NWA On Demand

[shoe]

When all is said and done Houston will have the 2nd most arena footage documented for the fans. Only WWF will have more. This is huge.

[BruceTharpe]

Super Spectacular Friday Main Event Matchup TODAY on NWAClassics.com! MAGNUM TA vs. TED DiBIASE for the North American Title! This is a great match guys - including blood - and even the ring breaks! Really looking forward to your reviews on this one!

[BruceTharpe]

We also got another hard drive back from Indianapolis with over 50 matches - but most are post 1980. The next one we get should be 1970's content!

[shoe]

Great to hear Bruce, thanks for keeping us in the loop.

[shoe]

Plus from that show all that is missing is the main event of Rock n Roll Express vs MX with Cornette in a cage.

[Matt D]

Guerreros vs Hacksaw/Lothario

 

I really loved the first ten minutes or so of this match, and the back half was still good, even if it suffered a bit from a few small things. I would say that this might be the best Guerreros performance I've seen in the Houston footage so far. It's between this and the cage match with the Fabs. Lothario and Duggan were such a compelling team, playing off one another and giving each other rub from their very different star power.

It was all shine, shine, shine to begin. The first seven or eight minutes were the Guerreros pinballing for Duggan and Lothario. That's not even accurate. I'd use the word "feed" instead. Lothario was a rock in the middle of the ring, and both Guerreros were so good at running into his punches, back body drops, and armdrags. Jose Lothario was a star, but he was more limited here and they were able to make him look like an absolute force. Lothario's timing and resonance was perfect, but it was the Guerreros doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Duggan was in on the act too, and there are little things he did well, such as shaking the ropes while he was stomping in order to make it all seem more devastating and manic and he was more than eager to toss them into the supersock punch and play nice with his partner. I didn't see much ego from the Guerreros or Duggan when it came to Lothario. They knew who they were in there with and they knew what he could do for the match and they all worked towards it.

It helped that the shine was narrative-driven too. They weren't just doing things. There was a lot of symmetry in the opening exchange leading to Jose being in there as he was fed again and again and again (including a really nice backbreaker that I hadn't seen him do before). They built to moments here. Lothario controlled the ring, back body dropping and armdragging, like I said, but then he followed it up with a full nelson, drawing the second Guerrero in, and he ducked down to back body drop him while keeping the hold. It was a great visual spot I hadn't seen before and he followed it up by catapulting one Guerrero into the other. It wasn't the best execution in the world, but the selling and reactions were enough to push it over the top. Duggan was in next (and he had a great jumping double sledge), and he reversed a double team into a pair of atomic drops. Again, there was a bit of fumbling there, but it didn't matter because the crowd was into it and the Guerreros sold not just the pain, but the humiliation and helplessness of crashing into one another. All of this led to the biggest spot of the opening stretch, Duggan hitting a cross body on both Guerreros at once. The fans came unglued for it, I think because, as we've seen, Duggan was capable of getting relatively quick wins, so it was believable, even in the first act of the match, as a near fall. They played it up for laughs, though, with both faces trying for double pins and the Guerreros escaping the ring as Duggan stomped about in his style and Lothario did his best to mimic it to a pop. Just a great, imaginative, feel good shine where the Guerreros did the work of a dozen men for a pair of babyfaces that the crowd adored and that knew exactly what to do and when to do it.

The biggest problem with heel Guerreros matches that we've seen out of Houston so far is the lack of commitment to heat. They tend to like to give their opponents a lot of comebacks and tags instead of just building to one (I call this stuttering heat because I'm a horrible person and need to classify everything). Here, they more or less built to two, a heat segment on Lothario and a shorter one on Duggan. In theory, it worked fine. In practice, I really liked everything up to about midway through the Duggan one. The symmetry in how they took over was great. After the stomping about the ring, Hector finally came in, wanting a handshake with Duggan. That let Chavo fly off the second rope with an ambush double axehandle. Hector started on Duggan with corner shots, but he fought back and immediately tagged Jose. Hector begged off and Chavo swarmed in again and they took over.

Here they started to break out the heel tactics. After a double back elbow, they drew Hacksaw in by punching him on the apron. That let them do the blind switch and double team. Whenever Lothario started to fight back, they'd pull a quick tag. When Lothario almost made it to the corner, they'd distract the ref so he missed the tag, going for the double team when Duggan refused to leave. There was some good stuff with Lothario draped over the rope here and the Guerreros really running circles around the ref. They went for a draped body splash one too many times, though, and there Jose was with the supersock counter, which is probably the best transition move in wrestling, that beautiful, monumental, perfect KO punch out of nowhere.

That led to the tag and the second bit of heat. Duggan was in charge for a few moments before missing a big knee drop. That let Hector start on the leg, and for a minute there, this was really good. Duggan was a force and this was an equalizer. If they had stuck with it for a few minutes and built to another hot tag, this could have been an a real classic. Instead, he pulled Hacksaw back to the corner and they worked on it a bit, but then Chavo lost focus, going to more general heel tactics of keeping him in the corner. There was a moment where Hacksaw was supposed to leapfrog Chavo that went very wrong, and both men crashed to the ground after a nasty collision. They recovered went to a more choreographed crash out of a headlock and Duggan made a nice diving tag. In retrospect, since the match was going into a collision anyway, it would have been so much better if they had capitalized on the trainwreck and built that to the hot tag.

The finishing stretch was fun. The Guerreros pinballed again, especially Hector bouncing around in the ropes after a supersock. It ended with Cornette coming out and apparently ethering Duggan with a rag covered object (Boesch didn't seem sure), and then after a really nice ref bump off of a second rope reverse body press, Chavo came in to smash Lothario with it and steal the win. Madril made the save setting up the match we already have up on the site.

There was a lot to like here, especially the performance by the Guerreros in the shine and really up to midway through the second heat segment (on Duggan), where they lost focus a bit. Yes, there were a few flubs, and I'd chalk them up to the Guerreros and Duggan not being used to working with one another, maybe. Really, these were a very different style of heel than the monsters that babyface Hacksaw faced, but despite the flubs, I think the contrast made for more of a good thing than a bad one. It was another good Lothario performance too but I think they could have streamlined things, had a longer heat segment on Jose, and built to one riotous tag to Duggan and the crowd would have gone completely unglued. Well worth watching though.

[shoe]

I thought this was the best Guerreros performance that we've seen in the footage.

[Matt D]

I loved how they were able to create the illusion of motion for Lothario.

[shoe]

Especially in that arm drag spot. It looked like Lothario was just as quick.

[BruceTharpe]

Phenomenal review Matt D! Thank you very much. I am really enjoying your reviews almost as much as the matches themselves and I certainly hope I have the honor of meeting some of you guys in person one of these days. Our team talks about you a lot and in fact we've given you a nickname . . . not too imaginative - but when I refer to "the experts" my team knows who I'm talking about. Your knowledge of wrestling is amazing - and actually as the "new NWA" develops and seeks out television - our wrestling / booking style will be geared towards our target market - which I like to characterize as the "sophisticated wrestling fan." Much like the Japanese - the sophisticated wrestling fan isn't so focused on whether or not wrestling is "real" or not - but instead upon the true athleticism and artistry that we see in the ring. Thank you very much for the RESPECT that you are showing the business. Much appreciated.

[Matt D]

Glad you liked it. I had to put it together quickly due to time constraints (and I've cleaned up a few typos since), but I think I hit the points I wanted to at least. The Lothario matches are very focused. He knew how to move that crowd and get the most out of everything he did so it's exciting when every new one arrives.

[BruceTharpe]

A "Super Saturday Surprise" for the experts at ProWrestlingOnly.com! NICK BOCKWINKLE vs. CHAVO GUERRERO - with post match interviews! We should have it up by late-afternoon.

 

Now I remember why it wasn't released - and we couldn't find it. The audio needed work so it was on the new hard drive we just received from the lab Indianapolis. Surprise finish. Hope you guys enjoy it.

[Matt D]

Hugely exciting to see Bock against an opponent I've never seen him matched up against. Looking foward to it, Bruce. Thanks for tracking it down.

[Grimmas]

A "Super Saturday Surprise" for the experts at ProWrestlingOnly.com! NICK BOCKWINKLE vs. CHAVO GUERRERO - with post match interviews! We should have it up by late-afternoon.

 

Now I remember why it wasn't released - and we couldn't find it. The audio needed work so it was on the new hard drive we just received from the lab Indianapolis. Surprise finish. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Holy crap! My expectations are too high on that one.

[shoe]

Thanks, and not to sound to sports entertainmenty . This is awesome.

[shoe]

Magnum TA vs Ted Dibiase

 

This card has been amazing so far and now we get the semi main event. This show drew a 71,000 dollar house and had 9,000 fans.I got the figures from Cornette's book.

We see Ted start out with some rough house tactics to start. TA fires back. When Ted gets the heat he is awesome. It's all focused on the back. We see body slams, body slams on the floor, back breakers into the ring post, back drops, a bear hug, knee drop to the back, and a camel clutch. We TA fight out of the clutch. TA's selling is spot on. He starts a comeback. Hits Ted in the breadbasket. Oh no TA runs into a nasty knee by Ted head on. Ted tosses him to the floor and just destroys him. TA is busted open. Ted works the cut with stomps and punches to the cut. TA delivers an amazing small package for a great hope spot . TA sees the blood and it fires him up. The ropes break and these guys are great at improvising. I loved the finish of Ted missing his big move only for TA to catch him with the Belly to Belly. What a great match. 4 1/4*

[BruceTharpe]

Bockwinkle - Chavo is online.

[vikingsfan73]

Thanks Bruce, that was a great match! Loved Bockwinkel's selling of the arm after he escapes Chavo's arm bar. One of the small touches you don't see anymore.

[shoe]

Nick Bockwinkel vs Chavo Guerrero

 

 

This is a non title match. So the goal is simple. Make Chavo a threat, and make the audience believe he will be the next AWA World Champ. In the match I feel they accomplished this. Bockwinkle along with Buddy Rose are the 2 best at working different type of matches.

It starts with Bock trying to slow the pace and use the weight advantage. They start an over the head wristlock battle. This transitions into Chavo working Bock's arm. The arm work here is real nifty. Chavo also is good at keeping Bock off balance with his speed. Eventually Nick escapes and because his arm has been worked over uses his legs and puts Chavo in a body scissor. This is something all wrestlers should look at. In a really nice touch, we see Bock trying to shake the arm out. We some real fun stuff come out of the body scissors. Then transitions into Bock stooging for Chavo. We see Chavo deliver a beautiful German Suplex for the win. I guarantee in the rematch if we get to see it; Bockwinkel will work a different match . 3 1/2*

[NickH]

^ Why does everyone spell BOCKWINKEL's name wrong? lol. Anyway the match was very good and a lot of fun and loved Nick's post match interview. Cant wait to see the rematch.

[Matt D]

Chavo Guerrero vs Nick Bockwinkel - non-title.

We have a lot of Nick Bockwinkel on tape, but most of these matches are in the AWA, with some in Japan. When it comes to Nick Bockwinkel, travelling champ, we have some clipped matches from Stampede and we have his Memphis matches, maybe a little more elsewhere. Most of those latter are against Lawler, and while great, they aren't quite the same thing as going up against a Bart Sawyer or Koko Ware, like we have with Flair. It made for a missing puzzle piece.

Don't get me wrong. Chavo was a big star in LA and he was a star in Houston, but it's not quite the same as going up against Kerry or Dusty. Moreover, this was a match with a very specific purpose and a very specific tone. This was the first match of a two match series, the second coming two weeks later. It's not the same as having a travelling champ in for a week, but it's the same idea. So this was a mid-card match, Bockwinkel against a talented regional star (but not superstar), who he had to make look like gold so that the fans would buy into the idea that he might really be able to take the belt during the main event of the second show. Ultimately, then, this was more of a very well-executed functional match than a great match, but it was a pair of great performances and moreover, I think this is an important match that was sort of missing from the Bockwinkel canon.

I know there was some problems with the audio here and I'm glad that Bruce and his team got them sorted because Boesch shines on commentary. This was his finest announcing, getting over the story of the match and some of the little moments so well. The story was that Bockwinkel didn't think Chavo was a big enough star or good enough to deserve a title shot. He offered him a non-title match mainly to embarrass him. So after a bit of that, Chavo took over and really never looked back, with persistent, focused offense and with Bockwinkel making it all mean so much. He worked this like the babyface shines against guys like Brunzell, Martel, and Hennig, working in and out of the holds, but really only taking a small amount of the match for himself. At the end, they went for a few high spots, with Chavo hitting the German at a key moment to take the win and set up the title rematch.

I want to focus on two sequences in the match that really show the level of thought and skill involved, how they took a simple straightforward story and crafted something very effective out of it through parallels and build, selling, and payoff. Bockwinkel was amazing in the opening minute, completely controlling the pace and being the smarmiest creature alive. That made his early comeuppance all the sweeter. They began with lock-ups, with a clean, amused break against the ropes by Bockwinkel. Chavo then returned it in kind, breaking clean as well. Bock followed this up with a deep hip toss, raising his hand in satisfied victory afterwards and then a big slam, his arm up once again. He was bullying Chavo here, which isn't a role you usually see Bockwinkel get to play, expressing his superiority and how beneath him his opponent was. So, of course, once they lock up again, Chavo hiptossed him twice and followed with a body slam at three times the speed that Bockwinkel executed those moves. Anything Bock can do, Chavo can do as well, better and quicker. That was the idea, and it was a great start to the match.

From there, they went to the arm work, and were this a title match as opposed to the match setting up the title match, I probably would have been lower on it due to the fact Chavo took so much of it. This was the intersection of the heel looking vulnerable and the babyface with something to prove, though, so here, it was appropriate, and Bock definitely made it matter. Look at the second exchange. If the opening one was built off of parallels, this was all about set-up and payoff. Bockwinkel would layer comeback attempts in to keep the crowd interested, to make himself look stronger and more spirited, and to make Chavo look better in being able to cut him off. In the first of these, he was working towards a bodyslam, but due to the damage to his arm was unable to hit it. Instead, Chavo fell on him, and then immediately took back the arm, Chavo playing his role so well in working the hold and Bockwinkel broadly selling it. Eventually, though (two comeback attempts later, the next one being bodyscissor focused, since he couldn't use the arm), Bock would get back to a vertical base. Finally, now, he hit the slam. It was a moment that felt like it meant something due to the previous set up. It should have been a triumphant moment for Bockwinkel, but Chavo was unrelenting and immediately went back to the arm. It was pure futility and frustration for the champ and played perfectly into the story they were trying to tell.

The fans responded at the end, popping huge for Chavo's win. I'd be really curious to see how well the rematch drew, because between the excellent job they did here and the post-match promos, including a great impassioned one from Chavo, I'm excited for the rematch. Hopefully, that shows up sometime soon.

[shoe]

Good review and it seems like we both agree on point about most of it if not all.

[BruceTharpe]

Partial listing of some of the new matches just in from Indianapolis. Which ones do you want to see first?

 

Ladies match - DEBBIE COMBS vs. DONNA DAY - with Interviews

 

AWA TITLE - NICK BOCKWINKLE vs. DUSTY

 

AWA TITLE - NICK BOCKWINKLE vs. BUTCH REED

 

Midget Tag - Ivan the Terrible / Little Tokyo vs. Little Lone Eagle / Cowboy Lang

 

KAMALA vs. TONY ATLAS

 

BUTCH REED vs. MARTY LUNDE (pre Arn days!)

 

MAGNUM TA vs. MISSING LINK

 

BUNDY / ONE MAN GANG vs. DUGGAN / DR. DEATH

 

NORTH AMERICAN TITLE MATCH - REED vs. DUSTY

 

NORTH AMERICAN TITLE - REED vs. WRESTLING II

 

ANDRE / DUGGAN vs. KAMALA / BLACK NINJA

 

CAGE - DUGGAN vs DiBIASE

 

KAMALA vs. JOHNNY RICH

 

plus tons more on these hard drives we haven't gotten to yet . . .

[Grimmas]

Holy shit these two I need to see now!!!

 

AWA TITLE - NICK BOCKWINKLE vs. BUTCH REED

ANDRE / DUGGAN vs. KAMALA / BLACK NINJA

[shoe]

I vote Bock vs Reed.