Superstar Sleeze
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Mick Foley, Edge & Lita vs Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer & Beulah - ECW One Night Stand 2006
Mick Foley’s pre match promo is pretty funny saying he loved ECW under Stephanie McMahon and Long Love The Alliance. It doesn’t get as much as heat as you expect probably because it was actually funny. Beulah comes out to challenge for a 6-Person tag.
Honestly you can JIP to the Barbed Wire Board I didn’t really think there was anything special in the beginning maybe some Terry Funk nostalgia spots. They suplex the barbed wire board onto Dreamer and business picks up. Foley eats it worse on a Funk trip. I thought Edge would at least blade. Foley gets revenge on Terry Funk who gave him a black eye by cutting him open near the eye. This leads to the call back to the famous Lawler match and the match is cooking now. Funk gets carried to the back. Customary Dreamer Testicular Punishment with Lita leg dropping a barbed wire baseball bat onto his nuts. Edge gets his sexual harassment with Beulah in an abdominal stretch. This was peak Edge as a character. The act with Lita was so good. They were such a good sleaze act. It is when he felt most main event. Terry Funk makes his triumphant return with a barbed wire 2x4 which gets lit on fire by Beulah! He attacks Foley with it who takes a nasty bump into the barbed wire board. Then Funk gets sent careening onto the board with Foley. We get the CATFIGHT~! Dreamer has his little run hitting DVD on Lita and the Barbed Wire Crossface on Edge. Edge uses the Barbed Wire across for what I think is Edgecution. Spear to Beulah with sexually suggestive pin for extra sleaze heat. They have to cut Funk out of the barbed wire in a cool visual.
The match takes a bit to get going but there’s a lot to love once the Barbed Wire gets going. Everyone plays their characters well Funk and surprisingly Edge are stand outs on the match. A good garbage match enhanced by the character work of everyone. ****
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WWE Champion John Cena vs Rob Van Dam - ECW One Night Stand 2006
This is probably one of the most famous matches I have never seen. It should be even more famous because of excellent it is. The hostile crowd is a major selling point and the atmosphere totally delivers as expected. The throwing the shirt into the crowd and back into the ring was spectacular. The heat is off the charts! "If Cena Wins, We Riot" sign is iconic. But it is telling. It is NOT "If RVD Loses, We Riot". It is all about Cena. You could have sent out pretty much any ECW wrestler, Sandman, Dreamer, Sabu etc... and you would get the same reaction, but the match and the atmosphere hinge on Cena. John Cena is the draw.
However, this match is a lot more than just great atmosphere it is an awesome match as well worked perfectly for this crowd. This is in my Fave Five of John Cena individual performances. He works the match like a heel perfectly. He adjusts so well. The more Cena I have watched the more it annoys me how quickly he goes into heat ala 90s Savage. Now he has a better extended comeback than 90s Savage, but still a little shine never killed anyone. This match he works the whole thing full on heel and the timing of his cutoffs is pitch perfect. He works the crowd into a lather brilliantly responding to each chant so wisely. "You cant wrestle"...Cradle Suplex. "Same Old Shit"...Top Rope Sledge to the floor. Even the fuck up in the match works because it gives the ravenous ECW crowd a chance to chant "You fucked up" at the Corporate Stooge/Icon.
The whole match Cena wrestles with such great purpose. Every punch as oomph. Every time RVD looks like he is going to get something going like the mule kick or a dive, Cena has an answer. He is wrestling with ice water in his veins but at the same time he is visibly bristled by the reaction. It is a cool, seething anger. The type of anger that can be controlled and unleashed to devastating effects on your opponent. I loved the shove of the railing into the crowd and punching RVD with a Fuck You Cena sign. RVD eventually has to do something in the grand scheme of RVD Carrot Top bullshit it is not that annoying. Some spinning leg drops. I do like Rolling Thunder on the chair. What is more important than what RVD did is what it led to it was his first significant combination of moves that led to Cena putting the chair on top of himself to block the Split Legged Moonsault. Genius. Throwing the ECW bullshit back in their faces. RVD is all time great eater of DDTs but even better than that was the catapult through the chair. That was gnarly! I am sad we didnt get the Shoulder Blocks, but we do get the Protobomb and a great Five Knuckle Shuffle really soaking in the atmosphere. RVD Carrot Top Prop Comedy starts with the table, but Cena makes him pay with STFU for taking his eye off the prize. Another Brilliant Cutoff! Rope break and the ECW REF ENFORCES IT! Which smacks of hypocrisy and leads to Cena SLUGGING THE ECW REF! WHAT A GREAT SPOT! Cena the Corporate Golden Boy snaps and does the most anti-authority thing only leading to the Anti-Authority crowd still booing him. The beauty of tribalism in pro wrestling (in sucks in the real world). Cena shows off his otherworldly strength by smashing the ring steps into RVD and Nick Patrick counts 2. FU TO THE FLOOR! Which was a great spot looked violent but protected the move as there was no pinfall. A Mystery Man cough Edge cough spears Cena through the table RVD set up. Thank You Edge chants. This crowd is consistent in just one thing their hatred for Cena. They would sell their anti-authority souls to keep on hating Cena. Five Star Frogsplash! No ref so Paul Heyman comes out and counts the pin and the crowd pop is like an 8, when you think it should be an 11.
I do think the finish was a little too WWE. I get that ultimately ECW was being spun off and that Cena/Edge was the big feud for the Summer of 06, BUT I thought the finish threw some water on the fire when there was whole lot of fire. This is such an anti-RVD match and it is so much better for it. They worked a Cena match through and through except Cena was a heel working a PERFECT pace. His timing was so good. Each cutoff was just sublime. They didnt let RVD do any of his stupid shit. He did enough selling and bumping to make the match work. He threw in a couple signature spots (I was surprised there was not Van Daminator). The match is a testament to Cena's wrestling IQ and really should be remembered as a classic in the canon. Cena Rules! **** 1/4 -
@ohtani's jacket post makes me want to rewatch this. Damn I got pumped up just reading that shit.
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NWA US Champion Magnum TA vs Nikita Koloff - NWA Worldwide 8/23/86 Match #7
These two captured lightning in a bottle! I wouldn’t call either a great worker but this was a home run! Magnum feels like an incomplete case. He was just getting good and finally feeling big time when the accident happened. The crowd being absolutely molten got also helped.
Mags shine is so fun and amplified the crowd. The crossbody near fall right off the bat the crowd was rocking. Dropkicking over the top. There was something about the Double Axehandle from the top that was just so big time, so king sized so electric. Sometimes a move is just a move but sometimes it is a MOVE~! And you know in that moment of time you have captured something special. We miss the transition to heat but we get a great Dustin-style bump on a missed crossbody and the way Nikita works the back is so good. The shoulder tackles driving Magnum into hard parts of ring is great. I loved the Bearhug. An all time great bear hug. Magnum does have an undeniable punch. Really fucking good! Loved loved the finish! Uncle Ivan gets piledriven on the floor. Electric! Tussle with Krushev the ref gets entangled. FLYING CHAIN RUSSIAN SICKLE 1-2-3! HOLY FUCK ALL TIME GREAT HEEL FINISH! THIS MATCH RULES! **** 1/2
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Terry Funk vs Barry Windham - WWC 9/19/86 WWC Universal Title Tournament First Round
I believe the only meeting between two legends that you think would have faced off against each other multiple times but not sure where and when their paths would have crossed. This is the WWC match that has stuck out to me as the match I really wanted to watch after a decade plus finally getting to it.
BW starts off having some fun at Funk’s expense where his cowboy hat and Funk is down to stooge early. Hennig was not a bad pick for Mr Perfect but Windham is one of the most athletic men to ever wrestle. Watch how he nonchalantly catches a flying wooden chair with one hand from a Funk temper tantrum. Some see sawing on the top rope from Funk. All in good fun. Now it is time for the match to pick up on the outside.
if you love piledrivers you will love this match, 5 total. Two from Funk on the outside here and a then a mule kick Ballshot because we are in Puerto Rico baby! In addition to how Windham catches that chair, watch he melts into his bumps especially a crazy one through the ropes to the floor. Such a stud. The heads collide and now it is BW’s turn. One of the best Windham control segments I have seen. Three piledrivers, two on the floor. Great punches of course. What makes this so great are the little wrinkles they throw in. When Windham misses an elbow drop he sells so well that you think it is leading to a heat segment. Instead he holds onto the top rope on a neck breaker and Funk goes crashing down. Excellent. Funk throws in some light heartedness acting so phased by repeated blows into the top turnbuckle that he is still seesawing until he falls out of the Ring head- first and ends up horse collaring a chair and feeding for Windham punches. Excellent! BW LARIAT! Barry thinks he gets the pin but Funk rolls him up for the win im a very 80s finish for BW to save face. Funk’s promo against Rick Martel is fun at first saying he is cattle rancher not a pig farmer and Puerto Rico is full of pigs but takes a darker turn when he references that Martel’s life-ending heart attack that happened on the island. This was awesome real slam bang stuff no down time that was elevated by Funk’s humor/creativity and Windham’s athleticism. ****
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WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon vs Tully Blanchard - WWC 1983
I believe the commentary team is Hugo Sanovich and Bobby Jaggers it is helpful on some ways and distracting & annoying in others but it is totally worth it for Jaggers mispronouncing flagrant as fragrant. The idea of fragrant violation in response to a ball shot had me laughing so hard I had to pause the video.
Everything Flair detractors say about Flair being weak applies to Tully a hundredfold. I like Tully but this is not a wrestler with much in the way of offense or working on top. He is the ultimate stooge and heat seeker. This is very compatible with Colon’s style as Tully can pinball and stooge off of Colon’s punches and draw heat by stalling and short cuts. We get that with a foreign object and throwing Colon out of the Ring multiple times and brawling at the railing. I thought the first Colon comeback started lame. Kind of like I am over this I am going to fights back and do a ROUNDOFF~! But even though transition was lame the match really picked up here. Loved the atomic drop on the railing. Love AWA-style spot where Tully gets his foot on the rope so Colon attacks it and works it over building to the Figure-4. We get the Fragrant Mule Kick Ballshot! I didn’t like Tully getting right back on offense after that. Good use of the ref to blind Colon coming off the top eating a punch. I liked the ref bump leading to ref table topping Tully on a suplex attempt got three.
This match is proof even 1980s matches needed an editor. I think if switch the order of some of the spots you could have really whipped me and the crowd into a frenzy. I would say this is a fragrant *** 1/2 match.
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WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon vs Bruiser Brody - WWC 1984 Chain Match
I dont think I have ever heard Brody speak before. Totally kills the aura. He shouldn’t speak. Lame promo.
I like Brody more than most and this was a good Brody performance. He is easily better than Abby in my opinion but far worse than Hansen. This is nowhere near as good as Hansen Bullrope match as this is also touch four corners match. I like how Brody needs to be beaten down and pinned down to chain him to Colon. He blindsides Colon but with the belt and punch he can hold him down. Colon kicks some ass inside and outside the Ring. Brody comes back using the chain to thrust at Colon’s throat, wrapping the chain around Colon’s eyes is the money shot of the match. Brody kicks some ass on the outside he is the first to touch corners. Colon starts rifling him shots. Brody has such a good register with the hair. Bodyslam by Colon! WOW! Colon starts going for corners. Brody’s ally gives him a kidney shot and Colon collapses into the fourth corner for the classic 80s fuck finish. I mean Brody didnt even have to be pinned he couldn’t have just been KO’d for the fourth corner. Always got to save that heat. There is way more heat for the managers to brawl as Brody decks Colin’s buddy but Colon beats both the heels back to the dressing room before checking on his compadre.
Very good double juice brawl with some nice chain usage. Both have better matches but this is good. *** 1/2
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WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon vs Ric Flair - WWC 10/16/82
Ric Flair is the NWA World Heavyweight Champion but they make it clear that Flair is challenging for Colon’s Universal Title as Colon is billed as “Campeon” and Flair, “Retador”. However I still didn’t expect a clean finish.
Excellent Flair title defense! I was really interested to see how Colon fit within the Flair Formula and just how how Colon would work Championship style match. I wish we had more of this style from Colon. Amateur riding to start from Flair but Colon escapes. Colon grabs a hammerlock and basically doesnt let go for 10 minutes. Typically great Flair in how he makes Colon fight through his offense to earn the arm work. Flair tries the chops but Colon wrenches him down with the wristlock. Flair tries to turn it into a track meet but Colin stays disciplined laser focused on the arm. Here comes the Flair roughhousing the knee lifts, the elbows but Colon won’t give up. It takes a well timed Headbutt to the midsection or was it lower Ahhhhh the beauty of pro wrestling to get Colon off his game. Classic Flair rough housing and crowding but he isn’t in there with just any Jamoke this is fiery Carlitos Colon and two fire fights that break out in the corner are just money reminiscent of Garvin and Wahoo! Flair powders! Hell Yeah! Flair is able to go to his old stand by and throw Colon out of the Ring twice to take over.
One thing that is unexpected is how much bigger Flair is than Colon. Colon disappears behind Flair at times and we forget how big Flair really is. Hoists Colon up for two snake eyes which was cool. Gutwrench, butterfly, delayed vertical suplexes. Flair’s punches in the corner are so underrated. He crashes down on the knee. When Flair is feeling it, there’s nothing better. Electric. Figure-4. Colon reverses it! Colon Press Slam! Colon FIGURE-4! Dueling Figure-4s. Flair eye rake! Back Suplex! Great organic transition into the piledriver and smashing Colon’s head into the exposed part of the turnbuckle and the post busting him open. Excellent! Flair’s elbows and those rapid fire punches to the open wound on the head are amazing! He has such an underrated punch. He looks unhinged. This is an all time great Flair heat segment.
Colon gets a couple babyface hope spots the sunset flip and the crossbody. Flair freaks out and throws him back outside and wants to smash Carlitos head into more steel but ends him tasting steel! I bite on the double Countout here hard. Flair is reeling. MULE KICK BALLSHOT! Ultimate act of desperation. Nobody does it better. You felt like everything was slipping away from Flair and out of desperation he takes the low road! SLEEPER! Colon falls forward! FIRE FIGHT BREAKS OUT! COLON KNOCKDOWNS FLAIR! ROUNDOFF~! PUERTO RICO IS ROCKING! FLAIR FLIP! The crowd believes! Flair double leg…feet on the ropes. Flair argues with the ref. O’Connor Roll 1-2-No! Flair hip toes! BLOCKED! BACKSLIDE 1-2-3! PUERTO RICO AND ME IN BED JUST LOST MY SHIT
This had two things going for it that most Flair matches dont the first and biggest they could give us a BIG CLEAN BABYFACE VICTORY In front of the Hometown Crowd because this was for Colon’s title and not Flair’s. Being the 80s I did NOT think we would get one even though it was possible because of it being for Universal Title. That was sick. The other thing is we have very few Flair matches where he is so much bigger than his opponent and those matches are special. He can really manhandle and sink his teeth into a heat segment. I am a massive Flair fan and this is one of his best heat segments of all time. Colon brings that Garvin/Wahoo dimension and kickass stand and bang fire fights. Dueling Figure-4s were great. This should be heralded as one of the all time great Championship Style matches! **** 1/2
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lol I have already watched this match. I watched this morning and really liked all the same things. I am upping it to **** 1/2. I will say I liked it in the context of watching it after seeing Flair against Tony Colon and Jerry Finley. Against Tony, he is in complete control it is just chops and a suplex Figure 4 win. Finley is able to get a toehold and kick out of the gutwrench suplex But the butterfly -> Figure-4 win it. Here Tommy Gilbert gets more like a typical Flair opponent winning tests of strength. Coming back from multiple suplexes. He gets a fun blast with the dropkicks. I loved the misses dropkick leading to his dropkick. Really fun studio match looking forward to Flair vs Colon.
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Andre The Giant vs Abdullah The Butcher - WWC 9/17/83
They bring in Andre for their big 10th anniversary show and I believe Colon works a draw against NWA Champ Harley Race so bringing out their big guns.
Hell Yeah! This ruled! Fro Andre is best Andre! He was moving and hitting like a wild man! Those sledgehammer punches/forearms and mighty headbutts looked killer! Butt butt in the corner! This is a violent, vicious giant. I didn’t know how Abby was going to take over but here come the throat thrusts. Andre sells so well. He fights from his back swinging wild bear paws. This has a big fight feel! Two larger than life characters! I like how commentary the Largest Wrestler vs Most Violent Wrestler! The Giant vs The Madman! It spills to the outside and Andre hits Abby with a fence for a double Countout. This was trending 4+ But abrupt finish leaves wanting more but we don’t get more. *** 1/2
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Champion Abdullah the Butcher vs Carlos Colon - WWC September 1981
Everyone agrees this is from Trinidad & Tobago and 1981. Cagematch thinks it is 8/11 but Colon is North American Champion but loses the title. But Abby comes out with the belt. PWO has settled for September and maybe for the West Indies title. Either way this is a great match and maybe my favorite of these two. Helps they are 5 years younger and Colon has a great Stache in this and looks so much more youthful.
It is not really different from their other matches, punches, throat thrusts, headbutts, biting, ball shots blood lots and lots of blood. It is how they do it. Colon had a little extra zip that comes from being 5 years younger and his punches looked gnarlier. The work on Abby’s ear was sick but ultimately it is a forehead bladejob. Abby’s selling clicked more with me here than elsewhere. Here he felt feral rather than a tub of goo just absorbing pain & punishment. Like he was waiting for the right moment to strike. I thought his strikes looked a million times better here. Throat thrusts had some oomph. There was a great straight right that stopped Colon in his tracks. It felt like more of a fight. Abby was timing his strikes better and sending with force. Love them trading BALLSHOTS. We get trademark Colon round off. The head ramming into the post looked great. There was a sense of fight for survival as they got back to the Ring. Abby dropped two tub of goo elbow drops. Colon kicks out of both. The ref calls the match off though in a weak finish. It makes the match feel incomplete as there felt like each had more to give and there was more meat on the bone.
The Colon/Abby match with the most vim & vigor. A better finish gets it to 4 but going *** 3/4
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Carlos Colon vs Terry Funk - WWC 9/21/86 WWC Universal Championship Tournament Finals
The capper to the great WWC Universal Championship Tournament and the 13th Anniversary Show which must represent a high water mark for WWC. After all those Abby matches, Terry Funk is a breath of fresh air. Someone who can actually move and bump for Colon.
I know this match is famous as the Finals of a famous Tournament but it should be famous for being a great match as well. It is the Terry Funk Show. You can see why his fans think he think he is the greatest wrestler of all time. If you love his brand of entertainment, there is no one better. He trips on his poncho, he feeds on a layout across the top turnbuckle and then perfectly feeds for seesaw punches in the middle rope (take notes, Muraco) and then of course the stumbling and bumbling in the crowd wiping out chairs throwing chairs. Classic stuff. Funk’s heat segment is also good shit: piledriver on the outside, punches and smashing Colon’s head into the post. Love the side headlock, trick knee Ballshot. Funk works a sleeper. What really puts this over the top for me is Colon throws it all back in Funk’s face with a Ballshot and a piledriver on the floor. I love that symmetry. All your Colon favorites good punches, headbutts, ROUNDOFF~!, TOE TOUCH! I liked the Figure-4 work and bit on it as well as Funk collapsing on a suplex attempt because of his knee. Junior hits him with a boot. 1-2-NO! Good heel nearfall. Very creative and inventive finish. They trade headbutts progressively get more groggy. Colon gets the final Headbutt for the win. Excellent Terry Funk match very entertaining **** 1/4
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Carlos Colon vs Abdullah The Butcher - WWC 9/20/86 WWC Universal Title Semifinals
You Cant say I haven’t given Colon vs Abby a fair shot. In my opinion, this is probably the most famous shows WWC ever did as they load up their Universal Title tournament with famous wrestlers from mainland to create one of the most star studded tournaments of all time. It is all a part of their 1986 Anniversary show. I randomly watched Funk vs Martel years ago and have always meant to watch the whole tournament. This feud has been raging all year and goes back to the 1985 Anniversary show a year ago. This is the semifinals winner faces Funk. They bring in Stan Hansen to kick off the famous feud with Colon next month meaning we get a break from Colon & Abby.
Pretty middle of the road Colon vs Abby match. Not as boring as the June one but nowhere as heated as the Spring one. Abby jabs Colon with a fork and he works a pretty basic heat segment the usual Abby offense. Colon sells better than him so it is more interesting. Abby hits a couple elbow drops and clothesline. Colon comes back with punches. ROUNDOFF~! It is come back time. Colon works a spirited come back. Punching Abby until he bleeds. Head butts TOE TOUCH! Ball shot! Leg drops! Gary Hart gives Abby a foreign object. Colon fights through it. Monkey Flip. Suplex. Hits Abby with the foreign object for the win! Abby attacks with Gary Harts crutch but the babyfaces save. Solid match nothing you have to see but inoffensive. ***
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@El Boricua are we sure this is 6/29/86? It is for the Universal Championship and both Cagematch and Wikipedia have the title vacant on 6/29. It doesn’t feel like a rematch to the eye clawing. I am thinking this is the March 1986 match from the DVDVR set or at least before April 29th when title is listed as vacated. What do you think?
WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon vs Abdullah The Butcher - WWC 1986
Holding off on putting a date on this as there feels like a discrepancy between the match date listed (6/29/86) and Thai being for Universal Title which according to Cagematch and Wikipedia was vacant at the time.
The other strange thing about this match s it has English Commentary overdubbed but it sounds like it was done in the early 2000s has that ROH sort of dweeby commentary feel where they are trying to ape the 80s style but come off sounding like tools and just no one would talk like that.
As for the match this is a MASSIVE upgrade over the 6/15/86 snore fest I watched yesterday. This is way more heated and has a real hate-filled fight to it. Abby gets caught with the fork early but he a low blow and is able to bust Colon open. The blows are more uptempo and there’s a real fighting through each others offense. Abby goes for the eye! This match feels like it happened before the 6/15/86 where Colon was going for the eye in revenge. Abby gets an elbow drop as a climax to his heat segment. Colon pulls out a fork and busts Abby open. ROUND OFF! He is blasting Abby with punches and headbutts. Good brawling on the floor. Low blow! Great finish. Dropkick causes ref to be wiped out by Abby. TOP ROPE ATOMIC SENTON DROP! No ref. Abby shoves Colon off and hits ref. Abby gets a fork and a wicked clothesline and the heel ref counts three. NEW CHAMP?!? But the original ref throws the match out and awards the title to Colon. Did this cause the title to be held in abeyance? Is this March 1986 match on DVDVR set?
So many questions but if you want ignore the commentary, this is a very entertaining brawl. It felt like a fight. Abby had a really good control segment. There were strong meaningful momentum shifts and enjoyed the finish a lot. Recommend this one as a very good Colon/Abby match *** 3/4
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lol I am about to write a review praising a match he is in against Carlos Colon dated 6/29/86 but I think it is March or April of 1986. Thanks for watching a match because of me sorry it sucked @Stephen-
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Carlos Colon vs Abdullah The Butcher - WWC 6/15/86
What a total snoozer! This is the worst match I have seen in like 5 years I have to say. It was so brutally boring. I was begging for the ref to DQ Colon have he gut shotted him with a chair. When Colon got Abby off his feet with a monkey flip, please fucking pin him. If this match was 5-10minutes and you know Abby displayed any sort of effort this could have been great, but at 25 minutes what a waste of time. Colon had vacated the Universal Title and that would be get settled at the Anniversary show in September with the pretty famous tournament that had some great matches. This match featured a lot of eye work so it should have been great. It seemed like Carlos was getting revenge for something Abby did to his eye. He was trying to claw Abby's eye out. Abby just showed zero fire, zero anything. He was bleeding and just nothing. I was begging him to do anything. I am usually an advocate for less bumping. This took too extreme, zero bumps and Abby only got off his feet like three times. There was punching and headbutting. It was done with no zip or pizzazz. Nada. Colon had some sort of Sheik-esque foreign object he was stabbing Abby's eye with which should have been AWESOME, but instead was so flat. Abby bled. Did nothing else. Colon worked the cut with punches, head butts, gnawing and the foreign object. Good ballshot. This should have been good, but it was so boring. 25 minutes of my life I am never getting back.
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Roddy Piper vs Adrian Adonis - WrestleMania III Hair vs Hair
This was not only Piper’s retirement match but Adonis only worked four more matches for the WWF before going to the AWA. Wicked fun match. A Piper match that lives up to the hype. Piper has the belt of his kilt tucked into his trunks. He whips Adonis with it. Jimmy Hart distracts and Adonis gives him a taste of his own medicine. The ref is going to let anything fly! Adonis bumping just like SNME was Great. All the spots with Jimmy Hart were so fun! Piper launches Hart like a missile into the Adorable one twice. Jimmy trips Piper. This is what makes the match great. Adonis gets real heat on Piper. Bouncing him off a ringside table. Great punches. Jimmy Hart with the Spray. Good Night Irene. It is High Drama in the Pontiac Silverdome! Adonis thought he had it won and releases the hold. Brutus Beefcake of all people comes out and revives Piper who wins with a sleeper!
For people like me who have been wondering for years why Beefcake turned babyface and became Brutus The Barber Beefcake it is because on the 2/28/87 Superstars Adonis & The Dream Team lost a match to Leapin Lanny & the Can-Ams and Adonis cut Beefcake’s hair. I have not seen the angle yet but it is cool to know the context. They give Adonis a funny half hair cut he throws a temper tantrum. Piper is having fun and soaking in the adulation as he would be gone until 1989 not a bad layoff. Loved the Flower Shop vs Piper Pit story and even though I have seen this match before I am happy to review at the conclusion of seeing the whole story play out. Great story and match! ****
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Roddy Piper vs Adrian Adonis - WWF SNME 1/3/87
The Flower Shop vs Pipers Pit is one of my favorite angles of all time! Piper vs Muraco and Orton fell flat but now that Adonis is back this is rocking. Adonis bumps HUGE for Piper. Piper likes looking like Superman so this helps. Kilt blinding, massive knee lift, Adonis caught up in the ropes in a great spot, the Ray Steven’s flips bump. Really fun shine. Adonis fights back. Good Night Irene! Both spill to the outside. Piper clocks Jimmy Hart. Adonis sprays Piper with Flower Perfume to win by Countout. The perfect big fun match to get you pumped for the big pay off at WrestleMania III. ***
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Randy Savage vs George The Animal Steele - WWF SNME 1/3/87
Fucking fantastic! I watched this yesterday and today just to make sure I wasn’t going crazy this was awesome! Vince at the height of his creative and booking powers. George The Animal Steele says he has a surprise. He gives Elizabeth the Mine Doll Savage is irate and bounces it off the mat. Great Steele shine with Double Goozle and some great shots. He waves down the entrance ramp. Allowing Savage to take over. Savage looks to polish Steele off with the big elbow but maybe the first instance of wait what THATS RICKY THE DRAGON STEAMBOAT’s MUSIC! Epic 80s Staredown between them! Steele throws Savage off the top and over the top rope! Carries Elizabeth. We go to commercial. The SNME matches that went to commercial always had a mini-climax to suck you in to the second half. They need to bring that back.
Steamboat gets cleared from ringside. Steele comes back on fire rams Macho Man’s head into the buckle with a Bulldog headlock. Rips the turnbuckle stuffing with his mouth and blinds Savage and the ref with it. Savage shoves Steele into the buckles. Great fight breaks out Savage is hitting these great strikes look at Thant clubbing clothesline! Steele is biting and cheating his ass off! It is a war. Steele hits Macho Man with a foreign object but gets into it with the ref. THE RING BELL~! 1-2-3! Steamboat chases off Savage and tends to George The Animal. Terrific shit! The angle is ***** top notch shit but the match totally exceeds expectations. This ruled! Great fight! ****
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Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy vs Big & Super Machine - WWF Superstars 11/15/86
Billed as Capt Lou’s retirement match, this was also the last match for the Machines (Blackjack Mulligan was already being promoted as returning) and Big John Studd’s last match until 1989. RIP Heenan Family. Whenever I think of the Heenan Family, I think of Studd & Bundy and Studd & Patera. I have watched way more Studd & Bundy that I should but loved it. It felt like they were building to a Studd babyface turn and Studd vs Bundy at WM III. Was it health problems that caused Studd to leave?
Huge match for TV as this blows off a months long feud that was the #2 feud behind Hogan/Wonderful. Not much meat on the bone. Superstar Cant slam Studd who falls on top of him and beats him up. Bundy loses control of Blackjack who slams Studd!!! Always a big pop. Bundy holds Blackjack and Studd crashes down for the pin. Heenan Family wins the feud! So long Studd, it has been a pleasure! Studd & the Brain forever!
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Roddy Piper Vs Bob Orton - WWF Philly Spectrum 11/8/86
I am just not much of a Piper guy. I kinda already knew that but these last three matches confirmed it. I mean he has his moments dont get me wrong but baseline Piper doesnt do it for me. I just never been into spazzy people whether it is Piper or Mox or in between. This was better than Muraco because Orton is better than Muraco But didnt really grant my attention. Orton doesnt have the charisma to be an NWA traveling champion But he wrestles like one so I appreciate it. I appreciate that he worked the leg and forced Piper to sell it. Single leg crab and Figure-4. I liked Piper’s hulk-up through the Figure-4. Nice Orton’s got back on top and worked to the Superplex but Piper countered. Same finish as Muraco, Orton runs into Jimmy Hart and Piper rolls him up. Piper sends both packing. It is the big Piper vs Orton match but it is just good. *** 1/4
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Roddy Piper vs Don Muraco - WWF Boston Garden 11/1/86
Man someone in WWF loved entrance music stealing gimmicks in 1986. Coming off the ultra-hot Flower Shop angle where Muraco/Orton/Adonis injured Roddy Piper, Muraco has stolen Piper’s music and kilt. This would also lead to the Muraco/Orton team that lasted until Mania III and maybe beyond. They had a cool squash on Superstars where Orton hit a Superplex and Muraco hit a Tombstone. Piper really didn’t want to sell the injury from the Flower Shop. He repeatedly fools the heels by showing his knee is fine on Superstars and SNME and here he doesn’t sell it all. So weird. I want to like Don Muraco so bad because he looks so cool but God he is just not good.
I believe this Piper first big house show singles match as a babyface and he gets a superstar reaction from Boston. Piper is wrestling fiery but feel like his stuff is hit and miss whether it looks good. This was more miss. Muraco just doesnt try at all during the shine. This will sound better on paper with Piper blinding Muraco with the kilt and the big kneelift in the corner. The biting and the chair shot. The way Muraco sets up for the see saw spot in the ropes is so lazy. The Piper Bulldog popped me and Alfred. Muraco eye poke and javelins Piper into the Piper to bust him and Fuji gets in a cane shot. Super Piper just rushes the Ring and tackles Muraco and bites him until Muraco bleeds. Piper suplex. Fuji cane shot Muraco falls on Piper nope. 21st century Muraco runs into Fuji and Piper rolls him up.
Piper was trying but his shit didnt look great I feel like the Muraco blood was not earned. Muraco didnt get anything and his stooging/ heel-selling was terrible. They did a lot in a short time. Borderline three stars but I am going under. They had so much to work with and they underperformed.
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Hulk Hogan & Roddy Piper vs Paul Orndorff & Harley Race - WWF MSG 11/24/86
For those Superfans of Tag Teams Back Again (Whoomp There It is!) you will know we covered this back in the day. At the time, I dont think I understood the magnitude of what I was witnessing. Logically I understood it was Hulk Hogan & Roddy Piper teaming 20 months after WrestleMania thats a big deal, but I didnt feel it emotionally. But now that I have seen the Saturday Night's Main Event, where Piper saves Hogan, seen the Hogan/Wonderful turn, the Flower Shop angle, I FEEL THIS MATCH~! I wish it was Adonis, Muraco or Orton in the role of Harley Race. I understand that by using Harley Race it keeps it in the Heenan Family, but I wish it was one of the three perpetrators of the Flower Shop Assault. I really wish it was Orton the most the tie-in to WrestleMania I would have been perfect, Oh Well! It is interesting even though Hogan and Orndorff was being run hard in Philly, this was the only time they touched in MSG and they never wrestled in Boston interesting booking.
As for the match, it is all about the Hogan & Piper interactions. The opening clearing of the ring only for them to go back to back and then each rip their shirt off was AWESOME~! It was all downhill from there but that was killer! Hogan and Piper working like an 80s blowjob babyface tag team working the arm of Harley Race with quick tags but each tag had so much TENSION~! behind it. It was awesome. Hogan and Piper did some really fun arm work and it was fun watching them work like they were the Rockers. Race threw Piper's head into Wonderful's knee and hit a belly to belly suplex. Pretty standard heat segment, Race hitting bombs like Thump Powerslam and suplex; Orndorff clubbering. Piper breaks free. Really liked Hogan hot tag. He was so explosive. Wiping out both of the Heenan Family, clocking the Brain and dropping the Leg on Harley I wish that was the finish, but Mr. Wonderful breaks it up. Orndorff hits the Wonderful Clothesline on Race and Piper quickly covers for 3 but he was not legal and there was a whole kerfuffle. Piper leaves the ring to let Hogan fend for himself against the Heenan Family, but he sends all three packing easily and does his posedown.
I thought the beginning was great, heat segment was alright, Hogans hot tag ruled, but the finish was clunky and Piper leaving Hogan was weird. Piper went out of his way to save him on SNME but leaves him high and dry here. Then Hogan looks like a bigger star by vanquishing them and Piper kinda looks like a chump because he missed out on the celebratory glory. A cool moment, but not much of a match. ***
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WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Paul Orndorff - WWF Philly 12/13/86 Steel Cage
With this I have seen close to every Hogan title defense from 1986, I think 86 is an underrated year for the Hulkster lots of fun opponents. This is light years better than the SNME cage match but I am not surprised as the house show matches were more raw and visceral at the time. While the SNME finish is iconic, it is nice to get a definitive finish here. Orndorff attacks to start as expected. Theres different type of clubbering and I am just not into Orndorff’s brand of clubbering. I really like all of Orndorff’s cutoffs…Ballshot, jumping knee to the back on the Hogan escape, eye rake and cage shots. They do the whole Hogan pulls him back in over the top of the cage by the hair which I never love but you get a cool visual of Mr. wonderful eating the cage upside down. Bobby The Brain locked the cage door for some reason. They both go into the cage. Hulk-Up! Here comes the Brain. Hogan shoves him off and sends him into the Cage. It is a race and Hogan wins over the top and crowns Wonderful with the Championship Belt for good measure. Fun Cage Match not a ton of meat on the bone but it was enjoyable while it lasted. Feud underperformed in my opinion, Orndorff up there with Muraco as my least favorite Hogan opponent. *** 1/2
[2006-09-26-WWE ECW] Bob Holly vs Rob Van Dam
in September 2006
Posted
Rob Van Dam vs Hardcore Holly - ECW 9/26/06
I am like 99% sure I watched this live as I gave up on ECW by the end of the year. Otherwise I would have seen the replay a million times elsewhere because this match is famous for the nasty gash on Holly’s back after he suplexes RVD from the apron through a table. Very famous spot.
Before the table spot, I was pretty disappointed by the match. Very stilted both guys waiting a beat too long. Shit I expect out of today’s kids not 90s veterans. I liked that each opportunity for Holly was from RVD showboating or setting up the table. I always feel like Holly is someone I like because he is no-nonsense but he does NOT wrestle no-nonsense, smash mouth he is just blasé. After the table spot the open wound definitely adds to the match and as far as RVD’s Carrot Top Prop Wrestling goes the steel chairs were pretty done. Holly hits a couple nasty spots dropping throat first on an unfolded chair and then a leg drop on the chair. RVD gets on a suplex on chair right on the wound. So that really had to hurt. The Chair Throw block of the Five Star Frogsplash was sick. A really great Van Daminator! Five Star Frogsplash ends it. It is a weird matvh to rate because the beginning suck and the rest was prop high spots that were exciting but empty then everything gets amplified by the insane gash. That was pretty hardcore so only be generous and say *** 1/2