What are you watching?

[Mad Dog]

I do hate their cut in promos during matches. I never know where to look and miss the action half the time.

[Mad Dog]

I'm a month in on Superstars and Wrestling Challenge. I saw the famous British Bulldogs squash from Foley's book. That's an interesting watch if you remember what Foley wrote about it.

 

One of the things they do that I hate is teaming up a mid-carder with an obvious jobber. They love doing that with Billy Jack Haynes. It was also weird seeing them debut Koko B. Ware to a loss on the first episode.

 

I'm past those awful Gorilla, Jimmy V and Ernie Ladd Challenge episodes, thank god. Now I just have to wait six months to be rid of Bruno Sammartino.

 

I'm hoping I can keep up with this because I really do want to watch the WWF tv of the late 80s and early 90s.

[kayfabe1984]

I'm currently watching 2001 WCW from start to finish and reviewing each show. Not sure why I'm doing this to myself. My thoughts on the first Thunder of the year here:

 

http://epicwrestlingadventure.blogspot.com/2014/09/2001-wcw-odyssey-wcw-thunder-1301.html

[SomethingSavage]

I have been revisiting a truckload of the shows from the SmackDown! Six era, just to see HOW good those matches were in the context of that specific time. I've done a little jumping around here & there, and I came across a random six-man tag that I don't remember happening at all. So I scoped it out. Nothing extraordinary, but it wasn't bad.

 

Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, & Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge, Rey Mysterio, & John Cena is the match. It's just a six-man tag that was booked on SmackDown, a week or so prior to that year's SummerSlam event. Benoit was holding the IC Title at the time. Eddie was just starting to venture into a vendetta with Edge. Rey and Kurt were gearing up for their show-stealing opener. And Cena's the green guy on the block, still donning the bright neon spandex as his ring gear.

 

The action itself is about what you'd expect, and I'm honestly only mentioning the match for the finish. Kurt clears the rings with slams and suplexes and other assorted bombs. Whenever Cena or Edge (I can't recall which) rolls out to the floor in anguish, Kurt drops to his knees for his always awesome, over-the-top exaggerated Olympic-sized celebration. Kurt waddles over near the ropes - still on his knees - and shouts insults at his fallen foes. And then...

 

As soon as Kurt reaches the ropes, Rey springs into action with incredible speed and BLASTS Angle in the chompers with the 619. It's swift. It's unexpected. And it legitimately looks like it could catch a guy off-guard. THAT is the right way to pull off the 619, without insulting anyone's intelligence. Without telegraphing a spot. Without making someone look like a total goof. Without stretching disbelief a tad too far.

 

So yeah. In this case, at least IN THIS MATCH, it was done right. It makes me wonder how long this went on far with Rey's WWE booking, and if it lasted more than a month. I'm interested in finding out, since even the Chavo debut match saw Rey hit the 619 from the corner - with Chavito slumped face-down against a turnbuckle pad. In this light at least, it's easy to make a case for the maneuver feeling fresh & seeming innovative at first.

[Mad Dog]

I was watching the 1/12/1985 episode of World Wide Wrestling. Holy shit, that Flair promo after Wahoo attacked him was super intense. That might be one of the best Flair promos I've ever seen.

[Tim Evans]

I've been back to watching USWA 1994 after taking a month break to watch mid 2000's indie lucha. I'm up to July 1994 and Sid just debuted by attacking Lawler and joining up with Dream Machine/Doug Gilbert and Tommy Rich's group/ Actually it would be down to Doug and Tommy as Dream would disappear. Before Sid returned, Tommy and Jerry Lawler had a barb wire match. It wasn't much based on the clips that aired on the TV. PG-13 won the W*ing tag team titles from Nobutaka Araya and Okono. The tag titles were actually just a trophy. Eliminators broke the trophy after PG-13 won it.

[SomethingSavage]

Went back and watched the "Stunning" Steve Austin vs. "Gentleman" Chris Adams feud in its entirety. Tons of fun stuff to absorb there, and I'd honestly forgotten about a lot of it - so it came across fresh enough to feel new again.

 

Good stuff galore in terms of in-ring action. Austin is green, but he NEVER appears sloppy. There's a sense of inexperience to some of his movements & mannerisms, but the guy clearly grasped what it took to get something over & what it meant to put something over.

 

Both men bring the physicality. There's a rough, rugged feel to things. The entire series of matches is hinged on intensity & tension. There's a real "grudge fight" feel to almost everything in their program, even at a time when a lot of pro wrestling had gone REALLY hokey. But nah. This feud is fueled with the right kind of stuff. It just screams SOUTHERN FRIED FIYAHHH.

 

I dig the little details in most things. And, in terms of the smaller scale stuff, I absolutely enjoy some of the stuff Adams does on offense. The European forearms in the corner, rather than the traditional ten punch at the turnbuckle, is just a neat spin on a crowd-pleasing routine. The Superkicks he busts out to various areas of the body is another favorite. Oh, and the leg-sweep via swift kick behind the knee. Always liked that.

 

The ferocity isn't limited to the men though. The real motivation for the rivalry BEGAN with the women, so it's only fitting that they feel totally involved at every level throughout. And that they are. Toni Adams is one mad minx - ripping, clawing, and tearing at "Mean" Jeannie at every available twist & turn. These ladies aren't just wielding perfume, loaded purses, or high-heeled boots either. They're cracking kendo sticks on flesh & bone, folks. It's vixen violence cranked up to a new notch for the time.

 

The Barbed Wire Match between Austin & Adams is especially awesome. There's no insane bump. There's no extraordinary, historic moment. But it's a shining example of what CAN and mostly SHOULD be done to sell this kind of stipulation as significant. They put over the dangerous aspect of the barbed wire and SERIOUSLY drive home the severity of the damage that CAN be done. Doesn't necessarily HAVE to be all gore and bloodshed. Just Austin getting nicked and sliced as he tries to escape with his hide intact is incredibly entertaining. There are a few teaser spots, with the rivals trying desperately to maim and scar one another, and that's enough.

Not that I'm knocking the niche market of death matches or anything, because they certainly have a time & place where they fit in and are found to be genuinely fun. But for this match & this feud, the execution of THIS particular Barbed Wire Match worked extremely well for me.

[Mad Dog]

I knocked out the first month of the 1985 World Wide Wrestling show. Really loving it, wish I had access to the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling show. I was also dismayed to learn that I'm missing the last two shows from the 1985 World Championship Wrestling set I have. Now I'm going to have to figure out how to replace those. Really bummed about that.

 

Anyways, I'm loving the heel turn they did with Wahoo McDaniel here. He's playing this bitter heel and his promos are some good stuff. You can just tell that he believes every word coming out of his mouth about Ric Flair. They've slowly started adding in the Magnum TA stuff and the way he's dismissing Magnum TA as a challenger is great. I also love the angle where Dillon has a wanted poster on Dick Slater. The Terry Funk attack was awesome and I'm looking forward to Ox Baker showing up now.

 

I got this set because I wanted more context to their start on World Championship Wrestling and I just can't stop watching. I'm even considering going back and getting the 1984 set and watching that now.

[SomethingSavage]

I love JCP in '84. Slater aiming to "tayke it all. I'ma GIT IT AHLLLL" is great. The Flair face run feels fresh. Wahoo's stuff is all tremendous. And, say what you will about the feud dragging on like a dying dog that just won't be put down, but the beginning phase of the Jimmy Valiant and Paul Jones grudge is amazing. The Assassins are outstanding in their roles, but the Boogie Woogie Man takes his interviews to a whole other level.

 

Jimmy can be entertaining & humorous here and there, but Valiant's early promos in the program are full of piss & vinegar. Guy's spewing venom. It's southern fried FIYAHHH, and it's a shining example of how to suck people into a situation. It's a template that SHOULD be taken and applied to a lot of today's stuff. In fact, Dean Ambrose is educating people on precisely the same thing right now. And he's reaping the benefits of it by getting more over than (I believe) he was ever expected to, initially.

 

Everything about the kickoff of that rivalry is what I love about southern 'rasslin from the time. It's a professional issue - inside the squared circle - that heats up and QUICKLY becomes a personal issue. Valiant puts over the importance of something as silly as HIS FREAKING FACIAL HAIR, of all things - with a touching little story about his son. And from there, they're off to the races. It's a race that people were begging to end by the finish, unfortunately. But yeah. Still EXTREMELY neat in the beginning.

 

ANYWAY...

 

Just watched the Extreme Rules 8-Man Tornado Tag Match that pit the New Breed versus the ECW Originals is a crazy kind of fun. It's nonstop weapon shots & daring dives from bell to bell.

 

Dreamer busts out a couple of neat spots, including the slick simultaneous DDT/Neck Breaker combo. He also bursts Matt Striker's "kidneys like water balloons" with a crunching Spine Buster onto a trash can.

 

Some cool stuff with Kevin Thorne, Sabu, and RVD as well. The big goth lug kisses the seat of a steel chair that Sabu HURLS through the air, which is nifty. Plus it gives Joey Styles the chance to cry out, "Pucker up, vampire." So there's that.

 

Monty Brown (yes) shines a bit brighter than the rest for me though. We get good stuff GALORE from the guy here. Alpha Bomb snapped off out of a Cross Body position. Spinning high angle Back Suplex onto an unfolded chair in the center of the ring. And, of course, the POOOOOUUUUUNNNCCCE-uhhh. Period.

 

Finish is fun, too. Elijah Burke just MOWS DOWN poor Sabu from behind with a murderous set of Shotgun Knees between the shoulder blades, and Sheiky Nephew takes a face-first plunge through a table in the corner.

 

Particularly enjoyable as an unheralded gem that doesn't get much love. Just a series of spots strung together really, but it's absolute fun in under ten minutes if you're in the mood for that sort of stuff.

[Ricky Jackson]

Hey Johnny, get going on your quest to accumulate Valiant-Jones feud footage for a Titans special, I want to see this stuff Savage is describing.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Who was begging for it to end? Nobody I knew. We wanted a final battle to wrap it up but not because we were tired of it. They booked it smart by giving it a break when needed, Jimmy feuding with Cornette while Superstar turned and feuded with Jones, the fued had to end but people weren't tired of it. As far as I can remember.

[SomethingSavage]

Hmm. Well there ya go.

 

To hear a lot of people talk about it now, they talk like it was the never-ending story that couldn't end soon enough. I dig it a lot now, looking back. And you're right. There were plenty of twists & turns to keep things fresh. Especially enjoyed how Valiant would bring in various partners and characters to help him out at first, with Jones scouring the earth for any and all lowlife assailants he could find to aid him against the Boogie Woogie Man. It had so much other stuff intertwined and weaved into the story as things went along.

 

Valiant's promo to bring in Baron Von Raschke, of all people, was excellent. Offering the Baron ANY AMOUNT of money to lend his dirty deeds - "NAME YOUR PRICE" - and the Baron turning around & saying, "I'll do it. But I'll do it for ONE SINGLE DOLLAH." Tremendous.

[Stiva]

Can't see a thread for the G1 Climax but I really enjoyed Day 1 more than I have recent New Japan in a while. Okada/Styles was excellent with Styles looking better than he has in a while and Honma/Tanahashi was my favourite. I don't enjoy Tanahashi but really enjoyed the meat of this match with the build to Honma hitting the headbutt a lot more than his usual stuff. Favourite spot of the show was Shibata responding to Nakamura's posing by kicking him straight in the face which is A-OK with me.

 

Day 2 doesn't look to have many standouts but Day 1 has made me really excited to watch Styles throughout this tournament. His interference spots were already 100x better than Devitt's shitty ones and I prefer him as a worker anyway.

[SomethingSavage]

Heard something about a KENTA tribute spot during the Nakamura match... Any truth to that, or any word on what it's even about?

Haven't gotten around to watching Day 1 just yet, obviously. But I'm stoked for this year's tourney on so many levels. Probably just gonna hold back for a week or more and do some binge catch-up later though.

 

What'd you think about the Ishii match? How about Tanahashi?

 

And yeah. I expect Styles to turn in more than his fair share of standout performances. He and Okada have had darn fine chemistry thus far, but I'm itching to see AJ matched up with some fresh opposition soon.

[Stiva]

The Ishii match was OK but I thought Bad Luck Fale looked really bad. There was times where he was on offense and visibly wasn't sure what to do next. It's the opener and is short though so it's quickly forgotten about.

[rovert]

Heard something about a KENTA tribute spot during the Nakamura match... Any truth to that, or any word on what it's even about?

 

Hit the Go 2 Sleep.

[SomethingSavage]

Ahh. Was hoping it'd be something a little more interesting, but there ya go. Still stoked to see the matches from Day 1, now that I've looked over the lineup again.

At this rate, what's the appeal in Fale as a solo worker anyhow? I don't get it. Didn't understand the apparent desire to push him in the first place. As some muscle for the Club, sure. I buy that. But I'd rather see Gallows or Anderson in that spot anyhow. And even Tonga's booked to be "lower" on the totem pole than Fale, which is an injustice in itself. At least Tama has a look and a decent grasp of how to work like a savage.

 

I get the new approach of rotating the title defenses to keep your cards fresh, keep your talent healthy, etc. And I dig the idea. It elevates each championship and lends a more "real sports" feel to things. Plus I'm a gambling man, so I support the idea of giving opportunities & shots to guys that wouldn't otherwise get booked in your "main event" spot. All positive moves in my eyes. But I just hope the right performers are rewarded, and that busts like Fale are only granted a one-off in that spot.

[Blazer]

Superstars and Challenge were rarely 'great'; TV but what they tended to do quite well was get a point across really well and in the minimal amount of time. Something WWE could take a look at these days.

 

I'm in the process of re-watching Superstars '87 right now. I'm up to March. It is AMAZING how every single match, every single segment, seemingly every single moment of the show has a well-thought out purpose. The build to Mania III was just incredible if not perfect.

 

I still love that they stretched out the Hogan/Andre thing over FIVE weeks of Piper's Pits. Imagine that in today's day and age.

[SomethingSavage]

Really random, but I just watched D-Generation X vs. Kai En Tai in an 8-Man Tag Team Match from September '98. Just an incredibly fun sprint of a multi-man scramble. DX is white hot & in full "too cool" babyface mode here. But Kai En Tai are extraordinarily entertaining as the prickly little pests.

 

The action itself isn't outstanding or anything, but it keeps a rapid fire pace & things are never allowed to drop off from bell to bell. It's nonstop movement and maneuvers, with Kai En Tai getting in some great gang-up offense. Road Dogg plays face in peril for a bit, with Club Kamikaze pouring on the punishment & swarming him with a rifling round of dropkicks, elbows, and splashes. Good stuff.

 

Finish is fun. Taka's double-pressed into the air by the Outlaws, and Pac DRIVES him down with a face-flattening X-Factor. Following that, we get a neat visual as Chyna towers over the noticeably smaller Yamaguchi-San. Mr. Yama mouths off, and Chyna swats him away with a single forearm shot that sends him SAILING off the apron in true pro wrestling fashion.

 

Oh. And there's some crowd interaction after the bout, which serves as a fine "telling" sign of the times. There's a chick in the crowd, clad in skintight leather pants with the letters, "D" and "X" across her ass-cheeks. Hunter motions for her to either peel off her top or her pants, and of course - being the Attitude Era and all - she complies. You can only imagine Lawler's exuberance & excitement.

[BruiserBrody]

Arn Anderson shocks Hulk Hogan 2 weeks in a row, Brian Pillman goes crazy in ECW, Loch Ness squashes cruiserweights, Macho Man battles The Nature Boy AGAIN, Razor Ramon clashes with Goldust and Diesel destroys the Undertaker's sanctuary

 

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/monday-night-wars-week-24-and-25-february-12th-and-19th-1996/#.U8_RwFemU1I

 

 

[Mad Dog]

6 episodes in on 1985 World Wide Wrestling. Terry Funk and Ox Baker couldn't get the job done so JJ Dillon brings in Dory Funk Jr. to try and take out Dick Slater. I have to say I love this angle. It's interesting to see who Dillon digs up on a weekly basis. I didn't care for the Kernodle/Steamboat vs. Russians match but the crowd heat for the match and the segment where Kernodle fights them off from the Russian flag was pretty intense.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/in-your-house-rage-in-a-cage/#.U9E0C1emU1J

AKA IYH: Foregone conclusion... See The Undertaker avenge Big Daddy Cool's interference in his recent battles with World Champion (afterthought) Bret Hart... Shawn Micheals steals the show with Owen Hart in a clash to decide who headlines Wrestlemania...Yokozuna tries to avoid a heart attack while chasing the British Bulldog down...HHH is reduced to fighting a Garbage Man...Razor and The Kid battle for the rights to cosplay as an infant...all on the Road to Wrestlemania 12!

[MikeCampbell]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/in-your-house-rage-in-a-cage/#.U9E0C1emU1J

 

AKA IYH: Foregone conclusion... See The Undertaker avenge Big Daddy Cool's interference in his recent battles with World Champion (afterthought) Bret Hart... Shawn Micheals steals the show with Owen Hart in a clash to decide who headlines Wrestlemania...Yokozuna tries to avoid a heart attack while chasing the British Bulldog down...HHH is reduced to fighting a Garbage Man...Razor and The Kid battle for the rights to cosplay as an infant...all on the Road to Wrestlemania 12!

Nash got robbed here. UT pulled him under the ring, so he technically left the cage first. He shoulda been champ!

[Mad Dog]

Tully Blanchard and Buzz Tyler really surprised me with their match on the latest episode of World Wide Wrestling. Great little tv match with Blanchard taking a beating and then just trying to cheat and do whatever he had to do to try and beat Tyler. I didn't have a high opinion of Tyler heading into this one so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Though Tully seems to bring his A game for his TV Title bouts no matter who he's wrestling. I also enjoyed the Dory Funk Jr. vs. Denny Brown match.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/clash-of-the-champions-xii-mountain-madnessfall-brawl-90/#.U9eiqVemU1I

The Black Scorpion angle begins and its first crescendo is hit as Sting challenges the masked man of mystery in the main event, Lex Luger and Ric Flair collide yet again, Stan Hansen destroys people, The Nasty Boyz make their first major appearance in WCW, The Steiners wreck some giant jobbers, Kevin Nash has a Botchamania worthy debut match, all this and more from the amazing booking exploits of Ole Anderson!!!