Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[El-P]

*vomit*

[Grimmas]

They had a really great series of matches in '99 against the Dudleys.. but not enough.

[El-P]

Those matches were unwatchable to me. So yeah, not enough.

[Grimmas]

Those matches were unwatchable to me. So yeah, not enough.

Even the TV match from Chicago? Loss was real high on it, I had it as the best match in ECW history.

 

Unwatchable is a huge stretch.

[El-P]

Really, they blend together and when I was going through the entire ECW history a few years back, TV shows, com tapes, whatever house show I could find and PPV's, by 99 I was less tolerant of what I didn't like, and I truly hated those Dudleys vs Spike & Balls matches. By the end I was fast forwarding them because I could not handle it anymore. To me Spike is mediocre at best, I can't watch Balls because of his gimmick which ruins whatever talent he does have and the Duds are just that once they get to the wrestling part (I liked Buh Buh before he teamed with D-Von, who's a really shitty worker to me. They got better in WWE, yeah, that's me saying that, stupid crowd reactions aside, but I really like them less than most I believe). Along with RVD and New Jack, Spike & Balls were the two acts I just couldn't bare at all by the end of my ECW watch.

[Grimmas]

Really, they blend together and when I was going through the entire ECW history a few years back, TV shows, com tapes, whatever house show I could find and PPV's, by 99 I was less tolerant of what I didn't like, and I truly hated those Dudleys vs Spike & Balls matches. By the end I was fast forwarding them because I could not handle it anymore. To me Spike is mediocre at best, I can't watch Balls because of his gimmick which ruins whatever talent he does have and the Duds are just that once they get to the wrestling part (I liked Buh Buh before he teamed with D-Von, who's a really shitty worker to me. They got better in WWE, yeah, that's me saying that, stupid crowd reactions aside, but I really like them less than most I believe). Along with RVD and New Jack, Spike & Balls were the two acts I just couldn't bare at all by the end of my ECW watch.

I guess saying it is unwatchable, because you didn't watch it makes sense.

 

However if you actually watch that match it is freaking great.

 

Here are all the thoughts in the match thread:

 

Charles:

 

 

They say they are in Chicago, but they are actually in the Villa Park suburb. The match will be a Chicago Street Fight where falls count anywhere. Every ECW match is a Chicago Street Fight. Bubba Ray attacks Spike with a cheese grater and Spike returns the favor, giving us two guys covered in blood. Balls was already bleeding from something or other too, so D-Von was the only holdout, which changed when Balls sliced his head open with a fork. This is violent in a very different way than ECW is usually violent, where it's just for violent's sake. There is actually some real hate and desperation to go with this instead of it just being part of the signature spots. Spike dives off the balcony onto all three guys. Love Spike's spots where he finds a way to attack both Duds at the same time, and the stereo stuff in the ring is really good. Some really good nearfalls, and I like that this spilled back into the ring a lot. Sign Guy interferes to swing the match back to the Dudleys, but it doesn't last long and it's looking like someone may finally be getting some measure of revenge against the Dudleys for something. Balls decides to go for revenge and sets the thumbtack table on fire, which is a great callback. D-Von cuts him off with a chairshot and the Dudleys deliver the spot to Balls yet again before getting the win. I LOVED this match, which I didn't expect at all. As good as any ECW match I've ever seen.

 

Tim:

 

Great match that is really all the best aspects of ECW rolled into one. Everyone is over and connects with the crowd, good use of hardcore stuff, crowd brawling and a huge spot that gives it an out of control feel that you couldn't get in the two big promotions, an over the top ending and some great work in between blending good wrestling spots with hardcore stuff. Bubba really bumped great here and Spike good great in general as the plucky small guy taking it to the bigger Dudleys. Some really good nearfalls, some that I actually bought as the finish. The kind of match that could only really happen in ECW and a great one.

 

Chad:

 

 

 

This is a great brawl. Spike is able to bump well against the Dudleys and him and Balls make a cool team together based on contrast. The fire stuff still is engaging to me because it should be building up to a great payback spot. ECW so far has still had a good bit of entertaining in ring highlights from the year and it feels like this feud still has a lot of legs to it. ***3/4

 

and the one negative view Tim Evans:

 

 

I didn't like this as much as you guys. The cheese grater stuff and the fire tables were just all played out. Everyone bleeds and then go into the crowd. Bubba and Dvon did a good job at trying to hold this together. Spike took nutty bumps like always and Balls just goes through fire like it's a regular bump. Not my cup of tea.

[El-P]

No idea which match it is exactly. It's been a while ago, and like I said, all those Dudleys vs Balls & whoever totally blended together to the point I wouldn't bother.

 

 

I didn't like this as much as you guys. The cheese grater stuff and the fire tables were just all played out. Everyone bleeds and then go into the crowd. Bubba and Dvon did a good job at trying to hold this together. Spike took nutty bumps like always and Balls just goes through fire like it's a regular bump. Not my cup of tea.

 

Yeah, pretty much what I thought looking at those. Now, this one in particular watched in a vaacum and not on a binge ECW watch, I have no idea what I'd think of it if, and I emphasize the if, it's one I actively fast forwarded through.

 

That being said, both Spike & Balls were pretty much unbereable to me on their own already, so...

[Grimmas]

No idea which match it is exactly. It's been a while ago, and like I said, all those Dudleys vs Balls & whoever totally blended together to the point I wouldn't bother.

 

 

I didn't like this as much as you guys. The cheese grater stuff and the fire tables were just all played out. Everyone bleeds and then go into the crowd. Bubba and Dvon did a good job at trying to hold this together. Spike took nutty bumps like always and Balls just goes through fire like it's a regular bump. Not my cup of tea.

 

Yeah, pretty much what I thought looking at those. Now, this one in particular watched in a vaacum and not on a binge ECW watch, I have no idea what I'd think of it if, and I emphasize the if, it's one I actively fast forwarded through.

 

That being said, both Spike & Balls were pretty much unbereable to me on their own already, so...

So you are talking out of your ass and have no idea what the match is, yet it is unwatchable and unbearable? Either re-watch the match or don't trash it. Most people have praised it really high.

 

Why trash something you have no memory of?

[El-P]

So, from the Yearbooks, they had at least four matches together. Since I had to go search for it myself, it's this one :

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/28425-dudley-boys-vs-spike-dudley-balls-mahoney-ecw-061799/?hl=%2Bballs+%2Bmahoney

So that would be their first. Then you have the Heatwave match, on which I actually left a comment on last year. Then two more. It's after the Heatwave debacle that I gave up and fast forwarded through their stuff (I mean, I already had to watch the Duds vs Balls & Axl earlier in the year and I think in late 98 too after the feud with Dreamer & Sandman ended). So, no dice, I actually saw the "famous" Chicago TV match. So my opinion of this combination sucking comes straight out of it. It could have well have been from another one, but since it's the first of the series, yep, I watched it. Awful match. Terrible team.

[Grimmas]

You hate the style? You don't think Spike is a good underdog brawler? What do you have against Balls?

 

If you don't like the style, I can understand that. I still don't see why you would post that they are garbage. Lots of styles I don't like, doesn't mean all the workers are garbage.

 

If it's something else, please explain. I can see them not making anybody lists, but garbage?

[peachchaos]

Would have been interesting to see them in WWE after ECW closed down. I can see them somehow getting over without the song or the chairs and being a really fun midcard baby face team. Hell, they fit right in to the TLC matches that were the craze at the time.

 

They didn't do much of note together in ECW, but the aforementioned 6/17/99 match with the Dudleys is in contention for the best match in ECW history and nearly as good as anything Foley did in WWE in terms of high-end hardcore stuff. I haven't watched it in a few years, so I can't comment on the specifics, but in my mind it's worked similar to the Triple H-Cactus Jack Street Fight where the violence escalates perfectly in terms of the use of weapons, which is certainly a rarity in ECW and 90's Big Three hardcore wrestling.

 

I don't think this one particular match is enough to make a case for the team, but it certainly helps Spike Dudley's case.

[El-P]

You hate the style? You don't think Spike is a good underdog brawler? What do you have against Balls?

I'm an ECW fan, so I don't hate the style.

 

I don't think Spike is good at much of anything but be thrown around like a rag doll, and even that gets old after a while because I can't stand the character so I have zero interest in what happens to him. Total one trick pony to me, his single matches consist of him trying to hit his one annoying spot (which wouldn't be as annoying if he had anything else worth a damn in his repertoire). I can't stand the gimmick, which is something I went through in great lenghts in the past already. Mediocre at best worker, annoying as fuck character.

 

Balls is a decent worker ruined by his godawful gimmick of trying to permanently maim his opponents by hitting them with ridiculous unprotected chair shots to the head. I thought it was retarded back in the days, it's even worst today. It's too bad because of all these guys, he's probably the best worker if you take the gimmicks away. And yeah, like Tim Evans said in his review, Balls took insane bumps just for the sake of it, in a proto-Abyss (the stupidest "mainstream" worker ever in my book) way. As soon as you get the gimmicks away from Balls, I enjoy him much more (cf his matches with Matt Striker in WWECW for instance, which were fine and kinda fun too, final chairshot aside)

 

I think the Duds were complete garbage worker, and I'm not talking about the style. Bubba is decent but was much more fun as a goofball fat guy bumper before teaming with D-Von, who's just plain bad. They got better in the WWE, and there I'm getting both redondant and irrelevant since I was supposed to tall about Balls & Spike. (and yeah, I know some people love Spike, including Dylan who has him in his top 10 ECW workers ever, we discussed that to no end a few years ago already. )

[Grimmas]

 

You hate the style? You don't think Spike is a good underdog brawler? What do you have against Balls?

I'm an ECW fan, so I don't hate the style.

 

I don't think Spike is good at much of anything but be thrown around like a rag doll, and even that gets old after a while because I can't stand the character so I have zero interest in what happens to him. Total one trick pony to me, his single matches consist of him trying to hit his one annoying spot (which wouldn't be as annoying if he had anything else worth a damn in his repertoire). I can't stand the gimmick, which is something I went through in great lenghts in the past already. Mediocre at best worker, annoying as fuck character.

 

Balls is a decent worker ruined by his godawful gimmick of trying to permanently maim his opponents by hitting them with ridiculous unprotected chair shots to the head. I thought it was retarded back in the days, it's even worst today. It's too bad because of all these guys, he's probably the best worker if you take the gimmicks away. And yeah, like Tim Evans said in his review, Balls took insane bumps just for the sake of it, in a proto-Abyss (the stupidest "mainstream" worker ever in my book) way. As soon as you get the gimmicks away from Balls, I enjoy him much more (cf his matches with Matt Striker in WWECW for instance, which were fine and kinda fun too, final chairshot aside)

 

I think the Duds were complete garbage worker, and I'm not talking about the style. Bubba is decent but was much more fun as a goofball fat guy bumper before teaming with D-Von, who's just plain bad. They got better in the WWE, and there I'm getting both redondant and irrelevant since I was supposed to tall about Balls & Spike. (and yeah, I know some people love Spike, including Dylan who has him in his top 10 ECW workers ever, we discussed that to no end a few years ago already. )

 

A way better post then say they are unwatchable!

 

I like the team. I think that match is great for all the reasons listed above. This team seemed to get the best of the Dudleys and wish they had more of a resume to look at.

 

Nowhere near my list, but I enjoy them.

[El-P]

A way better post then say they are unwatchable!

 

Well, thanks. I'm both moody and lazy, which sometimes produces some bad stuff. Sorry about that when it happens.

[Dylan Waco]

Main thing that hurts this team is it's the 3rd best Spike team from ECW