PeteF3
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Everything posted by PeteF3
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This would be the second King Killer, I believe--the first was Jerry Lawler in disguise. Eddie Gilbert makes a surprise run-in alongside Lawler and Jarrett to run the Moondogs off after a squash. I think this is yet another return to the territory for Gilbert after walking out. Eddie & Doug seem like fresh opponents for the 'dogs, as it's been awhile since Lawler has been in the Unified title picture.
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Brian Christopher has been accused of being a chicken, so in this match the loser gets hit with a dozen eggs. By God, it doesn't get any more Tennessee wrasslin' than this. The match itself is one of the better Memphis studio bouts, and is all-action with some fairly high-end offense for the style. Christopher is so incensed and humiliated that he challenges Davis to a loser-leaves-town rematch, and eventually baits him into accepting.
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Feels like it's been forever since we've seen Yamazaki. The opening to this is one of the greatest shootstyle openings in history, and if they'd kept that pace and intensity up we'd be talking about a MOTD contender let alone MOTY. As it is, they can't, so we're left with "just" the shootstyle Match of the Year instead. Great, pro-wrestling-style finish, too.
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That guy's going by the "stick guys in a time machine and drop them in another period, unchanged" method of evaluation, which doesn't work in real sports or in wrestling. If you're going to move guys to other time periods as a thought experiment then you have to grant them access to the training methods, supplements (*cough*), and general standards of the time. Why are we to assume Tully Blanchard would have maintained his '80s look if he were around in the present day? Then there are the blatant inaccuracies--JYD was ripped and in shape in the early '80s at his Mid-South peak, and would be a guy that the WWE would be all over.
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Baba had to be seeing dollar signs in this as a full-blown rivalry, right? Even if Jumbo's status may still have been up in the air? The chemistry these two have as opponents is just as apparent as what they have as partners. This isn't as intense and hate-filled as this would become later, but the dream-match dynamic is just as effective. One of the best AJPW singles matches of 1992.
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Solid tag match, with Sasaki & Hase getting a chance to show a lot on offense. Even in New Japan as opposed to All-Japan, this result seemed to be fairly foregone, and Choshu & Hash do come back rather easily, but it was fun while it lasted. The Riki Lariat to the back into the Hash DDT was definitely an effective transition move.
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The closing segment was a complete technical disaster. The ring mics apparently weren't supposed to be cut and they were--Bischoff was supposed to ask Sting directly what it was he wanted. Then after the lights went out a spotlight was supposed to follow the vulture from its perch in the rafters to the ring, where it was supposed to have a written note that read "Hogan's soul." And as Steve Austin said in that ECW promo, WELL ALL THAT SHIT NEVER HAPPENED. So the NWO gawks at the thing for a few minutes (I vividly remember Nash rearing his title belt back like he was going to hit it) and the show goes off the air early. Naturally on the next Nitro, JJ Dillon has to talk about Sting "speaking loud and clear" that he wants Hulk Hogan even though nothing of the sort was said. After weeks of Dillon having to act like a clueless imbecile he apparently correctly interprets a vulture sitting on the ring ropes as Sting's ultimate goal.
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Welcome back, Paul E. Tease of a Rude/Paul E. break-up, as Dangerously has signed Rude for two title matches at Havoc, with Madusa banned from the U.S. title match. Then he takes shots at Madusa, then gets worked up when he's told that Rude wants to have a meeting with him. Paul E. is incensed that Schiavone dare ask him questions that he didn't run by him beforehand.
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I love how Anthony essentially cuts a babyface promo garnering sympathy--it's only a heel promo because of what we know DWB and Wright have done. Anthony goes to the ring to egg Horner on some more, and for the second week in a row Horner surprises DWB when he thinks he's not in the building. TOMMY YOUNG is sighted! He and Armstrong cut Horner off from the ring, but when DWB goes back to the interview set that allows Horner to run over and make his attack. As over-the-top as parts of this feud have been, and for as much as they've repeated themselves, I officially want to see this title match.
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The standard WWF presentation was that these guys didn't exist outside of the wrestling bubble--no lives, no families unless it was convenient to the character. So to say this is a departure from that would be an understatement. And the stuff with Backlund and his co-worker talking about the comeback while building a house is even weirder.
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The Ultimate Maniacs join on this avalanche of acclimiation for the Excellence of Execution (through shades of maniacism). Oh, come ON--Savage and Warrior decked out entirely in red and yellow? I feel really bad for saying this about Savage considering how much greatness he's provided, but I'm ready for both of these guys to go away. I'm now convinced that Vince shunting Savage to commentary was the right move, at least for the short-term. Between the Ultimate Maniacs there is a bond that will last FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER. That's hilarious in hindsight. WHy in God's name is Flair smiling and giggling??! Even as someone who's not always a fan of that side of Flair, Ric should be ripping his robe off and dropping elbows on it. Total mess of a segment, which shows how much the WWF Machine struggled with big, last-minute booking changes. Granted, they'd improve on this aspect very, very soon.
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I don't know what this says about me but I did a double-take when Bret thanked God among the others. I didn't think Bret was anywhere near ready for this at the time and he probably legitimately wasn't, but I still would have preferred this to another Warrior title reign. And once Made in the USA Lex Luger was getting shoved down my throat I was begging for Bret to come back to the title picture.
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This was a mess at points and I thought Hamada was mostly useless here, which holds it back from being a luchy MOTYC, but it's another feather in the cap of Los Cowboys as a working tag team and there were some great intricate spots here after some standout matwork to open. Black Power is this Yearbook's version of the Scorpion--the person I've never, ever heard of who's completely awesome and who immediately has me wondering what else is out there (eastern European shootstyle guys are exempted from being considered).
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Oh, so THIS is Jumbo's last appearance. Not much to say about this--Jumbo actually doesn't do a whole lot, as Taue and the juniors get most of the face time. There's a budding Taue/Kobashi rivalry apparent here that I'm anxious to see continue, and Taue gets another win--not as big as pinning Gordy, but he quickly shuts Kikuchi down without any kind of teased comeback or struggle. Fare thee well, Jumbo. But I'm excited as I head into the AJPW stuff that I haven't seen a lot of, with new match-ups and rivalries.
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More of a historic match than great, but there's nothing wrong with it either--no obvious spots where these two weren't on the same page. Just sort of WWF Flair by the numbers, though Bret's victory is refreshingly decisive and a pretty good chill scene thanks to the crowd reaction. I can't even describe the feeling of disbelief I had opening up PWI Weekly and seeing that Bret had won the Heavyweight title--this was SUCH an out-of-the-box move by WWF standards that I don't think younger fans can fully grasp it.
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