Bobby Blaze v. 1-2-3 Kid

 

The opening back and fourth segments look pretty typical by today's standards but I still enjoyed them. Blaze ends up blocking a Kid spin kick with a weird semi dragon screw looking take down. Next big exchange ends with Kid taking voer with jumping back kicks int he corner, but then missing a leaping front kick and bumping on his head. Crowd is evenly split here and chanting throughout. Blaze ends up working a chinlock but he crowd stays with them. Kid gets cut off on a comeback and Blaze goes to some solid but basic offense and back to the chinlock. Another rope running exchange this time with Kid missing a spinkick and Blaze hitting one. Blaze goes to the top but gets caught with a dropkick and then another as he attempts to come off the top after fighting Kid down from a superplex position. Blaze with a cool sunset flip variation for a nearfall. Kid hits a russian legsweep for a near fall and then a crappy looking spinkick. Kid with a moonsault but it's a big nearfall that probably meant a lot here as that was the move that had beaten Razor Ramon on Raw. Kid kicks out of Blaze's Northern Lights. Wild, somewhat screwy spot with a splash into the ropes sending Blaze to the floor. They double head bump as time expires. I was not enamored with this, but I could imagine others liking it more and it had a unique quality to it that made it more interesting than it probably was.

 

New Jack v. ?

 

I didn't catch the name of New Jack's opponent but he came out to "Hillbilly Rock" and is dressed in overalls. He also fires up after the first corner break with punches and headbutts and then beats on Mustapha when Jack bails to the floor. New Jack suplexed into the ring. God damn he is selling the shit out of these guys punches. He comes back with this strange corner battering ram charge. New Jack really did have a good diving clothesline. This had a stupid double pin finish with the redneck getting his shoulder up in time

 

Tracy Smothers v. Chris Candido

 

Coralluzo is managing Candido here and pre-match mic work is great culminating with Smothers starting a "yankee go home" chant. Candido tries to the throw Smothers over the top but he skins the cat and unloads on Candido with backfists and kicks. Really stiff corner strike exchange and Smothers hits a reverse splash and then knocks Candido to the floor. Tracy hits a really wild double axe that Candido pinballs for. Candido takes over and hits a huge plancha. Smothers with a cool inside out dive which is followed up by a huge Cactus clothesline from Candido. Smothers suplexes Candido over the top to the floor and then hits his big running baseball slide. Really good looking backfist/superkick combo from Tracy for a nearfall. Huge rope running exchange that ends with a Candido powerbomb. Typcially great hope spots and cut offs from these guys, especially Smothers running corner charge into Candido's knee after briefly gaining an advantage. This is followed up by Smothers hitting a belly to belly only to eat the knees on an attempted splash. Candido hits a top rope rana and then Fargo Struts but misses with the diving headbutt. Smothers fires up huge and has Candido reeling but gets caught with a punch to the gut coming off the top. Candido goes for a superplex but Tracy drops him face first and hits the top rope back elbow jawjacker for the finish. This was awesome.

 

Ron Garvin v. Kevin Sullivan

 

This is a match worked like a prison yard fight between two lifers who have been in solitary for the last year. Sullivan is the psychopath filled with bloodlust. His strategy is to inflict maximum physical damage with as much fury as possible. He post Garvin early, scrapes and rakes him with some object he dug up from under the ring, et. Garvin is a man overcome by his animalistic lust. He seeks to ass rape Sullivan. I do not mean this metaphorically. On several occasions he works diligently to expose Sullivan's ass, at one point pulling his tights almost entirely off and at another point using Sullivan's tights as a tool of sodomy on a piledriver attempt. The strikes in this are vicious as both men are doing anything to achieve their goal. At various points Garvin gets into mount and uses his forearm to ground down the face of Sullivan as he attempts to flip him over. This is a long time weapon of rapists as any fan of Law and Order SVU will tell you and there are times here where the hated Sullivan seems to garner the sympathy of the live audience who are clearly worried about the future of his rectum. Of course they are old men, so this flares out quickly and like all prison brawls ends when an authority is struck at which point the games are over and both men must go back to their pens.

 

Bob Armstrong in-ring tribute/ceremony.

 

IRS v. Lex Luger

 

Well, this was unexpected. This was really pedestrian. I had more fun listening to the crowd response than watching the actual match though neither guy looked bad really.

 

In ring segment with The Thrillseekers

 

Dirty White Boy/Dirty White Girl v. Brian Lee/Tammy Fytch

 

This was a pretty decent mixed tag, though these matches are wearing on me at this point. Fytch is good with her schtick and Anthony and Lee worked hard, but it didn't do anything to stand out from the pack.

 

Owen Hart/Well Dunn v. The Armstrong Brothers

 

What an utterly bizarre match up. Opening has some decent fun stuff. Liked Owen talking shit on the apron and getting blindsided by Steve after he splashes both guys in Well Dunn. Steve and Owen have a good fast paced exchange with Owen bailing after getting outworked. Owen works some amateur stuff and then Brian comes in to take over but gets caught quickly with an enziguri. Steve tags in after a really short heel control segment and clears the ring but ends up on the floor eating a post shot from Owen. Owen hits a cool dropkick and they work a pretty good FIP segment though nothing that really blows you away. Scott in with the hot tag and the babies win with the sky dropkick. This was fun, but not a nomination.

 

The Rock N Roll Express v. The Heavenly Bodies

 

This was like a greatest hits match but it was a good one. They do the rope running spot with Morton monkey flipping Pritchard. They do a bunch of misdirection spots with the faces rolling through and popping the heels. They do the criss cross spot with Corny going in the ring and getting bumped. Morton does the delayed Morton rana. Del Ray hits his moonsault body press and sit out powerbomb. Morton works FIP and works it very well. Finish is Cornette getting involved for the DQ as Morton cleans house with the racket. If you had to pick a match to show someone what text book RnR v. Cornette managed tag team looks like this would be as good as any. Good pacing, good action, good structure, ending that isn't entirely fulfilling but doesn't piss you off either. Overall good stuff.

 

Bob Armstrong v. Jim Cornette (Cage Match)

 

Corny is forced into the ring by The Armstrong boys. Bob beats on him but Corny resorts to powder to take advantage. It is funny watching Cornette work a control segment with the babyface getting in hope spots but the truth is that Cornette could work. Cornette ends up taking a shockingly huge bump off the top and Armstrong fires back up. Cornette tries to climb out of the cage but gets cold feat and turns around to get a slam for his trouble. His racket ends up getting tossed to him and he tries to bash Bob with it, but The Bullet just gets pissed and beats him down with blows in the corner. Corny takes a flip bump. Jimbo gets bumped against the cage several times and now the Armstrong clan is brawling wit the Bodies on the floor. Cornette is bleeding. Bullet hits a trifecta of running stomps for the pin. This was very fun.

Bobby Blaze vs. 1-2-3 Kid (3/10/94)

 

Ah yes I was at this show at the Cobb County Civic Center. This was a good spotfest opener that would go to a draw but nothing special going on here.

 

NGWA Heavyweight Title: New Jack © vs. Hillbilly Festus (Billy Starr) (3/10/94)

 

OH YEAH here we go this is the Gangstas in their original form with the brothas around ringside with Jack who was wearing his AWESOME Raiders jacket. Festus is the former Billy Starr who you may remember from Mid-South TV in 1982 and he got over big time in North Georgia indies in the early 90's. Festus & Jack were partners a year earlier but Jack would turn on him and embraced the Gangstas way. Jack was really fun here as he sold a ton for Festus and this was the way he worked before ECW where he would rely on weapons. Festus wasn't really a good worker but was a fun babyface. Festus would win the title after getting his shoulder up on a backdrop suplex hold by Jack. This was a fun flashback for me.

 

"Wild Eyed Southern Boy" Tracy Smothers vs. Chris Candido (3/10/94)

 

Candido being managed by Dennis Corraluzzo is hilarious as the fans hate their guts. Smothers waving the old school Georgia flag is great. The micwork before the match was solid as usual and the match itself was another pretty damn solid match between these two who at this time can't have a bad match with each other it seemed. The pace here was fast and both men were on point in everything they did plus here we got a Smothers clean victory to get the win. This moves forward fairly easily.

 

"Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin vs. Kevin Sullivan (3/10/94)

 

Garvin with the black hair is always funny to me. This is nothing but two guys just beating the fuck out of each other with their extremities and weapons which in Garvin's case was a weapon. Garvin showing Sullivan's ass on multiple occasions was funny but Sullivan didn't like it as he just pounded on Garvin more. This just got out of control as Mark Curtis decided to finally stop the match since both men wouldn't quit brawling. The finish was what it was but damn was this all action and fun. This is a nomination.

 

Next we get Joe Pedicino & Boni Blackstone who get booed which was funny to present a trophy to Bob Armstrong.

 

Lex Luger vs. IRS (3/10/94)

 

Yeah this was totally out of place here but it was Luger back home in Marietta.

 

Next we get a promo from The Thrillseekers which was what it was.

 

"Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony & Dirty White Girl vs. "Primetime" Brian Lee & Tammy Fytch (3/10/94)

 

Tammy's ass was on point here and DWG wasn't bad either. For a mixed match this was good but nothing special.

 

Brian, Scott, & Steve Armstrong vs. "The Rocket" Owen Hart & Well Dunn (Steven Well & Timothy Dunn) (3/10/94)

 

What a heel team here. The match was pretty decent but kinda underwhelming considering the participants. Too bad it wasn't Brad teaming with his brothers not Brian who was really green here.

 

SMW Tag Titles: The Heavenly Bodies ("Gigolo" Jimmy del Rey & Dr. Tom Prichard) © vs. The Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) (3/10/94)

 

Corny's Louisville Cardinals jacket is pretty spiffy. Like Dylan said this was the classic RnR/Bodies formula here and it was done pretty damn well. The ending was the DQ ending they were running at the time since the Bodies were champs and the RnR didn't do many jobs but it didn't matter here because the work was so solid. This moves forward fairly easily.

 

Steel Cage Match: Bullet Bob Armstrong vs. Jim Cornette (3/10/94)

 

Corny comes out with his arm in a sling which he just left the ring minutes earlier in great health so he had to explain it which was funny. Bob starts working Corny over after his sons threw him into the ring but Corny would answer with powder in his eyes. Gigolo would throw the racket in to Corny who used it on Bob but he no-sold it and started raking Corny's face in the cage causing juice. Bob then went to work on Corny and stomped his head in to win. This was fun for the short amount of time it was given.