PeteF3
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These two didn't seem to be on the same page at first, leading to some awkward moments. Not to bring back old '90s Smart Fan Talking Points, but Shinzaki has pretty much been WWF-ized by this point, basing his initial offense on chops and chokes and cheap tactics from Shinja. He does pick the pace up as this goes with some nice highspots, and I remember losing my shit watching this live when he busted out the Asai moonsault.
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This was AWESOME. Awesome awesome awesome. Shane Douglas comes out before the match and at first I'm groaning, as Douglas rants about the state of ECW thinking that chairs and tables are more important than wrestling. Then he says he made a call to his lawyer...who made a call to Harrisburg, PA and I *immediately* do a 180 on this once I figure where this is going. Yes, State Athletic Commission referee Bill Alfonso is here, and if Tod Gordon and the wrestlers don't obey him, he'll shut ECW down! Bill is right at home in this role from the start--I love him harrassing Bob Artese over the apparently non-regulation height of the bottom rope. Once the match starts, Alfonso immediately cuts Dreamer off from going after Richards on the outside, instantly pissing off the crowd, establishing where Alfonso stands, and forcing the wrestlers to work a straight match. This isn't the tag match of the year or anything, but it's another match where an aptitude of the basics goes a long way. Dreamer is okay, Raven is better, Richards is good, and Mikey is REALLY good. Whipwreck still bumps like a loon but now has a few offensive wrinkles he can bust out as well as a few other neat crafty tricks to get his shots in, like grabbing the ropes to send Raven flying when he attempts a neckbreaker. Really good, slow build to Dreamer finally facing off with Raven, and the stereo DDTs on the floor to take the partners out were cool. They go at it...and Dreamer ignores the warnings to open his fist and immediately gets disqualified. FANTASTIC. Afterward, Alfonso again threatens to shut the promotion down if Dreamer touches him, Douglas comes back to gloat, and Cactus Jack is out and they yap again about their past. Jack wants Douglas out of ECW and there's yet another pull-apart. They're STILL dropping qualifiers about their past friendship and Styles talking about it "hanging by a thread" instead of just fucking letting them go at it, which is infuriating but not enough to take the shine off the rest of this segment. This is one of the best ECW matches and segments of the year and I can't wait for more Alfonso. He was used absolutely perfectly here--he shows just enough ostensible objectivity during the match not to overwhelm it, and only takes over at the finish. That's how heel referees should ideally be booked. -
This was clipped in an annoying way--Dean and Eddy are two guys skilled at mat work and the little things in general and this basically cuts the majority of that out and just shows the big bombs. What we saw was not overly impressive. Big bomb from Malenko, kickout, Malenko sells frustration. Big bomb from Malenko, kickout, etc. This was also part of Taz's transformation from jungle savage to Noo Yawk street tough. I believe "Peter Senercha" was shown in shadow after this and Taz was revealed.
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Yeah, this comes off like an ad for an art institute rather than a wrestling promo. I can't believe they're still trying to foist the "Monster Maniacs" name on us. Close your eyes and you won't be able to tell the difference between Angelo and Bockwinkel.
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Three great contrasting personalities in addition to three great wrestlers. How could anyone see any coolness at all in the Hogan faction compared to this group?
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Morton not only demonstrates the consequences of the scaffold match with a watermelon, he also takes care to point out that he has a 20-foot view to see if Unabomb interferes. Clever touch. And the slomo shot of the falling watermelon is awesome. So was the pan out when we first see that Morton is on a ledge. Snow goes from stooging and fearful to dead serious. Snow doesn't care about Morton's stinking illegitimate children or his skanky girlfriend. Snow with one of the promos of his career.
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Everyone's kind of losing focus. The Gangstas are dealing with Cornette & Armstrong and the THUGs, the THUGs are dealing with the Gangstas and PG-13...SMW had a terrific first few months of '95, but things seem to be sliding. Remains to be seen if the Cornette turn is for the better. PG-13 hang around on the streets without any shirts on. This really isn't far off from what ECW was doing, and these guys are still a million times less annoying and quite a bit more authentic than Public Enemy.
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It's rapidly approaching time for the Gangstas to move on.
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GEE BEE VEE! GEE BEE VEE! Sorry, marking out for my all-time favorite band making the Menu soundtrack. Kudos to whoever made that call. Christopher seems to be beginning a full-blown turn, making excuses for Bill Dundee shoving him to the ground and cutting promos on the "old coots" coming in for the legends reunion. There's an upcoming match for a shot at Owen Hart & Yokozuna, and Christopher wants Wolfie D to be his partner for it! He tries to orchestrate a rift in PG-13, telling Wolfie that he's carried the team and that Jamie Dundee has been badmouthing him. Bill comes out to set Christopher straight...and asks for a tag match pitting the Dundees against Christopher and Wolfie! Uh-oh. And THAT sets off Bill and Wolfie cutting promos on each other as Christopher is absolutely giddy in the background--the master plan he talked about at the top of his promo is coming together. This is all pretty complicated, but these are all Memphis pros and they know how to make this feel natural. This is also Brian Christopher's possible high watermark.
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It only marginally has to do with the GOAT thread (though I think the matches bolster Lawler's case at least a little), but I'd love, love, love to get your thoughts on the Lawler/Snowman angle(s), Parv. I'd also watch the 5/26/90 AJPW 6-man tag before diving into the rest of the All-Japan stuff, as it fully establishes the Misawa-Jumbo feud that would fuel the promotion for the subsequent 2 and a half years.
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If I had to turn in a ballot tomorrow, Bull and Dynamite Kansai would be my two highest-ranking joshi workers. That Bull was able to get tangibly over in front of a WWF audience is further proof of her broad appeal.
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Breaking down the European WON HOF Candidates
PeteF3 replied to ohtani's jacket's topic in Pro Wrestling
Haystacks worked far more places in general than Daddy, though rarely very successfully. Stampede, New Zealand (had a match against Andre the Giant there), WCW, even All-Japan for one tour. Maybe some other out-of-the-way places internationally as well. -
I know a good editing job can make any wrestler or match look like a classic, but the clips of Garvin in Knoxville show an absolute fucking whirlwind. I have no doubt that he was a Best in the World candidate as early as the mid-'70s if not earlier.
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Baba may be the smartest worker of all-time. Not the best, and nowhere near the most athletic. But he was Andre with possibly even better smarts and better longevity even as his body was going through similar problems. #30 is nuts, but I definitely want to make room for him.
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Hayes is great here. He did this same shtick with Savio Vega and the Spanish announcers at KOTR.
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Bob stays in character but seems to be genuinely having a lot of fun at the same time.
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This looks atrocious, with Cactus and Shane cutting promos on each other while being weakly held apart. I hate to keep harping on it but Cactus and Shane are AWFUL together, I don't care if they're friends, friends in conflict, or enemies. Shit or get off the pot, Paul E.--get these two to start hating each other instead of constantly going back to their past friendship that we don't give a fuck about.
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Raven jumps Dreamer at a bar in Ybor City, Florida. Stevie, Cactus, and others eventually break them up.
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There are more shots of the music video than of Mikey, but this is a well-done piece. Mikey is now starting to flash some offense.
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All those shots to a completely out of it Sandman's head are uncomfortable. This by the Cult, who had some good songs, but man oh man...
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Tragedy ensues as this boat fails to sink with PE still on it.
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It's Cactus vs. Shane Douglas in a #1 contenders match, and Douglas doesn't appreciate his friend standing in the way of a shot at his title. Then Sandman hits a weak cane shot and Woman cuts a promo toward Shane while looking at the camera, even though Shane's right there. Just an awful segment. This is a stunningly poorly produced piece of work, and I continue to hate hate hate Cactus and Douglas together.
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WHO IS BAM BAM BIGELOW? He rather clumsily incorporates "having a good time," New Generation talking points into his self-examination. He stops just short of talking about putting smiles on faces. Bam Bam lost to one of the greatest football players and athletes ever, then lost again to Diesel last week. There had to be a way to pull this off with Bigelow without bitching him out to this degree--let him have the upper hand on Diesel and then lose on botched Corporation interference.
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ZONY. Chris and Tammy are good here, and this isn't a totally dead-end gimmick compared to the Dumpster or HOG or others around this time, but I always hated the name(s).
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You know what...I'm noping the fuck out of here. I love high-end joshi but I've had enough 60-minute draws on this Yearbook in a style I like even better. I'll take y'all's word for it that this was an amazing athletic endeavor. They go at it for 60, they don't settle anything, got it. Next.