cactus

Hoss (Dory Jr.) Funk looks like he's had enough, and at one point he completely no-sells a JYD headbutt. It's insane to think he still wrestles the occasional match nowadays, even more so when you considered how washed-up and miserable he looked to be wrestling in 1986. Terry Funk is the MVP for his great brawling and bumping. He takes multiple bumps on the concrete surrounding the ringside area. The teaming of Hogan and JYD don't mesh well together. JYD does most the work, with Hogan only having a brief stint as the legal man and he gets involved with the brawling at ringside. The main reason to watch this is Bobby Heenen's brilliant commentary, completely ragging on the JYD & The Haiti Kid, JYD & Hogan's dwarf manager. The Funks and Jimmy Hart cheat to gain the advantage, but they never look too strong as all it takes to put Dory away is an Axe Bomber and Leg Drop from a freshly tagged Hogan. This is exactly what you can expect from a Hogan match from this time period. The crowd's molten hot, he's in there with a superior worker(s) and it's not very heavy on workrate. ★★½

This has a strong opening with Tiger Mask throwing out a spin kick and generally out classes Kid with his speed and the crowd eat it right up. The match is brought to a slower pace when Dynamite takes control with his stoogey offense, which looked stiff and very convincing. This control segment does outwear it's welcome a tad, but it's not too long before Tiger is back in the driver's seat wowing the crowd with his innovative moves. Being a lot shorter than their NJPW encounters, this isn't on the same league as those matches, but it's a fun 7 minute bout that was ahead of it's time and it put both guys on the MSG crowd's radar. If Tiger Mask came through WWF just a few years later, I can see him being a much bigger deal on western audiences than he was. ★★★

Ken Patera is nothing like the guy who I remembered seeing face Bad News Brown at the first Summerslam. He's got a blonde mane, he's jacked and he's full of charisma. He cuts a quick pre-match promo telling the MSG faithful that he's going to kick Backlund's butt just like how he kicked Pat Patterson's butt. Patera isn't the best talker in the world, but the fans seem to dislike so he's doing his job. The Grand Wizard (don't think that name would fly now) is his manager and he helps him slowly disrobe, Tetsuya Naito style. Patera's first plan is to throw Backlund out of the ring. We've come so far when that was considered a heel move back in the day. Both guys get some shots in as they brawl in and around the ring, but Patera is able to keep Backlund under control with a snug front facelock. Backlund uses his superior wrestling skill to get out of holds and I loved the spot of him getting out of Patera's patented Full Nelson by ramming Patera's head into the turnbuckle. I didn't think this match would be for me when I saw the first few minutes of sluggish brawling, but eventually I'm lured back in. Backlund's escape from Patera's bearhug was great as he knew how to play to the crowd, the same can be said when he catches Patera's leg as he going for a kick. The crowd is so hot for Backlund, he's like Sammartino with workrate. The school boy near fall he gets on Patera shows how great a false finish can be if you actually protect them and don't whore them out every match. He hits one of the best executed piledrivers I have ever seen and his punch drunk selling makes him look like a geeky Terry Funk. Both guys bleed buckets and it's nice to see a brawl from this era with actually wrestling moves in it, and not just straight brawling. ★★★★½

Before the match, we see replays from Raw from the night before where Goldust gives an unconscious Ahmed Johnson the kiss of life. That angle is infinitely more entertaining than the following match. Watching these 90s Undertaker matches has really killed my fandom for the guy. He's all style and no substance. He has a great aura, but he's rather drab to watch when the bell rings. Goldust isn't much better here, he botches his sliding throat thrust and hits the weakest looking Tombstone. This is a very slow affair, only saved from total mediocrity by the memorable ending of Mankind appearing from the casket and costing The Undertaker the match, setting up one of the greatest feuds from 1996. ★½

Watching these two behemoths scrap off on each other is always going to be fun, even if Yokozuna is way past his prime. Vader still has yet to be let down by the WWF yet (that would start as soon as he faces Shawn Michaels at Summerslam in a couple of months) and he's still motivated. Vader goes for Yokozuna's leg that he previously injured. Jim Cornette gets involved and Vader hits a Vader Bomb to wrap up this feud with Yoko. Being a die-hard Vader mark, I'm probably going to rate this higher than most, but it's still a solid big man match that doesn't have time to outwear it's welcome. ★★

The strap stipulation allowed them to work a physical match without risking too much harm to any of the competitors. This is probably Austin's first great showing in the WWF. Ted DiBiase's career is on the line, and he's great hamming it up at ringside, really adding to the drama. Savio Vega is also super over, and things get super tense whenever there's a chance the match might reach a conclusion. They might of let this one gone slightly too long, but it's still a neat little brawl. ★★★¼

This was the feud that brought Sable into the WWF. Even here, it's clear that she's starting to outshine her husband. Mero has the corniest facials, but he can go in the ring, delivering crisp high flying offense. He hits a gorgeous no-handed rolling leg clutch during this match. Helmsley is working more like a ring general here, who bumps like HBK for Mero during his comeback. He works down Mero's arm and we even see Trips work an armbar on poor Mero. HHH must have been watching his RINGS. This has a slow, methodical yet rewarding build, with Mero's arm letting him down. One moment sees him attempting an backslide, only for him to abort the maneuver when his arm gives him too grief. HHH ends up losing the match after he takes too much time bullshitting Sable on the outside, which allows Mero to slingshot him into the turnbuckle and get the pin. ★★★

Before the match starts, Clarence Mason cuts a horrendous promo on HBK, serving him a subpoena. Shawn rips up the paper, much to the crowd's delight. Even through all the shit the crowd had to deal with throughout the night, they stay hot. This is a slow match with plenty of rest holds. It's weird seeing Shawn work in a couple of extended rest holds too, considering he's the smaller babyface. The finishing stretch picks the action up a touch. Bulldog gets German'd and both guy's shoulders are counted down, calling for a draw. The screwy finish, although executed well, makes Shawn looks like a weak face champion. I was hoping they would restart the match. Although factors like the storm and Shawn throwing a hissy fit didn't help matters, this was still a massive disappointment, especially when I have just recently watched Bulldog's excellent match from IYH5 with Bret Hart. ★★¾

Yeah, you know this isn't going to be good. I don't think Undertaker had a single decent Casket match during this era, and when you are working with an opponent like King Mabel, there isn't much hope that this will be any better. Undertaker isn't even able to hit hardly any of his signature spots bar a weak looking chokeslam. We don't even see an Old School. Thankfully, this is relatively short, and Undertaker gets a huge crowd reaction, despite only working dross matches and programs for the majority of his face run. ¼ ★

Diesel lost the WWF Championship to Bret Hart, and is acting more like a heel with every week. He doesn't give a shit what you think about him and looks very cool, any many members of the crowd not wanting to boo him just yet. It's a shame this match is very brief, as it looks like these two could of meshed well. Owen works a frantic pace and forces Big Sexy to keep up with him. One spots sees Owen getting dropped on his head after Diesel launches him of the second turnbuckle. Diesel looks to of have the match won after he hits the Jacknife, but chooses to get himself disqualified instead, by shoving the referee. It's a questionable booking decision, but it makes more sense as the night goes on. ★★

I wasn't looking forward to watching this. HHH looks technically sound and he's decent at playing the snob. He ends up bleeding from his back after brawling up the aisle. There's not a whole lot to say about this. The match premise is dumb, but at least it leads itself to some solid brawling up the aisle. The future CEO ends up tossing Godwin in the pen and winning the match. Godwin gets his revenge by gorilla pressing HHH face first into the hog pen. 'Comedy' ensues with Hunter attempting to stand up, only to fall flat on his arse many a times. ★

Before the match, we are treated to a drawn-out promo with Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Lawler bragging about Jarrett's new album and tour. It's clear that the country singer gimmick has ran out of steam at this point. They eventually move to the commentary area and let the next match take place. Buddy Landel comes down and looks like a poor man's Ric Flair. I'm sure they used him to mock the real Nature Boy, who was working with WCW at this point. Ahmed looks like a million bucks, and if you didn't know he was incredibly dangerous and injury-prone, it would of been easy to assume he would of been a top player in a few years. This is a simple squash with Landel being put away with the Pearl River Plunge in 42 seconds. Post match, we see the heels in commentary booth rag on Ahmed some more. Ahmed exchanges words with Jarrett in an awful promo, which gets him blindsided. He no sells the attack and chases Double J to the back. This entire segment dragged, and made Ahmed look like an idiot, albeit a tough one. DUD

Kid is scared to mix it up with Ramon and as predicted, he's good at portraying a weaselly heel. Razor gets to have some fun with him, before Sid gets the tag and bogs this match down with his horrendous strikes. The match is at it's best when Kid and Jannetty are working together due to the fast pace of their wrestling. Mid-match we cut to the crowd to see Goldust. He gets interviewed and cuts a creepy promo quoting movies and talking about how beautiful of a man Razor Ramon is, planting the seeds for a future match. Razor teases getting Sid up for the Razor's Edge, but he eventually gets the pin with a bulldog, which is a bit of a letdown. This serves as an acceptable opening bout, but all the shenagins with Goldust made this match feel like it more of a TV match building up for something bigger than a conclusive PPV match. ★★

The only highlight of a lackluster IYH PPV. This is arguably better than their Wembley match as these two simply don't like each other anymore. They work a lot of technical wrestling spots into this, and to their credit, none of it looks out of place. This match is yet another carryjob by Bret, but Bulldog clearly isn't in the rough state he was in '92. Bret bumps like mad for Smith, with him attempting to land an Asai Vaderbomb, only for Bulldog to violently Powerslam him on the mats outside. Bret bleeds like a pig, and you can hear Vince getting pissed off by asking for the production guys not to show any close-ups, robbing us of some great visuals. Cheers Vinnie Mac. The finish came out of nowhere with Bret Hart retaining by rolling up Bulldog in a La Magistral, a fancy looking pin that doesn't really lend itself to creating an appropriate conclusion for such a personal feud. ★★★★¼

Whilst it wasn't a terrible show, I found this hard to sit through as nothing felt of any importance bar a couple of matches. AJ vs Joe was brilliant, and it's the only thing I'd say go out of your way to see. It's probably their best match in a WWE ring so far. I skimmed through the main and it enjoyed it for the silly nostalgia that it was, but I can't say I'm a fan of them going back to these Attitude Era feuds in 2018 and the nature of these supercards where they just throw any shit to see what sticks is killing my interest. Here's to hoping that Crown Jewel is something more than a souped up house show.

Baby Andre is really something. He's fast, mobile and the frantic way he charges at Van Buyten is scary. Buyten is also brilliant, a master technician who can throw a mean forearm. You forget how big Andre is until you see his boot locked in the already big hands of his opponent. There's another moment where he blocks off Buyten's face by grabbing his jaw with his humongous palm. It's a frightening sight, and you can hear the reaction from both the crowd and the commentator. Even here, the audience is completely enamored with Andre. Going by what I've seen from French Catch, everything is a lot faster when compared to it's American or Japanese counterpart. This is no exception. We ever get to see Buyten hurricanrana Andre multiple times. My favorite moment from this would be when Andre decides to retaliate from Buyten's strikes with some of his own. Andre elbows his opponent, and Buyten sells it like he was hit by a bus. Worth a watch because of the sheer historical importance, but it's also a cracking bout in it's own right. ★★★★

Dory Funk has never looked young. It's hard to believe that he's only 27 here. The highlights of the match are very brief, but we do get to see a great bit of psychology when Kiniski crumples to mat after failing to hoist Funk up for a backbreaker. This is beginning of the end for Kiniski as Funk locks on a stepping toe hold and eventually gets the win, much to the approval of the crowd. After the match, we go back to the studio where Gordon Solie is interviewing Dory Funk. He jokes about how he's nowhere near his retirement (50 years later, he still wrestles the occasional match), and comes across as very humble. I love how this is presented like pro wrestling is a legitimate sport, something that's missing in today's age.

PAC's big return match. The reaction to his return is brilliant, with the overly excited announcer selling the moment perfectly. He attacks Shingo right of the bat and they go full throttle from the first bell to the finish. The heel stable gets involves and attacks Shingo on the outside. There's a lot of impressive spots, but nobody does a particularly great job of building them up, and the audience don't seem to react to them. The match is at it's strongest when the heel stable once again get up in Shingo's business and rush the ring, garnering a big reaction out of the Korakuen Hall crowd. He eats some nasty superkicks from Eita, before PAC puts him away with the Red Arrow, a move that is always impressive to see. Whilst it's safe to say that Dragon Gate offers a product that simply isn't for me, this wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination. PAC's involvement in this was also very limited, so if you are going to watch this solely for him, you're going to be very disappointed. ★★¾

A grueling watch, and I mean that in the best way possible. They make you feel everything that they're feeling. Seriously, the selling in this is sublime. This is worked in a similar way to how their match at the ROH Round Robin match, as the pace can be slow and it's heavily mat-based with a smattering of hard-to-watch strong strikes scattered throughout. It's the little things that makes this brilliant. The story of Dragon not being able to bridge on his Dragon Suplex made for compelling drama. My only gripe is they have Ki trapped in the Cattle Mutilation way too long, but it's a minor complaint. ★★★★

They start off with a lot of stalling by Daniels, which eventually leads to some uninteresting and slow chain wrestling. Ki hits his Tidal Crush cartwheel kick and lands the Phoenix Splash, but is unable to go for the pin right away because of his damaged ribs. After getting worked on some more, Ki fights back with a fiery comeback. Daniels is finished off by a Ki Krusher (which gets a huge pop from the crowd) and is submitted via Dragon Sleeper. Although the first ten minutes dragged, they make the last five count with an explosive finishing stretch. ★★★

Morgan shows some charisma for the first time when he spits at Dragon. After each of them gets in a few eye pokes at each other, they work in some nice classic British style grappling, before Morgan gains control and whips Dragon into the barriers separating the crowd from the ring. The finish comes out of nowhere when Morgan accidentally gets pinned when attempting a rolling clutch pin. This was fine. Nothing amazing, but it never dragged or anything. ★★½

A battle royal containing the losing first round tournament wrestlers and a mix of other APW talent. This is just here to give the audience a break from the tournament, but it's rather dull. Spanky puts in a decent babyface performance here and gets the crowd behind him. He even pays tribute to his trainer, by doing the skinning the cat spot. The final two wrestlers are Vincenzo Massaro and Robert Thompson. Thompson puts Massaro away after coming off the top rope. ★

A much better showing from Daniels when compared to the lackluster match he had with Super Dragon the night before. This goes just shy of 15 minutes and they cram everything they possibly can into this. Much like the Dragon/Spanky match, it's clear that these two have had a lot of experience wrestling each other as they move so seamlessly and smooth when going from move to move. Styles does trip over the top rope as he's going for a dive, but he thankfully saves himself from any real damage. Seeing the first few rows come unglued from their seats after Daniels catches Styles with a German was magical. This is not without flaws, mind you. They do venture into overkill territory in the later stages of the match and you can see the crowd starting to get burnt out. I think this match peaked after Daniels kicks out of a second-rope Styles Clash. There ain't no topping that. Even with all it's flaws, this is still one of the better matches from the weekend so far. ★★★¾

This is exactly what you would expect and it's brilliant. A hard hitting match with a strong shoot style influence. Joe gets the better of most exchanges, but all it takes is one big strike landing and Ki has control. They even do the spot where they take turns selling strikes and it doesn't look hokey, unlike the number of times ROH has attempted to replicate that same moment throughout the years. Both guys look strong from these, even with the submission ending. ★★★½

As one can expect, this is a very technical bout. Williams tries to size up and intimidate Danielson, but gets a dragon screw for his troubles. Aside from small moments like the previously mentioned, this is nearly all wrestling, little character work. They do a neat spot with dueling heel hooks and Danielson's counter to the Chaos Theory was one of my favorite moments from this match. These guy move around so smoothly and it's clear there's great chemistry on display. ★★★½