker chokeslams him over the top and out to the floor (OUCH).

From WCW Main Event, August 27, 1989.

Sid Vicious vs. Lee Scott

Sid hits a big clothesline and the fans are just going nuts for him. A gorilla press to the floor lets Sid throw him back inside. The helicopter slam sets up the powerbomb to complete the destruction at 1:30. This was GREAT as Sid absolutely massacred him.

From ECW On Sci Fi, August 1, 2006.

Kurt Angle vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Commentary doesn’t think much of Brawler’s chances. The ankle lock sends Brawler straight to the ropes to start so Angle beats him up there instead. A headbutt and ankle lock finish Brawler at 1:10.

From Monday Night Raw, June 19, 1995.

Shawn Michaels vs. Gus Kantarrakis

The name graphic has two R’s in the latter’s name but everything else I can find shows just one. Not a good sign when even the company can’t bother getting your name right. Michaels shoulders him down to start and runs the ropes…but has to stop and pick him up. They get back up and Michaels hits another shoulder so he can ride on Gus’ back for the comedy.

Michaels gets Gus to chase him on the floor and then has a seat in the front row. Gus’ cheap shot doesn’t work as commentary ignores the match to talk about celebrity news. Back in and Gus manages a right hand to the ribs and slows Michaels down but he easily sends Gus outside. A suplex on the floor has Gus in more trouble and the superkick knocks him silly out there as well. Back in and the fans want it one more time so Michaels basically Weekend At Bernie’s him into another superkick for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Gus was another level of useless here as he had a weird look and Michaels was almost wrestling himself at times. That being said, this was the goofy Michaels who felt like a star no matter what he was doing and there was no way to avoid putting the title on him next year.

From WCW TV, May 10, 1986.

Midnight Express vs. Mulkey Brothers

Naturally Jim Cornette is here with the Express and even jumps on commentary. Condrey backdrops Randy to start as Cornette says tomorrow is Mother’s Day so he loves Mama Cornette…and wants his allowance. Randy is taken outside and suplexed onto the concrete before Bill comes in, only to be tossed outside as well. Back in and Bill’s face is rubbed into the mat as Cornette calls out Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA.

A belly to back superplex plants Bill again as Cornette WILL NOT SHUT UP, which is what made him a legend. Bill is sent hard into the corner and a butterfly suplex gives Eaton one, as he pulls Bill up over and over. Randy comes in and actually scores with some punches to Condrey, who suplexes him right back down. A good looking top rope elbow hits Randy and Condrey finally finishes with what would be better known as the Skull Crushing Finale at 4:53.

Rating: C+. The Midnights turned the tag team squash into an art form and the Mulkeys were some of the best targets they could have had. It wouldn’t have been right to leave the Midnights off of something like this as they really were great at what they did. Throw in Cornette ranting at everyone he could think of and it was a lot of fun.

From Monday Nitro, June 1, 1998.

US Title: Goldberg vs. La Parka

Goldberg is defending, gets hit in the head with a chair before the bell, and runs through him with the spear and Jackhammer to retain at 28 seconds. Well you knew Goldberg was going to be on this show.

From Monday Night Raw, July 25, 2016.

Braun Strowman vs. James Ellsworth

Ellsworth hides in the corner at the bell and then thinks it’s a good idea to come up swinging. Strowman throws him into the corner and hits a big boot to the chest, setting up a running splash. A reverse chokeslam finishes Ellsworth at 1:10. Yeah that worked.

From WCW TV, December 16, 1989.

Steiner Brothers vs. Cactus Jack Manson/Rick Fargo

Rick (Steiner, in case you thought Fargo mattered) backs Manson up against the ropes and then slaps the fire out of him. Believe it or not, Jack is kind of into the pain so Scott comes in for a backdrop. Manson fights up with an elbow for two but Scott knocks him outside rather quickly.

Back in and it’s off to Fargo and I don’t see this going well. Scott suplexes him down with ease and a super fall away slam drops Fargo again. We cut to some shots of the crowd and come back to Rick neck cranking Fargo, followed by some riding on the mat. Back up and the Steiner Line puts Fargo down again, setting up the Frankensteiner for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C-. This was there for the sake of having the Steiners and Jack in the same match but there wasn’t much to it. The Steiners could beat up just about anyone and that’s what they did here. It just wasn’t that entertaining and was more about name value, but I can go with something like this on a big compilation.

From NXT, August 3, 2016.

Asuka vs. Aliyah

Bayley is on commentary but Asuka offers her a seat on the ramp to watch closer. Asuka snapmares Aliyah down as the fans sing for Bayley, whose confidence has been wrecked by Asuka taking the Women’s Title from her. A hip attack drops Aliyah again and Asuka chokes her in the ropes while looking down at Bayley. Another hip attack in the ropes drops Aliyah again and Asuka kicks her out of the air for two, with Asuka pulling her up. A Buzzsaw Kick sets up the Asuka Lock for the tap at 2:28. Nice story advancement with the squash.

From Sunday Night Heat, October 28, 2004.

Tyson Tomko vs. Shawn Riddick

Tomko powers him into the corner to start and hits a spinebuster before hammering away. Some forearms on the mat have Riddick in more trouble and Tomko throws him outside. Tomko isn’t having any of this comeback and kicks Riddick outside, which is enough for the referee to call it at 1:48. Riddick was bumping like crazy here.

From Superstars, February 6, 1993.

Beverly Brothers vs. Bob East/Pete Christie

The Brothers beat on the first one before handing it off to the second one. As we get a look at the latest WWF Magazine, the Brothers hit the Shaker Heights Spike (a flapjack into a faceplant) but the guy over rotates and comes down HARD on his head, thankfully for the pin at 1:28. That was on highlight reels for a good while and could have been a lot worse.

From WCW TV, March 3, 1990.

Kevin Sullivan/Buzz Sawyer vs. Robbie Idol/Zan Panzer

Sawyer is a known nutjob who takes over on Idol. Sullivan comes in for some chops and stomps Idol in the face. It’s back to Sawyer for more chopping before it’s off to Panzer, which makes Sawyer laugh. Sawyer sits on Panzer’s neck as we hear about various upcoming house shows. Sullivan ties Idol in the Tree Of Woe for the running knee and Sawyer, looking a bit nuts (understatement), adds his great top rope splash. Naturally Sawyer pulls him up at two and hits another splash but pulls him up again…and the referee disqualifies Sawyer at 4:13. For what? Beating him up too much?

Rating: C. Not great ending aside, this was another destruction with those splashes looking great. At the same time, Sullivan and his Slaughterhouse (also including Cactus Jack) never did much for me and that was the case again here. They’re a perfectly fine midcard monster team and that’s about it, which only gets them so far.

Post match Sawyer beats him up some more and Sullivan leaves, with a bunch of wrestlers having to come drag Sawyer off of Idol. They can’t quite do it though, instead picking BOTH of them up at once for a unique visual to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. I had a GREAT time with this and it is the kind of thing that shows just how much the people running the channel appreciate wrestling. They mixed in a huge variety here and some of them were incredibly entertaining. Just a great little package of fun stuff and worth a look if you want something to the point and exactly as advertised, with nothing breaking five minutes.

 

 

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WrestleDream 2023

Monday Night Raw – October 2, 2023

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Family Ties: Huge Betrayal Takes Place During AEW WrestleDream Main Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/family-ties-huge-betrayal-takes-place-aew-wrestledream-main-event/

Double Ouch: Injury Takes Place At AEW WrestleDream, Champion Suffers Possible Second Injury.

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Well Done: NXT Star “The Talk Of The Show” After No Mercy.

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They Can Get Along: Backstage WWE And AEW Reactions To Adam Copeland’s AEW Debut.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/can-get-along-backstage-wwe-aew-reactions-adam-copelands-aew-debut/

She’s Out: Becky Lynch Reportedly Pulled From This Week’s Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/shes-becky-lynch-reportedly-pulled-weeks-monday-night-raw/

For The Belts: New Title Match Officially Set For WWE Fastlane.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/belts-new-title-match-officially-set-wwe-fastlane/

WATCH: Two Superstars Make Surprise Returns On Monday Night Raw, Get In Huge Brawl.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-two-superstars-make-surprise-returns-monday-night-raw-get-huge-brawl/

Give It Back? Original Plans For Recent NXT Title Change Were Very Different.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/give-back-original-plans-recent-nxt-title-change-different/

WATCH: Former Champion Makes Surprise Return To End Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-former-champion-makes-surprise-return-end-monday-night-raw/

Out For Now: Two WWE Champions Not Medically Cleared For Monday Night Raw, Title Defense Set.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/out-for-now-two-wwe-champions-not-medically-cleared-for-monday-night-raw-title-defense-set/

Reunion Time: Tag Team Family Reunites And Returns To The Ring After Lengthy Absence.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/reunion-time-tag-team-family-reunites-returns-ring-lengthy-absence/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

So this is something new that I’m trying, as I recently purchased access to an INCREDIBLE treasure trove of wrestling from around the world and throughout history. It’s almost exclusively NOT WWF/E stuff so expect quite the variety. There is all kinds of stuff that I’ve never even heard of before (including a weekly French series from the early 90s for a real twist). I’m not sure how often I’ll be doing these but more wrestling is a good thing (in theory).

WWF Cage Match Compilation Volume I

Ok so it’s mostly non-WWF but they do have a collection of about 70 cage matches from the company, including quite a few fan cam recordings from house shows. That is going to make for quite the look back, though some of these are from major shows that you have probably seen before. I’ll be doing them at random in a series so let’s get to it.

Superstar Billy Graham vs. Butch Reed
Date: October 16, 1987
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,700
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Nick Bockwinkel

This is from Graham’s last run in wrestling and he only had a handful (ok two big handfuls) of matches before he hung it up for good. These two feuded for a good while during this run, though Graham’s body is rapidly deteriorating as he is already wrestling with a replaced hip and it’s only getting worse.

Before the match, we need to put the cage together (a thing that I miss but is completely impractical in the days of just hanging it above the ring). While that is taking place, we get some pre-match promos.

Graham talks about having Reed in the bearhug and now he’s ready to be locked in the cage so no one can interfere whatsoever.

Reed is ready to be in there man against man, and the REAL man is the only one leaving. Guess who that is supposed to be.

We go to the actual match and Reed jumps him on the way in to start fast. Graham is sent head first into the cage as Bockwinkel says this is like a prison cell. What kind of jails do they have in the AWA territory??? Anyway, Reed sends him into the cage and then uses Graham’s own bandanna to tie him to said cage. Reed charges into a knee though and Graham slips out.

This time it’s Reed going into the cage and Graham gets to choke with a shirt. It’s too early for Graham to get out as Bockwinkel thinks Graham’s knee might be his Achilles tendon. You were one word away from a perfect illustration. Reed gets caught trying to escape and Graham grabs a quickly broken sleeper. The ram into the cage lets Reed crank on the leg but Graham pulls him down.

A low blow doesn’t do much to Reed, who goes right back to the bad hip. Reed gets caught trying to climb out and the bearhug has him in trouble. That’s broken up with another ram into the cage but Graham pulls him down again. With the climbing not working, Reed pulls out some brass knuckles but misses a few shots, allowing Graham to use them on Reed instead. Graham dives (work with me here) out of the door to win at 11:04.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t exactly a great technical showdown, but that’s not what they were going for here. This was about Graham getting some revenge on Reed by hitting him in the face/sending him into the cage. The fans were still reacting to Graham and you could see the (super) star power, but the injuries were catching up to him way too fast to really be effective in a bigger way. Reed was good as usual, and for a big house show cage match, it worked well.

WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Stan Hansen
Date: August 7, 1976
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 22,000
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Bruno is defending (of course) and this is a rematch from Showdown At Shea, which was a rematch from when Hansen broke Bruno’s neck. We get the ESCAPE ONLY explanation and Hansen looks like a monster during his introduction. Bruno gets a heck of a reception (shocking I know) and after some Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Hansen jumps him to start but Bruno fights right back and sends him into the cage to an awesome roar. Some stomping puts Bruno down for a bit but he fights back again and sends Hansen into the cage.

It’s too early for Hansen to escape so he hammers away some more, earning a stomping from Bruno for a change. A shot to the ribs slows Bruno down but Hansen misses the elbow. Bruno grabs a reverse chinlock (or Boston crab according to Vince) before just stepping on Hansen’s face. What looks to be a low blow gets Hansen out of trouble but Bruno is still fine enough to catch him trying to escape.

We get some boots to Hansen’s head (there is something awesome about the way Bruno swings his leg so wide as he kicks someone) so Hansen goes with another low blow (or “foul” as Vince calls it). Another escape attempt is cut off for another ram into the cage, this time busting Hansen open. Bruno ties him in the ropes and unloads on him as Hansen is almost out. One more big right hand drops Hansen and Bruno walks out to retain at 10:43.

Rating: B-. This was a good old fashioned fight as Bruno didn’t so much care about the title as much as he wanted revenge on Hansen. Bruno always looked best when he was ticked off and just wanted to hit someone in the face over and over, which is exactly what you got here. You can feel the emotion when Bruno is in the ring, as even someone like Hansen is just overwhelmed. Very fun match and the crowd’s reaction to Bruno is incredible.

Post match the rather bloody Hansen gets up and poses before collapsing again. Vince: “Hansen, absolute annihilated here.” That’s about the size of it, yeah.

Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd
Date: September 24, 1983
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,983
Commentators: Dick Graham, Gorilla Monsoon

We see Andre walking through the tunnel in the back and my goodness it’s such an imposing visual. That’s a big part of the appeal and dang does it work. Studd jumps him on the way in and stomps Andre down in the corner (that’s a weird sight) but the ram into the cage is blocked. Andre sends him into the cage a few times and Studd is already busted open.

Some rams into the other cage walls (just to be a completionist) have Studd staggered until he elbows Andre in the face a few times. Studd tries to leave so Andre sits on him for a rather painful cut off. Back up and Studd grabs a front facelock but gets cut off rather quickly for daring to try an escape.

Andre has to dive to cut off another escape attempt as Gorilla isn’t sure what size boot Andre wears. Back up and Andre sends him into the cage a few times but Studd hits a big clothesline. Studd’s next escape attempt is cut off with a legdrop to the back of the head and there’s the slam (good for $10,000). Andre goes nuclear by heading up top for a super sitdown splash. Since Studd is pretty much crushed beyond repair, Andre walks out to win at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Remember how I said the visual of Andre walking to the ring was awesome? The visual of him jumping off the top to crush an innocent human being is even better. I’ve seen him do it before but if there is a bigger ultimate finish in the WWF’s history, it’s a new one on me. Studd was one of the few people who could match size with Andre and he did well enough here, but there was no stopping the force that was Andre.

WWF Title: Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka
Date: June 28, 1982
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Backlund is defending and it’s escape only again, albeit this time ONLY through the door (As apparently Backlund’s manager Arnold Skaaland thinks Snuka is too good at jumping over the cage. That’s quite a cop out for a heroic champion.) Snuka has Captain Lou Albano with him, like any good villain of the day should. Backlund tells him to get inside before grabbing him by the hair to start fast.

Some stomps have Snuka in trouble and Backlund strikes away, even headbutting Snuka without hurting himself. Snuka fires off some chops and knees as this is much more of a brawl so far. It’s Backlund going into the cage first as Vince talks about how there are TWO opponents each here, getting all philosophical you see. There’s the big whip into the cage and a backbreaker keeps Backlund in trouble.

The middle rope forearm/headbutt connects but it’s way too early for Snuka to escape. Backlund gets all fired up and punches away, setting up the catapult into the cage. Snuka is busted open and you know (at least you should) that a ticked off Backlund is going to go after that. A shot to the chest cuts Backlund off again though and an elbow….does nothing as pins don’t count here. Backlund gets suplexed but the splash off the top of the cage misses, allowing him to escape and retain at 10:25.

Rating: C+. This was just starting to get good when it wrapped up and that’s rather annoying. The splash off the cage looked like the big epic finish and Backlund escaping after it misses worked well enough, but the anger and hatred were just starting to flow here when they wrapped up. This was a huge feud at the time though and it’s easy to see why Snuka was a huge star the second he turned.

Post match Backlund says he kind of liked getting to hurt Snuka like that. He likes going out the door anyway because he wants more of a contest than a fight. Backlund respects Snuka’s power and athleticism and he’s ready for his next challenger, who might be Cowboy Bob Orton.

Vince gives us a quick backstory, saying Backlund and Orton were going to wrestle in high school but Backlund got hurt and couldn’t do it. As a result, Orton thinks he’s a coward but Backlund is ready to prove that he’s the better man. Backlund doesn’t have much say in who he faces but he’s requesting to face Orton. Total “bye golly’s” in this five minute interview: four. Oh and a “hello mom and dad”.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala
Date: January 11, 1987
Location: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Johnny V.

Hogan is defending and I’m surprised it took this long to get to one of his matches. In a rare moment, this is described as a ten foot cage instead of the traditional fifteen. Kamala has the Wizard and Kim Chee with him to uneven the odds a bit. Hogan has his face painted up and slaps his stomach on the way to the ring so Kamala uses the belt to beat the racial stereotypes out of him. Hogan fights back and chokes with the bandanna but has to block some cage shots.

There’s the back rake but Kamala sends him into the cage as Monsoon talks about Whipper Billy Watson. A leg dive keeps Kamala inside but he chops Hogan down. The splash connects as Gorilla talks about Kamala’s cannibalistic tendencies but it’s already Hulk Up time. The bloody Hogan sends him into the cage over and over and there’s quite the slam. Hogan drops the leg so Chee and the Wizard jump the referee and come in. That doesn’t work for Hogan, who beats all three of them up and goes through the door to retain at 6:19.

Rating: C. The match was nothing but Hogan came off like an absolute superhero here. He shrugged off Kamala’s biggest stuff, beat up the cheating managers, and walked out to retain in short order. The fans were going nuts for this too and I can’t say I blame them, as this is the Hogan that felt like the strongest force in the universe. How could you cheer for him?

Post match the villains go after him again and get beaten up, again! Posing ensues.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
Date: January 3, 1987
Location: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

Hogan is defending and this is a famous one, from Saturday Night’s Main Event #9. Before the match, Orndorff’s manager, promises to make Hogan the paper that lines a bird cage. Danny Davis is here as the second referee and yeah that is going to mean shenanigans. In the back, Hogan says the cage is the last resort. They both come out to Real American in a still awesome angle. Orndorff grabs the belt again for some shots but Hogan reaches for the ankle.

Hogan catches him on top as well, with Orndorff having to be dragged back over (Ventura: “Hogan would not be the champion if Mr. Wonderful was bald.” That line has cracked me up for over thirty years now.). Back down and Hogan punches away but Orndorff catches him on top. Orndorff misses some elbows and the comeback (I think?) is on but Davis doesn’t have the door unlocked in time. Some knees to the head rock Hogan again and stereo rams into the cage leave both of them down. They both climb up and get to the ground….at the same time at 6:45, with one referee each saying they both win.

It’s a tie, so we’ll get them back inside and keep going. Back from a break with Orndorff throwing him back inside and getting in some cheap shots. A fist drop triggers the comeback and Ventura isn’t happy. Some rams into the cage set up a backbreaker of all things into the legdrop. Heenan tries to break it up but Hogan shrugs him off, beats them both up and leaves to retain at 16:34.

Rating: B-. This was billed as the first cage match in network television history (accurate) and it felt like a big deal. Hogan vs. Orndorff had been a massive feud so giving them this big of a blowoff made sense. The stuff in the middle added some drama and as usual, the chemistry was rolling between these two. Hogan was off to something bigger though, which Orndorff would have to settle for the end of the biggest run of his career.

In the back, Heenan promises to get the footage of the match and show it to Jack Tunney because Orndorff is the champion. I still want one of those WWF duffle bags.

Hogan isn’t worried about Heenan’s plan.

Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake vs. Randy Savage/Zeus
Date: December 27, 1989
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

This is The Match from No Holds Barred: The Movie/The Match. Since the movie was falling apart, Vince McMahon tried this idea: get the movie on pay per view and see this match as well, as the big blowoff to the Hogan vs. Zeus feud (which would eventually be available on the original Supertape, which I’ve seen roughly 183 times). Hogan rips off Beefcake’s shirt but won’t let Beefcake do the same. That’s why he has no friends. Sherri, apparently a Beefcake fan, sends the cage door into Hogan’s face to drop him outside, leaving Beefcake two on one.

Since it’s Hogan, that lasts all of thirty seconds before Hogan punches Savage through the bars and climbs over the top to clean house. Zeus gets sent into the cage a few times to take over but he sends Hogan and Beefcake into the cage to drop both of them. Savage goes up but Beefcake breaks that up as well. The sleeper doesn’t last long on Zeus so the villains send Beefcake and Hogan into the cage a few times each. For some reason Savage and Zeus try to climb over the top, earning stereo suplexes back down.

All four are down so the referee tries to go inside (because he doesn’t understand the rules), allowing Sherri to ram him with the door as well. Sherri gives Savage the chain as he goes to the top of the cage but Beefcake manages to punch him out of the air. Savage and Beefcake fight on the side of the cage until Beefcake escapes and Hulk Hulks Up. With Beefcake dragging Savage out of the cage, Hogan sends Zeus into it a few more times. A slam sets up THREE LEGDROPS (GEEZ) for the pin at 9:44. Jesse: “I don’t believe it, he did it again!”.

Rating: C+. Watching this back, it is the definition of a post show dark match to send the fans home happy as other than Savage jumping off the cage, there really wasn’t anything special to this. Hogan dropping that many legs made it feel big, but the match itself is just pretty good. The nostalgia is strong enough though and Hogan was over like free beer in a frat house, so it’s the definition of good, easy fun.

WWF Title: Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson
Date: September 24, 1979
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Backlund, with Arnold Skaaland, is defending and Patterson’s Intercontinental title isn’t on the line. Vince says that this is the fourth time the two have fought at MSG, apparently the first time a match has happened that many times at the Garden. Backlund starts fast and sends Patterson into the cage a few times as the fans are rather pleased. It’s rather too early for either to escape so Backlund cages him again.

Patterson cuts him off for a change and rams him a few times, only to get caught at the door. With that not working, Patterson tries to climb out so Backlund goes up as well. They slug it out on top until Backlund barely makes a save for a double crash back to the mat. In a change of pace, Patterson goes for the door but gets caught, then goes over the top but gets caught.

What appears to be a foreign object busts Backlund open and Patterson hammers at the cut. Backlund gets up for a hard shot of his own and they’re both down again. Patterson pulls him down so Backlund hits a catapult into the cage to bust him open as well. The atomic drop hits Patterson but he catches Backlund on top. The swing with the foreign object misses but they crash back down anyway. Backlund kicks him away and backs out of the door to retain at 16:41.

Rating: C+. This one took some getting into and it was only so good. They did a lot of the same things over and over and it didn’t exactly work. Backlund was trying here and Patterson was usually good but something was holding them back. Maybe they needed to mix it up a bit but this didn’t get beyond pretty good.

WWWF World Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. George Steele
Date: July 25, 1970
Location: Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sammartino is defending and this is the earliest match in the set. There is no commentary here and we see the cage put up by a guy in an undershirt for a weird visual. The ring announcer even tells us what the two of them will be wearing in a smart touch. Bruno starts fast and unloads with those kicks in the corner that he made look very good. The choking is on in the corner as it’s all Bruno to start.

Steele cuts him off from an early exit so Bruno unloads with some ax handles to the chest. A ram into the cage cuts Bruno off for once and the stomping ensues. Bruno manages to kick his way up from the mat (that’s awesome) to take over again and Steele is sent into the steel. Steele is allowed to go up but Bruno pulls him right back down for another crash.

A low blow gets Bruno out of trouble but he’s right back up and hammers Steele in the head. Bruno gets in those big stomps to the head and then chokes away until Steele goes to the eyes. Raking of the face has Bruno gyrating a bit and the fans are all over Steele. The blind Bruno swings away so Steele sends him into the corner for more stomping. Finally Bruno has had enough and just erupts, firing Steele into the cage over and over and stomping away. With Steele properly destroyed, Bruno walks out to retain at 14:34.

Rating: B. I’ve seen this match a few times before and it’s just fun. The crowd carries it a lot as they are absolutely rabid for Bruno and that comeback at the end had them looking like they were ready to kill Steele. It’s a very different era and they aren’t doing anything more than basic stuff, but my goodness the reactions and energy from Bruno are both great.

Jesse Ventura vs. Tony Atlas
Date: May 22, 1982
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 11,513
Commentators: Dick Graham, Kal Rudman

As usual, Jesse is great at being a heel, as he walks around the ring and yells at various people, like a villain should. Jesse takes his sweet time getting in and immediately tries to escape, only to be pulled back down to start the beating. Right hands and elbows have Ventura down fast but he blocks some rams into the cage. A headbutt puts him down instead but Ventura is back up with a failed ram of his own.

Ventura cheap shots him and sends Atlas into the cage to bust him open. A bite to the arm and an atomic drop keep Atlas in trouble as commentary is a bit stunned. For some reason it takes Ventura way too long to figure out how to get out of the cage, meaning the beating can be on again. Some rams into the cage bust Ventura open and then does it again to make it worse. Ventura hits him low for a breather but again takes way too long to go out. This time it takes so long that Atlas gets up, hops over the cage and escapes to win at 10:36.

Rating: C+. They were having a good fight until the kind of weird ending, as Atlas just suddenly remembered he had maxed out leaping ability and won. Ventura getting outsmarted, or at least outjumped, was kind of a weird way to go, but at least they had a unique way out. Not a great match, but it was getting good there at times.

Bruno Sammartino/Paul Orndorff vs. Roddy Piper/Bob Orton Jr.
Date: October 26, 1985
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 16,000
Commentators: Dick Graham, Gorilla Monsoon

Before the match, Sammartino says he isn’t climbing over the top, but rather walking out the door after he has destroyed Piper and Orton. Yes Sammartino is a little older but he is ready to take these two out.

One more thing: before the match, we hear about next month’s card. This will include:

David Sammartino
Corporal Kirchner
Hercules Hernandez
Hart Foundation vs. Uncle Elmer/Hillbilly Jim
Big John Studd vs. Hillbilly Jim (listed as a correction)
Don Muraco/Mr. Fuji vs. Tito Santana/Ricky Steamboat
King Kong Bundy vs. Andre The Giant

Freaking WOOF man, and the show itself would be even worse.

Anyway, all four are in at once here but in a twist, only one has to escape. It’s a brawl to start and Bruno is busted rather quickly. Orndorff slugs back to take over, including taking Orton’s cast and using it to smash Piper in the head. Piper is busted open and panics as he tries to escape, only to be pulled back inside.

Bruno is back up as well and starts unloading on Piper (as only Bruno can) but a cheap shot takes him down. Everyone is busted and we hit stereo chinlocks (that’s a new one in a cage match) but the good guys are up rather quickly. Orndorff and Orton go up and over at the same time, with Orndorff hitting the ground first for the win at 7:33.

Rating: B-. As has been the case, this was getting somewhere and then it ended before it could turn into something really good. What matters here is that Bruno got to look like a killer again as the awesome Piper vs. Orndorff feud continues. I could go for either combination of this again and that is because there was some awesome talent in there. Good stuff here, but it could have been better.

Post match Orton gets right back in and Bruno is left laying. Because THAT’S a good idea.

Intercontinental Title: Magnificent Muraco vs. Jimmy Snuka
Date: October 17, 1983
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Pat Patterson

You might have heard of this one and Muraco is defending. Before the match, a serious Muraco talks about the experience you need in a cage match and how he is still champion because he is the best.

Snuka’s manager Buddy Rogers talks about how Snuka will win because he is the best.

Snuka promises violence in the cage, as only he can bring.

We get the entrances from the backstage, including the famous fan sign “When Snuka Flies, Muraco Dies.” Snuka checks the cage and looks up, with a certain Hardcore Legend Mick Foley clearly seen in the crowd after hitch hiking because he had to see this match in person. Snuka goes right after him to start and chops against the ropes but a catapult sends him into the cage.

Another shot puts Muraco back down and Snuka goes up, but Muraco knows what that means and cuts him off quick. A slam off the top brings Snuka back down, followed by a low blow to keep him down. Back up and Snuka’s chops bust Muraco open to make it even worst. The middle rope forearm to the head sets up a flying headbutt….and Muraco goes sprawling through the door to retain at 6:46.

Rating: C+. Oddly enough, for one of the most famous moments ever in wrestling, the match is pretty much nothing. Muraco was terrified of letting Snuka get up top and then absolutely lucked his way into retaining. Snuka was so obsessed with violence and revenge that he kind of screwed himself over, but you could feel the intensity here, which is one of the places where Snuka often shined.

Snuka isn’t having that and pulls Muraco back in for a suplex. Then he climbs the cage and, in one of the most famous shots in WWF history, dives off with the splash to END Muraco (who sells it perfectly and doesn’t move an inch). Snuka drops the belt on him and poses before leaving.

Post match, Muraco’s manager Lou Albano says that Muraco is hurt but not destroyed. Muraco survived the most dangerous move in wrestling history and Albano goes on a rant about how Muraco fell out of the door COMPLETELY on purpose because he’s that smart.

Overall Rating: B-. The overall rating doesn’t mean much here as it’s just a random assortment of matches but there really isn’t a great one on here. A lot of these are rather short but what matters is how much the energy is cranked up. This was about beating the fire out of each other and it did show just how intense things can get when the cage is involved. Good enough stuff here, and I’ve got more than enough of these for a few extra volumes, which sounds rather appealing.

 

 

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