L.O.D 2000 vs. DOA - 3
Jeff Jarrett vs. Steve Blackman - 5
I just don't know about this. Skull and 8-ball of DOA fame looked even worse than I remember when I saw them as a kid -- I even thought they sucked then. I was only 10 years old! DOA's bumping looked off to say the least, and no matter what LOD tried to do with them, everything executed looked shoddy and ridiculous. Skull stunk worse than a week old gym sock stuffed in the bottom of a hamper belonging to a 400 pound man with athlete's foot. Sunny looked bodacious in all her glory as the valet for LOD. Thank God she was there -- at least she served as a distraction from the match unfolding in the ring. I still define it as an acceptable match strictly due to LOD's performance and trying to work with DOA. I really can't imagine what the match would've been like if we had The Headbangers vs. DOA.... *shudders*
Dub J vs Lethal Weaps was actually pretty good. I was 10 years old at the time this PPV aired and I was a huge Steve Blackman mark. This was during a time in my life that I was into martial arts and kung-fu, all while being enrolled in Tae Kwon Do (I rocked the shit out of the blue belt). Blackman really whipped up on Jarrett, who ran around the ring like a four year old avoiding spanking. Jarrett played up the crowd well getting cheap heat with a bogus fin, but it served it's purpose.
Marc Mero vs. Sable - 0
Kentai vs. Taka Michinoku and Bradshaw - 5
The Rock vs. Farooq - 3
Kane vs. Vader - 2
I'm not going to glorify Mero/Sable with a response except stating the fact that I'm not going to glorify Mero/Sable with a response.
Kentai vs. TakaShaw was pretty solid. I loved Kentai's ring attire as they looked like the were more ready to roam the streets of Milwaukee with a street gang rather than wrestler. Bradshaw was great here. I loved his channeling of Stan Hansen beating the hell out of the little Japanese guys. Kentai was getting cheap heat by playing to the crowd by doing that pose they were so famous for. Togo was clearly the strongest of the bunch at playing to the crowd because he seemed to connect with them more. Funaki and Teoh played a more solid game in the ring by keeping their attention on Mich and Bradshaw, which balanced out well with Togo playing the role of a showman. Fun match.
These next matches were just kind of there. Rock vs. Farooq was kind of a dud. The only saving grace was the intensity shown in the match with the attack on the outside near the entryway. I really thought the match never picked up here as the Rock pretty much dominated Farooq and made him look bitchtastic.
Vader is an awesome worker, as was evident by his work in WCW, WWF, and Japan as a whole, but this match sucked. It was clunkier than a '74 Oldsmobile and featured nothing of significance other than the really nice pop Vader got when he went up top for the moonsault. Kane sucked, as per usual.
The Nation vs. DX - 4
Steve Austin vs. Dude Love-6
Wow, I expected a lot more. Going into this, I want to say that I was dying to see a Billy Gunn/Owen Hart standoff, as they were two of the best in the company at the time. Sadly, we didn't get to see that happen. This match had that 'headliner' feel to it and fizzled like a shaken Coke bottle percolating under pressure until it went flat. We got some decent submission style wrestling that didn't go anywhere and some shoddy selling by D'Lo. I heard 'boring' chants, too. This should've been so much more, but I like Owen's in-ring and staggery sell of a kick, along with Gunn's general showmanship.
This match was great. Mick was bumping his ass off in normal Foley fashion, and Stone Cold had the audience in the palm of his hand. I loved the street fight element to this. Foley took two great lariats -- one perched on the guardrail and spilling onto his dome, then again on the ramp. The fight on top of the cars was another nice novelty element. The camera caught a great angle with Austin missing the Stunner and falling off the top of the car -- looked like he fell 10 feet, but in reality, it was more like three. Then the shit-fest started (see this match for why the Attitude Era was awful) with McMahon getting knocked out and Austin using McMahon's limp hand to count the pinfall. Ridiculous; however, the street fight and bumping by Mick was just too fun.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New Web Address!
A quick note to our readers ...
Please update your bookmarks to www.neverhandover.com
Also, if you can't access the blog, please be patient. We are still ironing out some smaller issues due to the switchover and the blog may go offline briefly at times.
Please update your bookmarks to www.neverhandover.com
Also, if you can't access the blog, please be patient. We are still ironing out some smaller issues due to the switchover and the blog may go offline briefly at times.
WCW Slamboree 1997: Return of the Nature Boy
1) Lord Steven Regal v. Ultimo Dragon- 7
This match had a little bit of everything in it. Both guys were throwing really heavy lumber here, Regal though doing his subtley, but Dragon was just thundering kicks into Regal's back, which brings to mind a forgotten member of the wrestling community who was top notch in his own field: Mark Curtis. He registers every kick with the polar opposite of Regal and conveys everything a wrestling fan should be thinking while watching the match. Just a great performer. I loved the chain wrestling both guys were using and their style meshed well. Nowadays, most general wrestling fans may not appreciate the slower style just just as sophisticated these two were working but it was music. They kind of hit a wall around 14 minutes and needed to fit in an angle while adjusting some of the last spots so kind of hurt the pace they had going but the fans popped huge for a Regal title win and he even got a chant during it, so for historical means, this balances out. Loved Mike Tenay also conveying some Regal character touches, speaking about how he thinks the TV title is the only meaningful singles belt, with him not being a US citizen and the NWO infecting the World championship.
2) Madusa v. Luna Vachon - 4
So this one starts and they bring in Lee Marshall, who's apparently the guru of the women's division; he explains the angle leading to this because I'm sure no one else knew. Luna starts with really gross clubs to Madusa's head and back; looked like a gorilla pounding the ground at the zoo, requesting dinner. Pace was as languid as Luna's hair fashion but late in the bout, she took a bump off a lariat that was AJW in nature and even caused Schiavone to pop. Ending came out of nowhere but looked good.
3) Rey Mysterio jr v. Yuji Yasuraoka - 3
If you're a casual fan and wondering why you've never heard of this Yuji character before, it's because i'm guessing this was his last appearance. He looked stage shocked; even Dusty mentioned his debut 24 hours earlier on Saturday Night didn't look good. Rey actually starts out twisting this guy like he's Liger or something, in a cool bit of footage. But Yuji just is lousy at doing anything dynamic, couple stiff kicks other than that this is kind of a boring match featuring Rey Mysterio jr which just didn't happen at this point.
4) Mortis v. Glacier- 2
Still can't believe WCW did a Mortal Kombat storyline PG rated. This wasn't really a match but an angle, as Wrath intervenes and we see The Cat debut, after some fun knee beating by Mortis. Dusty had one of the stupidest lines of the night when they were trying to figure out the identity of said Cat "Ain't no one kick like that except Ernest Miller."
5) Dean Malenko v. Jeff Jarrett- 6
I dug. Don't remember a lot from Jarrett's strange run at this point, wearing an absolutely hideous white outfit left over from his country music period. Malenko is one of those guys who you never know you miss until you watch their matches. He does so many subtle things, to either counter something or turn the tide his way it's unbelievable. They were fine with sticking to the ground and Jarrett held his own. Fans were reacting too. Some really great back and forth closing in on the end, where actual top moves from the 80's were sold huge by the announce team (sleeper, figure four) and the fans were into it.
6) Chris Benoit v. Meng (Death Match)- 7
Is it strange I feel numb to seeing Benoit and Nancy together her, knowing the future? Shit like this happens daily in the world, couples leaving this world in violent unadulterated acts of unspeakable horror, but it's the child involved that just stains the whole thing. Never forget shitting a brick when watch the finale of "The Shield" series and it using the Benoit tragedy as part of the story. Sick.
Onto the wrestling, Meng's an underestimated mother fucker when looking back. Would be pushed big for a while everywhere he went then dropped back down. Benoit puts him over much better than the screenwriters of Super 8 did their monster. The chop battles here were nothing less than Puro dick measuring at it's finest. Benoit dished out some hella nasty suplexes to Meng, just on his neck, every single time. Nancy at ringside was great in her role, screaming for Benoit's life to Meng. Wasn't sure how this would end but the buildup was great and the finish was brilliant.
7) Steiner Brothers v. Konnan/ Hugh Morrus- 5
Was kind of surprised at this match being so high on the card; the announcers really gave no reason why it just happened. Rick was over HUGE here. Morrus looked the same chubby dick he was on Tough Enough and matched the Steiners in stiffness. Konnan didn't seem to want to be there, sandbagging numerous suplexes and being much happier with shitty armwork for his part. This was fun for the destruction the Steiners and Morrus caused on each other, it was widespread.
8) Steve McMichael v. Reggie White- 3
I couldn't think of a worse guy off hand to put a green football player in the ring with. White's a heck of an athlete though and even though he was getting up in age, he performed well. Mongo's selling style is all over the place, ranging from drugged gorilla to sideshow performer. White's overhead forearms were as pretentious as Nancy Hart's career.
9) Ric Flair/ Roddy Piper/ Kevin Greene v. Kevin Nash/ Scott Hall/ Syxx- 5
This has cluster written all over it but I damn sure enjoyed myself. You thought Anderson Silva was over at UFC Rio? He ain't got nothin on Natch. This is Flair's first match back from an injury and they wisely booked North Carolina. That's what made this so good; the booking. Flair and Piper were getting up there, Green is exactly his name, so you kind of think you're counting on the Clique guys to keep it going. But everyone plays their role to perfection. Flair just owns everyone he's in the ring with, they leave his beatdown pretty abbreviated which is for the best. Tell me Piper couldn't have been in the Expendables movie? He was fun here, all the Piper shtick still got over despite his taped up hip, he was mobile as expected. Green was a battleship and I can't recall anyone off hand Nash put over as big as he did Green here. NWO guys all sold more so here than most of their run, and it was a feel good type of match that you think would have meant more storyline wise, but seems to have been done in a bubble, which is still fine.
Overall, for a show I know I'd never seen, I enjoyed the hell out of this and would recommend it overall.
This match had a little bit of everything in it. Both guys were throwing really heavy lumber here, Regal though doing his subtley, but Dragon was just thundering kicks into Regal's back, which brings to mind a forgotten member of the wrestling community who was top notch in his own field: Mark Curtis. He registers every kick with the polar opposite of Regal and conveys everything a wrestling fan should be thinking while watching the match. Just a great performer. I loved the chain wrestling both guys were using and their style meshed well. Nowadays, most general wrestling fans may not appreciate the slower style just just as sophisticated these two were working but it was music. They kind of hit a wall around 14 minutes and needed to fit in an angle while adjusting some of the last spots so kind of hurt the pace they had going but the fans popped huge for a Regal title win and he even got a chant during it, so for historical means, this balances out. Loved Mike Tenay also conveying some Regal character touches, speaking about how he thinks the TV title is the only meaningful singles belt, with him not being a US citizen and the NWO infecting the World championship.
2) Madusa v. Luna Vachon - 4
So this one starts and they bring in Lee Marshall, who's apparently the guru of the women's division; he explains the angle leading to this because I'm sure no one else knew. Luna starts with really gross clubs to Madusa's head and back; looked like a gorilla pounding the ground at the zoo, requesting dinner. Pace was as languid as Luna's hair fashion but late in the bout, she took a bump off a lariat that was AJW in nature and even caused Schiavone to pop. Ending came out of nowhere but looked good.
3) Rey Mysterio jr v. Yuji Yasuraoka - 3
If you're a casual fan and wondering why you've never heard of this Yuji character before, it's because i'm guessing this was his last appearance. He looked stage shocked; even Dusty mentioned his debut 24 hours earlier on Saturday Night didn't look good. Rey actually starts out twisting this guy like he's Liger or something, in a cool bit of footage. But Yuji just is lousy at doing anything dynamic, couple stiff kicks other than that this is kind of a boring match featuring Rey Mysterio jr which just didn't happen at this point.
4) Mortis v. Glacier- 2
Still can't believe WCW did a Mortal Kombat storyline PG rated. This wasn't really a match but an angle, as Wrath intervenes and we see The Cat debut, after some fun knee beating by Mortis. Dusty had one of the stupidest lines of the night when they were trying to figure out the identity of said Cat "Ain't no one kick like that except Ernest Miller."
5) Dean Malenko v. Jeff Jarrett- 6
I dug. Don't remember a lot from Jarrett's strange run at this point, wearing an absolutely hideous white outfit left over from his country music period. Malenko is one of those guys who you never know you miss until you watch their matches. He does so many subtle things, to either counter something or turn the tide his way it's unbelievable. They were fine with sticking to the ground and Jarrett held his own. Fans were reacting too. Some really great back and forth closing in on the end, where actual top moves from the 80's were sold huge by the announce team (sleeper, figure four) and the fans were into it.
6) Chris Benoit v. Meng (Death Match)- 7
Is it strange I feel numb to seeing Benoit and Nancy together her, knowing the future? Shit like this happens daily in the world, couples leaving this world in violent unadulterated acts of unspeakable horror, but it's the child involved that just stains the whole thing. Never forget shitting a brick when watch the finale of "The Shield" series and it using the Benoit tragedy as part of the story. Sick.
Onto the wrestling, Meng's an underestimated mother fucker when looking back. Would be pushed big for a while everywhere he went then dropped back down. Benoit puts him over much better than the screenwriters of Super 8 did their monster. The chop battles here were nothing less than Puro dick measuring at it's finest. Benoit dished out some hella nasty suplexes to Meng, just on his neck, every single time. Nancy at ringside was great in her role, screaming for Benoit's life to Meng. Wasn't sure how this would end but the buildup was great and the finish was brilliant.
7) Steiner Brothers v. Konnan/ Hugh Morrus- 5
Was kind of surprised at this match being so high on the card; the announcers really gave no reason why it just happened. Rick was over HUGE here. Morrus looked the same chubby dick he was on Tough Enough and matched the Steiners in stiffness. Konnan didn't seem to want to be there, sandbagging numerous suplexes and being much happier with shitty armwork for his part. This was fun for the destruction the Steiners and Morrus caused on each other, it was widespread.
8) Steve McMichael v. Reggie White- 3
I couldn't think of a worse guy off hand to put a green football player in the ring with. White's a heck of an athlete though and even though he was getting up in age, he performed well. Mongo's selling style is all over the place, ranging from drugged gorilla to sideshow performer. White's overhead forearms were as pretentious as Nancy Hart's career.
9) Ric Flair/ Roddy Piper/ Kevin Greene v. Kevin Nash/ Scott Hall/ Syxx- 5
This has cluster written all over it but I damn sure enjoyed myself. You thought Anderson Silva was over at UFC Rio? He ain't got nothin on Natch. This is Flair's first match back from an injury and they wisely booked North Carolina. That's what made this so good; the booking. Flair and Piper were getting up there, Green is exactly his name, so you kind of think you're counting on the Clique guys to keep it going. But everyone plays their role to perfection. Flair just owns everyone he's in the ring with, they leave his beatdown pretty abbreviated which is for the best. Tell me Piper couldn't have been in the Expendables movie? He was fun here, all the Piper shtick still got over despite his taped up hip, he was mobile as expected. Green was a battleship and I can't recall anyone off hand Nash put over as big as he did Green here. NWO guys all sold more so here than most of their run, and it was a feel good type of match that you think would have meant more storyline wise, but seems to have been done in a bubble, which is still fine.
Overall, for a show I know I'd never seen, I enjoyed the hell out of this and would recommend it overall.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
WWE NXT 9/13/11
1. Titus O'Neil and Percy Watson vs. Derrick Bateman and Tyson Kidd - 4
2. A.J. vs. Maxine - 4
3. William Regal and Matt Striker vs. Darren Young and JTG - 5
NXT, baby! We're still wild and fucking young!~
Regal's line during the in-ring back-and-forth that set up his later tag match saw him scream "I'm straight up gangsta trippin'!" which was cooler than last night's Raw show in its entirety. Think I'd rather see Watson and O'Neil versus Air Boom at the PPV than Miz/R-Truth. Bateman doing a flying dropkick off of the apron was unexpected and dazzling (don't think I've ever used that word in a review before so I can check that off my list). I liked Titus' finisher Clash of the Titus a lifting sit-out spinerbuster. Hollywood's all about the remakes: when they decide to do a live-action re-imagining of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home maybe they'll put some courderoy pants on Batemen and cast him as Chet.
Backstage Maxine tries to get under A.J.'s skin by showing her a picture on her phone of Hornswoggle with two chicks at the same time -- and I thought the Kim Kardashian sex video was torrid. A.J. is good at culling sympathy with her selling and could likely be the division's savior if she's utilized not entirely ineptly. You really buy her struggle against Maxine who plays the bitch expertly and is easy to hate which is what you want out of a heel. Regal's killing me on commentary. Maxine gets a pretty dominating victory and kudos to A.J. for selling the finish like death.
Regal and Striker use JTG as a battering ram driving him head-first into Young's crotch. I'm sure that spot will be stolen at a few dorm parties this weekend. Michael Cole comes out and takes a giant dump on the program not unlike the one he pays prostitutes to drop on his bare chest. Matt's ring rust if it exists isn't apparent, great job at selling stuff, wiggling his fingers testing his extremities, etc. His blue and red garb is circa '70's. Darren does Undertaker's legdrop on the apron spot better than Undertaker's done it in half a decade. I wonder if Shad Gespard is one of the few people watching this online? Great spot where Regal is jawing with the ref and behind his back delivering mean mule kicks to a fallen Young. Post-match the Uso's run out and beat up the JTG/Young duo. For the second straight week since we've started this TV project NXT has been much more enjoyable than Raw on every level.
2. A.J. vs. Maxine - 4
3. William Regal and Matt Striker vs. Darren Young and JTG - 5
NXT, baby! We're still wild and fucking young!~
Regal's line during the in-ring back-and-forth that set up his later tag match saw him scream "I'm straight up gangsta trippin'!" which was cooler than last night's Raw show in its entirety. Think I'd rather see Watson and O'Neil versus Air Boom at the PPV than Miz/R-Truth. Bateman doing a flying dropkick off of the apron was unexpected and dazzling (don't think I've ever used that word in a review before so I can check that off my list). I liked Titus' finisher Clash of the Titus a lifting sit-out spinerbuster. Hollywood's all about the remakes: when they decide to do a live-action re-imagining of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home maybe they'll put some courderoy pants on Batemen and cast him as Chet.
Backstage Maxine tries to get under A.J.'s skin by showing her a picture on her phone of Hornswoggle with two chicks at the same time -- and I thought the Kim Kardashian sex video was torrid. A.J. is good at culling sympathy with her selling and could likely be the division's savior if she's utilized not entirely ineptly. You really buy her struggle against Maxine who plays the bitch expertly and is easy to hate which is what you want out of a heel. Regal's killing me on commentary. Maxine gets a pretty dominating victory and kudos to A.J. for selling the finish like death.
Regal and Striker use JTG as a battering ram driving him head-first into Young's crotch. I'm sure that spot will be stolen at a few dorm parties this weekend. Michael Cole comes out and takes a giant dump on the program not unlike the one he pays prostitutes to drop on his bare chest. Matt's ring rust if it exists isn't apparent, great job at selling stuff, wiggling his fingers testing his extremities, etc. His blue and red garb is circa '70's. Darren does Undertaker's legdrop on the apron spot better than Undertaker's done it in half a decade. I wonder if Shad Gespard is one of the few people watching this online? Great spot where Regal is jawing with the ref and behind his back delivering mean mule kicks to a fallen Young. Post-match the Uso's run out and beat up the JTG/Young duo. For the second straight week since we've started this TV project NXT has been much more enjoyable than Raw on every level.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
WWE Monday Night Raw 9/12/11
1) John Morrison & Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger – 2
2) The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston – 3
3) David Otunga & Michael McGillicuty vs. Jerry Lawler & Sheamus – 2
4) John Cena & Bret Hart vs. Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez – 1
5) Kelly Kelly vs. Vickie Guerrero – 0
6) Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes – 4
Opening tag went about four minutes. I noticed that Riley has zero … ZERO … crowd reaction. Morrison and Zigs had the best exchanges of the very brief match. Heavy on the story of Swagger and Riley acting as dysfunctional partners. Morrison only got maybe about 2 minutes of ring time. I still cringe when I see Swagger and Riley in the ring after that disastrous suplex botch about a month ago. Kofi and Miz didn’t really do much for me here. Cole’s commentary was really annoying during the middle part of the match, asking J.R. if “Elmer Fudd” meant anything to him. What a great way to completely destroy J.R.’s credibility, dicks. Never was a big Miz fan and I liked Kofi until I realized that all his matches contain the same choreographed jumps and dives. Lawler’s right, Otunga and McGillicuty had zero charisma. Probably the most bland team I’ve seen in a long time. Sheamus worked them stiff, just killing McGillicuty with a knee on the apron and a shoulder block. Rough finish with Otunga screwing up the timing and being out of position.
Next tag bout was set up by John Laurinitas during the usual talky segment that has starts every Raw. A nice kick to Cena’s head from Del Rio and Bret applying the sharpshooter to Ricardo were the only saving graces in what amounted to a complete comedy bout. Someone care to enlighten me as to why Bret applies a better sharpshooter than Sting does? Kelly and Vickie was a complete waste of time and I can’t believe they screwed up a simple bulldog. Main event was the best thing on the show and I gave it a bonus point because. Nice to see Cody getting a push here with a win over Orton and holding the Intercontinental title. I really dig Cody’s whole character, with the bags and such. Probably the best act going now in the ‘E. Orton kept getting distracted by Mark Henry during the match and it seemed like the commentators just randomly starting talking about “Orton can’t do this” and “Orton can’t do that” to Henry.
Overall, a good episode that helped get some people momentum going into the PPV Sunday night. Closing segment with Triple H and CM Punk was pretty good as well, especially with Punk dropping the real names and the mics cutting off.
2) The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston – 3
3) David Otunga & Michael McGillicuty vs. Jerry Lawler & Sheamus – 2
4) John Cena & Bret Hart vs. Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez – 1
5) Kelly Kelly vs. Vickie Guerrero – 0
6) Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes – 4
Opening tag went about four minutes. I noticed that Riley has zero … ZERO … crowd reaction. Morrison and Zigs had the best exchanges of the very brief match. Heavy on the story of Swagger and Riley acting as dysfunctional partners. Morrison only got maybe about 2 minutes of ring time. I still cringe when I see Swagger and Riley in the ring after that disastrous suplex botch about a month ago. Kofi and Miz didn’t really do much for me here. Cole’s commentary was really annoying during the middle part of the match, asking J.R. if “Elmer Fudd” meant anything to him. What a great way to completely destroy J.R.’s credibility, dicks. Never was a big Miz fan and I liked Kofi until I realized that all his matches contain the same choreographed jumps and dives. Lawler’s right, Otunga and McGillicuty had zero charisma. Probably the most bland team I’ve seen in a long time. Sheamus worked them stiff, just killing McGillicuty with a knee on the apron and a shoulder block. Rough finish with Otunga screwing up the timing and being out of position.
Next tag bout was set up by John Laurinitas during the usual talky segment that has starts every Raw. A nice kick to Cena’s head from Del Rio and Bret applying the sharpshooter to Ricardo were the only saving graces in what amounted to a complete comedy bout. Someone care to enlighten me as to why Bret applies a better sharpshooter than Sting does? Kelly and Vickie was a complete waste of time and I can’t believe they screwed up a simple bulldog. Main event was the best thing on the show and I gave it a bonus point because. Nice to see Cody getting a push here with a win over Orton and holding the Intercontinental title. I really dig Cody’s whole character, with the bags and such. Probably the best act going now in the ‘E. Orton kept getting distracted by Mark Henry during the match and it seemed like the commentators just randomly starting talking about “Orton can’t do this” and “Orton can’t do that” to Henry.
Overall, a good episode that helped get some people momentum going into the PPV Sunday night. Closing segment with Triple H and CM Punk was pretty good as well, especially with Punk dropping the real names and the mics cutting off.
Monday, September 12, 2011
WCW Clash of the Champions #16: Fall Brawl '91
Augusta, GA
9/5/91
1) 15-Man Georgia Brawl Battle Royal – 3
Your participants in this one are Z-Man, Tommy Rich, Bobby Eaton, Ranger Ross, Tracy Smothers, Oz, P.N. News, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, Steve Austin, Dustin Rhodes, Terry Taylor, Big Josh, Barry Windham, One Man Gang, and El Gigante. If you’ve seen any previous undercard battle royal on any major show before then you’ve seen this. Austin and Windham had a brawl on the outside after getting eliminated and Eaton and P.N. News took some pretty wild bumps when they got eliminated. Other than that, not much going on here.
2) Badstreet vs. Brian Pillman – 7
The first semi-final of the Light Heavyweight Title tournament. Good god, the suplex off the apron to the floor was insane. Pillman ate steel on a suicide dive. Non-stop action. Not sure who this Badstreet dude is but he’s pretty good. Nice DDT by Badstreet. Pillman here was post the goofy Yellow Dog angle and this was his first TV match back. This felt ahead of its time by about six years and would have fit in nicely with the peak cruiserweight years of 96-98.
3) Johnny B. Badd vs. Sting - 4
This was going along just fine until they screwed up a simple whip attempt and it completely went downhill from there. A big box got delivered at ringside and both guys stopped to stare at said box and a sloppy Sting roll-up finished it. This definitely would have gotten a better score if not for the terrible finish, although Cactus Jack dropping one of the most wild elbows I’ve ever seen was a really cool post-match highlight.
4) Mike Graham vs. Ricky Morton - 4
What looks as a squash on paper, turned out to be a rather decent mat based match, the complete opposite of the previous light heavyweight semi-final. Probably the best Mike Graham match that I’ve seen even though he was as bland as a piece of cardboard and couldn’t get the crowd behind him.
5) The Freebirds vs. Todd Champion & Firebreaker Chip - 3
Felt like a basic TV tag match as I didn’t see any body really going full bore here with anything. Todd Champion looked pretty good for his part. Freebirds were completely on autopilot. Not a lot of substance here.
6) Ron Simmons vs. The Diamond Studd - 3
Studd’s offense consisted of punching and even that was pretty awful. This morphed right into a complete squash to build up Simmons for his world title match at Halloween Havoc.
7) Terry Taylor vs. Van Hammer - 2
I can’t believe I just saw Van Hammer, Flying V guitar and all, completely squash Terry Taylor. I wonder if Hammer ever learned how to play that guitar?
8) Z-Man vs. Steve Austin - 4
Definitely the best match of the second half of the show. Both guys had some really good mat work which transitioned into Z-Man working the arm. Z-Man hit a superkick that wasn’t really all that super but followed that up with a wild dive over the top rope on Austin on the rampway. Z-Man showed some good fire. Austin looked pretty good as well and worked really smooth. Some interference from Austin’s valet handing him a foreign object which allowed him to KO Z-Man.
9) Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko vs. Rick Steiner & Bill Kazmaier - 3
Well, that was quick. The story here was that Kazmaier was injured earlier when Arn and Zbyszko smashed Kazmaier in the ribs with a 40-pound weight. Steiner worked it as a handicap match and got a couple nice shots in. Match only went about three minutes and ended when Kazmaier tagged himself in and then took a shot in the injured ribs. Pretty mundane way to close out the show.
9/5/91
1) 15-Man Georgia Brawl Battle Royal – 3
Your participants in this one are Z-Man, Tommy Rich, Bobby Eaton, Ranger Ross, Tracy Smothers, Oz, P.N. News, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, Steve Austin, Dustin Rhodes, Terry Taylor, Big Josh, Barry Windham, One Man Gang, and El Gigante. If you’ve seen any previous undercard battle royal on any major show before then you’ve seen this. Austin and Windham had a brawl on the outside after getting eliminated and Eaton and P.N. News took some pretty wild bumps when they got eliminated. Other than that, not much going on here.
2) Badstreet vs. Brian Pillman – 7
The first semi-final of the Light Heavyweight Title tournament. Good god, the suplex off the apron to the floor was insane. Pillman ate steel on a suicide dive. Non-stop action. Not sure who this Badstreet dude is but he’s pretty good. Nice DDT by Badstreet. Pillman here was post the goofy Yellow Dog angle and this was his first TV match back. This felt ahead of its time by about six years and would have fit in nicely with the peak cruiserweight years of 96-98.
3) Johnny B. Badd vs. Sting - 4
This was going along just fine until they screwed up a simple whip attempt and it completely went downhill from there. A big box got delivered at ringside and both guys stopped to stare at said box and a sloppy Sting roll-up finished it. This definitely would have gotten a better score if not for the terrible finish, although Cactus Jack dropping one of the most wild elbows I’ve ever seen was a really cool post-match highlight.
4) Mike Graham vs. Ricky Morton - 4
What looks as a squash on paper, turned out to be a rather decent mat based match, the complete opposite of the previous light heavyweight semi-final. Probably the best Mike Graham match that I’ve seen even though he was as bland as a piece of cardboard and couldn’t get the crowd behind him.
5) The Freebirds vs. Todd Champion & Firebreaker Chip - 3
Felt like a basic TV tag match as I didn’t see any body really going full bore here with anything. Todd Champion looked pretty good for his part. Freebirds were completely on autopilot. Not a lot of substance here.
6) Ron Simmons vs. The Diamond Studd - 3
Studd’s offense consisted of punching and even that was pretty awful. This morphed right into a complete squash to build up Simmons for his world title match at Halloween Havoc.
7) Terry Taylor vs. Van Hammer - 2
I can’t believe I just saw Van Hammer, Flying V guitar and all, completely squash Terry Taylor. I wonder if Hammer ever learned how to play that guitar?
8) Z-Man vs. Steve Austin - 4
Definitely the best match of the second half of the show. Both guys had some really good mat work which transitioned into Z-Man working the arm. Z-Man hit a superkick that wasn’t really all that super but followed that up with a wild dive over the top rope on Austin on the rampway. Z-Man showed some good fire. Austin looked pretty good as well and worked really smooth. Some interference from Austin’s valet handing him a foreign object which allowed him to KO Z-Man.
9) Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko vs. Rick Steiner & Bill Kazmaier - 3
Well, that was quick. The story here was that Kazmaier was injured earlier when Arn and Zbyszko smashed Kazmaier in the ribs with a 40-pound weight. Steiner worked it as a handicap match and got a couple nice shots in. Match only went about three minutes and ended when Kazmaier tagged himself in and then took a shot in the injured ribs. Pretty mundane way to close out the show.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
NJPW New Japan Cup Finals 03/21/11
First off, not to get too out of this stratosphere, but it's been 10 years today since the horrific 9/11 tragedy, so to all the people who lost their lives that day, we pray for your families and will never forget your sacrifice. okay onto the rasslin
1) Gedo/ Jado/ Killer Rabbit v. Tiger Mask IV/ Jushin Liger/ Kushida- 3
Funny Liger's been in the industry for 20 years, has seen and done it all and now he's selling bunny hops? He's red hair looks so bad even Pennywise would reject the look, and he turned out to be a giant ugly fucking spider. Jado has never honked my personal horn and i don't see how he does for anyone else here either. Finish was fast paced and well done, for as much flack as TM gets, in any incarnation.
2) Manabu Nakanishi/ Koji Kanemoto v. Tomoaki Honma/ Tama Tonga- 4
Tama looking identical to Superfly Snuka from 1984 (sans badass goatee) is something I would def. click "Like" on. He's doing Snuka's whole act too and has a really high, awesome dropkick, dig his progress. Nakanishi could have been one of those barrel chested 1950's bodybuilders. Koji has hair like a WB series star but likes to kick people's faces off. This went about 10 mins, maybe, but was enjoyable.
3) Takashi Iizuka/ Tomohiro Ishii v. Giant Bernard/ Karl Anderson- 4
This is a listing that I immediately would scoff at, but Bad Intentions, as they're known around Japanese watering holes, are able to make this watchable. Ishii elicits as much of a reaction from me as a brick; Iizuka is a fun guy to watch get beat up which they have fun with. The heat spots were really done well for a throwaway kind of match too. Watch Anderson when they do their double team finish; what's his role there? He just spins a guy's legs around and falls on his back, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
4) Yuji Nagata v. Toru Yano - 3
I really dug Yano's tights; looked like Genndy Tartaskovy designed them. This had one of those pointless sojourns into the crowd and also didn't show off Nagata's truly stoic facials. The leglock into rollup was quite clever though.
5) Shinsuke Nakamura v. Togi Makabe- 6
Nak is just about my favorite performer to watch these days and the best big match guy in Japan right now, my opinion. Togi's offense is really stale, relying on stuff Liger was doing in '89 as his base. Loved when Nakamura attacked Togi on the ground with vicious knees over and over again, with his crazy hair looking like a Sex Pistols roadie or something. Like the improvised finish, as in you could see Nakamura improvising in his head and he relied that perfectly to the crowd.
6) Masato Tanaka/ yujiro/ Naito v. Hiroyoshi Tenzan/ Wataru Inoue/ King Fale - 4
This was a fun way to pull the middle of the show together. We got to see Team No Limit live years back and the thing I've always noticed about them is great timing as a team and it was on display here. I also really enjoyed watching Tenzan do his thing; you wonder how a guy on top for so long keeps himself motivated in throwaway stuff like this but he seemed to have no problem. Fale looked as uncoordinated as an African Elephant on roller skates. Naito and Inoue had some fun playing with counters to the spear later on even if the end result looked like 2 kids tackling each other inside a bouncy castle.
7) Prince Devitt/ Rysuke Taguchi v. Taka Michinoku/ Taichi- 6
Speaking of timing, Apollo 55 is even better. Damn, let me play matchmaker, i'd love to see them v. the Briscoes. Taka gets a shit eating grin on his face as he tags in against Devitt. This match is real interesting though because it focuses on Taichi as the threat; he and Devitt's ground work is really good, Devitt is portraying all the pain of his own countrymen chopping down all the trees in their land during his armlock. This got some time too and I think was perfectly rationed out.
8) Satoshi Kojima/ MVP v. Hiroshi Tanahashi/ Hirooki Goto- 5
Goto and Tanahashi were playing the "warring partners" gimmick, which was fun at first with really hard tags that were in reality backslaps. MVP and Kojima, I guess were the Breath Right Strip Brigade, as that's all they have in common. MVP is really bulky in New Japan and he and Tanahashi seemed to have heat. Goto was just brutally stiff here, not even as if playing a role but in every strike he did looked nasty. Surprising finish too but lost some steam getting there.
9) Yuji Nagata v. Shinsuke Nakamura (Finals)- 7
This review almost writes itself. I mean this is a layup shot if I've ever seen it for a good time. As basically as i can describe it, this was these two doing what they both do best; beat the hell out of people and sell so majestically, you can't help but be sucked in. Nak with his knees and Nagata with kicks just dominate the major portion of this battle. Love Nakamura's face at one point, he's spinning like a dervish, with this manical smile on his face, he looks like James Franco on helium. As usual, Nagata gets his money shot in; pulls on the crowbar armlock and his eyes roll into the back of his head like he's possessed. Nakamura does some subtle arm selling but I really think it should have been played up more. Like how he doesn't have to break out his Bom Ya knee in every match, which you can point to RVD as having to break out his whole ludicrous move set in every match. Sick suplexes from Nagata and he's on his way back to the top.
1) Gedo/ Jado/ Killer Rabbit v. Tiger Mask IV/ Jushin Liger/ Kushida- 3
Funny Liger's been in the industry for 20 years, has seen and done it all and now he's selling bunny hops? He's red hair looks so bad even Pennywise would reject the look, and he turned out to be a giant ugly fucking spider. Jado has never honked my personal horn and i don't see how he does for anyone else here either. Finish was fast paced and well done, for as much flack as TM gets, in any incarnation.
2) Manabu Nakanishi/ Koji Kanemoto v. Tomoaki Honma/ Tama Tonga- 4
Tama looking identical to Superfly Snuka from 1984 (sans badass goatee) is something I would def. click "Like" on. He's doing Snuka's whole act too and has a really high, awesome dropkick, dig his progress. Nakanishi could have been one of those barrel chested 1950's bodybuilders. Koji has hair like a WB series star but likes to kick people's faces off. This went about 10 mins, maybe, but was enjoyable.
3) Takashi Iizuka/ Tomohiro Ishii v. Giant Bernard/ Karl Anderson- 4
This is a listing that I immediately would scoff at, but Bad Intentions, as they're known around Japanese watering holes, are able to make this watchable. Ishii elicits as much of a reaction from me as a brick; Iizuka is a fun guy to watch get beat up which they have fun with. The heat spots were really done well for a throwaway kind of match too. Watch Anderson when they do their double team finish; what's his role there? He just spins a guy's legs around and falls on his back, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
4) Yuji Nagata v. Toru Yano - 3
I really dug Yano's tights; looked like Genndy Tartaskovy designed them. This had one of those pointless sojourns into the crowd and also didn't show off Nagata's truly stoic facials. The leglock into rollup was quite clever though.
5) Shinsuke Nakamura v. Togi Makabe- 6
Nak is just about my favorite performer to watch these days and the best big match guy in Japan right now, my opinion. Togi's offense is really stale, relying on stuff Liger was doing in '89 as his base. Loved when Nakamura attacked Togi on the ground with vicious knees over and over again, with his crazy hair looking like a Sex Pistols roadie or something. Like the improvised finish, as in you could see Nakamura improvising in his head and he relied that perfectly to the crowd.
6) Masato Tanaka/ yujiro/ Naito v. Hiroyoshi Tenzan/ Wataru Inoue/ King Fale - 4
This was a fun way to pull the middle of the show together. We got to see Team No Limit live years back and the thing I've always noticed about them is great timing as a team and it was on display here. I also really enjoyed watching Tenzan do his thing; you wonder how a guy on top for so long keeps himself motivated in throwaway stuff like this but he seemed to have no problem. Fale looked as uncoordinated as an African Elephant on roller skates. Naito and Inoue had some fun playing with counters to the spear later on even if the end result looked like 2 kids tackling each other inside a bouncy castle.
7) Prince Devitt/ Rysuke Taguchi v. Taka Michinoku/ Taichi- 6
Speaking of timing, Apollo 55 is even better. Damn, let me play matchmaker, i'd love to see them v. the Briscoes. Taka gets a shit eating grin on his face as he tags in against Devitt. This match is real interesting though because it focuses on Taichi as the threat; he and Devitt's ground work is really good, Devitt is portraying all the pain of his own countrymen chopping down all the trees in their land during his armlock. This got some time too and I think was perfectly rationed out.
8) Satoshi Kojima/ MVP v. Hiroshi Tanahashi/ Hirooki Goto- 5
Goto and Tanahashi were playing the "warring partners" gimmick, which was fun at first with really hard tags that were in reality backslaps. MVP and Kojima, I guess were the Breath Right Strip Brigade, as that's all they have in common. MVP is really bulky in New Japan and he and Tanahashi seemed to have heat. Goto was just brutally stiff here, not even as if playing a role but in every strike he did looked nasty. Surprising finish too but lost some steam getting there.
9) Yuji Nagata v. Shinsuke Nakamura (Finals)- 7
This review almost writes itself. I mean this is a layup shot if I've ever seen it for a good time. As basically as i can describe it, this was these two doing what they both do best; beat the hell out of people and sell so majestically, you can't help but be sucked in. Nak with his knees and Nagata with kicks just dominate the major portion of this battle. Love Nakamura's face at one point, he's spinning like a dervish, with this manical smile on his face, he looks like James Franco on helium. As usual, Nagata gets his money shot in; pulls on the crowbar armlock and his eyes roll into the back of his head like he's possessed. Nakamura does some subtle arm selling but I really think it should have been played up more. Like how he doesn't have to break out his Bom Ya knee in every match, which you can point to RVD as having to break out his whole ludicrous move set in every match. Sick suplexes from Nagata and he's on his way back to the top.
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