GSR

First Mauro references Rumina Sato and then Nigel name drops Volk Han, I hope shodate was watching and appreciated.

This is a great match by today's standards, but try imagine watching this in 1971 and it must've blown folks minds. At times it's fought at a breakneck pace with rapid counters, reversals, awesome ingenuitive escapes, all mixed in with Faulkner's usual array of tricks while he hares the ropes as if he's Usain Bolt. The Saints have got the size advantage and while Tony is someone who I've never been full a fan of, he and Roy (who was tremendous) kept up with their opponents in the technical grappling and intricacy stakes. There are some quality near falls in there, especially one towards the end where Royal leaps up over the incoming Roy and rolls him up but St. Clair is able to use his momentum to roll through and escape. It's a treat when they hook you in like that, you think you know what's coming, but no, not just yet. This is now on YouTube in full (it was previously in three separate ten minute videos) and it's thirty minutes that absolutely flies by. I'd say this is must see and receives the highest of recommendations.

This turned into a real good opener. I was sceptical at first as the heel team doesn’t have much credibility (Swinger has that WCW jobber feel to him) while I’ve never rated Danny Doring; I find his work average at best, think he has terrible ring gear, don’t like his RVD playing to the crowd and loathe that every move has some terrible name (bareback, G-spot sweep, panty drop elbow etc.). Kash looked superb in everything and the crowd were into Roadkill who was a fiery hot tag. I don’t know how far he could go as a single but they totally buy him and his offense. He’s surprisingly agile too. Kash & co get the win in a match that was definitely made better due to the crowd.

Leatherface demonstrates his prowess at handling a chainsaw which, despite the sound obviously being piped in over the PA, doesn’t appear to be gimmicked as it makes a cut into a piece of wood. Beautiful is sensibly keeping his distance on the arena floor, but is already getting “faggot” chants, while another loud voice tells him to “get in the ring you queer”. When he does get in, Leatherface drops him with a chop to the chest and stiffs him with palm strikes to the side of the head. Snap mare followed by a series of hard kicks to the back. That gets the approval of someone in the crowd who yells “kick the faggot’s ass!” He throws Peter B. to the outside where he bust him open after a couple of brutal chair shots. Cross armbar, which seems very out of place considering how this match has gone so far, although Beautiful doesn’t tap even though he is squealing like a pig. Leatherface rakes a cactus up his back then across his face whilst a vocal member of the audience wants to see him “shove it up his ass!” Soccer punt before he tries to do exactly that, though mercifully doesn’t pull his tights down so there was never any chance of it happening. Peter B. tries to escape out of there, but gets caught and powerbombed onto the cactus. More shoot palm strikes to the head and it looks like Beautiful taps after having the cactus shoved (roots first) into his mouth (the ref was in the way of the camera so you can’t tell for sure what happened). An uncomfortable squash in more ways than one, with Leatherface just stiffing and brutalizing Peter B. The chair shots were horrific, to the point I’m more concerned that he gets up after them and am happy that he seems to be okay. God knows how his skull survived! We then have those uneasy chants and cat calls that are shocking to hear and far worse than anything the Backseat Boyz were on the receiving end of last year.

As Gillberg makes his way around ringside slapping hands with the fans, Backlund is inside doing his knee walk. Gillberg enters and starts mocking the walking, flapping his arms as if he’s a chicken. Backlund takes exception to that, exiting the ring to go on a walk around the building. After over three minutes of nothing (the bell also having rang before Backlund left!), Gillberg goes out after him and chases him back into the ring. Drop down, hip toss and Backlund rolls under the bottom rope, returning to the outside. He’s holding his back, and boy is he milking this, as Gillberg makes more fun of him. After a bodyslam Backlund is on his knees offering the hand of friendship (only after he’s rolled to the floor...again) although his opponent isn’t so keen. Gillberg eventually offers his own hand and when Backlund goes to shake it, he pulls away and starts strutting as if he’s Jackie Fargo. A bit of nonsense and shenanigans with the ref, that the crowd laps up, and finally we get a hand shake. With neither man cheap shotting the other, Backlund turns to the crowd, almost showing them that he can be trusted. As he does so, Gillberg with a school boy for the three and Dwayne Gill has just cleanly pinned Bob Backlund! I took a chance on this as its Bob Backlund in 2001. Seeing who his opponent is I went in fully expecting plenty of comedy, shtick and not much in the way of heated grappling exchanges! Well we got a bit of ‘comedy’, but this was a ten minute match that consisted of four actual wrestling moves (hip toss, two bodyslams and a roll up) padded out with a shit ton of stalling and some shtick. Heck, we didn’t even get a spear! You book Gillberg and don’t even let him do the spear? I’m sure Dwayne Gill never in his wildest dreams imagined getting a pin on Bob Backlund, but he does here. Don’t make the same mistake I did and watch this.

‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund and Bobby ‘the Brain’ Heenan make their returns to the WWF as special guest commentators for the Gimmick Battle Royal, Heenan having a blast reeling off a string of one liners at the various participants. As the Iron Sheik slowly makes his way down the lengthy runway: “By the time the Iron Sheik gets in the ring it’ll be Wrestlemania 38” In response to Doink getting a surprisingly loud reaction: (Gene) “You gotta love this guy” “Why?” Harvey Whippleman “He is a fashion plate wouldn’t you say?” (Gene) “Harvey Whippleman is indeed a trend setter when it comes to clothing. I’d like to know who his haberdasher is.” “Kamala” Repo Man “Last week he repo’d his own car” (Gene) “About five years ago he got my mother-in-law” “About four years ago everybody got your mother-in-law” Nikolai Volkoff “You know he was the first Russian cosmonaut?” (Gene) “I was totally unaware of that. Are you sure?” “Well he didn’t really go up, he was scared of flying” The Gobbly Gooker “Didn’t you used to date her? (Gene) “This brings back some very fond memories for me” “You did date her!” As a vignette for Sgt. Slaughter plays showing him firing a machine gun: (Gene) “Here you see him in action” “That was then, now he shoots blanks” The entrances are a grand trip down memory lane, Doink, Michael Hayes, the Gobbly Gooker and Hillbilly Jim getting the loudest reactions. Good stuff from big Nikolai too, playing the role and heeling on some fans telling them to “go home” as he carries the Russian flag. Of course the match is nothing with a steady stream of eliminations for the three minutes it lasts, the Iron Sheik winning reportedly because knees were so shot that he couldn’t take a bump over the ropes to the floor! The Sarge gets back in the ring to cut short any celebrations, putting the ‘Cobra Clutch’ on Sheiky as the USA stands tall!

I have wondered how long he'll keep going for. He's sixty this year, is he just going to keep working until he drops?

Pre-match press conference, the majority of which is conducted in Japanese. Johnny Kashmere’s only line is how Big Japan are going to see the best of him now that he’s in a tag team and that Yamakawa and Kanemura won’t know what’s hit them. Zandig the fashion plate is sat next to Johnny and wearing shades, leather jacket and a white roll neck sweater. As the fans throw streamers into the ring, Kasai and Kashmere use that distraction to get the jump on their opponents. Deep powerslam on Kanemura who rolls to the outside for some sanctuary. Yamakawa’s not paying attention and misses catching the Kashmere tip up so they immediately repeat the spot, getting it right second time around and Johnny taking him down with a headscissors. Kashmere heads up top but in doing so turns his back on Yamakawa who gives him a shove in the keister and he crashes to ringside. Elsewhere Kanemura is taking Kasai on a backstage tour of the building, there’s very little going on though, they’re just holding and walking. They return to the ring where Kasai jabs the ladder into Kanemura before wedging it over his head and blasting it with a barbed wire baseball bat. Kasai climbs the ladder and retrieves…no not a title belt, bananas that are hanging from the ceiling! I’m at a loss. He then places the ladder over the heads of both Yamakawa and Kanemura and Kashmere comes off the top striking it with the bat. The ‘Crazy Monkey’ starts running around the ring only to slip on one of the discarded banana skins! I’m guessing that had to be planned even though it looked completely natural. Yamakawa misses a legdrop and Kasai is back in control. More swinging of the baseball bat with Kashmere hitting a home run as he bashes that ladder into Yamakawa’s ribs. Kasai seems to think he is Rick Rude, however has neither the abs nor hip swivelling ability! Inverted airplane spin dropped into a neckbreaker by Kashmere. ‘Acid Bomb’ into the ladder, although it’s not a patch on the Backseat Boyz’ version. Kashmere throws Kanemura to the outside after he had broken up the pin, lays him on a table and Kasai then puts him through it with a splash from the top rung of the ladder. Implant DDT on Yamakawa followed by a snap German suplex. Kasai accidentally clotheslines Kashmere and Yamakawa is able to make the tag. A pair of dropkicks, a clothesline for Kasai and Kanemura has had enough already, tagging out to the reinvigorated Yamakawa. Modified Michinoku Driver on Kashmere. Kanemura and Yamakawa go to whip their opponents into one another, however Kashmere and Kasai dosey doe and nail them with a pair of dropkicks. Slightly delayed stereo DDT’s. Yamakawa is buried underneath some chairs and a table, double foot stomp off the top but the table doesn’t break! Johnny closes the table up, lays it on Yamakawa and connects on the tumbleweed for a near fall. Kanemura softly hits Kashmere over the head with a chair, double underhook piledriver and that puts his down for the three. Post-match Yamakawa collects some more bananas and he and Kanemura have some words for the crowd. I thought we would get something akin to the Backseat Boyz ladder matches from last year, but there were none of those crazy moments here. Some of the spots took too long to set up and I’m still at a loss as to why there were bananas hanging from the ceiling. Skippable.

I’m guessing that no-one in the WWF paid any attention to WOW otherwise Lana Star would’ve been signed up in a heartbeat as she’s the sort of girl Vince McMahon sees in his wet dreams. Star is carrying a bag containing Ice Cold’s hair (who it looks like she defeated in a ‘hair vs hair’ match) and David McClain can’t believe that she’s out here gloating over what she did to her. He was anticipating her coming out though and plays a clip from when she attacked Randi Rah Rah some time ago. Star says how that is old news and thinks that McClain is going senile as she put her out of wrestling, however he has a surprise in store and introduces the returning Randi Rah Rah who sprints down the aisle and into the ring. Randi dives on Lana with a Thesz press and unloads with a series of right hands. Also worth noting that she is wearing an eye patch as a result of Star’s previous attack when she hit her in the head with a mirror, so good continuity there. Reverse crossbody by RRR. She gets the better of the shoulder tackle and then cartwheels over Star into a splash. Randi works the arm and is pretty good in doing so. After a dropkick Star takes to the outside, sprinting around the ring to try and keep away from her opponent. Back inside and a flying crossbody gets RRR a two. Star reverses the whip to the corner and slams Rah Rah face first to the mat. Missile dropkick to the butt. She lifts Randi up by her pig tail before removing the patch to reveal that damaged eye (think Jake Roberts after Rick Martel sprayed him in the face with ‘Arrogance’). Patty Pizzazz runs out, but in rooting for something to pass to Star that distracts the woman she’s trying to help and RRR with a school girl for the win. I found this highly enjoyable, great character work from both and they actually were telling a story in there. Randi Rah Rah is very athletic and, like Riot who I watched on the PPV, is someone who has a lot of potential. The ring work itself may not be the crispest but it’s great to see some limb work in there which I wasn’t expecting in the slightest. I presume they were trained move for move, but whoever did it did a fine job.

No Paisley with the Kwee Wee tonight and no mention of her on commentary, I wonder if she’s been handed her P45 then. The Kwee Wee has some words for Ric Flair telling him that he won’t be ignored any more and to take note of him as he’s all man. He asks a ‘fan’ (who looks very much like Alan Steel) in the front row if “he’s a man?” and then snatches him over the guard rail, dragging him into the ring. Kwee Wee puts the boots in, pounds away on him and then orders the referee to count the pin as he makes a cover. As he celebrates his ‘win’ out runs Johnny Dotson who he had a backstage altercation with earlier. Dotson nails him with a missile dropkick but that’s as good as it gets. Things end up being pretty much a carbon copy of last week, Dotson, who is tiny I may add, taking a few good bumps before falling victim to the piledriver. Kwee Wee reiterates what he said earlier post-match, again telling Ric Flair that he won’t be ignored.

I’ve not seen much FMW, so when I hear ‘Wild Thing’ I automatically think of Rick Vaughn been called upon to bowl ‘heaters’ for the Cleveland Indians. Onita, band aids on his face, looks cool as fuck in his leather jacket, cigarette hanging from his mouth and swamped by photographers as he makes his way towards the ring. Funk grabs the microphone from Onita yelling “I’m home. All Japan is my home, I started here and I want to die here. All Japan and Shohei Baba is number one”. Abby and Kimala don’t even make it to the ring, Funk and Onita going out to meet them on the floor. ‘The Funker’ is bleeding before their opponents music has stopped as Abby uses what looks like a broken bottle on him. The bottle gets used on Onita too while Funk’s white T-shirt rapidly turns red. Kimala chokes Funk with a wire clothes hanger and Abby pulls out a fork that he jabs into his upper arm (which you see Funk blade). Onita tries to help his partner but every time he gets near he’s thrown out the ring. Running splash in the corner. Kimala II heads upstairs however is caught by Onita who superplexes him to the mat. Onita nails the Butcher, causing him to drop the fork, ‘the Funker’ picking it up and digging it into Abby’s scarred forehead. Kimala saves Abby from a Funk spinning toe hold and gets a near fall following a splash. Funk’s blade job is approaching ‘sick’ territory. He avoids the Kimala big splash off the top, spinning toe hold and, with Onita preventing Abby from making the save, Kimala submits. Post-match Onita joins Funk in making it a double spinning toe hold and the four continue to go at it until order is restored. Onita puts his leather jacket back on as he and Funk once more address the crowd, an emotional Funk reiterating that “All Japan is number one”. I remember Giant Kimala II from his ECW stint as Uganda and was surprised at how agile he was, a couple of years late he still has that agility. A four way juice fest that without the bloody wouldn’t really be any good. Not that it’s that good anyway, but it’s not offensive and Funk bleeds way more than you’d expect. I have a hunch they were playing off previous Funk/Abby battles with the bottle, the carving up his arm, although not sure whether that was fully picked up on.

Meltzer reported that their contracts don't expire until next year (April maybe from memory?) and can't see them getting out of them any earlier in the current environment. Anyone know when the Briscoe Brothers ROH deals finish?

For a professional TV show the camera work at the start is shocking. It looks like this is going to be a nightmare to try and follow, but fortunately it soon settles down. The match itself is clipped and we pretty much go straight to the first elimination, Ishii pinning Uwano with a Tiger suplex. Ultra 7 is in terrible physical shape although does manage a go behind take down on Gordy before a dreadful looking running crossbody on Ichimiya. Gordy backdrops Shinjuku over the top rope and the bell rings. I thought at first that meant Gordy had been disqualified, however he’s still in the ring in the next clip, so it turns out eliminations can occur as a result of being thrown over the top rope as well as being pinned or submitting. An Ultra 7 forearm smash staggers Gordy but he then suffers the same fate as TJS as the Gordy team make it three eliminations in a row. Ishii is back in throwing bombs and he looks a class above everyone else. Nice dropkick from Ueno and Gilbert is in to break up the cover, not wanting to be left alone against five men. A great belly to back suplex by Ishii sees Gilbert in again. Matsuda kicks out after a top rope frankensteiner and neither man gives an inch on the double lariat. It really is a different quality altogether with these two. Ishii takes an awesome bump off a clothesline, powerbomb, leg drop off the top and Ichimiya is in grabbing the referee’s arm to prevent him from bringing it down for the three. It makes no difference as an official who was on the outside slides into the ring and makes the count instead, Matsuda having small packaged Ishii in the meantime. Gordy returns throwing more meaty clotheslines until he runs into a Gilbert cowboy boot, the pair then both go over the top rope together in a soft double elimination. Gilbert did nothing here. The three on one odds were always going to be too much to overcome, and even though a triple superbomb can’t put Matsuda away, a Kito frog splash following a combination belly to back/neckbreaker does. According to wrestlingdata this is the last professional wrestling match of Terry Gordy who would pass away just five months later. To say he was a shadow would be an understatement, and while he can still throw a good clotheslines, he was the least impressive of his team. Doug Gilbert was a complete non-entity. The hard hitting Ishii was in a league of his own looking a class above, especially when he was going at it with Matsuda.

Scotty O is Scott Overholtzer, previously known as Scotty Sabre, who we last saw around one year ago in Memphis Power Pro when he was under a WWF developmental deal. We get a couple of video recaps from both Nitro and Thunder where Kwee Wee attacked a member of security and a ‘fan’ out of the crowd respectively for making fun of him. Kwee Wee dares O to laugh at him and when he does, and also mocks his pose, ‘Angry Alan’ comes out in force. O attempts a comeback but gets dumped him with a Saito suplex after he slaps on a side headlock. The Kwee Wee picks up the win following a piledriver and the moment he does ‘Angry Alan’ is gone and he’s back to being the serene, mild-mannered, softly spoken Kwee Wee. Alan Funk is someone who deserved better. Even with a shit, lame duck gimmick like this he puts everything into it and he’s a good worker too. The match itself was a squash that continued the development of this ‘split personality’ gimmick that he’s doing.

Flash has asked for special dispensation to bring back Trailer Park Trash, the man Bolin Services got banned from wrestling in OVW, so that he can be his tag team partner in this Hardcore match against Rico Constantino and Kenny Bolin’s head of security, Mr Black. Rico is practising his home run hitting with a baseball bat as he makes his way around ringside. Bolin grabs the mic and has been studying his Nick Bockwinkel tapes going by his verbiage. When he asks Rico what he has to do to get him to sign with Bolin Services, he says something about the OVW title and that if he can do that for him he’ll sign. Cornette hopes that Rico knows better than to trust Kenny Bolin as he’s the biggest liar he’s ever known short of that guy in Philadelphia! Flash and Trash are bringing a wheelbarrow full of weapons with them and the fact that there are no rules here means that all four men can be in the ring at the same time. A lovely dropkick by Flash to Rico, while Trash and Black attack each other with a variety of weapons out on the floor. TPT finds a bowling ball in amongst everything and with Black collapsed in the corner, bowls a strike at his crown jewels. Flash sets Rico up on a table at ringside and puts him through it with a springboard legdrop. Cornette is back to his exaggerating ways, claiming that Rico could be paralysed after that! Trash collects a door and bridges that between the apron and the guard rail. He goes to suplex Black from the inside of the ring, out and through it, but can’t get the big man up and Black then wallops him with a frying pan as he falls backwards through it himself. Rico avoids Flash’s twisting moonsault before using a broom, which appears a pre-planned spot so that Cornette could get a line in about knowing he would clean up in the wrestling business! Superkick to a tyre that is over TPT’s head. What looks like a ‘Gibson leglock’ by Rico and Trash is there for the save. Mr Black with a big sidewalk slam on Flash as Rico then tells him to go to the top. Black takes his time and is caught by Trash who slams him to the mat. As he and Rico battle it out in the floor, the camera follows them and ends up missing the winning ‘Whipflash’. A fun garbage brawl plunder that makes for a nice diversion amongst everything else on the card.

Scott Hudson acknowledges that this is Michael Modest’s return to WCW, although doesn’t say the same about Christopher Daniels for some reason. Apparently Mike Sanders has been scouring the world for some great young cruiserweights and has found two here. Who would’ve thought Sanders would be taking his position so seriously? Innovative arm drag takedown by Modest who then whips that arm into the mat. Daniels slips on the top rope quebrada, landing right on the top of his head and the crowd, who had been dead for the match so far, come to life on seeing that, not in a good way though, laughing at his misfortune. Modest cartwheels out of a snap mare and throws a rabbit lariat, although with Daniels still showing the effects of that mishap makes sure to clothesline him across the upper back/shoulders as opposed to the neck/head. A Daniels enziguiri sends Modest tumbling through the ropes to the floor and Hudson says how he dodged a bullet earlier and is now taking every opportunity that comes his way. Modest reverses the whip into the ring post, however Daniels hops up onto the apron, into the ring and then catches him with a great dropkick through the ropes. From there he holds onto them, skins the cat and with Modest prone at ringside lands a springboard splash to the floor. Arabian moonsault for a two. Modest has the tip up scouted and hits an awesome release Dragon suplex. The pair kick out of each other’s finishers (Modest kicking out of the ‘Best Moonsault Ever’ and ‘Angel’s Wings) as they continue to throw everything in their arsenal at each other. A running crossbody takes both men over the top rope to the outside at which point sirens start blaring and out runs Scott Steiner. Its suplexes all around before Steiner uses the lead pipe to injure an ankle of each, the match having been thrown out and declared a no-contest. What’s the score with this because I can’t remember? Were both already under contract to WCW at this point or was this a televised tryout? The way they went balls to the wall and threw everything out there would suggest the latter and that it was two men doing everything possible to try and earn a job. Not that the fans cared for what they were seeing mind! A tough break for Daniels slipping on that quebrada but he quickly regained his bearings and busted out a bunch of innovative shit. Ditto Modest who I thought as the compact mechanic looked the better of the two. The finish reminded me of when Steiner killed the Jung Dragons last year, destroying them in that one versus three handicap match; way to pigeon hole someone on their first night in.

Lance Storm thinks that the war between Team Canada and the Filthy Animals has gone on long enough, both sides have suffered casualties and as the captain of Team Canada he is out here to challenge Konnan, the leader of the Filthy Animals to a match to declare the winner of this war once and for all. The Animals’ entrance theme interrupting the Canadian National Anthem seems to surprise Lance, although not sure why as it happens every time! Not many of K-Dizzy’s dogs in by the sound of it. Well if this is the blow off to the feud the ending is a bit of a damp squib, Konnan tapping to the ‘Canadian Maple Leaf’ in less than two minutes. There was a nice ankle pick from him that leads to a standing Indian Deathlock, while Storm gets backdropped over the top rope to the floor and onto Mike Awesome but, if it is, this was a real flat way to finish the feud.

That dirty, foul, insignificant little specimen Test has been a thorn in the side of William Regal, who apologises to everyone in advance as tonight he’s going to make him feel like he’s been hacked up with a bloody hatchet! Test’s not wasting any time, running down the aisle in order to get his hands on the European champion. Regal rolls to the floor after a lariat, but Test steps over the top rope and follows him outside, slamming his head into the announcer’s table. He throws him back into the ring and levels him with a big boot after reversing the Irish whip. Test with a bodyslam followed by a great looking top rope elbow and we have ourselves a new European champion in nigh on record time. In the space of under a month Regal goes from getting a pinfall over Steve Austin to jobbing to Test in less than two minutes. Much to the surprise of Jim Ross too who can’t believe that any man on earth can defeat William Regal that quick! Is this a way of elevating Test? Was it a way to move Regal away from the European title scene? Not convinced Regal losing so quickly and getting the minimum of offense in was the right call wherever they’re going from here.

First off someone did a real weird job on the editing of this tape. If you plan on watching here is a time guide so you can at least watch it in order: 00:00:00-00:01:49 then fast forward to 00:07:32-00:17:32 finally rewind back to 00:01:49-00:07:32 Ricky Nelson is a former Jim Crockett Promotions job guy from the mid to late 80’s and is the current NWA Mid-Atlantic Jr. Heavyweight champion. After he and Eaton are introduced he corrects the ring announcer, informing him that they are the ‘new’ Midnight Express. Bobby is hesitant to lock up with ‘the Dream’ and there’s a good three minutes or so of stalling. The Irish whip is reversed and Eaton sees big Dust’s arm cocked for a bionic elbow so ducks to the outside. There is some local non-wrestler in the face’s corner and after Bobby gives him a shove he has to sell this terrible looking clothesline from him before Morton throws him back inside. A Nelson right hand to the jaw of Rhodes has no effect and the crowd come alive as ‘the Dream’ shakes and psyches himself up. Bionic elbow for Nelson and a noggin knocker for he and ‘Beautiful’ Bobby’. There’s a great spot where Eaton thinks he’s avoided a Morton right hand, only to turn around and be met with it, proceeding to then hit his head on the turnbuckle when selling the punch. Things go from bad to worse for the heels, Bobby grabbing hold of Morton so Nelson can slug him, but Ricky moves and he nails his own partner instead. I’m not so sure the “you fucked up!” chants are the most appropriate in this environment! Tonya Michaels, their valet, is up on the apron to try and calm things down, when we get another noggin knocker and Morton plants a kiss on her. Her face is a treat selling that and as Ricky motions that his heart is all a beating now, ‘the Dream’ is in, rubbing his lips and wanting to lay one on her too! Nelson wants a time out but he should know by now that he won’t be getting one of them here. He grabs a side headlock and jabs Dusty in the throat, the heels drawing Morton into the ring so they can get some cheap shots in behind the referee’s back. Some nice false tags from Nelson and Eaton as they go about getting heat on ‘the Dream’. Dusty makes the hot tag and all four men end up battling it out. Another miscommunication sees Michaels accidentally slap Bobby, Morton with a back drop and ‘the Dream’ drops an elbow to take a trip to the pay window. We get a bit of post-match action, but Eaton and Nelson fare equally as bad again then as they did during the match itself. Not ideal having to fast forward and then rewind to watch this in order. A nostalgic trip back to 1987, and while Dusty can’t do much, boy can he still work a crowd. Surprised to see him play the FIP, would’ve thought hands down prior to this starting he’d be the hot tag throwing bionic elbows around left, right and centre. Bobby Eaton has some nice subtleties, I enjoyed the comedy and thought the valet wasn’t the worse either. Simple, harmless and entertaining.

We get a pre-match promo from Jodie Fleisch saying that Jorge Castano has got another thing coming if he thinks he’s going to defeat him for this newly won FWA European title. Nothing earth shattering, but not terrible either even if he doesn’t come across as the most natural of talkers. Jonny Storm is introduced by the ring announcer first and he is making his return to the FWA tonight. He has a few words for the locals and then goes on to do the introductions himself before challenging the winner. Jodie has the fans firmly behind him for this, but as he plays to them he Castano jumps him from behind. Snap suplex followed by a butterfly suplex, both really nicely executed. Fleisch ducks the clothesline and lands a quesadora into a bulldog. Castano rolls to the outside wanting a time out already. Back inside they work through a wristlock sequence before a Castano drop toe hold sends Fleisch crashing into the turnbuckles. High overhead belly to belly. He slaps on a seated armbar, using the ropes for additional leverage. More of the same when he locks in the ‘Scorpion Deathlock’, eventually giving up on that to have a go at some young kids in the crowd who’re trying to tell referee Steve Lynskey what he’s up to. Castano runs into a big boot but then avoids the Fleisch shooting star. He does go for a pin after that, although would have been better served to hook a leg as opposed to slapping the mat and counting along with the official. They return to the floor where both men end up taking bumps into the metal railings. Desperation low blow by Castano. Inverted suplex and yet another slack cover out of him, now blaming Lynskey for his apparent slow counting. As the crowd chant for Jodie, Castano mockingly claps along with them. He whips Fleisch to the corner, however in one motion he leaps to the top turnbuckle, back flips over his incoming opponent and lands a Japanese arm drag. For some reason they immediately do this spot again, only now Castano has it scouted, doesn’t come charging in and catches Jodie with a release German suplex. Figure four leglock and finally Lynskey sees him using the ropes and forces him to break the hold. Jodie fails to connect on a handspring elbow and Castano then misses the legdrop off the top. He backdrops Fleisch over the ropes, however he lands on the apron and Jodie with a great springboard rana. As Castano takes to the outside to compose himself he’s caught by a plancha. Back inside Castano crotches Jodie on the top turnbuckle and dumps him with an awesome super belly to back that he barely gets a shoulder up from. Sit out powerbomb for another near fall. He goes to throw Fleisch to the floor, but like last time he again lands on the apron. Great counter of the springboard 720 into a Northern Lights suplex. I thought at first that Castano may have rescued a blown spot but I’m not so sure. Maybe he did, as while Castano complains to the official about the slowness of his count, Fleisch repositions himself out on the apron. Springboard 720 DDT connects this time and Jodie retains his European title. A fan friendly way to open the Unknown Quantity event. It was spotty at times, did lose its way and both could do with some seasoning (they probably did too much) but you can clearly see potential in the pair. Even though it is Fleisch who tends to leave the lasting impression with his flying and acrobatics, I was actually more impressed with Castano, especially with his execution on stuff like the suplexes. He may want to lessen the duration of his stalling mind. Worth checking out, although I imagine it would’ve played better in 2001 when a lot of the spots were fairly new and hadn’t been seen that much before.

Mike Awesome is shaking his head as he makes his entrance, but the new haircut, minus the mullet, is an improvement. Lance Storm says how the Filthy Animals think they got the last laugh when they cut Mike Awesome’s hair but they beat them at Sin and they’ll beat them again tonight, the war is far from over and they will have the last laugh. Kidman has got his ribs taped up, selling the attack from Monday night. Awesome whips him into the turnbuckles but runs into a big boot and Kidman with a headscissors takedown. A standing dropkick sends the ‘Canadian Killer’ out onto the apron and Kidman then snaps his neck across the top rope. Fucking hell, a shooting star press from the apron to the floor onto the laid out Awesome! Slingshot guillotine legdrop. Awesome blocks the suplex and fires away at those ribs. He throws Kidman outside to Team Canada and Storm then whips him into the guard rail. Springboard splash, but they’re too close to the ropes as Kidman gets a foot over the bottom one. Awesome takes far too long when heading upstairs after an ‘Alabama slam’ and misses the frog splash. Kidman with a huracanrana, but he then gets dropped ‘snake eyes’ into the top turnbuckle as he charges at his opponent. He escapes the attempted ‘Awesome bomb’ and a swift boot to the mid-section followed by a tornado bulldog for a near fall. A second ‘Awesome bomb’ is countered into a face jam, this time though it’s he who is too slow when going upstairs, Awesome cutting him off before he has chance to land the Shooting Star. Running ‘Awesome bomb’ at the third time of asking and just like Lance Storm predicted, Team Canada come out on top. The action isn’t over just yet, Team Canada jump Konnan and Rey Misterio on the outside and then grab Kidman so that Awesome can get some revenge for what happened on Nitro and cut his hair. Just as they are about to, Rey is in with a chair and runs them off before they can do anything. Good TV match and the best thing from this episode of Thunder by some way. You see Awesome working with Kidman here (and on the back of his ECW run) and have to wonder how he was such a monumental failure in the WWF? Maybe he was pegged from the moment he arrived, but the guy is talented enough in the sense that you work to his strengths and hide his weaknesses to where he should be a valuable member of your roster.

According to Tony Schiavone “everything about Meng is hard” *insert Frankie Howard face*. Bam Bam is on the charge the moment Meng steps through the ropes, not waiting for the opening bell. Things quickly spill out to the arena floor and they’re playing up the Pacific Islander with the hard head gimmick something rotten, Bigelow hurting his own hand when punching him and Meng shaking off a chair shot. Looking at that afro I imagine that provides plenty of cushioning mind! He slams Meng into the announcer’s table, sending him flying over it as Schiavone and co scarper out the way. Another chair shot to the head has little effect so Bam Bam changes strategy, dropping the ring steps onto Meng’s knees. This is actually fairly dull and the fans are now chanting for the departed Goldberg. Bam Bam wraps his leg around the ring post before splashing it as he goes about continuing to try and take a wheel out. For some reason, even though those tactics seem to be working, he goes back to the head, DDT’ing Meng which he subsequently no sells. The Bammer blocks the Tongan death grip, but Meng then applies it with his other hand instead. Frog splash off the top by the 300lb’er sees him retain his newly won Hardcore title. Poor match.

The Kwee Wee is pissed off that Ric Flair doesn’t want him as part of his group and part of his WCW. He tells him that when he’s in this ring he owns it and is issuing an open challenge to prove that. The challenge is answered by Rick Steiner, and I have a feeling this won’t end well. Steiner catches Kwee Wee on the leap frog and powerslams him to the mat. He then runs him hard, head first, into the top turnbuckle and pounds away while questioning “you’re all man?” Kwee Wee is thrown to the floor, taking a rough looking bump, before Steiner launches him with force into the steel guard rail. Back inside the treatment continues, Steiner crossfacing him across the bridge of the nose and a vicious, high impact Steinerline that results in Kwee Wee holding his neck/throat. He does try to fight back, even hitting his springboard sunset flip, but Steiner kicks out of that before even a one count. Overhead belly to belly, Kwee Wee just about tucking his head in time. Mike Tenay is wanting to get Paisley a towel so she can toss that in and put an end to this, he’s not the only one. Release German suplex, Steiner comes off the top with a bulldog and that mercifully wraps this up. Steiner just treats him with complete disdain and seemed unnecessary rough on him. I don’t know if that was the story they were going for, Kwee Wee proving he’s ‘all man’ by taking a beating from Steiner but this wasn’t for me.

Billy Kidman is being seen to by a member of the medical staff and despite his protestations that he’s fine, the doc thinks otherwise. The Cat walks in and wonders what’s going on and Konnan explains that Kidman got jumped by Team Canada and offers to take his place in the upcoming ‘Hair vs Hair’ match. Considering that K-Dogg doesn’t have any hair I’m not sure how that will work. Me and the Cat are on the same wavelength as he questions “what hair?” but agrees to it anyway. The bell rings to get the match started when Ric Flair appears on the video screen. He doesn’t take to Konnan “getting cute” and taking a match where he has nothing to lose, so informs him that he has to beat Mike Awesome here otherwise Billy Kidman will be losing his hair. You can see clear daylight between the kicks that these two throw at each other. Release belly to belly by Awesome. Konnan uses the turnbuckles to complete an arm drag, but makes the mistake of following Awesome out to the floor where he whips him back and forth between the guard rail and ring apron. He leaps off the ring steps however K-Dogg grabs a chair and blasts him in the head with it. Back inside the prone Awesome gets a foot up that Konnan flies into. K-Dogg fights his way out of the ‘Awesome Bomb’ and hits an ‘X-Factor’ for a super close near fall. Awesome counters the piledriver, lifting Konnan up and slamming him to the mat. Huge splash off the top that K-Dogg somehow kicks out of, as Tony Schiavone was convinced that Kidman’s hair was a goner. He heads back upstairs but this time is met by Konnan. They’re both real unsteady up there and eventually, after what feels longer than it probably was, Konnan lands a top tope DDT and it’s the ‘Canadian Killer’ who loses his hair. With Awesome still KO’d Konnan cuts off his mullet, the ultimate payback for him trying to cut Kidman’s hair last night. Finally we get a quick dressing room interview from Team Canada where Lance Storm tells a despondent Awesome that this isn’t over and they’ll have the final laugh.

‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, who is going to be the special referee in the ‘Canadian Penalty Box’ match is providing some guest commentary tonight and says how he is going to call that match “right down the middle” just like Ric Flair told him too. K-Dogg is still doing those wretched catchphrases to a modicum of response, although four guys in the front row are enjoying themselves, dancing along to the Filthy Animal’s anthem! Mike Tenay seems to think ‘Hacksaw’ will find it hard to stay impartial as referee, while Stevie Ray questions about when he turned his back on his country and joined Team Canada, something that Duggan claims was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He’s of the opinion that the people have forgiven him, although it’s not like days of old, that’s for sure, when he tries to start a “U-S-A” chant. Double ‘H-Bomb’ by Kidman and Rey. Kidman dumps Skipper and then has some words for Lance on the apron who tried to knee him in the back when he hit the ropes. Storm gets him at the second time of asking, clubbing him in the back of the head. After ducking the attempted clothesline he lands a headscissors takedown followed by a tornado bulldog. He heads upstairs for the shooting star, but Skipper swipes his legs out from under him. Great looking suicideplex by Lance forcing Rey to save his partner. Mike Awesome involves himself from the floor and gets nailed by K-Dogg for his troubles. Storm is rolled up for a two count after Kidman floats over on the suplex, but Lance then cuts him off with a clothesline. Dragon suplex by Skipper. Kidman counters the powerbomb with a facebuster and he makes the hot tag to Rey. Springboard crossbody for Storm and a spinning heel kick for Elix. There’s an uncharacteristic ugly exchange between Lance and Rey after Storm doesn’t quite catch him on the Asai moonsault, although Rey is right back on him with a springboard splash. Skipper breaks up the cover, dropping an elbow to the back of Rey’s head, and then hits a double armed suplex. Another awkward exchange in there, this time between Kidman and he. As Rey sets himself for the bronco buster, all hell breaks out at ringside with everyone, including the women, going at it. Konnan saves Kidman just in time from an ‘Awesome bomb’ on the floor, while inside Lance counters the springboard rana, reversing it into the ‘Canadian Maple Leaf’. With no other option Rey is forced to tap, Team Canada taking the momentum into Sunday night.