cactus
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Everything posted by cactus
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Kevin Sullivan & Cactus Jack defend the WCW World Tag Team Titles There are parts I enjoyed about this, but it's clear as day that they were using this match to cool off the crowd before the Flair/Hogan match. Perhaps they cooled them off too much, as they start doing the Mexican wave to amuse themselves when this 20 minute match becomes too much for them. Anyways, I dug the sequence where Cactus protects Sullivan from getting whipped into the corner by using his own flabby frame to stop Sullivan from damaging himself. The heel tried to use this exact manoeuvre seconds later, only this time it doesn't work out for them. Paul Roma throws a good looking punch and it's fun to watch Sullivan slap someone around. This went on way too long, but it's not a terrible match or anything. ★★¼ -
I'll always be a huge Steamboat fan, but one has to wonder if his style of wrestling was feeling outdated by 1994. Both this match and his match with Flair at Spring Stampede suffer from quiet crowds and you can even hear a few audience members heckle the wrestlers for boring them in both matches. The crowd might not of dug all of this, but I thought this was good, despite it's very slow pace. This is the best Austin in WCW performance I have seen so far. He goes after Steamboat's knee as soon as the bell rings and he constantly mugs off to the crowd and the camera. I love the spot where he forces Steamboat to wave to the camera. This is a more openly expressive Austin than the one I'm used to seeing in the WWF. He eventually steals the win after his constant attempts to get himself disqualify fail. ★★★¼
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Honestly, if the Arn turn wasn't spoiled by the chapter listings on the Network, I'm not sure I would of seen it coming. It did look a bit strange for Arn to be coming down to the ring slapping hands with fans, but my knowledge of WCW from this period is rather limited. Like anything Terry Funk is involved in, this was enjoyable. Funk trash talking while they run the ropes during the opening exchanges added some character to something we see in pretty much every match. The majority of this match is Dustin getting beating down, before making the tag and getting DDT'd by his own partner. Great angle, okay match. ★★★
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I heard so many things about Bossman being an underrated big man over the years, but as I'm only mostly familiar from his work from '98 onwards, so I've always thought that these claims were shrouded by nostalgia. Watching his matches with Vader has sold me on the guy. This wasn't as good as the Stampede match, but they hold nothing back. On top of seeing Vader doing a moonsault, he also hits a spinning wheel kick. The DQ finish wasn't the best, but what can you do? ★★★
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This was fun match with a flat finish. Regal carries the bulk of the match by doing the small things that make Regal such a top tier worker. It's hard to put into words what he does so well, but if I was an aspiring wrestler, he would be the first guy I would study. He works the arm and stalls when he need to, which wakes the crowd up. Badd brings some aerial moves and a likeable personality to counter Regal's smug nobleman character. The sunset flip finish looked botched. but other than that, this was a good way to open the show. ★★¾
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Sting might of been massively overshadowed by the Hogan stuff, but this was still a fun match. They work in a lot of their greatest hits and Flair's performance was standout. He keeps getting outclassed by The Stinger and it's clear that Hogan has gotten into his head. He takes a lot of breathers and is just a joy to watch. Sherri turns on Sting after throw herself into a Sting plancha, which distracts Sting and allows Flair to sneak in the win. This was neither man's best match, but it was a good TV defence that built up to the Hogan/Flair match nicely. ★★★¼
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From what I've seen of Austin in WCW, he hasn't impressed me a whole lot. He's technically sound, but he's yet to grab me with a truly great performance. There wasn't a lot going on during the bulk of this match. Badd has some good facials and he takes a nasty bump in the middle of the ring after a failed top rope sunset flip attempt. The screwy finish was decent, and it's the kind of thing you want on your TV shows to build up to the PPV. Austin initially gets the win with the help of some knuckles, but a second referee comes down to the ring to protest the result. Badd rolls up Austin for a pin, but they never claified if this was official or not. This was an example of a screwy finish done right. ★★½
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I'm not a fan of Regal's get-up as I thought it was way too cheesy and pantomine, but only a top talent like Regal could make it somewhat work. Regal mugging off the crowd was great, but it's not long before Zbyszko and Regal start trading the forearms. This was a short, yet gritty match that ends when Regal's manager (who I had no idea was Bill Dundee until a few weeks ago) gets involved. This wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be. ★★★
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After losing his title of The Boss, the former Big Bossman joins the Guardian Angels. I completely forgot that this was a thing. This match sees him squash his future Corporate Ministry stablemate in a few minutes. It's a fairly standard squash, but I like Angel's three strikes comeback. He would get hit three times before pumping him and destroying his opponent. He gets the W with the Bossman Slam. ★½
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They have two referees for this match because how crazy everyone in this match is.The two refs thing never comes into play, but it's a nice touch that's gets everyone over as unpredictable. The match itself isn't anything out of the ordinary. There's not much workrate here with all four wrestlers spending most of the match trading punches with each other. The only thing that sticks out is Cactus Jack taking yet another dangerous bump, as the back of his head lands on the guardrail as he fails to take out the Nasties as he launches himself from the first rope to the outside. This was an average match to kick off the broadcast. ★★½
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Steamboat gets some boos as he enters the arena and I appreciate that the commentary acknowledge this and don't try to insult our intelligence. WWE could take a few pointers from this. Anyway, the first 10-15 minutes felt like both guys were autopilot. The wrestling is obviously good, but it's not Flair vs Steamboat in '89 good. Thankfully, the last 15 minutes are utterly enthralling with Steamboat getting countless number of convincing false finishes. Steamboat wins over some of the Flair fans with some brilliant selling. Despite this being a long match, I could of easily watch them go at it for another 10-15 minutes without getting bored. They were clearly starting to get past their prime by this point in their careers, but they can still work a hell of a match when they really put their minds to it. ★★★★¼
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I'd never expected to see these two have a match and sadly, it's pretty bad. It's fundamentally solid, but it's so lifeless and dull for the most part. The ring announcer introduces Muta by saying that he wants to take the US title back home to Japan and Austin is clearly a heel with Col. Parker in his corner. This leaves both men as heels and the crowd have no idea what to do during the opening portion of this match. The match starts to gain some flow when Austin starts to cheat to keep Muta grounded. The fans start rooting for Muta as they want to see his moonsault. He hits a few signature spots before accidentally throwing Austin over the top rope and getting himself disqualified. I've always hated that rule. ★¾
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This was a bloody brawl with plenty of fun gimmicks to keep the action fresh. They use cowboy boots, belts and powder on each other. Dustin unsurprisingly throws some great punches in this. He has a lengthy shine segment on Buck after completing his comeback and this was super fun to watch. Sometimes watching a heel get beat in one-sided beating is all you need to be entertained. ★★★★
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The crowd finally come alive for The Stinger. Sting no-sells a tad here, but he's charismatic enough to pull it off. Rude bumps his ass off for Sting and there's plenty of moments here that would fit right at home on that Rick Rude Getting Atomic Dropped Twitter account. Shenanigans ensue when the referee gets taken, with Vader and Race getting involved. It was quite overbooked, but I found it entertaining. ★★★
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This might of been slow and sloppy in places, but this was hoss on hoss comfort food! Props to Race getting accidentally bulldozed by Vader at the start of the match. He might be retired and 51 years old here, but he wasn't afraid to take a violent tumble. These guys potato each other and Vader bleeds a gusher. Bossman throws himself around like he's a cruiserweight for Vader. Vader doesn't quite get the win with the Vaderbomb, so he takes it to the next level and hits a moonsault for the win. Seeing Vader doing a moonsault will never get old. ★★★½
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I was surprised by the nifty exchanges these two busted out during the start of the match. The crowd certainly couldn't care less, but I wasn't expecting anything too technical from Dallas. Once things getting going, this starts to take a dip in quality. I get the feeling that these two don't quite click as opponents. Anyways, Badd hits a few high flying moves and gets the win in no time. Serviceable opener. ★★
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I don't quite rate this as high as others, but I thought this match was a well done Attitude Era hardcore match, years before the Attitude Era was a thing. This is well paced and doesn't outstay it's welcome. That sloppy table bump was bad, but they more than make up for it with horrendous stage bump from Cactus at the end. Was it unnecessary and unsafe? Yeah. But did it entertain me? Of course. ★★★
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They start strong with Regal using his technical tricks to cut off Pillman. The start is definitely the strongest part of the match. I thought Regal carried this as Pillman appeared quite sloppy and blows a few spots. They go for a broadway and you can tell at times that they filling time when Regal constantly keeps Pillman grounded with submissions. I'd usually find this annoying, but Regal is a master at keep basic holds interesting. Regal doing the small Regal things brings this from being an average match to a good match. ★★★
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Heel Diesel was such an unsung treat. He's leaving for WCW and his attitude is so carefree and relaxed that I can't tell if he's working me or not! His control segments when he's not using any weapons might not be the most interesting, but he more than makes up for it by taking his sweet time and looking like the coolest motherfucker ever. Shawn brings a lot more fire than usual seeing that this might be his most personal feud since the Jannetty feud. All the weapon spots were interesting, but a few that stuck out to me were Diesel hanging Shawn with Earl Hebner's belt and the famous Mad Dog Vachon prosthetic leg spot. ★★★★
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this is much better than their first (PPV) ladder match together. Not only are the ladder spots much more impressive than the 'Mania match, but this one is more ripe with storytelling and psychology. This is worked as a face vs face match that sees them work in some quick exchanges before their attention turns to the ladder. After Shawn inadvertently hits Razor with the ladder, he has lightbulb moment and realises that he's not above using the ladder as a weapon on a fellow babyface if it means keeping his title. Shawn's leg gets mangled after a fall and Razor sets his sights on it. Razor is working as a temporary heel now as he takes control of his smaller opponent. Razor's violent side comes out as he arrogantly lets a ladder drop onto a prone HBK's bad leg. Shawn never stops selling his leg even when going for the high spots, one of which is a nice callback to the famous splash spot from their last bout. The finish might be botched, but it's always funny to watch prima donna HBK throw a pissy fit. Great match, and not a HBK carryjob like many others have claimed it to be over the years. ★★★★½
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Ah, I was just going by what's on Cagematch. That makes a lot of sense and it didn't feel anywhere near 38, even with the commercial breaks.
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Patterson and Brisco as Vince's cronies don't get enough love! They were fantastic here, with Patterson riling up the crowd by taking his time with the pre-match announcements. Brisco is the timekeeper, Patterson is handling ring announcing (which includes changing the rules on the fly to benefit Dude Love) and McMahon is the guest referee. With the odds stacked against Austin, the Undertaker comes down to make sure that Vince doesn't screw Austin out of the title. This was an overbooked main event with all the tropes you would associate with the Attitude Era. You've got Austin and McMahon feuding, an enraged Jim Ross on commentary and mediocre brawling held up by the constant interference and shenanigans. Perhaps I've spoiled myself by watching Slaughter/Sheik and Lawler/Dundee recently, but the brawling here is a step below those matches. The punching and selling, whilst perfectly acceptable, aren't anything to write home about. The spots they did utilising the entrance set was cool and the clothesline Foley takes when he takes when he's perched on the ringside barrier was sickening. Vince takes a bump and Austin wins by counting his own pin using an unconscious McMahon's hand. Don't let average brawling and a weak finish stop you from enjoying one of the better matches from the Attitude Era. ★★★★
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What sets this apart from the many other bloody brawls from this time period is the amount of character and personality both men bring to the table. The sctick will Sheik's loaded boot stopped this from just being two guys trading punches. Sheik's selling is almost comedic as flops all over the place for Slaughter. You could call this goofy, but I loved it as it makes it clear that his opponent is the babyface and it's not too different from Ric Flair's selling. The crowd is going apeshit throughout the entire match, even throwing garbage into the ring when Sheik is in control, further adding to the atmosphere. I really loved this. It might be one of the best matches that the 'E has ever put out. ★★★★★
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Quack's apology was bizarre. Guy seems like he has a few screws loose. Him talking about people exposing their genitals in his promo voice felt like something out of a dark comedy.
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Cena in 2007 was unstoppable. The gall of certain wrestling fans back then that claimed that the man can't wrestle! Anyways, this felt like an old MSG bloodbath with all the bells and whistles you would come to expect in any kind of no holds barred match from this era. Cena is playing the role of Sammartino, but he's much more expressive than Sammartino ever was and Umaga is the generic foreign baddie #543. Umaga's offence looks stiff and I'm a huge mark for his Samoan Spike and whatever that hip attack he does is called, but this is all about Cena. His selling is some of his best ever and it shows you why WWE strapped a rocket to his arse a few years previously. I dug how they incorporated the steel steps into the match. Cena launching them from the ring to the outside, landing violently on Umaga's head made me wince. This has a memorable finishing run with the all the weird and wonderful types of set-pieces you can expect from a WWE Last Man Standing match. The only thing stopping me from going higher on my rating is that I never felt like Umaga had a chance of winning this one, outside of that brilliant struggle when Umaga attempted the Samoan Spike on a bloodied-up Cena. ★★★★½