Reviews

In this Mid-South Wrestling 12/12/81 review, there’s an intriguing main event on tap with Paul Orndorff squaring off with Ted DiBiase. As a note, this is my first venture into the Mid-South episodes on Peacock, as this was a little before my wrestling fandom started. Should be fun. Let’s jump in!

• Show: Mid-South Wrestling
• Date: December 12, 1981
• Watch: Peacock

RINGSIDE: Ernie Ladd is the guest commentator with Boyd Pierce, which is a great role for The Big Cat.

The Monk vs. Brian Blair

Ladd calling him Mr. Monk is a thing of beauty. Technical work in the ring, but the real focus is Ladd talking about how he can beat Andre the Giant. Again, Ladd is tremendous here, especially in noting how Blair is making Monk’s head turn red with his submission moves. This one is all Blair as he picks up the win in convincing fashion.

Tom Renesto Jr. vs. King Cobra

Doing some research, it appears Cobra was a welder and recently retired after 55 years on the job. Incredible. Have I mentioned I love Ladd’s commentary. He’s terrific. The CRISS CROSS starts the action as Ladd sells the talent in Mid-South like a pro. Cobra in control, and he works on Renesto’s arm for a bit until he misses a dropkick. But Cobra comes back with a big headbutt for the victory.

Ed Wiskowski vs. Jim Garvin

Garvin is jacked, and Wiskowski (the future Colonel DeBeers) is huge. Therefore, we’ve got ourselves a HOSS FIGHT. Even Ladd, a fellow hoss, has to note that Wiskowski makes Garvin look small. Test of strength goes in favor of Wiskowski but the action picks up with Garvin reversing to send the action to the mat. Wiskowski with the big forearm to Garvin’s back, then it’s the knees to the back. Flying forearm from Garvin gets a two, then Ladd loses his mind at Garvin going for an illegal chokehold. Wiskowski throws Garvin out to break it, and Garvin comes back in to counter for a near fall. But it’s all Wiskowski from there as he finishes off Garvin for the win. This was a fun power match. **1/2

RINGSIDE: Boyd sends us to a replay where Paul Orndorff interferes in Junkyard Dog’s match, and it’s pure chaos with JYD getting the better of the heels. However, the referee awards the match to Terry Orndorff via DQ after JYD threw him over the top rope. Ladd thinks JYD deserved it! Of course he did. Ladd is so great.

Jerry Novak and Aaron Holt vs. The Junkyard Dog and Mike George

You know JYD is a star since he gets entrance music in 1981. Ladd wants JYD to lose this match, in case you were curious. Things quickly escalate into a BROUHAHA with all four men in the ring. JYD slams Holt for the easy squash victory.

The Iron Sheik vs. Buddy Ryan

SHEIKY BABY. He’s gonna humble Ryan. Boyd reminds us about the dream match mail-in, sounds like a cool deal. Skandor Akbar instructs Sheik not to win the match right away, but rather, keep the ass-kicking going for a while. Great stuff. Sheik eventually hits a brutal suplex to earn the win.

Diamond Lil and Rick Ferrara vs. Barbie Doll and Tony Charles

So, this is a big man and little woman mixed tag team match, Ladd says he’d buy a ticket to watch the “little gals” wrestler since they can scratch an eye out. In all honesty, I did not know this was a thing since I haven’t watched a lot of this era. But it is indeed a thing. Lil gets the better of the woman exchange before Ferrara and Charles go back and forth. Boyd hypes that dream match mail-in yet again. Lil and Barbie back in, and they fight to a CRISS CROSS before Barbie grabs Lil’s legs for the roll-up pin for the victory.

Paul Orndorff vs. Ted DiBiase

Here’s the goods. Ladd compares this to the Cadillac and the Lincoln squaring off. It makes sense. Great action early with Orndorff using a small package for two. “These guys are really moving,” according to Ladd, and he’s right. This is all action. Leg sweep from DiBiase allow him to work on Orndorff’s arm. But Orndorff fights out with elbows, and several counters later, DiBiase smacks his head on the turnbuckle. However, here comes DiBiase, and he regains the momentum and locks in the Figure Four on Orndorff, who refuses to give up. Then Orndorff turns it, but DiBiase won’t give up either. Ladd is TERRIFIC putting over the shock factor of DiBiase not giving up. Orndorff has him locked in the move for over a minute, and it’s a time limit draw as Ornodrff still has DiBiase’s leg as the show goes off the air. Awesome work from both men in what was a masterclass in selling. *** (Recommended)

Blake’s Take on Mid-South Wrestling 12/12/81

• Best Match: Paul Orndorff vs. Ted DiBiase (***)
• Show MVP: Ernie Ladd
• Overall Rating: 6.5/10
• Thoughts: Again, this is my first journey into reviewing Mid-South shows, but it was a fun start. I could listen to Ladd read a phone book, so there’s quality entertainment value with him calling the matches. Meanwhile, the main event was excellent, which probably isn’t a surprise with Orndorff and DiBiase going at it.

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

In this WWF The War To Settle The Score review, Roddy Piper challenges Hulk Hogan for the WWF title at Madison Square Garden.

I’m only reviewing the MTV broadcast of this show, as WWE Network pulled the two-hour edition from its catalog. Yes, it’s only one match and a lot of hype, but it’s better than nothing.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: The War To Settle The Score
• Date: February 18, 1985
• Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

BACKSTAGE: Alan Hunter and Mean Gene Okerlund hype the ongoing feud between Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.

VIDEO: We also get footage of Captain Lou Albano getting into it with Cyndi Lauper, which led to her being in Wendi Richter’s corner when she won the Women’s title. Gene points out Lauper was the first manager in history to win a title in her first match. There’s also a clip of a doctor explaining that Albano has “organic brain damage,” so they’re sending currents to his brain. Wild stuff. Speaking of which, another clip of Dick Clark awarding Lauper a special achievement award at MSG, and Piper comes in and bashes the reformed Albano with the award. That leads to Hogan making the save. Afterward, Lauper, Richter, and their entourage aren’t happy.

INTERVIEW: Bobby Heenan is perfectly fine with what Piper did to Albano. So is Paul Orndorff, who thinks Lauper shouldn’t be in wrestling. Meanwhile, it’s David Schultz’s opinion that Lauper should be at home cooking meals or waiting on a man. This was indeed 1985, folks. Piper tells MTV that he’ll knock out the interviewer (it’s a woman) if she slaps him. 1985!

INTERVIEW: Jimmy Snuka weighs in on Piper’s shenanigans, and Bruno Sammartino thinks he’s a schlub. Ted Nugent and Dee Snider also want Piper to get his ass kicked. It’s Hogan’s turn, and Eye of the Tiger plays as he takes aim at Piper.

VIDEO: Footage of Piper wanting Hogan to sign a contract for the match, and Hogan agrees. Then it’s the Piper’s Pit segment from February 5, where Hogan makes it official.

VIDEO: Piper hates rock and roll and he thinks MTV stinks. He rants on the quality of it, and Snider, Kenny Loggins, and Peter Wolf are pissed. As for Heenan, he says MTV stands for Music To Vomit By. Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch are also against MTV, and so is Freddie Blassie. Next up is Tina Turner, Junkyard Dog, and Tony Atlas. What a roster of people who have thoughts on this match. More video on the build to the match, including critics pontificating on the connection between wrestling and rock and roll.

VIDEO: Gene profiles Piper and Hogan with footage of their most notable highlights.

VIDEO: Mr. Fuji shares his prediction for the match, and he chooses Piper thanks to inside knowledge from Jimmy the Greek. Hillbilly Jim picks Hogan, Brutus Beefcake picks Piper, Snider picks Hogan, Big John Studd picks Piper, Little Richard picks Hogan, Blassie picks Piper, Blackjack Mulligan picks Hogan, Nikolai Volkoff picks Piper, Peter Wolf picks Hogan, and Greg Kihn picks absolutely no one.

Roddy Piper vs. Hulk Hogan – WWF Title

Gene and Gorilla Monsoon are your commentators. Piper, in a tremendous heel move, brings out a guitar. Howard Finkel brings in Bob Costas for the introductions. Before he can do that, Piper destroys the guitar to the dismay of the crowd. The fans are throwing trash at him, and the man is loving it. Hogan comes out to Eye of the Tiger, and he has Lauper, David Wolff, Albano, and more with him. Hogan and Mr. T embrace ringside, then we’re off from there.

What I appreciate about this match is that it starts as a fight. They want to rip each other’s heads off, which they should at this point in the feud. Wrestling moves are secondary. That’s the way it should be in a heated rivalry. The crowd is buzzing as Piper locks in the sleeper on Hogan. Piper stays on offense with heel tactics, but Cowboy Boy Orton gets involved and allows Hogan to reverse the momentum. Orndorff makes his way down, and it’s ref bump time. Orndorff heads up top and hits the flying knee to Hogan. Lauper jumps on the apron as Piper and Orndorff try to corner her. HERE COMES MR. T. He makes the save for Lauper, then gets in the ring. Piper hits him from behind and Orndorff joins the attack. Hogan hulks up, and it’s a standoff between the four. A host of security and officials enter the ring to control the BROUHAHA, and eventually, Fink announces that Hogan wins by DQ.

Wrestling fans hate these kinds of finishes in the modern era, but this was necessary to keep Piper strong and set up the main event for the first WrestleMania. Just an awesome atmosphere with a ridiculous amount of heat, and fans were 100 percent going to pay for WrestleMania to see the babyfaces get their revenge.

BACKSTAGE: Gene with Hunter, and you can tell Gene is pissed about something. Hogan goes off on Piper and says their feud calls for GUERRILLA WARFARE. That’s gonna be something. Wolff talks about the connection between Hogan and rock and roll, and Lauper isn’t happy about Piper and company going after her and Hogan. Mr. T is angry at the whole situation, so Hogan tells him how much he loves him. Albano loses his mind as Gene basically tells him to get the hell out of there. Gene welcomes in Andy Warhol, and he’s speechless and doesn’t have much to say. Joe Piscopo compares the match to a Bruce Springsteen concert, and he’ll be back for WrestleMania. Billy Squier is next. He hates Piper smashing guitars. DANNY DEVITO has arrived. He talks up Albano’s natural acting ability. Piper comes in to intimidate DeVito, then he points out Hogan never pinned him. https://youtu.be/tEKw6tRnnhE

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF THE WAR TO SETTLE THE SCORE

• Overall Rating: 8.0/10

• Thoughts: Obviously, I’m not reviewing the entire show since it’s not available, so the score is based solely on the Hogan/Piper match and the segments around it. In hindsight, it was a good way to build interest for the biggest event in the company’s history at that point. The non-finish might irk some people, but I’m a fan of the old-school booking philosophy of making people pay for the payoff. Also, Gene’s interview work was fantastic, especially with the variety of guests.

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

It’s the official debut of a new pay-per-view concept in this Halloween Havoc 1989 review, and it’s one that has provided some entertaining moments throughout history.

Of course, it also gave us one of the weirdest matches ever, even if the craziness fit the main event feud here.

Let’s jump right into Blake’s Halloween Havoc 1989 review.

• Date: October 28, 1989
• Location: Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, PA

BACKSTAGE: Gordon Solie welcomes us and previews the guys he’ll be talking to throughout the evening.

BACKSTAGE: Chris Cruise is new on the scene and he runs down his guests for the evening.

Mike Rotunda vs. The Z-Man

The main camera angle for WCW shows during this time period always made things look dark but damn does this show feel extra dark. I’ll go glass half-full and say that the company did it to further the Halloween theme. Yeah, right. Zenk’s debut at Clash VIII was underwhelming to say the least, so let’s see if things get better. Zenk in control early, and the crowd makes sure everyone knows how much Syracuse sucks.

Rotunda can’t find any offense and retreats to the outside so that he can better hear the “Syracuse sucks” chants. He finally gets back in and is able to regain an advantage with a thumb to Zenk’s eye. Rotunda then heaves Zenk through the ropes to the outside. Zenk on the apron, and he flips over Rotunda to get a two count. JR then informs us that Zenk was excellent in the PUNT, PASS, AND KICK COMPETITION as a youngster. More technical work from both men as Zenk locks in the modified arm bar.

Rotunda now goes to the head scissors for a bit and uses the ropes for leverage. GET YOUR EYES UP YOUNG NICK PATRICK. He finally sees it and Rotunda breaks the hold. Zenk goes to the side head lock and some boring chants are audible. Irish whip and Rotunda counters and throws Zenk through the ropes with brute force. Rotunda slams Zenk’s face on the ring apron and the Philly crowd is BOOING THE GOOD GUY AND CHEERING THE BAD GUY. Zenk spends some time regrouping before Rotunda suplexes him back in the ring for a near fall.

Abdominal stretch from Rotunda and he once again uses the ropes for leverage. JR says “good officiating from Nick Patrick” after it takes him 35 minutes to see Rotunda holding the ropes, so I’d politely disagree with good ‘ol JR there. Now Rotunda goes with the reverse chin lock. Zenk gets out and Rotunda misses a dropkick. Zenk slings Rotunda into the corner, which leads to Rotunda jumping on the ropes and hitting the flying cross body. However, the momentum allows Zenk to roll him over and score the pin at 13:23. That match happened, and it was not good. The crowd was vocal but there were just too many rest holds.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Cruise with Bruno Sammartino. Bruno talks about refereeing the Thunderdome match.

The Midnight Express and Dr. Death Steve Williams (w/Jim Cornette) vs. The Samoan Swat Team and Samoan Savage (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink)

Samoan Savage is the former Tonga Kid and Tama in the WWF. And Humperdink’s official name is THE BIG KAHUNA, so there’s that. Both teams go face to face on the outside as the crowd is wanting a full-on brawl. Lane and Savage start in the ring, and Lane sends him outside quickly. Eaton decks Savage and all six men face to face again. More back and forth inside and for the third time, we’ve get all six men teasing a massive brouhaha.

Samu chops Eaton silly but misses a splash to the corner, which allows Williams to come in and clean house on everyone. Huge shoulder block from Williams to send the Samoans retreating. They come back in and Williams is shoulder blocking the shit out of Fatu.

Lane eventually gets in and gets beat on for a few minutes until Williams gets the tag. He takes some chops from Samu before delivering a hard clothesline in the corner. Eaton in now and these dudes are partaking in some stiff shots on each other. No surprise given the participants.

These two teams just keep going back and forth. Savage counters Eaton’s offense and racks him in the corner. He then sends Eaton flying outside and the Samoans rack Eaton again on the steel rail. The Samoans celebrate for a bit until order is restored but that leads to Eaton getting hip tossed onto the non-padded floor in the aisle way. The thud was extremely loud. Back in the ring where the Samoans dissect Eaton. We get a camera shot to THE BIG KAHUNA and let me tell you that those are eyes that only a mother could love.

Samoans pretty much destroy Eaton for quite a while until he gets the knees up on a Savage splash. Eaton makes the hot tag to Williams, who delivers the clothesline before slamming all three men and throwing Savage onto Samu and Fatu. Lane back in and he hits a rough looking neck breaker that didn’t exactly go according to plan. Another miscommunication after that, which leads to JR covering it by saying “boy, this is really getting unorthodox.”

Craziness ensues after that as Cornette nails Humperdink with the tennis racket. That leads to Lane getting distracting, and Savage dropkicks him into Cornette and then covers Lane for the victory at 18:23. This had a ton of heat, but felt eight minutes too long.

• Rating: **1/2

BACKSTAGE: Solie with Terry Funk and Gary Hart. Funk quotes Winston Churchill and says they’re gonna start a new dance called the “10,000 Watt Boogie.” Funk is a national treasure.

The Cuban Assassin vs. Tommy Rich

This does not feel like a pay-per-view match, but maybe I’m wrong. The crowd immediately starts chanting “Tommy Rich sucks” which is always a good sign when trying to to get a guy over as a babyface. And now the crowd is booing a few minutes into the match.

More rest holds from Rich and this is absolutely terrible. The crowd hates this with a passion. Rich finally hits the Lou Thesz Press and wins it at 8:29 to a loud chorus of boos. You can go ahead and put this in the running for one of the worst PPV matches of the year.

• Rating: DUD

BACKSTAGE: Solie with Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin. They yell for a little while and hype their title match.

The Dynamic Dudes (w/Jim Cornette) vs. (c) The Fabulous Freebirds

JR spends a few minutes pushing the importance of education and telling us all about Shane and Johnny’s college experiences. That should help them in this professional wrestling title match. The Philly crowd is loving the Freebirds approximately 874 percent more than they did Tommy Rich.

Shane with a nice neck breaker early, and we work to Garvin and Johnny in the ring. Johnny’s run as the RAW GM was great and all, but if he had the mullet, it would’ve been a run that topped Hulk Hogan in terms of popularity. Chants all over the place for the Freebirds as the two teams go back and forth. The Dudes hit a few double team moves and send the Freebirds retreating to the outside.

Massive chants now for the Freebirds, and I assume somewhere in an alternate commentary, Michael Cole is talking about this being a bizarro crowd that cheers the bad guys and boos the good guys. Dudes clear the ring again as the Freebirds talk strategy. Garvin takes control and the knee lift sends Johnny all the way to the railing. Hayes then cheap shots Johnny right after that. Garvin then destroys Johnny with a few knees. Holy shit they are destroying this guy.

Johnny finally gets back in and he fights off some punches from Hayes before running into the double team. Crowd goes wild thinking that Hayes is about to hit the DDT but Johnny reverses and makes what was supposed to be a hot tag to Shane. Zero reaction to the tag and the crowd is booing the Dudes out of the building. Dudes go for the double team but Hayes manages to reverse it and pushes Garvin on top for the pin to retain at 11:28. Enormous pop for the champs. This totally exceeded expectations and was very fun thanks to the crowd.

• Rating: ***1/4

BACKSTAGE: Cruise with the Steiners. Rick rambles along incoherently.

The Steiner Brothers vs. Doom (w/Woman)

This is officially a HOSS FIGHT. Rick and Scott both hit belly-to-belly duplexes right off the bat. Then we get clotheslines over the top to Reed and Simmons. Back inside and Scott goes to work before Rick tags in and clotheslines the hell out of both bad guys to send them reeling again to floor. Miscommunication from Rick and Reed on an Irish whip spot and eventually Reed takes control before tagging in Simmons.

Simmons goes for a suplex but Rick blocks it, which leads to Scott tagging in and hitting a clothesline off the ropes. Simmons hits a Stone Cold Stunner-esque move on Rick and then hits a clothesline of his own. Scott comes back in and hits a face-first suplex on Reed for a near fall. Simmons back in the mix but Scott delivers a brutal belly-to-back suplex for a two count. Woman is not happy.

Cheap shot from Reed on the apron gives Doom control as they double team Scott. Shenanigans from Simmons on the outside and both Doom members throw Scott’s face off the railing. More double teaming from Doom inside for a couple of two counts on Scott. Doom continues to whip Scott’s ass for several minutes before Scott flips over from the apron and gets a two count. Finally the hot tag to Rick but referee Nick Patrick is a buffoon and didn’t see it. Doom hits another double team for a two count. Scott being put over pretty well here.

Scott hits a kick and now we get the official tag as Rick goes wild. All four men brawling on the inside as Scott and Simmons work to the floor. Patrick goes outside with those two and Woman hops on the apron. Naturally, Rick taunts her and may or may not have did some gyrations with his crotch. Rick gets occupied with Simmons, which allows Woman to put something in Reed’s mask. Rick turns around into a loaded headbutt and Reed pins for the win at 15:26. This had its moments but overall didn’t pack much of a punch.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Solie with Lex Luger. He hypes the upcoming match with Brian Pillman.

Brian Pillman vs. (c) Lex Luger – NWA United States Title

Both of these dudes were certainly rising fast at this point in time. Luger gets a bit of offense in early and then Pillman goes apeshit and spears Lugers halfway to New Zealand. Pillman then unless a vicious chop before chasing after Luger on the outside. Luger slides in to regain control. Cross body off the top from Pillman gets a two. More back and forth as Pillman goes back to the arm drag.

Luger hits a few shoulder blocks before Pillman hits a hip toss and a dropkick to go back to the arm drag. Crucifix pin from Pillman for another near fall and it’s arm drag time yet again. Luger is great here as he’s yelling at fans while stuck in the hold. He gets out and slings Pillman to the corner but catches a knee to the face. Pillman up top for a splash but Luger gets out of the way. Huge press from Luger off the Irish whip and then he throws Pillman neck-first off the ropes.

Clothesline from Luger as he keeps taunting the fans. Pillman catches him with chops before Luger hits a massive clothesline. And then for good measure, he hits a clothesline to the back of Pillman’s head. Luger choking Pillman out with the boot, and then he nails the standing vertical suplex before giving the throat slash. LEX “UNDERTAKER” LUGER, FOLKS. Pillman tries to fight back but Luger throws him through the middle ropes to the outside.

Sunset flip from Pillman gets a two count. Luger then misses a clothesline and goes flying over the top. Pillman gets Luger in the corner for punches but Luger picks him up for a wacky looking atomic drop. Luger sits Pillman on the top turnbuckle and goes for the superplex but Pillman pushes him off. Pillman gets a sunset flip for a near fall and then goes over and nails the flying clothesline off the ropes, but Luger gets the foot on the ropes at two. Pillman up top for the dropkick, and Luger gets out of the way at the last second. Hot shot from Luger and he pins to retain at 16:48. Excellent closing sequence, and it was hard to dislike a Luger match at this stage of his career.

• Rating: ***1/2

BACKSTAGE: Cruise with the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering. They hype the match with the Skyscrapers.

The Skyscrapers (w/Teddy Long) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)

Hoss clothesline from Animal on Spivey, with the latter trying to go over the top rope but being unable to. So instead, and he falls down and goes under the bottom rope. Hawk comes in and a few shoulder blocks do nothing to Spivey, so he proceeds to basically fly and shoulder block him to the outside on the third try. Sid makes his way into the fold and a sloppy clothesline sends both men resetting. Double team from the Road Warriors sends Sid to the mat but he comes right back. More miscommunication on an Irish whip spot and Animal hits a flying shoulder block of his own to send Sid reeling.

Test of strength between Hawk and Sid leads to Hawk overtaking the big man and clotheslining him in the corner. Spivey into the fold and Animal clotheslines him before tagging in Hawk. Helicopter slam from Sid to Hawk and Spivey comes in to hit the side slam for a two count. Spivey knocks Hawk out of the ring and Sid nearly decapitates him on the guard rail. Spivey with a vertical suplex for another near fall. Double team from the Skyscrapers as they dominate the action.

Hawk eventually hits a suplex to try to get out of there but Sid prevents the tag. Hawk makes the hot tag but for the second time this evening, Patrick didn’t see it. This match is pretty much the exact same as the Steiners/Doom match earlier. Animal gets the official hot tag and he goes to work before all four men brawl inside. Long gets in and tosses the metal key to Spivey to hauls off and forces the DQ at 11:39. Hawk destroys everyone with the key afterward and that’s that. Nothing of note in this one. Typical power team match.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Cruise with Ric Flair, Sting, and Ole Anderson. Apparently Ole isn’t throwing in the towel. There’s a lot of yelling and screaming because THUNDERDOME is next.

The Great Muta and Terry Funk (w/Gary Hart) vs. Sting and Ric Flair – Thunderdome Match w/special referee Bruno Sammartino

In true WCW fashion, part of the cage catches on fire as it lowers to the ground. So, to further himself as a true badass, Muta sprays out the fire with his mist. Simply incredible. Reminder that the only way to win the match is to have the other team’s manager throw in the towel. Flair and Funk get us going. IT’S CHOP TIME. Sting comes in and he rams Funk into the cage. Double team from Sting and Flair leads to an insane chop from Flair. Muta comes into cause chaos and he’s next for the chops.

Funk and Muta get pissed at Bruno, and Sting doesn’t like that. He presses Muta and then suplexes him. Flair back in and he hits the atomic drop on Muta. We get to Sting trying to put Muta through the cage, and naturally Funk climbs like a madman. Flair goes at him as Muta and Sting go back inside. Muta works his offense as JR reminds us that there are no pins. IT’S ALL UP TO THE DESIGNATED TERMINATORS. All hell breaks loose as Funk chokes Sting on the floor. Flair and Funk then go at it again. Muta suplexes Sting inside and Funk comes in to drop the knee. They go back and forth in attacking Sting before Flair tosses Muta outside.

Sting regains control and he and Flair go for the double team. Sting goes for the Scorpion Death Lock but Funk breaks it up. Bruno tries to regain control but realizes that Funk is a maniac and that it won’t work. Flair and Funk both on the cage and Flair sends his face into the steel. Muta starts climbing the cage and Sting follows. Muta gets “shocked” and Flair is climbing the cage again. Now Flair and Funk are near the top of the cage and Flair is sending in vicious chops. Flair grabs the swinging rope as we see Sting press slams Muta. Meanwhile Funk is hanging upside down from the cage. Muta slips under the ring as Funk keeps climbing.

Muta back out as he slams Flair into the cage before the two exchange chops. Sting now using the swinging rope to attack Funk who is still hanging off the cage. Flair locks in the Figure Four on Muta as we see Tarzan flying in the background. Actually that was just Sting. Muta catches Flair from behind and Sting’s swinging efforts go south as Funk grabs him. Now Muta locks in the submission on Flair. JR then realizes that Sting is tied on the cage, which leads to Ole helping. Funk goes in the ring and hits the spike piledriver on Flair. Sting is still going nuts as Ole can’t do anything to untie the rope. Finally Sting gets out and he flies from the top of the cage onto Funk in the ring. That was certainly a move well ahead of its time.

Muta climbing the cage as Sting is swinging on the rope again. Flair working on Funk’s knee inside. All four men make their way back into the ring and Muta gets racked on the post. Flair locks in the Figure Four on Funk as Sting goes up top and hits the splash on Funk. And there’s another splash from Sting. Muta is pissed so he comes back inside and nails Bruno, who isn’t taking that shit and cold-cocks Muta to send him outside. Hart gets in and Ole knocks the shit out of him, which sends Hart’s towel flying at Bruno to give Flair and Sting the victory at 21:55. JR and Caudle play up the controversy angle since Ole’s punch caused the towel to fly.

I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would. You would’ve expected the blowoff match between these four to be better but it had a lot to do with the THUNDERDOME gimmick. It was fine for what it was but it isn’t all that memorable in the grand scheme of things.

• Rating: ***

SHOW SUMMARY

This was a mixed bag with Luger/Pillman and the crowd’s insane love for the Freebirds being the highlights. The main event felt disappointing, but again, that had more to do with the match type than the actual performers.

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

In this WWF Fully Loaded 1999 review, Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off in a First Blood Match, Triple H takes on The Rock in a Strap Match, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: WWF Fully Loaded 1999
• Date: July 25, 1999
• Location: Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, NY

VIDEO: Vince McMahon still hates Steve Austin, and a video package hypes Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker in a First Blood Match in what’s being hyped as “the end of an era.”

VIDEO: Replay from Jim Ross interviewing Austin on Sunday Night Heat, which saw Taker attack Austin and bust him open. Meanwhile, Vince and Shane smile in the background. We also see the EMTs try to patch up Austin before Michael Cole accuses Vince of setting up the attack on Austin. Vince guarantees Austin will lose and never be WWF Champion again. We’ll see about that, Vinnie Mac.

VIDEO: Highlights from Edge defeating Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental title on a Toronto house show the night before.

Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra) vs. (c) Edge – Intercontinental Title

Debra’s wardrobe was on another level at this point. Jarrett says no one is gonna see her puppies, which naturally starts a “we want puppies” chant. Jarrett tries to leave with the title until he realizes that makes little sense considering he’ll get counted out. He turns up the aggression by throwing Edge into the steel steps.

Jarrett is in control for the majority of the match, and the fans mostly care about Debra’s puppies. Edge picks up the speed with his offense, but then the lights go out for a good while as Gangrel’s music hits. Lights come back on and Gangrel is down and out with Edge standing over him. Spear from Edge, but Debra goes to expose the puppies. Jarrett knocks Edge into Debra, and that’s enough for Gangrel to attack Edge while the referee’s back is turned. Jarrett then pins Edge to win the title.

• Winner: Jeff Jarrett

BACKSTAGE: Austin gets patched up, then sprints to the ring and hits the Stunner on Jarrett. Austin says he’s gonna hunt down Taker and make him bleed.

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Michael Hayes and the Hardy Boyz. Hayes says he’s gonna lead by example in their match.

The Acolytes vs. The Hardy Boyz and Michael Hayes – Handicap Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles

Nothing like a 3-on-2 match for the tag titles. The Hardyz showcase impressive offense throughout this match, while Farooq and Bradshaw’s approach is obviously much different and all about power. And we can’t forget about Hayes, who tries to throw it back to his Freebird days. JR pokes fun at his stamina and notes he looks like he just had a night out on the town. He probably did.

The action eventually breaks down, and there’s a big spot with Bradshaw hitting a suplex on Matt off the top. Jeff clobbers Bradshaw with Hayes’ cane for a near fall. Another fun sequence with Bradshaw hitting a flying Jeff with a huge clothesline. Farooq and Bradshaw hit the double powerbomb on Hayes to win the titles.

• Winners: The Acolytes

BACKSTAGE: Austin is searching for Taker. Then it’s Kevin Kelly with D’Lo Brown, who wants to regain the European title.

D’Lo Brown vs. (c) Mideon – European Title

This is the stretch when Mideon stole the title from Shane’s bag to become champion. So D’Lo’s motivation is to bring the title back to someone who actually earned it. This match garners a “boring” chant from the crowd, which is never ideal. It’s D’Lo hitting the Lo Down to score the victory to win the title. Make it three title changes in three matches.

• Winner: D’Lo Brown

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Al Snow. He’s losing it about the Big Bossman.

Big Bossman vs. (c) Al Snow – Hardcore Title

Snow keeps asking Bossman to destroy him. Bossman beats up Head instead. Like most hardcore matches in this era, they brawl backstage with a variety of weapons on display. That includes hot coffee. At one point, Snow suplexes Bossman through a table. In a pretty hilarious sequence, Bossman finds a fourth down marker and holds it in front of him as he punts Snow.

They eventually fight their way outside, and that’s where hubcaps and cones get introduced. A car comes speeding down the road and it nearly runs them over. I don’t think that was a work. Bossman breaks a bottle on Snow’s head, then handcuffs him to a gate. Bossman beats down Snow with the nightstick and “pins” him to win the title. There’s another title change.

• Winner: Big Bossman

VIDEO: Replay of the events leading to Big Show vs. Kane. Their King of the Ring 1999 match was the worst match on one of the worst WWF PPVs I’ve seen, so there’s nowhere to go but up.

BACKSTAGE: Kelly with Hardcore Holly, who claims he’ll be impartial as the special guest referee.

Big Show vs. Kane – Special Guest Referee: Hardcore Holly

To say that this match starts with a brutal spot would be an understatement. Show picks up Kane to press slam to the outside, and Kane’s arm hits the top rope before taking a huge bump. That looked ugly. Show in complete control of this one until he gets too cocky. Kane takes advantage, but it’s Holly who chop blocks Kane to allow Show to hit the chokeslam for the quick count victory.

• Winner: Big Show

IN THE RING: After the match, X-Pac hits the ring to make the save for Kane. But Taker comes out, and he and Show beat down Kane and X-Pac. Doesn’t seem like a smart move for Taker considering Austin is searching for him. Sure enough, Austin attacks Taker as he comes back through the curtain. And now Taker is busted open to even the score.

VIDEO: Replay of the events leading to Ken Shamrock vs. Steve Blackman in an Iron Circle Match.

Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock – Iron Circle Match

In case you forgot, this is basically a parking lot fight with both men surrounded by fellow superstars sitting on cars. They throw each other around on the cars for a while, and it’s so dark you can barely see anything for several parts of the match. Shamrock wraps a chain around his fist and starts destroying Blackman, then he chokes him out for the win. This was an experiment.

• Winner: Ken Shamrock

BACKSTAGE: Terry Taylor with Taker. He’s pissed and throws Taylor into the wall.

Mr. Ass and Chyna vs. Road Dogg and X-Pac – Winner Gets Rights Of DX Name

They play up X-Pac not being 100 percent after the attack by Taker and Show. Billy Gunn basically wrestling in a thong at this point in his career, and that just doesn’t sound appealing as a wrestler. Jerry Lawler points out Gunn and Chyna are pretty much wearing the same outfit. Mr. Ass was Mr. Ass for a reason, I suppose.

The crowd is into this match, which is not surprising given the popularity of these four. It’s mostly Gunn and Chyna working over X-Pac, with Dogg waiting on the hot tag. Eventually, he gets it and runs wild on Gunn and Chyna. To really prove this was a different era, Chyna takes a series of punches and the Bronco Buster during this sequence. Dogg then hits the pump handle slam on Gunn to earn the victory.

• Winners: Road Dogg and X-Pac

BACKSTAGE: Cole with The Rock. He’s gonna kick Triple H’s candy ass.

Triple H vs. The Rock – No. 1 Contender Strap Match

The winner earns a WWF title match at SummerSlam. Rock’s charisma is ridiculous, as his mannerisms are one of a kind. He even grabs a fan’s camera and takes a photo of him kicking Triple H. It’s wild to believe these two were so good and hadn’t even reached 30 yet.

There are obvious challenges with a Strap Match, but these two made it work. They brawl into the crowd and throw each other into a variety of objects. Rock hits a suplex on Triple H on the concrete ramp for a near fall, then Triple H reverses the favor by throwing Rock into the steel rail for a two count.

They make their way back to the ring, and Chyna decides to join the festivities. Her distraction is enough to force referee Mike Chioda to miss a Rock Bottom for a pin attempt. Then it’s Triple H hitting a low blow go regain the advantage. Triple H tries to hang Rock by the strap because it was the Attitude Era, folks.

Rock fights back with some nice usage of the strap. The battle in the aisle way some more, and Rock goes back to the strap after Triple H grabs a chair. Rock hits a DDT for a near fall, then Chyna jumps on the apron as Billy hits Rock with a club. However, he kicks out at two and a half. People’s Elbow connects, but Billy breaks up the count. He gets a Rock Bottom for his efforts, but it’s Triple H who hits the Pedigree for the win.

• Winner: Triple H

VIDEO: Hype for the Austin vs. Taker match, and the build featured a lot of blood.

The Undertaker vs. Steve Austin – First Blood End Of An Era Match for the WWF Title

Vince joins commentary for the match. They brawl in the aisle to start because it’s the Attitude Era and that’s just what you did. The crowd loved it. More fighting around the ring, and Taker throws the steel steps at Austin’s head but misses. Now the action spills into the crowd, another Attitude Era special. Eventually, they get in the ring and go back and forth in a methodical fashion. Then it’s back to the crowd.

Taker tries to go after Austin with a chair, but it doesn’t work. Austin rams Taker’s face into the steps. He also uses a fan (the object, not an actual human being). Earl Hebner takes a bump, and Taker somehow gets caught in the ropes. Austin grabs a chair, but here comes Shane, who takes a hellacious unprotected shot to the head. Brutal.

Taker with a low blow to Austin. However, Austin regains the advantage and hits the Stunner. Vince tries to go at Austin with a crutch, but Austin clocks him. Taker wallops Austin with a chair, then shoves Hebner into the corner. Here comes X-Pac, who kicks the chair in Taker’s face. Austin hits Taker with a TV camera, and Shane is back in to take a beating. Taker is busted wide open, which gives Austin the win. Austin hits the Stunner on Vince after the match. Well, I guess that’s the last of Vince on WWE television, huh?

Triple H attacks Austin after the match, but Rock is out to make the save. A lot of star power in the ring. Taker hits Austin with a chair, and there’s chaos everywhere. Austin and Taker are both bleeding profusely. They keep fighting, and Vince is unhappy in the ring. Austin goes back in and offers a handshake, then stuns him.

• Winner: Steve Austin

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF FULLY LOADED 1999

Certainly an improvement on the brutal King of the Ring pay-per-view in June. There isn’t anything spectacular on this show, but it gets the job done in terms of developing key storylines. The main event was a product of the era, and it worked thanks to the Austin vs. McMahon rivalry.

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

In this WWF King of the Ring 1999 review, Steve Austin squares off with Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon for control of the company, the 1999 King of the Ring is crowned, and much more.

Let’s jump in.

• Show: WWF King of the Ring 1999
• Date: June 27, 1999
• Location: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC

VIDEO: Highlights of the events leading to Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon. These Attitude Era hype videos were on another level.

RINGSIDE: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler recap Steve Blackman beating down Ken Shamrock with a kendo stick on Sunday Night Heat after Shamrock went after Shane.

BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole is outside of Vince’s locker room and says Shane may not be able to compete. I love opening the pay-per-view with a nice storyline hook.

Hardcore Holly vs. X-Pac – King of the Ring Quarterfinal

X-Pac’s theme is the one that was on the WWF Aggression album, and I was a big fan of it. Holly is pushing his new unruly attitude, and it was certainly better than Sparky Plugg. I only mention this because I’m doing the full 1994 rewatch series at the moment. Holly snaps and grabs a chair, then hits X-Pac with a BRUTAL unprotected shot to the head for the DQ. Road Dogg comes out after to make the save. More about the angle than the match.

BACKSTAGE: Terry Taylor calls Holly out on his stupidity for getting disqualified. He calls himself “The Big Shot” and taunts Big Show.

Big Show vs. Kane – King of the Ring Quarterfinal

JR notes that Show weighs 172 more pounds than Kane, which is absolutely wild. However, this still classifies as a HOSS FIGHT given the size on display. JR also compares Show to Andre the Giant, and there was a memorable WWF Magazine in this era with both men on the cover.

Far from a technical masterpiece with these two as it’s all about power moves and two Attitude Era staples: Ref bump and outside interference. Holly comes down to interfere, but Kane chokeslams him. Things really slow down with Kane choking Show out, and this legitimately goes on for a few minutes, much to the displeasure of the crowd.

It’s deja vu as Kane hits Show in the head with a chair, and Kane pins him for the victory. Yeah, this wasn’t my favorite match.

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Vince, who won’t forgive Shamrock for injuring Shane. But Shane pleads that he can fight.

BACKSTAGE: Shamrock throws around the EMTs and heads to the ring for his match.

Mr. Ass vs. Ken Shamrock – King of the Ring Quarterfinal

I can appreciate the Shamrock injury storyline given the tournament stipulation. They play that up with Billy Gunn taking the fight to Shamrock, with Shamrock able to muster just enough to thwart Gunn at a few points in the match. The valiant effort for Shamrock comes up short as Gunn reverses a hurricanrana into a powerbomb, and Teddy Long decides to stop the match since Shamrock is spitting up blood again.

Shamrock gets pissed and throws Long out of the ring. Another short match with a lackluster finish.

BACKSTAGE: Kevin Kelly with Chyna and Triple H. She takes a shot at Road Dogg, while Triple H notes he does what he wants and takes orders from no one.

Road Dogg vs. Chyna (w/Triple H) – King of the Ring Quarterfinal

The “My Time” theme for Triple H is one of the most underrated in wrestling history. Loved that song. Obviously, Chyna makes history here as the first woman to enter the KOTR, and the story is Dogg underestimating her in the early going.

Chyna beats him down for a bit until Dogg regains the advantage. But a distraction from Triple H leads to him shoving Dogg into the steel steps. Chyna back on offense for a good stretch of the match, then it’s more involvement from Triple H via – you guessed it – a ref bump.

But the Triple H chain job to Dogg doesn’t work, and out comes Shawn Michaels to prevent more Triple H interference. Then it’s the memorable spot where Chyna low blows Dogg, but he’s wearing a cup. This was pretty clever and gets a huge pop from the crowd. Dogg hits the pump handle slam for the win.

This was easily the best quarterfinal match, but that’s not saying much. It was longer than it needed to be, though Chyna worked hard and played well off of Dogg. That’s the best thing I can say about it.

BACKSTAGE: Cole with The Rock. He mocks The Undertaker.

Edge and Christian (w/Gangrel) vs. The Hardy Boyz (w/Michael Hayes) – No. 1 Contender’s Match

These two actually had a match on Sunday Night Heat, but interference (shocker!) from The Acolytes led to Michaels deciding to run it back. There’s certainly a difference in this match than the previous four on this show, as it’s the high-octane tempo you’d come to expect from these four throughout their careers.

The chemistry was already incredible even this early in their WWF careers. Hayes gets involved because someone contractually has to interfere in every match, but he gets speared by Edge for his efforts. A terrific sequence late in the match with Edge coming off the top to spear Edge, though Gangrel accidentally sprays the blood into Edge’s face to allow Jeff to score the victory.

Short match, but it had plenty of action.

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Taker, who questions what happens when you rip the balls off of a bull. That’s one I’ve never thought about, to be honest.

IN THE RING: Vince reveals the handicap match with Shane will not take place due to Shane’s injury. Michaels puts a halt to that thinking he means the match off, but Vince clarifies he’ll have a suitable replacement for Shane.

Mr. Ass vs. Kane – King of the Ring Semifinal

An interesting semifinal and we get a trademark Attitude Era brawl around in the ring and in the aisle way. That transitions into another sequence where the ground game takes over, and the fans don’t have much to say about it. Gunn’s selling is always fun, so I’ll give him that.

Big Show comes down to interfere (remember, contractual obligation), and he takes the chair away from Gunn after….a ref bump. Then Show hits Kane with the chair, and Gunn scores the pin for the win. This did nothing for either man, which seems counterproductive given the push for Gunn.

BACKSTAGE: Kelly with X-Pac. He has mixed emotions about fighting his friend Road Dogg. And then Dogg says the same.

X-Pac vs. Road Dogg – King of the Ring Semifinal

This is the most appealing KOTR match thus far, but gotta be honest: This tournament has been less than thrilling. Well, while this looked great on paper, it’s a very short match with X-Pac hitting the X-Factor out of nowhere to earn the victory and advance to the final against Gunn.

VIDEO: Hype for Rock vs. Taker, which included Corporate Ministry dissension between Taker and Triple H to allow Rock to earn the title shot.

The Rock vs. (c) The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) – WWF Title

I’m curious how far the Gorilla position was from the actual entrance, as it takes both these guys nearly a minute to come out after their music hits. The fans are fully behind Rock by this point, and his star power is simply undeniable.

The match starts with a ref bump because of course it does. The reason for it is to allow Rock to hit a Rock Bottom, only for a second ref to get pummeled by Bearer before he can count the three. If the match starts with shenanigans, you can bet there are more to come.

Attitude Era brawl down the aisle and into the crowd – another popular trope during this period. Something I thought about watching this is despite the stardom of these two, I never really loved any of their feuds or singles matches.

This continued that theme, even if it wasn’t terrible. It had some solid back and forth and featured a few good near falls to pop the crowd. There’s a second ref bump late in the match, and Rock steals the cloth with ether away from Taker to use it on him. What do you know, Triple H interferes and hits the Pedigree on Rock, and Taker hits the Tombstone to retain the title.

I know the Attitude Era was unique in the moment, but some of these matches/shows do not hold up well a few decades later. This has been one of those shows, and I doubt the main event will change that.

BACKSTAGE: Triple H and Michaels are going at each other, and Vince is pissed because Michaels throws Triple H out of the building. The reason being that Vince had Triple H pegged at his partner. So Vince calls someone else. If you want a funny tidbit, the camera unintentionally catches Rock in the background after Vince gets off the phone.

X-Pac vs. Mr. Ass – King of the Ring Final

Before the match, Gunn cuts a promo explaining his strategy to go after X-Pac’s injured neck. Hey, I’ll take anything logical at this point in the tournament. Gunn does indeed go for X-Pac’s neck throughout the match, and while X-Pac gets a burst of momentum, it’s Gunn hitting the Fameasser off the second rope to win the tournament.

The WWF was clearly behind Gunn here, but this wasn’t exactly a star-making performance considering how all three of his matches played out. He won the first due to ref stoppage, the second due to interference, and the third due to a weakened opponent. I like the idea of pushing someone new. This just wasn’t the best formula for it.

VIDEO: Hype for the main event, including the abduction of Stephanie McMahon, Vince being revealed as the higher power, and Linda McMahon naming Austin the CEO of the company. What a convoluted storyline that lacked logic.

IN THE RING: Vince comes out and introduces Steve Blackman as his partner. And then the infamous GTV catches Shane hanging out in the locker room with the Mean Street Posse, and Shane is perfectly fine. Shane tries to leave the arena but Michaels forces him to the ring. This was creative and enjoyable.

Vince and Shane McMahon vs. Steve Austin – Handicap Ladder Match for 100 Percent Control of the WWF

That’s certainly a stipulation right there. Nonsensical storylines aside, there’s no doubting that the people wanted to see Austin beat the hell out of Vince and Shane. That’s really all you need to sell the match, and that gave the crowd a reason to be invested from start to finish.

I did appreciate the intricate ladder entrapment that they used as part of the set for this show. Apparently, Austin did not since he destroyed all the ladders by pulling them onto Vince and Shane. Speaking of Shane, he bumped like a madman, which would continue throughout his career.

Just when Vince thinks he has it won, Austin hits a low blow and takes control of the match. Then it’s Austin hitting a Stunner to both Vince and Shane, but when he goes for the briefcase, it moves. Then the briefcase lowers and that allows Shane to grab it for the win.

Another screwy finish to cap off a show filled with them, and the crowd was completely deflated at Austin losing to these two.

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF KING OF THE RING 1999

Recommended Matches: None

Overall Rating: 2.5/10

Thoughts: A show with zero recommended matches isn’t exactly a masterpiece. The only two matches that I found somewhat entertaining were Edge/Christian vs. The Hardyz, and the main event despite the finish. But even then, there’s really no reason to go back and watch either match. The King of the Ring tournament, one of the selling points of the show, was largely forgettable. Unfortunately for Gunn, so was his win.

This is one of those shows that meet the criteria of what people are talking about when they say some of the Attitude Era stuff doesn’t hold up well. It’s just one overbooked finish after another, and the matches are nothing special. There are way better WWF pay-per-views to spend your time on because this is one of the worst in the company’s history.

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

In this WWE Raw 6/17/02 review, Vince McMahon teases the return of Steve Austin, two superstars advance to the King of the Ring semifinals, and much more.

Let’s jump in!

• Show: WWE Raw
• Date: June 17, 2002

– We get a recap of Shawn Michaels superkicking Booker T and talking about no more disrespecting the nWo.

Rob Van Dam vs. X-Pac – KOTR Qualifier

Seems like a fun matchup on paper. RVD was so over with fans. Shiny black mats on the outside. RVD incredibly skilled with his moves. X-Pac with an impressive somersault plancha. Great back and forth, and Booker hits X-Pac with Book End after ref checks on RVD on the outside. RVD hits the frog splash for the win.

– Video from WWE Confidential on Austin walking out. JR basically calling Austin a coward for leaving. That was something.

– X-Pac is angry and nWo calms him down. Nash has a plan.

– Vince says Austin is gone from WWE and hopes he returns. Vince throws Austin under the bus for leaving and thinks he should apologize to everyone. Vince goes through the whole story and sends a message to Austin and thanks him before drinking a beer and sitting it in the middle of the ring.

Jeff Hardy vs. Raven

Taker watching from the stage. Their ladder match was awesome. Crazy to think how long Jeff has been wrestling. Jeff with the swanton and quick win as Taker looks on.

– Booker T and Goldust backstage. Goldust dressed up like someone. Booker is pissed at Michaels for what happened with the nWo. Goldust teases King Booker which is funny. Booker hypes his match with Brock Lesnar.

– Coach walks in on Molly Holly doing squats. Trish made fun of Molly’s ass on Raw. Coach saying these things is hilarious and Molly slaps him.

– X-Pac is pissed at Big Show. Michaels and Nash calm him down. Paul Heyman comes in with Brock. Heyman tries to keep them out of Brock’s match with Booker. Michaels goes face to face with Brock until Nash steps in.

Christopher Nowinski vs. Spike Dudley

Nowinski’s first match and he’s wearing a button-up and khakis. Regal ringside with Nowinski, who finally strips to his ring gear. Nowinski destroys Spike for a while until Spike rallies. But Regal distraction allows Nowinski to hit his finisher for the win. Bradshaw runs in and makes the save.

– Ric Flair says he had to find the real Flair and let ownership get to his head. He takes a shot at Austin and says he saw Hogan come back to win the title. Flair says he signed a contract to wrestle on Raw to prove he has another run in him. He takes aim at Brock. Austin’s music hits but turns off and here comes Eddie Guerrero. Fans aren’t happy about that. Eddie’s pissed about not getting his match with Austin at KOTR. Eddie blames Flair for Austin leaving and taunts Flair. Chris Benoit comes out and defends Flair while mentioning Four Horsemen. Eddie calls Flair a loser and Flair challenges him at KOTR. Benoit turns on Flair and blames him for Austin breaking his neck. Flair decks Benoit and Eddie but they gain the upper hand with Eddie using figure four.

– Vince backstage and Nowinski walks in. Nowinski tries to impress Vince with his accolades. Vince gets call from Tony Garea saying the man is on his way. Vince thinks he means Austin. Vince lines up security during the commercial.

Trish Stratus and D’Lo Brown vs. Molly and Crash Holly

So the main storyline is that Molly has a fat ass. That’s something. Lawler making lots of jokes which is no surprise. He wants to chant “she’s a fat ass” at Molly. Simply incredible. D’Lo was quite a talent. Action breaks down and D’Lo pins Crash for the win. Molly throws Trish face first off the apron and onto the announce table.

– Lita is at The World in New York. She has a neck brace on and she’s concerned for Matt against Taker.

– Vince wants camera crew documenting Austin. Jackie Gayda walks in and she tells Vince she wants to be a Raw girl. Vince wants her to be in the Divas Undressed competition, and if she agrees, she’ll give him a preview next week. Vince does it again.

The Undertaker vs. Matt Hardy

This is quite a sprint with these two for a few minutes, but as you would expect, the bigger story was Jeff’s involvement. He hits the ring and pulls the ref out, leading to a 2-on-1 advantage for the Hardyz. But out comes Raven, who shoves Jeff off the top and that’s all Taker needs to hit the Last Ride on Matt for the win.

– Raven handcuffs Jeff to the rope, and Taker goes to work as Raven takes it to Matt. Taker and Raven in their 1998 characters would’ve made for an interesting duo or feud.

– Terri questions Taker backstage. He was showing Triple H what he was capable of.
– Vince is still waiting on Austin.

– Heyman tries to butter up Earl Hebner. Earl isn’t having it. Heyman then bumps into Booker, and he says he’s gonna take it to Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Booker T – KOTR Qualifier

The nWo make their way to the ring before the match. That allows Lesnar to jump Booker. HBK and Nash join commentary. They’re pretty great. Goldust joins the crowd and stares down Heyman. Booker rallies on Lesnar, but X-Pac and Show cause the distraction. Lesnar hits the F5 on Booker to score the victory.

– The nWo destroy Booker and Goldust after the match.

– Sgt. Slaughter tells Vince that Tony Garea has arrived, and Vince thinks Austin will arrive soon. Vince heads to the ring and says Austin is in the building. Garea runs out and whispers something in Vince’s ear. The Rock’s music hits and the crowd goes nuts. This was well done to do the switcheroo with Austin and Rock. Vince’s facial expressions are awesome. Rock taunts Vince and tells him to hit the road and throws a beer at the tron. The crowd loves it. Rock gives a passionate speech about the locker room wanting to be here, which is obviously a shot at Austin. Rock is gonna be at KOTR and he says WWE is home while once again mentioning Austin walking out on the company. Vince wasn’t playing around.

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWE RAW 6/17/02

This edition of Raw was fine, though it was mostly built around a superstar that didn’t appear. Of course, instead, the fans got the return of The Rock, which made up for the disappointment of not getting Austin. The Flair stuff was good, as was the running theme with Taker and Jeff. Everything else was just sort of there.

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

Let’s face it: Great American Bash 1988 was not great. There were a couple of good tag team matches in the mix, but the screwjob finish for the main event between Ric Flair and Lex Luger was the definition of stupidity. Luckily, the Clash of the Champions III review features a bit more quality, despite another interesting main event finish.

It’s the third-ever Clash of the Champions for Jim Crockett promotions, and it does have some redeeming qualities.

Let’s find out in Blake’s Clash of the Champions III review.

• Date: September 7, 1988
• Location: Albany Civic Center in Albany, GA

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Tony Schiavone and Flair welcome us. Wooooooooooooooo! We’re already hyping his rematch with Luger. Flair’s rematch, not Tony’s rematch. That wouldn’t put butts in the seats.

Brad Armstrong vs. (c) Mike Rotundo (w/Kevin Sullivan) – NWA TV Title

Good to see Sullivan could make time to attend this match since he was typically spending his time beating up women in Tower of Doom matches. Armstrong nearly gets a pinfall early in the match and the crowd was ready to explode.

Dropkicks and another near fall from Armstrong, which leads to Rotundo retreating. This further proves that Armstrong wasn’t bad at all. His match at Clash of the Champions II against Barry Windham was three stars in my book. And now he keeps the offense going and gets another two count. The crowd is HOT. Armstrong with more offense and counters and Rotundo is worried.

Rotundo finally gets some momentum thanks to Sullivan kicking Armstrong’s ass on the outside. Near fall from the champ but Armstrong kicks out of it.

Now Rotundo going with the cerebral approach to wear down Armstrong. But this man Armstrong will not stay down. Armstrong reminds me of Dolph Ziggler here and I have no idea why. Armstrong gets thrown back to the outside and Sullivan beats him up again. But Armstrong almost gets the three in a hot spot. Now business picks up as Dr. Death Steve Williams is out to even up the score. DAMN THIS CROWD IS ON FIRE. Inside cradle from Armstrong for two and a half! Airplane spin from Rotundo but another two.

Rotundo now trying multiple pins but Armstrong keeps kicking out. After about 10 straight pinfall attempts, we get a TIME LIMIT DRAW at 20:00. JR really plays up the moral victory angle, which was the right thing to do. This made Armstrong look like a future champion. I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, with the time limit draw being acceptable here because it told the right story. Fantastic match that may be one of the most underrated in history.

• Rating: ****

VIDEO: We get a recap of the segment where Jimmy Garvin got his leg broken by Kevin Sullivan. And of course Sullivan had to throw Precious as hard as humanly possible to the concrete floor. Sullivan also threw some cinder blocks on Garvin’s leg, which caused the break. The real highlight here is Sting’s shorts. Find this segment just to see Sting’s incredible shorts. Totally worth your time.

The Sheepherders vs. Nikita Koloff and Dr. Death Steve Williams

I smell a brawl. Or maybe that’s just Luke and Butch. Williams is shoulder blocking people left and right and the crowd is fucking insane. Now we’ve got Koloff in the match and his hair is looking phenomenal as always.

Good guys continue to control until Williams spears himself into the post. That changes when Koloff gets a hot tag and he goes crazy. But then the double team tactics of the Sheepherders change the game again. A lot of work on Koloff as he desperately tries to make the tag. Doesn’t happen. Koloff gets to the corner to make the tag but Williams is on the outside dealing with the flag guy. Missed opportunity there, Steve.

Luke then misses the flying headbutt and Koloff makes the big tag. That offense doesn’t last long as the underhanded chop from Butch puts it all even. Then Williams gets the tag to Koloff and he hits the massive clothesline for the win at 17:27. Much better than I expected it to be. Good brawl and well-worked match.

• Rating: ***

Dusty Rhodes vs. Kevin Sullivan (w/Gary Hart)

Have a feeling we’re getting another brawl, which would be better than a technical wrestling match from these two. And sure enough, there’s the brawl. We immediately go to the outside and all hell is breaking loose. Even Hart gets chucked by Dusty. Then we get Dusty elbows and Tommy Young is in between these two men trying to break it up. That doesn’t work.

Sullivan takes some shots to Dusty on the outside and then Hart beats the shit out of Dusty with a shoe. JR says Hart is as innocent as Al Capone or Charles Manson. Great line. Hart then hands Sullivan a spike and of course Young doesn’t see it. SPIKE TO THE THROAT. Dusty is out of this thing. We also get an extra close zoom in on Dusty’s forehead and that thing is flat out disgusting.

Dusty gets his comeback and uses shenanigans for a close call. Hart then pulls Dusty outside and here comes one of the greatest superstars of all time in Al Perez to attack Dusty from behind. Apparently I missed the part where this was no DQ.

Now they are both destroying Dusty with a chain, but in a stupid spot, Dusty flies into the chain and I guess it awkwardly pulled Sullivan and Perez into each other. AND THEN DUSTY PINS GARY HART FOR THE WIN AT 6:59. GARY HART WASN’T IN THE FUCKING MATCH. Dusty Rhodes as a performer was good. Dusty Rhodes as a booker was bad. This was yet another reason why JCP was spiraling.

• Rating: DUD

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: John Ayers is your special referee for the upcoming Flair/Luger match. This was a cringeworthy segment.

Ivan Koloff (w/ Paul Jones and Russian Assassin) vs. Ricky Morton – Russian Chain Match

This is your typical four corners match where you have to touch every corner in succession to win. Morton gets tossed to the outside which makes for an interesting situation with Koloff in the ring.

Pretty much what you’d expect this match to be. Lots of use of the chain, and Morton finding ways to pull him off his game. Koloff almost gets all four and Morton pulls him down just in time. Morton eventually starts his sequence and gets three, then Jones helps Koloff with leverage to pull Morton back. But it’s not enough as Jones seemingly lets go and Morton hits the fourth for the win at 9:52.

After the match, the Assassin throws Morton out and destroys him outside. Then Koloff and Jones argue before Koloff hammers Jones. Assassin attacks Koloff from behind and then we get another Assassin in there to team up on Koloff. This face turn for Koloff had zero heat. The fans chant Nikita but of course he doesn’t show up to save this thing. We also go to commercial mid-beatdown. What a mess this was.

• Rating: *1/2

Sting vs. (c) Barry Windham (w/JJ Dillon) – NWA US Heavyweight Title

Quick offense from Sting to get us started. That leads to the predictable Windham retreat just a few minutes in. Sting keeps the momentum going and Windham has no counter. That is, until Sting misses the elbow drop.

Now we have Windham on the attack as he tosses Sting to the outside. Windham brings Sting back inside with a suplex as Windham yells at John Ayers ringside. Sting desperately goes for the small package but only gets a two. Windham then posts himself and Sting finishes that off by sending him to the outside.

Windham back inside and busted wide open. Hopefully the Georgia Athletic Commission doesn’t stop this match. Maybe they aren’t morons like the Maryland one. Sting with the back rake and now he’s kicking Windham’s ass. However, Windham is back, and we’re going back and forth.

Figure Four time as Windham uses the ropes for leverage. He also gets help from Dillon, who has been surprisingly quiet in this match. Tommy Young forces the break and Sting’s knee is in bad shape. We get to THE CLAW, which is locked on Sting’s boob and not his head. That’s a positive. Sting gets out of it and we work our way to the inevitable ref bump.

Stinger Splash and he locks in the Scorpion Death Lock. Dillon gets in with a chair but Sting cleans his clock. Windham grabs the chair and whacks Sting with it. Young is finally back and he counts, but BIG JOHN AYERS is in the ring to stop the count. He explains that Windham used the chair and Young believes him, thus giving us a DQ finish at 21:14. Crowd goes crazy for this and then Ayers picks up Dillon and gives him a stern talking to in the corner.

Just like every big match during this time period for JCP, the finish overshadows the quality of the match. It was very good.

Rating: ***3/4

Blake’s Clash of the Champions III Awards

• Best Match: Brad Armstrong vs. Mike Rotunda
• Clash of the Champions III MVP: Brad Armstrong
• Overall Clash of the Champions III Rating: 7.0/10
• Thoughts: Aside from the Dusty pinning a guy that wasn’t in the match and the Russian Chain aftermath, this was an entertaining show. The Armstrong/Rotundo opener is a hidden gem, and the main event was great until the finish. But all the head-scratching moves would catch up with JCP, and we’ll find out what that meant from the company’s future when we get to the next show.

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

It’s going to be hard for the NWA to top the first Clash of the Champions. After all, it’s one of the greatest shows in wrestling history. So, don’t go into the Clash of the Champions II review expecting pure greatness.

But hey, these men are going to try, and effort is all we can ask for. This is also a month before the big Great American Bash pay per view.

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

• Date: June 8, 1988
• Location: James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL

IN THE PARKING LOT: Jim Ross is on limousine duty. A bunch of random people get out that apparently we’re supposed to know.

OUTSIDE THE RING: Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle prep us for the night.

Brad Armstrong vs. (c) Barry Windham (w/JJ Dillon) – US Heavyweight Title

So this was when Windham had just made one of the most shocking heel turns in wrestling history and joined the Four Horsemen. The last time we saw him at the first Clash of the Champions, he and Lex Luger had just won the tag titles from Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in an insanely awesome match. Well, on April 20 in Jacksonville, he turned on Luger and allowed Arn and Tully to win back the straps. The people HATED this guy.

Armstrong forces Windham to retreat early much to the crowd’s delight. Windham had so much heat that he made Armstrong’s offense sound like it was coming from Hulk Hogan. There’s also a little kid in the crowd with a painted face holding up a glitter sign that says “Wimp.” Outstanding. There’s also a lot of blondes in the crowd. It’s Miami in the late 80s, so it’s to be expected.

Badass Barry Windham is much preferred to Rest Hold Barry Windham. This is surprisingly good back and forth, and eventually Windham locks on the Figure Four. Dillon helps him with some leverage as referee Teddy Long isn’t seeing any of this. He’s probably too busy thinking about booking tag team matches on Smackdown. Anyways, Armstrong manages to hold on here and attempt to reverse it. This hold has been locked in for a few minutes at this point. That’s a bit long yes? Finally, Long sees the cheating and forces the break.

Armstrong gets tossed outside and Windham is such a bastard playing to the crowd. It’s beautiful. Back inside and Windham goes up top but misses the flying drop. Armstrong now in control and the people are eating it up with a spoon. Flying cross body off the top and Armstrong almost wins the title. He goes up top and lands another one but Windham reverses and locks in THE CLAW. He gets the pin to retain at 13:35. This was a very good opener with a lot of heat.

• Rating: ***1/4

OUTSIDE THE RING: Rock and Roll Express are back. They say that. That’s it.

ON A BOAT: Ric Flair and Lex Luger are on a damn yacht to sign the contract for their Great American Bash title match. Only in America. Crockett Jr. makes them sign it and they exit peacefully. Dear WWE, if you don’t want a contract signing that ends in a massive brawl, do it on a yacht. Learn from Flair and Luger.

IN THE PARKING LOT: Flair goes from a yacht to a limo. He and Arn and Tully are here to do what they do. After cutting the entrances for our next match, Luger arrives and gets jumped by Flair and company. At least they waited until after the contract signing? Luger is busted wide open.

The Sheepherders vs. (c) The Fantastics – US Tag Team titles

After getting screwed out of the titles in a Dusty Finish at the first Clash (in a **** match), the Fantastics managed to beat the Midnight Express to win them.

Good brawl to begin here, which is what you’d expect from the Sheepherders. Crowd loves them some Fantastics. Also a lot of USA chants going on. Sheepherders try to get sneaky with a double team, but it backfires and now the champs are trying to take back the momentum. But yet again Teddy Long isn’t seeing the shenanigans behind his back, which gives the Sheepherders the advantage once again. Teddy still dreaming of Smackdown I see.

We get a hilarious spot where Fulton and Rogers each try to pin both Sheepherders by themselves. Fun stuff. MORE SHENANIGANS BEHIND TEDDY’S BACK. GET IT TOGETHER, TED. Sheepherders use the belt to attack on the outside, and of course Teddy doesn’t see it. AND NOW WE GET A CHAIR SHOT BEHIND TEDDY’S BACK. Worst referee job ever.

Even more shenanigans, but Rogers manages to reverse and throw Luke into the chair that Butch was holding. Then we get a weird finish where the Fantastics get a roll-up for a pin and Teddy counts the three at 19:29, although Butch may have broke it up beforehand.

This match was entertaining, but just felt all over the place. It had an unusual flow to it.

• Rating: **1/2

OUTSIDE THE RING: Listen guys, Dr. Death Steve Williams was never a great promo guy. Let’s use his strengths, not his weaknesses. Schiavone just sort of gives a blank stare as he speaks about Luger’s condition after getting jumped.

Rick Steiner and Mike Rotundo (w/Kevin Sullivan) vs. Jimmy and Ronnie Garvin (w/Precious)

Williams is on commentary for this match. Clearly they didn’t listen to me. Sullivan is locked in the cage on the outside. Pretty much the entire match is centered around Sullivan begging Precious to let him out of the cage. The action on the inside isn’t all that good.

The big development is that Teddy sees Rotundo cheat and kicks his arms away from the ropes. REFEREE TEDDY IS BACK BABY. Apparently in the midst of Sullivan stealing the key and getting out, the Garvins won the match at 13:11.

Meanwhile, Sullivan is pretty aggressive in picking up Precious and throwing her on the apron. BUT DR. DEATH STEVE WILLIAMS IS TIRED OF TALKING AND NOW WANTS TO KICK SOME ASS. So he beats the hell out of Sullivan and checks on Precious in the ring. Then like any great man, he picks her up. Precious then pushes Jimmy for apparently not saving her. She walks out while a confused Jimmy looks on.

• Rating: *1/2

OUTSIDE THE RING: Schiavone and Caudle hype the upcoming scaffold match between the Road Warriors and the Powers of Pain at the Great American Bash. The best part? This match never actually happened. We’ll get to that at the Bash.

Al Perez (w/Gary Hart) vs. Nikita Koloff

Koloff just doesn’t have the same badass feel with the hair. Meanwhile, Al Perez has that Barry Horowitz hair. There is a girl in the crowd with a sign that says “Nikita isn’t just a hunk, he’s a super hunk.” Miami crowd’s sign game was sizzling on this night.

And here we go again. Koloff gets thrown to the outside and THAT DAMN TEDDY LONG LETS GARY HART TEE OFF ON HIM. This happens once more. FireTeddyLong.com. Get it started.

This match isn’t going much of anywhere. Crowd finally comes to life after a Koloff suplex. Schiavone starts comparing this to Flair/Luger and now I’m lost. But just as the match was finally getting started, out comes Larry Zbyszko to attack Koloff and cause the DQ at 11:51. This match lacked everything.

• Rating: 1/2*

Dusty Rhodes and Sting vs. (c) Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard (w/ JJ Dillon) – NWA World Tag Team Titles

Hot start for the good guys. Sting is full-on star status after the performance at Clash I against Flair. Dusty gets the tag and the crowd would marry these two men if they could.

Now we have Dillon getting the advantage on Dusty while TEDDY LONG HAS HIS DAMN BACK TURNED AGAIN. More back an forth, but Arn and Tully regain control by sending Sting outside. I don’t entirely understand why Sting is the one getting destroyed in this match and not Dusty.

But now we have the hot tag to Dusty and he destroys everyone in seconds, making Sting look like an even bigger loser for getting beat down for 7 or 8 minutes. Sting is so pissed that he THROWS TEDDY LONG HALFWAY TO EGYPT. About time someone did that tonight. Dusty then does the same. Well at least this Teddy incompetency angle led to a good payoff in the main event.

Total brawl breaks out with Windham and Flair coming in, so we get the no contest at 10:29. The match was fine, but another throwaway finish.

• Rating: **

Blake’s Clash of the Champions II Awards

• Best Match: Brad Armstrong vs. Barry Windham
• Show MVP: Brad Armstrong
• Overall Clash of the Champions II Rating: 4.5/10
• Thoughts: Well it obviously wasn’t gonna surpass Clash of the Champions I. This was nothing more than a build to the Bash the next month. Solid opener with Windham and Armstrong, and the Fantastics/Sheepherders was an entertaining mess. Everything else was just storyline advancement. Of course, the biggest highlight of the night was Teddy Long getting his comeuppance at the end of the evening.

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

After the abomination that was its first-ever pay-per-view in Bunkhouse Stampede 1988, the NWA was certainly feeling the heat, but you’ll see from the Clash of the Champions I review that they had quite a response.

Vince McMahon ran the Royal Rumble on free TV and the show quality blew the Bunkhouse Stampede out of the water. So here we are again. The NWA will try a counter of its own and run the inaugural Clash of the Champions on TBS, while McMahon and company roll along with WrestleMania IV.

There was little hope that the NWA could get this right, especially considering that it ran one of the worst shows ever just two months before. However, little did we know how much this show would change the pro wrestling landscape. SUSPENSE!

Let’s look at Blake’s Clash of the Champions I review.

Date: March 27, 1988

Location: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC

Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) vs. (c) Mike Rotundo (w/Kevin Sullivan) – Amateur Rules Match for the NWA TV Title

Our TV champion at Bunkhouse Stampede was Nikita Koloff, but he immediately lost the title after that to Rotundo. A very unique start to this show given the amateur rules emphasis. It’s worth noting that Teddy Long is the referee here.

Heated action in round one and Rotundo has all the momentum heading into round two. And business picks up as Sullivan grabs Precious onto the apron and Garvin goes after him. That leads to Rotundo scoring a pin. THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Sullivan in the ring for the 2-on-1, then Rick Steiner comes in for the 3-on-1. THEN PRECIOUS NAILS RICK WITH A HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN 2×4. SHE ALSO USES A COAT HANGER TO CHOKE SULLIVAN. What a woman.

That abruptly ends the match at 6:10. It was nothing, but the fans were going ballistic.

• Rating: *1/2

ON THE STAGE: Dr. Death Steve Williams is back from his tour of Japan. He praises Dusty Rhodes. He also wants to be NWA champion and says he’s a bullet and no Superman in the NWA is gonna stop him.

The Fantastics vs. (c) Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) – NWA US Tag Team Titles

Chaos. We have pure chaos to start the match. People getting hit with chairs and all sorts of stuff. Pretty awesome. Tables get involved and the Fantastics are about as pissed as it gets. Even Cornette throws chairs at them. Pretty shocking how easy it is to get heat between two teams or wrestlers when you act like you hate each other and don’t cut cute promos to try to make people laugh. I’m looking at you, John Cena and Roman Reigns.

After some work on the good guys in the ring, the Midnights take it to the outside and slam Tommy Rogers on a table. Eaton then hits a bulldog on the table to make matters worse. Midnights bring Rogers back in and he’s on spaghetti legs. Finally he fights back to get the hot tag to Bobby Fulton, but as you would guess, the referee had his back turned and didn’t see it. FULTON DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN AND THROWS PEE WEE ANDERSON’S ASS OVER THE TOP ROPE. We have an all out brouhaha now with even Cornette getting clocked.

Fantastics hit the double team move on Eaton and pin him for the win at 10:15 thanks to a replacement ref. I BET YOU CAN’T GUESS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

Anderson comes in and says Fantastics have been DQ’d, and Midnight Express retain. DUSTY FINISH NO. 3,762 FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK AT HOME. Cornette hammers both referees with the racket after the match, and then they destroy Fulton with a whip.

This match had an insane amount of heat and action. Phenomenal match, and had it not had the Dusty finish, it would have gotten an even higher rating. But still fantastic.

• Rating: ****

VIDEO: Eddie Haskell and Jim Cornette do a funny comedy bit.

ON THE STAGE: Gary Hart is here with Al Perez. Apparently everything has to do with Dusty Rhodes on this show. Williams talked about him earlier. We had the Dusty finish. Now we have superstar Al Perez saying he wants a shot at him. It’s almost as if Dusty was booking this show.

BACKSTAGE: Time for the announcement of the top 10 seeds for the Jim Crockett Memorial Cup. Here they are:

• 10. Ivan Koloff and Dick Murdoch

• 9. Sting and Ron Garvin

• 8. The Varsity Club

• 7. The Fantastics

• 6. Barry Windham and Lex Luger

• 5. Powers of Pain

• 4. Midnight Express

• 3. Road Warriors

• 2. Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes

• 1. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard

Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors vs. Ivan Koloff and Powers of Pain – Chicago Street Fight Barbed Wire Match

Yes it’s a street fight with the ropes wrapped in barbed wire. And immediately Barbarian and Koloff get their heads raked into the barbed wire. Animal still has the protective mask on his face after getting a weight thrown on it during the build to this match.

So, thus far we have Koloff bleeding profusely and Dusty also bleeding. The match has been nothing but the good guys in control. And seconds after I type that Animal gets the pin on Barbarian at 3:39.

After the match, Animal’s mask gets ripped off and Dusty saves the day to protect his friend’s eyeball. Your typical garbage brawl.

• Rating: *

ON THE STAGE: Nikita Koloff is back and sporting a nice head of hair. He’s also here to sport his poster that says “Get high on sports, not drugs.” That’s catchy. He says he doesn’t need a belt to be a champion. He’s right. The more I re-watch this guy, the more I love him. Well except for that Bobby Eaton match at the Stampede.

Barry Windham and Lex Luger vs. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard (w/ JJ Dillon) – NWA World Tag Team Titles

Luger out here putting Tully in the Torture Rack just seconds into the match. That pisses Arn off and he and Tully go to work. Luger makes the quickest hot tag in wrestling history and now Windham is on a roll. Windham locks on the sleeper and somehow manages to keep it on as both men go to the floor. Hot start.

Arn picks up some steam, but quick near falls after a DDT and a spinebuster. The crowd is screaming and yelling uncontrollably right now. Windham gets in some good offense on Tully and both men go down eventually. After getting beat down, Windham struggles to find his corner and the crowd is eating this up. Slingshot from Tully but Windham kicks out at two and a half. This a case where the crowd takes a match up a ridiculous amount. Windham finally stumbles over and gets the hot tag to Luger.

And now we have Luger going to work on Arn until Tully cheap shots him on the apron. Arn hits a low blow while referee Tommy Young is tending to Windham and Tully brawling. That brings up Dillon who holds the chair for Arn to throw Luger into. Of course it backfires. Luger sends Arn into the chair and then pins him to win the titles at 9:35.

Holy hell. What an entertaining match and what an enormous amount of energy and heat from the crowd. It’s still shocking that this only went 9 minutes, as there was so much going on that it felt like it went much longer.  It was just as good as the Midnight Express/Fantastics match earlier in the night, and slightly better thanks to the finish.

• Rating: ****1/4

OUTSIDE THE RING: There must be a winner in the upcoming match between Sting and Ric Flair, so we have five judges outside the ring, two of which are Jason Hervey from The Wonder Years and Eddie Haskell from Leave It to Beaver. Then there’s a former Penthouse star in Patty Mullen and two guys in suits.

Sting vs. (c) Ric Flair (w/JJ Dillon) – NWA World Heavyweight Title

I said at Starrcade that it was more than obvious that Sting was a total star. Everyone knew that. So, thus began his ascent, with this being the biggest match of his life to this point. It was also a huge match for the NWA considering the competition and how well this entire show had gone.

The stipulation is that Dillon must be suspended above the ring in a cage to prevent any interference. Well at least he’s not on a pole like poor Judy Bagwell. Sting off to a good start and Flair tries to slow him down by regrouping on the outside. GORILLA SLAM from the Stinger sends this crowd into a frenzy. These people are jacked up on Mountain Dew or something. More great back and forth action, and then Jim Ross delivers the line of the night when the camera zooms in on judge Patty Mullen at ringside: “I’m sure she’s used to getting some action, but this is real action!” JIM ROSS OFF THE TOP ROPE ON A PENTHOUSE MODEL.

Flair delivers some massive chops to Sting, which angers this young man enough for him to take over the match again. Flair regains control, and NWA officials must’ve injected this crowd with a foreign substance prior to their entrance. They are reacting to every single move. Then again, that’s easy to do when you’re getting a good product. Match goes to the outside and Sting is getting thrown into the rails. Back inside, Flair is not happy and is taking it to the young chap. Flair decides he wants to go back outside and destroy Sting with a chair. Tommy Young chooses not to let that happen and takes it from him, so Flair just goes back to throwing him into the rails. Young ruining all the fun.

Sting makes his comeback and punches Flair over the top. Unfortunately, Stinger then goes flying into the ringpost and Flair gets away. After a hip toss and clothesline, Sting gets his first close fall of the match. And then he locks on the Scorpion Death Lock but Flair finds the ropes instantly. More back and forth drama and then Sting hits a massive flying body off the top to get the near fall. Sting is now a star and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

And Flair sends Sting back to the outside and Stinger’s knee is in trouble. Like any great wrestler, Flair then turns all his focus to the knee. We’re at the 30-minute mark and this continues to tell a good story. Flair now locks in the Figure Four and Dillon is up there ecstatic in his cage. Young has no idea Flair is using the ropes for leverage but Sting won’t give up. Sting starts stinging up and manages to flip it over. Flair won’t give up and they are both back to their feet.

Flair tries to suplex Sting over the ropes and to the outside, but it gets reversed. A couple of more counters by both men and we’re at 35 minutes. Sting racks the mini Flairs on the post and transitions that right into using Flair’s Figure Four. Sting lets up and then yells at JJ in his cage. Flair is irate now and so he pushes Young, so Young pushes him back and knocks Flair down. Sting then sends Flair over the top of the judges and to the outside.

Only five minutes left in the time limit. Sting hits a big clothesline and Flair gets the foot on the rope at the last second. Flair is busted open now and Sting goes for the splash in the corner but literally flies over post and onto the floor as Flair gets out of the way. Fans are getting anxious as three minutes remaining is announced.

Now we’ve got Flair trying to throw Sting out of the ring as much as possible to make it to the time limit. Sting is back in and both men get two VERY close falls. Flair off the top and his momentum allows Sting to attempt the pin. Another close two count. And here’s Sting going wild with one minute remaining.

Sting hits the splash in the corner and then locks in the Scorpion Death Lock at 30 seconds. The countdown is on, but of course, Flair does not give up as time expires.

It’s now time to go to the judges. Mullen gives the match to Flair and he invites her back to his hotel room (at least that’s what I heard). It winds up being two for Sting, two for Flair, and one with a draw. So much for these judges mattering.

As for the match itself, it’s simply unbelievable. Sting was made to look like a star, and Flair was made to look like an even bigger star than he already was. Unlike the tag matches earlier that managed to pack a story into 10 minutes, this one slowly built and told a story for 45. And did it masterfully. Incredible match from start to finish.

• Rating: ****1/2

Blake’s Clash of the Champions I Awards

• Best Match: Sting vs. Ric Flair
• Show MVP: Ric Flair
• Overall Clash of the Champions I Rating: 9.0/10
• Thoughts: One of the greatest shows in wrestling history. You have three 4-star matches, and everything flowed flawlessly. The two tag matches are two of the best 10-minute tag matches you’ll ever see, and the Flair vs. Sting match would set the course for Sting to become a mega star. And all this came from the same company that put on perhaps one of the worst shows ever just two months prior.

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

The Starrcade 1989 review features the biggest show of the year for WCW, and they’ve decided to experiment with not one but two tournaments at the same event.

If you’re already wondering how they’re gonna pull this off, that should give you a good idea of how things unfold.

Let’s jump into Blake’s Starrcade 1989 review.

• Date: December 13, 1989
• Location: Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, GA

ON THE STAGE: Jim Ross welcomes us and he has Terry Funk and Jim Cornette with him to analyze the tournaments. Cornette explains the point system for the tag team tournament.

ON THE STAGE: All four tag teams are introduced as they stand on the stage. It’s worth noting that the Skyscrapers were scheduled to be in this but Sid punctured a lung after suffering a broken rib in the match at the Clash. So we’re getting the Wild Samoans instead. The Steiners easily get the biggest reaction. The incredible 1989 pyro goes off and Cappetta reminds us again of the scoring system as the teams stand around.

Doom (w/Woman and Nitron) vs. The Steiner Brothers – Iron Team Tournament

Scott and Simmons start things off before a Steiner line brings Rick into the fold. Cornette keeps reminding us of this silly point system, which is usually not a good thing if you’re having to repeat it this much. Big belly to belly suplex from Rick sends the crowd in a frenzy. Steiners continue to control the match for a while until Scott misses a clothesline and flies over the top onto the floor. That allows Nitron to go to work with the ref’s back turned. OFFICIATING WAS NOT WCW’S STRONG SUIT, FOLKS. Powerslam from Simmons gets a near fall and now Doom is on a roll with more underhanded tactics from Nitron on the outside.

Lots of double teams from Doom as Rick gets pissed. Huge spine buster from Simmons on Scott for another near fall. There’s only four minutes left in the time limit at this point, and Doom turns up the heat again. Suplex on Scott on the apron but he reverses it into a pinfall attempt BUT GUESS WHAT? There’s no referee as he’s distracted elsewhere. Scott reverses a piledriver attempt from Reed and hits a belly to belly suplex. Hot tag to Rick and he clotheslines the hell out of Doom.

Double team move from Doom and they send Rick into the ropes where he gets grabbed by Nitron. That sends Rick to the outside where he clotheslines Nitron to the ground. Both teams brawl outside and just as we think we’re getting the double countout, Rick sneaks in the ring before the 10 count to pick up the win at 12:24. This was decent, as the crowd was just so insane for the Steiners at this point in their careers.

• Rating: **

ON THE STAGE: Cappetta introduces us to the four participants in the Iron Man tournament. They are raising a separate curtain for all these guys and it’s taking forever for the curtains to actually come up.

Sting vs. Lex Luger – Iron Man Tournament

Ross and Funk say that Sting and Luger will control the direction of pro wrestling in the 90s, and they weren’t off by all that much. Luger hits the road to get to the back as soon as they get in the ring but Sting chases after him and brings him back in. Great sequence shortly after with Luger missing a clothesline and Sting walloping him with a clothesline of his own while on the apron. Splash from the apron into the ring gives Sting a two count. Sting keeps going wild and Luger retreats again to the outside. Luger grabs the legs and pulls Sting out to gain control for a second before Sting throws Luger’s head off the rail. Huge clothesline on Luger and this match is on pure cocaine right now.

Back inside and Sting immediately hits the cross body off the top for a near fall. Luger tries to counter another move but Sting hits him with another clothesline. Sting goes to work on the arm before Luger gives him the Irish whip into the corner, where Sting jumps off for the cross body and another two count. THIS MATCH IS ROCKET FUEL. Luger with another Irish whip but Sting hits the knee to block the offense. Dropkick and a two from Sting before he goes off the top for the cross body, but Luger catches him and hits the inverted atomic drop.

Luger in control now and he starts kicking Sting’s midsection like crazy. Luger sends Sting outside and throws him off the rail before he gives us the BOOB FLEX. Just incredible. Luger off the top with the double axe handle for a near fall and the time limit is now coming into play. Sting fights back with three minutes left and they exchange punches. Luger with a power slam and he goes for the rack but Sting gets out. Sting starts no-selling everything and goes on offense.

Sting with a suplex but he only gets a two count with a minute left. They fight on the apron and then we get a somewhat botched spot where the timing was clearly off as they clothesline each other back into the ring and Luger uses the ropes to get the pin at 11:31. Well, things started off hot but the finish left a lot to be desired.

• Rating: **1/2

Doom (w/Woman and Nitron) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) – Iron Team Tournament

This should tell you a lot about the booking of this tournament, as it makes zero sense why Doom would be wrestling their second match before the Samoans have been in once. Ross explains its due to a random match order, which once again does not make sense. This was typical WCW trying to complicate things that really aren’t that complicated. Hawk and Animal in control early, and Doom has pretty much gotten zero offense in to this point in their two matches. Powerslam from Hawk and now Doom starts to get some offense.

Hawk gets in to try to turn the tide but he goes shoulder first into the post and flies to the outside. Slingshot under the bottom rope to Hawk as Cornette points out Bill Apter’s atrocious red sweater at ringside. Near fall on Hawk and Woman helps out a headlock by holding the feet with the ref unaware. Double team from Doom and the crowd is silent. Elbow off the top for two on Hawk and then another near fall after that. Crowd finally back into it with the CHINLOCK OF DOOM in full effect on Hawk. The chinlock may last the entire time limit at this point.

Animal gets the hot tag and eventually all four are in the ring. Ref gets distracted with Simmons and that allows Hawk to come off the top for the clothesline and Animal gets the pin at 8:31. This was not very good.

• Rating: *

The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Ric Flair (w/Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson) – Iron Man Tournament

Quick start as Flair goes for the hip toss but Muta reverses. Kicks and fists from Muta before hitting the handspring elbow. The two go back and forth and then Flair goes to work on the leg. Flair locks in the Figure Four and Hart calls for help, which sends out the Dragonmaster and Buzz Sawyer. Arn and Ole go after them and Flair gets distracted.

Muta kicks Flair in the back and hits the backbreaker before going up top. But Flair gets the knees up and uses the inside cradle to earn the pin at 1:55. So, Muta goes from unbeatable to losing via a small package in under two minutes. Considering that this felt like one of the biggest matches on the card, this was a total disappointment.

• Rating: 1/2*

The Steiner Brothers vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) – Iron Team Tournament

The burnout is real for the crowd at this point and we’re only five matches into the show. The crowd also have no idea what to do since these are the two most popular teams in the company. Huge clothesline from Hawk on Rick for a two count. Rick hits a big clotheslines on Animal and Cornette points out that the crowd doesn’t know what to do. Belly to belly from Rick and Hawk comes in to break up the pin. Military press and slam from Hawk on Scott before Rick makes the save. Big boot from Hawk to Scott for another two count.

Belly to belly from Scott to Animal and two count again. Hawk and Animal regain control and the crowd is still quiet. Scott delivers a belly to belly off the top to Hawk and it’s a botch as Hawk nearly loses his head. That was just brutal to watch. Hawk quickly gets a tag and he’s clearly in pain on the outside. Ellering goes over to check on him to make sure he’s fine.

More back and forth, with Rick coming in to break up a pin. That infuriates Hawk who may have a concussion at this point. All four men brawl in the ring and we get Hawk off the top while Animal holds Scott. And wouldn’t you know it, but this leads to Animal going for the bridge pin on Scott and the ref counts the three as Scott throws his arm up. Animal’s arms were apparently down, so we get another shit finish with the Steiners getting the win at 7:27.

Not only is it idiotic to have these two teams face off in this setting, but it’s even more idiotic to have the Steiners essentially be handed a controversial win which forces a segment of the crowd to now boo them. The match was boring and did not make anyone look good.

• Rating: *

The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Sting – Iron Man Tournament

Muta in control early as Funk reminds us that a draw does nothing for either man. Sting with a snap suplex for two and then he works on the arm. Sting goes for the Scorpion Deathlock but Muta retreats outside as Hart massages Muta’s belly. That’s a dedicated manager right there. Nice elbow drop from Muta and then he goes for the bridge submission. Sting reverses over and eventually gets a military press slam for a near fall. Another two count and Sting goes back to the chin lock.

Muta drives Sting to the corner and hammers away on him. That leads to Muta going up top for the moonsault but Sting moves, with Muta managing to land on his feet and deliver a big kick. Muta back up top and Sting drop kicks him, which leaves Muta straddled. Sting goes up and hits the superplex to grab the victory at 8:41. Muta loses yet again, but it was a pretty entertaining match.

• Rating: **1/2

ON THE STAGE: Ross, Cornette, and Funk discuss the standings.

The Wild Samoans (w/The Big Kahuna) vs. Doom (w/Woman and Nitron) – Iron Team Tournament

Now we really get a taste of how bad this concept is with fans having to decide how to respond to two heel teams fighting each other. Huge slam from Samoan Savage gets zero reaction from the crowd, and they have pretty much boycotted this match at this point. Cappetta tells us five minutes have gone by, and that’s four minutes and 30 seconds too long for this thing.

Business picks up a little when Reed heaves Savage outside into the railing. Back inside and double team from Doom with ref’s back turned. That leads to a horrible looking body slam, and Fatu gets a mild tag which leads to a four-man brawl. Humperdink pulls some shenanigans and Fatu gets the pin at 8:22. This was atrocious.

• Rating: DUD

Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair – Iron Man Tournament

Luger with some early stalling at he berates the crowd. It’s hilarious how many fans were openly giving the heels the middle finger in this era. They didn’t give a damn. Side headlock from Luger and then he retreats again when Flair starts to make a comeback. That doesn’t work for long as Flair chops the boob muscles out of Luger. Flair then goes for the wrist lock as Luger takes the time to yell at the fans mid-hold. This version of Luger was simply the best. However, what was not the best was his chest as it looks rough after the chops.

Luger eventually gets out of the hold but Flair hits the double-arm suplex for a near fall. Luger throws Flair down by the hair but that leads to another insane chop. Extended arm lock from Flair until Luger gets the eye rack to regain control. Sunset flip from Flair gets a two, then a quick inside cradle gets another two. Flair with another pin attempt and now it’s back to the wrist lock. Luger takes advantage by dropping Flair across the rope. Luger with more offense as he kicks in the corner as Flair is selling like a champ.

Big clothesline from Luger before dropping three straight elbows to the chest for a near fall. There’s lots of talk of the time limit at this point, so it’s safe to assume where this is headed. Luger sends Flair to the outside, and when Flair gets back on the apron, Lugers hits the STONE COLD STUNNER which sends Flair down on the apron. Luger goes for a suplex but Flair counters to send both men to the mat. Flair reverses a Luger move and gets two and a half. They exchange punches and chops, and then we get an awesome sequence where Flair flips in the corner and runs to the opposite turnbuckle to come off the top, but Luger counters with a vicious clothesline. That leads to another two count on Flair.

Another reversal from Flair leads to a near fall on Luger, and the crowd has lost their minds at this point. Punches from Luger in the corner, and we’re down to a minute left in the time limit. Flair goes up top but Luger throws him off. Luger goes for the elbow but misses, and Flair hits the suplex and locks in the Figure Four. Luger hangs on for about 15 seconds which leads to the draw at what was actually 17:15. It had its slow moments, but easily the best thing on the show thus far.

• Rating: ***

The Wild Samoans (w/The Big Kahuna) vs. The Steiner Brothers – Iron Team Tournament

We get what feels like an hour’s worth of taunting from both teams before bell even rings, which isn’t ideal on a bloated show like this one. Rick hits the Steiner line and apparently he yanked out one of Fatu’s braids in the process. Rick puts it in his own hair as Humperdink leads the Samoans down the aisle way. For some reason the referee decides to not even start a count and instead just strolls down the tell them to get back to the ring. Even Ross says it’s bad officiating.

Back inside where Rick hits another huge clothesline to send Fatu reeling. Savage makes a switch with Fatu without the ref noticing, and now we’ve got Rick and Savage on all fours. Scott gets the tag and we get another Steiner line. Cornette is awesome on commentary here, but that’s no surprise. Samoans go for a double team with Rick gets back in but it’s botched and Fatu gets nailed. That leads to Fatu jumping in and pushing Savage. They eventually hug and Scott gets sent outside before getting his Steiners racked on the steel rail.

More double teaming from the Samoans as they are legitimately going to work on Scott’s penis and balls. The penis and balls attack works every time, folks. Scott gets thrown over the top as apparently we’re already 10 minutes into this thing. Bearhug on Scott and more double teaming from the Samoans as Rick is losing it. Back to the bearhug and a power slam gets a two on Scott.

Eventually we get the Frankensteiner from Scott that pretty much gets no sold as Savage gets the tag in. Only a minute left in the time limit as there’s confusion whether Rick tagged in, but he runs wild on the Samoans and since this company can’t get out of its own way, the referee confuses the hell out of everyone by calling for the DQ on Rick at 14:05. One of the dumbest finishes in company history, and that’s saying something.

Rating: *

The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Lex Luger – Iron Man Tournament

Luger really sells the leg on the way to the ring after the Figure Four from Flair, and that is a lost art these days. Luger goes up for a leapfrog and immediately the knee gives way. Muta goes right after it with vicious kicks that send Luger outside. Muta continues his attack for a bit until Luger tries to go on offense but the leg gives out again as he goes for a suplex. The referee is repeatedly asking Luger if he wants to stop the match, but Muta has no desire to stop kicking ass.

More begging from Luger for Muta to stop but that doesn’t happen. Handspring elbow from Muta, and he goes at the leg once again. Luger breaks out and hits a few elbows before getting a two count. Muta side sweeps the leg again as Ross and Funk remind us that the crowd is clueless as to what the hell to do since they hate both men. Muta with an INVERTED INDIAN DEATHLOCK before destroying the leg yet again. Now with four minutes to go as Muta hits a vicious karate kick and a dropkick. But Luger gets a burst of energy and hits a clothesline.

The two men exchange punches and we’re at two minutes. Luger slings Muta outside and Hart helps him onto the apron. Muta flips over and Luger tries to hold onto the rope for leverage but the ref kicks his arm away with force before a quick two from Muta. Powerslam from Luger and we’re at a minute. Luger goes for the rack but the leg doesn’t allow it and Muta blows the mist in Luger’s face for the DQ at 14:15. Another terrible finish, but the DQ was obvious considering that anything else would’ve given Luger the tournament victory.

• Rating: **1/2

The Wild Samoans (w/The Big Kahuna) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)

If the Warriors get a pin or submission, they win the tournament. If the Samoans win in any form or fashion, they win the tournament. But folks, if it’s a draw, the Steiners and Samoans will have a WRESTLE-OFF to decide the winner. Let’s hope someone wins this match so we don’t have to see that again. Piledriver right from the start from Fatu, but Animal no sells that thing and clotheslines him. Hawk in and Savage nearly breaks his neck with an awful belly to belly suplex. No one is selling a damn thing here. You’ve gotta love it.

More back and forth until we get what looks like another botched spot where Fatu goes for a back drop and Animal barrels into him and they both just fall down. Savage goes up top for a big move but Animal moves and gets the hot tag to Hawk. Flying shoulder block and here comes the four-man brawl. Fatu gets racked after going for a top rope move, and then we get another botch-like sequence where Animal goes to miss a clothesline but runs into Savage.

That leads to him stumbling over to catch a clothesline off the top from Hawk for the win at 5:18. The Road Warriors win the tournament, but this match was horrendous. The Steiners come into congratulate them after the match.

• Rating: DUD

Sting vs. Ric Flair – Iron Man Tournament

Ross asks Funk to explain who needs to win here, and I’m as confused as ever. Basically a win for either man gives them the tournament a draw gives Luger the tournament. Hip toss from Sting and Flair retreats to the outside. Flair sits Sting on the turnbuckle and then backs away for some reason. Great back and forth sequence and Sting delivers the military press slam as Flair gets angry and gives Sting a hard shove. But Sting returns the favor and sends Flair reeling. Sting gets a near fall and Flair gets up to chop him silly. More chops from Flair but Sting regains control with back-to-back dropkicks.

Clothesline from Sting gets another two count. Flair tosses Sting outside and then throws him into the steel railing. Funk plays up Flair embracing his bad side here. Flair snaps Sting’s neck off the top rope and then suplexes him back into the ring for a two count. Flair drops the knee to Sting’s head and then gets an abdominal stretch into near fall, with Flair now yelling at the ref to count faster. Another big suplex for a near fall and Flair is getting pissed. Double-arm suplex from Flair gets yet another two count. He slings Sting into the corner but Sting fires back with a huge clothesline to send Flair retreating.

Chops on the outside and Sting ain’t selling that shit. Back on the apron, and Sting flips over for the pin but Flair nails him in the head. Flair goes to suplex Sting outside but Sting reverses and suplexes back in the ring for a two. Sting gets Flair in the corner and hits some punches before a hip toss and clothesline for two. That leads to Sting whipping Flair into the corner and it’s STINGER SPLASH time as Flair hits the mat. Sting goes for the Scorpion Death Lock and locks it in but Flair gets to the ropes. Flair now locks in the Figure Four but Sting gets to the ropes. Two minutes left as Flair goes to work on the leg. More chops from Flair and he keeps going after the leg.

Flair gets the headlock but we get a bridge up with Sting taking him over for a two count. One minute now and Flair delivers more damage to the leg. Flair now just strutting around with 30 seconds left and he goes for the Figure Four but Sting grabs him for the inside cradle to win the tournament at 14:30. Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson hit the ring as Flair holds Sting’s arm up. Arn then does the Four Horsemen signal to signify Sting’s involvement with the group. The only match on the show that came anywhere close to great.

• Rating: ***3/4

ON THE STAGE: Gordon Solie with the Road Warriors, who talk about their win. Gordon cuts off Animal as they just sit there and wait for Sting. The credits then roll as we hear Flair start his interview. So Sting wins the thing, and the show goes off the air just as he’s starting his interview. Makes sense.

SHOW SUMMARY

Aside from the main event, this show was terrible. Having two tournaments in one night was a stupid idea on all levels, and the booking and moronic finishes didn’t help matters at all.

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

A lot of changes going on in the NWA, but luckily, the Chi-Town Rumble 1989 review features a main event that cannot fail.

That’s right: Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat for the NWA World Heavyweight Title.

Let’s jump into one of the most memorable main events ever with Blake’s Chi-Town Rumble 1989 review!

• Date: February 20, 1989
• Location: Chicago, IL

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Jim Ross and Magnum TA welcome us and run down the card for the evening.

Michael P.S. Hayes vs. Russian Assassin No. 1 (w/Paul Jones)

Not exactly a hot opener here. Hayes starts off with the momentum and makes Assassin look silly. We work to Assassin being on the offensive, and before you know it, Gary Michael Cappetta is saying 10 minutes have already gone by. Wow.

Jones gets involved while the ref’s back is turned, much to the surprise of no one. Hayes rebounds and goes for the bulldog, but Assassin counters. Then Hayes manages to counter a Russian move and hits the suplex. He goes to drop the elbow, but once again that pesky Russian moves. Another counter from Hayes that sends the Assassin into the post.

Hayes then turns around and nails the DDT for the win at 15:48. This was slow at times, but surprisingly I didn’t completely hate it.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Ricky Steamboat is with little Dragon and his wife. He’s ready to rock and roll tonight. START THE MATCH RIGHT NOW.

Sting vs. Hacksaw Butch Reed (w/Hiro Matsuda)

Sting with the pink tights in this one. Back and forth to start and then Sting gets some hot spots with the arm drag and dropkick. Lots of rest holds now with the arm bar on Reed. Once Reed works his way out of it, he sends Sting flying to the outside.

Now we’ve got Reed slowing the pace. This is dragging. Matsuda gets involved and chokes out Sting while Teddy Long has his back turned for the 9,374th time in the past six matches. Sleeper hold from Reed and Sting fights his way up, but goes right back down. Eventually Sting gets out and goes up top. Reed uses the knees to take Sting down.

It feels like this match should have been over five minutes ago. But it’s still going. And here’s another rest hold spot on Sting. Thankfully, Sting makes his move and hits a barrage of offense. Reed uses the ropes to try and steal the pin, but Long sees it and knocks his hands off the ropes. Sting reverses with a pin of his own for the win at 20:07.

Well, 20 minutes for this match was entirely unnecessary and it dragged quite a bit until the finish.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Paul E. Dangerously pulls the ol’ switcheroo and says Jack Victory will be teaming with Randy Rose tonight against the Midnight Express. He says that the Midnights knew Dennis Condrey best and that’s who they were preparing for, so he let Dennis take a vacation. Of course, in actuality, he had left the promotion.

The Original Midnight Express and Paul E. Dangerously vs. The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette – Loser Leaves NWA Match

Good guys with the hot start and Cornette drops an elbow on Victory to a massive pop from the crowd. Then we get a spot where Paul E is playing to the crowd and turns around and slaps Rose in the face. Needless to say, he thought it was Lane. Near fall on Rose after that.

Action really picks up when Rose tosses Eaton off the apron directly onto the steel railing. Back inside and Paul E gets tagged in while Eaton is down. He delivers punches and kicks before weaseling out when Eaton gets back up. Eaton tags in Cornette and he says he wants Paul E. So he charges at Paul E but Rose hammers him from behind. Then Rose tags in Paul E and he starts going to work on Cornette’s back.

Cornette gets the upper hand back and that leads to Paul E making the tag. Rose and Victory beat the hell out of Cornette until Eaton changes the game with a bulldog on Victory. Cornette then makes the tag to Lane. A lot of good work from both sides now, and we finally get the big spot where Cornette gets in and goes to town on a hurt Paul E. Cornette hits a clothesline from hell but Rose comes in. Cornette does some flipping and makes the hot tag to Lane who kicks everyone into oblivion.

Rose tries to gain an advantage and goes up top but misses. Midnight then hit the finisher for the victory at 15:54. This was very good. You knew it would be with the workers involved and the awesomeness of the Cornette/Paul E feud.

• Rating: ***

BACKSTAGE: Ric Flair is ready for Steamboat and guarantees victory.

Mike Rotundo vs. (c) Rick Steiner (w/Scott Steiner) – TV Title

Worth noting that this is Scott’s first-ever appearance. I think these Steiner guys might have a future. Rotundo retreats a few times early and stares down Scott on the outside. Steiner in complete control for the first several minutes of the match. JR brings up Rotundo’s impressive run through the NFL PUNT, PASS, AND KICK COMPETITION. That’s the kind of depth that you can’t find anywhere else.

Rotundo finally takes control and uses the ropes for leverage on an abdominal stretch. JR continues his crazy amount of insight into Rotundo’s amateur wrestling career. Back and forth we go again, and the crowd loves them some Rick Steiner. Lateral press from Steiner gets near fall and then he goes up top but Rotundo moves out of the way at the last second.

We go outside the ring and Rotundo rams the shoulder into the post. Rick busted open now. Another perfectly executed punt, pass, and kick reference from JR. Steiner hits a hell of powerslam back inside the ring for another close count. And since a good wrestling match isn’t enough, Kevin Sullivan comes out and grabs a mic and insinuates that he’s taken Steiner’s dog. Woof.

Steiner gets back in and Rotundo hits an immediate suplex. But Steiner takes back over and works in the sleeper hold as Cappetta announces five minutes left in the time limit. They then do the spot when they fall to the mat with Steiner holding on the sleeper, but his shoulders are on the mat so Teddy counts the three for a new champ at 16:21. This was good stuff until the finish.

• Rating: ***

Lex Luger vs. (c) Barry Windham (w/Hiro Matsuda) – US Heavyweight Title

Immediate sleeper hold from Luger but Windham counters with a back suplex. Luger no sells it and then hits the press slam. Windham with the retreat outside, and damn was Windham awesome during this stretch of his career. Absolutely awesome.

Luger slamming Windham all over the place, and hits a big clothesline for a near fall. Luger reaches into the bag of tricks for a top rope move and it goes about as well as you’d expect it to. He misses and rolls all the way to the outside. Windham in control now, but he rams the CLAW hand right into the post. He’s selling it like a champ.

Windham keeps on the offensive but Windham can barely lift the hand. Luger bleeding more than he did at Great American Bash ’88 as well. Windham sits Luger up top to go for the superplex and hits it. He drops the elbow but the pin only gets a two. Then in the same exact spot from the match before, Windham hits the belly to back suplex and his shoulders are on the mat as referee Tommy Young counts the three at 10:43. New champ.

After the match, Windham delivers a piledriver to Luger on the belt and then crushes him over the head with it.

• Rating: ***

The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) vs. (c) Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams – NWA World Tag Team Titles

We get a hoss showdown between Animal and Williams early. Big powerslam from Animal sends Doc retreating as Hawk makes his way into the match. Doc comes back with a press slam but Hawk clotheslines him right out of his singlet. Animal gets thrown to the outside as Teddy Long continues his run of stupidity by not seeing Sullivan nail Animal with a chair.

Sullivan works over Animal in the ring and that becomes the theme. Doc comes in and does the same as Animal fights to make the tag. HOT TAG time to Hawk and he runs over everyone. He goes for a pin on Sullivan but Doc makes the save. Then we get Hawk and Doc on the outside while Animal and Sullivan fight inside.

Then all four are back in the ring, and Animal gets pinned by Doc at the same time Hawk is pinning Sullivan. Teddy counts the three, and awards the Road Warriors the win and title at 8:27 since Hawk/Sullivan were the legal men. I wasn’t a fan of this at all.

• Rating: *

VIDEO: We see all of the events that led up to the Steamboat/Flair match. Here we go.

Ricky Steamboat vs. (c) Ric Flair (w/Hiro Matsuda) – NWA World Heavyweight Title

Several near falls in the early going from Steamboat, which sends Flair outside to regroup. Vicious chops from both men and then Steamboat lands the back body drop to Flair. More hellacious chops after that and Flair is pissed. Steamboat then goes to work with hammerlocks and headlocks.

Flair gets up and they are beating the holy hell out of each other with chops. Steamboat then delivers a FUCKING CHOP FROM HELL to get a two count. Shoulder block from Flair, but Steamboat right back up to give him more chops and send him to the mat on the outside. Steamboat sucks chants start up as both men now inside.

This is absolutely masterful work at this point. If you’re reading this, chances are, you already know how good this match was. But even in the first several minutes, it’s clear that these are two dudes on a completely different page from everyone else.  More chops from both men and then the pace picks up with Flair catching Steamboat with a back elbow. Steamboat fights back once again with the chops and sends him over the top and to the floor.

Flair with the underhanded move to drag Steamboat to the outside. He throws Steamboat off the rails right in front of Dave Meltzer and then beats him with vicious chops. Meltzer totally losing his shit for every move. Double-arm suplex on the inside from Flair for a near fall. And then we get another exchange of chops before Flair flops over the post and then goes up top for a TERRIFIC spot. He jumps off the top and Steamboat reverses into a pin that gets two and a half. The roof almost came off the building.

Now the crowd is all in on Steamboat and chants his name as Flair locks on the Figure Four. Steamboat hammers the mat in pain (which was back when tapping the mat didn’t result in giving up), as the crowd continues to try and help Steamboat. Flair goes for the ropes and Tommy Young makes him break the hold.

Both men up on their feet and MORE CHOPS. Irish whip from Steamboat and it ends with both men going over the top. Chops from both men on the outside and then Flair throws Steamboat into the post. Suplex from Flair gets another two and a half. Worth noting that JR is on fire here and Magnum TA is pretty good as well. Another suplex from Flair but Steamboat kicks out again. Flair starts showing signs of frustration as he goes over to intimidate Young.

Backbreaker from Flair and he puts his feet on the ropes, but Steamboat kicks out multiple times as Young isn’t seeing any of this. Steamboat then does a quick rollup as Flair taunts the crowd but another near fall. Flair throws Steamboat into the corner and Steamboat jumps up top only to miss a flying cross body. Both reverse moves and then the bridge works to Steamboat delivering the double arm suplex. Flair manages to get a foot on the rope before the three. Another near fall from Steamboat and WE ARE BACK TO SOME DAMN CHOPS.

Irish whip from Flair and Steamboat comes back with a clothesline. Then Steamboat delivers the judo chop and another flying tackle. Steamboat goes up top and hits the judo chop off the top rope. Steamboat back up top again and he hits the cross body but Young gets caught in the middle and goes down. Flair then goes for the rollup as Young is down but no count. Teddy Long comes down as Flair tosses Steamboat over the top. Flair goes over to check on Young, but at the same time, Steamboat goes up top and misses another flying cross body.

Flair then immediately goes over to lock in the Figure Four but Steamboat counters it into a small package for the three count at 23:07. There’s a reason why the series between these two was so highly regarded. This was simply spectacular.

• Rating: *****

BACKSTAGE: Bob Caudle catches up with Steamboat. All the good guys come in with the champagne to congratulate him.

SHOW SUMMARY

When your main event is five stars, it’s hard to look down on a show. But when you consider that the show also had three matches at three stars, it’s certainly a successful one. Outstanding show for the most part, as Steamboat and Luger’s title wins would set the course for what was to come for many months ahead.

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

Well, as we saw from the Clash of the Champions I review, it’s going to be nearly impossible for WrestleMania IV to be the best wrestling show on this particular night.

After Vince McMahon and company ran wild on Jim Crockett with the vastly superior Royal Rumble during the January showdown between the two promotions, it happened once again here, with the Clash being the one shown on free TV this time around.

Let’s jump right into Blake’s WrestleMania IV review.

• Date: March 27, 1988
• Location: Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic, NJ

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura hype the tournament for the WWF title. Bob Uecker then makes his spectacular return after appearing at WrestleMania III.

The Hart Foundation, Young Stallions, Sika, Danny Davis, Killer Bees, Bad News Brown, Sam Houston, Rougeau Brothers, Ken Patera, Ron Bass, Junkyard Dog, Bolsheviks, Hillbilly Jim, Harley Race, George ‘The Animal’ Steele – 20 Man Battle Royal

The best memory I have from this show is just how long it was, as the VHS rental was two tapes. Little did we know how much longer these shows would get. Sika and Houston get thrown out early and George Steele is on the outside hanging around. He eventually eliminates Neidhart. Given the love to Jim Powers in recent PPVs, I’m still shocked that he didn’t win this match and eliminate all 19 men himself. He’s also juiced and tan, which is the Vince specialty. Davis gets eliminated and THEN JIM POWERS GETS TOSSED. Massive moment in the match.

Final four is JYD, Hart, Brown, and Roma. Brown tosses Roma, and the JYD does his thing on Hart and Brown. The bad guys team up on JYD and eventually send him packing. Strange finish with two bad guys remaining. Of course, then Brown turns on Bret. Gorilla’s “Pearl Harbor job” line makes an appearance, which is one of his greatest and most cruel lines ever.

Shortly after, Brown throws Bret over the top to win the gigantic trophy at 10:40. And then a good guy is made. Bret comes back in and throws Brown out before destroying the trophy. The people could never truly hate Bret. Nothing too thrilling in this battle royal.

• Rating: **1/2

IN THE RING: The Fink welcomes Robin Leach in the ring to read a proclamation for the title tournament. We also get a reminder that we’re at Trump Plaza and Casino. Bet that guy will run for president one day.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil and Andre the Giant) – WWF Title Tournament First Round

Let the tournament begin. Duggan controls early and the crowd simply can’t hate this guy. But let’s be honest here: there’s a better chance of Trump becoming president one day than Duggan winning this match. That joke would have been hilarious in 1988, but now, not so much.

After some shenanigans involving Andre knocking Duggan senseless, DiBiase gets the pin at 4:54. Just think, these two beat the hell out of each other during their Mid-South days. Now this.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Brutus Beefcake with Gene Okerlund. Beefcake still can’t wrestle. Gene didn’t say that. I did.

Dino Bravo (w/Frenchy Martin) vs. Don Muraco (w/Superstar Billy Graham) – WWF Title Tournament First Round

Wish they would have put a camera on Vince’s face during this entire match. Two dudes that are absolutely jacked to the gills. I’m surprised this wasn’t the tournament final.

They do simple power moves and we get a ref bump.

Bravo goes for a pin and referee Jimmy Korderas taps him on the back. He DQ’s Bravo for pulling him in front of him before the bump. Muraco is your winner at 4:54. Terrible as expected.

• Rating: DUD

BACKSTAGE: Uecker with Honky Tonk Man. They babble.

Greg Valentine vs. Ricky Steamboat – WWF Title Tournament First Round

Steamboat carries his young son down the entrance ramp. HOW CAN YOU NOT ROOT FOR THIS GUY? On paper, there’s little doubt as to who is advancing in this match.

Great back and forth between these two, which you’d expect given how good of workers they are. We also get the zoom in on Trump, who is visible in the front row. My guess is that he was already planning for his presidential bid here and wanted Steamboat as his VP.

Seriously good match here. It’s even both ways, and in the end, a flying crossbody from Steamboat adds just a little bit too much momentum. That gives us the old flip over for Valentine to get the victory at 9:12. Steamboat complains about Valentine holding the tights but to no avail.

Of course, this would be Steamboat’s last match in the WWF before leaving the company, so him losing certainly makes sense. It still robbed everyone of another classic with Savage.

• Rating: ***

Butch Reed (w/Slick) vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – WWF Title Tournament First Round

The winner gets Valentine, and I think we would all agree that a Reed/Valentine quarterfinal would not be best for business. However, Reed controls early on.

Reed gets a little too cocky and Savage slams him from the top rope. Then he hits the Flying Elbow Drop for the win at 5:07. Nothing to see here.

• Rating: 1/2*

BACKSTAGE: Bobby Heenan and the Islanders with Uecker. Hype, hype, hype.

One Man Gang (w/Slick) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Oliver Humperdink) – WWF Title Tournament First Round

Bam Bam should be the obvious winner, right? Slick with the interference early to send Bam Bam over the top. He gets back in and the referee calls for the bell at 2:56.

He says Bam Bam never made it back in before the 10-count, although he clearly did, and awards Gang the victory. Who booked this tournament? Matilda the dog?

• Rating: DUD

BACKSTAGE: Hulk Hogan with Gene. Hulkster talks about the controversial count at WrestleMania III and says he’s been scarred for a year. He mentions Trump about 10 times here and says he’s a Hulkamaniac. This promo is incredible and ends with Hulk swimming out of the picture. Your guess is as good as mine.

Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – WWF Title Tournament First Round Match

You would think this would be the most exciting match of the first round. As we’ll see, it was not. The story is Rude constantly trying to escape the DDT from Jake. We work our way to Rude locking on the chinlock for seemingly an hour. They fight out of it, and then we’re back to the chinlock. Rude still in complete control of the match. Out of the chinlock, and BACK TO THE CHINLOCK. The crowd is bored to tears until Jake hits the side suplex. BUT RUDE STILL HOLDS THE CHINLOCK.

Finally out of the chinlock……who am I kidding? We’re back to the chinlock as the crowd chants “boring.” Seriously, who booked this? Uecker? Jake breaks out of it and the crowd tries its best to get into this match. He stays in control but Rude gets the advantage once again after a back suplex.

Now a double clothesline spot and both are down. Rude then goes for a pin with the feet on the ropes, the bell rings, and it’s ruled a time-limit draw at 15:00. Both are out of the tournament. Surprisingly boring match with zero heat at all. And both being eliminated was even dumber.

• Rating: *1/2

BACKSTAGE: Vanna White with Gene. Here’s your updated tournament bracket:

• Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

• Ted DiBiase vs. Don Muraco

• Greg Valentine vs. Randy Savage

• One Man Gang with the bye

Hercules (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. The Ultimate Warrior

This match is juiced. And this show already feels long, but we’ve got hours to go. HOURS. Nothing much goes on in this match other than Herc controlling it, and then both men put their shoulders on the mat during the pin, with the referee awarding Warrior the win at 4:29.

Herc wraps the chain around Warrior after the match, but he breaks loose and takes the chain.

• Rating: *

VIDEO: We recap the events leading to the upcoming Hogan/Andre match.

Andre the Giant (w/Ted DiBiase and Virgil) vs. Hulk Hogan – WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinals

Here we go. Surely this will live up to the hype. Surely.

Andre destroys Hogan right from the beginning. Then DiBiase gets involved and we get the double noggin knocker to him and Andre. Gorilla Monsoon was the absolute greatest.

Hogan now has Andre tied up in the ropes. He gets out and now we’ve got nothing but punches everywhere, with one finally sending Andre to the mat. But now the big man has control and tries to crush Hogan like a soda can. Trump is in the audience loving this.

Hogan breaks out of the Andre death grip. DiBiase gets in the ring and now Hogan has a chair. He hammers Andre with it. However, then Andre steals the chair and nails Hogan with it. NOW THE REF CALLS FOR THE BELL. Double DQ at 5:22.

So for clarity: Hogan hits Andre with the chair first. He doesn’t get DQ’d. Then Andre hits Hogan with the chair. But somehow now it’s a double DQ. The most mind-boggling tournament ever.

• Rating: *1/2

Don Muraco (w/Superstar Billy Graham) vs. Ted DiBiase – WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinals

And now the winner of this match gets a bye into the final. Muraco starts off hot, but he has a 0.2% chance of winning this one. It looks like Muraco lifted weights between now and his previous match.

Anyways, Muraco controls most of it until DiBiase finds some steam late. He throws Muraco off the top rope and gets the pin at 5:44 to advance to the final. Good effort by both in yet another short match.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Demolition and Mr. Fuji with Uecker. Shenanigans ensue.

Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinals

Cool touch here with Savage and Elizabeth both wearing new outfits. Solid back and forth as you would expect. Who would have thought that Greg Valentine would have been the MVP of the show to this point? Worked a quality match with Steamboat, and now with Savage.

Valentine gets some momentum, but Savage rolls him up with the small package to advance at 6:06. Decent match.

• Rating: **

Brutus Beefcake vs. (c) Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) – Intercontinental Title

A match between two wrestlers that I was never really thrilled with. Especially Beefcake. I always wondered why I didn’t think he was any good, but the character just didn’t work for me.

Meanwhile, this match isn’t any good. The crowd is exhausted by now, and we’ve still got an hour to go. Another junk finish with Beefcake winning by DQ at 6:30 after Jimmy Hart hits the referee with the megaphone.

• Rating: 1/2*

BACKSTAGE: Andre with Uecker. He still hates Hogan and says Hulkamania is over.

The Islanders and Bobby Heenan vs. The British Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware

Remember when managers had more than one client? Those were the days. Heenan is wrestling here, which is always a treat. But like many other matches on this card, there’s no heat. This feels like a really long house show, especially considering how poorly booked the tournament has been.

Even when all six men get in the ring for a brouhaha, the crowd does nothing. Then the Islanders splash Heenan on top of Koko and the Brain gets the surprise win at 7:30. Most exhausting card ever. Well, except for Bunkhouse Stampede ’88.

• Rating: *

ON THE STAGE: Jesse Ventura poses for the crowd for a few minutes, as if we needed to extend this show even further. I no longer have any doubt that Uecker and Matilda booked this show.

One Man Gang (w/Slick) vs. Randy Savage – WWF Title Tournament Semifinals

Another new outfit from Savage and Liz. One of the few highlights of the show. Crowd is somewhat into this one, but once again we get a wacky finish with Savage winning by DQ at 4:05.

So our championship match is set: DiBiase vs. Savage. It’s a cool final, but this tournament has been largely underwhelming.

• Rating: 1/2*

Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. (c) Strike Force – WWF Tag Team Titles

At least an intriguing matchup here. Demolition controls Santana for most of the match, but then Martel gets the hot tag. But it wasn’t hot. The crowd did nothing. Can you blame them at this stage of the show?

Ref is occupied and Fuji tosses in the cane. Ax hammers Martel with it and Smash gets the pin to win the titles at 12:33. First title reign for the men in face paint.

• Rating: *3/4

Ted DiBiase (w/Andre the Giant) vs. Randy Savage – WWF Heavyweight Title

Robin Leach brings the belt out beforehand and lets Trump touch it. Incredible. But this horrendous tournament has finally come to an end, and in all honesty, it’s the best match we could have asked for.

DiBiase in control and Andre is on the outside blocking Trump’s view. DiBiase sent to the outside and Andre now stands in front of DiBiase to protect him from Macho’s jump. He then tells Elizabeth to do something, and she runs to the back. Wonder who is gonna come back with her.

And now we have DiBiase back in control as Elizabeth comes back out with HULK HOGAN. WHO SAW THIS COMING? Only every person in attendance who chanted for Hogan from the very start of the match. Hogan grabs a chair and takes a seat. Andre gets involved and Hogan goes over to knock the daylights out of him. DiBiase goes up top and Macho presses him to the mat. Macho goes up top and misses the elbow. The ref gets occupied by Andre, so Hogan figures he’ll come in and whack DiBiase with a chair. IT’S NOT CHEATING WHEN THE HULKSTER DOES IT, BROTHER.

Macho goes up top and hits the elbow to win the WWF title at 9:33. This was entertaining, but if you’re looking for logic, you won’t find it.

• Rating: **1/2

Blake’s WrestleMania IV Awards

• Best Match: Greg Valentine vs. Ricky Steamboat
• WrestleMania IV MVP: Randy Savage
• Overall WrestleMania IV Rating: 4.0/10
• Thoughts: “It’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it.” That’s the saying, right? Well when it comes to wrestling pay per views, that also applies. 16 matches in a four-hour show. Problem was, few of the matches were any good. The overall tournament booking was poor and made no sense. However, they obviously got it right with Savage winning. It would set up one of the hottest storylines ever over the next year, so at least this served its purpose.

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

In this WWE SummerSlam 2013 review, we’ve got two huge main events with Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena.

Let’s dive in.

• Show: WWE SummerSlam 2013
• Date: August 18, 2013
• Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA

– The Miz is the official host of SummerSlam, and he hypes up the two big main events with CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar, and John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan with Triple H as the special guest referee. HERE COMES FANDANGO. Summer Rae is also with him. The crowd does a little Fandangoing, and then Miz welcomes us to SummerSlam.

– We get a video package of Bryan and Punk’s journeys to their respective matches.

– JoJo is out to sing the national anthem. I picked quite a week to go back and review this show since Bryan and Punk seem to be on their way to AEW, and JoJo and Bray Wyatt are both out of WWE. Just wild.

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt – Ring of Fire Match

Speaking of Wyatt, yes, here he is in a Ring of Fire Match. I don’t remember this match in the slightest, so this should be fun. Of course, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are out with Wyatt, and they spend the first part of the match trying to put out the fire. Eventually, they smartly lace the ring steps near the apron and climb in over the fire. They destroy Kane as the crowd chants for The Undertaker, then Wyatt gets up and hits Sister Abigail on Kane to get the win.

• Blake’s Rating: This was a short match that’s interesting for the spectacle of fire around the ring, but that’s about it. Luckily, it didn’t overstay its welcome, and the right guy won. **

– After the match, Harper and Rowan grab the steps and do the conchairto style attack on Kane before carrying him to the back. – The SummerSlam kickoff panel consists of Josh Matthews, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, and Vickie Guerrero. What a group.  – We see a SummerSlam kickoff interview with Paul Heyman. He’s talking about David vs. Goliath in comparison to Punk vs. Lesnar. Heyman is just the best. He then reveals it’ll be a No DQ Match.

Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes

I loved Sandow’s character. Reminder he was the current Money in the Bank holder at this point, but that didn’t exactly turn out all that well for him. Sandow in complete control early on. Cody goes for the Cross Rhodes, but Sandow counters that and continues to keep the advantage. The momentum swings when Cody grabs Sandow from the top and hits a modified brainbuster. Missile dropkick from Cody, but a drop toe hold off the second rope gives Sandow a boost. But then Cody hits the disaster kick and Sandow kicks out at two and a half. Cody with the Cross Rhodes and that’s enough to get the pin for the victory.

• Blake’s Rating: Did you expect the MITB winner to actually win a match?! And the first guy to lose his MITB cash-in at that? In all seriousness, a solid back and forth match between two good workers. **1/2

– We get a video package of Christian in WWE and him questioning his future in wrestling. The setup is that this is one more match for him and perhaps his last shot at gold.

Christian vs. (c) Alberto Del Rio – World Heavyweight Championship

Christian defeated Rob Van Dam and Randy Orton in a triple threat match on SmackDown to earn the title shot. Del Rio’s eye looks BRUTAL, and Cole notes it came at the hands of Christian. So there’s some added motivation. Christian gets caught in the corner, so naturally, Del Rio kicks the shit out of him. One glaring difference between then and now is while there are some camera cuts, there aren’t 73 of them for a single move. Del Rio continues to work over Christian for a bit until Del Rio misses the knees to the head and goes flying through the ropes. Christian, noted high flyer, then leaps off the top onto Del Rio on the outside. Del Rio’s nose is bleeding, so he’s really taken a beating in this feud. It would be no match for Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara many years later. Del Rio plays up the heel role and then hits the backstabber on Christian for a near fall. Lots of back and forth, including Christian hitting a hurricanrana off the top for two. Stiff kick to Christian’s head gives Del Rio another near fall. Spear from Christian, but Del Rio goes straight to the submission, and Christian is eventually forced to tap.

• Blake’s Rating: These two had great chemistry and put together a hard-hitting match with several moments where the crowd thought Christian might win. ***1/2

– Del Rio in the ring with Renee Young, and boy does the crowd hate them some Del Rio. He talks about being a true role model for Latinos. I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Del Rio, but he was impressive both with the match and this promo.

– Miz with Maria Menounos, who wrestled in the SummerSlam kickoff special. HERE COMES FANDANGO AGAIN. Summer Rae too. Miz then dances with Maria.

Natalya (w/The Funkadactyls) vs. Brie Bella (w/Nikki Bella and Eva Marie)

The Funkadactyls. What a gimmick. Of course, those two were Naomi and Cameron. Cole lets us know that Total Divas is the highest-rated show on E! Listen, I didn’t watch it, but the show was a hit. Slapping contest early in the match, then we get shenanigans from Nikki and Eva. The crowd is riveted, so they start chanting for JBL, Cole, and Lawler. Ah yes, the crowd taking over matches era. That was fun. The crowd also wants tables. Natalya hits a stunner and goes for the Sharpshooter, but Brie reverses it and throws her into the corner. We’ve got a BROUHAHA on the outside between the other four women, and after a little back and forth, Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter again to earn the win.

• Blake’s Rating: It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but this was fine for what it was. **

– Ryback is in catering, and the man is PISSED at the food. Even the soup is cold! The catering worker tells him it’s supposed to be cold, so Ryback bullies him and says THE BIG GUY DOESN’T LIKE COLD SOUP. Ryback pours the soup down his shirt and then on his head in a segment that likely made Vince McMahon very proud.

– We get a terrific video package hyping the story behind Punk vs. Lesnar and Heyman turning on Punk at Money in the Bank.

Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) vs. CM Punk – No DQ Match

Cult of Personality is still the GOAT. It’s been a while since I watched this match, but I remember absolutely loving it. My guess is that probably won’t change. What I always enjoy is when match with a bitter feud starts with an actual fight instead of wrestling holds. It makes no sense otherwise. Great sequence early with Brock beating down Punk, only for Punk to fight back and hit a tope suicida on Brock on the outside. The story is Punk doing everything he can to keep Lesnar down, which includes flying off the top rope, the announce table, etc. Punk makes a mistake going after Heyman, and Brock beats his ass for it by destroying him with the announce table.

More great psychology with Punk going after Brock’s legs, but Brock’s power is too much. Each time Punk looks to gain the advantage, Brock’s strength overwhelms him. However, when in doubt, bite a man’s head. That’s what Punk does, and it turns the tide. Punk hits the roundhouse kick to send Brock down, then hits the elbow off the top for a near fall. Punk tries to finish things off, but Brock reverses into the Kimura Lock, only for Punk to counter that into his own submission. The crowd is JACKED. Punk holds the triangle but Brock won’t tap. Instead, he picks Punk up into the corner and hits a brutal powerbomb for two.

Brock takes Punk to Suplex City (before Suplex City was a thing) and gets a dastardly look in his eye. Brock grabs a chair, but Punk flies off the top into the chair. Punk hauls off on him, and Brock goes to return the favor, but Punk hits a low blow. And now it’s Punk up top, where he comes off with the chair onto Brock’s face. That damn Brock kicks out at two and a half though. Heyman hops on the apron as Brock gets Punk up for the F5, but Punk grabs Heyman’s tie for leverage. That leads to bickering with Brock and Heyman, which allows Punk to reverse into the GTS for a dramatic pin attempt before Heyman breaks it up at two and a half.

Lesnar goes for the F5, but Punk counters into a DDT for another near fall. Anaconda Vice as Heyman comes in with a chair. Punk punches Heyman and puts the vice on him. Lesnar absolutely WALLOPS Punk with multiple chairshots and hits the F5 on the chair to get the pin for the win.

• Blake’s Rating: Yeah, this was as good as I remember it being. The hatred between Brock and Punk was on display from the start, and they continued to up it throughout the match. They had the crowd in the palm of their hand, with Punk doing everything he could to slay the beast. He took risks and tried to outsmart Brock at every turn, but it simply wasn’t to be. These two put on a classic, and it’s one of the greatest matches in SummerSlam history. ****3/4

– We get highlights of the Doritos Jacked Bold Fan getting splashed by Mark Henry. He and his friends are sitting in front of the announce table for the next match.

Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston and AJ Lee

Now, this is a fun foursome. The Big E/Ziggler/AJ trio was entertaining. What really stands out going back and watching this era is how fantastic AJ was in her role. Just an absolute star with her facial expressions and mannerisms. I thought Kaitlyn was also very underrated. The Doritos guy seems to be enjoying the action, so good for him. Kaitlyn breaks up a pin, which leads to a staredown between her and Big E. The action picks up with Kaitlyn spearing AJ on the outside, while Big E goes for the Big Ending. However, Ziggler counters with the Zig Zag for the victory.

• Blake’s Rating: Short match that simply served as a buffer between the two main events. But it was good action, and again, an entertaining group of talent. **1/2

– Miz is backstage, and he finally clocks Fandango after he comes dancing in to interrupt him. – The kickoff panel makes their picks for the main event.

– Another great video package recapping the build to John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan, including Vince McMahon and Brad Maddox running down Bryan’s talents. I forgot about all the hilarious Bryan makeover stuff. We also see the events leading to Triple H being named the special guest referee.

Daniel Bryan vs. (c) John Cena – WWE Title (Special Guest Referee: Triple H)

I really should’ve gotten one of those The Beard Is Here shirts. The story early is Cena trying to showcase his own technical skill, but Bryan counters and sends Cena to the outside. The “you can’t wrestle” begin for Cena, so he proceeds to suplex Bryan off the steel steps to the floor. They continue the theme of Cena proving he can actually wrestle, with a variety of reversals and counters, much to the crowd’s displeasure.

Cena goes for the AA, but Bryan reverses and gains the momentum with the announcers playing up Cena’s elbow issues. Bryan adds insult to injury by locking the STF on Cena, though Cena gets out before Bryan goes for the Yes Lock. Cena fights out, but Bryan goes back to the submission. Cena eventually gets out and hits the AA on Bryan, and he kicks out at two. Bryan regains control and hits the headbutt off the top for a near fall.

These two are going at it, and just like with Brock/Punk, the crowd is eating it up with a spoon. Cena counters Bryan’s hurricanrana attempt off the top with a ridiculous feat of strength, then locks in the STF. However, Bryan finds a way to counter to the Yes Lock, but Cena fights out. Bryan hits a flurry of clotheslines to Cena in the corner, which leads to Cena countering the third with a vicious clothesline of his own.

Both men down after flying forearm attempts. Now they’re slapping the shit out of each other. This is great. Cena gets a little cocky calling for the AA, which allows Bryan to hit a roundhouse kick and take his head off with the running knee to win the title.

• Blake’s Rating: In all honesty, this is even better than I remember it being the first several times I watched it. And on this particular rewatch, I think I may give it the slight nod over Brock/Punk. It’s not easy to pull off a babyface vs. babyface match (though, you could certainly argue Cena was a tweener), but they did it to near perfection. It’s likely Cena’s second-best match ever behind the one with Punk at Money in the Bank 2011, as he brought it from start to finish. Meanwhile, since I’m reviewing this in 2021, the argument for Bryan being a top-five wrestler in history could very well be a legitimate one. And for him to beat Cena clean was HUGE. Something else I liked was that Triple H was a complete non-factor in the match itself, which diverted any suspicion of him getting involved. Until, of course, he does. ****3/4 

– Bryan celebrates his victory, and I can recall thinking that “you know, Triple H is still in the ring during the Bryan/Cena handshake, so something is up.” Triple H also shakes Cena’s hand before leaving and goes a little over the top celebrating Bryan’s win. What’s also interesting when you watch this back is how many people are leaving. Maybe it was the right call given what’s next. Triple H is all into the celebration, then Randy Orton’s music hits as he comes down with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Orton teases that he’s leaving before slowly turning back to the ring. Triple H hits Bryan with the Pedigree, and Orton cashes in to win the title. This was heel work at its finest, but what a kick in the balls after Bryan’s big moment.

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWE SUMMERSLAM 2013

• Best Match: Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena
• Show MVPs: Lesnar, Punk, Bryan, and Cena (they all deserve it)
• Overall Rating: 9.0/10
• Thoughts: There was nothing truly terrible on this show, and when you consider that I ranked two matches at ****3/4, that’s more than enough to put it in the conversation for one of the best SummerSlam shows in WWE history. Even the undercard was entertaining, especially the Christian vs. Del Rio match. At the time, the main event post-match angle was deflating after such a huge moment for Bryan, but they’d eventually (key word: eventually) get it right at WrestleMania XXX.

Vince McMahon decided to counter the first-ever pay-per-view by Jim Crockett Promotions with the first-ever Royal Rumble on free TV. And as we’ll see from the Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 review, Vince could have put Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Boris Zhukov in a 60-minute Iron Man Match and still won the battle on this night.

Bunkhouse Stampede was a devastating blow to JCP that would begin a significant turning point for the company.

Let’s hesitantly jump into Blake’s Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 review.

• Date: January 24, 1988
• Location: Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York

ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Bob Caudle and Jim Ross promote tonight’s show, while Tony Schiavone is your ring announcer.

Bobby Eaton (w/Jim Cornette) vs. (c) Nikita Koloff – NWA TV Title

Koloff and Terry Taylor had the match of the night at Starrcade 1987. This looks like another intriguing matchup. Well never mind. This has been going on for 10 minutes, and it has been nothing but rest holds. Finally it goes to the outside and picks up some energy. The crowd tries to stay into it by shouting “Cornette sucks” over and over.

This match goes 20 minutes and ends in a time-limit draw. Fire everyone in charge of putting this show together. This was absolutely awful and one of the most boring 20-minute matches in wrestling history. And these were two good workers. It sets quite the tone for the show, and makes you feel like this thing could be special. It was…..for all the wrong reasons.

Midnight Express beat down Koloff after the match. Might as well beat up the fans as well after that one.

• Rating: 1/2*

Larry Zybszko (w/Baby Doll) vs. (c) Barry Windham – Western States Heritage Title

What the hell is the Western States Heritage title? This is a bad sign already for Bunkhouse Stampede 1988. And if we remember the debacle of a match that Windham put on with Steve Williams at Starrcade, I don’t have much hope for this contest. Jim Ross tells Windham to poke Baby Doll in the chest after she does it to him. That wouldn’t fly in the PG era.

The bulk of the match is Zbyszko stalling after every single offensive move from Windham. And then we get everyone’s favorite for nearly 10 minutes: MORE REST HOLDS. After more garbage, we get a ref bump and then Zybszko uses Baby Doll’s heel to knock out Windham and win the title at 19:16.

We’re now 2 for 2 on boring matches that go 20 minutes.

• Rating: *1/2

Road Warrior Hawk (w/Paul Ellering) vs. (c) Ric Flair (w/JJ Dillon) – NWA World Heavyweight Title

The network joins this match in progress. Of course it does since Flair is the only thing that is consistently good in this company right now. And the other problem with this match is that you know Hawk has zero chance of winning. Good back and forth early on and that continues for quite a while, with neither man gaining a huge advantage until Flair starts working on Hawk’s knee.

That continues for a bit until Hawk turns the tide. And in case the one in the previous match wasn’t enough, we get ANOTHER REF BUMP. Also since Flair is breathing, he’s bleeding. Hawk goes right at the cut and ref is still nowhere to be found. A nice superplex off the top from Hawk and we’ve still got no ref. Since that’s the case, JJ Dillon figures he might as well hit Hawk with a chair. NO SELL. Flair then whacks Hawk right on the dome and gets the wi……NO. Hawk kicks out. The people are going bonkers now.

Flair then hits Hawk over the back with the chair and we get the DQ finish at 21:39. Surprisingly good match, but in typical JCP fashion, a finish that left a lot to be desired.

• Rating: ***1/4

MORE STALLING: As if the match stalling wasn’t enough, we get the cage being put up and then get an entire roster rundown of LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE COMPANY THAT HAS HELPED PUT THIS SHOW TOGETHER. This is incredible.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard vs. Ivan Koloff vs. The Warlord vs. Arn Anderson vs. Lex Luger vs. The Barbarian vs. Road Warrior Animal – Bunkhouse Stampede Finals

Where to even begin with this? The rules are simple: You lose by escaping the cage. Yes, you lose, not win, by escaping the cage. So you get eliminated by being thrown through the door or over the top of the cage. Animal tries to throw Tully over the top of the cage and man is that weird to type. The rules of this match are atrocious. People start climbing the cage and WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO THIS? Dusty and Koloff are voluntarily climbing up just to fight at the top, where there is a much better chance of being eliminated. That makes total sense.

Everyone is bleeding for some reason (well not everyone but I have no idea what’s going so we’ll just say everyone) and this match is out of hand. The bad part is that I like a lot of these dudes in the ring, but all could have been used much better.

Anyways, Dusty takes off his belt and starts whipping everyone in sight. This match has been going on for a while and no one has been eliminated. I wonder why. Luger somehow has Arn’s boot and starts hitting people with it. Meanwhile, Dusty gets tied to the ropes with his own belt. Pure madness.

Update: Someone finally gets eliminated after 20 minutes of this debacle. It’s Koloff, which should have been obvious. Everyone is just standing around wondering what to do next. So Animal decides to eliminate Warlord but also eliminates himself in the process. Arn and Tully attempt to send Luger through the door but he fights them off. These three eventually all get eliminated after they all through the door.

So we’re left with Dusty and Barbarian. Bet you can’t guess how this will go. Barbarian controls the match for a while and then Dustymania runs wild. And once again, we get the brilliant spot of both men voluntarily climbing the cage. That of course leads to Barbarian essentially throwing himself over the top after Dusty hits the elbow to win his third straight Stampede title at 26:21.

The concept is just so poor that it makes this match incredibly difficult to watch. There’s no flow, and it’s the complete opposite of what it should be.

• Rating: DUD

Blake’s Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 Awards

• Best Match: Road Warrior Hawk vs. Ric Flair
• Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 MVP: Ric Flair
• Overall Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 Rating: 2.5/10
• Thoughts: This was where everything had to change for JCP. And for good reason after this terrible show. The Bunkhouse Stampede match was such a train wreck, and you also had two wildly boring matches in Koloff/Eaton and Zbyszko/Windham. To make matters worse, the show was held in a WWF hotbed, and JCP printed the wrong start time on the event tickets. It was an utter disaster on all levels and once again hammered home the fact that no one was touching Vince McMahon.

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

In this WWF Backlash 1999 review, The Rock and Steve Austin square off in a No Holds Barred Match for the WWF title, Triple H takes on X-Pac, and much more.

• Show: WWF Backlash 1999
• Date: April 25, 1999
• Location: Providence Civic Center in Providence, RI

RINGSIDE: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler discuss Shane McMahon announcing on Sunday Night Heat that The Rock vs. Steve Austin will be a No Holds Barred Match.

The Brood vs. The Acolytes and Midian – Six-Man Tag Team Match

You know business has picked up when JR starts saying “Christian was about to be sacrificed.” The Attitude Era was different. It’s wild to think Edge and Christian are still doing their thing 23 years later (as of this writing). As we know, this was right when they were coming into their own, and their talents certainly stand out in this match.

A nice “Midian Sucks” chant makes its way throughout the arena, and he does a great job engaging the crowd while he’s on the apron. Edge finds himself on the receiving end of a beatdown for a large part of the match. Eventually, chaos ensues with everyone in the ring, and Christian gets a near fall on Bradshaw after a swinging DDT.

From there, Bradshaw absolutely destroys Christian with a powerbomb. However, Gangrel makes the save, and then it’s another near fall for the good guys. Action all over the place, and here comes Viscera, who squashes Christian. Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hell and that’ll do it for the win. Again, Edge and Christian were clearly on their way to stardom, and this was a solid opener. (**1/2)

VIDEO: Recap of the build to Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly for the Hardcore title, including the famous brawl in the Mississippi River.

Al Snow vs. (c) Hardcore Holly – Hardcore Title

I always loved the chemistry between these two. In my opinion, they sort of defined the hardcore division era in the company. Snow is busted wide open a few minutes into the match, so business picks up in a hurry. One of the highlights is Snow doing a moonsault off the barrier for a two count.

For those keeping score on weapons used, there’s a jug of water, a hockey stick, a table (which gets the biggest pop), a cooking sheet, a kitchen sink, a water hose, a broom, and more. Like most hardcore matches, they fight all over the place, which leads to the action heading backstage. They work their way to the parking lot and set off multiple car alarms.

Holly throws Snow into a dumpster and leaps onto him for the near fall. Poor Mike Chioda trying to navigate his way through the trash. They’re in the television truck fighting, and Snow throws Holly on top of a car and drops an elbow for another near fall. More creative near falls with weapons, and they fight back to the ring.

That’s where the table comes back into play, with Holly hitting a superplex on Snow through the table. Holly gets a near fall, then it’s Snow grabbing Head and using it for the win. This was presented like an epic where they pulled out almost every hardcore trick in the book. But it was a bit long for my liking, and any time you take the action out of the arena, the lack of crowd reaction also comes into play. (**)

BACKSTAGE: The Undertaker is having a talk with the Ministry about the future arrival of the higher power.

Goldust (w/The Blue Meanie) vs. (c) The Godfather – Intercontinental Title

Lawler’s reaction to the ho’s is always interesting. And if you really want to know how different things were in this era, the camera focuses on the boobs of every ho as they walk up the steps. Meanie gets involved early in the match to help out Goldust, but all the fans want is their ho’s.

Godfather uses the powder and throws it in Goldust’s eyes, which of course leads to Goldust beating down Meanie since he can’t see who it is. Goldust kicks Meanie in the balls for good measure. More shenanigans ensue, and Godfather hits the Death Valley Driver to retain the title. This was an experience. (*)

BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole is by a urinal with Snow. There’s a sentence you don’t type every day. Snow talks to Head.

The New Age Outlaws vs. (c) Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart (w/Debra) – WWF Tag Team Titles

Debra struts out wearing….something. It’s not much, but it’s something. Road Dogg wants to see the puppies, but Jarrett blocks it. On a more serious note, it’s truly sad to think that this is Owen’s final WWF PPV match. The heels control the action early on as the crowd chants “Show the Puppies.”

A long stretch of Jarrett and Owen working over Dogg until Gunn gets the hot tag. They use some teamwork to take advantage, and here comes Debra and her puppies. That allows Owen to turn the tide, but it’s Billy who hits the Fameasser on Owen to win the titles. Solid match between two good teams. After the match, Gunn shows his ass to the crowd. Joy. (***, Recommended)

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Shane McMahon. Shane gives his word that he’ll count the pin if Austin gets one on Rock, and he wants Vince to stay out of the way.

BACKSTAGE: Kevin Kelly with Vince and Stephanie McMahon. Vince doesn’t want Shane to make a big mistake.

The Big Show vs. Mankind – Boiler Room Brawl

I typically enjoyed the Boiler Room Brawl concept, but to be honest, I don’t remember much from this one. They brawl (pun intended) and bounce each other of things like refrigerators and other household items. Mankind takes a beating, but that’s nothing new.

Show gets some glass smashed over his head, then Mankind gets put through a table with broken glass. In what shouldn’t be a surprise, both are bleeding profusely. And now it’s a faceful of steam for Show, and that’s never ideal. Mankind throws a row of pipes on Show, then escapes out the door – bloody hand and all – for the victory.

As soon as he exits, Big Bossman and Test destroy Mankind, with Show deciding to chase after Bossman. Test gets Mr. Socko to finish things off. Your mileage will vary on this one, but it was a good brawl for those who enjoy that type of match. (***, Recommended)

BACKSTAGE: Cole with Triple H and Chyna. They send a message to X-Pac. Then we transition to Show getting stitched up, and his hand is busted up pretty bad as well. Mankind is also walking around looking at all the objects they destroyed in the match.

X-Pac vs. Triple H (w/Chyna)

Obviously, the story is that Triple H and X-Pac are no longer friends, and this is the war to settle the score. The worst part about this is the generic-sounding music that Triple H’s used for his entrance on this show. I know some people like it, but I don’t. Give me “My Time” every day of the week.  The action spills outside early, and the chemistry is never in doubt when these two are in the ring. They work well off of each other.

X-Pac plays up a neck injury, and Chioda tries to stop the match. But that damn Triple H starts hauling off on him, then Chyna gets in a shot of her own. However, X-Pac keeps fighting back, and JR does a fantastic job of telling the story of X-Pac’s neck issues. Triple H keeps the pressure on the neck, and as usual, he does it in a cerebral fashion. Chyna also gets in some more cheap shots.

If there’s one nitpick, it’s that the Triple H offense portion of the match is very, very long. It does make sense for the story of X-Pac’s injury, but it’s not particularly entertaining. X-Pac does eventually get some offense going, and then we get a ref bump. X-Pac hits his finisher, but there’s no referee, and that allows Chyna to kick X-Pac’s ass.

THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE! He’s here, and he chokeslams Triple H before doing the same to Chyna. X-Pac regroups, and it’s Bronco Buster time to both Triple H and Chyna. But Triple H comes right back and hits the Pedigree for the victory. A decent match that could have been much better had it not been as lackluster and repetitive in the middle. (**3/4)

Ken Shamrock vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)

My take: Taker’s Ministry theme music was one of the most underrated themes of all time. Shamrock is looking for payback for his sister, Ryan Shamrock, who found herself on the wrong side of Taker and the Ministry. Taker starts off as the aggressor, but Shamrock goes to the submissions to change the style.

Shamrock really takes control and goes after Taker’s leg for a good while. And Shamrock goes to the armbar to attempt to dissect another body part. The crowd isn’t into the ground game, but let’s be honest, most of them just came to see puppies. They even said it themselves a few matches ago.

It’s Taker who goes the body part route by going after Shamrock’s back. Once again, the fans aren’t thrilled by this, but I get why they chose this type of match. It’s Taker trying to prove he can beat Shamrock at his own game. Taker seemingly gets a pin late in the match as Shamrock doesn’t even attempt to bring his arm up before the three, so Taker just pulls it up for him. That’s not ideal.

Shamrock reverses a Tombstone attempt and locks in the Ankle Lock, but Bradshaw runs down for the distraction. Shamrock counters again, but it’s Taker who counters and he finally hits the Tombstone for the win. Well, the psychology in this match was great. But just like the previous match, at nearly 20 minutes, it dragged on way too long for my liking. (**1/2)

The Rock vs. Steve Austin – No Holds Barred Match for the WWF Championship (Special Guest Referee: Shane McMahon)

For my money, I prefer this match over the WrestleMania XV one between these two men. They brawl everywhere, and I loved the spot where each man gets thrown onto one side of the chain fence set. What I also enjoy about this is there was no way it should be a technical wrestling bout. It needed to be a fight, and that’s what it was.

As if you needed any other example of Rock’s unique charisma, this was another display of that. This includes the famous spot where he puts on the headset and calls Austin a piece of trash. He also plays cameraman on top of the announce table before we see Austin giving him the double middle finger, which is followed by a Stunner. So awesome.

It’s simply one of those matches that’s exactly what it needs to be. An enjoyable match from start to finish, and the crowd was all-in on both Austin and Rock at this point.

This is just one of those matches that played out like it needed to for the story. Shane refuses to count the three for Austin to attempt to screw him over, and it’s Vince who wallops Shane with the belt. Austin hits a Stunner and uses a belt shot to retain the title. I greatly enjoyed this match, as it was an entertaining Attitude Era main event given the star power and crowd reaction. (****, Highly Recommended)

IN THE PARKING LOT: The police are protecting Steph in the limo. Here comes the Ministry to try to go after her, so the police send the car away. And what do you know, the window rolls down, and it’s Taker driving the limo and Vince has no idea. Prediction: I think he did, folks.

BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF BACKLASH 1999

Recommended Matches: Steve Austin vs. The Rock (****), The Big Show vs. Mankind (***), The New Age Outlaws vs. Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart (***)

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Thoughts: A solid PPV effort from the top company in pro wrestling. Everyone’s enjoyment will differ on the two long, non-main event matches, but I’m of the opinion they didn’t need to be as long as they were. That probably drops my overall rating a bit, though others could love those two and consider this one of the better PPVs of this era. Either way, the main event was a lot of fun, and that’s what sold the show to most fans anyways.

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

The WCW Nitro 9/4/95 review features the start of the Nitro era with both a surprising debut and lots of Pastamania.

Here’s the review!

• Show: WCW Monday Nitro
• Date: September 4, 1995
• Location: The Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN

– Eric Bischoff and Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael are our commentators for this monumental event. Then Bobby Heenan arrives and kisses up to Mongo. Heenan truly is one of a kind.

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Flyin’ Brian Pillman

Liger will forever be the answer to the trivia question as to the first wrestler to enter the ring on Nitro. Liger and Pillman had a lot of great battles over the years, so the match choice makes sense. And considering Bischoff wanted to feature cruiserweights and high-flying action to contrast RAW, it’s clear he wanted to set the tone with this match.

Lots of bickering between Heenan and Mongo in this one to no one’s surprise. As expected, good back and forth match with several near falls that would’ve gotten a bigger pop from a normal crowd. Pillman countered Liger’s offense and hooked the leg for the pin.

• Blake’s Rating: ***

– Hulk Hogan is signing autographs at the food stand in the mall. PASTAMANIA is running wild, brother! Bischoff is all smiles as Hogan talks about eating so many Hulkaroos and having a lot of PASTAMANIACS. Hogan says the word “pastamania” about 47 times in hyping the main event with Big Bubba Rogers.

Ric Flair vs. Sting

It is wild to think Flair was 46 at this point in his career. Mongo with a little WWE foreshadowing: “This place is like Thunderdome, folks.” Personally, I think it needs more LED screens and Kevin Dunn camera cuts. Before the match even starts, we get the most noteworthy moment of the debut Nitro, as LEX LUGER has jumped ship! Give Bischoff credit for playing it up like a pro and making it seem real. Heenan and Mongo were also good.

When you look back, it really was smart to have Luger’s appearance early in the show to create a buzz. What’s also creating a buzz is Service Merchandise in the background. What a store. Another competitive match that gets a better reaction with a normal crowd. Arn Anderson made his way out and he eventually caused the DQ before he and Flair exchanged blows to continue their dissension.

• Blake’s Rating: **1/2

– After the match, Scott Norton debuts in WCW and he’s PISSED as goes face to face with Mongo. Randy Savage makes the save and they tease an impromptu match.

– Sabu is also coming to WCW!

– Mean Gene Okerlund is thrilled to announce that someone has won a Harley Davidson.

– VK Wallstreet is yet another star coming to WCW! You can’t say they didn’t introduce new stars on the first Nitro.

Big Bubba Rogers vs. Hulk Hogan (w/Jimmy Hart)

Bischoff is still playing up Luger causing chaos in the locker room. Another nice move. Meanwhile, we’re getting that Savage vs. Norton match next week. Heenan and Mongo really do have great chemistry right off the bat. Nothing like Hogan and Hart, the babyfaces, using underhanded tactics behind Pee Wee Anderson’s back. Heroic stuff! Big Bubba did his best, but Hogan hit the Big Boot and Leg Drop to get the win.

• Blake’s Rating: **

– Here comes the Dungeon of Doom! Kevin Sullivan, Kamala, The Shark, Meng, and Brutus Beefcake’s character of the month (The Zodiac) hit the ring to attack Pastamania. Luger makes the save, and they tease a Hogan vs. Luger showdown. 

– After the break, Mean Gene is in the ring to get the info on Luger and Hogan. Luger wants Hogan’s title and he’s tired of playing with kids. BRING ON THE BIG BOYS. Hogan gives him a title match for next week’s Nitro.

Blake’s WCW Nitro 9/4/95 Awards

• Best Match: Liger vs. Pillman
• Best Angle: Luger’s debut
• Nitro MVP: Bischoff, Heenan, Mongo
• Overall Nitro Rating: 6.0/10
• Thoughts: This was a fine start to the Nitro era, with Luger’s debut taking center stage. Bischoff was great pushing new characters, while also adding realism to Luger jumping ship. Wrestling fans had a hook, and WCW played it up nicely throughout the show.

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

The WWF continues to ride its biggest star into 1990, but change is in the air in this Royal Rumble 1990 review.

Before that happens though, the company embarked on the third edition of the Rumble, which certainly had one of the greatest assortments of talent you’ll ever see in a single match.

Let’s jump in.

Date: January 21, 1990

Location: Amway Arena in Orlando, FL

VIDEO: Vince McMahon runs through the entire list of Royal Rumble participants. Vince saying ‘Hakuuuuuuuuuu’ is always good for a laugh.

ON THE STAGE: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura welcome us. It’s always strange seeing Tony in the WWF, but it’s never strange to see Jesse wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt and ears.

The Fabulous Rougeaus (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Bushwhackers

The bell rings and we get several minutes of both teams taunting before the match actually starts. Rougeaus quickly go for a double team but Luke breaks that up. Butch immediately starts BITING RAYMOND’S ASS and then he proceeds to BITING THE REFEREE’S ASS. Only in 1990, folks. Jacques manages to get a little bit of offense before Luke starts biting him in the head. Luke clotheslines Raymond on the apron and the bad guys retreat again to the outside to huddle with Hart.

Underhanded tactics from Raymond as Jacques distracts the referee and Butch. Jacques then delivers some damage to Luke with everyone else distracts once again. Luke tries to get the headbutt to the penis on Raymond but that doesn’t work. More teamwork from the Rougeaus and Luke tries the bite again. Jacques tries a big splash but Luke gets the knees up and we get the hot tag to Butch. All four men in and it’s DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER TIME on the Rougeaus.

Luke and Butch go for the battering ram but Hart holds Luke’s feet as the referee just stares at him. Great officiating, Danny Davis! They go after Hart and the Rougeaus hit a double dropkick for a two count. Raymond locks in the crab as Luke trips Jacques. Double battering ram on both Rougeaus and Butch earns the pin at 13:35. Pretty entertaining match, and the crowd was hot.

• Rating: **1/4

BACKSTAGE: Gene Okerlund is with Ted DiBiase and Virgil. Gene calls him out for drawing No. 30 in last year’s Rumble, and DiBiase goes off. DiBiase then gets pissed as Gene asks him what number he drew this year. He hands over the piece of paper and Gene reveals that it’s No. 1. DiBiase says it doesn’t matter and he’ll still win the thing.

IN THE RING: We get what will undoubtedly be the best segment of the evening, as The Genius reads off another masterpiece.

The Genius vs. Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake

Genius does his stretches in the corner and we legitimately get one of the worst camera angles ever as it pretty much just zooms in on his crotch. Luckily he decides to escape to the outside and do some cartwheels. These two prance around for a bit to mock each other before Genius gets the upper hand after a rake to the eyes. Beefcake hits the atomic drop and Genius sells it like a champ. Beefcake back on offense as we get the test of strength before he stomps on Genius’ fingers. Genius then gets racked on the top rope before scurrying outside.

Genius gets in a little offense but Beefcake kicks out of a pin attempt. Genius goes for a roll up but only gets a two again. Top rope move fails for Genius as Beefcake reverses and hits a slam. Beefcake then locks in the sleeper hold momentarily but Genius gets out. Beefcake then slings Genius towards the ropes but the ref is in the way and gets nailed. Beefcake locks in the sleeper but the ref is still down. Beefcake runs to the outside and grabs the scissors before the cutting begins on Genius’ hair. Here comes Mr. Perfect to break it up and the bell rings for what appears to be a double DQ at 11:07.  Perfect grabs a chair and destroys Beefcake with it before a host of refs come in to break it up. The match was just there to set up the eventual WrestleMania match between Perfect and Beefcake.

• Rating: *

BACKSTAGE: Sean Mooney with The Heenan Family. Rude refuses to reveal his number and then Mooney stirs the pot by asking what would happen if they all had to face each other. Haku starts shouting, then Andre starts shouting. Heenan pulls them away for a team meeting.

Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Ronnie Garvin – Submission Match

Valentine is pissed that Garvin is wearing a brace on his leg. That causes Valentine and Hart to retreat to the aisle but Garvin attacks from behind. Back inside and Garvin immediately goes for pin as he stares at the referee and wonders why he isn’t counting. Way to sell the match stipulation there, Ron. Valentine regains control as he throws the chops in the corner. Garvin brings some hops of his own and Valentine retreats to the outside to get some advice from Hart.

Back inside and Valentine works on the leg before TRYING TO PIN GARVIN. He legitimately lays on Garvin for nearly 10 seconds. Hell let’s just throw out the stipulation at this point. Now they’re punching each other silly which leads to Garvin delivering a headbutt. Garvin goes for the piledriver but Valentine reverses it, and Garvin nearly tries to counter it into a sunset flip pin. But then Hammer drops down on him and flexes AS HE ASKS THE REF TO COUNT THE PIN. The ref just stares at him, and that leads to Garvin reversing it into a ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKING PIN. Holy shit. Even Hart doesn’t know what to think as he yells through the megaphone that this is a submission match. Jesse says he has a feeling the match could go a long time, and I completely agree if these two keep trying to win a SUBMISSION MATCH by pinfall.

Corner chops from Valentine and he starts adjusting the leg brace. However, Garvin takes control and ROLLS HIM UP FOR A PIN. Just stop the damn match and call it a double DQ via utter stupidity. Valentine chops Garvin again and then drops the knee. I kid you not, he then looks at the ref and appears to be wanting him to count while his knee is laying over Valentine’s throat. Valentine then goes over and hooks in the Figure Four but Garvin starts smiling and making faces. Schiavone explains that Garvin has something around his knee that’s preventing any pain. Valentine gets up and that leads to Garvin going for a SMALL PACKAGE. Pin attempt No. 879 in a submission match.

Valentine picks Garvin up over his head and locks in some weird submission hold before throwing him down. Valentine drops the elbow and goes for the Figure Four but Garvin kicks him away. Then they just grab each other and Garvin starts chopping. Garvin locks in his own submission as Schiavone points out that it’s his first submission attempt of the match. Valentine gets to the ropes and rolls outside. Now they’re both outside chopping away. Garvin goes for the piledriver on the floor but Valentine backdrops him. In the ring again and Garvin gets locked in the ropes in the corner. Perhaps Valentine will try to pin him. The ref has to get Garvin out of the ropes before both Garvin and Valentine run into each other.

Both men down and Hart takes the brace off Garvin’s leg. Valentine hits a horrible backbreaker and then locks in the Figure Four for a solid hour before Garvin reverses. But Valentine holds onto the ropes to get a little more damage in before the break. Valentine goes for the Figure Four again and I will give you one guess as to what happens next. If you guessed that Garvin would reverse it into a small package for another pin, YOU ARE CORRECT. Valentine goes up top and Garvin throws him off. Garvin takes the brace off Valentine’s leg and that leads to Valentine trying to earn the pin with a school boy. Fire both men on the spot. Valentine gets locked in the ropes and Garvin throws Hart in. He then clocks Valentine and uses the sharpshooter for the win at 16:55. I realize this was a hot feud and had a stipulation that wasn’t used all that often, but the 2.3 billion pin attempts just ruined it for me.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene with Mr. Perfect. Gene mentions that the only way to win this interview is by submission, so Perfect immediately goes for a pinfall. I kid. Perfect explains his actions from earlier and reveals that he drew No. 30 in the Rumble.

IN THE RING: Brother Love in the ring as Schiavone asks Jesse how many donuts he thinks had this morning. Lots of talking here that leads to a Sherri/Savage and Dusty/Sapphire brouhaha before Dusty attacks Brother Love and Sapphire gives him a huge slap.

BACKSTAGE: Mooney with Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He hypes the match with the Big Boss Man.

The Big Boss Man (w/Slick) vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

You’ve gotta love a good hoss match. They go at each other right away as Hacksaw sends Boss Man reeling to the outside. Boss Man grabs Hacksaw’s legs and brings him out before throwing him into the post. But Hacksaw isn’t selling a steel post, and instead, moves out of the way as Boss Man runs into the steel steps. Back in the ring and a splash in the corner from Boss Man. Hacksaw tries to regain control but Boss Man hits an ENZIGURI. Jesse points out how remarkable it is for a guy of Boss Man’s size to hit that move. It’s true.

Boss Man in control now and he throws the leg over Duggan’s head on the ropes. Hacksaw gets a little offense but Boss Man with the axe handle to get a two count. PINS COUNT IN THIS MATCH. Slick gets a choke in on Hacksaw as Boss Man distracts the ref. Chin lock from Boss Man but Hacksaw gets out and tries to capitalize. But Boss Man won’t have that as he hits a knee to go back on offense. Another near fall as Boss Man then goes for the bear hug. Now they go back and forth with Hacksaw eventually clotheslining Boss Man over the top.

Hacksaw regains control and then Boss Man hits a big clothesline. Boss Man heads up top but misses a splash. Hacksaw goes for a shoulder block but they run into each other and both hit the mat. Slick jumps on the apron to hold Hacksaw but he moves and Boss Man nails Slick. That leads to Slick giving him the nightstick which Boss Man uses to give Hacksaw the DQ win at 6:13. Hacksaw hits Boss Man with the 2×4 after the match and then hits Slick in the ass. This was fine.

• Rating: **

BACKSTAGE: We get 10 solid minutes of various wrestlers talking about how they’re gonna win the Rumble. This was a good reminder that Savage’s crown during this time period was absolutely incredible.

The 1990 Royal Rumble Match

Let’s rock. Ted DiBiase is No. 1, and here comes Koko B. Ware at No. 2. DiBiase opens up a can of whoop ass until Koko hulks up for some offense. But that doesn’t work as DiBiase throws him over the top for a quick elimination. Marty Jannetty in at No. 3 and he gets a little work in before DiBiase goes back on offense. DiBiase up top but Jannetty nails him coming off. DiBiase thrown into the ropes and Jannetty goes to clothesline him over, but DiBiase ducks and there’s another elimination.

Business picks up as Jake Roberts is No. 4. DiBiase loses it and goes outside to bodyslam him. Roberts rams DiBiase into the post before they head back inside. Clothesline from Roberts and then he goes for the DDT, but DiBiase reverses. Here comes Randy Savage at No. 5 and it looks like he stole the Dynamic Dudes’ gear from WCW. Savage and DiBiase double team Roberts for a bit until Roddy Piper comes rumbling in at No. 6. He goes nuts and so does the crowd. Piper helps Roberts out of the ropes and they decimate Savage and DiBiase.

Savage nearly eliminates Piper, and then Piper returns the favor but both men stay in. The Warlord is No. 7 and he goes right after Roberts. Warlord and Piper start going at it as Savage and DiBiase try to get Roberts out. Piper back over and it’s DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER TIME on Savage and Roberts. Here comes Bret Hart at No. 8 and this is an incredible assortment of talent in the ring right now. And yes, I’m counting hoss legend Warlord in that mix. Bret ducks a double team move from Savage and DiBiase before he and Piper hit the double team close line on Warlord.

Roberts nearly eliminates DiBiase as Bad News Brown comes in at No. 9. He goes right after Bret and there’s chaos everywhere. Roberts calls for the DDT on DiBiase but Savage comes over and clotheslines Roberts over the top to send him packing. Piper tries to eliminate DiBiase but Savage makes the save. Dusty Rhodes is No. 10 and he delivers an immediate elbow to Savage. That quickly leads to Dusty eliminating Savage as the crowd loses their damn minds. Next up is Andre the Giant at No. 11 as a young Shane McMahon looks on in his referee suit at ringside. Andre quickly eliminates Warlord which leads to Bobby Heenan and Mr. Fuji getting into it.

Andre starts attacking Dusty and Piper in the corner as DiBiase and Bad News work on Bret. The Red Rooster is No. 12 and I’m willing to bet he won’t be your winner. We get Bad News going for a clothesline to send Piper out, but Piper ducks it and eliminates him. That leads to Bad News getting angry and hopping up on the apron to pull Piper over the top to eliminate him. They brawl up the aisle way and into the back. Ax is No. 13 as Andre easily eliminates Rooster. Ax and Dusty tie up Andre in the ropes while Bret is attempting to throw DiBiase over.

Haku in at No. 14 to save Andre. Eventually we get Haku and Andre working on Ax. And here comes Smash at No. 15 as he and Ax brawl with Haku and Andre. Bret nearly eliminates DiBiase but Haku with another save. Akeem is No. 16 and what a ridiculous amount of talent in the ring at this point. Ax and Smash get Andre near the ropes and then hit the double clothesline to eliminate him as the crowd goes apeshit. Jimmy Snuka into the mix at No. 17 and he quickly eliminates Akeem. Poor, Akeem. Dino Bravo in at No. 18 and Ax and Smash try to send DiBiase out. Earthquake joins the mix at No. 19 and he quickly eliminates Dusty.

Ax tries to go on offense but Earthquake heaves him over the top for another elimination. Jim Neidhart comes running out at No. 20 and goes after Earthquake. We then get everyone in the ring aside from Bravo trying to pick up Earthquake in the corner, and before Bravo can make the save, they manage to dump Earthquake onto the floor. Bravo gets pissed before getting his ass kicked by Snuka. And business officially picks up as The Ultimate Warrior flies in at No. 21. The crowd loses their shit as Warrior eliminates Bravo. Warrior and Neidhart chop DiBiase like crazy before Rick Martel enters at No. 22.

Haku manages to eliminate Smash as Neidhart nearly sends Martel packing. Six men in the ring right now as Tito Santana makes his way in at No. 23. THE STRIKE FORCE IS EXPLODING. Santana and Martel go at it while people are still trying to get DiBiase outta there. Honky Tonk Man is No. 24 and Warrior goes right after him. Neidhart gets eliminated and then Warrior clotheslines DiBiase over which obviously gets a huge pop from the crowd. Hulk Hogan is here at No. 25, and folks, the people are going insane. He eliminates Snuka right away and then hits the big boot to eliminate Haku.

Martel and Santana go at it, but Warrior comes over and eliminates Santana as Martel holds on. Shawn Michaels arrives at No. 26 as Hogan shakes, rattles, and rolls Honky out of this match. Warrior goes over and quickly eliminates Michaels before going over and doing the same to Martel. WARRIOR AND HOGAN ARE ALL ALONE. They go face to face and then we get the CRISS CROSS, which is easily one of the most ridiculous sequences in the history of wrestling. The hell are these guys doing just running in opposite directions? That leads to a double clothesline as The Barbarian comes in at No. 27 to take advantage.

Barbarian goes to work on both, and ironically, hits a big boot on Hogan. Then from out of nowhere, Rick Rude comes flying into the ring at No. 28 before the countdown even starts to go after Warrior. Barbarian and Rude try to dump Warrior out, and that leads to the big sequence where Hogan runs over and hits Barbarian and Rude, with the extra momentum causing Warrior to be eliminated. Warrior ain’t having that shit, as he gets back in and attacks Barbarian and Rude before running down the aisle into the back. Jesse is trying to figure out why Warrior attacked those two and not Hogan since he’s the one that actually eliminated him.

Hercules is No. 29 and he and Hogan start working on the bad guys. BACKSCRATCH OF DOOM from Hogan on Barbarian as everyone fights a bit before Mr. Perfect runs in at No. 30. He goes after Hogan as Hercules eliminates Barbarian. So, your final four is Hogan, Hercules, Rude, and Perfect. Rude eliminates Hercules, and we’re back to the same formula for the third straight year as it’s a good guy trying to conquer two heels. Rude and Perfect attack Hogan for a bit until Hogan ducks a double team move. That leads to Perfect winding up on the apron holding on the ropes, and Hogan  slings Rude in that direction, with Rude going over the top since the ropes were held down. Rude is pissed, but it’s Hogan and Perfect left. Not sure how this one is gonna unfold.

Perfect hits the Perfect Plex and Hogan does not sell it for a single second. MAYBE THAT PLEX ISN’T SO PERFECT, BROTHER. Hogan then runs wild and eliminates Perfect in the corner to win it at 58:46. There’s a lot to digest here. For starters, it’s well-known that Perfect was originally supposed to win the match, but Hogan reportedly had it changed. However, when you see the reaction to the Hogan/Warrior showdown, it was clear what the money match was for WrestleMania VI. That was an iconic moment that undoubtedly had Vince creaming his pants at the potential of the feud between those two. I’m a huge Perfect fan, but Hogan winning made more sense for where the company was headed at the biggest show of the year. This is still one of the better Royal Rumble matches due to the insane amount of star power and the beginning of the Hogan/Warrior feud.

• Rating: ****

SHOW SUMMARY

The undercard was a lot of nothing, even if Garvin/Valentine was pure entertainment because of the gazillion pin attempts. But the Rumble match itself more than delivered while setting up one of the biggest WWF matches ever.