Superstar Sleeze Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I need to finish up my 80s WWF tag team watching, but I am close enough to done that I am starting my next project: WCW's midcard from approximately GAB 1991 -Bash at the Beach '94. So I am definitely going to need a Brian Pillman thread to house this all. So after Pillman delivered one of the greatest performances in Wargames history. He had a heated feud with Barry Windham that could have elevated him to the World Title contender status. You could tell how much Flair loved working with Pillman and how much of a star vibe Pillman had in 1991. Then they ran the angle where Pillman is retired, but comes back as the Yellow Dog. I kinda shit on this angle in a '91 yearbook thread "Flair/AA vs Eaton/Pillman", but seeing the following match softened my stance. I think in theory this is actually a great angle to raise Pillman's stock even more. You have all these heels, Studd, the Horsemen etc... desperately trying to unmask him in Bounty Matches, but Pillman keeps avoiding them. I think doing "this as a worst kept secret" is definitely for the best because now the fans see Pillman as overcoming this bounty and all the heels including Ric Flair gunning for him. My problem remains is why the fuck did they choose the "Yellow Dog". At least the Midnight Rider sounds cool. Yellow dog sounds like an insult from a Terry Funk promo and on top of that the ring attire is friggin' stupid. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair & Diamond Studd w/DDP vs Yellow Dog/Bobby Eaton - WCW 6/91 I believe this Flair's last televised performance with WCW until his '93 return as GAB starts that week according to JR and I know he is gone before the Meadowlands show. I actually liked this match even more than the Flair/AA vs Eaton/Pillman as this match seemed more heated and had more of a focus. The focus was getting the Yellow Dog over like rover. JR aggravates Paul E. with obtuse references to Pillman while the Yellow Dog does moves and Paul E. flips his shit each time. Studd is a little clunky, but hell if he does not sell and bump for Pillman. Pillman does not give an all-time great offensive performance but they way Flair and Studd treat him makes you feel like Pillman is a star. I love the ending where the heels just jump Pillman and try to remove his mask. It puts over the mask and the angle over so much before Eaton makes the save. I would be remiss not to mention that Flair/Eaton segments are so fucking good even better than the last tag. Those strike exchanges are everything you would want out of Flair/Eaton. I would not say a much see match as Flair/Eaton had a better match in 01/90 and Pillman has had better performances. However, it did a really good job getting the bounty angle and making me a believer in the angle even if they ended up botching the end game. ----------------------------------------------------------- Ok, I did all of two seconds of googling (what an age we lived in) and found out Barry Windham ran this exact angle in Florida where he returned as the Yellow Dog. Since Windham was the guy who put Pillman out of WCW, I think that is a really sweet piece of continuity. That being said the ring costume is still atrocious. --------------------------------------------------------- Yellow Dog, Bobby Eaton & Dustin Rhodes vs Barry Windham, Arn Anderson & Diamond Studd w/DDP - WCW 07/21/91 Crazy to think out of these seven, it was DDP that got a run with the world title (when Barry won the title in '93, it was the second-class title). I would this at about same level as the above match nothing you have to see, but this a whole lot of fun. Plus the crowd is wicked into this match. I think the Yellow Dog angle was actually getting over until they had to abort it because Windham's face turn and the light heavyweight division. The beginning was definitely best part with Windham going right after the mask and Pillman showing up him and Arn. Holy shit, did we have some good worked punches in this match and Pillman's sweet overhand chop. Hell pretty much all Hall and Dustin could offer at this point was a sweet worked punch. Studd/Eaton and Studd/Rhodes was awkward. Dustin had some nice exchanges with Arn and Windham. Arn rolling to the outside to escape Dustin only to get clobbered by Eaton never gets old. Then we hit the triple figure-4 that gets the crowd pumped. Eaton falls prey to a Horsemen trap as he ducks an Arn punch on the outside only to be clobbered by B-Dub. The heat segment was pretty decent nothing to write home about except Eaton takes the Pillman chin first bump onto railing that always looks wicked painful. Pillman botches a leapfrog before getting the pin on Arn. They all go after the mask, but Dustin clears the ring with a chair. The beginning of the match was the best part with Pillman really looking like a star. I think they should have been more unmasking attempts to really put over the angle. The match just settled into normal match mode after the heated beginning. It is too bad Windham had already cut his hair or they did not have another long-haired upper midcard heel. Yellow Dog in hair vs mask match would have been a sweet blowoff. --------------------------------------------------------------- Going back in time to the Windham/Pillman series on TV. I have seen the matches before and remember liking them. For some reason, I don't think I saw the taped fist match at SuperBrawl. Brain Pillman vs Barry Windham - WCW 3/21/91 WCW's TV schedule is so confusing, but I don't think this match made the yearbook, but the subsequent matches did. I think this is the perfect first match in a series. You don't want to blow your wad all at once. They did some nice heated work, but left themselves plenty of room to build on this. Pillman goes right after the arm early, but Pillman counteracts that with athletic pinfall attempts (crucifix and sunset flip). We get some nice Pillman overhand chops, before working Windham's leg. To Windham's he sells Pillman's leg work for a while when it really felt perfunctory so Windham saved that portion. Pillman shoulder ends up getting rammed into the turnbuckle and the rest of it writes itself as Windham beats on the arm and eye-rakes whenever Pillman tries to rally. Eventually Pillman hits a clothesline and they brawl onto the outside before AA comes to attack Pillman. The whole thing gets thrown out and the Steiners save. Like, I said a really good first match in a series, but I kinda remember my problem with this series is that there is no progression from here. Let us see... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Barry Windham - WCW Pro 4/6/91 Tony and Larry Z are excellent on commentary what the hell happened during the Nitro Era. Actually, there was some progression here, but given that they would still have another match before the Taped Fist match, this is another great addition to the series. Unlike the Wargames performance, Pillman is relying on speed rather than violence to keep Windham off balance and ultimately take the advantage by working Barry's arm in an eye for an eye type move. I liked Pillman's hammerlock work and his general ability to overcome Windham's tricks and cheat moves with speed and heart. Windham does a great job of putting over Pillman as he comes in wary and sells well for Pillman. We come back from commercial and finally Windham is able to hiptoss Pillman from the top rope thus gaining him the advantage. I thought this heat segment was even better and grittier with Windham really working Pillman's arm with holds, slams and ripping at the shoulder brace. I love a good fish hook and Windham using that 'ol hook in the mouth to stymie Pillman was great. Just when Pillman looks to mount a comeback, Windham rolls through and grabs the tights with both hands to secure the victory. As B-Dub is gloating with Larry Z, Pillman leaps onto Windham and it is on like Donkey Kong. Windham gains the advantage again hitting a bulldog structured so that it would look like he is trying to separate the shoulder. Larry Z thinks Pillman has a death wish and like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Pillman claws his way over and grabs Windham's hair. Once again, Windham quashes Pillman by attacking the shoulder. After Big Barry goes back to talk to the Living Legend, here comes EL Gigante and now Windham heads for the hills. They did a really good job of putting over Pillman's never say die attitude. You are just waiting for Pillman to really erupt as he has just been using speed and guts so far, which should come eventually. This would have been enhanced if JR was on commentary in terms of getting that aspect over, but Tony and Larry did a great job breaking down the match. They have not had that break out match that you know they can have. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Barry Windham - WCW 4/27/91 They still had to save something in the tank for Superbrawl I, but this was getting closer to that grudge match type atmosphere as Pillman was more violent than athletic in this match. You really had JR harping on the grudge match feeling in the match. Pillman no longer has the shoulder brace so this should be more about the feud than the shoulder injury. They sort of had a false start as there was a botched back body drop and they kind of lost their place. Then they reset did the back body drop and Pillman came on strong with some wicked chops. He dropkicked Windham off the the top rope and hit a double axe-handle off the top rope onto the floor. Things definitely feel more heated from Pillman's side. Pillman should never do leapfrogs maybe he got better at them, but in 1991 he did this sort of one legged deal and it looked awful. Windham threw him up in the air and he belly flopped. Windham dropped him with nasty brainbuster. Windham was excellent as a prick heel with tons of eye-rakes to stymie Pillman and a nice fish hook. A lariat only gets two for Windham. Pillman is bleeding and it may be from Windham digging his nails in his eyes because I can't tell when he would have bladed. Pillman mounts a comeback with a spinning heel kick and missile dropkick. He gets an inside cradle on a bodyslam and AA interferes. They beat him down before Eaton makes a save to add heat to his SuperBrawl encounter with AA. It was not all-time classic as it was still missing that level of heat. I like how they have built on each match as they are finally getting into the fight portion of the feud, but still saving something for the taped fist match. Pillman wrestled a totally different match and he did as equally well as in the above matches. Windham is great at walking a fine line between giving Pillman too much and still protecting himself. It was another good match, but hoping that the Taped Fist match is that all-time classic. -------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Barry Windham - Superbrawl I Taped Fist Match I had never seen this match before, but definitely came across to me as an unsung classic. I agree that it is too abrupt to consider this a MOTYC or a true all-time great match, but for as long it lasts this match kills it. Windham establishes he is the bigger of the two and is real cocky at the beginning. Once Pillman gets him off his feet, he is relentless with punches and follows him onto the corner. Windham exclaims " Get him off me! Dont he know the rules!". Dusty says the rules were thrown out when he injured him or something to that effect. Pillman dropkicks him off the top and comes off the top with a punch and he is pumped. Big Barry is bleeding early, but he uses Pillman's momentum against him and Pillman goes flying into the post and he is busted open. Windham sends Pillman crashing into the railing falling with him in the bump of the match. You can feel how much these two are trying to kill each other. Pillman comes back with some vicious chops, which is my I did not like this choice of gimmick for them. Pillman does not really use punches. I am just glad 2010 JR is not calling this match otherwise those chops would carcinogenic. Windham with a big belly to back suplex, but nothing is holding Pillman down until they crack heads. Pillman ascends the top rope, but Windham hits him with a low blow and then hits a superplex with a floatover for the win. It really was a beautiful superplex. The problem with this match is that it felt too abrupt. I do not think we saw as many fist fight exchanges as I wanted to see. For what we got, it was a vicious match with plenty of bleeding and some nice highspots. Also, felt bad that Pillman still got the screws put to him. Windham is such a great performer and throughout this series he has played bully and coward both convincingly. Pillman has played the plucky underdog with a heart three sizes too big so well. I just feel the booking was not there for them to make this all-time series. The Yellow Dog angle could have gone somewhere, but external forces (as always in WCW) were against them. However, this series bookend by two great performances at Wargames and Superbrawl. I would say this is pretty easily 1991 WCW's feud of the year. ----------------------------------------------------- WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman - WCW 4/91 Holy fuck, what a war! I have seen this match before and I made the case for the '90 match being better, but I am having a hard time believing that after watching this one again. I don't mean this as a slight to the Windham series, but this match blows those TV matches out of the water. This was a gritty, nasty match. Flair's chest is bleeding within the first five minutes from Pillman's overhand chops. I love how when Flair chops Pillmain in the corner he immediately ties him up to prevent another Pillman chop. Pillman can not be denied early on as he is looking for vengeance for what the Horsemen did to him. Pillman looks to take an eye for an eye by wrapping Flair's leg around the post. Pillman applies a half-crab, but cant hold on. Flair hits a reverse atomic drop out of the corner and he takes over. This part of the match veers from brutal brawl to putting over Pillman's heart as he is just withstanding the relentless onslaught of Flair's cheating. He put his feet on the ropes multiple times, a low blow and eye-rakes. He was really pouring it on. Pillman just kept coming. Paul E. keeps bringing up Flair/Pillman's teacher/student relationship, which is a nice touch to put over how personal this rivalry is. Pillman press slams Flair, who keeps jawing with the crowd. However, Pillman crashes and burns on the missile dropkick. Still, Pillman chops his way out of trouble and Flair flops and flips for him, but Flair catches Pillman on the outside. Still, Pillman just keeps coming back with chops, but then he dropkicks the ref by accident. Flair is able to slap on the figure-4 and AA is out to give him extra leverage. Pillman keeps kicking out even in these dire circumstances, until El Gigante arrives on the scene to attack the Horsemen triggering the DQ. It is an absolute shame Pillman did not get the spot on the January Clash as announced on the TV, which went instead to Scotty Steiner. These matches with Flair are reminiscent of Flair's brutal battles with Ronnie Garvin, which were absolute wars. The first five minutes of this were stiff as all hell. After that, transitioned nicely into a gritty contest with Flair doing everything he could to win the match to get the hell out of dodge so he no longer had to withstand the wrath of Flair. Pillman was that pitbull just like JR said who did not say die. It is a gripping contest that would be a MOTY in WWF, but with Wargames '91 and Steamboat/Rhodes vs Enforcers match, this is in the next class down. Pillman should have been a huge babyface star in 1991 WCW and the more I watch. The more I grow disappointed with my beloved WCW. ---------------------------------------------------- I knew that Pillman was trained by Stu Hart that's why he was in the Hart Foundation in '97. I cant believe I was worked by Heyman. Shakin' my head at myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vannaboy Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Like many others I liked him much more in NWA/WCW but he lost points for the racist rant in ECW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachchaos Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Yeah, that one time he said something controversial in-character really tarnished his career as a performer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 I always wonder how he would have reacted to the Montreal incident since he was clearly a Hart guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachchaos Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 I always wonder how he would have reacted to the Montreal incident since he was clearly a Hart guy. Pillman & Owen left to fight off DX would've been interesting. No way he was going back to WCW at that point. He would have been too perfect in 1998 WWF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Yeah, but I wonder if he would have been legit pissed at Vince & co. for it, and decided to make the Loose Cannon a shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 He had been trying to go back to WCW for a little while anyway because he was unhappy with the WWF's drug testing, so he might have jumped with Bret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Wasn't he locked into his contract, which meant it would have been hard for him to leave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 It is too bad WCW was in constant flux in the early 90s as it was hard for wrestlers like Pillman to build momentum and gain traction on the card. Case in point, Pillman in the beginning of the year is with Tom Zenk, which is a perfectly serviceable placement for him as it avoids him doing the jobs in singles matches and garner more heat against teams like Freebirds and Midnight Express. In the summer, they abandon this tag team and throw him against Landell. Then they are back to together in the fall of '90 squashing jobbers with a couple matches with MX and the Horsemen. Then he is back to singles to beat the Black Scorpion around the horn. What the fuck was WCW thinking? Black Scorpion is this mysterious embodiment of evil jobbing to Brian Pillman on the house show loop was just so WCW. Still, by the end of 1990, you get the feeling WCW was building Pillman to January Clash against Flair before they shoehorned Scotty Steiner into the match. Anyways, here is the one singles PPV match from the year for Brian Pillman. Brian Pillman vs Buddy Landell - Great American Bash 1990 Hot opener from these two that displays Brian Pillman already had the offensive intensity he showed in the Windham series. I have seen about one Buddy Landell match besides this one (Shawn Michaels one from SMW) and he is such a great heat-seeking prick. He is constantly trying to get under the skin from Pillman. At first, Pillman is having none of it and he slaps the shit out of him and lets loose on him. This does not stop Buddy from show-boating on the outside and cowering behind the ropes to break Pillman's concentration and momentum. That is the crux of Landell's plan to get Pillman so flustered that he can take advantage. Pillman is smart knowing this is a opener he keeps his all his hope spots big like missing cross-bodies and big dropkicks to get the crowd into it. Landell does kind of grind things to a halt with a chinlock. I love that Pillman's offense consists either of big high-flying spots or vicious strikes, which are perfect for a hot opener. Landell rolls through the cross-body to extend the comeback. The finish fits the match perfectly as Buddy lifts Pillman over the top rope. He thinks he is the smartest wrestler in history only to turn around and eat a flying cross-body and lose. I liked this a lot as a PPV opener you have the heat-seeking heel losing due to hubris and the young, rookie-ish upstart showing great fire through strikes and aerial tactics. --------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk vs Fabulous Freebirds - NWA 2/90 Vacant US Tag Team Titles Brian Pilllman is not a miracle worker. In fact, I would say this is his poorest performance yet. I actually enjoyed the Freebirds' heat-seeking tactics more than I did the generic babyface offense from Pillman & Zemen. The most entertaining part of this match was by far the generic face announcer calling out Terry Funk pronunciation of Tom Zenk's nickname "Z-Man" and Funk responding that he is Ze Man and Zenk is just Zemen. Now I expect bland offense from Zenk, but from Pillman this seemed like a big step back in terms of ring work. In terms of booking, I thought this was a perfect place for him. He comes off the hot Luger series and joins Zenk in a good babyface tag team and wins the US Tag Titles is perfect for where he was in the company. However, from an in-ring perspective he brought none of his trademark aggression with those violent strikes. He did not come off as tenacious. Hell, he did not even bust out some of his big high-flying moves settling fro sunset flips and cross- body blocks. He did bust out the most memorable bump when he took a Garvin knee from the apron and did his chin-first bump. Pillman played a decent Ricky Morton as the Freebirds played King of the Mountain, but that's not Pillman's forte as showcased by his singles matches with Flair, Windham and Luger. He is a chippy, tenacious offensive wrestler. Outside of that trademark Pillman bump, Pillman came off as just another interchageable babyface, which in every other match so far would sound ludicrous. Now, I felt that if you watched this match in a vacuum, the Freebirds came off as the way bigger stars. The match runs through them and their bullshit. Their bumps, their antics and their offense is what is getting the heat. The babyfaces are reacting against them and the crowd is more anti-Freebird than pro-Pillman. There are two "Freebirds Suck!" chants. The Freebirds are pretty useless on offense (Hayes still has some good punches), but they have heel psyhcology 101 down with the stalling, strutting, walking out and all that good stuff. I liked the finish a good deal with Zenk about to get DDT's by Hayes only for Pillman to hit Air Pillman and Zenk cover for the win. I liked the booking and think this was a perfect spot on the card for Pillman, but his in-ring work left a lot to be desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Brian Pillman & Chris Benoit vs Bart Sawyer & Buck Quartermaine - WCW Pro 01/13/96 The recently formed Four Horsemen had a healthy heaping of squash in this match, but it was the best type of squash: the type you work for. They actually worked a straight, short tag match that focused on heels dominating, but it still had a shine, heat and comeback. I think Pillman & Benoit looked better for it. I have been trying to get Brian Pillman's haircut from this era forever. Giving it another whirl on Saturday. This Pillman was so different from the one just 4 years ago. He works smarter and it able to use every heel trick to get his character over as volatile and violent. Ambrose has a lot of Pillman in him and he needs to continue learn from Pillman. Benoit is just a total prick and his offense is crisp as usual. They work Sawyer in a heat segment only for him to crawl through Benoit's legs to get the hot tag. Quartermaine is able to get a dropkick before being planted by a Benoit powerbomb. Benoit's powerbomb may be my favorite powerbomb ever. Pillman then dropkicks Quartermaine into a dragon suplex. This was a very high-end squash. Pillman and Benoit complemented each other well. They are total pricks, but different kinds. Pillman is off his rocker and focuses on tried and true heel offense like raking the face and cheating. Benoit is a violent prick with badass offense. They could have been a great tag team if Pillman stayed on. -------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman & Arn Anderson vs Steve & Scott Armstrong - WCW Worldwide 09/23/95 The freshly turned heel Brian Pillman does not have his Loose Canon persona developed nor the bitchin' hair he would later have. This is the first time Anderson & Pillman has teamed since Pillman aided AA against Flair at Fall Brawl '95. This is a competitive match, but the finish was never in doubt. There was some decent spots, but it felt a bit underwhelming and lackluster. AA is willing to give the Armstongs a lot at the beginning. They outsmart him and then he begs off into the corner saying "Are you insane?". He definitely went over the top in trying to sell the Armstrongs as a threat. Pillman did plenty of heelish things in the match, but he was not vicious as he would become. He worked more in the vein of a AA-style heel with lots of stooging like crawling away on his knees from Scott's chops. He did this leapfrog spot that with better execution could be awesome. He leapfrogged Scott and then expected to leapfrog him again and instead he lands on a well-placed Scott knee. With better execution, they could have really had something. Anderson get a blind tag and plants a knee in Scott's back. Pillman closes the gap with a wicked clothesline. Scott has one of the most jobbererfic looks ever with an awful mullet, plain blue singlet and a lanky, skinny frame. They do abdominal stretch cheating spot. This match feels like the best hits of Arn Anderson, but done at lukewarm. Pillman eats knees on a rocket launcher. Steve comes in and he looks and wrestles way better than Scott. He runs through the usual babyface comeback offense. He climaxes with a clothesline off the top. Pillman makes the save. Pillman hits Steve in the head with a kick while he runs the ropes and AA plants him with a DDT for the win. It is a perfectly good match and I love the best hits of The Enforcer. It just felt like Pillman was wrestling as an Arn Anderson clone and he could have be so much more. Also, I think the heels could have made the lowly Armstrongs earn more. They underestimated them then Armstrongs gain the upper hand and we get the freak out moment rather just out of the gate "Oh Shit!". I would not go out of my way to watch this match as Pillman would grow more into his own in this role and AA has had way better TV tags than this. --------------------------------------------------------------- WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson w/ Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman - WCW Main Event 4/16/95 Flair has been reinstated and he back with his old pal, Arn Anderson. I found it amusing when Dusty speculated that Flair and Anderson may actually be family to explain their closeness. I was expecting Tony to say well they are cousins. Pillman had apparently been out for late '94 and was doing squash matches in early '95. He was being revamped as California Brian with the theme of Blonds Have More Fun. Cowabunga, dude! In some ways the booking is what I am really finding fault with in this match. He is still playing the plucky upstart against a champion just like in his Luger '89 and Flair matches. However, I think some fault has to be laid at his feet for how lukewarm this match was. In those matches, he was contributing to the match with a unique presence. In this match, he feels like he retrogressed to a vanilla challenger. Before, he was mixing aerial tactics, stiff chops and scrappiness to create a distinctive force in the ring. Now, he is just a hammerlocking, one early nearfall, reverse elbow-eating, Flair whipping boy on the outside, back body dropping, clotheslining, losing to an illegal sunset flip, generic babyface. Wright protests that Anderson had his hand clasped with Flair during the sunset flip. Flair and Wright spill out to the floor. In classic WCW fashion, they restart the match, but tell nobody. Flair intervenes and kicks Pillman during a cover to draw the DQ. I smell a rematch. Anderson looked fine here. It was just Anderson by the numbers. Anderson always looks like a star and a champion. I liked how he cheated early on and Pillman was still able to negotiate back into hammerlock. It was their best stretch. The best part of the heat segment was Flair's beatdown on Pillman. I can't believe how interchangeable Pillman felt in this. It may have been some rust and disenchantment with the system. Lets see what happens in the rematch. --------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson vs Brian Pillman - WCW Worldwide 5/28/95 Who the fuck thought those hair extensions were a good idea for Pillman? Anderson has just helped Flair beat up the elderly Angelo Poffo at Slamboree, which sets up one of my all-time favorite matches, Flair vs Savage at GAB '95. Anderson is booked against Renegade at GAB and Pillman who continues to be totally directionless is booked against Alex Wright. When I first saw this series on paper, I had high hopes it would be as good as the Pillman/Windham series of '91. I thought this match was much better than the first match, but still didn't get to the place I feel like they could have due to an abrupt finish. The big improvement was in the heat and home stretch. The beginning saw Pillman use the headlock as his base, which was fine. Things picked up once The Enforcer hit a hotshot on Pillman. Both wrestlers worked hard from then on out and Pillman started to look like the Pillman of old. He was peppering in chops forcing AA to do cutoffs like hitting a swinging neckbreaker, which Pillman sold like a million bucks bouncing himself to the outside. They do the Arn-staple of the heads colliding in the corner. Arn attempts to hit a move off the second rope only for the Pillman to hit a dropkick on the button. I like when the babyface transitions by combining 2-3 spots together. Pillman is way more into this match and trying way harder to get the crowd involved. They blow a crossbody roll through, but Pillman makes it up with a sweet second rope bulldog and a great flying headscissors. The finish is lame as Anderson rolls to the apron and just snaps Pillman across the top rope. He at least has the courtesy to put his feet on the rope. Pillman was on quite a roll before the match ended abruptly. Anderson looked good was playing a great foil for Pillman. He made Pillman look good and when he went on offense he always transitioned in an underhanded way. They definitely put a lot more effort in this match and it shows. It is too bad they never got 20 minutes together. This series was pretty disappointing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Jushin "Thunder" Liger - Nitro 9/4/95 This is the answer to the trivia question, "What was the first match in the history of Monday Night Nitro". It is a statement match and how WCW was going to distinguish itself from WWF: International talent, smaller talent, lots of action, no selling and botches. Pillman seemed awfully sloppy at times and was still a couple weeks away from the heel turn that would take him from missed prospect to cult legend. Liger is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, but he knew his job here: BRING DA MOVEZ~! Kappo Kicks, Mexican Surfboard (take notes, Das Wunderkind), Somersault Senton off the apron, superplex, top rope frankensteiner, powerbomb. They worked a tit for tat symmetry match, but Pillman was having trouble matching each of Liger's loves with his sloppy headscissors. Sometimes, Pillman was be too far pigeon-holed in that aerial light heavyweight role when he excelled at toe-to-toe fights with Flair and Windham. Pillman hits a tornado DDT and then negotiates a cradle to win. I thought Liger came off as the bigger star. Not only did he have the bigger moves, he was more expressive (he is masked!) and vocal with crowd (shouting "One more time!" for a top rope frankensteiner). Pillman looked like a guy who could not give a shit. His best move is his one stiff chop and splash to the floor. Still this match accomplished what it set out to do. It was totally different than the 1995 WWF product and heralded that American fans would have a choice in their wrestling products. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Dean Malenko - Nitro 01/22/96 Pillman is in full loose canon mode. I remember his stuff around this time where he was so focused on getting the gimmick over that the matches would suffer, but damn if this match was not a sweet little sprint. It has been his best TV match of the '95-'96 stretch in WCW. Early on, it is all about getting the Loose Canon over with the idiosyncratic behavior, jawing to the crowd and Malenko and inside comments "Im the real shooter because I got a Full Metal Jacket!" (a play off Malenko's ECW moniker). It does make Malenko out to be a bit of a chump because Pillman is controlling him at will. Pillman is actually pretty good on offense laying in some stiff chops and punches. Then he slaps the taste out of Malenko's mouth and Malenko is fuckin hot. The Iceman kicks some Pillman ass and Pillman sells and stooges for him. Malenko looked awesome in this match. Pillman had a great knocked out sell off a brainbuster. Pillman hits a tornado DDT and a huge chop. Malenko came back with a Tiger Driver for 2. Nitro really ushered in the emphasis on offense and getting in spots due to hyper-compression. Pillman uses the railing and some eyerakes to regain control. Pillman goes to the well once too often for a tornado DDT as Malenko throws him off. The Gutbuster get a big pop so Malenko follows it up with a drop toehold into a leg lace? Malenko sometimes just did not get it. Pillman unloads a massive forearm as Malenko falls his foot gets caught in the ropes and is pinned. The one problem is that Pillman fell off the apron and thus the ref plainly saw Malenko tied up. Ugh. Botched finish aside this was a fun Nitro sprint that was able to get over Pillman's character and showcase some great action. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Eddie Guerrero - Clash of the Champions XXXII Tony: "Given the actions that just transpired, I think it is safe to say you want Eddie to win." Bobby: "Oh no! I still like Pillman's style. Just keep him away from me." Classic Heenan. This match is infamous for adding the cult status of Pillman's Loose Canon gimmick. During one of his strolls around the outside, he decided to try to take off Heenan's jacket. Heenan, with a very fragile neck, was unnerved and explicitly said on air "What the fuck are you doing?" He composed himself and continued to be a proponent of Pillman. What is interesting is that before Pillman did that to Heenan, he kinda shoved Tony in the head. That sort of freaked the Brain out as he stated "Your head whipped back and forth" in a nervous tone. That comment could have been subtle foreshadowing. Was Brain in on the deal? The match was short and more focused on getting Pillman over as a character. I liked Eddie not backing down from Pillman's four fingers in his face. Pillman was a really effective heel. He cheats, cowers, and is proud of his Four Horsemen status. I don't know if everybody has to go as far as Pillman would with the cheating, but I would like some modern heels to actual be heels in the ring. An eyerake never hurt anyone. Eddie had some cool offense to pop the crowd like a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker or the tornado DDT. Also, he got his receipt for a Pillman slap with a paintbrush of his own. I liked how Guerrero and Malenko did not back down from Pillman and each had their own spots. They did not have feel like generic faces, but wrestlers contributing to a match. After a double leg takedown with the feet on the ropes did not work, Pillman hit a nice cross body and grabbed the tights for the win. You could only wish that there was no accident and that Pillman could have gotten 20 minutes with these guys because he was such an excellent heel. He was combining the heel tactics from his mentors, Flair & AA, with maniacal tendencies that created a unique blend of heel hitherto unexplored. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brian Pillman & Arn Anderson vs Kevin Sullivan & Hugh Morrus - Nitro 2/5/96 The Dungeon of Doom & Four Horsemen had a loose alliance to destroy Hulk Hogan & Macho Man, but due to Pillman's shenanigans and seemingly his lack of respect for the Taskmaster there was a falling out between the two stables. The previous week on Nitro, AA was ready to dispense some tough love onto Pillman using a belt, but Sullivan & Morrus hijacked the segment and beat up the Horsemen. Sullivan whipped Pillman like the dog he is (love that phrase) to set up their infamous SuperBrawl Respect Strap match. The Horsemen ran them off and challenged them so we ended up with this match. I actually really liked WCW's booking at this time. I think this is the good version of shades of grey booking. You have Jimmy Hart managing Flair, Sullivan and Luger. However, Luger and Sting are pals and Flair's best friend Anderson is having issues with Sullivan. It is interesting and complex for wrestling booking. The Dungeon of Doom are de facto faces because Pillman is working his darndest to get himself over as an ultra-heel and Bischoff is pushing him hard on commentary as absolutely looney tunes. They feed Morrus some basic press slams. Pillman does his blind kick and AA takes over with a spinebuster. Things get really good when Sullivan and Pillman throw hands. They try to get it over as a shoot. The crowd comes alive. Sullivan hits his Tree of Woe. AA/Taskmaster pair off to outside and a mystery man hits AA with a broom. Was that ever revealed? Pillman takes Morrus' moonsault (his only move) and then gets whipped with the belt before escaping. It was a pretty boring match until the worked shoot between Sullivan and Pillman. It was a good angle to get heat on the "Respect" strap match for SuperBrawl. You really felt like Pillman was becoming a big deal in WCW. However, this would be Pillman's last week in WCW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 That post was getting long will wrap up the rest of Pillman's WCW '95-'96 run here. Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair - Nitro 9/18/95 You know whenever these two get together it is going to be a fuckin' barnburner. They did not disappoint. Pillman interfered and helped Anderson beat Flair at Fall Brawl '95. Flair cut a promo early stating that Anderson should not have brought outsiders into the family feud and now he was going to beat Pillman all over Johnson City, Tennessee. I just love the little bits of babyface Flair you get everyone once and a while. His babyface strut that ends with his fists balled up always makes me mark out. I loved their chopfests throughout this match. The heat was just off the charts and the crowd was all about babyface Flair. He even hit a big double axehandle from the top to the floor on Pillman. Pillman was still honing in his new heel persona, but he feels so much better than the stuff I was watching him earlier in '95. Flair ducks the clothesline while running the apron and hits his own. Babyface Flair rules! Pillman catches him with a dropkick off the top, which is his best '95 spot until he developed his heel spots. Flair hits snake eyes on the railing and Pillman Flair Flops. This is a great TV match. They surprise me as Flair takes a press slam off the top. It looks like Flair is going for the kneecrusher, but hits a back suplex. Pillman submits to the figure-4 and ends this way too early. O God in Heaven, why could we not get a Pillman heat segment! This is nowhere near their '90 or '91 encounters, but still it is a very energetic and heated affair. Flair looks awesome in this and Pillman looks refreshed and on his way to something big. -------------------------------------------------------------- WCW US Champion Sting vs Brian Pillman - Saturday Night 9/30/95 This should be Johnny B. Badd's title shot, but he mysteriously disappeared and conveniently Brian Pillman received his US title shot (Badd and Pillman fought for a US title shot at Fall Brawl '95). Pillman is starting to come into his own as the Loose Canon. He knocks down the railing and jaws with the fans. Pillman is always down to clown in his matches, which I appreciate. Modern heels should not be so afraid to look foolish in the ring. Finally one of his heel tricks works as he does the old Hollywood Blonde's trick knee gimmick and he chop blocks Sting's knee. He works on Sting's knee for a bit with a single leg crab. Sting makes his big comeback with a press slam and then catches Pillman with a powerslam to win. After the match, the hot angle was Flair looking for a partner in his fight against AA & Flyin' Brian and Sting shut his ass down. No way, Jose! Abbreviated match, but Pillman was pretty enjoyable. Too bad, he was never given the time to have an all-time classic as the Loose Canon in WCW before the accident. He had all the heel tools to really deliver a big time match. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman & Arn Anderson vs Ric Flair & Sting - Nitro 10/16/95 Ric Fuckin Flair, BABY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The objective was to efface any doubt in Sting's and the fans' minds that Flair is on the up and up and sell the big Havoc '95 tag match. Well everybody still probably figured Flair was turning on Sting, but hey this was a fun, fun match. Flair was just amped throughout this match. I wish they could bottle Flair's energy because I could use some during the week, Pillman and Flair had some great chopfests. I loved that as soon as Pillman got the advantage he whipped Flair over to Anderson and Flair still would not stop fighting. The babyface Flair strut ending with his fists balled up is my favorite thing in the world right now. He kicks ass on the floor and even chucks Pillman from the apron to the railing chin-first. I missed the Pillman bump. Flair slaps on the figure-4 on AA and he moves out of the way of Pillman's splash. Im lovin it. AA gets an eye-rake on Flair while he applies on the figure-4 on Pillman. Pillman with his blind kick to Flair's head and the spinebuster swing the match in the favor of the Horsemen. NOW, Sting makes his entrance and the crowd is pumped. Flair hot tag to Sting and HUGE POP! Stinger splashes for everyone. Sting clothesline The Enforcer over the top rope and Sting chucks Pillman onto the top rope. Sting & Flair stand triumphant winning by countout. They cement their newfound friendship with a high-five. The Brain is gonna puke. This was 90% babyface offense, but it sure was fun. Pillman was taking huge bumps. AA was awesome making Sting & Flair look great. Flair and Sting were on point. Anderson and Pillman were really banking on Sting not showing up and now they have to replan. While Flair and Sting look like they are going to exact some revenge, but this Ric Flair after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Guitar Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I found the conversation between Austin and Meltzer about Pillman fascinating. Austin being blown away by the full extent Pillman's football achievements, when he saw the trophy room at his house when shooting the gun angle. And Meltzer learning that Pillman was a better hockey player, than football player were great. As Brian had never really tooted his own horn too either of them, when apparently he really could have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I need to listen to the Austin/Meltzer podcast yesterday, but I just cant find a set amount of time to listen to all of it. I know once I start, I wont be able to stop that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Brian Pillman vs Eddie Guerrero - Nitro 11/20/95 Ric Flair is originally scheduled to face Guerrero on Nitro, but he tells Pillman to "take care of my light work". Pillman mocks Guerrero's Mexican heritage by using his jacket like a matador would. They two have some excellent chopfests that are as intense as Pillman/Flair, but don't get quite the same reaction. I love Pillman's use of the slap and Eddie makes sure to get a receipt to punctuate a nice flurry of offense. Pillman uses his midair dropkick to gain control and then it is dirty tactics to maintain. The crowd is not hot for them even though Pillman spits on Eddie, but Eddie's double leg gets a bit of a reaction. Pillman is definitely in Loose Canon mode, but the audience is just not there, but they would get there. Pillman takes his railing bump missing a double axehandle to outside. Eddie follows up with a huge dive from the top turnbuckles and then a brainbuster. Pillman struggles a bit more, but eventually eats the frogsplash to give Eddie a huge win. Bischoff seemed intent on pushing Benoit, Guerrero and Malenko at this point as important midcard players. Pillman was very entertaining throughout the match. He was such a despicable human in that ring. There were some slow spots and I would put the Malenko match over this, but this was a great Pillman performance. Eddie was also on fire. He is the newcomer and he earned every bit of that crowd reaction by standing toe-to-toe with Pillman in the chop exchanges, big dives and dishing out the punishment. Good TV match. Brian Pillman & Arn Anderson vs Sting & Lex Luger - Nitro 11/27/95 This match was more of a back drop for the Lex Luger angle. Luger is a heel for turning on Hogan & aligning with Jimmy Hart, but he is friends with Sting. Will he turn on Sting? Can he be trusted? Sting has issues with the Horsemen since they duped him at Havoc. Luger was late to the match, but makes up for it with a blind knee while AA runs the ropes. This is in perfect symmetry with Pillman high kick/AA spinebuster combo. I love Luger, but trying to out-heel AA & Pillman is going to be tough. Sting hits facebusters on everyone. Press slams by both. Anderson gets sent into Pillman on the apron, which causes the Pillman bump to the railing. Luger kicks some ass heel style with moves like rubbing Anderson's face across the ropes. Stinger Splash and Scorpion Deathlock on The Enforcer. Pillman ascends the top turnbuckle to save, but Luger pushes him off right into Sting's knee. Was it intentional? The heels have a decent heat segment. Pillman goads Luger away from his corner so that he misses a tag. Luger finally has enough and comes in to clean house. Sting negotiates an O'Connor roll on Pillman to win. Flair is out to beat down his two opponents for Starrcade, but Hogan makes the save. Hogan goes to clock Luger, but Sting restrains him. Whose side is he on? Pillman was hardly in this match. He still jawed with the fans or camera when he got a chance. It felt like he was just in the match to eat the pin. Anderson was good to get over the angle and stooge for Sting & Luger. Sting & Luger was just such a great angle and this match really established where they were going forward with this angle. Early Nitro was really good at using 5-10 minute matches that also sufficed as angle development segments. I would like to see that style incorporated better in the modern product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidebottom Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Did Pillman ever have a great match in the WWF? Bar the 10 man tag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 I don't think there is a consensus great match from the WWF for Pillman. He was pretty fucked from the accident. That being said that's why you have to watch ALL the footage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Did Pillman ever have a great match in the WWF? Bar the 10 man tag? No. Not even a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 He had been trying to go back to WCW for a little while anyway because he was unhappy with the WWF's drug testing, so he might have jumped with Bret. I thought the WWF stopped drug testing in 1996. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 They stopped steroid testing in 1996, but they still reserved the option to drug test in certain cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 This came up in conversation with me and someone else today. Meltzer's lengthy and grim piece on Brian that was inspired by the release of the WWE Pillman DVD is accessible online: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/a...p4/farC1WnTeX0J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Thanks for posting that. I'm most of the way through. Pillman was my favorite wrestler as a kid in 91 though he's someone I have to revisit now. You have to feel for Meltzer. He's seen a lot of bad shit happen to people that he was close to that we've only sort of experienced through osmosis and in our own head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Guitar Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 This came up in conversation with me and someone else today. Meltzer's lengthy and grim piece on Brian that was inspired by the release of the WWE Pillman DVD is accessible online: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/a...p4/farC1WnTeX0J That was fascinating, but depressing. I'd heard about or knew about pretty much all the stuff in the article, but seeing the depth of Brian's descent of the last few years was tragic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mando Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Growing up in Cincinnati and being named Brian and loving wrestling pretty much made Pillman a lock for me. I graduated from the same college as him (and The Miz) too. Wish they still ran the Pillman Memorial shows. Those were pretty surreal -- lots of varied talent coming together for good cause. Some of my Pillman write-ups from my WCW Main Event '91 project: Brian Pillman vs. Arn Anderson - 4/14 Pillman comes out like he was shot out of a canon and the crowd's rallying behind him. I liked a part where Brian was like a pit bull refusing to let go of the arm like it was a chew toy. Brian had the look, athleticism, crowd support, etc. I think they should have pushed him up the card further but that's just wishful thinking. Some nice small details like Pillman, while in a sleeper hold, using his fingers to dig in and try to create some space/relief. Time-limit rapidly expiring; I for one am on the edge of my seat! Pillman's late missile dropkick and the pop it got made my heart skip a beat. Brian relentlessly going for pinfalls. Time-limit ends with Pillman mounting Arn and raining down punches. Post-match Windham and Arn lay a beating on the Cincinnati native. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson vs. Bobby Eaton and Flyin' Brian - 6/9 Eaton and Pillman start off on fire making Flair pinball all over the place. Arn misses a clothesline on the floor and hits the ringpost so Pillman targets the arm. You can tell Flair loves his work -- he just relishes flopping and stooging. Pillman's missile dropkick is gorgeous. Arn takes a backdrop bump on the floor for the hell of it. So good. The heels start tearing apart Pillman's leg and Brian plays a superb wounded animal. The non-finish stinks but there's still enough here definitely worth seeing. Brian Pillman vs. Barry Windham - 4/7 Pillman is all bandaged up like a mummy. Botch where Pillman whiffed on a clothesline that Windham dodged but sold anyway. Brian goes back to his Hart Dungeon roots with all sorts of malicious arm work on Barry. Barry works a measured style here that provides a nice contrast to Pillman's quick armdrags, headscissors, etc. Roles reverse and Windham starts trying to break Brian's arm off which Pillman sells wonderfully. Windham pulling the trunks for the cheap win was a relief as I'd assumed there'd be interference; puts over Barry's craftiness, but doesn't hurt Pillman. Post-match while Barry is being interviewed at ringside Pillman comes off of the top onto him! Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Barry Windham vs. El Gigante, Brian Pillman, and Sting - 4/28 Didn't recall Gigante having a mullet. Pillman and Flair exchanging chops was one of the most scintillating moments on the set. This didn't get much time (sandwiched in the middle of an nine bout episode) but the crowd was eating it up, the Sting run early, Pillman's flurry (including a tasty dive off of the top onto Arn/Barry) and the rare clean finish are enough to get it some recognition. Arn Anderson and Barry Windham vs. Brian Pillman and El Gigante - 4/21 Gigante was mostly kept on the apron which was fine. Arn was doing some of the finest stooging on the whole set, his perplexed look after grappling with Pillman, and his dumbfounded fear of Gigante's size were both terrific. Right when Pillman started rallying and I thought he might finally get his vengeance on the Horsemen Flair interfered. Terrence Taylor vs. Brian Pillman - 10/20 This came out of nowhere and just completely melted my optical units. The selling and mannerisms were just phenomenal -- felt like Oscar nominee-level acting. So impressed. The cons were a few clunky-looking lock-ups and it was far too short but they were putting emphasis on everything and this was the best h'orderves at the party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 That is some heavy shit. The ex-wife suicide is just batshit. I could never imagine dealing with something like that. You wish that he could have accepted a non-ring role and lived his life, but it was just not how we wired. Just a tragedy. Brian Pillman & Arn Anderson vs. Sting & Ric Flair - Halloween Havoc '95 WE WANT FLAIR! WE WANT FLAIR! WE WANT FLAIR! I liked this crowd's style. Flair was mysteriously "attacked" and Sting is going it alone for the time being mirroring Flair's rolling solo efforts on Nitro. I really liked the babyface shines in both matches a lot. Anderson and Pillman were really effective in getting Sting over, bumping their asses off for him. I loved how the Horsemen altered their game plan upon each failed attempt to double team. When trying to pin Sting in their corner failed, they moved to being in the ring at the same time, then Pillman slapped Sting to goad him to the floor and still Sting saw it coming. This is new and improved Sting. He will NOT be emotionally compromised. From the slap, Pillman now offers a handshake. It is best hits of heel tag teaming! Sting press slams Pillman. In a great spot, Sting catapults AA into Pillman's crotch. Subsequently, Sting chucks Pillman onto the railing for his signature bump. Pillman manages to pull himself up to the apron, but only the top rope is holding him up. So Anderson cracks Sting's skull off of Flyin' Brian's and finally the heels gain the upper hand. That is how you work a face shine sequence. The heels went through their arsenal of tricks and each time Sting either outsmarted or outpowered them only to falter to the numbers game. I love how it was just conventionally two guys caught up to Sting it was actually AA using an out of his feet Pillman like a prop. It was a tremendous transition spot. Here's come The Man! The crowd goes bezerk and I just have a mile wide smile. I am total sucker for babyface Flair. He is just too much fun. The heat segment is effective, but not as fun as the shine. Flair gets involved, but never really grabs a hold of the Horsemen. He lets himself be goaded by Pillman into giving chase, but again does not wrangle him. How convenient? The spinebuster is the one heel highspot, but the entertainment is derived from the Flair as a cheerleader and the constant cutoffs. All the drama is what will happen when Sting gets that damn tag. He gets his knees up on a Pillman splash, but AA cuts off with a back suplex. They keep this up until finally Sting gets a double noggin knocker. TAG TO FLAIR! TAG TO FLAIR! TAG TO FLAIR! NOW WE GO TO SCHOOL! HE CLOCKS STING! That never gets old. Horsemen beatdown and a good chunk of the crowd is still cheering for Flair. This is a really good match and one of my all-time favorites. I wished they explained some of the timeline better, but hey I enjoyed all of it. At the end of day, it is as simple as blood is thicker than water. I love the insane loyalty and devotion they have to each other. It is Flair & The Enforcer against the world. That's how it always has been and always will be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Alex Wright - Saturday Night 9/10/95 This is the rematch from their GAB '95 match. If anyone has that match, please hook a brutha up. I have sent out some feelers and so far have come up dry. You can see how much experience matters in a match like this. Pillman knows exactly what he can and what he wants to do. He is very sure of himself as he goes to the mat or does a dropkick here and there. He lets Wright shine, but Wright just isn't there. Wright has some cool ideas. He does some slick European chain wrestling, but occasionally lets go or misses a connection. I don't if he ever put it together, but I appreciated the attempt even if it was no Pat O'Connor vs Lorenzo Parente. Wright vs. Regal could have be interesting and I will have to check it out. Things eventually heat up as they trade chops and European uppercuts. Wright gets a nice headscissors in and a belly to belly. He definitely had a lot of potential. They do a bridge sequence into a backslide and Pillman gets the win. It was a nice little face vs face encounter. The next night Pillman was turning heel so I don't think he minded making Wright look like the about to go in a completely different direction. You could really see the difference between a seasoned veteran and a rookie in this match. As Pillman was simple, but very effective in his execution, while Wright's reach sometimes outstretched his grasp. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Pillman vs Johnny B. Badd - Fall Brawl '95 Pillman's "Blonds Have More Fun" is an excellent slab of pop metal. Nice to see pop metal still had home somewhere in 1995. Before the match, the crowd is already firmly behind Johnny B. Badd. The winner of this match receives a mandatory US Title shot against then holder, Sting. In this snippet of Pillman's career, he was not often paired with someone he had to carry. unfortunately, I did not have access to his GAB '95 match as a comparison point. Both were ostensibly face vs. face matches against an carryable opponent where Pillman chose to play the heel in that match. You can tell how much Pillman hated being a face at this point in his career. The first 5 or minutes are filled with lackadaisical, slow-motion hold work. They do the obligatory dropkick each other at the same time. One of my pet peeves in wrestling is when a wrestler just drops a hold for no reason and that happens more than once in this portion. Business picks up with a Billy Robinson backbreaker into a Boston Crab by Pillman. He lets go to punch Badd with a closed fist and Pillman starts to jaw with the fans and the camera. I was pretty underwhelmed with the match until that point. Badd hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Shoving exchange is won by Badd, which gets a nice pop. Pillman backs him into a corner and hits a hard reverse elbow. Pillman goes full-on heel at this point taking the walk up the aisleway, the facetious handshake and biting Badd. They have a sick collision on a double Thesz Press attempt, where was this fire earlier. At this point, it just turns into a bombfest, which is so strange for 1995 WCW and I was totally caught off guard. I enjoyed it a lot. Badd had a lot more aerial moves in his arsenal than "Flyin'" Brian. I always felt that was a misnomer that got him pigeon holed in places he did not belong when he should be having violent brawls because watching the footage he was so well-suited for that. Badd hits a powerbomb and Pillman hits a tombstone piledriver. Are we in the Budokan? They trade finishers (Tutti Frutti & Air Pillman) as the time limit expires. Nick Patrick says there must be a winner so we go to sudden death! Heenan wonders when he is going to get a chance to shave, which I thought was hilarious. Pillman chops the fuck outta Badd on the outside. YES! That's the Pillman I want! Badd counters a Pillman missile dropkick with a dropkick a callback to Pillman's counter-dropkick spot. They trade sleepers. Misawa counters Kawada's powerbomb with a headscissors takeover. I am sorry, I meant Pillman counters Badd's powerbomb with a headscissors takeover. I find a out a Badd Day is a Top Rope Frankensteiner and Pillman takes a great bump for it. He follows up that bump with always sick-looking railing bump. I find out a Badd Mood is a crazy somersault plancha. Lets Go Badd! I might have to explore him further. Badd does a reverse slingshot splash and eats knees. Pillman looking to prove why he is "Flyin Brian" and keep up The Badd Man whiffs pretty bad on a suicide dive. In his defense, Badd should have closer and to add to the complexity the stairs where right up against the apron there so he had to clear that too. At 30 minutes into the match, they fuckin sprint against the ropes and collide mid-ring with Badd falling on top for the win. Pillman-san and Badd-san had quite the match that night that hitherto was rarely seen in America. Unfortunately, this style was copied and stripped down missing the transitions to hold together the big spots. Yes, the beginning of the match was lackluster, but once Pillman effectively turns heel it gets a lot better. I wish Pillman had a better transition to turning heel rather just kind of just snapping his fingers and saying I am going to heel it up. To that point, Pillman bumps like a heel, but does offense like a babyface, which I feel hurts how the middle of the match connects to the amazing finish. It is a very disjointed match, which I hate rating. The beginning was some of the lamest face vs. face wrestling you'll ever see. The middle was an interesting period where Pillman was heeling it up and Badd was playing the hero well in their mini-battles. Then finish they just go balls to the walls and Pillman stops cheating and heeling. There is no glue. Within the finish stretch, the transitions are great and they have plenty of callback psychology. I just can't fit the three portions of the match together. What I have found interesting about this match is a lot people just throw out **** and don't say why it falls shy of *****. The finish stretch, which is incredibly long for an American match, is friggin' good that I will agree with the consensus and give it ****. I am trying to do star ratings to keep everything straight for future lists and projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidebottom Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 That's a harrowing read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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