[1995-01-28-WCW-Saturday Night] Randy Savage vs Arn Anderson

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I think the main thing to take away from this is how far off the mark Vince was on how much value Hogan and Savage still had. In this case, Savage works a solid match with Arn Anderson and continues to get a superstar reaction. Vince could have gotten at least 2-3 more years out of him on top, and the champions of the time would have benefitted from working with the biggest name the WWF had left.

 

This is not a great match or anything, as neither guy is what they were a few years before this. But neither is washed up either. Savage I think we knew had scaled things down a little bit, but in this match, Arn Anderson had dropped slightly from where he was in 1992 where I last saw him. He's really narrowed the "stuff" he does, but everything he does still looks really good.

 

Very interesting match.

[Tim Evans]

So the match ends in a time limit draw but the ref counts the 3 count against Anderson anyways? That doesn't really make sense. Good match though. Not a big fan of Anderson being managed by Col. Parker. He didn't need it.

[Bix]

So the match ends in a time limit draw but the ref counts the 3 count against Anderson anyways? That doesn't really make sense. Good match though. Not a big fan of Anderson being managed by Col. Parker. He didn't need it.

No, Savage won. It was a weird JCP/WCW stip where the TV Title could be on the line in a match with a time limit longer than 15 minutes, but the title would only be on the line during the first 15 minutes.

[El-P]

I hate that stupid rule of the title only be on the line for the first 15 minutes, especially since it was only used to get convenient non-title-winning pinfall like this one.

 

Randy Savage was 43 at this point, and was still more than able to deliver good matches and look like a superstar. Yep, Vince totally missed the boat while building his "new generation" with guys mostly over 35 anyway and putting Savage on the side because he was "too old". He doesn't have the explosiveness he had 10 years earlier of course, but he was still a very solid worker able to convey urgency, take huge bumps on occasion and work nice sequences. Arn and him really don't work the same style at all, but they successfuly make it look like a real struggle. Good sequence at the end. Savage was a giving wrestler in the ring, and it shows here, as his status could have allowed him to eat Arn up. I still like Savage as a heel much better, especially at this point of his career, but watching him go through this pre-Nitro period will be one of the most interesting thing in 1995 to me.

[PeteF3]

The "first 10 minutes" stip is dumb enough, but it SORT OF makes sense on house shows (i.e., not television). It doesn't make sense at all when the TV Champ is actually doing his job. Silly match stips aside, this is a nice solid TV match as Arn knows how to do best. Savage goes along with all of this--this is very much an Arn match with limbwork and a slow build to the finish. Hogan should take notes--Savage struggles with Arn, sells shots from the Colonel, backs off when Meng approaches him...and does anyone think this hurt Savage at all? It just made his comeback look gutsy rather than scripted a la Hogan's power bomb pop-up.

[Zenjo]

An undiscovered gem for me. A really fresh and lively feel to proceedings. The crowd were responding like 'I can't believe I'm seeing a big star like the Macho Man on a free show'. Savage could still go and Arn also impressed. They combined well together. Good action throughout with a purposeful approach. A little outside interference, but it wasn't a problem. The 15m draw was telegraphed before Savage pinned him at 15:20. I know Americans hate draws, but that's a bizarre stipulation.

[Calvin]

This is for Arn's WCW Television Championship, and apparently it's a fifteen minute time limit for the title .... but the match can continue regularly as a non-title bout afterwards? Utter dogshit stipulation. 

This felt like two absolute pros feeling each other out and trying to establish a chemistry without doing too much, but they're still able to engage the crowd in a sustained manner throughout the match.

**3/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson vs Randy Savage - WCW Saturday Night 1/28/95

Savage’s debut in Center Stage and his second match in WCW based on TV Schedule after the Clash Tag with Hogan. Studd Stable is in effect with Parker & Meng at ringside. 
 

This is a Lo-fi, anti-work rate match that a lot of fans that type of work would love. You get more wrestling out of Savage at the beginning than normal… grabbing holds and working for a win. Two all-time great punchers and there were some fabulous ones. I loved the transition to heat as Double A tries to sneak behind Savage off of Colonel distraction but Savage has eyes in the back of his head and clocks him with an elbow but then Savage gets rammed into the post. I love the double fake out. There are so few high spots. Just gritty work. Savage is working against the clock. He only has 15 minutes to win the title. They do Anderson double noggin knocker. They work the Ring post a lot and the sleeper. At the two minute mark Savage is galvanized. High Knee to the back. Double axehandle to the floor. Blocks the DDT by holding onto the ropes. That was a good fake out to think he might win. Parker distraction costs him the title as the time limit expires but not the match as he throws Anderson off the top rope and hits the Big Elbow for the win! Buck, Slater and the Blacktop Bully hit the win but Sting and Dustin save. What a trio of babyfaces! An entertaining throwback match. *** 1/4