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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SuperBrawl VI
Date: February 11, 1996
Location: Bayfront Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Attendance: 7,200
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes

It’s a double main event here and that should make for a good show. The two main events happen to both be inside a steel cage, with Randy Savage defending the World Title against Ric Flair, plus Hulk Hogan vs. the Giant. Other than that, we have the usual variety of title matches, plus a respect match between Brian Pillman and Kevin Sullivan which I’m sure won’t mean much. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a very, very generic “here’s a voiceover listing off the matches”, though at least the guy doing the voice is energetic.

Commentary hypes up the cage matches.

Public Enemy vs. Nasty Boys

Thank goodness this is a street fight. It’s a brawl to start with the Nastys being sent outside with the Enemies following them. That means it’s already time for a table, but Sags chairs the heck out of the table wielding Rock. Grunge chairs Sags right back and the table is set up at ringside. Knobbs slams Rock off the apron and through the table for two (as street fight apparently means falls count anywhere) as Sags comes back with a trashcan (actually complete with trash for a change).

Back in and Sags piledrives Grunge through a trashcan, with Grunge getting a foot on the rope for the save. Knobbs suplexes Rock through a table at a merchandise stand which would only be there for this segment as fans wouldn’t be allowed near there. They take turns smashing each other with trashcan lids until Knobbs is laid on a table, with Rock missing a flip dive through the table. Knobbs hits him with a piece of the table for the pin at 7:49.

Rating: B. I can appreciate the idea that the four of them didn’t bother trying to do anything other than beat the fire out of each other. It’s not a good match and barely wrestling, but that’s exactly what they were going with here. That made for an entertaining match and I had a good time with the whole thing as they were certainly putting in the work here.

Gene Okerlund talks about how two former WWF champions could be on their way to WCW. I’m sure that won’t go anywhere. Anyway, Konnan is ready to defend the US Title and won’t let the fans down. He’s beaten the One Man Gang before and he’ll do it again.

TV Title: Johnny B. Badd vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Badd is defending and is putting up the title and the Diamond Doll (Kimberly) and the winner gets her remaining Bingo winnings, which is about six and a half million dollars (1996 WCW was weird). It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Page being whipped into the barricade. Badd flips him over the top, leading into the regular discussion of whether or not that counts as a DQ.

Back in and Badd gets in a snapmare into a backslide for two but Page knocks him down without much trouble. Page wants a TEN from Kimberly, who turns him down, and then talks a lot. Badd’s sunset flip gets two but Page is back with a running tornado DDT. Instead of covering, Page poses and yells even more (Heenan: “Oh no.”) so Kimberly gives him a ZERO.

Page chokes away and grabs the chinlock as things slow down a good bit. Back up and Badd gets two off a rollup, followed by an ax handle. Badd hits him in the ribs, with Schiavone saying it was right in the solar-plexus. Heenan: “That’s just outside of Phoenix. About 20 minutes.” A top rope sunset flip and a sitout powerbomb give Badd two but Page plants him right back down. The sleeper goes on but Badd jawbreaks his way to freedom, setting up a sleeper of his own. That’s broken up so Badd hits a quick Tombstone for the pin at 15:00.

Rating: C+. This was around the time when Badd had gotten rather good at everything he did and figured out his style to the letter. That was on display here, as his high flying stuff worked well and he felt like a star in the making. It’s also weird to see Page as anything less than the polished star he would become, but he was far different at this point.

Harlem Heat is ready to fight Sting and Lex Luger for the Tag Team Titles. Then they’ll move on to face the Road Warriors (who get the winners of Harlem Heat vs. Sting/Luger later tonight).

Tag Team Titles: Sting/Lex Luger vs. Harlem Heat

Sting/Luger are defending. Booker knees Sting into the corner to start so it’s off to Luger. Some forearms have Booker in trouble but he gets up a boot to stop a charge in the corner. It’s already back to Sting, with Booker grinding away on a headlock. Sing suplexes his way out and hands it off to Luger, who misses that big elbow that has missed every time ever, allowing the Heat to take over. The slow beating is on and we hit the nerve hold on Luger, with commentary talking about how hard it’s going to be to wrestle again tonight.

Booker comes back in for a heck of an ax kick and grabs the front facelock. Heenan wonders why Sting won’t come in and Rhodes says that Sting isn’t a dummy. Yes he is. Luger makes the tag but the referee doesn’t see it, but Sting comes in anyway and hammers away. Ray pulls the top rope down to send Sting outside, leaving Luger and Ray inside. Cue the Road Warriors to hit Ray in the ribs with something made of metal to give Luger the pin at 11:49.

Rating: C-. Rather boring match for the most part here, with a lot of laying around and going in slow motion, which shouldn’t be the biggest surprise as Sting and Luger have another match tonight. Sting and Luger are a big time tag team, even if they have some issues (to put it mildly). Not much of a match here, but there are some extenuating circumstances.

Post match Sting and Luger are happy with their win, though Sting doesn’t know what happened with the Road Warriors, with Luger moving them along before anything can be said.

US Title: Konnan vs. One Man Gang

Konnan is defending after taking the title from the Gang a few weeks ago. Gang hammers him down in the corner to start, which is about all you should expect from him here. Back up and Konnan hits a dropkick to send him into the ropes, where a crossbody sends Gang outside. A running flip dive off the apron drops Gang again but he drops Konnan again without much trouble.

Back in and Gang slowly hammers away, including a side slam, and we look at a WCW Motorsports driver in the crowd. Konnan fights up and hits some dropkicks but misses another, allowing Gang to hit the 747. Gang pulls him up at two and commentary realizes this is stupid. The middle rope 747 misses (ignore that Konnan had moved before Gang jumped) and a top rope flip dive gives Konnan the pin at 7:48.

Rating: D+. There’s just only so much you can do with this kind of a match. The Gang is someone who can do well enough, but that wasn’t the case here as he was just doing the big man offense and then screwed himself over. The interesting note: Gang was only 36 years old here. He’s one of those guys who looked WAY older than he was as I would have guessed he was in his early to mid 40s by this point.

The Road Warriors have no issue with Sting, but they’ll do anything to hurt Luger, which is why they took out Harlem Heat earlier. Tonight, it’s time to take the titles back. Hawk says they’ll be deviating septums and detatching retinas.

Taskmaster vs. Brian Pillman

This is an I Respect You strap match, as they’ll be tied at the wrist with a strap and you only win by making your opponent say “I Respect You”. They go straight to the brawl to start and trade some whips with the strap (which isn’t attached yet). Pillman grabs the mic and says “I RESPECT YOU…..BOOKERMAN” to give Taskmaster the win at 59 seconds.

Ok so what happened here. Basically Pillman was doing his Loose Cannon thing and he and Sullivan (or Eric Bischoff, depending on who you believe) decided to work everyone. This wound up resulting in Bischoff firing Pillman, who was supposed to go to ECW and then come back. The catch was he wound up signing with the WWF instead, which was basically what he wanted all along and needed to get out of his contract with WCW. In theory at least, as it’s one of those stories that has about 14 different versions over the years.

As for here though, Arn Anderson comes out in street clothes and he’ll be doing the match with Sullivan instead.

Arn Anderson vs. Kevin Sullivan

Anderson hammers him down to start and ties up Sullivan’s legs. That’s broken up and Sullivan gets in a low blow before whipping away. Back up and Anderson whips away as well, allowing him to choke Taskmaster in the ropes. That’s not enough yet so Sullivan fights back, only for Ric Flair to come out and call it off, saying it’s time to take out Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. They seem to agree and we’ll call it a no contest at 3:25.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do anything here and that’s the smart move, as there was no reason for these two to be fighting. It’s a fine example of “they did what they could”, which was giving the fans the violence advertised, albeit not with the right people. I can’t bring myself to get mad at them here as it’s not their fault that they were thrown into a rough spot.

Post match they seem to agree, which feels like a way to fill time. Flair yells at some fans too.

The Giant promises to be really, really, extra super mega evil in the cage. Jimmy Hart shouts a lot.

Tag Team Titles: Road Warriors vs. Sting/Lex Luger

The Warriors are challenging. Luger tries to walk out but Sting gets him to come back…eventually, and we’re finally ready to go. Well hang on as Luger runs off again and has to be coaxed back, which finally allows the opening bell. Hawk runs Sting over with a shoulder to start and then hits a dropkick. Sting is sent outside but comes back in for a swinging neckbreaker.

They go down into some awkward grappling until Hawk grabs an STF. Sting makes the rope so Animal comes in for an armbar. That’s broken up and Sting gets over for the tag to Luger, who is tentative at best to come in. Luger kicks away but walks into a big boot from Animal, followed by a powerslam. Animal grabs another armbar before handing it off to Hawk to hit a corner clothesline. Luger is sent outside and into the barricade, which fires him up for some reason.

A clothesline drops Hawk and Sting is back in for a snap suplex. Animal comes back in and gets knocked down as well, only for Sting to do his falling low blow. Now Luger is willing to come in for an atomic drop but the threat of Hawk coming in means it’s back to Sting. The top rope splash hits raised knees and it’s back to Hawk to beat on Luger. The chinlock goes on but Luger hits a quick jawbreaker, allowing Sting to come in for…a lockup.

Animal is sent into the corner for the Stinger Splash but Hawk makes the save with a clothesline. Luger doesn’t seem to mind, prompting Rhodes to ask “WHAT IS HE DOING”. Hawk is right back with a chinlock and bodyscissors, followed by the same thing from Animal. Sting fights up again and hits a suplex but Animal pops up. Animal’s suplex makes Sting pop right back up as well (the fans like that) so Animal hits a dropkick. Everyone brawls to the floor…and the referee throws it out at 13:55.

Rating: C-. They were starting to go somewhere with Luger not wanting to get involved and the four of them brawling around. The problem is they didn’t get very far out of first gear and things were just picking up when they stopped. It was another case where they didn’t want either side to lose so we got this rather lame ending instead. Give it a finish and it’s better, but there was only so much to be gotten out of a match like this.

Ric Flair, with Woman, is ready to make Randy Savage bleed, sweat and cry in the cage, as Flair takes the title back.

The cage is lowered.

Ad for Uncensored. Oh sweet goodness that show.

Randy Savage is glad to have Elizabeth back and says it’s time to expect the unexpected in the cage. The blue and yellow are a cool color combination for Savage.

Commentary hypes up the World Title match.

WCW World Title: Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage

Savage is defending and Woman/Elizabeth are here too. Before the match, Flair gives Elizabeth one more chance to switch sides but that’s not happening so we’re ready to go. Flair is rather tentative about getting in the cage so Savage hammers away, only for Flair to chop his way out of trouble. The big knee connects and Flair slugs away….before knocking the referee down. Savage gets a backslide for no count and the referee is back up as Savage hits a clothesline.

Flair drops him with an elbow and fires off the chops in the corner, followed by another elbow to keep Savage in trouble. Savage catches him up top with the slam down and it’s already time for the Figure Four on Flair. The rope is reached but it doesn’t matter in a cage. Savage eventually lets it go and hits him in the face for two before climbing to the top of the cage (that can’t go well).

Flair punches him out of the air to take over again and a suplex gets two. Savage is sent head first into the cage and Flair just lets him hang there for a bit. The real Figure Four goes on, with Flair grabbing the ropes to no avail. Savage grabs them as well so Flair gets into it with the referee, who grabs Flair by the hair for the break. Savage fights back and sends him into the cage as Woman starts the shrieking.

Flair is busted open so Savage goes for the cut, with a few shots knocking Savage back down. Flair’s attempt at going up means it’s time for the trunks to come down (dang he loved that spot WAY too much). Savage covers for two (ignore the bell ringing) so Flair hits him low. Flair starts going up and we get the trunks pulled down AGAIN (thankfully with some censoring this time).

Savage is knocked down hard but Flair collapses as well for a double breather. Back up and Flair is sent hard into the cage, though he’s able to backdrop Savage into the cage (as we go wide because of the cut). Woman throws powder at Savage but misses, only for Elizabeth to hand Flair her shoe. The big shot to the head gives Flair the pin and the title at 18:56.

Rating: B+. These two were basically incapable of having a bad match so giving them the better part of twenty minutes in a cage with an emotional finish was a guaranteed hit. They worked well together and it’s fun watching them just trying to hurt each other. Savage never really came close to winning either, which wound up not even being an issue, as it was more about the violence and surviving than going for a win.

Post match Elizabeth is rather pleased with what happened and goes to stand next to Woman. Cue Hulk Hogan to chase them off and hit Arn Anderson (here to celebrate) with Flair with a chair. Savage is taken out after being hit in the eye, with Hogan being nice enough to help him.

Hogan (with his eye bandaged after a recent attack) rants about Elizabeth and thinks it might go back to when they officially separated four years ago. He does remember Elizabeth’s shoe coming off pretty fast on Nitro so maybe something was up. There won’t be any Savage having his back tonight so the big man upstairs will cover his blind side.

Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant

In a cage, escape only (note that you have two cage matches with different rules, because WCW), with Taskmaster and Jimmy Hart here too. Hogan sends him into the cage to start and fires down the right hands in the corner. A bite to the head and rake to the back keep Giant in trouble but he forearms Hogan in the back. The knuckle lock keeps Hogan down and Giant kicks him in the ribs a few times for a bonus.

Hogan is sent into the cage and then choked with a shirt, leaving Giant to rattle his neck. Giant misses the big elbow but Hogan isn’t able to slam him so early. The stomping continues and Hogan is sent into the cage for a bonus. It’s too early to go through the door so Giant gives him a backbreaker to stay on the back.

Hogan goes into the cage again and we hit the bearhug (of course). That stays on for a rather long time until Hogan fights out, only to get caught in the chokeslam. It’s 1996 though so Hogan doesn’t have to sell, meaning it’s time to send Giant into the cage over and over. Three legdrops connect and Hogan goes up, only for Giant to catch him on top. That’s fine with Hogan, who knocks him down and climbs out for the win at 15:04.

Rating: C-. You know what you’re going to get in a Hogan cage match and they didn’t deviate from the plan in the slightest. This was every box checked you could ask for, with Hogan surviving everything, including the chokeslam, and then winning. Giant popping up after three legdrops is stupid in its own right, but this was designed to give Giant lose without taking a pin, though it didn’t really protect him that well.

Post match Hogan grabs a chair and throws Taskmaster inside, leaving Giant cowering. Heenan: “Where’s the rest of the Legion Of Doom?” Cue Meng, the Barbarian, Hugh Morrus, Shark, Zodiac and the One Man Gang. That makes it eight on one…..and HOGAN BEATS THEM ALL UP. Even with the chair, that’s totally ridiculous, and here is Loch Ness, the new monster of the team, who is held back by the team and doesn’t actually get in the cage. Hogan poses to end the show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C. This is a rough one, as the good is rather good, but the boring stuff brings it way down. That’s a problem throughout the show, as Savage vs. Flair (and the rather awesome Liz turn) can only make up for so much of the rest of the show. Sting and Luger’s stuff is interesting outside of the ring, but the parts between the bells….not so much. The Hogan stuff is just horrible though and you could see how ridiculous everything was getting at this point. Overall, it was clear that WCW had potential, but it wasn’t going to matter with Hogan choking the life out of the place.

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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Uncensored 2000
Date: March 19, 2000
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden, Mike Tenay

I might as well take another look at some of the shows on the WCW YouTube channel so we’ll go with something from the terrible days of the promotion. Well terrible is kind of a stretch, as I’ve always had a soft spot for this year. This is the show that tends to be more hardcore and violent, and in this case it’s YAPPAPI time. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Lex Luger hurting Sting and various other people, so tonight Sting is back for revenge. The other big matches: Hogan vs. Flair and Sid vs. Jeff Jarrett. That’s…really not a great lineup.

Various people arrive, including someone we don’t see in a limo. That’s never good. Like, at all.

Schiavone: “We’re getting ready to break some heads!”

Cruiserweight Title: Psychosis vs. The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea

Prince, with Paisley (better known as Sharmell) is defending and we’re in the weird unmasked Psychosis (with Juventud Guerrera) era. Hold on though as the bell rings and some music plays, with Chris Candido coming out to join commentary as a surprise. Psychosis starts fast by knocking Prince outside for a big dive (Candido: “I can do that.”) but Prince is right back inside to hammer away. A running shoulder drops Guerrera for two and Prince sends him outside as Candido wonders where his own (unnamed) valet is.

Back in and Prince pulls out the hair a bit before dropping a knee for some near falls. A super hurricanrana drops Prince and they….I’m not sure what it was supposed to be but Psychosis snaps off a gordbuster. Paisley offers a distraction so Juventud kisses her, earning a whipping with his own shirt. For some reason Paisley tries to take his belt off as Psychosis hits a guillotine legdrop. Psychosis lets up on the pin for no apparent reason, allowing Prince to hit a middle rope DDT and retain at 7:21.

Rating: C-. Like most Prince matches, this wasn’t bad, but it was really, really dull. There was nothing about the Prince that made you want to see him and having him do this gimmick didn’t make things any better. Psychosis was little more than a random challenger and he added almost nothing. Finally you have Candido, who felt like a total afterthought and did pretty much nothing here, which sums up a lot of his time in WCW.

Bam Bam Bigelow isn’t sure what the Wall is doing but he’s going to stop him tonight.

XS vs. Norman Smiley/The Demon

XS is Lenny Lane/Lodi, now a couple of stereotypical party guys, but Miss Hancock comes out for commentary. She’s not happy with her for turning her down so she’s managing Smiley and Demon instead. Smiley comes out of Demon’s casket, but gets scared by the pyro. It’s a…well not really a brawl to start but Demon and Lodi fight to the floor and Norman (in Demon paint) gives Lane the Big Wiggle.

The spinning slam is broken up so Norman brings in the Demon, who gets caught in the wrong corner. A double clothesline gets Demon out of trouble and it’s back to Norman, who is quickly caught with a Skull Crushing Finale. The Demon makes the save and Norman’s Conquest gives Norman the win at 3:42.

Rating: D-. Why was this on pay per view? XS was as low level of a team as you can get and yet they were at least a regular team. Smiley and the Demon might have teamed together occasionally but it was there for the gag of Smiley as a demon and nothing more. It wasn’t funny and thankfully it was short, with Hancock sounding more like a heel than anything else here.

Post match XS blames Hancock for the loss and seem to try kidnapping her, with Demon and Norman making the save so Hancock can dance.

Billy Kidman, with Torrie Wilson, apologizes to Booker (not T., which we’ll get to later) before their tag match. Booker says if Kidman is going to be there, he needs to be there.

David Flair and Crowbar, both in neck braces, want Daphne to stay in the back. She agrees and then smiles once they leave.

We recap the Wall’s recent path of rage, involving him beating up people like Bam Bam Bigelow, David Flair and Crowbar, with Bigelow (Wall’s mentor) standing up against him. I’ve heard far worse stories.

The Wall vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

They slug it out to start and Bigelow hits a splash in the corner, followed by a clothesline to cut Wall off. A top rope headbutt connects for two but Wall is right back with a big boot. They fight out into the production area, with Wall chokeslamming him through a table for some sparks and a DQ at 3:20.

Rating: D. What was that? Well other than another TV style match which happened to be on the pay per view that is. The idea of Bigelow trying to stop the monster is fine, but could you at least let them have a decent fight first? The match didn’t even make it four minutes and Wall never felt in any real danger. Why was this here?

Immediately after the match, Crowbar and David Flair jump the Wall, with Crowbar getting him up onto the scaffolding. Wall chokeslams him through the stage in a pretty awesome crash. Ah, that’s why the match was there. Wall gets to do his signature look, which is NO WAY like Bubba Ray Dudley’s look after he powerbombed people through tables. We pause for Crowbar to be put in an ambulance as wrestlers watch.

Brian Knobbs dedicates his Hardcore Title match to Bigelow and Crowbar. Uh, thanks?

Hardcore Title: Brian Knobbs vs. 3 Count

3 Count is defending in a gauntlet match. In one of the most bizarre choices of all time (and this is WCW), Knobbs’ theme music at this point is….a rock version of My Sharona. Naturally since this is WCW, they don’t seem to get the definition of GAUNTLET match, as 3 Count goes after Knobbs at the same time. They jump Knobbs together to start but he easily fights back with trashcan shots.

The Pit Stop puts Moore and Karagias down but Helms, wearing a mask to protect a broken nose, is immune. I’m not sure that makes sense but Knobbs is sent into a ladder, setting up some splashes off of said ladder. Knobbs is back with a fire extinguisher and a chair to Helms for the first pin (Knobbs’ music plays because even WCW doesn’t get it).

The table is pulled out and Karagias is powerbombed through it for the second fall. Another table is set up but Helms is back in with a dropkick to Knobbs…whose foot it is in the ropes so it doesn’t count. In a hardcore match. Which is called a gauntlet but isn’t. Knobbs throws a ladder over the top onto Karagias and drives a trashcan onto Moore for the final pin and the title at 6:55.

Rating: D-. Do they not know what a GAUNTLET match is? If you want this to be an elimination match then fine, just call it that instead. But no, the idea is to just call it a gauntlet match when that has nothing to do with anything. You might as well say Knobbs is challenging in an Icepick Donkey match, because it has as much to do with a gauntlet as this mess did. It wasn’t even like Knobbs was in any danger here, even with 3 Count’s cool dives off the ladder. Oh and one more thing: BRIAN KNOBBS IS WINNING A TITLE ON PAY PER VIEW IN 2000. Stop that!

Harlem Heat 2000 is ready to…..I have no idea, as it’s Big T (Ahmed Johnson) yelling. Now, you might remember earlier that I said his name was just “Booker”. That’s because the story is Booker has lost the rights to the Harlem Heat material, which somehow included the middle initial T. I’m not kidding.

Vampiro talks about doing bad things and how people like Fit Finlay drive him to do them.

Booker/Billy Kidman vs. Harlem Heat 2000

Torrie Wilson, J. Biggs (Clarence Mason) and Cash (a big bodyguard) are here too. Ray stomps on Booker to start as Biggs talks about how he doesn’t care what happened to Crowbar. Kidman comes in for a dropkick so it’s off to Big T., who powers Kidman down. Booker fights up but the numbers game gets to him. Kidman is taken outside and held so Big T. can dive over the barricade to take him down.

That’s fine in theory except Big T. barely clears the barricade and only grazes Kidman, who doesn’t even leave his feet while Big T. faceplants. And that’s his post WWF run in a single moment. Back in and Big T. spinebusters Kidman for two but Kidman bulldogs Ray out of the corner. The Book End plants Ray with Big E. making the save, followed by a double spinebuster. Kidman dives in for the save and Ray is sent outside. That leaves Booker to kick Big T. into a rollup for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: D. And that might be the second best match of the night. That dive summed up everything about Big T.’s time here, as it was just embarrassing to see what used to be one of the coolest looking stars in years reduced to an embarrassment because he can’t do it anymore. Just dreadful here, with Booker and Kidman looking fine as a team but having absolutely nothing to work with on the other side.

We look at the Wall attacking Crowbar again.

Recap of Vampiro vs. Finlay. Vampiro is the young punk and Finlay is here to teach him some respect.

Vampiro vs. Fit Finlay

Falls Count Anywhere. Finlay hammers him down to start and hits a clothesline for a bonus. Vampiro is back up and hits a top rope spinwheel kick to drop Finlay, who shrugs it off again. Instead Finlay grabs a chair, which the referee takes away, allowing Vampiro to kick Finlay down again. They go outside and Finlay is sent into the announcers’ table but Vampiro gets too cocky and is sent over the barricade.

The fight heads out into the concourse and into the men’s room (where Finlay had promised to take him). Finlay slams a stall door onto his head but Vampiro is back with a trashcan to the ribs. Vampiro climbs onto the top of a stall but gets trashcanned out of the air. Now it’s time to go back into the concourse and even outside, which doesn’t last long. Finlay backdrops him onto the concrete but gets sent into concrete column. The Nail In The Coffin (Michinoku Driver) finishes for Vampiro at 8:39.

Rating: C-. I guess the idea here was to have Vampiro become a future star but…he just wasn’t very good. The spinwheel kick looked good but the rest was just a bunch of standard hardcore stuff. That doesn’t really make me want to see Vampiro do anything and he doesn’t exactly stand out. Finlay was his usual good self and Vampiro isn’t totally awful by any means, but he isn’t this next big thing that WCW seemed to think he was going to be.

Vampiro goes back into the arena to celebrate with the crowd.

Jeff Jarrett gives the Harris Twins a pep talk but they seem confident.

Disco Inferno and the Mamalukes are ready to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: Harris Twins vs. Mamalukes

The Twins, still part of the NWO, are challenging in a No DQ match. Vito and Ron start things off with Vito taking over to start, as Disco Inferno is already annoying the rest of commentary. Don comes in and hammers away but gets pounded down. A low blow drops Vito, who is right back up to knock Ron down. Johnny comes in for a double double ax handle to the chest, followed by something like the Harris’ H Bomb to Ron.

Don is back up to send Johnny outside and into the barricade, followed by a side slam back inside. The slow beating allows Johnny to fight back up with a clothesline, allowing the needed tag off to Vito. House is cleaned and a top rope elbow gets two, followed by a Hart Attack for two. Vito is sent outside so a double flapjack can connect for two more. A double spinebuster gets two more with Vito making the save. Inferno comes in and hits Ron in the face with the belt for two, leaving Ron to hit Johnny with the belt. The H Bomb gives Don the pin and the titles at 8:47.

Rating: D. The fans’ silence during this match sums up the issue: the Harris Twins are a perfect example of a team who is fine on paper but falls apart as soon as you get away from said paper. They’re just so, so, so boring and there’s no way around it. At the same time you have the Mamalukes and Disco Inferno, which a story that has gone on for so long that it stopped making sense months ago without ever being interesting in the first place. Boring match and the Twins winning the titles is about the worst result imaginable.

Fit Finlay says he beat respect into Vampiro but the better man won tonight. Now keep the fire burning from here on out.

Team Package (Lex Luger/Ric Flair/Elizabeth in a terrible name) is ready for Sting and Hulk Hogan tonight.

We recap Dustin Rhodes vs. Terry Funk, with Rhodes attacking Funk to continue the Funk vs. Dusty Rhodes feud. This resulted in Funk pulling out a chicken and saying it was Dusty’s son. Funk then knocked Rhodes out with the chicken, because that was a thing. Therefore, it’s bullrope match time.

Rhodes promises to make Funk bleed and retire him.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Terry Funk

Texas Bullrope match and yes Funk brings a chicken with him. Funk does a Foghorn Leghorn impression and says he thinks he sees a chicken in the ring. The only difference between Dusty and Dustin is Dusty is a lot fatter, but Funk has Dustin’s younger brother here. Cue a man in a chicken suit, causing Dustin to run up the aisle, where Funk hits him in the head with the chicken.

The bell rings and Funk beats him into the ring, where Funk whips him with the rope. Some left hands in the corner have Rhodes in more trouble and the cowbell to the head gets two. A low blow gives Rhodes a breather and he knocks Funk into the ropes to keep up the beating. Rhodes pounds him down on the floor and they finally bother attaching the rope about four minutes into the match. A belly to back toss gives Rhodes two and the bulldog onto the cowbell gets the same.

Cue the Chicken to go after Rhodes, who beats the Chicken up, complete with clucking sound effects. Funk is back up with a low blow and of course he wants a microphone. He’s changing the rules and now it’s an I Quit match (the previous rules said you could only win by pinfall). The referee doesn’t like that so Funk hits him with the cowbell and demands that Rhodes quit. Rhodes finally quits, which doesn’t count, so he hits Funk in the head with the cowbell again. A piledriver onto the cowbell gives Rhodes the pin (which counts) at 9:01.

Rating: D+. I have no idea what to make of this, as it wasn’t a bullrope match for a good while, but then it was kind of an I Quit match and then Rhodes won by pinfall, as is usually the case. Oh and something about a chicken. Throw in the fact that we’re doing Rhodes vs. Funk (of any generation) in 2000 and acting like fans care is bizarre enough. Even in Florida.

Sid expects Jeff Jarrett to do something stupid and he’s ready to move on to bigger and better things. Was that insulting to Jarrett? I’m not sure.

We recap Sting vs. Lex Luger, which involves Luger breaking A LOT of arms (as in probably six or seven people, many of whom were wrestling in casts on this show). Now it’s time for Sting to get revenge.

Sting vs. Total Package

This is a lumberjack match, with the wrestlers Luger has injured standing around the ring. Oh yeah and it’s THE TOTAL PACKAGE now instead of Lex Luger, because that was the big change he needed. Before Sting comes out, Luger apologizes to the lumberjacks for breaking their arms. He has a backup plan though and brings out his own lumberjacks, who have their own unnecessary casts.

Luger jumps Sting to start and the fight is on, with Sting knocking him outside. Back in and Sting gets to stomp away and the jumping elbow gets two. Luger is sent outside and the lumberjacks (including Doug Dellinger) get to stomp away. Back in again and Sting is sent outside for a change, with Luger’s lumberjacks hammering on him. Cue Tank Abbott (no cast) to knock Dellinger out and leave, because Abbott is a weird guy.

All of the lumberjacks brawl to the back, leaving Luger to chinlock Sting, as Ric Flair and Elizabeth come out. Flair and Vampiro (who was apparently still there) brawl at ringside until Flair gets inside to chop Sting. This goes as it has gone for over ten years now but Luger ax handles Sting down.

Elizabeth hits Sting in the back with the baseball bat so here is Jimmy Hart, with a Hulk Hogan weightlifting belt, to chase her off. Luger loads up the Rack but Vampiro hits him with the bat (the referee looks at it happen and glares at Vampiro, allowing Sting to hit the “Stinger” Death Drop (as Schiavone can’t even get that right) for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: D-. I’m sure he was on a huge contract and all that, but who in the world thought it was a good idea to put Lex Luger in this prominent of a role in 2000? The guy hadn’t been interesting in a very long time at this point and while the arm breaking thing was something different, it was still only going to get him so far in yet another match with Sting. The fact that this was the third decade in which they had been working together in some fashion isn’t a great sign, and the results showed badly.

Tank Abbott says he took out Doug Dellinger because he can, and accuses Dellinger of taking his money.

We recap Jeff Jarrett vs. Sid for the World Title. Jarrett keeps getting title shots and has a history of cracking Sid with a guitar. End of build.

The limo door is opened but we don’t see who is in it.

The format has been changed, as this match was scheduled to go on last. Sid’s response? “Oh let’s go.” And he heads to the ring.

WCW World Title: Sid vs. Jeff Jarrett

Sid is defending and Jarrett’s US Title isn’t on the line. Before Sid shows up, Jarrett goes on a rant about how he’s tired of getting ripped off so he has something up his sleeve. He also promises that the NWO girls will show some skin if he wins the title. Sid drops him with a clothesline to start and then pounds him into the corner for the right hands. The chokeslam is broken up with a rake to the eyes so Sid takes him outside for a slam onto the announcers’ table. The beating goes into the crowd before Sid chokes against the barricade.

Cue the Harris Brothers to jump Sid, even going inside to stay on him, as Jarrett argues with the referee in the aisle. Back in and Jarrett pounds him down, followed by the sleeper. That’s broken up so the Harris Twins offer a distraction, only for Sid to send Jarrett into the belt (as held by Don) for two. The chokeslam is broken up with a low blow and the referee gets decked (because that matters in this match). The guitar to the head knocks Sid silly and Jarrett calls in….crooked referee Slick Johnson. Hulk Hogan follows him out and cleans house, including dropping the leg on Jarrett so Sid can get the pin to retain.

Rating: D. So not only did they have a terribly dull match, but somehow, HULK HOGAN is needed to beat Jeff Jarrett. Hogan drops the leg and puts Sid on top for the pin. This is getting into 1995/6 territory of Hogan having to be there to save everyone and that’s one of the last things you want to see happen. Sid was even fine as champion, but it doesn’t matter when you’re having Hogan wedged into the top spot over him.

Post match here is Scott Steiner (apparently the person in the limousine) with a guitar to Hogan’s back. The villains wreck Hogan but Sid is up for the save. Cue Ric Flair and it’s time for the strap match.

Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

Strap match, four corners variety. Flair whips and stomps away to start as Jimmy Hart (with his eyes bugging out) comes to the ring to play cheerleader. It seems to work as Hogan fights up and hammers away but Flair manages a cheap shot back inside. Some choking with the strap has Hogan in more trouble but he’s back up to whip away with the weightlifting belt.

The beating continues on the floor before Hogan rains down the right hands in the corner. A bite to the head busts Flair open and Hogan keeps hammering at the cut. Flair manages to go up and gets slammed down, with Hogan sending him outside for a clothesline. Hart gets in some whips as the squashing continues. Cue Lex Luger to chair Hogan down and leave, allowing Flair to whip Hogan back to ringside. A low blow drops Hogan again and Flair unhooks himself for the sake of chasing Hart.

They hook up again with Hart getting in as well, only to get taken down. Flair goes after the knee and drags Hogan to two corners and then a third before using a foreign object to knock Hogan silly. That’s enough to break the chain so the corners are broken…and Flair covers Hogan for two. That triggers the Hulk Up and Hogan knocks him silly to get three buckles but Luger is back. Hogan boots him down and drops a leg to pin Flair at 14:26 (the referee is fine with this).

Rating: D-. There’s a clip from Family Feud where the question is asked “Do you understand the concept of this game?”. That’s what I’d want to ask here, as it seems like they just kind of changed the rules halfway through. That’s dumb enough on its own, but they tried to do the same thing in the other match involving two people being tied together (because they did that same gimmick twice in about an hour). Hogan gets to slaughter Flair again though, because that’s what he did most of the time, and if that involves changing the rules as they go, so be it. Horrible main event, which shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

Hogan touches the fourth buckle to really rub it in. Posing ends the show. Wait: why was it a big deal that they changed the order of the last two matches? That was treated as some kind of a big plot point and it didn’t seem to matter at all.

Overall Rating: R. For Reset, which is what this company did three weeks later. On April 10, WCW decided to tap out and completely relaunch everything, because the place that the shows were at, spearheaded by this one, was so bad that they didn’t think there was a way out. Think about that for a second. This show was so bad and put the company in such a place that WCW just blew up its continuity and started over. It might not seem possible to get that low, but WCW decided that was the best course of action.

And really, can you blame them? The matches ranged from passable at best to WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE, with rules literally being changed in the middle of matches and the same pairings we’ve seen for years now being trotted out again and again. The end result of the main event was Hogan pinning Flair to win a match where you have to touch all four corners. This was meant to be celebrated due to reasons beyond my comprehension.

That’s on top of the Harris Twins as the Tag Team Champions, XS, Psychosis and David Flair getting pay per view time, plus a group named Team Package and a fight over the letter T. This show was an all time disaster and I can’t blame them for just giving up. Hogan is doing some of his worst stuff here and unfortunately he’s not alone. I have no idea what good came out of this show, and apparently neither did WCW.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

WWE Vault Grab Bag
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes

So since the WWE Vault has a tendency to throw out all kinds of random matches, it can be fun to see what comes out and mix them together. That’s what I’m doing here, with a collection of seven matches that have been posted recently(ish). There’s no connection to them other than that (at least that I’ll get into) so let’s get to it.

From Mexico City, July 13, 2024.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Isla Dawn

Vaquer had been signed in a big surprise a few days before. Dawn jumps her before the match but Vaquer knocks her down and hits a legdrop. A springboard high crossbody gives Vaquer two, only for Dawn to get in a cheap shot to take over. Dawn’s hip attack in the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Vaquer makes the comeback, including what would become known as the Devil’s Kiss for two. Dawn fights back to no avail as it’s the SVB to give Vaquer the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash, but Vaquer was never in anything resembling real trouble. That’s the point in having her debut like this, as she got to come in, make a good impression, and leave with the fans wanting to see more. Nice debut here, as Vaquer clearly had the skills right from the start.

From Savannah, Georgia, January 29, 1991.

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

This is a Blindfold Match after a Wrestling Challenge taping and a test run for their infamous match at Wrestlemania VII. Martel misses a (blind) charge to start and Roberts immediately gets the idea of pointing, with the fans telling him if he’s going in the right direction while Martel stumbles around. This goes on for a bit until Roberts finally gets him down and hammers away. Martel is back with some choking but misses a backdrop attempt as Roberts steps to the side. How he would know to do that is anyone’s guess.

Martel winds up on the floor and stumbles around for a bit, ultimately finding the snake bag and panicking. The staggering continues as Martel finds a chair and I wonder how there hasn’t been a 94 count by now. Martel’s chair shot hits the post and he slowly gets back inside (after almost four minutes on the floor).

They back into each other and Martel hammers away but misses an elbow drop. Martel finally gets frustrated and takes the hood off to hammer away. Roberts gets tied in the ropes so Martel grabs the Arrogance. The fight with the referee is enough for Roberts to hear them and hit the DDT for the VERY delayed pin at 8:46.

Rating: D+. This didn’t work again, partially as I’m not sure how Martel wasn’t counted out or disqualified at either point. That being said, the idea of a blindfold match works, but this was very little action or even teases with the crowd helping. Then again, it’s just a tryout for the big match later, even if a lot of the sequences were the same.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, November 12, 1991.

WWF Title: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan is defending in a Wrestling Challenge dark match and Mr Perfect is here with Flair. We hit the stall button to start with no contact for more than the first two minutes. Flair gets in a shove and a WOO before ducking a lockup attempt. He ducks again and we’re now three and a half minutes in with that one shove being the only contact. Hogan draws a line on the mat and says bring it so we finally get a lockup, with Flair grabbing a headlock.

Flair grinds away but Hogan powers out and hits a running shoulder, allowing him to strut a bit as the fans are going nuts for all of this. A clothesline puts Flair on the floor and it’s time for a test of strength, but Flair is smart enough to pike him in the eye instead. Flair’s big chop just fires Hogan up and he hammers away in the corner. Hogan knocks him to the floor and Flair goes to leave, only to get dragged back for his efforts.

This time Flair manages to knock him down and drops the knee but the chops just wake Hogan up again. That’s one thing I love about Flair: whether it’s Sting or Hogan, he would keep doing the same things that never worked because he has the confidence to believe THIS TIME FOR SURE! Just like going to the top rope, even if it almost NEVER worked, Flair was delusional enough to believe that he could pull it off.

Anyway, Hogan fights back but stops to yell at Perfect, allowing Flair to start in on the leg. Flair crotches him against the post and starts in with his usual leg variety pack. The Figure Four attempt is blocked though and Flair goes up, only to be slammed down (there it is). Perfect puts the foot on the ropes at two and it’s time for the foreign object. The big right hand connects and yeah you know what’s coming. The Hulk Up is on and Flair bails to the floor for the chase, with Hogan beating the count back in for the win at 14:45.

Rating: C. Well it was fine and that’s about all I can give the thing. Flair just never felt like a threat to Hogan, as outside of a fluke rollup, was anyone buying that Hogan was losing to the Figure Four? It’s one of those matches that felt like it should have been massive but it just didn’t click for the most part, which was certainly the situation here.

Hogan poses to mix it up a bit.

From Cape Girardeau, Missouri, March 24, 1985.

Randy Savage vs. Jerry Lawler

This is officially from the ICW promotion, which officially done but Angelo Poffo (Randy’s father) might have been promoting a Memphis show and as a result, it was part of the ICW video library. Savage bails to the floor to start and says something I can’t understand before getting back inside for the lockup. They run the ropes with Lawler letting him jump over him about five times before grabbing a hiptoss.

Back up and Savage keeps moving around while Lawler waits on him, including another knockdown. The stalling continues as there is barely anything going on, but the fans keep screaming at just about everything. In other words, these two are crazy over and the fans want to see it happen. Lawler goes to the floor and grabs the mic to complain about…something (not the best audio as you can imagine).

They switch places and Savage’s manager and says if Lawler has any guts he’ll…something. Lawler drops to the floor again and seems to threaten said manager as we’re nearly ten minutes in with about a minute of contact. Lawler chases Savage outside again and Savage grabs the mic to yell some more. Back in and Lawler punches him into the ropes and, of course, Savage bails outside. This time he grabs the chair so Lawler runs for a change. Savage grabs the mic again and I have no idea what he’s saying. Granted this is for the live crowd and not us so it’s hard to get that annoyed.

Back in again and Savage knocks him into the corner before dropping to his knees for some mocking, followed by another yell into the mic. Lawler chases him back to the floor before dropping outside himself, where Lawler steals the bell for some reason. Savage chases him with a chair, so Lawler grabs the mic and seems to tell Savage to drop the chair. That brings Savage back in for roughly the 47th time, with Lawler punching him down again.

We stall again, as there are minutes long stretches between any kind of offense. Lawler catches a kick to the stomach and sweeps out the other leg, setting up the fist drop as we might be about to get going. That means Savage needs a breather in the corner, which allows him to catch Lawler’s kick to the ribs for a change. Lawler ENZIGURIS HIM into the corner, followed (eventually) by a right hand. Savage ducks a clothesline though and Lawler is sent to the apron, allowing the manager to slip in the cane for a shot to the ribs.

The slow beating knocks Lawler around ringside, followed by the top rope elbow….to the head. Well that’s just weird, and Lawler sending him outside on the kickout is even weirder. Back in and Savage sends him outside again, this time beating Lawler into the crowd, where we can’t see very much. Back in again and Lawler punches him out of the air, meaning it’s time to start the comeback. As is the case int his match, it doesn’t last long as Savage goes to the eyes and sends him into the buckle a few times. The strap comes down and Lawler hammers away, goes after the manager, and drops the middle rope fist for the pin at 31:57.

Rating: B-. Ok so here’s the thing: this is not going to be for everyone. If you like action packed matches, you will be bored out of your mind with this one. The vast majority of offense is punching, with Lawler’s enziguri and Savage’s stuff from the top being about the only variety. What you had here was a great lesson in milking a crowd, as these guys barely did anything for about twenty minutes and had the crowd going nuts. That’s how you do something like this and it worked, while also showing how brilliant both of them were with getting the most out of their actions.

Post match someone runs in after Lawler (likely Lanny Poffo) but Lawler clears him out, only to get jumped by two more guys….who he beats up as well.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, January 31, 1997.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Sid

Michaels is defending in a dark match after Raw. Canadian boxer George Chuvalo is guest ringside referee. Michaels does not seem to be quite with it and Hart isn’t looking pleased, though that’s often his default look. Hart and Michaels slug it out to start until Michaels is sent outside so Sid can beat on Hart instead.

Back in and Michaels tries the superkick on Sid, who reverses into a chokeslam. Hart drops Sid and goes after Michaels in the corner, with Michaels reversing and superkicking Sid to the floor. A dropkick and some right hands have Hart in trouble and Michaels isn’t sure why the (Canadian) crowd doesn’t like him. Another dropkick is countered into the Sharpshooter but Sid is back in for the save.

The powerbomb drops Hart again so Michaels makes a save. This time Sid is sent outside, leaving Hart to beat on Michaels some more. A backdrop sends Michaels to the floor in a nasty looking bump, leaving the other two to clothesline each other. The Sharpshooter has Sid in trouble but Steve Austin runs in…and gets knocked silly by Chuvalo. Well that didn’t work. Back up and Sid tries the powerbomb but Michaels comes back in with a high crossbody to pin Hart and retain at 12:13.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, with the fans being completely behind Bret (of course) and Austin’s selling of the punch being rather impressive. Other than that, the match was rather basic with the two in, one out format that would wind up dominating the matches over the years. In other words, it’s been this way since the beginning (well, the modern beginning that is, as there were three person matches all the way back back to at least the 60s). Anyway, nice stuff here.

From Binghamton, New York, June 30, 1992.

Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog

From after a Wrestling Challenge taping, Hart’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line and I believe this was on one of the Unreleased DVDs from a few years ago. Bulldog runs him over with a shoulder to the floor to start and the fans are impressed. Back in and Hart’s headlock doesn’t last long so he gets two off a small package instead. A headlock takeover slows Bulldog back down, which he reverses into a hammerlock. That’s reversed but Bulldog rolls around and grabs an armbar.

Hart gets up again and hits a knee to the ribs, followed by the chinlock. Bulldog fights up and tries the crucifix but gets dropped down hard to cut that off. A piledriver (snappy one too) gets two and some elbows, including the middle rope version, get the same. Back up and Hart is sent chest first into the corner but he’s right back with a sleeper. That’s broken up and they crash out to the floor with Hart getting the worst of of it. Bulldog tries a suplex back in but Hart reverses into a sweet German suplex to retain at 13:55.

Rating: B. Well of course the match was good as you have two rather talented people in the ring for a decent amount of time. It was different enough from the Summerslam match and that made for a nice viewing. If nothing else, the German suplex looked rather good with Hart’s bridge making for a nice looking finish.

We get a post match hug.

From Mobile, Alabama, March 9, 1992.

Hulk Hogan/Roddy Piper vs. Sid Justice/Ric Flair

Dark match from a Superstars taping but it was released on the 1992 Battle Of The WWF Superstars so we actually have commentary. Harvey Wippleman handles Sid’s entrance and the fans do not seem pleased. Piper and Flair start things off with Piper getting the better of things and knocking him around, with Hogan getting a shot of his own. The running knee has Flair flying again and Piper is right there waiting with two fingers to the eyes (you know Flair is willing to bump all over the place for something like this).

The right hands in the corner set up the Flair Flip to the apron, where Hogan is waiting with the big boot. Sid comes in and chokes Hogan in the corner before beating Piper up in a similar manner. Piper manages to punch him out of the air but Sid takes it right back into the corner. Flair’s atomic drop gives us a fairly funny sell from Piper, who is sent outside. Hogan goes out for the save but gets held back, allowing Sid to get in a chair to the back.

They head back inside and Piper slams Flair off the top but crawls to the wrong corner (giving us a good “NOPE” face from Piper). Flair and Piper get in a weird rolling sequence on the mat until Piper makes it over to Hogan for the tag. Hogan boots Flair down (the camera cuts half a second too late and it’s clear that there’s no contact) for the legdrop but Sid comes in and gently taps Hogan with a chair. Flair gets two but it’s Hulk Up time as everything breaks down. With Sid and Piper on the floor, Hogan clotheslines Flair for the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. You know exactly what you’re getting with something like this and while the WWF Champion just got pinned by a clothesline, the fans were going nuts and Piper was clearly having a great time. Piper vs. Flair was a heck of a feud at this point and Hogan vs. Sid was about to headline Wrestlemania. Good way to wrap things up here and the fans approved so it could have been a lot worse.

Hogan and Piper pose together, which will always be sick and wrong.

Overall Rating: B-. An overall rating for this is kind of a weird thing to put together as it’s not meant to be anything more than a homemade playlist. That’s the kind of fun thing that you get from the Vault and I had a good time with the whole thing. It’s a lot of stuff that I’ve either never seen before or haven’t seen in a long time. I had fun with this and hopefully I can do something like it again sooner than later.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: July 29, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re just under a month away from Heatwave and that means it is time to start putting the show together. We already have a few hints at what to expect, which very well may include Trick Williams defending the TNA World Title. Odds are we get a bit more of the card announced this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a ten bell salute to Hulk Hogan and the tribute video from this week’s Raw.

Long recap of last week in Houston.

Jaida Parker vs. Jazmyn Nyx

The rest of Fatal Influence is here with Nyx. Parker gets kicked down to start but blocks a kick to the face. Back up and Parker sends her into the corner and shouts down at Fatal Influence, allowing Nyx to get in a shot of her own. Something like a standing Last Chancery has Parker in trouble, which doesn’t last long as they’re back up for the slugout. Parker hits a Samoan drop, followed by a quick Hipnotique for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to work here but it was nice to see Parker getting a win. She might be on the way towards the title picture and that is not a bad idea. Parker has all of the charisma she could ever need but it’s going to take some success in the ring to make that happen.

Je’Von Evans runs into High Ryze, who don’t impress him. After that, Evans runs into Chase U, with Andre Chase telling the team to go after the big dogs. Evans is going to do the same right now.

Here is Evans in the arena for a chat. A Hall of Famer told him to go after the biggest dog so let’s do this. Cue Trick Williams, who says the big dog is here. Williams says Evans should watch who he talks to, with Evans bringing up the chokeslam from Undertaker last week. Evans was actually talking about Oba Femi, which doesn’t mean much to Williams. Cue the High Ryze, who says Williams is on a different level from Evans. Lee doesn’t think Evans is making a smart move but Evans tries fighting all of them anyway. The brawl is on and Evans is quickly beaten down.

Chase U goes after Hank & Tank…but can’t decide if it’s 1-2-3 go or go on 3. The result is a standoff, with Hank & Tank giving them the match anyway. Andre Chase comes in and says that’s not what he meant.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Tavion Heights

If Heights wins, he’s out of the No Quarter Catch crew. Heights takes him down a few times to start but Dempsey is back with an armbar. We get a random Joe Hendry shot (I’m assuming that was a glitch) before Heights is back up with a quick leg trip into a headlock takeover. Back up and they collide with stereo crossbodies and we take a break.

We come back with Heights suplexing his way out of trouble. They go outside where Dempsey starts going after the leg, setting up a half crab back inside. Heights rolls out and gets two off a small package, followed by a Death Valley Driver for two more. The belly to belly gives Heights the win at 10:11.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why it took three weeks to get there but at least Heights is free of the team and he did it with a clean win. Now all that matters is that they do something with him now that he’s out of the team. There is always room for an Olympic wrestler who can do well enough in the ring so see what he can do after a bigger win.

Santino Marella comes in to see Trick Williams and the High Ryze. Marella tells Williams to not get too comfortable with the TNA World Title because it’s coming home soon.

Here is Blake Monroe for a chat. After getting on Booker T. for getting her name wrong, Monroe moves on to Jordynne Grace. Monroe has seen protein shakes with more personality than Grace and we see various shots of Grace looking as “gym material” rather than “championship material”.

On the other hand, Monroe has star power but here is Lola Vice to interrupt. She doesn’t understand how Monroe can be so beautiful on the outside but so ugly on the inside. Vince made a moment by dancing with Nikki Bella at Evolution…and here is Jaida Parker to interrupt. Parker doesn’t need anyone else to make her into a star but here is Kelani Jordan to interrupt. Jordan doesn’t like Monroe, who challengers her to a match next week. Vice and Jordan clear the ring in a hurry.

Tatum Paxley tells Izzi Dame that she wants to challenge Sol Ruca. Dame isn’t sure but the rest of the Culling comes in to say Paxley is indeed getting the title shot. With the team gone, Luca Crusifino pops in to say no family lasts forever.

Lash Legend is ready to beat up Fallon Henley and go after the Women’s Title.

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

The rest of Fatal Influence is here and Henley backs behind Legend for some early posing. Legend hammers away in the corner and drops down onto Henley’s back. Henley sends her throat first into the ropes and stomps away for two. We get another Hendry glimpse so the glitch theory seems to be wrong. A springboard bulldog into a hurricanrana have Legend down but she’s right back with a fall away slam. Legend goes outside and beats up the rest of the team…but gets dropped by Nia Jax of all people. Back in and Henley hits her Fameasser for the pin at 4:10.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to think of that, but I’m glad Henley didn’t take another fall. At the same time, Legend looks to be getting into a bigger feud, which might be her path up to the main roster. Legend was a star in the Evolution battle royal against the main roster talent and it’s great to see her possibly getting the chance to do it again.

Post match Jax gives Legend the Annihilator.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura have to be held apart. Stacks comes in and doesn’t think much of Inamura, who is ready to face him next week.

Wes Lee vs. Je’Von Evans

The rest of High Ryze is here and Trick Williams is on commentary. Evans dives onto Lee to start the brawl in the aisle and they head inside for the opening bell. A springboard high crossbody hits Lee for two but he gets in a knockdown of his own. Lee strikes away until a chop drops him in a hurry. Back up and Lee sends him into the corner for a trip out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Lee holding a front chancery. That’s broken up and Evans kicks him in the head, followed by a German suplex. Some kicks to the face, including the springboard variety, give Evans two but Lee knocks him back as well. A brainbuster gives Lee two but Evans ties him in the Tree Of Woe. Evans flips into a Coast To Coast for two, only for the High Ryze to offer a distraction. One heck of a no hands dive takes them out but Lee hits the Cardiac Kick…for two, as Evans’ foot is in the ropes. Evans is back up with a jumping cutter, followed by the top rope cutter for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match, with Evans getting to look like a star. He not only beat a former long term champion but he took out Lee’s goons on the way there. That’s a good way to give Evans a nice rub and it looks like he’s going after some gold of his own. Evans can wrestle that fast paced style very well and it worked well here, especially with an opponent like Lee.

Post match Evans and Williams have a staredown but Oba Femi pops up on the platform for the three way staredown.

We get a sitdown interview with Myles Borne, who talks about his health issues as a baby which led to him losing 90% of his hearing. Communication isn’t easy for him but he knows how to read lips and use non-verbal cues. Now he’s blocking out people like Lexis King.

Ava’s assistants update her on Ricky Saints’ and Jordynne Grace’s health issues. Lexis King comes in to call Myles Borne a phony. Ava makes Borne vs. King for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Nia Jax interrupts Fatal Influence’s interview and says that’s what Lash Legend gets when she messes with the most dominant force in WWE. Legend just doesn’t measure up.

North American Title: Santino Marella vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending. Marella wrestles him down to the mat to start and gets some early near falls. Page fights back as we get another Joe Hendry blip. Another rollup gives Marella two and Page bails to the floor, where he takes Marella down. A big boot drops Marella again and a neckbreaker gives Page two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Marella lifts him up into an airplane spin. The Twisted Grin is countered into a Stunner and the saluting elbow gives Marella two. Page’s kick to the head gets two more but a top rope splash hits raised knees. Marella sends him outside for a slingshot dive but Page uses the referee to avoid the Cobra. That lets Page grab the Twisted Grin to retain at 7:01.

Rating: C. Well that’s a sigh of relief. The match was about all you’re going to get out of Marella, who thankfully did nothing but play the hits here. Page gets to beat a popular star and NXT gets a win over someone from TNA. That’s all this needed to be, even if it doesn’t feel like the biggest main event.

Tony D’Angelo is dining alone at his restaurant, where he tells the server to call him Tony rather than Don…but someone we can’t see is behind him to end the show. That could be interesting.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the biggest show but they seem to be planting the seeds for some things down the line. That includes Evans getting a choice to go after one of the two top titles and the ending, which could go in a few ways. Next week should be the build towards Heatwave, as they’re only going to have so many weeks left to get ready. Not a bad show this week, but it didn’t feel like their biggest offering.

Results
Jaida Parker b. Jazmyn Nyx – Hipnotique
Tavion Heights b. Charlie Dempsey – Belly to belly
Fallon Henley b. Lash Legend – Fameasser
Je’Von Evans b. Wes Lee – Top rope cutter
Ethan Page b. Santino Marella – Twisted Grin

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: July 25, 2025
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

This is going to be a weird show, as while we are just over a week away from Summerslam, but yesterday Hulk Hogan passed away. That is the kind of loss that you do not have happen very often as there are very few people close to Hogan’s level. I’m not sure what to expect tonight but it should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the roster and a bunch of legends on stage for the tribute to Hulk, with HHH talking about how big of an influence he was to everyone. They wouldn’t be here without Hogan and that is the case for a lot of wrestlers. We get the ten bell salute.

We get the video on Hogan’s career, naturally set to Real American with HHH narrating talking about how big of an influence he was on everyone. This turns into a biography of Hogan’s childhood and career, rising up through the AWA and eventually the WWF. We see some of his celebrity appearances before moving on to the big rivalries. Then it was off to WCW, with his good guy phase getting all of three seconds before we focus on the NWO.

Hogan came back to the WWF in 2002 and had one more legendary Wrestlemania match with the Rock at Wrestlemania XVIII (that’s still incredible). We jump ahead to the 2005 Hall of Fame induction and everything that he did after his career was over. He was brought back time after time and kept connecting with the fans. He passed away at 71 years old and we get one final look at his career, plus some applause from the fans. This got some time but there were all kinds of things that they didn’t touch. That’s part of the issue with someone who had such a long career, but dang this was touching.

After a break, commentary talks about Hogan and his star power.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. He’s glad to be back in Cleveland but the reality is he made this city. He has nothing in common because he made it out and the people here didn’t. For tonight though, he’s giving back by hosting a live edition of Impaulsive. He doesn’t like Jelly Roll, who interrupts to say that he’s tired of Paul being a jerk and inspiring other kids to be jerks. Paul says at Summerslam, he gets to tag in a 6’7 300lb Scottish warrior while Randy Orton gets to tag in…Jelly Roll?

That brings Roll up to the apron, with what sounds like threats of murder. Roll talks about how he doesn’t like Paul and sees him as a punk a** b****. Cue Drew McIntyre but Roll starts singing Orton’s theme song and it’s time to even the odds. Orton punches McIntyre in the face but gets knocked outside, leaving McIntyre to knock Roll down and…not punch him. Instead Orton is back up to brawl with McIntyre, leaving Roll to slug Paul down. The big right hand is loaded up but Roll grabs a Boss Man Slam (and a decent one) to plant Paul instead. Not bad, but Paul is right about Roll not being much of a match for either villain.

Video on Andrade and Rey Fenix, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez

Charlotte is here with Bliss and, begrudgingly, holding pom poms and Raquel Rodriguez is here as well. Feeling out process to start until Bliss knocks her to the floor. Rodriguez comes up but Charlotte is right there for the staredown as we take an early break. We come back with Bliss running her over with a shoulder, setting up some stomping.

The basement Blockbuster connects, with Charlotte waving the pom pom just a bit. The Sister Abigail DDT is loaded up but Rodriguez offers a distraction. A quick springboard moonsault gives Perez two but Bliss is back with a DDT. Bliss goes up but dives onto Rodriguez to save Charlotte instead of trying Twisted Bliss. Back in and Perez grabs a rollup, with a rope, for the pin at 7:20.

Rating: C+. Perez getting wins is a nice thing to see, though I’m not sure what we’re going to see with the title match. At the end of the day though, this story is doing well for Charlotte, who is coming off as much more of a human than she has been for years. Granted it helps to have her doing something new, but Bliss’ charm has helped quite a bit.

Post match Charlotte checks on Bliss, who is bleeding from the nose.

Jade Cargill is ready to win the title at Summerslam. Cargill leaves and Chelsea Green, with the Secret Hervice, comes in to say she should be getting the title shot over “Crown Stealing Cargill.” The Hervice goes off to secure the perimeter and cue Cargill behind her and the beating is on, with Cargill knocking her into the arena. And we have a referee!

Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Greens

Cargill knocks her to the floor to start and we take an early break. We come back with Green posing and Cargill getting run over with some elbows to the face. A chokeslam plants Green as Alba Fyre shows up for a distraction. Green hits a Zig Zag for two but Unprettier is countered into Jaded for the pin at 5:10. Not enough shown to rate but it was pretty much destruction.

Post match the beatdown is on but Tiffany Stratton runs in for the save. The villains are cleared out and Cargill picks up the title, leading to a tug of war.

Charlotte checks on the rather bloody Alexa Bliss, saying what happened tonight can’t happen at Summerslam. They do affirm their partnership.

Classic Hogan moment: the first WWF Title win.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He starts us off by talking about wrestling losing a giant yesterday. While there are some things about him that are complicated, what isn’t complicated is Hogan’s contributions to the WWE. While Rhodes is a WWE Superstar, Hogan was the first WWE Superstar (that’s a stretch and a half) and Rhodes wants to say thank you.

However, Rhodes has something else going on and that is Summerslam, which will be about violence. The tricky thing is Rhodes doesn’t want to wrestle this John Cena. He doesn’t want to face someone who is counting the days until he is out the door. No, Rhodes wants to fight the REAL John Cena. If Rhodes is going to be the best, he needs to beat the best and that means going through one of the best of all time.

If this is Cena’s last Summerslam, Rhodes wants Cena to wrestle like it’s his first. He wants Cena saying hello to Stu the cameraman, running to the ring and bringing the hustle and loyalty. As for the respect, they can beat it out of each other. We pause for a CODY RHODES chant and a quick stand up on the ropes before Rhodes says he needs this to mean something. The only person who can make that happen is Cena, and he’ll make that happen next week. Good stuff here on both counts, as Rhodes is doing a bunch of the build on his own.

We recap Jacob Fatu getting into it with Solo Sikoa last week, setting up their cage match at Summerslam.

Fatu talks about how he loved Sikoa but now he’s going to be locked in a cage with him. That’s enough for him to come after the US Title. The Miz pops in to yell about how Fatu doesn’t know who he is, but Miz isn’t someone who is just beaten up. He’s the main character, so he’s facing Fatu tonight. Fatu isn’t impressed but Miz slaps him. Fatu says come on with it and Miz backs away.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest. Black talks about how Priest fights to prove who he is while Black fights to prove who Priest is. Priest is ready to prove himself when they fight next week.

The Miz vs. Jacob Fatu

Miz kicks him in the face to start but gets knocked into the corner. The stomping is on and Miz is in trouble…but here are Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s. The distraction lets Miz send Fatu into the post and we take a break. We come back with Fatu crushing him in the corner and firing off some headbutts. The running Umaga Attack connects in the corner so Miz is pulled outside, only for Fatu to hit the big suicide dive. Tala Tonga charges at Fatu but gets sent into the post, followed by a superkick to Sikoa. The pop up Samoan drop finishes Miz at 7:01.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here, but it was a good example of what Miz does best: talk a lot and then put someone over in a good way. Fatu gets to overcome some interference and pin a former WWE Champion. That’s where Miz shines, and it’s not like a loss is going to hut him in the slightest. Fatu vs. Sikoa should be a heck of a showdown, though I’m not sure I can imagine Fatu getting the title back so soon.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save with a chair. Tala shrugs off a chair shot but Fatu is back up. House is cleaned and the running Umaga Attack, with a chair, is loaded up in the corner. Tala makes the save though and Fatu is beaten down. Sikoa screams at Fatu about this being what happens when you betray him.

The Street Profits and B-Fab want the Tag Team Titles. DIY come in to say they have a plan of their own and they want the Profits to stay out of the way. Angelo Dawkins is in a Cleveland Guardians jersey so I’m on their side.

Classic Hogan Moment: Wrestlemania III against Andre.

Zelina Vega comes up to Giulia but runs into….Kiana James, Giulia’s official representation. Vega calls James “Clipboard Karen” but James has already got the title rematch set up.

Summerslam rundown, now with nights assigned.

Tag Team Titles: Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Sicks are defending and get jumped to start fast. Andrade hits Three Amigos on Gacy but Lumis is back up to take Fenix out. We take an early break and come back with Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner. Lumis is dropped onto raised knees and the Message connects….but Nikki Cross pulls the referee out for the DQ at 7:05.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted, but it didn’t last very long. There is only so much you can get out of so little time with a lame ending, but the bigger issue here is that the Wyatts continue to feel beatable. That’s not exactly what they’re going with though, as they’re treated as these unstoppable monsters with the tag team division having to come together to fight them.

Post match Erick Rowan comes in for the beatdown so here are the other tag teams….who are beaten down as well. The Street Profits come in to take out the Wyatts (naturally, as the Profits were in Guardians jerseys) but Nick Aldis is sick of this. Therefore, at Summerslam, it’s Tables, Ladders And Chairs for the titles. The huge brawl stays on, with Tommaso Ciampa hitting a big dive to end the show. Makes sense and after the one they did earlier this year, it should be a heck of a fight.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a tough one, with the big Hulk Hogan tribute at the beginning taking up that much of the show. That was the emotional part of the show, as it was always going to be, but the rest was good enough. The big brawl at the end was a good way to set up the TLC match for Summerslam and Rhodes’ promo was what it should have been. Solid enough show here, but they needed a bit more in the ring.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Alexa Bliss – Rollup while holding the rope
Jade Cargill b. Chelsea Green – Jaded
Jacob Fatu b. The Miz – Pop up Samoan drop
Andrade/Rey Fenix b. Wyatt Sicks via DQ when Nikki Cross interfered

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Hulk Hogan Unreleased
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jack Reynolds, Ken Resnick, Dick Graham, Craig DeGeorge, Nick Bockwinkel, Michael Cole, Tazz

Well you knew there were going to be a bunch of tributes after Hogan passed away and this was the first things posted to the WWE Vault. The idea is that we have a bunch of things that have never been released before, though WWE has an interesting definition of “unreleased”. I have no idea what to expect here as I’ve somehow never seen this before. Let’s get to it.

We open with a highlight package of Hogan’s career, starting even before the first title win over the Iron Sheik.

A quick intro recaps the start of Hogan’s career (there is a quick intro/history package before each match on the set).

From Championship Wrestling, November 13, 1979.

Hulk Hogan vs. Harry Valdez

This is Hogan’s first appearance in the promotion and one of three matches he would have at this taping. Hogan shoves him down to start and hits a slam, followed by the big leg. That’s not even worthy of a cover yet as Hogan sends him into the corner a few times. A slam and knee drop set up a suplex as the squashing continues. Hogan finishes with an Argentine backbreaker at 2:53. Total destruction and you could hear the adulation on commentary.

Hogan takes his time letting Valdez go. After the match, Freddie Blassie praises Hogan (with his hairy chest and back), listing off his measurements. Hogan wants nothing but the superstars and plans to squeeze them hard. This was nothing like the Hogan promo you’re familiar with hearing.

From New York City, New York, September 22, 1980.

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant

Freddie Blassie is here with Hogan, Gorilla Monsoon is guest referee, and Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are on commentary for a weird twist. Monsoon tries to hold them apart but finally gives up and rings the bell. Andre takes him into the corner, where Monsoon grabs the hair to get them apart, which is a bizarre visual. Hogan is sent outside but comes back in, with Andre driving him into the ropes. They trade bearhugs with Hogan LIFTING HIM UP before dropping him back down.

Some shots to the back, including the legdrop, have Andre in trouble as JR points out that Andre was only 34 here. It’s bizarre to imagine him being relatively young. Anyway Andre fights back and breaks out of another bearhug but misses the splash. Another bearhug has Hogan in trouble and Andre plants him, only to hurt his back in the process. Hogan slams him (Lawler: “I don’t know if that had ever been done before.”) and then tries it again but Andre falls on him for the (rather fast) pin at 12:25.

Rating: D+. Yeah this wasn’t exactly much to see, as a good chunk of those twelve minutes were spent in various bearhugs. This is more of a match about the historical aspect of things and that’s just fine, though my goodness what a weird mixture. If nothing else, having JR and Lawler calling it completely straight was weird enough.

From Detroit, Michigan, April 29, 1986.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Hogan is defending and Savage….isn’t wearing the Intercontinental Title for some reason, though he does have Elizabeth with him. Savage jumps him to start fast and beats on Hogan with the belt, which is eventually taken away. Hogan fights back and knocks Savage to the floor, where Savage is rammed head first into the post.

Back in and Hogan lifts him up for a choke before blowing a kiss to Elizabeth, who is up on the apron for no logical reason. Savage sends him outside and kicks away from the apron, only to get rammed into the corner back inside. An atomic drop sends Savage over the top rope but they switch places, with Savage hitting a top rope ax handle.

Back in and Savage gets two off a clothesline as the fans are getting into these kickouts. The top rope elbow connects and naturally the kickout sends Savage flying. The Hulk Up is on and Hogan sends him outside, where Hogan makes the mistake of going after Elizabeth. Savage gets in a shot and tries the elbow again, only to dive into a raised boot….for the pin at 11:44. Well that’s a new one.

Rating: C+. These two always had great chemistry together but that ending was a great example of the problems with their feud. Savage gets to hit his big finish and Hogan basically shrugs it off, only to beat him with a raised boot of all things. They also hadn’t figured out how to make their matches work yet so it was only so good, but they would get better.

Post match Savage jumps Hogan from behind and takes the belt. Savage tries to steal said belt but Hogan pulls him back and hammers away.

From Houston, Texas, June 26, 1987.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala

Hogan is defending. Kamala slaps his stomach a bunch to start (as is his custom) and they trade shoulders. Hogan tries it again and Kamala LEAPFROGS HIM, leaving Hogan more than a bit stunned. Some big chops have Hogan in trouble but he comes back with the running clotheslines in the corner. Kamala drops him again and grabs the pectoral claw, with Lawler reminiscing about the times that he spent in the hold. Hogan isn’t having that and Hulks Up, meaning it’s the usual to finish and retain at 5:54.

Rating: D+. Yeah this one really didn’t work, with Kamala never being the most versatile opponent for Hogan (the leapfrog was great though). This felt like a really low level title defense for Hogan and unfortunately it’s only about three months after Wrestlemania III. Once you beat Andre, why is any other giant going to feel like a threat?

Post match Kim Chee jumps Hogan, who shrugs it off and steals Chee’s hat before posing.

From Philadelphia, December 5, 1987.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. One Man Gang

Hogan is defending and Slick is here with the Gang. They tease a test of strength to start and Gang shoves him away. Hogan’s headlock works a bit better but Gang shoves him off again and runs him over. The slow beating (as per Gang’s custom) begins, including some choking on the ropes. Back up and Hogan sends him into the buckle over and over before firing off the chops.

Hogan can’t knock him down though and Gang is right back with the nerve hold. Gang runs him over again and starts dropping some ax handles to the back. Another comeback is cut off again and Gang stays on the back, this time with knees and a bearhug. Hogan fights out again but a clothesline cuts that off as well, allowing Gang to hit the 747. This time it’s the Hulk up though, complete with the waving finger (which Gang follows for a funny bit). The right hands, boot and legdrop retain at 11:18.

Rating: C-. This was pretty much the same thing as the Kamala match, albeit a bit better. Gang was a bit underrated in the ring as he’s remembered as nothing more than another big guy, but he could move around well enough. He was also mixing up the offense on Hogan’s back so this could have been a lot worse.

Post match Hogan steals Slick’s hat (this is a thing for him) and here is Andre The Giant for a staredown.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, March 13, 1988.

Hulk Hogan/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Ted DiBiase/Virgil

Andre is here with the villains. It’s a big brawl to start with the good guys cleaning house. Hogan gets in the double noggin knocker and then knocks DiBiase’s noggin into Bigelow’s for a bonus. Virgil gets in a cheap shot to take over though and Andre chokes away on the ropes. Some more shots from Virgil set up more Andre choking before they mix it up a bit by having Andre choke instead.

DiBiase grabs the chinlock for a good while before a double clothesline puts both of them down. Back up and Hogan makes the tag off to Bigelow as everything breaks down. Hogan cleans house and Bigelow drops a leg on Virgil. DiBiase elbows Virgil by mistake and it’s the legdrop into the splash to give Bigelow the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C-. This was a pretty hot feud on the house show circuit but it was only so good here. The bright side of it is the shifting away from Hogan vs. the giants, as DiBiase was a different kind of villain. It didn’t help that it was a question of which one would pin Virgil, but the match was just kind of there for the most part.

Post match we get a bit more brawling and posing.

From Smackdown, June 6, 2002.

Hulk Hogan vs. HHH

For a World Title shot and they were the final two in a battle royal earlier tonight. HHH backs him into the corner to start but Hogan slugs his way out of trouble. Some right hands have HHH out on the floor and Hogan knocks him over the barricade. They get back inside where HHH chokes away in the corner, followed by a chinlock. Hogan gets up after two arm drops and hits the big boot but misses the legdrop. The Pedigree is blocked as well and now the legdrop connects for two. Hogan is shocked and the Pedigree finishes clean at 6:45.

Rating: C. Weird way to end the set, but it’s nice to have something from a different era to wrap it up. Hogan doing a clean job is always strange to see, but he was already fresh off losing the title so he was only going to get so many more wins anyway. Just a quick TV main event which felt more like a dark match.

Post match HHH goes to leave but Hogan calls him back in for the handshake. HHH cuts him off from leaving too though and they pose together.

One more look back at Hogan’s amazing career, including a look at his Hall Of Fame induction, wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s not the nicest feeling, but this really wasn’t worth much of a watch. The matches cover a lot of ground but there is a reason these haven’t been released before. Most of them are either matches that aren’t very interesting or have been done better elsewhere. Granted this is the VERY slimmed down version (this is just shy of two hours, while the full version is around nine hours), but I wasn’t so much interested in this as much as I was wondering how much longer it had.

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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I really don’t know where to start. It’s Hulk Hogan. There might not be a bigger star in wrestling history as he is often going to be the person fans think of when wrestling is brought up. He absolutely revolutionized wrestling with the title win (January 23, 1984) over the Iron Sheik as it changed the way the business worked. That’s not something you see very often and Hogan ran with that thing for the better part of a decade.

Then you have the heel turn, which managed to put WCW firmly in front of the WWF for a good while. That’s even before he came back and won the WWF Title (last WWF Champion before the change over to WWE, which feels so appropriate) and have the awesome match with Rock at Wrestlemania. Outside of McMahon himself, there is no one who had a bigger impact on the company’s ascension, which is about as important as it gets.

There are all kinds of things that can be criticized about Hogan and a lot of them took place in the last few years, but we’ll save those for another time. This one hurts in a different way, as Hogan is the kind of person I couldn’t imagine ever actually being gone. It’s going to take me awhile to get my mind around this and I can’t imagine the tributes that are going to roll in from WWE. Hogan might not have the most spotless record in recent years, but he absolutely deserves the sendoff he’ll be receiving.

Favorite Hulk matches/moments/ridiculously nonsense stories?

Battle Royal Collection
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jesse Ventura, Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Joey Styles, Bill Mercer, Tony Schiavone

Well, as usual the Vault saves me from having to come up with a catchy name for these things. It’s one of those deals where the idea is right there and we have a bunch of these to go through. This should be interesting as battle royals can go in all kinds of directions, often out of nowhere. Let’s get to it.

From Smackdown, January 13, 2006.

World Heavyweight Championship: Battle Royal

Bobby Lashley, JBL, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Sylvan, Nunzio, Super Crazy, Simon Dean, Matt Hardy, Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, Mark Henry, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Orlando Jordan, Vito, Animal, William Regal, Psicosis, Paul Burchill

For the vacant title after Batista got injured. Angle is a surprise so JBL goes after him and is quickly suplexed. Angle tosses JBL and Vito so a bunch of people jump Angle at once. An early elimination attempt is blocked as Angle slips back under the ropes, allowing him to go after Mysterio. That’s broken up and Mysterio can’t get rid of Jordan. Animal and Henry have the big slugout with Henry knocking him out.

We take a break and come back with Dean having been eliminated, followed by Nunzio and Jordan being tossed as well. Angle throws out Regal and Burchill but Henry jumps him from behind. Henry knocks Angle outside and follows him (neither are eliminated) as London is tossed. A gorilla press sends Angle through the announcers’ table to leave him laying and Henry gets back inside. Lashley gives Henry a running shoulder but knocks himself down, allowing Henry to kick him out. Kendrick is out as well and we take another break.

We come back with Hardy getting rid of Sylvan, leaving us with Hardy, Henry, Mercury, Mysterio and Nitro, plus Angle on the floor. Henry gets rid of Hardy and Mysterio eliminates Nitro and Mercury. Mysterio realizes he’s alone with Henry but loads up the Eddie Dance to show he’s serious. Some kicks to the leg stagger Henry and the 619 connects. Another one hits the ribs and Mysterio tries to pull him out, only to get sent to the apron.

A springboard is pulled out of the air though and Mysterio is tossed, but Angle gets up. The straps come down and Angle hammers away but Henry runs him over. Back up and an Angle Slam drops Henry, who is right back with a running splash in the corner. Angle manages a headscissors choke but Henry powerbombs the heck out of him for the break. They get up again and Angle hits a German suplex, followed by the front facelock. Angle can’t get him out but another headscissors lets Angle get the elimination and the title at 23:57.

Rating: B-. They weren’t hiding the fact that Angle was the heavy favorite here, but Henry felt like a monster in his own right. There’s nothing wrong with letting you know what’s going to happen from a mile away on occasion and that was the case here. Angle is a good choice for the last minute champion and the fans were into what they were seeing, so I’ll take what we got here.

From Saturday Night’s Main Event X.

Battle Royal

Honky Tonk Man, Sika, Ax, Smash, Koko B. Ware, Nikolai Volkoff, Hillbilly Jim, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, B. Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Paul Orndorff, Lanny Poffo, Butch Reed, Tama, Billy Jack Haynes, Haku, Blackjack Mulligan, Hercules, Ron Bass

Commentary completely ignores everyone other than Hogan and Andre during the entrances and…well yeah. Hogan and Andre square off but Orndorff and others jump them to start fast. Honky Tonk Man is out in a hurry and Andre gets rid of Sika as well. Andre beats up Jim and Mulligan before tossing out Haku with ease. One heck of a headbutt busts Poffo open and Andre tosses him in a hurry.

Poffo is gushing blood on the floor as he’s taken out on a stretcher as Andre beats on Mulligan (who stands 6’6 and weighs about 350lbs and is dwarfed by Andre). Bass is out and Mulligan follows him. Hogan dumps Volkoff as Ventura is begging to see Hogan vs. Andre. There goes Blair and Hogan is whipped into Andre and HERE WE GO!

Hogan slugs away and Ware of all people jumps Andre. Thanks you bird brain. Hogan dumps Orndorff but Andre grabs Hogan for the headbutts and tosses him with no trouble. We take a break and come back with Hogan still leaving and a bunch of people getting together to toss Andre, who takes the interest in the match with him.

Hercules tosses Tama and Ax is gone. Smash dumps Hillbilly and Ware dropkicks Reed out to get us down to four. We have a bizarre tag match of Smash and Hercules against Ware and Haynes (sounds Lethal Lotteryish). Ware is tossed and a double clotheslines has Haynes in trouble. Haynes manages to dump Smash though and slugs it out with Hercules. Cue Bobby Heenan on the apron for a distraction though and Hercules dumps Hayes for the win at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This was a tale of two battle royals, as you have everything before the Hogan vs. Andre showdown/eliminations and then everything after them. That’s where things fall apart, because there was no reason to care in the slightest after the two of them were gone. Andre was feeling like a monster though and the heat for the showdown with Hogan was great, so I’ll let the rest slide.

From Superstars, February 25, 1995.

Battle Royal

Sionne, Fatu, Jacob Blu, Jerry Lawler, King Kong Bundy, Duke Droese, Aldo Montoya, 1-2-3 Kid, Mantaur, Mabel, Jimmy Del Ray, Adam Bomb, Bob Holly, Mo, Shawn Michaels, British Bulldog, Kwang, Henry Godwinn, Eli Blu, Tom Pritchard

Michaels runs away from a mob and eliminates himself to spare quite a bit of pain. We settle way down with everyone brawling and no one really coming close to being eliminated. Lawler has to run away from Mabel and we slow down again. Jacob is knocked over the top to finally get rid of someone else and we take a break. We come back with Godwinn backdropping Droese out, which Lawler finds hilarious. Del Ray is out and Mabel splashes Bundy onto Kwang in the corner. Holly clotheslines Montoya out and Godwinn is gone as well, followed by Fatu.

Bomb and Pritchard are both out and Kid fires off the kicks to Lawler in the corner. Bundy and Mantaur get rid of Mabel, with Bundy saying he did it by himself. A bunch of people toss Bundy and we take another break. We come back with Holly getting tossed and we’re down to six. Kid and Smith get Lawler out to the apron but he hangs on, even landing on one foot to stay alive. Lawler tells the audience to stay quiet because he’s still officially in.

Cue Bret Hart to look at the hopping Lawler, with a rather amusing look on his face. Lawler tries to hop away (Vince: “He looks like a demented kangaroo out there.”) but Hart stomps on his foot and that’s enough for Lawler in a funny bit. Hart beats on him a bit more and we’re down to five.

Kwang misses a spinwheel kick and gets eliminated by Bulldog. That leaves us with Bulldog, Eli, Kid and Mantaur, with Eli tossing Kid. Bulldog gets rid of Mantaur and the powerslam hits “either Jacob or Eli” but here is Michaels to cheap shot Bulldog so Eli can take over. Then Bulldog low bridges Eli out anyway for the win at 13:51.

Rating: D. The only entertaining part here was the Hart segment and this was a really lame battle royal as a result. Bulldog was the only realistic winner near the end and that made for a long stretch until the finish. Nothing to see here and given that it was the doldrums of 1995, that shouldn’t be a surprise in the slightest.

From ECW Hardcore TV, December 24, 1996.

Battle Royal

This is a King Of The Hill battle royal, meaning pinfall, submission or over the top eliminations. Taz is in the ring (but not an entrant) when the lights go out and Sabu is in at #1. The Eliminators (Saturn and Kronus) are in at #2 and #3 and give Sabu a pair of Total Eliminations. Taz heads outside to yell at Sabu as New Jack and Mustafa (the Gangatas) are in at #4 and #5.

A mini tag match breaks out while Sabu is down and Taz leaves. Another pair of Total Eliminations hit the Gangstas and the Eliminators eliminate them. Sabu gets dropped with a rather rough spike piledriver as Rob Van Dam is in at #6. Van Dam (and his snazzy pants) can’t do much on his own but Sabu is back up for the save as another tag match breaks out. Balls Mahoney (he’s new at this point) is in at #7 and the fans think he’s fat. Spike Dudley is in at #8 as Van Dam hits a nasty looking springboard kick to Mahoney’s face.

Things settle down a bit as it’s more of a standard brawl, which is pretty logical for ECW. Little Guido is in at #9 and is immediately kicked in the face by Saturn. Another Total Elimination gets rid of Spike and Bubba Ray Dudley is in at #10. Bubba shrugs off Guido’s forearms and gorilla presses him out for the big crash. Van Dam and Mahoney are out, leaving us with the Eliminators vs. Sabu/Bubba.

Chris Candido is in at #11 to help Saturn break up Sabu’s camel clutch on Bubba (so much for that partnership). Saturn saves Candido from Sabu and hits a powerbomb but Sabu is back up with a springboard clothesline to the Eliminators. Brian Lee is in at #11 as Candido eliminates Kronus. Bubba is knocked out by Lee and Shane Douglas is in at #12. Douglas stomps away at Saturn and Candido gets two on Sabu.

Tommy Dreamer is in at #13 and Douglas panics, eliminating himself rather than face Dreamer. Saturn and Dreamer drop everyone else, with Saturn superkicking Candido through the ropes. Sabu is back up with a double clothesline to Candido as D-Von Dudley is in at #14. Lee has a chair to clean house until Sabu takes it away and chairs D-Von for two. Sandman is in at #15 and goes after Saturn as the ring is starting to get full. Saturn is kicked out and Sabu moonsaults D-Von for two.

Louie Spicoli is in at #16 and tosses Candido out and a bunch of people go after D-Von for two more. Lee tosses Dreamer and Spicoli as the Blue World Order is in at Stevie Cool, Nova and the Blue Meanie are in at #17, #18 and #19. The Stevie Kick gets rid of D-Von but Lee takes out Meanie and Nova (his teammates in Raven’s Nest). Another Stevie Kick hits Sandman but Lee tosses Richards as well. Lee tosses Sandman, only to get clotheslined out by Sabu for the win at 19:45.

Rating: C+. It’s ECW so your mileage is absolutely going to vary, but what matters the most is that this felt different. ECW didn’t do this kind of match very often and it made things that much more interesting. Sabu going wire to wire is fine as he’s such a fan favorite and the people were happy throughout. Nice little surprise here and that’s a good thing.

From World Class Championship Wrestling TV, January 7, 1983.

Battle Royal

Wild Bill Irwin, Bugsy McGraw, King Kong Bundy, Terry Gordy, Kerry Von Erich, Andre The Giant

Pinfall, submission or over the top. Von Erich charges at Gordy to start before the bell. Andre comes in and we’re ready to go. Michael Hayes offers a distraction on the floor though and Von Erich is out in a hurry. That’s not ok with Von Erich, who goes back in to go after Gordy again. Von Erich is finally dragged out as Andre chokes Gordy for a change. Bundy hammers and chokes Andre, who doesn’t seem to notice.

A middle rope ax handle finally drops Andre, who falls onto Gordy in a funny spot. McGraw is tossed as Andre chokes Gordy on the mat. Bundy and Irwin go after Andre for the save but he gets up and chokes Gordy again (Does Gordy owe him money or something?). A headbutt knocks Bundy down and of course it’s time to choke Gordy again. Andre headbutts Irwin and chokes Gordy AGAIN like he’s in a slasher movie.

Bundy gets punched through the ropes and Andre gets to massage Gordy’s throat some more. Irwin and Bundy try to help Gordy again and it works for all of two seconds before Gordy accidentally drops Bundy. Some triple teaming slows Andre down as the fans are all behind him. They manage to get Andre down to his knees and the mat, but he gets back to his feet again.

Irwin hammers away but Andre fights up and atomic drops Irwin out. Hayes saves Gordy from elimination so Andre eliminates himself to give chase. So we’re down to Bundy vs. Gordy as Andre realizes how much he just screwed up. Bundy slams Gordy for two but misses s the Avalanche. Gordy dropkicks him in the back for the win at 12:57.

Rating: C+. This was ok enough, but at the same time it was mainly only funny for Andre’s near stalker killer movie villain obsession with Gordy. Andre went after him time after time and it was rather entertaining, with even commentary wondering what was with Andre’s obsession. Von Erich being pretty much nothing here was kind of weird, but Andre made up for him leaving so soon.

From Battlebowl 1993.

Battlebowl

Cactus Jack, Vader, Johnny B. Badd, Brian Knobbs, Shockmaster, Paul Orndorff, King Kong, Dustin Rhodes, Sting, Jerry Sags, Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Rick Rude, Shanghai Pierce, Hawk, Rip Rogers

Rogers is very banged up after getting beaten up earlier in the night. It’s the usual brawl to start and Rogers is out first, which is quite logical. Pierce is out as well as commentary admits there is too much going on to call here. Austin and Flair go outside (not eliminated) to brawl and Badd is sent to the ramp, which is NOT an elimination (as covered by commentary). Not that it matters as Badd is out a few seconds later.

Back in and Orndorff tries to toss Flair, with Hawk making a save to leave Ventura annoyed/confused. Jack loads up a superplex on Vader (of course) but gets broken up, allowing Vader to toss Jack out. Orndorff is out as well and the fans are not pleased with either of those two. Kong and the Shockmaster are both eliminated and the ring is a lot more clear. Vader gorilla presses Sting to the ramp (again, not out) but Sting comes back in to choke Vader in the corner.

Sags and Vader save Knobbs from Sting, who then saves Flair from Vader for some reason. Flair goes outside (not out) to go after Harley Race as Sting goes after the Nasty Boys at the same time. Back up and Vader runs Sting over before Flair beats up Knobbs, which isn’t something you see very often. Rhodes and Austin brawl to the floor, again without going over the top as we’ve gone a long time without an elimination. Rhodes gets posted and busted open and we slow way down, with commentary pointing it out as well.

Back up and Knobbs, Sags, Rhodes, Rude and Hawk all being eliminated in VERY short order. Well that picked up the pace. We’re down to Austin, Vader, Sting and Flair (not bad) as Rhodes is being led out and looks to have had his bell rung. Sting suplexes Austin and Vader misses a charge at Flair in the corner, leaving Flair to beat up Race on the ramp. Vader goes out for the save as Sting clotheslines Austin in the ring.

Sting and Austin join the other two on the ramp as this is not following proper battle royal procedures. The trainer comes out to check on Flair so Vader kicks him too. Flair is stretchered out and is officially eliminated due to injury. Naturally Race tries to turn the stretcher over, because that’s the kind of thing Race would do. Vader gorilla presses Sting back into the ring but Sting pops up and powerslams a diving Vader out of the air.

House is quickly cleaned with a bunch of clotheslines but the numbers game finally catches him in the corner. Austin gets in a rather impressive middle rope elbow (and has to stop himself from covering) before Vader drops Sting again. Vader hits two splashes but Sting avoids the third and makes the comeback on Austin.

Sting gets dropped again though and the Vader Bomb crushes him. Vader has hurt his own back though and Austin misses a top rope splash. Sting backdrops Austin onto the ramp and he falls onto the floor, which apparently counts as an elimination. So believe it or not, it’s Vader vs. Sting, with Vader hitting another splash. Sting avoids a charge though and fireman’s carries Vader onto the top, only to miss the Stinger Splash and eliminate himself so Vader wins at 25:35.

Rating: B-. This took some time but there is something about watching Sting and Vader no matter what they’re doing. Throw in Austin out there and getting to see Flair taking a beating and I couldn’t complain that much. It’s one of those things that works even with the extra time, though the ending was kind of out of nowhere and didn’t make Vader look that strong.

From Smackdown, November 29, 2011.

Battle Royal

Curt Hawkins, Ted DiBiase, Ezekiel Jackson, JTG, Johnny Curtis, Darren Young, Tyler Reks, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Jinder Mahal, Hunico, Percy Watson, Yoshi Tatsu, Titus O’Neil, Sheamus, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Hornswoggle, Kofi Kingston, Heath Slater

The winner gets a Christmas wish. Hornswoggle goes under the ring to start, leaving Sheamus (the Great White, in something that actually made air) tosses Young. Jimmy Uso is out as well, followed by JTG. Cole rants about how much guest host Mick Foley loves Christmas as Jackson dumps Hawkins. Sheamus pounds Jackson down and ducks a clothesline to get rid of him.

Curtis (Fandango) is gone and there goes Jey Uso and Kingston back to back. Tatsu and DiBiase are out, with Hornswoggle popping out from underneath the ring to pull Kidd out as well. We take a break and come back with the graphics messing up (which I believe was another Chris Jericho return), plus Gabriel being eliminated. O’Neil plants Reks but gets clotheslined out by Sheamus.

Reks jumps Sheamus from behind and gets pummeled but runs outside for a breather. Everyone goes to the floor for the brawl, with Sheamus being sent into the barricade. The non-Sheamuses get back inside but realize that they have to get rid of Hornswoggle as well. Hornswoggle is thrown back inside and can’t escape, with Slater throwing him down. Sheamus comes back in for the save and quickly eliminates everyone not named Hornswoggle.

Sheamus tells him to get out but Hornswoggle says he wants Sheamus out instead. Hornswoggle kicks him in the shin so Sheamus calls him a lunatic. Sheamus easily picks him up but Hornswoggle hangs onto the top rope. In a not so bright move, Sheamus goes over the top to pull Hornswoggle off the ropes. He tells Hornswoggle (who went through the ropes) to get down, but first Hornswoggle wants a hug. Hornswoggle shoves him off the apron for the clever win at 14:01. Hornswoggle would use the wish to be able to talk, which he could do before but was forgotten for the sake of the match.

Rating: C. Yeah I can’t get that mad at some like this. It was a goofy, lighthearted battle royal for the holiday special. Hornswoggle winning is a good way to go as the fans were behind him, especially when he finds an easy way to eliminate Sheamus and win. It wasn’t particularly good, but the result was charming enough.

Post match Sheamus is mad but raises Hornswoggle’s hand in holiday spirit.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good example of why you don’t have multiple battle royals very often. Some of what we got here was fine enough, but seeing them over and over got repetitive. That is only going to get you so far and it was only so interesting. I did like that they offered a nice mixture of stuff from promotions, which is one of the places where the Vault tends to shine.

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World Tour 1990
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Lord Alfred Hayes, Hillbilly Jim, Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon
Host: Sean Mooney

This one has me a bit worried as we’re going international, which has hit and miss results to put it mildly. There is a good chance that this is going to be just some matches taped from various house shows, meaning the quality very well might not be all that high. It doesn’t help that it’s not the best time for the company but they can throw in some curve balls every so often. Let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney runs down just about the entire card, which is more than we usually get.

We open with a profile on Jimmy Snuka, who talks about how everyone thinks about the challenge around here and that’s why he’s in the WWF. There’s a reason Snuka didn’t get to talk very often.

From Long Island, New York, June 10, 1989.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Boris Zhukov

Jimmy Hart is here with Zhukov (who is apparently substituting for the Honky Tonk Man) and yes, the WORLD Tour is starting in New York. Zhukov knees him outside to start fast and Hart is rather pleased. Back in and Snuka hits a quick crossbody but Zhukov hammers him down again and grabs a backbreaker for two, setting up the chinlock. Snuka fights up and gets pulled right back into the chinlock as Hart mocking the fans is by far the most interesting thing going on here. That’s broken up as well and Snuka fights back, drops Hart, and hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: D+. What exactly were you expecting here? Zhukov is hardly the person you call when you need a good match and while the Superfly Splash looked good, it was hardly enough to make up for the rest of the dull match. I get the idea of having a substitute if Honky Tonk Man was unavailable, but would that match have been much better?

From New York City, New York, September 30, 1989.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Honky Tonk Man

Well that’s irony for you. Jimmy Hart is here with Honky Tonk. The place goes nuts for Snuka as he hasn’t been in the Garden since 1985. Snuka beats him down before even taking his gear off, then beats him up even more while disrobing. An atomic drop gives us one of those hilarious sells from Honky Tonk, followed by a top rope chop to the head for two. Snuka knocks him to the floor where Hart gets in a distraction, allowing Honky Tonk to cheap shot Snuka and take over.

Back in and Honky Tonk starts with his assortment of choking, followed by a jumping knee to the back to send him outside again. Honky Tonk beats him up on the floor and goes back inside to drop Snuka again, only to stop to yell at the fans and referee. That’s a bit of a lost art today, as so much is spent on trying to get in every move possible. The Shake Rattle And Roll is blocked though and Snuka Hulks Up. Honky Tonk is sent into Hart and a top rope headbutt (Honky Tonk was out of position so it was the best Snuka could do) gives Snuka the pin at 10:29.

Rating: C-. Actually yeah, it was a bit better, if nothing else because Honky Tonk knew how to work a crowd a good bit more. He knew how to make you want to see him get beaten up and that is an incredibly valuable tool. It’s part of why he kept a job for so long, as people wanting to see someone give you want you deserve is a huge part of wrestling.

A fan wants to see Bret Hart vs. Dino Bravo. That fans needs to be tested.

Jimmy Hart and Dino Bravo are ready for Hart, with Bravo praising Hart’s conditioning.

Hart is ready to put some speed up against some strength and promises to destroy Bravo.

From London, England, October 10, 1989 (the WWF’s first event in the UK).

Bret Hart vs. Dino Bravo

Jimmy Hart is here with Bravo as he’s getting quite the set of appearance fees for this tape. Bravo backs him up against the ropes to start and a running shoulder puts Hart down as the strength takes over early on. Hart makes a quick comeback with a dropkick and clothesline to send Bravo outside, with the fans loudly booing. Back up and Hart knocks him down again, with Bravo teasing a walk out.

Jimmy talks him out of that and Bravo gets back inside, where Hart takes him down by the arm with a variety of armbars. Bravo fights up as well and knocks him to the floor, which doesn’t have the fans overly pleased. Hart gets knocked off the apron and into the barricade for a nasty crash and has to be thrown back in. Bravo’s chinlock and reverse chinlock (which should cancel each other out), followed by the bearhug.

A suplex gives Bravo two and we’re right back to the bearhug. Hart finally fights out but misses the middle rope elbow, allowing Bravo to go up top. This goes as well as you might expect, with Hart knocking him out of the air. Hart gets in a backbreaker and a hot shot sends Bravo outside in a heap. There’s the slingshot dive to drop Bravo again and they get back in where Bravo reverses a rollup for the clean (well cleanish as he used the tights to get the reversal) pin at 16:10.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, this wound up being fine and that shouldn’t be the biggest shock given Bret’s involvement. There is a reason they were starting to test the waters for a singles push around this time, as he was so good that you couldn’t leave him out much longer. Bravo wasn’t as bad as he is remembered (he’s bad, but not THAT bad) and this showed that he could be carried to an acceptable match.

We go to Brussels, where Hulk Hogan is promoting No Holds Barred.

Lord Alfred Hayes is going to various European cities to talk about various historic landmarks. We’ll start in Paris, with various shots of things that don’t include Hayes. Now it’s off to London for more of the same. There’s nothing funny or overly interesting here, as it’s really just a travelogue of famous sites in Paris and London.

Next up is a Manager’s Profile on Jimmy Hart, who has already been in every match on the tape thus far.

Hart talks about his gold record for the Honky Tonk Man and says the Bushwhackers need to learn already. Rhythm & Blues don’t like that and they’ll get revenge. Moving on, we have Earthquake, who is ready to make an example out of Hulk Hogan. They’re going to have Hogan taken out on a stretcher, which is exactly what happened that summer.

From Paris, France, October 13, 1989.

Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. Rockers

Jimmy Hart is here with the Rougeaus. The Rockers jump them to start but we settle down to Jacques leapfrogging Michaels a few times, only to get faceplanted into the mat. Raymond and Jannetty come in, with the latter taking him down and starting in on the leg. Michaels adds a splash to the leg and it’s time to start cranking away. Jacques tries to come in but Jannetty switches behind the referee’s back as commentary talks about various French wrestlers over the years.

Jannetty gets to crank on the leg a bit more as Hart is losing his mind over the switching, including Michaels coming in to work on the leg (again sans tag). Raymond finally manages to send Michaels into the post to take over, including hammering away in the corner. Jacques’ always nice jumping back elbow to the face puts Michaels down again and Raymond superkicks him out to the floor.

Back in and a reverse chinlock works on Michaels’ back, followed by some hair pulling and taunting of the crowd, with Jacques giving a great grin as a result. Jannetty tries to come in for the save, resulting in Michaels being dragged back to the corner again. Raymond put son a front facelock but Michaels gets up and brings Jannetty back in.

Everything breaks down and Jannetty gets a backslide on Jacques but Raymond has the referee to prevent the count. Raymond decks Jannetty so Jacques can hit a piledriver. The referee yells at Raymond, allowing Michaels to sneak in and hit his own piledriver behind the referee’s back (continuing the theme of the match) for the win at 15:00.

Rating: B. This was a great example of what good storytelling can get you in a match. They built up the idea of everything taking place behind the referee’s back, with the Rougeaus getting more and more annoyed with the Rockers. Then the Rougeaus did the same thing, only for the Rockers to cheat again to steal the win. The fans were into it and it was an easy story to follow, which is all you need sometimes. Very fun match.

From Tokyo, Japan, April 13, 1990.

WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Ted DiBiase

Warrior is defending less than two weeks after winning the title at Wrestlemania. DiBiase jumps him from behind to start fast and even gets in a belt shot. That’s completely shrugged off and Warrior hits a clothesline out to the floor. Back in and Warrior beats on him again, setting up a crisscross. DiBiase gets smart by avoiding a flying shoulder to send Warrior crashing down, allowing DiBiase to really take over.

A clothesline gives DiBiase one and the kickout has him surprised. DiBiase hits a suplex and a piledriver for two, with Warrior’s kicking out meaning it’s time to Warrior Up. Warrior hits the clotheslines and runs the ropes nowhere near DiBiase, who has to get in his path for the big clothesline. The splash retains the title at 6:12.

Rating: C. I know the fans liked him and he had all kinds of charisma, but Warrior could not back it up in the ring with day to day matches like this one. DiBiase was doing what he could here but then had to really crank up the effort when Warrior started his comeback. At the end of the day, it was way too much like Hogan but without Hogan’s fine tuning which really made the matches work. Throw in Warrior being so all over the place when he talked and it was never going to work long term.

From London, England, October 10, 1989.

Jim Duggan vs. Honky Tonk Man

Jimmy Hart is here with Honky Tonk Man after getting one match off and Duggan is the King at the moment. Honky Tonk bails to the floor to start and Hart gets on the mic, threatening the fans with NO SINGING if they don’t shut up. Duggan finally chases Honky Tonk on the floor and hammers away to take over. They get inside for a clothesline and Duggan sends Honky Tonk into Hart.

Back in and the atomic drop sets up the right hands in the corner as it’s all Duggan so far. Hart grabs the leg though and Honky Tonk can choke on the ropes. Hart’s choking makes it worse and the lamest neck crank I’ve ever seen ensues. Thankfully it doesn’t last long as Duggan fights up, only to be kneed does, setting up another neck crank. The closeups show how weak it really is so of course they KEEP SHOWING IT.

Duggan gets up again and is knocked outside again, meaning it’s time for more pausing. A posting drops Duggan again and we hit the third neck crank. Thankfully this time it’s switched into a chinlock, which isn’t good either but at least it doesn’t look as bad. Back up and Honky Tonk misses a charge into the corner, allowing Duggan to hammer away. The three point clothesline finishes for Duggan at 8:07.

Rating: D+. It’s a standard house show match with the hero winning so the fans liked it, but my goodness those neck cranks were embarrassing. At least pretend to twist the head a bit so people might think it’s something. Honky Tonk was hardly known for what he could do bell to bell, but he was better than this.

Post match Hart throws in the megaphone and Duggan gets decked. Not that it matters as he grabs the 2×4 and clears the ring.

From Paris, France, October 13, 1989.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Savage, with Sherri, is challenging but Hogan has Elizabeth with him (as accompanied by Pat Patterson), who Monsoon describes (along with Terry Garvin) as “a couple of short fat guys.” We get the long stall to start as commentary makes its usual jokes about Garvin. Savage throws a chair inside and gets it swatted away before they lock up for the first time about two and a half minutes into the match. A headlock grinds away on Hogan, until he powers Savage back to the floor.

Savage grabs the microphone and rants about how he’s going to win. He even dedicates the match to Sherri, who gets in the ring for a distraction so Savage can ax handle Hogan. That doesn’t work either as Hogan takes Savage down and atomic drops him to the floor. Hogan follows him out and even sends Sherri into the apron before going after Savage again. Back in and Sherri offers another distraction so Hogan threatens to punch her (our hero), earning himself a jumping knee to the floor.

Sherri distracts Hogan AGAIN and Savage gets in another cheap shot, followed by your standard choking. The top rope ax handle gets six and we hit the chinlock. The sleeper goes on and Sherri yells a lot as I forget that Elizabeth is there in the first place. Hogan fights up but gets knocked down again. Some top rope ax handles connect, including one with a foreign object. That just triggers the Hulk Up and Elizabeth gets in a slap (which the camera mostly misses), setting up the legdrop to retain at 11:57.

Rating: C. Elizabeth being out there with Hogan never felt right at all and that was the case again here. It felt like the most forced together pairing and I forgot she was even there for multiple stretches. That’s a bad sign for what she’s going and thankfully it wouldn’t last much longer. Savage vs. Hogan is always worth at least a look, but even they could only do so much with this story.

Hogan and Elizabeth celebrate.

Mooney wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s a fine idea for a collection and there are a few decent (and one good) match included, but for the most part this was a pair of house shows with some other stuff here and there. I’ve seen both the full London and Paris shows before and somehow, these were indeed the highlights. It shows you how much you can get away with when it comes to international audiences, but that wasn’t going to be enough for something like this.

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