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[1995-01-15-WWF-Action Zone] 1-2-3 Kid vs Bam Bam Bigelow


Loss

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  • 4 weeks later...

I don't remember this house music intro for Action Zone. The 1995 WWF aesthetic was stuck in 1990 pop culture, which seems about right for wrestling.

 

They pretty dramatically -- and wisely -- play up the size difference, which manifests itself in some really fun ways. Both have some nice athletic spots, and both are probably at their best at this stage. Kid's baseball slide on Bigelow looked terrific, as did Bigelow's missed Koppo kick into the corner. Kid takes some ridiculous bumps, including a hiptoss from inside the ring to the floor, a crazy press slam (which made the camera shake at a time that I'm pretty sure pre-dates camera shake as a production value), and all of his kickouts are timed really well.

 

Kid's selling is also top notch. I love him slowly getting up from Bigelow's best stuff and then asking him to bring more, only for Bigelow to respond in kind. Bigelow busts out an honest-to-God ARGENTINIAN BACKBREAKER as a hope spot, and Kid's half bomb into a pin when Bigelow was about to jump off the top was the best nearfall of the match.

 

If anything holds this back, it's that it was really the best possible competitive squash. The crowd was ready to explode for any hints of a big offensive flurry from Kid, but it never came. At the same time, that was part of Kid's appeal at the time -- he lost more than he won, but he could occasionally pull off an upset. He benefitted more from losing. Still, I wish this could have been a tad more competitive. A few months before this, Kid was pushing Bret Hart to the limit on RAW, he could have done the same for Bigelow here. Also, treating Kid like any other jobber by stuffing cash in his mouth in the post-match was a bit much.

 

I also can't help but notice how the WWF audience is pretty lean at this point. The fans that are left are clearly the hardcores, which is evident by the really loud "1-2-3" chants, and the spots they pop for. It's not a typical WWF TV taping crowd reaction, and this is far more heated than you'd expect.

 

Really good stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This was exactly the match you'd want these guys to have. Kid did all the expected bouncing around and selling, but in a way, Bam Bam made the match by really putting over Kid's offense. I loved the spot where Bam Bam blocked a kick, countered with a quick, perfect enzuigiri and then ran over to high five Dibiase. Great ending too, with Kid slamming Bigelow off the top into a nearfall and then getting caught off his own top-rope move into a finishing slam. I didn't think this was too squashy. Kid got a big run of offense and a few hope spots that the crowd really bought. Overall, a great example of why the yearbooks rule, because I never would have tracked this down on my own.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 years later...

Very good TV match, designed to get over Kid and Holly as the ultimate underdogs heading into the tournament final at the Rumble (Holly also did a clean job to Tatanka that weekend). Bam Bam uses his forearms to block a Kid spin kick and levels him with an enzuigiri in a spot right out of All-Japan. Kid takes some wicked bumps here but Bigelow's backwards fall off the turnbuckle at the hands of Kid at the ending was great, too.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1995-01-15-WWF-Action Zone] 1-2-3 Kid vs Bam Bam Bigelow
  • 4 years later...

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