[1991-12-04-AJPW-Real World Tag League] Steve Williams & Terry Gordy vs Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Where Hansen is above Misawa and Kawada at this point is that Hansen is going to force Doc and Gordy into a more action-packed match. It's good, but still, it's not as strong as a normal Hansen tag would be around this time. The MVC remain the world's most boring tag team, and the match isn't as good as it should be. This yearbook has really made me hate the MVC, as they seem to bring down everyone around them. Hansen going crazy with the table is fun though, and the build to the finish with the lariat on Gordy was well done. I also liked the post-match angle.

[PeteF3]

Not nearly as good as the Hansen/Spivey tag title win, but better than the suckfest rematch where the MVCs regained the belts. This still isn't very good, as Doc & Gordy simply aren't compelling when they're in control unless it's in the stretch run. There are other weird moments that take one out of the match, like Hansen & Spivey performing history's worst spike piledriver and various spots where Joe Higuchi has his head up his ass. The close is okay, with Hansen taking Doc out with a DDT onto a table/ramp and then finally catching Gordy with a Lariat. Doc lays out Hansen with a chair afterward and targets the Lariat arm--we'll see if that has any payoff as the tournament continues.

[Childs]

I'm right there with you guys on the MVC frustration. They sucked the life out of the match every time they took control. It's a shame, because we know based on 4/18 that these teams had a really good match in them. The Hansen/Spivey vs. Jumbo/Taue from two nights later is also much better.

[soup23]

I liked this but agree it had a really fun start with them roughhousing Hansen and fighting fire with fire and then it pettered out with some uninspiring control sequences where everything looked inconsequential. I still say Terry Gordy is the one worker that has dropped the most as far as GOAT contenders go with the more stuff I watch from him.

[garretta]

This wasn't quite on the level of last year's match in the Tag League, but it was still good.

 

I thought Stan and Doc made excellent FIPs, and the work on Doc's back by Stan 'n' Dan was superb.

 

I loved how Doc could barely get Spivey over for the powerslam right after, and then was unable to cover for even a one-count. Considering who we're talking about, that was a fine piece of selling.

 

We had the old temporary two-on-one routine again, this time with Doc out on the floor, and I really hope we've seen the last of that spot for quite a while.

 

Doc's attack on Stan's lariat arm was another brilliant piece of business, but unfortunately we don't get to see if Stan sold the attack or not, as we don't have any more MVC matches from the tournament. Doc certainly doesn't sell a back injury in his and Bamm Bamm's match two days later against Misawa and Kawada.

 

I don't know what was up with that botched spike piledriver from Hansen and Spivey. It's almost like they got their signals crossed and couldn't straighten them out for love nor money. Fortunately, one blown spot doesn't ruin this otherwise solid bout.

 

I know that Watts brought Doc and Bamm Bamm to WCW mostly because Doc was his protégé, but he wouldn't have gone too far wrong bringing in Hansen and Spivey either. I could imagine them having great matches with the Steiners just like the MVC supposedly did.

[dawho5]

I will agree on the MVC being an incredibly boring tag team. The crowd dies every time they are in control of a match. Hansen gets more out of them than anyone else and I did enjoy Doc's FIP. Good finishing run but it doesn't salvage my opinion of the MVC. I very much doubt that Hansen was coming to WCW at this point. He was too over in Japan and it would have taken a ton of money to get him to leave.