Brian: Not sure what possessed me to inquire if Adam would like to do a co-review on this seemingly random ECW show. A little background is in order. I attended both Heatwave '98 and '99 live. Both were in Dayton, OH and a short drive north. Had a great time both years highlighted by seeing Hayabusa before he became a cucumber. For 2000? They ventured to Los Angeles. While not there in the crowd live this event still holds a footnote in my memory. It was on my birthday July 16th. My 18th birthday to be exact. Hours before the show aired live on pay-per-view I found myself wrestling in a backyard event behind my friends' house. We'd recently folded our long-running "federation" inventing a new, short-lived group called Hamilton Wrestling Society. I jobbed that day. Yes, on my birthday, I lost a lousy throwaway match. Spirits were still high, though, as we cleaned up and ventured inside to watch the PPV. My friends weren't big ECW fans but followed wrestling and we settled in for a night of entirely forgettable action. I haven't seen this show since it aired live and remember next to nothing about it (save for Scotty Anton being in a showcased match). Even in the last year alone the way I watch wrestling has changed dramatically, in terms of how I look at it, what I appreciate, what intrigues me, keeps me coming back, etc. It'll be interesting seeing this event again with new eyes.
Adam: Brian proposed this co-review via text the other day and I immediately agreed, even though I was planning on holding off on reviewing this as part of my ECW pay-per-view reviews. A little bit of background before jumping into everything. This was the first (and only) ECW pay-per-view show I ever ordered. I was a pretty die hard ECW fan at the time along with Tim, Brian’s co-host on the Brian and Tim Show on Youtube, as he had just begun to get into wrestling. I haven’t seen this show in at least six years so I’m looking forward to revisiting it.
Brian: Show opens with a outlandish Blue Meanie promo on a beach where he vocally assaults a sunbathing man while Jasmine St. Clare laughs at his poorly delivered insults and verbal jabs. The camera pans over to the Sinister Minister who's creepier than ever and mentions being in "sunny Los Angeles" when the sky is dark and overcast and the wind is brutally blowing the surf in. This abomination ends with Mikey Whipwreck being revealed buried to his tubby chin in sand.
Adam: That Blue Boy promo I always thought was pretty dumb honestly but I was always a fan of the Sinister Minister. I believe he said that this show is being presented in the interest of “higher art and entertainment” or something like that. The openings they aired with him on every pay-per-view of this era were pretty entertaining. Speaking of Sinister Minister, if you haven’t seen the shoot interview he did with ROH back in 2005, I highly recommend it. Probably one of the best shoots I’ve ever seen.
Brian: I lean heavily on the fast-forward during the Styles/Gertner/Cyrus in-ring oratory.
Adam: The in-ring bullshit was used in every show of ECW’s later days and was the same shit, different day. At one point, Gertner says “I’m tired of it”. Yeah, so are we.
1. Balls Mahoney vs. Sal E. Graziano - B: 0 A: 1
Brian: For seemingly no discernible reason Sal E. Graziano and Tony Mamaluke come out and start shoving and assaulting officials. For a guy that punches so much Balls' sure suck. Sal E. in a humungous bowling shirt goes over in under two minutes. I suppose this was a lost cause attempt at booking him as some sort of monster but the only guy he's intimidating with that look was the shift manager at the nearby Golden Corral.
Adam: So 14 minutes into the show and we get our first bit of “action”. Not sure why Mamaluke and Sal decided to wander out and beat up officials. Sal’s shirt is big enough it could be used for a tent. Yeah, Sal looked like he’s intimidated quite a few Golden Corral managers. I give this a point only for the sick chair shot Balls administered.
Brian: Crowd was huge into Balls (and maybe balls) and just wanted to chant to his shtick but were robbed of even that simple (and simple) pleasure. Lousy booking.
2. Danny Doring, Roadkill, & Kid Kash vs. Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger, & C.W. Anderson – A: 5 B: 3
Adam: Back in the day, I was a big fan of the Simon and Swinger tag team. Strange to think now, 12 years later, Simon is Kid Kash’s boss in TNA. Kash seemed on his game doing a big hurracanrana to the outside and doing some great bumping and selling for Anderson’s boss offense of hard hitting shit. Doring’s in ring work has aged about as well as moldy bread. The mandatory dive sequence starts off with Doring hurling himself like a bowling ball to the outside after springboarding off Roadkill’s back. Kash does the same thing, although his looked a hell of a lot nicer and I’d say that he probably got more air than Dominique Wilkins in the ’88 NBA Slam Dunk contest against Michael Jordan. The in-ring from everyone was surprisingly good and looked like everyone brought their A-game. Lots of legality issues at the end with the referee not enforcing anything. Kash’s double underhook piledriver was a pretty swank move to finish this off.
Brian: I was there live in Philadelphia at an ROH show the night the dive train sequence died due to the Vulture Squad (and many others). That being said I was pleasantly surprised with the gusto of the aerial car crashes on display here. I do need to properly define a term in the vernacular of my close wrestling nerd friends. Sometimes we call a guy a "Doring". What is that you're probably wondering: a "Doring" is a term coined after its namesake Danny Doring and defines the sole guy who, during one of these big, convoluted dive sequences, is on the outer rim of the group of guys outside the ring (the catchers as it were) who takes the least amount of impact but still sells the phantom damage. For example Kash isn't a big guy and if he's flipping on 5-6 dudes there's a good chance he's not going to make physical contact with all of them so undoubtedly one guy on the fringe will fly to the ground selling the force of a dive that never touched him. 99% of the time we began noticing it was strangely Danny Doring and that theory proved accurate here. Sabremetrics is becoming a bigger things in the analysis of pro wrestling and I'd love for someone to do the grunt work and figure out the team of Simon and Swinger's win-loss record percentage. Were they guys ever booked to go over anyone? This was more fun than I'd expected and the LA crowd has been very into this show which helps.
3. Steve Corino vs. Jerry Lynn - B: 6 A: 8
Brian: Not sure the backstory on this one but on paper it could be good. It's framed as ECW versus the Network according to Joey. Lynn does a nutty dive off the top onto Corino and Jack Victory. Almost turned his cranium into an omelette on the concrete floor. Throw a little green pepper and mushroom in there and you've got breakfast. Steve's almost as bad as one of his idols Tommy Rich at how blatantly he goes for the blade to gig himself. With both guys' careers puttering to an inevitable end soon its nice to see them 12 years prior when they still had that fire. Corino's bleeding worse than Hat Guy's hemorrhoidal asshole. Dug a blood covered Corino talking shit to fat rubes in the crowd. I didn't really get his appeal back then but his body of work has grown on me considerably. Lynn started off hot and dominant but Corino weathered the storm to mount his own offensive. This feels like it should be higher up the card. I wouldn't want to follow this (I'm looking at you Baldies). This was when Lynn decorated himself in Corino's hemoglobin as war paint. Ref bump was deflating and felt unnecessary. Lynn pulled it out despite the cheating, interference, etc. I haven't seen the bulk of ECW's pay-per-view output since they originally aired so can't say with much certainty put from memory this is one of the matches I've most enjoyed.
Adam: Shit, I’d forgotten how insane that dive was off the top to the floor. I was always confused as to why this went on so early in the show and I clearly remember that this was being pushed as one of the top matches on the show. The tornado DDT on the floor led to Corino bleeding buckets. Lynn took a brutal sit-out powerbomb on a chair off the turnbuckle. I forgot how good this match was, it’s halfway through and I’m loving every bit of this. It doesn’t feel like a “wrestling match” per say, more like a huge fight between two tough dudes who really don’t like each other at all. Lynn gives Corino a DDT on a chair that just destroyed Corino. I always loved the war paint spot and that’s probably what most people remember from this match. I think I remember Tim asking Corino earlier this year at an indy show about that spot. I believed Corino said it was improvised. If that spot though is the only thing that people remember from this match, then they’re missing out. The pace was fast, the action was brutal, and both guys brought all they had. Brian’s right, the ref bump was unnecessary and detracted from the match a bit. Finish was nice with a rolling nearfall sequence and an ill cradle piledriver. I’d say this was definitely Corino’s best ECW match and probably one of Lynn’s best matches in the fed as well.
4. The Baldies vs. Chris Chetti & Nova – A: 3 B: 1
Adam: So this begins by New Jack coming out, exuding as much enthusiasm as a corpse, and then getting assaulted and mugged by the Baldies until Chetti and Nova make the save. Nova and Chetti bust out some absolutely insane dives to the floor. Here’s a quick question, anybody remember that Chetti was signed by WWE as a “can’t miss” prospect? Chetti’s punches are just miserable. Nova looked like a fool going for a random swanton bomb. Felt like a TV match.
Brian: New Jack can be electric and any time you see him in public he'll be in character and conning so strange to see him so lifeless and droll. Must have stolen Francine's horse tranquilizers coupled with being told he had to go out and get Baldies heat. Now that I think about it I'd probably feel pretty downtrodden too. Nova is no Wally West but I love the bright red Flash get-up. Adam is quick to call out legal man issues and this match was rampant with them essentially feeling like a four-way as multiple guys were always in and out of the ring randomly. The lack of structure took some enjoyment out of this for me. Chetti with blinding bleached spiky hair and love handles looked like the clueless fodder for the piranhas in Piranha 3DD.
5. Four Way Elimination Match: Mikey Whipwreck vs. Psicosis vs. Little Guido vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri - B: 4 A: 4
Brian: Mikey was unannounced (both here and his mother's pregnancy) simply strolling to ring in a bad grunge shirt and eyesore necktie. He was quickly dismissed. Funny that mere years prior he was successfully defending a title against Steve Austin. Looked like a tubby college dropout with mall hair dye and wardrobe from Hot Topic gift certificate his folks gave him because they stopped trying to "get" him at 15. Match was really built as a Tajiri showcase which was fine. Wish Psicosis got to show off more but he was booked as an afterthought and got beat by the most unexciting and stolid German suplex ever caught on film. I liked the brainbuster on a steel chair for the finish on Guido but this felt myopic and like mid-show TNN filler.
Adam: Always thought it was pretty strange that Psicosis was just randomly booked in this match. Hell, when I watched this live, I had no clue he was out of WCW. Mikey looked like a dude who is seemingly going nowhere in life while living in his parents basement. Not sure it made much sense to me to have him eliminated so quickly. Tajiri and Guido were usually always in these type matches around this time. I was hoping for some inspired performances but it seemed like the same old stuff. I’m with Brian, I could’ve used some more Psicosis as was rather disappointed he was eliminated so early. Didn’t really see anything new or exciting.
6. The Sandman vs. Rhino - A: 3 B: 5
Adam: I’ve got better shit to do that sit through another ungodly long Sandman entrance so I promptly fast forward. To his credit, Sandman didn’t look as tanked as he did in some of the stuff I saw him from ’98 but he’s still sloppy and careless. Brawling on the outside goes nowhere. Lots of big bumps and spots with a length of guardrail. Never have I seen a guardrail get violated so savagely. Thus far, everything seems like it has no cohesion and just a random collection of spots. For what seems like no reason, Jack Victory and Steve Corino randomly interfere leading to Spike Dudley coming out and then promptly getting piledriven through a ringside table. Lame piledriver on the aforementioned railing ended this, mercifully.
Brian: I liken the rabid ECW fan base trying to convince the rest of us Rhino was the messiah as pure agitprop garbage. He's still doing the same thing 13 years later on the independent circuit and it still packs as much depth and dimension as a street corner busker's four-minute set break to eat falafel. Sandman is such an odd bird it's as if he's a roughly sketched Lena Dunham character. The drunken Sous-Chef that emerges from the basement pantry with a lit cigarette and worn paperback copy of Lowry's The Giver. There's a thread of longing running through this match that'd call to mind the films of Wong Kar-wai were it not for the ineffectual acting of Terry Gerin. He's like the high school talent show approximation of pro wrestler complete with monosyllabic speech pattern ("Gore!") so an unintentional satirization. The Spike Dudley segment at first seemed tacked on but strangely somehow necessary in a Grindhouse-like marrying of violent spectacle. The match-ending jumping piledriver on twisted metal guardrail seemed like a piece of neo-conceptual Blažej Baláž performance art. There was something perversely appealing about this like throwing caution to the wind one night and slumming it with your girlfriends downtown at a seedy boner factory with cheap drinks and a Filipino bartender working toward a Bachelor of Music in Theory upstate named "Condition Seth".
7. Rob Van Dam vs. Scotty Anton - B: 3 A: 4
Brian: So at the time my friends and I had a laugh at the idea of Scotty Riggs working semi-main on anything but a VFW hall. I will say after screening hundreds of matches for our WCW Nitro project Scotty was one of the few guys who's stock rose a bit in my eyes turning in some inspired performances not just dreck (in other words he's no Christopher Nolan). Starts off as a soulless RVD exhibition as he demonstrates all of his preposterous offense. Anton does a nutty bulldog off of the apron on Vam Dam that cracks Rob's face against the guardrail. Never saw him bust that out at an MGM taping. Couldn't suppress the laughter when Anton forced RVD to do "the clap". I don't think there's another wrestler in the modern area that sticks to formula more than Van Dam. I can imagine watching a "best of" compilation of his work being like a particularly debilitating fever dream. This was like a colonic in your eyes.
Adam: I can remember my initial thoughts on this match as I was watching it live. They went something like “that was lame”. Not sure if time will be kind to this match or not as I know I haven’t seen this particular match at least since it aired. Yeah, RVD’s offense at the beginning was the normal stuff but I really dug the bump he took into the railing from the top rope after taking a chair to the face. I’d forgotten about the bulldog spot off the apron but damn was it awesome! Let’s take a moment here and reflect on Scotty’s gimmick … seriously, how lame was this? A grown dude walking around clapping his hands and telling people he’s got “the clap”. Sorry, I just can’t take that seriously. To his credit though, he does a good job of making chicken salad out of chicken shit, and works pretty good as a heel. Van Daminator spot I saw coming from a mile away. End of this match has pretty much been known as the first appearance of RVD’s “Van Terminator” coast-to-coast dropkick move. A better match than I remember it being but nothing too out of the ordinary.
8. Stairway to Hell Match: Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible - B: 4 A: 4
Brian: This started off with the XPW debacle in the crowd that saw security and a handful of buzzed wrestlers chase away the rejects. It did liven the crowd up which gave this bout a needed boost of energy. Starts off with some weak stuff like a real loose Credbile headlock then a rather placid crowd brawl. Things picked up a bit back in the ring until Francine tried to knock Dreamer off of a ladder and he landed squarely with all his girth right on top of her face. Not the only facial she'd receive in LA that night. Credible is a guy who I've routinely been down on for not taking the time to properly sell stuff seemingly always in a rush to get to the next contrivance -- that reputation followed him here and I saw little that altered it. Justin hitting That's Incredible onto a barbwire tumbleweed (twice) would have packed more drama had he sold Dreamer's finish for more then 15 sec. in-between spots. Dismaying ending to a dispiriting show.
Adam: I never was quite sure exactly what was happening with that XPW deal until I read about it years later. The crowd brawl seemed like it was never ending. One of the main problems I had with it was that the brawl over to the merchanside stand just so Tommy could take a bump off a ladder felt really staged and forced. The in-ring stuff was acceptable and Francine just got destroyed when Tommy landed on her. For all the promotion about “bringing barbed wire to pay-per-view”, it fell really flat. Barbed wire spots didn’t really account for much in the grand scheme of things with it used for only a small bit towards the end. Always thought the piledrivers on the barbed wire were lame and that thought still holds up today. After the show went off the air, and Tim and I were both disappointed that Tommy didn’t win the titleI remember Tim saying “Your TV is going to die”. Funny how the only thing I remember from this match is that random comment.
Brian: Not surprisingly your TV outlived ECW itself.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Match of the Year 2012
So, posting this up to hear from all of you out there to see what you dug and what we and others should be seeking out from 2012. Awhile back I whipped up a very quick and dirty list which I haven't altered (much) but I need to get caught up on some of the last quarter stuff (especially from Mexico as I'm currently almost caught up with Japan and American indy). So please share your lists in the comments, feedback on mine, etc. let's discuss!
Brian's current list:
Okada v. Tanahashi, Lesnar v. Cena, Akiyama v. Omori, Generico v. Steen - Ladder, Callihan v. Younger - Iron Man, Elgin v. Richards, Okada v. Naito, Bucks v. Super Smash Bros. v. Future Shock - Ladder, Morishima v. Shiozaki, Punk v. Bryan (Over the Limit), Generico/Pac/Yoshino vs. Super Dragon/Steen/Tozawa, Daniels v. AJ, Regal v. Moxley, Kingston v. Del Rey, Casas v. Panther, Low Ki v. Jigsaw, Cole v. O'Reilly, Tommy Rich v. Corino, Callihan v. Finlay, 2 Cold v. Walker, Blue Panther/Atlantis/Solar v. Ultimo Guerrero/Felino/Negro Navarro, The Shield vs. Team Hell No/Ryback - TLC Match, Vader v. Necro Butcher, Big Show v. Sheamus (HitC)
Brian's current list:
Okada v. Tanahashi, Lesnar v. Cena, Akiyama v. Omori, Generico v. Steen - Ladder, Callihan v. Younger - Iron Man, Elgin v. Richards, Okada v. Naito, Bucks v. Super Smash Bros. v. Future Shock - Ladder, Morishima v. Shiozaki, Punk v. Bryan (Over the Limit), Generico/Pac/Yoshino vs. Super Dragon/Steen/Tozawa, Daniels v. AJ, Regal v. Moxley, Kingston v. Del Rey, Casas v. Panther, Low Ki v. Jigsaw, Cole v. O'Reilly, Tommy Rich v. Corino, Callihan v. Finlay, 2 Cold v. Walker, Blue Panther/Atlantis/Solar v. Ultimo Guerrero/Felino/Negro Navarro, The Shield vs. Team Hell No/Ryback - TLC Match, Vader v. Necro Butcher, Big Show v. Sheamus (HitC)
Monday, December 17, 2012
DVDVR Best of the AWA 1980s - Part 1
AWA has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I’ve seen the limited amount of stuff from the WWE Classics channel and the stuff that’s been released onto DVD. If you know the right places to look online, there isn’t really much AWA to be had, with the exception of a few big shows here and there. I’ve reviewed some AWA shows from the mid-80s in the past and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen from them. For me, as a fan, it’s fun to see something from the mid-80s for the very first time, not knowing the outcome of anything. It’s as if I’m getting it beamed onto my TV on a 25-30 year delay (wow, the 80s were really that long ago?) As far as this compilation goes, when I first heard about this from fellow blog writer Geo, I became curious. Then, after seeing the match listings, I knew that I had to see this. When this came in the mail last week, I looked over the match listings once again. It was then that I decided there was too much good stuff on here to just keep my opinions to myself and that I had to share my reactions with you the reader. Like me, if most of the AWA is a mystery to you, then hopefully you’ll find this as a guide as what to check out and what to avoid. I hope as we go along, that you will enjoy this long 12-part journey back in time as much as me. Time now to jump into our DeLorian and travel back to the 80s for some AWA.
DISC 1
1. Lord Alfred Hayes vs. Bobby Heenan (1/13/80) – 5
2. Greg Gagne vs. Super Destroyer Mark II (5/1/80) – 4
3. Verne Gagne vs. Nick Bockwinkel (7/18/80) – 7
Ok, so kicking off our journey is a match between … two managers? Yep. Now, many may see this on paper and scoff but it a rather fun way to begin the journey. Both guys are more known to old WWF fans as announcers but you’ve really got to see this for Hayes’ forearms. They’re probably the meanest forearms this side of a drunken pub brawl. This was a showcase of Heenan’s bumping and selling and it was great. Damn, the chair shot Heenan doled out after the match was ill! Next match was joined about five minutes in and I liked the armwork by Destroyer. Hmmm, he sort of reminds me of a young Slaughter. Wait, yep, it’s Slaughter for sure. I can tell by the big bump he took over the top turnbuckle. Gagne seemed bland, like he’d rather be working 9 to 5 in an office somewhere instead of fighting for his life. However, on the contrary, his comeback was actually pretty fiery and he took a nice bump in the corner. Most of the match didn’t seem to click though. Verne and Bockwinkel was a clinic between two dudes who embody the AWA. One preconception would be that they would be just rolling around trading headlocks but that was not the case. Yes, there were holds and matwork but the holds weren’t kept on the perfect amount of time, long enough to due damage but not long enough to lose viewers interest. The pace worked very well as they would have a build to a nice bit of big activity and then simmer down right into working another body part. Mat work by both guys was really good but one big issue was that Gagne seemed rather rigid and bland. Guess it runs in the family.
4. Greg Gagne & Super Destroyer Mark II vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan (10/3/80) – 4
5. Big John Studd & Jerry Blackwell vs. High Flyers (Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell) (2/20/81) - 7
6. East-West Connection (Jesse Ventura & Adrian Adonis) vs. High Flyers (3/1/81) – 5
I’ll be honest here, these matches with Super Destroyer haven’t been all that great. Destroyer seemed to be pretty new to everything, like a puppy growing into his paws. Match seemed like it drug on forever. Gagne seemed really bland and was about as stonefaced as one of the Easter Island monuments. Heenan continued to impress with his wild bumping. Next match was just amazing! Blackwell, a big dude who’s probably an easy 450, attempted a huge standing dropkick. That’s pretty damn impressive. Blackwell was heavily pimped on the official podcast, so here’s hoping that he can show me something as I progress through this set. Studd came in, pissed as if someone had just stolen his new copy of Jimmy Buffet’s “Coconut Telegraph” album, and whipped ass on Gagne. Funny, never thought of Studd as a parrothead. Brunzell gets the hot tag and comes in gives Studd a fucking ATOMIC DROP but Studd responds with a sick front judo slam. Final segment boiled down to a street fight with all four guys throwing down. Gagne looked surprisingly motivated to beat ass. You MUST see this match! I’ve seen a limited amount of Ventura matches and haven’t been impressed. Wasn’t too high on this for the first ten minutes or so but after that, damn, this has been good with a hot crowd and some good back and forth. Adonis was the standout, busting Brunzell straight in the mouth with a dropkick and later on doing a crazy flip over the ropes that resulted in him doing the old Andre spot with his arms locked in the ropes. Gagne did a pretty awesome reversal of Ventura’s body lock by springing off the ropes and bridging into a pin. Sort of hard to explain but for a comparison watch the finish of the Bret Hart/Steve Austin match from the ’96 Survivor Series and you’ll get the general idea.
7. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Pat O'Connor (3/22/81) – 4
8. East-West Connection vs. High Flyers (Cage Match) (3/22/81) – 5
9. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jim Brunzell (6/11/81) – 5
The only thing I remember Pat O’Connor for is the wacky tag team tournament named after him at Starrcade 1990. The match itself was joined in progress and there was only about five minutes presented. Even though O’Connor looked ancient he still threw some mean rights that rocked Bock. Some decent work here by Bock on defense but nothing to get overly excited about. Cage match was pretty brutal and I think the only guy in the cage who wasn’t bleeding was the referee. The heels did some pretty theatrical selling and Ventura took a big bump into the cage and fell backwards like he smashed into a brick wall a la Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci in Home Alone. Adonis doing a wild dive off the cage earned a bonus point but the action itself was better in the previous bout. Brunzell has been a pretty good surprise thus far on this set and the singles match with Bockwinkel was a nice, solid bout. Some great trickery by Bockwinkle stepping through the ropes, allowing Brunzell to loosen up the hold and then Bock just drops repetitive shots of Brunzell’s knee. The thing I like about Bockwinkel is that on promos he’s well-spoken, neat, and clean but in the ring don’t let up or he’ll beat the shit out of you. Referee was slow on counting. Not sure who was slower, him or Bronco Lubich. Some shitty looking dropkicks by Brunzell stood out at the end.
10. Adrian Adonis vs. Jim Brunzell (6/28/81) – 4
Matches being joined in progress seems to be norm in a lot of cases and this was no different. Watching this it became clear that this was a tale of two matches. First half featured some good but non-descript mat work from both guys. Adonis surprised me as I figured he would be more apt to brawl, seeing as he was the heel and all. Speaking of brawling, second half was made up of a lot of that. Both guys were throwing some wild haymakers and each got the chance to taste the timekeeper’s table at some point. The problem I had was that a lot of the second half was heavy on the overselling and felt more choreographed that a Three Stooges routine. Honestly, I was getting really bored by the end of this as it felt that the same things were just happening over and over. Punch, goofy sell, rinse, repeat. You get the idea.
11. Jerry Blackwell vs. Billy Robinson (12/3/81) – 4
Just under fifteen minutes in and it’s nothing but exchanging of holds on the mat. Okerlund was so bored on commentary that he started rattling off where he’d covered matches at over the past year. Robinson worked over Blackweel’s legs pretty well with some textbook mat work. Finally there’s some stand-up and Blackwell starts wailing on Robinson with headbutts to the mid-section and a standing dropkick. Robinson’s neckbreaker looked pretty brutal. Blackwell did some nice selling on Robinson’s punches, nothing to really get excited about nd cream your jeans over like some people online, but it looked good and I appluad him for it. For the most part though, both guys just seemed to be going through the motions.
12. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Billy Robinson (12/25/81) – 5
Two great mat workers here so this should be pretty good I hope. Robinson wasn’t messing around like he was in the Blackwell match, he knew he was in for a fight, especially from the wicked uppercut he destroyed Bockwinkel with early in the match. Big turn in the match where Robinson hurt his shoulder on some sort of arm drag type move and Bock zeroed in, mercilessly pounding it like a shark who smells blood. Robinson threw some nice chops and punches towards the end. I was about to say that I liked the finish with Robinson winning by dragging Bockwinkel over the ropes in the sleeper but then it was ruled that Bockwinkel somehow won even though it was never explained how that actually happened. Score would have been better if it hadn’t have had the strange ending.
13. Hulk Hogan, Buck Zumhoffe & Baron Von Raschke vs. Bobby Heenan, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum (2/28/82) – 4
This is the match I’ve been looking forward to the most because the teams seem really odd and on paper it looked like a fun match. Zumhoffe and Lanny Poffo must have the same tailor because I swear I’ve seen Poffo sport those pale looking tights before. Hogan’s offense looked pretty reckless, just lobbing really dangerous forearms and elbows all over the place. Zumhoffe worked as the face in peril and looked more like science nerd in high school getting beat up for his lunch money by the jocks on the football team. Didn’t really see much from the heel team that stood out. Zumhoffe took a wild bump off the turnbuckle when he got shoved off by Heenan which lead to the pin. Post match brawl with Heenan bleeding buckets was rather fun.
14. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Hulk Hogan (4/18/82) – 6
A real big fight feel with this match. Here is Hogan, the up and coming challenger getting his first major shot at a world title going one-on-one with the crafty champion and AWA stalwart Nick Bockwinkel. One thing I have to mention is that normall I like Lee Marshall’s commentary but here, he just never shut up and called stuff way ahead of time, like Hogan ramming Bockwinkel into the buckles and then even called the three count before it happened. Unlike some of the recent stuff on here, this had more of a brawling aspect to it where there weren’t many rest holds used which meant the pace was fairly fast. So fast, in fact, that before I knew it, it was time for the finish, which was made to look as if Hogan won the title. However, Heean claimed the use of a foreign object allowing the decision to be overturned days later.
15. Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie vs. High Flyers (Cage Match) (4/18/82) – 7
As I write this, it’s a week before Christmas and normally that’s a time for peace and joy. In this match though, there was no peace and joy. This had the feel of four shoppers hyped up on Thanksgiving leftovers fighting over the last flat-screen TV at Best Buy on Black Friday. Brunzell’s face was covered in blood and he looked like the victim of a slasher film. Blackwell threw some mean ham hocks for punches. Blackwell took a giant bump into the cage right towards the end that was one of the wildest cage bumps I’ve seen in a long time. Although the match was clipped, I have to score on what I saw and what I saw, I enjoyed the shit out of.
16. Tito Santana & Rick Martel vs. High Flyers (8/29/82) – 4
Strike Force … unite!! Oh, only about six years early on that. Seeing Tito in the AWA is almost as strange as when I saw him pop up recently in CHIKARA. Kinda noticing a pattern here in that a lot of these matches start out using a lot of good albeit non-descript mat work consisting of lots of chinlocks. Randy Orton would sure be proud. Gagne busted out something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, a bridging Indian deathlock. Nice work bro! There were some good nearfalls at the end and Brunzell hit a dropkick that nailed Tito right in the ear. However, nothing really save this from coming across to me as a pretty standard tag match.
Finally, I made it to the end of the first disc and what a ride it was. Took a while but it feels pretty rewarding to have knocked off this part. I’m not really a big fan of early 80’s AWA but there were a few gems here (Studd & Blackwell vs. High Flyers comes to mind) and a lot of stuff, while good, felt pretty bland. Gotta take the good with the bad I guess.
DISC 1
1. Lord Alfred Hayes vs. Bobby Heenan (1/13/80) – 5
2. Greg Gagne vs. Super Destroyer Mark II (5/1/80) – 4
3. Verne Gagne vs. Nick Bockwinkel (7/18/80) – 7
Ok, so kicking off our journey is a match between … two managers? Yep. Now, many may see this on paper and scoff but it a rather fun way to begin the journey. Both guys are more known to old WWF fans as announcers but you’ve really got to see this for Hayes’ forearms. They’re probably the meanest forearms this side of a drunken pub brawl. This was a showcase of Heenan’s bumping and selling and it was great. Damn, the chair shot Heenan doled out after the match was ill! Next match was joined about five minutes in and I liked the armwork by Destroyer. Hmmm, he sort of reminds me of a young Slaughter. Wait, yep, it’s Slaughter for sure. I can tell by the big bump he took over the top turnbuckle. Gagne seemed bland, like he’d rather be working 9 to 5 in an office somewhere instead of fighting for his life. However, on the contrary, his comeback was actually pretty fiery and he took a nice bump in the corner. Most of the match didn’t seem to click though. Verne and Bockwinkel was a clinic between two dudes who embody the AWA. One preconception would be that they would be just rolling around trading headlocks but that was not the case. Yes, there were holds and matwork but the holds weren’t kept on the perfect amount of time, long enough to due damage but not long enough to lose viewers interest. The pace worked very well as they would have a build to a nice bit of big activity and then simmer down right into working another body part. Mat work by both guys was really good but one big issue was that Gagne seemed rather rigid and bland. Guess it runs in the family.
4. Greg Gagne & Super Destroyer Mark II vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan (10/3/80) – 4
5. Big John Studd & Jerry Blackwell vs. High Flyers (Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell) (2/20/81) - 7
6. East-West Connection (Jesse Ventura & Adrian Adonis) vs. High Flyers (3/1/81) – 5
I’ll be honest here, these matches with Super Destroyer haven’t been all that great. Destroyer seemed to be pretty new to everything, like a puppy growing into his paws. Match seemed like it drug on forever. Gagne seemed really bland and was about as stonefaced as one of the Easter Island monuments. Heenan continued to impress with his wild bumping. Next match was just amazing! Blackwell, a big dude who’s probably an easy 450, attempted a huge standing dropkick. That’s pretty damn impressive. Blackwell was heavily pimped on the official podcast, so here’s hoping that he can show me something as I progress through this set. Studd came in, pissed as if someone had just stolen his new copy of Jimmy Buffet’s “Coconut Telegraph” album, and whipped ass on Gagne. Funny, never thought of Studd as a parrothead. Brunzell gets the hot tag and comes in gives Studd a fucking ATOMIC DROP but Studd responds with a sick front judo slam. Final segment boiled down to a street fight with all four guys throwing down. Gagne looked surprisingly motivated to beat ass. You MUST see this match! I’ve seen a limited amount of Ventura matches and haven’t been impressed. Wasn’t too high on this for the first ten minutes or so but after that, damn, this has been good with a hot crowd and some good back and forth. Adonis was the standout, busting Brunzell straight in the mouth with a dropkick and later on doing a crazy flip over the ropes that resulted in him doing the old Andre spot with his arms locked in the ropes. Gagne did a pretty awesome reversal of Ventura’s body lock by springing off the ropes and bridging into a pin. Sort of hard to explain but for a comparison watch the finish of the Bret Hart/Steve Austin match from the ’96 Survivor Series and you’ll get the general idea.
7. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Pat O'Connor (3/22/81) – 4
8. East-West Connection vs. High Flyers (Cage Match) (3/22/81) – 5
9. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jim Brunzell (6/11/81) – 5
The only thing I remember Pat O’Connor for is the wacky tag team tournament named after him at Starrcade 1990. The match itself was joined in progress and there was only about five minutes presented. Even though O’Connor looked ancient he still threw some mean rights that rocked Bock. Some decent work here by Bock on defense but nothing to get overly excited about. Cage match was pretty brutal and I think the only guy in the cage who wasn’t bleeding was the referee. The heels did some pretty theatrical selling and Ventura took a big bump into the cage and fell backwards like he smashed into a brick wall a la Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci in Home Alone. Adonis doing a wild dive off the cage earned a bonus point but the action itself was better in the previous bout. Brunzell has been a pretty good surprise thus far on this set and the singles match with Bockwinkel was a nice, solid bout. Some great trickery by Bockwinkle stepping through the ropes, allowing Brunzell to loosen up the hold and then Bock just drops repetitive shots of Brunzell’s knee. The thing I like about Bockwinkel is that on promos he’s well-spoken, neat, and clean but in the ring don’t let up or he’ll beat the shit out of you. Referee was slow on counting. Not sure who was slower, him or Bronco Lubich. Some shitty looking dropkicks by Brunzell stood out at the end.
10. Adrian Adonis vs. Jim Brunzell (6/28/81) – 4
Matches being joined in progress seems to be norm in a lot of cases and this was no different. Watching this it became clear that this was a tale of two matches. First half featured some good but non-descript mat work from both guys. Adonis surprised me as I figured he would be more apt to brawl, seeing as he was the heel and all. Speaking of brawling, second half was made up of a lot of that. Both guys were throwing some wild haymakers and each got the chance to taste the timekeeper’s table at some point. The problem I had was that a lot of the second half was heavy on the overselling and felt more choreographed that a Three Stooges routine. Honestly, I was getting really bored by the end of this as it felt that the same things were just happening over and over. Punch, goofy sell, rinse, repeat. You get the idea.
11. Jerry Blackwell vs. Billy Robinson (12/3/81) – 4
Just under fifteen minutes in and it’s nothing but exchanging of holds on the mat. Okerlund was so bored on commentary that he started rattling off where he’d covered matches at over the past year. Robinson worked over Blackweel’s legs pretty well with some textbook mat work. Finally there’s some stand-up and Blackwell starts wailing on Robinson with headbutts to the mid-section and a standing dropkick. Robinson’s neckbreaker looked pretty brutal. Blackwell did some nice selling on Robinson’s punches, nothing to really get excited about nd cream your jeans over like some people online, but it looked good and I appluad him for it. For the most part though, both guys just seemed to be going through the motions.
12. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Billy Robinson (12/25/81) – 5
Two great mat workers here so this should be pretty good I hope. Robinson wasn’t messing around like he was in the Blackwell match, he knew he was in for a fight, especially from the wicked uppercut he destroyed Bockwinkel with early in the match. Big turn in the match where Robinson hurt his shoulder on some sort of arm drag type move and Bock zeroed in, mercilessly pounding it like a shark who smells blood. Robinson threw some nice chops and punches towards the end. I was about to say that I liked the finish with Robinson winning by dragging Bockwinkel over the ropes in the sleeper but then it was ruled that Bockwinkel somehow won even though it was never explained how that actually happened. Score would have been better if it hadn’t have had the strange ending.
13. Hulk Hogan, Buck Zumhoffe & Baron Von Raschke vs. Bobby Heenan, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum (2/28/82) – 4
This is the match I’ve been looking forward to the most because the teams seem really odd and on paper it looked like a fun match. Zumhoffe and Lanny Poffo must have the same tailor because I swear I’ve seen Poffo sport those pale looking tights before. Hogan’s offense looked pretty reckless, just lobbing really dangerous forearms and elbows all over the place. Zumhoffe worked as the face in peril and looked more like science nerd in high school getting beat up for his lunch money by the jocks on the football team. Didn’t really see much from the heel team that stood out. Zumhoffe took a wild bump off the turnbuckle when he got shoved off by Heenan which lead to the pin. Post match brawl with Heenan bleeding buckets was rather fun.
14. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Hulk Hogan (4/18/82) – 6
A real big fight feel with this match. Here is Hogan, the up and coming challenger getting his first major shot at a world title going one-on-one with the crafty champion and AWA stalwart Nick Bockwinkel. One thing I have to mention is that normall I like Lee Marshall’s commentary but here, he just never shut up and called stuff way ahead of time, like Hogan ramming Bockwinkel into the buckles and then even called the three count before it happened. Unlike some of the recent stuff on here, this had more of a brawling aspect to it where there weren’t many rest holds used which meant the pace was fairly fast. So fast, in fact, that before I knew it, it was time for the finish, which was made to look as if Hogan won the title. However, Heean claimed the use of a foreign object allowing the decision to be overturned days later.
15. Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie vs. High Flyers (Cage Match) (4/18/82) – 7
As I write this, it’s a week before Christmas and normally that’s a time for peace and joy. In this match though, there was no peace and joy. This had the feel of four shoppers hyped up on Thanksgiving leftovers fighting over the last flat-screen TV at Best Buy on Black Friday. Brunzell’s face was covered in blood and he looked like the victim of a slasher film. Blackwell threw some mean ham hocks for punches. Blackwell took a giant bump into the cage right towards the end that was one of the wildest cage bumps I’ve seen in a long time. Although the match was clipped, I have to score on what I saw and what I saw, I enjoyed the shit out of.
16. Tito Santana & Rick Martel vs. High Flyers (8/29/82) – 4
Strike Force … unite!! Oh, only about six years early on that. Seeing Tito in the AWA is almost as strange as when I saw him pop up recently in CHIKARA. Kinda noticing a pattern here in that a lot of these matches start out using a lot of good albeit non-descript mat work consisting of lots of chinlocks. Randy Orton would sure be proud. Gagne busted out something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, a bridging Indian deathlock. Nice work bro! There were some good nearfalls at the end and Brunzell hit a dropkick that nailed Tito right in the ear. However, nothing really save this from coming across to me as a pretty standard tag match.
Finally, I made it to the end of the first disc and what a ride it was. Took a while but it feels pretty rewarding to have knocked off this part. I’m not really a big fan of early 80’s AWA but there were a few gems here (Studd & Blackwell vs. High Flyers comes to mind) and a lot of stuff, while good, felt pretty bland. Gotta take the good with the bad I guess.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Kazarian vs. James Storm
Kazarian vs. James Storm - TNA Final Resolution 2012 - 4
Unannounced and unadvertised just like your sister's last pregnancy -- natch! Storm's' Thesz Press makes me yearn for Trish Stratus'. You all remember the Air Canada, right? Anyway. If Kazarian was still in WWE he'd have been perfect for 3MB. James would have been good casting for one of the hillbilly muscle in the crappy remake of Stray Dogs. That would have looked good on his resume next to his 2 years as sales clerk at tractor supply store and 10+ as con-man in Orlando. Kaz sold the Closing Time double knee facebreaker by jumping 5 ft. in the air and landing square on his ass like a grade school runt in a bouncy house. That was marvelously obtuse. I dug Storm sliding out of the devastating Fade to Black to pull off a rapid Last Call superkick. Watched the PPV in HD and this was a great way to kick of their last pay-per-view of this calendar year.
Wheeeeeee!
Unannounced and unadvertised just like your sister's last pregnancy -- natch! Storm's' Thesz Press makes me yearn for Trish Stratus'. You all remember the Air Canada, right? Anyway. If Kazarian was still in WWE he'd have been perfect for 3MB. James would have been good casting for one of the hillbilly muscle in the crappy remake of Stray Dogs. That would have looked good on his resume next to his 2 years as sales clerk at tractor supply store and 10+ as con-man in Orlando. Kaz sold the Closing Time double knee facebreaker by jumping 5 ft. in the air and landing square on his ass like a grade school runt in a bouncy house. That was marvelously obtuse. I dug Storm sliding out of the devastating Fade to Black to pull off a rapid Last Call superkick. Watched the PPV in HD and this was a great way to kick of their last pay-per-view of this calendar year.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
TV Time Remaining: WWF Shotgun Saturday Night 1997 - Part 2
More craziness from 1997 WWF B-level TV. Be warned, there may be a lot of squashes here. Part 2 will cover April through June. Let’s dig in.
In case you missed it, Part 1 is here
1. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon vs. Aldo Montoya & R.T. Williams (4/5/97) - 3
Give me your tired, your poor, and your hungry. That certainly describes the jobber team. How did Aldo draw the short straw to team up with Williams? This was pretty much just a light workout for Furnas and LaFon. Williams took a rough suplex that looked to have cracked his neck. Can’t the poor dude catch a break? Last week, a beat down by the Blackjacks and this week getting his neck snapped? By the way, Furnas and LaFon won.
2. Billy Gunn vs. Freddie Joe Floyd (4/12/97) – 3
Ok, this is getting really strange. Now we get Tracy Smothers as Freddie Joe Floyd? Billy is working heel and still sporting the cowboy look from the Smoking Gunns days. Smothers looked pretty spry when getting in some offense and had some good selling. Great nearfall off a big offensive flurry from Smothers that included some hard elbows. Swinging DDT by Billy looked a bit sloppy. Not bad and certainly quite random.
3. Salvatore Sincere vs. Flash Funk (4/19/97) – 4
Not sure where this match was filmed but it looks like it was in some big soccer stadium somewhere. Sincere delivering a pre-match promo was about as Italian as a frozen spaghetti dinner. Both guys really busted out some good looking stuff and had some good nearfalls. Scorpio … oops, I mean Flash, did a nice plancha, a big back kick, and a wild looking sunset flip. Sal countered with a big swinging DDT. This was a lot better than I though it would be on paper and a rather fun little match.
4. Flash Funk vs. Nick Barberry (4/26/97) – 1
Barberry is sporting some tights that look like they were found at a Brutus Beefcake yard sale. This didn’t take long for Flash to finish off this srcub with some basic stuff and it didn’t look like he broke a sweat.
5. Savio Vega & Crush vs. Derek Stone & Neal Haley (5/3/97) – 2
Haley is a rather gangly fellow who runs the ropes worse than Lex Luger in 2001. The other dude was about as memorable the guy who bagged your groceries last weekend. Crush and Savio just destroyed these poor jobbers, Savio was being especially brutual, throwing some nasty looking spin kicks. Finish with Crush and Savio ripping off Demolition’s old “Decapitation” move was super sloppy.
6. Jesse James vs. Leif Cassidy (5/10/97) – 5
At this point in ’97, neither of these guys were going anywhere quick but I’ll be damned if they didn’t have a hell of a match here. The pace was quick and everything flowed really smooth. I always hated when Double J popped his collar and ran into the corner. Just looked ridiculous. Cassidy ripped off a stiff clothesline. Finish was nice with Cassidy missing the moonsault (which had perfect form by the way) and Double J immediately going to the pumphandle.
7. Leif Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy (5/17/97) – 3
Matt was skinny here, probably about half the size he is now with twice the brain power. Wild spot where Cassidy suplex Hardy out of the ring and straight to the floor and killed him with two face first suplexes. Also a bit strange was seeing Cassidy working heel and Hardy being the jobber. Some good stuff by Cassidy here and I really liked his aggressiveness.
8. Jesse James vs. David Haskins (5/24/97) – 2
To quote Jerry Lawler on Jesse James, “he’s a promising young singer, I wish he’d promise to stop singing!” Couldn’t agree more Jerry as I’m not sure which song is more annoying, Double J’s or R-Truths “What’s Up”. Only thing notable was seeing Haskins getting his chin busted open pretty good. Pretty bland squash.
9. Scott Taylor vs. Tony Williams (5/31/97) – 4
What the hell is this doing in the main event spot? I have the feeling this may have been a try-out match for both guys. Taylor looked good, doing some high risk stuff and even busting out a plancha. Too bad he only became known for one of the most ridiculous moves ever (The Worm) after joining Too Cool years later. Williams nearly killed himself on a dive and took a wild spinning slam from Taylor right on his ass. Finish was rather shocking as Williams pulled the upset with a reverse roll-up. Not much on paper but definitely a fun little sprint.
10. Phil LaFon vs. Bradshaw (6/7/97) – 2
You know, I just noticed that LaFon looks a lot like Joey Votto. Bradshaw’s offense was just reckless, doling out stiff boots and clotheslines. LaFon came across as a generic guy with no personality. The powerslam felt like a pretty generic way to close this three minute ruckus out.
11. Scott Taylor vs. Steve Ramsey (6/14/97) – 2
What is this fucking ridiculous music that Taylor has? Ramsey looks like a dude who should working valet parking somewhere on a Saturday night. Yikes, this was brutal. Ramsey’s offense looked about as threatening as a leaf falling from a tree and the only notable thing I was the whole match was Taylor hitting a nice hook kick. Taylor’s finisher, whatever it was supposed to be, looked awful and sloppy.
12. Brian Christopher vs. Tommy Rogers (6/21/97) – 3
Even 15 years later, Brian Christopher is still annoying as shit. Rogers wanted to actually wrestle but Christopher was more concerned with making goofy facials, laughing hysterically, and generally fucking around. Once Rogers finally got the offense, he laid it in good, throwing a couple especially stiff shots on the outside. Not bad for a four minute match, sure beats some of the other matches on here in recent weeks.
13. The Truth Commission vs. Al Brown, Gene Miller, & Terry Richards (6/28/97) – 2
I barely remember the Truth Commission but I don’t remember there being a masked 400-pounder involved with them. Wait, holy shit! One of these jobbers is Rhino! Aside from that notable fact, the three jobbers just got destroyed. Recon busted out a standing hurracanrana and seeing a dude who weighs about 150 soaking wet getting completely squashed by a 400-pound guy were the best parts here.
In case you missed it, Part 1 is here
1. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon vs. Aldo Montoya & R.T. Williams (4/5/97) - 3
Give me your tired, your poor, and your hungry. That certainly describes the jobber team. How did Aldo draw the short straw to team up with Williams? This was pretty much just a light workout for Furnas and LaFon. Williams took a rough suplex that looked to have cracked his neck. Can’t the poor dude catch a break? Last week, a beat down by the Blackjacks and this week getting his neck snapped? By the way, Furnas and LaFon won.
2. Billy Gunn vs. Freddie Joe Floyd (4/12/97) – 3
Ok, this is getting really strange. Now we get Tracy Smothers as Freddie Joe Floyd? Billy is working heel and still sporting the cowboy look from the Smoking Gunns days. Smothers looked pretty spry when getting in some offense and had some good selling. Great nearfall off a big offensive flurry from Smothers that included some hard elbows. Swinging DDT by Billy looked a bit sloppy. Not bad and certainly quite random.
3. Salvatore Sincere vs. Flash Funk (4/19/97) – 4
Not sure where this match was filmed but it looks like it was in some big soccer stadium somewhere. Sincere delivering a pre-match promo was about as Italian as a frozen spaghetti dinner. Both guys really busted out some good looking stuff and had some good nearfalls. Scorpio … oops, I mean Flash, did a nice plancha, a big back kick, and a wild looking sunset flip. Sal countered with a big swinging DDT. This was a lot better than I though it would be on paper and a rather fun little match.
4. Flash Funk vs. Nick Barberry (4/26/97) – 1
Barberry is sporting some tights that look like they were found at a Brutus Beefcake yard sale. This didn’t take long for Flash to finish off this srcub with some basic stuff and it didn’t look like he broke a sweat.
5. Savio Vega & Crush vs. Derek Stone & Neal Haley (5/3/97) – 2
Haley is a rather gangly fellow who runs the ropes worse than Lex Luger in 2001. The other dude was about as memorable the guy who bagged your groceries last weekend. Crush and Savio just destroyed these poor jobbers, Savio was being especially brutual, throwing some nasty looking spin kicks. Finish with Crush and Savio ripping off Demolition’s old “Decapitation” move was super sloppy.
6. Jesse James vs. Leif Cassidy (5/10/97) – 5
At this point in ’97, neither of these guys were going anywhere quick but I’ll be damned if they didn’t have a hell of a match here. The pace was quick and everything flowed really smooth. I always hated when Double J popped his collar and ran into the corner. Just looked ridiculous. Cassidy ripped off a stiff clothesline. Finish was nice with Cassidy missing the moonsault (which had perfect form by the way) and Double J immediately going to the pumphandle.
7. Leif Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy (5/17/97) – 3
Matt was skinny here, probably about half the size he is now with twice the brain power. Wild spot where Cassidy suplex Hardy out of the ring and straight to the floor and killed him with two face first suplexes. Also a bit strange was seeing Cassidy working heel and Hardy being the jobber. Some good stuff by Cassidy here and I really liked his aggressiveness.
8. Jesse James vs. David Haskins (5/24/97) – 2
To quote Jerry Lawler on Jesse James, “he’s a promising young singer, I wish he’d promise to stop singing!” Couldn’t agree more Jerry as I’m not sure which song is more annoying, Double J’s or R-Truths “What’s Up”. Only thing notable was seeing Haskins getting his chin busted open pretty good. Pretty bland squash.
9. Scott Taylor vs. Tony Williams (5/31/97) – 4
What the hell is this doing in the main event spot? I have the feeling this may have been a try-out match for both guys. Taylor looked good, doing some high risk stuff and even busting out a plancha. Too bad he only became known for one of the most ridiculous moves ever (The Worm) after joining Too Cool years later. Williams nearly killed himself on a dive and took a wild spinning slam from Taylor right on his ass. Finish was rather shocking as Williams pulled the upset with a reverse roll-up. Not much on paper but definitely a fun little sprint.
10. Phil LaFon vs. Bradshaw (6/7/97) – 2
You know, I just noticed that LaFon looks a lot like Joey Votto. Bradshaw’s offense was just reckless, doling out stiff boots and clotheslines. LaFon came across as a generic guy with no personality. The powerslam felt like a pretty generic way to close this three minute ruckus out.
11. Scott Taylor vs. Steve Ramsey (6/14/97) – 2
What is this fucking ridiculous music that Taylor has? Ramsey looks like a dude who should working valet parking somewhere on a Saturday night. Yikes, this was brutal. Ramsey’s offense looked about as threatening as a leaf falling from a tree and the only notable thing I was the whole match was Taylor hitting a nice hook kick. Taylor’s finisher, whatever it was supposed to be, looked awful and sloppy.
12. Brian Christopher vs. Tommy Rogers (6/21/97) – 3
Even 15 years later, Brian Christopher is still annoying as shit. Rogers wanted to actually wrestle but Christopher was more concerned with making goofy facials, laughing hysterically, and generally fucking around. Once Rogers finally got the offense, he laid it in good, throwing a couple especially stiff shots on the outside. Not bad for a four minute match, sure beats some of the other matches on here in recent weeks.
13. The Truth Commission vs. Al Brown, Gene Miller, & Terry Richards (6/28/97) – 2
I barely remember the Truth Commission but I don’t remember there being a masked 400-pounder involved with them. Wait, holy shit! One of these jobbers is Rhino! Aside from that notable fact, the three jobbers just got destroyed. Recon busted out a standing hurracanrana and seeing a dude who weighs about 150 soaking wet getting completely squashed by a 400-pound guy were the best parts here.
Monday, November 26, 2012
HWA Outbreak 1/18/08
HWA Outbreak
Dayton, OH - 1/18/08
This is already screaming low rent as the entry way is made out of, and I wish I was joking, black Glad trash bags, PVC pipe, and cardboard. There seems to be about 100 people in attendance and whatever building this is looks like an abandoned YMCA gym.
1. Six Man Elimination Match: Hydra vs. Dustin Rayz vs. Amasis vs. Sami Callihan vs. Virus vs. Billy Roc – 4
How appropriate, there’s a guy named Virus on a show titled “Outbreak”. The referee seemed befuddled when he called for the bell and nothing happened, so he just yelled “The match has begun!”. Luckily, whoever had the ring bell in their possession showed up by the end of the match. The dance off with Hydra and Amasis delighted absolutely no one and the customary big dive spot sequence felt pretty standard. Virus has to be the worst dude in this match, his punches are terrible and his offense feels like he’s copied it from watching a Best of Blitzkrieg tape over and over. Roc was pretty bland but I guess he was thrown in to help lead the match. Some of the big offensive highlights included a sick neckbreaker type move by Hydra on Amasis, Sami busting out one of the most awesome top rope dropkicks I’ve ever seen, and Virus getting cured by some sort of wild pedigree/piledriver type move by Dustin Rayz. Finish saw Roc win with Kofi Kingston’s “SOS” move. I guess that was for the kids.
2. Nikita Allanov vs. Lighting Tim Lutz – 3
I’ve heard about this Allanov fella but this is the first time I’ve seen him. Lutz has been on all manner of indy shows in the Cincinnati and Dayton area for years and has never really gotten above a mid-card status. For me, Allanov’s status as the “Soviet Shooter” was immediately killed when he used System of a Down as his ring music. Lutz spent the majority of the match getting beaten on but showed a bit of fire, including a flipping neckbreaker. Allanov’s rope running is atrocious, barely hitting them like a kid scared to bounce off them during is first day of training. Big superplex spot by Allanov was nice, so was his finising piledriver style move, even though it looked very similar to Dustin Rayz’ finisher. Felt a lot like a long, drawn out squash.
3. Mary Elizabeth vs. O.D.B. – 3
What the fuck? O.D.B. worked in HWA? I’ve followed HWA for years and have ZERO recollection of this. Not really expecting much out of this but who knows, I may be surprised. O.D.B.’s selling has consisted of nothing but grabbing her boobs whenever she’d smash into the buckle or take a bump. Everything here turned out exactly how I expected, Mary Elizabeth stalled, O.D.B. drank and did her usual assortment of offensive stuff. Better than your typical diva’s match but nothing to get overly excited about.
4. Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero – 5
Kingston does a lot of Zbyszko-esque stalling to begin things. Compared to today, Kingston looks really slim. I jujst watched him vs. Tadasuke from King of Trios this year and it’s like two different people. Big chop exchange and brawl on the outside was fun. Hero’s ring attire is really gawdy with the red and the blue. Plus, the rip off of the Superman logo on his shirt doesn’t really scream “professional”. Kingston’s offense seems to be consisting of strikes and not much else. Hero’s roaring elbow seemed more like it was whimpering. Nasty German suplex from Kingston nearly broke Hero’s neck. Finish seemed with Kingston tapping out to a cloverlead seemed out of place as there was no mat work leading up to it.
5. Three Way Match: Kimera & Dick Rick vs. The Hybrids vs. The GP Code (Deja Vu & Andre Heart) – 4
The Hybrids are a hybrid of what exactly? Kimera is about as athletic as my mailman. The frosted blonde hair does him no favors either. Vu does a pretty good job of doing a face in peril. Andre’s double DDT on Kimera and Rick looked sloppy than the sexual encounters that put him in prison. Sorry, couldn’t resist that joke. Seeing Big Vu (now Gerome Phillips) destroy people is always a highlight for me on HWA shows. Huge blown spot where one of the Hybrids was supposed to back drop Andre over the top rope onto the floor but Andre gets caught on the rope and softly tumbles to the floor as everyone falls like bowling pins anyway. How in the hell did the referee know who’s legal after everyone just sort of ran in, did spots, and then disappeared? Double team spot by GP Code was pretty nifty to finish off Dick Rick.
6. Alan Wasylychyn vs. Aaron Williams – 5
Williams was once a rising star for HWA but now his career is limited to main eventing local shows that draw maybe a dozen people. The story here is partner vs. partner and it also seems like it’s heel vs. heel, especially since Brock Guffman, a local manager who’s been around forever, is managing both guys at ringside. Clearly here Williams is the one who was being groomed for a big push but Wasylychyn has been more impressive to me thus far, doing a couple wild bumps, including one to the floor after he got superkicked off the top rope, and some nice offense that included a nice springboard frankensteiner and a rolling front slam. Williams did a top rope splash that looked more like a kid doing a belly flop in the swimming pool. Seeing Wasylychyn win with a German suplex on a chair felt like a bit of an upset. Better match than I expected this to be though.
7. B.J. Whitmer vs. “Buffalo Bad Boy” Brian Jennings - 4
Back when the NHO crew was watching WWE pay-per-view at the local BW3’s, I remember seeing Jennings coming in all the time with other HWA guys watching the shows at the bar. Crowd seems as dead as Richard Nixon and the in-ring has felt pretty standard. Jennings’ big moves didn’t feel real special as they were pretty basic with the exception of them being named after things in Buffalo. As a whole, this didn’t have a “main event” feel at all. Whitmer won with a low blow and a roll up and Jennings sold the whole thing as if he didn’t care at all.
Dayton, OH - 1/18/08
This is already screaming low rent as the entry way is made out of, and I wish I was joking, black Glad trash bags, PVC pipe, and cardboard. There seems to be about 100 people in attendance and whatever building this is looks like an abandoned YMCA gym.
1. Six Man Elimination Match: Hydra vs. Dustin Rayz vs. Amasis vs. Sami Callihan vs. Virus vs. Billy Roc – 4
How appropriate, there’s a guy named Virus on a show titled “Outbreak”. The referee seemed befuddled when he called for the bell and nothing happened, so he just yelled “The match has begun!”. Luckily, whoever had the ring bell in their possession showed up by the end of the match. The dance off with Hydra and Amasis delighted absolutely no one and the customary big dive spot sequence felt pretty standard. Virus has to be the worst dude in this match, his punches are terrible and his offense feels like he’s copied it from watching a Best of Blitzkrieg tape over and over. Roc was pretty bland but I guess he was thrown in to help lead the match. Some of the big offensive highlights included a sick neckbreaker type move by Hydra on Amasis, Sami busting out one of the most awesome top rope dropkicks I’ve ever seen, and Virus getting cured by some sort of wild pedigree/piledriver type move by Dustin Rayz. Finish saw Roc win with Kofi Kingston’s “SOS” move. I guess that was for the kids.
2. Nikita Allanov vs. Lighting Tim Lutz – 3
I’ve heard about this Allanov fella but this is the first time I’ve seen him. Lutz has been on all manner of indy shows in the Cincinnati and Dayton area for years and has never really gotten above a mid-card status. For me, Allanov’s status as the “Soviet Shooter” was immediately killed when he used System of a Down as his ring music. Lutz spent the majority of the match getting beaten on but showed a bit of fire, including a flipping neckbreaker. Allanov’s rope running is atrocious, barely hitting them like a kid scared to bounce off them during is first day of training. Big superplex spot by Allanov was nice, so was his finising piledriver style move, even though it looked very similar to Dustin Rayz’ finisher. Felt a lot like a long, drawn out squash.
3. Mary Elizabeth vs. O.D.B. – 3
What the fuck? O.D.B. worked in HWA? I’ve followed HWA for years and have ZERO recollection of this. Not really expecting much out of this but who knows, I may be surprised. O.D.B.’s selling has consisted of nothing but grabbing her boobs whenever she’d smash into the buckle or take a bump. Everything here turned out exactly how I expected, Mary Elizabeth stalled, O.D.B. drank and did her usual assortment of offensive stuff. Better than your typical diva’s match but nothing to get overly excited about.
4. Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero – 5
Kingston does a lot of Zbyszko-esque stalling to begin things. Compared to today, Kingston looks really slim. I jujst watched him vs. Tadasuke from King of Trios this year and it’s like two different people. Big chop exchange and brawl on the outside was fun. Hero’s ring attire is really gawdy with the red and the blue. Plus, the rip off of the Superman logo on his shirt doesn’t really scream “professional”. Kingston’s offense seems to be consisting of strikes and not much else. Hero’s roaring elbow seemed more like it was whimpering. Nasty German suplex from Kingston nearly broke Hero’s neck. Finish seemed with Kingston tapping out to a cloverlead seemed out of place as there was no mat work leading up to it.
5. Three Way Match: Kimera & Dick Rick vs. The Hybrids vs. The GP Code (Deja Vu & Andre Heart) – 4
The Hybrids are a hybrid of what exactly? Kimera is about as athletic as my mailman. The frosted blonde hair does him no favors either. Vu does a pretty good job of doing a face in peril. Andre’s double DDT on Kimera and Rick looked sloppy than the sexual encounters that put him in prison. Sorry, couldn’t resist that joke. Seeing Big Vu (now Gerome Phillips) destroy people is always a highlight for me on HWA shows. Huge blown spot where one of the Hybrids was supposed to back drop Andre over the top rope onto the floor but Andre gets caught on the rope and softly tumbles to the floor as everyone falls like bowling pins anyway. How in the hell did the referee know who’s legal after everyone just sort of ran in, did spots, and then disappeared? Double team spot by GP Code was pretty nifty to finish off Dick Rick.
6. Alan Wasylychyn vs. Aaron Williams – 5
Williams was once a rising star for HWA but now his career is limited to main eventing local shows that draw maybe a dozen people. The story here is partner vs. partner and it also seems like it’s heel vs. heel, especially since Brock Guffman, a local manager who’s been around forever, is managing both guys at ringside. Clearly here Williams is the one who was being groomed for a big push but Wasylychyn has been more impressive to me thus far, doing a couple wild bumps, including one to the floor after he got superkicked off the top rope, and some nice offense that included a nice springboard frankensteiner and a rolling front slam. Williams did a top rope splash that looked more like a kid doing a belly flop in the swimming pool. Seeing Wasylychyn win with a German suplex on a chair felt like a bit of an upset. Better match than I expected this to be though.
7. B.J. Whitmer vs. “Buffalo Bad Boy” Brian Jennings - 4
Back when the NHO crew was watching WWE pay-per-view at the local BW3’s, I remember seeing Jennings coming in all the time with other HWA guys watching the shows at the bar. Crowd seems as dead as Richard Nixon and the in-ring has felt pretty standard. Jennings’ big moves didn’t feel real special as they were pretty basic with the exception of them being named after things in Buffalo. As a whole, this didn’t have a “main event” feel at all. Whitmer won with a low blow and a roll up and Jennings sold the whole thing as if he didn’t care at all.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Bigelow, Orndorff, & Blair vs. Orton, Zhukov, & Brooks
Bam Bam Bigelow, Paul Orndorff, & B.Brian Blair vs. Rusty Brooks, Boris Zhukov, & Cowboy Bob Orton (UWF 4/7/91) - 3
What a strange locale for a six-man tag, outside on the lawn in front of the Nickelodeon Studios in Florida with maybe a handful of people in attendance. Lou Albano is on commentary and extremely annoying, calling Brooks fat and Blair a “buzzing bee”. Most everyone seemed content to rely on punching and forearm blows, although I did see Blair, or was it Orndorff, take a few bodyslams. I couldn’t tell because they were dressed exactly alike and the hard camera was far away. Orton worked the bare minimum causing Capt. Lou on commentary to ask “What’s Orton doing? He getting a suntan?” Bigelow’s offensive flurry at the end was added a nice change to the bland action. Camera completely missed the finish. Points for uniqueness in terms of locale and participants but the action was very droll.
What a strange locale for a six-man tag, outside on the lawn in front of the Nickelodeon Studios in Florida with maybe a handful of people in attendance. Lou Albano is on commentary and extremely annoying, calling Brooks fat and Blair a “buzzing bee”. Most everyone seemed content to rely on punching and forearm blows, although I did see Blair, or was it Orndorff, take a few bodyslams. I couldn’t tell because they were dressed exactly alike and the hard camera was far away. Orton worked the bare minimum causing Capt. Lou on commentary to ask “What’s Orton doing? He getting a suntan?” Bigelow’s offensive flurry at the end was added a nice change to the bland action. Camera completely missed the finish. Points for uniqueness in terms of locale and participants but the action was very droll.
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