Reviews

After the marathon review that was WrestleMania V, next up is the Clash of the Champions VI review.

After Ricky Steamboat captured the NWA World Heavyweight Title at Chi-Town Rumble, it’s time to move to the next installment of Clash of the Champions, which happened to air at the exact same time as WrestleMania V.

Let’s jump right into Blake’s Clash of the Champions VI review.

Date: April 2, 1989

Location: The Superdome in New Orleans, LA

OUTSIDE THE RING: Jim Ross and Michael Hayes are your announcers for the evening. Hayes is already loaded. We then go to a video package of Jim Herd giving a speech about some of the wrestling greats of the past.

The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E Dangerously) vs. The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)

The feud between Cornette and Dangerously continues, but with a different team representing the latter. With the original Midnights out of the promotion, Paul E found himself a new duo. Samu accidentally nails Fatu in the early going as Lane moves out of the way. But Samu answers a hellacious chop and slam before bringing in Fatu.

Eaton makes his way into the match and he goes up top to deliver the dropkick to Fatu. Cornette makes his presence felt by hammering Samu with the tennis racket as Hayes goes nuts on commentary. Samoans control for a bit but another miscue from Samu pisses Fatu off. Paul E does what Paul E does and calms him down.

Back and forth we go with both teams finding some offense. Things pick up yet again when Eaton gets in and gets a near fall on an inside cradle. Lane and Eaton make a tag behind Tommy Young’s back and that leads to a funny spot where Cornette jumps on the apron and encourages the crowd to admit they saw a tag. A brouhaha breaks out temporarily but Samoans use the double team to get the momentum back.

Young finds himself occupied with Lane and that gives the Samoans another shot at double teaming Eaton. We work to all four men in the ring and the battering ram from Lane and Eaton causes Samu and Fatu to start hitting each other. What teammates. Cornette uses the racket again but the Samoans use kicks to the momentum. And now we’ve got all four in the ring brawling once again. Crowd seems to enjoy this.

These guys are putting in a good effort, but the match is just too long. Fatu misses the headbutt off the top and Eaton gets the hot tag. Another Samoan miscue allows Eaton to hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Then we get the Rocket Launcher but Young is once again distracted by Lane. Samoans use Paul E’s phone to score the win at 20:32. This had some very good spots, but really long for what it was.

• Rating: **1/2

The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Steven Casey

Something tells me Casey doesn’t have a shot here. I absolutely LOVED Muta back in the day. Casey is a complete dumbass to start this match, as he gets right in Muta’s face after he sprays the mist. Naturally, Muta sprays the mist in Casey’s face. Muta goes to work. Casey’s face and hair are all green.

Casey gets a small amount of offense before Muta decides to start kicking his ass again. Not even sure why Casey is trying at this point. The next seven minutes is Muta completely decimating Casey and that’s about it. What a unique talent. He hits the Moonsault for the victory at 8:11. Muta is spectacular.

• Rating: **

Junkyard Dog vs. Butch Reed (w/Hiro Matsuda)

JYD comes out with his own New Orleans band. The entrances for this match lasted longer than the Muta match I think. They get some good heat early with JYD bringing it. Eye rake from Reed turns the tide. This leads to Matsuda getting involved while Teddy Long has his back turned. Go figure.

Chinlock from Reed slows things down. Crowd loves them some JYD. He fights out and gets a two count after a back drop. Double clothesline and both men are on the mat. Flying shoulder block from Butch and he goes for the pin, but JYD’s foot is on the ropes. At least Teddy saw that one.

But Teddy’s efficient refereeing did not last long, as he goes over and gets involved with Matsuda. This leads to JYD throwing Reed into Matsuda and scoring the pin at 9:56. Crowd enjoyed it.

• Rating: *1/2

Kevin Sullivan and Danny Spivey vs. (c) Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner (w/Missy Hyatt) – NWA U.S. Tag Team Titles

So apparently the WWE Network cut out three matches: Bob Orton vs. Dick Murdoch, Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams vs. The Road Warriors, and Ranger Ross vs. The Iron Sheik. Fuck those first two, but GIVE ME SHEIKY BABY. Of course, it’s worth noting that Rotunda and Williams won the titles from Hawk and Animal thanks to Teddy Long going rogue and screwing them over. Good moment there.

Spivey slams Gilbert early and lets off the pinfall. More work from Spivey and Steiner gets the hot tag and hits a huge powerslam for a near fall. Belly to belly from Steiner but Sullivan breaks up the count. And then Sullivan goes after Hyatt to the surprise of no one. Out of nowhere, Gilbert scores the pin at 3:51 as we rush to commercial break. So yeah that was that. Extremely short match due to what was coming next.

• Rating: 1/2*

Ric Flair vs. (c) Ricky Steamboat – 2/3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title

Here we go. Terry Funk is on commentary. They exchange slaps to start the match. Amateur wrestling moves and then Steamboat slaps Flair again. Wristlock from Flair until Steamboat breaks it and Flair regroups to the outside. JR takes a shot at the boys up north by saying Flair and Steamboat are in the best shape of any two men battling for a world title on April 2. SHOTS FIRED AT THE MACHO MAN AND HULKSTER.

Flair works out of the headlock and Steamboat takes him down to lock it on again. We get to the corner where Flair starts chopping the life out of Steamboat. Then Steamboat fights back with chops of his own and hits the hip toss. Steamboat on fire now as he controls the action. We work back to the corner and more chops from both men. These things are vicious. Backdrop from Steamboat and then a dropkick for the two count. Flair pleading for Steamboat to stop. Something tells me he won’t.

Pace picks up as Steamboat gets a couple of near falls before going back to the front facelock. BACK TO THE CHOPS. Flair does the Flair flop for another near fall. They are really telling the story of Steamboat staying aggressive to try to get that first fall. He’s going for pins after all of the impact moves and it works well. Flair is pissed now and he’s chopping away. BUT STEAMBOAT IS NOT DONE CHOPPING. Flair regains the advantage and goes for a series of pins of his own.

Flair goes for the Figure Four but Steamboat reverses it into a small package for two. That leads to Flair reversing into a small package of his own to score the first fall at 19:33. Flair leads 1-0.

Quick pace to start the second fall as Steamboat is showing the aggressiveness again to try to tie it up. Flair misses a knee drop and Steamboat takes advantage by going after Flair’s knee. Steamboat locks in the Figure Four on Flair and Nature Boy is in pain. Flair finally reaches the ropes. Steamboat pulls him off and then locks in the Boston Crab. Flair reaches the ropes yet again. Good wrestling sequence to work to the backslide from Steamboat that gets two and a half.

Business really picking up as both men go outside and Flair tosses Steamboat into the railing before slamming him. Another rail shot from Flair before he goes back inside. Steamboat back on the apron and Flair is beating the hell out of him. Vertical suplex from Flair back into the ring and he gets a two count. We’ve reached 30 minutes and it’s easily the quickest 30 minutes I’ve ever seen in a match. Even Funk points out that it feels like this one hasn’t been going that long. That’s what happens when you have two legends in their prime.

Shenanigans from Flair as he uses the ropes to try and get that second fall. Steamboat gets it and tries to fight back with the chops. Quick rollup from Steamboat gets another near fall. Choppy choppy from Flair as get goes up top. Steamboat catches him and delivers the superplex to get the momentum back. Steamboat goes to work on the lower back. DOUBLE CHICKEN WING and Flair gives up at 34:14. Tied at 1-1.

Flair chops Steamboat’s knee to start the third fall. That of course leads to more chopping from Steamboat. Seriously, these chops are brutal. You’ll never see two dudes chopping each other like this. Flair locks in the Figure Four but Steamboat quickly reaches the ropes. Of course, Flair isn’t happy with that, so he pushes Tommy Young. Flair goes back to working on Steamboat’s leg. MORE DAMN CHOPS. Hell of a sequence where Flair flops over the turnbuckle and then Steamboat chops the nipples off his chest on the apron. Flair works his way back and uses the feet on the ropes to try and get multiple falls. It doesn’t work.

Figure Four locked in again from Flair. Steamboat holding on for a while here before rolling it over and reaching the ropes. Flair rams Steamboat’s leg off the apron multiple times. THAT WON’T STOP THE CHOPS. Flair gets thrown into the corner again and then comes off the top with the flying cross body for two and a half. We’re at the 45-minute mark. Flying cross body from Steamboat gets a two and a half of his own. Reverse neck-breaker from Steamboat gets a near fall. Flair retaliates by throwing Steamboat to the outside.

Sunset flip from Steamboat and it gets a two count. Now Flair locks in the sleeper hold. Steamboat launches Flair into the turnbuckle to get out of it, and Flair falls outside the ring. Steamboat is stumbling as Flair sneaks back in behind him. But karate kick from Steamboat gets another near fall. We’re at 50 minutes. Steamboat misses the splash off the top and Flair goes back to the knee. Flair exchanges chops and knees. He’s getting pissed that Steamboat won’t go down as he’s hobbling all over the place.

Chop exchanges again and Steamboat sends Flair to the mat. Clothesline from Steamboat and Flair gets his foot on the ropes on the pin. Elbow to the head from Flair before hitting the suplex. Flair then goes up top but Steamboat stops him and presses him to the mat. DOUBLE CHICKEN WING again as both men go to the mat after Steamboat’s leg buckles. Young counts the three as Flair’s foot is visibly under the bottom rope and Steamboat is the winner at 55:19.

What can you say that hasn’t already been said? This wasn’t 55 minutes of stalling to work to a dramatic finish. They never slowed down and get you invested the entire time. It was in essence the perfect match, and the finish sets up the rematch at WrestleWar the following month.

• Rating: *****

BACKSTAGE: JR with Steamboat. He says he’s beaten Flair twice now and is ready to move on to a new challenge. They roll the video of Flair getting the foot under the rope and Steamboat admits that Young simply missed it. Steamboat says if he was Flair he’d be upset.

SHOW SUMMARY

The entire card was nothing special, but the main event was one of the best matches in wrestling history. Some would even argue that it was the best match ever. If you’ve never seen this match then I have no idea what you’re doing with your life. It is truly a one of a kind match.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this Mid-South Wrestling 2/6/82 review, Skandor Akbar has a master plan, Paul Orndorff squares off with Mr. Olympia, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: Mid-South Wrestling
• Date: February 6, 1982

RINGSIDE: Boyd Pierce and Bill Watts hype the big matches for this episode.

Bob Orton Jr. vs. Ken Woodby

Pretty sure this is our first look at Woodby in Mid-South, and I don’t expect his record to be 1-0 after this one. Orton takes things to the mat, where he uses his cerebral approach to go after multiple body parts. Orton hits the backbreaker and comes off the top before hitting the piledriver for the win. Woodby’s sell of the piledriver is a thing of beauty. (SQUASH)

RINGSIDE: Boyd with Ernie Ladd. The Big Cat is pissed, and Boyd isn’t taking any of his shit. GET HIM BOYD. Watts comes in and points out Skandor Akbar is in the ring representing The Samoans, and Ladd ain’t having it. He goes to the ring, and Akbar calls him a big dummy and blames him for the Samoans losing a match. Ladd hauls off on Akbar and takes it to Afa and Sika. A mystery man comes to the ring and hits a flying knee to Ladd’s knee as the medical team attends to him.

RINGSIDE: After the break, Watts reveals Ladd was helped to the back and there will be no tag title match.

Ron Cheatham vs. Ted DiBiase

This is a non-title match, the concern continues from Watts regarding Ladd’s knee injury. DiBiase’s work is fantastic at this stage of his career, and this wasn’t much of a contest with DiBiase locking in the Figure Four to notch the quick victory. (SQUASH)

RINGSIDE: Akbar is back, and he demands the tag title match be next on the show. Boyd goes off on his ass too. Watts wants to know who the mystery man is, but Akbar won’t tell him.

The Samoans (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. (c) The Junkyard Dog and Mike George – Tag Team Titles

So the match is made official based on Akbar’s demands. I love storylines like this one that weave their way throughout the entire episode. Afa and Sika control the early portion of the match, with some underhanded tactics adding to their advantage.

George eventually gets the tag and the action breaks down from there. Sika misses the headbutt off the top, but JYD moves and he takes away the chair from Afa. Here comes Akbar who throws the fire, but the chair is enough for JYD to block it. The referee is distracted, which leads to Afa hitting a Samoan drop on George on a chair to win the titles. More about the story than the match, but the crowd reaction was genuine and it had a great payoff. (**1/2)

Bob Roop vs. Frank Monte

Watts isn’t happy with how things turned out in the tag title match. He also announces Roop vs. JYD next week for the Louisiana Heavyweight title. Watts even throws in the tidbit that George was carried into the trainer’s room due to back spasms after the chair drop. The little things! Roop destroys Monte and gets the squash win. (SQUASH)

Paul Orndorff vs. Mr. Olympia

A non-title match here. Olympia gets the better of Orndorff in the early going, and that pisses off the latter. Nice back and forth, while the crowd cheers on Olympia in a big way. Orndorff reverses the momentum by nearly decapitating Olympia with a diving clothesline off the top.

Orndorff keeps going at him, but Olympia kicks out at two. Then Orndroff hits the powerslam, and Olympia kicks out at two and a half. Another kickout after the knee drop. Orndroff goes for the Figure Four, but Olympia fights him off. And now it’s Olympia reversing the piledriver attempt. Hell of a sequence.

Orndorff tries to regain control, but it’s Olympia who goes to the sleeper and Orndroff tries to fight out. But eventually, the arm drops a third time in dramatic fashion, and Olympia is your winner. This was a terrific match and easily one of the best thus far in this Mid-South rewatch series. (***1/2, Recommended)

Ed Wiskowski vs. Brian Blair

Another fun pairing. Mid-South is on a roll right now. Blair almost gets a quick small package for the win, but that only angers the Polish Prince. He beats down on Blair until the latter fights back. If you were expecting a finish in this one, you’re not getting it as these two continue to battle before the bell rings for the time limit draw.

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BLAKE’S TAKE ON MID-SOUTH WRESTLING 2/6/82

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Thoughts: A must-see episode of Mid-South Wrestling. The running storyline with Akbar stealing The Samoans from Ladd was entertaining, and the Orndorff vs. Olympia match was fantastic. This is how to effectively book an hour of pro wrestling television.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WWF Superstars 2/19/94 review, Bret Hart and Owen Hart continue exchanging words, Lex Luger has a guarantee for Yokozuna, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: WWF Superstars
• Date: February 19, 1994

VIDEO: Owen Hart hypes his upcoming match with Marty Jannetty, then taunts Bret Hart ahead of their WrestleMania X match.

Owen Hart vs. Marty Jannetty

Vince reminds us Jannetty will team with Razor Ramon to go for the tag titles on Raw. Owen once again rips up his glasses in front of a bunch of kids. That scoundrel. It probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that these two work a solid match, with Jannetty on the attack early until Owen catches him with the Sharpshooter for the win.

VIDEO: Bret Hart weighs in on Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna. He’s fine with either being his opponent. Bret continues to push that Owen has brought their issues on himself, and he’s starting to be more open to them wrestling each other.

RINGSIDE: Johnny Polo joins Vince on commentary.

Kwang (w/Harvey Whippleman) vs. Scott Taylor

The future Scotty 2 Hotty in action here. He showcases a quick flurry of impressive offense, but Kwang starts spraying. You don’t want to mess with Kwang’s spray. Kwang squashes poor Taylor for the easy victory.

VIDEO: ICO PRO commercial with Luger. You’ve got to want it!

VIDEO: Stan Lane shares an interview with Shawn Michaels, who explains the rules and strategy of the first-ever Ladder Match at WrestleMania X. He taunts Razor and guarantees the win to become undisputed Intercontinental Champion.

Heidi Lee Morgan vs. (c) Alundra Blayze – WWF Women’s Title

Polo is pretty funny on commentary. Hey, at least we’re getting a title match, though my prediction is we won’t be getting a title change. Morgan takes it to Blayze, but Blayze hits the Northern Lights Suplex to retain the title.

VIDEO: WrestleMania X report with Todd Pettengill. He continues to push all the big matches on the show, including Randy Savage vs. Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. We get interviews from Crush and Savage. Pettengill also reveals Earthquake vs. Ludvig Borga, and Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon vs. Doink and Dink have been added to the card. We also get a promo from Sy Sperling, who is the president of Hair Club for Men. He wants to give Bastion Booger a makeover.

The Earthquake vs. Jim Massenger

Before the match, Vince announces that Burt Reynolds will be a special guest ring announcer at WrestleMania. Massenger is a big dude, so this is officially a HOSS FIGHT. Inset promo from Earthquake and he’s gonna destroy Borga. Before he does that, he squashes Massenger for the win.

VIDEO: Hype for Bret vs. Adam Bomb on next week’s Superstars.

RINGSIDE: Funeral Parlor with Paul Bearer. Yokozuna is the guest, and he’s joined by Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji. Cornette loses it on Bearer and wants to get the hell out of there. Bearer senses fear from them regarding WrestleMania, and Cornette tries to debunk that idea by calling Luger crooked. HERE COMES LUGER. Luger takes aim at Cornette, then notes his confidence in beating Yokozuna. Cornette mouths off again. and Luger guarantees victory. This was an effective segment from Luger and Cornette.

Mike Miraldo vs. Diesel (w/Shawn Michaels)

If only Miraldo had been one-third of the nWo instead of Diesel. In a fun moment, Diesel sees Nikolai Volkoff in the front row and nearly hauls off on him. Inset promo from Razor, who basically says Diesel won’t be able to help Shawn Michaels in their Ladder Match. Diesel destroys Miraldo for the quick victory.

VIDEO: Lane shares an interview with Owen. He’s not having any second thoughts about his match with Bret. Owen thinks Bret is scared because he knows he’s better than him. Great promo from Owen. He was so good.

VIDEO: Commercial for WWF Royal Rumble on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. I loved that game!

VIDEO: Whippleman hypes Bomb’s match with Bret on next week’s Superstars.

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BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF SUPERSTARS 2/19/94

Overall Rating: 7.0/10

Thoughts: As usual, an episode more on storylines than in-ring actrion, but I thought it was an effective one. The Luger/Yokozuna segment was a good sell for their match, as were the promos from Bret and Owen. And again, Polo was entertaining on commentary playing off of Vince.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

As you’ll notice from the Clash of the Champions V review, a whole lot has changed since Starrcade 1988 in December, with the biggest being Dusty Rhodes gone from WCW.

Would that change the direction of the company going forward?

Let’s jump right in with Blake’s Clash of the Champions V review.

• Date: February 15, 1989
• Location: Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland, OH

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Jim Ross and Magnum TA welcome us and hype the big title matches for the evening.

The Russian Assassins (w/Paul Jones) vs. The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)

Good to see my tag team of the year in ’88 starting off the new year with a match against a quality opponent. Yeah, not really. If you go straight from watching any NWA event the previous year to watching this one, the first thing you’ll notice is the presentation changes. Billionaire Ted wanted his product to look a wee bit better.

Express in control in the early going. That’s no surprise since they are a zillion times better than the Assassins. We get a cut-in interview with Paul E. Dangerously hyping the upcoming Chi-Town Rumble match. Cornette and Jones get ready to go at it on the outside but Lane pops Jones to stop that. Paul E joins commentary and he’s confident. Meanwhile Cornette pops one of the Assassins with the racket and then struts.

The Assassins take control and go into a long work over sequence on Lane. Really long. They finally miss the Russian missile and Lane makes the tag to Eaton. Double noggin knocker and double bulldog gives the Midnight Express control. Then they finish it off with the Rocket Launcher at 13:10. This wasn’t great.

• Rating: **

INTERVIEW: Bob Caudle is with Ricky Steamboat. As you probably know by now, Steamboat left the WWF after WrestleMania IV and now he’s here to challenge Ric Flair for the title at Chi-Town Rumble. Steamboat has little dragon in hand and says don’t do drugs. True. Don’t do them.

Steve Casey vs. Butch Reed

Well this should be a total squash. Minutes into the match and WE CUT TO THE CROWD WHERE TWO HUMAN BEINGS ARE MAKING OUT. Only in WCW. And then we see a kid wearing a Cleveland Cavaliers sweatshirt. Poor kid.

This match is dragging right along. There’s some jacked up dude in the crowd that is absolutely losing his shit over this match. Meanwhile, I’m just bored. Every time Jim Ross says Hacksaw Butch Reed, I’m just waiting for Hacksaw Jim Duggan to come out of the crowd and decapitate everyone with the 2×4.

We’re now over 10 minutes in this match and I have no idea what’s going on. This is in no way selling me on wanting to see Chi-Town Rumble. THEY ARE NOW IN THE 17TH MINUTE OF THIS THING. Are we about to get an hour broadway from BUTCH REED AND STEVE CASEY? Thankfully we’re not as Reed hits the flying shoulder block for the win at 17:34. Absolutely horrendous. Even more horrendous that Casey was being hyped as undefeated prior to the match.

• Rating: DUD

IN THE RING: Flair is here and he’s got five dime pieces with him. He’s wearing a phenomenal coat as well. He calls out Steamboat and sure enough here comes the Dragon. They go back and forth until Flair tells Steamboat to go help his wife with the dishes. IT’S GO TIME. Full-on brawl now with Steamboat ripping Flair’s shirt and pants to shreds. Steamboat hits the flying cross body and pins Flair as the fans count. But then Flair’s manager Hiro Matsuda attacks Steamboat. Finally, Steamboat regains the upper hand and starts kicking Flair’s ass into the crowd.

The Blackmailer (w/Hiro Matsuda) vs. Lex Luger

If the Blackmailer looks a lot like a Russian Assassin, it’s probably because it is. Jack Victory worked his second match of the night here. So now he’ll get squashed by Luger.

Except for that he’s not getting squashed by Luger. In fact, this Blackmailer fella is hanging with him. WHERE’S MY SQUASH? More back and forth with Luger even tossing himself on the outside. Then Blackmailer knees Luger on the apron and sends him into the rail.

This goes on for way too long until Luger uses Barry Windham’s superplex off the top for the win at 12:53. If it took Luger over 12 minutes to beat a random dude named Blackmailer, it may take him three hours to beat Windham at Chi-Town Rumble.

• Rating: *

The Fantastics vs. (c) The Varsity Club (w/Kevin Sullivan) – US Tag Team Titles

Steve Williams and Kevin Sullivan won the titles from the Fantastics at Starrcade ’88, but we’re getting the team of Williams and Mike Rotundo here. Rotundo starts off with several technical moves on Rogers. Clevelanders chanting “Syracuse sucks” while Syracusers are probably somewhere chanting “Cleveland sucks”.

Cut-in to Rick Steiner hyping the TV Title match with Rotundo at Chi-Town Rumble. Rotundo still working over both Fantastics members with Williams offering a little help occasionally. Fulton finds some offense and does some work on Rotundo in the corner until Williams comes over and cheap shots Fulton to the outside.

Fulton keeps getting destroyed and then makes the hot tag to Rogers. He takes down Williams but then gets slung outside by Rotundo. This allows the bad guys to go for the double team on Fulton. That doesn’t work. BUT TEDDY LONG IS NOT OUT THERE TO LET THIS MATCH HAVE A CLEAN FINISH. So he occupies himself with Rogers, which allows Rotundo to hit a stomp on Rogers and Williams covers him for the victory at 13:25. This was just kinda there and was nothing special at all.

• Rating: **

Bob Bradley vs. Ricky Steamboat

PLEASE LET THIS JOBBER GET SQUASHED. Never mind. Not happening. This fucking Bradley guy is actually getting in offense on the top challenger for the World Heavyweight title. Stop this madness.

Thankfully it does after Steamboat hits the judo chop off the top rope and then lands the flying cross body for the pin at 6:23.

• Rating: *

Rip Morgan vs. Rick Steiner 

Damn this has been a brutal card. Rotundo cuts in early with a promo and says he’s gonna win back his title. Steiner makes Morgan look silly early. Then he makes himself look silly by bashing his own head into the turnbuckle.

This goes on for several minutes and then Steiner hits the belly to belly to win it at 4:40. This show has been a mess.

• Rating: 1/2*

BACKSTAGE: Michael Hayes, Sting, and Junkyard Dog walk into a bar…..just kidding. They actually just stand and talk. Then they walk downstairs to their dressing room, and Kevin Sullivan strolls in and locks them in there. Well, there goes the main event.

The Varsity Club vs. (c) Road Warriors and Genichiro Tenryu – World Six-Man Tag Titles

So obviously the story is that Hayes/Sting/Dog are locked in and can’t make it out for the match. So for no apparent reason at all, the Varsity Club hit the ring and start brawling. We get a live camera on them still locked in and trying to get out. What a great use of Sting this was. He goes from being made to look like a star thanks to Flair to being made to look like a complete buffoon.

The backstage cam continues with the BOLT CUTTERS now making an appearance. Sure enough that works and here comes the original participants. Sting/Hayes/Dog run in and we get the immediate DQ at 5:53. At least the crowd was hot for this brouhaha.

• Rating: 1/2*

SHOW SUMMARY

My goodness was this show dreadful. It wasn’t a great start to 1989 for the NWA, and it certainly didn’t do much to get anyone excited about Chi-Town Rumble. The Flair/Steamboat brawl was the best thing on the show, and as we all know by now, that would prove to be the case with those two over the next several months.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WWF Raw 1/13/97 review, it’s the go-home show for the 1997 Royal Rumble, as the tension builds towards Sid vs. Shawn Michaels and the Rumble match.

Let’s jump in!

• Show: Monday Night Raw
• Date: January 13, 1997
• Location: Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY
• Raw Rating: 2.3
• Nitro Rating: 3.4

VIDEO: Vince McMahon narrates the highlight package, with footage of Sid going after Pete Lothario, Stone Cold Steve Austin trying to destroy Bret Hart’s leg, and much more.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Jerry Lawler vs. Marc Mero (w/Sable) and Goldust (w/Marlena)

Honky Tonk Man is back on guest commentary. What’s more noteworthy is Sable is out with Mero. And of course, Marlena is out with Goldust, who will face off with HHH at the Royal Rumble. Vince hypes upcoming matches with The Undertaker vs. Crush, and Rocky Maivia vs. The British Bulldog. Lawler stalls in the early going, and they work to Goldust not being able to contain himself from going at HHH. Eventually, he gets in and delivers a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER to HHH and Lawler. The heels go back to the underhanded tactics on Miro, but Goldust returns as Lawler wants the tag from HHH. He wants no part of that. More back of forth which features Lawler hitting Mero with a foreign object to give HHH the advantage. However, Mero makes the hot tag to Goldust, who goes off on HHH. That leads to a spot with HHH tied in the ropes, and Goldust chokes him until the referee calls for the bell. Goldust then hauls off on Lawler and Mero. *1/2

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels is in San Antonio, then we get a promo from earlier in the day with Sid in the Alamodome. He talks about German philosophy and how he’s gonna kick Michaels’ ass. Sid points where Michaels’ mom, Jose Lothario, and Michaels’ friends will be at in the crowd. He says they’ll all see him get his ass beat. Sid was at his best during this run.

INTERVIEW: Vince recaps Sid destroying Pete Lothario, then throws it to Michaels at an autograph signing in San Antonio. There’s one woman behind Michaels who can’t take her hands off of him. She’s rubbing him and everything. I mean, he is a sexy boy. Michaels says he’s gonna kick Sid’s teeth down his throat. Vince asks what if Michaels lets his fans down, and he says he delivers better than the US POSTAL SERVICE. That’s when you know he delivers, folks.

RINGSIDE: Bret Hart limps his way down to join Vince and Honky on commentary.

The British Bulldog (w/Clarence Mason) vs. Rocky Maivia

Bret’s exact words: “I think Rocky Maivia has shown more promise than any other wrestler I’ve seen come into the World Wrestling Federation.” He wasn’t wrong. Vince recaps the rift between Mero and Sable on Shotgun Saturday Night, which led to Rocky helping Sable, only to get pushed by Mero. Bret’s not happy with Austin trying to end his career, which makes sense. Honky isn’t having Bret’s greatness talk about Rocky and is only concerned with his own goals. Nice back and forth between Rocky and Bulldog, and the latter regroups on the outside with Mason. The action continues, and here comes Owen Hart, who puts his Slammy on the announce table and stands in front of Bret to make sure he doesn’t interfere. Vince pushes the bad blood between the two, while Bulldog continues to dominate the match. Bret sounds like he wants to punch Vince for stirring the shit, and he’ll get his opportunity at Survivor Series. Rocky fires up and both men spill outside after a clothesline. Austin is here! He attacks Bulldog as Bret and Owen give chase, with Bulldog getting counted out to give Rocky the victory. **

BACKSTAGE: The Nation of Domination is backstage, and once again, Vince pushes that they’re gonna self-destruct in the Rumble match. Vince has no fucks to give when it comes to hyping dissension for the Rumble. It’s hilarious. Farooq talks about unity, then Crush says he’s gonna dominate Taker.

The Undertaker vs. Crush

The PG-13 version of the Nation was interesting. Taker wastes no time going after Crush in the aisle and proceeds to throw him into the steel steps. Taker and Vader will square off at the Rumble, and Honky is intrigued. Vince hypes the winner of the Rumble will face the loser of Sid/Michaels on next week’s Raw. Taker and Crush battle it out with a variety of power moves, including Crush hitting Taker with a pile driver. Crush proceeds to destroy Taker on the outside, and now Vader is looking on from the aisle. Another long stretch of Crush working over Taker, but Taker mounts his comeback until Crush reverses the Tombstone with a belly-to-belly suplex. But Taker chokeslams Crush, and the Nation and Vader hit the ring and beat down Taker. Vader hits a pair of Vader Bombs for good measure. Ahmed Johnson hits the ring with a 2×4 and gets a beatdown as well. *1/2

Blake’s Take on WWF Monday Night Raw 1/13/97

• Best Match: The British Bulldog vs. Rocky Maivia (I guess?)
• Show MVP: Sid
• Overall Rating: 4.5/10
• Thoughts: Outside of the Sid promo and the entertainment value of watching a young Rocky Maivia, this wasn’t exactly a must-see go-home show for the Rumble. The three matches were long because they had to be long, not because they should be long. That made this particular episode a bit of a slog to get through.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

It’s crazy how well the WWF built up primetime specials during this era, and The Main Event III review proves just that.

But there was a significant replacement to the main event, and many wondered if it would make a huge difference.

Let’s jump in.

Date: February 23, 1990

Location: Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI

VIDEO: Randy Savage hypes the big match before we cut to Buster Douglas getting instructions on how to referee the match. Then Hogan is in another dressing room saying he’s gonna beat Savage.

ON THE STAGE: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura hype the matches and talk about how Mike Tyson pulled out as special referee for the main event since he was knocked out by Douglas.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund with Savage and Sherri. He warns Douglas to call it down the middle. Sherri says Hogan vs. Warrior won’t happen because Savage will be champ.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene now with Hogan after Savage’s entrance. He also warns Douglas.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Douglas after Hogan’s entrance. Gene talks about him knocking out Tyson and gives an inspirational speech about overcoming odds. Douglas basically calls Tyson a coward and says he’ll call it down the middle before he fakes a punch at Gene.

‘Macho King’ Randy Savage (w/Sherri) vs. (c) Hulk Hogan – WWF Title with special referee Buster Douglas

Savage with a little stalling early as he goes to the outside. Hogan attempts to go after him but Douglas tells Hogan to keep it in the ring. Savage back in and he leaps over the top while racking Hogan’s head on the ropes. Savage hits the knee to the back to send Hogan to the floor, and then Savage tries to go up top but Douglas steps in front of Hogan. Savage doesn’t like that at all and Hogan sneaks back in and gets occupied with Sherri on the apron. That leads to Savage running towards Hogan, but he moves out of the way as Savage nails Sherri.

Right hands from Hogan and then a big clothesline. Elbow in the corner from Hogan and then he gets eight out of the usual 10 punches. Another elbow from Hogan and then a bodyslam. More elbows from Hogan and he starts punching Savage while Jesse loses his mind about closed fists. Hogan runs off the ropes but Sherri grabs his ankle, and the champ isn’t thrilled about that as he grabs Sherri by the hair. But that allows Savage to fly in and hit Hogan from behind. Savage then stays on offense and hits a clothesline for a two count.

Knee drop from Savage before he starts choking Hogan. The action goes to the corner where Savage uses the boot to choke Hogan. The referee gets occupied with Savage, and Sherri decides she’ll get a nice choke in on Hogan as well. Douglas comes over to break it up, and then he tells Sherri to hit the road and throws her out of the match. He chases her up the aisle to make sure she heads to the back. Savage locks in the sleeper hold while all of this is going on until Hogan elbows his way out of it.

Savage gets cocky and stands and poses with his foot on Hogan for a two count. Savage then jumps onto Hogan on the outside before hitting a double axe handle off the op inside the ring for another near fall. Another pin attempt gets a two and Hogan is back on the floor. Savage goes up to jump on him but Douglas stops it again. Savage takes things back inside where he hits the bodyslam and then hits the elbow off the top for a near fall. Hulk up time and Hogan nails Savage so hard that he knocks the referee over. Hogan drops the leg and Douglas slides in to count the pin at 11:14. Savage gets up immediately and starts pointing at Douglas. Savage gets in his face and slaps him, which leads to Hogan pushing Savage into Douglas for the big right hook. Fine match here.

• Rating: **3/4

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and Jimmy Hart. Jesse congratulates Dino on already winning the Intercontinental title before the match even begins. Bravo says he’s gonna win, and Hart says Earthquake is the insurance policy.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with The Ultimate Warrior. He asks Warrior if he has earthquake insurance. Warrior talks about insurance and brain waves, and man is he jacked.

Dino Bravo (w/Earthquake and Jimmy Hart) vs. (c) The Ultimate Warrior – Intercontinental Title

Warrior hits the ring and bodyslams Bravo right away. Warrior then flies off the top and nails Bravo again. Then Warrior goes for another top rope move but Earthquake grabs his foot. More shenanigans from Earthquake sends Warrior down, but Warrior decides to go under the ring. We see Hart then get pulled under there before he comes out pantless thanks to Warrior. Bravo eventually stops the attack as Hart goes running into the back. Earthquake also gets a few shots in for good measure.

The action goes back in the ring where Bravo locks in the bearhug. Warrior reverses into his own bearhug, but Bravo quickly reverses and hits a side slam for a two count. That doesn’t do much as Warrior goes back on offense and hits the shoulder block and splash for the victory at 4:11. Earthquake jumps in and they double team Warrior until Hogan comes in to make the save. He knocks Earthquake off the top rope and Warrior doesn’t seem too happy about it. Jesse points out that Hogan is just here to steal the thunder, and referees try to break them up but they keep pushing them out of the way. Another match that was there to push the WrestleMania main event.

• Rating: *

BACKSTAGE: Vince with Hogan. We get a replay of the stuff with Warrior, and Hogan says he’s gonna watch Warrior’s back because he wants him at his best for WrestleMania.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Warrior. He warns HO KOGAN and hypes the WrestleMania showdown.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Douglas after commercial. Douglas says he and Hogan are going out drinking. Well then.

SHOW SUMMARY

Fun little show that was focused entirely around hyping the Hogan/Warrior match. Douglas did a fine job in his role and really embraced it.

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In this WrestleMania II review, Vince McMahon tries something new with a three-city extravaganza, Hulk Hogan defends the WWF title against King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage Match, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: WWF WrestleMania II
• Date: April 7, 1986
• Location: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, and Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA

IN THE RING: Vince McMahon welcomes Susan Saint James, then Ray Charles does America The Beautiful as only Ray Charles can.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund throws it to New York, where Roddy Piper is gearing up for his fight with Mr. T.

Don Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Paul Orndorff

We hear audio interviews from each man after the match starts, which is a weird touch. For those keeping score at home (and there will be a lot of score to keep), Vince and Saint James are the commentary team for this one. Saint James is….not exactly tapped into the WWF scene in 1986. At one point, she says Orndorff is using “ancient Chinese techniques.” Sounds like Orndorff!

A competitive sprint here, but it all leads to a double countout, or at least we assume it’s a double countout since it’s never actually announced and Vince is PISSED at all the confusion. Not exactly the type of start you’d want in order to get people invested in WrestleMania, and the crowd hated the finish. (*)

BACKSTAGE: Mr. T sends a message to Piper. He has Joe Frazier and Haiti Kid with him, so that’s quite a trio. During the promo, we hear Fink in the background announcing the official result from the previous match. What a mess.

George ‘The Animal’ Steele vs. (c) Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – Intercontinental Title

So, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this match, but what I always remember about it is the Memphis-esque stalling from Savage until Steele starts biting his leg. That gets a big pop from Saint James. The crowd is into Savage’s antics, and they love Steele’s biting. So they have that going for them. Somehow flowers get brought into the equation as Saint James discusses Steele’s respect for women. If only he respected the turnbuckle pads, which he starts eating before feeding some to Savage.

However, Steele gets distracted by Elizabeth, and Savage hits the elbow drop, but Steele kicks out at one. Steele tries to take advantage, but it’s the ultimate heel Savage who uses the ropes for leverage to pin Steele to retain the title. Saint James seems like a nice woman. Her commentary isn’t nice though. (*1/2)

ON THE RAMP: Gene is in one of the cities with Big John Studd and a football player. They are hyped up for the battle royal and start bickering at each other.

RINGSIDE: Vince and Saint James talk about snakes, and Vince is doing his best with this.

George Wells vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

I think we all know what the payoff is for this match. Something that really stands out is just how great Jake’s mannerisms were inside the ring. He works the crowd like a true heel, as Wells controls the majority of the action. But it’s Jake who turns the tide and hits the DDT for the victory. Here comes the snake! Jake wraps it around Wells, and now Wells is foaming at the mouth. Saint James has had enough. (*)

VIDEO: Recap of the events leading to Piper vs. Mr. T.

BACKSTAGE: Off to Los Angeles, where Jesse Ventura is with Hulk Hogan. These two play well off of each other as Jesse tries to push Hogan’s buttons.

IN THE RING: I think we’re back in New York, but I have no idea. Fink introduces Joan Rivers, and she introduces the special judges which include Darryl Dawkins, Cab Calloway, G. Gordon Liddy, and Herb.

Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T – Boxing Match

Another attraction match, which has been a Vince staple throughout WrestleMania history. As you would expect, Piper doesn’t play by the rules and gets in a few cheap shots during the rope break. Saint James is not impressed. They try to do a brawl at the end of round one, but the crowd isn’t invested at all in this. It’s just hard to do a worked boxing match that anyone will care about, and these folks do not care.

Piper eventually knocks down Mr. T in round two, and the crowd starts chanting “Roddy.” Doesn’t seem ideal since he’s the heel. Piper controls things for two rounds, only for Mr. T to take control in round three. Piper throws a chair at Mr. T to start round four, and they exchange haymakers. Piper shoves the referee and bodyslams Mr. T, so it’s a DQ in favor of Mr. T. Love both guys, but as a boxing match, this has to be one of the worst “matches” in WrestleMania history. (DUD)

RINGSIDE: Vince sends it to Chicago, where Mean Gene and Gorilla Monsoon are leading the action.

Velvet McIntyre vs. (c) The Fabulous Moolah – WWF Women’s Title

Cathy Lee Crosby is on commentary with Gorilla and Gene, and boy is it a far cry from Gorilla and Jesse.  They do a few moves, and just like that, Moolah simply lays on McIntyre and covers her for the quick win. This show is an absolute mess. (NR)

Nikolai Volkoff (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Corporal Kirchner

Spoiler alert: The fans still hate Volkoff singing. You would think Kirchner is Hogan given the pop, so the USA pride is still alive and well in Chicago. Kirchner is bleeding, and for some reason, he accidentally takes out the ref. Blassie throws the cane in and Kirchner intercepts it, allowing him to hit Volkoff for the pin and the win. Another short match, but at least the crowd popped huge for the American triumph. (NR)

Jimbo Covert vs. Pedro Morales vs. Tony Atlas vs. Ted Arcidi vs. Harvey Martin vs. Dan Spivey vs. Hillbilly Jim vs. King Tonga vs. The Iron Sheik vs. Ernie Holmes vs. Brian Blair vs. Jim Brunzell vs. Big John Studd vs. Bill Fralic vs. Bret Hart vs. Jim Neidhart vs. Russ Francis vs. Bruno Sammartino vs. William “Refrigerator” Perry vs. Andre the Giant – 20-Man Battle Royal

I think we can safely say this is more meat in this match than any match in wrestling history. MEAT EVERYWHERE. The most jacked of all is Arcidi though. He’s on another level. Watching Gene get bounced around like he’s on a trampoline during the entrances is hilarious. Ernie Ladd is on commentary, and this is a good time to remind you how much I love Ladd (read my Mid-South Wrestling reviews for proof of that).

This is quite an assortment of wrestling talent, especially when you consider Andre, Bruno, Sheik, Studd, Bret, Neidhart, and others are involved. Ladd is just fantastic, as his enthusiasm is incredible for Perry throwing out Atlas and then going after Studd. It takes three men to throw out Arcidi, who’s off to do some lat raises. Bruno and Bret going at it is a sight to behold. Bruno throws out Sheiky baby, then Bruno gets tossed by Studd.

Perry is clearly the crowd favorite as a Chicago Bears star, and they lose it when he gets thrown out by Studd. Fridge was a highlight of the match though. He gets some payback by pulling Studd over the top to eliminate him, so we’re down to the final four of Andre, Bret, Neidhart, and Francis. Poor Francis. He’s tossed, and Bret and Neidhart work on Andre. But like all WWF battle royals in this era, the 2-on-1 never works, and Andre boots them both to win it.

Honestly, I enjoyed this for what it was. The fans were into it, and fun was had by all. (**)

RINGSIDE: Back to New York, where Piper is with Vince and Saint James. He rants about his match.

RINGSIDE: And we’re back to Chicago, and Covert tells Gene he got cheated. Sheik also comes out for a quick taunting session.

The British Bulldogs (w/Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne) vs. (c) Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (w/Johnny Valiant) – WWF Tag Team Titles

The Bulldogs have Ozzy in their corner, so I like their chances. On paper, this is the best match of the WrestleMania II lineup thus far. Good teamwork early on from the Bulldogs, which Gene points out right after I typed it. Gene was the best. Both teams are at the top of their game here, and they get the crowd biting on a few near falls. And then Valentine drops Dynamite with a face-first piledriver.

Chaos breaks loose, but Valentine escapes to avoid the double team move from the Bulldogs. Davey Boy hits the running powerslam (which would later become his finisher), and Valentine kicks out at two. The heels take control, and Valentine makes the mistake of stopping the count at two after he has Davey Boy beaten. And the Bulldogs quickly take advantage as Davey Boy forces the headbutt from Valentine to Dynamite and then proceeds to roll up Valentine to win the titles. A very good tag team match on a show that desperately needed it. (***1/2, Recommended)

IN THE RING: Gene with the Bulldogs, and Davey Boy reveals they’re staying in America since they won the titles. Another win for America!

RINGSIDE: Vince and Saint James throw it to Los Angeles, and what a host trio of Jesse Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Elvira. Only at WrestleMania.

Hercules Hernandez vs. Ricky Steamboat

I was a big Hercules fan despite him never really being more than a midcarder. Elvira calls Steamboat a wimp, so Steamboat proceeds to pull out some awesome reversals to gain the advantage. Hercules uses his power to take over, then works on Steamboat for a bit. A pretty nice showing from Hercules in this one.

But we all knew who the featured star is in this match, and they really play up Steamboat continually getting knocked down and finding a way to keep going. Hercules makes the mistake of coming off the top, and Steamboat uses the knees to counter. Then it’s a flying cross body from Steamboat for the victory. This was fine as both men brought it. (**)

Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Uncle Elmer

Probably not the most appealing match, but I enjoyed Adonis’ work. Adonis sells everything like a pro, and you’ve gotta appreciate him bumping around all over the place for Elmer. It’s all Elmer for most of the match until Adonis reverses the momentum and comes off the top for the win. (*)

BACKSTAGE: Alfred with Hulk Hogan. He addresses rumors he’s hurt and reminds everyone that Hulkamania is running wild.

The Funk Brothers (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Tito Santana and The Junkyard Dog

A nice combo here, and JYD was wildly over at this point. Terry Funk does more selling than a Fortune 500 company in the early going. He’s a national treasure. We get a criss cross because every match in this era seemingly needed a criss cross, and the Funks are in control. Elvira brings up  one of the wrestlers potentially losing their trunks, so she’s enjoying herself.

They work to the hot tag to JYD, and again, the man was OVER with this LA crowd. Terry tries to choke him with a rope, but JYD gives him an insane backdrop over the top. Terry Funk was so, so good at making everything look awesome. JYD takes a shot at Hart for good measure, and the action breaks down. The referee gets occupied with Tito, and that allows Terry the opportunity to clock JYD with the megaphone to steal the victory. Another enjoyable tag match. (***, Recommended)

VIDEO: We recap the events leading to the Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy main event. Gene talks to a doctor, who suggests Hogan not wrestle due to his back injury. Hogan says he’s not calling in and sells the back issue while doing deadlifts. Then the Hulkster calls for the HEAVY CHINS. That’s a chin-up with 100 pounds attached to his neck. This is an 80s WWF vignette if I’ve ever seen one. Incredible.

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Bundy and Bobby Heenan. They hype up the beginning of Bundymania.

RINGSIDE: We’re back to New York, where Vince and Saint James discuss the match. For once, Saint James and I agree on something, as she doesn’t like the sound of Bundymania.

King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. (c) Hulk Hogan – Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title

Tommy Lasorda is the guest ring announcer, and he introduces Ricky Schroder and Robert Conrad. Lasorda was awesome. What was also awesome is the big blue cage. Easily the best cage in WWF history. Elvira says she hasn’t seen this much exposed flesh since she was in Las Vegas, so that’s another trivia note for you.

Hogan comes out with some added aggression to play up being pissed off at the attack from Bundy and company. But Bundy uses his brute strength to take over, and that’s when he starts going at the back and ribs. Bundy chokes out Hogan with the wrap around his back, then Hogan thwarts Bundy’s escape attempt. And now Bundy is busted open after Hogan throws him face-first into the cage.

Elvira is begging for the match to be stopped, so they’ve at least sold her on the brutality of the cage stipulation. Hogan goes for the bodyslam on Bundy, but the ribs give way and Bundy squashes him. And in typical babyface fashion, Hogan prevents the escape by choking Bundy with the athletic wrap.

From there, Bundy regroups and splashes Hogan before trying the escape again. Hogan saves, Bundy does the avalanche, and it’s hulk up time as the bodyslam and legdrop gets the job done to allow Hogan to climb out of the cage. After the match, Hogan destroys Heenan to get some payback. I know some people hate this match, but they kept it simple and it felt like a WrestleMania main event given Hogan’s stardom and Bundy’s monster heel tendencies. By no means a classic but it was short and sweet. (**1/2)

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BLAKE’S TAKE ON WRESTLEMANIA II

Recommended Matches: The British Bulldogs vs. Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (***1/2), The Funk Brothers vs. Tito Santana and The Junkyard Dog (***)

Overall Rating: 4.0/10

Thoughts: This show was an absolute chore up until the Chicago main event for the tag titles. New York fans got a terrible draw, while the LA portion was the best of the bunch due to the Funks vs. Tito/JYD and the main event. The guest commentary was understandable from a marketing standpoint, and Elvira was easily the most entertaining of the trio. That’s not to say it was good, though. This is undoubtedly one of the worst WrestleManias ever, but there’s fine nostalgia here for those interested in that. Just don’t expect a quality wrestling card that matches what WrestleMania would eventually become.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this Mid-South Wrestling 1/30/82 review, Paul Orndorff wants to be a referee, Mr. Olympia defends the Mississippi Heavyweight title against Ed Wiskowski, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: Mid-South Wrestling
• Date: January 30, 1982

RINGSIDE: Boyd Pierce and Cowboy Bill Watts are back. Watts makes fun of Boyd’s bright gold suit. It sure is gold.

Tom Renesto vs. Dick Murdoch 

Murdoch only recently made his way to Mid-South, and he’s coming off of the tag team win with Ted DiBiase on last week’s episode (REVIEW). They take the action to the ground as Murdoch pops him in the face. It’s all Murdoch from there, and he hits the brainbuster for the easy win. (SQUASH)

RINGSIDE: Watts recaps Skandor Akbar’s passionate speech on The Iron Sheik being recalled to Iran. Then it’s Reeser Bowden with Akbar, who runs down all the babyfaces and blames them for Sheik’s exit. Akbar hypes the conspiracy and he’s not happy.

The Samoans (w/Ernie Ladd) vs. Frank Monte and Terry Daniels

Regular readers know I’m a Monte fan based on what I’ve seen of his work in Mid-South. Afa and Sika just start beating the shit out of these guys and they use teamwork to score the quick victory. A Samoan squash, folks. (SQUASH)

Carlos Zapata vs. Brian Blair

For those that only know Blair’s work from the WWF, his Mid-South stuff is a good refresher on his technical prowess in the ring. Our friend Carlos did get a variety of offense in, so congrats to him on that. Watts plays up Blair being foolish in the early going, and he makes his comeback and goes to the guillotine pin for the win. (*)

Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton Jr. vs. The Junkyard Dog and Mike George

We’ve got a BROUHAHA on our hands before the bell even rings. It’s the jump start like this that seems like a small thing, but it makes a big difference in terms of believability. There’s a history between these four, and they don’t like each other. Why would they abide by the rules rather than going at it as soon as they’re all in the ring? Good stuff.

As always, the crowd loves them some JYD. A competitive match as expected, with George firing away on the heels. JYD gets the hot tag and it’s DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER time for Orndorff and Orton. However, they regroup and throw George and JYD into each other and double team both men.

They take out George, but Orton accidentally hits Orndorff with an elbow off the top. That allows JYD to reverse momentum and score the pin for the victory. (**)

Ed Wiskowski vs. Mr. Olympia – Mississippi Heavyweight Title

Olympia won the title from Orton on the previous episode, and now, the Polish Prince gets his opportunity. Wiskowski just clubs Olympia for a bit, and Olympia goes for a desperation pin attempt for two. A nice exchange with Wiskowski using his power, only to Olympia counter it into another near fall.

Wiskowski locks in the Boston Crab, but Olympia uses his leg strength to get out of it. Olympia goes to the sleeper and the Polish Prince is done for. After the match, Olympia knocks him in the neck for seemingly no reason at all. (*1/2)

RINGSIDE: Watts throws it to highlights of the recent DiBiase vs. Orndroff match, which had some shenanigans with Bob Roop that led to Orndorff regaining the North American title….until the referee reverses the finish and gives the belt back to DiBiase.

IN THE RING: Orndorff comes out before a scheduled match between Roop and DiBiase and pleads his case against the biased referees in Mid-South. He reveals he’s been licensed to be the referee for this match. Hilarious. Old school heel tactics are the best. Referee Alfred Neely leaves to confirm this claim, and DiBiase isn’t buying it.  DiBiase goes to leave, and Orndorff and Roop attack him. Here comes Murdoch in to make the save, and they eventually fight off the heels.

Bill Ash vs. Rick Ferrara

Watts lets us know Orndroff’s whole deal was a sham, to absolutely no one’s surprise. Ash and Ferrara work each other over, and Watts also announces a tag title match for next week with JYD and George against The Samoans. The bell rings and it’s a draw for Ash and Ferrara as the show goes off the air.

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BLAKE’S TAKE ON MID-SOUTH WRESTLING 1/30/82

Overall Rating: 6.0/10

Thoughts: The Orndorff stuff was classic heel work in wrestling, and that was probably the most notable thing on this episode. Orndorff and Orton vs. JYD and George was also fun.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

We’re inching closer and closer towards the biggest event of the year in Starrcade 1988, and big things are happening as we head into the Clash of the Champions IV review.

The biggest of which was Ted Turner buying Jim Crockett Promotions in mid-October. The company was spiraling downward and needed major help, so Billionaire Ted stepped in to save the day.

But before we get to Starrcade, we’ve got another installment of the legendary Clash of the Champions.

Let’s jump right into Blake’s Clash of the Champions IV review.

• Date: December 7, 1988
• Location: UTC Arena in Chattanooga, TN

Eddie Gilbert and Ron Simmons vs. The Fantastics – US Tag Team Title Tournament Finals

The last time around, you’ll remember that Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were your World Tag Team champions. Well, they bolted for the WWF after losing those titles to the Midnight Express, who held the US Tag Titles at the same time. Naturally they dropped the US titles for the World titles (which they’ve lost to the Road Warriors by this point), and thus here we are with a tournament final to determine the new champs. DAMN.

Showcase of power early from Simmons. We also make sure to get the shot in of Jason Hervey from The Wonder Years in the crowd. The same Jason Hervey that judged the Ric Flair/Sting main event at Clash of the Champions I. Hot crowd for Gilbert’s offense since he’s a Tennessee native.

Simmons and Gilbert continue to work on Fulton for a bit until Fulton goes with the small package for a two count. Rogers up top but misses the elbow, which allows Simmons to hit the shoulder block. Gilbert works over Rogers until we get the hot tag to Fulton. We then go to the over the ring camera view, which is, um, unique.

Fantastics gain some momentum after Fulton dodges the shoulder block and makes the tag back to Rogers. More good back and forth as they are really treating this like a huge deal. Momentum goes from one side to the other, and there’s been several near falls on Simmons. The story continues that Simmons is simply too powerful and he shows it. Gilbert eventually back in to strut and kick ass as usual.

Simmons misses another shoulder block, but Fulton tries to come back with a body press only for Simmons to catch and slam him. Now Rogers is trying to work over Gilbert’s arm and sends him into the steel railing outside the ring. THESE FOUR DUDES ARE GOING TO WORK. Not sure why we are reminded of the time limit when it’s a tournament final and Jim Ross tells us there must be a winner. Dusty finish in a tournament final would be next-level stupidity.

The work continues on Gilbert’s injured arm. Announced as five minutes remaining in the time limit. Fans gotta be getting nervous. And Gilbert is struggling to get the tag to Simmons. Finally the hotshot on Fulton allows Gilbert to……stay in the match and not go make the tag. This of course costs Gilbert immediately as Fulton steals the pin with a rollup at 27:04 to win the titles.

Incredible psychology in this one. You had the Fantastics sort of playing the heel role at times (and getting a lot of boos afterwards), as Gilbert wouldn’t back down. Ultimately, Gilbert’s fight would cost he and Simmons the match since he refused to tag out. There’s some slow spots when the arm gets torn to pieces, but given the story of the match, it doesn’t hurt it too much. Just an excellent tag team match.

• Rating: ***3/4

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Tony Schiavone with Lex Luger as his special guest. Luger babbles.

Italian Stallion vs. Dr. Death Steve Williams (w/Kevin Sullivan)

Williams is your newest Varsity Club member after turning heel. Mike Rotundo on the mic with JR before the match, and he’s pretty good. Hot start for the Italian Stallion. And he stays hot and actually appears to pose a threat to Sullivan’s new man.

After a surprising amount of back and forth (and more offense than you’d ever expect from Italian Stallion), Sullivan gets involved while Teddy Long has his back turned. This is a squash match that has gone way too long even at five minutes. HOLY HELL THE RING ANNOUNCER SAYS 10 MINUTES HAVE EXPIRED. Surely this match is almost over. Surely.

Bob Caudle says this has been a quick paced match at the 11-minute mark, and I’m not sure what match Caudle has been watching but it clearly isn’t this one. Nothing but Williams using rest holds now. Slam the fucker and pin him for three. No way. We can’t have that. So, Williams decides to be goofy and go up top and miss a splash onto Stallion. Now we’ve got Stallion hulking up and making Williams look like a moron.

FINALLY we get the Oklahoma Slam for the pin at 15:17. This went 15 minutes. THIS. Horrendous booking on every level.

• Rating: 1/2*

ANNOUNCE POSITION: Magnum TA welcomes the Junkyard Dog back to the NWA. Gotta love JYD. Gotta love Magnum too. Magnum hypes his return and match with Ivan Koloff against the Russian Assassins at Starrcade.

Ivan Koloff vs. Paul Jones

It’s billed as a handicap match since Koloff will have one hand tied behind his back. I can’t see this being an all-time classic. Like the match before, this drags on way too long.

Jones finally uses a foreign object to try to gain some sort of control. Then Koloff gets his hands on it and hammers Jones with it for the pin at 8:21. Well that one was too long. Go figure.

After the match the Assassins come out to attack Koloff. FANS ARE THROWING TRASH IN THE RING. Surely people in Chattanooga were not this upset about Ivan Koloff of all people getting his ass kicked. JYD makes the save to set us up for Starrcade.

• Rating: DUD

Animal vs. Dusty Rhodes

Since both men were part of the six-man tag champions, the winner gets all three belts. That makes sense. This was all brought about after Dusty was betrayed by his best buds. Dusty also wearing the eye patch, which was a product of Animal jamming the spike into his eye. Of course, that led to Dusty’s firing after Starrcade. But we’ll get there.

Hot start for the Dream but he misses a big elbow and lets Animal find some steam. That doesn’t last as Dusty rolls outside and wraps Animal’s leg around the ring post. Dusty for some reason knocks Tommy Young out of the ring and that allows Ellering to make an appearance.

Animal goes after the eyeball and Dusty then goes after his eyeball. Here comes Hawk to join in on the melee.

More trash being thrown around now. But it stops when STING hits the ring. He throws down with Hawk while Dusty breaks a chair over Animal. All hell has broken loose. Meanwhile Dusty gets DQ’d during this mess at 2:45, which gives Animal the six-man titles.

This was good storyline advancement but certainly wasn’t much of anything match-wise.

• Rating: 1/2*

Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) vs. Ric Flair and Barry Windham (w/JJ Dillon)

Now this is a main event. Eaton absolutely slaps the taste out of Flair’s match in the early going and then styles and profiles a bit. People still throwing garbage. College kids I’m sure.

Eaton continues the whoopin and Lane comes in to get him some. Kick to Flair’s head as he makes the tag to Windham. Dropkick forces Windham to retreat. Windham tries to find offense up top but he misses and Lane’s dropkick show is back. Great psychology here from Flair and Windham as they seem flabbergasted by Eaton and Lane controlling the match.

We have Eaton back in and he’s bodyslamming everyone in sight. Double clothesline gets the crowd even more rowdy, leaving the Horsemen to regroup on the outside. Lane puts the Figure Four on Flair, and then Eaton follows suit with a Figure Four on Windham. Madness. JR continues to push the new attitudes of the Midnight Express and Cornette.

Flair looking like the world champ but Eaton once again gets the advantage. Then we get a cut-in of PAUL E. DANGEROUSLY namedropping Ted Turner and saying that no one wants he and the Original Midnight Express to invade the Clash. Magnificent work as usual.

The continued decimation of Flair and Windham is a sight to see. Eaton with a roll-up but Flair gets the shoulder up at two. Windham gives Eaton a nice shot that sends him over the top to the outside. Flair back in dropping knees. Crowd really rallying behind Lane and Eaton. Windham drops Eaton on the security rail and STAN LANE WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. But Flair and Windham with more great teamwork, and Windham hits a massive lariat to Eaton for a near fall.

Sleeper hold is here as Windham locks it in on Eaton. But Flair gets in and Eaton tries to fight back. Chops and punches aplenty by both men. Flair tags Windham and HOT HOT tag to Lane by Eaton. Lane starts taking names and then tags Eaton back in. Leg drop off the top from Eaton! Now we got Cornette and Dillon in a brouhaha on the outside. CHAOS.

However, Flair hits Eaton in the head with Dillon’s shoe and Windham crawls over to score the win at 17:41. That’s why he’s the dirtiest player in the game. I absolutely loved this match. You had four dudes that could really go at this point in time, and this was fantastic from start to finish. Just outstanding.

• Rating: ****1/4

ANNOUNCE POSITION: Cornette is pissed and he wants a rematch. This was damn good promo work, which should surprise no one.

Blake’s Clash of the Champions IV Awards

• Best Match: Midnight Express vs. Ric Flair and Barry Windham
• Clash of the Champions IV MVP: Ric Flair
• Overall Clash of the Champions IV Rating: 6.0/10
• Thoughts: Man did I love the main event. You also have a great opener with two hard-working teams going at it for nearly 30 minutes. Of course, there was a lot of trash in between those two matches. But the build towards Starrcade was fine, and again, a must-see main event helps this show tremendously.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WWF Superstars 2/12/94 review, Randy Savage squares off with Rick Martel, Owen Hart has some choice words for Bret Hart, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: WWF Superstars
• Date: February 12, 1994

RINGSIDE: Vince McMahon and Stan Lane hype the action.

Crush (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Jay Stryker

Is it gonna be Jay Striker against Randy Savage at WrestleMania X instead? Let’s see! Turns out, it won’t be, as Striker hits a flurry of offense early and then gets his ass beat by Crush. It’s Crush locking in the vice grip on Striker’s head for the win.

CONTROL ROOM: WWF Update with Gorilla Monsoon, brought to you by the WWF DENIM JACKET. I clearly missed out on those. Gorilla is fantastic here playing up the story behind Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X. He rails on Owen’s selfishness and highlights Bret’s title accomplishments, including winning the WWF title in Saskatoon. This is a great video package to promote Bret.

VIDEO: Owen responds to Bret’s accomplishments and ponders what it’ll mean for him when he beats Bret at WrestleMania.

Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Luna Vachon) vs. Brad Anderson

Vince hypes some big WrestleMania announcements coming up, then we get an inset promo from Bam Bam and Luna discussing their plans for Valentine’s Day. What’s not to love? Bam Bam squashes Anderson with the Bam Bam Sault for the victory.

RINGSIDE: After the match, Bam Bam shows Luna his finisher on the video screen, which he renames the Luna Sault. True love.

VIDEO: Jim Ross replays an interview with Bret. He opens up on the emotions of facing Owen at WrestleMania and having to balance that with facing either Lex Luger or Yokozuna after that.

VIDEO: Hype for Owen vs. Marty Jannetty on next week’s Superstars.

The Bushwhackers vs. Reno Riggins and Barry Horowitz

Something tells me the whole licking audience members gimmick would not work in the modern era. We saw the jobber team of Riggins and Horowitz get beaten on Monday Night Raw, and that happens again this one. Luke and Butch hit the Battering Ram for the win.

VIDEO: A vignette for Alundra Blayze, where she rides motorcycles and does squats. Vince has to love it.

Jason Voltaire vs. Ludvig Borga

I don’t like Voltaire’s chances in this match. Honestly, I don’t remember much from Borga’s run in the WWF. He met Vince’s desire for a big power dude, but other than that, that extra something wasn’t there. Borga showcases his strength and racks Voltaire for the victory.

VIDEO: Replay of Randy Savage attacking Crush on WWF Mania.

VIDEO: WrestleMania X report with Todd Pettengill. He announces a new match for the show, and it’s Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental title. We get promos from Shawn and Razor hyping the match. Then Pettengill announces Men on a Mission vs. The Quebecers for the Tag Team titles, and Alundra Blayze vs. Debbie Combs for the Women’s title.

VIDEO: Promotion for WWF RAGE IN THE CAGE on Sega. Loved all those games.

Rick Martel vs. Randy Savage

Vince is THRILLED at Little Richard being announced for WrestleMania X. This feels like a match straight out of 1988, but I’m all for it. Martel’s showmanship was awesome, and he really plays it up in this match. It’s all about Savage taking the fight to Martel, but Martel continuing to retreat.

Martel eventually gains the advantage and works over Savage, with some nice back and forth as Savage gets a near fall. Vince’s commentary is so over the top that it’s hilarious. Savage hits the flying elbow to earn the win. This was a fun match. (Recommended)

VIDEO: JR replays an interview with The Quebecers and Johnny Polo. They laugh about facing Mo and Mabel at WrestleMania.

VIDEO: Paul Bearer hypes the return of The Funeral Parlor next week, with Yokozuna as the special guest.

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BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF SUPERSTARS 2/12/94

Recommended Matches: Rick Martel vs. Randy Savage

Overall Rating: 6.0/10

Thoughts: A pretty enjoyable edition of Superstars. The Martel/Savage match was good stuff, and I love all the vignettes to get fans invested in storylines. As usual, the Bret and Owen storyline continues to be awesome.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WWF Raw 1/6/97 review, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart still don’t like each other, and Sid still doesn’t like Jose Lothario or his son.

Let’s jump in!

• Vader hypes up his match with Bret Hart, then it’s Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler hyping up the debut of Shotgun Saturday Night, which featured THE FLYING NUNS and a risqué Terri Runnels. What a show that was.

Owen Hart (w/Clarence Mason) vs. Mankind (w/Paul Bearer)

Vince is salivating over the possibility of Shawn Michaels appearing during the Bret/Vader match. He also teases dissension between Owen and the British Bulldog. Mankind in control in the early going, but then this breaks into a “toughman contest” (I assume this means no holds barred) with Owen hitting Mankind with the Slammy and title belt. Naturally, Lawler makes a Mexican joke about Jose Lothario, because that’s what Lawler does. Owen controls it for a bit, but Mankind hits him with a drink tray before we get a Full Metal: The Album commercial. Great CD! Mankind wins it with a piledriver in a short but sweet match. Blake’s Rating: **1/2

• Speaking of Michaels and Jose, they’re backstage with Jose’s son. They play up the beating Sid gave Jose, with the son being the ultimate babyface. Michaels then taunts Sid as Vinnie Mac is drooling.
• Honky Tonk Man joins commentary, and I completely forgot Honky was with the company at this point. Apparently he’s scouting a protege.

Fake Razor Ramon and Fake Diesel vs. Furnas and Lafon

My goodness was this Fake Razor and Diesel thing such a debacle. It’s also interesting to think how pivoting away from that type of ridiculousness would change the course of WWF history. Honky sounds like a doofus trying to convince folks that Fake Razor could be a great choice for him. My guess is the real one would be better, Honky. Vince hyping Fake Razor and Diesel as legit Royal Rumble competitors is hilarious. This match is way longer than it has any reason to be, as it’s mostly just Fake Razor and Diesel doing power moves and rest holds. Hot tag to Lafon gives his team the momentum, then a double team on Fake Razor allows Furnas and Lafon to notch the win. Yeah, this was long. Blake’s Rating: *1/2

• We get a replay of Hunter Hearst Helmsley going after Marlena before getting the upper hand on Goldust. Vince announces it’ll be HHH and Lawler against Marc Mero and Goldust. And then it’s another replay of Marlena showing her boobies on Shotgun Saturday Night.
• Bret is backstage and he taunts Michaels and Vader before he walks off as Sid’s music hits.
• Sid in the ring with Jim Ross. Man does Sid look like a superstar. Ross questions Sid, and this was when his music went on and off in the background. It’s interesting. He says he was born THE MAN, and Michaels can’t be THE MAN. What about Becky Lynch? Michaels and Lothario make their way out, and Vince creams himself watching Michaels dance on the announce table. Sid apologizes for what he’s gonna do to Michaels, then leaves.

Bret Hart vs. Vader

Shawn just runs down Bret on commentary. Vince hypes the attitude in the WWF, and we get footage of The Undertaker hitting the Tombstone on Jim Cornette on Superstars. Vince then says “of course, that was the best play-by-play guy in the business, Jim Ross, giving commentary” in the most smug way possible. Bret methodically works on Vader, but Vader goes the power route to gain the advantage. STONE COLD is backstage watching the match, as we get highlights of Ahmed Johnson hitting the Pearl River Plunge on a car on Shotgun Saturday Night. Bring that show back, man. Vader tries to finish off Bret, but Bret gains control with Steve Austin still watching. It’s also interesting to think about how much the crowd’s reactions would change throughout the year. These folks are sitting on their hands. Sid is back and he grabs the camera man to take him to the back, and Austin comes out to attack Bret. Vader brings Bret back in the ring and hits the splash for the win. Blake’s Rating: **1/2

• Backstage, Sid is kicking Pete Lothario’s ass. Sid hits the power bomb on poor Pete on a table. Michaels is backstage with Kwang, Aldo Montoya, and more checking on Pete.

Blake’s Take on WWF Raw 1/6/97

• Best Match: Owen Hart vs. Mankind (**1/2)
• Show MVP: Sid
• Overall Rating: 6.0/10
• Thoughts: Pretty storyline-driven edition of Raw, as was the norm for this era. But the Owen/Mankind and Bret/Vader pairings were enjoyable, and Sid was great in his role as the monster heel.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WWF No Way Out Of Texas review, DX needs a replacement partner in the main event, Kane squares off with Vader, and much more.

Let’s jump in!

Date: February 15, 1998

Location: Compaq Center in Houston, TX

VIDEO: We get a video package hyping the eight-man tag main event.

RINGSIDE: JR and Lawler welcome us and discuss DX having to replace Shawn Michaels in the main event tag match. JR also tells us that the match will be unsanctioned.

Marc Mero and Goldust (w/Sable and Luna Vachon) vs. The Headbangers

Goldust is sporting long black hair and is clearly going for the Marilyn Manson look. Marilyn Manson was OVER folks. Mero grabs the mic before the match and wants the people to stop cheering Sable. He then says there’s only room for one beautiful lady in the ring and tells Sable to get the hell out. The crowd hated this but Mero was great here. Sable heads to the back and the men in the audience have made Mero public enemy No. 1. Mero throws body shots to Mosh to get things started and then delivers a a few elbows. Mero goes for another elbow but Mosh counters and eventually clotheslines Mero over the top.

Mosh tags in Thrasher who hits a clothesline off the top rope. Mero pokes Thrasher in the eye and then tags in Goldust, who gets a drop toe hold from Thrasher. More offense from Thrasher and Mosh gets tagged in and hits the double axe handle off the top. More double teaming from Mosh and Thrasher. Mosh comes off the top and goes for a pin on Goldust but Mero breaks it up. Thrasher and Goldust fight on the outside while the ref is preoccupied with Mero.

Dropkick from Mosh on Goldust and Thrasher gets the tag.  He goes to work but Mero makes a bling tag and gains the advantage on Thrasher. Mero drops an elbow and gets a two count. More Sable chants and Mero isn’t happy. Thrasher goes for a running move off the ropes but Goldust hopes the rope down to send him to the outside. Luna then kicks the metal out of Thrasher before Goldust throws him on the ring steps (they’re back!). Mero goes out and throws Thrasher face-first on the steps and he’s BLEEDING PROFUSELY. That’s not ideal.

Goldust and Mero keep working on him as the crowd tells Mero that he sucks. Mero knocks down Thrasher again and tags Goldust who goes for a couple pin attempts in a row. Thrasher somehow gets a near fall on Goldust and Mero is back in. Mero tells the ref to check on Thrasher, and Mero unwraps his hand and uses the tape to choke Thrasher as the ref goes over to hold Mosh back from coming in the ring. Knee to the stomach from Mero and then he hits a powerbomb on Thrasher. I can confirm that it looked better than Nash’s powerbomb on Giant.

Mero goes for the TKO and Thrasher counters into the DDT. Mero gets to the corner and tags Goldust and then we get the hot tag to Mosh. Flapjack on Goldust for a two. The ref gets caught up with Mero as Thrasher goes up top, which allows Luna to pull Thrasher’s foot and rack him. HERE COMES SABLE. Mero hits the TKO on Mosh as Sable bounces her way down the aisle. Mero rolls out to hold back Sable while Goldust holds back Luna. Mosh and Thrasher switch in the ring while all this is going on, and Mero gets back in and gets rolled up by Thrasher for the pin at 13:27. Sable yells at Luna after and they try to go at each other but get held back by officials. Sable and Mero then yell at each other and she SHOVES HIS ASS TO THE MAT. As was the case in this era, the match wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but the angle was hot and so was Sable. ZING.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole with Owen Hart. Cole asks Owen how he’s gonna be able to team with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Owen says they better stay out of each other’s way. Then he tells HHH that he’s gonna bust his legs.

(c) Taka Michinoku vs. Pantera – WWF Light Heavyweight Title

Sunny is the special guest ring announcer since the WWF wanted to make sure the horny males stayed erect. I tried to come up with a penis joke but instead just kept it simple. Before the match, we get recap of Brian Christopher giving Pantera a foreign object on RAW which allowed him to pin Taka in a tag match. And then Sunny gives Taka kiss before the match. Brian Christopher figures he might as well come down to the ring too since Sunny is giving out kisses. Actually nevermind, he’s headed to join JR and Lawler. Taka with some early chops but Pantera slings him outside. Pantera then hits a plancha onto Taka as JR suggests that Lawler and Christopher could be father and son. Christopher’s exaggerated responses are pretty awesome.

Back in the ring and Taka and Pantera go back and forth. Taka throws Pantera outside and then jumps on the top rope for a spectacular springboard onto him. Taka runs down the aisle and hits a flying elbow. Taka goes to work in the ring and hits a nice dropkick to the face. Meanwhile, JR is running down Japanese people. There’s a shocker. Pantera tries to get some offense but Taka hits him. But Pantera reverses and hits a hurricanrana off the top onto Taka who is on the apron. That was a fucking spot right there. Tope from Pantera drives Taka into the railing. Christopher adds his own touch of racism by describing Taka’s eyes. My goodness.

Pantera hits a backbreaker on Taka and then locks in the modified camel clutch. Hiplock takeover by Pantera and then he kicks Taka in the spine. Pantera with several impressive submission moves as he keeps working on the back. Taka hits a few punches before Pantera back drops him over the top. Ridiculous tope con hilo from Pantera onto Taka on the floor. Pantera with the elbow drop on Taka’s back. Another submission inside that turns into a pin but Taka kicks out at two. And Pantera hits another backbreaker. Christopher has now added Mexican jokes to his repertoire. Lucky us.

Pantera with the Irish whip and add another backbreaker to his tally. But Taka slaps him silly and both men go up top before Pantera hits hurricanrana. Hard slam from Pantera and then he hits a moonsault for a near fall. Another moonsault attempt but Taka moves and then jumps off the top for a flying knee to back of the neck. Taka goes for the Michinoku Driver but Pantera reverses it into a pin for two. Cradle pin from Pantera for two again. Taka counters and hits a powebomb for two. Taka with a missile dropkick off the top and then he hits the Michinoku Driver to retain at 10:19. Sunny is happy as Christopher loses it and says he’s gonna kick Taka’s ass. Lawler goes to restrain him and Taka jumps off the top and hits both of them with the flying cross body. They get up to retaliate and Taka leaves through the crowd. Fun match here even if the crowd was zoned in on Sunny.

• Rating: ***

BACKSTAGE: Kevin Kelly with Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie in the WWF AOL ROOM. America Online was the real MVP of the Attitude Era. Kelly asks them who they think DX will pick to replace Michaels. Cactus basically says he doesn’t give a flying fuck and just wants to destroy the New Age Outlaws. Charlie echoes that before Kelly reminds us that the AOL keyword is WWF.

The Quebecers vs. The Godwinns

Both of these teams are heels, so this should go well. Before the match we get a recap of the Godwinns using their slop bucket on Pierre on Shotgun Saturday Night. Jacques Rougeau in the ring and Raymond Rougeau on the Canadian announce desk here and a reminder that they’re All-American boys. Jacques and Phineas tie up which leads to Jacques hitting a big dropkick. Phineas tags in Henry who shoulder blocks Jacques. Tag to Pierre and he goes on the attack. Henry gets the upper hand and locks on the armbar as JR keeps hyping up the mystery man in the main event. Surely it won’t be a letdown. Surely.

Drop toe hold from Pierre and he tags Jacques back in. Henry hits the double clothesline and Phineas comes back in and hits the Fujiwara armbar takedown. Another tag and Henry hits the shoulder breaker. Phineas tags in and he gets a spine buster on Jacques and gets a two. Tag No. 38 but Jacques kicks Henry in the head. Tag No. 39 brings Phineas back in and Henry gets some shots in on Jacques in the corner before Phineas gets a near fall.

Sunset flip from Jacques gets a two count. Yet another tag and Henry gets a two on Jacques. Headlock from Henry but Jacques counters into a reverse jawbreaker. Jacques goes for a piledriver but Henry back drops him and makes another tag. Phineas with a headbutt to Jacques’ scrotal region and then he stays on the attack with a flurry of punches. And then, much to everyone’s surprise, there’s another tag. If you watched this show in 1998 and took a drink every time the Godwinns made a tag, you probably stopped feeling hungover around Summerslam 2002.

Jacques hits a reverse flying elbow and then makes the tag to Pierre. Clothesline from Pierre and he drops the blow. Pierre hits a power slam and goes for the pin but Henry breaks it up. Double team from the Quebecers as they flip Phineas off the rope. Jacques hits the piledriver and tags Pierre, who leaps off the top and gets another two. Can we get Sunny back out here? Because the crowd is no longer erect and is instead sitting on their hands.

Jacques flies off the top onto Henry on the outside. The ref gets Jacques back to his corner and Phineas throws Pierre at Henry who hits a big clothesline. Phineas then gets the pin at 11:15.  The Godwinns attack with the slop buckets after the match. The crowd had zero fucks to give in this one.

• Rating: 1/2*

BACKSTAGE: Doc Hendrix with the New Age Outlaws. He wants them to reveal the mystery guy. Road Dogg doesn’t even know who their partner is and complains about not being involved in the decision making process. Billy says they’re gonna go find out who it is.

VIDEO: We get a WWF Attitude package of superstars basically saying this shit is real and it hurts.

(c) Jeff Jarrett (w/Jim Cornette, Barry Windham, and the Rock ’n’ Roll Express) vs. Bradshaw – NWA North American Title

The ref tells Windham and the Rock ’n’ Roll Express to hit the bricks before the match. Bradshaw with hard rights on Jarrett outside the ring and then he throws him in and beats the hell out of him with his leather chaps. Bradshaw with the boot to the face on Jarrett and then hip tosses him. Chops from Bradshaw and then he kicks Jarrett in the  back. Jarrett tries to get some offense but Bradshaw hits another big boot and clotheslines Jarrett over the top. Jarrett and Cornette hug on the outside but it’s DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER TIME.

Bradshaw grabs Cornette but Jarrett attacks from behind. Back in the ring as Jarrett gains the advantage with a dropkick and lariat. Jarrett hits the dropkick off the top and gets a two count. Jarrett chokes out Bradshaw on the ropes with his knee and then grabs the ref’s attention so Cornette can continue the choke. More shenanigans from Cornette allows Jarrett to get another two. The ‘Jarrett sucks’ chants begin and Bradshaw gets an inside cradle for a near fall. Jarrett tries a sunset flip but Bradshaw pops him in the mouth.

Jarrett puts Bradshaw’s head over the middle rope and goes for a flying knee but Bradshaw moves out of the way. The ref is distracted and Cornette uses the racket on Bradshaw’s injured knee. Jarrett works on the knee and then Bradshaw tries to get a lariat but misses. Jarrett goes up top but gets racked on the turnbuckle. Bradshaw tries for superplex but Jarrett throws him down to the mat. Jarrett with a flying cross body but Bradshaw catches him and turns it into a fallaway slam.

Bradshaw with a powerbomb which causes Cornette to get on the apron. Bradshaw flings him into the ring and then Irish whips him into Jarrett. The ref checks on Cornette and Jarrett wallops Bradshaw with the tennis racket to cause the DQ at 8:33. Jarrett goes to hit the ref with the racket but Bradshaw steals it and hits him in the back. Rock ’n’ Roll Express hit the ring and also get popped with the racket. Bradshaw bodyslams Cornette and goes for a running clothesline but Windham sneaks down and grabs his foot as the whole NWA group destroys Bradshaw. That brings the Legion of Doom in to clean house. As usual, the angle was hotter than the match.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Cole with HHH and Chyna. Cole wants to know about the mystery partner. HHH says that literally wrestlers all over the planet have called about being Michaels’ replacement. HHH says since no one can replace what Michaels can do, it’s gonna be a handicap match. Cole explains that WWF officials will appoint one to their team unless they find a partner. HHH doesn’t care and says they can add who they want.

BACKSTAGE: Doc with the Nation of Domination. Doc plays up the dissension in the group and says it’s best to add the leader what’s going on. Farooq goes to speak but The Rock grabs the mic. Farooq grabs it back and says he’s gonna whoop Rock’s ass. Farooq talks and Rock is just rolling his eyes and flexing the entire time. We see a video of Rock whacking Shamrock with a chair to save Farooq. Rock continues to roll his eyes and smirk as Farooq keeps talking. This was close to peak asshole Rock here, and it was glorious.

The Nation of Domination vs. Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, and The Disciples of Apocalypse – War of Attrition Match

I have no idea what a War of Attrition match is, but apparently it’s an elimination match. Skull and D’Lo start the match.  Spinning heel kick from D’Lo but Skull takes control and tags in Shamrock. D’Lo with a rake to the eyes but Shamrock ducks a clothesline and hits a spinning reverse elbow. Arm drag takeover from Shamrock before D’Lo tags in Kama. HERE COMES CHAINZ aka the man who should’ve been main eventing WrestleMania (read the Rumble review if you’re lost). Chainz with the big boot and then a bodyslam and a triple elbow drop. Henry gets the tag and he wants Ahmed. So Chainz tags Ahmed.

Dueling punches and the crowd is losing their shit over these two going at it. Henry gets in some offense and then Ahmed slams him. D’Lo back in and he attacks Ahmed from behind. Chainz tries to get in but the ref holds him back. D’Lo goes for a suplex but Ahmed picks up him and drives him face-first into the mat. Ahmed laying over halfway across the ring and somehow D’Lo still hits the frog splash. Holy shit that was something there.

Farooq in now and he gets some offense going. But Ahmed hits a spine buster and goes for the Pearl River Plunge before Rock stops it. Ahmed manages to tag 8-Ball who powerslams Farooq for a two count. Shamrock in and he hits a big flying kick to Farooq’s face. Farooq stumbles over and tags Rock, who hits a DDT on Shamrock for a two. Rock with corner kicks and punches to Shamrock’s face. Teamwork from the Nation and Kama is in to do work on Shamrock.

Kama goes for a clothesline in the corner but Shamrock ducks and tags Skull. By the way, telling the difference between Skull and 8-Ball is impossible, so let’s just hope JR knows which is which. Double team from those two on Kama. And now Skull and 8-Ball switch several times. Your guess is as good as mine as to which one is in the ring. They tag again and one of them gets kicked by Kama. D’Lo tagged in and he gains the advantage on……let’s say Skull. That’s gotta be Skull. Frog splash from D’Lo gets another near fall. Rock gets the tag and goes to work.

Rock with the People’s Elbow before it was called the People’s Elbow. Rock tags Farooq but he gets knocked down by Skull. Rock back in but he gets clotheslined. The ref gets distracted and Rock and D’Lo do a low blow combination on Skull. Henry with a shoulder block, and Kama is back to kick ass in the corner. Kama with a reverse chin lock and JR and Lawler are now trying to decide if it’s 8-Ball or Chainz in the ring. They’re confused as fuck.

The double teaming continues from the Nation before D’Lo hits a backbreaker and then misses a moonsault off the top. Skull with the hot tag to Shamrock and WE’VE GOT A BROUHAHA. Everyone out of the ring except Rock and Shamrock. Takedown from Shamrock and he puts on the Ankle Lock which causes Rock to tap at 13:44. So, um, about this being an elimination match. Rock is pissed in the ring and the rest of the Nation stares at him. Rock gets in Farooq’s face and then shoves him. D’Lo tries to hold Farooq back but gets shoved. Rock gets out of the ring as Farooq and D’Lo are held back from other each other by Kama and Henry. Farooq demands that Rock come back to the ring, and he does and gets backs in his face. Farooq tells everyone to line up and do the usual fist in the air. Solid match with good heat, and again, it was all about furthering an angle.

• Rating: **3/4

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Austin. Cole talks about the mystery partner and Austin doesn’t give a damn. Austin says it’s fun to whip ass anywhere in the world but it actually means something if you do it in Texas.

VIDEO: Hype for the Vader vs. Kane match with a focus on Undertaker being out of the picture after Kane set the casket on fire at the Rumble.

Vader vs. Kane (w/Paul Bearer)

They go face to face and exchange punches right off the bat. The crowd is eating this up with a spoon. Not literally because these men are too big to fit on a spoon. They brawl outside the ring and Kane throws Vader back inside. Kane slams Vader’s face off the steps and they make their way back in the ring. Vader counters and delivers hard shots to Kane’s head and sends him over the top. They’re both back outside again and Vader throws Kane into the ring post.

Kane gets on the apron and hangs Vader on the top rope. Kane up top and he hits the flying punch to the face. Kane chokes Vader in the corner as the crowd chants for the latter. Suplex from Kane and he uses his foot to choke Vader. Another top rope move from Kane as he delivers the forearm to Vader. JR tells us Rock and Farooq are on the superstar hotline. CALL 1-800-909-9900! Whoops, wrong show.

Kane continues the onslaught but Vader fights out with several punches. Kane quickly retakes control and hits a scoop slam. Leap over the top from Kane as he racks Vader’s neck on the top rope. Kane back in but he gets clotheslined over by Vader. That doesn’t work as Kane gets in and hits the DDT. Irish whip from Kane but Vader counters with a big swing. More punches from Vader and then a splash in the corner. Kane goes for the chokeslam but Vader with a knee to the midsection.

Vader hits a splash and then heads to the top and connects on the Vader Bomb. Kane sits up quickly and Vader knocks him outside again. The brawl some more on the outside before Kane throws into the steps. Vader then pulls out a fire extinguisher and sprays Kane. Bearer distracts the ref while this is going on and Vader just keeps spraying Kane. Not exactly sure why Bearer was the one distracting the ref since Kane was getting sprayed, but let’s not try to make sense of this.

Powerbomb from Vader and Bearer gets on the apron. Vader clocks him and Kane gets up to deliver the chokeslam. Kane with the Tombstone Piledriver and that’ll do it at 10:57. After the match, Kane grabs a wrench and strikes Vader in the head with it. Vader gets stretchered out afterward. Another match to push Kane as a monster.

• Rating: **

VIDEO: We get a hype video for the main event.

Stone Cold Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack, and Chainsaw Charlie vs. Triple H, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and Savio Vega (w/Chyna)

Savio is the mystery partner, and JR and Lawler really push that the WWF made this decision. The fans weren’t exactly thrilled about it. On the other hand, a HUGE pop for Austin and there’s chaos and weapons everywhere to start the match. Austin beats the hell out of Triple H, while Cactus and Charlie take out DX in the ring. Then it’s Cactus, Charlie, and Owen casually putting Gunn through a table. This is WILD. Earl Hebner isn’t even trying to get control of this thing. He’s just sitting back watching these dudes throw down on each other.

The teams finally reach their spots on the apron, so I guess this is the official start of the match. Back and forth, and at one point, Austin throws the trash can from the apron and hammers Gunn with it in the middle of the ring. That was hilarious, and Gunn sold it like a champ. Owen tries to get the hot tag, but Hebner misses it and sends him back out. Shocker that Hebner, who let weapon warfare start his one, didn’t see a tag.

The crowd wants them some Stone Cold, but DX continues to work over Charlie and Cactus. They even bring out the barbed wired and lock it around Cactus’ head and in his mouth, which is just brutal. Then they beat Cactus, who is still barbed wired, with a chair. Gunn accidentally hits Dogg with a chair, and that leads to the hot tag to Austin. He kicks ass and quickly stuns Dogg to earn the pin for the win at 17:37. A fun brawl and the crowd got what they wanted with Austin.

• Rating: ***1/4

IN THE RING: After the match, here comes Chyna. She goes face to face with Austin and shoves him. She keeps taunting him and gives him the double finger salute. Austin is not gonna take that, so he hits her with the Stunner too. The crowd loses it for this, and once again, it was a different period in wrestling.

SHOW SUMMARY

The main event was by no means a masterpiece, but they made the most of it with a crazy Attitude Era brawl. Elsewhere, there wasn’t a lot of noteworthy action outside of a few solid matches. But as always, this was how things worked in this era, and there was another storyline advancement to keep it interesting.

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For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

By popular demand, we’re adding the always fun Saturday Night’s Main Event shows into the mix, starting with this Saturday Night’s Main Event 1/27/90 review.

And this was one of the best years ever for the series, as shown by this particular show.

Let’s rock and roll.

• Date: January 27, 1990
• Location: UTC Arena in Chattanooga, TN

VIDEO: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura hype the upcoming matches.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund with Hacksaw Jim Duggan. They recap the current feud between Hacksaw and Randy Savage. Hacksaw makes a few Europe references and heads to the ring.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Savage and Sherri. Savage says he rules the peasants and Duggan is a peasant. Sherri says anything she has is Savage’s to own. Well, that escalated quickly.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage (w/Sherri)

Savage’s entrance here is just fantastic as he’s carried out on his sedan. Hacksaw gets impatient and goes out to flip it over. They make their way inside and go back and forth until Hacksaw hits a big clothesline for a two count. Sherri gets on the apron and Hacksaw goes after her, which leads to Savage hitting him from behind and sending him through the ropes. Savage goes up top and hits the big move outside, then does the same thing inside for a near fall.

More back and forth before Hacksaw gives Savage a huge back body drop over the top. Sherri back on the apron, which leads Hacksaw to go after her. She ducks and Hacksaw clotheslines Savage. Back inside and Hacksaw hits a huge bodyslam, but Sherri jumps back on the apron to prevent the referee from counting the pin. Another pin attempt and Sherri puts Savage’s foot on the ropes. More clotheslines from Hacksaw  and he gets fed up with Sherri. She rolls in the ring but Hacksaw grabs her and puts her in the corner. That allows Savage to go up top and both men hit each at the same time.

Sherri slips the loaded purse into the ring and the ref gets distracted with her again. Of course, Savage takes advantage and nails Hacksaw with the purse as Jesse says ‘I can’t believe how dumb that Hacksaw is.’ You said it, Jess. Savage rolls over for the pin but it only gets a two count. Small package from Hacksaw for a near fall. Atomic drop from Hacksaw and he clotheslines Savage to the outside. Then Hacksaw tries to suplex Savage back in but Sherri pulls Hacksaw’s legs to allow Savage to fall on top and use the ropes to get the pin at 9:14. This was a ton of fun.

• Rating: ***

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Mr. Perfect and The Genius. Jesse points out the egos of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. Perfect then adds his touch to it and mentions Genius’ countout win over Hogan. Genius then reads off YET ANOTHER MASTERPIECE.

VIDEO: We recap the Hogan/Warrior showdown at the Rumble.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Hogan and Warrior. Hogan says he’s gonna turn Warrior loose on Perfect and Genius. Then Warrior points out the meaning of turbulence while also discussing the mixing of chemicals. Fascinating stuff.

Mr. Perfect and The Genius vs. Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior

Jesse rips Hogan and Warrior for not coming out together and that is has to do with their huge egos. Hogan and Perfect start things off, with Hogan body slamming Perfect and Genius like crazy. Warrior gets the tag and now he’s going after both men. Warrior with a big clothesline to send Perfect outside and then we get a tag to Hogan. Perfect gets a tiny bit of offense before Hogan throws him over and then heaves him into the ring post. Meanwhile, Genius goes over and grabs his scroll so that he can WRITE A POEM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MATCH. That’s dedication to your craft. Bravo, Genius. Bravo.

Hogan keeps kicking Perfect’s ass for a while and eventually gets thrown outside again. Genius sneaks over and hands Perfect the scroll, with Hogan coming out to keep working on Perfect. Naturally, Perfect uses the scroll to nail Hogan right in the head while the ref’s back is turned. Perfect then grabs a chair but misses Hogan and hits the ring post. Both men inside and Hogan gets a small package for two. Perfect in complete control and he tags in Genius for about 30 seconds before another tag is made.

Perfect hits the Perfect Plex on Hogan and goes for the pin. However, instead of letting the ref count the three, Perfect stops the count at two and decides he wants to let Genius get another win on the champ. Genius gets the tag and figures he’ll go for a moonsault, but Hogan gets the knees up. Perfect then goes up top for his own move but Hogan puts the foot up before making the hot tag to Warrior. Pure craziness from Warrior and that leads to weird sequence where Hogan comes in and hits the leg drop to pin Genius at 8:02. All four men start to brawl after the match and Warrior starts clotheslining everyone in sight, and yes, that includes accidentally giving Hogan a clothesline. Warrior tries to apologize but Hogan pushes him and they go head to head. Another fun match with a hot crowd, and the angle obviously helped set up the big match.

• Rating: ***1/4

VIDEO: We recap Jake Roberts stealing Ted DiBiase’s million dollar belt.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Roberts. Gene wants to know where the belt is, but Roberts isn’t having it.

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Greg Valentine and Jimmy Hart. They hype the upcoming match.

Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts vs. Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart)

Roberts reveals that the belt is indeed in the bag with Damien. Valentine retreats outside rather quickly before going back in to go to work on Roberts. Valentine drops the elbow but it only gets a two count. Some groundwork from Valentine before another near fall. Roberts starts fighting back and hits the short-arm clothesline. He calls for the DDT but Valentine reverses it and then calls for the Figure Four. Hart jumps on the apron to offer some encouragement, and that leads to Roberts kicking Valentine to send him into Hart. Jake then hits the DDT but here comes DiBiase and Virgil to make it a DQ at 5:16. DiBiase attacks as Virgil goes after the bag, but Roberts bounces back and brings Damien out to play. This match was there simply to set up the angle, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan. It doesn’t take Heenan long before he’s making fat jokes about Sapphire, and this was clearly 1990. Rude says he’s the man the women want, and Sapphire will come to him. Jesse says he wouldn’t put his hands on her, and Rude replies ‘who said anything about hands?’ RICK IS REFERRING TO HIS PENIS, FOLKS.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire. She says Rude can’t compare to Dusty. She’s not wrong there. Dusty brags a bit after that.

Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Dusty Rhodes (w/Sapphire)

Rude attacks right off the bat but Dusty quickly reverses the momentum. Dusty in complete control until he misses an elbow drop. Rude goes for the headlock as Heenan goes over to yell at Sapphire. Dusty goes back on offense with a back body drop and some punches before he goes out to make the save. Rude then gets up and nails Dusty. The ref decides he’s had enough of Heenan’s shenanigans, so he sends both him and Sapphire to the back. But while Rude is on offense, we see Sapphire make her way to the front row as she apparently bought a ticket after being thrown out by the ref.

Arm lock from Rude until he notices Sapphire. We work to both men running into each other, and then Rude goes up top but gets nailed in the midsection by Dusty. Rude with the rake to the face as he delivers a few punches. Sapphire taunts Rude and he goes out and grabs her. That leads Dusty out to start brawling up the aisle and we get the double countout at 9:04. Not much to this one.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and Jimmy Hart. They verbally abuse Ronnie Garvin.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Dino Bravo (w/Earthquake and Jimmy Hart)

This isn’t a submission match, so Garvin can go for as many pins as he wants. Bravo with some early knees and he sends Garvin outside where Earthquake gets a few shots in. Big elbow drop from Bravo for a two count. Another set of elbow drops by Bravo misses three in a row as Garvin moves out of the way. Rugged right hands from Garvin and a back body drop. Hart gets on the apron and Garvin brings him in and throws him out onto Earthquake. Bravo slings Garvin out but he gets back in and goes up top. Garvin off the top rope, but Bravo reverses it for the pin at 3:19. Earthquake completely destroys Garvin after the match and the stretcher comes out for him. Squash.

• Rating: *

BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Savage. They hype the upcoming title match against Hogan, with Mike Tyson slated as the guest referee. Of course, this match would still happen, but it would be with Buster Douglas as the replacement ref after he knocked out Tyson in their classic boxing match. Savage basically says he’s gonna obliterate Hogan.

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Hogan. He talks about how Tyson will be a great ref. Hogan then says he’s gonna beat Savage.

VIDEO: Jesse tells Vince that Tyson better call it down the middle.

SHOW SUMMARY

Fun show that set the stage for the mega main event at WrestleMania VI while also advancing some other feuds.

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In this WCW SuperBrawl VIII review, Sting and Hollywood Hogan square off for the vacant WCW title, The Outsiders challenge The Steiner Brothers for the Tag Team titles, and much more.

Let’s jump in!

• Show: WCW SuperBrawl VIII
• Date: February 22, 1998
• Location: Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA

RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay hype what Randy Savage’s potential role could be in the main event.

1. Booker T vs. (c) Rick Martel – TV Title

I had forgotten that Martel actually wound up winning the title. The winner of this one faces Saturn. As usual, the fans absolutely love Booker. The Flock walks out ringside to add to the tension, as Booker is in complete control until he’s thrown outside into the guardrail. Martel works him over and locks in the Boston Crab, but Booker is able to get to the ropes. Booker showcases some great speed and athleticism, and visually, the finish looked awesome with Martel coming off the top and Booker hitting him with the Harlem Sidekick to win the title at 10:33. Huge pop from the crowd, with Saturn quickly hitting the ring as the bell rings to start the next match.

2. Saturn vs. (c) Booker T – TV Title

Of course, the reason Booker won the title is because Martel legit suffered a torn MCL in the previous match, thus leading to the finish being changed. On paper, it looked like a creative way to put Booker over, but it wasn’t the actual plan. Saturn is the aggressor right off the bat, then he hits a flying cross body to Booker on the outside. Booker hits a huge missile dropkick off the top, and Saturn regains the advantage with some impressive offense. What also makes this match interesting is that it’s called on the fly since, once again, it wasn’t the original pairing. They work to the finish, with Booker hitting the Harlem Sidekick to retain the title at 14:23.

BACKSTAGE: Chris Jericho is on the WCW Hotline saying he’s gonna take Juventud Guerrera’s mask.

3. La Parka vs. Disco Inferno

Per Schiavone, this is a feud over dance moves. Go figure. Parka mocks Disco’s dancing early on, and it’s Parka hitting a corkscrew plancha to Disco on the outside. Heenan makes fun of the moonsault name because Heenan had jokes. The crowd is not really into this one beyond the entrances, but Parka does hit a solid suicide dive on Disco. Thumb to the eye of the referee leads to Parka bringing in a chair, but Disco throws Parka off the top onto the chair and its his finisher for the win at 11:41. I put in my notes that “this was a long” match, so that probably tells you what you need to know since it really wasn’t that long in actuality.

ON THE STAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund with JJ Dillon, who announces that Nick Patrick has been reinstated. Patrick comes out and talks about refereeing the main event, but Dillon stops him and says he won’t be the ref for the match. Patrick isn’t happy, and he was pretty good in his role here.

4. Brad Armstrong vs. Bill Goldberg

They are playing up Goldberg’s streak at this point. The crowd immediately starts chanting for Goldberg, and he shows off some incredible power moves on Armstrong. Then Goldberg hits the spear and jackhammer for the easy victory at 2:23. Man, did the fans love them some Goldberg during this run.

5. Juventud Guerrera vs. (c) Chris Jericho – Cruiserweight Title vs. Mask

Jericho refuses to take the belt off, so he starts the match with it on. Terrific stuff. He eventually takes it off after Juvi kicks it, then Jericho plays possum on the outside to try to get counted out. Another great heel move. Tenay notes the importance of losing a mask to a luchador, which also adds to the story. Good back and forth with high-flying offense, as Air Juvi off the top hits Jericho on the outside. Juvi delivers a 450 Splash for the pin, but Jericho had grabbed the ropes. So, the match is restarted and Jericho quickly clips Juvi’s leg. Juvi still on offense and goes for the near falls, but it’s Jericho who counters to the Lion Tamer to force Juvi to give up at 13:29. Great chemistry and great match from these two.

IN THE RING: Jericho grabs the mic and Juvi unmasks with Jericho ripping it off. The camera zooms in on Judi’s face, and the crowd isn’t sure how to react.

6. Steve McMichael vs. The British Bulldog

Schiavone continues to play up the Savage angle, while Heenan hypes Mongo’s improvement in the ring. They brawl to the outside to start as Mongo is in control. Mongo is sporting an arm injury with the story that he can’t do his trademark moves. That leads to Bulldog locking in the submission, and Mongo seemingly quits at 6:10. Afterward, Mongo throws down the ref and says he’s didn’t quit.

7. Chris Benoit vs. (c) Diamond Dallas Page – US Title

This is a mutual respect angle with these two. Tenay, the great commentator that he is, reveals that DDP ordered a Best of Benoit video to prepare for the match. So awesome. Lots of counters and hard slaps leads to more physical offense from both men. It’s Benoit who tries to wear down DDP with various submission moves, and they work to DDP hitting a superplex as both try to regroup. Benoit locks in the crossface, but DDP quickly gets to the ropes. Benoit then hits the rolling German suplexes for a near fall. Reversal from there, and DDP hits the Diamond Cutter to retain the title at 15:47. Another great match.

RINGSIDE: Schiavone announces that The Giant won’t be at the show due to flight issues. Tenay then talks about Nash’s powerbomb being banned after the Souled Out match. They show the video with another replay of the brutal powerbomb.

8. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) vs. Lex Luger – No DQ Match

The fans are into Savage here. The storyline involved a mystery conversation between Luger and Savage on a recent episode of Thunder, as the announcers tease a pact between the two. Luger’s ribs are taped, and he starts favoring them early in the match. Lots of “Luger Sucks” chants to prove that the nWo is still very much over. Savage spits on Luger, so I’m not sure about that pact. Heenan ponders that Savage has something on his mind. They brawl into the crowd, as Savage almost goes after a fan while climbing the guardrail. Luger puts Savage in the Torture Rack, but Liz pushes Luger. Here comes the nWo, but both Luger and Savage fight them off. Luger racks Savage again and the referee rings the bell to give Luger the victory at 7:26. However, you never see the finish live as the camera is on Hogan and the nWo, because of course it is.

9. The Outsiders vs. The Steiner Brothers – Tag Team Titles

Dusty is out with Hall and Nash for this one. Another survey says poll from Hall, and those are always fun. You can already see the heel tendencies with Scott Steiner, with Heenan also bringing it up. Rick takes it to both Hall and Nash, then the Steiners do their trademark pose. And then comes the turn, as Scott decks Rick and suplexes him. Meanwhile, Dusty posts DiBiase on the outside. Rick manages to kick out at two, with Scott distracting the ref as Hall goes for the Razor’s Edge. Unfortunately, he can’t get Rick up, so he has to do it again. He finally hits it and the Outsiders win the titles at 4:18. Scott throws out the referee afterward.

10. Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan – WCW Title

Sting charges the ring to start the match, which is exactly what should’ve been done at Starrcade. Hogan starts walloping Sting with his belt, and as a note, Charles Robinson is the referee. Hogan in control early with a variety of illegal moves. He chokes out Sting with his jacket, then he destroys Sting in the aisle. There are apparently countouts but no DQ in this particular match, which is interesting. Sting with absolutely zero offense five minutes into the match, but he finally hulks up and starts going at Hogan with the weight belt. Hogan retreats, and Sting chokes him with the belt. They fight into the front row, with Sting missing a splash onto the guardrail. Hogan then hits Sting in the back with a chair. However, Sting regains momentum by hitting the Stinger Splash and locking in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Hogan gets the ropes. Another splash attempt, and it’s Hogan who pulls the ref in the way. Patrick runs out to count, but Sting kicks out at two. Hogan is pissed Patrick didn’t fast count, so Patrick pulls at Hogan’s hair. More near falls with Hogan in control. Sting fights back, but Hogan hits a low blow. Sting back on offense as he hits two Stinger splasher and goes for the deathdrop, but Hogan kicks Patrick. And now in comes the nWo. Sting fights them off, but Savage hits Hogan with something. Then Sting just pins Hogan to win the title at 16:33. Once again, this does absolutely nothing for Sting, and it was an overbooked finish to protect Hogan.

Blake’s Take on WCW SUPERBRAWL VIII

• Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera
• Show MVP: Booker T
• Overall Rating: 6.5/10
• Thoughts: The main event was another overbooked mess that did Sting no favors, but a decent undercard brought up the show’s rating. That was essentially the story of WCW in this era. There was a lot of nWo stuff on the card, but there was no denying the group was still very over at this point. It’s also worth noting that Booker looked like a huge star.

For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!

In this WCW Souled Out 1998 review, Bret Hart makes his WCW debut against Ric Flair, Randy Savage battles Lex Luger in the main event, and much more.

Let’s jump in!

• Show: WCW Souled Out 1998
• Date: January 24, 1998
• Location: Hara Arena in Trotwood, OH

VIDEO: Nice package (zing!) with heel Eric Bischoff hyping up the match between Kevin Nash and The Giant.

RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes discuss the card.

1. Juventud Guerrera/Super Calo/Lizmark Jr./Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. La Parka/Silver King/Psychosis/El Dandy

Quite an assortment of talent in this match. I’ve said this in other reviews, but Mike Tenay add so much to these matches with his incredible knowledge and broadcasting approach. Fun back and forth between Lizmark and Silver King, then there’s lots of charisma on display with the Juvi/La Parka exchange. The crowd pops huge for Judi’s 450 Splash, and there’s another wild exchange after that with numerous competitors hitting moonsaults to the outside. It’s Chavo hitting the DDT on Psychosis to earn the win at 9:30. La Parka takes out everyone with chairs after the match to a round of cheers. *** (Recommended)

ON THE STAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund plugs the WCW Hotline.

IN THE RING: Raven says The Flock is banned from ringside for his upcoming match against Chris Benoit because he doesn’t need them.

2. Raven vs. Chris Benoit

They brawl outside to start things off, which is understandable given it’s been a long build in this feud. Raven takes a chair to Benoit’s back, then it’s the bulldog on the chair for two. Reversal sends Raven into the seat of the chair, and Benoit hits a suplex on Raven onto the chair for another two. Benoit throws Raven into the steps and railing as they fight up the aisle and ramp with Benoit suplexing Raven on the ramp. More Benoit offense, and the crowd is into it. Benoit hits the headbutt onto the chair on Raven, with Benoit down until another near fall. And then Benoit locks in the crossface, with Raven laughing until he passes out at 10:36. Kidman runs in to attack, but Dean Malenko makes the save. He clears out The Flock after that. ***1/2 (Recommended)

3. Chris Jericho vs. (c) Rey Mysterio Jr. – Cruiserweight Title

Lots of “Jericho Sucks” chants, and that plays into a quick start for Rey. However, Rey plays up a knee issue, and Jericho takes advantage by jumping off the steps and driving a knee into Rey. The latter hits an incredible springboard off the top into a sunset flip onto Jericho. More back and forth between two terrific workers, but Jericho manages to reverse Rey’s offense into the Lion Tamer, and Rey has no choice but to quickly tap to allow Jericho to win the title at 8:22. *** (Recommended)

IN THE RING: Jericho tells the crowd not to boo him. They do, so he goes after Rey’s knee again, and officials have to carry out Rey.

IN THE RING: Gene is with JJ Dillon, who talked to Roddy Piper about the title situation. Here comes Piper, and he makes a Bill Clinton joke before calling out Sting. He walks out like normal (another small tidbit that doesn’t make sense), then Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, and Eric Bischoff make their way out. Piper notes that Hall does deserve a title shot after winning World War 3, and then he makes it official: Sting vs. Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII for the WCW title. Hogan pushes Sting and wants backup from Hall, but Hall leaves.

4. Rick Martel vs. Booker T – TV Title

The announcers continue to play up the nWo’s issues. It’s fun to see Martel in this one as he tried to rejuvenate his career. He’s still in good shape. This match doesn’t really match the action of the first three or the Hogan/Sting segment, as it’s mostly a lot of rest holds and mat work. The crowd just isn’t into it. Martel goes to the Boston Crab, but Booker gets to the ropes. Booker then hits the Harlem Hangover to retain the title at 10:50. Martel hands over the title and they shake hands, but Saturn arrives to attack Martel as Booker returns to make the save. **1/2

5. Scott Hall vs. Larry Zbyszko

Louie Spicolli is out with Hall, and here comes Dusty, who leaves the broadcast booth to join Larry. You know something is up. Hall’s mannerisms are just great. Hall takes control with huge “Larry Sucks” chants from the nWo-friendly crowd. Hall goes for the Razor’s Edge but Larry reverses with lots of offense. Larry accidentally kicks the ref, and Hall goes for the pin but there’s no ref. Spicolli comes in, and Dusty attacks him. Then comes the big spot as Dusty clocks Larry before revealing his nWo shirt. Hall and Spicolli celebrate, and Dusty drops elbows on Larry. Schiavone goes radio silent. This was a dumb turn on all levels, and officially, Larry wins by DQ at 8:09. Even more “Larry Sucks” chants afterward. **

6. Buff Bagwell/Scott Norton/Konnan vs. Ray Traylor/Steiner Brothers

Schiavone leaves the booth to play up the stunning Dusty turn, and that’s a nice touch. Tenay comes back in to add commentary as Schiavone is simply speechless. Tenay plays up Dusty being a sellout. There was a similar six-man to this one at Starrcade, but at least we get a fun hoss exchange from Norton and Traylor. They work to Rick Steiner getting the hot tag, with the story being that the babyfaces won’t make the tag to Scott Steiner. They play up Scott grabbing the referee for the third time, then the heels work over Rick. Traylor wants Scott to stay on his side of the apron, and the announces blame the Dusty heel turn for the crowd not being into the match. Scott shoves the ref yet again, with the heels working over Rick in a lengthy spot. Ted DiBiase fights Vincent on the outside for a WWF callback, and it’s Scott who hits the screwdriver for the victory. Buff sends a super secret signal to Scott after the match. **

7. Kevin Nash vs. The Giant

Hogan and Bischoff are out with Nash. Of course, this was originally scheduled for Starrcade 1997, but Nash wasn’t at the show. Schiavone hypes up Giant’s backstory with the nWo, and at the very least, it’s quite a visual with Giant and Nash in the ring. They’re tall. Nash goes FLYING over the top but Giant catches him. He certainly didn’t get all of that one. Hogan hits Giant with a chair as the ref has his back turned, and Nash is angry that Giant isn’t counted out. Back and forth power moves until Giant choke slams Bischoff, but Nash hits Giant with HOT COFFEE. After that, it’s the infamous spot where Nash goes for the Jackknife on Giant but nearly breaks his neck. Legit one of the scariest spots you’ll see, and I have no idea how it didn’t break Giant’s neck. Nash then just covers Giant for the win at 10:47. Heenan is concerned as the trainers come to put a compress over Giant’s eyes after he got dropped on his neck. Yes, because the coffee is the bigger issue after that botched powerbomb. They even show the replay multiple times. What a mess. **

8. Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart

This is Bret’s debut match in WCW. Plenty of technical wrestling early on, but Bret is able to lock in the Figure Four before Flair reaches the ropes. Bret is the aggressor with Flair playing off of him. The story features both men wearing the other down, and it’s Bret who works on Flair’s knees. Bret goes for the Figure Four once again but Flair reverses. Flair clips Bret’s knee and locks on his own Figure Four, though Bret reverses to get out of it. Bret dares Flair to chop him in a cool sequence. From there, Bret hits a superplex and puts on the Sharpshooter to force Flair to tap at 18:06. Great wrestling match, and while on paper it seemed like an easy choice for the main event, the post-match angle after the next match is likely why it was slotted in this spot. ***3/4 (Recommended)

9. Randy Savage vs. Lex Luger

Savage uses his trademark stalling until Liz hits Luger in the back in the aisle. Liz uses a bandana to choke Luger, which naturally prompts Heenan to call for a body search of Liz for more weapons. Heenan was hilarious. Tenay offers an update on Rey’s knee injury because Tenay is the best. Liz slaps Luger to give Savage the advantage yet agin. They fight through the crowd, then Luger takes control until Hall comes out with a chair. Hogan stops Hall, which prompts Luger to throw Savage into Hall to knock Hall off the apron. Luger then goes to the Torture Rack on Savage to pick up the victory at 7:07. **

IN THE RING: After the match, the nWo goes at Luger, but Sting makes the save. Luger then racks Nash in an impressive feat. Sting puts Hogan in the Scorpion Deathlock and the crowd is going nuts. This was a pretty great angle.

Blake’s Take on WCW Souled Out 1998

• Best Match: Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart
• Show MVP: Bret Hart
• Overall Rating: 7.5/10
• Thoughts: Bret/Flair, Raven/Benoit, and the Hogan/Sting angle were all enjoyable, and overall, this is undoubtedly one of WCW’s best PPVs during this era. However, Nash dropping Giant was rough. Really rough. As for the main event choice, again, it was more for the angle than the match. The Dusty turn was something, but this show was at least a step in the right direction after the debacle that was Starrcade.

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In this WCW Starrcade 1997 review, Hollywood Hogan defends the WCW title against Sting in one of the most anticipated matches in wrestling history.

Let’s jump in!

• Show: WCW Starrcade 1997
• Date: December 28, 1997
• Location: MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

VIDEO: Cool intro video with Sting, which pushes the importance of the main event.

RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone thinks this is the GREATEST NIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT SPORT! You’ve gotta love Tony. What I also liked about this opening segment was showing wrestlers in the crowd waiting for the main event which, once again, makes it seem important. Also, Schiavone announces Nash won’t be at the show, so his match with The Giant is off.

1. Dean Malenko vs. (c) Eddie Guerrero – Cruiserweight Title

One glaring thing in this match is that Malenko is just a technical master. He’s excellent. Great back and forth action with Eddie using all the heel tactics he can to keep the title. The announcers are mostly talking about the upcoming matches, but that was to be expected considering the magnitude of the main event and show as a whole. Eddie works over Malenko’s leg and dropkicks the steps into it. They follow that with more back and forth, and Malenko’s powebombs are a thing of beauty. However, it’s Eddie hitting the Frog Splash on Malenko’s knee to retain the title at 14:57. ***3/4 (Recommended)

IN THE RING: Scott Hall, who gets the winner of Hogan and Sting at SuperBrawl, surveys nWo vs. WCW with the crowd. He says Nash isn’t here, which leads to Giant coming out and hitting him with the powerbomb.

2. The Steiners (w/Ted DiBiase) and Ray Traylor vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth), Scott Norton, and Vincent

Konnan was supposed to be the nWo’s third member, but his wife gave birth. He made the right choice there. Scott is just jacked, and he’d get even more jacked. Lots of heel tactics from the nWo, and speaking of Scotts, Norton is awesome. The faces clear the ring and destroy Vincent, but the crowd is struggling in this match. They work to Rick getting the hot tag, and Scott hits a brutal DDT off the top to Vincent. He also hits the Frankensteiner on Vincent. But the ref gets distracted, and some shenanigans allow Savage to hit the elbow drop for the victory. The crowd at least popped huge for the nWo. **

ON THE STAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund hypes new faces for the WCW Hotline, and out comes JJ Dillon to announce Nick Patrick as the referee for the main event. He is, of course, the former nWo ref.

3. Bill Goldberg vs. Steve McMichael

They brawl in the aisle to start the match, and I love the tidbit from Schiavone that they had to be held apart all day backstage. That’s a great tidbit that adds to the story of the match. These two actually put together some decent work early on as the fans are occupied with Raven and The Flock in the crowd. The decent work turns to a few ugly spots, and Goldberg tries to put Mongo through the table and finally does. The fans give him a nice “ECW” chant for his efforts. Goldberg hits the Jackhammer to pick up the win at 5:59. *1/2

IN THE RING: Raven says that he’s not wrestling Benoit, but instead, it’s Saturn taking his spot.

4. Saturn vs. Chris Benoit

Raven is ringside as Mike Tenay hypes up Raven denying the match four weeks in a row. Kidman tries to get involved, and so does Sick Boy. This is a Raven’s Rules Match, so it’s all legal. Saturn, a very underrated worker, hits an impressive moonsault. He then wears down Benoit in what’s a pretty long sequence. Eventually, Benoit locks in the crossface on the outside, but the entire Flock interferes. Saturn goes for another moonsault but hits the Flock after Benoit moves. Benoit goes for the win but the Flock is back and Raven hits the DDT on Benoit, with Saturn locking in the Rings of Saturn for the victory at 10:50. Lodi’s posterboard signs were a truly highlight in this era. **1/2

5. Buff Bagwell vs. Lex Luger

These dudes have been feuding, and that’s likely evident by the fact that they spit in each other’s faces. Luger showcases some ridiculous power, but Buff tries to counter that by yelling for Vincent to come out. He does. Buff gains the advantage but Luger fights back, then Vincent gets involved with a rope choke on Luger. The crowd is chanting for Booker T, who’s among the WCW wrestlers waiting for the main event. Schiavone continues to play up history in the making with Hollywood Hogan and Sting, so that’s another nice touch. Buff with rest holds, but Luger runs wild and throws Vincent onto Buff. Buff then knocks the ref into Luger, who goes for the Torture Rack but there’s no ref. Savage hits the ring, and Luger racks him too. Norton in, and he nails Luger with the chain to allow Buff to pin Luger for the win at 16:36. *1/2

6. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Curt Hennig – US Title

DDP quickly goes for the Diamond Cutter, but Perfect slides out. Schiavone with yet another solid tidbit about how the US Champion is the top challenger for the World title. The fight goes to the outside, and I’m randomly thinking about just how many members the nWo had at this point. Alex Wright is with James Vandenberg in the crowd, and that’s quite a duo. DDP and Hennig both working hard, but that’s no surprise. They’ve got great chemistry together. It’s DDP who finally hits the Diamond Cutter on Hennig to win the title at 10:52. This was a huge moment for DDP. ***1/4 (Recommended)

7. Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff – Winner Gets Control of Nitro (Special Guest Referee: Bret Hart)

What a way to use Bret after his WWF exit. Just wild creative there. Bischoff is in his karate gear and having fun, so good for him. Tenay starts breaking this thing down like any other match, and that’s why Tenay is a pro. Bischoff goes to his roundhouse kick routine to send Larry down, but Larry goes after him. Bret is breaking holds left and right, and Bischoff’s selling is pretty great. Schiavone wonders whether Bret is nWo since he’s breaking Larry’s holds. Bischoff with a flurry of offense until he’s exhausted, and Hall puts a steel plate in Bischoff’s boot with Larry out. Bret then decks Bischoff and Hall and puts the Sharpshooter on Hall. Bret raises Larry’s arm and apparently that’s the match as WCW wins. Incredibly, that wouldn’t be the worst finish on this monumental show. *

8. Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan – WCW Title

What an entrance for Sting until he comes out from the back. It just makes no sense given the build. However, the presentation is great, and the announcers do a good job playing up Sting having ring rust. Hogan yells “hero” at Sting to mock him, and Sting sends Hogan reeling. But this is just too slow of a match for such a historic storyline. Hogan takes control and Sting no-sells a suplex. Hogan uses the bat on Sting, and then comes the infamous sequence where Sting misses the splash on the rail, and Hogan hits the leg drop to pin Sting cleanly. But the camera cuts to Bret who’s pleading that it was a fast count. No, it wasn’t at all. Bret throws Hogan into the ring, Sting fights off the nWo, and Sting makes Hogan submit to win the title at 12:53. Hogan barely shakes his hand to signal the submission in what was another obvious power play. The locker room comes in to celebrate with Sting who, along with Bret, comes out of this match looking like an idiot. Not exactly the finish WCW needed for the biggest match in the company’s history. DUD

Blake’s Take on WCW Starrcade 1997

• Best Match: Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero
• Show MVP: Eddie Guerrero
• Overall Rating: 3.0/10
• Thoughts: This show was built around one very important match, and since that match was a total mess, it knocks the overall rating considerably. Only Hogan came out of the main event looking good, which was the exact opposite effect of what it should’ve been. Sting and Bret – pushed as the company’s top babyfaces – truly looked like complete morons. Of course, that may have been Hogan’s intent. What figured to be one of the easiest finishes in wrestling history was so unnecessarily convoluted that it destroyed all the momentum that had been built up for all parties involved. There were two decent matches and the crowd was great, but this was simply a HUGE misstep for WCW.

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