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PeteF3

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  1. PeteF3
    Disappointing match, with some staggeringly unnecessary bullshit involving Doug Gilbert. This is a "Boyz n the Hood Street Fight" with Gilbert enforcing the rules and threatening disqualifications and blatantly favoring the babyfaces. Gilbert fucking over the heels would have had more impact if he'd genuinely made a good-faith effort to officiate this and only did it to retaliate against Smothers' interference. Or, if this was supposed to be a case of the USWA purposely stacking the deck against the "invaders" like WCW should have done with the NWO, then that element of the story needed to be pushed harder.
  2. PeteF3
    What looks to be a standard Memphis finish--ref bumped, Brandon Baxter tosses Armstrong a chain--is broken up when COREY MACKLIN breaks the pin and goes to town on Armstrong. Armstrong and Baxter, who makes Jimmy Hart look like Scott Steiner, are about to a number on Corey, but Lawler makes the save and Macklin runs Baxter off. Damned if Macklin doesn't throw a nice-looking punch.
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  4. PeteF3
    The banner behind Cactus still says "Eastern" on it. I guess PE's spraypaint wore off. "How many of you dialed up the Dynamite Kid and said, 'Thanks for the dives onto the concrete floor! Sorry you don't have a pot to piss in, or a window to throw it out, but thanks for the memories'?" This should feel exploitative, but it really doesn't--he would of course continue the stunts for years to come, but I think Mick had to be coming from a real place here. Plus invoking Gilbert's name for heat after his death would have been seen by Eddie as a compliment. Cactus invites Dreamer into the fold with him and Raven.
  5. PeteF3
    SHAKY-CAM. Good video otherwise. These clips are also our first look at Francine, who seemed to debut by drawing Beulah into a brawl in the audience.
  6. PeteF3
    Mentioned already, but there was genuine intrigue over what the result of this match would be, which wasn't the case for any of Hulk's WCW matches before. Vader's gone AWOL, brother! Hogan points out that the DOD didn't put their hands on Lex, but Sting immediately takes up Lex's side. Oh, Sting. Savage would rather go 4-on-3 than team with Luger, and makes a strong argument. The bickering gets so bad that even Jimmy Hart gets dragged into it. This was something pretty new in the face of what the WWF had been doing for its whole existence, with all babyfaces being friends all the time. Scott Keith is Scott Keith and all, but his proposal that WCW run the MegaPowers vs. Luger & Sting on PPV, at Starrcade or elsewhere, is a very good one that would have drawn big money.
  7. PeteF3
    It's superficial, but yeah, with the new set WCW instantly feels hotter than it has in years. Check out the "WCW" sign where the first "W" flips into an "E." Cute. Flair calls out Arn for being at home with the wife and kids and not running with the Horsemen, and Flair suddenly sounds like a jilted ex-lover. This image is not helped by Luger's appearance, which causes Flair to go all Bobby Heenan-unveiling-the-Narcissist in fawning over him. Luger just says that Flair hasn't changed, and...leaves. Okay then. Snark aside, Flair was fun, and I get why Bischoff & Sullivan felt the need to cram a "hook" into every last segment, even if they didn't lead anywhere. Bad for the business in the long haul, but probably necessary at this point.
  8. PeteF3
    The action here we see is actually about as good as you can hope for with Sid involved. The post-match and Vince's reaction to it is why Shawn remains one of my least favorite babyfaces ever.
  9. PeteF3
    You know they had big plans for Goldust from the start from the way he's calling out every top babyface. They did the same thing with Razor Ramon in '92.
  10. PeteF3
    Bulldog hasn't quite put it together as a heel yet, though that's to be expected. Kid gets pretty emasculated here, getting his ass kicked by the Dean, then by the Bulldog, and then even by Cornette. (No tennis racket shots allowed, you can't help but notice). And yes, this really need a pinfall loss by Razor, even one by screwjob, if they were going to seriously push Bulldog as a title challenger. A frustrated Kid goes back to his initial victory over Ramon, and challenges Razor to a match next week. Razor talks up his ladder match in a very early-'00s indy moment that I didn't care for. This is far from a great segment, though I do like all the intertwining juggled storylines. I suspect the hand of Watts.
  11. PeteF3
    I remember Pettingill hyping "RAW on the Roof" on Mania and Action Zone, and being really excited about seeing an actual episode of Raw up there. For all the money they sank into this, they may as well have done just that.
  12. PeteF3
    The shots in the trailer are kind of amusing. This was still an idiotic gimmick for Singh, especially considering the way they debuted her.
  13. PeteF3
    Put me in the Hash/Mutoh camp. I liked this more than Loss, and in fact I thought it was pretty darn awesome overall. But...yeah, there are issues. The eye-or-knee debate didn't bother me as much as it did Loss, but it was an issue nonetheless. Though really my primary issue in that regard was Taue, having failed in doing the nodowa off the apron, goes to a rather half-assed scorpion deathlock as his follow-up as though he were paying tribute to Gordy & Doc. My bigger psychological concern was the opening...the work was really good and fast-paced and exciting, but I don't get why Misawa felt the need to bust out an elbow suicida, a tiger driver, and an attempted tiger suplex all in the opening two minutes. Taue's the challenger who's hungry for a win, shouldn't he be the one dropping bombs from the start? And lastly, this is the first chronological appearance of the "take a German suplex, pop up, hit a move, then sell it" spot. And, while I'm not going to automatically shit on such a spot, this is not an occasion where it really works. That it comes off Taue unleashing a head-dropping suplex makes it all the more galling. Now, all that stuff is kind of picking nits. They execute their stuff really well and there is *some* good psych, but it mostly centers around Misawa constantly having an answer for the nodowa, which notably never hits here--whether in the ring or off the apron. After starting off so hot, they have the sense to wrap this up in 20 minutes instead of trying to stretch it out to 30+. But, the first half isn't particularly focused and as Loss says it feels like a step back for Taue. This results in a good--in fact a really good--match, just not really a MOTYC.
  14. PeteF3
    The start of the babyfaces-in-dissension angle that dominated the early Nitros, in a desperate attempt to add some uncertainty to the result of WarGames. Sullivan challenges Sting and Savage if they can truly trust Vader. Vader insists that he's got their backs. I'm genuinely starting to dig babyface-with-an-edge Vader. Pity that this is it.
  15. PeteF3
    Better than the Honky Tonk Man in every way.
  16. PeteF3
    Meng shows off his new Golden Spike. The Wizard introduces the DOD members again. More of the same. Sullivan finally interjects some intrigue, pointing out to Hogan that Sting wants to be him and that Savage has turned on him once before.
  17. PeteF3
    Long recap of the Landell face turn, including his full confessional interview and a music video of the Shawn Michaels match. And THEN a straight replay of the finish. Well, I'm sure this came off better in a week-to-week format rather than the Yearbook. Comments from Cornette and his new top lieutenant, Tommy Rich. Cornette has demoted Landell down to buck private until he lays off the bottle. Highlights of Landell & Rich vs. Bob & Brad Armstrong in a rematch from Barbourville, KY. Jim Cornette attempts his ether-towel trick again, but Brad gets the towel and uses it on Landell himself. Good Lord, Brad could give Hulk Hogan lessons in how to be an underhanded babyface. Cornette follows up his demotion by giving Landell a "court martial" from the Militia. Landell singlehandedly takes out 3 Militia members and figure-fours Cornette. Eventually the Punisher overwhelms him with a blackjack. Long beatdown follows, with Landell getting busted open on the tennis racket, Cornette's canteen, and his combat boots, as the announcer stresses that Landell has no friends to help him. This is a good angle but it's also more ammo for the "Cornette pushed himself too hard" crowd. After getting figure-foured by Landell, Cornette should be hopping around on one leg or doing a stretcher job, not popping back up to participate in a beatdown. Cornette and Rich cut a seething angry promo on the drunken junkie they just court martialed, a guy who can't enter the ring without some sips of false courage. Good Lord, Cornette is fatter than Wildfire. The stress of Smoky Mountain's impending collapse must be getting to him. Landell lays it all out--he'll put up everything he owns in order to be his own one-man Militia. Buddy and Cactus' virtual feud over Interview of the Year is the most compelling rivalry in North American wrestling right now. Both are capable of chilling you to the bone...but Buddy may just be a little bit better at cutting actual money promos to make you want to see matches, while Cactus is more about telling stories. Good and compelling stories--but not "talk you into the arena" stories, as we'll soon get to.
  18. PeteF3
    Jesse comes out and demands that WMC play a tape that he's provided--it's very heavily edited footage of Jesse and Brian Lee dominating Jerry Lawler & Sid Vicious, with shots of fans from seemingly an entirely different arena doing the "we're not worthy" bow. Dave Brown is incensed that Armstrong would provide such a heavily edited tape while Jesse rants about deserving the Unified title. Jesse's out later, and Cory provides Jerry Lawler on the phone from Cleveland, who gives Armstrong verbal what-for. Jesse puts his hands on Cory Macklin, before PG-13 run him off. Dang, seeing Cory get knocked around would have been fun.
  19. PeteF3
    Goldust takes a subtle shot at Razor Ramon this time.
  20. PeteF3
    Cactus shows off the cast on his arm resulting from the King of the Death Match, before shitting on the idea of being the King of the Hardcores. Cactus regales us with the story of his Uncle Willy--a WW2 veteran who was a casualty of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Cactus considered Willy a hero before walking through a memorial at Hiroshima, and ends up cutting a scorched-earth promo on him and other, armchair patriots--"I HOPE THEY SWALLOWED HIS SPINE, IF THEY EVEN HAD ONE." This is unbelievably heavy stuff for a wrestling promo, probably too heavy, and it's a little forced how Cactus ties all this back into his turn on Dreamer. Nonetheless, it's still a good promo that pretty much no one else in wrestling could possibly have attempted, maybe ever.
  21. PeteF3
    We join in as Stevie takes a crazy clothesline off Pitbull 1's shoulders, with Richards and 2 spilling all the way to the floor. Richards eats a chairshot on the floor and then a crazy combination Superbomb/neckbreaker. Beulah breaks up a pin and is about to eat a Superbomb of her own, but Raven heroically makes the save. This is an overbooked clusterfuck but damned if it isn't a fun one, with some clever false finishes. How did the Pitbulls not get a look from either of the Big Two? They look like perfectly serviceable workers for being such roidheads, and it seems like they'd be a better fit than Public Enemy.
  22. PeteF3
    Paul E. puts over the ECW product and Eddy and Dean, and the trained seals respond. Paul E. actually encourages fans to throw objects at Bill Alfonso, which is pretty crazy. Alfonso YANKS the mic from Paul E.'s hand mid-rant and puts Dangerously in his place! I love it! Alfonso drops the horrifying news that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has reinstated Tod Gordon, against Alfonso's wishes. Alfonso takes credit for the Sunshine Network axing ECW in a great play off real life. Meanwhile, Paul E. introduces Tod Gordon and condemns Alfonso to eat a chokeslam from 911. Alfonso no-sells this threat--because he's banned the choke slam! A choke slam on ANYONE will result in a permanent ban for 911. So awesome to see a guy completely shut Paul E. down--Alfonso's ranting is pretty nonsensical but delivered with such passion that it's awesome anyway. Paul E. turns his back, having threatened to take Alfonso down himself with his phone--and ALFONSO CLOBBERS HIM WITH A PHONE OF HIS OWN. Holy SHIT. Tod Gordon in for the save! Alfonso gets the upper-hand and takes Gordon down with the phone. Fans chant "9-1-1," but it's all in vain. Wait, there's "Frankenstein." 911 is out and has Alfonso by the throat, but the Dudleys confront him and the threat peters out. Later, Paul E. comes back to clobber Alfonso with the phone as Alfonso tries to officiate the next match. Angle of the fucking YEAR. In fact this is one of my favorite angles on any Yearbook. Alfonso is so utterly awesome--he's absolutely lapping the field for Best Heel of the Year honors. Alfonso has words for Paul E. afterward--Dangerously is banned from ECW.
  23. PeteF3
    Just the finish, so we miss Mongo's trenchant insight that Bubba is a brawler and Hogan is "more of a technician." Standard Hogan match, then a soon-to-be-standard Dungeon of Doom run-in. Luger is back to help run the DOD off and he and Hogan face off in an utterly wild set of circumstances. Lex is instantly revitalized and feels like his 1989-90 self again on the stick. Even Hulk feels a bit fresher--he even puts over Luger, somewhat! Hogan declares he'll defend the title against Luger NEXT MONDAY. I remember both me and my dad absolutely losing our shit when Hogan said that--*that* was arguably a bigger moment than Luger's initial appearance. Things were in such a state of chaos that many informed, educated fans truly thought they'd go all-out and change the title. It's instantly the most interesting Hogan title defense of his reign, and we were getting it on TV against a taped Raw! There's lots to criticize about Bischoff, and about certain parts of the presentation here. But overall this was pretty much a home run of a debut--all action and it left you salivating for next week.
  24. PeteF3
    I swear that one of those guys was Bryan Clarke, but I don't think he was gone from the WWF yet (and I doubt he'd put over Sabu in a dark match anyhow).
  25. PeteF3
    We're treated to a Thunder in Paradise ad (with Knight Boat: The CRIME SOLVING Boat!) and the ART THOU BORED? Randy Savage Slim Jim spot. And then a live-on-tape spot for Hulk Hogan's Pastamania. Hogan rambles without saying anything of substance. God, I forgot Sting was still the US Champ at this point. Ric busts out the ultra-rare beige robe for this special occasion. Of course, the story here is LEX LUGER at ringside. In one instant, Nitro went from being Bischoff's Folly--a Dixie Carter move to Monday nights 8 years early--to being must-see TV. At a time when I thought I knew everything because I had Prodigy/RSPW access, this blindsided virtually everyone. Pretty empty match, but really fun nevertheless--I daresay I enjoyed this more than any other Flair/Sting match. Clearly everyone wants to go balls-to-the-wall on opening night. Breakneck pace, and this is actually done better than Pillman/Liger. Flair is disqualified for grabbing the ropes in the figure four, and Arn comes in to break the hold. They brawl to the back, and then Scott Norton is here in a segment that I have no memory of. Good crash-TV stuff that certainly firmly established another point of difference between Nitro and Raw.
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