Wrestling Gold #4: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Commentators: Dave Meltzer, Jim Cornette

We’re over halfway done with these things and I had a good time with the third disc so we might as well look at another. I’m not sure what to expect from these things, but again the matches are kind of secondary to the audio, with the two historians on the call. It worked before and it should again so let’s get to it.

As usual, I’m giving my best guess to some of the locations and dates.

From Memphis, Tennessee, September 3, 1984.

Rick Rude vs. Randy Savage

This isn’t something you saw very often and Jimmy Hart and Angelo Poffo are here too. Savage wastes no time in sprinting after Hart to chase him into the crowd and Rude is already hitting the stall button. Rude finally gets back inside and they fight over a top wristlock before Savage grabs an airplane spin. They’re already on the floor again with Savage grabbing the mic and throwing what looks like confetti at Rude. Back in and a Hart distraction lets Rude throw him over the top for a crash to the floor.

They get inside again with Rude hammering away in the corner and dropping Savage with a suplex. A clothesline lets Rude strut and pat the referee on the head, which is quite the odd personality from him. Back up and Savage sends him outside for the top rope ax handle, followed by a high crossbody but there’s no referee. Instead here is a massive King Kong Bundy (with HAIR) to deck Savage and give Rude the pin at 10:25.

Rating: B-. I don’t think there’s much of a surprise that these two had a good match, even though Rude was just getting his first major time in the ring. He certainly had charisma to go with the look and the match worked, with Savage clearly looking like he was ready to move on to the biggest stage in the world. It wouldn’t be much longer before he did, debuting in the WWF less than a year later.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I believe February 17, 1974.

The Sheik vs. Andre The Giant

I believe this is a Texas Deathmatch (basically Last Man Standing in this case). Sheik, with Abdullah Farouk (the Grand Wizard Of Wrestling), goes right at him to start, which goes as well as you’re going to get by going after Andre. Some big right hands give Andre about eight each but Sheik comes back with the fire ball…and Andre is down for ten at 2:32. The whole match is listed elsewhere at 3:32 so I’m wondering if some stalling was edited out. Anyway, this was a REALLY bad idea, as Sheik hadn’t lost in Toronto in seven years and this showed the fans that he just wasn’t going to lose, so why buy tickets?

Post match Andre is tended to and gets quite the reaction.

From I have no idea.

Pampero Firpo vs. Jeff Doney

The much shorter (and much more famous) Firpo takes him down with a headscissors to start. The claw finishes Doney at 1:35. Well that’s a shame, as I wanted to see more Firpo, who has quite the wild reputation.

Post match Firpo helps Doney up.

From San Antonio, Texas, likely in the early 1980s.

Bruiser Brody/Scott Casey vs. Kelly Kiniski/The Spoiler

Brody and the Spoiler lock up to start and takes him down by the leg, allowing Casey to take over. Kiniski comes in and gets taken down by the leg as well, with Casey dropping some knees. The escape doesn’t work either but Spoiler comes in to work on Casey’s leg for a change.

That doesn’t last long either as Casey reverses into something of an STF, with Spoiler crawling over for the tag back to Kiniski. Casey grabs an ankle lock and it’s back to Brody to wrap the leg around the post. Back in and Spoiler takes over with the claw, which Brody breaks up rather quickly. Everything breaks down and Brody hits a dropkick, followed by the big knee for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C+. The leglocks were a fine enough story for the match and it was fun to see Brody snap at the end and take over. As usual it feels like a shame that his career was cut short because dang he was great at his style. Casey is someone who wasn’t around very long and felt like he was rather good when he was out there, even if you didn’t see him outside of Texas very often.

From Memphis, Tennessee, September 17, 1984, likely fallout from the first match on the disc.

King Kong Bundy/Rick Rude vs. Jerry Lawler/Randy Savage

No DQ. Lawler and Rude start things off with Lawler sending him into Savage’s elbow to the head. Bundy (sans hair this time) comes in and powers Lawler into the corner without much trouble so Savage sneaks in for an elbow to the head. Bundy’s missed charge knocks Rude off the apron, earning some applause from Lawler, with the crowd eating it up of course. A missed charge in the corner has Bundy in more trouble as commentary compares loud reactions from the fans.

We settle back down to Savage beating on Rude and dropping the top rope ax handle to the floor. Back in and Rude goes to the eye but Savage breaks up a piledriver attempt. Lawler gets taken into the wrong corner but quickly gets out of trouble with the double noggin knocker, because it’s the 80s and that was still cool. Savage comes in for an airplane spin to send Rude staggering into the corner, followed by an atomic drop but unfortunately before the classic Rude sell.

It’s back to Bundy, who sends Lawler into a raised boot in the corner and the big elbow gets two. Things slow down and Rude draws Savage (who is shockingly on a thin edge) in so Bundy can get in some cheap shots. Bundy comes in behind the referee’s back to drop a knee but the splash misses…and it’s time to stagger up. Lawler slugs away and everything breaks down, with the referee getting bumped. Lawler has a foreign object of some kind to clean house and the referee calls the DQ for….well it could be a few reasons at 15:36.

Rating: B. This again felt like a big time match and that’s what you would want out of such a showdown. If nothing else, the idea of Lawler and Savage teaming together is rather unique, as they had been such heated rivals for so long. Once again Lawler is in his element against a monster and you could see the Ravishing side of things starting to come together.

Post match they brawl all the way to the back.

From some place in history at some point in time.

Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Don Kent

So this is a Shark Cage match, meaning two people inside one of those cages used to raise a manager above the ring. As you might expect, there is only so much you can do when the cage is about three feet wide. They ram each other into the cage and punch a lot as they try to get out of the cage to win.

Both are pulled back inside and Strongbow lifts him up for a ram into the roof. Kent rams him into the cage and chokes him down as this continues to die. Strongbow fights to his feet and manages to Hulk Up to hammer away. We’re actually clipped to Mark Lewin running in to choke Kent, allowing Strongbow to escape at 6:43 shown.

Rating: F. Imagine a match where the wrestlers’ feet were stapled to the floor. That’s about what you had here and it got as far as it was going to get. Commentary rightfully buried the thing because, again, they were fighting in a shark cage. This was firmly in the “this is dumb” category and thankfully it wasn’t something you saw very often. Just dumb.

Post match Lewin turns the cage over because he just wasted time on that thing.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May 14, 1984.

AWA International Title: Randy Savage vs. Austin Idol

Savage is defending and jumps him from behind to start and sends Idol outside for the top rope ax handle. Back in and Savage hammers away even more so Idol tries to grab a crutch from…well from the guy at ringside with a crutch. That earns Idol a neck snap across the top and Savage slugs away with the left jabs.

Idol Hulks Up and slugs away, including the right hands in the corner. More right hands set up the Las Vegas (Figure Four) Leglock and the crutch man (apparently Angelo Poffo) yells a lot….as Savage gives up at 7:01??? Either way it’s a new champion and I’m trying to remember Savage quitting more than a handful of times in his career.

Rating: C+. I could still go for more of Idol, as he certainly had a charisma to him and his promos were more than good enough. This was a match between two guys who felt like stars and while they didn’t have much of a high quality match, it did what it was supposed to, with the crowd going nuts and being into the whole thing. Good match here and both guys looked solid.

From Buffalo, New York, possibly on February 24, 1967.

Terrible Ted vs. Gene DuBois

Ted takes him down to start and gets on DuBois’ back, followed by a snapmare to put DuBois down again. They go to the mat, with the referee getting chased off by Ted, which doesn’t seem right. Back up and DuBois’ rollup attempt is shrugged off and the rather irritated Ted goes after the referee in the corner. For some reason Ted covers the referee in the corner and DuBois counts the pin…which of course doesn’t count. DuBois wrestles him down again but gets snapmared for a quick pin at 5:05.

Rating: D+. This was almost more of a comedy match than anything else, with Ted going after the referee over and over, which lost its charm rather quickly. You would think he could do something better than that and it only got him so far here. DuBois was doing most of the work and it went about as well as it could have all things considered.

Oh and one more thing: Ted is a bear.

From Memphis, Tennessee, July 16, 1984.

Tommy Rich vs. Rick Rude

We’re joined in progress with Rude grinding away on a headlock to start as Cornette explains the Memphis backstory, as only he can. Rich fights up and hits a quick atomic drop over the top. Back in and Rude goes low to escape a full nelson before knocking him into the corner.

Rude goes up and slips off the rope for a nasty crash, with Rich slapping on the sleeper. That’s broken up and the referee gets bumped, allowing Rude’s girlfriend Angel to come in. Cue Jerry Lawler to ram them together and steal a chain from Angel, allowing him to knock Rude cold. Rich gets the easy pin at 5:57.

Rating: C+. You could see Rude getting bigger and better around this point and it was cool to see what would become a great star. He wasn’t quite all the way there yet but the skill was coming together. Rich was someone who could get over anywhere in the south and it helps to have Lawler helping you in Memphis. Short but fun here.

From Memphis, Tennessee, early 1983.

AWA World Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jerry Lawler

Lawler is challenging and Bockwinkel wrestles him down to start without much trouble. Bockwinkel works on the arm, including a top wristlock. Lawler gets sick of the arm cranking and fights up but we’re clipped to Bockwinkel sending him into the corner. Back up and Lawler hits a quick crossbody but Bockwinkel sends him crashing to the floor. Lawler fires up out of the corner and the comeback is on, with the right hands letting Lawler knock him into the corner.

Bockwinkel sends Lawler into the referee though and that’s….not a DQ actually as Bockwinkel hits a top rope ax handle for two and they head outside, with Lawler sending him into the announcers’ table. Back in and Lawler and just unloads with rights and lefts but shoves the referee. Bockwinkel hits the referee (intention unclear) and it’s finally thrown out at 12:13 shown, with Lawler winning by DQ. The roof comes off and then the referee hands the belt back to Bockwinkel to kill the energy immediately.

Rating: B. There are very few things that will always work in Texas and the Lawler comeback in Memphis was one of them. It worked again here, as the fans were buying the idea of Lawler being able to win the title. Unfortunately that was something that they did for so long that it stopped working so well. Granted Lawler did finally win the title, albeit in 1988, but he did get there. Bockwinkel deserves so much more credit than he gets, as you do not see many people as skilled in the ring as he is. My goodness that man could make anything look smooth and it was fun to see him take someone apart.

From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984.

Randy Savage vs. Austin Idol

Angelo Poffo is here with Savage, who bails out to the floor to start and the chase is on. Back in and Savage hammers away in the corner with the big elbow connecting for two, which isn’t treated as a big deal here and man that’s bizarre. Savage sends him outside and Idol chops away to take over, meaning it’s time to slug away back inside.

Idol tosses him right back outside but Savage takes over again, with Idol being busted open. Savage slams him down a few times for two each and some elbows set up another slam for two more as Savage isn’t exactly mixing it up here. Another slam is countered into a small package to give Idol two so Savage jumps to the top for an elbow to the head. Savage bites the head and pulls at the cut, which means it’s time to Hulk Up.

The comeback is on and Idol drops a middle rope elbow and starts hammering away as well. A running elbow misses but so does Savage’s jumping knee, meaning it’s time to go after the leg. The Las Vegas Leglock is loaded up so Poffo gets on the apron to throw in the knuckles. The loaded right hand finishes Idol at 11:41 shown.

Rating: B-. Other than that weird string of slams, this worked well again with Idol having so many of the characteristics that Hogan stole from him over the years. Shockingly enough, Savage and someone like Hogan worked together for a good match. I liked this again, but dang it could have been fun to hear them talk to each other even more, as that was Idol’s best work.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, early 70s.

Bob Ellis vs. Bobby Heenan

So this is the classic story of Heenan being the evil manager who sends his wrestlers after Ellis, who beats them all and now it’s time for Ellis to get his hands on Heenan. Well in theory at least as Heenan comes to the ring on crutches and claims a knee injury. Cornette is of course aghast at the suggestion that a wrestling manager would fake an injury to avoid a beating.

Heenan wants to postpone the match for five to six months so he can heal properly but the referee isn’t having it and we’re ready to go. Heenan swings with the crutch but only hits the buckle, meaning it’s time for Heenan to send in the Blackjacks. That just means a pair of bulldogs from Ellis so Heenan dives over the top in that trademark spot of his and it’s a countout at 1:06. Just a funny angle rather than anything important but Heenan could sell this as well as anyone ever.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s another case of having a good time watching old wrestling and just getting a sample of what is available out there. The interesting part about a lot of these things is how much they do with so little. These are bare bones sets but the fans are into these people and it still works to this day. You can get into the stories they’re telling and it makes these matches entertaining. Throw in Cornette and Meltzer on commentary and it’s quite the interesting look at things.

 

 

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Wrestling Gold #3: We Like To Hurt People
Commentators: Dave Meltzer, Jim Cornette

So for those of you who have forgotten, this is a DVD set released back in 2001, featuring a bunch of territory matches from around the country. The big draw though is special commentary by Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer, which is often a lot more interesting than the matches themselves. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I’m hoping for the best on the dates/promotions for these matches.

From Memphis, Tennessee, June 25, 1984.

Phil Hickerson/The Spoiler vs. Tommy Rich/Eddie Gilbert

Street fight so naturally it’s a big brawl to start as commentary buries the idea of Rich and Gilbert as the new Fabulous Ones. Spoiler chokes Gilbert on the floor and then goes back inside as Rich is kicked down. Gilbert comes back in to clean house with a boot and they split off again as commentary talks about Gilbert skipping high school graduation because he was in a match. Cornette: “Who’s going to go to your high school graduation when you’re booked?”

Gilbert unloads on Spoiler inside as Hickerson is sent into the post and atomic dropped on the floor. A backdrop gets Gilbert out of a piledriver attempt and Gilbert gets to hammer away as the rather bloody Rich comes back inside. Spoiler gets in a boot shot to Rich but Gilbert backdrops him to the floor. Commentary realizes they’re sounding “like a WCW announce crew” as Rich has stolen Spoiler’s (loaded) mask. A middle rope headbutt knocks Hickerson cold for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: B-. This was indeed a bloody, violent match and that’s exactly what you would have expected in the Mid-South Coliseum when a street fight was advertised. Memphis could get violent with the best of them and it helps that Hickerson, one of the more underrated stars of the territory era, was there to help make it work. The ending was a unique one as well and I could have gone for a lot more of this.

From Memphis, Tennessee, sometime in the summer of 1984.

Lanny Poffo/Randy Savage vs. Rock N Roll Express

Yeah this should work and Angelo Poffo is with the non Rock N Roll. Savage and Morton lock up to start with Morton knocking him down without much trouble. Savage slams him down and goes up but gets punched out of the air, allowing Gibson to come in for a change. It’s off to Lanny, who is knocked outside and we’re clipped to Savage sending Morton outside for a top rope ax handle.

Morton is sent into the apron and Lanny knees him in the back as commentary basically ignores the match to talk about the greatness of Randy Savage (fair enough). Gibson gets drawn in, allowing Morton to get kneed right back down. An elbow to the face isn’t enough for Morton to get over to Gibson and we’re firmly in Ricky Morton Selling period, with the fans getting all the more into it.

Gibson is distracted to the floor so Morton has no one to tag, leaving Angelo to send Morton onto the announcers’ table. Morton backdrops Savage onto the table and it’s back to Gibson to clean house (with Cornette giving a great explanation behind the psychology of the hot tag and how Morton set up that turn of the story). Angelo comes in with a boot though and that’s a DQ at 8:30 (13:06 according to commentary, which could make this July 16, 1984) shown.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, this was rather good stuff with both teams knowing how to work together so well. Morton getting the hot tag to Gibson is one of the classic spots in wrestling and it works so well because Morton could sell like no one else. Savage and Poffo didn’t team much (if at all) on the big stage and it’s a shame as they’re rather good together.

Post match the brawl stays on and the fans go absolutely nuts.

From San Antonio, Texas, possibly in September 1981.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Dick Slater

Slater slams him down to start as commentary talks about how similar Slater was to Terry Funk, which would be an understatement. Funk takes him down and grabs a headlock as you can see just how smooth Funk can be out there. An atomic drop gets Slater out of trouble, only for Funk to grab the headlock again.

Back up and Funk’s atomic drop sends Slater to the apron, with commentary pointing out how much Slater looks like Terry again. Back in and Slater takes him down for a knee drop as commentary explains how the Funk Brothers had to get out of their father’s shadow, which worked everywhere but Amarillo. Funk snapmares him down into an elbow drop and it’s time for the forearms. A collision sends Slater outside though and Tully Blanchard runs in to jump Funk for the DQ at 6:17.

Rating: B-. This felt more like a preview of something even bigger but I’ll take that for an old TV show. The more I see of Funk, the more impressive he is and it was fascinating to see Dory against someone so close to Terry. The Funks only wrestled once so you don’t get to see it very often, making this all the more interesting. It could have been more, but this worked well enough.

Post match the beatdown stays on with Scott Casey running in for the save.

From….I have no idea actually. Toronto seems to be the most likely place but there’s no official listing.  Likely the late 70s.

US Title: The Sheik vs. Tiger Jeet Singh

Sheik is defending in a cage and Singh jumps him to start for a ram into the cage. Commentary immediately buries Singh as being terrible in the ring but he wound up being rich anyway because he’s a good businessman. Sheik sends him into the cage and gets in some pencil shots, only for Singh to take it away and stab him in the head.

Singh is rammed into the cage again but keeps Sheik from escaping with a pull of the trunks. More choking and brawling in the corner doesn’t go anywhere as Cornette places this match in the early 80s. Singh can’t get out of the cage either so he knocks Sheik down…and right through the door to retain the title at 7:46.

Rating: C-. This was all about the brawling and violence and, well, what else were you expecting? The match was just kind of dull and neither of them were going to be able to do much here but the fans were into it. That’s about as good as it gets for these two and thankfully they kept it short, which is often a positive move.

From San Antonio, Texas, April 9, 1984.

Southwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Titles: Fabulous Blonds vs. Manny Fernandez/Al Perez

The Blonds (Eric Embry/Ken Timbs) are defending with Fernandez taking Timbs down with a headscissors to start as Cornette talks about how Embry could have been a star if he was taller, stronger or more tanned. Timbs takes over with an armbar and a backdrop into another armbar as commentary talks about how Perez could have been a star if he developed the muscles between his ears a bit more.

Fernandez is back up with a dropkick into an armdrag and of course commentary praises him a bit more, mainly because Fernandez was that much better. Perez comes in for a middle rope shot to the arm and the armbar goes on again. Some big knees to the arm keep Timbs in trouble as commentary goes into quite the discussion of cosmetic appeal in wrestling. Back up and Timbs misses an elbow and it’s right back to an armdrag into an armbar.

It works so well that he does it again but Timbs gets up and brings in Embry for the running forearm. There’s the double backdrop to put Perez down again and Timbs’ elbow gets two. An atomic and knee drop combine for two on Perez but he gets in a shot of his own. The tag is cut off though and Fernandez is drawn in, meaning the referee has to send him back.

Perez backdrops out of Embry’s piledriver attempt and Fernandez comes back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champions are sent into each other. Back up and Embry tries another piledriver but Fernandez drops him with a clothesline to give Perez the pin and the titles at 10:58.

Rating: C+. Things got better at the end and you could see the match building along the way, with Fernandez waiting to come in and run through everyone. Perez was indeed someone who could have been a star if he could put it all together but that never really happened. Fernandez was a star who could have been a lot bigger but almost always did well when he was given the chance, especially in a smaller place like this one. Good enough stuff here, with the ending boosting it up.

Post match the Blondes jump them again and the Sheepherders run in to beat on Perez and Fernandez. Bobby Jaggers and more run in for the save.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 6, 1977.

NWA World Title: Terry Funk vs. Harley Race

Funk is defending and we’re joined in progress with Funk getting two off a backbreaker. A piledriver gets the same and Funk drops a knee as it is so strange to see Funk wrestling such a basic style. Race is back up with a snapmare for two and a good backbreaker gets the same.

Funk gets in a flying headscissors of all thing to take Race down, only to be sent outside. Back in and Race goes up top but gets slammed down, setting up the spinning toehold. That’s broken up so Race tries a suplex, with Funk falling down on top of him for another near fall. Funk goes back to the spinning toehold but Race escapes again and hits a shinbreaker (on Funk’s bad knee). An Indian Deathlock, eventually, makes Funk give up at 7:14.

Rating: B-. You didn’t get to see much from the two of them, but of course it was technically sound and logical, because you shouldn’t expect anything else from these two. Race was about 33 here and a staggering 17 year veteran already as he wins his second title. That man was an incredibly rare case and it was always a treat to watch him in the ring. Funk on the other hand is a legend is in his own right and it’s still bizarre to see him doing something like this, as he was so good at this style in addition to the stuff that made him famous to more modern audiences.

Post match Race jumps up and down in celebration, which makes sense but dang it feels weird to see from him.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, probably around 1977.

Pepper Gomez vs. The Bounty Hunter

Gomez knocks him into the corner to start and grabs an armdrag for another knockdown. A right hand drops Hunter again as commentary talks about Gomez having a very strong stomach. Gomez works on an armbar and the referee kicks Hunter’s feet off the ropes, which doesn’t seem overly fair. Hunter fights back but gets taken down for a seated senton, setting up a jackknife rollup to give Gomez the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but Gomez was a massive name from his time so having him in here was a cool moment. That’s all you can ask for in a situation like this as a lot of his stuff has been lost to time. Hunter was nothing to see but he was basically just there to be a warm body anyway.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May/June 1984.

Austin Idol vs. Jim Neidhart

Neidhart runs him over with a shoulder to start but Idol’s manager Jimmy Hart trips Neidhart down. That means a lot of yelling ensues and Neidhart gets back inside, where we’re clipped to Idol grabbing a backdrop. Neidhart chokes him down into a chinlock and the comeback is cut off.

None of that matters though as Cornette is talking about Memphis history, reaching a level where even Meltzer is just left sitting there listening to him. Neidhart’s bearhug goes on and he even gets a near fall until we’re clipped again to Idol hammering away. Idol grabs a sleeper and here is the Spoiler to jump Idol with a cane. Neidhart covers so Hart comes in for the DQ at 4:53.

Rating: C. This seemed to be a much better match if you could see the whole thing, which is often the case with matches like these. Idol is someone who always felt like he could have been a bigger deal if he was ever on a bigger stage but that wasn’t going to be the case for him, as he just wasn’t going to do something he didn’t want. The draw here was Cornette getting to talk Memphis though, as he excels at it like nothing else.

Post match Neidhart and Spoiler beat Hart down but Idol makes the save. Hart even gets in a few shots of his own and rips off his jacket in a visual you don’t see very often.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May 21, 1984.

Butch Reed vs. Junkyard Dog

Dog knocks him down to start and drops a right hand, with Reed bailing out to the floor. Reed is pulled back in and the all fours headbutts send Dog outside, with commentary pointing out that Dog stole the move from Terry Funk. Back in again and Reed is choked down in the corner but gets in a cheap shot as Cornette gets to sing Bill Watts’ praises. A double clothesline leaves both of them down, allowing Cornette to tell more stories about Dog’s incredible popularity.

Reed grabs a chinlock into a front facelock, which goes on for a good while so it’s more Cornette Storytime (which granted is the big appeal of this whole set). Dog fights up with an atomic drop and a clothesline as you can feel the energy picking up. Said energy is capped off when Dog hits the Thump for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a good match as much as it was a match where you could see how great they could have been if Dog was at his best. The problem with Dog is he got out of shape fast and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it. When he was at this peak though, it was something special and this wasn’t quite that, but it was still good enough stuff.

From Memphis, Tennessee, sometime in 1984ish.

Rick Rude/Jim Neidhart/Ox Baker/Japanese Assassin vs. Robert Reed/Tiger Mask/Keith Eric/Mad Dog

The Assassin kicks away at Eric and Rude, in a dress because of a Memphis stipulation, and it’s off to Neidhart to throw him around. Dog comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner for a beating from Baker. Mask (no not that one, as this is Ken Wayne) comes in and gets pummeled just as quickly and Reed gets beaten up as well. I guess Baker didn’t care for The Brady Bunch In The White House. Anyway Neidhart powerslams Eric and Rude adds a swinging neckbreaker for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C. This wasn’t so much of a squash as much as it was a total and complete destruction, which was normal for a match on Memphis TV. Rude was ticked off because of the dress and Baker was ticked off because of who he was in general. It was fun to see this kind of a beating as it always looked good to see someone get decimated like that.

From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984.

Jerry Lawler vs. King Kong Bundy

Bundy, with Jimmy Hart, splashes Lawler in the corner to start and stomps the crown, with Cornette saying that’s going to come out of Bundy’s paycheck. Lawler gets elbowed down again and the ecstatic Hart is already cheering on the apron. Bundy sends him into the corner for a right hand and Lawler, tired of being squashed, rolls out to the floor. That just earns him a posting and an elbow drop for two back inside. The chinlock goes on and Bundy switches it to a bearhug, with Lawler finally breaking out. Lawler goes outside again and the chase is on, with Bundy getting tired rather quickly.

More stalling ensues, with the story of the match being that Hart is paying Bundy by the minute and Lawler wants to cost Hart money. As commentary points out, that means they can they can just run around and keep the story going without getting physical. Lawler finally gets caught by Hart though and Bundy takes over with some big right hands. Bundy drops an elbow but misses a splash and the strap comes down so it’s time for the comeback. Cue Rick Rude to distract Lawler though and Bundy gets in a chain shot, followed by the splash for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. This was a great illustration of doing something with nothing, because people wanted to see Lawler cost Hart money and it worked like a charm. In other words, the company got creative with an idea and ran with it, which was what you had to do when you were running so often. It worked here and Bundy’s limitations were hidden at the same time. Not too bad.

From Detroit, Michigan, October 8, 1978.

Terry Funk vs. Mark Lewin

Lewin actually takes him to the mat by the arm to start and shrugs off some headbutts, with Funk hurting himself by mistake. An armdrag into another armbar has Funk in trouble and the fans rather pleased. The wristlock goes on as they head outside and then back inside as commentary talks about Paradise Alley.

Lewin switches off to a hammerlock but gets sent crashing out to the floor. Funk stomps away and grabs a chair, with Lewin bashing Funk in the head. Somehow that’s not a DQ so Lewin grabs a sleeper….and a rather large football player named Walter Johnson (of the Cleveland Browns) comes in to jump Lewin for the DQ at 5:55.

Rating: C+. The armbar was a bit repetitive but you could tell that the two of them had the energy and the crowd were way behind Lewin. The end was a big moment with the interference from an NFL player and the match certainly felt important. I was expecting more violence, but they did at least use a piece of a chair so we got something.

Post match Funk (bleeding) and Johnson beat on Lewin with a piece of the chair. That’s more like it.

From Memphis, Tennessee, July 9, 1984.

AWA International Title: Tommy Rich vs. Masao Ito

Ito is defending. The match listing gets Ito’s name wrong (“Massao”) but I doubt it was printed very often. We’re joined in progress with Rich grabbing a headlock takeover and a snapmare takes Ito down again. Ito shrugs that off and chops away before blocking an O’Connor roll. Rich knocks him down but gets chopped into the required nerve hold but Rich is up again to strike away.

That earns him another nerve hold but Rich gets up to lose a slugout. Ito’s middle rope splash misses so Rich hits an ax handle and the Thesz press (his finisher) but Ito’s goons make the save. Some powder to the eyes gives Ito two but Tojo Yamamoto gives Rich some salt to blind Ito right back. A crossbody gives Rich the pin and the title at 8:04.

Rating: B. This really got going and it was one of the best matches on the set thus far. Rich could do a fired up comeback like few others and the title change felt like a big deal. The fans were into Rich and it was cool to see this kind of thing happen, as it was quite the ordeal, showing you what can happen with a well told story.

From Memphis, Tennessee, June 4, 1984.

AWA Southern Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Kamala

Lawler is defending and Kamala rushes him into the corner for a fast start. Kamala chokes him down and sends him outside before Lawler’s right hand has no effect. More right hands just make Kamala jump into the air and grab the always lame pectoral claw. That’s only good for two so Kamala chops him on the mat and gets two off the splash. Lawler isn’t having this and fights up, with the strap coming down and the big right hand rocking Kamala for a change.

Kamala goes for the throat though and Lawler is right back down, which isn’t something you saw too often around here. The beating continues, with Lawler being knocked onto the announcers’ table as Jimmy Hart is thrilled at ringside. Lawler almost gets back inside so Kamala beats him down again, then does the same thing again. Hart gets the referee’s attention though and Lawler blasts Kamala with a chair. That leaves Kamala convulsing on the floor as Lawler wins by countout at 10:28.

Rating: B-. Kamala was a heck of a monster and it was easy to get behind anything Lawler was doing, especially in Memphis. The fans loved him no matter what and that was even more true when he was fighting a monster. That was a perfect spot for someone like Kamala and it worked rather well here. Good stuff, with Lawler looking like a hero by taking him out in the end.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, early 1970s.

Blackjack Mulligan/Ray Stevens/Baron Von Raschke vs. The Crusher/Dick The Bruiser/Sailor Art Thomas

Crusher and Stevens start things off with Stevens hammering away, earning himself a lifting choke. Raschke comes in and gets chased away as we’re clipped to Crusher taking over on Mulligan. Stevens goes up top and everything breaks down but we’re clipped again to Crusher working on Mulligan’s arm.

Mulligan powers him into the corner for some triple teaming and everything breaks down again. Stevens rakes Bruiser’s eyes so Bruiser goes nuts on him, even sending him outside. A young Bobby Heenan helps Stevens back in and everything breaks down again, with Raschke being rammed into Mulligan. Raschke gets double backdropped for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: B-. This was a big star studded match to wrap up the set and it was cool to see something from such a bygone era. The Bruiser and the Crusher were incredibly popular stars of their day and Stevens is one of the best in-ring performers of all time. It worked well and it felt like a big deal when everyone was in the ring. Fun match.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case with the previous two discs, and as will be the case with the other two discs, there wasn’t much to be said for a lot of the wrestling. Most of it was ok (and some of it was rather good) but the real draw here was all of the history lessons. You might not be into it if you’re not a fan of wrestling history, but there is some incredibly interesting stuff in there, with some of Cornette’s stories being a mixture of fascinating and hilarious. More good stuff here, and I’m sure I’ll have a good time with the other two.

 

 

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Canadian Big Time Wrestling
Date: 1975
Location: London Arena, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentator: Lord Layton

This is something that was released on the Maple Leaf Wrestling Youtube channel and is called Dave McKigney’s unaired pilot for the show. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this and it could go absolutely anywhere. If nothing else, it’s interesting that the show was not picked up, as it might not bode well for what we’re seeing. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring a montage of people throwing fireballs for some reason.

Layton runs down the card, which seems to feature a lot of midwestern American talent.

We get O Canada.

Gene Dubois vs. Waldo Von Erich

According to the description on Youtube, Dubois is the McKigney who produced the show. Von Erich jumps him to start and fires off some knees in the corner, with Dubois not even getting his jacket off. A backdrop doesn’t work for Von Erich as Dubois lands on his feet and gets the jacket off to start the comeback (apparently it’s his Kryptonite). Von Erich gets knocked to the floor but the chase lets him hammer Dubois down and choke away.

Dubois fights up and hits him in the “midriff” before stomping Von Erich in the “knee”. The referee holds him back for a bit, with the distraction letting Von Erich fight back. A thumb to the throat has Dubois down but he slugs away and hits a running boot in the corner. The beating goes outside and they both have to beat the count. Von Erich kicks him back out to the floor and then kicks him again, which is enough for a DQ at 6:33. Well that’s enforcing the rules.

Rating: C. The ending left a bit to be desired but then again it’s 1975 so things were more than a bit different. Von Erich is one of the lesser known members of the family but he was good enough for a spot like this. Dubois being the one putting the show together and getting a spot makes sense, though he was nothing special in the ring.

The Patriot vs. Jay York

The Patriot is a masked man (not Del Wilkes of course) and York is an Alaskan. York takes him down by the arm to start and pulls from the mat with Patriot not being able to get out. Patriot finally reverses into the same pulling, setting off a string of counters on the mat. Patriot’s headscissors slows things down but gets reversed into a leg crank as this is more technical than I was expecting.

A hammerlock has Patriot in more trouble and they take turns exchanging leglocks. Patriot pulls away again as Layton explains that any titles are sanctioned by the NWA, including President Sam Muchnick. Back up and…well never mind as York pulls him back down into a chinlock which is described as “unusual”. York is back up with a clothesline for the win at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Very technical match here and it was fairly entertaining, with York being someone who has impressed me enough over the years. It was a good display of talented people getting on the mat and working out there, which is something you can always use on a show. Patriot could have been just about anyone but he was fine enough in the ring.

United States Title: Tiger Jeet Singh vs. The Sheik

The Sheik is defending in a cage and you have to escape through the door, with over the top not counting for some reason. They go right at it to start with Sheik being sent into the cage over and over. Singh goes for the door so Sheik chokes away to cut him off. Sheik isn’t getting out either though and it’s time to stab Singh in the head with something.

Singh fights back up so Sheik goes over the top, which is cut off almost immediately. The now bleeding Sheik can’t get out of the door in a few attempts so Singh pulls him back in. The beating is on but Sheik grabs the foot before he can escape. Singh chokes a lot and throws him down but it’s still not enough to escape. Some right hands rock Sheik…who falls out of the door to retain at 7:47.

Rating: C. Gah I can’t stand that finish but you know the Sheik isn’t going to lose almost any time. The Sheik had a near strangle hold on that title and he wasn’t about to lose it on something like this. Singh was a star in his day so this was a big time match, but it was only going to get so far with the kind of strange rules and the lame ending.

North American Title: Stan Stasiak vs. Ron Doner

Stasiak is defending (apparently the NWF version of the title) and Doner strikes away a few times to start, much to Stasiak’s annoyance. Doner pulls him down with an armdrag into an armbar but Stasiak fights up. A big shot in the corner misses though and Stasiak bangs up his hand, meaning it’s time for a trip to the floor. Back in and Stasiak works on the arm but gets reversed into a top wristlock. That’s broken up so Doner ties him up in the ropes and hammers away again. Stasiak gets out and hits a quick Heart Punch to retain at 4:19.

Rating: C+. Stasiak has never done much for me but he felt like a big deal here. He felt like a monster that Doner was trying to slay but couldn’t get very far. Granted they only had so much time so there was only so much you could get out of the thing. It’s probably the best I’ve seen from Stasiak though and he did well enough as the evil champion.

Tag Team Titles: Mickey Doyle/Billy Red Lyons vs. Lanny Poffo/Angelo Poffo

The Poffos, with Saul Weingroff, are defending the Detroit versions of the titles. Doyle and Angelo start things off with Doyle armdragging him out to the apron. Back in and Angelo works on the arm before hitting him in the face a few times. With Doyle on the floor, Lanny comes in for some flips, followed by a dropkick to put Doyle outside again. Doyle gets back in and knocks Lanny into the ropes, allowing the diving tag off to Lyons.

House is quickly cleaned so Lanny quickly dives (they like doing that in this match) over to Angelo, who begs off rather quickly. Lyons takes over without much trouble and it’s back to Lanny as we take a break. Back with Lyons holding Lanny so Doyle can forearm him in the chest. Doyle dropkicks him down and it’s back to Angelo, who begs off again. Some slams get two on Angelo and Lyons adds some more before getting taken into the wrong corner.

A jumping forearm to the back of the head gives Lanny two but Lyons backdrops him to the floor. The Poffos have a breather on the floor and Lanny is back in with a missile dropkick (that’s a BIG spot for 1975). Doyle’s comeback is quickly cut off but he slams Angelo a few more times.

Everything breaks down and the Poffos are knocked outside again for a meeting with Weingroff. Angelo comes back in and punches Lyons into the corner but Lyons suplexes his way to freedom. Doyle and Lanny come in for a crisscross until they ram heads and Lanny falls on top (with a push from Angelo) for the pin to retain at 15:35 (announced at 8:15, which is nuts even by wrestling timing).

Rating: C+. Well, the Midnights and the Rock N Roll can’t get here soon enough as it’s so bizarre to see tag matches just kind of coming and going without much structure. They were doing a bunch of stuff over and over until a kind of screwy finish. Lanny’s flips felt way ahead of their time and he stood out, while the fans were behind the challengers. Not a particularly great match, but it was nice to see something get that much time.

Post match, Layton says he doesn’t accept that and says Angelo shoved Lanny onto the cover. That’s actually enough for a DQ, with Layton and Weingroff arguing. The Poffos yells at Layton as the show goes off the air.

Overall Rating: C+. This is the definition of something that is of its time. The action was certainly fine enough and you could see some talent involved. At the same time, this really didn’t feel like a pilot, as much as “here’s a bunch of people, they’re having matches, you might like it”. I’ve seen far worse, but I’m not sure if I’d want to watch this on a regular basis. It’s VERY Detroit based (also known as Big Time Wrestling and only about two hours from London, Ontario) so there’s a good chance it was an offshoot or at least connected to the other promotion. This wasn’t bad, but it needed some adjustments to make it better.

 

 

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It’s another old one so I apologize in advance for this being awful.

Great American Bash 1995
Date: June 18, 1995
Location: Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan

Well it’s been awhile hasn’t it? More or less it’s the same thing here as Hogan is off doing whatever so the main event is Flair vs. Savage to avenge the ending of the last PPV. Other than that there’s not a ton here to work with which isn’t out of the ordinary for WCW. The midcard looks awful but the opener could be decent. Arn Anderson vs. Renegade though is a scary idea and I have a terrible feeling I know where this is going. Let’s get this over with.

Apparently there was a US Title Tournament and the finals are tonight. Ok then. Apparently Vader had it stripped from him. Ok then. Heenan’s glasses are interesting looking. It’s Father’s Day which works for the Poffo thing. He passed away recently so this is a big sad. And Vader wants Hogan.

Alex Wright vs. Brian Pillman

As my mom used to say, they’re both good guys but they’re just wrestling to see who’s better. Sometimes you need a mark’s perspective to really get the gist of a match. Pillman is a ladies man or something here. His theme would suggest that I guess. This should be decent if nothing else. Heenan is having microphone issues. Wright gets a decent pop actually. I’ve always liked his music.

Yeah we can’t hear Heenan at all but it’s clear he’s talking as Tony defers to him and we get silence. Ah there he is, insulting both guys. I love that. He’s good for that if nothing else. Bobby is hilarious, plain and simple. The Bengals would have been a lot better if they had traded Pillman apparently. That’s just awesome. Wow Brian is crisp out there. It’s a shame he screwed up his ankle as badly as he did.

Craig Pittman is apparently wrestling twice tonight and that’s never been done. WOW. The crowd is small here but it’s a hot one so that’s a perk. They’re doing a technical style here. Yeah I’m stunned too. Wright was someone they were pushing hard at this point but the same could be said about Pillman as he’s always awesome. This has been solid so far.

WCW in this era didn’t get much right but they got openers right, normally with Pillman in them. They’re out there wrestling. It’s nice to see for a change. Pillman takes us to the floor and the fans are liking it. Now it’s more of a fight. I like the transition there. Pillman was about to turn heel in case you were wondering. Heenan is sober tonight so that’s an upgrade for him. Ok we get it: the crowd is here. Stop showing them.

In a nice looking spot, Pillman gets suplexed over the top and to the floor. I like it. That should be a DQ under WCW rules but they let it slide since Wright wasn’t in the ring. See why that rule is stupid? Pillman hits a Suicide Dive to the floor. Remember that was a far bigger spot back in the day. Both are down on the floor now. Ok scratch that and reverse it. Wright misses a cross body from the top. I’m liking this.

When they both try a dropkick and both miss, why do they stay down? It’s the same landing for both of them, so why are they down now? Wright hits the cross body this time for two which is apparently his finisher. And Pillman has a bad knee. Ah he was faking. No wonder he was in the Hart Foundation.

German suplex gets two for Wright. Oh come on this is pro wrestling. We need our stereotypes! Pillman goes for a crucifix into a sunset flip but Wright ducks down and gets the clean pin! Nice ending!

Rating: B+. Excellent choice for an opener here as they let two young guys (Pillman was 33 but like he was ever old a day in his life) go out there and show off. That’s how you open a show and it worked like a charm here. I really liked this but then again I like both guys to a certain extent. Something tells me this is the highlight of the show though, but still it’s good stuff.

We recap DDP vs. Dave Sullivan who are feuding over Kimberly and Dave’s pet rabbit. DDP says he’s the best arm wrestler in the world. I’m in awe that this guy became the biggest face in the company. I truly am. If anyone beats him at arm wrestling they get a date with Kimberly, who is known at the Diamond Doll at this point. Van Hammer had him beaten but Maxx Muscle, DDP’s bodyguard made the save. This is taking WAY too long. Remember this is all recap.

Dave Sullivan has his rabbit named Ralph in it. Oh dear. He’s reminding me of Eugene. Not the entertaining Eugene, but the annoying one.

Arm Wrestling: Dave Sullivan vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Ah and Kevin Sullivan is now the Taskmaster. At least we’re getting to the better angle. How in the world is that the better angle? That’s a sad thing to say isn’t it? If you’ve seen any arm wrestling match in wrestling history you can figure this out. Oh and Page is rich here. Yeah it means nothing but I’m trying to fill in time.

Dave of course is in full wrestling gear and wins it. The cheating doesn’t work and this is idiotic. Yeah Kimberly made sure Page lost. The video shows this and of course the announcers can’t figure this out. Page wants a rematch. He doesn’t get one but he whines a lot. No rating, as this was the biggest waste of time I can remember in a good while, and in mid 90s WCW, that’s saying A LOT.

Heenan points out how stupid this is.

We hear about Craig Pittman saying he’ll fight as many times as it’s going to take to win. He won on the pregame show, so he’s doing it again here. His opponent, Marcus Bagwell, is hurt, so he gets Jim Duggan instead.

Craig Pittman vs. Jim Duggan

In case you’re wondering for no apparent reason, Pittman beat former TNA guy, Scott D’Amore. Pittman was…well he was very annoying and a heel here. Why in the world is this on PPV? They shout at each other and do nothing but bad punching. I hate this show already. Duggan screws up a hiptoss. That’s HARD to do. I want to hit this match in the face. Heenan says Duggan has cauliflower face in an amusing ling.

Pittman is a former Marine that knows a lot of submissions. Good to know. They’re rolling around on the mat like an ECW catfight. OK WE GET IT: THERE IS A CROWD HERE! Pittman is working on the knee. From what I’ve seen online, Bagwell isn’t here due to exploding calf implants. Ok then. Hey let’s talk about Flair and Savage! Ok we’re done talking about it now. Yeah that’s what kind of show we’re dealing with here.

More leg work from Pittman. He dives through the ropes to the floor. Apparently Duggan pushed him. It’s not like we need to have Duggan move or anything to do that but whatever. Duggan SELLS THE KNEE! I’m so proud! And after the leg work for five minutes, let’s go for an armbar. WOW.

He gets a cross armbreaker on and won’t let go until the DQ. So let me get this straight. A guy that allegedly knows how to fight and is a submission master used five minutes of leg work to set up an armbar? I hate this freaking company. What’s on the other show right now? In WWF Mabel would be winning the KOTR. GO BACK TO THE ARMBAR!!!

Rating: F. This was awful to say the least. Seriously, would you THINK in a match you morons? Duggan was the smart guy in this match. That sums the whole thing up very well I’d say.

The Bluebloods, Steven (William) Regal and Bobby Eaton are fighting the Nasty Boys later. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. We get Hitler references from Regal. That sums up everything pretty well. I have a BAD feeling about this match.

Harlem Heat vs. Bunkhouse Buck/Dick Slater

Oh dear just shoot me now. These two got in a fight on the pregame show so we get this as a treat. Harlem Heat beat the Fantastics on the preshow for you old school fans. That’s the highlight of this I guarantee you. Oh and Parker and Sherri start hitting on each other. This is a bonus match? Why do I have a feeling this is a great example of what addition by subtraction would be like? Sherri needs to wear leather more often. She actually looks pretty good in it.

Ok so we have four guys and one with talent. Good to know. Apparently this is a thing about the tag titles. Why am I trying to make sense of this? Slater is a guy that I’ve never been able to stand. He looks like an idiot and he’s the epitome of the southern guy that is allegedly good at being tough but couldn’t work a good match if his life depended on it. Stevie is wearing a t-shirt so I’d bet on some form of an injury.

The crowd is rather dead here but not quite. There’s the Spinarooni, but it’s nothing of note yet. I have no desire to watch this match in case you can’t tell. This team right here is the best example I can give you of why WCW never could be taken seriously for the longest time: no matter what they did or what direction they were going in, they had to have a hillbilly team in there that were tough.

This is one of the sloppiest brawls I’ve ever seen. Heenan points out that the fans don’t seem to care who wins. NICE ONE BOBBY. Now get this for the ending. Booker hooks a small package on Buck. Fine right? Parker, the heel manager, rolls it over. The referee is distracted for 5 seconds so Sherri rolls it BACK over. That gets three after another 5 seconds. In other words, this was a 15 second long small package. That sums up this match pretty well.

Rating: D-. I hated this. It was just boring as all goodness, it served NO purpose and the ending was awful. Why did those two keep getting hired? This was just awful all around. So of course we would have a rematch at Fall Brawl that was somehow worse.

We recap Vader coming out earlier in the night and beating up the 60 some odd year old Nick Bockwinkle while dropping a bunch of expletive bombs. Hogan of course comes out to save it. Back live now and Bockwinkle makes the main event for…that show that’s coming up next. Yes, he forgot the name of the next PPV on live air.

That got him fired actually. Heaven forbid a man in his mid 60s can’t remember some PPV that hasn’t happened yet that he’s not at. Oh no, he forgot something! Give me a break. Oh he made Hogan vs. Vader in a cage.

Flair, ROCKING the black robe, talks about Hogan and Vader. Because everyone has to talk about Hogan right? Ah good he’s talking about Savage more. That’s better. Gene: Either Savage is furious or he’s smoking a big cigar because there’s smoke coming out from under that door. WOW I just cracked up at that. We get a reference to 92 and the Liz angle without saying it of course. We need less of that in TNA. It can happen, but focus on what’s going on in YOUR company, not what happened in others.

TV Title: Renegade vs. Arn Anderson

This could be painful. Remember that Renegade is the guy that literally was hired by WCW to run around really fast and make people possibly believe he was Warrior. He was somehow worse than Warrior in the ring though. What does that tell you? Anderson is Anderson so there you are. That Horsemen theme is soothing to say the least though. Literally it just calmed me down. Simply put, Anderson is above this nonsense.

This guy looks like Warrior to an extent. That’s all we’ve got. And of course Anderson can’t hurt him. One of the greatest wrestlers in the world is having to no sell for a bad imitation of a guy Hogan had to carry. What does that tell you? The paint comes off Renegade’s face and now ANYONE that can see could tell that’s not Warrior. Remember, he makes Warrior look good in the ring. For no apparent reason we have a DDP chant.

Even Renegade’s HEADLOCKS are awful looking. That’s saying a lot. Just remember, WE HAVE A CROWD! Arn busts out an enziguri and Renegade no sells it. Ok, there’s being tough and then there’s being stupid. A KICK TO THE FREAKING HEAD IS GOING TO HURT! Even Goldberg would sell that a bit and he’s freaking GOLDBERG. How about a sleeper? Nope that’s not going to work either.

It should be noted that every hold Anderson uses Renegade counters into one of his own so he’s not even original here. Anderson looks seriously ticked and I can’t blame him a bit. Should be noted that Renegade is getting VERY little reaction and that’s being nice. Ok, now this is where you can tell the whole thing isn’t working. Arn hits the spinebuster, his FINISHING MOVE, and the crowd freaking ERUPTS.

Again, let me make this clear: one of the top heels in the company just hit his finishing move to one of the top faces and the crowd is VERY HAPPY about it. WCW, is it possible, just POSSIBLE, THAT YOU ARE IDIOTS??? He keeps kicking out and Arn is MAD. And now they hit heads so they’re both down. So a jumping foot from Arn doesn’t work as well as his head. Got it.

A bad top rope splash gives Renegade the title. I hate my life. AND HE GETS PYRO. Are you kidding me? SERIOUSLY??? And the Giant is in the front row and is ticked. Giant is more commonly known as Big Show mind you. Renegade does the look at his hands crap that Warrior did. I’m hating this company more than I thought was humanly possible.

Rating: F. No. Seriously, LISTEN TO THE FREAKING AUDIENCE! Again, a Hogan idea doesn’t work the way he wants it to so he just goes on with it anyway. And people wonder why this company bombed for so many years. I’m stunned. Actually I’m not but whatever. This was so stupid that it’s not even bad. The crowd was cheering for the heel because of how stupid the face was. That’s saying a lot.

The Nastys and Blue Bloods don’t like each other. Again, why are these teams on PPV? Well at least it’s not Harlem Heat vs. the Nastys. They just interfered in it. No real angle. The Blue Bloods just think they should be champions. The Nastys say their usual stuff.

Tag Titles: Nasty Boys vs. Blue Bloods

Something tells me this is going to be bad. We have good wrestlers on the heel team though so that’s good. The Nastys hit the heels with their jackets to start us off. Bobby Eaton and Regal are having their faces rubbed into the armpits of the Nasty Boys. They’re above this. And three of these guys are still active wrestlers today. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure really.

There’s no real semblance of a match going on here. It’s just a brawl. I guess you can call this a brawl. They’ve been in the ring all of a minute and we’re about 7 minutes into this. Thank you Regal for trying to make this watchable. And of course Brian Knobbs gets to beat both heels up on his own. I don’t think the Nastys have done anything but punch all match long. AGAIN WITH THE STUPID CROWD!

WCW seems more obsessed with Vince was than making sure to let us know there are actual PEOPLE in the arena. When Sags is the best wrestler on your team, that’s a very bad sign. Sags is in trouble now so he and Knobbs have just switched places. Seriously, what is Nasty about these guys? I’ve never gotten that. There appears to be a large man in the front row in boxers. Sure why not.

In case you can’t tell, this is a rather boring match. Naturally it’s the second longest match on the card. Why would Flair and Savage need more time? We’ve got NASTY BOYS! Another wide shot and I still don’t care at all. We talk about the history of the Great American Bash to kill some time.

Oh and there will be 100,000 people at Bash at the Beach (remember it was free to get into). Yeah sure there will be. Harlem Heat and Sherri are here for no apparent reason to beat up the Nastys and of course it causes them to keep their belts. Yep there’s your ending. I really hate this company.

Rating: D-. And that’s out of sympathy for Regal and Eaton who were clearly trying to make SOMETHING out of this. However, the Nastys suck. They just simply do. There’s no way around it. The Nasty Boys are terrible in the ring and they were here. When you can make Eaton and Regal look bad, that’s impressive. It truly is.

So there was a tournament to have a new US Champion. Apparently there were 16 people and it’s down to Sting vs. Meng. Also in it were Brian Pillman, Bunkhouse Buck, Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Marcus Bagwell, Paul Orndorff, Johnny B. Badd, Randy Savage, Butcher, Big Bubba, Alex Wright, Ric Flair and the Patriot.

They list off all the matches but that’s all you need to know as the brackets aren’t shown. We did get Savage vs. Austin though which is a good match as you would expect. Savage vs. Flair was a semi-final but they had a double DQ so this, the other semi-final, is now the final. Complicated enough so it’s perfect for WCW.

Colonel Parker, Meng’s manager, says he doesn’t like the north so he wants something to go home with. This takes forever to say of course.

There might be 150,000 people at Bash at the Beach. We get a promo for it. I don’t think it hit 10,000.

Sting says he’s not afraid of Meng and he’s been here a long time. See, that took 30 seconds. LEARN TO DO THAT PEOPLE!

US Title: Sting vs. Meng

Around this time, Sting was the most over wrestler in the world and was wrestling solid matches so of course they stuck him in the midcard and had him in random angles in the main event without ever wrestling in it. My guess: to prevent Hogan from looking weak by comparison. You can see the fans wake up for him. The guy is just universally loved…so Russo has been obsessed with turning him heel over the years.

It hasn’t worked yet but this one is too early to say so I’ll let it slide. Again, notice that guys that play directly to the crowd, in this case yelling at them, get bigger reactions that anyone on the roster. See, the key difference between Sting and Hogan: both could get EPIC responses, but Sting could work very solid matches and in more than one style. Hogan was as formula based as Flair and that’s saying a lot.

Sting could work a lot of styles and could work for LONG periods of time. Meng is supposed to be a martial arts master here so his offense is considered great. It’s really weak but it goes to show you what the simple act of talking about how awesome someone is can do for you. It also shows the power the announcers have. They’re talking like they’re scared of Meng so his incredibly weak offense seems more impressive than it actually is. That’s what commentators can do.

Yeah Meng isn’t that good. The hand gyrations from Meng are funny for some reason. Sting gets in some weird offense including a flying fat smash to the face of Meng from the second rope. Yeah it’s weirder than it sounds but it looked ok I guess. It’s impressive to see and hear the crowd change so much depending on how Sting is doing. That says a lot about him. Yes I’m a big Sting fan.

We’re on the floor now and Meng is in trouble. Parker gets beaten up too so this isn’t a total loss. Meng headbutts the post. The Scorpion is put on and Meng doesn’t tap. The hold is broken and the fans go quiet. Sting goes to some of his high risk stuff…and then wins with a jumping DDT?  Wait what?? I’ve never seen him win with that before and I haven’t since. It came out of freaking nowhere.

Something makes me think they had to switch something up in there, maybe due to a missed spot or an injury. Sting was always supposed to win, don’t get me wrong, but the ending was too weird to be what was planned. Actually maybe it was. This is WCW in 1995 after all.

Rating: D+. Pretty weak and formula based stuff here. Sting was over beyond belief and had to win it though. I guess they figured going with Sting was the best bet and it clearly was. This wasn’t much but it did its job fine I suppose. If nothing else we have a champion again and he’s over.

Some guy has won a sweepstakes and is in the front row. Ok then.

We recap Flair vs. Savage which is just them hating each other and Flair beat up Savage’s father. It resulted in Hogan pinning Flair. I know. Such inventive ideas! Flair beat up Savage’s dad to end Slamboree and no one cared. That set up this with Savage now going crazy.

Ever notice these more talented guys have tendencies to act like crazy men in Hogan run companies? Couldn’t be Hogan trying to make them look stupid or weak could it? You might notice it didn’t happen in WWF when Hogan was in charge. Yes I can’t stand Hogan’s methods of running companies. He ruined Flair in WCW and Savage was booked as a crazy man there.

Savage says congratulations to Renegade. Now that Hogan’s idea has been praised, he doesn’t like Flair and says it really quietly as he is known to do. I love his insane promos if nothing else.

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage

It’s a bad sign that they have to point out that this is the main event. It couldn’t have anything to do with the idea that the world champion should be wrestling but isn’t here could it? Wow I really am bitter here. Well the show has sucked and we had to sit through more clips of Hogan making Flair look weak which ticks me off as he does it everywhere so there we go.

Angelo Poffo, Randy’s father, is here with him. That’s ok since it’s Father’s Day. The fans are into it if nothing else. That double axehandle stays sweet. It always has been and it always will be. It’s mostly Flair to start which is odd. Savage comes back and gets no real reaction. And let’s talk about the NBA. Why? Who knows? Let’s do it anyway!

It’s so sad that Flair is now the same old man that is more or less worthless anymore that Poffo is here. I hate to say it but it’s true. Flair works the knee of course so there we are. Savage tries to punch from his back. Ok then. Figure Four is on and Angelo is crying. Brain talks about how the crowd is all watching this. You guessed it: SHOW THE CROWD!!! This has been ok at least and by far the second best match of the night.

The lack of title is hurting it but I can live with that here. Savage is making his comeback. The fans are into this. I’ll say this: the crowd hasn’t been dead tonight. They’ve been confused but they’ve been hot all night. Savage gets the elbow and picks Flair up. He had the clean pin and pulls him up. Something tells me this is stupid.

He gets the bell and the fans pop for Savage’s signature weapon. And he dives at Flair and hits the railing. Angelo is choking Flair with his cane. And it meets Savage’s head and there’s your pin. The fans pop for it. Like I said, it’s a confused crowd tonight. Savage and his father leave together to end the show.

Rating: B. The ending made next to no sense as Savage should have gone over here but at the same time it was a good enough match. The problem for me was that I felt like we needed something else now. It’s like while this was an ending to the show, there was something missing at the end of the show. This is going in the wrong place. The match was solid, but at the same time it had its flaws. Good enough considering who was in it though.

Overall Rating: D. This was a pretty weak show to me. There are two matches that worked, but at the same time bad parts were REALLY bad. The crowd here was…different. They liked what they like I guess so there we are. The show just wasn’t that good, plain and simple. I mean Pittman vs. Duggan? Seriously? The opener and the main event were good so I’ll give them that, but other than that the rest of the card was just boring. Take a pass here.

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