[1994-02-20-WCW-Superbrawl IV] Arn Anderson vs Steven Regal

[Makai Club #1]

Most people like to say certain matches are 70's style type matches with zero cause to say so but this was totally that. The slow, deliberate pace they set out, the structure of the match, the style they wrestled, the way they transitioned from move to move (kinda like ZSJ tries to do now but they do it much, much better). The match itself was excellent. I think the lack of heat from the crowd was a problem, not a big one but it was very jarring to watch a match that's virtually done in near silence. Arn's work on the leg and arm was very good, as was Regal's work on the neck and arm of Arn. Tons of fight and struggle to earn every hold they got. The stiff shots by Regal met with the explosive, high impact moves by Arn. I dug the finish too. Great, underrated match. ****1/4

[War is Raw]

The fans were out of this world. This was like stories from old timers where they said "back in the day" fans would pop for working a 15-minute headlock. Really shows you how serious WCW fans were and how they appreciated this style, even in 1994.

Arn said all the crazy holds and moves from Regal was a huge challenged but Arn worked them out on the fly, which I guess added to the realism of this match.

Yes, the finish was shocking , but it worked because it evoked an emotion from me and if Arn wasn't gonna be the TV champ, might as well do the job.

Bobby Heenan was great announcing, and although Tony doesn't get half his jokes and is so anal retentive/serious, he wasn't as bad as on a random Nitro.

I probably don't rate this as MOTY-worthy like some of these reviews only because IMHO every Arn Anderson match is like this. The man simply has no stinkers and every match is gritty, real, and entertaining. I am OK if all of you decide to vote him GOAT based on this observation. 

[Edwin]

Regal comes in with a taped thigh which you know Arn will look to exploit at some point including kicking it to break a double knucklelock. There’s a great bit where Arn locks in a ridiculously tight headlock which looks like he’s about to burst Regal’s head. I had no idea Sir William was Bill Dundee. I thought he was great. You could tell he was working the ringside crowd during the double knucklelock they are loudly shouting at him. Arn’s armwork was pretty neat. He yanks Regal around and rams his arm into the ringpost which gets a great pop. I feel Tony doesn’t get much credit, but he does a great job explaining why Arn’s armwork here. Of course everything Regal throws connects and looks brutal. I really dug the finish with both of them showing signs of urgency as the count down was starting. That quick abdominal stretch counter by Arn leading to a small package was neat as well as the finish with Regal using Sir William’s umbrella for leverage to pull off the pin at the last second while everyone was buying into another time limit draw. Really great match.

[Beast]

I'll be that guy; I respect the work here, but the match didn't do much for me.

The submission work was rough and realistic, with both Anderson and Regal really laying into each other and selling the struggle of getting their bodies worked on. The crowd was with it all the way, which is what impressed me most. Had 1994 WCW been an actual logical professional company, they would have brought this back for a big rematch or at least done something for Arn off of it, but I don't think he really has another program until the Dustin/Stud Stable stuff months from this.

As an overall match, I had a hard time staying invested. TV title time limit shenanigans are maybe my least favorite story for a match and the extended time only came in to play with Dundee and Regal commenting on it from time to time. Otherwise this was hold after hold with some well-placed strikes, which without variety and an additional storytelling component just ends up being a shaggy dog story like most of Regal's TV title defenses. I was looking for Anderson to show off his experience from having been in Regal's place years earlier, plus some fire as he tries to take Regal past his limit and get that title back.

The working on the arm instead of Regal's taped up thigh deal is ludicrous. Yes it led to a big reaction when Arn finally went after it, but in what world would Arn Anderson waste 20 minutes before attacking an "open wound", especially when time is of the essence? I kept waiting for him to show some fire and focus on beating Regal at his own game, but he wasted almost a half hour playing into Regal's kind of match and then at the end didn't change anything up past finally doing a spine buster before getting distracted by Dundee even with seconds left.

These are two of my favorite wrestlers and I enjoy the qualities they add their matches, but this went too long for me. I was hoping to see what everyone else here has, but I've seen both guys bring a much more nuanced approach to matches I enjoy more. I was fine sitting through it for so long because I expected it to make have a Japanese title match style final section where they're throwing bombs at each other, but had I had the sound off (and missed Tony and Bobby's fun interplay), I wouldn't have know they were so close to a time limit draw based on their physical expressions. Just not for me unfortunately.