Superstar Sleeze

Chris Benoit vs Al Snow - ECW Double Tables 2/4/95 This match made the Benoit DVD Set that the WWE put out in 2004 so it was regularly watched by me however I dont think I have seen this from 2007, but I still remembered most of it. A good 90s US Workrate match. I liked all the usual tropes at the beginning. Benoit fed that spot early to get Snow over. The one where he had his back turned and Snow hit the springboard dropkick. That was the biggest pop of the match. Definitely ralled people behind Snow as Benoit was a heel in the Triple Threat at this time. After that it was just the usual Benoit mugging. All the classic badass Benoit offense. It was a little too ragdoll-y for me. As Snow had no fight. Benoit gave him the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and another creative suplex as hop spots with about 2-3 minutes to go before Benoit polished him off with a Dragon Suplex. Between this and the Jannetty match, I dont see that much in Snow. He just looks like a good hand. Benoit showed he can bump well early (two good bumps to put Snow over), but lets call a spade a spade this is an offensive exhibition for Benoit not that much in the way of a great match, but that being said Benoit does have amazing offense. ***1/2

I feel like I need to rewatch this and maybe more Sano & Anjoh to get more appreciation for this. I liked the '95 match better actually. Naoki Sano vs Yoji Anjoh - UWFi 8/13/93 I loved their '95 bout and finally found their '93 bout and this did not disappoint whats so ever. I think I would have an even richer appreciation for these matches if I watched more Sano and Anjoh matches individually. These are two great matworkers that come up with some really nifty ways to organically apply conventional pro wrestling submissions. Both Anjoh and Sano apply the STF in like the coolest way ever from catching a kick. I think however because they are so evenly matched that it becomes a story of eveness and symmetry. I dont really understand what causes the momentum shifts. However, this is where the point system became super useful as it was a guide to tracking who was "winning". It no longer felt super even. So I may not have understood the "why" I could at least understand the "what". Again, this is with little understanding, but it seemed like Sano had to prove himself to Anjoh early on. Sano is the more famous of the two in my view due to the Liger series. Anjoh was every aggressive early on and Sano kept bucking him off or countering. Anjoh clapped after the second time. Maybe it was just Anjoh being a dick. Sano dominated the early portion of the match first with counters and then with big time submissions like chokes, Boston Crab and an STF. Sano hit a great Fisherman suplex. Really wrapped him up. Anjoh's big break was catching Sano with a kick which earned him a three point knockdown. After that they traded submissions but Anjoh seemed more in a rhythm and was controlling the match. I thought the finish was spectacular and explosive. Sano looking like he was about to bested gets a home run with a Release German that counts as a knockdown evens up the match in both score and in momentum. With the momentum on his side, Sano picks up the win from a beautiful, tight, painful Crossface Chickenwing, which I immediately said thats gotta be the finish and it was. Like I said I liked the '95 match better from recollection, but a lot of people call this the greatest UWFi match of all time. I feel like I might be missing the boat due to ignorance. To me there was nothing super unique about the characters that drove the match in a different direction or unique about the narrative. It was explosive, entertaining catch wrestling, but to me a true classic has a hook either from the narrative or characters that makes it transcend time. Amazing match, highly recommended to watch. ****1/4

OJ nailed on the charisma front these two, just didnt have it in the beginning. Midwest Territorial Heavyweight Champion Marty Jannetty vs Al Snow - SMW SuperBowl Of Wrestling NEW ROCKERS EXPLODE~! Man, I thought the Western States Heritage Title was the lamest title ever but Midwest Territorial Heavyweight Championship takes the cake. "Simply Sensational" Al Snow is going through his generic, cocky heel phase. First half of this match is just super solid American wrestling done at 90s workrate speed. So lots of shouldertackles into pinning combinations, lots of armdrags and a lot of symmetry to demonstrate this is an even wrestling contest. It looks inferior to what Benoit and Guerrero were doing around the same time, but it is very solid dont get me wrong. Benoit and Guerrero are just on another level. Jannetty is able to win an armdrag by punching Snow during a contested break out of a corner. Then it is just the usual babyface besting the heel at every turn with armdrags. Snow was trying a lot and losing, but he was not very charismatic about it. I knew he was the heel because he was losing the exchanges, but I didnt have any reason to boo him. The eventual turning point is a backbreaker by Snow and followed up by a nice belly to back suplex. Snow hits a spring board dive to the outside as we go full 90s there. Snow clearly wanted to show he was on the cutting edge of offense. We get a split-legged moonsault, a slingshot legdrop and a springboard legdrop. Out of all them, the springboard legdrop was the most impressive the way he missed and shot right up and sold was great. Then Marty hit an Atomic Drop! Best sequence of the match. The match improved with Snow on offense, but because Marty was better at selling. I loved Marty's bump into the railing. He basically did the Flair Flip or Bulldog upside down bump into the railing. It was insane and I never seen that done before. Great hope spot with the rana too timed well to make sure the crowd knew he was alive. There was definitely a lack of struggle in the match, a problem that plagues a lot of workrate exhibitions. Love the double dropkick and double clothesline late in the match. So 90s! These 90s pinning combinations, the Crucifix and that hook your toes under the armpits then O'Connor Roll just look clunky. Jannetty suicide dive and Snow hits his back hard against the table. They go old school with the finish as Snow rolls through the Jannetty crossbody and grabs the tights. "Simply Sensational" Al Snow is the NEW Midwest Territorial Heavyweight Champion, probably the peak of his singles career. I didnt feel like there was anything to really carry this match. The face/heel dynamics werent that strong. Jannetty is a great face. Snow is a pretty poor heel. No interesting working psychology. Then the workrate which was what they were going for as the hook falls flat when you have seen Benoit, Guerrero and Mysterio crush it. Felt awkward and clunky. But there were good parts to the match and it was interesting. Just felt amateur. A for effort. ***1/4

Jerry Lawler vs Tommy Dreamer - ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997 STRAP DOWN! FLAIR FLOP! Was the spot of the match! I went bonkers for it. This was the peak of ECW patriotism, but as others have pointed it out the only flaw was that it didnt happen in the ECW Arena, but instead of Florida so the heat just was not the same. I thought this was a really fun, popcorn brawl that was meant to pop and entertain rather than be very hate-filled and vicious. I really liked Lawler punching the pan early and then Dreamer hits him with the pan Lawler takes a King-sized bump over the top rope. Really great shine. Lawler showed a lot of ass during the crowd brawling. Great visual of Dreamer kicking ass while there is a "Lawler Must Die" sign behind him. I am a sucker for belts as a weapon in match. They are so versatile. Dreamer chokes Lawler as Lawler struggles to grab hold of fans to save himself. I love it. Dreamer goes up top with a chair and Lawler is able to shake the ropes. Lawler kicks some serious ass. I thought Lawler really carried this and he looked like he could still go. Characteristically great punches. Chair shots. Piledriver -> kick out! I would say weird, but it is ECW. It did not feel well-built to. That should have been a major false finish. I think in '97 ECW no one believes a finish unless there were run-ins. They should have saved the Lawler Piledriver for later. Lawler tearing the ECW short off and wiping his armpits and ass with it was amazing. LOVED Dreamer's no-sell comeback. In a Patriotism match that is exactly what you want! For the first time, I fell connected to Dreamer and I was rooting for him. Lawler punches him in the balls and lots of testicular violence follows. Then lights go out a bunch. Basically everytime Dreamer is about to polish off Lawler the lights go out. The first one makes sense as it is Rick Rude who was aligned with the WWF invasion. What I didnt get is why didnt he stay out there? There was the very surprising Jake The Snake, which I didnt see coming at all. But it was totally nonsensical. He DDTs Dreamer and Short Arm Clotheslines Lawler, but lets Lawler fall on Dreamer. Then Dreamer kicks out and he claps. So ok? Then FUCKING SUNNY SHOWS UP! OH HELL YEAH! Now that was awesome! She sprays Dreamer with the hairspray but here is Beluah. CATFIGHT! That was an awesome run-in and was actually useful because it got Beluah involved. Now Lawler tries to use Beluah as a human shield, but she ballshots him, TESTICULAR CLAW and Dreamer DDTs him to HELL! E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB! ****

Bret Hart vs Terry Funk - WrestleFest 9/11/97 One of the many Terry Funk Retirement Matches to happen throughout history and as with most Funk retirement matches it is absolutely awesome. I had never heard of this match until I joined PWO about 5 years ago. It has always been something that I really wanted to watch, but I always had something else to watch. Here at 1am in a hotel room after 14.5 hour manufacturing run, I decided this was the perfect time and damn any time would be a perfect time to watch this. In 1997, this was about as good as you could hope for with these two. Bret is one of the all-time great offensive wrestlers. I dont think there is any North American wrestler I would rather watch grind out a control segment than Bret Hart. Everything looks crisp and is interesting. Funk is naturally sympathetic as old hometown hero retiring, but add in his crazy charisma and this selling is top notch and then throw in a couple crazy Funk bumps to the floor and this was just great. Bret gets touted as a technical wizard by WWF machine but we all know that he is a better brawler/grinder. Here he actually shows he is pretty good at chain wrestling when it comes down to it. Funk was great working headlock control. I would have waited a bit longer for Bret to get frustrated before he showed his heel colors, but he went full heel early. Bret is great as an old school bruising heel. He does not give Funk a clean break. He targets the leg. Thumbs to the throat, jawing with the ref, choking, eye rakes. Great work on the leg. I mean just superb Bret work on the leg. Funk takes a couple great bumps to the outside. Bruce shamelessly tries to interject himself to get himself over. Bret seemed annoyed by his antics. There was a great part where Funk tries to use the jab to keep Bret at bay but never connects as Bret dodges and finds an opening to kick the bad wheel. Loved it! I loved Funk's first comeback. He starts throwing wild Funk punches from his knees and Bret starts punching him in the head. Funk absorbs gets up to his feet and absolutely LEVELS Bret with a left. They do a great standup where Funk levels Bret again with a left. Why did Bret have to go to WCW? He was in his prime right here. I loved how Funk earned this comeback and it was head shots that won him control. Funk has to play from behind so everything is big and to the head: neckbreaker and piledriver. Then he takes Bret to the outside to throw him into hard stuff. He gets distracted and Bret trips him up and it is the Figure-4 around the post. Someone needs to crib that spot. Bret goes back to work on the knee. Chair shots to the knee. Bret as a heel rules. Funk desperately punches Bret's knee from his ass. That is the story of this match. Funk's dogged determination against the Best North American Wrestler at this time. Funk wins control attacking the knee and wins a brawl on the outside. Again he goes for a Hail Mary but just ends up Vaderbombing himself through a table on the outside. Bret goes in for the kill. Enough fucking around, it is time to put Old Yeller down in front of his hometown fans. He goes for the Sharpshooter, inside cradle for two. Funk grabs the Spinning Toehold! Big pop! Bret escapes. Bret sells this so well! His use of the ropes to do clotheslines because he can barely stand is great. They go with ultimate old school, championship match finish. Funk Back Suplexes Bret and Bret lifts his shoulder up at two for the win. Funk is so old school and he wanted to go out on his back. He tried so hard in this match. Bret in his prime had to stretch the rules to gain the advantage over the old man. The old man was put in a hole, but he kept coming back with punches from his ass and his knees. But it looked like Bret was too good and then when Funk put himself through that table it looked like it was all over, but Funk had that one Hail Mary left and it was his old Spinning Toehold with that one move. Old Yeller took the Best North American Wrestler to the limit. It was only on a last second shoulder raise and Funk just being too old to properly bridge that cost him the match. The Old Man pushed The Champ to the limit, but just came up short even with the Champ taking shortcut after shortcut. Amazing. ****1/2

ECW World Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk vs Sabu - ECW Born To Be Wired Barbaric. Makes you question what the point of all this is, but at the end of the day it is gore at its finest. I will say I am not very familiar with this era of ECW, but I have watched this match many times in the past and I would say it was my favorite ECW match. On this rewatch, I think slightly prefer the Sabu vs Sandman Stairway to Hell, but this is still a violent spectacle. I thought there were too many down periods in this match that ground it to a halt, but it was very smartly worked. I loved the beginning. Sabu was aggressive but more cautious than normal. Funk was at his counterwrestling best. Both men doing all they can to avoid the barbed wire. I like that it was a simple forceful kickout from Funk that sent Sabu into the barbed wire to draw first blood. In a way, Sabu had been lulled into a false sense of security by doing straight wrestling and then that kickout sends right into painville. Funk rips open Sabu's forehead on the barbed wire and then crotches him. The crotch was a great idea because it was both painful and it demonstrated the effectiveness of the barbed wire shredding clothes. This was clearly not a worked gimmick, but shoot barbed wire. The other thing they do really well is make missed moves mean something. It was a Sabu sidestep that caused Funk first to be stuck with Barbed Wire and it was a missed Air Sabu that caused Sabu's bicep to ripped open. Classic Sabu fashion, he bandages his wound mid-match. Love it. I love the missed moves as major momentum swings and the consequence of being stuck with barbed wire. Also I wanted to make sure I mentioned how good the punches were for both men. I thought match lost something once Fonzie got involved. Funk was tearing his body with barbed wire, but there was not the great visual of blood. It just felt heatless. The RVD thing felt forced and just really unfair. Dreamer saving later was better than nothing, but would have liked to see that earlier. The finish was as fucking insane as I remember. RVD had wrapped Funk in the barbed wire and Sabu crashed through him and a table with a legdrop. When that didnt finish Funk, Sabu wrapped his own ass in barbed wire and Legdropped a barbed wire wrapped Funk. They were just one bloody ball of humanity and barbed wire. Eventually Fonzie and a ref lift them into the ring and Sabu pins Funk. The finish sure was something and something you will never forget. Definitely a Top Five ECW match and something that you can never take your eyes off of. ****1/4

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Low Thesz vs Buddy Rogers - Chicago 1/26/51 Im in Chicago and wanted to watch some classic wrestling. First Fall: Tight, sensible wrestling with heel dynamics. Yes please! Loved Sweet Lou's double wristlock takedown. Loved all the ways Thesz worked through Rogers counters. Especially enjoyed Rogers feigning the snapmare only to pull out the leg. I actually thought Rogers cheated a bit too early. They could have extended Lou's shine. Lots of crowding and cheap shots from Rogers. Eventually Lou pops him good to the delight of the crowd. Headlock by Thesz. THESZ PRESS! LOU THESZ! LOU THESZ! LOU THESZ! Doesn't get the three count, man I bit on that finish. Jack Dempsey is the special ref. Thesz works a body scissors. Rogers reverses puts his feet on the ropes for two and cheap shots Lou to break the hold. Amazing body slam to counter another Thesz Press and Rogers rips Lou down. So far strong Mat fundamentals, Rogers heel work and the Thesz Press highspot have this cooking. Russ Davis has many funny calls but actually calling Thesz, Lez and assuring us he is not one had me rolling. Lots of Rogers closed fists while clamping on the headlocks. Some really great selling from Thesz. I especially liked the one where Rogers back elbowed out of a headlock. Thesz sold that one great. Tackle by Rogers and Thesz goes down in a heap and it fucks up Buddys momentum. He was playing possum. Thesz gets a beautiful drop tie hold and rolls into a Toehold. Marvelous! Should have been a finish. Lots of cheap shots from Rogers, Lou catches him good with a kneelift. Airplane Spin -> FU gives the first fall to Thesz. Splendid work thus far!

Glad somebody else watched this. Wasnt this way more fun than you expected it to be on paper? I have fond memories of it even seven months later.

The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman) vs Team USA (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, Legion of Doom) - WWF Candian Stampede Sometimes, pro wrestling is not about wrestling. Wrestling fans would be wise to remember that. There is no doubt this is a ****** pro wrestling crowd. The Hart Foundation entrance is legendary. The way it crescendos for Bret's entrance is amazing. The beginning portion for Bret vs Austin is molten. I loved how when Austin when offense so loud the boos were. The random "Austin Sucks" chants were amazing. This was a crowd that was not trying to get themselves over. They were adding to the match. I miss crowds like this. Pro wrestlers are right that the fans are the most important element of the show. Call me a old fuddy duddy, but watching this more than I think modern day pro wrestling fans have betrayed the art and the pro wrestlers. Has Owen ever been more over? Holy shit! That enziguiri was amazing. The return from the back to save Bret is legendary. The missile dropkick and kip up. ELECTRIC! This match is completely elevated by this crowd as there are many parts of the match where the action drags. Ken Shamrock should have never, ever been placed in this match. His inexperience shows many times. Why did he just hold Bret's foot twice? Shamrock should not be selling, should be looking like an ass against Brian Pillman (did I pop for "He's tapping out" of course, but doesnt make it the right move) and the World's Most Dangerous Man needs a low blow to get a tag. Poor use of Shamrock and Shamrock simply was not suited for a raucous Summer popcorn action blockbuster. This is near sacrilege, but Goldust was also mostly useless in this match. I am surprised that more people have not praised the LOD. They were great. Hawk looked awesome. How about that big top rope splash! Doomsday Device on Owen! It was all great shit out of the LOD. I am also surprised we did not get a proper heat segment on Bret and/or Owen. Taking Owen out was money. Bruce throwing the drink at Austin and grabbing his tights while Austin destroyed Owen's knee was a great touch. I think a heat segment on Bret followed by Owen's return would have been huge. I think taking Austin for any period of time was a bad idea. He was a heat magnet without him Team USA was a thrown together motley crew that was not working. The finish run was great. My eyes went huge for Austin grabbing Stu, which I totally forgot happened. All the Hart brothers pouring over the barricade to swarm Austin was great. Unfortunately, in a way this was not a house show because then you could have had Austin tap out to the Sharpshooter, but this being on PPV in the US you needed Austin to look strong in defeat so we get the rollup finish. The post-match is incredible. The Hart Family in the ring, Austin getting carted out in handcuffs flipping off the crowd with his hands cuffed behind his back. Stu & Helen in the ring with grankids. Pro wrestling is not always about pro wrestling. This match shows how much pro wrestling can mean to a family, a people and a country! O CANADA! ****

AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel vs Jumbo Tsuruta - AWA 9/29/85 "ABA - Erm AWA - ABA was something else at some other time" - Rodger Kent? (Maybe Trongard), I lol'd BOMBS AWAY! Wow! Do these two cut one helluva pace! Neither man backs down and this is a fight from the opening bell to the final three count. This match would not feel out of place in today's wrestling scene in fact I say they blow most matches out of the water. There are a ton of highspots and MOVEZ~! in this match, but everything feels important because it bearing on the next spot. The most critical element is it feels like two guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win the match not entertain the fans. The fan's enjoyment is a byproduct of their struggle not their direct objective, which separates it from today's scene even if it is highspot-oriented match. The tone of the match is established early Jumbo is pissed and he wants his belt back. He hits these tremendous kneelifts and European Uppercuts and what does Martel do he fights back from his knees twice. You feel how badly these two competitors want to win the world heavyweight championship. It is a total Jumbo full court press early on with the work on the midsection of Martel being the focus (punches there and ab stretch). In one of my favorite spots, Jumbo hoists Martel to hit a piledriver but takes the time revolve so that every section can see what he is about to do. Martel gets a backbreaker to finally break momentum. He just starts ramming his knee into Jumbo's back and does not even give him a ropebreak. Ricky Martel is in a fucking fight and he fucking knows it! He wants it just as bad as Jumbo. Martel applies a Boston Crab, wow, that's a Jumbo spot, ballsy! Jumbo powers out and throws him out to the floor. Martel is PISSED! He nails a dropkick! That's Jim Brunzell level baby! They just starts throwing bombs at each other with each one building on the other. Martel crashes and burns on his slingshot splash. Jumbo abandons bomb throwing for leg work, which may be a smart play with the spinning toe hold and figure-4. Martel sells so well and in what was a bombfest up until this point, this is very refreshing. Having dismantled his knee, Jumbo runs through his offense in the finish stretch, but gets caught with a reverse crossbody for three! Jumbo nails him with a wicked knee post-match. Martel can't catch a break in the post-match. They packed a shit ton of action in this match. I mean there was literally not one dull moment. I did not want to just make this a list of moves so I just highlighted the most critical, but there was a shit ton of high end offense from both wrestlers. This match is highly recommended for those who love action and a ton of bombs in their wrestling. I think both have better classics with other opponents, but as far as a kickass summer blockbuster type wrestling match this is really hard to beat. I will never fault two wrestlers that I truely believe are fighting as hard as they can to win this match. ****1/2

Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWF RAW 4/21/97 Street Fight RAW IS WAR was so badass back in the day. Austin comes out crazed wanting a street fight. He whupped Bret's ass last night but before the chump quit Bulldog & Owen saved his ass. Now he wants a street fight so he can whup his ass so bad that ain't no doubt who won. He says Bret has one minute. They even have a countdown clock. Bret agrees, but for later in the night. This does not main event. It happen about 20 minutes later. Austin is back out. The Hart Foundation descends upon Austin and beats the shit out of him. Why is Owen wearing a Michigan sweatsuit. So weird. Go Blue! Shawn chases off Owen & Bulldog which lays the groundwork for the awesome tag match in a month between Austin & HBK and Owen & Bulldog. Bret is left alone Austin and he should be easy pickins. Bret piledrives Austin and wants to Pillmanize Austin's ankle. But he misses the stomp and hurts his own knee. Austin takes the chair and from his back smashes Bret's knee. Austin then destroys Bret's knee with the chair with incredible intensity. He locks Bret in the Sharpshooter and that's how Bret ends up in a wheelchair. I have learned this is the first RAW with Russo as head writer and in classic Russo fashion there is no actual finish. Which drives me nuts! The refs just yank Austin off of Bret. Where was the bell? Who won? Was it even a match? It is so stupid. Just do the angle. Sorry I dont mean to take away from the great work, but I hate when wrestling matches just end randomly. There has to be a finish. Still great work from everyone and escalation here was great as Austin is clearly positioned as a top babyface, Bret will be in a wheelchair and the feud just got that much hotter.

Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWF Revenge of The Taker 1997 This marks the first Stone Cold PPV main event as they main event over the WWF Championship match featuring Undertaker vs Mankind. Undertaker certainly took a backseat to the Bret/Austin/HBK drama of 1997. I have never actually seen this match and it is criminally underrated. Actually, I think this is better than the more heralded Survivor Series 1996 match. The out and out brawling suits both men better. Is there anybody you rather watch grind a match out than Bret Hart? He is the best at just working over a body part. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact he is especially good at stomping. We dont talk a lot about Stone Cold and his selling. To me what makes Stone Cold special is his out of control energy. He is always flailing his limbs and moving forward. But we dont talk about his vulnerability. I mean we are not supposed to, after all, he is the TOUGHEST SOB. It is not very tough to talk vulnerability, but here he does a great job demonstrating his ability to show pain. You cannot be the TOUGHEST SOB if there is no pain to overcome. So when Bret is destroying that knee, Austin yells in pain and collapses on an Irish Whip, but keeps moving forward, lunging Bret, hitting him in the balls, collapsing on a piledriver you know that Austin in a tremendous amount of pain, but goddamnit there is no quit in him. Bret for his part is incredible on offense escalating the violence to the knee, ringpost-assisted figure-4, steel chair shot and then ultimately taking off the knee brace. I think what makes this match and the Mania match so much better than your typical Bret match is how each man had to earn every bit of offense. Bret matches can be very neatly segmented. If Bret is on offense, he is on offense and you are his ragdoll. When Bret is selling, his opponent is on offense and Bret will ragdoll for you. That being said the transitions will usually be good just inside a segment there is no sense of struggle. Austin because of his tenacious, energetic style forces Bret's hand. So many times Austin will just charge or throw a wild punch. It is not even that much of a hope spot, but it is a spot that forces Bret to eyerake or to kick at the bad knee to re-establish control. Austin keeps Bret honest and I love that. The finish stretch is great. I love how both these men protect their finishes. Austin tries to yank Bret down into a Stunner with dogged determination, but Bret holds onto the top rope for dear life. What a great spot! Austin never hits the Stunner because the Stunner is a game-ender and if he aint gonna win he aint gonna hit it, but in kayfabe he of course has to attempt it, but it is blocked with great determination from Bret. Love it. By the same token, as Bret is going for the Sharpshooter, Austin whacks Bret with his own knee brace. I love it! Bret taking the knee brace off comes back to haunt him and now Austin wants to make Bret submit to his own move. How humiliating! The Hart Foundation bails Bret out courtesy of a Bulldog chairshot triggering the DQ. The post-match is just as good as Bret looks to inflict more pain with the ring bell, but Austin beats him to the punch with a chairshot on the knee. Now it was Austin looking to destroy Bret's knee. A taste of his own medicine, I dig it. To me this is a hidden gem hiding in plain sight. It is STEVE AUSTIN VS BRET HART IN 1997, but yet no one talks about it. Don't overthink it, just watch it. ****1/2

Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIII Submission Match It is matches like this that are the most difficult to review. The reputation that precedes this match is so gargantuan what could you possibly say that has not been said in the past. We all know the historical import of this match. I would go as far as to assert this is the most historically important match in Vince McMahon Jr's WWF. Everything, the superstars, the live events, the TV shows, the merchandise that after this match now for over twenty years was made possible by this match. Very rarely can we point to such a singular match or singular moment where a Superstar is born that is literally going to save a company, lead them from the brink of bankruptcy so that in fours years, they buy their biggest competition and run a major Dome show. What is even more rare is how this match is the perfect confluence of history and art. Think of Hogan vs Iron Sheik and Hogan vs Andre, massively important matches, but as works of art they certainly leave the wrestling fan wanting more. How about matches like Slaughter vs Sheik an absolutely amazing bloodbath, but mostly forgotten to history because ultimately, it was NOT that important or influential, it was a last gasp of a dying era. So what we see here above all else is the magical intercourse of history and art. The resulting climax is true gratification. *****

John Cena vs Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules 2012 Pride comes before the fall. My favorite gimmick in pro wrestling is the cocky shooter and there is no better cocky shooter than Brock Fucking Lesnar. Those sitdown interviews in the build to this match were amazing, obnoxious schoolyard bully bullshit that only works because Brock Lesnar is on the short list of legit baddest men on this planet. Give me those any day over the interminable Paul E. promos we get nowadays. Cena's subdued response was pitch perfect he recognized the credible threat of Brock, but he was going to defend the industry he loves. Incredible match and we all know that. The violence is definitely an integral part. They set that tone early with Lesnar cutting Cena open hardway with his sharp elbows and they end the match with Cena getting his receipt busting Lesnar open with the chain. The blood flowed freely for the first time in years. To me more than the hard-hitting lariats and elbows, this match was made by the character work. The match was clearly designed to get Brock over as the new top star. The camera was on him the vast majority of the time. Cena did a great job selling, but more often than not we were watching Lesnar mug for the camera. I love the little shit like Lesnar using his foot to push Cena out of the ring onto the floor with a thud like he is human garbage. The cocky attitude of goading Cena to get back up. Of course, when it came time for Lesnar to show vulnerability he did so in spades. Look as Cena picks him up in the kimura and drives him into the steel steps. That look of fear is why Brock Lesnar is one of the smartest wrestlers ever. He knows it is a work. He can show ass. He can show fear. The match is greatly improved. What makes a bully a bully is in his heart of hearts he is an insecure coward. That is Brock Lesnar. He is a badass, but in pro wrestling he knows it is the best interest of the match, his opponent and the product for him to show fear and vulnerability. That's Brock Lesnar, I think Cena did even more to put this match over as a classic. John Cena is clearly in way over his head against Brock Lesnar, but he never gives up. He is a scrappy, blue collar muthafucker thats going to tackle Lesnar, he is going to reverse elbow Lesnar hard, he is going to punch him. It is all to no avail. Lesnar quashes every takedown, every punch, every shoulder tackle with his own big ass offense. Cena never gives up. That's how to live life. We are all in over our heads at some point, fighting a Brock Lesnar, but we dont give up and we just keep fighting. It was Cena's hope spots and the subsequent cutoffs that made this match so engaging. I already mentioned one of the hope spots in the previous paragraph. There are few moments to me in wrestling history as John Cena picking up Brock Lesnar in the kimura and ramming him down onto those steel steps. Cena was getting his ass kicked from pillar to post and for him to do that to Brock. Goddamn! I was pumping my fist here six years later cheering him on. Like many, I originally thought the finish was a copout, but I think it was genius now. The whole Brock does not where Cena went after after he missed the legdrop is great. I love how he gets on the stairs to look for him and then spots Cena's hand. The way Brock's face changes with that sick, sadistic smile. We say sick, sadistic smile a lot in pro wrestling, but no one has a better one than Brock Lesnar. You really believe especially in this match that Brock was going to do baddd things to Cena. That following bump by Brock was even MORE INSANE than I remembered it. Holy Shit! When Brock is on his A-Game, he is the best seller and best bumper in the WWE and he is like 300 fucking lbs. He is The Beast. What a fucking wipe out. He sells the leg, shakes it off and that look of "Lets do that again, but this time I KILL THE BITCH" is amazing. That's when it happens in a supreme moment of pride and arrogance, Brock Lesnar goes for that very move that nearly seriously hurt him and leaves him completely vulnerable as he is flyign through the air, but this time John Cena has his Thug Life Chain and he drills Brock right in the head. Brock's selling after this is amazing, but all the focus is back on Cena's who is FIRED UP! F-U ON THE STAIRS! 1-2-3! Home Fucking Run! Two of the all-time greats putting on a match that displays their unique characters and physical abilities telling the story of Pride vs Perseverance. *****

Koji Kanemoto vs Fujita Jr Hayato - NJPW 5/26/11 While this pales in comparison to their 2009 match, this is still a great, hard-hitting match. It definitely feels a junior NOAH match with all the fighting spirit and defiance. I liked the shoving before the bell and the fighting before Kanemoto takes off the robe. Kanemoto wrestled like a great veteran early taking advantage of mistakes. He ended up getting a gnarly ankle submission out of an abdominal stretch. Then he made the mistake of going high risk and Hayato kicked him in the head. Hayato channeled his inner Shibata with a ton of stiff kicks. Then they kinda lost me with all the fighting spirit, strike exchange. Those punches at the end were ferocious. Hayato is such a great verbal seller. Then it became a big rush of Hayato's Guillotine Choke vs Kanemoto's Heel Hook. Again Hayato's verbal selling made this. There was one great counter into the heel hook from the choke, but ultimately the choke did Kanemoto in. Action-packed, lots of hard hitting and a good submission vs submission story, wished the transitions could have been tighter and the fighting spirit was dropped. ****

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Minoru Suzuki - NJPW G-1 Climax 8/14/11 G-1 Climax 2011 was the first sign of life to come of New Japan being the workrate powerhouse of the globe to fill the void left by the demise of NOAH/King's Road. If you look at Ditch's Best of for 2011 it is littered with New Japan matches and from the G-1 Climax. New Japan would of course explode in 2012 with Tanahashi vs Okada taking center stage. This is a semi-finals match. The winner wins the Block and advances to the finals. I thought this did a great job telling the story of "he who hesitates is lost". The counters were fast and furious and if you didnt keep your foot on the gas pedal than your opponent would take the advantage. Nakamura had Suzuki up against the ropes with some knees and he left him to go work up a head of steam and Suzuki exploded out with a kneelift of his own. Great heat segment on the outside. Lots of railings and even classic American stuff like Suzuki distracting the ref and having his goon beat up Nakamura. Suzuki lets up on the gas and starts to get cocky in the ring and Nakamura launches a salvo of kneelifts. He then KO Punches the goon on the apron, but he admires his handiwork for too long as Suzuki sneaks up with a rear naked choke. Then it is Suzuki who makes the mistake of charging Nakamura and eating a kneelift. Then ending stretch is a great barrage of counters. Suzuki is the man. I love how he sold the palm strike exchange and how he sold that one big Nakamura punch. I love how because Nakamura telegraphed the Boma Ye Knee, Suzuki avoided it and ended up hitting his own. I love how Suzuki goads Nakamura into punching him again, but Suzuki ducks and then goes for the choke to set up the piledriver, but Nakamura is countering the piledriver. Next thing you know Nakamura has him in a flying cross armbreaker, but Suzuki tries to counter BOMA YE! OUT OF NOWHERE! 1-2-3! I love how sudden this was. They were just jockeying and it was anybody's ballgame. It also played into the story that you couldnt telegraph anything. Everything had to be sudden. Amazing display of counterwrestling and quick wrestling. ****1/2

Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase vs Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu - AJPW 12/12/85 I have a sneaking suspicion they are going to do a 30 minute draw so I am going to break this up into halves. First 15 minutes: Ted DiBiase is just weird in All Japan. He looked lost. There was that weird backdrop/sunset flip from Yatsu at the outset that crowd openly laughed at. The constant chinlocking. He just did not fit. From a kayfabe point of view, he constantly lost the advantage that Hansen would garner. Hansen was fucking awesome. Everytime he tagged in DiBiase, DiBiase would end up on his back before you knew it I think Ted's best offense was sending Yatsu to the outside for Hansen to beat up. This is one of those matches that you can point to Stan Hansen single-handledly elevating by his sheer force of his will. That opening lock up with Choshu was electric. I loved how Hansen fought out of the double team. How active he was on the apron, he yanked Yatsu during one rope running segment and bulldozed Choshu in the Scorpion Deathlock in the other both times bailing out DiBiase's sorry ass. The Japanese team was solid. It was a typical All Japan tag. There was a lot of action, but not too much in the way of narrative. The captains looked strong and the junior partners took the heat. So far it has been good wrestling and an inspired Stan Hansen. Welp, I called it. A 30 minute draw. Anytime four greats meander for the first 15 minutes, it just reeks of a draw. Second 15 minutes: Last ten minutes pick up in a big way. Pretty everything after Hansen smacks Yatsu in the head with a rotary phone is gold. Rotary phone that is not something you see too often. They hit a spike piledriver on Yatsu and milk the countout win. Hansen misses the Western Lariat and Yatsu hits a big time dropkick. Choshu & Yatsu work over Hansen's lariat arm and actually babyface him with the crowd chanting his name. Then the finish run is total fun, energetic All Japan chaos. Choshu is nailing lariats on everybody. Hansen eats a spike piledriver at one point. Hansen is actually a pretty good babyface. Hansen is selling his arm and fatigue. He sort of half collapses-half Lariats Choshu while he has DiBiase in the Scoprion Deathlock. An important note since this is part of the Real World Tag League, a draw means Hansen/DiBiase win the tournament thats why Choshu/Yatsu are pouring it on and the gaijin team is content with just playing defense. The bell rings just as Hansen elbows Yatsu while he was covering DiBiase. JIP to the last ten minutes of this 30 minute draw and you will find a rowdy, energetic match, but the first twenty drag. It is cool to see Hansen vs Choshu, but other than that it is just a good match. ***1/2

WWF World Heavyweight Champion ManKind vs The Rock - WWF Royal Rumble 1999 I Quit Match This was the my WWF PPV we ever bought and what a shitshow it was before this match! The Rock was so much cooler in 1999 than he is now. I love this feud. What a natural pairing the cocky jock vs. loveable loser and love it eventually morphed into the Rock N Sock Connection. These two were made for each other. I am going to do this review backwards. The screwjob finish is about the only way out unless you want to completely shatter a heel's credibility. Theres no way you can have a babyface say I Quit. So why not just play the tape of Foley saying I Quit at the beginning of the match. Well, there was a lot of enmity between the two. The Rock really did hate Foley at the time so you think he would want to dish out some pain after being humiliated earlier in the month losing to Foley. I'll give them a pass on the finish. I think was serviceable and what needed to be done. Now the chairshots. They were brutal and plentiful. I lost count. It is definitely one of the more brutal things you will ever see in wrestling. To have his kids front row for Mick Foley's Masochistic Theatre of Pain is weird. I have never read his book. I think I listened to him once on Austin's podcast, but I kinda forget the deal. I think he had a shoot grudge with The Rock afterwards. I have a hard time believing The Rock went into business for himself. It just seems very much in Foley's nature to invite this level of sick pain. It is definitely one of the nastier ways to end a match. Now the electrocution bump. Horrible setup. The Rock just climbing up there for no reason. Foley takes the bump, sparks fly. Cool bump and the lights go out. Shane-O Mac sells it by coming out to stop the match. The Rock gets all indignant that he is going to make his fat ass say I Quit. I liked the People's Elbow on the chair. The ballshots were great hope spots in the handcuffs. Everything before Foley Masochistic Theatre of Pain (electrocution bump and chairshots) was awesome! Like they were well on their way to a classic. Great babyface shine. Foley was rocking. Rocky was bumping. I loved stuff like Rock whipping Foley into the steps for his first bit of offense after the Mankind onslaught, he gets cocky and starts jaw-jacking on commentary. Foley attacks him. Rocky had only hit one move. He had NOT cemented advantage and he paid for it. Great stuff! Loved the Double Arm DDT and Mr. Socko early. Great climatic way to end the shine. It is definitely in Foley's nature to want more pain. He lives for pain and it is not enough. The Rock's heat segment was entertaining as hell. Ringing the bell in the ear, singing a little bit, Evian Spew on Foley. Then Foley's hot comeback which leads to the electrocution bump. Great, hate-filled beginning, terrible setup for the big bump, good stuff directly after the big bump, sick, self-indulgent Foley's Theatre of pain is way too much and the screwjob finish is serviceable. Overall I think this is WWF MOTY for 1999 (terrible year) and still a really interesting match to watch. ****1/4

I dont know what was wrong with me in 2014 but man I didnt know how to rate matches back then. I feel like I should revisit this at some point.

I have been very busy compiling a master spreadsheet to get myself in order for the Greatest Match Ever project, but sometimes a dude just wants to watch some wrestling. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WWF Bad Blood '97 Man, I remember the build for this match like it was yesterday. I just started watching wrestling in late July of 97 and this was one of the feuds that totally hooked me. Shawn Michaels was at the peaks of his heel powers. So, so, so obnoxious. I remember absolutely hating D-X as a kid and I wanted Undertaker to murder him in the ring. That's basically how they sell this match as legalized murder. In hype, everybody is saying this could be Michaels' last match or the last we see of Michaels. Maybe the match I have seen the most in my life. Watching it back, there was not a spot I forgot. I could call the whole match and it is beautiful. We all know the story this is a Horror Movie come to life, but it has been turn on its head. The monster is the hero and the loudmouth prick is being brought to justice, but being locked in the Cell with Frankenstein. Like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Undertaker rises over and over again. On offense, The Undertaker is perfect and delivers a bone-chilling performance as the remorseless monster stalking his prey. It is not a mood that is invoked a lot in wrestling, but dread is the feeling. Shawn does a great job never letting the babyface shine become heel in peril. With a babyface that moves as slow as the Undertaker and pace being methodical, it could feel that way, but Shawn's big bumping and how they escalate the violence never let this become boring. My one complaint is that it was a little too easy for The Undertaker to take command. I would have loved Shawn try to throw a lot more strategies early on and watch them fail in spectacular fashion. We see him try speed and eat the big boot then he tries punching and then tries a poke to the eye. However, he is so focused on bumping that he needs to show a little more "Oh fuck, I'm screwed" when each plan backfires. I LOVE, LOVE the heat segment. I love how Michaels ducks on the third ricochet off the cage and Taker goes into it. I love that it takes TWO more spots for Michaels' to cement his advantage: he shoves Taker off the apron sending him hard into the cage and then the suicide dive. Then I love the full court press. The elbow drop using the cage is fucking awesome. Came off great. Piledriver on the steel stairs is awesome. Chairshots playing off Summerslam was great, but he should have went for the head and given us double juice. I really liked that big boot hope spot when Taker tied up in the ropes. It got a big pop (biggest of the match thus far) and was a great hope spot. The backdrop over the top rope wipes out the cameraman. Michaels throws a temper tantrum, which plays into his character. I didnt like that Taker had control and had hit the last two spots took so much of a breather to allow Michaels to do this and that Michaels went back on top right afterwards to go through his finish sequence. I think you need a spot in there to have Michaels retake command by Taker missing a move or Michaels be more desperate to attack the cameraman in order to open the cage door. Sweet Chin Music->Zombie Situp is an excellent transition as to why Michaels wanted to get the Hell Out of Dodge. The ending is perfect and revolutionary. The slingshot bladejob, Taker killing Michaels, HBK going down low and then making the impulsive, but dumb decision to climb the cage. The work on top of the cage is amazing and tense. The highspot is iconic even if Foley blew it out of the water the next year. Michaels crumpled in a bloody heap is an amazing visual. I love how they make sure Taker's gets revenge by caving Michaels' brain in with the steel chair as he finally get his receipt for Summerslam only for Kane to debut. What an amazing finish! Kane debuts in the most epic fashion possible and that fucking little bastard Michaels somehow reaps the rewards. Not only does he survive to fight another day, but he gets to gloat about how he beat him. Goddamn if that ain't great booking I dont know what is. A+ for ambiance, narrative and booking. They nailed the big picture, there were just a couple details that could have enhanced the match, but still one of the most influential matches in US Pro Wrestling history and one that is so unique in its dark, slow mood. ****3/4

I am just going through all my reviews now and compiling a spreadsheet for the Greatest Match Ever Project. I am loving that everyone from WingedEagle to Chad to OJ all loved this. I felt like I was going out on a limb with this match but man alive that one-armed comeback is one of the greatest things to ever come out of pro wrestling.

They actually have even better match in 2003 for the Triple Crown if you wanna check that out. They have good chemistry

I love Becky Lynch but I'm pretty bummed about the booking of Asuka.

AMEN! Preach sista! Loving the winning streak gimmick.

Really? I thought AJ/Rusev blew that out of the water. Seemed like a standard triple threat to me. AJ vs Rusev I thought was one of the better matches of WWE since Mania.