Matt D

I caught Daniels/Lee on the Saturday Night episode. I think it was worked earlier on to play into the parody theme with the over the top stalling, etc. and because of that, it's remarkable that they shifted gears just enough (while not REALLY leaving the theme until the very end) to really get Daniels over as a commodity. At the end of the day, that's going to be the most important thing. As with most Lee matches I've seen, there were a lot of smart call backs and bits of foreshadowing all based around his usual moves and inclinations, which is all appreciated. There were two clear bits of heat and I thought the transition out of the first was hugely unique (I've never seen an Octopus as a transition spot and it worked really well). Likewise, the transition to comeback in the second, being Lee basically hulking up worked really well, fit the match and the theme, and frankly, the promotion. Lots of really good stuff. The last five minutes were downright horrific though. I mean that in a literal sense. It was the pro wrestling equivalent of a Tales from the Crypt story. There was a moment where everything changed. I could feel it coming too. After Lee got cut off after his second comeback, there was one lone woman in the crowd clapping to trying to get him going again (and he's very good at playing into that in a way most babyfaces in 2017 aren't), but no one else was clapping along at a point of the match where it should have been the most organic thing and should have really carried him up into a last comeback and the finish, whatever reversal driven thing it might be. Instead, they went right into this ridiculous strike exchange, the sort where one strike builds the momentum to flip the wrestler around so he can hit his spin kick or whatever, and that knocks a guy against the rope so he can hit his big boot and no one sells any of it for a minute or so. And then, as they brought this twisted bit of ridiculous Japan-inspired rigmarole into a perfectly enjoyable southern-style indy, the crowd, as if stricken by a profane curse started chanting "This is Awesome!" It was a fucking "Indian, surrounded by trash, cries a tear" moment. They spent another four minutes or so trading bombs until the match ended with a belabored STF set up.

I came out of the two matches (and everything else we've seen) wondering in the Fantastics aren't the best team of 86, which is saying a ton.

Part of me wonders just where that new Sheepherders/Fantastics New Zealand Boot Camp match would have landed on the DVDVR 80s set. I could see top 15 (which says as much about the voters as the match).

The one missing from the list is "Heel insults babyface's honor/family/injures family member/friend. Babyface gets revenge." Whether it's Macho and Flair with Liz or the Nightmares injuring Johnny Rich so Tommy comes in to get revenge or what or Sullivan and Dusty's "Sister."

I'm happier with the guy as a Pariah.

Last week's BtS was on 99, and Nash's booking and it's rough. Bischoff's out of touch. This is when they put forward the 10 guys who are real stars (Hogan, Sting, Hall, Nash, DDP, Savage, Flair, Piper, Goldberg, Luger). Nash is pushing Savage down everyone's throat and making all the babyfaces look bad because he's his opponent. The January NBC deal died. With Owen's death, the Bret vs Nash tonight show bit is done and over with. Rey's been unmasked. I know people liked the few weeks of Sullivan (or whoever) booking but I don't see a great way out, looking at it. Who do you even make a star? I know at the time we saw Benoit as the great smark hope but I don't know. Konnan had a ceiling. Booker T was injury prone but at least somewhat viable. Steiner had his own issues, but sure. Rey was already unmasked. I don't think anyone other than a total madman like Russo could have escaped the Hogan/Nash black hole. And he only managed it by blowing everything up to the point of it being unviable. People at Turner resented WCW. Three Hour nitros weren't going away. The merger was coming. Maybe there would have been a more viable alternative at some point?

It ends up as Input > Output and Results.

I'll agree with this sentence at least.

I'm sure WWE Network will get right on posting those Wrestling Spotlights with Sherri as co-host.

If only Women's Wrestling Expert Lee Marshall was still with us.

Watch them pick Stevie Ray.

I liked it a lot when they were brawling, but at the same time, a lot of it felt a little amorphous and it was just painful early on when Chavo was trying oblique submission moves. Post match must have driven Boesch nuts since there was stuff flying all over the arena.

I really enjoyed the house show with Bruno vs Patera and Backlund vs Larry. Also, the History of the WWF Title CV is really fun when Heenan is commentating on an Ivan Koloff match or whatever.

In some ways, the more interesting What Ifs are What If Steamboat Doesn't Take Time off? or What if Butch Reed becomes IC Champ instead?

After Savage's turn in 89, they did a lot of Title vs Title matches with Ultimate Warrior that ended in countout wins for Savage (I think with Rude distracting Warrior). At least one of these isn on youtube because it was at MSG. They also did a bunch of Harlem streetfights with Bad News Brown which sound kind of fascinating.

I'm sure the PPV would have ended with Hogan coming out and crushing everyone and celebrating in the win even though Dibiase had the title.

Keep us posted on what you watch (and think) on NWAonDemand.

Unless I did my math wrong, I don't think we've had this one before. Let me put it this way, I'd be really surprised if we had this previously and it hadn't made the DVDVR set, because it's one of the best sub-ten minute matches I've seen in a while. They compress the shine in this to one line that Jake says over the house mic, which is sort of awesome and unique. From there, Slater cheapshots him and they go straight to heat, and it's brutal and bloody, with Jake blading a gusher. Jake comes back with the object and they loop into an awesome finish. Great stuff.

The strapping of the Nightmares was great. Nightmare #2 runs in to take it for his partner after a number of shots. After one, he dashes back out. Hilarious.

It's interesting, because we know pretty much exactly what happens if Bryan doesn't get injured.

It was striking how strong and passionate the language used was and how, ultimately, despite how huge a tragedy it was, little Owen's death ultimately mattered in the grand scheme of things. Like the guys said, the highest ratings were still yet to come. Russo and his over the top theatrics wasn't penalized in the least. He'd get more and more power as the year went on (albeit in another company but not just). Really, in the grand scheme, the most important thing might have been the Tonight Show stuff, as crazy as that seems (and maybe the backlash on Kilborn?). Like you covered, WWE wasn't really out money due to insurance and the lawsuit. The ill will towards wrestling for this didn't last long.

They took out all of the offense Rikishi got on Hunter.

Part of the problem is that if WWE books someone beneath the title into that role, they then book them as undeserving as champion so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The exception was probably JBL.