Superstar Sleeze

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels vs British Bulldog - WWF King of the Ring 1996 I have seen this match before recall it being quite boring. Bulldog is pretty chinlock-y in this match but it is better than I remember. In my opinion this was his last chance to show me he is more than serviceable hand in the Ring as I have seen and reviewed all his other major matches. I will still have a soft spot for him like I do all the other 90s wrestlers because that’s when I grew up But the ship has sailed on me thinking he is a great wrestler let alone a top 100 wrestler. I applaud them for having a very different match than their normal match as they just had a PPV main event a month ago so they needed to change it up. The whole two refs counting both shoulders down and now Mr. Perfect is the outside ref is such a Vince Sr - Bob Backlund angle and this match has a real throwback feel besides the he wad scissors takeover on the skin the car and the Frankensteiner on the floor the opening didnt feel like a shine but rather a heel in peril. Shawn worked the headlock and Arm in holds for a long time. The match picked up in a big way with a CRAZY BUMP from Shawn Press Slam drop to the floor. INSANE! Bulldog’s heat segment was very chinlock heavy. The work in and out of the chinlocks was fun But if he worked a body part could have brought the match up in a big way. When Shawn went for the Powerslam and then Bulldog did the reverse only for Shawn to slip out and attempt the Superkick. The match picked up in a big way. It felt like All Japan big fireworks spectacle. Missed top rope Headbutt by Bulldog. The Superplex. The Super Back Suplex weight shift by Shawn. I liked Bulldog stuffing Shawn’s second Frankensteiner attempt with a Powerbomb. The double head knocker was a good lead in to Shawn’s routine comeback. The Mr. Perfect angle was a big nothing burger. Sweet Chin Music wins it to put an end to Bulldog’s run as a main eventer from Summerslam 95 to KOTR 96 almost a year. Because WCW was red hot we don’t get Shawn celebrating we have to immediately run the angle to tell audience what they are getting in July which is the really fun 6-Man Camp Cornette Vader/Owen/Bulldog vs Shawn/Ahmed/Warrior BUT wait that doesn’t happen lol. Anyways the heel in peril and Bulldogs chinlocks mean this is sub-4 but there is a lot of fun work out of the holds even if the holds were boring and the finish stretch was good. *** 3/4

WWF World Heavyweighg Champion Shawn Michaels vs British Bulldog - WWF Beware of Dog Shawn was in a MOOD on this night given all the chaos around the PPV going off air and his high-strung personality this is no surprise. I didn’t see the temper tantrum in the chinlock. I cut through post-match just to get to Gorilla announcement to set up the KOTR rematch which I know most ppl like more so I must have missed that one. I know I have seen this before and thought nothing happened. Now I can write about it and never watch it again. I like Shawn/Bulldog as a pairing they have great chemistry and good stock spots. I think their One Night Only match is a MOTYC and their RAW 95 match was fun and given a lot of time. Shawn’s entrance was less exuberant than normal you. Liked tell he was pissed and he didn’t really want to be there. The more I watch Bulldog the more I think he wasn’t very good. They start off with a pretty fun Shawn shine which is the best part of the match. Oh yeah Clarence Mason subpoenas Michaels in a dumb heatless angle involving Diana. Lame. Ok back to the match Shawn works a headlock and then grabs the lightest Arn bar. It feels like they don’t think they are on TV. They do their normal Short Arm Scissors spot. Bulldog works a tame heat segment…Argentine Backbreaker was cool. Shawn’s trip and bump to the floor was sick. Shawn took the bump to railing wicked cool like he melted into it. They do a double noggin knocker. Shawn comeback. Ref bump. Sweet Chin Music to Owen. Bulldog goes for the Powerslam But Shawn back suplex leads to a double pin. Draw with a rematch at KOTR. The match wasn’t boring per se But also nothing really happened. Like I thought the reviled IYH IV Diesel vs Bulldog match was better than this. This felt like a House Show match with a fun Shawn shine, a couple crazy bumps and a screwy finish. Like sub-3 and I will never watch again but it wasn’t horrible either.

WWE US Champion John Cena vs Cesaro - WWE RAW 6/29/15 It is funny I went to go watch this match and for the first one in 11 years I was like hmmmmm how do I watch this? It used to be so easy. Turns out Google still rules. We are in the midst of Cena vs Owens feud but need to wait to the next PPV so let’s trot out Cesaro. I remember this and their matches next week being great let’s see how it holds up. It was definitely better than Cena vs Owens but that is damning with the faintest of praise. It was more very good than great But people like the rematch more so let’s see how that goes. As for this one, I liked the structure of Cesaro clamps on a hold to control Cena and when the time is right he hits a big move. I also like we never get the FU or the Five Knuckle Shuffle. You need to save Stuff for the rematch. The first match should leave you wanting more. Dont blow your was. Typical short Cena shine with a monkey flip. Great Cesaro powerslam and gut wrench to get them into heat. This was during the phase of Cena’s career where he had springs in his knees and was just jumping out of control. Cesaro is a great opponent for people who can jump high. They did some cool stuff with that. Also this is when Cena would get stymied at different parts of his comeback so I liked that. There were a couple cute But enjoyable sequences. Cena blocking the Swing into a Catapult so he could do his springboard stunner was good. As was the STF-> Sharpshooter which came out great. It got a little my turn your turn down the stretch and people just hopping out of each others moves. It is 2015 so we get Code Red by Cena and this terrible Downward Spiral type of move. Cesaro gets the Neutralizer for two and the Sharpshooter But Owens interferes because he wants to be the one to wrest the title from Cena. As far as 2015 work rate matches go, this was enjoyable more often than not the high spots made sense. I wish there was a bit more character work and a bit more urgency or I don’t know a will to win. Make me believe how badly you want to win or dont want to lose. It was bit hollow and could have used a little more soul. *** 1/2

Wild Pegasus vs Lionheart - WAR Super J Cup 12/13/95 Writing this while walking in a magical Christmas Eve snowstorm see how my phone and fingers hold up. Benoit must have thought to himself who is still fucking clown? Cmon Muthafucka Let’s Go Baby Cmon Baby Are You Ready? Jericho your Paul Stanley is showing. I have not seen a match with less psychology in quite some time. There was no sense of characters or plot. They just did some moves and Jericho HOLLERED a lot. His scream being dumped over the top was fun. It was interesting that Benoit did the Lion Tamer. Benoit’s offense looked great it was all the usual stuff. It is early Jericho so there’s always one death wish spot here he does like Flosbury Flop to the floor and almost piledrives himself. Benoit’s Powerbomb looked great. Missed top rope Headbutt great transition but didn’t really mean anything because they transitioned back to him. Awesome dive by Benoit’s he bulldozed him. Jericho gets Lionsault. Benoit hits his 1995 finish top rope Tombstone pretty ugly one for the win. Benoit won BOSJ in 95 but with Liger back it was full steam ahead on him winning here and getting his title back. I think 96 is Benoit last real year as a Japanese Junior. Jericho was a much better fit for America. *** for the effort

Great Sasuke vs Super Delfin - Michinoku Pro 8/12/95 Surprised there is no thread on this one as this seems to have a little bit of a rep. It is a Round Robin Tournament match. Delphin is more of a Praying Mantis than Mosquito mask I didn’t recognize him as first. I feel like this match is liked insofar that it is liked is because it has PSYCHOLOGY~! Before the fireworks spectacle at the end. Look I rather you fill out the body of your match with something that has a consistent through line than just gobbedly gook but it was so obvious they were just paying lip service to heat segment work on Great Sasuke’s side. It felt perfunctory and like a check the box exercise. That doesn’t really count. The match lives and dies on the high spots as you would expect then. Match almost feels JIP but it is not youre thrown into a torrent. Sasuke hits a beautiful Asai Moonsault But comes up clutching his side which seems like he reaggravated. Delphin is able to crash into side, Backbreaker and a single leg crab while stepping on the Bad side. Delphin attacks the side vigorously from there but Sasuke’s dead fish selling isn’t helping it. It just felt in the moment so cold, hollow and as expected totally did not matter. I liked Delphin eye rake and stomping on his balls before a Scorpion Deathlock. The moves done to the side looked good and well-selected But man it felt inconsequential. True to form Sasuke clutched his side a little and then said fuck it, it is go time about 6 minutes before the finish. FLYING SPACE TIGER DROP~! Lets Fucking Go! Delphin Super Splash to the outside. Delphin Brainbuster & Elbow Drop! Now the match feels like it is on. Delphin’s trick knee acts up and we get another ball shot. Nice anti-air dropkick by Delphin to stymie a spring boarding Sasuke. Lots of great suplexes by Delphin But it always feels like our hero will win. Sasuke super plex followed by Crucifix Powerbomb wins him the day. Very good match, fun fireworks spectacle and the heat segment was good but it was not great. It was very Indy-Riffic. *** 1/2

IWGP Tag Team Champions Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan - NJPW 12/11/95 Fourth Tag Team Title Match pitting these two teams in 1995 who have dominated and defined the tag team division in the second half of 1995. More subdued than the out of control, hate-filled atmosphere that permeates most Wolves matches of 1995. It is cold in New England and my hand is freezing so this going to be short. They work an 80s WWF style heel in peril on Tenzan enjoyed the double stomps and leg sweep by Hashimoto and throwing the bell at Tenzan. They work a face in peril on Hirata which is totally unmemorable except it starts with a totally illegal Chono tag, he was in the Ring and a reverse atomic drop sold like a nut shot. The finish stretch is worth a watch a great five minutes. Hashimoto in Destroyer Mode. Brainbuster! Hirata top rope Headbutt doesn’t get the duke. Chono Ballshot! STF!!! Hashimoto and Hiro Saito go at it. Tenzan accidentally levels Chono. Hirata sit out Powerbomb on nemesis Chono 1-2-3! Now that I know the story of Chono’s heel turn is that he thought teaming with Hirata was beneath him in 1994 giving Hirata the win over Chono was the right call in that context BUT! I do mean BUT! The UWFI invasion trumps that. Takada was going to beat Mutoh and Hashimoto was going to be the Defender of the Realm it would make sense to relieve him from these titles and give them to the hottest heel act in the company. I always forget the Wolves are NOT the Champs because they feel like the Champs and they should’ve gotten a run. Nice nod to Hirata and a one year story but there were others ways to honor that but also acknowledge times have changed! *** 1/4

Yoji Anjoh & Yoshihiro Takayama vs Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan - UWFI 11/25/95 The Wolves roll continues as they are the heel invaders of UWFi. Not great as defenders, but Wolves make perfect invaders. Takayama looks even more alien than normal as he has not filled out. He is such an ugly bastard God love him. Anjoh is great craic here mocking Tenzan with the bull horns and Chono with knuckle lock. This was a heated hate filled brawl. Stone Cold said you can always tell how intense match would based on the first lock up. This was a fucking 11. Tenzan and Takayama each with fistfuls of hair as threw nasty close range strikes. Wicked from behind shots in this match. Chono holding Takayama as Tenzan crashed down on him was nasty but Takayama’s receipt was brutal when Tenzan went for a tag and Takayama bulldozed him from behind. Lots of trapping in the corner double teams that were wicked stiff. Chono and Anjoh trade submission but the partners kept breaking it up. Ball shots galore. Chono Ballshot leads to the Iron Butterfly for the win didnt know he was doing that so early. Almost felt heel vs heel. Real nasty Lo-if fight as the Wolves 95 campaign continues to rock. ****

Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki - NJPW 2/17/95 This Wolves run is so good cant believe it took me until now to get to it. Five days on the heels of Tenzan’s heel turn the mega angle against Choshu and the lads. Sasaki & Hase are out for blood, A rip roaring brawl in the aisle way breaks out and all the heat is on Tenzan. They isolate and beat the piss out of Tenzan in the Ring. Really fun babyface shine but with some stank on it. Tenzan whips Hase into Tiger Hattori and all hell breaks loose. Tenzan pummels Hase with his Mongolian Chops and wipes him out with a spinning heel kick. Chono brings in a chair and kicks ass. He tells Hase to take a seat and Yakuza kicks him. Tenzan piledrives Hase on a table and then moonsaults him for the win. More brawling and heat is unreal. I wish I watched this shit in order but this only adds to why 3/7 rematch is so badass. This feels incomplete because there is no comeback but I wish wrestling did this more early in a storyline match one or two have the heels cheat and just massacre the babyfaces to build to the climatic match. Not every match has to tell a complete story let story feel complete as a collection of matches. *** 1/2

The 2/12 six man five days prior. Made a thread with a helpful Reddit link.

Agree with myself from 13 years ago for the most part. I was not doing ratings back the But it sounds like I would have rated this higher than back then. I usually cringe at my reviews from when I first started reviewing but this was well-measured. Justin Liger vs Ultimo Dragon - WAR Super J Cup 12/13/95 Went to a German Circus last night, highly recommend going to the Circus even if it is a bit passé there is something awe-inspiring watching human feats of strengths and coordination live in person especially in a increasingly digital world. The reason I bring this up is in this match there is the “Ta Da” spot that ends the opening chaining segment. We all know the spot all too well in today’s wrestling landscape that draws the Pavlovian polite applause in all but exceptional circumstances. Having seen multiple Circus Acts last night the “Ta Da”spot is critical it lets the audience know what they just saw is complete and to applaud if they want. It also shows how Pro Wrestling has evolved from a Carny strongman trick to an acrobatic performance. I think Pro Wrestling should exist encompass all Four Pillars of Circus Performances…Strongmen, Acrobats, Clowns and Oddities/Exotics but perhaps it has gone too far in one direction is what I am saying. As for the match, it is a very good Juniors match you know the formula…chaining…limb psychology that is dropped, some Dives and big bombs to round things off. Liger & Dragon are probably the two biggest stars of 90s Junior style but never had that definitive classic together. The chaining in the match is tight, well-worked But doesn’t advance a narrative. After “Ta-Da”, the match becomes very symmetrical. Liger dropkicks the knee of Dragon who sells well and applies the Figure-4. So Dragon does his hip swivel leg lock and own Figure-4 to hurt Liger’s leg. The dueling hobbling on one leg spot is unfortunate because they immediately go into their tumbling pass. Dragon’s Dives are pretty spectacular and look great to the modern eye because they have weight to them. Powerbomb and Tiger Suplex nope. Now it is Liger with the dive, Powerbomb and Brainbuster. Liger follows up with Tombstone and Top Rope Headbutt. Dragon gets two bombs on his own now with Northern Lights and the Top Rope Front Suplex into La Magistral. The Ligerbomb Nearfall gets a big nearfall and modern audiences would be compelled to “This Is Awesome” chants no doubt. I really liked Liger sitting down on a Second La Magistral Cradle to win. Some pairings just can’t live up to the hype. There was no glue or hook. It was just bombs. Pretty bombs. *** 1/2

The Great Muta vs Jinsei Shinzaki - NJPW 4/29/96 The perfect big, dumb match to watch when youre jetlagged to fuck in Cologne. The less you think about this match the better it. Perfect rebound match from Muta after losing the IWGP Title to Takada at 1/4 Dome show, instead he is here in the Dream Match role. This has to be the high water mark of Shinzaki's career. The Railing Bump! Piledriver on the Table! Broken Wooden Stake! Hakushi Bleeding! Writing in Hakushi's Blood on Hakushi's Stake! Whatever Kanji he wrote got a big pop! Hakushi Flying Space Tiger Drop! MUTA MIST~! Moonsault! This is a WrestleMania match before that was really a thing. Big Moments that stick with you, no connective tissue. Just the stare down during Introductions, these two look cool as fuck. Muta spews Mist to let the crowd now the wrestling will begin. Muta hits a couple of famous spots early. Hakushi's Rope Walk looked awesome as did his Vaderbomb. He peters out. This actually feels like an extended Muta squash. The railing bump, Pildedriver on the table and Wooden stake all happen here. Hakushi taps a gusher. Looks great with the white pants. Muta lets him get in a hope spot of missing his Top Rope Headbutt. Muta hits a pretty sick Frankensteiner but cant get the Moonsault. Hakushi finally gets in a modicum of offense after Muta telegraphs the Mist and Hakushi ducks it. Hakushi goes crazy with the steel chair and Flying Space Tiger Drop! He hits he Top Rope Headbutt but Muta kicks out pretty easily. Hakushi Powerbomb...NOPE...MIST~! Moonsault! 1-2-3 I have watched so much Greta Muta this past year and it is not a tippy top performance but a pretty good one. He definitely nails the Horror Movie Villain here very menacing, but you could also tell he kinda thought Hakushi was behind him and his disinterest would occasionally spill over. Besides the Rope Walk at the beginning and the Flying Space Tiger Drop they really gave Hakushi nothing, but who cares? The high spots kick ass. This is perfect Dome/WrestleMania wrestling...Blood Kanji kicks this up a couple notches. *** 3/4

Volk Han vs Masayuki Naruse - RINGS 4/28/95 Volk Han looks like a giant compared to Naruse, who I don’t think I have ever seen. This is a very entertaining Volk Han match who is basically able to throw Naruse around at will even drawing laughs from the Japanese as he drags Naruse on his ass to the middle of the Ring. But Han ever the showman gives Naruse just enough to make you think he has a shot. My favorite moment is at the beginning of the match. After manhandling Naruse with Double Wristlock Rips and basically hogtie picking up the little man, Han goes for a single leg crab but he is a bit sloppy and Naruse wriggles into a heel hook. The way Han crumples to the mat he sells both pain and embarrassment how he fucked that up. Volk Han is on another level. There are couple other cool moments. I liked Han catching the Axe Kick and dropping into a legbar. Han’s own Axe Kick clipping Naruse’s head was nasty. Han pays off the Single Leg Crab down the stretch where he pays extra care to trap the free leg and rotate safely into position. Naruse at one point unloads with strikes but Han stifles that with a Double Wristlock. Classic Han Finish….Han sells like he is going to tap to the flash submission, wriggles for the ropes, can’t find them instead finds his own submission a half crab with a head scissors. The Soviet Wizard strikes again with a magical performance what a joy to watch. *** 1/2

Akira Maeda vs Volk Han - RINGS 1/25/95 The annual biggest RINGS show of the year the finals of the Mega Battle Tournament in the Budokan. It might be my anti-Maeda bias but this didnt do a lot for me. It felt too pro-style and cooperative. It seemed to me that Volk Han was wrestling down to Maeda. Han had a pretty serious single leg crab and watch how organically he applies it but he kinda just lets Maeda reverse it. You can feel how deflated the crowd was. There was more downtime on the mat than normal. Maeda’s best stuff is his stand up but not exactly where Han excels. Maeda tags him pretty good early to earn a down. Han rips off a Double Wristlock, Legbar and another heel hook to start racking up points. He almost pisses it all away attacking stand up and getting rocked again. Even the finish was not that cool as they end up in the bundle of leg locks but Han was able to slip in the submission. A lot of people hype up Maeda and I truly went in with an open mind but this was pretty flat. ***

Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov - RINGS 11/16/95 It has been a long time, a long lonely lonely lonely lonely time since I have rocked and rolled with Volk Han. Woke up early in Cologne and then fell back asleep but snuck this in between. This is apart of Mega Battle Tournament. Volk Han opening gambit is his double wrist lock takedown but Kopylov ain’t going nowhere. God I love RINGS! Everything is a struggle. They trade rope breaks with some absolutely fabulous mat work especially leg work. They make leg locks fun that’s how good they are. Han even throws a punch in frustration. Kopylov protests and Han apologizes. Later stand up is a fun wrinkle. These two use their legs on the mat so well. Dexterous and flexible. The way they bridge and flatten so good. There is a real sense of weight and balance to each move. Both had about 2-2.5 Downs when Han gets a leg bar and straightens that leg in a way wasn’t supposed to be and audibly said “That’s it” waking up my pregnant wife but it is ok we both fell asleep for another 3.5hours. Lunch time then Cologne Cathedral! Great match *** 3/4

Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Dick Vrij - RINGS 7/18/95 Imagine instead of being a lame spooky ass Aleister Black was a Dutch Kickboxing Badass like Dick Vrij! I’d be his biggest fan. This fucking ruled so hard. Dick Vrij is allergic to the mat. As soon as Yamamoto grabs a leg; he grabs the ropes. There is literally no grappling or submission work because Vrij is scared shitless of it. His whole strategy is to swing for the fences and knock out Yamamoto. In RINGS you charged for rope escapes so Yamamoto just needs to get 10 to win the match. There is one Shoot Knee that is BRUTAL~! Yamamoto shoots for the takedown BANG~! Knee Right to the Face! I don’t know how he was not legit knocked out. RED CARD~! Damn never seen that before charged a Down! Yamamoto tags Vrij pretty good causing a mouse under the eye which eventually opens up a the blood trickle adds so much. Besides one Down by Vrij, Yamamoto is just running up the score. I love Vrij’s selling down the stress. He looks like a worn down Terminator just hell bent on knocking out Yamamoto but knows he doesn’t have it in him. A yellow card and one last rope break wins the day for Yamamoto. Wicked entertaining match! Wish more wrestling was like this! **** 1/4