Superstar Sleeze
DVDVR 80s Project
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Everything posted by Superstar Sleeze
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Dustin Rhodes vs Bunkhouse Buck - WCW Slamboree 1994 Bullrope Match Philly Wants Blood! Is there a reason why there were buckets of blood at Spring Stampede nary a month before, but none here until the post-match with no real camera shot of it? Dustin was in a tough predicament. The fans wanted blood, but yet teasing hitting Buck in the head with the bell and then hitting him in the midsection then finally hitting him in the head, but not drawing blood is disappointing. Due to the blood constraints, I guess they decide to go with double limb psychology. Dustin was good working the leg wrapping it around the leg, hitting it with the bell and grinding the bell into the knee. I loved Buck's counter by pulling Dustin's shirt over his head and just wailing on him with the rope and bell. I love spots where babyfaces are tied up and helpless. It creates such drama. Buck is beating the shit out of him with the bell until Dustin punts him in the balls. I love it. Another great Dustin comeback! Parker gets involved, but Dustin kicks him off and then wallops him with the bell for three. Terry Funk sneaks down and busts Dustin open with branding iron to kickstart the next chapter of this storyline. They were really playing up that Dusty was in Hollywood and nowhere to be found. Yet all of Dusty's old enemies have come back to exact revenge on Dusty's son. "Wheres Daddy when you need him?" - Bobby Heenan. Not as great as the violent bloody brawl at Spring Stampede, but a great match in its own right. **** -
Don't care for my comments from 2012 so lets re-do this. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat - WCW Spring Stampede 1994 Before Flair becomes a Hogan cartoon character and before Steamboat retires we get on last showdown at the OK Corral between these two legends. No it is not as good as their 1989 series, but few things in this world are. The flaws are mostly due to strange choices for transitions things like Steamboat eating the guardrail and the next spot being him hitting a superplex. That can be present in our Flair matches, but it is avoided in the Steamboat classics. So it is a bit spotty at times, but overall it tells the story of two old gunslingers that have been firing at each other for almost two decades giving it all they got. Really dug the opening minutes of this contest. They are already talking Hogan so Flair is playing subtle heel here before turning out right heel in June. Great amateur ride sequence and Steamboat has Flair flustered with the flying headscissors. Flair powders and back in he tries to intimidate Steamboat by crowding him in the corner, but Steamboat will not be intimidated and delivers a THUNDEROUS SLAP. Flair fires back and here comes Steamboat! There are some incredible chop exchanges in this match. Loved it. Thought Steamboat headlock sequence was good not great, so good ins and outs. Flair pulls back as Steamboat goes for a dropkick and now we go to school Lots of Flair fans in the Rosemont Horizon on this night. Flair works over Steamboat like a champ. As Steamboat tries to fire back, Flair gets desperate and a crossbody sends them both tumbling to the floor. I liked them bringing this into the 90s with spots like Steamboat eating the guardrail (instead of the knees after a sleeper) or a the flying chop from the top rope to the outside. Now it is classic Flair time with the Flair Flip and the Flair Flop to a huge pop! Flair cant get anything going. Kneedrop attempt, CAUGHT! Steamboat applies the figure-4! This is classic Flair psychology, "haste makes waste" as he is running desperate to get something started he ends up putting himself in precarious predicaments. Flair does not get the ropes or power out, he just thumbs him in the eye. Classic. Steamboat is great at selling the eye powdering and trying to get his vision back while Flair tries to recuperate. Steamboat falls on top of Flair on suplex attempt and now it is a barrage of nearfalls for Steamboat. It is high drama in the Windy City! Steamboat tries to come down with a chop from the apron, but eats boots to the arm. Again, Steamboat is selling really well, but this does not go anywhere. Steamboat ends up back in the drivers seat with a crossbody from the top. It is just frustrating because they are not connecting all their spots. Some of these segments are rock solid, but others there will be a random spot and it is just hanging out there. I know this is Flair in the 90s as a heel, but some more offense wouldn't kill him. I mean he is fighting back and making Steamboat earn it, but a little more control would be nice. Like was it necessary for Flair to hit a nice clothesline, eat a press slam from top then Steamboat misses the bodypress from the top and then figure-4. It makes too much my turn/your turn. Out of the figure-4 it is the big finish, Steamboat goes back to the superplex, but this time it is the TOP ROPE SUPERPLEX! He milks the selling for all its worth. He cant capitalize so Flair kicks out and now it is another barrage of nearfalls. DOUBLE CHICKEN WING the finish to the Clash classic (Brain and Tony get so excited they mistakenly call this the finish for Chi-Town Rumble). Steamboat cant hold bridges back and both men shoulders are down leading to the WCW World Championship being held up. Excellent match. I thought it was hard fought and energetic. The beginning established that neither man would back down, but that Steamboat seemed to have a little more pep in his step. Flair took advantage of a mistake, but due to them falling over the top Steamboat re-established control and ever looked back really. Flair mixed in some great cutoffs and chop exchanges. Steamboat had the highspots and nearfalls. This did not flow as well as their classics, but it is hard not to enjoy the hell out of this. I like the finish to set up the kickass rematch. 1994 belongs to Bret/Owen and nothing else from 94 will touch it, but I see this as a contender for second place. ****1/4
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Vader vs The Boss - WCW Spring Stampede 1994 My favorite style of pro wrestling is power wrestling and this is one of the best matches in that style. Two big uglies with no regard for their bodies and just chuckin each other around. I love the opening spot with Vader hitting his body attack on Harley by accident. Vader's clotheslines were wicked win this match. His leap over the top rope from the ramp popped me all over again. That guardrailing bump by Vader is so damn good. He is bleeding from the mouth and eye. The bump that transitions into heat where Boss bumps over the top rope nearly kills himself was scary These two had no fear to take to the air. Vader bumps off the middle rope. Vader finally catches someone else and bodyslams them! The Vaderbomb-Vadersault popped the crowd huge! Awesome finish! Awesome hoss brawl, power wrestling, just two guys fighting fire with fire. ****
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Watching Spring Stampede 94 over again and it does seem some trophy was broken over Dustin's back. So Pete's explanation seems to make sense. Dustin Rhodes vs Bunkhouse Buck - WCW Spring Stampede 1994 Bunkhouse Match Just a down home, Southern brawl that is a totally lost art in today's pro wrestling landscape. Incredible match. The Brain was gushing over this match talking about how this was the wrestling he was raised on. It was not the wrestling I was raised on, but damn if it was not the wrestling I truly love. Dustin sets the tone perfectly coming flying over the top rope onto Buck from the ramp. He just whups Buck, who is great at selling. It is so weird watching Jimmy Golden and Robert Fuller just absolutely own WCW in 1994 putting on the best quality act in the promotion. Dustin crashes and burns on the crossbody attempt. Now it gets real good. Parker choking Dustin with the handkerchief and then Buck absolutely blasts Dustin with a stick. I mean that thing went flying into the crowd. Dustin is bleeding and of course wearing a white Texas shirt. Buck chokes him and tries to destroys the leg, but Dustin fights back. Dustin is such a fucking good babyface. Powder to Buck! Buck responds by whipping Dustin with a belt while he is standing. Holy shit! He is rifling him. God Bless This Match! Buck gets caught up in the ropes and here comes Dustin with a MONEY firey comeback. He blasts him with his belt buckle drawing blood and then with the heel of his cowboy boot. This is so damn Southern! Then he whips Bunkhouse Buck like the dog he is. Bionic Elbows in the corner complete with crotch thrust! BULLDOG! Parker is in the ring and Dustin whips him. Dustin seems to have command of the match, but Parker gets a pair of knuckledusters to Buck who cleans Dustin's clock for the win. Brain makes a big deal about a Rhodes losing a Bunkhouse match, which is pretty legit shocking. There is a moment between beating Parker and where Parker gives Buck the foreign object that match seems to lose its way. That aside, fucking incredible heated Southern brawl. One of the last of its kind. Looking forward to the rest of the feud! ****1/2
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The first two minutes of this is incredible and I was so confused why no one talked about this match. Then Regal just ground the match to a halt with aimless holds. Pillmans selling was not great. There was just no drama and no ficus. Pillman was great on offense. He was blasting Regal. I loved him meeting Regal on his knees with a wicked slap and then attacking arm. The hope spies were wicked chops. Then regal would grind the match down again. The finish stretch was ok but Pillman didn't really get a chance to pour it on. It goes to a 15 minutes draw. I get it. Regal is milking the clock and grounding Pillman but it was boring. Pillman was great. Disappointing match.
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Pretty good match. Was hoping for more out of DDP in terms of bumping and stooging. Badd was really good in terms of high spots and energy. Was surprised at the amount of chain wrestling early and it was good. Nice Badd reversal that got a good pop. Transition to Dallas' heat was weak and heat segment was fine. Badd's comeback was great and finish was strong. Fine match they would have better in 95
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Amen, brutha! I have multiple projects ongoing for different countries and time periods with goal of finally making one massive list.
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This seems like fun...so much I need to watch, but lets do this. Have not watched much 1980s Japan recently. 1978: WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Ivan Koloff - MSG 1979: WWWF Heavyweght Champion Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine - MSG 2/19/79 1980: WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera - MSG 5/19/80 1981: Terry & Dory Funk vs Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka - AJPW 12/13/81 1982: Southern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler vs Dutch Mantell 1983: Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy vs Dory & Terry Funk - AJPW 8/31/83 1984: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Super Tiger - UWF 12/5/84 1985: NWA US Champion Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA - NWA Starrcade 1985 1986: NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ricky Morton - NWA Great American Bash 7/11/86 Steel Cage 1987: WWF intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat - WrestleMania III 1988: NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Lex Luger - NWA Starrcade 1988 1989: NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair - NWA Chi-Town Rumble 1990: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada - UWF II 10/25/90 1991: Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania VII 1992: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs Vader - Great American Bash 1992 1993: Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen - 7/29/93 1994: Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - WrestleMania X 1995: 6/9/95 1996: Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura - RINGS 9/25/96 1997: AJPW Triple Crown Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi - 1/20/97 1998: AJPW Triple Crown Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa - 10/31/98 1999: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs Sting - WCW Nitro 4/19/99 (Need to watch more Japan) 2000: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama - 2/27/00 2001: AJPW Triple Crown Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Keiji Mutoh - 6/8/01 2002: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagat vs Kazunari Murakami - 12/12/02 2003: GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi - 3/01/03 2004: GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama - 4/25/04 2005: AJ Styles vs Abyss - TNA Lockdown 2005 2006: GHC Heavyweight Champion Akira Taue vs Jun Akiyama - 1/22/06 2007: WWE Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs Umaga - Royal Rumble 2007 2008: Yuki Ishikawa & Muneori Sawa vs Super Tiger II & Usuda - 7/26/08 2009: Fujita Jr Hayato vs Koji Kanemoto - 12/02/09 2010: The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXVI 2011: Dick Togo vs Antonio Honda - DDT 1/30/11 2012: John Cena vs Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules 2012 2013: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - Invasion Attack 2013 (I feel like I am missing an obvious WWE match) 2014: Daniel Bryan vs HHH - WrestleMania XXX 2015: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazuchika Okada - G-1 Climax Semifinals
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Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs Owen Hart & Bob Backlund - WWF Action Zone 2/26/95 Can the Harts (along with Backlund) outdo the Kliq? Thought the shine was great because it really established the babyfaces as dominant and Bret as pissed off. As a big Backlund fan, it was so weird to watch Backlund lose a suplex struggle to Davey Boy. Bret was hitting anything that moved. I loved how liberally Backlund was interfering. Bret was basically taking them two on one and kicking ass because he was so pissed about Survivor Series '94, the original screwjob. So it makes sense Backlund has to resort to tripping him from outside and wrenching his knee. Awesome heat segment working the leg. Thought Backlund was not great, but Bret/Owen killed it. I thought they could have used some more hope spots and more moments for Bret to sell. Like there was almost too much knee work there could have been some more of the other stuff to build drama. Still textbook leg work by Owen, really great. Heel miscommunication and the way Bret stumbled and crawled to make the tag was great. Davey Boy is such a great hot tag, Backlund repeatedly interferes, Bulldog stays concentrated and then sees him coming and double noggin knocker and then sends them into each other. Great finish with Bret applying the Sharpshooter outside the ring to Backlund and Bulldog hitting the running powerslam for the win. Awesome little tag team match. Falls shy of the Kliq match which I thought had the better heat segment with more drama and a crazier finish run. Loved the leg work and simple, elegant finish. ****1/4
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WWF World Tag Team Champions Diesel & Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid - WWF Action Zone 10/30/94 I would say this is the best WWF tag team match through at least 1999 if not the all-time greatest WWF tag team match (I feel like I am missing something obvious in the 2000s). Yes it is Kliq vs Kliq so it is dripping with effort, but I think more than that it really stands to show how well these four understood pro wrestling. There is a real deep understanding of the fundamentals here. It is cool that reading other reviews that everyone has a different MVP. For me it was Shawn, all the way. After years being in the Rockers, he was great at turning around all the shit that was done to him and throwing right back as a heel. He was doing so much great apron work in this: feeding Razor, using a blind tag to set up heat, constant cheating. It was a really masterful heel tag work performance and I thought he was the one directing traffic. When it came time to get his ass kicked, he threw himself all over the place for Razor and Kid. He was basically their tackling dummy. I think all four guys impressed, but I would go with Shawn as my MVP. Loved the shine, love when a babyface hits his finish early, but just cant get the pin. Makes it feel like anything can happen and that they are trying to win the match. Perfect for a tag setting more than singles, because the partner saving is an easy out. Loved the Razors Edge early. 1-2-3 Kid was great at his nearfall barrage and loved Shawn randomly countering with a powerbomb. Diesel/Kid was wicked fun. I cant believe we never got an awesome Diesel/Kid or Shawn/Kid singles match those would have been bitchin'. Razor is definitely the against the grain pick for face in peril, but it works. Who is this Kevin Nash and where did he go? Nash LITERALLY flying around all over the place with a flying shouldertackle. He looked awesome in there. Shawn was throwing himself into everything. They cheated like muthafuckas and Razor sold really well. I actually liked building to the Kid as the hot tag because you know you are going to get a crazy burst of energy. Michaels superkicking Big Daddy Cool is great angle advancement. People complain about the 5 minute sell by Diesel but I rather that than him just shrugging it off, plus it gets Sweet Chin Music (about a year old if not less) over as a killer move, which Shawn needed. Plus it helps explain the finish. Shawn/Diesel beat the shit out of Razor and now Shawn is going to have get a taste of his own medicine without a partner. Kid was awesome flying around here and Razor throwing him fallaway slam style on Shawn was just badass. That or the flying shoulder tackle by Diesel was the spot of the match. Shawn using a sleeper to grind the Razor/Kid fast break to a halt was so friggin smart! Awesome, awesome psychology. Still HBK is partnerless and Kid takes advantage by slugging Michaels and then once he gets the tag hitting a top rope leg drop. GREAT FALSE FINISH! The sleeping giant is stirring and OUT OF NOWHERE just nails the running Kid with a big boot and Michaels covers to win. From beginning to end, just friggin awesome. Babyfaces look to win early with Razor Edge and nearfalls. Razor takes heat off a cheap tag and then liberal amounts of cheat. One of the all-time great tag team stretch runs with really strong psychology. Kid was a killer hot tag. Razor worked the face in peril well. Diesel was shockingly awesome at offense in this match and then selling as he hit the big boot. I thought Shawn Michaels showed why he is one of the all-time greatest wrestlers here, awesome command of psychology from beginning to end. Serious contender for best WWF tag match of all time. ****1/2
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WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett vs Shawn Michaels - WWF In Your House II One of my all-time favorite WWF matches because of just how feel good it is. I love me some good shtick and this is good shtick. Shawn Michaels as part of the Rockers was in some good bullshit matches and he fit in this Memphis style match seamlessly. I thought he was great as cocky jock showing up the annoying showboat, Jarrett. Jarrett actually gets a couple over on HBK allowing him to strut and kick back and relax on the top rope. But he gets a little too fancy for his own good so Michaels pokes him right in the eye and then does exactly what Jarrett intended and blasts him in the face. After HBK dumps him on his ass, he does a little strut and booty shake. Combining the Fabulous Ones and Fantastics in one awesome combo! Michaels wipes out both Double J & The Roadie. I am probably alone in feeling this way, but I actually thought Shawn Michaels felt pretty cool in this. I liked the head and shoulders fake out on the reverse crossbody sunset flip by HBK. It is not the greatest babyface shine ever, but it is a fun one and one that is unique for WWF. The bump Michaels takes to the outside over the top turnbuckle to set up the heat segment is crazy. I think Jarrett supplies a lot of great heel character work in this, but Michaels was dictating the flow of the match with his bumping. The heat segment was not as good as I remembered it unfortunately. It felt a little dry. I liked the classic cheating like ab stretch assist and Roadie attacking with a clothesline from the apron and Michaels mixed in good bumping and hope spots. The sleeper was a good climax to the segment. It just did not feel special. The finish was well-done with Shawn working through his comeback and adding a nice posting of Double J. I liked the wrinkle of Roadie causing Shawn lands on his nuts on the top turnbuckle to set up some figure-4 attempts. Jarrett signals for Roadie to trip HBK on a criss cross, but Roadie not looking trips up Jarrett and BANG! Sweet Chin Music! Great finish Feels like a great, Southern 1980s match that happens in 1990s WWF, which makes it special. I would say easily Jarrett's best WWF match and a top ten Shawn Michaels 90s match. Thought the shine and comeback were real fun and the heat segment was just alright. I loved the fan sign that said "HBK would be with Jarrett's belt tonight" and even with the loss "With My Baby Tonight" remains the best pro wrestling song not named Badstreet USA. ****1/4
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GOTNW, I am pretty sure a leg lariat is when the outside of the leg is what hits the opponent. Dean Malenko was a big user of the move. Zayn throws at least one of these a match. Ryder's finish is not a classical leg lariat, but does look more like a lariat. I have not watched enough Kikuchi, but if he can make that move look good then he is an all-time great because that move sucks.
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The leg lariat. Has anyone ever hit an impactful leg lariat? They all look like shit to me. The worst part of Sami Zayn's arsenal is that godawful leg lariat. Just do a spinning heel kick, way cooler.
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PARV IS BACK, BABY! I feel like singing My Boyfriend Is Back! Don't know what you mean by Hashimoto being two-dimensional, but I am pretty sure I disagree. Don't know that is a major blind spot for me. That seems like a slam dunk to me. Junior was in a high profile spot from 73-83. Am I underrating Fuchi's 80s? We talked about this. It is overrated, but it an upper tier run in terms of being heat magnet. It is not Flair '89, but it is in Top 50 or so calendar year runs. Hmmmmmmmm...it is close Have not seen enough Hase. I disagree. You will watch '93 WCW and realize you are wrong. Benoit match and tags with Bagwell against Blonds. I like Tiger Mask in Original UWF and the one Dk match I watched was pretty good. I can get behind this. I don't think this is against the grain. You are focusing on the wrong thing in this case though. They are both great in different ways. Lol @ Mooney. Tully is pretty bitchin' at promos. I totally agree with this! Don't really care for most Tully matches. It is close. LIEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I prefer the early 90s also except for 97. 97 is so so good. I rewatched '98 WWF from March through July and it is quite entertaining. Really good continuity. Disagree! '99 does probably suck. DX '97 maybe my favorite in wrestling ever period. It is so short, but that may be the best heel run ever. I love bombast, pomp & circumstance, so yes I dig HHH's entrances and his heavy metal iconography Jabroni matches, promos AND ANGLES is what TV should be about. Bullshit. 2013 was incredible. I like VinnyMac, but still will take Tony & JR. I abhor Gorilla. He is an asshole. Havent watched much, but yeah American wrestling and puroresu >>> Lucha
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WCW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs Hollywood Blonds - WCW Worldwide 3/27/93 Put me in the camp that prefers the Clash match ever so slightly over this one. Definitely a different dynamic with Douglas taking a bigger role and I thought he hung with everyone else just fine. I think he could have been a solid midcarder for WCW through mid-90s if he stayed on. The babyface shine went a little long in the tooth for me just did not have the "fun" that I look for in a shine. Shine should be either fun bumping and stooging by the heels or big impressive moves by the babyfaces. Abdominal stretches just don't fit that bill. I liked the Blonds teasing knee work early on Douglas who suffered a knee injury at their hands. Douglas fighting courageously out of that twice was great. The heat comes from the Terrible Towel as Pillman yanks Douglas down by the neck. Douglas has been a strong hot tag and here he got to show off his face in peril work. Lots of towel usage by the Blonds. I love the spot where Steamboat is out of position for a tag and Pillman just rocks him on the apron. Jesse really gets on the Dragon's case about being out of position for a tag a second time. He is right; Steamboat needs to get his head in the game. Pillman eats knees on the rocket launcher and Austin straddles the ropes. Douglas just needs to...HOT TAG TO STEAMBOAT~! It is breaking loose in Tulsa! Superplex, top rope cross body Austin comes crashing down on Pillman. There was an awkward moment where no one seemed to know what to do there. Douglas sends Austin outside and then shoot himself over onto the floor. They knock heads in the ring and Austin blasts Steamboat with the belt and puts Pillman on top. The Blonds are the consummate heel tag team and that was the consummate heel way to win. I thought everything here was strong, but feel like these four had a classic in them, but just never got there. I have been singing the praises of Austin & Pillman as heels, but Steamboat & Douglas have been great babyfaces. As of now, I would say the Scorpio & Bagwell match is the best Blonds match on record. ***3/4
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Ricky Steamboat vs Brian Pillman - WCW Saturday Night 2/20/93 Lumberjack Match The finish occurred during the break that's why Ross & Larry Z called it in the past tense. I was wondering what was up with that. Very solid match between these two. I preferred the tag matches so far, but not really much to complain about. Austin was actually probably my favorite worker in the match as he liberally cheated from the outside. Starting by grabbing Steamboat's foot, which led to a four man stareoff between Steamboat, Douglas, Pillman and Austin. Pillman settles into a headlock via hair pull which Steamboat works out with dropkicks. We got to break and find out the transition spot was Steamboat hotshotting himself. Steamboat tries to suplex Pillman to outside, but Austin cheapshots him. Dropkick to the flying Steamboat cements the heat segment. The back work was focused, but it did not feel inspired. I liked Austin helping out on the Boston Crab and ab stretch, but it was just fine. Pillman has him a reverse chinlock, but Steamboat gets up and drops him back in the electric chair as we go to break. The mid-air shoulder tackle collision was great. Pillman misses a knee drop. Ooooooooo drama! Steamboat goes to work on the leg. Kneecrusher! All hell has broken loose outside. Figure-4! Austin sneaks in and drops the knee on the Dragon. Pillman clothesline Austin and Steamboat rolls him up for the win. After all the cheating, I liked the finish with it backfiring and costing them the match. ***1/2
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Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs Hollywood Blonds - WCW Worldwide 1/30/93 There is such a purity to these matches. Great textbook babyface/heel dynamics. The babyfaces want revenge for post match Clash beat down but this is non title, which I like we should NOT reward the Blondes for such antics. The shine was fine really liked how Douglas took that turnbuckle bump. Loved Austins blind knee as transition and just really perfect heel wrestling and there is the TERRIBLE TOWEL! When Douglas gets the hot tag I love how Austin & Pillmam react and bump for him especially Austin is discombobulated. Like I said a purity to the performance. Belly to Belly! This time Douglas knows to look for Austin coming from the top. Learned psychology! Douglas has Austin rolled up but an Air Pillmam to back of the head gives the Blonds a win and a title shot down the road. I really like Austin & Pillmans take on what it means to be a heel. ***
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Sting, Dustin Rhodes & Cactus Jack vs Vader, Barry Windham, Mr. Wonderful - WCW Clash of the Champions XXII Thundercage The beginning of the big Cactus Jack babyface push that ended up in the Lost in Cleveland (a fate I would not wish on my worst enemy), but the first four months were awesome. Cactus vs Orndorff faced up a couple days before to see who join Vader's team. Vader, Orndorff & Harley beat up Cactus then cut a heel promo only for Cactus to come back and lay them all out with a shovel. The majority of the match is three on two with no Cactus Jack as Van Hammer is out (thankfully) and Cactus not actually a legitimate substitute. The biggest miss of 1993 WCW was not giving the Windham/Dustin feud a proper ending. Nice sequence early on from them before we get to the main attraction. Vader vs Sting. Sting actually gets his licks in including a Stinger Splash, but Vader hits his body attack. Vader goes to the outside, but this is Lucha Libre rules and Orndorff comes in and hits a sweet German on Sting. The heels take over on the Stinger and all three are glorious in picking a part the Stinger. No use of the cage, which is lame. Sting punches Windham off of a superplex and it is a hot tag to Dustin. Dustin levels everyone and Cactus comes out with bolt cutters. It would have been more dramatic if he waited for the babyfaces to need some rescuing. Cactus has his boot off and is waylaying everyone. Orndorff goes for the piledriver on Dustin, but Cactus hits him in the head with boot for the win. Gaining some revenge and a big win. Cactus cuts a promo against Vader and Orndorff. He is very over! This would lead to the great Orndorff street fight at SuperBrawl and the vicious Vader matches in April. Initially WCW did a great job with the Cactus push. Not much time given to this match and not that heated. Just well done in regards to Cactus' push.
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WCW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs Hollywood Blonds - WCW Clash of the Champions XXII Fast-paced, action pack tag team match. It is amazing how quickly Austin & Pillman gelled. Pillman had just been working with Windham about two weeks prior, but with Barry's push needed a new partner and Austin fit like a glove. Douglas is a really good white meat babyface and if he was not such an angry young man at heart (see ECW) he could have probably got another 2-3 years as a plucky, young babyface. The babyface shine was really fun with the babyfaces working over the arm of each of the Blonds, but also featuring some fun spots like Steamboat/Austin's really fun criss cross sequence, Pillman feigning a knee injury, but eating a powerslamming and then Steamboat press slamming everyone onto Austin including Pillman. Douglas and Austin did a really good chain wrestling. Eventually Austin was able to use the tights to pull him into a Pillman forearm and then suplex Steamboat. Pillman threw him over the top and then Austin slammed him on the floor. Douglas try as he could couldn't save Steamboat. The heels worked over Steamboat well with some nice hope spots. The Pillman bump was kinda throwaway which seems silly given how high impact it is. The heat segment is solid, but nothing too noteworthy. Air Pillman hits Austin so you can feel the hot tag is imminent, but Steamer has to work for it a little more. Steamboat flips out of back suplex and hits one of his own. Douglas is a house of fire, very effective. Belly to Belly! Double axe-handle from Austin and puts Pillman on top, but Steamboat attacks Austin distracting the ref. Douglas kicks out. Austin blasts Douglas with one of the belts and busts him open. Ref immediately calls for the bell. Austin and Pillman beat babyfaces up with the belt including some pretty nasty lashes from Pillman to Steamboat. Great first match in the series that makes you want to see more. ***3/4
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WCW World Tag Team Champions Hollywood Blonds vs 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell -WCW Worldwide 5/8/93 "Look at Austin shaking Pillman's congratulating him on the victory" - Jesse The Body describing as Pillman gets unfair leverage holding an ab stretch from Stunning Steve Textbook heeling from the Blonds here, not so much in terms of stooging or bumping, but in cheating and just being low down no good bastards. I loved the beginning with Pillman telling the ref to check Bagwell for a foreign object only for him to have in in his hand and then slip into his kneepad. Wish they found a way to work it into the match. Bagwell is a good white meat babyface in this. I liked Austin taunting him with camera roll only for Bagwell to slip out and kick him in the gut taunt and then hit a suplex. Scorpio is the perfect early 90s midcard babyface. So much pep and zip in everything he did. Loved the barrage of nearfalls. Nice transition with Austin throwing him off on a headscissors attempts affirming how dangerous those high flying moves are. Pillman vs Scorpio would have been great at this time loved the chopfest and Pillman showing he can go aerial too with headscissors. However, Pillman takes to the air from the apron and takes the Pillman bump to the guardrail. Nice tit for tat and transition to a Bagwell hot tag. It is very amusing watching Stone Cold Steve Austin sells fear for Buff Bagwell in 1993. The Terrible Towel rears its ugly head as Bagwell runs the ropes; Pillman wraps the towel around his throat and yanks him down. What follows is a textbook heel heat segment, nothing flashy but very compelling. Choking, taunting, fishhooks, badmouthing, distracting the ref during hope spots, throwing over the top rope, illegal help on the ab stretch. It was a thing of beauty to watch as every single move was despicable and with no redeeming quality to it. Tony informs us that we are reaching the TV time limit. Bagwell needs to get his ass in gear then! Austin holds Bagwell up for Pillman to hit Air Pillman, but he gets nailed. One minute left! HOT TAG TO SCORPIO! Rights and lefts and it is the half twist moonsault from the top, but there is no ref. O' Connor Roll, but Austin clothesline Scorpio, which puts Pillman on top, I expected that to be the finish, but kick out. The Blonds run into each other, Scorpio goes for the school boy, but the time has expired. This reminded me a lot of that excellent Arn vs Dustin match from early 92 in just how textbook it was. They are completely different matches, but if that is purest form of double limb psychology, this is the purest form of tag team heeling and not to mention some great babyface work from Bagwell and Scorpio. They don't make em like they use to that's for sure. ****
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Chris Benoit vs Brad Armstrong - WCW Clash of the Champions XXII Great showcase for Benoit and his offense. Really liked the chain wrestling early thought Brad Armstrong kept up well with Benoit using dropkicks and armbars to control the Canadian Crippler. The real value of the match is Benoit kicking ass it really felt like Benoit could have gone somewhere as early as 93 in WCW. He hangs Armstrong out to dry and then hits a wicked springboard reverse clothesline out to the floor as Armstrong was on the apron. Jesse marked out for that one. The Body was definitely a mark for Benoit. Benoit looked great kicking ass here. Benoit crashes and burns on diving headbutt. However a Dragon Suplex, which popped the crowd, Jesse and me. I don't think it is a Top 100 WCW match of all time like Smarkschoice says, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Perfect midcard match for Benoit to showcase his stuff and just competitive enough. ***1/4
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Well, a year and three months later I am posting a review. I had watched the rest of SuperBrawl III so I figured I polish it off even though I had seen this match a couple times before. I turned up the volume and it made it a lot better. Vader vs Sting - SuperBrawl III Strap Match Often it is overstated when a commentator says a wrestler is trying to end his opponent's career, but here you really feel that to be the case. Vader is the World Heavyweight Champion, but this is a non-sanctioned strap match. Just as Vader lured Sting into the White Castle of Fear, he lured him into this match. With no championship to lose, Vader could all out assault Sting, his archnemesis, and effectively eliminate him from the title hunt. Like in the other Sting vs Vader encounters, Sting had to survive and find a way to thrive in this environment. I love the elimination of a babyface shine at the outset. They set the tone that this is Vader's match and he will dominate Sting. He was throwing him around and whipping him at will and splashing him. NO PAIN! WHOS DA MAN! FLEX CITY! Vader's bully arrogance is his fall and Sting pulls the strap causing Vader to punch himself in the balls. Why you punching yourself? Sting with some nice punches and a big splash from the top of his own. Time for Vader's receipt with the lashes of the strap (he could have hit him harder). One of the more famous moments is when Harley blades Vader's back. Sting throws Vader down on the outside. This establishes Sting is strong enough to carry Vader to all four corners. In a neat moment, he attempts to do just that around the outside, but Vader uses the strap to pull him into the railing hard. OW! Sting hits a Samoan Drop, but he is clearly worse for wear and Vader hits some his Vader Body Attacks. Sting misses his top rope flying splash and finally Vader takes over. I think that is what this match does so well is it takes so much for one man to earn control. Vader had to whip Sting into railing, hit two body attacks and get out of the way of the splash. During Vader's control, Vader missed a VaderBomb, crotched on the top rope and did a somersault off the top. It made the match feel like a real war of attrition. Sting felt desperate. The way Vader arose from each big bump made him feel like a massive monster. Vader was kicking the dogshit out of Sting. He did not settle for just one VaderBomb, never really attempting to win the match, but rather pounding Sting at every turn. Victory for Vader meant the end of Sting not just touching four corners. Vader hits a massive superplex and finally looks to try to win the match, but Sting hooks the bottom rope with his feet. Vader beats Sting mercilessly in the corner and then pulls him for more Vader Body Attacks, but on the third one Sting hits a KAPPO KICK! The great equalizer that kick has stunned Vader before. Release German! A Beauty! DDT! Everything is to the head to destabilize him. Sting SNAPS~! He beats the shit out of Vader in the corner who blades his ear, which even nastier than his back! Sting hoists the big man onto his back and the ref is bumped. Sting carries around three corner, but trips over the ref on the fourth corner. Damn! Sting has collapsed after that surge of energy. Vader lands with his ass right down on Sting's lifeless carcass. Vader feeling he had destroyed Sting carries him around three corner, but on the fourth Sing holds onto dear life and kicks Vader into last corner. Vader may have won the match but it is Pyrrhic at best as he is a bloody mess and does not look like a winner. Vader escapes with a win is not the finish I would have gone with. I think a Sting victory makes a lot of sense here especially since Sting never got that big victory over Vader. The story they were telling was Vader trying to destroy Sting and Sting desperate to survive. In my opinion, either Sting survives the beating and takes the victory OR he falls short Vader squashes with his ass and wins the match. This whole trying to protect Sting was lame, Vader already looked like a bloody mess the kick back into the corner was just lame. A total war of attrition and really compelling and dramatic. Loved all of Sting's hope spots and Vader just keeps getting back up. You really feel a sense of hopelessness before the Kappo Kick. It is hard to generate that in wrestling knowing a comeback is coming, but here they do a great job. Sting's comeback is AWESOME! Definite classic and easy 1993 US Match of the Year! ****3/4
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NWA World Heavyweight Champion Great Muta vs Barry Windham - WCW SuperBrawl III Boring as all hell! I have been curious about this match for years, but yeah this was a snoozefest. Didn't help that it was basically heel vs heel. I didn't mind the Muta headlock stuff early thought it was a fine start and they worked in and out of it well. However, once Muta missed a dropkick and Windham hit a DDT, the match never got out of first ear. There was no struggle and no urgency. Muta was worse than Windham, but it didn't look like Barry gave much of a fuck either. Some nice isolated spots, but pretty ho-hum and pedestrian. The finish run was not bad with Muta waking up to hit his back handspring elbow and miss a couple moonsaults before eating DDT. Very disappointing.
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Honestly, didn't remember ever seeing this match. I was excited to see this for a first time then came to find out I had seen this before. This is Chicken Soup for the Wrestling Fan's Soul. The shine here is so classic and fun lots of heel miscommunication and collisions. Great transition with my main Sweet Stan getting a knee to the back and Morton ending up on the outside eating racket. Great MX-style heat segment with lots of cool moves and great selling by Ricky. I thought the finish was fine (but not as great as last time watching apparently). Liked double drop kick and Corny worked overtime with bumps. Finish stuff just didn't seem perfectly timed for maximum effect. Super fun installment in the RNRs vs MX/Bodies feud. ***3/4