Superstar Sleeze

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Bob Orton - Nassau Coliseum 9/7/84 When I was looking over Hogan's 84 challengers (lots of Big John Studd & Dr. D), this match immediately jumped out at me. Orton is someone that I have been meaning to watch more and he did not disappoint in this outing with Hogan. He is just at stooging and shining up the babyface as he is in control of the match. Hogan just know how to get a crowd rocking in the beginning with his punches and then the big boot sends Orton to the outside. Orton no sells the tap on the shoulder twice so Hogan wallops him and when Orton retreats via the ring to the other side Hogan runs around wallops him there. That was fun. Hogan telegraphs two elbows and Orton goes to work on Hogan's arm. Showing us the fan that Orton can only get the advantage because Hogan hurt himself, but at the same time Orton is savvy enough and proficient enough to pick apart Hogan's weakness. Anytime, Hogan looks to get something going Orton goes for the hair. Hogan is just so much more energetic and really working hard from underneath. Orton impresses me with a Volkoff like backbreaker on Hogan. Hogan is able to crotch Orton on the top turnbuckle and this allows him to mount a comeback. It is an arm for an arm in Hogan's Law of the Jungle as he wrenches Orton's arm over the ropes and sends into the railing. I love that type of revenge. The match veers off track as Hogan looks like he has it won, but stalls and all of sudden Orton retakes command with an inverse atomic drop. Nothing of note really happens until Hogan more traditionally Hulks-Up with the punches, but instead of the big boot Orton whiffs on a kick sending him onto his back prone for the Atomic Legdrop. Again another really good Hogan match with a heel that could work a strong control with Hogan working hard with hope spots and struggling underneath. What hurt this match was it seemed regress back to Orton's second control to kill time before going home. This is where Orton either teasing or hitting his finisher would have helped build drama for the Hogan comeback. Still this was another great showcase for how good and vibrant Hogan was in 1984 and how Orton was a great hand in the ring. ***1/2

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/ Capt. Albano - MSG 7/23/84 You don't think "physical" when you see Hogan's name on the marquee, but then Valentine could make a man out of anyone in that ring. Valentine and Hogan went to war in MSG and Hogan gave as good as he got. His punches looked like some of the best he ever thrown and once he took over from Valentine's initial sneak attack, he was all over him. His follow-up back elbow in the corner looked great and his bodyslam over the ropes into the ring was impressive. Valentine takes over with a back suplex out of a side headlock. One of my main complaints of later Hogan is that he sells too much too soon. Here Hogan, powers out of Valentine reverse chinlock as a hope spot only for Valentine to beat him back down with great forearm and elbow shots. Valentine is so brutal. Again, at the right opportunity, Hogan fights from underneath with the suplex and then takes it out to the floor with some great, great punches. Hogan throws his carcass back into the ring first. Rookie mistake as Valentine cuts off Hogan with a wicked knee. This has been a fight from the beginning. There is a great exchange after the failed Valentine sleeper with Valentine clubbering and Hogan throwing rights and back fists. He throws this massive right and Valentine falls on his ass, but in desperation grabs Hogan's leg trips and yanks it against the apron. Then he goes to hit it with a chair and a fan grabs the chair out of his hand. Now worries as there is another. So now we get some nice leg work, but it is for naught as Hogan knows of the power of the figure-4 and pushes him off twice. Work like that puts over a finish just as much as winning with it. The Hammer drops the Hammer elbow, but just for two. Hulk Hogan does one of the most subdued Hulk-Ups ever catching The Hammer coming off the top and hitting the legdrop for the win. Tack on a classic Hulk-Up and this match would be one of my all-time favorite Hogan matches. As it stands, I would submit this as one of his best matches from the peak Hulkamania period 84-88 as it does not feel like standard Hogan. There are two reasons for that as Hogan still has not refined his formula yet and how Valentine always brings people out of their comfort zone. Hogan has a lot of Clash of the Titans, summer blockbuster like matches, but rarely does get gnarly and rough. Valentine will bring that out of you. Hogan went toe to toe with the Hammer and it was one entertaining fight. ***3/4

The New Japan vs NOAH junior tags were great. Which one was your favorite? I feel like I ma in the minority, but I thought April was the best. I feel like I might short-changed Tenryu/Kojima and Nagata/Takayama may watch those again. I thought 2002 has been by far the weakest year of the decade. 1. New Japan (Liger & Minoru ) vs. NOAH (Kikuchi & Kanemaru) - NOAH 4/7/02 2. GHC Tag Champions Akiyama & Saito vs Kobashi & Shiga - NOAH 10/19/02 3. GHC Champion Yoshihiro Takayama vs Mitsuharu Misawa - Budokan 09/23/02 4. Genichiro Tenryu vs Satoshi Kojima - AJPW 07/07/02 5. IWGP Champion Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - Tokyo Dome 05/02

WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman vs Tom Zenk - Wrestlewar '92 From the promo on Saturday Night, it seems like they were foreshadowing Zeman turning heel, but thankfully it would be Pillman trying heel and eventually forming the Hollywood Blonds with Steve Austin. I seem to like this match a little more than most, but happened to watch this one with my Dad. Whenever, I watch with someone I tend to be less critical and just have a more fun with it all. When your Dad is marking out for a crucifix pinfall attempt you can't help, but get more into it. Still, this is one of my favorite style of matches: the civil babyface wrestling at the beginning before tempers flare and it turns into a heated battle attacking injuries and going for the win. At the beginning, they establish they are former partners and current buddies going for the same moves like dropkicks or a flying hammerlock at the same time. Pillman is one to finally let loose after Zenk gets a couple nearfalls with some wicked chops, which JR points out is legal, but Jesse says the tempers are starting to get best of them. Pillman executes his fluid drop toehold into some great leg work. He crashes and burns on a somersault intended for Zenk's knee. JR lets us know Pillman's back is previously injured. Zeman is pretty proficient at working the back over and the best he has ever looked in my opinion. We get some dueling psychology as Pillman is able get back on the knee, but Zenk hits an enziguiri for 2. The Boyd implores him to go back on the back, but Zeman misses a knee into the turnbuckles and Pillman takes him to school. They exchange a couple good slaps and my Dad has just been loving this action and finds Pillman really entertaining. I raised him so well. After this, Pillman is ready to hit the finish stretch of big bombs and nearfalls. You can tell how much Pillman loved Puroresu because at this point in the US I would say he is the most Japanese-influenced. The Steiners are naturally Japanese-style wrestlers, but I don't feel like they went out there way to watch puro tapes where I think Pillman would watch them. This is speculation on my part feel free to confirm of deny. He definitely seems to wrestle in the mold of a New Japan Junior, matwork to start and high-octane finish. Pillman gives Zeman a ton of nearfalls with a powerslam, crucifix and a cross-body. Zenk is looking great from an athletic perspective. The leapfrog collision came off really bad and it seemed like they either were not committed to it or wires crossed. Like the intent with like minded partners thinking same thing, but poor execution. Then in the Holy Shit moment of the match that had my Dad and me going insane was Zenk caught Pillman coming off the rope with a big boot/savant kick. It was full extension of his leg and it looked wicked bitchin. After that badass move, Zeman feeling cocky goes for the missile dropkick to get the win, but Pillman side-steps him and jacknifes him for the win. Pillman carried Zenk in this, but this is the most Zeman has ever contributed to a match. In the Flair match, he was the proverbial broomstick and Flair just plugged him in. Here Zenk was contributing cool spots like savant kick counter and his nearfalls during the finish run. The selling did leave a lot to be desired in this match, which did feel exhibition-y at times. Pillman is such a great fiery worker and knows how to lay out an exciting match , but these two matches he seemed more focused on offense sometimes to detriment of the match. Transition between the body of the match to the finish could have been better developed. Overall, still I enjoyed the match as strong offensive performances from both that kept you engrossed in the match at all times. ****

Watched this match for the first time, just now, and thought it was way more cooperative than I expected given what I had read on here. It was definitely brutal and stiff. They were working typical pro wrestling sequences that would only work if everybody was on the same page. Also, if you listen closely, Rick asks the ref during a chinlock "if Iizuka is alright". Not the big, bad demonic pricks they were made to be now are they. I thought they were just working a very friggin' good New Japan match albeit in a WCW ring. Did the Steiners botch some shit, yes, they did. Were they unprofessional in this match? I did not think so. Before, I write up a full review I am going to watch this again. My first reaction was this one helluva a great match and on par with the Doc/Gordy match from the Clash. EDIT: Just wanted to add this does not excuse the Steiners from other unprofessional behavior in and out of the ring. They do strike me at the very least difficult people to work with to probably being assholes. Kudos to Iizuka for sticking with it and Fujinami giving as good as he got.

WCW World TV Champion Steve Austin w/Paul E. Dangerously vs. Barry Windham - WCW Saturday Night 05/09/92 Saturday Night Austin cut off his golden locks, but retained the shitty birthday part tights. You changed the wrong part of your presentation, brutha. Apparently though, Austin has said that his long hair was nuance in the ring because it was so thin that it easily tangled and pulled. Plus it was starting to thin all compounded into obvious need for a hair cut, but still a major upgrade to the tights is still necessary. I have watched this match a couple times before and have always been lukewarm on it. I finally can put my finger on it. There is really no comeback. Windham gets his ass kicked for the majority of the last two falls and then Austin swings and misses and it is all over. Windham clearly had the fire in his belly for the Clash and SuperBrawl matches, but here treats it as just a regular match. Don't get me wrong, he puts on a great showcase of selling, but he seems content, just to sell whereas Steamboat as this time was constantly struggling and making the heel earn it. Also, much like the SuperBrawl II match Austin ran out of offense in the third fall. He looked great in the second fall, but in the third fall he resorting to chinlocks. There is a decent enough kayfabe reason that time is on Austin's side because he retains the title in the event of the draw so it is behooved of him to wrestle conservatively. It just is not very entertaining. For me, the first two falls were by far the best work and the third fall was very anticlimatic. The first fall was actually a pretty solid TV wrestling match unto itself. I would give that fall the same rating that I would give for the entire match. Austin works the headlock early, but Windham puts more effort into keeping moving with a back suplex, pinfall attempts and a top wristlock attempt, before cracking it with a second back suplex. Windham is so crazy athletic that when Austin sets early he just steps over him and hits a dropkick. That's wild. Windham hits a lariat and a floatover suplex (he won the first fall against Austin a couple weeks ago with that move) for a pair of nearfalls. Austin hits with his game-changing clothesline (ask Dustin) and looks like he busts Windham's lip open. Austin works a headscissors to keep Barry at bay using the ropes for leverage. I prefer holds like this to sap a babyface's energy rather than when you already have the babyface down and out. Upon the ref breaking it for the cheating, Barry hits the DDT, but before he can capitalize Austin nails him with a right. However, Windham is able to hit his beautiful floatover superplex to pick up the first fall. Really great work with Barry hitting big bombs looking for the win and Austin trying just to hang on. In the second fall, with his back against the Austin really ratchets up his intensity. This is the best he look in the ring at this point in his character. He hits a stiff back elbow that sends Windham reeling through the ropes to the floor. Austin is just suffocating with his full court press on Big Barry: double axe-handle, gutwrench suplex, vertical suplex. Austin applies a camel clutch and Barry uses his head to hit Austin in the nether regions. Austin's game-changing clothesline keeps it in his favor and he hits the Stun Gun to even it up. Windham made Austin look like a million bucks with his classic glassy eye sell. The third fall is pretty mundane as it consists of Austin trying to milk the clock with holds and occasionally hitting an elbow drop. When the ref is inadvertently caught with a boot, Austin looks to blast Windham with the belt, but whiffs and Windham rolls him up to win. I was like all for that finish. No big comeback. I guess you want to protect Austin, but it was literally all Austin for the last ten minutes and it seemed like Windham just backed into a championship. Austin is rightfully pissed off and whips Windham with the belt, hits the Stun Gun and leaves with the TV Title in hand. I would put his match with Dustin at Havoc '91 over this, but this is still a solid TV match. ***1/4

Arn Anderson (w/ Paul E Dangerously) vs Ricky Steamboat - WCW Pro 3/28/92 Steamboat has answered all his criticisms from me in this feud. Steamboat is one of the greatest championship match workers, but sometimes leaves something to be desired in a blood feud. In the Dangerous Alliance angle, he has been red hot and taking it to the Alliance members with unwonted aggression. When AA jumps him at the outset with his robe still on, The Dragon fires back with kicks, chops and even eye gouges. Even when Anderson starts to connect with punches and a backbreaker, Steamboat is still coming at him. This is a perfect time for a chinlock as Anderson needs to slow the match down, catch his breath and sap Steamboat's energy. When Steamboat comes back off those rope with that high-energy attack and Anderson catches him in midsection is such high-quality wrestling. Steamboat is looking to keep it uptempo and at every turn Anderson is looking to slow it down. The spinebuster is another excellent sudden cutoff that keeps the match in Anderson's favor. Unfortunately for Anderson, he knocks his back into Steamboat, which is a great trademark Anderson spot. When he comes off the rope for double axehandle and he is caught in the midsection and flips over. I have to give them credit with how seamless this looked. So many times, the heel will stop short or it looks like he could never hit a move, but here it looked like Anderson would have hit the move if not for Steamboat connecting. The finish and post-match with Steamboat actually getting his hands on Paul E. and hanging Rude really surprised me. Paul E. does not strike me as someone to get physical (I know that changed with Punk and he took a mighty good asskicking) and I just thought it never happened on WCW TV. It was look to see Steamboat get in some licks on the loudmouth yuppie. Then hanging Rude after all Rude had done to him just shows how deep under his skin Rude had gotten to the Steamer for that to happen. Steamboat and Anderson should have a gotten a chance to have a classic on PPV, but still this was quite good. Each played their roles fantastically and worked at an excellent clip. The post-match really but over the new asskicker Steamboat in a real crowd-pleasing way. ***1/2

WCW US Tag Champions Greg Valentine & Terry Taylor vs The Fabulous Freebirds - WrestleWar '92 The only reason I even watched this match was because I was curious to see The Hammer's performance this late in his career. It turned out to be a pretty entertaining match. It ain't going to set your world on fire, but the Freebirds were over like rover. I don't when they turned them face, but Jacksonville was lapping up what they were selling. There were constant chants of "Freebirds" and "DDT". Hayes really knows how to work up a crowd playing from either side of the tracks. Taylor came off as a generic create-a-wrestler. I am not a super Taylor hater as I do enjoy his Mid-South matches with Flair, but outside of that I have never found him all that interesting and even in those matches it came off as a bit "plug n play". In the beginning, we do a little strut off and it is not even close as Hayes destroys Taylor's bush league strut and they have a little fun with Valentine and Taylor colliding on a criss cross. Valentine says enough of this bullshit and starts throwing forearms and chops. Valentine had definitely lost some mobility, but he still had a heavy hand. The face control section involves arm work on both the heels, but all four keep things moving. Garvin has a tendency to sit in holds, but he tagged out to Michael a lot to keep things moves while Hayes would usually work the spots with the heels. I am also a sucker for the babyfaces doing a little cheating (tagless switches, hair pulling) and the crowd all screaming "YES!" or "NO!" depending on the question to defend the faces. They tease Garvin as the Freebird in Peril, but TIMBBBBBAAAAAAH off Garvin's boot. Garvin has to further earn his tag (got to love Valentine makes you work for every inch) and when Hayes comes in he looks for the DDT, huge pop, Taylor comes in blasts him with a forearm. That cutoff really hooked me into the match. Hayes is a pretty good as the Freebird in Peril as he keeps the crowd interested while the heels are overall the place in their work. Valentine is working the back and then return to work the legs to set up the figure-4. Taylor busts out the gutwrench powerbomb for a nearfall. Hayes with a Left and down goes Taylor! Garvin in and he is a surprisingly good house afire. Garvin goes for the DDT on Taylor backdrops Valentine over and hits it for the victory and a massive pop! I really liked some of the cutoffs like the Taylor forearm and Hayes left. The finish was hot and everything built to that crowd-pleasing DDT when he hit that what a satisfying ending. This match relied on two things: the crowd loved the Freebirds and these were 4 savvy veterans. They stuck to a fundamental layout get the Freebirds over early, have Valentine beat the shit out of them in the middle and go home short and sweet. It ain't five star restaurant, but sometimes all you want is Mama's home cooking. ***

I have been watching a lot of 92 WCW. Since the WWF and WCW were both in a state of transition, I thought it would be interesting to do a little compare and contrast between where WCW was at the time of SuperBrawl II and where WWF would be a month later at Wrestlemania VIII. I went back and forth on the criteria I would use to judge who had the advantage. First and foremost, I am a fan so in-ring quality and entertainment are the most important factors to me. However, drawing power, booking and just overall star power were taken into consideration on how the talent would contribute to the overall health of the promotion. Top Talent Leaving Hulk Hogan/Sid Justice/Jake Roberts/Roddy Piper vs Lex Luger In one fell swoop, the WWF lost two out of three top babyfaces and heels coming off Wrestlemania VIII. Jake Roberts was just hitting his stride as a sinister heel in the Savage feud and would have served well as a No. 2 heel under Flair to facilitate the rise of talent. Sid is a strange cat. You just can't put your finger on why he is over, but he always finds a way to get over with the live audience. He could have went either way as a main event face or heel and would have given WWF a big man option when it was about get a lot smaller. Finally, you have the two cornerstones of the Hulkamania Era. You can go either way on their departure. You never want to lose big time talent like Hogan and Piper that have a history of drawing. However, they were able to parlay Piper's exit into a big time Wrestlemania victory for their now number 2 face, Bret Hart. Hogan's rub for Sid even if half-assed was moot because of Sid leaving shortly after Hogan. When the main event of your biggest show does not even stick around for Summerslam, that's going to send the WWF reeling. 1992 was a time of transition by the time Hogan returns in early 1993 it is evident that Vince could not stop the bleeding and they had careened into the Dark Ages. WCW also had a main event leave after SuperBrawl II, but Luger for all intents and purposes had been written out of the storylines. He was just there to put over the new top dog, his buddy, Sting. Going into Luger's 1991 WCW World Title run is a whole another blog, but suffice to say Vader had everyone saying Lex Who? EDGE: WCW. WWF had way too much top talent leave all at once. WCW was better prepared for their exit building around the Dangerous Alliance and gaining Vader and Miracle Violence Connection. Ace Face Sting vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage Up until the '97 Crow Sting character, this was Sting at his height in terms of crowd reaction and card positioning. He was feuding with Cactus Jack, Luger and the Dangerous Alliance all at once and holding his own. He was on his way to the historic Sting/Vader series, one of the few WCW series that gets talked on the same level as WWF series by WWF fanboys. Still there was seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel for WCW in terms of business. Was that Sting's fault or WCW's business direction? A lot of folks have poked holes in Sting's WON Hall of Fame candidacy due to his inability to draw. However, that is hindsight coming out of SuperBrawl II and looking towards Vader, it seems like the sky is the limit for WCW and the main event scene. On the other hand, things look bleak for Savage as the remaining bastion of the Hulkamania yesteryear gone by. His story from Wrestlemania II to Wrestlemania VIII (just tracked by Wrestlemanias) is amazing and climaxed him with getting his girl back, returning from retirement and winning the World Title. Unlike movies or TV, wrestling never ends, but it should have ended there for Savage. Don't get me wrong Savage had plenty left to give, the way story arc was setup it was hard to go anywhere. He had a dearth of opponents. They seemed content to let Flair work on top for the rest of 92, but never be The Man. They lost Sid and Roberts leaving a newly minted singles Shawn Michaels to be the number two heel. The fact that story felt like Savage was an old man coming back for one last hurrah and just not having any opponents made this a bad situation for Savage. EDGE: WCW. Savage had two things going for him. He was a better wrestler than Sting and he had Vince McMahon. The WWF promotional machine could buoy Savage even if he did not have much in the way of talent. Sting had his charisma and better opponents and booking. As a businessman, I'd take Savage and Vince, but I am not a businessman. I am a fan and give me Sting and Vader. Nuclear Heel Rick Rude vs Ric Flair Flair in WWF was just weird. I need to do some more research on Flair's post-Wrestlemania run up until his departure in January of 1993. He was definitely the top heel in the promotion, but was seemingly never really featured again. He was just an odd fit in the WWF. I know he would regain the title and have two great matches with Bret, but it just did not seem right. Rick Rude on the other hand was just hitting his stride. The heat he was getting at SuperBrawl II and how well he was wrestling. Rude's 92 is on par with just about any single year heel runs. I am talking Flair in '85 or '86 or Savage in '86 heel run level. EDGE: WCW. This is a slam dunk. Flair is Flair, but WWF was not letting him run the show. Rude was getting to Flair levels in '92. He was besting him at his own game. Biggest Return Ricky Steamboat vs Ultimate Warrior The fan in me says this is an easy decision. Steamboat all day, BABY! However, in the sea of departures, Warrior was the lone bright spot for the WWF. He was young enough not to be considered to be a part of the old guard, but old enough to have veteran experience working in Wrestlemania main events. He was a huge boon to Vince to utilize him with Savage to give Savage a partner and opponent on his level. However, Warrior was also batshit crazy and would flame out anyways. Steamboat was cool and calm. Every week, you knew Steamboat was going to have a great match with anybody. He was a great utility player helping out Dustin and Douglas as a tag partner, Austin as a opponent or carrying the company as the top feud with Rude. EDGE: WCW. Closer than you would thinking going in, but Steamboat offers too much flexibility and proved to be able to work on top with Rude. Warrior is just too unstable. Rising Heel Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels This is where WWF starts to pick up the slack. It is almost like 1992 was this role reversal. For years, WWF was so strong on top while WCW could claim a higher amount of good working depth. However, WWF had a strong crop of young talent. Austin would end up being one of the biggest crossover superstars of all time and destroying Shawn Michaels, but in 1992 there was no way you could tell that. He barely had any offense. He was strong in the fundamentals, but still too green. Shawn has been kicking ass with the Rockers since 1986 and was a veteran at this point. Yes, he was in a new role as a singles heel, but having watched a shit ton of Rockers footage this guy could flat out go. He was thrusted into a number two heel role that he was not really ready for, but still had great matches with Savage and Bulldog on the year and main evented Survivor Series '92. Not too shabby for a tag team specialist, right Gorilla. EDGE: WWF. Hindsight, give me Austin every time. In 1992, this is a slam dunk, HBK crushes Stunning Steve. Rising Babyface Ron Simmons vs. Bret Hart WWF may have had a bleak present, but the future was so bright that their next top talent needed to wear shades during promos. Ok, that cant all be gems. In Simmons' defense, he was a decent power wrestler. I would need to see more of his promos to gauge his charisma. He was overpushed too soon to attempt recreate Junkyard Dog's magic, but I think he was a solid hand. Bret offers a Steamboat like flexibility with a promotional machine that could manufacture Sting-like charisma. Bret did have charisma, it was subtle and mostly demonstrated in the ring, but McMahon is a genius because his booking and promoting extracted the most out of it. EDGE: WWF. The future is bright from a fan's perspective for WWF. Creepy Character Catcus Jack vs Undertaker This one is the toughest of the match ups. Undertaker had a great mystique and character. The matches, which in part were due to his opponents, were just bad. The wild man Cactus was having better matches and also being pushed harder in the main event. He was Sting's opponent at Beach Blast and the main thorn in Simmons side (he was injured and forced to be a manager). EDGE: WWF. However, at SuperBrawl II, Cactus seemed like a niche character, before being pushed up the card. Whereas, Undertaker seemed like a huge deal beating Jake at Wrestlemania VIII before being put in his own little world where he fights strange monsters. So just looking at the two events I would take Taker, but down the road I would say Cactus. Top Heel Tag Team Arn Anderson/Bobby Eaton vs Money Inc. As much as I hate to say, Anderson & Eaton are overrated on name value. If they stayed together longer or positioned better than maybe they could be an all-time great tag team. Instead they are dream team that does not live up to the hype. They felt behind the Rude/Steamboat, Austin/Windham and Windham/Zbyszko feuds in the Dangerous Alliance pecking order. Whereas, Money Inc carried the shallow WWF tag division through '92 into '93 even being Hogan's opponents for his return at Wrestlemania IX. EDGE: WWF. Money Inc. was a solid ace heel tag team and a good use of DiBiase and Rotundo in the twilight of their careers. Anderson & Eaton should be better on paper, but were overshadowed by their fellow Dangerous Alliance members. Top Face Tag Team Steiners vs Natural Disasters I don't care how many people tell me the Steiners are just spot monkeys. They are my kind of spot monkeys. Two big Michigan Men throwing around jabronis. I don't know if they make my top ten tag teams of all time, but they are two of my favorites. I don't care how many people tell me John Tenta is not that bad. One half of the Natural Disasters is the fuckin Shockmaster! EDGE: WCW. GO BLUE! Did WWF have anymore tag teams? Dustin Rhodes/Barry Windham vs Field LOD/Nasties were horribly misused by the WWF, which could have had a deeper tag division. The WCW was downright shallow by their standards, but I wanted to spotlight how good the Dustin/Barry team was because they are so neglected. They had classics against Zbyszko/Austin, Rude/Austin and Miracle Violence Connection. I would actually say they were a better tag team than Steiners in '92. Also, what a great learning experience for Dustin and a way to protect him from a singles run too soon and a great way to keep Barry relevant and help out the kid. EDGE: WCW. Definitely check out a lot of Windham & Rhodes in '92. Overall: WCW wins 6-4, but in an uncharacteristic fashion. WCW, to me, has always been the deeper promotion. In this comparison, they won based on their strength on top. Sting, Rude, Steamboat and later Vader is a murder's row of main event talent. However, WWF has a stronger midcard with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels waiting in the wings to rise to the top. Austin and Dustin were a lot greener than Hart and Michaels, but were certainly promising prospects. The tag division in both promotions were much more shallow than they had been in the 80s, but Dustin & Windham still turned in a year really strong year as a team. WWF struggled to find a groove in 1992. WCW had a remarkable first half to 1992 before strange booking decisions (hey it is WCW, after all) torpedoed any momentum.

I have been watching plenty of wrestling, but have been lazy about writing it all up well this week changed all that as I have a lot to say about the Dangerous Alliance. The Dangerous Alliance if nothing else has been a great device to create awesome match-ups. Steamboat versus any of these 5 has just been friggin' awesome. Rude is on fire throughout the beginning of the year. Zbyszko & Paul E. are a total heat magnets. Austin is really coming into his own. Match Listing: Larry Zbyszko w/Paul E. & Mad USA vs Ricky Steamboat - Worldwide 01/25/92 (Great post-match angle that adds more heat to Steamboat/Rude) WCW TV Champion Steve Austin w/Mad USA vs Ricky Steamboat - Power Hour 2/8/92 *** (Austin has such a solid grasp of heel psychology and Steamer is on fire) WCW US Champion Rick Rude w/Paul E. vs Brian Pillman WCW Pro 2/15/92 ***1/2 (Great showcase for the type of year Rude is having) Dangerous Alliance (Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko) vs WCW (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes) WCW Saturday Night 2/22/92 **** (Great build to Rude/Sting confrontation, great Dustin FIP and great Steamboat hot tag. Cant ask much from a TV multi-man tag) http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2014/06/burniate-history-of-dangerous-alliance.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike usual, where I focus on looking at a specific promotion, wrestler or stable, I go more traditional to review a whole show. I did not have the patience to review the whole show, but I did review the five major matches of SuperBrawl II. As much of a Luger defender as I am and I do defend him in the review, there is no denying it is just an average match that main events the show even though Sting winning title there feels like a much bigger deal than in 1990. It is such a shame because this PPV should be considered one of the greatest supercards of all time with three matches clocking in at ****+ by my count. WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Brian Pillman WCW SuperBrawl II ****1/2 (Match of the night for me in a loaded night. This holds up remarkably well that not only showcases Liger and the New Japan Junior style, but it is also a string struggle for the newest WCW title. I loved the finish as a "live by the sword die by the sword" spot) Dangerous Alliance (Larry Zbyszko & Steve Austin) w/Mad USA vs.Lonestar Blonds (Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes) - Superbrawl II ****1/4 (One of the best tag team matches in 90s WCW history. Barry and Dustin are red-hot looking for revenge and Zbyszko & Austin are excellent heels in every way. This is a must-see match) WCW World Tag Champions Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton) w/ Mad USA vs The Steiner Brothers - SuperBrawl II ***1/4 (Dream match on paper underwhelms. They did not seem on the same page and nothing really flowed) WCW US Champion "Ravishing" Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat - WCW SuperBrawl II ****1/4 (This match is not talked about enough. Yes the Beach Blast match is better and candidate for best WCW match of the 90s. This match does have the sort of weak finish, but features some absolutely great wrestling and Rude proving why his '92 run is one of the greatest in history) WCW World Champion Lex Luger w/Harley Race vs Sting - WCW SuperBrawl II (This is not Luger being lazy. He was leaving for a new job and was conditioned for that new job. It is clear early that he was trying hard to get his buddy, Sting over. Even if the match is underwhelming, Sting has come such a long way since 1990 and really feels like the Ace of WCW) http://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2014/06/superbrawl-ii-review-history-of.html

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura - NJPW 12/10/06 What a difference two years makes! This is a vast, vast improvement over there very uneven Dome '05 main event and the first real indication that New Japan is turning things around from the Dark Ages of Early 00s Inoki-ism. I do not know the exact timetable, but I am pretty sure that Inoki has been ousted or will be by year's end. I remember Brock was the first champion of the Inoki Genome Federation (which is oddly still around and has just signed Shinya Hashimoto's son). This change over in power has refocused on the company on pro wrestling, a novel concept, but as we have seen from Vince Russo sometimes wrestling companies forget they are wrestling companies. I remain impressed with Tanahashi's ability to energetically work on top when it so much easier for a babyface to work underneath. He does so with vulnerability as he does a great job selling the ribs in the middle portion of the match. Nakamura has developed a lot and is not just relying on flash submissions, but is varying his offense and seems more sure of himself. In the beginning as expected, Tanahashi bests Nakamura on the mat and I really liked the one spot where Tanahashi goes for the sunset flip and Nakamura back rolls out. Any wrestling fan at this point just expects Nakamura to dropkick Tanahashi in the face. Except Tanahashi rears back and avoids him thus he ends up getting a nearfall on Nakamura. It is neat little spot at the beginning. As in a lot of 00s puroresu matches, the struggle of a suplex signals a critical point in the match as Nakamura is able to hit a front suplex and follow that up with knee lifts to the ribs. A great spot during this fantastic rib work (Nakamura on point and Tanahashi sells beautifully) is Tanahashi is able to create separation looks to dive onto Nakamura ala Dome '05, but wary of this Nakamura rushes back in and spears Tanahashi right in the injured ribs.That is some good pro wrestling right there. They use the dragon sleeper reversal here again and it does get a good pop so like the tombstone reversal I see its value. I am disappointed a forearm exchange is the transition to Tanahashi's control segment. It is so cliche by this point. Tanahashi hits Sling Blade to cement his advantage and works a pretty good control. Nakamura traps him in a flash triangle where Tanahashi's arm drops twice, which was a pretty heated nearfall. Nakamura kicks out at one on Sling Blade. I think a well-timed one count can be pretty effective tool ala well-timed no selling. That one count was not well-timed. Tanahashi's High Fly Flow eats knees leaving him prey for Landslide, but that only gets two. Tanahashi blocks the Super Landslide attempt and defeats Nakamura with the impressive combination of a powerbomb, High Fly Flow and Tiger Suplex. I do not know all the intricacies of New Japan booking at this point, but this match seemed pretty definitive in defining their future roles. Tanahashi was going to be the ace of his generation and was being set up to wrestle current Ace, Nagata, whom he ultimately vanquish in a changing of the guard. Nakamura would his Tenryu to his Jumbo or Kawada to his Misawa, the number two who will get the title and run with it, but never be the Ace. From a kayfabe point of view, Nakamura does not seem to be able match Tanahashi's firepower. He worked the ribs well, but really could not get the job done. Then he had to rely on his two big bombs: a flash submission and his Landslide, but it was too little too late. Tanahashi demonstrated his dynamism being to work effectively in control and underneath. The finish stretch needed to be built a little better, but baby steps and this was a great body of a match with a good finish. ****

That makes sense you want the yearbook to be more of a survey than just a concentration of good stuff. Bobby Eaton w/ Paul E. vs. Dustin Rhodes - WCW Power Hour 5/8/92 Wow! This one should not have snuck up on me given who is involved, but when I saw the 9 minute length on the video I thought I would I get a fun, but uneventful bout. Instead, Dustin and Bobby brought their A games and packed about as much as they could in less than 9 minutes. Stone Cold is so right it all begins with the lockup. They have an intense lockup and everything falls into place. Bobby hits his big right hand only for Dustin to return the favor. You are not going to intimidate this youngster. Bobby takes a huge bump off a shoulderblock to the floor. It is little things like that transform the otherwise ordinary shoulderblock into a spot. Dustin somehow starts bleeding hardway from his nose and in retaliation throws Eaton's head into the post, hits a huge dropkick on the floor and lariat on the outside. Dustin is PUMPED! Back in the ring, Eaton is able to chopblock Dustin and take over on the knee with some really good work including busting out a spinning toehold. I need to watch some Ricky Morton because I am really starting to think that '91-'94 Dustin cant be touched in the selling department. The ref gets bumped off a push off on the spinning toehold attempt. Dustin gets a sort of half bulldog/cross body on Eaton because he is selling the leg. Dangerously calls for help. Austin tears Dustin's head off with a wicked clothesline. If you are only going to have one move make it a badass one. Austin just so happens to be facing Dustin's partner Windham in a TV title match later that same weekend. Windham makes the save and the Lonestar Blonds clear house. Dustin was on fire here and Eaton matched him with great bumping early and knee work here. About as good of a 8ish minute match as you will get. ***1/4

Dangerous Alliance (Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko) w/Mad USA vs The Steiners - WCW Saturday Night 3/21/92 The Steiners are great TV match workers because they have a ton of spots to pop a crowd that make you want to watch them in longer matches even if those matches do not always result in excellent matches. It does not get much better than Eaton and Zbyszko stooging and bumping for these powerhouses. The one element that Zbyszko brings that Anderson does not is heat and lots of it. The Larry Sucks chants started early and did not let up. The first three quarters of this match is a Steiners showcase. Scotty is so good at combining power moves with his amateur moves that make for a lot of cool spots. Rick is always there to knock the heels down the peg when they are feeling smart with a Steinerline. Eaton finally looks to get something going with an eyerake, but Scotty catches him with a belly to belly on the floor, but as Scotty ducks under Eaton he eats a spinkick from The Living Legend. I liked how that transition was earned rather than just abruptly changing course. Scotty is no great shakes as a FIP, but the heels were good at taking it to him with choking, sweet Eaton punches and a flying elbow. Would have liked to seen a Zbyszko piledriver that they teased. Scotty hits a Tiger Driver and tags in Rick for the home stretch. Madusa gets sandwhiched between Larry Z and the ropes. Scotty detains Eaton while Rick hits a belly to belly and the Steiner Bulldog for the win. It is an excellent showcase match for the Steiner, but without making the Dangerous Alliance to be jabronis. They still got their heat and Larry Z added a lot of heat to this match.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata vs Togi Makabe - NJPW 07/06/07 I don't know if Makabe banged Nagata's wife or owes him money, but Nagata came out of the gate guns blazing. It set the tone for the rest of the match. This was not going to be a wrestling match; this was going to be a fight. It was one hellacious fight. Makabe had made the transition from junior heavyweight to heavyweight and in addition bleached his hair and joined Great Bash Heel, which to the shock of no one is a heel New Japan stable. I love the matchup between the Ace and a pure heel brawler because you get so many technically proficient title matches. It is always a great change of pace to watch a violent Japanese brawl. Especially since Nagata's biggest problem is that he is so, so dry. He exuded real hate in this match and you felt that he wanted to destroy Makabe. Makabe for his part went balls to the wall heel using every dirty trick and just being a general asshole. Right off the bat, he tries to duck out the ropes to stall and Nagata ain't having any of that and Makabe straight away goes for the eyes, but Nagata will not denied. That hot opening establishes everything you need to know about these two. Nagata is willing to fight fire with fire brawling in the crowd and chairshots, but the ref keeps getting in his way and he ends up wearing a chair for a collar around his neck, always a nasty visual. Makabe busts out scissors and rips Nagata's forehead open. I'm sold, I love this match! Makabe works the cut and sends Nagata to the wolves and a melee ensues with the Young Boys attempting a save. While Makabe is complaining about the ref's count, Nagata fires up and hits these HUGE elbows. These are fuckin Misawa-level elbows and Makabe is covered in blood. I am a sucker for the double juice! Nagata looks to rip Makabe's arm off and when he makes the ropes the ref has to tackle Nagata off him. This is intense! GBH is in and it is mayhem! Nagata beats them back. Makabe hits a low blow on a back drop driver attempt. He hits a German and Death Valley Driver, but only gets two! Makabe flips the crowd off and wraps his arm in the chain, but the ref sees it and won't count. That ref has some big cajones to stand up to this lunatic. A chair is discreetly slipped in (I had to rewind to catch it) and Makabe piledrives Nagata on it. When the ref sees the chair, he flips the fuck out and bounces against the mat. This ref deserves a cut of the gate he is working overtime to put this whole shebang over. Makabe misses King Kong Knee Drop triggering the finish stretch. Back drop driver and Makabe kicks out at 1 and beats on his chest. Nagata kicks his head off twice and then hits a back drop driver to polish him off. I love chaos, violence and brutality. This matchup had it in spades. Everyone including the ref had their roles down pat. This is the best that Nagata has ever looked as the New Japan ace. He was fighting for pride and the championship. Makabe was such a low-down heel. There was such urgency and struggle throughout. This along with Kobashi/Ogawa has been one of my favorite finds from doing this project. I need to rewatch it again to finalize my rating, but I am going err on the high side and go ****1/2

I have not watched Sasaki/Kawada '01 or Takaia/Fuji, with the deadline extension I will give them a shot. Did not like that Hash/Nagata vs NOAH tag, but everyone else did. Should rewatch that. You definitely liked 2001 better than I did. The only match I would add is Tenryu/Fuchi vs Kawada/Araya. 1. All Japan Triple Crown Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Keiji Mutoh - Budokan 6/8/01 2. Keiji Mutoh vs Toshiaki Kawada - Champions Carnival 04/01 3. IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion Minoru Tanaka vs Takehiro Murahama - NJPW 4/20/01 4. Genichiro Tenryu & Masa Fuchi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Nobutaka Araya - AJPW 6/30/01 5. GHC Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama - Budokan 07/27/01

I would put the Misawa/Kawada Carnival match over the Misawa/Kobashi carnival match. I would add the Hashimoto/Ogawa tag from the Dome show. Other than that, I would say that is a remarkably similar list to mine. I have Misawa/Akiyama number one in 2000, but Kobashi/Takayama is a closer second than I think most would have it. This is my top ten 2000 matches: 1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama - Budokan 02/27/00 2. All Japan Triple Crown Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama - All Japan 05/26/00 3. Toshiaki Kawada & Masa Fuchi vs Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka - NJ PPV 12/14/00 4. Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama - Budokan 12/23/00 5. IWGP Jr Hvywt Tag Champs Ohtani & Takaiwa vs Kanemoto & Minoru - NJPW 6/25/00 6. IWGP Champion Kensuke Sasaki vs Toshiaki Kawada - 10/00 Tokyo Dome Non-Title 7. Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka vs Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murkami - Tokyo Dome 01/04/00 8. Kenta Kobashi vs Takao Omori - Champions Carnival Final '00 9. Toshiaki Kawada & Genichiro Tenryu vs Stan Hansen & Taiyo Kea - Budokan 07/23/00 10. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Kensuke Sasaki - 01/04/00

Yuji Nagata vs Koji Kanemoto - NJPW G-1 Climax 08/12/06 Nagata has really come into his own as the New Japan ace in these interim years of 2006-2007. He is not on par with Choshu or Hashimoto and few are, but he is wrestling more confidently and decisively. There were times like in 2001 Mutoh match where he would take Mutoh down and just not have a clue what to do like Dan Severn in an early UFC fight. Here and later in the Makabe fight, Nagata takes charge and ownership of the match. Now Kanemoto is no slouch and someone I need to explore more, but is a very good junior heavyweight. Since weight classification means more in Japan than in America, Nagata works on top most of the match similar to how I have seen Tanahashi work and similar to a Bruno or Backlund where the "better" wrestler is actually "winning" the majority of the match. Nagata gained his advantage during the opening matwork sequence when he was able to grab an arm and apply short arm scissors and a deep armbar. For pretty much the rest of the match, Nagata would hone in on that arm for a cutoff or pressing an advantage. Kanemoto sold this really well immediately and realizing the trouble he was in would fire off a couple quick hope spots like a roundhouse kick to the head, but Nagata would respond with these home run shots by coming up swinging and never letting Kanemoto land combinations. Again, Kanemoto would have an opening by hitting a dragon leg screw and following up with dropkicks to the knee, but Nagata had taken so much out of him that Nagata was able to cut off a suplex attempt and suplex him out on the floor and then an Exploder onto the floor. Make no mistake about it, Nagata was not just no selling these hope spots, he sold the roundhouse kick for an 8 count and sold the knee once he finished his rally for a minute or two after. He was fighting through the pain and taking advantage of Kanemoto's weakened state. Now we arrive at my problem with that match. At around this point, Kanemoto sells too much and what I mean is that he looks so beaten to a pulp that it seems impossible for him to make a comeback. I would say that ends up hurting the finish. Kanemoto finally hits a combination of a jumping knee, facewash and senton, but Nagata catches him with a super exploder and a Shining Wizard for two. If that was the finish then I would rate this match a lot higher. Kanemoto had his last gasp and Nagata finally had enough of this and demolished him with two huge moves. Instead the match goes on for another 5 superfluous minutes. We move into the submission trading section of the match with Kanemoto's heel hook and Nagata's crippler crossface competing for dominance. Now they trade bombs with Kanemoto getting his wicked pretty moonsault and Nagata hitting a back drop driver and two brianbusters. Then I hear the time announcement. I roll eyes. They run through some small packages, which is smart and Nagata grabs a pitch perfect cross-armbreaker, but time expires. I have no problem with a draw finish, but it just did not jive with this match. Instead of making, Kanemoto look string hanging with Nagata, it made Nagata look like a chump for not being able to take out Kanemoto when he kicked his ass for 75% of the match. If Kanemoto did not die halfway through and instead kept struggling and fighting like a Steamboat maybe I could buy it. The first 75% of this was great and was the best Nagata has looked. Like I said, they had a perfectly fine finish with the super exploder and Shining Wizard, but the extra 5 minutes and draw finish just felt forced. ****

Yeah and on top of that he plays the Simmons card of trying to force an over-arching narrative to wrestling (Reality Era, I cringed when HHH used that just because I bet fuckin Showmaker came in his pants). When Simmons does it, you can usually tell he is joking and just having fun with it. When his minions do it, it comes off as too self-serious and overbearing. I decided to read his latest article the mailbag, my first Shoemaker article in months. He managed to piss me off in the first three sentences. "Shield/Evolution growing mold" are you shitting me??!?!? It is just getting good. Jeez, they could milk this until Summerslam and still put on quality TV. You got to let things breathe, dude.

Paige screams a lot and her spots are overwrought (submission is lame and her spinny single leg takedown sucks). Emma is fun and has an arsenal of good spots. There has not been anytime for her to try to attempt to have a real match, but in terms of showcase Emma clearly has the more sympathetic, interesting character with the better spots. Paige is just annoying.

Alicia Fox's big boot is my favorite move in wrestling right now. She is my favorite character on the roster and hell may even be my favorite wrestler soon enough. I have not watched Paige in NXT, but she has not done anything for me at all. Get the title on Alicia and feud her with Emma. It is just going to be gold. I really think an Alicia/Emma match with a good build and 20 minutes could contend for MOTY.

Add me into "How have I not seen this before" group. I would say outside maybe the Savage/DDP matches that this is the best nWo match I have seen. The Wolfpac delivered a great old school heel performance here. Hall mocking Flair non-stop and spitting on Piper. Syxx weighing in at 220 lbs of disrespect, being an little scummy goon, Bronco Buster. Nash as the heavy hitter, but still bumping around for Greene. Those were three guys not trying to be cool. They were obnoxious pricks and you wanted to see them get beat up. Good God Almighty, why aren't there babyfaces anymore that have as much energy as these three. I rather you be too amped or overeager than some of the tepid performances you get now. Flair returning to the ring in Charlotte. I got goose bumps in 2014. Nuclear heat throughout the match and a great crowd-pleasing finish. In '97, you really cant top Eddie/Rey, but other than that I would put this in contention for second best WCW match of 1997.

You know I have a book that covered early ECW and the Gordon/Coraluzzo war pretty in depth. I know I will forget to post the book's title unless I write this post. Details forthcoming.

I am interested to hear people's thoughts on who thought they thought was better on the team. Outside of the Rockers, I cant think of a more even team. I know that a lot people say Rogers was better than Fulton and I can buy that from an athletic standpoint, but I thought Bobby had a very solid grasp on wrestling psychology. I have really only seen their Crockett stuff from '88-'89 and loved it. I prefer MX/Fans to MX/RnRs overall. I don't think I would go so far to say the Fantastics were better than the MX, but they are one of my favorite babyface tag teams. At work, I can expand some more later.

WCW US Champion "Ravishing" Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat - WCW SuperBrawl II Rude gets nuclear heat during his pre-match spiel. He can't even get a word in edgewise until he brute forces his way through their jeers and boos. From that all the way to the end of the match, Rick Rude looked like the heir apparent to Ric Flair as the lead heel in WCW for the foreseeable future. I am not saying he is the next Ric Flair because there are plenty of differences, but the way he carried himself and structured a match is in the mold of an ace NWA touring champ heel. He shines up his opponent with lots of stooging and bumping and when it is time to get heat he is a mean sumbitch. I'm actually kinda pissed that the injury derailed him so much because I really think he was something special. His 1992 is nearly untouchable from a one calendar year standpoint as a heel. You'd have to go back to Flair in '86 or so to come close. Then imagine the 1-2 punch of Vader and Rude on top. I don't care if WCW sucked at promoting, it would be helluva lot fun to watch in retrospect. That Dustin series with '92 Rude would have absolutely killer. Enough dwelling on what could have been and let's be grateful for what we have and that is a most excellent Rude/Steamboat series. As much as Rude was the star of this, Steamboat looked tremendous in this. I have run hot and cold on Steamboat. Sometimes, he can just be too mechanical, but that may just be a by-product of the WWF environment because re-watching his '94 stuff and the work against Dangerous Alliance he was been on point. Steamboat was on fire early looking to avenge the belt-whippings and Rude Awakenings he had received. He was just all over the arm and not just with the typical armbars and armdrags, but wrapping the arm around the post. Rude really shines here in the way he sells the arm and continues to sell the arm throughout the entire match! Steamboat does not forget this is a championship match so he does go for a pinfall early. The struggle in this match was great with Rude desperately trying to stymie Steamboat and when he would be forced to use his left arm he would sell it and not be able to capitalize. Steamboat was always fighting back during Rude's brief spells of offense. This was the perfect time for a chinlock. You have a hot babyface opponent that got off to a wicked fast start and you want to slow the match down, sap some of his energy and get some wind back into your lungs. If people just thought about when they used chinlocks (looking at you, '92 Austin) then it would not be reviled as a resthold. You gotta love Rude selling his left arm during his hip swivels and poses. He is just the man at this point. At this point, Rude is really targetting the neck especially after delivering the two Rude Awakenings from Clash 18. He hits a hoshot and a piledriver. Great arm and neck psychology, this match is just rocking. Steamboat, who is in dire straits, grabs anything he can get his hands on and delivers a kneecrusher and applies the figure-4. Rude recovers and it is clear the arm is hindering him more as he delivers forearms off the top. We hit the Rude staple electric chair drop out of the chinlock. Steamboat levels the playing field after some back and forth with a top-rope superplex, but cant get the three. Steamboat gets a little cocky ans starts mocking the hip swiveling, but looks more like he is trying to show us some surfing moves. Would have liked to seen that spot earlier in the match as now is the time to get down to business. Steamboat hits the flying judo chop and goes for the second one, but his Personal Ninja smashes a brick cell phone over his head. I wonder who that could be? Tack on a real home stretch and a better finish and this is a MOTYC easy. I know the Beach Blast match is better and some go as far as saying the best 90s WCW match and I look forward to rewatching that, but this match definitely deserves more praise. The body of this match is terrific with the dueling arm/neck psychology. They are struggling through every transition neither man is giving an inch. Rude and Steamboat both put on a clinic in selling and how you can make each other and match so much better by taking the time to make every spot meaning something. The finish stretch was a little abrupt and would have liked to seen an extended one. The swerve with Dangerously as the Ninja was great for extending the feud. I have no problem with the finish just that run up was too abrupt. ****1/4

WCW TV Champion Steve Austin w/Mad USA vs. Scotty Steiner - WCW Saturday Night 3/14/92 Paul E. describing Madusa as Oliver North of WCW made me chuckle. The Pride of Michigan and Champion of the West hit the Tiger Driver/Frankensteiner combination on Austin, but Paul E. called for Plan B and the World Tag Champs Arn Anderson & Beautiful Bobby stormed the ring, but big brother Rick made the save. Scott Steiner seemed more restrained and focused in this match than in previous outings. He worked the mat really well and established early that he would dominate in that domain unless Austin pulled the hair. In addition, he was following up his highspots (suplexes and throws) with covers or matwork. He did have a tendency to start each exchange with a kick to the gut or a whip into the ropes. This over reliance seemed lazy and demonstrated poor transitions. Austin was perfect in bumping and selling for Steiner. Outside of the clothesline, Austin really had nothing in the way of offense. Pretty much Scott hurting himself or a Madusa kick was the majority of Austin offense. His over reliance on the chinlock is not 2005 WWE bad because he does work in some cheating, but overall it leaves a lot to be desired. Steiner delivers a hot finish stretch, which as a bomb thrower is his specialty. Steiner is adequate at selling and with some better transitions I thought this was the best showcase for Scotty Steiner as a future main eventer. Austin knows the fundamentals, but there was still plenty room to grow.