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PeteF3

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Everything posted by PeteF3

  1. PeteF3
    Man, Quack's attire is bad but not THAT bad, is it? I've seen Jerry Lawler in uglier outfits than that. My completely uneducated, uninformed, and ignorant opinion of Quackenbush is that for whatever faults he has as either a worker or promoter, he did "get" the storytelling and dramatic aspects of puroresu more than many other indy guys, who seemingly only took away the big moves, near-falls, and head drops. He actually shows some nifty mat wrestling moves here and overall his execution is okay enough. Darling is bad other than a few nice punches. This match has the feel of a pre-choreographed dance routine more than a wrestling match at times and I put most of the blame on that on Darling. I'm with Childs on this--I'm not sorry I watched this, and there are worse indy matches of the time period that we've already seen on these sets, but I don't need to see any more of this tournament either. P.S.: "I Touch Myself" is a fairly inspired choice of ring music for an indy heel.
  2. PeteF3
    Yeah, bad match, with both guys often looking like they're working underwater. I don't mind RVD in certain very specific instances but I don't think any of those instances involve him working as a heel. Scorp's fallen off badly being stuck in McMahonland for these past couple of years. The 1995 Scorpio might have been able to salvage something out of this.
  3. PeteF3
    Goldberg coming to the aid of WCW should be a monumental event and the freshest development in the main event scene in months, but even though he gets a monster pop for the double spear, the execution and timing is way off--just way too long of a beatdown both before his appearance and after he leaves. The only other interesting thing was seeing DiBiase in at least 3 separate mini-"dream matches"--taking on Rude, taking on Hennig, and as a babyface taking on a heel Vincent.
  4. PeteF3
    Forget the videos on the last Raw--the video a few weeks ago about CHYNA was better done and more informative than this. By this point I really don't even want to hear Bret's catchphrase ever again, because that's his entire character so far.
  5. PeteF3
    Ha, I recently had this to say about one of Cornette's 1997 rants: "Does *anyone* from the South like Connecticut? I haven't been there myself but man does that place seem to angry up the blood in these people ... I'm not a guy to fetishize NYC or any particular part of it but there's honestly a bit of over-the-top regionalism here that I'm not comfortable with." 1996 and '97 was just filled with on-air comments from guys like Ross and Cornette about how Connecticut is an "overpriced hellhole." That state also drove Schiavone out of the WWF, I think mostly over the cost of living. It's definitely not nearly used as an indictment of the region itself, but the Northeast and Midwest territories *do* have a much greater reputation for being stodgy and boring whereas all the action was in the South and in Texas. I'm not even saying that's totally untrue but I'm pretty sure it's less true than some people like Cornette would have you believe.
  6. PeteF3
    Really cool angle on MTV Live, as Raven interrupts a DDP promo piece and sends Carson Daly, Dave Grohl, and the other Foo Fighter running for cover, and DDTs Page through the coffee table. Good to see some mainstream attention for the WCW mid-card, which is the most entertaining and well-booked part of the product right now.
  7. PeteF3
    WE--HAVE CLEARED--CABLEVISION!!!!!! Monster pop.
  8. PeteF3
    In the first five minutes we get an incredible Awesome lariat, Awesome springboarding to the floor with another clothesline, and a Firebird Splash. None of that fancy-ass psychology shit here, this is a spotfest all the way. It starts off pretty great but both guys get really sloppy down the stretch, with Hayabusa blowing a few relatively basic counters even while hitting his highspots. Still hit or miss on both these guys, who are clearly terrific athletes but need someone else to guide them if you want a truly great overall wrestling match. They're like better versions of early-'90s Ultimo Dragon (since both can at least get their characters over).
  9. PeteF3
    What a mess. Sting repels down from a helicopter in an INCREDIBLE visual that's pretty much forgotten about by the time the show goes off the air. If the WWF had done something like that it'd be a "where were you when...?" moment for years to come, like Foley flying off the Cell. Maybe it's because while that's going on the camera is trying to also focus on a confrontation between Savage and Hogan's Mystery Man. Is it that hard to give this fuckhead a NAME already? Match is nothing and is poorly laid out. Savage makes a blind tag to Hogan, fully acknowledged by Mickey Jay. When Hogan hesitates, Luger rolls Savage up and Jay makes a count. Why? NWO run-in, brawl, good night, and who gives a shit. For anyone keeping track, Brian Adams and the fucking Disciple have had more Yearbook time than Bret Hart in February and March.
  10. PeteF3
    Why is that "lucky" for the Giant? Why am I dissecting comments made by a guy 3 sheets to the wind anyway? No reaction to the Giant coming out and not really much reaction to the Outsiders hitting the water either. This is overall an amusing segment because guys getting dunked in wrestling is almost never not funny, but the announcers are as bad as modern-day Michael Cole in their guffawing over this as if it's the funniest moment in history.
  11. PeteF3
    Jericho continues to be the best thing about WCW in 1998.
  12. PeteF3
    Thanks, Cinna-Burst! Lots of facetime for WCW superstars like Public Enemy, Kanyon, and Riggs.
  13. PeteF3
    Yeah--hyping a future segment as a confrontation, as opposed to a match, is pure '98-'99 WWF. We get kind of a dopey pull-apart as the ring fills with suits whose appearance is about as nonsensical as their attempts to restrain Elizabeth at WrestleMania 8. Like, DX and the Outlaws have been running roughshod over everybody for 5 months, and Kane tombstoned a mascot on this same show, but they're out there to prevent a fight between these two? Anyway, Sable runs Luna off but gets her knee twisted in the process, and that draws out Kane. Marc Mero gallantly flees the scene to "go get help," but Undertaker makes threats from the TitanTron before Kane can do anything to Sable. Paul Bearer is having too much fun in this role. At least five major matches for WM all got lots of focus, time, and hype on this show.
  14. PeteF3
    More great stuff here as we go over Austin's whole WWF career, with the Ringmaster gimmick being brilliantly explained away by WWF corporate attempting to "put a leash" on Austin and Austin having none of it. Cole openly states that the WWF feels it would not be in their best interests to have Austin as champion, and the closing question sends intrigue over the future direction of the company through the roof: what if Austin wins the title...or what if he doesn't?
  15. PeteF3
    You kind of wish the WWF had the clearance rights to show some of Tyson biting Holyfield to really put over the "anything can happen" vibe that surrounded Tyson at this time, but why nitpick? Because it'd move WM's buyrate from a 2.3 to a 2.32?
  16. PeteF3
    Yep, WCW couldn't have put anything like this together in a million years. Even if they had the creative chops, they didn't have the technical expertise to execute the vision. The WWF takes advantage of an unopposed night to put together a LOOONG video package detailing almost all of Michaels' singles career and getting him over as a guy who won't stay down even if you shoot him point-blank.
  17. PeteF3
    Neat little angle with the Outlaws finally getting some comeuppance at the hands of Jack & Charlie. This was actually a Tuesday episode of Raw, for those keeping track, airing on St. Patrick's Day due to USA showing a mini-series on Monday night.
  18. PeteF3
    Just bad and not only is the luster completely off Sting, it's off Hogan, too. Everything that was fresh and cool about him a year to a year and a half ago is now about as tiresome as his Hulkamania act was in the first half of '96. There's NO heat to this and the big crowd reactions are due entirely to Savage and his comebacks. Maybe it's because no one can fucking see what's going on, but the work sucks also. The Disciple gets involved, because of course he does. Sting repels from the ceiling and I honestly thought it was another fake Sting, then Savage drops him with a piledriver and spits at Hogan and leaves. Everyone has already explained how stupid this is. Sting is back to his old dumb self and the match layout is pretty much another testament to Hogan's egomania. Hey, has anyone seen or heard from Bret Hart lately? WCW is just wasting *everybody* on the roster at this point except for the guys like Jericho who are practically booking themselves. Meanwhile, WrestleMania has hot matches settling major feuds all up and down the card. Even the feud between Sable and Luna has more fan interest than almost any program WCW is offering us.
  19. PeteF3
    Good to see Mark Curtis back again, however briefly. Sadly he really just looks bad and emaciated here, though he still takes a ref bump like a champ as best he can, which is kind of shocking. Sting levels Dusty which is kind of an interesting sight, en route to a victory. Pretty routine but the crowd was into it. Per Dave, the WCW creative brass *did* want to do MegaPowers (Monster Maniacs?) vs. Outsiders, but You-Know-Who overruled that.
  20. PeteF3
    Well, you can't accuse this one of being boring. There are some spots that are kind of eye-rolling, especially ones that were overdone afterward like the triple sleeper. But they seemed fresh and new at the time, and they did a really good job of generally avoiding the "two guys trade spots while one guy rests" pitfall of many multi-man matches like this. The one sequence where DDP is out is set up pretty logically as part of a running thread where it's teased that Raven and Benoit are aligned, which adds a bit of a psychological thread to the brawling. I'm pretty positive that Benoit was Raven's best opponent--maybe not a hot take, but he actually makes Raven look like a hard worker and a guy on his level as a talent. The big climactic move doesn't quite hit but it's a convincing enough finish. I had no idea what to expect going in but this was a lot of fun.
  21. PeteF3
    Okerlund and the whole post-match scene makes very little sense, since there was no putting over of any kind of Malenko losing streak, nor was it put over that Jericho was overmatched and had no chance. With Schiavone openly wondering, "What's this about?" as Okerlund heads into the ring it really feels like a Mean Gene heel turn. "Now you are a bona fide LOSER." Finishing stretch is okay enough, I guess, but little more than that. Okerlund complains that Malenko didn't answer any questions, even though he did answer the one question he asked.
  22. PeteF3
    I actually really hate that UWF triple-title-change episode. The Gordy forfeiture is just so weird and nonsensical that I don't even care what the real story is anymore, whether it was a legit injury or Watts trying to put the Freebirds in their place or what. Having Gang wrestle another match later on just makes things worse. And Leroy Brown and Bill Irwin are like the ultimate who-gives-a-fuck tag champions.
  23. PeteF3
    Why IS it "Super Delfin," exactly? Seems like Super Dolphin is way more accurate.
  24. PeteF3
    I take it this is the Bill Dundee heel turn ep, with a tag team split, an impromptu Southern title change, Lawler losing out on a chance to wrestle Ric Flair, and Lawler hijacking another shot at Dundee by threatening to trash his car with a baseball bat. Yes, this is definitely up there.
  25. PeteF3
    Austin challenging Vince and giving him a title shot on Raw. From a drama standpoint that made you want to see where this was going next, sustaining itself for an entire show, it's hard to beat. It loses a bit in retrospect because a.) the idea of Vince wrestling was completely mindblowing at the time, not so much now, and b.) while you knew this wasn't going to climax with a straight-up match, the ending with Dude Love didn't make a great deal of sense then or now. Still, for an hour and 57 minutes it was brilliantly produced television--from the "is this really going to happen?" vibe after Austin issues his challenge, to Vince being egged on by Patterson and Brisco, to Vince finally accepting, to Ross flipping his shit and selling the angle terrifically as a disaster in the making, to the stalling at the end with Vince's "warmups," Shane trying to stop the match, and Vince forcing Austin to tie his hand behind his back. A perfect blend of Russoian Crash TV with old-school territory bullshit. It's hard to imagine a more *important* episode of Raw either, seeing as it broke Nitro's winning streak when just a few months earlier it seemed like such a thing would never happen again. It also came at the best possible time for the WWF, as Nitro immediately went through its annual 4 weeks of being moved around/pre-empted by the NBA playoffs, allowing the WWF to build momentum off this show unopposed for a month. Other contenders: the episode that made the early run of Raw into a must-watch show, at least for a little while--the double-shot shock booking of the Kid pinning Razor Ramon *and* Marty Jannetty making a surprise return to challenge for and win the IC title from Shawn Michaels. The Raw from the night after Revenge of the 'Taker with Austin challenging Bret Hart to a street fight, crippling him with a chair, and then hijacking the ambulance to do more damage, then taking it a step *further* by ending with the return of Brian Pillman to attack Austin. The backstage attack on Nitro that El-P mentioned, with WCW doing the ballsy move of deliberately sabotaging its own show with shitty make-up matches like Giant vs. Randy Savage turning into Giant vs. Greg Valentine, just to get over how much chaos the NWO had created and trying to make the fallout as realistic as possible instead of contrived booking involving a "surprise" main event. Looking at less overbooked/soap opera-ish episodes, various Crockett matches that took up an entire hour of syndie TV: Flair-Windham for the NWA title being the most notable, but also terrific matches between Ronnie Garvin & Tully Blanchard, and the Rock 'n Roll Express debuting in the company by winning the tag titles from the Russians. I also want to give a shout-out to the 2/7/87 episode of Superstars. You don't normally think of syndicated WWF shows as bastions of great individual episodes of TV, but on one show you have the official announcement of the site of Wrestlemania 3, the official heel turn of Andre the Giant on Piper's Pit, Danny Davis fucking over the British Bulldogs to give the tag titles to the Hart Foundation, and even the in-ring debut of Outback Jack. I doubt there was any episode of any weekly WWF show more loaded with major developments than that one until the aforementioned Kid/Jannetty Raw.
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