WWE Vault Grab Bag III
Commentators: Trevin Adams, Mister Saint Laurent, Byron Saxton, Gordon Solie, Wade Barrett, Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, Billy Graham, Ron Trongard, Lord Alfred Hayes, Joey Styles

We’ll do this again, as there are so many matches released on the Vault and I want to take a look at them. As a result, I get to put together something like a playlist of random matches. This makes for some interesting options and hopefully that is the case again here. There are no connections to these matches and that makes it more fun. Let’s get to it.

From Millennium Final (a German exclusive PPV).

European Cup: Sting vs. Kevin Nash

It’s a tournament final and boxer Axel Schultz is guest referee. Nash powers him into the corner to start and hits the elbows, including the framed one for good measure. Sting goes for the leg to take him down and the referee (in a hat) keeps checking on Nash, who has to tell him that it’s cool. Back up and Nash gets in a shot in the corner before booting a Stinger Splash away. Snake Eyes sets up the running crotch attack on the ropes for two, followed by a side slam for the same. Sting fights out of the chinlock, knocks him down and grabs the Scorpion Deathlock for the fast tap at 5:39.

Rating: C-. It was pretty clear that they didn’t want to do much here and they got out pretty quickly. That’s fair enough as Nash had already worked earlier in the show and the fans were going to go nuts for anything anyway. It was basically a quick “send them home happy” match and the fans are going to cheer for Sting no matter what.

From Evolve 63 (I told you these would be random).

Ethan Page vs. Drew Galloway

Anything goes and Galloway is of course better known as McIntyre. Page takes him down by the legs to start and the fight is on fast. They go outside with Page throwing a trashcan at him but Galloway avoids a ram into the wall. Instead Page kicks him in the face and they go up some steps, with Galloway getting in a low blow but Page knocks him back down.

A chair to the back keeps Galloway in trouble and Page suplexes him on the floor to make it worse. They fight towards the entrance with Page hitting a superkick but getting dropped hard onto the floor. Galloway sends him back into the ring and it’s time for a piece of the barricade to be thrown inside. Some chairs are tossed in as well but Page uses the delay to fight up and grabs a small ladder.

The ladder is thrown inside but page takes too long and gets chaired down again. The ladder is set up and Page gets powerbombed off for two in a big crash. Galloway can’t piledrive him onto a pair of open chairs, as Page backdrops him onto the chairs for two instead. An RKO is shoved into the chairs though and the Futureshock onto the chair gives McIntyre the pin at 14:53.

Rating: B. They did a nice job of beating each other up, though they never quite got to that next level where it felt like two people who hated each other trying to take the other out. If nothing else, it’s weird seeing Page in a big time serious singles match but he did well enough. Galloway is of course awesome at pretty much anything he does and it makes sense that WWE would want this version of him back.

We go to Florida in 1978 for a press conference, showing NWA President Eddie Graham announcing an NWA World Champion Harley Race vs. WWWF World Champion Billy Graham title vs. title match at the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 25, 1978. They both have to put up $25,000 and the purse goes 70/30. They’re both ready to win (and I know it’s them because the “hello, my name is” tags) and prove that they’re the best, with Gordon Solie having some wine. Apparently the referee is still up for debate.

At a later date, we get a face to face exchange of promos, with both of them saying pretty much exactly what you would expect. Race says he has heard this kind of thing time after time from someone who wants to be where he already is. Graham better be ready for the toughest fight he has ever had. That’s fine with Graham, who takes his shirt off to show his muscles. Race says he doesn’t need any of that because he’s already the best.

We go to the match, with special referees Gorilla Monsoon and Don Curtis. It’s pouring rain and we only see clips of the match, including the two of them fighting over a top wristlock. Graham wins the power battle and hits a running shoulder and we’re clipped to Page hitting a piledriver before tying up the leg. We’re clipped again to Graham getting the first fall with a bearhug, which is apparently 40+ minutes into the match.

Another clip shows them crashing out to the floor and Race suplexes him back in to tie the score. Graham is busted open and Race grabs a sleeper, which is broken up with a rake to the eyes. We’re clipped again to Race dropping a headbutt for two but Graham’s back elbow gets the same. Race gets the sleeper again and time expires with Graham basically out cold. I won’t rate it as it was only about seven minutes of sixty, but it was an old school slow paced fight which probably wasn’t overly great.

From Florida Championship Wrestling, January 31, 2010.

Rotundo Brothers vs. Usos

That would be Bo (Bo Dallas) and Duke (Bray Wyatt) vs. Jules (Jey) and Jimmy (Jimmy). Bo and Jimmy start things off with Bo grabbing some early rollups for two each. The front facelock has Jimmy slowed down and a middle rope clothesline sends him outside. The chase on the floor allows Jules to get in a cheap shot and hammer Bo down into the corner. A running Umaga Attack connects for two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and a double elbow from the Usos sets up…uh, well actually a double elbow from the Usos.

Something like a Demolition Decapitator gets two and the double headbutt sets up a sliding chinlock (ok then). Bo fights up with a quick powerslam and it’s off to Duke to clean house. A headbutt that looked a bit low gets two with Jimmy making the save as everything breaks down. Bo is knocked outside and a double Samoan Spike (looked more like a double chop) finishes Duke at 5:20.

Rating: C. This is a perfect example of “oh that match happened?” and then you realize why it isn’t that well known. All four of them were still new at this whole thing so there was only going to be so much to be seen anyway. The Usos were basically getting what they would become, while the other two were miles away from their more famous versions. That’s the point of developmental though and develop they all did.

Dark match from before Monday Night Raw, July 28, 1998.

Minoru Tanaka vs. The Fallen Angel

Yes it’s Christopher Daniels, yes he has hair, and yes it’s a weird look. Tanaka kicks at the leg to start but Angel go up the corner to yell at the fans. Back down and Tanaka kicks away some more before a cross armbreaker sends Angel over to the ropes. A headscissors does the same but this time Angel is back with a spinebuster. Angel slowly pounds him down and yells at the fans some more but Tanaka is back with some more kicks.

The spinning kick misses though and Angel grabs a spinning belly to belly for two. What would become the Angel’s Wings connects and the fans certainly like that one. The cover gets two, plus a bell, with the referee having to call it off. Tanaka hits a dropkick and a backdrop driver for two each, followed by a German suplex for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches where you could see that both guys had something to them and they would get there with some more time and experience. At the same time, it’s kind of interesting that Daniels never got a run in WWE. You would think it would have happened at some point but he just never got there (while doing fine elsewhere). On the other hand you have Tanaka and….yeah I’d say he did pretty well.

From Madison Square Garden, June 16, 1984.

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Iron Sheik

Boot Camp match, meaning anything goes and falls count anywhere. Slaughter gets a big pop while Sheik (with Ayatollah Blassie) is booed out of the building. Slaughter runs in and beats on Sheik with the helmet as they’re certainly starting fast. Sheik gets whipped with the riding crop and the fans are going absolutely nuts. Some stick shots to the throat have Sheik in more trouble and a headbutt with the helmet makes it even worse.

The slingshot sends Sheik into the corner but he reverses a whip, allowing Slaughter to do his signature crash over the corner. That’s good for two on the floor and it’s so weird to see this kind of thing in the WWF. Back in and Sheik whips him with a belt before going with some simple choking. Slaughter manages to fight back up and sends him outside, followed by a hard shot to the back inside. Sheik’s boot to the head doesn’t get him very far and Slaughter punches him down for a double breather.

Slaughter sends him crashing out to the floor, where a backbreaker gets two. They’re quickly back inside where Sheik loads up the boot (uh oh), with Slaughter blocking the ram into said boot. Instead Sheik sends him into the post and it’s time to start the spitting. Slaughter is busted open so Sheik bites at the head and kicks him with the loaded boot. Slaughter fights out of the corner and hits a middle rope…uh, flying kick to the head (almost a Stomp), with Sheik being busted open as well.

The big right hands, including the wind up version, drop Sheik for two (with the referee getting back inside to count, as it’s a fight otherwise) but the Slaughter Cannon is cut off. Sheik hits the gutwrench suplex for two more, followed by a regular suplex for another two. With nothing else working, Sheik takes his boot off but walks into the Slaughter Cannon. Slaughter grabs the loaded boot, loads it even more, and knocks Sheik silly for the pin to blow the roof off the place at 15:58.

Rating: A-. I wasn’t expecting much from this but they beat the fire out of each other and the fans were totally hooked. Slaughter was on fire at this point and it was great to see him getting this kind of a reception. At the same time, the Sheik was more than holding up his end. I know he gets all of the attention for being insane, but he can absolutely hang in there with anyone. This was great and absolutely worth seeing.

Dark match from before the November 23, 2007 Smackdown.

Drew McIntyre introduces this one, saying it’s a dark match that everyone wanted to see, though it should probably have stayed in the Vault.

Nasty Boys vs. Drew McIntyre/Dave Taylor

This is an infamous one. The Boys certainly take their time getting to the ring and Sags makes sure to pose a lot on the floor as Knobbs drives Taylor into the corner to start. Taylor does it right back to him as the fans certainly like the Boys. Knobbs hammers away with right hands and grabs a hiptoss. The Boys send McIntyre and Taylor into each other and it’s off to McIntyre, who wants Sags.

McIntyre gets sent hard into the corner for some chops, followed by a hard running clothesline for two. Knobbs comes back in for an elbow drop and the Pit Stop makes things even worse for McIntyre. A hard pumphandle slam gives Sags two and it’s back to Taylor for some uppercuts. Sags avoids a charge and McIntyre runs into Taylor, allowing Sags to come back in for a fireman’s carry/facebuster combination. Ignoring that Sags completely misses McIntyre’s head and Knobbs just drops him, it’s enough for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: D+. There’s a reason this match is more infamous than famous and a lot of it is due to the Boys apparently being very rough with McIntyre. They were also out of shape and then spent a LONG time celebrating after the match, to the point where the start of Smackdown was rushed. If you watch it on its own, it’s just a not very good tag match, but this was all about the behind the scenes stuff and details.

From Madison Square Garden, June 25, 1988 (this is on a bunch of home video releases but let’s see it again).

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase

Savage, with Elizabeth (to counter DiBiase’s Virgil), is defending in a cage. DiBiase jumps him to start fast and Savage is sent into the corner, which just fires him up (like it takes a lot). The comeback is cut off with an elbow to the face though and DiBiase stomps away again. It’s way too early for an escape attempt though and Savage sends him into the corner over and over.

Savage ducks his head though and gets hit in the face as Elizabeth is doing her usual worried face. There’s the fist drop from DiBiase (which always looked great and does here again) but it’s still way too early to climb out. Savage is sent hard into the cage and then dropped with a clothesline but he’s able to cut off DiBiase’s climb again. Virgil earns his pay by going up to stop Savage’s escape attempt though and they’re both back down.

This time Savage reverses a whip into the cage and gets a needed breather. Another climb is cut off by Virgil and DiBiase is there to hammer away. Savage’s clothesline puts both of them down again and he goes for the door, with DiBiase making his own save this time. This results in Graham suggesting that Elizabeth gain about 80lbs of muscle so she can be more valuable in these situations.

With that disturbing image out of the way, it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down again. They both go up a different corner and of course Virgil is there for the save. A suplex puts DiBiase down and an atomic drop sends him into the cage again. Savage goes for the door and Virgil slams the door onto his head.

DiBiase tries to get out and gets pulled back inside so they can slug it out from their knees. Another ram into the cage puts DiBiase down again and Savage climbs, with Virgil cutting him off AGAIN. This time a fan even climbs the cage and is quickly pulled down, leaving Savage to get in a double noggin knocker and drop down to retain at 12:21.

Rating: B+. This was one of those matches where it felt like a fight between two guys in a structure designed to make it more violent. There weren’t very many matches like this one from this era and this is one of the best, as you had two incredible talents who worked very well together. They feuded for a long time and this was probably their best match, which is quite the accomplishment.

From ECW Wrestlepalooza 1998.

TV Title: Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam

Van Dam is defending and Bill Alfonso is officially managing both of them. As a bonus, crooked referee Judge Jeff Jones is in refereeing the match. Sabu dives for the legs to start but can’t get anywhere, leaving Van Dam smirking a bit. The fourth or so attempt works but Van Dam is right back up to miss a kick to the head. Van Dam takes him down with a quickly broken headscissors and they bounce off the ropes a bit for the standoff.

Alfonso approves and Van Dam does the Sabu pose before offering a pat on the back. Actually hang on as Van Dam gets the mic to say they’re not going to fight because they have a plan. We get a tease of double teaming Jones but Sabu kicks Van Dam in the face to take over, with the plan apparently being dropped. A slingshot flipping legdrop gets two on Van Dam and Sabu sends him to the floor for the flip dive.

Back in and the single arm camel clutch goes on, with Van Dam looking…well about the same really. With that broken up, Sabu flips over him, followed by Van Dam doing the same (albeit to Sabu rather than himself). Van Dam kicks him down and hits the corkscrew legdrop for his own near fall. Naturally Alfonso is suddenly a huge Van Dam fan, which is a perfectly logical move for him.

The surfboard has Sabu in more trouble and the slingshot legdrop on the apron connects, with Van Dam crashing out to the floor. Back in and Van Dam grabs a half crab, with Alfonso’s whistling getting all the more annoying. The rope actually gets Sabu out of trouble so Van Dam kicks him in the face. That lets Van Dam bridge a table between the apron and the barricade but Sabu is right there with a dive. The triple jump dive is loaded up but Van Dam gets off the table, only for Sabu to hit a big dive into the crowd anyway.

Back in and Sabu pelts a chair at Van Dam’s head so they’re already back on the floor. Van Dam fights back but Alfonso won’t hold a chair for him, with Alfonso saying he’ll call it down the line and be a winner no matter what. Smart move really, in a Bobby Heenan at the 1989 Royal Rumble way. Sabu is back up with a crotching onto the barricade into an Asai moonsault. The triple jump moonsault misses back inside though and Alfonso is pro Van Dam again.

Van Dam knocks him outside for a crash and there’s the big no hands flip dive for the cool visual. A suplex from the apron through a table is blocked and Sabu’s not great looking springboard moonsault hits Van Dam in the ropes. Van Dam is sent back onto the table as Joey Styles is having a hard time believing that these two are friends. Sabu uses the chair as a stepping stone to the ropes, setting up a DDT onto the table.

Back in and Sabu throws the chair at Van Dam’s head again, setting up a hurricanrana through the table. This means a lot more waiting around as they get to whatever they have in mind next, which is the main theme of the match. Van Dam fights back and catapults him throat first into the bottom rope, setting up a top rope legdrop onto the chair onto Sabu’s face. They go outside (again) where Sabu gets in a hurricanrana off the barricade. Back in and a quick Van Daminator gives Van Dam two and the Five Star connects for the same in a rare kickout.

The monkey flip out of the corner sends Sabu crashing onto the chair for an arrogant two. That’s not good for Sabu, who hits an Arabian Facebuster onto the back of the head for two of his own. Another table is loaded up but it’s already broken so Van Dam kicks him through the rest of the thing.

Van Dam brings in another table and kicks him onto it, followed by a heck of a chair shot to the head. The Five Star through the table only gets two (good grief) and a lifting Pedigree gives Van Dam the same. Sabu is back up with some kicks into a slingshot legdrop for two of his own as they’re somehow getting even slower. A split legged moonsault gets two, as does Sabu’s Arabian press…and time expires at 30:02 (close enough).

Rating: C-. There were some great spots in there, but it was ridiculous to see the two of them kicking out time after time. It was cool to see them doing their stuff, even with Sabu’s usual sloppiness, but they were really dragging near the end and spent far too much of the match selling. I liked the idea of Alfonso calling it right down the line and wanting to leave with the champion, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the annoying aspects here.

Post match they seem to be ok.

Overall Rating: B. As usual it’s hard to give this an overall rating as it’s not meant to be a regular show, but with some actual rarities and two classics, I’ll definitely take this one as an entertaining set. Granted it helped that I picked the matches included, but it was mostly good stuff. As usual, the WWE Vault is one of the best things going in wrestling today and hopefully that continues for a long time to come.

 

 

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Best Of Big Boss Man
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rick Stewart, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This is one of the signature series of the WWE Vault as you get to see various wrestlers throughout their careers. In this case it’s someone who is one of the most memorable parts of the company in his day but he only had so much success. This should be a lot of fun as I was quite the fan so let’s get to it.

As usual, we open with a quick intro.

From Starrcade 1986.

Big Bubba Rogers vs. Ron Garvin

Street fight (meaning you win by pinfall or a ten count) and Jim Cornette is here with Rogers (as he was Cornette’s bodyguard). Garvin punches him in the face to start and Bubba is actually staggered, which wasn’t something that happened very often back then. For some reason Garvin agrees to a test of strength but tis a ruse as he hits Bubba in the face again, this time for a trip to the floor.

Back in and Bubba powers him into the corner and then sends him outside (Cornette: “GARVIN’S A COWARD! HE’S TRYING TO RUN!”). Garvin gets back in and gets sent back outside, where he grabs a drink to throw into Bubba’s face. Now the punches start working and Garvin chokes away a bit, only to get kneed in the face. A splash in the corner gives Bubba eight and some hard stomping gets the same, even with Garvin busted open.

Bubba drops an elbow for two and then stands up, allowing Garvin to get up at an eight count (as I try to figure out if that makes sense). A rope gets brought in so Garvin punches him down and chokes with said rope, followed by a bite to bust Bubba open. Bubba is able to come right back with a bearhug, only for Garvin to use some hard headbutts to break it up. Garvin knocks him out to the floor for a six (Cornette: “BUBBA! FIGHT BACK!”) but Garvin just hits Bubba in the head a few more times.

Bubba might hit him low as they go back inside, where Garvin gets in a slam off the top. The kickout sends Garvin onto the referee so he muscles Bubba up for a Texas piledriver. That earns him a tennis racket shot to the head and they’re both out at ten. That doesn’t work though so it’s the first man to his feet to win. Cornette comes in to yell and gets shoved down by the referee, allowing him to to hit Garvin in the knee with the racket. That’s enough for Bubba to be up first for the win at 11:52.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly what you would expect from a street fight, but it was two hard hitting guys beating each other up. I could have gone for a little something more, but at least they felt like they were having a fight. Garvin was laying in those shots and HIT HIM IN THE FACE is quite the logical way to go. Cornette cheating was exactly what you would expect from him and it fit in well with the ending.

From New York City, March 18, 1989.

Big Boss Man vs. Hulk Hogan

In a cage in MSG and Slick is here with the Boss Man. Well in theory as Hogan chases Slick off before getting inside. Hayes says he’s never seen someone climb over the top and get into a cage. This isn’t even the first time he’s called a match where Hogan came in that way. Hogan chokes him with the shirt from behind to start and sends Boss Man into the corner for some running clotheslines.

One of them puts Boss Man down and sets up a suplex as Hogan is rather energetic here. Boss Man gets in a shot of his own and goes up but Hogan is there to chop away on the ropes. Hogan catches him on top and they strike it out, only for Hogan to be shoved down in a bit crash. That’s enough for Boss Man to get over the top but Hogan is up again, this time with the superplex off the top of the cage, which is nowhere near as epic as the famous one on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The big crash leaves both of them down for a good while until Hogan crawls over to the door. Boss Man gets the boot for the save and Hogan bites him on the head. A spinebuster cuts Hogan off again so Boss Man can choke with a rope. Back up and they ram each other into the cage for another double down. As you might have expected, Hogan gets up first and starts the big comeback, including some rams into the cage.

Boss Man is busted open and Hogan drops the leg so Slick decks the referee and comes inside. This goes as well as you would expect, with Hogan handcuffing Boss Man to the cage. Hogan climbs over as Slick gets the key in, beating him to the floor and hitting Boss Man with a chair as the referee gets up for the win at 11:15.

Rating: B-. It’s no surprise that these two work so well together as they did this match all over the place (including the same day in Boston). Boss Man was as natural of an opponent as Hogan could have had and that’s why he was this role so soon after coming over. It’s not as good as the famous one, but it still worked fine, especially for a house show match.

From Wrestlemania VII.

Before the match, Big Boss Man promises to take the Intercontinental Title from Mr. Perfect, but he’s also out for revenge for Bobby Heenan insulting Boss Man’s mother. The Heenan Family has been mowed down one by one, but now Perfect is the only one left. It’s time for revenge.

Heenan promises to give the people a free look at a law enforcement officer getting a beating. Perfect describes how perfect he happens to be and we’re ready to go.

Intercontinental Title: Big Boss Man vs. Mr. Perfect

Perfect, with Heenan, is defending and Boss Man’s weight loss is remarkable. He’s probably lost about 80lbs since the cage match with Hogan, which was about two years earlier. That’s amazing and he looks FAR better here. Boss Man throws the towel back at Perfect to start and then spits at him before heading outside. Perfect gets punched around ringside and then thrown inside for another beating, including swinging him around BY THE HAIR (GEEZ).

A quick shot to the throat finally cuts Boss Man off and we hit the chinlock, with Perfect starting in on the back. The abdominal stretch goes on and Heenan is demanding the bell is rung. There has to be a Montreal joke there somewhere. Perfect hits a dropkick into the necksnap but the PerfectPlex is countered into a small package. Instead Perfect comes back with something close to a running Blockbuster (with Bossman’s legs almost getting bent backwards underneath him).

Perfect goes up but gets knocked out of the air, sending Heenan into panic mode. Boss Man crotches him against the post but Heenan offers a distraction, allowing Perfect to get in a ram into the steps. That’s a bit too far though and here is ANDRE THE GIANT (thankfully able to walk) to even things up. Andre picks up the title and wacks Perfect in the head, leaving both of them down. Boss Man slowly goes over…and the Heenan Family runs in for the DQ at 10:46.

Rating: C+. These guys had some rather nice chemistry together and it wound up working well, with both of them getting in some offense. It still doesn’t make a ton of sense to have Perfect retain the title here, as he could have gotten it back to drop it to Bret Hart at Summerslam. Either way, the match worked out well, with Boss Man doing some of his best work at this point.

Post match the brawl is on, with Andre helping Boss Man clean house. Andre leaves and Boss Man comes up from behind him and grabs him by the shoulder, with Andre looking like he’s ready to kill him. Everything is cool though.

From Summerslam 1991.

Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie

The loser spends the night in jail and Jimmy Hart is here with the Mountie. Boss Man slugs away to start and knocks Mountie down, only to have Mountie get away from the running crotch attack against the rope. Instead Hart offers a distraction, allowing Mountie to poke him in the eye. Mountie is pulled out of the air, which is rather impressive, and sets up a hard spinebuster. Hart offers another distraction so Mountie can get in a cheap shot to take over.

Back in and a jumping elbow to the back of the face drops Boss Man again. Boss Man misses a charge into the corner to make it even worse, followed by some elbows for a really lazy looking cover. A forearm to the chest knocks Boss Man off the apron and a piledriver gets two back inside. Mountie stands around for a long time until Hart gets up for the distraction. The shock stick doesn’t connect though and it’s a Boss Man Slam…for two? Well that isn’t something you see very often. Instead it’s one heck of an Alabama Slam to give Boss Man the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. The Alabama Slam alone was worth a look, as Boss Man laid him out with that thing. Other than that, it was one of the last big time Boss Man matches, even without much of a reason for doubt. Boss Man going to jail isn’t exactly a thing, while Mountie going to jail has quite the comedic potential. Which is what wound up happening.

Post match Mountie is sent into the police van and taken away….and we don’t see the rest, though this isn’t about him.

From Spring Stampede 1994 (and since we’re in WCW, he has a very original new name).

The Boss vs. Vader

Harley Race is here with Vader. The brawl starts on the ramp, with Race holding Boss but getting crushed by Vader by mistake. Boss knocks Vader over the rope and inside as the bell rings, meaning it’s time to strike away. A big boot and running right hand knock Vader back onto the ramp, where he hits a hard clothesline of his own. Vader throws him over the top and back inside, where a running splash (from the ramp and over the top) hits raised knees.

They go back outside with Vader being sent into the barricade and then then dropped onto it via quite the power display from Boss. Back in again and a rather easy looking slam drops Vader again but he gets back up. They slug it out and Vader gives him a backdrop over the top, with Boss barely getting the rope to help with the flip over. A splash crushes Boss back inside and Vader unloads in the corner.

Back up and Boss slugs away, including a running clothesline to the bleeding Vader. Boss gets run over again so Vader goes up, where Boss powerbombs him down for quite the impressive crash. A middle rope DDT gives Boss two so he goes up for a high crossbody of all things. That looked a bit weird and it makes sense as Boss goes up again but gets powerslammed off the top. The Vader Bomb only gets two so it’s a top rope moonsault to finish Boss at 9:04.

Rating: B+. This was one of Boss’s best matches ever, as he knew how to have a fight rather than wrestling. That’s exactly what it felt like here, as Boss was more than capable of hanging with Vader physically. There is very little in wrestling more entertaining than watching two big guys beating the living daylights out of each other until one of them falls and that’s what we got here. Awesome power brawl.

Post match Race loads up the handcuffs but Boss (or BOSS MAN according to Heenan) fight shim off and unloads on both of them with the nightstick.

From Fall Brawl 1994 and he’s now the Guardian Angel, which was a real group of citizen police. In other words, the WWF threatened to sue, which made sense in this case as THE BOSS might as well have been the exact same gimmick as he had in the WWF.

Guardian Angel vs. Vader vs. Sting

This is a triangle match (meaning two of them have a match and the winner faces the other man in a second match) for a future World Title match and Harley Race is here with Vader. They flip coins and Sting is the odd man out so it’s Vader vs. Angel, winner faces Sting immediately after. Angel gets in Sting’s face and tells him to stay out of this, with Sting agreeing but not liking the tone at all.

They shove each other a bit to start and then go to a test of strength, with Vader powering him down. Vader unloads on him in the corner but some running clotheslines give Angel a breather. The slam doesn’t work though and Vader is right back with the forearms in the corner. Guardian gets in a shot of his own and manages a rather impressive slam. An elbow between the legs sets up a less than successful slam attempt and Vader drops him face.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, only for Angel to fight up and hit a running crossbody for two. Another running charge sends Vader outside in a heap and Angel is back up. Vader decks Race by mistake and a slam gives Angel two back inside. The sliding uppercut underneath the ropes connects with Vader’s jaw but the referee gets bumped, meaning the Boss Man Slam gets no count. Race gets up and hits Angel, allowing the Vader Bomb to put him away at 7:07.

After a brief rest period, Sting comes out and we’re ready for the second round. Vader shoves him around to start and backs him into the corner, where Sting Hulks Up. That earns him the standing splash for the easy knockdown, followed by the Vader Bomb. Rather than covering, Vader tries it again but Sting cuts him off. Sting strikes away until a shot to the face drops him just as fast. Another Vader Bomb misses and Sting clotheslines him over the top. Sting suplexes Race on the floor and Vader back inside, followed by a splash…which hits raised knees.

The moonsault misses for Vader though and the fans are going nuts, despite Sting not doing much here. A superplex drops Vader again and the big elbow actually connects for Sting. The Samoan drop gives Sting two more and he German suplexes Vader down (that looked great) for two. Back up and Vader fires off the forearms, which trigger the Hulk Up. Sting drops him again with four minutes left and some top rope clotheslines have Vader in more trouble.

The top rope splash gets two with two minutes left and Vader is back up with a belly to back suplex. Vader goes up but dives into a powerslam, as tends to happen to him. Sting gets two off a clothesline and grabs the Scorpion but can’t get it all the way on as time expires at 25:56 total (15:00 of Sting vs. Vader).

Therefore it’s a five minute overtime and Vader kicks Sting down, followed by a hard suplex for two. Sting is sat on top but breaks up a superplex attempt with three minutes left. Vader crashes down but Sting is too banged up to do anything other than get down and weakly cover for two. This time it’s Vader going up and getting super backdropped down. Vader clotheslines him down for two more as we have a minute to go. A big splash gives Vader two more and he hits the powerbomb but takes too long to cover as time expires at 32:14.

So it’s now sudden death, meaning it’s the first person to be knocked down loses. Vader starts slugging away and Sting can barely stay up as he staggers to the ropes in a great visual. A big collapse into the corner isn’t enough for a knockdown and Vader is getting mad. Well madder. Sting fights back and knocks Vader against the ropes so Race gets on the apron. Cue the Guardian Angel to cut him off, with the referee following them. Sting drops the referee but a masked man (who has been causing issues as of late) runs in to deck Sting, allowing Vader to get up and win at 34:26.

Rating: B+. This is a weird one, as it’s literally two falls in one match with different wrestlers involved. The Angel vs. Vader stuff is decent, but Sting vs. Vader is the usual incredible showdown. It took some time to warm up but once they got going, it was a huge slugfest, with Sting staggering to stay on his feet being excellent stuff. If nothing else, this made Vader look like a killer, as he beat both guys back to back.

From Monday Night Raw, November 30, 1998.

Hardcore Title: Big Boss Man vs. Mankind

Mankind, with the JOB Squad, is defending in a ladder match and Commissioner Shawn Michaels is here with Boss Man. The Squad is chased off to start and Boss Man hits him in the head with the nightstick. Mankind is right back with a ladder to the head (Shawn gives it a minus two) and then drops the ladder onto Boss Man (Shawn gives it a one). They get inside and Mankind goes up but dives onto Boss Man rather than go for the belt.

An elbow to the ladder with Boss Man inside (good for a six) crushes him again and there’s a double arm DDT to keep him down. Boss Man cuts off the climb though and sends Mankind into the ladder in the corner. That’s good for a ten from Shawn but Mankind uses Socko to cut off a climb. Cue the Rock (in a shirt, trunks and tennis shoes for a weird look) to shove the ladder over and hit a Rock Bottom. Boss Man gets the title (his first in the WWF or WCW) at 6:20.

Rating: C. There’s a reason this time period is so well remembered, as there was so much going on. This match had interference, a ladder, Michaels’ running score gag, and the Rock in that weird get up. That’s quite a bit to cover in one match, which doesn’t even hit six and a half minutes. And it’s for the Hardcore Title. At least Boss Man finally got his hands on some gold, which was something he had earned over the years.

Post match the beatdown stays on for a bonus.

From Monday Night Raw, December 14, 1998.

Tag Team Titles: New Age Outlaws vs. Big Boss Man/Ken Shamrock

Boss Man and Shamrock, with Shawn Michaels, are challenging. Boss Man shoulders Gunn down a few times to start so Gunn tells him to bring it. Some dropkicks clear the ring and even Dogg gets in one of his own. Back in and Boss Man gets in a shot to Gunn’s leg and take over. Shamrock knows how to go after a limb and takes the knee pad down to stay on the leg. Some elbows to the leg leave Gunn unable to run the ropes and Dogg comes in for a quick shot for a breather.

Shamrock tries a hurricanrana but gets countered into a sitout powerbomb. That’s enough for the tag off to Dogg but Michaels chairs him in the back. The Boss Man Slam is good for two so Gunn is back in, only to get distracted by Michaels. That earns Gunn a nightstick to the head and he’s out as the ankle lock goes on to make Shamrock and Boss Man (already the Intercontinental and Hardcore Champion) Tag Team Champions at 6:47.

Rating: C. This was another match where they packed in quite a bit of stuff, though thankfully not as bad as the previous one. At the same time, I’m really not sure that a mega stable like the Corporation needed two double champions. There were no other wrestlers who could have taken those titles? Either way, at least Shamrock seemed thrilled with the title win, as you should.

Overall Rating: B-. For lack of a better term, Boss Man was good at being a boss for someone to fight. It made his matches with people like Hogan or Vader work so well, as Boss Man had the size to match up with them, but he could also be a big power guy against more normal sized opposition. He had a sneaky good collection of matches as well, as once he slimmed down and figured out his style, it was working far better. This was a lot of fun and I can see why I was a fan of his for such a long time.

 

 

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Survivor Series 1987
Date: November 26, 1987
Location: Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio
Attendance: 21,300
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura

This is the requested redo so we’ll go all the way back to the beginning of the series, which was quite the mess in its own right. The WWF had tried some elimination tags at house shows and they got over huge so it was time to run a full event of the things. If they could happen to screw over the NWA with its first pay per view on the same day, Starrcade 1987, so be it of course. Let’s get to it.

The Fink welcomes us to the show and introduces Jesse and Gorilla for commentary, which is a weird thing to see. I’m not sure I can ever remember WWF doing it otherwise. Monsoon’s first line of the show: “What are you doing Jess?” They intro the show and send us to the intro video, which could be on just about any weekend show.

Commentary goes over all of the matches in their always good conversational style. It’s fine that they disagree at times, but there are times where it feels like they are two people who respect each other and are even friends. That is so badly missing from commentary today.

We go over the rules of a Survivor Series match. It’s so weird having a time where that wasn’t commonly known.

The Honky Tonk Man is ready to go because he has an amazing team put together, even down to the managers. As for tonight, he might even SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL ELIZABETH! Well that’s just not very nice. I love these group shots of the wrestlers, as not only do you get what most of them are, but it also screams 1980s so hard. Throw in Hercules looking like his head is about to explode and it’s even better.

Team Randy Savage wants to destroy everyone, with Hacksaw Jim Duggan especially wanting to take out Harley Race for hitting him with his own 2×4. Savage being all over the top is….well very Savage really.

Team Honky Tonk Man vs. Team Randy Savage

Honky Tonk Man, Ron Bass, Danny Davis, Harley Race, Hercules
Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan, Brutus Beefcake

Entrances take forever, as we have ten people coming to the ring, with Jesse being in awe of Randy Savage’s entrance (fair enough, and Jesse was always a big Savage guy). Beefcake and Hercules get to make history as the first people ever to start a Survivor Series match, apparently as per the captains’ choice (which didn’t last long). A lockup goes nowhere so Beefcake tries strutting as Gorilla says the possible combinations of numbers are endless. Actually if my math is right it’s about 30 but I don’t question Gorilla.

A shoulder drops Beefcake but he’s right back with a quickly broken sleeper. Davis comes in and Beefcake cleans house without much trouble before pulling Davis back in. It’s off to Roberts to work on the arm and the good guys get to take turns on Davis. For some reason Roberts and Duggan tell Savage to hand it off to Steamboat instead of one of them, leaving Steamboat to miss a charge into the corner. Race comes in and gets in a few shots, only for Steamboat to chop him in the head.

Back to back skinnings of the cat leave Race frustrated so Steamboat throws him over the top instead. Steamboat brings Duggan in to slug Race outside and it’s a double countout for the first eliminations at 4:39. Back in and it’s Bass slamming Roberts but missing an elbow, allowing Savage to give him a running knee. Savage makes the mistake of going after Honky Tonk Man though, allowing the villains to get in a cheap shot. Bass comes back in and since it’s Ron Bass, Savage escapes with no trouble and brings in Beefcake for the high knee and the pin on Bass at 7:01.

Hercules comes in and takes over on Beefcake’s arm, allowing Honky Tonk Man to do the same. Beefcake punches his way to freedom, including a weird double punch that you would think someone else would have used before. Davis gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Shake Rattle and Roll finishes Beefcake at 10:51.

As we get the world’s first and still only STEVE LOMBARDI RULES sign in the crowd, Savage comes in to chase after Honky Tonk Man but gets jumped by the legal Hercules instead. Dang man pay attention. For some reason Davis is allowed to come in and hammer on Savage, who elbows him in the head. It’s off to Roberts who can’t DDT Honky Tonk Man but can charge into a raised knee in the corner (which always looks painful). Davis comes back in (oh boy) for some shots to the ribs but Roberts shrugs it off and hits the short arm clothesline, setting up the DDT for the pin at 15:11.

Hercules is right there to take over on Roberts though, with Honky Tonk Man drawing in Savage, who is a bit too obsessed with revenge at this point (shocking I know). The chinlock goes on as commentary debates the merits of having the crowd on your side. Roberts fights up and knee lifts Honky Tonk Man away but Hercules is right there for his own chinlock. A jawbreaker gets Roberts out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Steamboat to clean house. The top rope chop to the head sets up the tag to Savage (Jesse: “Uh oh.”) for the top rope elbow and the pin at 21:04.

So it’s Honky Tonk Man vs. Savage/Roberts/Steamboat, with Savage missing a charge into the corner to give Honky Tonk Man a breather. Steamboat comes right back in and chops away before handing it off to Roberts to keep up the rotating beating. An atomic drop sends Honky Tonk Man over the top and that’s enough for him as he takes the countout (smartest thing he’s ever done) to wrap it up at 23:43.

Rating: B-. This is how you open a new concept show as you had stars that people cared about with a wide variety of eliminations and situations. It’s a good way to get the fans into what they’re seeing, with Savage doing everything he could to get his hands on Honky Tonk Man. Very fun match and a great choice to get things going.

Team Andre the Giant is ready to crush Hulk Hogan and friends tonight, with Slick being VERY over the top and Bobby Heenan being incredibly confident. One Man Gang, who is a huge man in his own right, being absolutely dwarfed by Andre is an amazing visual. Granted the closeup of Andre’s face as he says he’s coming for Hogan’s soul with his eyes bugging out is even worse.

Team Fabulous Moolah vs. Team Sensational Sherri

Fabulous Moolah, Rockin Robin, Velvet McIntyre, Jumping Bomb Angels
Sensational Sherri, Donna Christianello, Dawn Marie, Glamour Girls

It’s so weird to see a women’s match in this era but there is more than enough talent to make this work. For some reason Moolah is announced at 160lbs, which can’t be correct and certainly seems to offend her. Sherri jumps McIntyre to start fast and drops her with a running clothesline. Moolah comes in to beat on Sherri so Christianello comes in to get dropkicked by McIntyre. A victory roll gets rid of Christianello at 1:59 so it’s Robin coming in to dropkick Martin (Judy Martin of the Glamour Girls).

Sherri comes in for her own dropkick and hands it off to Marie (not THAT Dawn Marie, in a joke that no one has ever made before I’m sure), who is crossbodied for the pin at 4:11. Itsuki (of the Angels) comes in blows Jesse’s mind (you can tell he’s actually impressed) with her rollups and kicks to Kai. Sherri comes in and gets suplexed by Tateno, with Jesse being amazed that the champ is getting beaten up like this. Robin monkey flips Kai but gets pulled into the wrong corner so the beating can be on. Sherri hits a suplex to get rid of Robin at 6:56.

Tateno takes Robin’s place and is thrown around by the hair (OUCH) to put her in the corner. McIntyre comes in for a spinning crossbody (cool) and Moolah follows up with a dropkick. It’s off to Itsuki, who slams Kai off the top but misses a dropkick (popular move in this one). Moolah gets to hammer away a bit more but a blind tag lets Martin hit a clothesline for the pin at 8:57.

As commentary DOESN’T panic at the idea of the captain being eliminated, McIntyre comes in to Boston crab Martin. With that falling apart, McIntyre wisely switches to a bow and arrow, which doesn’t last long either. Sherri grabs a suplex, which leaves McIntyre landing kind of awkwardly on her neck/shoulders and she’s almost immediately over for a tag to Tateno. Martin suplexes Tateno for two and a bell in a rare timekeeper’s botch, with commentary IMMEDIATELY saying not so fast (take notes Michael Cole).

McIntyre’s back is fine enough to come in for a giant swing on Sherri, followed by another victory roll (which clearly in a lot of pain) and the pin at 14:56. Tateno comes back in as McIntyre can barely get out of the ring and has to almost lay on the apron. Kai blocks a suplex so it’s back to McIntyre, who tries another victory roll but gets slingshotted into an electric chair (that looked good) for the pin at 17:23. That would be McIntyre’s last match for over a month so there was something wrong.

We’re down to the Angels vs. the Girls with Tateno wasting no time in hitting a high crossbody to get rid of Kai at 18:43. Martin is on her own and starts with a fireman’s carry drop for two on Tateno. Itsuki comes back in for a top rope knee, Tateno dropkicks Jimmy Hart off the apron, and Itsuki adds a top rope clothesline for the pin at 20:18.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the best for the most part, but what is impressive here is that they had ten women who could put together a completely watchable match like this one. Women’s wrestling in the 80s gets a bad reputation but they were a genuine part of the card and had good matches in the right circumstances. This didn’t feel out of place whatsoever and the Angels were a total highlight so this was quite the fine use of 20+ minutes.

Team Hart Foundation, minus the national anthem singing Bolsheviks, are ready to win. A disheveled Jimmy Hart comes in and wants revenge.

Team Strike Force, not minus singing Russians, are ready to win.

Team Strike Force vs. Team Hart Foundation

Strike Force, Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, Killer Bees, British Bulldogs, Young Stallions
Hart Foundation, Demolition, New Dream Team, Bolsheviks, Islanders

If someone is eliminated, their partner is gone too. Volkoff jumps Martel to start and shrugs off a rollup without much trouble. Zhukov comes in and misses an elbow so it’s off to Santana for the flying forearm and the pin at 1:45. It’s off to Ax for the standard Demolition forearms to the back before Jacques gets to work on Bravo’s arm. The rapid fire tags leave us with Dynamite being dragged into the corner for a chop off with Haku.

Dynamite gets Haku over so the Bees can start in on his hamstrings and it’s off to Roma. Neidhart slams him down and Haku drops him with a clothesline. Smash’s slam sends Roma into the corner for the tag to Jacques, who is quickly dropped and pinned by Smash at 5:50.

Powers comes in and gets put on Neidhart’s shoulder for a top rope forearm from Haku (that’s a cool move and could have been a decent finisher for a team) and two. It’s back to Roma, who gets shouldered breakered and suplexed by Valentine. Smash misses a charge though and it’s Dynamite coming in to get kicked in the face. The beating continues but Smash throws the referee down and that’s a DQ at 9:22.

Powers sends Tama into the corner and gets clotheslined for his efforts as neither Gorilla nor Jesse can get Tama’s (Haku/Toma) name right. Martel comes in to dropkick Tama but he’s WAY too close to the ropes for the Boston crab. Neidhart makes the save so Santana comes in with the flying forearm, meaning Hart has to make a save. It’s such a save that Neidhart pins Santana at 12:05 as the field has thinned quite a bit (as it needed to).

As Jesse talks about his great great great grandfather Ephraim the Body coming over on the Mayflower, Bret hits a backbreaker on Powers and Tama adds a top rope knee for two. Oddly enough, Hart allows powers to get over for a tag to Roma, which felt rather out of the norm for him. It’s right back to Powers as Jesse wonders why the beaten up Stallions wouldn’t tag in a fresh Bee or Bulldog. Roma gets knocked into the corner for the tag to Dynamite, who suplexes Hart for a fast two.

Bulldog headbutts Haku over and over and somehow doesn’t knock himself silly. Powers misses a charge and gets taken into the wrong corner but it’s right back to Bulldog. The gorilla press gets two on Bret and the running powerslam gets the same on Haku. Dynamite adds the flying headbutt and knocks himself silly on Haku’s head, with Jesse going right into the rant about how stupid that was. A superkick gets rid of the Bulldogs at 19:59 and we’re down to Harts/Islanders/Dream Team vs. Bees/Stallions.

The Dream Team takes over on Powers as commentary talks about how the villains don’t really like each other anyway. The side slam drops Powers, who kicks away Valentine’s Figure Four attempt. That’s enough for Roma to come in off the top with a sunset flip to pin Valentine at 23:29.

Blair comes in for a jumping knee for two on Neidhart so Hart gets to try his luck. A headlock drags Roma over for the tag to Tama, who kicks Roma down without much effort. Haku misses a legdrop though, allowing Blair to hit his own legdrop for two. Roma comes back in and gets suplexed so Tama can rip at Roma’s eyes.

Haku hits a dropkick and Gorilla says he’d like to see Neidhart try that. Before the words are out of his mouth, Neidhart hits his own dropkick in a spot so perfectly timed that it had to have been a coincidence. Brunzell comes in and tries to slam Hart but Tama kicks him down…with Brunzell rolling through to pin Hart at 29:29.

So it’s the Islanders vs. the Bees/Stallions, with Tama going right to the nerve hold. Haku comes in for a nerve hold of his own before it’s back to Tama for the third nerve hold. A suplex mixes things up a bit for two but Brunzell manages to knock his way to freedom. Roma comes back in for two off a powerslam but Haku takes him down again. Jesse praises the Islanders for being saucy with hard heads as Haku misses an elbow, allowing the diving tag back to Brunzell. Gorilla isn’t sure what’s up with that as a masked Killer Bee (their method of cheating) slingshots in with a sunset flip to pin Tama for the win at 37:16.

Rating: A-. This was all about the talent involved as you had one great combination after another. The Stallions and Bees getting the glory in the end was a little weird but points for trying to put someone else over. Good stuff here and all the proof you need that this was the golden age for tag team wrestling, as there were all kinds of good to great teams in there and it doesn’t feel anywhere near the forty minutes that it runs.

Ted DiBiase talks about how great Thanksgiving is and we see a montage of him doing horrible things to people. Of note: a boy who gets a basketball kicked away from him is one Rob Van Dam. Then DiBiase has a catered dinner because he is one of the best villains in the history of wrestling.

Commentary talks about the show so far, with Jesse thinking that Honky Tonk Man did the right thing by walking away instead of risking an injury. This is the friendly chat that made their commentary feel real as compared to the constant yelling and insulting exchanges that you see too often with modern heel commentators.

Jesse is also REALLY impressed by the Jumping Bomb Angels, saying that the Glamour Girls (Women’s Tag Team Champions) are in trouble. He compares the Angels to a Dynamite Kid, a Ricky Steamboat or a Randy Savage, saying “that was fantastic, I enjoyed it”. That is how you put a team over. On the other hand, Jesse isn’t happy with the Killer Bees using their mask trick and wants an investigation. They’re both really looking forward to the main event though, because Hulk Hogan is getting back in the ring with Andre the Giant.

Honky Tonk Man insists that he is the real survivor and will face Hulk Hogan any time. This is pretty clearly intermission as they wait around on the main event, which makes sense on a four match show.

Team Hulk Hogan is VERY fired up with Hogan talking about how hungry the team is. That bandanna with the tassels hanging down over Hogan’s eyes is always a weird look.

Team Hulk Hogan vs. Team Andre The Giant

Hulk Hogan, Don Muraco, Ken Patera, Paul Orndorff, Bam Bam Bigelow
Andre The Giant, Rick Rude, One Man Gang, Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy

Bobby Heenan handles Andre’s introduction, which is a very Heenan thing of him to do. Hogan of course gets his own entrance, which is a very Hogan thing to do….but egads you can hear the reaction when he comes out with that American flag. Jesse: “I’m not even going to try to talk over this.” Gorilla: “Good thinking.” Muraco and Rude start things off with Rude hammering away in the corner. Orndorff comes in and knocks Rude into the corner so Hogan can come in for a very rare meeting with Rude (they didn’t like each other).

It’s off to Bigelow for the running headbutt and a gorilla press as they’re certainly starting fast. Patera screws up (shocking) by knocking Rude into the corner for the tag to Reed, who gets dropkicked down by Muraco. Orndorff hits some dropkicks of his own as even Jesse says Andre’s team isn’t doing so well so far. Hogan drops the leg and that’s it for Reed at 3:04….and it’s Andre time.

Some high fives to Patera count as a tag though and Jesse is ALL OVER Joey Marella for calling that a tag and trying to save Hogan again. Hogan protests too but doesn’t think about, you know, tagging right back in, leaving Andre to say the heck with Patera and hand it off to Bundy.

Some forearms don’t go anywhere so it’s off to Gang, who gets knocked into the corner by Orndorff. Rude comes back in and gets elbowed and slammed, with Jesse saying Rude just isn’t having a good night. Patera manages to crossbody Gang down for two but gets taken into the wrong corner so the beating can ensue. Gang and Patera hit double clotheslines but Gang falls on him for the pin at 8:44.

Hogan comes in to hammer on Gang (that’s his bread and butter), setting up a double big boot with Bigelow. Gang gets over to tag in Rude, who gets beaten down again by Orndorff. A cheap shot from Bundy breaks up the piledriver though and Rude grabs a rollup with trunks for the pin at 10:22.

Save for a house show feud with Rude, that was it for Orndorff in the WWF. Muraco comes in to powerslam Rude for the pin at 11:10, leaving us with Muraco/Hogan Bigelow vs. Gang/Bundy/Andre. Bundy misses a knee drop and Muraco is smart enough to go right after that leg. It’s already back to Gang, who falls on top of Muraco during a slam attempt. The big splash is enough to finish Muraco at 12:54.

Bigelow comes in and gets clotheslined right back down by Bundy. Hogan has to make a save, with Gorilla immediately saying that he has a five count to get out. Jesse doesn’t stand for that (good for him) as Bundy comes in to hammer on Bigelow. Jesse: “You won’t see any hair pulling here.”. It’s off to Andre but Bigelow rolls over for the tag to Hogan and OH YEAH the fans are into this. Hogan wins a chop/slug out but gets pulled to the floor. Hogan slams Gang and Bundy….but gets counted out at 18:13, leaving even Jesse stunned. Since it’s Hogan, he refuses to leave until he is threatened with a forfeit.

So it’s Bigelow vs. Andre/Bundy/Gang as Jesse praises Gang and Bundy for being glorified pawns to get rid of Hogan. Bigelow stretches a bit before jumping on Bundy to start fast. A clothesline sets up a falling headbutt for two but a dropkick doesn’t drop Bundy. Instead Bigelow takes him down by the leg and a slingshot splash gets rid of Bundy at 20:48. It’s off to Gang, with Jesse saying he can pick which of Bigelow’s tattoos he wants to hit.

Bigelow charges into a boot in the corner so Gang goes up top (uh oh) and misses a splash, allowing Bigelow to get the pin at 23:05. That means it’s Andre vs. Bigelow and I think you know where this is going. A big right hand knocks Bigelow into the ropes but he holds on to avoid a big boot. Bigelow rolls away a few times but gets caught in the corner for the shoulders. A butterfly suplex/hiptoss finishes Bigelow at 24:21.

Rating: C+. This was more or less the semi-sequel to Hogan vs. Andre at Wrestlemania III and Andre wins to help rebuild him. The big rematch was coming later of course, but for now, Andre wins and that is enough to keep things going. The rest of the match was only so good, but what matters here is getting Andre back to being a force and making Bigelow look like the next big thing, even if he was all but done in about six months.

Post match Hogan IMMEDIATELY runs out and beats up Andre to clear the ring. Andre wants to come back in but Bobby Heenan holds him off and says not until Hogan signs on the totted line. Hogan poses a lot and yeah there’s no defending how much of a sore loser he’s being here.

In the back, Heenan and Andre say if Hogan wants Andre, sign the contract for another title match.

Hogan is STILL posing and Gorilla is STILL defending him as Jesse is thrilled at the idea of getting out of Cleveland.

A highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. The word here is fun. This is a show that had a concept and they RAN with it, giving us a very entertaining night. No it wasn’t anything that really mattered for the most part, but some of the falls and results could be spun off for months on the house show circuit. The big there here though is that they put a bunch of people (fifty wrestlers in four matches is nuts) on the show so you were almost guaranteed to see someone you liked and it would be hard to not have a good time. I’ve seen this show more often than I can count and it absolutely holds up as a hidden gem of the Golden Era. Check this out if you can.

 

Ratings Comparison

Team Randy Savage vs. Team Honky Tonk Man

Original: B+
2012 Redo: B
2022 Redo: B-

Team Sherri Martel vs. Team Fabulous Moolah

Original: C+
2012 Redo: C+
2022 Redo: C

Team Hart Foundation vs. Team Strike Force

Original: B
2012 Redo: C-
2022 Redo: A-

Team Hogan vs. Team Andre the Giant

Original: B
2012 Redo: B-
2022 Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: A-
2012 Redo: B+
2022 Redo: B

It’s still a good show but WHAT WAS I THINKING ON THAT TAG MATCH???

Here is the original if you’re interested:

And the 2012 Redo:

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Best Of Sid
Commentators: Jim Ross, Bob Caudle, Gordon Solie, Dusty Rhodes, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler,

Sid is next up on the list of stars getting a collection on the WWE Vault and that can make for quite the offering. Usually these Best Of’s are more of a chronological look at someone’s career, which can go rather well. Sid might not be the most polished wrestler, but his charisma can take him a very long way. Let’s get to it.

From Halloween Havoc 1989.

Skyscrapers vs. Road Warriors

The Skyscrapers (with Teddy Long) are Sid and Dan Spivey and the Warriors have Paul Ellering to keep things even. Hawk and Sid have a staredown to start and yeah the fans are way into this. Spivey knocks Animal up against the ropes to start but a clothesline sends Spivey over the top. Hawk comes in to trade shoulders with Spivey, who is more than happy to oblige.

A flying shoulder sends Spivey crashing out to the floor and now it’s off to Sid, who is knocked into the corner as well. Animal is in to shoulder Sid and it’s back to Hawk for the test of strength. Sid actually takes over and starts hammering away, with Sid knocking him down and nipping up. A helicopter slam drops Hawk again and Spivey kicks him out to the floor. That means Sid can drop Hawk onto the barricade, followed by a big boot to the….hip?

Back in and Spivey and Hawk trade suplexes as JR goes on and on about Spivey’s football career. Hawk finally clotheslines his way out of trouble and it’s back to Animal for one heck of a flying shoulder. Sid and Animal get in a fight and the fans are VERY appreciative. Everything breaks down and the managers get into it, with Long throwing in his metal key (it was a thing), which Spivey uses on Hawk for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: B-. Yeah this worked as it’s exactly what they advertised. This was about four big power guys beating the fire out of each other until the ending when the ending was designed to protect both of them. In this case that makes enough sense and it was a fun trip to get there, which I’ll definitely take.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Hawk hitting the top rope clothesline (that always looked awesome) and stealing the key to clean house.

From Clash Of The Champions IX.

Skyscrapers vs. Steiner Brothers

Oh this should work. Naturally Rick is in the crowd eating popcorn with the fans. The Steiners clear the ring to start and hit their pose, with the Skyscrapers chilling on the floor. We settle down to Spivey tombstoning Rick, who pops back up to take over. Scott comes in for the Frankensteiner and a flipping fall away slam to Sid, because that’s something a human can do.

Back up and Sid misses a heck of a charge into the corner, allowing Scott to start in on the arm. Spivey is back in with a clothesline and a tilt-a-whirl slam, followed by a heck of a big boot. Scott gets up and brings in Rick for the house cleaning as everything breaks down. Cue Doom to go after the Steiners, which is enough for the DQ at 6:08.

Rating: B-. Yeah I could have gone for a lot more of this, as they were beating each other up, with Scott getting to come in there and do his stuff to make him look like a phenom. The Steiners were on another planet in this era and when you gave them a team of big guys to throw around, there was very little that was more entertaining.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Woman (Doom’s manager and the Steiners’ former manager) hits Rick with a shoe. Cue an unnamed giant (later named Nitron, who would be better known for his acting career, as Sabretooth in the original X-Men movies). The Road Warriors run in for the save and it’s a huge brawl.

From WrestleWar 1991.

Sid Vicious/Ric Flair/Barry Windham/Larry Zbyszko vs. Sting/Brian Pillman/Steiner Brothers

It’s WARGAMES. In case you’re somehow unfamiliar, each team sends in a man for the first five minutes. When that is done, there will be a coin toss (the heels will win) and the winning team gets to send in its second man for a two minute advantage. When that time is up, the losing team sends in its second man to even things up for two minutes. Entrances alternate until all eight are in and then it’s first submission only to win.

Windham and Pillman (with a bad shoulder) start things off, with Pillman having to break away from his team to get in first. Pillman clotheslines him down and grabs the top of the cage for a dropkick before stomping away. A head fake lets Pillman hit a missile dropkick and he rakes Windham into the cage. Windham is already busted open and some jawbreakers stagger him even more. Pillman throws him into the other cage as Windham is gushing blood.

Pillman goes after the legs and keeps striking away, setting up a backdrop (which barely works as the ceiling is REALLY low. The first period ends and the villains win the coin toss (of course) so it’s Flair coming in to make it 2-1. Flair goes after Pillman and sends him into the cage and Windham does it as well, with the shoulder taking a beating. A nasty tumble sends Pillman into the other cage and they go after his shoulder until Sting is in to tie it up (the fans go NUTS, as expected).

Sting hits those big bulldogs but Windham crotches Pillman on the top. Flair’s chops have no effect and Sting goes after him in the corner, with the Stinger Splash connecting. Zbyszko (subbing for an injured Arn Anderson, who is at ringside) is in to get the advantage back so Sting dives over two sets of ropes to clothesline him down. Pillman Figure Fours Windham but Flair and Zbyzsko fight back, with Flair kicking Pillman in the shoulder for the break.

Rick comes in and hammers on Flair and Windham to start cleaning house. Flair goes into the cage and gets his head rubbed to draw some blood (the blading was about as obvious as you could get). The villains take over again but Scott Steiner is in to complete the field, meaning it’s officially first submission wins. Sting gets the Scorpion on Flair, which is broken up, so we get the quadruple Figure Four on the bad guys.

Those are broken up so Sting gorilla presses Flair into the roof. The brawling continues and Sid loads up a powerbomb, but Pillman’s feet hit the top of the cage so Sid DROPS HIM ON HIT HEAD (called the shoulder but it was his head). Sid hits another powerbomb and El Gigante comes out to save Pillman (by ripping the door off) so the referee calls it at 21:50.

Rating: A. I know 1992 gets all of the praise (and rightfully so) but DANG this was an outstanding match, as you could feel the hatred and violence between the two sides. It felt like people wanting to get in there and destroy each other and it made for an instant classic. Also of note: once the field was complete, the match was over in about seven minutes. You don’t need the end of WarGames to take half an hour. WWE could learn a lot from this.

From Wrestlemania VIII.

Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan

Harvey Wippleman is here with Sid, who jumps Hogan while Real American is still going. Hogan fights back, knocks him to the floor and tears the shirt for an absolutely awesome entrance, all before the bell. Back in and we officially start with Sid knocking him down but Hogan is right there with the right hands to the floor. Sid teases walking out but comes back in to ask for a test of strength. Hogan obliges and is put on his knees until he fights up with a clothesline.

Sid is right back with a chokeslam and stops to yell at the camera, which has Monsoon rather annoyed. Some forearms to the back have Hogan in more trouble and Sid hits him in the back with Wippleman’s doctor bag. The nerve hold goes on and Hogan fights up, which has Heenan annoyed all over again. Sid is right back up with the powerbomb for two, as it’s Hulk Up time. The legdrop connects for two, with Wippleman coming in for the DQ at 12:28.

Rating: C. Yeah it’s really just an ok Hogan match at best, especially with the screwy finish. There’s only so much they could have done here, as Hogan wasn’t going to lose in his alleged retirement match. They did show some good chemistry though, as Hogan knows how to fight a monster like no one else.

Post match Hogan throws Wippleman at Sid as Papa Shango runs in (COMPLETELY missing his cue, as he was supposed to come in and break up the legdrop for the DQ, with Wippleman having to improvise). The beatdown is on….and the ULTIMATE WARRIOR returns for the save.

From Clash Of The Champions XXIII.

Sid Vicious/Vader/Rick Rude vs. Sting/Dustin Rhodes/British Bulldog

The villains have Harley Race and Colonel Robert Parker in their corner. Sting grabs a rather aggressive headlock on Rude to start but Rude powers out. The top wristlock doesn’t work so Sting gorilla presses Rude and throws him at Sid and Vader, who catch him in the air. They throw Rude back at Sting but miss, allowing Rhodes to come in and hammer away.

Vader comes in and gets knocked onto Rude, leaving Bulldog to come in instead. Sid tries his luck and gets punched around the corner, with Sting using the middle rope for a low blow. It’s back to Rhodes who hammers Vader down in the corner, followed by a rather impressive suplex. Rhodes takes too long going up and misses an elbow, allowing Vader to knock him silly with a clothesline.

Rude comes back in for the gordbuster and a rather arrogant cover. Another suplex is blocked but Sid comes back in with a clothesline for two. It’s back to Vader to unload in the corner, only to dive into the powerslam (as tends to be his nature). Rude’s Tombstone is reversed but the referee doesn’t see the tag off to Sting. Bulldog and Sting aren’t having that and come in anyway as the brawl is on. In the melee, Race slips Rude a briefcase, which knocks Rhodes out for the pin at 10:59.

Rating: B. Of course Rhodes was going to take the fall here given who all was in there, but it was a pretty fun match to see these guys beat each other up for a bit. Vader was getting to smash through people and most of the people got to be their usual impressive selves. This was good stuff with the talent involved making that pretty much expected.

Post match Sid and Vader hit a powerbomb on Bulldog but Sting gets the briefcase and cleans house.

From Survivor Series 1996.

WWF Title: Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels

Sid is challenging and the fans in Madison Square Garden just go nuts for him. Michaels has Jose Lothario with him. Sid gets right to the point by slugging away and knocking Michaels into the corner. Back up and Michaels grabs a headlock takeover and grinds away a bit as things slow back down (odd for Michaels but so is Sid).

For some reason Michaels tries a slugout, which doesn’t exactly work very well. Instead Michaels slips out of a gorilla press but ducks down, meaning he has to escape the powerbomb attempt. With the stand up not working, Michaels chop blocks the leg and goes Perfect with a Robinsdale Crunch. Michaels grabs the Figure Four, followed by some drops down onto the knee. Sid kicks him away though and, after shoving a camera away, runs Michaels over without much trouble.

Michaels goes right back to the knee but gets clotheslined out to the floor. A big drop onto the barricade has Michaels in trouble and Sid is limping a bit, even as the fans cheer him like never before. Back in and Sid hits a big backdrop, followed by a whip over the corner but Michaels manages to snap the throat across the top. Sid knocks him into the corner again but Michaels slugs away, setting up a slam. Michaels dives into a raised boot though and we’re off to a cobra clutch.

That sets up the chokeslam but Michaels reverses the powerbomb into a small package for two. With nothing else working, Sid grabs a camera and hits Lothario. Michaels gets in the superkick but makes the mistake of going to check on Lothario rather than covering. Back in and a middle rope crossbody hits the referee so Michaels checks on Lothario again. That’s enough of a delay for Sid to hit Michaels with the camera, followed by the powerbomb for the pin and the title at 20:02.

Rating: C+. This was a fairly slow match with the action not being great, but the crowd reaction here was fascinating. The fans were just not having it with Michaels and they let him know, with Sid getting some very strong reactions. It made for a pretty amazing spectacle and taking the title off of Michaels so he can get it back in his hometown is a pretty simple move.

Post match Lothario is stretchered out and Michaels staggers after him.

From In Your House XII: It’s Time (nice touch by the Vault as commentary was hyping this match up at the end of the Survivor Series match and they transitioned right into it).

WWF Title: Sycho Sid vs. Bret Hart

Sid is defending and Shawn Michaels is on commentary. Hart jumps him during the entrance to start fast and gets clotheslined down for his efforts, allowing Sid to stomp away. Hart fights back and slugs away, managing to knock Sid down this time. Michaels keeps right on both of them as he doesn’t like either guy and doesn’t sound thrilled to be there either.

They head outside again, with Sid getting in a few shots of his own, only for Hart to score with a headbutt back inside. Sid dumps him over the top for a big crash to the floor but can’t hit a powerbomb out there. Instead Hart picks him up for a ram into the post and takes him back inside for a backbreaker. Some elbows stay on the bad back and we hit the reverse chinlock. With that broken up, Hart chokes away in the corner and then takes a turnbuckle pad off (odd to see from him).

A belly to back suplex gets two on Sid and the middle rope elbow to the back gets the same. Hart goes up and gets slammed back down to give Sid a needed breather. Sid kicks away a Sharpshooter attempt…and here is Steve Austin to take out Hart’s knee. Back in and Hart begs away in the corner, which doesn’t work as Sid pounds him down without much trouble.

Hart fights back but misses a charge into the exposed buckle and a chokeslam gives Sid two. A Cactus Clothesline puts them both on the floor, where Hart and Michaels get into it again (shocking I know). Back in and Michaels gets on the apron, with Hart being whipped into him for the crash. The powerbomb retains the title at 17:05.

Rating: B-. This was another example of Hart being able to make anything work, as he knew how to have a good match with someone like Sid. The Michaels stuff was fine as well, as he was the other third of the main event scene around this time. Sid got to do his power stuff and that was always going to work for him.

From the 1997 Royal Rumble.

WWF Title: Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels, in his hometown and with Jose Lothario, is defending (and has the flu so this might not go well). Thankfully we get at least one more instance of the SID pyro, which is one of the coolest ever. Sid shoves him down a few times to start but Michaels picks up the pace with a running crossbody, allowing him to slam Sid’s head into the mat. They go outside with Sid sending him into the apron, followed by a powerbomb to pull Michaels out of the air back inside.

The camel clutch goes on early, followed by Sid taking him outside for some rams into the post. Back in and we hit the regular chinlock, followed by the back as they keep having to find ways to let Michaels rest. Michaels breaks out but dives into a bearhug, with Sid even kneeling down this time. The big leg sets up a chinlock with a knee in Michaels’ back but he gets up and manages a slam.

There’s the flying forearm and the top rope elbow connects. The superkick is blocked though and Michaels is backdropped over the top for a big crash. The powerbomb plants Michaels on the floor and Sid grabs Lothario. That’s broken up but the referee is bumped inside. Sid’s chokeslam gets no count so another referee comes in for the rather delayed two. The other referee gets punched down so Michaels grabs the camera (ala Survivor Series) to knock Sid down for a VERY delayed near fall. The superkick gives Michaels the title back at 13:48.

Rating: D+. Yeah there wasn’t much that could be done here, as Michaels was barely able to function (for once, not his fault). That meant a lot of laying around in holds until the finish, which was the only way it could have gone. Sometimes it’s ok to set up an obvious finish and then go there, which is exactly what they did here.

From Monday Night Raw, February 17, 1997.

WWF Title: Sycho Sid vs. Bret Hart

Sid is challenging after Hart won the title last night. We’ve tried to do the match twice but Steve Austin has jumped Hart both times. Hart stomps away in the corner to start but Sid just unloads with shots to the ribs. The big whip into the corner has Hart’s back/ribs in more trouble and things slow down. Sid clotheslines him down and stomps away but Hart manages a quick backbreaker.

JR incorrectly says that Sid isn’t 6’9 on the mat before Hart hits the middle rope elbow. Sid gets his own two off a backbreaker and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Hart is able to get up and kick the leg out before jumping down onto it in the Ric Flair starter package. The Figure Four around the post has Sid in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Hart working on the leg in the corner until Sid drops him with a clothesline. The big legdrop gets two and a middle rope version crushes Hart for the same. A rake to the eyes breaks up the chokeslam attempt but Sid avoids a charge to send him crashing into the ropes. The powerbomb attempt is broken up and Sid is sent outside, followed by the Sharpshooter back inside. Sid tries to power out and gets quite the assist from Steve Austin, who comes in to crack Hart with a chair. The powerbomb gives Sid the pin and the title at 11:55 (the first time the title had ever been won on Raw).

Rating: C+. It wasn’t quite as good as their pay per view match but Austin screwing Hart over will never get old. Having Hart lose the title the night after he won it played into his conspiracy deal perfectly well as things were starting to get bad for him in a hurry. At the same time, Sid gets the title back and is likely headed to Wrestlemania, which is a fine way to go as he’s been around the title scene for months now.

Post match Sid celebrates until Undertaker comes out for the staredown to set up Wrestlemania.

From Wrestlemania XIII.

WWF Title: Sycho Sid vs. Undertaker

Sid is defending and Shawn Michaels is on commentary. The bell rings and they stare each other down..and Bret Hart is here. Michaels mocks Hart for not being happy about not being in the main event. Hart yells at Michaels for faking an injury (eh, exaggerating but not exactly faking), blames Undertaker for ending their friendship by slamming a cage door in his face, and saying that the title belongs to him.

Sid responds with a powerbomb and tells Hart to get out of here. Hart is carried out and the bell rings again, with Undertaker hammering him to start. A boot in the corner staggers Sid and a Stinger Splash of all things connects for Undertaker. Old School connects but Sid doesn’t actually go down, allowing him to grab Undertaker in a bearhug. That stays on for a good while and they go to the floor, with Undertaker being dropped onto the announcers’ table.

Sid rams him into the post for two back inside and we hit the camel clutch. This lets Michaels get in a great bit of psychology that so many people miss: Sid is going to stick with power because it’s what makes things work. Why would he make it more complicated than that? A powerslam gives Sid two and the slow beating continues. They head outside with Undertaker sending him into the steps for a needed breather but Sid pounds him back down. This allows commentary to point out that oh yeah this is no holds barred.

The chinlock goes on again but Undertaker fights up and hits a powerslam. Undertaker grabs a nerve hold for a bit, followed by a clothesline for two. Back up and they both hit big boots to put them both down. Michaels: “Sid can lay there all day and walk out with the championship belt.” Well not if he lays there while Undertaker covers him. Sid is back up with a middle rope ax handle and a middle rope punch to the face. Undertaker catches him up top and slams him off, setting up the always great top rope clothesline.

Lawler gets in an interesting line by suggesting that they’re both scared the other can kick out of the finisher. That’s an interesting thought but Undertaker tries the Tombstone, which Sid reverses into one of his own for two. They go outside where Hart pops up again with a chair shot to Sid’s back. An awkward looking chokeslam gets two on Sid and he avoids the jumping clothesline. The powerbomb is loaded up but Hart comes in AGAIN. This time it’s something like a Stunner over the top to send Sid into the Tombstone to give Undertaker the title at 21:23.

Rating: D+. I’ve seen this match a bunch of times and it’s not overly good. They had similar styles and it didn’t make for the most thrilling match. The best part is probably Michaels burying Hart on commentary, which never gets old. It didn’t help that this was coming after the all time classic of Hart vs. Austin, but I get why you want to close Wrestlemania with the title change.

Post match Undertaker poses for a good while, with JR getting in the awesome line of “the WWF Title lives in the Dark Side!”.

From ECW Guilty As Charged 1999.

Judge Jeff Jones isn’t happy with Kronus for attacking him so he is sentencing him to pain. Guess who is providing said pain.

Sid Vicious vs. Kronus

Kronus hammers on Sid to start and that goes very badly. Sid chokeslams him over the top and through a table, followed by some chair shots to the back. The fans demand and receive a powerbomb and Kronus is done at 1:31. To say the fans lose their minds is an understatement as Sid is as over as free beer in a frat house. Sid’s bizarre charisma and power style were tailor made for a short run in ECW and I’m not surprise in the slightest that the fans went that nuts. Nothing match of course, but Sid in ECW is a great thing to see, as it couldn’t have gone much better.

The fact that we’re skipping multiple WCW World Titles in the late 90s is rather telling of how bad things were back then.

Overall Rating: B-. After he passed away, someone said that Sid was the person who looked most like a wrestler and….yeah I can see it. If you look at him, “professional wrestler” probably comes to mind. He was big, he was scary, he was in good shape and he felt just a bit off. It was an odd charisma that always worked and it’s a big reason why he became such a star.

No the matches weren’t very good a lot of the time, but that’s kind of the point. Sid worked because he fit the mold of a wrestler and that’s hard to break. There’s a reason he had two Wrestlemania matches and both of them were the main event (a feat which will likely never be duplicated): he worked very well in short runs, which is what made his career such a success.

 

 

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WCW House Show
Date: March 13, 1993
Location: G-Mex, Manchester, England

This is a show from the WCW European tour, which was apparently filmed back in the day and now we get to see what happened during a pretty bad period for the company. It should be fun though as this is a different kind of presentation from WCW and not something that has been seen before. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at fans’ thoughts on WCW, even with some of them saying they like WWF better. This goes on rather long and apparently Arn Anderson has a big fan base in England.

The show is sold out so they’re doing ok enough.

We see Gary Michael Cappetta welcoming the fans to the show and the arena does look full. Not the biggest place, but there are people there. Cappetta tells us about the new NWA Champion (Barry Windham) being crowned at SuperBrawl. We run down some of the matches and wrestlers appearing tonight, plus we hear some rules, because that’s how you get the fans going.

Oh and Cappetta has one more announcement: Sting won the WCW World Title in London a few days ago and is defending the title tonight.

The cameras are a bit wide but this was clearly filmed to air somewhere rather than just being for internal use.

Johnny B. Badd vs. Scotty Flamingo

Flamingo (better known as Raven) dances to the ring, with the referee coming behind him for a weird visual. Badd backs him into the corner to start and Flamingo isn’t happy, only for Badd to do it again. An exchange of arm wringing goes to Badd so Flamingo grabs the hair (as he had falsely accused Badd of doing), only to get caught like a good heel should.

Flamingo’s arm is sent into the corner and we hit the armbar on the mat to keep him in trouble. Eventually they get up so Flamenco can hit a clothesline, only to get taken right back into the armbar. It works so well that they do it again, though this time Flamenco manages to elbow him in the face to actually take over. A snap suplex gives Flamenco two and it’s choking into the reverse chinlock.

Badd fights out of the regular chinlock…and is pulled right back down into the same thing. Another comeback attempt is cut off with a knee to the ribs but Badd is able to get up a third time for the real comeback. Flamenco whips him hard into the corner a few times though and a clothesline gets two. Back up and Badd has had enough of this and drops him with the left hand for the win at 15:21.

Rating: C+. This was a match where they had the chance to set things up and it worked out well enough. I could have gone for some more variety, but at the end of the day, this was about having Badd pop the crowd with his flamboyant style. Also, there’s something so effective about a finisher of just hitting the other guy in the face. Nice enough opener here and the fans seemed to like it.

Maxx Payne vs. Michael Hayes

So this is grunge vs. southern rock and…I don’t think anyone was asking to see it but at least it’s something. Hayes punches away to start and doesn’t get very far so they slow back down (I’m sure Hayes is disappointed). They take turns asking the crowd to cheer before Payne takes him to the mat with a headlock.

That’s reversed into a headscissors before they both get up as we’re somehow more than four minutes into this thing. A backdrop puts Hayes down and we hit the nerve hold to really keep the intensity up. Payne switches to choking on the ropes, followed by a belly to back suplex to cut off a comeback.

The chinlock goes on as this is setting a new level for dragging. Now we switch to a nerve hold, allowing us a few shots of the utterly bored crowd. Nice job WCW, as you’ve killed a crowd in less than half an hour. Hayes fights up and hits a clothesline to actually start the comeback, including a boot out of the corner. The DDT is blocked though and the Payne Killer (Fujiwara armbar) makes Hayes give up at 12:33.

Rating: D. This is the second Payne match I’ve seen recently and my goodness he was awful. It’s a bunch of dull holds and shrugging off Hayes’ already limited offense before finishing with an armbar. Ignore that he didn’t touch the arm before the finish so it comes right the heck out of nowhere.

Rick Rude/Barry Windham vs. Dustin Rhodes/Van Hammer

Hold on though as Windham and Rhodes get in a fight on the floor and Rhodes is beaten down. Van Hammer (in his not so great cowboyish phase) makes the save and apparently we’re getting something else.

Rick Rude vs. Van Hammer

Windham just vanished so this is all we have left. They take turns shoving each other into the corner and posing before Rude gets in a top wristlock. He even manages to throw in a hip swivel for the fans, which unfortunately doesn’t have Jesse Ventura there for the cheering. Hammer fights up and whips him into the corner, meaning we get to hit the reverse chinlock.

Some counterfeit hip swiveling gives Hammer a nice enough response but he misses a sitdown splash. Back up and Rude gets caught in a bearhug, with Hammer shaking him around, I guess trying to get the hip swiveling going again. Rude pokes him in the eyes to cut that off but gets clotheslined back down. A splash hits knees though and Rude swivels his hips, only to hurt his own ribs in the process.

The reverse chinlock goes on again but Hammer picks him up for an electric chair (Rude flailing his arms with his mouth wide open is a great visual). Hammer goes up and dives into raised boots, only for Rude to go up and dive into raised boots. Rude grabs a sleeper for a bit, with Hammer jawbreaking his way to freedom. The slingshot suplex gives Hammer two but he misses a charge into the corner, allowing the Rude Awakening to finish at 16:01.

Rating: C-. The good parts of this were ALL from Rude as his mannerisms were carrying things. I loved the early days of Hammer with the Heavy Metal stuff but once he lost his initial push, it was all downhill in a hurry. That was the case here, as he was doing almost nothing and even that looked bad. Rude on the other hand was great, and the fans were way into booing him.

Here is Johnny B. Badd for a special presentation. A woman announces that Badd is receiving an award from the British National Institute Of Sign Language. Badd seems appreciative and thanks everyone involved before getting in the ring to show off the certificate he received. There were some kids there with the woman presenting it so this is hard to complain about.

Intermission (cut out of course).

Davey Boy Smith vs. Vinnie Vegas

Vegas is a rather generic villain who is better known as Kevin Nash. Believe it or not, Bulldog (who is very new at this point) is crazy popular in England. They trade running shoulders to start until Bulldog hits a dropkick, leaving Vegas to pose. The fans like Bulldog’s posing more and also approve of him knocking Vegas outside. Back in and the test of strength goes to Vegas until Bulldog powers up and tries a slam…which fails.

Something like a Samoan drop gives Vegas two and he cuts off the suplex attempt rather quickly. The side slam plants Bulldog for two and we hit the sleeper. This goes on for a good while until Vegas hits a big boot and yells a lot. Bulldog fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, followed by the running powerslam for the win at 12:10.

Rating: C+. Gee do you think Bulldog was going to be over here? This was still brand new into his run with the company so not only was he in front of his crowd but he was fresh as well. Bulldog did most of his usual stuff here and looked good, though there was only so much anyone could get out of Vegas at this point.

Post match a kid gets in the ring to pose with Bulldog. Yeah that’s always going to work.

Vader vs. Cactus Jack

Harley Race is here with Vader, who poses at Jack a lot, giving us a rather amused look from Jack. Vader shoved him into the corner a few times and then runs him over with the standing splash. The big forearms in the corner connect and Race gets in some choking on the rope, as he is supposed to do. Back up and Jack gets a boot up in the corner, followed by a pair of DDTs.

A sleeper is broken up with a crash down onto the mat and they go outside. Vader misses a charge and crashes over the barricade, allowing Jack to slug away. A slam onto the concrete has Vader in more trouble and with Race yelling at the referee, Jack drops Vader with some chair shots.

Back in and Jack unloads in the corner but Vader gets a boot up and hits a middle rope clothesline. Kid in the crowd: “Come on Mr. Jack!” So polite. Vader sits down on Jack to cut off a sunset flip and (I’m assuming) the same kid says “YOU SHOULD HAVE MOVED!” Vader clotheslines Race by mistake but knocks Jack down again and hits the Vader Bomb. A second Bomb connects for two and Jack starts to get up, earning the classic Vader response of HITTING HIM REALLY HARD IN THE FACE.

After some spit for a bonus, Vader misses another sitdown splash but is right back with a middle rope splash. The second misses though and the Cactus Clothesline…well you know what it did as it’s the only thing it can do by definition. Jack flip dives off the apron and hits the double arm DDT but Race has the referee. That earns Race a beating but Vader hits a splash in the corner, followed by the powerbomb for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: B+. Yeah these guys always worked well together and this was no exception. Vader could work the smash mouth style like almost no one else and you know Foley is going to be right there with him the whole way. This was by far the best thing on the show thus far and I could watch these two hit each other in the face for a good while.

A fan who is described as “loud” gets a free program. Eh cool.

Cappetta thanks the fans for coming, which is always a nice touch.

WCW World Title: Sting vs. Paul Orndorff

Sting is defending, having won the title two days earlier. Orndorff grabs a headlock to start before they run the ropes, with Sting grabbing a backdrop to send Orndorff bailing for a breather. A wristlock works better for Sting but Orndorff kicks him out to the floor. The fight over a suplex goes to Sting though and he’s back in for an armbar. That’s broken up as well and Orndorff chokes on the rope, followed by some rammings into the barricade.

Back in and the front facelock goes on, with Orndorff even tying up his arms as well. Sting finally fights up but misses a Stinger Splash, allowing Orndorff to hit a dropkick. Back up and Sting hits a crossbody, only to get pulled back into the front facelock. With that not working, Orndorff calls for the piledriver but Sting backdrops his way out. Some right hands have Orndorff rocked and the Stinger Splash retains the title at 14:59.

Rating: C. The whole point of this was to have Sting out there defending the title against a warm body and Orndorff worked as well as anyone else. It was never going to be some classic and while the title wasn’t in jeopardy in theory, one would have thought the same thing when Vader was facing Sting two days earlier so it’s not a totally insane thought. The match itself wasn’t great, but Sting did what he was supposed to do.

And we’re out pretty fast.

Overall Rating: C. Other than Vader vs. Jack, there is nothing on here worth seeing but that’s not the point. The idea here was to give the fans a special experience and since England isn’t going to get something like this very often, it worked well. There is something so cool about seeing this kind of thing and I had a good time with it, even if most of the matches were a bit weak.

 

 

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Best Of Vader
Commentators: Jim Ross, Bob Caudle, Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Mr. Perfect

As tends to be the case with the WWE Vault, the title pretty much speaks for itself. Vader is as much of a monster as you can get and there is something very fun about watching him smash through people. That’s what we’re getting here, and hopefully it lives up to the hype that I’m giving it at the thought of that much Vader. Let’s get to it.

From the 1990 Great American Bash.

Big Van Vader vs. Z-Man

This is Vader’s WCW debut. For some reason the graphic lists Z-Man as Tom Zenk, which was a name used in WCW, but far less frequently than Z-Man. Vader hammers away to start and hits a corner splash. Z-Man fights back but gets caught in a delayed gorilla press. The big elbow and a clothesline set up a splash to finish Z-Man off at 2:17. Total dominance and Vader looks like a monster right out of the gate.

From the 1992 Great American Bash.

WCW World Title: Sting vs. Big Van Vader

Vader, with Harley Race, is challenging after mauling Sting a few months back. They argue a lot to start and Vader takes him into the corner to start hammering away. Back up and Sting hits a clothesline but Vader knocks him down with a single shot, leaving Sting shaken up. We see the backs of Ron Simmons and Tony Schiavone’s heads as they watch (what a weird camera shot) as Vader hammers away again.

Sting manages a quick belly to back suplex though and the comeback is on, with some clotheslines putting Vader on the floor and the place goes NUTS. Dang what a switch from quiet to insane. Back in and Sting makes the mistake of trying a test of strength (with commentary basically saying “you’re an idiot”) but goes to the eyes to cut Vader off and dropkicks Sting out to the apron.

A suplex brings Vader back in for two but he drops Sting with a single shot. The splash connects and Vader stops to pose, allowing JR to say he’s heard bodybuilding isn’t doing so well for the shot at the WBF. Vader drops a big elbow and then chokes, setting up the Scorpion Deathlock on Sting for a change. Jesse thinks it would be something for the champion to submit to his own hold and Vince McMahon’s ears perk up for some reason. That’s broken up so Vader drops him with a clothesline.

Sting manages to fight up with a rolling kick to the head and a DDT but Vader gets up top again. That’s cut off and Sting grabs a fireman’s carry, which he holds for a LONG time (notice his legs shaking) for a Samoan drop and two. The referee gets bumped and Sting gets a bridging German suplex for a delayed near fall. Sting hits a Stinger Splash and goes for another, only to hit his head on the buckle and knock himself silly. Vader gets two but Sting is mostly done. The powerbomb gives Vader the pin and the title at 18:17.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a squash, but the match left very little in doubt: Vader was the new monster and Sting was going to have to do something special to beat him. That’s the kind of push you do not see happen very often and it worked very well for Vader. It would seem like he was ready to dominate the title scene…but he would lose the belt to Ron Simmons three weeks later.

From Starrcade 1993.

WCW World Title: Vader vs. Ric Flair

Vader, with Harley Race, is defending and this is title vs. career (and we’re in Charlotte). They take their time to start with Flair looking nervous as the fans are totally behind Flair, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The lockup goes to Vader so Flair tries to get the chase going, which is as smart of a move as he has. Back in and Vader wrenches the arm, setting up a hard clothesline.

Schiavone goes into a big rant about how Flair has left Starrcade as champion so many times over the years. Ventura: “None of that matters. It’s 1993 and this is Vader.” Point to Ventura. Vader hammers Flair down and takes him outside for a drop onto the barricade but misses a splash onto said barricade. Flair starts fighting back but Race gets in a cheap shot to cut both he and the crowd off again.

Vader hammers him down again, including a trip to the floor, followed by a big clothesline back inside. A slam plants Flair again but he avoids the middle rope splash for a much needed breather. Three straight top rope shots to the head put Vader down and Flair “hits” his knee drop which never really comes close but oh well. Vader gets in a superplex and Flair is bleeding from the mouth.

More big shots have Flair closer to death and Vader throws him outside. Vader’s splash misses in the corner…but the second connects and Flair is right back down. Flair’s poke to the eye lets him slug away, even managing to put Vader down (that was great). Flair wraps the leg around the post and then hits it with a chair (as in the old plastic kind) as Vader has lost his mask.

More right hands put Vader down on the floor and a chair to the head rocks him again. They get back inside and Flair unloads with more rights and lefts to put both of them down. Flair starts in on the leg but can’t get the Figure Four. The Vader Bomb misses as well and NOW the Figure Four goes on. Vader turns it over and drops Flair again, only to miss the moonsault. Flair covers but rolls away as Race tries a top rope headbutt, which hits Vader. Back up and Flair chops away but Vader runs him over. Flair is fine enough to trip him down and get a rollup (an ugly one but whatever) for the pin and the title at 21:11.

Rating: A. There’s no way around it: this is a classic with Flair rising up one more time to slay the monster that no one (other than Sting) could stop. Flair slugging away and managing to slow Vader down with pure heart and determination has stuck with me since I first saw this match live and it’s still incredible to this day. Outstanding stuff here and one of the best “hero fights the monster” matches you’ll ever see.

From Worldwide, April 30, 1994.

Vader vs. Cactus Jack

Texas Death Match and you knew we’d be seeing Mick on here somewhere. This is basically Last Man Standing, though it being called a “Texas Tornado” match makes it even more confusing. Harley Race is here with Vader too. Jack fights out of the corner to start and slugs away, only for Vader to run him over. Vader hammers away but Jack is back up with a clothesline to the floor.

After dropping Race, Jack grabs a chair to hit Vader in the head but has to backdrop an interfering Race. A flip dive off the apron drops Vader (dang) and they go back inside, where Jack drops a leg. We hit the sleeper but Vader drops back onto Jack for the big nasty crash. A pair of Vader Bombs crush Jack and a middle rope splash gets two, with Heenan losing his mind over why Jack would get up. Another Vader Bomb misses so Race pulls Jack outside for a chair to the face (though only Race falls down). Vader follows and powerbombs him on the floor (with a sickening THUD) for the win at 6:56.

Rating: C+. Well it was starting to get good, but then it just ended with that nasty powerbomb. I’m not sure what the point was in having the match go so short, as it felt like something that should have gotten that much more time. What we got was the intense brawl that these two are known for, but I was expecting something longer than you would see from Tatanka vs. the Brooklyn Brawler on Raw.

From Clash Of The Champions XXIX.

Vader vs. Dustin Rhodes

Harley Race is here with Vader, who powers Rhodes into the corner to start. As usual, Vader starts hammering away to take over without much trouble. Another shot to the face ticks Rhodes off and he SPEARS VADER DOWN to blow the roof off the place. Rhodes slaps away and comes back with a running crossbody for two. A clothesline sends Vader to the floor and Rhodes follows to keep hammering away.

Rhodes takes Race out and they go back inside, where Vader gets pounded down again. Vader hits the standing body block to take over again, meaning it’s time to pummel away in the corner. Rhodes gets in a shot of his own and avoids the sitdown splash. The bulldog is loaded up but Vader picks him up and LAUNCHES HIM over the top to the floor. Back in and the Vader Bomb gets two, with Vader hitting him in the face for daring to kick out. Vader just pummels him down again, but Rhodes starts waving his arm (ala Dusty, and we’re in Florida).

Rhodes catches him coming off the top in a powerslam (Vader loved that spot and it looked great no matter who did it) and the comeback is on. Rhodes slgs away and elbwos him in the head, with a clothesline knocking Vader into the ropes. The top rope clothesline drops Vader and a middle rope DDT gives Rhodes two. The bulldog connects but Race comes in, allowing Vader to deck Rhodes from behind. A wheelbarrow faceplant (OUCH) knocks Rhodes silly to give Vader the pin at 11:49.

Rating: B+. Sweet goodness this was a fight, with the crowd’s reaction to that takedown being insane. One of the traditions with Vader is that the best way to fight him is to hit him in the mouth and that’s what Rhodes did here. The problem is that Vader hits back, and that’s what we saw here in one heck of a slugout. The ending alone was awesome, as Vader absolutely planted him. Great fight here and one of Rhodes’ best matches ever.

Post match another Vader Bomb is loaded up but Jim Duggan comes in for the save. In theory that leads us into….

From Monday Night Raw, January 22, 1996 (I had the intro for the Vader vs. Duggan US Title match at Starrcade 1994 ready to go. That’s a rare miss from the Vault.).

Vader vs. Savio Vega

Vader, with Jim Cornette, is freshly debuted and this is his first match on Raw. As usual, Vader hammers him down in the corner then does it again for a bonus. The running splash misses though and Vega strikes away, with a superkick putting Vader on the floor. That’s fine with Vader, who drops Vega onto the barricade. Back in and the corner splash connects, setting up the Vader Bomb for the pin at 2:58. Pretty much a squash.

Post match Vader puts him down again for a second Vader Bomb. The referee tries to break it up and gets beaten up as well, with Lawler knowing that’s a bad idea. Another referee comes in and gets powerbombed so here is Interim President Gorilla Monsoon to yell at Vader. Cornette tries to back Vader off as Monsoon announces that Vader is suspended indefinitely.

Vader shoves Cornette away and goes face to face with Monsoon again, with Monsoon pointing a finger in his face. Vader slaps Monsoon on the back so Monsoon chops away (marking the first time he had gotten physical in almost fifteen years). That’s too far for Vader, who splashes Monsoon in the corner, setting up the Vader Bomb. Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon make the save. As someone who grew up watching Monsoon as a commentator, this was INSANE. Monsoon wasn’t going to be able to wrestle again, but my goodness the heat would have been off the charts if he could have pulled it off.

From Summerslam 1996.

WWF Title: Vader vs. Shawn Michaels

Vader, with Jim Cornette, is challenging while Jose Lothario is here with Michaels (who was sick of him by this point and wanting the whole thing to end). Vader starts fast by hammering away and knocks him down without much effort. Michaels kicks away to put Vader down and hits him in the face a few times, followed by a low bridge to the floor. The big dive takes Vader out again (that was on a lot of highlight reels) and Michaels scores with a double ax handle back inside.

A headscissors sends Vader outside so Michaels tries a slingshot version, only to get countered into a heck of a powerbomb. Vader picks him up on one shoulder and carries him back inside, where it’s time to unload in the corner. Michaels gets tossed outside and then backdropped inside as Vader stays on the back. A hard clothesline cuts off Michaels’ comeback attempt and Vader plants him with kind of a reverse Jackknife.

We hit the head and arm clutch to put Michaels on his knees but he fights out and hits some running shots of his own. Vader tries to sit on him but gets low blowed, allowing Michaels to go up. The big elbow…doesn’t quite work as Michaels pulls up in the air, as Vader didn’t move as planned. This results in Michaels kicking him in the head and berating him, all because the spot didn’t work, which ONLY the people in the match would know about, making Michaels look like a whiny brat. They crash out to the floor and Michaels is dropped onto the barricade for a countout at 13:51.

Hold on though as Cornette says not that way and begs Michaels to come back because they want the title. Michaels eventually comes back like a moron and gets beaten down again, including a racket shot from Cornette. A belly to belly gives Vader two but Michaels fights out of a powerbomb. Michaels makes the comeback and loads up the superkick but Cornette tries to grab him. Instead Michaels takes the racket away and wacks Vader (with a great THUD sound) for the DQ at 17:49.

Cornette calls Michaels a coward who knew he couldn’t beat Vader and wants to restart this again. Works for Michaels so we starts it again, with Vader missing a sitdown splash. Michaels hits the forearm and NOW the top rope elbow connects (good, maybe Michaels can be happy).

Sweet Chin Music gets two but the referee gets knocked to the floor. Vader hits a powerbomb for two from a second referee and Cornette is losing his mind on their near falls. The Vader bomb is loaded up but Cornette wants the moonsault, despite Michaels being very close to the corner (it would have hit anyway, which is impressive). Michaels hits a moonsault press to retain at 22:19.

Rating: B-. That tantrum in the middle manages to bring down what is an otherwise awesome match, as Michaels kept surviving one way or another until he caught Vader making a mistake. That’s one of the recurring themes with Vader, as pretty much no one could hang with him one on one, but they could tire him out or eventually catch him screwing up. Michaels knows how to do this match in his sleep, but alas he had to go over the edge.

Also of note, this was originally going to be Vader winning the title and ultimately losing it back to Michaels at the Royal Rumble, but Michaels didn’t want to work with Vader so Sid got the spot instead (hence the December In Your House being called “It’s Time” when Vader had nothing to do with the main event.).

From In Your House XIII: Final Four.

WWF Title: Vader vs. Bret Hart vs. Undertaker vs. Steve Austin

For the vacant title and it’s elimination rules, with pinfall, submission or over the top for a unique setup. Vader has Paul Bearer for one last manager. After a quick interview from Hart, who knows these people are all tough and that the winner will deserve the title, we’re ready to go. Undertaker drops Vader to start before pulling Hart off of Austin. Vader is back up with a belly to belly and takes Undertaker outside (not out, despite Lawler thinking they were).

A chair only hits post so Vader puts Undertaker against the post and hammers away again. Back up and Undertaker boots the chair into Vader’s face (ignore Vader blading) as Austin elbows Hart down for two inside. Vader (bleeding from the eye) gets back inside to hammer on Undertaker some more as Austin jawbreaks his way outo f a sleeper from Hart. Austin takes Hart into the corner while Undertaker hits a chokeslam on Vader.

A Stunner (which is sold like a swinging neckbreaker) drops Undertaker for two as Vader runs Hart over for two of his own. Vader takes Hart outside for some chair shots to the back as his eye is GUSHING. Undertaker backdrops Austin out of a piledriver attempt in the aisle before switching off with Hart. Austin goes after Vader’s eye and sends him into the steps. Some belt shots rock Vader, who pounds Austin right back and hits him with the ring bell.

Vader and Hart go up the aisle with Hart being sent into the barricade, leaving Undertaker to beat Austin up back inside. Back at ringside, Vader tries a Sharpshooter on Hart, leaving Austin to stomp on Hart some more. That’s broken up so Hart goes after Austin (yeah that always works) but Austin goes back inside to Thesz press Vader (right on the bloody eye). Back up and Vader misses the moonsault to Undertaker, who takes him outside for a choke with a camera cable.

Vader cuts that off (the choking, not the cable) and chokes Undertaker down for two back inside. Hart’s middle rope elbow gets two Austin, who gets an O’Connor roll for the same. They switch off again so Hart can kick Vader low (with the camera showing Vader just covered in blood) for two more. Undertaker tries to throw Austin over (oh yeah that’s a thing) as Vader Fujiwara’s Hart’s arm. Back up and Hart tosses Austin for the first elimination at 18:09 (there have been longstanding rumors that Austin was supposed to win but those wound up being nonsense).

Undertaker hammers on Hart until Vader breaks it up as we see Sid (who gets the winner tomorrow) watching in the back. Undertaker is sent outside (not out) where Bearer gets in an urn shot, leaving Vader to take off the blood soaked mask. Hart cuts Vader off on the top and hits a top rope superplex, because this match needed another crazy spot.

The Sharpshooter goes on but Undertaker breaks it up (JR is confused) and Austin is back to go after Hart. Austin gets back in to keep up the beating as Undertaker breaks up a Vader Bomb. A low blow sends Vader out at 22:26, leaving Undertaker to drop Austin and chokeslam Hart. Austin pulls Hart out of the Tombstone though, leaving Undertaker to go after Austin again. Hart clotheslines Undertaker out for the win and the title at 24:06.

Rating: A-. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and I had a great time watching it again. It’s such a unique match that it feels more like a regular four way until the eliminations, which is a fine way to go as it’s perfectly within the rules. Vader was a wrecking ball in this whole thing and everyone was game to fight him. Outstanding match and arguably a hidden gem, even if it meant very little as Hart would lose the title to Sid the next night on Raw.

Overall Rating: A. I had an absolute blast with this, as it was an awesome showcase of why Vader really was that much of a monster (and they didn’t cover all kinds of stuff from his American run). What mattered the most was that Vader didn’t feel like any run of the mill monster who was beaten and then faded away. He was always going to be around because very few people could do things like he could. WCW knew what they had with him and if the WWF hadn’t wasted so much of him, he could have been up there with Andre for all time greatest super heavyweight. Make sure to check this out as it’s outstanding.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Wrestling Challenge
Date: October 25, 1986
Location: War Memorial, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan

We’re still going with a look back at this show, which makes for some very fun moments. It’s such a simpler time and yet the storylines are being advanced to make you want to see what happens at live events. I get why things have changed so much today, but it still makes for such easy to watch television. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming on the show.

Bob Orton/Don Muraco vs. Mike Kelly/Nick Kiniski

There’s quite a bit to unpack here actually. Muraco and Orton have Jimmy Hart and Mr. Fuji with them and Orton is in a kilt to mock Roddy Piper, along with coming to the ring to his theme song. Kiniski is the son of Gene, minus anything resembling the talent or interest. Kiniski gets taken into the corner and powered around by Orton, allowing Kelly to come in. Muraco (with an amazing beard) Tombstones Kelly for the pin at 2:11. Kelly would be a bit better when he changed his name to Shane Douglas.

We get a Wrestlers’ Rebuttal from Bobby Heenan and King Harley Race, with Heenan complaining about people not kneeling before royalty. And then the other wrestlers think they belong in the same ring as Race! What rudeness!

Hillbilly Jim vs. Al Navarro

Navarro bounces off of him to start and a hammerlock doesn’t seem to work much better. A big boot and the bearhug finish for Jim at 2:32, a lot of which was spent walking around before they got started.

As Jim leaves, he is given a picture of the new WWF Magazine with Miss Elizabeth, which he kisses. So he’s chosen death.

Jake Roberts says Ricky Steamboat beat him in a fluke and he’s not afraid of anyone. Bring on George Steele, Tito Santana or Koko B. Ware. If you bring Frankie B. Ware around his snake, Frankie B. Gone soon. Roberts isn’t afraid of anyone, and he wants the Intercontinental Title. Once you have that, you can face Hulk Hogan anytime you want. So why not just go after Hogan? Either way, he warns Randy Savage to be ready.

Butch Reed vs. Don Driggers

Slick handles Reed’s introduction and we get an insert promo from Junkyard Dog, who says there is nothing natural about the Natural. Reed shoves Driggers down to start and gets in the posing, which works so well that he does it again. Some forearms put Driggers down again and Reed plants him with a slam. The middle rope clothesline finishes for Reed at 2:41.

The Honky Tonk Man talks about being up for 48 hours and rocking all night. He’s ready to strut n stroll and rock n roll. And his favorite song is Great Balls Of Fire. This was a parody right? It has to be. I would say no one could be that stupid but….yeah.

The Machines tried to buy a compact car but asked about the price in yen. Why they’re in their wrestling gear isn’t clear. Of course they’re not quite able to fit into the car and hilarity…well is teased but it doesn’t ensue.

Dino Bravo vs. Sivi Afi

Bravo, with dark hair, is Johnny V.’s newest star. Bravo takes him down without much trouble and hits a clothesline. A hard chop puts Afi down for a knee to the head as the dominance is on. Afi misses a charge into the corner and a fairly nasty belly to back suplex finishes for Bravo at 2:38.

It’s time for the Snake Pit, with the Honky Tonk Man as the special guest. Roberts asks if he’s a strong and successful man like his mama wanted. Honky Tonk Man isn’t sure what Roberts would know what it means to make a mama happy. Roberts doesn’t see Honky Tonk’s name on any walls so has he ever been this close to a real man? That doesn’t work for Honky Tonk, who thinks anyone who plays with a snake is a sick human being. Honky Tonk isn’t scared of Roberts or the snake but leaves anyway.

Killer Bees vs. Moondog Spot/Jimmy Jack Funk

What a weird heel team. Heenan wants to know why the Bees are introduced in the masks, get their names announced, and then take the masks off. Monsoon brushes it off despite Heenan having a totally fair question. Blair works on Spot’s arm to start as we get an insert interview from Dave Hebner talking about how hard it is to be a referee, which doesn’t make Danny Davis look good.

It’s off to Brunzell, who gets slammed down by Funk as the villains actually take over. A middle rope fist drop gets two as Heenan insists he never makes excuses if his men lose a match. Brunzell’s jumping knee gets two as everything breaks down. An atomic drop/dropkick combination finishes Funk at 3:36.

Rating: C. Not bad here, with the Bees being yet another team added to the already awesome division. It says a lot when the Bees, who would be at the top of almost any tag division, are in the middle of the pack at this point. They’re good at what they do and this was the kind of match that helps them get established as a bigger deal.

Ricky Steamboat, in a sweet Saturday Night’s Main Event hat, says don’t do drugs.

Back in 1984, Kamala, with Freddie Blassie and Kim Chee (called Friday here), was on Tuesday Night Titans with Blassie talking about how brutal Kamala can be. Then Kamala was presented with a live chicken, sending Vince McMahon into quite the rant. Not on THIS show of course. They really couldn’t do something new here and needed to go back two years for such a clip?

Kamala vs. Tony Nando

Kamala, with the Wizard and Kim Chee, chops him down to start and chokes near the apron. A big boot sets up the splash for the pin on Nando at 1:25.

After the match, we see a photo from the previously mentioned Tuesday Night Titans with Kamala looking at the camera with feathers around his face.

Ricky Steamboat is ready for another round with Jake Roberts. When it comes to becoming a champion, just do as Hulk Hogan told you to do and say your prayers, take your vitamins and train hard. Steamboat would love to be the Intercontinental Champion because it makes you a top contender to the WWF Title. Elizabeth is mentioned but George Steele runs in to say Savage is USING Elizabeth. Steele worries about her and Steamboat is going to beat Savage. Maybe Steele will hurt Savage too!

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Roll the highlights.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this one more than the previous week, as it felt like it was starting to build to some bigger things. You can see wrestlers starting to talk about each other and that should make for a good slate of house shows down the line. That has me wondering what we’re going to see and these shows are the appetizers on the way to the more important stuff.

 

 

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The Big Event
Date: August 28, 1986
Location: Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 61,470
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Johnny Valiant, Ernie Ladd

So in March 1987, Wrestlemania III completely redefined the idea of a major wrestling show. However, less than a year earlier, there was this show, which is often forgotten by comparison. It is headlined by a major showdown between Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff, which is an absolutely red hot feud. Let’s get to it.

Note that this is the Coliseum Video version of the show, which features a bunch of cuts to get it under two hours.

Gene Okerlund is in a helicopter over Toronto and we get some random short clips from the show. This is described as “the WWF and Hulkamania come to Toronto” in case you didn’t know what this was really about. We also hear about some of the card, which is always nice.

Funks vs. Killer Bees

Jimmy Hart is here with the Funks (Jimmy Jack/Hoss, the latter being better known as Dory Jr.). Hoss and Blair start things off with Blair taking over off some early slams. The Funks already need a breather on the floor before getting back inside for a double noggin knocker. Jack headlocks Brunzell and is promptly slammed down as well. Back in again and a crossbody gets two on Hoss before Blair cranks on the arm.

Hoss finally gets in an elbow and hands it back to Jack, who is taken into the wrong corner again. A sleeper has Jack in more trouble as Monsoon gets on Johnny V for cheering for the Funks. Hoss comes back in and sends Blair outside to FINALLY take over. Then the Bees do their mask deal and change spot, with Brunzell coming in for a clothesline to Hoss. Jack breaks up an abdominal stretch and the Bees switch again, with a small package finishing Jack at 6:43.

Rating: C. Nothing to see here, with the Bees’ cheating continuing to be a weird way to go. It’s a total heel move but for some reason it was supposed to be cheered. I’ve never gotten that as it never felt right. Just a basic opener, though the fans didn’t seem thrilled with seeing the Bees cheat multiple times to win.

Magnificent Muraco vs. King Tonga

Mr. Fuji is here with Muraco. We’re clipped into somewhere in the match with Tonga grabbing a hiptoss and a slam to send Muraco scurrying (yes scurrying) outside. We get a shot of a young fan as Muraco comes back in for some stalling. A dropkick sends Muraco outside again before Tonga starts in on the arm. Muraco’s monkey flip doesn’t work (Johnny: “Oopsie doopsie doo!”) and the arm cranking continues.

Fuji trips Tonga/Haku (as commentary keeps switching between the names) down to take over before Muraco sends him outside for a cane shot. Back in and we hit the nerve hold as we might as well be counting down to the time limit draw. About five arm drops don’t go anywhere so Tonga fights up and wins a strike off.

Muraco avoids a charge into the corner though and the leg is wrapped around the post. Back in and Muraco stays on the leg, setting up the Figure Four. With that broken up, Muraco goes up but gets slammed down. Tonga strikes away and hits a clothesline, followed by a high crossbody, only for time to expire at 11:24 shown of 20:00.

Rating: C-. It’s not exactly the most interesting match in the first place and I can’t imagine what it was like to have it go on almost twice at long. Throw in the fact that they were pretty clearly just filling time until the ending and it was even weaker. They did a nice job of hiding the clips, but it wasn’t an entertaining match in the first place.

Ted Arcidi vs. Tony Garea

Arcidi, a power guy, shoves Garea around without much trouble to start. Garea’s running shoulders don’t work as Arcidi is mainly just standing there. An elbow drops Garea but he kicks Arcidi in the face. The dropkick puts Arcidi down but he’s right back with a bearhug for the win at 2:40. Arcidi was horrible and this showed it even more.

Jimmy Hart has Adrian Adonis ready to face the Junkyard Dog and Hart is ready to get his revenge.

Adrian Adonis vs. Junkyard Dog

Jimmy Hart is here with Adonis, who jumps Dog before the bell. Dog fights back with the chain and Adonis is busted open for some headbutts to leave him rocked early. Adonis is headbutted to the floor, where another headbutt staggers him again. Dog headbutts him on the apron and then shoves the referee, allowing Hart to spray Dog in the face with the atomizer. A middle rope elbow gives Adonis two as I guess the bell did indeed ring off camera. Adonis knocks him outside where Hart jumps on the Dog, only for Dog to pull Adonis down. They slug it out on the floor and only Dog beats the count for the win at 4:12.

Rating: D. This didn’t work so well and that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. Adonis was still able to bump rather well but there was only so much that he could do with someone as slow as Dog. This was mainly Dog doing headbutts and then getting beaten up until the finish. In other words, a pretty usual Dog match for the time.

Dick Slater vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

A hammerlock sends Sharpe outside, which makes sense as he doesn’t want that bad arm to get even worse. Back in and Slater sends him right back to the floor as Monsoon calls out Sharpe on having a VERY slow healing injury, with the brace being on for eight years. Monsoon: “Why doesn’t he take the brace off and let it heal?” Johnny: “I DON’T KNOW! WHY DON’T YOU TAKE HIM OUT TO DINNER TONIGHT AND ASK HIM???”

Back in again and Sharpe gets in a shot but we’re clipped to Slater fighting back. Slater knocks him into the corner, followed by a swinging neckbreaker. The elbow misses so Slater goes with a middle rope elbow into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 2:29 shown. Nothing to this one, again, though Johnny snapping on Monsoon was funny.

Bobby Heenan promises to get the masks off the Machines tonight. Oh and Paul Orndorff is going to win the WWF Title. He also hates the crowd calling him WEASEL.

Bobby Heenan/King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd vs. The Machines/Captain Lou Albano

Ah the Machines. This would be Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan) and Super Machine (Bill Eadie, better known as Ax) with Giant Machine (guess) in their corner. Studd and Super start things off but it’s too early for Super to get in a slam, as Studd’s thing was no one could slam him. The fans chant about a WEASEL as Studd knocks Super down to take over. Back up and Super knocks Studd to the floor, where the Giant sends him back inside. Bundy comes in to face Big and a collision goes nowhere.

Big slugs away and avoids a charge in the corner before knocking Bundy down so Studd comes back in. Studd stomps Big down and NOW it’s off to Heenan, who goes after the mask. A single shot from Super cuts him off but it’s Big being taken back into the corner. Studd’s cheap shot from the apron cuts Big down for two so it’s back to Heenan, only for Albano to get the tag. Heenan backs up (as only he can) before Albano whips him upside down in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Giant comes in for the DQ at 7:48.

Rating: D+. This was the usual slow motion match from the Machines and Bundy/Studd, though Heenan was there to make it better. It’s not a good match or really anything close to it, but what matters is they got something out of the crowd. The Machines were the definition of goofy fun, but it would be nice if they had something to back it up in the ring.

Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat

Snake Pit Match, which basically means street fight. Roberts jumps him on the way in but Steamboat gets in a backdrop to send Roberts outside. That lets them get their entrance gear off before Steamboat chops away back inside. Steamboat starts in on the arm as Monsoon says that we were originally supposed to have a real snake and a real dragon in the corners but the whole safety thing prevented it.

The hammerlock keeps Roberts down as Johnny can’t remember the lake near the stadium. Steamboat chops him to the floor but Roberts takes over and drops some knees, with Steamboat hanging over the ring’s platform. Roberts takes too long to get a chair though and Steamboat takes it away for a hard shot of his own.

Back in and the top rope chop to the head gives Steamboat two as the fans are staying with this. The armbar goes on again but Roberts manages to whip him over the top for a big crash to the floor. A catapult sends Steamboat into the post and we’ve got some blood. Back in and Roberts hammers away, with the short arm clothesline putting Steamboat down. The DDT is blocked so Roberts grabs a backbreaker for two, only to pose too much, allowing Steamboat to get a sunset flip for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: B. Easily the match of the night here so far, with the fans being in there the whole time. Steamboat is someone who could make a comeback as well as anyone else and having him steal the win at the end was the perfect way to go. It was a good most, with Roberts feeling like he was out to hurt Steamboat, who was wrestling at a higher level and picked up the win in the end.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules

It’s a Wrestlemania preview, with Monsoon on commentary alone for some reason and clearly doing a voiceover later. Haynes grabs a headlock and they trade leapfrogs until Hercules knocks him down. We’re clipped to Hercules grabbing a bearhug but Haynes headclaps his way out. They collide for a double down before Haynes elbows him in the face. A backbreaker looks to set up the full nelson but Hercules throws him outside instead. Hercules suplexes him back in and gets two off a clothesline. Haynes comes back with a quick backslide for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C-. It’s not bad, but at the same time there is only so much you can get out of these two having such similar styles. Their bigger match at Wrestlemania wasn’t that much better and it’s mainly due to the clash of styles. You rarely see two people with the same style having a good match and that was on display here.

Fabulous Rougeaus vs. Dream Team

Another Wrestlemania preview and commentary (including Johnny, the Dream Team’s manager) is back. The villains jump them to start but the Rougeaus come back with a slingshot sunset flip for two on Valentine. Jacques drops a knee on Valentine and we hit the abdominal stretch (yes Monsoon complains).

With that broken up, Beefcake comes in for a powerslam and his own two. Raymond gets taken into the corner for a middle rope shot to the head. Raymond gets in a crossbody for two and it’s back to Jacques for a double dropkick. An atomic drop cuts Jacques off (and gives him a rather high pitched scream) so Beefcake can take him into the corner. Everything breaks down and the Rougeaus ram them into each other, setting up the Cannonball for two. Valentine sends Jacques into the apron as we go to a wide shot to show the crowd.

Jacques gets rammed into the apron again before Beefcake hits a big backbreaker on Raymond. A suplex gives Beefcake two and Valentine grabs a bearhug, with a tag to Jacques not counting. Raymond gets whipped hard into the corner but Valentine misses the big elbow. The hot tag brings in Jacques to clean house, including a double dropkick as Johnny is losing his mind. Jacques misses his middle rope elbow so Valentine slaps on the Figure Four. Raymond makes the save as everything breaks down and a sunset flip pins Valentine at 14:55.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, with the extra time helping a bit. They built things up with the heat on both Rougeaus and Johnny going absolutely nuts on commentary helped a lot. It made for a good match as the glory days of the tag division were coming soon, with the Rougeaus being a forgotten part of the lineup.

Johnny has to be held back in the commentary booth. To make things even worse, Monsoon points out that the wrong Rougeau got the pin, which has Johnny’s eyes bugging out in a funny bit.

Harley Race vs. Pedro Morales

This would have been a fascinating match a mere ten years earlier. We’re joined in progress with Morales throwing those big lefts to send Race to the floor. Race trips him down and sends him over the timekeeper’s table. The falling headbutt hits Morales again and a posting makes it worse. Back in and Morales hits a suplex and gets two off a small package. A sunset flip out of the corner gives Morales two but Race rolls him up and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C. Morales was great in his day but it just wasn’t working at this point. You could see that it wasn’t there anymore, even in a short match like this one. Race was able to make anyone look better though and he pulled it off again here, at least as much as you could given the circumstances.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff

Orndorff, with Bobby Heenan, is challenging and has the stolen Real American theme music. Since Hogan uses the same thing, they just let the song keep playing for both entrances. Orndorff jumps him before the bell and they roll around on the mat as the crowd is on fire. Hogan hammers away but the referee PULLS HOGAN’S HAIR to get him away. Dang it why can’t Jesse Ventura be on commentary here?

Back up and Hogan knocks him to the floor so Orndorff pulls Hogan outside for an exchange of rams into the apron. They get back inside where Hogan drops an elbow and an atomic drop sends Heenan into the corner. We pause for Hogan to go after Heenan, which is enough of a distraction for Orndorff to catch Hogan coming back inside. A big clothesline sends Hogan to the floor and there’s a suplex to drop him again.

Hogan starts to get back in, which Monsoon calls “guts personified”. We’re just over four minutes into a match where Hogan has been in control for a good chunk. Monsoon has a low standard for “guts personified”. Some elbows to the chest have Hogan in trouble on the apron and a rather hard one sends him to the apron.

Back in and Hogan gets dropped again so he reaches out to the crowd in one of those things that will always work. Orndorff hits a top rope right hand to the jaw but the piledriver is broken up. That earns Hogan a bite to the face and a belly to back suplex triggers the Hulk Up. A jumping knee sends Orndorff into the referee in the corner and Hogan holds up Orndorff’s arm for a clotheslines (how Orndorff turned on him). Hogan loads up a piledriver, which draws in Heenan with a stool to the back of the head. The VERY delayed cover gets….nothing as the referee calls for the DQ at 11:07.

Rating: B-. Another perfectly acceptable match here, with the ending designed to set up the rematches, which was one of the best house show runs the company has ever seen. Orndorff was a great change of pace heel for Hogan, who was best known for fighting the monsters. It was more in the Roddy Piper mold and that was certainly something Hogan could do very well. Not a great match, but the fans were eating it up.

Post match Orndorff puts the belt on and then freaks out at the announcement (as the referee appears near death in the corner). Orndorff stomps away but Hogan fights up and cleans house.

Slow motion replays and the credits take us out.

Overall Rating: C. The good matches are strong enough to carry this one to another level, but it’s still only so strong of a show. The problem is the bad matches really drag things down, as you’re not going to get much out of the midcard stuff here. What matters the most here is the massive crowd, which really is worth a look. Not a great show, but if you’re wanting to see what the company was doing in an era that is often forgotten, it’s worth a quick look.

 

 

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Wrestlemania III
Date: March 29, 1987
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Attendance: 93,173
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura
America The Beautiful: Aretha Franklin

Well if you insist. This might be the show that I’ve seen more than any other in history as I regularly put it on to go to sleep, as it’s just such pleasant viewing. It’s one of the biggest shows of all time with the biggest main event in history. Throw in…oh come on. It’s Wrestlemania III. You know what this is all about so let’s get to it.

And in case it needs to be addressed again, the exact attendance of the show is A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE. Be it 78,000 or 93,173 or whatever it is in the middle, the WWF packed an NFL stadium and it’s a show that is still talked about going on forty years later. If you’re trying to argue that the attendance being ONLY pushing 80,000, you’re probably reading the wrong thing right now.

We open with the first (of a bunch) iconic shot of the show, with the camera near the top of the stadium and panning across to show all of the people. That’s one of those famous shots in the company’s history and it’s no wonder that it’s been played so many times.

Vince McMahon introduces Aretha Franklin to sing America The Beautiful, with just a hint of the Mr. McMahon voice coming out.

We meet commentary, plus special guests Mary Hart (from Entertainment Tonight) and Bob Uecker (famously not very good baseball player who wound up being a great TV personality and broadcaster).

Can-Am Connection vs. Bob Orton/Magnificent Muraco

Mr. Fuji is here with the villains and the Connection (Tom Zenk/Rick Martel) are basically the prototype for Strike force. Muraco shoves Zenk away to start and actually gets shouldered down. It’s off to Martel, who blind tags his way out of a headlock, setting up a double monkey flip. A double hiptoss drops Orton as well as they’re off to a fast start.

Back up and Orton gets slammed into an armbar from Zenk as Monsoon says Orton has “excellence of execution”. Orton gets a full nelson but Muraco’s cheap shot hits Orton by mistake to give Zenk two. Zenk comes in to work on the arm as well but a quick knee cuts Zenk down. Back up and a collision gives us a double knockdown, allowing the tag back to Martel. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent into each other, with Muraco backdropping Orton. A double dropkick sets up a crossbody (with a trip) to pin Muraco at 5:38.

Rating: C+. This would have been a dark match in more modern times but for this era, it was a great way to start things off. They didn’t waste time and got out of there pretty quickly with the young, pretty boy team beating the villains. Orton and Muraco were never really in control for any extended period of time and it was just shy of a squash. Fun opener here, even if it doesn’t mean much of anything.

We recap Hercules vs. Billy Jack Haynes, which is a battle of the full nelson between two strong guys.

Hercules, with Bobby Heenan, is ready to use his strength to show Haynes that he is the true master of the full nelson. Heenan insists that it is actually Billy “Jerk” Haynes.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules

Bobby Heenan is here with Hercules and since the teams were in the ring to start the opener, we get the first glimpse of the ring carts here. They go nose to nose to start and Haynes backs him into the corner, where the referee gets between them in something you don’t often see. A cheap shot cuts Haynes off but Hercules has to bail from the threat of a full nelson.

One heck of a clothesline drops Haynes and things slow down. A backdrop and hard whip into the corner have Haynes’ back in more trouble, though Monsoon wonders why he isn’t working on the neck to set up the full nelson. Hercules covers him off a suplex but pulls up at two, which has Gorilla and Ventura mildly freaking out.

Back up and the full nelson, or at least something close to it (the fingers aren’t locked) goes on, with Haynes going down anyway. Two arm drops trigger the comeback so Hercules decks him from behind in a smart move. A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Haynes makes the clothesline comeback. The full nelson goes on but Hercules pulls them through the ropes for a crash outside. Haynes gets the full nelson on again but it’s a double countout at 7:53.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as it was a fairly slow power match with the result not really giving us anything. It’s still strange to see something like this at Wrestlemania but it’s a rather different era. The good thing though is that they didn’t stay out there very long, which takes away a lot of the issues. Haynes is a guy who had a great look but never went very far in the WWF before bailing (as he did multiple times in various companies).

Post match Heenan knees Haynes in the back so the chase is on, allowing Hercules to get in a chain shot and bust Hayes open (notice Haynes blading on camera). The full nelson goes on as well, likely setting up house show rematches.

King Kong Bundy, with his midgets (that’s what they’re called on this show so we’ll stay with that for now) threatens to crush various people.

Hillbilly Jim promises to protect his smaller friends, who he picks up for a beard pull.

Hillbilly Jim/Little Beaver/Haiti Kid vs. King Kong Bundy/Lord Littlebrook/Little Tokyo

Bob Uecker is on commentary and actually treats it seriously, clarifying that the sizes have to match (not so much the age, as Beaver was 53 here while Tokyo was 58, compared to the 35 year old Jim and the 32 year old Bundy). Tokyo headlocks Kid over to start and it’s a four way criss cross until Beaver and Kid do their rowboat spot. We settle down to Tokyo vs. Beaver as Uecker seems rather happy to be here.

Littlebrook comes in as Ventura wants to see Bundy crush one of the midgets. Beaver runs over to get in a cheap shot on Bundy, who is tagged in from the apron, which isn’t exactly legal. Beaver’s dropkick doesn’t do much to Bundy so it’s off to Jim for a clothesline and jumping elbow. The group pin gets two and Bundy grabs a front facelock on Jim, with Beaver coming in for the save. That’s enough for Bundy, who slams Beaver down and drops the big elbow, which is enough for the DQ at 3:24.

Rating: C. This is one of those matches where there isn’t much to get. It’s designed to be comedy or for the kids in the audience, which is fine when they just do something goofy. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom how far Bundy fell after headlining the show the previous year. In something a lot more serious, unfortunately the big elbow to Beaver led to the end of his in-ring career, as he never wrestled again.

Randy Savage isn’t going to let Elizabeth be interviewed by Mary Hart and offers to take any questions Hart may have. Hart to Elizabeth: “Is it always this way?” Savage rushes Elizabeth out of there but tells Hart that his phone number is on his license plate. Hart: “You are a real charmer.” And an incredible star, as the charisma here was incredible.

We recap Harley Race vs. Junkyard Dog. Race is the King of the WWF and wants the Dog to bow to him but Dog wasn’t interested. Instead, Race, with Bobby Heenan, tried to force him to bow. That’s enough to set up a match, but I’d be more annoyed at the crown having a string to help hold it on. They can’t get something a bit more customized?

Race promises to make Dog bow and the Queen (Fabulous Moolah) is told to keep the crown.

The Dog thinks Race has been on the throne too long.

Junkyard Dog vs. Harley Race

Bob Uecker runs off commentary because he is apparently in love with Moolah. As….someone must have been. Dog slugs away to start and knocks him outside, followed by a headbutt back inside. Race hits a headbutt to the ribs and they go outside, where Race misses a falling headbutt.

A clothesline sends Race over the top and back inside, followed by another to put him outside again, with Race’s face landing on the apron. Back in again and Race fights out of an abdominal stretch and hits a falling headbutt, which huts himself again. Dog whips him over the corner and hits some headbutts on all fours. Heenan offers a distraction though and Race grabs a belly to belly for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. This was another short one and somehow might have set a record for the most headbutts attempted in any match. The interesting thing here is that it felt like Race was doing something beneath him, but you could still see how graceful he was with some of his bumping. It made Dog, who wasn’t exactly great on his best day, look that much better here, which is quite the feat.

Post match Race puts on the robe and sits in his chair, which is quite the visual. Dog does bow, then hits Race with the chair and steals the robe and crown, because he’s a sore loser.

Hulk Hogan is not happy with people suggesting that he is ready to take his last ride. At some point you have to face the truth, which is what Andre The Giant will do today. Andre is going to have to face every Hulkamaniac. Hogan: “They say if the dirty air doesn’t get you, the politicians will.” After that line that I have not understood for over thirty seven years, Hogan promises to win.

The Dream Team says don’t worry about Dino Bravo being in their corner.

Rougeau Brothers vs. Dream Team

The Dream Team, with Luscious Johnny V and Dino Bravo, gets an entrance while the Rougeaus are already in the ring. Ventura praises Greg Valentine’s new robe. To be fair, that is a rather snazzy robe. As usual, Ventura can’t remember which Rougeau is which and asks Monsoon in an exchange that illustrates why they sounded like normal people from time to time. Ventura can’t remember which Rougeau he’s seeing, Monsoon says it’s Raymond (the one with the mustache) and Ventura sounds grateful. How often do you see that in wrestling?

Anyway, Raymond takes over on Valentine to start and hands it off to Jacques, who misses a spinning middle rope crossbody, allowing Valentine to drop some elbows, as he is known to do. Beefcake comes in to stomp away and a top rope forearm to the head/backbreaker combination hits Jacques.

Bobby Heenan joins commentary and says he is 2/2 today as Valentine gets the Figure Four, sending Jacques to the rope. Monsoon calls out Heenan for King Kong Bundy’s loss, but Heenan doesn’t “deal with midgets”. Jacques gets over to Raymond for the tag and Le Bombe de Rougeau connects but Bravo gets in a cheap shot, allowing Valentine to steal the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. Another short match which didn’t mean much but hearing Monsoon and Heenan arguing is always worth a look. It’s another match where they don’t have much of a story and it’s just two teams doing things, which is acceptable enough. Anytime you can get Le Bombe de Rougeau, it’s a pretty good day. Well maybe not for the Rougeaus, but at least it was entertaining while it lasted.

Post match Beefcake gets left in the ring for some reason with the other villains leaving. No one exactly gets what’s going on with Beefcake and…yeah it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Unless he’s just having a sudden crisis of conscience, it comes out of nowhere, at least with what we’re seeing here.

We recap Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis in Piper’s farewell match, which is hair vs. hair. Adonis had paid off Piper’s bodyguard Bob Orton and Piper was livid, even more so when Piper’s Pit was turned into the Flower Shop when Piper was gone making a movie. Piper came back and wrecked the place, earning a beating from Adonis and Orton. On top of that, Adonis sprayed perfume in Piper’s face, with Ventura thinking it was due to a bad case of halitosis. This was a heck of a hot feud, as Piper looked like he wanted to kill Adonis.

Piper says he’s not going out like a coward. No defeat and no surrender. Piper was bringing the fire here.

Adonis, with Jimmy Hart, is ready to cut Piper’s hair.

Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis

Adonis has Jimmy Hart with him. Piper has to walk to the ring (as his cart stalled), which just feels appropriate. They start fast with Piper whipping him with a belt but Adonis takes it away and unloads on Piper as well. A clothesline sends Adonis to the floor so Piper drags him, and Hart, inside for a double noggin knocker. Hart gets whipped into Adonis for a crash out to the floor. Ventura: “THIS IS TERRIBLE! THIS IS HORRIBLE!”

Back in and Piper unloads on Adonis before throwing Hart onto him again. Adonis rakes away at the chest and drops him with a shot to the face as Hart is barely able to stand on the floor. An elbow sends Piper to the floor and Adonis sends him into a table so Hart gets in a cheap shot of his own. Adonis hammers away so Piper tells him to bring it, only for Hart to spray him with perfume.

Good Night Irene (sleeper) goes on and Piper can’t shake it off or break it with some rams into the corner. The arm drops twice and Adonis just lets go, with the arm not going down yet. Cue Brutus Beefcake (whose hair Adonis had accidentally cut earlier in the year) to wake Piper up so Adonis swings his hedge clippers, which bounce off the ropes and hit himself in the head. Piper grabs his own sleeper for the win at 6:55.

Rating: B. No it might not be good, but this is an absolute blast of a match with Piper being so over the top and having such a good time with Hart and Adonis that it’s just so much fun. Piper was on his way out and gets to do one more entertaining match because he earned the whole thing. It would have been interesting to see him as a good guy for a longer time in his prime but going out on a high note like this is good too.

Post match Beefcake cuts a bunch of Adonis’ hair, with Piper throwing it around. Adonis wakes up and is shown his haircut, which sends Adonis into a frenzy. It doesn’t really get him very far as Piper keeps skipping away, leaving Adonis to crash out to the floor. Piper celebrates and a fan runs into the ring, gets a hug, and is promptly handcuffed while Piper leaves in a funny moment. Of note: the hedge clippers that Adonis used would become Beefcake’s trademark as he became the Barber after the match. Throw in Adonis being the one to give Piper his trademark leather jacket and it’s quite the influential feud.

Jesse Ventura has left commentary to be presented to the crowd, with Bob Uecker accusing him of going to be with Fabulous Moolah.

Ventura is indeed presented to the crowd before the next match, which he would do for the next two Wrestlemanias for some reason.

The Hart Foundation and Jimmy Hart are ready for war with DANNY DAVIS as their new member.

Hart Foundation/Danny Davis vs. British Bulldogs/Tito Santana

Bob Uecker and Mary Hart are on commentary. So this is ALL about Davis, who was a referee who cost the Bulldogs and Santana their titles through being all evil. He was promptly suspended “for life plus ten years” (he refereed again later on because wrestling) so Jimmy Hart has turned him into a wrestler, making his debut here.

The fans are desperate to see Davis get absolutely massacred here and he has absolutely insane heat. The good guys get to do their entrance and Uecker AGAIN does a great job of setting up Monsoon to recap the story, treating this totally seriously (in his own fun way) and being as good of a celebrity broadcaster as you’ll ever find in wrestling. Matilda (the bulldog mascot) chases the villains to the floor and Santana jumps Neidhart before we officially get going.

Ventura takes Matilda to the back as Bret is dropped face first out of the corner. Neidhart comes in as Mary Hart goes on a rather annoying rant about how she is NOT related to Jimmy. Santana leapfrogs Neidhart and hands it off to Smith to hammer away. Smith avoids Bret’s elbow and hands it off to Dynamite, who gets headbutted down. Dynamite gets punched in the corner and Neidhart adds a cheap shot as Monsoon says that Bret, just like Bob Orton, has Excellence Of Execution.

Something close to a Demolition Decapitator hits Dynamite and it’s off to Davis for a few stomps. He immediately hands it off to Bret with the biggest grin, because he knows how to be a heel. Unfortunately Mary is asking what Dynamite has to do to get out of the ring in this TAG match. Davis comes back in for two more stomps and gets out again with his big grin. Bret tries a slingshot but Davis lands on raised knees, allowing Santana to come in and hammer on Davis, with the fans going NUTS.

A backdrop sets up the flying forearm before Santana just unloads on him with some right hands. Neidhart breaks up the Figure Four so Smith comes in for a heck of a clothesline and a jumping Tombstone. That’s not enough for the cover so Smith grabs a suplex to drop Davis again. The running powerslam gets two with Neidhart making the save. Everything breaks down and Jimmy slips in the megaphone so Davis can knock Smith out for the win at 8:53.

Rating: B. While it might be stretching the idea of having Davis escape one more time, sweet goodness the crowd reactions here were incredible. Davis was getting absolutely molten heat here and the fans were dying to see him get crushed. I could have gone for seeing the good guys win, but stretching it out wasn’t the worst idea.

Bobby Heenan (now in the famous white tuxedo) promises that Hulkamania is over tonight because Andre The Giant will be the new World Champion. Heenan’s confidence here is even higher than usual as he really feels like this is the be all and end all for him.

Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed

Slick is here with Reed as we have a bit of a Mid-South reunion here. Ware tries to pick up the pace to start by running over Reed and then dropkicks him out to the floor. Back in and Reed drops Ware to take over and we look at Frankie the parrot trying to eat the camera. Ware comes back with some right hands and a dropkick before a small package gets two. Back up and Ware tries a crossbody but Reed rolls through and grabs the tights for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here with the two of them just having a quick match without going very far. Reed felt like he could have been something bigger in the company but it never quite panned out. Having him around here was fine, but there is only so much you can do in a match this short with nothing going on.

Post match Slick goes after Ware but Tito Santana pops up to rip off Slick’s suit as he and Ware have been having issues lately. Santana and Ware clear out Reed too.

We recap Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title. Savage injured Steamboat with an ax handle to send Steamboat throat first into the barricade and then crushed his throat with the ring bell. Steamboat returned anyway and wanted revenge while teaming up with George Steele, who had been feuding with Savage for several months.

Savage is ready to beat Steamboat and get him out of the ring because he is the lord and master. “History beckons the Macho Man.” What an amazing line.

Steamboat says they are going to meet like titans and the Dragon is going to scorch Savage’s back.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat

Steamboat, with George Steele, is challenging and Miss Elizabeth is with Savage, who gets a face pop so big that even commentary has to acknowledge it. They lock up to start and Steamboat shoves him to the floor as Ventura says Steamboat was able to come back because he has a lot of throat. The armdrags have Savage in trouble and Steamboat lifts him up with a choke.

Back in and Savage gets in a kick of his own as even Monsoon has to admit that Savage is pretty incredible. Steamboat comes back with a crank on the arm and snaps it over the top but Savage elbows him in the face. Savage drops a knee for two but gets sent face first into the buckle. A crossbody gives Steamboat two and it’s another armdrag into some shoulder blocks. Savage comes back with a jumping knee to the back but Steamboat is fine enough to skin the cat.

That just earns him a clothesline over the top because as good as Steamboat is, Savage is incredibly smart in his own right. Another running knee sends Steamboat crashing over the barricade, with Steele having to help him back over while the referee yells at Savage. Ventura gets on Monsoon, who wanted managers to be less hands on. Monsoon: “That’s not a manager. That’s a friend.” I feel terrible for this one but screw off with that nonsense Monsoon.

The top rope ax handle drills Steamboat and an atomic drop gets two back inside. Steamboat flips out of a belly to back suplex and backdrops Savage over the top for a heck of a bump to the floor. Back in and Steamboat dives off the top and over the referee to chop Savage in the head (I love that shot). Steamboat starts firing off the chops and Savage is knocked outside again. A sunset flip and some rollups get two each on Savage as even Ventura has to admit that this match is incredible.

Steamboat catapults him face first into the post for two but Savage pulls the tights to send Steamboat shoulder first into the post. Back up and a reversed whip takes out the referee and Savage hits his signature clothesline (where he lands on his back for some reason). The top rope elbow connects….and there’s no referee. Savage goes to grab the bell but Steele shoves him off the top, with Savage crashing down onto said bell (close enough). Back up and Steamboat small packages him for the pin and the title at 14:31 in one of the most famous finishes in history.

Rating: A+. I mean…what do you want me to say? Yeah it might be a cliche to say this is one of the best matches ever but that’s exactly what it is. You have two of the best of all time in a match that was way ahead of its time with the fast pace and near falls. There’s nothing close to bad in the whole thing and it feels like it is one of the biggest showdowns you’ll ever see. In short, this is a classic for a reason, or in this case, multiple reasons.

Savage goes back in the card with his head in his hands, completely destroyed.

Jake Roberts, with Alice Cooper, is ready to get revenge on Honky Tonk Man for hitting him with a guitar.

Honky Tonk Man thinks the fans want to hear his song rather than something by Alice Cooper.

Honky Tonk Man vs. Jake Roberts

Jimmy Hart and Alice Cooper are here too. Roberts jumps him to start and knocks him outside before the Elvis suit can come off. The beating goes to the floor, with Roberts getting in a slam as the beating is on in a hurry. Back in and Roberts charges into a knee in the corner but he’s right back with the short arm clothesline. The threat of a DDT sends Honky Tonk bailing to the floor, where he manages to post Roberts for a breather.

Back in and the middle rope fist drop hits Roberts, followed by an elbow to the face (by “Honk” according to Monsoon). The Shake Rattle And Roll (he couldn’t get past the Shake) is broken up and Roberts is back with an atomic drop. There’s a backdrop to Honky Tonk and he gets tied in the ropes for some right hands. The DDT is teased but Hart grabs the leg, allowing Honky Tonk to get a rollup (with a grab of the rope) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C. There was only so much to get out of this one as Honky Tonk wasn’t going to have the best matches and this was more about Roberts’ revenge. That’s not what he got anyway, but it’s not like Roberts was ever going to win many big matches. Honky Tonk Man had something much bigger coming, but you wouldn’t have bet on it here…which is kind of the entire point.

Post match Hart and Cooper get in the ring, with Roberts holding Hart back so Cooper can throw Damien on him. This show has been very full of sore losers.

Gene Okerlund announces the attendance record.

Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff vs. Killer Bees

Slick is with the villains and is still in his torn suit. Volkoff sings the Soviet national anthem, which draws out newcomer Jim Duggan (yes the 2×4 has an American flag) to break it up because THIS IS AMERICA. The villains jump them from behind to get started but are sent into the corners to cut them off. Blair comes in to work on Sheik’s arm and the Bees take turns working on said arm. Everything breaks down as the ring is full of trash from the anthem.

Sheik elbows Brunzell down and it’s back to Volkoff for a bearhug (which has Brunzell looking like he’s being tortured to death). A suplex (almost a Jackhammer) gives Sheik two but Brunzell knees him down. The referee misses the tag thanks to a distraction though and everything breaks down. Sheik camel clutches Brunzell so Duggan blasts him in the back with the 2×4 for the DQ at 5:51.

Rating: D. This is a good example of a match that did not need to be here and served little more than to stretch things out until the main event was ready to go. It really didn’t need to happen and it’s not like there was much going on anyway. If nothing else, it continues to amaze me that Sheik and Volkoff were a team for so long. They won the Tag Team Titles two years ago at the first Wrestlemania and they’re still here.

Post match Duggan says he’ll do that every time Volkoff tries to disgrace America. As Ventura puts it: why are the Bees ok with Duggan costing them a match? Shouldn’t they be mad?

Andre The Giant is ready to be the World Champion and Bobby Heenan agrees.

We recap Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant. They had been friends for years but then Bobby Heenan got in Andre’s head and asked why he never got a title shot from Hogan. Andre snapped (well as much as he’s ever going to snap) and tore the shirt off of Hogan’s back (ripping his cross off by mistake in the process), challenging him for the title at “the Wrestlemania.” Hogan agreed and it’s time for the biggest match of all time.

Hogan is ready and poses.

Bob Uecker, the guest ring announcer and Mary Hart, the guest timekeeper, are brought out.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant

Andre, with Bobby Heenan, is challenging. Hogan’s entrance is rather incredible, with him getting the big spotlight and walking all the way to the ring as Ventura does the tale of the tape (and even admits that Hogan’s biceps are “phenomenal”). Ventura: “This is the biggest match in the history of professional wrestling.” That’s pretty accurate, yep. The bell rings and we get the staredown, which is your next iconic shot of the show.

Hogan wastes no time in Hulking Up before hammering away and trying a slam, only for Andre to fall onto him. This gives us a VERY close two, which was controversial enough that it enough for the feud to continue for another year. Andre slowly starts in on the back and hits a pair of slams before stepping over Hogan to keep him down. Some whips into the corner make it worse as Andre is barely having to do much here, mainly because he couldn’t. Andre misses a headbutt and hits the corner, allowing Hogan to hammer away for the hope spot.

Ten straight rams into the buckle have Andre staggered but he gets the boot up to cut off the charge. The bearhug goes on for awhile (I still don’t get the criticism that this kills the match as it’s really not that long) but Hogan slugs away for the break. A running shoulder has Andre staggered again until he hits a big chop. Andre boots him out to the floor but accidentally headbutts the post.

Hogan, ever the hero, pulls back the floor mats and tries a piledriver, which is easily blocked with a backdrop. Back in (I can give you the commentary word for word from here on) and Andre misses a big boot, allowing Hogan to drop him with a clothesline. Heenan is beside himself as Hogan Hulks Up and slams Andre (there’s your other iconic shot) to drop the leg and retain the title at 11:32. Ventura: “UNBELIEVABLE!” If you could sway Jesse, you could get anyone.

Rating: B-. No it isn’t particularly good, no it isn’t anything that hasn’t been done better and no it was never going to much better than that. What mattered here was giving Hogan the win against the biggest (non-Sammartino) name of the previous generation. It’s a VERY simple story (Hogan gets hurt, he gets beaten down, he survives long enough to Hulk Up and uses the power of Hulkamania to slay the Giant) but it was a good enough stadium match to get by. That and the whole “it’s the biggest match ever” kind of helps.

Andre and Heenan leave in the card, with Heenan’s head in his hands as he realizes he’s lost everything. Hogan poses a lot and gets in his cat, which is elevated so more people can see him in a smart move.

Ventura and Gorilla wrap up the show and we get a stills package to end the show, set to Aretha Franklin.

Overall Rating: B. I’ve watched this show more times than I can count for over thirty years and that’s because it just works. It’s a perfect example of a show that flows so well, with only a few spots that drag. The show has twelve matches and two of them break nine minutes. Even the worst matches on the card are out of there quickly enough that they don’t do much damage, which is part of the reason why the show is just over three hours.

At the same time, this was the show that set the standard for what Wrestlemania would become. Rather than a big house show or whatever the second edition was, it was “here’s a huge main event with enough on the undercard to fill a stadium”. That would become the standard for Wrestlemania down the line and it started here, making it one of the most important shows of all time.

Overall, Wrestlemania III is a show that changed the way the wrestling world worked and it still works to this day. You could tell that everyone was wanting it to go as well as it could and for once they actually pulled it off. No the matches aren’t all great, but it has that huge feeling that you cannot fake. It’s a show that will always work and I was enjoying it all over again here, which isn’t something you see very often. Check it out again if you haven’t in awhile, or even if you have really, as it’s always worth the time.

Ratings Comparison

Can-Am Connection vs. Bob Orton/Don Muraco

Original: B+
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: C+

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: C
2025 Redo: C-

Hillbilly Jim/Haiti Kid/Little Beaver vs. King Kong Bundy/Little Tokyo/Lord Littlebrook

Original: F
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Harley Race vs. Junkyard Dog

Original: D+
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Rougeau Brothers vs. Dream Team

Original: D+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B

Hart Foundation/Danny Davis vs. British Bulldogs/Tito Santana

Original: C
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: B

Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
2025 Redo: D+

Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A+
2025 Redo: A+

Jake Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man

Original: C
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C-
2025 Redo: C

Killer Bees vs. Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff

Original: D
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: D

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

Original: A
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: B-

Overall Rating

Original: B+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B

Sweet goodness I’ve been all over the place with this show over the years.

 

 

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WCW Saturday Night
Date: August 27, 1994
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan

So this was posted live on the incredible WWE Vault YouTube channel and we might as well take a look at it. There doesn’t seem to be anything significant to the show other than the star power and I’ve heard worse excuses to watch the show. We’re just done with Clash Of The Champions XXVIII, meaning Hulk Hogan has been attacked and injured by a masked man. Let’s get to it.

Dig that old school robotics intro. Dang this is a strong flashback right out of the box.

We open with a long Clash recap.

Commentary welcomes us to the show, with Bobby Heenan being fine with being in a neck brace because Hulk Hogan is hurt even worse.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Tom Burton

Steamboat’s US Title isn’t on the line and the Blacktop Bully (Barry Darsow as a mean truck driver, because WCW) yells at Steamboat from the crowd before the match. Burton headlocks him to the mat to start but Steamboa-t drop toeholds him into an armbar. That’s reversed into a suplex to give Burton two and he even cuts off Steamboat’s chops. Steamboat chops him down anyway and, after waiting for Burton to get up, hits the high crossbody for the pin at 2:46. Burton got a good bit in here, mainly because it’s Steamboat and that means a lot of selling.

Gene Okerlund shills the Hotline, as tends to be his custom.

Stud Stable vs. Joey Maggs/Todd Morton

That would be Bunkhouse Buck/Terry Funk with Colonel Parker and Meng. It’s a brawl to start and the Stable is whipped into each other, resulting in quite the pratfall. Back up and Morton, who looks a lot like a smaller Bobby Eaton, monkey flips Buck to no avail. Funk comes in and hammers away but Morton, who even has Eaton style tights, flips out of Buck’s backdrop and hands it off to Maggs. That’s fine with Funk, who plants Maggs with a piledriver so Buck can finish with a left hand at 3:36.

Rating: C. I’m convinced that Funk could make a trip to the dentist fun, as he turned this into an entertaining match. Buck was good in his own right, making this a far more engaging match than it should have been. Maggs was around for a long time and Morton…well he certainly looked like Eaton.

Post match the Stud Stable looks at a clip from the Clash, where Meng no sold Dusty Rhodes breaking a wooden chair over his head. This was a complete redo of Rhodes’ angle with Big Bubba Rogers, which turned him into a star. Back in the arena, the Stable, including Cowboy Arn Anderson, is ready for Dusty and Dustin in WarGames at Fall Brawl. Terry Funk even feels sorry for Dusty!

TV Title: Johnny B. Badd vs. Lord Steven Regal

Regal, with Sir William, is defending and there is a ten minute time limit. They lock up to start and Regal gets backed into the corner a few times. That’s reversed into a battle over arm control, meaning Regal needs to bail over to the ropes. The exchange of arm cranking continues until Regal needs a breather (complete with seething) on the floor.

Back in and Regal avoids a charge to send Badd crashing into the ropes, meaning Regal can grab a cobra clutch. Badd fights up but gets elbowed in the face to put him back down. We have less than two minutes left as Regal knocks him back down for two more. Badd fights up with a backdrop and a suplex but time expires at 9:36 (called 10:00) for the draw.

Rating: C. Not the most thrilling match but they weren’t hiding the impending draw most of the way through. It just wasn’t that interesting though, which isn’t exactly out of the norm for Regal around this time. That is only going to get them so far, but I remember BEGGING someone to take the title from Regal so he was certainly doing something right.

Post match Badd jumps Regal and William so Regal says he wants a rematch at Fall Brawl.

Steve Austin vs. Chris Michaels

Michaels works on the arm to start but gets snapmared down. Austin misses an elbow so Michaels grabs a headlock, only to get taken down for a knee to the back. Austin starts in on the leg before That’s A Wrap (standing reverse figure four) makes Michaels tap at 2:31.

Sting vs. John Faulkner

Sting shoulders him down to start and slaps the turnbuckle a few times but Faulkner kicks away in the corner. That’s shrugged off and the Stinger Splash into the Scorpion Deathlock finishes Faulkner at 1:29. Squash.

Cactus Jack says he and Kevin Sullivan are done. Jack talks about how Sullivan started making Jack’s career work but now they’re through because it’s time to become a singles wrestler. Sullivan’s dyslexic brother Evad (just go with it) tries to calm things down and gets DDTed for his efforts. It’s weird seeing Jack use a one armed version.

Commentary isn’t sure who Dusty and Dustin Rhodes could find as partners in WarGames but we see a video of Dusty going to a rather tough bar. Inside he finds the Nasty Boys, who, after having their nastiness questioned, are talked into joining Dusty and Dustin. This was such a weird choice for WarGames.

Harlem Heat vs. Buddy Wayne/Barry Houston

As has been their custom lately, Harlem Heat gets orders from their mysterious manager over their (brick sized) phone. Booker and Houston start things off as Heenan thinks Harlem Heat is on their way to becoming champions. Houston gets two off a rollup so it’s off to Wayne, who gets kicked in the face. An assisted Stun Gun drops Wayne again and the spinning forearm puts him down for a third time. Ray comes in for a running powerslam and the Heat Bomb (powerbomb/top rope elbow combination) finishes at 4;01.

Rating: C. You could see Harlem Heat starting to come into their own as a team and it was a lot of fun to watch them putting things together. The talent was there and it would eventually turn into one of the best tag team runs in a long time. Not uch of a match here but the phone thing was intriguing at the time.

Post match Harlem Heat gets what seems to be a rather positive phone call. They go over to Gene and say they’re here to stay and want the Tag Team Titles. Their manager will get them to the top and you do not need to know who it is. That would wind up being Sister Sherri.

We look back at Hulk Hogan being attacked by a masked man at Clash Of The Champions, which was WCW copying the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan story. Later in the night, Ric Flair wanted to be named World Champion but Hogan limped back to the arena and lost the title match…via countout. After the match, the Masked Man (clearly Arn Anderson) came in and wrecked Hogan’s knee. The masked man would lead to Brutus Beefcake headlining Starrcade, again, because WCW, when Mr. Perfect fell through.

Nick Bockwinkel announces that Ric Flair is suspended from wrestling throughout North America. He also bans Sherri Martel for being Flair’s associate. Since it’s Nick Bockwinkel, this takes FAR longer than it needs to.

Vader vs. Chris Nelson

Vader has Harley Race with him and slugs Nelson down, followed by more slugging in the corner. The powerbomb is enough for…well not a pin as Vader doesn’t cover but he insists the referee count Nelson out at 2:03.

We go to the Fall Brawl Control Center, with Ric Flair suspended and Ricky Steamboat st to defend the US Title against Steve Austin (not quite). Speaking of Austin, he talks about how Steamboat has inspired him to wan the title back. Steamboat doesn’t care for Austin’s comments and is ready to give Austin a rematch.

CALL THE HOTLINE!

Tag Team Titles: Nasty Boys vs. Pretty Wonderful

Pretty Wonderful is defending. Sags and Orndorff start things off with some circling until Orndorff stomps him down in the corner. Everything breaks down and some clubberin sends the champs outside. Back in and Knobbs cleans house before Sags grabs a headlock. Roma gets in a cheap shot though and Sags is (illegally) thrown over the top.

Roma’s top rope elbow gets two and he sends Sags face first into the mat to keep him in trouble. Sags fights back and grabs a sleeper before slamming Roma down. That doesn’t last long as Roma goes up, only to dive into a slam. Knobbs comes in and cleans house but throws Roma over the top for the DQ at 9:00.

Rating: C. I never got the appeal of Pretty Wonderful but they were fine enough as a team. That was on full display here as they were mostly trying to have a run of the mill match with the less than traditional Nasty Boys. As usual, the over the top rule is dumb, but that was a thing in WCW forever.

Post match the Stud Stable runs in to beat the Nastys down and post break, the team promises to win WarGames. Terry Funk barks a lot because Dusty is an EGG SUCKING DOG to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The matches were all run of the mill at best but the main thing here is they built up the big match for Fall Brawl while also addressing the big Hogan/Flair story. WCW doesn’t have the best reputation around this time but my goodness there is a lot of talent on here. It was a breath of fresh air to watch and it would be great to see more random shows, either from this era or anywhere else. WWE has such a huge archive and it’s great to see something like this every so often. Lot of fun here, and I could go for more.

 

 

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