Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

PeteF3

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    10285

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by PeteF3

  1. PeteF3
    Big disappointment considering their MOTY in the previous year's tournament. There were some nice bombs and sequences but also a lot of laying around. The previous year had some great, compelling matwork and this really didn't. And man, that Yakuza kick-vs.-dropkick thing just kept going--I couldn't get into what they were doing with that at all. This wasn't bad, and the finish was decisive and put Chono over big, but it was overlong and the expectations were for at least another outstanding match--not necessarily another ***** classic. But we didn't really come close.
  2. PeteF3
    This was psychologically okay and I enjoyed Rude heeling it up and turning the crowd against him, but man oh man was it slow. Sasaki has usually been a big bundle of energy but there's not much of that on display here, as he methodically works over Rude's back in a not-all-that-interesting manner before Rude starts his comeback. I wasn't overly impressed by this except for Rude getting a visceral negative reaction from the Japanese crowd.
  3. PeteF3
    This was okay--sort of a poor man's version of Savage/Tenryu with the American heel working full-fledged American heel style in the foreign setting. But Madusa wasn't as effective as Sherri was, Hash wasn't adaptable as Tenryu was and yes, some of Rude's offense looked a little weak in comparison. Having said that, the DDT off the top was sick.
  4. PeteF3
    Jake hasn't missed a beat. He calls out Sting for lying to kids by telling them that training, prayers, vitamins, and being good are all you need to get through life--and then invokes children in ghettos whom Sting has let down. It's not something that got a great deal of focus during this feud but that is some HEAVY shit for a wrestling promo and makes me wish he could have gone after Hogan full-force with this stuff had both men stuck around. No way that would ever happen because of the other elephant in Hogan's room that I'm sure Jake would be prohibited from invoking, but it's fun to think about.
  5. PeteF3
    Luckily Jake's debut is on Youtube, and it's the best angle WCW has done this year. Sting is sitting in on commentary for Rick Rude vs. Nikita Koloff, when Cactus Jack makes his way to the ring for a 2-on-1. Sting leaves to make the save, but in the process of dispensing of Rude and Cactus he leaves himself open to an attack from Jake, who sneaks in from the crowd. Huge heat for all of this--Jake levels Sting with a chair, the short-arm clothesline, and then drops him with two DDTs onto the chair. Babyfaces swarm the ring as he lets his python out of the bag, but Sting has to do a stretcher job and is out of the World title match. I had taken interest in WCW with the WWF declining and my taking up of the Apter mags in full force, but this was the angle that turned me from a second-hand follower of the product to a devoted viewer. This was a hotter segment than anything the WWF has done in 1992. A random drawing follows because WE, THE FANS deserve a World title match. Cappetta loves to tell the story of how paranoid Watts was about working the drawing and having the work be exposed--they had to have all the names legitimately in the bag and Cappetta was ordered to read Simmons' name and then put whatever he drew immediately back in, lest a sheet of paper with "VAN HAMMER" written on it get into the wrong hands. I didn't know this match actually existed in full (or nearly full), but the crowd is electric from the very start. Holy shit, this is a lost North America MOTYC as far as I'm concerned. Oh, it's short, and maybe it's not strictly as good as the high-end DA tags, but man, the stakes and the heat are higher than anything except for WarGames. Total sprint with Simmons and Vader both unleashing some great offense and doing some great bumping and selling, too. Simple finish but the powerslam looks like it absolutely crushes Vader and is a perfect exclamation point to the match. And of course, the post-match, which is one of the greatest chill scenes I've ever seen in wrestling. I know Simmons' reign was a bust, that he had underwhelming challengers and matches, and that he'd seemingly vanished after all the great build-up to Halloween Havoc until now. But this whole sequence was a pivotal moment for me as a wrestling fan. Right now the sequence from the Nikita/Rude ending until this is the single best "Thing" of 1992, in any promotion.
  6. PeteF3
    A tornado tag match in a cage probably needs a WWF-sized ring and the ability to climb up on the cage to be really good--honestly, this didn't stand up to Santana/Bruno vs. Savage/Adonis which is probably the standout match of that type. It was just too crammed to really tell a compelling story. There were still some nice spots and a few near-falls, and they found a way to have Cornette involved without it seeming super-cheap. And the post-match is satisfying as all hell, from Cornette's tantrum to the taunts from the fans picked up on the camera, climaxing with the 1996 Nitro-style ending. And the post-match promos are great, too. Not really a great match but I'm looking forward to more from this feud.
  7. PeteF3
    Some absolutely crazy shit--brawls through hallways into parking lots, attempted leg breakings by both parties, plastic bag suffocations, guys tied to ringposts, and what in general looks like a gloriously overbooked mess of a street fight between the two teams. This was a great table-setter though I can already justify the complaints that Cornette is too physically involved.
  8. PeteF3
    The Mongolian Mauler was a guy who had the craziest look I'd ever seen when just viewing him through the Apter mags (boy did those black eyes scare the shit out of me) but the act completely dies once you see him try to work (and also realize that he's about 5'9"). This is the beginning of the "Master" angle which I'm looking forward to and seems like it'd be a better way to get Lee over than what they've been doing. The Smoky Mountain title is now where it belongs.
  9. PeteF3
    Good match even with the limited heel team. The R'nRs and Morton specifically are just that good. Not a lot new under the sun here but the Stable put the Rock 'n Rolls over in their big return while also looking strong and keeping the feud going.
  10. PeteF3
    This four corners stip still comes across as fresh in this setting. Davis looks spectacular, both at mat wrestling and selling a bloody beatdown later on. They SWERVE us with the booking by having the Fantastics get eliminated first and then immediately cost the Bodies afterward. I liked a lot of this, I just didn't care for the finish. I didn't see any reason why either Dy-no-mite or Davis had to be protected--they easily could have put the Stud Stable over clean and had Gibson run in afterward.
  11. PeteF3
    Mantell agrees with every decision Bob Armstrong has ever made, but gosh darn it, the FANS have written into him with these tough questions. God, Dutch is awesome. Armstrong has an answer for everything Dutch asks. I try not to get too far into "back in my day" mode when commenting on these but I sincerely don't think there are any two people today who could play off each other this seamlessly, off-the-cuff, while still getting all the storylines over and also staying true to their characters. They may be funny, but these guys are SELLING you on shit and doing a great job of it.
  12. PeteF3
    Dave Brown gets to book matches for the Gilberts as a gift for his 25th birthday, and he's brought back Tommy Rich and Bill Dundee! Fun segment and this is all sold great by both Eddie and Doug.
  13. PeteF3
    Memphis is the only live wrestling show left in the world--enjoy that while it lasts, guys. The babyfaces remark how dapper Dave looks, which is a stark contrast to Jeff Jarrett's "Macho Gooker" look. A clip follows that has me wanting to organize another cataloguing expedition. Shovel shots aside, this is a much more traditionally worked tag match and the action is still good. Good finish as Lawler reverses a whip and Spike hits a Stop sign held by Fifi, and Fifi loses her hair, though it's more of an Adrian Adonis hack job. Lee still looks like Paul Heyman which is appropriately eerie on a number of different levels. Lawler acknowledges that they didn't quite get a full shaving, and they aim to do it today if Fifi is in the studio.
  14. PeteF3
    Flair being such a cocky, laid-back motherfucker is a fun contrast to the Warrior. Flair declares that Warrior/Savage will only be a #1 contenders' match for Flair's title, then drops the big news: Savage is in negotations for Mr. Perfect to manage him at SummerSlam. Everyone involved seems awfully quick to believe Flair. Warrior actually gets to a compelling point at the end--he's willing to do anything and pay any price to win the WWF title. This is what booking looked like before triple threat matches existed, kiddies. I probably prefer this approach, and I remember the tag match against the Nasty Boys and post-match angle being a killer.
  15. PeteF3
    Also: Mike Davis going into a homicidal rage upon the sight of a championship belt, a mental condition exploited by Fernandez. These goofy angles aren't the same without Craig Johnson's forced puns.
  16. PeteF3
    This felt like it lasted about 7 hours. Pogo is just so fucking awful--shitty offense and Matsunaga takes the brunt of literally every spot involving fire. Matsunaga gets his ass kicked the entire match but wins on a flash pin and Pogo sells afterward like he's just wrestled a 2-hour ironman match, I guess because they need Victor Quinones to abuse him afterward. Pogo turns babyface and brawls with the gaijin. The MegaPowers, this ain't. Still, Matsunaga was W*ING's top star and I think this was the beginning of a relationship with FMW (he had jumped at some point), so he needed to be recorded here somehow. Sadly, outside of the interpromotional stuff, the STOP THE MATSUNAGA Zero-One run in 2005 is probably the post-2000 puro product I'm most interested in seeing, if we get a Yearbook that far out.
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a password protected forum. Enter Password
  18. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a password protected forum. Enter Password
  19. PeteF3
    It strikes me that this stuff in SMW is the first time I've actually heard Bobby Fulton cut a promo. The strong hype for this match continues.
  20. PeteF3
    We need more gimmick demonstrations during wrestling interviews today.
  21. PeteF3
    Funny to see this right after Dutch and Fuller were in Memphis as babyfaces. I guess the Moondogs can make anyone come across as a good guy.
  22. PeteF3
    A satisfying babyface victory in all aspects--Lawler and Jarrett win the tag titles and Richard Lee's hair. Big "BALDY" chants as Lee despondently accepts his fate. The heels come out to the studio for an interview and OH MY GOD Lee looks exactly like late-'90s Paul Heyman. He met a voodoo lady down in Louisiana who restored his hair and is bringing in a female Moondog, Fifi, to take out...Lawler and Jarrett? Well, not sure who his target is, but Lee continues to entertain.
  23. PeteF3
    Another effective promo from Razor. Pretty crazy that we're nearing two months of these things, but I think this is the last one.
  24. PeteF3
    Far better than the AAA match. Better spots, better structure, and more aggression from all sides. The big technico comeback when Atlantis recovers from getting crotched on the ringpost (with the referee staring right at it, but whatever) is the standout moment. Everybody here was good and everyone had a role to play. Atlantis seems to want a hair vs. mask match with Charles afterward.
  25. PeteF3
    They needed to invest in either a stepstool for Taz or a trench for Tony Rumble. BADNESS RULES US SUPREMELY--it sure does.
×
×
  • Create New...