soup23

About 5 minutes in is the Rich vs. Kelly arm wrestling contest involving Sherri that was talked about. My favorite part of the SNME is the build up to Hogan being named the #1 contender and Duggan being treated with a straight face as a candidate to main event Mania.

Shawn Michaels was one of the best tag workers in the mid 1980's - early 1990's. The AWA stuff has stood the test of time and I think just that portion of their output has them compared favorably with teams like Harts, High Flyers, Strike Force. The Rockers are generally established as one of the best in ring teams in WWF history and I think the evidence of work on tape bears that out. The December 88 Demolition and Conquistador match from LA are both really well done. The 1989 series with the Brainbusters featured a lot of repetition but it was an effective formula. 1990-1991 showed them working in great, unique matches when given the chance. The Rougeaus matches are a preference but it is a vastly different style of worked match than what the Rockers were doing throughout the other parts of the same year. 1996 is an interesting year. I have trekked Michaels through most of that year now and with the exception of Beware of Dog where he didn't realize the cameras was on, he has delivered in every single PPV match that year. I understand the argument of knocking Michaels for this year based on his character and failure in the box office, but then I would ask that you take the same consideration and knock Vader in WCW in 1993 for the same lack of box office performance. Comparing in ring output between those two men, I think Michaels comes out stronger in 1996. 1996 in ring Michaels has been one of the strongest years in ring for any performer in the US that I have chronicled through the yearbooks. 1997 has more attitude issues and annoyances but Shawn's Fall 1997 character is deplorable and epic in being a complete dick. It is one of the more effective heels in WWF history IMO and it really climaxed right up to WM 14. I bring this up to parallel that Shawn excelled both in character work and in ring in that gap no matter which parameter you are judging by. Even in 1997, he had a bevy of very good to all time matches with Taker, Austin, Davey and Bret. Comparing Shawn's 1986-1998 to someone like Arn Anderson's 1984-1996, I think Shawn comes out looking fairly good. He had arguably the best matches of a multitude of people's careers during that time including Buddy Rose, Pat Tanaka, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Foley, and UnderTaker. He worked as an up and coming babyface tag team star to a complete dick heel on top that needs to be knocked down a peg or 20. He was able to have vicious brawls that evoke realism (vs. Foley) and a horror movie (first HIAC). His post comeback career has been critiqued and I certainly don't like portions of it, but those portions mainly involve an association with one guy, HHH. The HHH stuff feels bloated and uninteresting. Outside of that, Michaels has a lot of good stuff. I know Steven doesn't care about the Angle series but I found it enjoyable as evidenced in the top 100 discussion pods last year. The capper with UnderTaker produced two great matches even if they aren't the best matches of all time that WWE canon would have you believe. The Jericho feud both in 2003 and 2008 are both great periods. I thought he added a good bit to the trios matches with Benoit that HHH was involved with. The legends matches that Shawn had vs. Hogan and Vince were enjoyable enough and served their purpose. I will even justify, "I'm sorry, I love you" as a melodramatic moment that was supposed to end the career of the best wrestler of all time. Beyond that, Michaels has some fun underneath stuff. Watch the match vs. Chris Masters at Unforgiven 2005. I feel like Shawn is very effective in that match getting young talent over. I was as sick of anyone at hearing that Shawn was the best wrestler of all time by WWE and while watching this stuff in the past few years, I don't think he is top 10-20 in my eyes. However, when GWE started, I was thinking that Shawn would probably land on the back half of my list buried somewhere and I now see no way he won't make the top 40 of my list. Between the yearbooks, AWA set and following PTB Vintage Vaults, Shawn has impressed time and time again.

http://placetobenation.com/where-the-big-boys-play-50-1990-fantasy-draft/

Steiner was cooked at this point and Benoit winning the tv belt feels really beneath him.

Goldberg delivers a good promo and looks like himself. He destroys Flynn for good measure Goldberg vs. Sid Benoit vs. Flair (passing the torch) Hart vs. Hogan Those three matches on top are really strong for Starrcade and you could have had Hart vs. Benoit as the match for the belt coming out with Goldberg lingering.

Yes these are a bunch of grandpas arguing but damn if it doesn't have good heat and Sting gives one of his better promos. I loved the look on Luger's face when Flair tells him and Sting to lead. This does have all the makings of a bunch of big stars still within the world of wrestling with HOgan and Bret run down. I think if WCW could have really had these guys mixing it up, an up and comer to get the rub that they were behind, and Goldberg back to his old ways, they could have salvaged something. Jarrett comes in and they assume he is the younger guy but we know how that worked out.

This was awesome and no matter what you think about HHH now, he looks like he belongs here and it feels like at this moment that a hHH vs. Austin main event at Mania is the way to go. This had great heat and intensity and was at a time when Vince coming back didn't feel like the same old shit we have seen time and time again.

Hughes is his new bodyguard. I still say Jericho not having a lackey and going alone would have been beneficial overall in the early going.

A tease for the night to come as we get both in street clothes for their "match" but it is only a red herring for Austin to get arrested. This does feel like a trope that WWF has went to the well with a lot in the past year or so.

Davey looks really out of place here and has nothing left. Kennel from Hell is set up. Yippee. Davey attacks Boss Man after the segment.

Rock is starting to sprinkle in his finally back to line but he blows through it here. I do like Mick playing off of Rock here.

Carny Lawler trying to revisit some magic of the Kaufman feud with the hype for Man on the Moon. This piece felt very sensationalized.

Sting turns heel and the whole thing seems very convoluted and confusing even though it makes sense from a narrative standpoint.

10-10-220 is the sponsor. Action looks good here and I continue to enjoy Sid in this role.

Harlem Heat has already lost the belts we saw them win two discs ago. Tag titles are getting passed around rapidly in 1999. Action looked pretty good but standard. I guess that second single really did the West Texas Rednecks in.

Can't say any of this stuff has been interesting to me and ECW feels like a big mess right now. Don't these guys have a PPV in a week?

Probably my favorite thing from KAW so far. We do get some shooty stuff but at least it feels rooted in hate and history and not totally just a grab for the viewer flipping through the channels.

Kenny Bolin and Buddy belong together. Good hype for this upcoming match. Dinsmore looks so much different from his Eugene persona.

Oh, here is the beatdown that I responded to in the last thread. That whipping and everything looked violent but man did no one give a shit until Angle came out.

Synn has some accusations thrown Grimes way. Grimes comes to respond and he gets a big beatdown as a result. This is still some great Corny stuff but the principles around him are pretty poor right now.

Action looked like another contrived affair. Impact players interfere and as much as they try with the montage of them destroying ECW legends, something just doesn't and never will click with them as a unit. They were unable to get over either as a threat.

Tons of great workers and spots in this match. The match doesn't ever reach an epic level but when you have Casas and Panther whipping each other, I am satisfied. The highlight for me was the rudo domination in the first fall with some brutal double team moves. It was nice to see Santo showcase himself at the end as the perennial tecnico. ****

Heck of a bump by Mick. Another tag title change? Pick a team guys. I guess we do have the HHH vs. Austin program at the forefront now but that should have been a singles match proper.

Good heat for Jarrett and it looks like Chyna is now a face? Moolah took a beating with that guitar and I love Jerry's comments about Miss Kitty knowing the behind the scenes portion of the story.

I have never heard that. People have said they found him boring or aimless but acknowledged he always worked hard. It is an old Meltzer talking point.