[1991-04-06-WCW-Pro] Barry Windham vs Brian Pillman

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Really strong TV match sees Pillman still selling the War Games injury, with Barry working over his shoulder. Pillman pushes Barry further than would be expected, and Barry wins after rolling through a reverse rollup and holding the tights. He tries to give a post-match promo and Pillman keeps attacking him every time. This was a really good time period for Pillman because he actually had a storyline, but they didn't seem to want him to actually get over from it.

[shoe]

What a great t.v bout. Pillman still selling the War Games injury. I liked the early going of Pillman going Windham's arm was a cool touch. I loved how Windham cut off Pillman with that nasty elbow to the jaw. Then we had Barry bust out some nifty arm work on Pillman. They also sprinkle in some

nice hope spots. Pillman really deserves a main event push at this point.

[Childs]

Not much to add. This match carried an engaging intensity that would mark the whole Windham-Pillman feud. Pillman was on fire at this point -- best stretch of his career.

[PeteF3]

Pillman with one of the singles performances of his life and we get a singles glimpse of the Windham of old. Fantastic TV match, one of the best WCW has had in months. The post-match was just as good.

[Kevin Ridge]

Don’t see this as great as you guys and I watched it twice. Still a good match and they did a good job working over Pillman’s arm from previous injury. I did like Pillman interrupting Windham’s post match interview twice and showing good fire.

[soup23]

This is a great tv match that showcased the best aspects of Windham and Pillman. Barry was relentless on the arm/shoulder work and him having to result to pulling the tights to get the victory was super. The post match with Pillman coming back was awesome. They created a big issue feud with just this match and the callbacks to wargames.

[garretta]

I'm wondering if Dusty made the conscious decision to put the heat for Brian's injury at WrestleWar on Barry because he thought that Sid could be leaving and he didn't want to lose a hot feud right in the middle. The postmatch brawl gives that impression, as Pillman completely overacts to Barry's hook of the tights. That's not a criticism, by the way, just an observation, as Brian's attack really got the crowd (not to mention Barry himself) going.

 

I liked the "reverse psychology" of Brian working over Barry's arm in the first part of the bout, but everyone watching knew that Barry's time working over the shoulder injury would come, and it was exquisite, complete with the Anderson hammerlock slam. But Brian still has his legs to confound Barry with, so this stays an entertaining bout rather than becoming a dissection. This not only puts over Brian's guts, but his talent, as he has Windham on the run for good portions of the bout, even with a notable injury in plain sight and ready to be attacked.

 

Credit also goes to Larry Z again on commentary, as he constantly puts over the seriousness of the injury, even when Pillman's on offense. I liked him schooling Tony when Tony asked if it might not be better for Barry to attack Brian's legs and render him completely helpless. It puts Larry over as a true tactician who will be murder to deal with in the ring, even if it makes Tony look like a bit of a dipstick in the process. Hey, the man's only been broadcasting wrestling for eight years; it'll take a while before he knows what he's talking about!

 

Nice callback to WrestleWar by having Gigante check on Pillman after the brawl was over. I wondered why Larry reacted as negatively as Barry did until I remembered that he was on the Horsemen team at WarGames.

 

Looking forward to plenty more, as it seems that this feud has the potential to be a classic.

[JKWebb]

Pillman's left shoulder/arm is taped up from War Games, and that is the focal point for Barry. Barry's attack on the left arm looks painful, and it is well varied. The selling from Brian draws the sympathy from the crowd, and that generates the chants for him. There are some good hope spots to give the crowd just enough. Barry gets the win after a roll up holding the tights. It's a quick match, but I really liked it. I think the post-match is what helps to elevate the moment to something more memorable. Windham is cutting a promo and gets a double axe handle from the top rope to the outside from Pillman. Pillman is fired up throwing some wild punches. Windham eventually gets back on top and really gets some heat. But, you can't keep Pillman down! Some more hope and more heat. Windham heads out and Gigante checks on Pillman. I agree, that's a good callback there.

 

#476 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-500-451/

[dawho5]

Man, if they weren't going to do anything real with Pillman, they should have not kept giving him chances to shine like this. Because both Pillman and Windham deliver and it makes for a great TV segment.