Superstar Sleeze

I'm sold. Ill watch this tonight. Never seen it before.

Chris Benoit vs Finlay - Smackdown 5/5/06 The closest thing to fucking BattlArts in a WWE ring. Just sheer brutality. Benoit gets busted open from the top of the skull at one point and I don't have a fucking clue how. Finlay driving the point of the elbow into the wound is something else. The opening matwork is just tremendous defensive wrestling. A real treat to watch. Benoit is tenacious going for the arm into the crossface early and Finlay has so many good leg trips. FINLAY BLASTS BENOIT WITH A CLOTHESLINE! The whole crowd nearly shat themselves during that. Benoit drives hard into the post. Finlay worked a great heat segment on the arm. Everytime Benoit got a hope spot like a Sharpshooter or Crossface attempt, Finlay would wriggle out and then just be all over him with a frenzied assault. When Benoit did finally fire back with chops to send Finlay to the outside, Finlay goes all Terry Funk and starts throwing chairs into the ring. Awesome! Benoit gets a dropkick to the knee while Finlay is on the apron to take over, great spot. Benoit is a machine. Crushing Finlay. Finlay's gets a Irish Whip counter into buckles. Finlay's second heat segment is the only drag. Lots of chinlocking, I get it when you are dealing with Benoit you want to sap his energy and just try to contain him, but there are more interesting ways. Benoit blasts his way back into this. Misses his diving headbutt always a cringe-worthy spot. Shillelagh time? Benoit fights through it dumping him out. Ref grabs the shillelagh but Finlay jabs Benoit with the chair and then hits the Celtic Cross. Awesome asshole finish. Brutal match with an amazing finish. It is Benoit vs Finlay need I say more. ****1/4

WWE World Champion Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit - Smackdown 2/6/03 Kurt Kobashi powerbombs Chris Misawa into the turnbuckles only for Chris Misawa to duck under and hit a German where Kurt Kobashi lands on his belly. I am so glad "This is awesome" has NOT been innovated yet. Even with this bit of campy excess, I still thought this was a really good match. There is an authenticity that Benoit brings to the ring that is sorely lacking in today's WWE. The way he wrestles in the beginning, he is just out to overwhelm you. He is the Russians at Stalingrad, no steps back, only moving forward. It is just a barrage of strikes, holds and suplexes. It never looks choreographed. He looks like he is wrestling a legit contest. Angle actually matches him for violence at the beginning. One thing Angle lacks in my opinion is that viciousness, that mean streak. He shows glimpses of it here and I think when you are in the ring with Benoit, you have to have that. Angle's heat segment does drag between a chinlock and some boring clobbering. Benoit is an amazing comeback. Those chops are scintillating. You cant take your eyes off him. I thought the submission chaining between the Anklelock and Crossface was done better here than at the Rumble. Angle runs up the ropes, but headbutts Benoit by accident busting him open bad the hardway. That's when the aforementioned All Japan cosplay happens. Benoit misses the diving headbutt and Angle goes for pin that should have been the finish but they do one more Angleslam to really call it. I liked this. It was your typically solid Chris Benoit match. ***1/4

WWE World Champion Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio - WWE Smackdown 1/23/03 The night after the famous Angle vs Benoit Rumble '03 match. Angle has Heyman with him as the build to Angle/Brock is beginning. Sounds like Rey Rey just made a return. Rey tries flying around at a million miles per hour to discombobulate Kurt, but gets caught with a brutal sitout powerbomb. Awesome vicious heat segment by Angle climaxing with sick headdrop German suplex. Rey's comeback has some really fun spots. I thought they would have been better served in the shine than in the comeback. But the spots are awesome and quite inventive. Angle gets his Anklelock and then overhead belly to belly. Rey dials up 619, but gets caught, but hits his bulldog. Gets caught on West Coast Pop and nasty finish with Angle ramming his head into the buckles and then driving back with him, roll through and Angle wins. Among Angle, Mysterio, Benoit & Eddie, WWE was loaded with TV talent. Lack of selling by Rey hurts it which is why the comeback would have been great as a shine. Individual moves by both men were awesome and the speed was great. Gnarly finish too. ***1/2

Chris Benoit vs Charlie Haas - WWE Smackdown 1/23/03 Stephanie McMahon, at the peak of her hotness (she is still pretty hot), says the word "tonight" about 8 million times and then bends over and you get it. Benoit is such a great TV worker it is not surprising that there is no definitive list of all his great TV matches. This is a match that I have never seen pimped. I only watched it because it is on the same show as a Angle vs Rey Rey match that has been pimped. I was very impressed. This is such a breath of fresh air compared to the rote men's floor exercises that pass for pro wrestling today. This was intense, gritty competition to see who the better man is. The opening matwork was fast and furious with some great trips and counters. Benoit looks to get things going with a shoulderblock and clothesline, but before he can run away with the match Benjamin distracts long enough for Hass to slam his hand into the steps. Hass, who I liked growing up even if he was a little shallow in the charisma department, crushes this heat segment. Absolute laser focus on the left hand, wrist, and elbow. He is working great holds and keeping it moving. Benoit is amazing at selling. Truly a great seller. Well timed hope spots. Loved him trying to chop back only to have Haas wrench him down hard by the bad arm. When it comes time to make that comeback, Benoit just lets loose but never letting that left arm leave his side. Instead of rolling Germans we just get a release German. He cant hold onto a Crossface so he counters into a cradle for the win. That is the definition of finding a way to win all your weapons are taken away. Haas was great working on top. It was two wrestlers wrestling to see who the best was, Haas got the advantage in underhanded fashion and pressed it, Benoit ever resilient fought his way back and found a way to win. I love pro wrestling. ****

It is sad but I think the Fashion Files are dead. It was can't miss hilarious for a long stretch. The last episode was boring and this episode actually sucked.

Awesome powerbomb by Animal and he looked good. Hawk did a great dropkick too. This was a total squash and all of sudden Bangers take over. Double countout but they get to Doomsday Device which is a good compromise. Crowd is hilarious chanting Nitro sucks and Bischoff sucks during this shitty show with a skeleton crew with all the stars (Bret, Austin, Foley etc in Europe). Nitro was way better during this period. Now there is a sappy video tribute to Shawn set to Tell Me A Lie. What a shit show! Best part of this match is Lawler says Vince is out of touch. Doesn't know Nine Inch Nails & Marilyn Manson. Vince says some of it is fun. Then King says Butthole Surfers and Vince's "I beg your pardon" is hilarious and CRACKED ME UP!

Sunny is the greatest female character of all time. She does a great Rude impersonation! Then does some Flair. Marlena is awfully normal sounding person. Just weird. This segment was right after ECW invaded RAW and HONKY TONK MAN was doing the reffing. Vince was so desperate. Sunny throws powder into her eyes. Setting up the this good Goldust vs Savio match I'm watching.

They opened the show where ECW invaded the Manhattan Center in Feb of 97 filled with the Mutants against New Blackjacks. Weird choice for opener given the crowd but this was helluva lot of fun. Four big muthafuckas just hitting each hard and throwing them around. Barry Windham looked so weird with the mustache a lot like Dan Severn. They really should have pushed Bradshaw a lot sooner. Godwinns vs New Blackjacks was a lot better than the Stevie vs Guido match that followed.

The run of the British Bulldogs is crucial to both the candidacy of Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid. I will be voting for Davey Boy (probably in the bottom 25) based on the strength of drawing at Wembley and being a strong upper midcard act from late 1995 (4 straight main events, then a two month run with Michaels in '96) through his departure in 1997. Couple this with being in the ace babyface tag team from mid-1985 to mid-1987 makes him a lock. You will never confuse Davey Boy for a MENSA member or a psychological genius, but he was very capable and very atheltic. He was the personifcation of a million dollar body and a ten cent brain. That meant great ring generals like Bret and Shawn (yes, Shawn!, dont roll your eyes at me, I can hear you.) could get a lot of mileage out of him. He is like a less over, but more technically sound Sting. Dynamite Kid does not do much for me. I think Benoit did everything just as well or better than Dynamite. Benoit is light years better at selling than Dynamite and Benoit is a total asskicking machine in the same way Dynamite was but Benoit had more competition that was willing to take it. The Bulldogs run alone is not enough to warrant inclusion and I thought Davey Boy was much better at both the hot tag and selling than Dynamite. The British Bulldogs remind me a lot of the Steiners in that they are just big, dumb fun. They clearly had a very Japanese mentality towards wrestling where offense and highspots mattered a lot more than selling and bumping. Dont overthink the Bulldogs they are just fun. http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2013/09/history-of-british-bulldogs-1985-1988.html?m=1

WWF World Tag Team Champions British Bulldogs vs Moondogs - Championship Wrestling 9/7/86 I realized that my only major gap in the Bulldogs WWF career was the summer of 86 so basically their title reign. The majority of their title reign was facing three teams: Dream Team (great SNME match in the fall and unfortunately the cage matches didn't make tape), Hart Foundation (I have watched enough of their matches to last me a lifetime) and Sheik & Volkoff (I read my reviews and it didn't sound like that was worth revisiting). I saw they defended against the Moondogs at MSG on July 12, 1986, but couldn't find the match so I settled for this. I don't know if these are the original Moondogs; Rex I think was different. They looked great here. I have always dug their look. They adapted to the cartoony, less violent 80s WWF with a well executed moveset (suplexes, kneedrops), good cheating (tripping opponent) and giving plenty of hope spots. It was not the awesome Moondogs of Memphis, but I thought they were solid and I would have pushed them harder. The Bulldogs were fine. Mostly Dynamite in a heat segment. He is just useless at selling so I don't get the point. Davey Boy's hot tag (he is a great hot tag) was not as good as usual but good high vertical suplex from him as always on the big Moondog. Fracas breaks out and Davey Boy leaps over everyone with a crossbody to pick up the win. I liked the finish. Perfectly acceptable wrestling.

WWF World Tag Team Champions Dream Team vs British Bulldogs - Philly 2/8/86 Greg Valentine is really good at wrestling like really good. So great in the opening shine, letting Dynamite win the amateur battle, the atomic drop into Davey Boy, the bumping. Coming back in with Brutus and getting slammed into it. The work on the apron all great. Heel in peril on Brutus is solid because the Bulldogs are very proficient at working the arm. The difference between heel in peril & a shine in my estimation is that heel in peril is more methodical, requires selling and works more holds whereas a shine is uptempo, focuses more on bumping and uses highspots. Couple good fake outs on the transition to heat with Beefacke's high knee and Valentine hotshotting Dynamite. The actual one is kinda lame as Valentine just breaks up a pin with an elbow. Valentine is total money in the heat segment busting shoulderbreakers and elbow. The ferocity of how he drives his knees into the hamstrings before a figure-4 attempt is great. love how he gets into a slugfest and just as he is going to lose he goes for a double takedown and tries for the figure-4 that's smarts. The finish again sucks. Dynamite going flying because Beefer ducked and Johnny V slamming his head into the post is fine. It was kinda lame that Beefcake suplexed so hard he hurt himself that resulted in a nearfall. Then Dynamite just small packaged him and Valentine just turned him over. Lame finish aside this is very good tag team wrestling. ***1/4

WWF World Tag Team Champions Dream Team vs British Bulldogs - Philly 1/11/86 Not essential viewing by any means, but it is a good match. Dream Team bumrush the Bulldogs to start. Dynamite clotheslines The Hammer and Davey Boy comes in slams him. Valentine breaks out of a leg lace. After watching all this 80s stuff, Beefcake is not that bad. He is just pretty pedestrian, but he is not actively bad. They work over Davey Boy's legs. Valentine is by far the best wrestler in this match with his stooging, bumping, literally showing ass and hard hits. Dynamite is a good hot tag (thought I prefer Davey Boy's take on it honestly). Beefcake repeatedly chumps out of taking Dynamite's hooking clothesline, but I don't blame him it looks stiff as fuck. The finish is terrible. Valentine breaks up a pin and Bulldog acts like he has been knocked out cold. Then Dynamite delivers a flying headbutt to Beefcake. So Johnny V just waltzes in and blatantly gets DQ'd. If you are going to be that blatant then put some heat on it. Terrible finish aside this was perfectly fine pro wrestling. ***

WWF World Tag Team Champions Dream Team vs British Bulldogs - Championship Wrestling 2/1/86 I FINALLY FOUND IT! The coolest finish ever! Bulldog powerslams Beefcake. Valentine comes to interfere he hoists the Hammer into a Fireman's Carry and then Dynamite jumps off Valentine onto Beefcake with a headbutt for three! Thus earning them a tag title shot at WrestleMania! WATCH THIS FINISH!

WWF World Tag Team Champions Dream Team vs British Bulldogs - Championship Wrestling 10/5/85 The first meeting of this iconic rivalry happened on TV shortly after the Dream Team won the championships from the US Express. This was to signal that Bullodgs and Dream Team would dominate the title scene for about the next six months. Basic match. Valentine and Beefcake shined up the Bulldogs. Davey Boy had a nice dropkick on Beefacke. Dynamite mowed people down. Johnny V saved his men when pushed Dynamite off the top triggering the DQ. Nothing special just established that Bulldogs mean business and in a fair and square match they should be able to wrest the titles from the Dream Team.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Tito Santana - Boston 3/8/86 Randy tells Gorilla before the match he is the greatest wrestler ever well that makes voting in this poll a whole lot easier. Tito is red hot. Savage tries to cool him down with some long stalling tactics. When the Macho Man does get in the ring, Tito is still revved up so Savage gets on his bicycle and rides. Tito eventually gets fed up and gives chase. It is on! Santana catches him and lays into him! YES! YES! YES! This is the Tito, I know and love. Tito throws him into the stands. Tito is gonna murder him I tells ya, murder him. Savage uses the tights to send him flying. Sneak attack and rubs his face on the ropes. He is so despicable. Then double axehandle gets two. Santana gets an atomic drop out of the corner. Tito just lights him up. FLYING BURRITO! ONLY TWO! He wants the figure-4, nada. He attacks him on outside. He starts raining down fucking forearms to the back of Savage's head like he is in the fucking Octagon. The ref tries to pull him off and Tito sends him flying across the ring. This is Tito in all his Latin temper glory! I love this feud! ***3/4

WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana vs Randy Savage - Boston 2/8/86 Macho Man is the king of gamesmanship in the ring. He exploits every rule possible and really works into a fever pitch. It begins with going to the ropes to break holds because he cant best Tito on the mat. Then it suckerpunching him and running outside the ring. He is trying to get under Tito's skin. When Tito unloads and he is fiery, Macho Man looks to get the best of him with a double axehandle and Tito catches him. Love how it takes multiple attempts at cheating before Macho Man succeeds. Savage tries to play cat and mouse again Tito overwhelms him and atomic drop. This is a great shine! Savage goes deep in the eyes. Savage is committed to being a heel. Double axehandle gets two. He keeps going to eyes. Good selling from Tito. I cant believe I am going to say this. I wish Tito's comeback had a little more zip behind. I know the king of the fired up comeback Tito Santana gives us a kinda lukewarm one here. Savage misses a kneedrop. Now it gets good as Tito is obsessed with the figure-4 and Savage is DESPERATE! Famous finish where Tito goes for the suplex back in and Savage coldcocks him with the foreign object to get three and win the Intercontinental Championship. Savage was a tremendous heel in this and the finish run was spectacular. If Tito was his usual fiery self this would have been an all timer. ****

Randy Savage vs George "The Animal" Steele - SNME 1/4/86 So the love affair begins! Steele completed his face turn in 1985 and Mean Gene found him in the Detroit Zoo, which is silly, but funny. The Ventura/Macho Man segment where Savage throws Liz into the pool to teach her how to swim was the Macho Man at his dickish best. This whole feud really exemplified Macho Man as the jealous, jackass boyfriend. The way he cups her chin, what a fucking asshole. You want to sock him. Steele does his best Tarzan/Jane here. Some fun antics and Macho Man keeps it moving. Savage putting Elizabeth in front of him doesn't work as well because Steele wants to pet her. Steele does the turnbuckle gimmick which is a great spot. He gets totally distracted by Elizabth and Savage hits the double axehandle for the win. Fun sidebar for the Macho Man while he challenged Tito and Hulkster around the loop. Lets him show his character.

I definitely shortchanged Steamboat. I do prefer Tito in selling but going and watching Steamboat/Jake & Steamboat/Savage. Had me questioning who is the best of these three. I realize due to Wrestlemania III that Steamboat won't be forgotten but it wasn't until I really thought about it that I realized how remarkable his run was. He debuted around Mania I as basically number three babyface never was below that and was the definitive number two babyface by Mania III. Given the fact he was not good at promos and New York was a promo territory that's quite the accomplishment. Easy lock for top 50! For a short tenure in the WWF (March, 1985-March, 1988), Ricky Steamboat had a big impact. Even though he was not a flashy promo, he was still booked at the top of the card throughout his run in New York. Taking the number three position immediately working with Tito Santana (number two babyface) and havign his first major feud with "Magnificent" Don Muraco & Mr. Fuji after the two hanged him. After establishing himself against Muraco, he worked a underrated program with the newly debuted Jake "The Snake" Roberts in summer of 1986 after Jake The Snake DDT'd him on concrete. This all led to the incredibly famous Macho Man feud in late 86, early 87 where he was unequivocably the number two babyface at the height of the WWF in the 80s. They had many great matches heading into the famous larnyx crushing angle, which is one of the best angles in wrestling history (masterful selling by Steamboat) and led to TWO of the greatest matches in WWF history in the form of their Toronto bloodbath in February and their technical marvel at Wrestlemania III. So in only three years, Steamboat had match of the year contenders in 85, 86 and 87 and was consistently a top drawing babyface and was hugely influential in how in-ring performance in the WWF. http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-dragon-vs-snake-ricky-steamboat-vs.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-to-train-beach-bum-ricky-steamboat.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/best-of-ricky-dragon-steamboat-wwf.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/history-beckons-macho-man-randy-savage.html?m=1

I realize due to Wrestlemania III that Steamboat won't be forgotten but it wasn't until I really thought about it that I realized how remarkable his run was. He debuted around Mania I as basically number three babyface never was below that and was the definitive number two babyface by Mania III. Given the fact he was not good at promos and New York was a promo territory that's quite the accomplishment. Easy lock for top 50! For a short tenure in the WWF (March, 1985-March, 1988), Ricky Steamboat had a big impact. Even though he was not a flashy promo, he was still booked at the top of the card throughout his run in New York. Taking the number three position immediately working with Tito Santana (number two babyface) and havign his first major feud with "Magnificent" Don Muraco & Mr. Fuji after the two hanged him. After establishing himself against Muraco, he worked a underrated program with the newly debuted Jake "The Snake" Roberts in summer of 1986 after Jake The Snake DDT'd him on concrete. This all led to the incredibly famous Macho Man feud in late 86, early 87 where he was unequivocably the number two babyface at the height of the WWF in the 80s. They had many great matches heading into the famous larnyx crushing angle, which is one of the best angles in wrestling history (masterful selling by Steamboat) and led to TWO of the greatest matches in WWF history in the form of their Toronto bloodbath in February and their technical marvel at Wrestlemania III. So in only three years, Steamboat had match of the year contenders in 85, 86 and 87 and was consistently a top drawing babyface and was hugely influential in how in-ring performance in the WWF. http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-dragon-vs-snake-ricky-steamboat-vs.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-to-train-beach-bum-ricky-steamboat.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/best-of-ricky-dragon-steamboat-wwf.html?m=1 http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/history-beckons-macho-man-randy-savage.html?m=1

Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude - WWF Superstars 2/6/88 I was interested to watch this match because I don't recall reading about an angle between these two so I thought by watching this I might find something. The angle here was the Heenan Family (Race & Hercules) started to interfere after Steamboat was rolling with some top rope moves. So ULTIMATE WARRIOR in black trunks came out. I honest to God didn't even recognize him. He was kinda treated liked a JTTS getting beaten down and it was Hacksaw Duggan who made the real save. So it made sense Rude/Steamboat, Duggan/Race and Warrior/Herc going into WM IV. As for the match, sub-5 minutes, I could watch these two do criss cross sequences all day so beautiful.

Interesting! I feel like Rude bumped better in the shine at MSG...his selling of arm was better...his offense was better at MSG. I thought Steamboat was good in both matches. I felt like this just showed how Rude could be so hit and miss until the WCW run.

Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude - WWF Royal Rumble 1988 It is generally unusual that matches that happened in WCW are more fondly remembered than the ones in the WWF, but this is for good reason as Steamboat/Rude's series in 1992 is lightyears better than the matches in late 87 and 88. I thought this was a condensed and more pedestrian version of their MSG draw a couple of months or so before this, the inaugural Royal Rumble. Rude does not have Heenan, which does lessen the fun. They do the spot where Steamboat skins the cat and sends Rude flying. The issue with this match is Rude just isn't as good as in the MSG match. He is not bumping as big. His offense is so weak that Steamboat is not bumping for him. He is trying to help him by selling but there is no heat. He finally musters up a transition but it is just a lame kneelift to the back. They do the usual Rude chinlock spots. Then they do the usual Steamboat nearfall sequence. The wrinkle in the end is Rude throws the ref into a diving Steamboat. He picks up Steamboat into an Argentine backbreaker. Ref calls for the bell you think Rude has won due to submission they even play his music, but Steamboat wins by DQ. The MSG match is actually very good and I recommend that. I think this is totally skippable and probably the worst Steamboat match I have seen in the WWF.

The description for this week's Smackdown says "gloriously talented Bobby Roode" lol

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat - WWF Superstars 11/22/86 "I think he may have swallowed his tongue and that's a horrible thing to say." - Vince McMahon doing an excellent job calling this angle. This is actually a great TV sprint before the big angle. You know because it is TV in the 80s there will be an angle, but they went about 8 minutes and just gave it there all. I would say this is like a Best of Savage vs Steamboat, all the hits are there and they are flying around. They are all able to portray eveness without it coming off like an exhibition. I think that is Savage's true strength is that he sort of innovated the longer sequence type of wrestling but he made it look every bit organic as it should. Today it looks rehearsed but he always looks like a man totally out of control. Both men do big moves off the top. There is a ref bump. Steamboat has the Macho Man down for a long time due to a cross body here comes crooked Danny Davis. I love that Ventura calls Davis and Dave Hebner the two most competent refs given what was happening with Davis and would happen with Hebner. After this, Savage just snaps. He drops Steamboat throat first across the railing. Then gives him the double axehandle draped across the railing. Then the coup d'grace in one of the most famous moments he comes off the top rope with the ring bell on the throat. He does a great job playing this all up and the crowd is livid. McMahon is in his element. The key to all this is Ricky Steamboat who gives a ***** sell job of all this, I love him falling off the gurney. He was coughing and contorting his body. Honestly, it takes what is an amazing angle on paper and makes it legendary. I cant believe it took me until now to see this. ***** angle without a doubt. Must-see.