What are you watching?

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/wwf-at-msg-january-22nd-1983/#.Uvzfb4Um-So

Pedro vs. Muraco
Backlund vs, Studd
Strongbow vs. Ray Stevens
Snuka vs. Buddy Rose
Plus Rocky Johnson, Curt Hennig and The Samoans in action!

[goc]

I just started watching NECW a few weeks ago, starting with their big monster tag team The End debut that hooked me. I've found the show surprisingly enjoyable so far, I liked the presentation of The End tag team, liked Jeremiah Bradley although I don't think he's a regular and loved the Jack Maverick squash the other week. Anyone else watch this? I started with Episode 43 but they have everything on their Youtube page.

 

http://www.youtube.com/necwwrestling

[Kevin Ridge]

I wish I had tried checking out NECW when they use to do shows at Goodtimes in Somerville. Maybe I will check out the latest show online too. The Masshole is a perfect nickname for a Massachusetts based wrestler.

[kayfabe1984]

Watched a bunch of random stuff yesterday ... WCW Starrcade 95, The Sharpes & Tom Steele vs. Hayes, Gordy, & Von Erich from World Class TV, and started part of a Coliseum Video.

 

Then my wife took over the TV to watch the Olympics .... not cool.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/wwf-msg-52383/#.UwYAHYUm-So

Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Strongbow vs. Ivan Koloff
Rocky Johnson vs. Don Muraco
Snuka vs. Afa
and the best Sal Bellemo match I've ever seen!

[kayfabe1984]

Watched some more of the old Best of the WWF Vol. 4 from Coliseum Video. Saw a random dude battle royal from the spectrum that was won by Tony Atlas on a coin flip.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/monday-night-wars-week-9-103095/#.Uw9WB4Um-So

Nitro has all the top faces AWOL, while RAW has Gold Dust's debut and a pretty good Owen/Razor match with a shocking ending!

[Loss]

Watching stuff 2005-present on the WWE Network since that's around the time I checked out of week-to-week viewing.

 

New Years Revolution was a great show. I mentioned the Regal/Eugene vs Christian/Tomko and Lawler/Hassan matches in the Regal and Lawler Microscope threads. I also thought the Chamber was outstanding. That is probably the best heel performance I can recall seeing from HHH because he bumped and bled like a freak and managed to turn a crowd against him that loved him when the match started. He got the details so right in that Batista feud. Orton was lousy at this point - he just had nothing to offer as a babyface. Jericho was incredible as the workhorse of the match. He and Benoit took on that role, but that was quite the inspired performance from Jericho, specifically in putting Batista over. The tag opener is probably a three-star match, but should still be seen for its unique atmosphere and match layout. That main event I'd probably call 4 1/4*.

 

Currently on the Royal Rumble 2005. I'm watching Edge vs Michaels with Edge's offense mostly consistent of hairpulling. This is pretty good for a Divas match. I'm not sure why I'm watching this show, since it's not like the HHH/Orton and JBL/Angle/Show matches have appeal to me.

[Loss]

I had enough of that Rumble noise. Watching No Way Out 2005. Eddy/Rey vs Bashams is tremendous. Eddy's babyface cheating is amazing in that match, and Rey does some of the best FIP selling you'll ever see. The Bashams weren't a bad team, but they were just kinda there.

[Loss]

Continuing with No Way Out 2005 ...

 

Should have stopped after that tag match, which probably a 3* match. Saw a multi-man cruiserweight match with no heat. It's always awkward when I see flippy floppy guys do impressive highspots and get zero reaction.

 

Cena vs Angle was a must-see in the sense that it's one of the most selfish performances I've ever seen from a wrestler. Angle completely guzzles Cena, takes 95% of the offense and kicks out of his finisher. And he acts so much like a heel that I had no idea he was one until they went to the finish. Cena was green at this point and you watch and see how much he improved over time. But Angle did nothing here, and this is not the type of match that does anything for a top babyface still coming along in the ring who needs opponents willing to sell for him. Angle completely upstaged him in this one.

 

JBL vs Big Show in a barbed wire cage match felt like a match that could go either way. I wanted to be open to it because neither guy is one that got their due at times. But this wasn't good at all. No heat whatsoever aside from the stunt job they did for Show's chokeslam through the ring. They both bled and they worked hard, but there was nothing to see here.

 

Next stop Wrestlemania XXI.

[goc]

With the arrival of the WWE Network I've been watching a lot of....1985 Memphis. I've very slowly been working my way through it for the past like 6 months or so but I've been on a tear the past few days going through the end of August all the way into October.

 

This was an interesting time seeing them keep trying to build a monster heel. Bota the Witch Doctor was actually a pretty interesting guy in the ring, at least based on the little that I saw. I don't think the fans bought into him though. Taurus Bulba kind of sucked and they took the belt off of him really quickly.

 

What's really hooked me though is the introduction of The Stomper and the Tom Renesto heel turn into a manager after being the authority figure for a few months. There's a ton of stuff going on with Lawler not wanting to put the Southern Title on the line against Stomper because he has a match set up with Ric Flair for the World Title that won't happen if he loses the Southern belt. So Tom Renesto gets pissed as the match maker and lays into Lawler on TV, causing Eddie Marlin & Jerry Jarrett to come out which ends up with Eddie firing Tom Renesto off camera. Renesto comes back to say he quit & is going to become The Stomper's "booking agent."

 

After Lawler loses the title match to Ric Flair (I'm not sure how they don't show it or say) he ends up defending the Southern Title against a returning Bill Dundee. Lawler doesn't want to fight him because the fans are happy Dundee is back but Dundee wants the Southern Title and a match against Ric Flair. Their Southern Title match is ruined by Masked Superstar, Stomper & Tom Renesto interfering. Then Lawler & Dundee team up again, while Lawler is pretty much openly happy they ruined the match and got Dundee to team with him again.

[Jimmy Redman]

I had enough of that Rumble noise. Watching No Way Out 2005. Eddy/Rey vs Bashams is tremendous. Eddy's babyface cheating is amazing in that match, and Rey does some of the best FIP selling you'll ever see. The Bashams weren't a bad team, but they were just kinda there.

 

Tell me you didn't skip the 2005 Rumble match itself. It's one of my favourites.

 

I agree with you about the 2005 Chamber too, I love it and think it's the most underrated one, since nobody seems to mention it when the subject comes up.

[goodhelmet]

Everyone go to WCW PPVs and watch World War 3 1995.... ok maybe not everyone, just people who like to see two big dudes beat the shit out of each other in a taped fist match. Big Bubba vs. Hacksaw Duggan mixes some clever spots around a match where they punch each other a whole lot. First, Duggan sticks Bubba's head in between two ring posts (there are three rings out there) and punches him out to the floor. Duggan takes a nasty jump into the guard rail shortly after so Bubba punches the ribs throughout the match. I also love that the announcers do not sell missed punches. If a guy doesn't connect, the wrestler and the announcers don't sell it. Makes it feel more real. Bossman has a roll of tape and wraps Duggan's arm around the top rope allowing him to lay waste to Duggan. One spot bothered me where Duggan was supposed to level Bubba in the face but it didn't have the impact it should have but Bubba makes up for it by taking a nasty spill outside. Nice uppercut wrapped in a chain to end the match. I enjoyed most of this.

[goc]

I'm up to the end of November watching Memphis 1985 and I've seen very few promos kill someone's goodwill the way the "Freedom Fighters" first interview on Memphis TV did. This would be the debut of the future Sting and Ultimate Warrior. Lance Russell is practically gushing about how big they are and asks them if they're married. To which Sting says that they are looking forward to meeting the girls around the area and he heard the girls in Nashville are nice, which pretty much ends the screaming of the girls there in the Memphis studio.

[pantherwagner]

Everyone go to WCW PPVs and watch World War 3 1995.... ok maybe not everyone, just people who like to see two big dudes beat the shit out of each other in a taped fist match. Big Bubba vs. Hacksaw Duggan mixes some clever spots around a match where they punch each other a whole lot. First, Duggan sticks Bubba's head in between two ring posts (there are three rings out there) and punches him out to the floor. Duggan takes a nasty jump into the guard rail shortly after so Bubba punches the ribs throughout the match. I also love that the announcers do not sell missed punches. If a guy doesn't connect, the wrestler and the announcers don't sell it. Makes it feel more real. Bossman has a roll of tape and wraps Duggan's arm around the top rope allowing him to lay waste to Duggan. One spot bothered me where Duggan was supposed to level Bubba in the face but it didn't have the impact it should have but Bubba makes up for it by taking a nasty spill outside. Nice uppercut wrapped in a chain to end the match. I enjoyed most of this.

 

I watched this but I was surprised about Cutie Suzuki and Mayumi Ozaki coming out on the match after that one. I forgot about their cup of coffee in WCW. Almost as surprised as when I flicked through WrestleWar 1991 and I saw the LLPW chicks coming out. I had forgotten about that one too. I wish the Eddie Guerrero dark match somehow was on tape, though.

 

I also watched some World Class. Two Al Madril matches and that's two more Al Madril matches that I had planned on watching for the remainder of my life. I think it's awesome that The Magic Dragon is from MACAU and Checkmate is from THE ISLE OF MAN, UK.

[Loss]

I won't go through every match at Wrestlemania XXI, but here are some highlights:

 

- Eddy vs Rey was good. I still think Rey is excellent, but he was much more spry in 2005 than he is now and that stood out watching this. Rey's mask problems seemed to hamper them a little, plus this was the first chapter in Eddie's heel turn more than it was the peak of a rivalry, so I don't think it was really designed to be a great match, nor did it need to be. Three-star match.

 

- I really enjoyed Money In The Bank. One thing I am trying to do as a wrestling fan - which is admittedly hard - is table every single bias I have. And I do have a bias against multi-man gimmick matches. So I think you have to look at what they can accomplish within that framework and judge them based on that instead of comparing it to Flair vs Steamboat or whatever. The dive train with Kane joining in was tremendous and I liked how they put some thought behind the flash too. Edge didn't do much in the match. He largely waited around for others to take each other out, then jumped on the opportunity when it arose. I thought that fit his character and was a nice touch. Also, I really enjoyed Tyson Tomko's interference. He seems like someone who deserved better in WWE so far. Literally putting Christian on his shoulders and trying to carry him up the ladder was great. I'd go 4* for this.

 

- Angle vs Shawn had really good moments, especially the opening matwork with the short-arm scissors. But Angle can't sell anything for shit and Shawn wasn't interested. Shawn sitting in the anklelock as long as he did just went against the psychology of a move that requires a quick tapout to avoid a snap in every way. I'd probably go 3 1/2* overall. Very good match, but this is what you get when neither guy wants to make the other look good.

 

- Orton vs Undertaker was very good. Undertaker was in a giving mood, and I loved dad's interference with the cast. Despite the streak already being built up as something special at this point, some of those nearfalls were pretty convincing all the same. I'd go 3 1/4* here.

 

- JBL vs Cena was not a match befitting of a guy being set up for the top spot. I think JBL tried, but he just wasn't a very over champion, and he was a limited wrestler anyway. Cena was still coming into his own at this point also. When you look at all the guys who either tried to guzzle Cena or just weren't capable of giving him what he needed, it's kind of a wonder he got over at all.

 

- HHH vs Batista was okay. Being sort of emotionally removed from HHH stalling the careers of so many of my favorite wrestlers makes it much easier to look at his matches objectively. After the Chamber performance of HHH and the way others were able to make Batista look good, I was thinking this may surprise me. There's nothing really wrong with the match. I just think Batista wasn't good enough yet to have a strong one-on-one main event match with no gimmicks or booking tricks. The catapult that led to HHH's bladejob looked awful, but I hate that move as a rule anyway because I don't buy whatever laws of momentum I'm supposed to buy to make that move work, but maybe that's because I've never really seen the move executed very well. Solid match, but not at the level I think a Wrestlemania main event should be. Still, it was an effective way to kick off Batista's first big run on top.

[PeteF3]

I have the WWE Network and I at the minimum intend to make NXT a weekly thing, but for right now my tunnel vision is still on the Yearbooks. Just concluded my thoughts on 1993 as a whole.

[goc]

One thing about 85 Memphis is that they weren't afraid to call out someone for doing steroids. Dundee talked trash about The Fabs being big from doing steroids, and then Dundee and Hickerson both at different times ragged on The Freedom FIghters (Sting and Warrior) for sticking needles in their ass.

 

And people can talk trash about The Warrior being terrible, but 1985 Jim Hellwig sans Warrior gimmick makes the Ultimate Warrior look like Ric Flair or something.

[Loss]

Backlash 2005:

 

- The work was really good in the Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin opener, but it was also sort of tone deaf. Shelton never really got over in a huge way, although he showed potential at one point the year before. Jericho was becoming more irrelevant by the day at this point. They put forth a really strong effort, but without the heat and a strong storyline hook, it felt lacking. Jericho really got over the idea that he wanted this win to revitalize his career and was suitably freaked out when he didn't get it. I'd go 3 1/4*.

 

- Edge vs Benoit seemed to have some identity crisis going on. It was like they were trying to work a match getting over the hate and intensity through aggressive wrestling on one hand, but couldn't help themselves in staying away from ladders and garbage cans on the flip side. The crowd was chanting for weapons and Edge breaking out the ladder got a great pop, but it really felt like the fans were pulling the strings of their puppet wrestlers. We know that mindset can't go anywhere good, and it made me just not think much of this at all. This is probably better than I'm giving it credit for, but I couldn't get into it because it felt cheap. How dumbed down is a wrestling match when Edge uses a brick as a weapon to knock Benoit out and win? Blood was overdone to a point it was gratuitous in 2005 WWE, which makes it weird that they didn't go there in this match.

 

- Christian doing raps to get babyface pops as a heel, presumably to build to a feud with John Cena. Cena didn't really have anyone out to play a real heel against him for ages.

 

- HHH vs Batista was much better than at Wrestlemania. I don't have a ton to say about it but it was a good WWE main event with lots of overbooked referee bullshit that worked. HHH once again convincingly put Batista over while also making the result hard fought enough that the door is open to a rematch. I'd go 3 1/4* on it, but not something I feel the need to watch again.

[Stiva]

Hope you keep this up, Loss as it's fun reading through these knowing that almost ten years ago (fucking hell...), you were seeing a real transitional time in WWE's history. I'm curious to see what you think of Cena's run on top in 2007 until his injury because it's one of my favourite headline runs of any WWE guy. I hope you're looking forward to lots of Edge main events though, at a point where he was declining rapidly. I'm amazed he lasted until 2011 looking back.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/from-the-wwe-network-msg-102284/#.UxXj7YUm-So
Hogan vs. Big John Studd!
Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine!
Sarge vs. Volkoff!
Afa vs. Dick Murdoch in a match that is either fantastic (my review) or minus two stars (Scott Keith's).
Plus David Sammartino, Mad Dog Vachon and bad promos from Johnny Valiant and Ken Patera!

[kayfabe1984]

Watched Wrestle War '92 off of the Network last night. A lot of the early stuff on the show was kinda bland. The opening tag with the Freebirds against Valentine & Taylor was really good. Forgot just how awesome the last three matches on the show are. Steiners vs. Fujinami & Iizuka is four dudes beating the shit out of each other and is absolutely brutal, Pillman vs. Zenk is a really good back-and-forth match, and the War Games ... you can feel the hatred and violence even 22 years later. Pretty much everyone is covered in blood, a ring gets destroyed, and it's just a physical and violent match. Honestly, my favorite War Games Match ever. The crowd is just rabid. If anything watch the show for just the last three matches.

[Loss]

Just finished Judgment Day 2005. Probably my favorite show of the year at this point with an insane main event.

 

- The MNM vs Haas/Holly match was a solid opener, but at 7 minutes, I would have liked to have seen them get more time. Haas was kind of clueless-seeming in the ring, but he seemed okay in a tag setting. MNM was gold right away.

 

- Eddy/Rey was outstanding and this isn't one in their series I hear much talk about. Eddy spends most of the match trying to permanently injure Rey's back and they play off the brainbuster on the steps from Smackdown when Eddy turned. Rey comes to fight and shows a completely different side. He's really aggressive and throws great punches. They didn't go into blood territory, probably to protect the main event, but this was a terrific, intense match. I'd go 4 1/4*, and call it yet another great match in their series.

 

- Cena vs JBL was a total war! Notice the crowd is totally behind Cena. Notice he's facing a real heel. Both guys are a bloody mess and I love the finish. They worked this smart, with Cena getting completely dominated early and having to make a huge comeback. I think they were trying to make clear he was a tough guy. You have to wonder how the 50/50 crowd stuff might have died had he had access to the blade all these years. You also have to wonder how someone like HHH might have gotten over before him without access to the blade. 4 1/2* match - the best of the year so far.

[peachchaos]

NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW Hardcore TV)

Episode 26 - Funk's Last Stand

10/4/1993

 

This is an important episode of the series, and a great place to start watching Eastern Championship Wrestling, as this was a few months after Heyman took over the book from Eddie Gilbert and joined the National Wrestling Alliance. The first successful booking decision Heyman made was to revamp local talent with new gimmicks in hopes of creating in-house stars. The Public Enemy became his pet-project, with a simple-but-brilliant gimmick that seemed streets ahead of 1993 mainstream wrestling. Also added to the roster was Sabu, who although somewhat of an indy wrestling sensation, was given the Memphis treatment as a complete madman who destroyed anything in sight needed to be restrained by a handler until his wrestling match. The gimmick only cemented Sabu as a lunatic to the audience and helped frame him as a dangerous competitor on television. Also slowly making a name for himself and eventually landing on a goldmine is The Sandman, who wears a wetsuit and portrays himself as a beach bum surfer. Amazing.

 

Shane Douglas had been pushed strongly as the top heel act for some time, with Sherri Martel in his corner and the ECW Championship in tow. Of course the top prize for this promotion at this point, being an NWA-affiliate, is the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which has been abused and misused as a result of the NWA/WCW split.

 

Terry Funk has been a major presence on nearly every episode of this show to date, and it's safe to say we would not be watching this program in 2014 if not for his efforts. Prior to this episode, he has been in a feud with Jimmy Snuka for the ECW TV Title and under the constant annoyance of longtime rival, Paul E. Dangerously. Tonight has been billed as "Funk's Last Stand" against Snuka, as the two battle inside of a Steel Cage.

 

1. Public Enemy vs. Silver Jet and Gino Caruso - standard, boring squash to get TPE over, on par with the lesser squash matches on RAW at the time. DUD

 

2. Sabu vs. Tazmanic - Their first meeting. The debut of The Tazmaniac. A wild match, actually, probably more along the lines of what fans expected at Barely Legal. Trouble is, by the time we get to 1997, Taz has been billed as an unstoppable submission suplex machine and it wasn't believable for him to stand there and absorb Sabu's high flying routine. 1993 is a bit different, and once Sabu gets unleashed, the fight is ON. There are a few sloppy moments here and there, but underneath everything is this riot of carnage happening. At one point, Sabu is just throwing chairs around ringside and the fans look legitimately frightened. Everything here is unique and you can tell they're breaking new ground, making up the hardcore style as they go. The way they bump on the table, even after it breaks prematurely, for instance. Eventually, the table breaks just became a side-headlock. I can't speak on the actual flow of the match or the psychology involved, and there are a few awkward moments, but for the most part, this is a crazy brawl that needs to be seen. Sabu wins with a moonsault. **3/4

 

Post-match, Sabu puts himself through a table multiple times until the whole thing is in pieces.

 

3. Sandman vs. Metal Maniac - competitive squash, which is worthwhile only to see Sandman actually work some holds. 1/2*

4. Funk's Last Stand, Steel Cage Match for the ECW TV Title: Superfly Jimmy Snuka vs. Terry Funk - Escape the cage rules. Snuka was never a great worker or even a good hand, but he had some career highlights, for sure. Seeing Superfly enter a cage just brings back great pro wrestling nostalgia. Sadly, at this point in his career, ain't no way in hell Jimmy Snuka is doing a splash off the top of the cage. So, almost a bit of false advertising based on nostalgia there. However, Terry Funk can turn a shit-stain into gold bullion. The punches, the selling, the hate. It's all here in prime Funk form and he does his absolute best to put this whole thing over, and entertains in the process of winning the TV title. Post-match, Funk starts throwing chairs around the building, as he's pissed he didn't actually pin Snuka to win the belt. ***

Joey Styles interviews Terry Funk backstage, and Funk cuts one of those heart-on-sleeve promos only he can cut. They're going to bring wrestling back. This is one of those moments that makes you feel excited to be a wrestling fan. Great promo to end the show.

Thoughts: This was probably my second time viewing this episode and I ended up liking the two feature matches more than I remembered. I can honestly say that the Funk's performance was worth the price of admission alone, but honestly Sabu and Taz(maniac) put on one hell of a show that felt like a total spectacle. I'd put this up there with the best episodes of Monday Night RAW from 1993. A very promising introduction.

[goc]

I've finished 1985 Memphis and my god they ran Fabs vs Sheepherders to death. TO DEATH. Every kind of stipulation you ever heard of and some they seemed to just make up at random like the Rugby Scrum match. There's a football in the ring, two guys fight over it with their partners handcuffed in the corner and if you can get the ball and give it to your partner then he can get unlocked from the handcuffs. And the fans are expected to throw the ball back if it goes in the crowd. Doubt that match got taped at the arena after the debacle that was the TV demonstration match.

 

My guilty pleasure is Tony Falk. I like how they debuted with him a little fanfare, but not a lot. Then he loses every week and starts getting more and more desperate to end the losing streak, talking trash about guys and making open challenges, all the while continuing to lose.