Superstar Sleeze

I just watched this again today and definitely felt that beginning of the match was flat. It seemed like they were going through the motions of what a Flair/Steamboat match should be rather than having a wrestling contest. It picked quite a bit towards as expected because Steamboat's nearfalls and Flair's desire to move matches along will just naturally generate that feeling. I agree with the feeling that was an anachronistic match, but I still think some of the same fire they had in 89 was missing. Did anyone feel that Flair was giving an uncharacteristically reserved performance? Dont get me wrong, I think he was definitely trying, but just lacking that panache. I am going to watch the Saturday Night rematch for the first time ever soon and am excited to see a better performance.

WCW World Tag Team Champions Nasty Boys vs Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne - WCW Spring Stampede 1994 Incredible! Violent, short but sweet. ECW was just getting in their groove but this was better than any ECW garbage match I can think of. Mayhem and organic. As good as having two refs was, they needed more cameras in place for the finish. I think the finish was hurt by the fact that Cactus's wicked "back of the head to the concrete" bump felt totally upstaged by Payne/Knobs (they were in the foreground) even though that was the bump that directly led to the finish. At Superbrawl IV, the central hook of the match was that exact bump and it really got played up to max effect. Probably my favorite weapons-laden, tour of the arena matches. I usually hate those type of matches because of the annoying guide your opponent to a spot transition. This one just felt organic and violent. American wrestling could use one of these right now. Saggs blasting everyone with chairs. The concession stand portion was great, but the finish was incredible. The shovel shot to Cactus head before he could cover was disgusting and that bump off the ramp on the back of his head to concrete always gets an oh my fucking God from me. Sags mercy killing shovel shot to Cactus head is excessive but fits the violence of the match. I do not think anyone has mentioned this so I think this definitely is one of the all time great Tony Schiavone quotes" "I dont think that shirt even fits him!" - when Payne grabs a Nasty Boys shirt from the merch stand and chokes Knobs with it. Total garbage spotfest! Loved every minute! ****1/2

I have been going through All Japan chronologically for the first time in about 4 years. This match really jumped out to me as something really special that I seemed to had forgotten. I love how the match is structured around Doc's explosiveness. The Backdrop Driver is of course the big KO punch in his arsenal, but I think the whole match really puts over how his deadly combination of speed and power is what will do Misawa in. Misawa successfully holds him at bay at the beginning with an assortment of facelocks. I think that is a great parrallel to Kobashi/Hansen '93. Where Kobashi chose combat the explosive Gaijin with big bombs rather trying to pick and choose his spot like a Misawa. Only for a quick belly-to-belly to put Doc in the driver the seat. I remember throughout the body of the match that was the story how could Misawa contend not with just the strength, but his quickness. It seemed like every transition was based around Williams' explosive moves. I think this lends this match a great deal of urgency. I think that's what I love about wrestling is urgency. You just get the feeling that Williams is going to bust out a big bomb any second and you want to know what Misawa has up his sleeve (elbows and lots of them). The same can be said of Kobashi/Hansen. Both matches blow-off all this pent-up anticpation with BIG finishes for the gaijins. Throughout that heat segment, I was totally taken aback by the acceleration of Doc and just how good he looked. I have not watched much UWF. Is this best Williams has ever looked? How did he decline so fast? I think jdw detailed Misawa's extended comeback better than I ever could. So what of course was the end to that segment, but an incredibly quick "blink your eyes and you'll miss it" Backdrop Driver. I actually bit on that as the finish. Even as Williams is selling (I think he sold fatigue and general battery very well), he still hits the Oklahoma Stampede and Backdrop Driver with such an explosiveness that it blows off all the steam that match has been building. I want to also, as this is my first post, to thank Loss, Goodhelmet and all others who contributed to the Yearbook project. I am a college student, so I do not have the money to buy the yearbooks. But this forum specifically has been such a huge guide in me wading through thousands upon thousands of wrestling matches and forcing me to think more critically about wrestling. I just knew somewhere I place like this must exist. I am glad to have finally found it.