Flash Flannagan/Chris Michaels v. The Headbangers

 

Flannagan hits a sick flip plancha and an Owen Hart style reverse armwringer/backflip. Then he flips out on a monkey flip and hits a springboard dropkick. Headbangers are really being controlled here by the "young" team and it is actually a really entertaining tv match. Flannagan eats a boot from Thrasher and sells it great as he curls up his whole body before taking his back bump. Then he takes a nasty diving clothesline off of a misdirection spot. Headbangers hit there legdrop/powerbomb but for some reason they don't go for an immediate cover and Flash ends up getting dumped to the floor. Mosh hits his inside out clothesline dive with Flash takes really well. Flannagan gets a double nut posting and he is working a really bump heavy FIP with lots of big spots which is not common for SMW at all. They do some really good teasers and hope spots in this and Flannagan is really perfect as the rookie punching bag with just enough piss and vinegar to stay alive. Michaels hits an insane looking frankensteiner off the hot tag but botches a second attempt. He hits a huge splash off the top for a nearfall. Headbangers hit the piledriver/legdrop for the finish. This was a really fast paced bout, with plenty of cool spots, only one flub, and some good tag psych.

 

Bob Holly v. Paul Miller

 

Holly refuses to shake Miller's hand early. Miller is flying around the ring in an almost out of control fashion. Miller takes a cool flip bump off of a clothesline that really didn't look that good. Holly wins after a top rope dropkick.

 

Jerry Lynn v. Killer Kyle

 

Pretty standard competitive squash. Kyle almost tripping over Lynn while trying to execute the pin was pretty funny.

 

Dixie Dyno-mite! v. The Dark Secret

 

Dark Secret is Brian Armstrong under a mask, so this is brother v. brother. Another basic squash. Brian did a pretty good job making Scott look good.

 

Crash The Terminator v. Miguel Perez Jr.

 

Perez looks really big here and is working a lot of razzle dazzle spots some of which look really good and others which look really awkward. Crash breaks the momentum with a weird twisting clothesline off the ropes. Crash ends up missing a moonsault and then Perez hits a space flying tiger drop. Match ends in DQ with Sullivan run-in.

 

Brian Lee/Tim Horner v. Nightsalker/Kevin Sullivan

 

Really strange as you've got Tim Horner right there, but Lee was your FIP. Match was fine but I don't understand the logic there.

 

Tasmaniac v. Robert Gibson

 

This was fun, but really short. I usually hate Gibson in singles, but he looked good here. Taz took some really big bumps in this. Decent semi-squash.

 

Tammy Fytch interview. Her introduction. Probably EXTRA

 

Bruise Brothers intro and brawl with The Bodies. Fun segment.

 

Chris Kanyon v. Brian Lee

 

Kanyon takes a few bumps and loses.

 

Louie Spicolli v. Chris Candido

 

This was fun to watch as Spicolli was basically working as fiery babyface gimmick. Seriously he was working all of these underdog/light heavy spots and yet he's working a guy half his size. Decent give and take match.

 

The Thrillseekers v. The Infernos

 

good squash. Infernos really made the Thrillseekers stuff look good.

 

The Gangstas v. Rock N Roll Express

 

New Jack jawing with rednecks early. Funny to see New Jack doing comedic heel spots. This is a pretty good match. Morton works a solid FIP and The Gangstas look respectable. Post-match beatdown was good and post-match interview was awesome and probably should be an EXTRA.

 

D-Lo Brown v. Steve Armstrong

 

Decent. There seemed to be some awkwardness here. Armstrong blocking a hot shot attempt by just standing up was odd. Finish was a Gangstas run-in.

 

Cactus Jack v. Boo Bradley

 

If they had nailed the Cactus clothesline bump in this I might have given this a low level nomination. This was just a really spirited, reckless brawl. Boo and Cactus are really laying it in with all of the strikes, they take some good bumps, Cactus hits a nice rolling senton on the floor, the stuff with Boots the cat is amusing, et. Another non-finish.

 

Rock N Roll Express. v. Unabomb/Eddie Gilbert (EXTRA)

 

I really liked the opening exchange of this as Unabomb gets frustrated by the R N R's speed and experience but the cap off is him taking a big over the top rope bump off a double dropkick and landing on his feet. Considering that was the RnR's finish I thought that was a good way of getting over Unabomb as tough, while also making him look vulnerable. Also loved Gilbert running in and freaking out on Mark Curtis about the RnR's relentlessly double teaming. Morton ends up going FIP after getting blindsided with a clothesline by Unabomb. Gilbert throws a soft drink in his face at one point. Ricky hits the hot tag after Gilbert taste the steel on a corner charge and then the heels get DQed for an over the top rope spot. This was too short to be nom worthy, though I liked it a good bit. Still should make the set as it was the last Gilbert mach in the States.

 

Ricky Morton v. Al Snow

 

This was a really really good tv match. Snow starts off early taking bumping in an almost panicked fashion for Morton and fleeing to the floor. Unabomb loads up his glove and Snow takes over with a shot that bust Morton over. Snow smartly walks Morton over to the camera to showcase the cut and then they go into the ring where he works over Morton. I am not a huge fan of roll up exchanges, but the roll up exchange in this is really awesome as they do a spot where Morton blocks several Snow punch attempts leading to a backslide that looks perfect and then follows up shortly thereafter with a great looking sunset flip that Snow takes almost like a spike powerbomb. Morton's facial expressions while Snow works him over are really great as well and he does a good job selling for some of Snow's weaker looking shit (namely kicks). To be fair Snow brings some really cool offense in this. Morton takes an insane header bump into the corner at full speed as a cut off spot and then Snow kills him with a nasty urange, a nasty twisting backbreaker and a later a really cool looking leglock. Morton's selling is typically great throughout. The height Snow got on the missed springboard moonsault was insane and he took another spike like headbump off of a Morton headscissors. Morton ends up winning after Unabomb goes to load up Snow's glove and Morton cuts him off at the pass and decks him with it. I can't imagine that there are a whole lot of SMW tv matches better than this.

The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) vs. Flash Flanagan & Chris Michaels (8/4/95)

 

I think this was Flash's first match in the promotion and what a way to debut than with his insane flip plancha to the floor. Flash & Michaels looked really good early on with fast paced offense before Flash got caught in the heels corner and they went to work on him fierce. Flash takes some great bumps here and makes the Bangers offense look really good. The different diving clothesline spots were executed very well. Flanagan's hope spots were also well done as his selling was well above his experience level. Flash would make a diving hot tag to Michaels who hit a sweet huracarana on Mosh but not so much on Thrasher which looked pretty bad. It soon became a 4-way brawl before Michaels fell victim to the Stage Dive.

 

Then we get a Bob Holly squash followed by a Killer Kyle/Jerry Lynn competitive squash.

 

Next is Dixie Dynamite vs. Dark Secret which was a battle of Scott Armstrong vs. Brian Armstrong. Interesting matchup here.

 

Miguel Perez Jr. vs. Crash the Terminator (Bill Demott) (3/1/93)

 

This was billed as a WWC offer match and this was okay for what it was before Nightstalker & Kevin Sullivan got involved for the DQ.

 

"White Lightning" Tim Horner & "Primetime" Brian Lee vs. The Nightstalker & Kevin Sullivan (3/22/93)

 

Decent match but Lee working FIP was odd considering Horner was his partner.

 

Robert Gibson vs. Tazmaniac (5/9/93)

 

This was a Rage in the Cage status match determining who comes in when. Gibson looked good here and Taz wasn't bad either.

 

Then we get the introduction of Tammy Fytch and this is a definite extra.

 

Next is a wild brawl between the Bruise Brothers/Heavenly Bodies from TV.

 

Then we get a Brian Lee/Chris Kanyon squash.

 

US Jr. Heavyweight Title: Chris Candido © vs. Louie Spicoli (1/10/94)

 

This was a fun match with both men showing their potential.

 

Next we get a Thrillseekers/Infernos squash.

 

SMW Tag Titles: The Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton vs. The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa Saed) (8/8/94)

 

This was their first big match and it's pretty good but the post-match blows away the match as the Gangstas and their security beat the shit out of Morton who juices. Then we get a great promo afterwards and this is extra material.

 

Steve Armstrong vs. D-Lo Brown (12/3/94)

 

Okay for what it was before the Gangstas runin.

 

Boo Bradley vs. Cactus Jack (12/5/94)

 

Cactus is trying to save Boo so he has to show tough love and he does as they have a nice 5 minute brawl.

 

The Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) vs. "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert & Unabomb (1/2/95)

 

This was Gilbert's last match on US TV and that makes it a definite for the set but not as a nomination because it was really short. Definite extra though.

 

Ricky Morton vs. "Simply Sensational" Al Snow (3/6/95)

 

The partners are on the floor standing guard. Snow pinballs around for Morton early here before Unabomb gives him a loaded glove which he uses on Morton who juices immediately. Snow works the cut pretty good but Morton keeps it interesting especially with the rollup exchanges and has some good hope spots. Snow is really tight on offense as well which was a plus as Morton's facials and selling really makes it look better. Snow crashing and burning on the springboard moonsault in the ring was awesome and Morton was just as great firing up on him. Unabomb would try to give Snow the glove back but Morton would steal it and used it on Snow to get the win. Damn good TV match and an easy nomination.