Superstar Sleeze

Out of all the Nitros I have already seen this one bwhahahaha. Had no recollection of that. Wanted to put on some shitty wrestling to fall asleep as my daughter went down and she ended up waking up so we made it the whole way through. Sid Vicious vs Kevin Nash - WCW Nitro 1/24/00 Vacant WCW World Title You know going to back to a WWF 1995 summer program should’ve been a clue that this was not going to well for WCW But honestly Sid was pretty fucking over on this Nitro and the one the week prior. At 12k in Staples Center and 3.0 rating not too shabby for nadir WWF Main Event program. I apparently already have seen this which I had zero recollection of. In 1995, Nash was a way better worker than Sid but now due to laziness Nash has slipped but Sid also looks better. They botch a Bodyslam but after that Sid’s offense looked great. Great leg drop, surprisingly good punches. The Powerbomb is Outlawed even though it is both these guys only move. Commissioner Big Sexy Kevin Nash folks who didnt cut great promos in the Commish role. Nash puts on the sleeper, Sid Hulks Up and Slams the ref on the escape. Jarrett who is NWO 4 LIFE gets smoked and Sid smashes the guitar over Big Sexy’s. After the two years before Eddie’s Lie Cheat Steal gimmick, Sid feigns like he is the one who got hit so Lil Naitch doesnt DQ him. Sid OUTSMARTED Big Sexy. lol. It is not as bad as I said in 2017 but not good either. Perfect trash wrestling when you have been up all nighg with you daughter.

WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen - WWC 1/6/87 Texas Bullrope Need More Cowbell? Check this match out! Once again thanks to @El Boricuafor providing the context to this match. In the December tag team match, Hansen hung Colon with his Bullrope so logically Colon wanted a Bullrope match. The two short 86 brawl/angle matches are the perfect table setters to this main course meal. We finally get to see Hansen and Colon really let it all hang loose in an excellent long-form brawl. This is down and dirty and gnarly from jump. Hansen jumpstarts the match but Colon goes to the eyes and once he gets a hold of the Cowbell he lets it fly. Watch Hansen feed and sell for Colon. You’ll see glimpses of this Hansen in Japan But his heel selling is on full display here. Love how he splays on the announce table begging off as Colon wallops him again with the Cowbell. He who has possession of the Cowbell has the match. Once Hansen wrests control, he starts to pound Colon with it. I loved the tussle for it and Colon overpowers Hansen and smashes it into his face. Colon’s defense was great throughout the match. This a touch 4 corners strap/Bullrope match which are one of the hardest matches to work. The hate-filled violence helps overcome the limitation of the stipulation but also Colon’s psychology. He constantly trying to extend and keep the rope taught when he is playing defense. He rolls to the outside to get gravity on his side and impede Hansen from touching the corners. Appreciated bringing Physics into play here. The Big Hansen Nearfall is INCREDIBLE! The best in Strap/Bullrope history. The tension both physically and metaphorically are palpable. What really makes the spot is after all that struggling when Hansen falters and just sit there and starts ugly crying while bleeding. WHAT A FUCKING SIGHT! Hansen goes back to work crowning Colon with the Cowbell. Again Hansen goes for the win But Colon is holding for dear life. Colon adjusting to be at the diagonal genius. Again Hansen’s spirit is broke and as he surrenders to the will of Colon rolling into him. COLON ROUND OFF! It is on like Donkey Kong! Carlos unloads with rights! Colon charges But Hansen HOLDS UP THE COWBELL! NOGGIN’ SMASHER! They do the characteristic Hansen touches Bur Colon is going behind touching them. IT IS A TUG OF WAR FOR THE LAST CORNER! HANSEN YIELDS TO DELIVER THE DEATH BLOW WITH THE COWBELL! COLON DUCKS AND BACK DROPS HIM! COLON DIVES AND WINS! HANSEN CHARGES AFTER THE MATCH BACK DROP OUT OF THE RING AND THEY BRAWL TO THE BACK! Astounding! That has to be the best Four Corners Strap/Bullrope match I have ever seen! Great combination of hate-filled violent brawling great use of the Cowbell and also building the drama and tension around the finish to a Fever pitch! Excited for the last two matches in the series But this will be hard to top! **** 1/2

WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen - WWC 11/9/86 Thanks again for @El Boricua again for the context as it did appear won the Universal title in October but Commissioner reversed it based on the loaded Lariat with a foreign object from Al Perez. This is the rematch! COLON IS HOT OUT THE GATE! HE IS PISSED OFF AND READY TO FIGHT! There’s a real Rick Martel energy to Colon or is there a real Carlos Colon energy to Rick Martel. Colon jumps touches his touches and goes back to kicking ass. God Bless the 1980s. He wallops Hansen all over the Ballpark and beating him into the dugout. He is playing Hansen’s game and winning. Making him taste his own medicine. Colon misses a knee on a charge and eats the buckle. Hansen works the knee like only he can raw, violent and sloppy. Loved the Figure-4 around leg with his arms. Hansen now brutalizes Colon around the ballpark. He goes for the Vaunted Lariat but eats steel! Amazing! Colon works the arm smashing it into hard objects around the ballpark! FUCK YEAH! Hansen is bleeding. Colon is working the cut and he delivers a ROUND-OFF! God Bless Him! Hansen loads up the Lariat with a foreign object! BANG~! It looks to be all over when the Commish comes down from his perch and calls the match off. Colin wins by DQ! Hansen kicks the shit out of the Commish. The Commish had balls sticking up to Hansen like that. Hansen piledrives Colon and Lariats the Commish! FUCKING AWESOME! Kicks ass brawl and angle! Loved this! ****

NWF World Heavyweight Champion Tiger Jeer Singh vs Antonio Inoki - NJPW 6/26/75 One wrestler we don’t have to worry about making my 100 Greatest Wrestler Ever list is Tiger Jeet Singh But still I have him a fair shake. I think there’s one of these matches I liked but this was good but not great. First fall was incredibly boring just skip that. First Fall: Lots of lock ups, not a lot of struggle or effort. Singh takes most of the fall surprisingly with a leg lace and a head scissors. Works a strangle. Throws him out. Thought it was going to be a brawl but nah. Inoki dropkick. I feel a fall. Inoki bridging O’Connor Roll to go up 1-0. Second Fall: Singh works the strangle again But this time really jabbing it into his throat Inoki comes up bleeding from the throat. DID THAT MADMAN BLADE HIS NECK? Inoki is INSANE~! Singh wins the fall with a Torture Rack. You have my attention! Third Fall: Inoki tries to mount a comeback by Singh stays on the throat. In a very weird but 1975 move he hits a pair of vertical suplexes for near falls to 2026 eyes this tampers the heat. Inoki Back Suplex and CLOBBERS him with a dropkick! BACK SUPLEX WINS IT AND HE REGAINS THE NWF WORLD TITLE! Second and third fall were fun especially the bloody neck but the first fall sucked. ***

WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen - WWC 10/12/86 Finally making time for a feud that I have wanted to dig into…Hansen vs Colon in Puerto Rico. Shout out to @El Boricuaon PWO providing excellent context on this feud. I need to go back and watch the September 86 Universal Title Tournament that Colon won but with a newborn you gotta take your quick hits when you can. Chicky Starr has brought in Stan Hansen to take the Universal Title off Colon I am a sucker for this angle. Hansen bumrushes Colon to start and wallops him and the ref. I am a sucker for red violence. At first I thought this was just going to be an angle and the match was never going to start. He lasso’s Colon’s neck and drives him into the post and then smashes him into a table. He smashes the table and jabs Colon with the stakes. Awesome red-hot opening. The match settles down in the Ring with Colon getting some hope spots from some missed Hansen spots. I loved Hansen head butting Colon low. He is such a down & dirty bastard. LARIAT IN THE CORNER! Only two. My one gripe and I know it is of a different time and place but Colon transition to offense is too easy. He basically just takes over. He has been battered and bruised taken The Lariat and now he just dropkicks Hansen and he is on top. Didnt feel earned. The comeback in and of itself was excellent. Great punches and he gets his receipt bloodying Hansen. Working the cut. I love the Round Off to put the exclamation point on the comeback. Colon looks like he has But the ref is out. Al Perez, thanks @elboriqua comes and hands something to Hansen who loads the elbow pad BANG~! LARIAOTO! 1-2-3! NEW CHAMP?!? According to wiki and Cagematch, NO! I guess we will have to keep watching. Awesome first match great dirtbag finish and the violence of Hanse was great. Great fire from Colon. But they definitely left enough on the table for future matches. The art of the First Match In A Series is a Lost Art. *** 3/4

NWA World Tag Team Champions The Russians (Nikita & Ivan Koloff) vs Rock N Roll Express - NWA Starrcade 1985 Steel Cage Wait when did the Russians win the titles back? Was that on TV? RNR Express won the Tag Team Titles in their very famous debut match against the Russians back in July. This is the blowoff in the Steel Cage Nikita shows his power to start and Morton his speed with the dropkicks. A tag to Uncle Ivan who crotches Morton on the top rope. A timely tag to Gibson and the Rock N Roll are well starting to Rock N Roll. Fast paced double teams against Uncle Ivan. They start throwing Uncle Ivan into the cage drawing first blood! Ivan gets the eye rake. Nikita catches Gibson in a Bearhug and falls back and Gibson busted open against the Cage. Now playing the role of Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson! Solid heat segment on Gibson. Working the cut. Ivan missing a couple key moves to give you hope. Nikita comes in blasts muthafuckas with Russian Sickles but the ref is collateral damage. Gibson tags Morton who O’Connor Rolls Uncle Ivan for the flash win! A bit anti-climatic. The Russians put a hurting on Gibson as Morton thinks it is every man for himself and gets the hell out of Dodge. Tony Schiavone gives us a generous interpretation that Morton was pushed over the top by the Russians. Russian lay a good beating on Gibson with the Russian chain and double Doomsday Device. Similar to the Andersons match in that feels incomplete and anti-climatic but the Andersons match is way better worked and more compelling. This is above average Bur doesnt reach the highs of the July match. *** 1/2

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes - NWA Starrcade 1985 AND THE CROWD GOES WILD BECAUSE Dusty Rhodes stomps the ankle of the Nature Boy. Thats Pro Wrestling Magic, Daddy. Two of the biggest lies ever sold to us were Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes were not good at that wrestling business. That was the purview of the Macho Man and the Nature Boy. Big Dust and Hulkster fire on the mic, but once the bell rang they were no go so that story goes. I am here to tell you that is a huge can of BULLSHIT! The American Dream and Hulkamania FOREVER! This is match coming off the big Horsemen break Dusty’s ankle in the Cage at the Omni. The ankle will be a target. The genius of this match is that they tease it three times before they deliver it in full. It creates that tension and that anticipation. It is extended shine for the Dream but in the back of you mind the Ankle, the Ankle is always looming. That’s great pro wrestling daddy. Big Dust opens up a can of whoop ass early. Punches and elbows. I love how he walked through that first right. Naitch feed, bump and run. He has a hungry babyface and he knows he needs to eat. Flair starts to make some in-roads in the corner and goes for the armpit punch NO he kicks the bad wheel! AMAZING SELLING BY DUSTY! Dusty powders and really milks it for all it’s worth. DUSTY STOMPS THE ANKLE OF FLAIR! Atlanta Comes Unglued! The leg work by Dusty is so damn good and so cathartic. Flair throws in some great hope spots for himself like the sleeper and getting press slammed off the top. OMG I would be remiss to mention the suplex battle early in this segment. Flair’s leg gives out on a vertical suplex and instead the Dream musters up the might to get him off. Incredible. This segment climaxes with Dusty trying to get the Figure-4 on Flair but Flair kicks him off. Dusty sells the ankle again. Two strikes! However Dusty roars back and is able to whip Flair into Flair Flip and bust him open on the outside. So we switch from the leg to attacking the cut. Love this changing of levels. Dusty gets a great near fall on a top rope crossbody but Tommy Young was out of position. Flair Flip Bleeding Running Across the Apron Up Top and Down into a Big Dust Fist! Dusty follows into the corner Bur punts the turnbuckle with the bad foot! Three strikes and youre out Daddy. Now we get the full throttle Nature Boy attack on the leg climaxing with the Figure-4. One of the most magical and moving Figure-4 reversals as Dusty calls upon the Omni and all of America to reverse the Figure-4. Flair chops and punches But they are having no effect. HULK-UP! Punches and elbows, clothesline! Flair presses Big Dust off of him onto the ref. Dusty finally gets the Figure-4. Here come the Andersons. He dispatches Arn but Ole sneak attacks him. New ref! Flair 1-2-NO! Dusty Inside Cradle 1-2-3!!! NEW WORLD CHAMPION! Wait? What? I thought the blow was at the July 86 Great American Bash. Fuck a Dusty Finish that is lame. Dusty Finish knocks this down a peg but man this was electric. I did think Dusty took a little too much of the match. Dont get me wrong it was entertaining But I would have liked to see Flair really get a chance to work that ankle. If it wasn’t for the Dusty Finish I would go 4 But cant do that. *** 3/4

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Tito Santana - WWF MLG 5/4/86 NO DQ I haven’t watched the MSG match in over 6 years. So I thought be fun to watch this one because I forgot the finer points of the MSG match and thus if they are the same I wouldn’t notice. Great use of Elizabeth right at the bell. Dragging her in front. Stymying Tito and popping him. Such a low down reprehensible thing to do. It comes back to bite him immediately as Tito catches him with a right to the breadbasket as he leapt off the top rope. It has been so long since I have since Tito works singles match. Give him Hell, Tito! Tito does just unloading with haymakers. Tito has such a great punch. He wallops Savage to the outside. He kicks his ass over the railing. Good outside the Ring brawling. Back in the Ring, Savage is clinging for dear life to the ropes to stop this onslaught. He digs his fingers into Tito’s eyes. That makes some headway. He throws Tito over the top rope. Again good use of the floor the Bombs Away Double Axehandle. Savage swarms attacking from all angles like usual. He misses a knee drop. Starts selling the leg and nobody sells the leg as good as the Macho Man but that doesn’t last long. I like how the rest of the heat segment. Savage’s control of the match seems tenuous. It feels like Tito is going to break out and open a can of whoop ass But Macho Man keeps cutting him off until the Holy Shit Bump of the Match Tito uses a steel chair to hit the Macho Man as he comes down with a Double Axehandle to the floor. The rout is on. Tito unloads as the Macho Man heads for the hills. He brings him back the hardway. They brawl more on the outside as Savage is busted open on the post. Absolutely amazing punch exchange! I watch so many bad ones in modern wrestling study these two punching the shit out of each other. Savage clocks the ref on the back swing. MEXICAN HAMMER! Love it! No ref! Awesome! Tito tries to wake the ref. Savage high Knee! O’Connor Roll w reverses and has the tights for the win. A very popular Savage finish. I’ll have to go back and read my MSG review to see how similar matches. I felt like they were similar quality. Really strong 80s brawl but not quite upper echelon. ****1/4

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Kamala - WWF Boston 12/6/86 Love their MSG series and this did not disappoint! Kamala is someone who I always love to watch but don’t seek out enough. I love Kamala tripping on the leapfrog whether a work or shoot either way to gets over the raw, untrained aspect of the gimmick. They really put over Kamala’s strength early winning those shouldertackle battles. Hogan Cant slam the Ugandan Giant yet. Kamala lots of his basic but effective offense the chops and thrust kicks and the like. He misses. Hogan starts throwing bombs But he can’t get the Ugandan Giant off his feet. He really throws a lot of heavy artillery at him and can’t get him down which I loved. Friday distracts. Wizard passes the Horn to Kamala who stabs Hogan in the forehead with it. Wicked Blade Job. Kamala just goes to work on the cut, chops and gnawing it. He even manhandles Hogan in a way you never rally see with the Double Gozzle. KAMALA SPLASH! 1-2-NO! I think I know Whats next! HULK-UP! It is a beauty too with the Hulkster covered in blood throwing those haymakers! BODYSLAM! DROPS THE LEG! Awesome! I like the No DQ match in MSG more but this is right up there with the first MSG match ****

Review from 2013: The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation - 7/85 MSG One of my favorite Bret spots is his leverage spot which results in someone taking a dive out to the floor. What I like about it most is that either Bret or his opponent could take it, which makes it one of the versatile spots in wrestling. Bret is definitely a big fan of the kneelift to set up his heat segments during this time period. Everything does even back in 1985 just looks so crisp. I know Bret prides himself on this, but I still cant help but compliment him on his ability to execute moves without being stiff. I like stiff wrestling as much as the next wrestling fan, but I think it is pretty nifty that Bret can make everything he do look so good without being stiff. Bret gives Davey a backbreaker so Anvil can deliver Demolition Decapitation. Wait, I thought this was the Bulldogs thread. Just on cue, here come Dynamite to bring the offense to this match with his nasty hooking clothesline and Davey Boy comes back in with a running powerslam. Now he takes the leverage move to the outside. After trading a couple Boston Crabs, they are just killing time to the curfew finish. This was an ok first match from these two "vaunted" teams of the golden era of the tag division. It was definitely action-packed, but it felt oddly directionless and unheated for a match involving Bret Hart. I always feel like Bret is more likely to have a boring match than a directionless match. At the same time, the Bulldogs seemed to keep things moving, but didn't bust out their big guns for the match. Recommended only if you are a completist, but arent all we. *** 1/4

OMG LOL I have already watched this. Guess I have always been a big Studd & Bundy guy. I echo all my comments. I liked Bundy teetering on the Hogan shoulder tackles But then cutting him off with a. Back elbow. Nothing else to add, keep the rating the same.

Hulk Hogan & Andre The Giant vs King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd - WWF SNME 11/1/85 I watched this about 5 years ago when I watched all the 85 & 86 SNMEs which I really enjoyed. I didn’t do a full review at the time and I wanted to do one now. Outside of somehow including Roddy Piper, this was the biggest match WWF could offer in 1985. Quite literally the biggest. When Hulk Hogan is the smallest of the four guys, those are some big fellas. Hogan repeat their awesome routine from 9/7/85 Boston. Hogan nothing doing on the shoulder tackle so he goes High Knee but can’t get the Bodyslam. Unlike Boston he keeps slugging away. This is all about the babyface shining. Andre chokes Bundy. Studd comes in and doesn’t take the Atomic Drop well. Andre wipes out a ref on a back swing this sends us to break. Hogan and Andre are running away with this. Except Andre ends up getting caught in the ropes, Studd trips Hogan and BUNDY SPLASHES HOGAN! Heenan Family attack Hogan & Andre and the ref calls for the bell. Hogan clears the Ring and Andre says he didnt get enough. It is fun but feels incomplete like it was just getting cooking. There’s a Hogan/Andre Vs Heenan Family from Philly that I have my eye on.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy - WWF Boston 10/12/85 Now this is the good stuff not as good as WrestleMania II Bur a fun house show main event. Heenan is now Bundy’s manager. Hot start. Bundy comes out firing. Hogan tries to mount a comeback But gets Bodyslam on a charge. A taste of his own medicine .Hogan and the crowd was fired up for this one. Hogan has a mini-shine throwing haymakers and dropping bows. He goes for the Bodyslam too early. Even though he was calling for and really put in some extra moves. Bundy is still too big. We get the chinkock again too bad. Loved the Avalanche -> Splash as a near fall. HULK-UP! SECOND AVALANCHE! NO-SELL! INJECT IT IN MY VEINS! BODYSLAM! 1-2-3! HELL YEAH! *** 1/2

LOL! Of course I have watched this match before. Yes it is very chinlock-y and a bearhug BUT I loved the opening Hogan goes for shoulder tackle gets knocked down. He gets smart and takes Bundy down with a High Knee! I popped for that quietly of course theres a baby sleeping. I liked that Bundy’s offense started because Hogan went for the Bodyslam after that. Loved the Bundy finish stretch Knee Drop, Splash, Elbow Drop and TWO AVALANCHES! (it is funny I came to post that I wish Big John Studd that something like that and I already posted it in 2017 lol) Great Hulk-Up! I love the Running Bionic Elbow! Wish he kept that. Bundy feels the loss coming so he uses the Megaphone to draw blood and force a rematch the next month. Nice to see Hogan clock Jimmy Hart. I was a bit harsh on this. I am going *** 1/4 the WrestleMania II match ruled but a good first match in the series.

[1985-11-25-WWF-MSG] Andre The Giant, Hillbilly Jim & Capt Lou Albany vs Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy & Bobby The Brain Heenan @Ricky Jackson was besides himself when I told him like 10 years ago I had never seen a Hillbilly Jim match and I know I’d seen one maybe two when I did an SNME rewatch but I think is my first review of a match he is in. Couldn’t find the October MSG tag where it is Andre & Jim versus Bundy & Studd. So skipping to the November MSG match with the managers. Unfortunately my daughter woke up for feeding & diaper change between the match ending and this review and I have already forgotten most of the match. There was a lot of jostling early you may describe it as Colossal. Andre did most of the heavy lifting. Jim tried to slam Studd but Heenan saved. Besides a Jim punch I don’t think I saw him do anything. Andre didnt really feel cooperative in this match. Studd and Bundy clearly wanted to move to taking over in the corner but Andre wanted to work a double noggin knocker. But anyways this is all immaterial the whole point of this match was to see Heenan take his licks. Andre rocks him and Albano makes him take a Ray Steven’s Flip. Ref forces The Brain to make contact with The Giant even though he tagged which was lame. Fun battering ram spot on the heels. They whip Studd and Bundy into each other. Big boot by Andre to the Brain wish he did the SITDOWN splash. I like all these guys well jury is still out on Jim but no need to watch this one.