On pay per view.  They had to debut eventually, though they better be something after this long of a wait.

WWC Anniversary Show 1988: Hot Night In Bayamon
Date: September 10, 1988
Location: Bayamon Stadium, Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Attendance: 23,000
Commentator: Hugo Savinovich, Brad Batten, Bert Batten

This is the first full Puerto Rico show I’ve ever done and it’s from the World Wrestling Council. Hot Night in Bayamon is their anniversary show for the year but I’m pretty sure this isn’t a complete version. Odds are it’s a trimmed down home video which is about as good as you can expect for something like this. I’ll be lost most of the time for this so bear with me. Let’s get to it.

Savinovich and a tag team called Double Trouble welcome us to the show and run down the card. Their commentary was recorded after the event.

Jimmy Valiant/Rufus R. Jones vs. Wild Samoans

Thank goodness there are English announcers. The Samoans in question here are Afa and Sika. From what I can tell this is the third match on the card but the first two might have been dark matches. We finally get a bell after a lot of standing around. Jimmy goes after Afa while Rufus knocks Sika (father of one Roman Reigns) out to the floor.

Things settle down again until it’s Afa vs. Valiant. Jimmy teases dancing with Afa before dropping down to hit him low. Sika takes a right hand off the apron as we’re still waiting for this to get going. The Samoans’ heads are rammed together before Rufus comes in and elbows away. More dancing ensues and Sika is getting annoyed. Sika grabs a headlock but Jones dances his way to freedom.

Back to Afa who doesn’t mind the chops in the corner but a low blow finally puts him down. They botch a spot where Afa was supposed to hit Sika when Rufus moved but Afa stopped his punch. The hot tag brings in Jimmy who clean house before Rufus hits a dancing low blow of his own. Jones gets double teamed in the corner but he basically shrugs it off and crawls over for the tag off to Jimmy. The referee keeps Rufus out as the Samoans throw Jimmy over the top for the DQ.

Rating: D. Oh man this wasn’t very good. Valient was ALL look and having fun with the crowd and was absolutely horrible in the ring. The Samoans were just doing the basics here but the live crowd seemed to like it a little bit. Jones and his dancing schtick got really annoying and I’ll never get why low blows are fine but something like going over the top is a DQ. Yeah that’s a standard rule, but priorities people. This was more about star power than anything else as all four were known names in America.

Assuming the Wikipedia page for this show is accurate, the show is going out of order now as there was another match (airing later) that took place between the tag match and the following match.

Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title: Mr. Pogo vs. Ricky Santana

Santana is defending and this is apparently a very big feud. The champion jumps Pogo to start and is all fired up. A middle rope forearm sends Pogo out to the floor for a breather. Back in and Pogo takes him into the corner to hammer the champion down to take over. They head back outside where Pogo holds up the title like a true villain would. Santana trips him up and wraps Pogo’s leg around the post.

A slam puts Pogo down on the floor and things slow down again. Back in and a sunset flip gets two for the champ but a manager distraction lets Pogo get in a cheap shot to take over. Pogo slams Ricky’s head into the mat and pounds away before we hit the nerve hold. Santana finally fights back and is all fired up again, hammering away at Pogo’s head.

He makes the mistake of going after the manager again though and Pogo takes over, only to miss a middle rope splash. Ricky misses the top rope version though and Pogo tries a cobra clutch. Santana fights out of it but runs into a big right hand. Pogo sends him out to the floor and knocks him off the apron with a football tackle. Ricky comes right back with a sunset flip for the pin to retain.

Rating: C-. WAY better match here though it could have been about two minutes shorter. Santana was young and in good shape, making him seem almost like a pretty boy with some fire in him. Pogo was a decent monster heel who probably did a lot more with run ins and segments than in the ring.

Pogo and the manager beat Santana up and put him in the Cobra Clutch, making him foam at the mouth.

Tag Team Titles: Batten Twins vs. Sheepherders

The Twins (Brad and Bart) are defending and I believe they’re the commentators called Double Trouble. The Sheepherders are better known as the Bushwhackers. This match was much later on the card, going on second to last. The stalling immediately begins with the champions heading outside and posing a bit. Back in with the champions doing the do see do bit into a double dropkick to send the champions outside.

Bart shoves Luke into the corner to start as it’s really strange to hear commentators talk about a match they’re participating in. Luke comes back with a hard clothesline to take over. Butch comes in without a tag but Bart dropkicks both guys down and rams the Sheepherders’ heads together to send them back outside. Off to Brad vs. Luke for an awkward segment culminating in Brad dropkicking him down for two.

Luke comes back with a knee to the ribs but misses a middle rope headbutt. Brad dropkicks Luke tot he floor again and for some reason there’s no hot tag. Luke quickly comes back in and the twins switch behind the referee’s back. It’s not really clear if the twins are heels or faces based on their actions. More switching behind the referee’s back has Luke in trouble until Butch trips let’s say Brad up to take over.

A belt shot to the back gets two and Bart tries to help, only allowing Luke to throw Brad over the top and out to the floor. Butch rams him into various hard objects outside but he’s able to sunset flip Luke for two back inside. It’s off to Butch legally for a change and a forearm to the chest gets two. Luke hooks a chinlock as Savinovich talks about how complicated it is to have the commentators being in the match.

Luke misses a middle rope headbutt and the hot tag brings in Bart. He hooks a quick sleeper on Luke and everything breaks down. Luke is whipped into Brad but it’s Butch being knocked to the floor. Brad hits a top rope cross body on Luke but the referee goes down, allowing Butch to hit Brad in the head with a flagpole, giving the Sheepherders the pin and the titles.

Rating: C. This was a pretty solid tag match with a basic brawler vs. high flier(ish) formula. The screwjob ending would have had the fans near a riot so the reaction was exactly what they were shooting for. The twins reminded me of someone like the Killer Bees so they would have fit in really well for something like this.

Another referee comes out and tells the first referee what happened so the Battens get the belts back.

Wahoo McDaniel vs. Danny Spivey

Two more guys here for name value. They stall to start as the announcers talk about some rivalry from when these guys played football. Danny tries to work on the arm but gets chopped back into the corner. Spivey kicks him in the ribs to take over and bites Wahoo’s forehead open. He drives some elbows into the cut and we’re already in the chinlock. The hold stays on for a good while before Danny kicks him in the head for two. Wahoo comes back with a low blow but charges into a boot to the jaw in the corner. The referee pulls Danny’s feet off the ropes, allowing McDaniel to grab a really bad rollup for the pin.

Rating: D. Spivey wasn’t bad but Wahoo was just big and old at this point. The match wasn’t anything to see and like I said was just there because both guys are known names. McDaniel would somehow stick around another EIGHT YEARS doing this kind of stuff, which is good for him but rather annoying for the fans that had to sit through his matches. He was very entertaining back in the day but not so much by about 1985.

Chicky Starr vs. Invader #3

The card continues to be all over the place as this and the previous match have swapped places. There’s actually a story here as Starr had invited a guy named the Super Medic to be on his interview segment but Medic was really Invader #3 in a fake mask. Starr’s man Manny Fernandez had put Invader out recently and it’s time for revenge. We see Starr get his head shaved so stitches can be put in to kill some time. Starr vs. Invader #1 was a feud that ran over TWENTY YEARS. Let that sink in for a minute before you complain about Cena vs. Orton again.

Invader #3 attacks Starr before the bell and the fight is on fast. He punches Starr out to the floor with ease and Chicky is in really early trouble. Chicky is already busted open so Invader sends him into the post for good measure. Back in and Invader bites at the cut to bust him open even further. Starr finally hits him low to get a breather and atomic drop has about the same effect.

They slug it out with Invader taking over off a headbutt. Starr begs off but gets kicked in the ribs to put him right back down. More biting of the forehead ensues and a big right hand to the head sends Chicky outside. Starr comes back with a kick to the side of the head but Invader just punches him down again. Invader chokes against the ropes but Chicky hits him low to take over again.

The announcers continue to praise Starr as they’ve gone full heel on commentary after starting the night as standard good guys. That’s interesting but I’ve never seen anything else on the twins. Invader gets two off a spinning cross body but Starr rolls it over into a two of his own. Starr blocks a monkey flip and drops an elbow for the VERY sudden pin. There didn’t seem to be any cheating in there eiither.

Rating: C. This was a blood feud but I’m not sure why you don’t have Chicky cheat to win there. I like the idea of the story and it works well enough, though this was about two months after Invader #1 was accused of killing Bruiser Brody so I’m assuming #3 was there to fill in. Starr seemed like an interesting character.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Iron Sheik

This is the match they skipped earlier in the night and it seems like more name recognition. Sheik jumps him to start as the announcers talk about how they’re both former World Champions though for different organizations. Sheik chokes away with his head gear but Garvin comes back by raking the back and pulling down the trunks on a rollup attempt.

Sheik comes back with a poke to the eye and a chinlock but Garvin fights up with a top wristlock. Garvin comes back with a BIG chop before they ram heads. Sheik crawls over for two and puts on the camel clutch but Garvin quickly escapes. He crotches Sheik against the post over and over before putting on the sleeper. Sheik escapes as well but gets dropkicked out to the floor. Garvin follows for some brawling and only Ronnie beats the count back in.

Rating: D+. Pretty standard match here and the brawling wasn’t bad. That being said, I have no desire to watch either of these guys in late 1988 and I don’t think many American fans would either. Garvin winning was the better call after the Starr match and thankfully it went by fairly quickly.

Huracan Castillo/Miguel Perez Jr. vs. Bobby Jaggers/Dan Kroffat

This is hair vs. hair and based on the commentary, Jaggers is one of the top heels in the promotion. You might know Kroffat better under the name Phillip LaFon. Jaggers and Kroffat hold the now defunct Carribbean Tag Team Titles. Castillo and Perez, later part of Los Boricuas in the WWF, are a regular team sometimes called the Puerto Rican Express. It’s a brawl to start with Perez and Castillo sending the heels out to the floor.

They head over to the scaffolding with Jaggers getting nailed in the head with a chair. The fight continues around the stadium with Miguel slamming Jaggers down and stomping away but slipping and falling on his face. Things settle down and actually get back in the ring with Jaggers taking Perez into the corner but quickly tagging out to Kroffat. The good guys hiptoss Kroffat down and a double dropkick has Dan reeling.

Kroffat is cornered but comes back with a low blow to Perez. It doesn’t seem to have much effect though as the tag brings in Castillo for a vertical suplex to Dan for two. Back to Miguel who gets driven back into the corner and nailed by Jaggers’ whip. Perez reverses a charge into a German suplex for two on Kroffat but Jaggers throws Miguel to the floor.

Kroffat powerbombs Miguel for two and it’s off to Jaggers for some forearms. Bobby allows the hot tag to Castillo and everything breaks down. Miguel is sent to the floor but gets back in just in time to break up a cover off a Hart Attack. Castillo backdrops Kroffat to the floor and into the mud but Kroffat nails him with a spinwheel kick. Everything breaks down again and Castillo falls on top of a monkey flip for the pin on Kroffat.

Rating: C+. This was a bit slow at times and could have used a minute or two trimmed off but it was entertaining enough. This was the basic formula of bullies vs. young speed and it’s going to work almost every time. It felt like another match that would have been a lot better had I gotten to see the buildup.

The losers get their hair cut post match.

The announcers hype up the main event.

Hercules Ayala vs. Carlos Colon

This is a fire match, meaning there are a bunch of what look like socks strung outside the ring and lit on fire. They’re not on the ropes, meaning there are two sets of ropes around the ring. It’s an awesome visual. They slug it out to start as the announcers actually explain the story: Colon was named Wrestler of the Year but Ayala beat Colon up and shoved his wife at the acceptance speech.

Ayala knocks him down and hits Colon with what looks like a can. Carlos stupidly touches the fire but makes a comeback with right hands and a headbutt. Another low blow puts Hercules down and Ayala’s face is shoved into the fire. Oddly enough it doesn’t seem to cause much damage. The fires start going out and the match becomes a lot less interesting in a hurry. Colon misses a middle rope legdrop and Ayala slowly kicks him around the ring. Carlos avoids a knee drop and puts on the Figure Four for the submission.

Rating: D. Well that happened. The backstory was good but man alive did it start looking stupid when the flames went down. At that point it’s just a boring match that only lasted a few minutes. Colon is beloved in Puerto Rico though so the fans went nuts over this. It really didn’t work though.

Carlos puts the hold on again to get some revenge.

The announcers wrap it up.

Overall Rating: D+. There was some decent stuff here but it feels dated and came off like a bunch of names being brought in because they’re names. That doesn’t work without the stories to back it up and really doesn’t work when you would have had the Mega Powers about to explode at this point. It’s not a terrible show but without the stories, it was a bunch of not great wrestling with some decent stories. I’ve seen worse though.

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It’s the top title for the top promotion (New Japan) in Japan and given how things are going, a much bigger deal than the TNA World Title.  So far it looks like he made a good call.

Nothing more than a name and logo at this point but more announcements are coming.

It looks like something from 1991.

I didn’t take notes so my memory isn’t going to be perfect.  These are the mental notes I took and I’ll save the full breakdown for later.  Also I took about 20 pictures but the cord for the camera is about 750 miles away so you’ll have to wait on those.I got to the event about 40 minutes early and saw a VERY long line.  Thankfully it didn’t take long to get through.  I had general admission seating and could sit anywhere in the endzone of the arena.  The seats were looking straight at the entrance so I had a great view all night.  Not bad for about $32.  The arena was mostly full but the bigger side did have some empty seats at the top.

Almost as soon as I got through the door, I could see Jay Lethal standing at an autograph table.  There were I believe twelve people at the row of tables and autographs were $10 each.  Being the eternal cheap guy that I am, I opted for some quick handshakes with Kevin Steen, the Briscoes, Matt Hardy, and Maria Kanellis, who was rocking a little black dress.  She’s somehow even more gorgeous in person and seemed like a very nice person with a stunning smile.

I went inside and caught a few moments of the dark match which was a fourway won by Luke Hawx.  The other name I recognized was Mike Posey who used to be a referee.  There was also a masked man named Romantic Touch, who Wikipedia says is Rhett Titus under a mask.  I went to the concession stand before this was over and only saw about a minute of it.

Roderick Strong beat Cedric Alexander to open the show.  Strong is a guy I like to a degree so it was a nice touch.  The Decade (Strong’s heel stable, led by Jimmy Jacobs) is fine for an idea (We were here first and like the old ways better) and Jacobs isn’t bad as the boss.

The Decade called out Adrenaline Rush and Andrew Everett for a six man that saw ACH hit some awesome high spots.  The guy reminds me of Shelton Benjamin from the start of his singles push, which is a very big compliment.  Everett hit some great looking springboard shooting stars for two but Coleman got caught in a slam/neckbreaker combo from Decade for the pin.  ACH seemed to have hurt his knee.

Truth Martini (heel manager) vs. Matt Taven (former client) didn’t happen as Martini kicked him low and left.  Kevin Kelly was brought into the ring for this for no apparent reason.

Next up was RD Evans (Archibald Peck for you Chikara fans), a guy you might vaguely remember Ryback beating up on Smackdown a few months back.  Dude is freakishly tall.  Anyway he’s doing a Goldberg Streak gimmick but totally for laughs and the fans are way into him.  He got Silas Young to hit the referee with a belt before getting pinned, only to get the Dusty Finish for the DQ.  Not much to the match, but Evans’ valet Veda Scott is GORGEOUS.

And then no one remembered her because Maria came out with Mike Bennett for his match against Mark Brisco wearing a blue bikini.  Seriously there’s not much else to say about it and it stole most of my attention during the match (I have a thing for redheads.  What can I say?).  She knows how to be evil too as she was all scared and timid when Mike was in trouble but after the match when he was standing tall she was shaking her hips and had this awesome evil smile.  When she was on the apron and leaning into the ring you could see a cameraman filming her from behind which made me chuckle.  The match was a solid brawl with Mark looking insane.  Bennett wound up Pillmanizing MArk’s neck with another chair, setting up an Anaconda Vice for the win.  Remember that, because it becomes important later.

Intermission came, so I went outside and look to my left to see none other than Nigel McGuinness talking to fans.  Again just a handshake, though he was working the merchandise stand and offering his documentary autographed for $25.  I’ve heard it’s good in case you’re a fan of his.  Nigel seemed like a nice guy from what I could tell as he was handling money but still had time to shake my hand and smile.  Everyone seemed nice all night, though I only said hi to most people.

After the break a guy named Cheeseburger (seriously?  No actually because there’s nothing serious about a guy with that name) came out to throw t-shirts to the crowd but was interrupted by Matt Hardy.  Matt put over ROH (literally using those words) and praised Adam Cole (the Holy Spirit of wrestling, to go with Matt Hardy as the Jesus of wrestling.  Seriously).  This went on WAY longer than it needed to and of course ended with Cheeseburger taking the Twist of Fate.

ReDragon beat Forever Hooligans and two muscle guys with beards named Hanson and Raymond Rowe.  THis is one of those matches that is going to be praised by ROH fans but it was a glorified comedy match at times.  It wasn’t bad, but it highlighted a lot of the problems I have with ROH, which I’ll get into in the full review.  Match was energetic and fun at times but not a very high quality.

Next up was Jay Lethal vs. Tomasso Ciampa in a 2/3 falls match for Ciampa’s TV Title.  The crowd was starting to get restless at this point and you could see a lot of people messing with their phones.  I can’t say I blame them as the show was already running long and a 2/3 falls match sounded like death.  Not much to talk about here as Lethal used the Tajiri handspring into an elbow or cutter far too often and it got boring fast.  Lethal won the first fall and then the referee got bumped.  Truth Martini came out and threw Jay a knee brace which I think is part of Ciampa’s history.  A shot with that got two and after Ciampa Hulked Up, Lethal kicked him a lot and hit the Tajiri handspring into a cutter to win the title.  He joined the House of Truth after.

Kevin Steen and Michael Elgin (one of the few ROH guys I actually like) had a big old fight for a shot at the IWGP Title in May.  This was the old school heavyweight slugfest with both guys beating the tar out of each other.  It’s probably the best match of the night and a really solid brawl.  Elgin won by hitting Steen with Steen’s package piledriver.  They hugged after the match and Steen had to be helped out.

The main event was a ladder war (TLC) for the World Title.  Adam Cole was champion but Jay Briscoe has his own title since he was never defeated for the belt.  It was a very violent and brutal match with Jay getting busted open hardway and Matt Hardy, Mike Bennett and Mark Briscoe interfering.  Yeah remember earlier when MArk had his neck crushed by a chair?  He was fine 90 minutes later.  That’s the kind of thing that gets on my nerves in wrestling.  Why am I supposed to buy a big injury spot if it doesn’t even last two hours?  Back in the day that would be six months of TV but here it doesn’t even go until the end of the show.  That’s just not smart.  Anyway Jay fought very hard but the numbers were too much for him and Cole retained the title.  Most of the fans including myself bolted the second he got the belts down.

Overall the show was fun, but overstayed its welcome.  They needed to cut one of the matches (the opener would have been a great choice) and get this a little shorter.  Also one of the major problem with ROH showed through tonight: too many of the wrestlers have the same style and it gets really repetitive.  I lost count of the number of spin kicks to the face I saw tonight and it gets old after awhile.  That’s partially why Steen vs. Elgin was so well received: it was completely different from anything else all night and the fans were interested in seeing something different.

I liked the show, but it’s the same reaction I always get out of watching ROH: good stuff here and there, but not enough to make me watch more than a show here or there.

Full review coming later as I’m sure this is going to be online in like an hour.  If you find it on Dailymotion or something, let me know.

Heroes of Wrestling
Date: October 10, 1999
Location: Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Attendance: 2,300
Commentators: Randy Rosenbloom, Dutch Mantel

 

I’ve been meaning to get back to this one over the years as it can’t possibly be as bad as I remember it. I’m so glad that I’ve gotten done with the book as it allows me to get back to a show like this before I head out to Wrestlemania. As you probably know, this is something of an 80s reunion/nostalgia show with an infamous main event. Let’s get to it.

 

Just to really show the 80s feel of this we start with a montage before we get to the commentators, one of whom was supposed to be Gordon Solie but unfortunately he couldn’t make it.

 

We go backstage to see Bundy who says he’s the best super heavyweight of all time and Yoko shows up to argue. We get a pull apart and we hear Bundy shout that he’s prettier. Nice job of actually giving these matches a reason for happening.

 

The intro actually lists Gordon Solie as host, even though we’ve met the announcers and he’s not one of them. That’s nice of them to give him a credit despite him not doing anything.

 

This is also dedicated to Gorilla Monsoon, who passed away just four days before this aired. Again, very nice of them.

 

The voiceover guy says this could be the most powerful storm the Gulf Coast has ever seen. Very fitting for a show in that region.

 

We get a second highlight package to really fire up the audience. There’s actually a decent crowd there which isn’t bad. That’s very impressive for a promotion like this. Based on that you almost have to consider the live version a success.

We run over the card which looks passable. Given what they had to work with, this actually looks pretty good. It’s a really good idea to give these younger fans an education in what good wrestling used to be, especially during the Attitude Era when quality wrestling was barely anywhere to be found.

 

Samoan Swat Team vs. Marty Jannetty/Tommy Rogers

 

So we have a Rocker and a Fantastic. That’s one heck of a tag team combination and would have been a huge success had they been able to run with it. Even the set and ring look decent on top of the good card. The Swat Team are more commonly known as Tama from the Islanders and Samu from the Headshrinkers. That’s the good thing about the Samoans: you can mix the teams up the members and still have a good set of opponents.

 

The Samoans’ manager does a really solid Jim Cornette impression to really make this feel like the 80s. He even messes up the name of the town we’re in to draw some real heel heat. Marty is known as the Rocker Marty Jannetty and his partner is Fantastic Tommy Rogers. Points for some clever thinking They have pictures of them before they come out and you can see Shawn Michaels’ legs in Marty’s picture. WE’RE EVEN GETTING CAMEOS! This show is already better at nostalgia than most Old School Raws.

 

To really tie thing into modern times, Dutch Mantell is more commonly known as Zeb Colter today. Jannetty is in great shape for a guy that doesn’t get to wrestle all that much. Tama has grown a good bit and is wrestling an entirely different style than his old high flying days. I must say it’s actually working for me.

 

Appropriately enough Dutch is arguing about the First Ammendment after hearing the heel manager’s speech. He ties things back into the match by talking about how these men are heroes after their years of war in the ring. That’s a great way to make the fans care more about these guys.

 

The Fantastic Rockers take over early on with some high speed offense, including a dropkick from Tommy to stagger Tama. An armdrag puts Tama down as well and he comes up offering a handshake. I’m glad they’ve gotten rid of those stupid racial stereotypes in the more modern times. They’re horribly offensive otherwise.

 

Off to Marty as we get the always cool face coming in sans tag to set up the heels getting caught doing the same thing later. It’s always nice to see psychology brought in, which is something the tag teams of 1999 could have used a lesson in. Tama takes Marty down into a chinlock to try and take the crowd out things like a good heel is supposed to do as fast as he can.

 

The heels keep control with a kick to the back as Mantell keeps up the good heel work by using the rare national TV time to brag about his own career. Heenan and Ventura did the same thing at Wrestlemania when they had the chance and that’s exactly what guys like him are supposed to do.

 

Samoan dominance continues with both guys getting in their shots on Marty. We hit a few nerve holds which is one of the few good Samoan stereotypes that have stayed constant over the years. It fits with them using really basic offense and trying to slow down the fast paced guys and take away their advantage.

 

Tama sends Marty outside so Samu can get in a chair shot. Randy calls it unethical which is far better than Monsoon or Schiavone calling it cheating. Stop having so much emotion and be realistic about things. Breaking a rule is unethical and should be called as such. Back in and Tama misses a Vader Bomb, allowing the hot tag off to Rogers. He cleans up some of the house but gets caught by a double headbutt, setting up an awesome looking TKO from Tama for the pin.

 

Rating: C+. Really good choice for an opener here with a classic heel team against an 80s dream team. Dutch calls it a great win they can put on their resumes, which is absolutely right given how successful the Rockers and Fantastics were back in the day. It’s always cool to see Marty get to show off how good he was in the ring.

 

We get a clip of Sherri and George freaking Steele of all people walking off arm in arm. See, now THIS is the kind of fascinating stuff you get to see on shows like this where you take two people who are intriguing together. Sherri always jumped from guy to guy and team to team, but maybe she likes someone who is more, shall we say, aggressive with her.

 

Greg Valentine vs. George Steele

 

Valentine says he’s the son of the legend Johnny Valentine. That’s an old school idea which was done with guys like Shane Douglas as Paul Orndorff’s nephew and Bruno Sammartino had a “cousin” as well. He says he’ll leave with Sherri tonight whether she likes it or not. Seriously, this is some very basic but great heel stuff tonight and it’s making things a lot better than they have any right to be.

 

Sherri comes out with Steele as she’s already standing by her man. George looks exactly like he did over 20 years before this, as does Valentine. That’s quite the testament to their training regimens. Valentine hits the floor and goes after Sherri like any good heel going after the weaker person. Randy keeps things simple by saying it’s stalking. Sounds like a reason for Steele to stand up and stop Valentine if you ask me. George eats a turnbuckle and you can practically see Sherri’s eyebrows go up.

 

Steele bites Greg’s arm which is probably a bit more nutritious. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Sherri isn’t looking bad here. Back inside and George tries to take his shirt off but Valentine jumps him with the shirt over his head, almost like a cheating hockey player. Now we get to the climax of the match as Sherri turns on Steele and helps Valentine, playing up on George’s stupidity as he won’t be able to see her and will think it’s one of Valentine’s friends.

 

Back up and with the shirt off, Valentine pulls out a foreign object to get in a cheap shot and keep his control. We’re hitting all of the 80s high spots here and the crowd is reacting to it exactly as they should be. Dutch has gotten up to try and talk some sense into Sherri which might be going a bit too far. Do your job Dutch. The talk doesn’t even work as Sherri gets in a chair shot to give Valentine the pin.

 

Rating: D+. Not as good of a match here but they hit everything the needed to hit. Steele was a great choice of a sympathetic face, much like Kane with Tori over in the WWF around this time. You wanted to see him succeed and they did a great job of having everyone else involved screw with him and set up a rematch later on.

 

Hammer get in a cheap shot post match with the chair as well. The announcers talk of a rematch to let Steele get his girl back. You have to sell the ideas of a sequel.

 

Julio Fantastico says that he’s great and will beat 2 Cold Scorpio.

 

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Julio Fantastico

 

Julio is more commonly known as Julio Dinero in case you’ve heard of him in ECW or old school TNA. Scorpio I’m sure you’ve heard of. If not, imagine a Godfather/Luchador combination. It’s certainly memorable and different if nothing else. Having guys like him and Julio on the show is a good idea as it gives the annoying fans someone they’re more familiar with. Scorpio is carrying a replica WCW Title belt which he should have gotten a shot at back in the day. This match has the potential to steal the show.

 

Lou Albano comes out for commentary. That’s another name these young whippersnapper fans need to hear more from. If nothing else maybe a Mario flash mob will break out. He gives the announcers raises because he’s the Captain and thereby has the authority from Heroes of Wrestling management. He hypes up the organization and talks about how awesome this whole thing is. Amazingly enough, he’s been right so far.

 

Albano even throws in the following line that makes JR and his insane metaphors jealous. Regarding Randy Rosenbloom: “He’s a nice guy but he looks like he’s got the brain of a dehydrated baby if they put him in a pigeon pack and had him fly backwards.” Is there any doubt as to why this man was responsible for what became Wrestlemania? Apparently Lou looks like a pitbull in heat next to Dinero. This is making the already good show even better, hands down.

 

As for the match, Scorpio plays the role of the veteran well as he walks Dinero through the early part of the match. A lot of it is Scorpio doing his high spots while Dinero reacts to them, which is a good thing given that Dinero is an indy guy getting a shot on a bigger stage at this point. A slingshot cross body gets two on Julio as the fans are more into this than they were anything else so far. Uncultured swine they are.

 

Dinero isn’t bad at all actually and it was this match that got him a job with ECW. In other words, Heroes of Wrestling is helping the national economy and enhanced mainstream (ish) wrestling! Dinero takes a nice backdrop over the railing onto the floor. The brawl heads into the audience for some crowd participation in the vein of ECW. Even the announcers don’t know what’s going on as we hit the anarchy portion of the show.

 

Back in and Dinero takes over for the first time with a decent dropkick. Scorpio comes back with a series of armdrags into an armbar. He drops a knee on the chest and heads to the top, only to have Dinero go mega heel halfway through the match by sending the referee into the ropes to crotch Scorpio down.

 

They’re both on their feet again and 2 Cold nails a spinning kick to the side of the head followed by a middle rope flip legdrop ala the Harlem Hangover from Booker T. So why isn’t Scorpio in the Hall of Fame as well? A twisting moonsault legdrop is enough to get the pin on Dinero and the crowd freaks out at the high spot.

 

Rating: B. By FAR the best mach so far as this show is actually on a roll. This got somewhere close to a classic here if you can believe that. The anarchy spot in the middle made it feel even better as it was more of a fight than just a wrestling match. That’s not something you get a lot of the time in indy shows as a lot of the time it’s just wrestling instead of action.

 

Albano is the new commissioner of the organization and makes a nice speech to celebrate. He totally deserves it after that pigeon line.

 

We have 5 matches to go. I can’t take this.

 

We go to the back for another Bundy interview where he again says he’s going to beat Yokozuna. They’re hyping that match up very well.

 

Bushwhackers vs. Nikolai Volkoff/Iron Sheik

 

I’m calling them the Bushwhackers as they’re named Luke and Butch, formerly the Bushwhackers. You have to cover those legal issues I guess. The heels have an evil Russian manager as the time warp continues. That’s the whole point of the show though and they’re definitely keeping up the idea. The fans chant USA because they’re not smart enough to buy into the gimmick or realize that the good guys are from New Zealand. Pay attention people!

 

We get the Russian National Anthem of course and the Persian clubs which are as old school as possible. I miss little nostalgia things like that. The Persian clubs were good enough to get the Sheik the WWF Title so you can’t blame him for wanting to stick with the most successful bit of his entire career. The announcers even stop some of the stereotypes by calling them Iranian clubs. We hear about Hogan and Backlund to tie into the club gimmick even more.

 

This match holds a special bit of history for me as Luke licked my face once at a house show. The Bushwhackers were on Family Matters as a tag team once as well. Apparently they’ve won tag titles in 26 countries which is really rather impressive. The EVIL foreigners (as opposed to the nice ones) jump them early to start to further establish that they’re EVIL. Dutch explains the term short end of the stick which has some kind of scale according to him. It’s more interesting than puppies at least.

 

Sheik gets on the mic and says if they keep chanting USA then he’ll leave. You know what comes next as the fans FINALLY get something right. Actually scratch thaty. They don’t want to see a match they paid for? Also screw them for thinking they’re more important than the fans watching at home. Dutch gets in a good line about how Heroes will always stand and fight, just as Sheik comes back. Even as a villain he’s still a hero. Nice touch as this concept is going beyond face and heel. That got rave reviews with Russo’s shades of gray so why does this get such a bad reputation?

 

The heels stomp away at Luke before it’s off to Nikolai for a big Soviet slam. Back to Sheik for the camel clutch. I’ve always wondered if the arms are supposed to represent the humps. Can you store days’ worth of water in your arms? Butch finally makes the save and the Soviet manager is distraught. That’s better than a lot of managers who just look confused a lot of the time. Butch gets the tag and everything breaks down with the Russian bringing in a foreign object but hitting Sheik by mistake, giving Butch the easy pin.

 

Rating: C. Considering how long it had been since these guys had been regular wrestlers, this was rather impressive. Yeah it’s a formula tag match but sometimes that’s the best possible outcome. Sheik and Volkoff are former WWF World Tag Team Champions so a win over them still means something. WWE would certainly agree as they brought the Outlaws back fourteen years after they had last held the titles.

 

They plug a site with memorabilia from this show on it for the second time tonight. You’ve got to pay the bills.

 

We go to a pre taped promo from Tully Blanchard but Stan Lane jumps him and throws Tully into the trunk of a car. We get a rather awesome promo from Tully, talking about how he really doesn’t need to wrestle anymore but Stan has brought out the old fire in him one more time. That really worked better than I was expecting it to.

 

Tully Blanchard vs. Stan Lane

 

They miss an opportunity to bring up Ric Flair training Stan Lane. Speaking of Flair, he said the reason Steamboat can’t be considered the best ever was because he never wrestled as a heel. Tully was a long term heel so it’s impressive to see him play the face here. The guy really is talented enough to pull either character off. Lane on the other hand looks like Mr. Anderson and worked for ESPN after retiring.

 

The brawl is on almost immediately with Lane channeling his old Fabulous Ones days and playing a solid heel. He tries to hide in the corner but Tully is on him like a jungle cat. The fight heads out to the floor with Tully sending Lane into the steps and putting on a Figure Four on the concrete. That was a Horsemen staple and it’s nice to see him bringing it back here.

 

Back in and Lane gets in a cheap shot to the ribs to take over and yells about how Tully doesn’t have it anymore. Their conditioning really is impressive given that they haven’t been in the ring in a long time. Stan stomps away and gets two off a piledriver. The announcers are playing up how much of a hero Tully is. They have a point as it’s wrestling tradition to have a match rather than throw Stan in prison for assault or whatever the car trunk thing was earlier. In a quick finish, Stan loads up a belly to back suplex into a bridge but Tully gets his arm up at the last second for the pin.

 

Rating: D-. This is likely your match of the night. It was far from great or even good but it could have been far worse. Both guys kept things in the 80s but that’s what they’re best at so I can’t argue that. It was watchable and at seven minutes it’s the second shortest match of the night so that’s all fine and not very good but somehow that’s high praise for this show.

 

Jim Neidhart is with Bundy in the back and hypes up their matches later tonight.

 

One Man Gang vs. Abdullah the Butcher

 

They had to fit a hardcore match in somewhere. Abdullah’s manager is named Honest John Cheatum, which I believe is a regular name used for his handlers. The brawl is immediatley on and Butcher is sent into the buckle a few times. He comes back with right hands to the ribs and Gang is hunched over. We’re a minute in and Abdullah is bleeding.

 

Both guys head to the floor and Gang brings in his chain while the Butcher grabs his chair. The chain is whipped into the chair in a big banging sound as the fans are digging this more than I expected them to. We’re just waiting on the fork at this point. Butcher’s head is just gushing blood already, which probably raises the match up a bit.

 

Abdullah’s manager gets on commentary for no apparent reason. He’s from Paducah, Kentucky of all places and talks like a southern preacher. And believe me, as I’ve heard a lot of southern preachers. The guy can do a good voice if nothing else and that’s what you want from a mouthpiece for a guy like Abdullah. Cheatum says Abdullah is here to destroy the idols, and Gang is probably an idol in Africa given his past.

 

We get the fork shots from Abdullah and Gang is now matching his bleeding drop for drop. The Butcher drops his big elbow but Gang rolls to the floor like the veteran he is. Both guys get chairs and pound on each other until we get to a double countout. That’s very traditional for Abdullah.

 

The elbow hits, although you wouldn’t know it because the cameras were elsewhere. Have we seen a single finisher tonight??? We get a double countout. Really? Really? These guys were afraid to lay down here? REALLY??? The brawl goes on forever as they fix/clean the ring.

 

Rating: C-. Again, all things considered this was more than fine. Butcher had the same match for years but somehow still made them work. That’s the same thing you can say about Ric Flair and Butcher could arguably be considered the hardcore version of the Nature Boy. They both have the saggy chests if nothing else. Gang looked good as well, even having lost some weight after his old run in the WWF.

 

We see a clip from a poker game between Jimmy Snuka, Bob Orton Jr., Lou Albano and some guy we don’t know. Orton is apparently cheating like the villain he is. Tonight Bob keeps up his old partner Roddy Piper’s feud with Jimmy Snuka.

 

Bob Orton vs. Jimmy Snuka

 

They say Orton is from Kansas City, Kansas even though it’s been Missouri his whole career. A lot of wrestlers move after they retire. They say they’ve been excited for this match since hearing about the poker game earlier in the day. I can’t say I disagree. Albano is managing Snuka here and announces that he’s stepping down as Commissioner after tonight.

 

Snuka sends him to the apron but Orton changes places with him and grabs a suplex to bring Jimmy back in. They hit the match for a long technical sequence which is the highlight of the match so far. To really keep up the rudeness from the fans, they let us know they think Orton is gay. Heaven forbid they have to sit through an old school wrestling sequence like this one. Orton stays on the arm for a good long while, which should take some of the stings out of those Snuka chops.

 

After a good four to five minutes in armbars and wristlocks (the veterans know to mix it up instead of just doing the same things over and over), Jimmy fights up and hits some weakened chops. They hit the ropes but collide in a double clothesline to put both guys down. Jimmy goes up top but gets crotched, setting up Orton’s superplex finisher. Albano, the old villain that he is, hooks the ankle to send Bob crashing down, allowing Snuka to hit a top rope cross body for the pin.

 

Rating: B. Very nice technical match here for the most part with Albano helping his man win like any good manager would. Remember of course that when a face cheats it’s helping out but when a heel does it, it’s unethical and unacceptable according to Randy. The match was a nice change of pace from the brawling so far tonight and is probably going to be the match of the night.

 

And here it is. The moment that makes this show so infamous. Jake Roberts cuts a promo before his match with Neidhart, and he refuses to look at the camera. For the life of me I don’t get why so many people complain about this promo. Jake is legendary for his mind games and psychology. What is going to make an opponent more overconfident than thinking Jake is bombed?

 

Roberts says he cheats at cards, making me wonder if he coached Orton earlier. He keeps going about playing cards and gambling to hammer home the theme. No it doesn’t make sense, but compared to Hogan talking about dog paddling Donald Trump to safety and Ultimate Warrior LOADING THE SPACESHIP WITH THE ROCKET FUEL, this was Jake’s version of Hard Times.

 

Jake Roberts vs. Jim Neidhart

 

Now the person that I feel sorry for here is Anvil. He’s a 44 year old man that was a decent wrestler but he’s in way over his head here. He was in WCW about a year before this doing nothing at all and he hasn’t meant anything in wrestling since. He gets a phone call one day offering him to come to Mississippi to wrestle in front of a few thousand people for more or less a legends show.

 

Say for argument’s sake he’s getting a thousand dollars for a ten minute match. That’s not bad really, but people aren’t going to remember him. He gets his gear together and shows up ready to work for the pay promised. Based on who he’s fighting, it’s fairly safe to think that Anvil is going to lose to a DDT. The match is about to begin, and he gets this. Jake steals the show and is the most remembered thing about it. Fifteen years later Jake is going to the Hall of Fame and Neidhart was last seen in a cameo on Total Divas. It’s not hard to see why based on something like this.

 

Jake slowly to the ring, puts the snake down and walks back up the ramp. His boots aren’t even laced up. He’s so into playing to the crowd that he forgot to get ready for his match. That’s such great dedication to his craft. Again, Anvil is playing to the referee about the snake being there and is stretching a bit before the match. In other words, he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to be doing like a professional should be doing. And now Jake goes back through the curtain for a bit. It worked for Edge during his retirement ceremony.

 

Anvil again is left to play to the crowd on his own and it’s easy to see why he never did anything without Bret on his side. To be fair to him though, he signed up to wrestle Jake Roberts, not do a one man show. Honestly though, I don’t even think Natalya would pay to see that. I don’t se why this is considered such a bad show. The fans are getting what they paid for, just like they did when Mike Tyson knocked guys out in forty seconds.

 

Roberts is back and we’re ready to go. Jake grabs a fan’s hands and rubs them on his chest. She doesn’t seem to mind so points to Jake for audience participation. The snake has gotten partially out of the bag, so Jake of course plays with it for a bit. It’s what he’s best known for so why not. He lays down on the mat to keep the mind games up as Anvil just walks around. Seriously Anvil, do something already.

 

Neidhart tries to work the arm and run the match, I think as the heel. To be fair you’re not going to get Jake booed most of the time. After a LONG sequence with Anvil being in control on the mat, Jake loses his boots and is now in his socks. He still looks about the same and is still doing better than Neidhart as far as being interesting.

 

Unfortunately Jake doesn’t get the chance to do the first shoeless DDT as Bundy comes out for no adequately explained reason. He breaks up the DDT to steal Jake’s big moment and gets flipped off by Roberts. Again, why is something like this criticized? Austin did it and is a millionaire as a result. We get a 2-1 beatdown until “The Former” Yokozuna come out. Yeah that’s what they call him. It turns into a tag match with Yoko and Jake vs. Neidhart and Bundy.

 

Jake Roberts/Yokozuna vs. Jim Neidhart/King Kong Bundy

 

The pairing makes sense as Jake/Yokozuna teamed up a few years prior to this at Wrestlemania XII. They say we have 650 of Yoko and Bundy and 450 and Neidhart at over 300. That’s quite the heavyweight match. Yoko is SO big here that you can’t help but look at him, which is exactly what you want when you’re flipping through the channels. Our other option is Jake and thankfully he’s picked to work the majority of the match.

 

Oh good night this is almost too much. I mean, you have two Hall of Famers against a few has beens. Why is this supposed to be considered a fair match? Yoko and Bundy, the advertised main event, interact for about 8 seconds if that. Somehow that’s better than most Raw main events from the year.

 

Eventually we hit the floor for no reason and Anvil hits Jake twice with a chair. I wonder if there were some extra hard shots there due to Anvil realizing what a waste he is in this match. Whenever he’s in control, this is a mess. We go back into the ring and Jake makes the clear tag but Bundy splashes him and pins him anyway. What a cheater. I can say with certainty that he’s a villain and not a Hero of Wrestling.

 

Rating: C+. Yeah the match is ripped on but I don’t get why. You have four known names who have never worked together before and are fighting for no apparent reason. It’s not fair to blame the wrestlers in that case and for the most part, the stuff we got here worked quite well.

 

Bundy’s manager appears after the match and takes a beating for Bundy’s sake. Jake and Yoko beat up Bundy’s manager who didn’t appear until the end. The fans chant DDT and Yoko says give it to him but Jake won’t do it after the match. Points to Jake for not wanting to be extra violent to a guy that can’t defend himself. Yoko, the jerk that he is, gives the manager a Samoan drop instead. Jake puts the snake on him and it just ends without anything other than that. What horrible commentary.

 

Overall Rating: B+. Seriously how could you think this show was bad? It cost $20 and ran over two and a half hours with a bunch of Hall of Famers on the card. I’m not sure what more you can ask for and the ending was straight out of the times. Russo added a bunch of stuff to the main event all the time and is called a genius for it, so why not do the same thing here?

 

I really did like this show a lot better the second time and it’s nowhere near as bad as I remember it being. Since I’m pretty sure most people don’t read this deep into the explanations, I’ll go ahead and say this review has been my April Fool’s joke here before continuing to ramble on about how great this show was and trying to come up with nonsense to say it was great. Stuff like the matches and promos weren’t all that bad and all that jazz.

 

Again, this only cost $20. Considering the limited stories they were allowed to tell and how fast things had to be set up, this is better than almost all WCW shows from this year and better than a lot of the WWF shows as well. I won’t even get into it being better than the ECW shows because I’ll just get yelled at as a result. This really was a better show than I remembered and I’m stunned as a result.

 

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WWA Television
Date: September 1965
Location: Southside Armory, Indianapolis, Indiana

God bless Youtube. The WWA is an old territory that actually had two offices: one in Los Angeles and the other in Indianapolis. This show aired sometime in the 1960s but it’s almost impossible to track down the exact date. This might not even be the WWA but there’s only so much research you can do on a show that’s (possibly) nearly fifty years old. Let’s get to it.

Tom Jones vs. Gene Kiniski

Kiniski is world champion (not sure if that’s WWA or NWA) and this is a non-title match. Jones is a plucky little face who grabs a headlock to start but Kiniski takes him into the corner and pounds away on the back. The announcer answers a fan letter about what the ring is made of in great detail which is more interesting than the match itself.

Kiniski kicks him in the face but Jones comes back in with rights and lefts before stomping the champion down in the corner. Kiniski comes back with boots of his own and gets two off a slam. A lot of choking ensues and Kiniski chops him in the chest a few times. Jones finally comes back with a headbutt but gets chopped right back down. Three straight backbreakers (Kiniski’s finisher) are enough to end Jones with relative ease.

Rating: D+. Kiniski is a guy that I’ve never actually seen wrestle before but he was a solid heel in there. He acted like a jerk and choked a lot which had the fans wanting to see him lose but Jones just wasn’t the guy that was going to be able to do it. Jones was decent but there was only so much he could do out there.

House show ad with a main event of Larry Hennig/Harley Race vs. Dick the Bruiser/The Crusher. Those guys would be big deals in the AWA which makes me think this is WWA given how close the territories were to each other. Wildbur Snyder comes in to talk about the tag match and how much the teams hate each other. Snyder was co-owner of the WWA which confirms this as much as anything can. The house show is Saturday November 2, which would put this in 1968, meaning Kiniski is NWA World Champion. I love figuring that stuff out.

Assassins vs. Prince Pullins/Rocky Montero

This is 2/3 falls. The Assassins are masked guys with whips who the announcer says “claim the title of World Tag Team Champions.” That might mean they’re champions, which would confuse things even more because the Assassins last held the WWA Tag Titles in 1965. The announcer now says the Assassins ARE Tag Team Champions, so this is sometime between 1965 and 1968. Pullins vs. Assassin #1, who is the smaller of the two, gets things going. The Prince avoids a right hand as they stall early on.

Prince grabs a headlock and Montero comes in for no apparent reason, allowing #2 to come in and cheat. #1 is put down by a headlock takeover but a knee to the ribs put Prince down and allows the tag off to #2. The announcer talks about how big the wrestlers are as Montero keeps wandering around the ring, even winding up on the wrong corner at one point. Prince slugs away on #1 and tries some headbutts, which the announcer calls a popular move “among young negro wrestlers.” Different times indeed.

More headbutts sent #2 into Montero in the corner as everything breaks down. Montero actually cleans house a bit and sends the Assassins outside until it’s #2 inside again. #1 comes in as well but the good guys pick him up and ram him into #2. Not that it matters as #2 pops back up and hammers on Montero before bringing #1 in again for a slugout. Pullins comes back in again with headbutts and right hands but gets driven back into the corner. #2 slams him down and #1 adds a top rope stomp to Prince’s ribs for the first fall.

Montero and #1 start, which confuses the announcer as the people who ended the previous fall are supposed to start the next. Rocky is sent outside and holds his eye due to some shots from the gauntlet on #1 hand. The match stops almost entirely until it’s back to Pullins who is sent to the floor as well. Monster comes back in and rips at #1’s eyes as everything breaks down yet again.

Prince comes back in and cleans house as the announcer talks about the legal issues of referees getting physical. A dropkick gets one on #2 and it’s back to Montero with no tag. Prince is in almost immediately as Montero walks down the apron, meaning there’s no one for Prince to tag. It breaks down again and the top rope stomp plus a seated senton are enough to pin Montero.

Rating: D-. This was WAY too long and not good in the slightest. Montero was all over the place and looked like he had no idea what he was doing the entire time. The Assassins were just generic heels in masks which made the match pretty dull to sit through. Nothing to see here, other than Montero looking like he was lost in the match.

Danny Dolly vs. Dick the Bruiser

Bruiser owned the company and is a very terrifying looking human being. I looked this up online and was told it was September of 1965, making me think that the house show ad was wrong. Bruiser throws him around to start and fires off some knees in the corner. We hit the neck crank as the announcer talks about how no one has ever submitted to a chinlock. Back to the corner for choking by Dick but Dolly comes back with right hands and a headlock takeover. Bruiser easily comes back with kicks to the ribs before throwing Dolly out to the floor. Dick slams Dolly back inside and goes up for a flying knee drop and the pin.

Rating: D+. Total squash here but it was entertaining to see Bruiser clean house like that. He made a career out of destroying various jobbers and is one of the handful of old names that you’ll see hear every now and then. His look reminds me of Brock Lesnar, which was was even scarier in the 60s.

Moose Cholak vs. Tony Parente

Cholak is a big monster who won’t shake hands with the much smaller Tony. We’re also in a different arena here as there are, I kid you not, less than fifteen fans visible in the crowd. Parente goes for the legs before trying an armbar instead. Cholak goes after the leg before the guys collide in the ring which should have been much more one sided than it was. A dropkick staggers the Moose and they trade forearms with neither getting anywhere.

Something resembling an armdrag puts Parente down but he comes back with a knee to Cholak’s leg. There’s a leg lock as Moose is in a bit of trouble now. Back up and Cholak grabs a bearhug for about two seconds before sending Parente into the buckle. Tony slugs his way out of a wristlock but gets sent into the buckle again to stop his comeback. I don’t know if you can even call it a comeback as neither guy has had a long advantage yet.

Parente takes him down with an armbar and cranks back on the arm Fujiwara style before being thrown outside. Back in and Tony scares Cholak into the corner before firing off some hard right hands. Moose shrugs them off, headbutts Tony down and drops a big splash for the pin.

Rating: D. WAY too much offense from Parente here as Moose looked like he won because he survived rather than being dominant at all. The match made Cholak look like he got lucky rather than being the better man, which isn’t what you would want out of a monster like him. Bad match here but the crowd being so small was far more interesting.

Overall Rating: D-. Well at least it was short. This wasn’t a good show for the most part as the most entertaining matches were the Kiniski and Bruiser squashes. The WWA never was a huge territory and if this is any indication of what their product was like, it’s not hard to see why. Really dull show here with nothing that held my interest at all.

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Yes this is real.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2240046/?ref_=nv_sr_1

XWF Episode 3
Date: November 14, 2001
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jerry Lawler

It’s the final episode after what feels like months. The fact that I’ve less than two hours of this promotion over about five days should tell you everything you need to know about them. There were some very moderate improvements last time but given how low they started that isn’t saying much. The only thing of note is a promised Hulk Hogan match tonight. Let’s get to it.

Knobbs does his usual welcome to the show, saying that Jimmy Hart is out scouting for new talent. So each of the discs are made at different times?

Intro with a quick recap of last week.

Gene brings out Rena Mero with her security guards, two of whom appear to be Tugboat and Barbarian. She won’t directly address Roddy Piper’s actions and writes them off as growing pains for the XWF. Mero says she’s happy with everything that’s happening around here and is off to ask Piper what the main event is here tonight. Gene goes with her for some reason.

Jim Duggan chants XWF.

The South Philly Posse (Public Enemy) talk to the woman they annoyed last week. Apparently it’s Jasmine St. Clair, their new manager.

Drezden vs. Marty Jannetty

Drezden looks like the Wall (from WCW) crossed with Neo from the Matrix crossed with an S&M enthusiast. He runs Marty over as this has squash written all over it. A slam puts Marty down again but he avoids an elbow, only to dive into a bearhug. Drezden easily lifts Marty up for a nice powerbomb and the pin.

Greg Valetine still wants a match but Piper doesn’t care. To be fair Piper can’t hear because of Valentine so can you blame him?

Horace Hogan vs. Josh Matthews

Josh is thrown around like the rookie that he is and Horace drops an elbow to the back. They head to the floor with Josh being rammed into various objects while getting in no offense at all. Back in and Josh’s sunset flip is countered into a chokebomb for two as Horace pulls him up. As you would expect, Josh grabs a small package for the fast count pin.

Jimmy Hart promises to take us to Hail and back.

Shane Twins vs. South Philly Posse

Mike pounds on Rocco in the corner to start before throwing him onto Grunge. Off to Todd for a double shoulder block on Rocco for two. A powerslam gets the same but Grunge gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. He works over Mike’s leg for some psychology before waddling over for a few kicks to the face. Rocco comes off the middle rope with a headbutt to the knee as the fans are drowning out the commentary again.

Another headbutt has the knee in trouble and it’s back to Grunge for a knee to the knee. A double back elbow drops Mike and it’s back to the knee. Choking ensues as this match is actually getting some time. Rocco nearly breaks his own shoulder on a missed Lionsault and it’s a double tag to bring in Todd and Grunge. Everything breaks down and the Nasty Boys come out but Mike rolls up Grunge for the pin before they can interfere.

Rating: D+. The match was the junk you would expect, but I’ll give the XWF points for pushing the Shane Twins like they have. They’ve been put over all three of the established teams in a row and came out looking like they could mean something soon. That’s a good sign, but it’s not like any of those three teams meant anything at this point.

The Wall, looking WAY different than he did in WCW, says people are going to run into him.

Gene brings out Jimmy Snuka and his son as you can see the coconut references from here. Why they come out to an instrumental version of Marilyn Manson’s The Beautiful People is beyond me. Jimmy puts over the fans when Roddy Piper comes out to call them both coconut heads and sing about a lovely bunch of coconuts.

Gene tries to get Piper to come fight Snuka but Piper makes fun of Gene’s hair instead. More coconut references ensue but Piper says Rena Mero won’t let him fight. She comes out and says go ahead because she’s a big Snuka fan. Piper claims an arm injury and makes Buff Bagwell/Vampiro vs. Ian Harrison/Curt Hennig.

Knobbs recaps the first half of the show, calling Josh Matthews the winner of the first match because it’s too hard to remember the Drezden squash from 20 minutes ago. He confirms that the bodyguards were Tugboat, Barbarian and 4×4 who you likely won’t remember from 1999 WCW.

Cruiserweight Title: Kid Kash vs. AJ Styles

Jobber entrance for the challenger AJ. Styles works on a hammerlock to start as the announcers talk about Piper taunting Snuka. Kash is taken down to the mat and we get some decent technical stuff. Back up and AJ blocks an O’Connor Roll by grabbing the ropes. Well at least he was supposed to as Kash was already rolling backwards before AJ was touching them but the idea was there.

They trade armdrags, hiptosses and legsweeps to get us to a standoff. Styles and Kash go nose to nose before Kash gets the crowd on his side. AJ misses a spinning kick to the face but gets two off a superkick. A dropkick mostly misses and the fans loudly boo Styles’ efforts. We hit a chinlock on the champion but Kash quickly fights up and gets two off a middle rope clothesline. Kash runs up the corner for a spinning cross body before the double underhook piledriver is enough to retain the title.

Rating: C-. Bad botches aside, there just wasn’t much here. This is as token of a cruiserweight division as you can get, though based on how green AJ looked out there it isn’t hard to see why. Styles needed more seasoning and a short term All-Star company like this is the place to get it.

The XWF Girls give Rena ideas. Literally it’s just her saying they gave her good ideas and throwing the cameraman out.

Jimmy Snuka Jr. vs. Vapor

Vapor wrestled for a brief stretch in the WWE as Sakoda and Snuka Jr. was Deuce of Deuce and Domino. Snuka domiantes to start and sends Vapor into the corner for some kicks to the chest. A forward belly to back suplex puts Vapor down to the floor but he comes back with kicks to the leg. They trade chops in the corner before Vapor gets in a gutbuster for two.

We get a bad looking botch as Jimmy was supposed to get a boot up in the corner but Vapor just had to collide with him instead. Vapor’s manager Sonny Onoo’s interference doesn’t work and Jimmy gets two off a neckbreaker. Jimmy Sr. and Sonny get in and the heels are whipped into each other. Stereo Superfly Splashes crush the Japanese contingent and Jr. pins Vapor.

Rating: D+. Vapor had a good look but nothing more than that. It’s pretty clear to see why Snuka Jr. never went anywhere, even though he got better as Deuce Shade in OVW. Jimmy Sr. coming in at the end was a nice moment but it made the ending about him rather than his son, which defeats the purpose of Sr. being down there.

Curt Hennig/Ian Harrison vs. Vampiro/Buff Bagwell

Hennig and Vampiro get things going but it’s quickly off to Harrison before any contact is made. Harrison easily wins a slugout and choke bombs Vampiro down for no cover. Back to Hennig for more right hands as the fans don’t seem to understand the he’s on the heel team. Bagwell and Vampiro double elbow Hennig down before Buff sends him out to the floor.

Heenan nearly runs into Harrison and looks terrified, even though he’s managing Harrison tonight. Back in and it’s off to Vampiro who comes in to a BIG cheer. Hennig takes him down with a knee lift before bringing Harrison back in for a hard clothesline. A gorilla press (most of one at least) sends Vampiro to the floor but Bagwell clotheslines Ian to the outside as well. Everything breaks down and Hennig gets a quick small package on Buff for the pin.

Rating: D. Again no time to go anywhere and the match means nothing. I think Bagwell is supposed to be a top face here but we still haven’t heard anything from him other than “I’m Buff Bagwell and I’m here.” The ending came out of nowhere and really hurt whatever they had going, which to be fair wasn’t much at all.

Vampiro and Buff are about to come to blows when the locker room comes out to break it up to end the show.

Knobbs talks about how the show was starting to take shape before mentioning Rocco Rock, the Wall, Hennig and Hawk all having died since this was taped. That’s quite a way to go out.

Since that would be a horrible way to end this horrible set, here’s a bonus match from the DVD, featuring the only Hulk Hogan match for the promotion. This is also on the Hulk Hogan Ultimate Anthology DVD.

Hulk Hogan vs. Curt Hennig

Hogan shoves him away to start and poses before running Hennig over with a shoulder. Back in and Hennig goes down to a test of strength but Curt comes back with some loud chops. Hogan won’t be sent into the buckle but rams Curt’s head ten times on three buckles plus the mat for good measure. Hogan does his punches in the corner as this is a total squash so far. Curt finally gets in a kick when Hogan lowers his head and the PerfectPlex gets two. I think you know the drill from here. Legdrop ends Curt.

Rating: D. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and would have been a dark match at a major TV taping. Hogan looked fine but there’s only so much you can do in a five minute match. Both guys would be in the WWF by February so it’s not like this was ever going to mean anything.

Post match Hogan poses for awhile before Gene comes in and asks about Hogan’s future plans. Hogan says needs to get in better shape to hang with these young guys around here. As for being in the ring, he has bills to pay and thinks being XWF Champion doesn’t sound bad.

Overall Rating: D. It’s still horrible but things were starting to come to form by the last episode. Like I’ve said every time, there’s no way this promotion was going to last long term. The bare minimum stories, below average action and a near complete lack of promos from wrestlers (I don’t really count people saying they’re here to be a promo) really bring this place down.

If we hadn’t seen most of these guys doing nothing on Nitro for the last few years, MAYBE this could have worked, but the way they were going about it was destined to fail the entire time. This could have worked as a summer tour or something like that, but nothing long term. It’s not the worst promotion I’ve ever seen by a long stretch, but there’s absolutely nothing here that would hold my interest. In a word, this whole thing was dull, and that’s not the kind of promotion that is going to last long term.

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XWF Episode 2
Date: November 13, 2001
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Tony Schiavone

The debut episode of this show was, shall we say, horrible. Unfortunately there’s no time between the tapings to fix those things as these episodes were all taped in a two day span. The only good thing that could come out of this would be those wrestlers aren’t likely to work again on this show…unless those guys were their best. In that case I might be in the need of a well crafted noose. Let’s get to it.

Hart and Knobbs hype up the second episode and recap the first. We need a recap for a show that was on the same DVD set as this one?

This week’s episode opens with another recap of last week’s episode.

Juventud Guerrera/Psychosis vs. Ray Gonzalez/Konnan

Gonzalez is a big deal in Puerto Rico and I’m sure you know everyone else. Konnan and Psychosis get us going with Konnan taking him down four times in a row including twice by armdrags before bringing in Gonzalez. Ray tries to drop down but Guerrera drops an elbow on the back, only to have Gonzalez pop back up and choke Juvy to the mat. Guerrera comes back with a LOUD spinwheel kick before Psychosis comes back in for a double dropkick.

Psychosis gets two off a legdrop and Juvy gets the same off a springboard version of the same move. Ray comes back with an enziguri to Juvy and it’s hot tag to Konnan who speeds things up. A DDT puts Psychosis down and a double hiptoss gets two on Juvy. Guerrera comes right back with the Juvy driver to Ray but Konnan breaks up the 450, allowing Gonzalez to hit a swinging neckbreaker on Guerrera for the pin.

Rating: D+. I think the match had the potential to be good but it went by so fast that I could barely tell. This match needed to be about twice as long for the story they were trying to tell which has been the problem for a lot of the matches that this promotion has had so far. It’s ok to give a match more than four minutes and letting it develop.

That’s enough wrestling so here’s Rena Mero (Sable) flanked by security with something to say. She talks about how great this company can be but Gene interrupts her to ask about Roddy Piper overstepping his boundaries in the Hennig vs. Vampiro match last week. Cue Roddy to defend himself (I think, as his music drowns out the start of his speech) and say he’s taken many things into his own hands but Sable hasn’t been one of them…..yet.

She says Piper promised to avoid getting physical but thinks there might be a fire burning under his kilt. Piper rants about something the audio doesn’t pick up until Vampiro comes in. He thanks Sable for her confidence in the locker room’s abilities and Sable says make the most of it. One more thing: Sable wants Piper to hire Josh Matthews from Tough Enough, which gets a pop for some reason. Piper is cool with the idea and makes Matthews vs. Vampiro.

Big Vito wants to fight the best in the XWF.

The South Philly Posse (Public Enemy) walks past a bus stop and hits on a woman who is clearly a hooker.

The announcers talk for a bit until Simon Diamond comes out to yell at Jerry Lawler for his comments about Simon last week. Those comments were so quick that I don’t even remember them but apparently they were about Dawn Marie not having any class. Simon insults Lawler’s chick named Kitten and we’ve got a match.

Jerry Lawler vs. Simon Diamond

Lawler takes him into the corner for right hand but Johnny Swinger runs in for a double team. Jerry gets double teamed but Simon hits Swinger by mistake. Lawler cleans house and piledrives Simon for the pin in about 90 seconds. Again, less than nothing.

Sonny Onoo has a guy named Vapor. These vignettes are maybe ten seconds each.

Hail vs. Knuckles

Knuckles is a jobber who hasn’t seemed to fight anywhere of note other than in the XWF. Corner splash, modified belly to belly superplex, shoulder breaker, legdrop, Hail wins.

AJ Styles promises to prove he’s the best cruiserweight in the XWF. If you think he’s a country hick now, you would be blown away here. He sounds like a guy imitating a country wrestler.

Knobs and Hart recap the other half of last week’s show.

Horace and Greg Valentine are ticked off that they’re not on the card tonight. They complain to Piper who makes Horace vs. Josh Matthews next week.

Johnny B. Badd vs. Norman Smiley

Badd is way slimmer than he was in his WWF days. Smiley shoulder blocks him down and follows up with a hiptoss before stopping for a dance. Badd comes back with a headlock takeover of his own but stops to pose, allowing Norman to score with some uppercuts in the corner. A slam and clothesline drop Johnny for two and we hit the chinlock.

Jerry talks about Norman having a match last week, even though this is the first match we’ve seen him have. Badd fights up but Norman clotheslines him right back down. A delayed butterfly suplex gets two for Norman and it’s off to an abdominal stretch on the mat. Back up and Badd easily picks Norman up for the TKO and the pin.

Rating: D+. I’m having a hard time coming up with stuff to say about these matches. Norman was doing his best amateur and technical stuff out there but Badd literally did nothing but basic moves before hitting the TKO for the win. Nothing to see here, which should be the motto of this company rather than In Your Face.

Drezden is still coming.

Nasty Boys vs. Shane Twins

Since it was SO interesting last week. Actually there are no Nastys but here are some replacements.

Shane Twins vs. Road Warriors

The Warriors jump the Twins to start and again the audio issues flare up as we can’t hear the commentary over the ring noise. Mike and Animal get things going with Animal breaking out of a wristlock and clotheslining Mike down. Off to Hawk for some loud chops which send Mike out to the floor. The fans are entirely behind the LOD here but Mike gets Hawk to chase him back inside and suplexes him down for two.

Hawk is sent shoulder first into the post and out to the floor on his head. Back in and Todd forearms Hawk down for two and pounds away in the corner. Hawk staggers out and collides with Todd to put both guys down, setting up a double tag to Animal and Mike. Animal easily beats up both Shane Twins by himself and there’s the Doomsday Device to Mike but the Nasty Boys hit the ring and pull out the referee for the DQ.

Rating: C-. That’s almost out of pity more than anything else. The match wasn’t anything to see but it’s the longest match of the tapings thus far, running less than four and a half minutes. However, it advances a story and gives us somewhere to go from here so there’s at least something there. It’s going towards Nasty Boys vs. Road Warriors but it’s better than nothing.

The Nasty Boys bail and the Road Warriors raise the Twins’ hands.

Jimmy Snuka and Jimmy Snuka Jr. are here.

Curt Hennig vs. Buff Bagwell

Buff is a face again after doing that mid match heel turn last week. Hennig is sent to the corner so Buff can do his strut while Hennig bails to the floor. Back in and Curt takes Buff into the corner for some loud chops, only to be dropkicked out to the floor. Buff tries to pull him back inside but Curt snaps his throat across the top rope to take over. We hit the nerve hold for a few seconds before it’s off to standard choking.

Buff gets caught in an abdominal stretch but it lasts about ten seconds, just like everything else. A bad looking Boston Crab from Hennig lasts about as long but Bagwell comes back with a jawbreaker and clotheslines. In a bad looking ending, Buff goes to the middle rope for the Blockbuster but Heenan shoves him off the ropes (referee doesn’t care) and into the PerfectPlex (Bagwell’s shoulder was up, referee doesn’t care) for the pin.

Rating: D. WE BROKE FIVE MINUTES!!! Indeed we did but the match sucked. The holds lasting a few seconds at a time got really annoying because there was no reason for Hennig to let them go. He just dropped them like he was playing No Mercy which is stupid in video games and horrible looking in the real world. Horrible looking match.

Post match Vampiro comes out to yell about Heenan but gets beaten down by Curt. Buff makes the save but Ian Harrison comes out to beat up both guys. This brings out Roddy Piper with a chair to make the real save but Sable and her security come out to yell at him to end the show.

Hart and Knobbs wrap it up.

Overall Rating: D-. This show isn’t making me mad, but rather making me wonder how much longer there is to go with it. The show is starting to get some ideas together but none of the ideas are any good. At the end of the day, this is a nostalgia show and not a very good one. These guys weren’t incredibly old at the time, but there was no way they thought this was going to last more than a few months tops. It was somewhat better this time but they had nowhere to go but up.

 

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