[1994-09-18-WCW-Fall Brawl] Nasty Boys & Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs Arn Anderson & Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk & Col. Robert Parker (War Games)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[flyonthewall2983]

I don't think I'm alone when I say this and the 92 match are probably the best Post-Crockett War Games matches. The earlier match had way more fire, great showings (and way more juice), but this had enough elements in place for a good 20-minute slobberknocker. Funk, Bunkhouse and the Nasties brawling like Hell, Meng going nuts on the outside and the entire team beating down on Parker at the end. Great stuff.

[Loss]

This was a really great match! Quite a few things stood out about it. I think the order of entrants was perfect. The Dustin/Arn action was really good. This yearbook is making me like Terry Funk less than ever. He always seems like he's acting, both in the ring and on promos. *runs and hides* Dusty gets the hero's pop and this is the perfect way to use him at this stage.

 

But more than all that, what stood out was Col. Parker. I'm always impressed when wrestlers who are trained (and in Parker's case, actively good) can make themselves seem incompetent. It requires deceptive talent. I thought he was fantastic here as the guy who couldn't really execute much, because he was probably working harder to not look like a wrestler than showed. It reminded me of the famous JJ Dillon/Alan Martin match from TBS.

 

The match doesn't really lose much for the lack of blood because it's so well laid out and there are so many good payoffs.

[FLIK]

Bryan Alvarez flipping out a year or so back & going on a rant about how awful he thought this match was, how everyone's performances stunk or were just barely average, how any good moments were purely because of the gimmick being fool proof and how anyone who thought otherwise must not watch much wrestling was one of the more hilarious moments he's ever produced

 

I went back and watched it after that & thought it was great myself, Funk's one of the guys who stood out most to me in a positive way.

[El-P]

Bryan Alvarez flipping out a year or so back & going on a rant about how awful he thought this match was, how everyone's performances stunk or were just barely average, how any good moments were purely because of the gimmick being fool proof and how anyone who thought otherwise must not watch much wrestling was one of the more hilarious moments he's ever produced

Really ? He watched way too much Shawn Michaels' post comeback "epics"...

 

From memory, this is one of the most fun War Games. The only thing that lacked is blood, but Funk's insanity makes up for it.

[Kevin Ridge]

First time seeing this and looking forward to it with all the buildup. WWF had some great video packages but WCW delivers a really good one here also before the match. I was curious as to why Meng wasn't involved in match. Col. Parker has to take his place which to me gives away the obvious loser of match. I presume they are trying to save Meng for further matches. Arn and Dustin start and they doing pretty good. Liked Dustin trying to jam Anderson's head between the two rings. Heels win the coin toss but it is botched quite a bit by Randy Anderson when he drops the coin. Could have had a do over there.

 

Ha, Funk gets piledrived through the middle of the two rings. Studd Stable is waiting for Knobbs when he comes in the ring but he fights them all off. Arn gets his face rubbed all over the cage. Funk is wrestling without his boot and is getting beat with it. Parker is a nervous mess. He does whip the crap out of Sags with a belt. Parker ends up getting his ass beat as the good guys team up on him and he submits to the figure four with the Nastys dropping elbows at the same time.

 

This was a great match and a lot of fun. I was disappointed it ended so quickly once Rhodes got in there. I just wanted more. Meng is very irate having to be outside the cage and witnessing this. Match delivered though for probably the best feud of the second half of 1994 so far.

[flyonthewall2983]

What didn't make sense to me was that this wasn't the end of the whole Rhodes/Parker feud (which ended right when Dustin was fired from WCW).

[Exposer]

I have a lot to say about this match. WCW in 1994 is a very interesting year watching it progress in full. It had really clicked as a promotion by the Spring and was extremely dynamic. The different kinds of matches that took place during Spring Stampede is a great example of this. When Hogan came in a lot of things changed. The company slowly became more cartoonish and in addition to Hogan guys like "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan came in and really changed the product for the worst. The stuff with Hogan has really become unbearable to watch a lot of the time and ultimately closes the door on the southern style of wrestling that WCW had become such a staple of. The reason I've discussed all of this is because I believe the Rhodes-Stud Stable feud was the last true WCW southern feud. It had all the elements of what one would want out of a feud like that: Numerous twist and turns, old southern families joining together to take out another famed family, bloody brawls, wild brawls, fun tags, entertaining promos, and great payoffs. One of the things that really stood out to me in this feud was Dusty Rhodes embarking on a journey to the new WCW. A cartoon world of overproduction and silliness. There he goes to find the Nasty Boys to ask them for a favor. He wants them to join himself and his son Dustin in the War Games match to take on The Stud Stable. Dusty isn't sure if the Nasty's are tough enough or "nasty" enough to join him in the fight because they are living in the new cartoon world of WCW. Dusty knows this is like the last gunfight in the Wild West. The last time WCW fans will see a blood feud filled with hate and scorn. To me this is the last "WCW" match ever. After this match, the company wasn't the same anymore. I know I have digressed here but what I'm trying to get at is I believe this is not only the last true "WCW" match ever but is the greatest WCW match ever. I have it above Flair-Steamboat, War Games 92, Steamboat-Rude, Eddie-Rey, and all of the other classics. I was born and raised in the south. That makes this match stick with me. I'm done with this tangent now and will finally discuss the match. I remember reading Loss's rundown of each competitor in War Games 92 and I thought I'd do the same here giving my opinion on who the best guy was in the match overall. So, here we go:

 

Dustin Rhodes - He starts out the match with Arn here and looks great. I always have thought those two had great chemistry and proof of that comes from their 92 matches. Dustin was really the focal point for most of this feud and is a huge part of this match because of that. I really enjoyed his offensive flurry on Arn in the early going and really lays it in on him with some brutal head smashing into the cage and at one point drives Arn's head between the two rings back and forth in a great spot. He does seem to get lost in all of the excitement for a time as the match progresses but in the end he gets his shots on Parker and is left to fend off the rest of the heels as Dusty and The Nasty's finish off Parker.

 

Jerry Sags - I thought Sags was tremendous in this match. When he enters the ring the match becomes a violent and stiff brawl for the remainder of the bout. His running powerslam into the cage on Buck nearly took the structure down. He also lands an awesome piledriver on Buck in the match as well. His role as the guy who beats the living shit out of the heels is taken further when he ganzo bombs Terry Funk in between the two rings. The Nasty's are known for unprofessional-ism and dishing out punishment but they can take a beating for themselves. Sags takes an absolutely vicious slashing by Parker with a belt that is something that has to be seen to believe. I love Sags in this match and his role as the violent ass kicker is awesome.

 

Brian Knobbs - Knobbs takes almost an identical role to Sags in this match but his isn't as prominent because he enters the match much later. I did love him tossing all of the heels in the cage. He gives Parker a nice splash towards the finish and is there for the ride as the match goes along.

 

Dusty Rhodes - Dusty is perfect in his role in this match rooting on Dustin and commanding the team throughout the match. I love the pop that he gets when he enters the match. He's only in for about two minutes but man the place had erupted by that point. He beats on all the heels and locks in the figure four on Parker in the center of one of rings and eventually makes him submit.

 

Arn Anderson - Arn is great in this match as well. I really like the five minute match he and Dustin put on to start. He took some wild bumps and a nice beating. He continued to shine as the match progressed really in his usual enforcer role.

 

Bunkhouse Buck - Jimmy Golden does a great job in his role. He comes in and sticks it to Dustin right away. His bumping is also great in this match as well. He takes a hell of a beating from Jerry Sags. I loved when he started using his suspenders as a whip late in the match beating guys senselessly with it. He's really had a great year so far.

 

Col. Robert Parker - Man was he great in this. I love him panicking before he comes in and only coming in the match after the heels get the advantage. He lays one punch on Dustin and sells his hand. He sold his fucking hand because he's a manager and doesn't wrestle. That is awesome. The man sure knows how to beat the hell out of people with a belt though. I loved him in the post-match as well all catatonic and shit.

 

Terry Funk - Loss's favorite! And the best guy in this match too. I loved him going nuts on the outside before he got into the match. He's instantly tremendous when he enters the cage taking off his boot and wildly going after Dustin and completely going over the ropes and barely hitting Dustin with the boot. His interactions with Dusty are fucking great with him taunting Dusty while he's attacking his son and ramming him against the cage. The jig he does in Dusty's face before Dusty comes in the match is hilarious and tremendous too. Nothing beats the spot of the night with Terry getting ganzo bombed and doing a vanishing act between the two rings. That is a totally ludicrous bump for a 50 year old man to be taking. Oh yeah, he also gets savagely beaten with his own boot. Terry Funk is awesome.

 

To add to my long tirade the last three or four minutes of this match are really incredible. The crowd is off the charts and the out of control level is at it's highest. Meng was great in his role on the outside trying to tear the cage apart too. This is one of my favorite matches ever and I'll always see it as the last true WCW match and feud.

[soup23]

I agree that being a southerner and seeing the how the history of WCW and how it played out this match has some added nostalgia.

 

Loss, I kind of am in the same position on FUNK. I think what we have seen from him in 1994 has not bolstered his GOAT case since I think most would site it as a banner year. For instance, if you add in Starrcade 93, I would say Flair had better top end and more consistency overall during this period. That being said, I thought Funk was amazing here. I know for me his act is totally believable because I have an uncle who acts like Funk.. He basically flips merchandise for a living and makes two appearances a year at family functions acting crazy as hell and you are not sure whether he is tweaked on something or just crazy. Funk is that man in this match.

 

The spots in this match are awesome and the structure is amazing with the crowd going crazy for the final 5-10 minutes. Parker really should be commended for looking untrained and only throwing kicks on offense, there was no rope running or anything else to decipher him as a trained wrestler. Dusty coming in with the beatdown at the end was the perfect conclusion and ends one of the greatest matches in WCW history.

[El-P]

After being underwhelmed, to say the least, by this feud as a whole, I was wondering if I was gonna still love this match. Well, yes I did. MOTYC, and probably the second best Wargames behind 1992. The only thing it lacks is blood, which in a match involving Dustin Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes in a cage feels odd, but that's all WCW politics. Anyway, I agree the order was pretty much perfect, having Saggs coming in second as he's effectively the second "best" worker of his team, having Dusty come in at the very end and get the huge pop of the night (and since Wargames is his creation it only makes it better), having Rob Parker sweat it like hell. BTW, I'm not a big fan of the Col. Parker character as I've said, but Fuller is always great in big angles like this. He was awesome in the chicken suit angle, and he's awesome here too, looking terrified but not in a goofy unrealistic way, and like Loss said making himself seem incompetent in teh ring (which is not something I usually enjoy). Dusty and Arn work a great first segment, highlighted by teh infamous "Arn's head in between the two rings" spot. I couldn't disagree more on Funk though, he's amazing, he looks totally insane, he's funny without hurting the seriousness and violent aura of the match, does dangerous spots (Saggs could have hurt him pretty bad on that piledriver between the rings), has awesome facials and taunts. Terry Funk was incredible here once again. All in all, and lack of blood notwithstanding, it's a great brawling match who actually told a story while remaining organic and really chaotic, the pay-off is perfect (gotta love the Nasties dropping on Fuller left and right). This is one if not the most satisfaying moment in WCW that year.

[goodhelmet]

Everyone summed this one up nicely. One of the best War Games. Might be my 2nd favorite one. Might be my favorite if it had the blood since they did all of the cage spots that usually draw blood. Fuller plays the character of Robert Parker well but I wish he didn't act like such a weakling knowing he is the mother fucking Tennessee Stud.

[PeteF3]

Michael Buffer opens with a bizarre monologue about American troops protecting our honor and somehow connecting it to WarGames. I never understood why Meng was announced for WarGames only to swap him out for Parker--it was yet another bizarre and nonsensical decision from Commissioner Bockwinkel. Great video package nonetheless to set this up. Mercifully we're spared Buffer attempting to explain the rules of WarGames as he disappears entirely after hitting his catchphrase.

 

The payoff to this is sort of like the payoff to Flair chasing Vader. That could be seen as Flair's last hurrah, and as Exposer talked about this is sort of the last hurrah, SMW notwithstanding, for classic southern wrestling. Even if there are better matches during the year, very few can match this for emotional satisfaction. I've always been amazed by Robert Fuller's ability to disregard his own size--he's a legit 6'6" or 6'7" but never wrestles like it, and against Pillman and in this he somehow comes across as a gigantic wimp even though he towers over everybody else in the match. It's appropriate that Dustin Rhodes is on the opposite side because he, along with the babyface version of Ray Traylor, is sort of Fuller's spiritual successor in that regard. This is an ideal environment for the Nasties just as the first WarGames was the ideal spot for the Road Warriors and Nikita--they come in, hit a few decent spots, and then can just punch and kick their way through the rest. I thought Funk was tremendous here, doing one of the best out-of-the-ring acts in WarGames history before tearing it up inside. I'm amazed he didn't get paralyzed on that piledriver between the rings. Blood would have been nice, but we get lots of nice stiff shots with belts to make up for it. Dustin and Arn certainly started hot but this didn't have the transcendently dynamic openings of WarGames past. But in the end, I'm too busy marking out for Dusty getting his hands on the Colonel and the Nasty Boys dropping on him and Meng trying to tear the cage apart to care. I think 1992 was a better overall match, but I liked this much more than '91. A great addition to what has been, unpleasantness of the final 3 months aside, a tremendous in-ring year for WCW.

[Zenjo]

Every Wargames should feature Arn with his head sandwiched between the rings. He opened proceedings against the Son of a Son, Son of a Gun for 5m. A wise wrestling decision and they'd established a keen rivalry. Surprisingly the heels won the coin toss. It's such a great format that it takes some effort not to produce at least a good match. In terms of all the NWA/WCW Wargames I'd put this one about the middle of the pack. The feud and the action were good enough. The match beyond was micro length and the PG rating was hurtful. Colonel Parker pretending to be a non-wrestler was a bit silly and further took away from the usual grittiness. Despite its shortfalls the best WCW match since Hogan showed up and ruined everything.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Dusty & Dustin Rhodes & Nasty Boys vs Stud Stable (Terry Funk, Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck & Col. Robert Parker) - WCW Fall Brawl 1994 WARGAMES

 

"DUSTY!" "DUSTY!" "DUSTY!" THEY ARE ALIVE TONIGHT ROANOKE, VIRGINIA BABY! You know what they say? Virginia is for Lovers! And Virginia Loves The American Dream, Daddy!

 

Banner fucking year for the Nasty Boys! Jerry Saggs, brother in-law of Dusty (just found out that today and am still floored), is an total animal. The man just loves dishing out pain. The use of cowboy boots and belts was great to ratchet up the heat and intensity in lieu of blood. Dustin & Arn it was the natural pairing. Arn trying to psych Dustin out and get him to his door luring him in only to have his head rammed into the steel cage. Dustin flying across the ring to deck The Enforcer. Can you feel it? Because I can! Hot Damn! This is not Pillman against Windham in Wargames 91, but it is pretty damn good. Arn does take over with a DDT and then gets a crab as Bunkhouse Buck comes in and he is actually pretty energetic taking it to Dustin. Then Jerry Muthafuckin Saggs comes in. This sadist just starts chucking everybody into the cage and drops Buck like a bad habit with a piledriver. Funk had been bothering me in other bouts, but I loved him here. He is a rabid dog that cant wait to get in and he has his cowboy boot in his hand. He lunges at Dustin and obliterates him with the boot and then raking Dustin's face against the steel in front of Dusty is next level heel shit. Then there is the bump to end all bumps. Saggs the sadist and Funk the masochist get together in an unholy union where Saggs PILEDRIVES FUNK BETWEEN THE RINGS. Funk drops into the abyss and Saggs I think was so hurt he actually had trouble getting back to his feet due to the awkward landing. Muthafucka! The Tennessee Stud is pissing his pants that he has to come into the ring. I think Parker did the right thing to play up the chickenshit role rather than being the badass Tennessee Stud. Fans wanted to see the comeuppance against the coward who was going to beg for mercy. Once Fuller has an opening he kicks Dustin and then starts whipping everyone with a belt. I am loving the belt and the cowboy boots and all that shit. So Southern and so badass! Now there is the Dusty chant as the fans eagerly anticipate the entry of the American Dream, baby! Dusty hits the ring to a MASSIVE POP and shit is on! Everyone goes into the cage and eats the Bionic Elbow. Parker is cowering and Dusty slaps on the Figure-4. The Nasties splash and elbow drop Parker as Meng is violently shaking the cage, which adds a lot to the environment. Parker has not choice to give up. MENG seems to be more than a bodyguard for Parker as he is very distraught about his employer's well-being. I think he cares!

 

My one complaint is that the feud started as Dustin vs Stud Stable. In a lot of ways, this became about Dusty and the finish made Dusty look like the hero and Dustin was kinda in the background. I think they could have laid out a bit better to have Dustin take out Buck, AA and Funk in climatic fashion clearing the way for his father to get the win. I just hate seeing Dustin as an afterthought when this is really his feud. I did not feel like the payoff was really there. In terms of action this was awesome. Really entertaining, went by in a flash and just a ton of fun. Definite WCW match of the year contender. Hard pressed right now to determine if I like this Dustin/Buck, Flair/Steamboat or Nasties/Cactus& Payne more. Loaded year from WCW! ****1/2

[JKWebb]

#390 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-400-351/


I actually just watched this about a month ago, but I decided to watch it again while taking my journey through the Top 500 matches of the 90's according to Loss. I love watching Dustin and Arn go at it. There's just something special with their chemistry. Dustin slamming the back of Arn's head against the cage is just brutal/awesome. Interesting spot trapping Arn's head between the two rings. I thought Dustin's flying clothesline looked perfect. Funk is great here too. I think the PG rating hurt it just a little bit for me, just because when you think of War Games, you think of violence. I still think it is great, and I think I'd have it at number three on my War Games list (only behind 92 and 91). I'm kind of with Will thinking it could be my second favorite (over 91) had it reached the violence level of some of the older ones. I have 92 at *****, 91 at ****3/4, and this at around ****1/4 to possibly ****1/2. Great match. I also really enjoyed Meng in his role.

[thebrainfollower]

I just watched Fall Brawl 94 for the first time ever I think. I had seen the triangle match but the rest of this was new to me. I can't really state anything that wasn't covered by the above posts but God was this great. I would put this in my top 10 most entertaining matches to watch of all time without arguing for a second. I am literally smiling ear to ear right now at just how much fun this was to watch. A great effort from all involved, as far as I know the career match of at least 3 people involved (though I don't know much of Jimmy Golden so I could be wrong there).

 

Just awesome stuff.

[cactus]

Anderson being a chickenshit and bumping around for Dustin during the first five minutes might be my favourite part of this match. I love the spot where he gets his dome caught in between the two rings. Funk is another highlight, thus proving the point that Terry Funk improves everything, no matter what you do with him. He has taken one of his cowboy boots off before he's even entered the cage and starts wailing at everyone in it when it's his turn to enter. Col Robert Parker does a great job at acting like he's a non-wrestler by looking like he's about to have a heart attack when he's forced to enter the cage. Dusty is here for the feel-good ending. The result was never in doubt, but this was a very fun watch. 

★★★★