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PeteF3

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  1. PeteF3
    Good action with a screw finish, as Windham plants Steamboat with a DDT on the concrete to give Rhodes the tournament victory. This was a #1 contenders tournament that turned into a title tournament due to the Rude injury. I take it Windham gave Rhodes the win so he could beat Dustin himself?
  2. PeteF3
    Schiavone speculates on Austin being the "Wrestler of the '90s." Oh, if only they knew. Wrestlers discussing strengths, weaknesses, gameplans...we can make fun of Ross and Watts for comparing everything to football, but these type of segments are legitimately effective. Austin and Pillman do a good job of getting this stuff over and getting their competition over, while still coming off as heels. These segments continue to be great.
  3. PeteF3
    I wonder whose daughter that was. (No, no, NO, I'm just curious!) Arn shows up during an impromptu autograph session and makes good on his promise to confront Watts away from the arena. This is actually a cool brawl until we get the absurd sight of Watts slapping on the STF in the middle of a gas station. Police break things up while Arn sells like his leg has been amputated. Watts, much like Marge Simpson, is thankful that everyone is videotaping everyone else, so that justice will be done. Erik Watts: Champion of the NSA. Watts cuts a stilted, awkward promo in response. This is lame on almost every level.
  4. PeteF3
    Clever "behind-the-scenes" setup for an angle, with Cornette and the Bodies in character preparing for a local promo (more hate for Beckley, WV!) There's even swearing to add to the unfiltered effect. Funny promo follows--Cornette explains that they were never really friends with the Stud Stable to begin with. Bob Armstrong announces a title match in two weeks time, but doesn't disclose whether the Bodies or the Stud Stable get a title shot. I appreciate Cornette trying to get in a word about Killer Kyle in the TV title match, but Armstrong cuts him off to warn Dr. Tom about his apparently loaded boot and leaves. Cornette and the Bodies are furious. The Bodies aren't as good in the ring as the MX but it's nice to see two of Cornette's guys cut loose on the mic--Lane in particular has been a strong, underrated talker.
  5. PeteF3
    Total showcase to put Smothers over. Not really a good match and Golden pretty much sucks here, but it was still effective, especially the quickie pin on Kyle. It does leave you wanting to see more of Smothers vs. DWB, because their segment is brief but pretty good while it lasts. Dr. Mantell is hilarious "outing" Smothers as actually being from Wisconsin, due to the goat cheese on his breath and his failure to use the phrase "fixin' to." If they'd just stuck to waving the flag around and using the "Wild-Eyed Southern Boy" nickname, I honestly wouldn't have a problem. I don't like the Confederate flag but I'm willing to tolerate certain things more in wrestling than in real life. But Smothers coming out to a song called "The South's Gonna Do It Again" and using "the South will rise again" as a catchphrase is just too damn much, and I don't think it's remotely necessary. Tracey's a good enough talker and more than good enough worker to be above this sort of thing.
  6. PeteF3
    This was part of a rather funny stretch that saw a bunch of Brian Christopher's cronies either a.) lose their hair as a result of various match stipulations, or b.) get hired and immediately fired for not putting their hair up on Christopher's behalf. Jarrett finally gets Christopher's hair on the line, and they run through two heel miscommunication false finishes before Bret Prentice & Mike Samples trip up Jarrett and get Christopher the Southern title. Very Pat Patterson-esque match that we see.
  7. PeteF3
    Goofy WWF sportz-entertainment that suddenly turns deadly serious, as they go all-out to make Crush's injury look legit--almost to Vader/Cactus degrees. There was a lot to like about heel Doink but somehow I think he could have done even more to shake the WWF out of its doldrums. I would like to have seen the apparently originally planned feud between Doink and Davey Boy. This was a terrific segment.
  8. PeteF3
    Another interpromotional war--obviously this couldn't live up to the Dream Rush match but it was a hell of a war. I can't believe Kansai didn't die on that crossed-arms piledriver thing, and of course the kicks were borderline uncomfortable to watch, both from Kansai and Hotta. Inoue is sort of portrayed as the weak link here and she does the predictable job, though the ending itself is kind of nifty. As intense as the action was this still meandered a bit and the blown spots were quite noticeable--namely that awful armdrag and one of the worst pin saves ever--Hotta just brushes one of the JWP girls who makes no attempt to move off Inoue, who makes no attempt to kick out or lift her shoulder. That's picking nits because this is the best match of January so far, but I don't really see this holding up as a MOTY. Perhaps for joshi.
  9. PeteF3
    Looking back I realize I gave Volk Han Rookie of the Year for 1991, too. He didn't work much in 1991, so if this were baseball he'd be eligible to win in '92, but I guess we have to move Jun and Takayama up a slot and stick Rey Rey in at #3. Yes, these are important considerations.
  10. PeteF3
    Just Austin & Pillman at this point, no Blonds name and more importantly, no kickass Blonds theme. Old-school ring intros with everyone already in the ring. This is spectacular. All four guys look great but Douglas is the shocker of the bunch because he fits in perfectly. I'm skeptical that I'll ever see a better Douglas performance in a match, even in ECW. He busts out the Kyoko Inoue backwards bodyblock thing at one point, and works some great, fast sequences with both guys. The ending is a treat, too--we get a little All-Japan moment with both partners making saves and preventing saves, and a great false finish after a usual heel tag victory staple (Austin diving off the top on the covering Douglas). Austin creams Douglas with a title belt for the DQ, which is the right finish to set this up as a feud proper. Douglas blades (!!!) and we get another awesome heel beatdown as both guys are beaten and whipped with the tag title belts. Good fiery promo from the babyfaces afterward vowing revenge. Douglas' promo is good but his picture-perfect teacher's enunciation in this context is kind of funny. Have I mentioned that WCW is on fire this month?
  11. PeteF3
    I used to think George Costanza was punching above his weight with the girls he'd land, but then I saw this guy. Heenan is on his way into the Manhattan Center, but he's been replaced by Rob Bartlett. Whoever made that call deserves a Cactus Jack shovel to the head. Bobby is back to pre-tape, with another Narcissus promo. His go-to ice cream-horse manure comparison is brought out. We miss Heenan in drag, but we get Heenan dressed as Rob Bartlett's Hasidic uncle Morty. I seem to recall Heenan finally getting granted access at the very tail end of the show. Not the most auspicious debut for RAW, but it's a new live (mostly) show with a brand new setting. Between the intimate arena set-up, studio-style layout (with guys going outside the arena and coming back, and being able to go to and from the broadcast table), and brand new booking tropes for the WWF like multiple angles on one show or matches being set up to take place in the same hour, this is about the most Southern wrasslin' that the WWF has ever been to this point.
  12. PeteF3
    Cactus may be the one guy who got a positive boost in his entrance music from the Slam Jam album. I'm an unabashed sucker for "Mr. Bang Bang." I'm not sure if this match was as good as SuperBrawl III, but it's a hell of a fight and I really appreciate that they worked two very different matches even though both were street-fight-type bouts. If it had to be one or the other then the rarity of this plus the significance of the face turn makes this a slam-dunk pick. Orndorff is his usual vicious self and takes some fairly hellacious bumps in his own right. Harley Race makes the mistake of shoving Cactus back into the ring one too many times and eats a clothesline off the apron. That brings out Vader, and Jack is triple-teamed into oblivion in a terrific angle. Loved Race in his suit dropping a picture-perfect kneedrop, and Orndorff choking Jack out with the belt while Vader rained splashes down on him. Race is positively giddy over his selection, until Cactus Jack emerges from the crowd with a shovel and goes crazy, hitting everything that moves. Awesome match and two awesome angles to follow. WCW television is on fire right now. Turning Cactus babyface is a bold and out-of-the-box booking move that really paid off for his career--big props to Watts or Rhodes or whoever's idea this was.
  13. PeteF3
    The fact that the Robinson match was a mess is precisely why I think it's so great. It's not quite as good as Robinson/Baba but there's no shame in that--that's a MOTD contender. There's no Inoki match of that era where it looks so likely that he's going to lose and therefore none quite so dramatic. Even if it's Billy going off on his own, that just adds to the match's mystique for me. I liked the Brisco match when I saw it too, but almost entirely because I thought it was an otherworldly performance from Jack while Inoki was sort of along for the ride.
  14. PeteF3
    Not much to add from the previous rundowns here. The final half of this was really well-laid-out, with the surprise return of Heenan and the great use of the brass knucks. Also a bold move to have your babyface champ submit twice--even with Flair using the ropes, that's something that simply didn't happen in North America until at least the 2000s. It does meander, yes, but it's a hell of a match and a fitting swan song (sort of) for Flair in the WWF. Actually, a 30-minute Ironman between these two on TV or PPV would probably be as fondly remembered as Rude/Steamboat.
  15. PeteF3
    Excellent work, a studio-wrestling psychological masterpiece with body parts getting worked over and affecting both guys offensively and defensively as the match goes on. The switch to legwork comes off very organically, and Steamboat figure-fouring Windham is a great payback spot, leading to an even better spot with Windham just kicking away at Steamboat's injured leg like a maniac to get out. Count me in as another guy who liked the finish, and Matt's point about the swerve nature of the ending and Kevin's about how this actually puts the referee over in a good way are well taken. And of course the post-match is good, too. I recall the SuperBrawl III build being very good on just about all levels, and the idea that Watts was getting things together (from a product standpoint if not a profit standpoint) right when he was let go seems to have a lot of teeth to it.
  16. PeteF3
    I suppose it would hit closer to TNA than it would WWE, thinking about it some more.
  17. PeteF3
    Even though they're doing similar, worked stuff with Big Show and the Rhodes family, something about a wrestler talking about having his livelihood cut off because he suffered an injury probably hits a little close to the bone. It's similar to how the WWE may recycle any number of angles from the past, but I don't think we'll ever see a re-do of the Drunk Hawk or Drunk Scott Hall stuff.
  18. PeteF3
    Vader flashes a "Super Bowl ring"--even if it was a counterproductive thing to say about the #1 heel, I can't help but think of Jesse's comment, "Wait a minute, the Rams have never won a Super Bowl! What did he get, a loser's ring?!" That's just a sidenote, because the football talk is effective at making Vader seem like a human being while he still comes off as a monster even in this setting. Hey, wait, there's footage of the title change! No one ever talks about Vader's mic skills but he's really one of the most underrated talkers ever. This is the best promo of his that I've seen, putting over Sting and Simmons while still establishing himself as the Man.
  19. PeteF3
    Robert Fuller is upset about not getting a tag title shot, and praises Jim Cornette as a manager while taking shots at his mediocre team. Golden recites the Fuller/Welch/Golden family tree, which always gives me a headache--if a Welch ever married a Samoan, I believe there would be a rip in the fabric of the universe. Highlights of Christmas Chaos--Cornette takes some tremendous bumps and further proves himself as a legitimate in-ring worker. Meanwhile the Bodies get a pin on Gibson with the help of Prichard's loaded boot, but the Stud Stable are making nuisances of themselves at ringside, and that allows Morton to get in a shot of his own for the Rock 'n Rolls to get the win. A face-off between the Stud Stable and Bodies follow. Eventually the Studs get taken down with the tennis racket. The Rock 'n Rolls come back to make the save, but during an attempted handshake the Studs jump Ricky & Robert! Great booking to establish a three-way feud without turning the Studs babyface. Cornette is out paying tribute to Breast Cancer Awareness month with his pink jacket and pants, talking of the big Welch/Fuller family reunion that's scheduled as soon as the parole board meets. Lane's comparisons of the Studs to minor league baseball and hockey teams continue to amuse me. When Sawyer Brown's in the Smoky Mountains, they watch Smoky Mountain Wrestling!
  20. PeteF3
    Highlights of the Clown's antics, antagonizing the Big Boss Man, Tatanka, Marty Jannetty, and Bob Backlund. Ray Rougeau browbeats him for his jokes always being at other people's expense--those typically are the best kind. Borne instantly has this act down cold, going from manic and giggly to serious as he talks about taking children's smiles away. Doink was another target of the smart fanbase at the time, but just like Papa Shango I liked the gimmick then and I like it now. Difference being Borne was absolutely on fire as a worker, with some fine matches on the Yearbook and quite a few that didn't make the cut--the Superstars match that ends the feud is probably the best singles match of Brian Adams' career.
  21. PeteF3
    No complaining about being in Bret's shadow yet. As Owen talks about the Dungeon, Razor flies into the screen and levels him with a clothesline. "Daddy teach you that one, mang?" Razor's a supreme dick here. Basic but effective and well-done angle. Okerlund is good here, though a few weeks later--I don't know if it's on the Yearbook--he tops himself with "The actions of this Clown are DEPLORABLE."
  22. PeteF3
    These matches do lose a bit without Jumbo's involvement. Even seeing the team come out to Taue's theme and not his was jarring. The Akiyama/Kikuchi exchanges are the highlights here--they match up well and it's not inconceivable for either guy to pin the other. Jun ends up getting the win, which is huge, though it's still not enough for the two sides to be close to equal yet.
  23. PeteF3
    Some of the whiffs were too jarring to ignore (like that lariat), some like the power bomb just looked like a natural struggle. A fight like this SHOULDN'T look pretty. That said, I'm somewhere in-between Loss and Ditch on this. They get mucho credit for getting a Dome crowd to be as loud as they were, but as a spectacle and a match I actually liked the tag bout better.
  24. PeteF3
    Even with Sasaki swapped in for Animal, this really does feel like a dream match from the start, and even with Sasaki there you really have no idea who could possibly lose (the Hell Raisers had been pushed to the moon since forming in the fall, squashing teams left and right in 5 minutes--this wasn't some deal where you had Gordy & Doc facing Jumbo & Ogawa). The stuff with Hawk and Scott at the open are great fun, with Hawk having the strength and agility to shrug off everything Scott tries. So the Steiners have to isolate Sasaki, and pretty much brutalize him but can't stop Hawk from making saves. CRAZY Doomsday Device to the floor, but it appears Hawk and Scott were the legal men so while Sasaki and Rick take it to the ring, Tiger Hattori counts both teams out. Yeah, I guess I should have seen the bullshit finish coming, even in 1993 Japan. Not only was this full of great spots, these four lummoxes put together a more psychologically sound match than either of the first two!
  25. PeteF3
    Oh come on, Masahiro...green tights with a familiar white pattern on them? Who's jealous of whom here? This was better than the juniors match, though still far off from each men's respective peaks in '91. There were some neat spots involving the ramp--I particularly liked Muta missing the handspring elbow and almost Tommy Young-ing himself against the ropes. There was quite a bit of dead time in the first half of the match involving Muta wandering around, but it got better as it went along. Still, I can't help but notice the NJPW heavyweights have regressed while the AJPW guys don't seem to have approached their peak.
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