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garretta

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Everything posted by garretta

  1. garretta
    Did Sherri show up, and did the King confront her? If the answer to both questions is yes, then why is this segment on the disc instead of that one? Even though they're on opposing teams, the idea of Lawler and Brian playing softball together seems dangerously close to breaking kayfabe, such as it still is. How many wrestling fans showed up to that game expecting a fistfight, or at the very least a beanball war? Corey's lived in Memphis long enough to be a Lance Russell fan and imitator and can't even pronounce the name of one of the towns surrounding it? How much more pathetic can you get?
  2. garretta
    This is too short to say much about. It's a little late for cowboy gimmicks to mean much in wrestling. but if Vince had to have one, this is as good as any. The references to cowboys and Western movies are a little heavy-handed, but what else is new? See you in '94, guys!
  3. garretta
    I wonder if Okerlund was taking some time off after Mania due to his liver illness. He hasn't looked like his old self since late '91, and when he moves to WCW later this year, he'll really start to look like death warmed over. I don't recall a Bret-Luger feud coming out of this, so I'm not sure why they did it. They needed to find an excuse to have Curt speak, since he was Luger's opponent, and have the knockout lead into their match. Gino sounds way too judgmental here. Being judgmental's fine in the booth up to a point, but this is the closest thing the WWF has to a straight news segment. Okerlund's been known to get on his high horse at times too, but he projects outrage, while Gino just sounds like he's whining here. Luger's finally getting what it means to be a smarmy no-good so-and-so. He's never been this out-and-out heelish before, even when he was WCW World champion. If this keeps up, people might actually start mistaking him for a good performer. (I didn't notice anything wrong with his hair, which is an indication of just how good this promo was.)
  4. garretta
    Actually, the Funk-Gilbert feud had been going on for a while in Philly; we have examples of their matches on the '92 set. There wasn't much here except the chair shots and Terry's promo, which is an excellent example of the crazy old man character that he'd play throughout the nineties. I liked the chaotic feel to this brought about by the less-than-perfect production values, suh as the audio acting up and the announcers screaming about getting control. I can't wait to see where this goes next; I have a feeling that it'll be straight to hell (in a good way).
  5. garretta
    I thought I'd seen the limits of wrestler stupidity, but I guess I was wrong. Morton knows damn well that this is a trap set by Corny and the Bodies, even says so on the air, but casually decides to fall for it anyway for no good reason. Why not have the Bodies attack from behind in front of Caudle? Seriously, did Bob have a health issue at this time that stopped him from getting too close to physical contact, even by accident? Why else would you book your top babyfaces to know perfectly well that a trap's being set for them, but decide to walk into it of their own free will? I've never heard of that before, at least not as blatantly as it was done here. Morton's promo afterward undid some of the damage, but not nearly enough. Still, I get the feeling that something big's going down soon with regard to this feud, and it just might involve Mr. Lane. I thought Stan lasted a little longer than this, but I guess not. The highlight of this for me was Dutch launching into some bullshit explanation of why he couldn't go down and stop the Bodies, then deciding to tell the truth: he hates both teams and wants to see them kill each other. Stuff like that is why Dutch is the best color commentator in wrestling at this time.
  6. garretta
    I think Bamm Bamm and Doc were trying to sell the effects of their respective arm injuries, which would have made it difficult for each of them to lift or hold one another. That might account for the slowness of pace here. Still, I agree with those who say that this was nothing like the action-packed brawls that these two had when Bamm Bamm was UWF champion and Doc was his top contender. Those were real rock 'em sock 'em affairs, to say the least. It's a bit of a surprise to me that Bamm Bamm went over. I have no idea if Baba had any plans for him as a single, but it seemed to me that Doc had more upside at this time, and a win or two in a round robin like this might have helped boost his singles career, even if he wouldn't have won the tournament or made the finals.
  7. garretta
    I liked this more than the rest of you. I really got into the idea of the plucky youngster Kobashi coming so close to defeating the ace Misawa, and it helped that until now Kobashi has been Misawa's number three in the feud against Jumbo/Taue. Misawa may have expected this kind of a battle from his chief lieutenant Kawada, but not from one of the junior members of his side. There may have been a few too many nearfalls, but they all worked in the context of the story being told: never-say-die Kobashi showing Misawa that he's more than just a flunky. I hope to see a rematch in the future at some point, preferably with the Triple Crown on the line,
  8. garretta
    The great thing about the conflict between Corny and Bullet Bob is that Bullet Bob really does seem to have it in for Corny and his boys. He's such a good promo and explains his decisions in such a way that Corny can easily scream bias, and that's what separated him from people like Jack Tunney, who are so stiff on camera that they seem incapable of human emotion at all. It's clear now that Bobby was supposed to be the one turning face if he'd stayed, fighting first Prichard, then eventually Lane. I don't recall any rumor reveals from Will's SMW set, so I'm guessing that Bobby went back to Atlanta before that part of the angle could be shot. I liked how Corny couldn't control his boys, even after he'd told them in no uncertain terms to stop fighting. There are times when you get the feeling that any one of the Bodies, or indeed all three at once, could slap Corny silly and leave him laying if they get mad enough. Where's Killer Kyle when you need him? Bob Caudle was such a delicious instigator here. My favorite exchange is this one (I'm paraphrasing): Corny: How can (Bullet Bob) rule that Bobby's not one of the tag team champions? Caudle: Because he's the Commissioner. Commissioner Bob Armstrong! Corny: I know he's the Commissioner! You might as well say he's Fathead McGee! I also liked Corny's response when Dr. Tom demanded that Bobby give him a thousand dollars: "He doesn't have a thousand dollars!" Oh? And just how would you know that, Corny? I can't wait to see the actual match between Prichard and Eaton, as well as the fallout from it. It should be something else!
  9. garretta
    I can't judge the full match by what we saw here, but at the very least this was one hell of a finishing stretch. Kobashi's really grown up a lot, to the point that beating Kawada seems more then possible, especially with Kawada nursing a bloody nose and mouth and an injured knee. Kawada overcomes the challenge with the help of lots of guile and multiple powerbombs. I loved the visual of Kawada kicking Kobashi out of mid-air. Can you imagine what kind of timing it takes to do something like that and have it look good? I see that we have a Misawa-Kobashi match elsewhere on this disc. Since Kawada gave Misawa all he could handle earlier in the tournament, it'll be interesting to see if Kobashi can give Misawa a similar fight, given that he took Kawada to the limit here.
  10. garretta
    Where do we begin? I'm actually not all that disturbed by the "Jimmy Hart turns referee" stuff. This is the same promotion which allowed the Junkyard Dog to count his own pinfall on Moondog Spot at the Wrestling Classic when the ref for that match was apparently late to the ring, so why not have a manager attempt to count a fall for his team at Mania? The Danny Davis stuff was a hundred times worse. I don't give a shit in Sheboygan whose manager Jimmy is, him throwing Davis, who used to be an actual wrestler, over the top rope like yesterday's trash was the most ridiculous thing I've seen yet. If you want to do something like that, have Hogan do it himself. It may sound like a stupid thing to get mad at compared to what else went on during this whole mess of a card, but you can't even concoct a bad excuse for it. Thank heaven the announcers didn't try to sell this as right. Even Savage, who's supposed to be the babyface color guy here, seemed to respect the decision to DQ Hogan and Beefcake (our portion of the match picked up after the ref bump, so we didn't get to see what actually caused the DQ). We all know Vince would have been demanding the ref's head on a pike for daring to disqualify a man who's been as put upon as Beefcake has been, and of course no one would dare disqualify the Immortal Hulk Hogan. I have no idea who booked a losing Hogan posedown to go on as long as it did. My guess is that someone thought it was better than just having an intermission with nothing else going on, but the announcers were left scrambling for stuff to say, since they were obligated to call a segment which didn't even feature much posing until almost the end. They should have had a brief celebration, then gone right to handing Teddy's money out, which really seemed to pop the crowd. If there's one thing celebrities like Natalie Cole don't need, it's money. even money passed out by a real live honest-to-God WWF Superstar. Thank God Hogan missed her, although she certainly sounded like she wanted some in the interview. Heenan's begging, on the other hand was hilarious as always. Savage was a true pro here; from the way he put over Hogan and Beefcake you would have never guessed that he was the one responsible for Hogan's black eye just hours before. Nice save by Hogan during his interview by claiming that people working for Money Inc. gave it to him instead. The rest of his promo was nothing special, although I thought words like "Jap" were considered politically incorrect by 1993. Then again, this is Hogan we're talking about, and rules don't always apply to Immortals. Line of the Night goes to Savage: "The Megamaniacs are the Megamaniacs!" See, Vince? That's what happens when posediowns run too long.
  11. garretta
    Forget the political garganzola; this was presented terribly. Most of the posters before me have talked about how weak the Bret/Yoko finish was; what they left out was the Bret sold it wrong, like knockout powder instead of a blinding substance. He should have been screaming and writhing around in pain, even while Yoko was covering him, not just laying there so Yoko could hook his leg. Then, of course, we get the Hogan stuff. A lot of people are so fixated on the backstage reasons for the switch that they forget about how badly it was handled onscreen. Hogan (the character) didn't want the match then, he just wanted to help Bret back to the locker room. But Fuji, who should have been celebrating the title win with Yoko, instead issued the challenge, and called Hogan a yellowbelly when he appeared to wave it off. What the hell else could Hogan do? If he doesn't take the match then, not only is he a coward, but he'll most likely never get a shot at a belt that he (again, in character) still considers his. How to fix this? Assuming that the same parameters are in place (Yoko beats Bret, Hogan beats Yoko), have Hogan make the challenge, with Fuji and Yoko trying to duck it. (I personally would have done this on the next live Raw, but I can see Vince wanting the surprise twist happy ending). This way, the whole thing is about Yoko's cheating Hogan's friend Bret out of the title, not what an idiot poor hapless Fuji is and how lucky he is that an angry Yoko doesn't squash him like a grape for costing him (Yoko) the title. Alternatively, simply leave Yoko out of the mix, can the Beefcake/Money Inc. stuff, and have a returning Hogan challenge and beat Bret cleanly for the title. Nobody knew at the time that Hogan would work so little while he was champion to the point where Vince wanted the belt off of him, so the plan would be for Hogan to beat Bret, then spend the summer dealing with Yoko the foreign menace. Give Hogan what became the Luger push, complete with tour bus and the bodyslam challenge on the USS Intrepid, then have Hogan beat Yoko at SummerSlam. (I don't know what you do at King of the Ring; maybe a Yoko match with a screwy finish of some sort.) Then the buildup to a Bret/Hogan Mania X begins. The end result is that as Hulkamania began at MSG in 1984, so it will end at MSG in 1994, as Bret makes Hogan give up in the Sharpshooter and the New Generation takes over. Hogan goes to WCW (most likely) and history continues from there. As for the commentary, we didn't hear enough for it to really matter, but I'll say that JR didn't sound out of place here at all. In fact, he sounded revitalized, calling a new promotion with new broadcast partners and new types of angles to get over. He sounded as genuinely excited to call a Hogan title win as he was to call one for Flair or Sting, and let's face it, anything is better than Vince's obnoxious overshilling and refusal to actually call the matches in front of him. Heenan overdid the confusion bit at the end, but I'm sure there were fans out there who were as confused as he seemed to be, Now to watch the tag title match.
  12. garretta
    This was worth nothing to me because of the Mexican announcer talking over it. Ninety percent of the fun of Jake comes from promos, so if I can't hear them going forward this whole run will be a waste.
  13. garretta
    What does it say about Vince's confidence in Yoko as a potential champion that he was booked to lose the title in the way he was? I understand wanting to make Hogan champion, but couldn't they have done it at the next live Raw? A title match involving Hogan would certainly have gotten monster ratings. I'll have more to say on this when I actually rewatch the whole Hogan/Bret/Yoko situation a little later. Stay tuned!
  14. garretta
    I'm surprised that Bret couldn't figure out the finish by himself. If someone as small as he is beats a guy Yoko's size, the guy who's Yoko's size becomes a laughingstock unless it's a longer match where the bigger guy gets visibly worn out. Vince didn't do non-pinfall finishes in Mania main events (Hogan-Sid being an obvious exception, and that's only because Hogan was leaving), so he should have guess that he was going down at least semi-clean. Whether he would have ever dreamed about Hogan taking the belt so soon and thus screwing him out of rematches (at least in the short term) is another matter. Match the previous weekend or no, I found it odd that Randy got almost all the screen time with Bret here while Vince and Lawler got almost none. Had I been asked to guess which direction the company was going, I would have said that they were subtly setting up a Savage heel turn and a Savage-Hart feud, whether the title was involved or not. Bret's actual promo was about what you'd expect. I was a little annoyed at Savage for constantly spelling "respect" instead of saying the word. Then again, he's always done that going back to his original WWF heel run, and he probably did it in Memphis and his dad's promotion too. Lawler looked like a goof smiling at nothing while Bret was talking. I had no idea he was this bad this soon; if I didn't already know that this was the same guy who was the top babyface in Memphis, and was actually taken seriously in that role, I never would have guessed it from seeing this. They're really pushing the toga idea; I can't wait to see how ridiculous guys like JR, Gino, and Heenan look in theirs. I also can't wait to see Savage's idea of a "Macho Toga".
  15. garretta
    The different gimmick wasn't the shocking part to me; it was the choice of music. If there's any artist that's less like the ECW we all came to know than Billy Joel, I'd like to know who it is. It's always interesting to see Hak as an actual wrestler, because once his found his cigarettes and his Singapore cane, his skills went into hibernation and very seldom came out again. He actually looked good here in Memphis against Lawler.
  16. garretta
    A whole lot packed into a little over three minutes. I didn't know that the issue between the Bodies and the Studds was still unsettled after Bluegrass Brawl. Then again, if Rock 'n' Roll won the three-team match, I guess it would make sense for the two losing teams to still have unfinished business. The Prichard-Eaton stuff was gold, and it's a shame that this is only a setup to send Bobby back to WCW. I'd like to have seen which one of these guys would have turned face, and which side Stan would have been on. As I've said before, this is what separates the Bodies from the MX; as great as the MX were in the ring, they had very little team personality that didn't belong to Corny. The Bodies, particularly Dr. Tom, are individuals first with their own agendas, thoughts, and personalities. That's why Corny's reaction is such a treat to see; he's not used to his guys doing anything that he (or, by proxy, his mother) doesn't tell them to do. One member of his team going after another's singles title? Unheard of and inconceivable! Even if this ends up petering out (as I've heard it does), the setup itself was compelling TV. Bob was excellent here, although I did catch him smiling at Corny's remarks about the Studs, which is out of character for him. I loved his reaction when he drew Dr. Tom's name out of the bag, and he was also great when Corny tried to tear up his injunction. He just may be the best TV show host in wrestling today, although Dave Brown in Memphis also has an excellent case.
  17. garretta
    And so the best heel run on wrestling today continues. Hey, if I had a woman as good-looking as Nancy was feeding me grapes, I'd feel better too! The doctor in this clip looked a lot like Mark Curtis/Brian Hildebrand with glasses and a fake beard.
  18. garretta
    Shawn's getting more and more arrogant by the day, it seems. We peons should be lucky that he bothered to mention Tatanka at all. Lawler didn't do anything all that offensive here, but his obvious joke book-by-numbers insults still turn me off completely. I just hope that the Bret feud turns out to be worth it.
  19. garretta
    This was so much better and more intense than the October match it wasn't funny. It's as if Baba told them to go out there and have their final breakup as part of the match, because by the end you wonder how they were ever partners. These guys stiffed the hell out of each other. Zenjo said above that too much of this match felt like a closing stretch. Maybe, but what a closing stretch it was! These two are being built as the two toughest bastards on the planet, as they each survive multiple mortal-lock finishers before Misawa throws once of the hardest forearm/elbow strikes in wrestling history to put Kawada away. I didn't hear the announcer since I was calling the match in English for my own amusement, but his comparison of that elbow to Hansen's lariat is dead-on. If you're looking for a "heel turn" moment for Kawada, check out the bulldog on the floor. That's when I realized that these two wouldn't be exchanging any more Christmas cards or changing each other's flat tires anymore. I think the powerbomb is losing its danger. Kawada executed three of them on Misawa and didn't come close to putting him away, and Misawa hit a pair of Tiger Drivers on Kawada to no avail. When the Yearbooks started in '90, a well-executed powerbomb was a guaranteed finisher, and multiple powerbombs meant a stretcher job.
  20. garretta
    I like Flamingo better than Raven too; at least I understand what the hell Flamingo's talking about most of the time. Of course, he has no chance against Lawler, but he could be a force in Memphis a rung or two down the ladder. The thing that struck me most is that he insulted the crowd's teeth, then deftly segued into the promo before Dave could take his momentum away by scolding him. Levy knows when to let a straight man set him up and when to carry the ball himself, which is a skill a lot of younger guys don't have, even in '93.
  21. garretta
    It's amazing that Savage is going to these lengths to promote a spot show. Like Pete said, maybe he's just that anxious to wrestle again. I'm not sure if Savage is a heel here or not. I know that he's automatically positioned as the heel just by being opposite Lawler, but I don't think he's actually playing one, at least not yet. That's why he's wearing the Headlock on Hunger shirt. Or maybe he just didn't have anything else to throw on at the time this promo was ready to be cut. Who knows?
  22. garretta
    This is the first Michinoku Pro bout I've ever seem that I know of, and the action looked very good. I was prepared not to like it much, but these guys surprised me, particularly Rudo and Sasake, who were the stars of their respective teams. There wasn't any new ground broken or anything, but the lucha-type spots we've all come to know were done very well. The countout finish was a bit of a letdown, but since this is one of the promorions first cards and they want to build up some feuds, I'll overlook it I had no idea what went on in the postmatch brawl except that Sasake got his mask pulled off. I noticed that for whatever reason, Signo and Rudo didn't participate. I don't know if I'll end up a fan of this promotion or not, but based on this match I'm willing to give it another chance.
  23. garretta
    Add me to the chorus of those who liked this. Samurai may be the best opponent Liger's ever had, so it makes sense that he'd shine just as brightly against Dragon, and he did. The first three-quarters of this one was his, as he worked over Dragon's neck and back looking for a submission. He didn't get it, but once Dragon took the advantage, he knew he has to end the match quickly so Samurai didn't catch him again. Meanwhile, Samurai was just as desperate to attain the victory that had slipped through his grasp earlier. This mutual desperation made the usual nearfall sequence at the end mean more than it usually does, and when Dragon got the pin, his sense of relief nearly jumped through the screen. The crowd was a lot more partisan here than in the heavyweight matches, although both men got chants by the end in appreciation of their hard work. I got the impression that Samurai didn't refuse Dragon's handshake at the end just to be a jerk; while he's certainly capable of being a jerk, I think he was also disappointed in himself for letting New Japan and its fans down at a time when they needed a win desperately. I hope we see these two face off again at some point, because this one certainly deserves a rematch.
  24. garretta
    I wasn't invested in this match until I realized that Ohara was a bloody mess. After that, I got into the nearfalls more, and of course Hash coming in, cleaning house, and getting the pinfall was fun to see. New Japan finally gets a win to keep things interesting, even though this is basically the AA version of the rosters except for Hash. Even Hara's a step below guys like Choshu and Tenryu at this point in his career. He could still throw a mean headbutt, though. The crowds for this feud don't divide along promotional lines. I don't know Japanese, but from what I can tell contextually guys like Hash and Choshu get as many cheers as they do boos, even though it's a WAR event. The action here was good, but since I only knew Hash and Hara right off the top of my head, the emotional involvement is missing. I didn't know that the Fuyuki in this match was Ricky from Footloose until I read this thread. Still, I'll save my emotional powder for the titanic confrontations that I know are still to come.
  25. garretta
    This was very, very good. Kido brought his shoot-style submissions, which added a different dynamic, especially in a wild finish like the one we got. Unfortunately, he's the one who was pinned by Tenryu while Choshu has the scorpion on someone whom he knew wasn't the legal man in the ring. There had to be a better way to keep Choshu occupied that didn't make him look like he'd parked his brains rught where they would do him no good. Kido and Ishikawa more than held their own, and Ishikawa's really becoming someone to conjure with on the WAR side of things. He's an excellent partner for Tenryu at this stage of their careers. Having Choshu as the one taking the punishment for New Japan was an out-of-the-box choice, but he was very good at it. He also delivered enough to keep the match competitive at the same time. The postmatch brawl was pure chaos, complete with Hash throwing the table at Tenryu. I also liked Tenryu and Ishikawa standing clear of the chaos they helped to create until they were actually bumped into. They've been on the winning team consistently so far in this feud; why stoop to postmatch violence like those curs from NJPW? It looks like it may take a surprise appearance from Inoki to turn the tide for New Japan, as Tenryu and WAR have had their way so far. The matches have been consistently high-quality, but NJPW needs some wins soon to keep the fans' attention and interest.
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