NWA Great American Bash 1987

1) Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, & J.J. Dillon vs. The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, & Paul Ellering – War Games Match – 9
2) Rick Steiner vs. Barry Windham (clipped) – 6
3) Lex Luger vs. Nikita Koloff – Steel Cage Match – 6
4) Dick Murdoch vs. Steve Williams – Texas Death Match (clipped) – 4
5) Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts vs. Manny Fernandez, Paul Jones, & Ivan Koloff (clipped) – 4
6) Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard – Barbed Wire Bunkhouse Ladder Match – 3
7) Ric Flair vs. Jimmy Garvin – Steel Cage Match (clipped) – 7
8) The Midnight Express vs. The Rock N Roll Express – 6
9) Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, & War Machine vs. The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, & Paul Ellering – War Games Match – 7

The tape rushed right out of the gate with a fantastic match which was given the title of “Wargames I: The Bomb” on this tape. The horsemen and their manager J.J. Dillon, were at their heel best here. All ten men involved could be candidates for the mythical hall of fame. Dillon and Ellering not so much for their ring work, per se, but for their legendary roles as ringside managers. The match itself was incredible. The crowd was actually so loud that you could barely hear Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone call the action. Let’s be honest, JR and Tony weren’t really needed because the action spoke for itself. Anderson was busted open within five minutes and subsequently every other combatant, except for possibly Ellering was bleeding by the end of the bout. You really need this match in your collection as it’s quite possibly the best War Games match I’ve ever seen. The only other one that I can remember even coming close was the main event of Wrestle War 1992 which is a classic in its own right.

After our first foray into the war, we step back from the front lines and get a brief sample of a Rick Steiner vs. Barry Windham match. I can’t say I’m much for clipped matches as they’re hard to judge the full integrity of the match and therefore I have to give a rating based on an assumption of what wasn’t included and the brief snippet that was. Anyway, Steiner and Windham was joined in progress and from what was included looked good enough to warrant a decent rating. Luger and Koloff had a brutal cage match. Koloff entered the match with a neck brace on and therefore gave Luger a target for the whole match. It really wasn’t a classic match but it was still cool to watch. Only about five minutes of the Murdoch vs. Williams match was shown and from what was offered, it didn’t look that appetizing. The six man tag was clipped as well and it was probably for the better. It did feature the legendary Freebirds and some lesser known stars such as Fernandez and Koloff.

I’ve never seen a barbed wire bunkhouse ladder match so the concept itself sounded intriguing. However, Rhodes and Blanchard didn’t exactly tear it up either. When I hear the stipulations of this match, I expect blood, blood, and more blood so to say I was disappointed would be a major understatement. Well, at least the crowd was somewhat into it. Jimmy Garvin isn’t really the person you would expect to receive a world title shot. I was expecting very little out of it but it suprisingly delivered. The match itself had the beginning cut off so we pick up right as Garvin is chopping Flair. It was an awesome world title match and really had me on the edge of my seat. The Midnights and The Rock N Rolls once again personified tag team wrestling in yet another fantastic bout from their series of legendary matches over the years. These matches set the standards for what tag team wrestling should be with double-team moves and sequences that were at least ten years ahead of their time. If you’ve never seen a match between these two teams, seek out this tape because this is a good introduction.

And now, back into the line of fire for “Wargames II: The Explosion”! There were quite a few differences from this match and the previous wargames match. First, J.J. Dillon was replaced in the match by the mysterious grappler known only as War Machine. The other difference was the crowd. Unlike the first wargames were the crowd was extremely vocal, the crowd just seemed really dull. Perhaps they turned down the audio? I’ll never know. What I do know is that is was pretty much a carbon copy of the previous match. It ran at a much slower pace and didn’t really seem to have the emotion that the previous one did. I urge you to seek this tape out for the two wargames matches, Midnights vs. Rock N Rolls, and Flair vs. Garvin. After you watch this tape, you’ll realize one thing, WWE’s watered down versions of the Bash will never live up to spectacles such as this.

NWA Great American Bash '87

( a side note: I used to rent this tape as a kid and I was marveled at it then, and was really looking forward to revisiting it.)

1 4 Horsemen(Flair/ Anderson/ Blanchard/ Luger) & JJ Dillon v. Dusty Rhodes/ Nikita Koloff/ Road Warriors/ Paul Ellering- War Games- 8- You couldn't bribe a crowd with enough sex and money to make them scream like this one! It was unbelievable. And all the performers fed off it. There was blood, great punches, beatdowns, and brutal cage shots. All these guys really put on a great and classic match. Find it if you love wrestling.

2 Barry Windham v. Rick Steiner- 4- This was clipped but hard hitting and fast paced. Both guys were in their prime and definitely were not riding four wheelers at the age of forty something or arguing with a killer doll.

3 Lex Luger v. Nikita Koloff( Steel Cage)- 6- One of Luger's finest hours and Nikita's. The crowd was really into this match too and they both took their game up a notch.

4 Dick Murdoch v. Steve Williams( Texas Death)- 3- Another clipped match but when these two boys get in there, you know someone's getting a goose egg. Exactly as hard hitting as you would think.

5 Freebirds v. Ivan Koloff/ Manny Fernandez/ Paul Jones- 2- This was shorter than Buddy Roberts. Or Michaels Hayes singing career, whatever cheap shot you prefer.

6 Dusty Rhodes v. Tully Blanchard( Barb Wire Ladder Match)- 4- There wasn't a lot of action in this one, all the extras got in the way, but you can bet there was blood. Tully was dressed like a bad extra on a bad western( how about Lonesome Dove-the TV show?) and Dusty was the spokesman for fat gays scared to come out of the closet.

7 Ric Flair v. Jimmy Garvin( Steel Cage- NWA Title v. Precious)-6- Probably one of Garvin's finest matches. Flair made him look like a million bucks covered in chocolate and supermodels. It went at least twenty mintues too. Some great near cage escapes and of course, a Flair ass shot.

8 Midnight Express v. Rock n' Roll Express- 6- This may go down as one of the finest tag feuds in all of wrestling. This was a good match, good tags, good double teams and good psych, but I know they've had better.

9 Four Horsemen/ War Machine v. Road Warriors/ Dusty Rhodes/ Nikita Koloff/ Paul Ellering( War Games II- The Bomb)- 7- Another stellar match that showcased more brutality and bloody foreheads. They switched the order up in this one, showing that they had faith in all the talent involved. Usually when you see a War Games, you can predict the order of entry, but they changed it. I applaud them for that.

UPW Home of the Brave II - Blood Sweat and Glory

1. The Thrillaz vs. The Urban Outlaws - 2
2. Keiji Sakoda vs. Solo Sunka - 3
3. Skulu vs. Smelly - 3
4. Hardcore Kidd vs. Al Katrazz - No Holds Barred Respect - 3
5. First-Ever Vixen's Rumble - 4
6. Samoa Joe vs. Steve Corino - 5
7. Ballard Bros. vs. Native Blood - 5
8. "Future" Frankie Kazarian vs. B-Boy - 6
9. Tom Howard and Preadtor vs. Shinjio Ohtani and Masato Tanaka
10. DVD Bonus - Tom Howard vs. Shinya Hasimoto - Japan - 5

A store was closing down and getting rid of all of their product. I had a giftcard from the holidays and picked this up on a complete whim. It was a mistake. This was almost unbearable to sit through, it was lit terribly, and the one, boring ass camera angle did little to help matters. All you have to do is look at the names of the two tag teams in the opener and you'll know they'll never rise above this level. I wanted Sakoda and Snuka to be better than it was--thanks for letting me down, guys. Skulu and Smelly... again, all you have to do is look at their names and you know this is bottom of the barrel indy crap. Are we actually supposed to take a guy named Smelly seriously as an athlete? Would you actually want to put your title on and have your company represented by a guy named Smelly? The Katrazz versus Kid bout is some kind of convoluted hardcore mess, including a tame brawl outside. The women's battle royal is uninspired, and only entertaining in the same way a public execution used to be. Independent wrestling's two favorite sons, Corino and Joe, give us an unimaginative match. This was way below all expectations, but then again, Cornio has been calling in his performances since '01. Ballard Bros. and Native Blood is a more traditional tag team match, and not all together bad for what it's worth. Kazarian and B-Boy steal the show, which isn't saying much, and have a fairly enjoyable match to watch. The main event was disappointing, which seems to be a trend with this show. I used to be a huge Ohtani mark in the 90's when he was this spunky fresh-faced kid in Japan, kicking people's faces in. Now, he looks old, rugged, and like he lost that fire. Tanaka, who usually always delivers, gave an understated performance. They flew over to the states for this crap? The bonus match, from Japan, isn't that long nor special, but it's intense and a welcomed change from the rest of the DVD.

ECW Extreme Fan Cam - Pine Bluff, AR - 1/13/01

ECW’s final show ever … did they go out with a bang? Nah, it was more of a whimper.

1) Tom Marquez vs. Nova – 3
2) Joey Matthews & Christian York vs. E.Z. Money & Julio Dinero – 4
3) Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri – 4
4) Danny Doring & Tommy Dreamer vs. The Full Blooded Italians – 3
5) Jack Victory vs. C.W. Anderson – 4
6) Michael Shane vs. Oz – 2
7) Spike Dudley vs. Rhino – 3
8) Justin Credible vs. The Sandman – 2

Apparently everyone had figured out before the show that they weren’t going to get paid so no one put forth any effort. Marquez and Nova had a nothing match. The only highlight was when I accidentally spilled the pot pie I was eating all over the floor. Matthews and York had the standard fare against Hot Commodity, which not to say it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that enthralling either. Crazy and Tajiri are know for superb matches against each other and this was not one of them. They kinda did some cool spots but it was mostly Crazy mugging for the camera. Doring and Dreamer teamed up to do battle against the FBI in a wrestling match that turned into a dance off that the referee won. Wait … did I just write that? My head hurts just trying to make sense out of that. Victory and C.W. had a rather sitff encounter which I would sadly describe as the best match that was presented on this show. Some interference at the end completely soiled any prospect this had of receiving a good rating. Accoring to various sites, a wrestler named Oz was Michael Shane’s opponent. That being said, he really sucked so we’ll move on. Rhino destroyed Spike, as if anyone would have ever guessed. Apparently Spike was the only person worthy enough to get a title shot. Credible and Sandman actually had two matches. The first was a normal match that Credible won with a roll-up. He got pissed and challenged Sandman to a rematch. So Sandman comes back out with a trash boat full of weapons. Yeah, it was that bad.

Survivor Series '04

1 Rey Mysterio v. Kidman v. Chavo v. Spike- 5
2 Shelton Benjamin v. Christian- 6
3 Kurt Angle/ Mark Jindrak/ Luther Reigns/ Carlito v. Eddie Guerrero/ Big Show/ John Cena/ RVD( Classic Survivor Series Match)- 4
4 Heidenreich v. Undertaker- 4
5 Lita v. Trish Stratus- 1
6 JBL v. Booker T- 5
7 HHH/ Batista/ Edge/ Snitsky v. Randy Orton/ Chris Benoit/ Chris Jericho/ Maven( Classic Survivor Series Match)- 5

Okay, this was a decent show. I wasn't really looking forward to it because over the last few years, Survivor Series has really sucked. The four way was better than most cruiserweight four ways but I don't like Spike, even though he looked pretty good here. Shelton and Christian both performed like they still cared, now they're just trying to impress a Diva and maybe some nerds who read their My Space. Team Angle v. Team Guerrero was reminiscent of an old Survivor Series match for a little bit, but the sides got really uneven and it turned into a comedy bit for Angle to get trapped. Before the match even started, Cena chased Carlito and his bodyguard in the blue pants out to the parking lot and he whipped that guys' ass! He was given him some good ole' Idahos all over the face area.

Taker and Little Johnny wrestled a long, slow plodding match like watching a cow chew cud. But, it wasn't all that horrible. There were a few good sequences, and Taker had his dancing shoes on because he knew he would be leading. Lita v. Trish was over before it began but did feature a sick ass chair shot to Trish. Oh, JBL, how you claim to be a wrestling (dramatic pause) God, yet your title programs were so un-cool. Nah, I'm kidding you, I love Booker T, but he was a midcarder at best at this time. Nevertheless, they managed to kickstart a decent match that didn't have much heat. The main event featuring Maven( my friend Steve regarded that as pointless as a clit piercing) Well, seeing him get blasted with a chair was about as fun as that extra vaginal accessory. The match was going pretty good, but then Benoit got taken out first. I lost some excitement watching it after that, but it picked up near the end and had a clean finish, which was surprising. All in all, one of the better Series I've viewed in a while.

WWE Survivor Series ‘04

1. Rey Mysterio vs. Spike Dudley vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman – 6
2. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin – 6
3. Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Carlito, Mark Jindrak, and Luther Reigns – 6
4. Heidenreich vs. Undertaker – 5
5. Trish Stratus vs. Lita – 2
6. Booker T vs. JBL – 5
7. Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven vs. Triple H, Edge, Batista, and Snitsky – 6
8. DVD Bonus: John Cena vs. Carlito – Smackdown! 11/18/04 – 3

I remember missing this pay-per-view when it originally aired, and frankly, I didn’t give a shit. Even after getting online that night and checking out the results, still I did not have a strong inclination to seek it out for viewing. Now, after viewing it on DVD, I can happily say I was pleasantly surprised – it was an enjoyable show. It’s not historical, nor groundbreaking, and ultimately, not altogether significant in any major way; but, the wrestling is largely consistently solid, which pleased me to no end.

The opening crusierweight four-way was fast-paced and a real treat. I had pegged it to be a sloppy mess, or the uninspired sort of match where the talent just goes through the paces, but it was exactly what it needed to be and an excellent opener. Christian and Shelton had a solid match, although the crowd seemed to lose interest in it, and were subsequently dead through most of it. The psychology was pretty old school, which suited the match’s context, and their chemistry together was satisfactory.

The first “Survivor Series” rules match was arguably the better of the two featured; at least, in some regards – for me personally, it captured the essence and energy of the Survivor Series’ I watched as a kid. It didn’t feature much to brag about performance wise, as even the talented workers involved seemed not far removed from autopilot, but the pacing and layout worked enough to warrant a decent grade. Undertaker carried Heidenreich through the best match I’ve seen him in. Not varying far from the usual Undertaker fare, little surprised or intrigued me, but they gave it enough time to not feel like a total squash. I was kind of looking forward to Trish versus Lita, but I think I recall that Trish was suffering an injury at the time; either way, the bout lasted all of a few seconds, as Lita wildly attacked and blooded the nose of Trish leading referees to throw the match out.

I didn’t put much hope into JBL being able to have a semi-decent singles match, even against the talented Booker T, but their match wasn’t bad, save for the interference-heavy ending that thoroughly disappointed me. This led to the main event, which contained some pros and cons of its own – the biggest problem coming from its lack of direction. I was also bummed that Benoit was the first guy from his team eliminated, but the surprisingly clean finish to the bout was satisfying enough to leave me soothed. The bonus match was a quick, fast-paced squash, as Cena pummeled Carlito in a couple minutes.

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event - 7/15/06

1) Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, & Batista vs. King Booker, Mark Henry, & Finlay – 4
2) Johnny Nitro & Melina vs. Carlito & Trish Stratus – 3
3) Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. The Spirit Squad – Handicap Elimination Match – 4
4) Sabu vs. Stevie Richards – Extreme Rules Match – 2
5) John Cena vs. Edge – 3

This wasn’t quite as special as the last one they aired in March. Things felt a bit rushed with no real build-up to anything. That being said, it’s a TV special so it instantly gets higher points than your weekly episode of Raw, Smackdown, or ECW. Now then, during the six-man tag a miracle happened! Mark Henry injured his knee and is out for six months! The match itself wasn’t much to talk about, just a normal main event on SmackDown. JBL’s quote about booking Finlay’s leprechaun and Tazz in a step-ladder match was pure gold. The mixed tag match went about two minutes. I’d give anything to see Carlito and Nitro tear it up in a fifteen-minute encounter, instead we get an uninspired two minutes of nothing. D-X against the Spirit Squad was fun to watch just because of DX’s total dominance of the Squad but there wasn’t much else to it. Sabu squashed Stevie Richards in a two-minute disaster that had a huge botch where the table broke when Sabu tugged on it to put it in position. Speaking of botches, Edge met his monthly quota of botches again as he tried to set up Cena for a superplex but slipped off the second rope and they both crumbled to the mat in a heap. After the match, Cena gave Edge an F-U off of the ring steps through the ECW table for a subpar ending to a subpar show.