Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

The WCW Project


cactus

Recommended Posts

In a similar vein to my ECW project from earlier this year, I'm going to make my way through the most celebrated WCW matches in chronological order and share my thoughts with you. Let me know if I miss any must-see matches. I'll be using Cagematch and the DVDVR WCW set as a guide.

Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair  (NWA Starrcade - 12/26/1988)
This felt very similar to Flair's match with Sting at the first COTC, but this was a much better match. It's Flair versus an inexperienced power wrestler and it's up to Flair to make the guy look like a million bucks. Flair does his usual tricks here. He begs off Luger and uses underhanded tactics to take control. The JJ Dillion interference was weaved well into the match and they were able to milk a lot of drama out of Luger's leg injury after Flair smashed it in with a steel chair. I don't think I'm going to offend anyone by stating that Luger is leagues away from the talents of Ric Flair. Despite all this, Luger puts on a career performance here and is able to jump through the hoops that Flair has set up for him. He looks like a movie star when brushing off Flair's strikes and he sells his ass off when Flair works over his leg. The only time he showed his greenness was when he would work a hold and you could see the wheels turning in his head on what to do next. Unlike others, I didn't mind the screwy finish as Luger didn't feel ready for the title at this point, but it gave him an out and didn't kill his momentum despite his loss. ★★★★¾


Barry Windham & Ric Flair vs. Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Steamboat (NWA World Championship Wrestling  - aired 1/21/1989)
Eddie Gilbert has had issues with the Horsemen leading up to this, and he manages to convince Flair and Windham to face him with a partner of his choosing. Everyone loses their collective shit when Gilbert's backup turns out to be a returning Ricky Steamboat. All four wrestlers in this were incredible. They played their parts to perfection and they kept the action going at a break-neck pace. Steamboat looked tremendous especially, no one can move around as fast as he can while still making look like he's actually still there to have a fight. I'm surprised by how long Steamboat and Flair were legal men during this. They gave us a healthy teaser of what to expect at the next PPV. I don't think I've ever seen Eddie Gilbert wrestle before, but he looked great as an undersized brawler with a lot of heart. Flair and Windham were having the time of their lives bullying him. It's not long until Steamboat is able to score a flash victory over Flair once Gilbert makes the tag to Steamboat. This was a well-booked TV match that did its job of presenting a returning wrestler as a top title contender on his first match back tremendously. ★★★★¼


Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (NWA Chi-Town Rumble - 2/20/1989)
I sometimes overthink things when I'm watching a critically acclaimed match like this or Steamboat/Savage. I feel like I have to like it, but truth be told, it's as good as its repetition suggests. It's simple pro-wrestling storytelling done to perfection. The high roller yuppie versus the humble family man. This technical masterclass starts out with some simplistically brilliant matwork. The audience lets out a loud gasp when Steamboat gets an early nearfall on a headlock. A HEADLOCK! The knife-edge chops start getting busted out by both men and they are nasty, even 30 years on. Steamboat got plenty of moments here to showcase his world-class selling. Ric's heel work is sublime. It never goes into cartoon territory. The spot where Flair flops over the top rope and sprints to the other side for a cross body always catches me off guard. They tease a Dusty finish, only for Steamboat to get the clean win. There are 24 2-counts during this match and nearly all of them felt like they could have ended the match. This was a back-and-forth emotional rollercoaster of a wrestling match! ★★★★★ 


Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (NWA House Show - 3/18/1989)
It's crazy to think what other great matches these two had that have been lost to time. It's a godsend that someone filmed this, as it shows that these two put on a clinic regardless if it's a PPV, TV show, or just a live event. Even with the poor video quality of this handheld, you can still feel the intensity when Steamboat and Flair get in each other's faces during the opening exchanges. Flair struts around the ring and treats this as a joke and Steamboat slams the taste out of his mouth to let him know that he's not messing around tonight. The chops here look just as hard as the ones they do during the Chi-Town Rumble match. This was worked slower than their last match, opening the match with some house show stalling. After Steamboat gets his shine in, Flair is able to cut off Steamboat's water after dodging a dropkick and going straight for the Figure Four. I thought Steamboat's selling was great, he wobbles all over the place and Flair's work is clearly having an effect on him. There are a lot of borrowed spots from Chi-Town, but there's enough new stuff here that makes this worth seeking out. Steamboat's comeback was great. He teased it by landing a lucky sunset flip, but he's able to get that momentum going by landing a rare enziguri for the time and laying it into Flair's leg with a flurry of elbow drops. This was a neat spot that paid off from all the leg work that Flair had been doing to Steamboat earlier in the match. The finish wasn't as perfectly executed as their last match, but you can't win them all. ★★★★¾


Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls) (NWA Clash Of The Champions - 4/2/1989)
Steamboat is cockier here than he was during their last (televised) encounter. He slaps Flair twice in the opening feeling out process. They still get a loud gasp from the crowd after Steamboat nearly gets pinfall from a headlock. I rewatched this and I think I like this less every time I watch it. The first time I saw this, I was enthralled and had it at the full five. This time I watched it and it struggled to keep my attention. Flair and Steamboat's great chemistry show better when they are working quick sprints instead of long, drawn-out marathon matches. Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed by their conditioning and the fundamentals shown here are some of the best ever. You're not going to see basic stuff like headlocks, arm drags, chops, and basic pro wrestling body language done better than how they were during this match. I also dug how Flair transitions from an unsure challenger who's clearly doubting himself to the slick, arrogant Nature Boy once he scores the first fall. The finishes weren't exactly great, with the final fall feeling like a bit of a cop-out after nearly an hour of action. My attention starts to drift by the halfway point and it felt as if they were milking every hold bone-dry so that they could fill up time and tease a time limit draw. It feels like heresy to not give this the perfect score, but I feel that the action in the Chi-Town Rumble match was much more compact and this match didn't need to go as long as it did. It's still Flair vs Steamboat, so it's still well worth your time. ★★★¾


Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (NWA WrestleWar - 5/7/1989)    
To avoid any more shenanigans, we have three judges at ringside to ensure we have a winner if they go to the time limit. Steamboat dominates early by working over Flair's arm in an attempt to set up Flair for the Double Chicken Wing, a hold that caused Flair to give up during their 2/3 falls match. We get a lot of lengthy holds, but Flair keeps it entertaining by being animated and vocal whenever Steamboat would tear away at his arm. Flair's chops aren't doing the job of neutralizing Steamboat, so Flair is forced to change up his game plan. He does this by staggering Steamboat with some stiff forearms, which allow Flair to gain an advantage. Speaking of strikes, the chop battles in this are brutal. The judges keep us up to date with their scoring and Steamboat is on his way to winning this if it goes down to points, Flair knows this and you can see him starting to get desperate. Steamboat carries on cleaning house until Flair is finally able to gain a significant advantage with a happy accident after he stumbles into the ropes and knocks Steamboat to the outside just as he was about to land an aerial move. Steamboat goes all-out on this bump and tweaks his knee on the way down. This is the beginning of the end for Steamboat as he wobbles all over the place and sells his ass off for Flair. This was a clinic that had great psychology and a sense of escalation. The post-match angle is legendary and features Terry Funk doing one of his best-ever promos. This was thrilling conclusion to Flair's rivalry with Steamboat and a great way to kick-start his new program with Terry Funk. ★★★★½


Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (NWA The Great American Bash - 7/23/1989)
Has any wrestler ever had a year better than Ric Flair did in 1989? Not to be boxed in as a cocky heel technician after his epic rivalry with Steamboat, Flair showed that he can also work just as well as a revenge-seeking, ass-kicking babyface. Funk injured Flair's neck leading up to this, so that's a major factor in this match. Funk tries to end Flair's career by piledriving Flair on the exposed concrete. Flair also tries to give Funk a receipt for hurting his neck by violently snapping and wrenching Funk's neck. Funk's selling and trash-talking were great and I loved how he would squirm and convulse on the mat after Flair dropped a knee onto his neck. If you need more proof for Funk being the greatest wrestler of all time, just watch him stall on the outside. He can get so much out of so little. This might be Flair's best-ever face performance. After Flair sneaks in a win after countering Funk's cradle, Muta rushes the ring and mists Flair, but it's not long for Sting to save the day. This had a bit of sloppiness here and there, but you could never say that any of this looked fake or phony. This was a brilliant brawl, with molten heat and seamless transitions. A great match with an even greater post-match. ★★★★


Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (I Quit) (NWA Clash Of The Champions - 11/15/1989)
Flair is known for his chops, but he showed here that he knows how to throw an excellent right hand. He could more than hold his own when it came to brawling with Funk. Funk was obviously excellent here. The guy just knows how to bump and sell like no other. After failing to hit the move during their last match, Funk is finally able to piledrive Flair's skull right onto the floor. This match was far from perfect though. There's never a moment here that I felt that Funk was winning this and the finish did come out of nowhere. One of my main gripes about I Quit matches is that I can never buy into the babyface being in danger of losing. A good babyface should never give up and that's why I find it hard to get emotionally invested in these kinds of matches. This match was no different, but it was still a fun brawl between two of the greatest wrestlers ever. Flair's series with Steamboat is miles better than his series with Funk in my opinion, but these fights with Funk showcased what a dynamic performer Naitch was. ★★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, cactus said:

Barry Windham & Ric Flair vs. Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Steamboat (NWA World Championship Wrestling  - aired 1/21/1989)

 

Eddie Graham has had issues with the Horsemen leading up to this, and he manages to convince Flair and Windham to face him with a partner of his choosing. Everyone loses their collective when Graham's backup turns out to be a returning Ricky Steamboat. All four wrestlers in this were incredible. They played their parts to perfection and they kept the action going at a break-neck pace. Steamboat looked tremendous especially, no one can move around as fast as he can while still making look like he's actually still there to have a fight. I'm surprised by how long Steamboat and Flair were legal men during this. They gave us a healthy teaser of what to expect at the next PPV. I don't think I've ever seen Eddie Graham wrestle before, but he looked great as an undersized brawler with a lot of heart. Flair and Windham were having the time of their lives bullying him. It's not long until Steamboat is able to score a flash victory over Flair once Graham makes the tag to Steamboat. This was a well-booked TV match that did its job of presenting a returning wrestler as a top title contender on his first match back tremendously. ★★★★¼

Eddie Graham you say. That was a spectacular comeback considering he was dead for four years in 1989. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flyin' Brian vs. Ric Flair (NWA World Championship Wrestling  - aired 2/17/1990)
This wasn't one of Flair's top-tier performances, but it's certainly one of his most giving as he made the fans believe that young Brian Pillman might actually pull off a miracle and pin the world's champion in this non-title matcg. Flair woos in Pillmans face to start things off and doesn't take him seriously, and then Pillman schools Flair during the opening exchanges. Flair was very expressive during this, as he really sold his shock well. Flair tries to use his chops to cool Pillman down, but Pillman shows Flair that he can chop just as hard as Flair can. It's crazy how over Pillman was with this crowd, he felt like the Ricky Morton for the 90s with the number of women cheering him on. We get some great close-up shots of Woman looking on. She eventually gets involved after she whacks Pillman as he's about to win with the sunset flip. This happened right in front of the referee, but he wasn't meant to see this, so he doesn't ring the bell. Pillman gets in one convincing nearfall before Flair is able to steal the win by the skin of his teeth. ★★★½

Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (NWA WrestleWar - 2/25/1990)
This one was a bit of a let-down to me. They get plenty of time here, with most of it going to Morton and Gibson's shine segment. We get a lot of stalling and gaga as Cornette argues and tries to fight with the referee. Nick Patrick is more than happy to oblige and puts his dukes up and Corny ends up embarrassing himself. They really hammed it up here and I found it a tad too goofy for my palette. We do get some cool tag-team spots at least, with Morton jumping up onto Eaton's shoulders during a test of strength to take out Lane being one of my favourites. Morton is eventually worked over for a long time by the Midnights. I found this segment fine, but I've seen Morton sell and milk for that hot tag a lot better in other matches and I didn't find it all that compelling. Eaton impressed me the most out of everyone here. He may not be known as a brawler, but he still knows how to throw a magnificent punch. The finish was also brilliant, with Morton and Gibson foiling the Midnight's finishing move in a spectacular fashion. ★★★¼

Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair (NWA WrestleWar - 2/25/1990)    
Despite the gargantuan length and the mind-bafflingly dumb finish, this title match had a big fight feel and it's yet another example of Ric Flair carrying a lesser talent to greatness. They let things breathe during the early parts of this match and Flair feeds for Luger wonderfully. Flair is only able to take control of Luger by using his ring smarts, as strikes and pure wrestling aren't going to work on the big guy. Flair dodges Luger's charges and sends him to the outside and into the turnbuckle, these served as great transition spots. Flair works over Luger's arm for a good while but keeps it interesting by constantly cheating. Luger looked good here, with that awful Figure Four attempt being the only thing he messed up. The last ten minutes or so is when this starts to go off the rails. The match starts to drag and only gets worth once the ref goes down. Ole & Arn rush down and fight with Luger on the outside. The ref wakes up, sees Arn & Ole fight with Luger, and decides to start counting Luger out. Why wasn't that an instant DQ? ! This non-finish really showed the fans what the WCW office thought about Luger. They didn't have faith in him as champion and it really hurt him.  ★★★★

Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane vs. Flyin' Brian & The Z-Man (NWA Capitol Combat - 5/19/1990)
The stipulation here is that Jim Cornette must be put in a shark cage for the duration of the match. He initially refuses and milks this for all it's worth as he throws a tantrum before arguing with the referee. The babyfaces soon force him into the cage and the match gets underway. Despite Cornette not being able to add anything to the match bar some amusing facial expressions, the Midnight Express are still able to be entertaining without their manager contributing much to their act. Flyin' Brian looks to be a major star in the making and he gets plenty of time to show off his stuff. He is the man who the heels isolate after he takes a big bump from the ring to the guard rail throat-first. He gets a lot of sympathy from the fans as he sells his ass off. Pillman's partner might look like a superstar, but Z-Man is nowhere near as fired-up and motivated as Pillman was here. Eaton was the glue that held this all together. He was a ring general here and saved Pillman from looking dumb after getting way too much momentum when he went for a sunset flip from the top rope. This was a well-structured tag bout with bucket loads of work rate. ★★★¾

Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane vs. Steve Armstrong & Tracy Smothers (NWA The Great American Bash - 7/7/1990)
It's hard to cheer for babyfaces that have the Confederate flag on their tights, but the Southern Boys had me rooting for them. This felt much more serious than the Midnight Express's other celebrated 1990 match with the Rock 'n' Roll Express. Cornette was still hamming it up at ringside, but it never veered into comedy territory. I love that Corny would complain about Smothers using karate despite managing a man who is known to use it as well. The karate trade-off spots with Smothers and Lane worked well and their kicks actually looked decent. It played into the finishing stretch much later in the match and I love to see that level of continuity in my wrestling. Smothers was brilliant when playing the Ricky Morton role. He would take some nasty spots into the barricade and I loved that he was actively trying to cover up whenever the heels would start laying into him. They had me biting on all the false finishes. This was textbook southern-style tag team wrestling. ★★★★½

Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner vs. Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags (NWA Halloween Havoc - 10/27/1990)
These guys really didn't hold back. They stiff each other with strikes and chair shots, with Sags even getting color. They jumpstart this and start fighting around the ringside area. Scott Steiner wastes no time being reckless as he hits a belly to belly suplex on Sags from the top after Scotty counters out of a Sags superplex by landing on his feet. The Steiners look to put away their opponents early after landing a Steinerizer, but a chair shot behind the referee's back is enough for the Nasties to save themselves and take over. The match sadly isn't as entertaining when the Nasty Boys take control and keep Scott Steiner immobilized with a lengthy bearhug. The Nasties switch in and out behind the referee's back, so they can keep working over Scotty without having to waste time tagging. I've always found this type of cheating lame as it doesn't really give the heels that much of an advantage. It literally takes seconds to tag and you have nothing to worry about if your opponent is down. Anyways, Scott is able to make a comeback and hit a devastating looking frankensteiner to win this one. I wish this was shorter, as these two teams could put on a bomb-throwing classic if they just trimmed the fat. ★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barry Windham, Larry Zbyszko, Ric Flair & Sid Vicious vs. Flyin' Brian, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner & Sting (War Games) (WCW Wrestle War - 2/24/1991)
Pillman and Windham open this and they make every second of the 5 minutes they get alone count, with Pillman using the cage and extra ring to destroy Windham in a variety of different ways. Pillman is coming into this with a bandaged-up shoulder, but it doesn't come into play much. I was quite surprised how awkward some of the sequences here looked, as Windham and Pillman are usually smooth as silk in the ring. Rick Steiner call a spot so loud that it makes John Cena sound silent. He does bumps like a motherfucker so all is forgiven. Sid is a lot more athletic as usual. Once everyone is in the ring, the heels gain an advantage, and Sid violently powerbombs Pillman on his head. I have no idea how Pillman didn't suffer a serious injury there. The finish involves El Gigante coming out to Pillman's aid and throwing in the towel for him. I wasn't a fan of the finish as it did no favors for supposed babyface Gigante and the crowd showers him with boos once the bell rings. ★★★¾

Lex Luger & Sting vs. Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner (WCW SuperBrawl - 5/19/1991)
Both teams are babyfaces here and that creates an interesting opening as both teams let each other get clean breaks and the tension slowly builds up between the four men as the match progresses. It's not long until they start trading bombs and this turns into a massive workrate sprint. This was the Steiner Brothers doing Steiner Brothers shit. Although we got cool spot after cool spot, this never became a spotfest as there's an actual story being told here about four babyfaces having a friendly competition about who is the best team, Lex and Stings were the weak links here, Lex especially, as he looked lost and fumbled a few spots. That Russian Leg Sweep attempt was laughably bad. I like Lex, but moments like that showed that was never able to shed all of his greenness. We get a cool finish involving Nikita Koloff laying out Sting with a chain shot. Steiners win after this attack, but they didn't see the interference. It was pulled off exceptionally well, as even the smallest misstep could have made the Steiners look like heels if they were more than happy to take advantage of a heel's handiwork. ★★★★

Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko vs. Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 11/19/1991)
Steamboat makes his return to WCW after a cup of coffee in the WWF over the summer. He comes to the ring wearing a cool dragon mask and Arn and Zbyszko sell their shock and displeasure when the man behind the mask is revealed to be Steamboat. Steamboat looked like a million bucks here, kicking this match off in style by dominating Arn and Larry with a combination of great-looking punches and chops. This match is a textbook example of how to do Southern tag team wrestling. The Enforcers were masterful in cutting off Steamboat from getting the tag. Zbyszko pushing Arn back while he had a crab locked on was a cool spot that I don't think I've ever seen replicated. Arn was also great selling the quick bursts of energy Steamboat got to keep the crowd invested. Dustin Rhodes, although you couldn't fairly call him the weak link, was mainly here to be the fresh babyface who would clean house when Steamboat finally scored the tag. He did his role well, but this is the Steamboat, Arn, and Larry Z show. I had high expectations, and I'm happy to say that this did not disappoint. ★★★★½

Cactus Jack vs. Sting (Submit or Surrender) (WCW Power Hour - aired 11/23/1991)
I wanted to like this a lot more, but until the final minute or so, it felt like both guys were stuck on TV mode and not giving this big stipulation match the levity it needed. Cactus comes down to the ring with a trash can and they jump-start this. In a very choreographed spot, Sting is able to land a back suplex onto the trash can. We then get a bunch of cool spots where Sting puts the can on Cactus and starts crushing the trash can with Cactus still inside. Not much of interest happens from here until the final few minutes. They didn't really tease any potential finishes here, and Cactus grabbing the mic and begging Sting is the first time that the stipulation comes into play. Sting obviously doesn't give up and dodges a steel chair from Cactus, with the momentum of the chair shot hitting the ropes sending the chair right back into Cactus's face. We then get an extremely dangerous finish that protects Cactus's character, but not Mick Foley's brain cells. Sting dropkicks Cactus from the ring apron and Cactus falls to the floor hard, with his head smacking against the exposed concrete. Cactus is out and the referee calls for the bell as soon as Sting locks on the Scorpion Deathlock. That finish ruled, it's a shame that the rest of the match didn't quite live up to it. A good match overall, but you know that these two can do a lot better than this. ★★★

Flyin' Brian vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (WCW House Show - 12/27/1991)
My enjoyment of this is slightly hindered by shaky quality of this handheld recording and the smarky comments made by the guys recording this get irritating fast. As annoying as they can be, it sure was interesting to hear what an insider fans thought over 30 years ago. I wouldn't expect fans attending a WCW house show in 1991 to be talking about Negro Casas, the NJPW Tokyo Dome show and stuff of that ilk. Liger wins over the fans quick with his flashy style. Pillman and Liger clearly have a lot of chemistry by watching how well they gel together as they go through the usual junior spots without slipping up or slowing down. This is worked as a face vs face match until Pillman gets under Liger's skin by sending him to the outside by using the old Stampede wristlock trick and Liger starts punishing Pillman. Even though this was just a live event, Liger made sure all his strikes look snug. Pillman teases a comeback by monkey flipping his way out of a test of strength, but Liger is quick to catch Pillman with a powerslam. This sequence featured excellent bumping from both men. This then begins the incredible back-and-forth go-home stretch and it showed that neither man was holding nothing back, even on the house shows! After getting walloped by Liger's spinning wheel kick earlier in the match, Pillman dodges another attempt and knocks Liger down with a spinning wheel kick of his own for a close nearfall. Liger then teases a top rope brainbuster, before Pillman kicks him off and hits a cross body from the top. With a handful of tights, Liger is able to roll through and pin Pillman to put an end to this enthralling contest. This is even better than their famous SuperBrawl match! This was a NJPW juniors classic that just happened to take place on a WCW house show. ★★★★½
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WCW in 1992 ruled!

Dustin Rhodes vs. Arn Anderson (WCW World Championship Wrestling - aired 4/1/1992)
Have you ever seen a match that is so technically rock-solid yet it did nothing for you? That is what this match did for me. Arn Anderson puts in a fantastic performance here. His selling, facials, and his subtle cheating are all top-notch. They start this one slow with plenty of holds. Rhodes wears down Arn with a wristlock that Arn can't seem to escape. A stiff elbow to the mouth and a bit of hair-pulling is enough for Arn to take back some control. This match goes long and you can feel it. Rhodes damages Arn's leg with a figure four and Arn sells his injury well. They insert some tasteful comedy into the match when Arn is able to put on brakes and stop himself from hitting the ring post. He starts to gloat about avoiding the corner, only for Dustin to sneak up behind him and lay him out.  After Bobby Eaton gets involved, Ricky Steamboat rushes into the ring to stop the referee from making the three count and protests the interference. His acting here was so bad and it makes Shawn Michaels's acting look halfway decent. This had a great performance from Arn and Dustin to a lesser extent, but a pretty dull match with a bad over-booked finish. ★★¾

Flyin' Brian vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/29/1992)
Early on in the match, they end a sequence by having a stand-off with both men attempting dropkicks at the same time. I've seen that spot used in countless other matches over the years and I don't recall seeing it used in a match predating this one. Watching Liger introduce the fans to NJPW's junior style of wrestling and winning them over with a collection of death-defying high spots made for a very moreish viewing. The action is quick and every hold had a sense of struggle about it. They really put over how deadly Liger's Mexican Surfboard move is by having Pillman fight tooth and nail to stop Liger from locking on the move. It really is incredible how expressive Liger comes across despite having his entire body and face covered up. The strikes he used to slow down Pillman had a heelish swagger to them that got the fans behind Pillman without forcing Liger to replace some of the workrate with hammy heel theatrics. Although Liger had better matches in Japan, this is still worth watching today. It's highly influential and I doubt the WCW cruiserweight division would come around a few years later if it wasn't for this match. ★★★★¼

Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham vs. Steve Austin & Larry Zbyszko (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/29/1992)
This is billed as a grudge match and they kick this off with everyone swinging at each other. Windham throws some excellent punches, with Zbyszko's wobbly-leg selling of them perfectly complimenting them. I really look forward to seeing more of Larry Z as he really impressed me here. The babyfaces work over Larry's arm and try to get revenge after Larry had previously broken Windham's arm leading up to this. Both Windham and Rhodes looked great as big babyface ass-kickers, before Windham is thrown over the top rope behind the referee's back and the heels begin their heat segment. Things slow down once Windham is worked over and this match turns from a fiery-brawl to a slow-burning traditional tag match. Austin has a hell of a clothesline on him, and he uses it twice to turn his opponent inside out. We get a second face-in-peril segment as Rhodes is beaten down by Austin and Zbysko. Rhodes throws himself full-force into the ring ropes as he sprints around the ring during his comeback. This starts to drag during the latter half, but this was still a well-worked match between four absolute pros. ★★★¼

Ricky Steamboat vs. Rick Rude (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/29/1992)
The strikes here were stiff and had plenty of grit. You're not going to find more technically sound wrestlers around in 1992 than Ricky Steamboat and Rick Rude, so the fundamentals here were obviously great. Steamboat goes right for Rude's arm at the start of the match and Rude never forgets to sell his arm. His injury even stops him from being able to flex his muscles properly! Some of Steamboat's selling looked a little too cartoony for my tastes. We get a swerve of finish that sees Steamboat's ninja turn on him. I can see why some folks would find this boring as it is a slow burner and a lot of the match is just Steamboat working Rude over in holds, but I thought this was worth going out your way to watch if you are a fan of either man. ★★★½

Flyin' Brian vs. The Z-Man (WCW Wrestle War - 5/17/1992)
Zenk and Pillman are tags partners but are having a friendly rivalry. The commentators wonder if they are really still friends and if they can have this match without their relationship breaking down. It's an interesting storyline, but Zenk isn't an interesting enough performer to really go anywhere with it.  Zenk has a smug aura about him and can obviously wrestle, so this match isn't a complete lost cause. The work rate here is very good, with Zenk being able to keep up with Pillman and Pillman did some fantastic bumping here. My favorite example of Pillman's bumping is when he gets turned inside out by a Zenk cross-body from the top rope. Tempers eventually flare and Zenk shows that he isn't afraid to work over Pillman's injury back as he chips away at it with some weak-looking kicks. Pillman brings some much-needed intensity to the match as he trash-talks his tag partner and slaps in the face when he has him locked in the figure four. Once this eventually got going it was a good match, even if it was a Pillman carryjob. ★★★¼

Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner vs. Tatsumi Fujinami & Takayuki Iizuka (WCW Wrestle War - 5/17/1992)
Like most Steiner tags, this was a rugged and physical match that had all four men pulling out wacky shit and not showing any care toward their own bodies. Iizuka gets some hardway colour after he gets potatoed on the nose. Steiner attempts a backflip suplex but ends up botching it and landing on his own head. This obviously doesn't affect Scott as he is not a normal man. Fujinami may be battered by this point, but he wasn't holding back here. He ends up taking a nasty suplex on his head. He slows the pace of the match down by working over Rick's leg. Fujinami contorts Rick's leg, while Rick tries to mat-wrestle his way out of danger. Rick countering a Doomsday Device by catching an incoming Iizuka and suplexing him in mid-air was by far my favourite spot of the match. I don't care if these guys were being unprofessional by stiffing each other and taking liberties, as it made for a hell of a match! ★★★¾

Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, Larry Zbyszko, Rick Rude & Steve Austin vs. Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat & Sting (War Games) (WCW Wrestle War - 5/17/1992)
This lives up to the ridiculously high expectations that I had for this. The War Games stipulation hid Sting's limitations well and they had me hooked with the Nikita storyline about whether or not he was going to turn or not. This had the right amount of bells and whistles enhancing an already action-packed match, such as Madusa climbing the cage and the heels using part of the ring post as a weapon. Windham and Austin open and Austin tries to send Windham face-first into the cage early, but Windham has his hands up and forces Austin to back off. Windham finally gets his hands on Austin and bloodies him up with some nice punches before grating his face into the cage wall. The heels obviously win the coin toss and Rude is sent in to even the odds. Steamboat kicks all kinds of ass as he makes his arrival, dropping both Rude and Austin with DDTs before using the cage roof as a swing to fly around the ring. I can't remember the last time I was suckered into a babyface showing some fire as much as was when Dustin Rhodes entered the match. This match had picture-perfect pacing and everyone played their roles to a tee. ★★★★★
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko vs. Nikita Koloff, Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls) (WCW Saturday Night - aired 5/23/1992) 
Just look at the talent involved in this! You know you are getting a good match out of this lot. They get plenty of time here and they don't rush things, they instead start this slow and let things breathe. The babyface shine segment sees all the heels back off from the good guys in an amusing fashion. Windham floors Arn with a nice right hand and Arn puts an exclamation point on the strike by dribbling out spit as he goes down. Koloff is by far the weakest link here, but looks the business as no-sells like a Road Warrior and clobbering away at his opponents. The first fall comes out of nowhere after Koloff gets a blind tag to Steamboat, who then pins an unsuspecting Zbyszko after flying through the air with a body block. At the start of the second fall, Larry tries to get one up on Steamboat by attempting to take him on with a test of strength but unsurprisingly fails. The heels even the score after the faces get disqualified after Dustin gets caught using Paul E. Dangerously's phone as a weapon. We get to see one of the best ever flash DDTs ever as Arn just plants Steamboat with one, who follows it up with some of the best selling of a DDT I have ever seen as the momentum sends Dragon to his feet before collapsing to the mat again, convulsing and going all jellied-legged. Steamboat is coming into this with a broken nose and Arn decides to be a right bastard and starts hammering away at Steamboat's face. Steamboat's selling touched on being too cartoony at times, but he was absolutely perfect here and he made you believe that he was in serious peril here. We get a tease that the Dangerous Alliance might be having issues during the finish when Zbyszko costs his team the match by inadvertently hitting his own partner. I had a hell of a time with this match. This is a total hidden gem. ★★★★¼

Jushin Liger & Brian Pillman vs. Chris Benoit & Beef Wellington (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 6/16/1992)
Benoit and Wellington, who are both making their debut in this tag tournament, are just presented as a team of generic Canadian wrestlers. Jim Ross did his best to tell the audience their backstory and history with Liger and Pillman. Liger and Benoit open and do their thing, but Wellington and Pillman really up the intensity as they get into each other's faces when they lock up as Jim Ross reminds us that these two have a history outside of WCW. This was some entertaining juniors action, with the much-bigger Beef Wellington serving as the heavy who bends the rules and stopped this one from feeling like a total spotfest. Benoit and Wellington didn't stand a chance of winning here, but we got a fun match before Liger predictably picks up the win with a moonsault. We get a lot of decent big spots here, but you've definitely seen three out of four wrestlers here put on better performances. The odd one out is Beef Wellington, who looked decent enough here, but I can't say I've seen any of his other work. ★★★¼

Scott Steiner & Rick Steiner vs. Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 6/16/1992)
I was expecting this to be a bomb-throwing contest between four hosses, but instead this starts out slow with them working in some amateur wrestling and I think I liked this better than what I was expecting. Rick Steiner was wrestling Terry Gordy down like an anaconda wearing down its prey, before Gordy clocks Rick in the mouth and forces him to retreat. Tensions start to rise once Williams and Scotty are forced to break and they continue to do so when Rick lands an overhead belly-to-belly on Williams, which makes him leave the ring and rethink his strategy. Doc was super intense here without being over the top. He stats pie-facing Rick and the amateur wrestling comes to a sudden end once he slaps Rick hard and they start throwing bombs. Scott comes in and he's worked over by Gordy and Doc as they use quick tags to keep Scotty down. Scotty makes a tag to Rick and he starts clobbering away with Gordy. He hits a powerslam and goes for a cover, but the referee didn't see the tag and forces Scotty to return to the ring, who has just hurt his knee on the outside after Doc hit him with a chop block. They tease Scott making a comeback after kicking out of a press slam, but after Gordy sneaks him and hits him without another chop block, Scott has no chance of surviving. This was a testosterone-fuelled match that was built up wonderfully. This might just be Doc and Gordy's best American showing. ★★★★¼

Cactus Jack vs. Sting (Falls Count Anywhere) (WCW Beach Blast - 6/20/1992)
Foley was absolutely tremendous in this. From his menacing body language and facials to his willingness to put himself through some rather hellacious punishment, he really stole the show here. All the kids in the audience looked on with terror when he would make his way near the crowd. Even during the quieter parts of the match, he would always be working. He doesn't just lock on a hold and let both guys catch a breath, he would slap and fish-hook Sting. I don't mean to sound like I'm bad-mouthing Sting as he was also great here, with him looking like a real-life superhero when he was making his comeback. My only gripe with this one is that I think this one was missing a big spot at the end to create a photo finish. Things keep escalating and you are left wondering what they are going to pull out next yet the match ends rather abruptly with a single clothesline from the top. It was a flat finish to a great match. ★★★★

Rick Rude vs. Ricky Steamboat (30 Minute Iron Man Challenge) (WCW Beach Blast - 6/20/1992)
The last time I watched this I thought it was dull as dishwater. This is a match with a slow and deliberate pace and you are going to struggle with it if you aren't in the right headspace for it. There are plenty of lengthy holds here, but they all have a purpose and they aren't just here to soak up some time. It felt very old-school. As soon as the match begins, Steamboat goes to work on Rude's ribs. He was relentless and he looked like he was more set on hurting Rude than winning the match. It's the closest thing we can get to watching Steamboat work as a heel. Rude's selling here was fantastic. I know some didn't like how the first fall ended, but I quite like it. Rude had previously hurt Steamboat's nose leading up to this match, so all it takes for Rude to score the first fall was a well-placed boot to the face and a handful of tights. Getting DQ'd for jumping from the top rope will forever be a stupid rule, but Rude sacrificing one fall to do more damage to his opponent is tried and tested Ironman match psychology. The final minute of this match is downright exhilarating. Steamboat manages to steal the last pinfall by countering a sleeper hold into a pinning combination, so Rude uses the remaining seconds to cram in as many pin attempts as he can. ★★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big Van Vader vs. Sting    (WCW Great American Bash - 7/12/1992)
This featured simple stuff done exceptionally well. Sting is the fired-up babyface ace and Vader is the monster heel. You can't get more pro-wrestling than this! The opening five minutes establishes everything you need to know about this match. Vader is a raging behemoth, but Sting ain't going down easy. Vader is happy to be giving to his opponents, but he will brutalize them and make them earn that rub! Sting busts out things that I haven't seen him do before, such as an enziguri and a rolling wheel kick. These guys know the exact right moment to make a transition, with Sting firing up and for Vader to cut him off at the exact right moments. Some of the shots Sting takes are incredibly stiff. The match loses a bit of steam during the extended heat segment with Vader, but it's a minor complaint and it's not long before these guys are firing on all cylinders again. Sting getting a near-fall with the German suplex was a smartly-booked way to give him an out and an excuse to keep the feud going after such a decisive victory for Vader. ★★★★¾

Big Van Vader vs. Ron Simmons (WCW Main Event - aired 8/16/1992)
This match has a huge historical importance as this is the first time a black man ever won a world title. The match itself is pretty damn good too. It's quite similar to Vader's matches with Sting. Even though Simmons is nowhere near as charismatic as the Stinger, Simmons is over with this crowd and they want him to pull off an upset and you could probably make the argument that Simmons is a better power wrestler than Sting is too. Simmons wasn't meant to be in this match, but the fans were promised a world title match, so Simmons is picked at random to get the opportunity of a lifetime. One shot from Vader is enough to rock Simmons, but Simmons persists and is able to get Vader stunned in the corner after wailing away on him. Vader lets Simmons hit a few slams on him and is incredibly giving here, but he expects Simmons to take a lot of punishment when it comes time to Vader to get some heat on Simmons. Simmons is intense and he sells his ass off for Vader as he hits him with some disgustingly stiff strikes. They didn't overcomplicate this and kept it simple, opting to keep this a stiff yet simple power match. No-one needs to be seeing 450 splashes and suicide dives when you have a created a story that had got the fans gripped like this one had! After taking a nasty chokeslam on his side and getting squashed like a bug by a Vader splash from the second rope, Simmons looks to be cooked. He is finally able to recover enough to land a snap powerslam on Vader and make history. There is a young black kid in the crowd who jumps for joy once Simmons gets the victory and it's absolutely heart-warming to see. This is wrestling's Jackie Robinson moment. ★★★★¼

Barry Windham & Flyin' Brian vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas (WCW Starrcade - 12/28/1992)
Douglas and Pillman open with some technically solid yet dry exchanges. Windham and Steamboat show a bit more fire during their time as legal men. The first third of this felt rather pedestrian, but things really start to get good when Shane Douglas is isolated and worked over after taking a nasty fall to the outside. He sold his ass off and it made for a hell of a FIP segment. Windham and Pillman cut the ring in half like pros and they were able to milk some drama out of the situation. Pillman cutting off Douglas with a simple drop toehold just as he was about to leap to Steamboat was a great spot. Steamboat also did a great job at being the man on the apron, cheering his tag partner on, and getting the fans into this. While I thought this was great overall, I do have a few gripes about this. Pillman takes a horrific from the apron to the barricade and it's forgotten about in a matter of moments so that they can get started on working over Douglas. Pillman and Windham also faced each other in a tag match earlier in the night and there are talks that they might not be on the same page. This doesn't play into the match at all and I thought it was a lost opportunity to create even more drama. ★★★★

Big Van Vader vs. Sting (WCW Starrcade - 12/28/1992)
Vader looks ridiculous wearing a do-rag, but I wouldn't want to be the guy to tell him that! This was more of the same as the GAB match, but they do some neat callback spots here. Vader tries to rub off Sting's face paint, shrugs off Sting's strikes and throws him like he weights nothing. The odds are stacked against Sting here and he doesn't get any shine to start this one off. Once Sting is able to make a comeback, Vader shows a lot of vulnerability as he takes a second to catch his breath after Sting sends him flying out of the ring. I was not expecting to see Sting bust out a second rope DDT in 1992 WCW of all places! Vader reminded me a lot of modern-day Brock Lesnar in the way how he clobbered Sting all over the place. I wasn't as high on this as most as I think the first GAB was a touch better, but this was a fantastic David vs Goliath match which had an incredible finish. ★★★★½

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/21/1993)
These two go together so well as their styles are quite similar. Scorpio moves around like a cruiserweight, even though he's a bulky man. This match told the story of the babyface frustrating the heel by winning exchanges and showing off his athleticism. Everything Benoit did looked stiff and rugged, even if he struggled during the times when he had to show some character. His acting ability clearly wasn't his strong suit. As soon as the ring announcer says that there are only 5 minutes left on the clock, you know that they are either going to the time limit or get nail-bitingly close to it, so that loses a few points for the predictability. The actual finish was pulled off well though, with Scorpio able to counter a suplex into a cradle pin to score the victory with only seconds on the clock. ★★★½

Cactus Jack vs. Paul Orndorff (Falls Count Anywhere) (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/21/1993)
This was a chaotic brawl with Mick Foley giving it his all. Parts of this made me feel quite uncomfortable as Cactus didn't hold back at all and took some horrific bumps which no doubt led to his early retirement. Every time Orndorff would ram Cactus into the guardrail, Cactus would make sure his head would take all of the impact. There's no way that he didn't leave this match without a concussion. Cactus hitting a sunset flip from the top rope to the outside and landing on the exposed concrete was a moronic spot that didn't have a good pay-off as that didn't even look like it would hurt Orndorff that much! Cactus jump-starts this by attacking Orndorff with a shovel as he's cutting a pre-match promo and they fight towards the ring. The brawling was excellent, with both men throwing a convincing working punch. Orndorff rips off Cactus's knee brace and we get some limbwork as Orndorff goes to town on Cactus's exposed knee. This isn't a match for the squeamish! ★★★½

Big Van Vader vs. Sting (White Castle Of Fear Leather Strap Match) (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/21/1993)
Strap matches can be hit-or-miss, but this stipulation worked well as it put Sting at a massive disadvantage as he has to carry Vader's massive weight with him as attempts to touch all four corners and win the match. They were able to milk the drama whenever they would get into a tug of war with the strap. Vader brought out the best in Sting. They weren't afraid to work snug with each other and we get some hardway blood from Vader. This match overall was a step down from their other two matches together as there was too much dead air in between all the action. We also got a weak finish that was clearly trying to make Sting look weak in defeat. ★★★½

Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack (WCW Saturday Night - aired 4/17/1993)
One man known for having brutally stiff strikes faces another man who is known for wrecking his own body for our own entertainment, so the result is a match that was downright barbaric. Cactus Jack wants to show Vader that he has no fear, so Vader tries to beat fear into Cactus's skull by hitting him with some of the tastiest potatoes I have ever seen. Cactus is able to score some great hope spots here. Harley Race gets involved and gets clotheslined for his troubles. I'm a fan of the count-out finish too. Cactus might not have won the title on this night, but he's successfully gotten into the head of the champion and he's entitled to a rematch. More people need to see this match, as I'm surprised it's not talked about more considering the popularity of the wrestlers involved. ★★★★
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, part of me wants to sit down and watch every episode from Saturday Night from that era.

Barry Windham vs. 2 Cold Scorpio (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 6/16/1993)
This match really showed me why Windham was a wrestler's wrestler. He looks the part, can throw a great punch, and can keep things entertaining while working on top. This felt like a showcase TV title defence for him. Windham mostly dominated the match and there was no way Scorpio was winning this, but they threw in a few convincing nearfalls that had me second-guessing myself. I wasn't expecting to see Scorpio pull off a 450 slingshot splash all the way back in 1993! This was more or less a Windham carryjob, but Scorpio played his part well and looked good in there selling for Windham. ★★★¾

Lord Steven Regal vs. Ricky Steamboat (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/19/1993)
Steamboat is coming into this with banged-up ribs after Regal ambushed him with an umbrella. Steamboat rushes Regal to start this off in an almost heel-like fashion, but it becomes very clear that something isn't right with Steamboat. Steamboat keels over as he clutches his ribs and even the fans in the cheap seats know that he's still hurting. This established everything you needed to know about this match within 30 seconds. Despite their two different ring styles, these two met in the middle and worked to each other's strengths. Once Steamboat is cooled off, he starts to work this one like a traditional wrestling match and starts working over Regal's arm. This was a hell of a control segment and Regal sold the damage well. Steamboat hits some pretty interesting stuff as he works over Regal's arm, such as a float-over hammerlock, and does a spot where he plays possum that felt like it was lifted right out of a World Of Sport bout. Steamboat's ribs keep letting him down and he's eventually defeated when Sir William whacks Steamboat with Regal's umbrella, allowing for Regal to win the TV title. This was a super physical match with excellent selling from both men, I just wish Steamboat's injury played more into the finish. ★★★¾

Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader (Texas Death Match) (WCW Halloween Havoc - 10/24/1993) 
This starts strong with each man landing some stiff shots. Vader accidentally clobbers the ring post and this allows Cactus to land a lot of damage on Vader. They fight up to the stage, which was decorated with Halloween props and it made for quite the visual. What held this one back was the stipulation, slow pacing, and the finish that looked better on paper than it did in execution. Harley Race did an admirable job trying to tease the taser spot by hamming it up when he was trying to hide it from the cameras. It's just that it came off as a wet fart that no one in the arena reacted to when it came time to actually use it in the finish These guys lost a lot of blood and brain cells here, so it feels wrong to critique the match too strongly, but the booking really held this one back. ★★★¼

Big Van Vader vs. Ric Flair (WCW Starrcade - 27/12/1993)
One thing that I love about Vader is that he's so good at setting the scene within a handful of minutes. Two minutes into this and we've established that Vader can obviously overpower Flair, but Flair might stand a chance if he is able to tire out the big guy. Vader dishes out the punishment to Flair and Flair sells it well by loudly groaning. When it comes to all-time great brawlers, I don't think many people would name Ric Flair as one, but he really brought it to Vader here. I love the fiercity he had when he would find an opening and work Vader over with some stiff-looking right hands and chops. The fans were emotionally invested in a Flair victory and it added greatly to the atmosphere, even if there was a minority of fans who were rooting for Vader. Harley Race is in Vader's corner and the commentary mentions Flair's history with Race. I didn't think this was perfect though. Firstly they fight on the outside way too long and the referee just lets them do it. Considering that jumping from the top rope was an illegal move in WCW not too long before this, I thought this element of the match left a lot to be desired. Race jumping into the ring in full view of the referee irked me too. Minor complaints aside, this might be Ric Flair's best match as a babyface. ★★★★½

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spring Stampede is a corker of a PPV, eh?

Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags vs. Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne (Chicago Street Fight) (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/17/1994)
I don't quite rate this as high as others, but I thought this match was a well-done Attitude Era hardcore match, years before the Attitude Era was a thing. I don't think there was much holding this together outside of the big weapon shots and novelty of seeing four guys brawl all over the arena, something that wasn't seen often during this time period. This is well-paced and doesn't outstay its welcome. Payne and Sags end up botching a table bump when the table collapses underneath them when attempting a piledriver. It didn't affect my enjoyment too much as this match was meant to be on the sloppy side. Cactus takes a nasty spill from the stage to the unprotected floor. Was it unnecessary and unsafe? Yeah. But did it entertain me? Of course. Cactus takes a hell of a lot of punishment here, with the Nasties not pulling back on their weapon shots. ★★★

Bunkhouse Buck vs. Dustin Rhodes (Bunkhouse Match) (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/17/1994)
This was a bloody brawl with plenty of fun old-school gimmicks to keep the action fresh. They use cowboy boots, belts and powder on each other. There two used all the old tricks and gimmicks from decades previous and brought them into the 90s without it feel like a corny throwback. Dustin kicks this one off by launching all 6ft 6 of him from the elevated walkway into the ring onto Buck. I'm not sure of the magic behind them, but Dustin's punches have a nice ooomph sound behind them. Buck sells tremendously for Dustin, staggering around and falling like a tree toppling over. Dustin is the first to bleed after Buck nails him with a bit of wood after Dustin wipes himself out after missing a cross body. Once Dustin makes his comeback, the match is basically an extended squash of Buck until Buck is able to get some assistance.   ★★★★

The Boss vs. Vader (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/17/1994)
This might of been slow and sloppy in places, but this was hoss-on-hoss comfort food! They start this fighting on the walkway. Props to Race getting accidentally bulldozed by Vader after Boss dodges Vader's charge. He might be retired and 51 years old here, but he wasn't afraid to take a violent tumble. These guys potato each other and Vader bleeds a gusher. Vader's clothesline has always been stiff, but the one he did here had a sickening thud. Bossman throws himself around like he's a cruiserweight for Vader. There looks to be a botch that could have turned nasty when Bossman gets sent flying over the top rope after Vader goes for a back body drop that has just a bit too much momentum. Vader doesn't quite get the win with the Vaderbomb, so he takes it to the next level and hits a moonsault for the win. Seeing Vader doing a moonsault will never get old. ★★★½

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/17/1994)
Steamboat gets some boos as he enters the arena and I appreciate that the commentary acknowledges this and doesn't try to insult our intelligence. WWE could take a few pointers from this. Anyway, the first 10-15 minutes felt like both guys were on autopilot. Steamboat shows that he's got a bit of an edge when he slaps Flair across the face. The wrestling is obviously good, but it's not Flair vs Steamboat in '89 good. Thankfully, the last 15 minutes are utterly enthralling with Steamboat getting a countless number of convincing false finishes. Steamboat wins over some of the Flair fans with some brilliant selling. Flair milks every bit of drama he can out of teasing falling back for Steamboat's sunset flip. In what was an incredible counter, Steamboat is able to lock Flair in his own hold after catching Flair's knee just as Flair was about to drop another devastating knee drop onto the challenger's face. The double pin was finish executed well, with Steamboat's knee giving out as he has Flair in the double chickwing making for a satisfying pay-off for all of Flair's legwork. Despite this being a long match, I could of easily watch them go at it for another 10-15 minutes without getting bored. They were clearly starting to get past their prime by this point in their careers, but they can still work a hell of a match when they really put their minds to it. ★★★★¼

Cactus Jack vs Vader (Texas Death Match) (WCW Worldwide - aired 4/30/1994)
This didn't even clock in at seven minutes, but this was fun while it lasted. Tony Schiavone complains that liberals aren't allowing them to call this a Texas Death match. I'm assuming this is a grievance directed at the television station, but it makes for some bafflingly weird commentary none the less. These guys don't hold back, even if this is just TV. Vader and Jack wallop each other hard, and even Harley Race puts some effort in when he takes a back body drop on the exposed concrete. Jack gets the first fall after hitting Vader clean over the head with a folding chair. Vader gets up and proceeds to powerbomb Jack on the floor and win the match. At first, it seems like a weird booking decision to have a match of this calibre held at the MGM studios for a TV taping, but it makes a lot more sense when you realize that this is one of Cactus's final TV appearances for WCW and he was simply putting Vader big on his way out. He would float around the tag division for a few more months, but this was his last big singles match for the company.  ★★★½

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (WCW Saturday Night - aired 5/14/1994)
They look a lot more comfortable here than they did during their previous match, with the exchanges looking almost as good as they were during their 1989 rivalry. Flair puts a stop to Steamboat's momentum by landing a well-placed jab to the stomach as Steamboat runs off the ropes, which causes Steamboat to be winded and he crumbles down to his knees. Steamboat put this over well with his exceptional selling. Flair gets really vicious during his control segment, striking with force at Steamboat's handsome face. Judging by the first ten minutes, this looks to be better than their Spring Stampede match, but the middle section is way too directionless with Steamboat teasing his comeback one too many times, giving the match a weird flow. They go 36 minutes and you feel the length. The go-home stretch doesn't have the urgency of their previous match together and the match ends out of the blue when Flair lands a low blow as Steamboat goes for a leapfrog. This is easily the weakest match between these two, but it still features a lot of excellent wrestling despite my issues with the pacing and structure. ★★★½

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steamboat is so good in his second WCW run. I think the Rude iron man match is the perfect wrestling 101 match that you can show to someone who has never watched wrestling and they'll understand wrestling psychology, face and heel dynamics, how selling works. And something that even vets can watch and improve their knowledge. 

 

I also think the SS Steamboat/Flair match is better than 2 of the 3 in 1989. I can never keep straight which match is which and which one is the one pretty universally thought of as the best, but the Spring Stampede match is better than the other 2, imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll always have time for Ricky Steamboat. I know he was starting to get on a bit when he was forced to retire, but imagine how great it would of been if Steamboat would have stuck around for the rest of the 90s facing guys like Benoit, Guerrero and Mysterio!

Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags vs. Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan (Falls Count Anywhere) (WCW Slamboree - 5/22/1994)
This was everything that I wanted Nasties vs Cactus and Maxx Payne from the previous PPV to be. This was truly chaotic with a pace that does not let up. They were firing on all cylinders during the entirety of this fight. Cactus once again takes years of his life for our entertainment as he falls from the stage through a table and completely flattens a trash can after he dove on it from the second rope to the outside. The Nasties excel when they are dishing out punishment. They fought all over the place here and with many props. Hockey legend Dave Schultz is the guest referee and his involvement served his purpose well. I have no idea who he was, but he was a big deal to the fans in attendance and he looked great getting into a hockey fight with one of the Nasties to cost them the match. ★★★★

Vader vs. The Guardian Angel (WCW Bash At The Beach - 7/17/1994)
I heard so many things about Bossman being an underrated big man over the years, but as I'm only mostly familiar with his work from '98 onwards, so I've always thought that these claims were shrouded by nostalgia. Watching his matches with Vader has sold me on the guy. Bossman had lost his previous name and nightstick, so he's now joined the Guardian Angels. He's such a charismatic brawler and riled the crowd up into a frenzy whenever he would make a comeback. This wasn't as good as the Stampede match, but they hold nothing back. On top of seeing Vader doing a moonsault, he also hits a spin kick in an attempt to cut Bossman off. Harley Race gets involves and slides Vader a nightstick, but Bossman fights the nightstick from him. The referee sees Bossman with the stick and disqualifies him. The DQ finish wasn't the best, but what can you do? ★★★¼

Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin (WCW Bash At The Beach - 7/17/1994)
I'll always be a huge Steamboat fan, but one has to wonder if his style of wrestling was feeling outdated by 1994. Both this match and his match with Flair at Spring Stampede suffer from quiet crowds and you can even hear a few audience members heckle the wrestlers for boring them in both matches. The constant milking of long holds seemed to have fallen out of favour. Austin grabs Steamboat's wrists and tries to force his shoulders to the mat in a bit that seemed to go on forever. The crowd might not have dug all of this, but I thought this was good, despite its very slow pace. This is the best Austin in WCW performance I have seen so far. He goes after Steamboat's knee as soon as the bell rings and he constantly mugs off to the crowd and the camera. He feigns a knee injury after a leapfrog, but Steamboat doesn't buy it. I love the spot where he forces Steamboat to wave to the camera. We do get a fun finishing stretch, featuring many near-falls and a sequence where Austin and Steamboat keep countering their way out of a tombstone. This featured solid wrestling between two men that have good chemistry, but I really think they need to up the pace if they want to put on a truly great match. ★★★¼

Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan (WCW Bash At The Beach - 7/17/1994)
This somehow lives up to the insane expectations that WCW was building for this. They go all out with the presentation, by bringing in Michael Buffer for his over-the-top announcements and having Shaquille O'Neal and Mr. T ringside to really put over that this is a big-time match. Hogan actually has his working boots on, busting out a drop toehold and that float over arm wrench that he brings out when he wants to prove that he can wrestle when he wants to. This eventually transitions to a more traditional Hogan match, with Flair stooging for WCW's biggest signing. Flair does his usual heel shtick and Sherri was great when she got involved. Sherri dives off the top rope onto Hogan, but falls flat on her face when she tries that move again. Mr. T soon puts an end to Sherri's interfernce by carrying her out of the arena. Hogan no-sells at just the right times, sending the tame crowd into a frenzy. Even the smark fans were cheering for Hogan at the end, myself included! This might be lacking the workrate of your usual Flair big matches, but they go together surprisingly well. ★★★½

Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 8/24/1994)
Austin will lose his title if he gets disqualified. This has a rocky start, with the commentary focusing their energies on the Hogan angle that happened before this match and they cut away from the action multiple times during the early parts of the match and it definitely hurt the flow of the match. One of my main criticisms of Steamboat is that he can be way too cartoony with how he reacts and this was on full show during the feeling-out process. Austin was also guilty of this pre-WWF, and the first few minutes felt like something out of a pantomime and you're half-expecting the audience to warn Steamboat that Austin is creeping behind him. One thing these two men can do well is wrestle and this was bloody brilliant once they got going and left the hamming up behind them. These are heavyweights that move around the ring like cruiserweights. We get some smooth-as-silk exchanges and they really lay it into each other when it comes to strikes. Even Steamboat's dropkicks look like they hurt! We get plenty of near-falls as the match draws to a close. Austin trying to dunk Steamboat over the ropes, only for Steamboat to skin the cat would have been a great finish tease if the stipulation wasn't in play. Austin getting himself disqualified to save his title would be a great finish in any other match, but he would have lost his title regardless here. Steamboat would pick up an injury here that would force him to retire. It's such a shame, as Steamboat clearly still had a lot to give looking at this match alone. This was a tremendous way to close out Steamboat's legendary career. ★★★★¼

Dusty Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes, Jerry Sags & Brian Knobbs vs. Terry Funk, Bunkhouse Buck, Col. Robert Parker & Arn Anderson (War Games) (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/18/1994)
I know a lot of people dislike this match as its lacking the blood and violence that previous War Games matches have had, but the wrestlers here work with the cards they have been dealt and come up with a very entertaining family-friendly, and blood-free edition of the War Games. Anderson being a chickenshit and bumping around for Dustin during the first five minutes might be my favourite part of this match. I love the spot where he gets his dome caught in between the two rings. Funk is another highlight, with the Funk removing one of his cowboy boots before he's even entered the match. He comes in swinging, and the momentum of his assault sends him flying in a comedic manner. Funk then get piledriven between the two rings and he ends up falling down the gap. Great stuff! Col Robert Parker does a great job at acting like he's a non-wrestler by looking like he's about to have a heart attack when he's forced to enter the cage. Dusty is here for the feel-good ending. He rushes in and nails the heels with elbows and the faces soon win after beating down Parker. The result was never in doubt, but this was a very fun watch. ★★★★

Dustin Rhodes vs. Vader    (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 11/16/1994)
As soon as Vader enters the arena, you can tell he is looking motivated as he takes every opponent to mug to the camera and trash-talk both the fans and Dustin Rhodes. Vader hammers Rhodes and spits in his face during the first few minutes. This was Vader sticking to the formula that made him a lot of money: Bully the babyface, sell your ass off when you let the babyface get his shine in before cutting him off and making that blue-eyed work for that comeback as Vader pummels twelve shades of shit out of them. Rhodes makes for a hell of a fired-up babyface. He doesn't back down from Vader and removes his mask early. Harley Race is great at ringside, with him not afraid to get physical as Rhodes knocks him on his ass. They start to lose some of the intensity during the Vader's heat segment, but they get it back when Rhodes is able to dodge Vader from crushing him as he makes a glorious comeback. Race gets involved once again and ends up costing Rhodes the match, with Vader putting him away with a rare reverse powerbomb. ★★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how much of this is must-see, but some matches to consider:

Barry Windham vs Brian Pillman (WCW Pro 04/06/91)
Barry Windham vs Brian Pillman Taped Fist Superbrawl 5/19/91
Rick Rude v Brian Pillman (Pro, 2/15/92)
Rick Rude v Dustin Rhodes (Worldwide, 5/30/92)
Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham 06/06/1992
Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes (5/15/93)
Arn Anderson vs Steven Regal (WCW SuperBrawl IV 02/20/94)
Steven Regal vs Larry Zbyszko (WCW Saturday Night 05/28/94)

The Regal/Zbyszko match was my favorite discovery of the last WCW poll I was involved in. If you go down the TV route, there are plenty more recommendations. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll add them to the watchlist.

Flyin' Brian vs. Alex Wright (WCW Great American Bash - 6/18/1995)
Both men are faces, but Brian is about to turn. They shake hands at the start and run through all your usual cruiserweight sequences to start. I'm not sure if it's his greenness or his height stopping him from moving smoothly as other speedy wrestlers, but Wright fluffed a few spots here and there. He looked decent doing the stuff he didn't botch and I can't say I've seen many 6'5 wrestlers doing flying head scissors, so I can give him a pass. This starts out friendly and soon turns sour once Wright uses Pillman's old Stampede wristlock trick on him and sends him tumbling to the floor. Pillman starts chopping away and Wright returns the intensity by hitting Pillman with some uppercuts of the European variety. Pillman takes his usual barricade spot here and it looked better than ever, with him crashing throat-first onto the barricade from the second rope. Maybe he's too clean-cut and good-looking, but Wright got a smattering of boos once he won this one. Pillman carries Wright to a solid opening match. Wright looked like he could be a big star if he's able to shake off his awkwardness. ★★★¼

Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (WCW Great American Bash - 6/18/1995)
Savage is fighting for his father's honour after Flair disrespected him. I've heard this described as a sleeper match that's one of the best post-Hogan WCW matches and I can't say I agree, although it was still a very good match between two of the best ever. This was lacking in the intensity and blood that could have helped this feel more like a hated-fuelled grudge match.  Savage does get a small cut around his eye, but it wasn't intentional and it causes the cameras to avoid doing too many close shots.  Angelo Poffo is brought down with Savage as he makes his entrance. Poffo is 70 here and walking with a cane so you would expect his involvement to be limited to cheering on his son, but he does get physically involved by choking Flair with his cane and falling on his ass when Flair shoves him off. Flair throws some great left hands and was great at heeling it up, and Savage sold his leg wonderfully after Flair grinds him down with the figure four. Savage lays out Flair with a very stiff top rope elbow drop but opts to break up his own pin to carry on punishing Flair. This would end up costing him as Flair whacks Savage clean in the face with his dad's cane to win the match. ★★★½

Johnny B. Badd vs. Brian Pillman (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/17/1995)
This match will determine the no. 1 contender for the US title. This is probably the most ambitious Johnny B. Badd match I've seen. He actually has his game face on and he isn't coming into this with a massive smile. Pillman really throws himself into Badd's arm drags. The action is quite slow, which makes sense when you realize that they going long. When the 20-minute time limit expires, the referee calls for overtime and this match ends up going for nearly 30 minutes in total. There is a lot of downtime here, with them milking every hold and every time both men go down for all that it's worth. I give them props for going so long, but I question why they choose to do this as the fans weren't into this and Badd doesn't have the tools to wrestle for half an hour and keep it entertaining. The effort is clearly there and we get some great spots and near-falls peppered throughout, but I'm in no hurry to give this another watch anytime soon. ★★¾

Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/17/1995)
This was great wrestling that told an even greater story of two old buddies putting their friendship at risk by seeing who is the better man after months of resentment building up between the two. WCW did a fantastic job of giving this the respect that it deserved. Tony and Bobby put over their history and they question why that Arn was never given a title shot when Flair was champion. Members of the roster are seated with the fans to get a better view of the action, and this will play into the finish. Arn muscles his way through the exchanges and works over Flair's arm. Flair's chopping arm remains undamaged, so Flair's attempts to back Arn work for a while as Flair chops Arn hard. Arn knows Flair's tricks, so he doesn't show any mercy to Flair when he tries to beg off. This is a theme that constantly comes back into play, with Arn having all of Flair's usual spots figured out. Flair has to mix things up if he wants to stand a chance. When Flair does his signature corner bump and goes over the ring post and onto the apron, instead of running to the other side of the ring, he instead pulls down the top rope, sending Arn violently tumbling to the outside just as Arn attempts to cut him off once again. The question of who is the better man is never definitely answered, as Pillman, who had been sitting at ringside with other wrestlers, decides to get involved and costs Flair the match. Arn gets the biggest singles win of his career, but it's a tainted victory as he wasn't able to do it by himself. ★★★★

Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero (WCW Monday Nitro - 10/16/1995)
They only get eight minutes to work with and I assume that they were just going to go through sequences that they got ironed out after working with each other many times in Japan, but they were able to cram a lot into this with Benoit working a mean control segment on Guerrero's arm after Guererro accidentally clotheslines the ring post as he was swinging for Benoit. Benoit was super intense here, with every shot looking stiff and he hits one of his best ever powerbombs here, which sees Eddy's head violently bounce off the mat. Guerrero is able to kick out of that, but his injured arm comes into the play again and Benoit has Guerrero looking up at the lights after finishing him off with a nasty Dragon suplex. Guerrero looked a lot better here than he did during his ECW run as he actually shows some personality and that he can work as a babyface and not just a wrestler who does spots. The wrestling here was obviously top-notch and both men have tremendous chemistry, I just with the commentators paid more attention as they were way too preoccupied talking about Hulk Hogan that calling the match. ★★★¾

Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Earl Robert Eaton & Lord Steven Regal (WCW Main Event - 10/29/1995)
Both teams are heels and they both try to bend the rules and they make no effort to cram in a face/heel divide here, but with the match being as short as it was, they didn't need to and you can instead just be wowed by the sheer technique and physicality that these men brought to the table here. Regal's forearms are extra tasty here. Regal and Malenko trade pin attempts during their excellent mat-wrestling segment, before Regal tries to deadlift his way out of Malenko's short-arm scissors. He's unsuccessful at breaking the hold, and Eaton ends up giving the assist to Regal in an awesome spot that I hadn't seen before. Benoit landing a jumping tombstone on a man that has a good few inches on him was a scary sight, but it paid off exceptionally well. This was eight minutes of C-show greatness. ★★★★

Eddy Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani (WCW Starrcade - 12/27/1995)
Otani is only 24, but he already has a swagger about him. WCW presents him as a generic Japanese evil foreigner, giving him stereotypical music and having him managed by Sonny Oono. Despite all this, he puts in a great effort here and he and Guerrero gel together well. They start out mat-wrestling, which soon turns to more high-flying stuff such as monkey flips and hurricanranas. Eddy has tremendous execution, with both his powerbomb and brainbuster looking incredibly devastating. Eddy gets a small babyface reaction, both the fans aren't into either Guerrero or Otani as they both making their PPV debut for WCW here. 14 minutes is quite a long match to show expect a PPV audience to watch if they aren't familiar with either man, but the wrestling here was good. Even Otani's excellent springboard maneuvers aren't even enough to wake the crowd up. ★★★½

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Inject that Regal/Finlay match directly into my veins!

Lord Steven Regal vs. The Belfast Bruiser (WCW Uncensored - 3/24/1996)          
The crowd didn't seem all that interested in this, but sometimes you just have to accept that sometimes the fans don't know shit. This was the most physical match put on PPV by any American promotion at this point in time. Did someone forget to tell these lads that this is supposed to be fake? Finlay starts this by hitting Regal with the spiked part of his jacket and the violence only escalates from there. This is filled with all those little touches you can expect from these two that make even the simplest things interesting, such as how they would grind their forearms into each other faces when attempting a pin or looking for an opportunity to strike their opponent whenever they would lock on a tight hold. Both men are heels, but you are drawn to cheering Regal as he takes a lot of punishment from Finlay, who refuses to back off. Regal does cheat, but he does it in a way that feels cheeky and charming. Regal sneaks a low blow past the referee and gives the crowd a look that he's pleased with himself for that one and you can't help but root for that little scamp! Just like rules, noses are meant to be broken (according to one Fit Finlay!) and Regal ends up bleeding like a faucet after a stiff blow. I get that this might not be everyone's cup of tea, as it's not a pretty match and there's zero flash to this, but this might be a top 10 WCW match for me, even with the lame DQ finish. ★★★★½
  
Lord Steven Regal vs. The Belfast Bruiser (Parking Lot Brawl) (WCW Monday Nitro - 4/22/1996) 
This was a six-minute snack size serving of their violent Uncensored match from the previous month. Every match that I've seen that takes place in a parking lot has felt gimmicky, but this just felt like an actual fight that just happened to take place in a parking lot. With the exception of them trying to get into position for that awesome piledriver on the car roof, everything part of this match looked like a legitimate scrap and you couldn't see through anything. I can forgive that piledriver spot not coming as well as the rest of the match as it made for a hell of a visual when the car shakes as Regal lands the deadly move. Not a single bump is taken in this bar the aforementioned piledriver finish, this was Regal trying to get revenge after Finlay had previously broken Regal's nose. Apparently, the only thing that was gimmicked here is when they tear the bummer of the car off. I can believe that, with both men being hard bastards who want their work to look as legitimate as possible. ★★★¾
     
Dean Malenko vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (WCW Great American Bash - 6/16/1996)    
This is one of those matches where the crowd goes into this having zero interest but are on their feet cheering by the time things wrap up. This is Rey's debut and he's definitely walked away from this with a lot of new fans. Not only are his high spots impressive, but he's one hell of a seller here too. Both men do stereo kip-ups during the feeling-out exchanges and that gets them a smatter of polite applause from the audience. Misterio follows this up with a crazy spinning arm drag that I couldn't even begin to think of the name of and the fans start to wake up. Malenko shows a rare bit of emotion when his baseball slide attempt goes nowhere. Malenko lives up to his Iceman moniker as he viciously rips apart Rey's arm and Rey sells by screaming his little lungs off.  Malenko wasn't bad when working on top, but he lacks the personality of a Regal and the intensity of a Benoit when you compare him to wrestlers who work a similar style. The guy is way too dry and lacking in charisma and starts to burn out the fans when he keeps Misterio grounded for too long. The match picks up once Misterio is able to make a comeback and they trade near-falls are a quick pace. After nearly winning with a hurricanrana, Rey attempts the move again and Malenko sees it coming and lays Rey out with a brutal snap powerbomb to retain his title. I don't think this needed to go 17 minutes, but it was a great debut for Rey. Maybe debuting Rey against another high-flyer would have been a better way to showcase him, no? ★★★½

Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan (Falls Count Anywhere) (WCW Great American Bash - 6/16/1996)    
Kevin Sullivan looks and fights like a podgy, over-the-hill lucha guy. Think Black Terry. He would slap Benoit's chest hard, punch him square in the jaw and even gouge the eyes if things aren't going his way. He'd even brush off Benoit's chops and try to fight through the pain. This wasn't about self-preservation. This was about hurting each other. For a guy not known for his brawling, Benoit did a fantastic job exchanging blows. They fight all around the arena. After fighting through the stands, they end up in the toilets. Sullivan slams the cubicle door onto Benoit's head multiple times. That must of hurt. Benoit gets the strength to fight back once Sullivan teases shoving his face into the urinal. Fans gather around them and Dusty Rhodes loses his shit in hilarious fashion when he spots a woman in the men's room. After they fight back down to ringside, Benoit pulls out a table and uses it as a platform to superplex Sullivan off to end the match. The fight isn't quite over yet, as Arn rushes to the ring. He then joins up with Benoit again as Sullivan's stable rushes out to save their leader. This was a compact brawl that had zero downtime and a hot crowd throughout. Most fans weren't familiar with hardcore wrestling yet and it created an exciting environment. ★★★★¼

Psychosis vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (WCW Bash At The Beach - 7/7/1996)
This doesn't quite have the breakneck pace that other spot-heavy matches have. The start is quite reserved and they let some of the bigger spots breathe by having Psychosis work a hold before burning out the crowd with another. The slower start sees them pull out some nice matwork that doesn't establish anything, but there are enough neat sequences here that I can forgive them for it. Rey throws himself around like he weighs nothing and Psychosis didn't hold back when it was time to cut Rey's water off. Psychosis's seaton from the top rope to the outside was absolutely nuts. These two clearly had done this match many times before as you can notice a lot of recycled spots and sequences from their ECW matches. Psychosis's heelwork is a lot more subtle here. He takes a cheap shot here and there, but he's not quite the bully he was during their legendary ECW rivalry. I couldn't quite call this a spotfest as the bigger/little man dynamic gives the action some semblance of a story, but let's face it, you are here for the high spots and they will leave you shocked and wondering what they are going to pull out next. ★★★★½

Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. Lex Luger, Randy Savage & Sting (WCW Bash At The Beach - 7/7/1996)
When you think of a heel turn, you think of this match. Even if the actual in-ring stuff is basic, Hogan turning heel and joining Hall and Nash is one of the most important moments in pro wrestling history. Hall and Nash come out without their third man and you can feel the tension in the air. I understand having to remove a guy from the babyface team to stop the Hall and Nash from being at a disadvantage, but having Luger get stretchered after having Sting hit his splash onto Nash, who had Luger in a front facelock over the turnbuckle, didn't feel very believable. Hall and Nash get heat on Sting and it's nothing to write home about. Sting ducking and weaving Nash's punches and the follow-up hot tag to Savage are the highlights of the wrestling portion of this match. The commentators did a great job at selling the importance of this angle. Heenan isn't rooting for the bad guys and Schiavone isn't afraid to let his professionalism slip and straight call for the WCW guys to hurt the Outsiders. Heenan's questioning what side Hogan was fighting for did telegraph the turn, as you can tell that Dusty and Tony were taken aback by Heenan's question, even if it was consistent with Heenan's hatred of Hogan. Hogan trying to justify his turn as fans pelt the ring with garbage might just be one of the best post-match angles ever. ★★★½

Dean Malenko vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (WCW Monday Nitro - 7/8/1996)     
This was a Misterio carryjob. The match quickly establishes that Malenko can't keep Misterio grounded and it adds an interesting dynamic that a lot of Malenko's matches are lacking. Malenko could obviously keep up with Misterio physically, but this match could have reached the next level if Malenko could show more personality. His control segments weren't the most compelling. They do the overdone finish where the heel lifts up his opponent's shoulders when the heel is making a pin, only for this to come back and bite the heel on the ass. I don't have a problem with this finish, it just works a lot better if the heel acts smug and gloat about taking his time, something that Malenko does not do here. Misterio's high spots are great and he gets plenty of time to sell for his opponent. This was a great, compact TV match that continued to build Misterio up. ★★★½

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rey Misterio, Jr. vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Hog Wild - 8/10/1996)    
Ultimo is nowhere near as great as a dance partner for Rey as Psychosis was during the last PPV. Ultimo looks like he has to take a second to prepare himself for the next sequence or spot and it causes the action to not flow as well as it did during the Rey/Psychosis match. After they go through some matwork, Rey and Ultimo show off by both hitting backflips off the ropes in an attempt to psych out the other man. The Sturgis crowd wears their stupidity on their sleeves as they chant USA at two non-American talents. Sonny Oono mugs off for the crowd and calls the fans stupid for the aforementioned reason. I only noticed that the ringside area was on an elevated platform when Dragon get kicked off the platform and sent down to the floor! Misterio follows this up by diving from the ring, over the ringside area, and landing on Dragon on the dirt floor below! We got some cool spots here and this made for a solid PPV opener, but I expected a little more from a prime Misterio. ★★★¼

Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko (WCW Hog Wild - 8/10/1996)
Seeing as this event is happening at a motorcycle rally where a lot of people in the crowd aren't going to be wrestling fans per se, they were smart to open this one up fast, with Benoit landing a double-leg takedown and striking down on Malenko. This soon turns into the match that you expect from these two, with a slow methodical pace as Benoit works on top. Benoit bullies Malenko and trash-talks him and that's all the personality you are getting from this match. We get a neat exchange where they trade nearfalls by countering each other pin. Everything looks crisp, but there isn't much else to write home about. Malenko is a terrible babyface as he has the charisma of a carrot. He doesn't sell particularly in a way that would make the fans get behind him. The time limit initially expires, but the referee calls for five minutes overtime. The audience is so disinterested in this match that they actually boo when overtime is announced. Things get a little more interesting during the overtime as Benoit works over Malenko's leg and he actually starts selling in a halfway compelling manner. Malenko rolls Benoit up in a cradle, but the overtime expires. The fans are downright furious when the ring announcer announces that they will be getting five more minutes of overtime. Woman gets involved and costs Malenko the match and this one is thankfully over. This felt similar to the ECW Malenko/Guerrero series. If this match happened in ECW, the mutants in the crowd would be clapping like seals. This had slightly more going for it than those matches as there is an actual face/heel dynamic, but 27 minutes of dry wrestling in front of a disinterested crowd is going to be hard to watch. Crap on the crowd all you want, but these two gave them no reason to care about what was happening in the ring. ★★½

Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/15/1996)
Jericho is making his PPV debut here. Benoit comes out swinging here as he slaps Jericho and pulls him by his hair, much to the delight of the group of Horsemen fans near the first few rows. Being a good-looking man with a beautiful head of hair, Jericho wasn't going to win over this smarky crowd, but I thought he was good here and he showed a lot of urgency. He brings the intensity right back to Benoit. Every time he would play to the crowd, he would get booed, but you can see the audience start to slowly respect Jericho when they realize that he's here to fight and not to be a pretty boy babyface who is just here to collect a paycheck. Benoit brought out the best in Jericho here and helped him navigate the tough crowd. Benoit's stuff looked great as always and he bullies Jericho when he's down in an effort to get some sympathy for Jericho. These two had such great chemistry that even if something looked sloppy, they were able to recover quickly without killing the flow of the match. Jericho feels like he's still in Japan mode and hasn't quite found the personality that will make him millions over the next few decades, but this was a stellar PPV debut for Lionheart. ★★★★ 

Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Ric Flair & Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, nWo Sting & Scott Hall (War Games) (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/15/1996)    
Much like the match at Bash At The Beach that spawned the NWO, this match had a great deal of mystery going into it. No one knows who the NWO is going to bring out as their fourth man and there's added intrigue as Luger, Arn, and Flair don't trust Sting, who they think might join the NWO. This had a stronger focus on the story-telling than it did on the wrestling. Arn and Scott start and it was a treat to watch world-class punchers go at it for five minutes before the next man enters the ring. Seeing as this is Horsemen country, the crowd pops huge for Arn's spinebuster and Arn looks absolutely revigorated by the reaction. This was your typical War Games match until Flair entered the cage. He demands that Hogan meets him in the empty ring and the place goes electric. This was all a plan as Flair pulls out some brass knuckles and takes on all the NWO before the NWO's mystery man enters the ring and it looks to be Sting. Of course, it's a fake Sting and the fans see right through it even though Jeff Farmer makes a convincing Sting. He does his mannerisms well enough and the camera avoids doing too many close-up shots. The real Sting comes out and cleans house, but leaves in disgust that the babyfaces didn't trust him when he said that he wasn't with the NWO. The PPV goes off the air on a sour note when Luger looks to submit. Luger crawls on his knees to the back calling for Sting and Randy Savage gets beaten down and laid out after he tries to help out the fallen babyfaces. This wasn't the best War Games match ever as it's lacking in blood and the violence that you come to expect out of the stipulation, but it made for some enticing soap opera pro wrestling that would have left me salivating for Nitro if I was watching at the time. ★★★½
    
Dean Malenko vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (WCW Halloween Havoc - 10/27/1996)
This was Malenko working Misterio's match and the result is the best Malenko singles match that I've seen so far. Rey's match structure would see him get his shine in by dominating his opponent with his high-flying stuff for a few minutes, he would get grounded and worked over until it's Rey's time to wow the fans again by making his comeback. Malenko has a role to play here and he's not just here to do wrestling for wrestling's sake. Malenko had stolen Rey's mask and attacks Rey as he is making his entrance. Dean shows a bit of a mean streak, but he comes off as a knock-off Chris Benoit. Hey, at least the man is trying to show personality here. Malenko's heat segment does end up going on a bit too long, but the holds locks in do look painful. Misterio is tremendous as always, with his high spots being excellent and he would moan and groan whenever it was time to sell Malenko's holds. Malenko is able to keep up with Misterio when the pace amps up. The finishing stretch was very back-and-forth with many close calls. Malenko's cut-off spots were brutal, with him countering a springboard attempt from Rey with a nasty sit-out powerbomb. We get some fighting on the top rope, but it never looks stagey. Malenko is able to win after a powerbomb from the top rope. This was an exciting opener that kicked things off in the right direction. ★★★¾

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Ultimate Dragon (WCW World War 3 - 11/24/1996)
This was better than their previous PPV encounter at Hog Wild as Dragon looked a lot more comfortable here. This was a bombfest, but with Dragon throwing most of the bombs. We open with some matwork that looks good but goes nowhere. Dragons chips away with Misterio with a kick combo and starts his control segment. You could make the argument that Dragon's stuff was too flashy for a heel to be doing on a babyface, but some of the stuff that he pulled off here was so cool that I'd let that criticisms slide. He pulled out a tornado backbreaker, brainbuster, jumping tombstone, giant swing, and a powerbomb combo where he would scoop Misterio up and drop him throat-first on the ropes. Misterio gets a brief hope spot as he rolls Ultimo for a cradle, but this match was mostly about getting Ultimo over. The crowd is wowed by Ultimo's offense, the match is structured in a way that they still are rooting for Rey. Misterio continues to get some nearfalls after countering moves with roll-ups. This is the best Dragon match that I've seen so far. ★★★★¼

Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Starrcade - 12/29/1996)
Malenko looks to be a much better wrestler than he was a year prior, as this match felt well-structured and Malenko's timing being on point. Dragon can more than hold his own when it comes to mat-wrestling Malenko. He transitions a half crab to a STF flawlessly. After no-one is able to get an advantage during the mat-work, Dragon's temper starts to flare and starts kicking away at Malenko. He shows a lot of attitude as he disrespectfully kicks Malenko when he is down. This only fires up Malenko who evens the odds with a crisp backdrop driver. This move comes into play later in the match and it's established as a move that Malenko can pull out of nowhere when Dragon is getting too fired up. The fans aren't too interested into this and it's quite dry, but the match feels strategic with Malenko trying to work over Dragon's leg in an attempt to keep him grounded. Malenko's finish is treated as a huge deal here, as Dragon scurries to the sanctury of the ropes when Malenko attempts to lock it in the first time. If you ever need to wake up a WCW crowd, all you needed to do was do a tombstone counter sequence. Malenko wakes the fans up from sitting on their hands as he plants Dragon violently on his head after a particularly brutal piledriver. Like any big WCW cruiserweight match, the final few minutes was thrilling stuff with plenty of nearfalls from both men. ★★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Clash Of The Champions - 1/21/1997)    
We get some great sequences and counters during the go-home run, but you can't help to think that this would be much better if Ultimo actually bothered selling the leg that Malenko had worked over in preparation for his finishing hold. Ultimo's selling was all other the pace during this whole match. He no-sells some of Malenko's strikes like he's Hulk Hogan making a heroic comeback, even though he's the heel here! Complaints about selling aside, this was a sprint that had the fans invested in the match, a rarity for a WCW cruiserweight match! This is more ground-based than their Starrcade match, with Malenko and Dragon pulling out some cool matwork. Dragon escaping a half crab by standing up on his one free leg and sweeping his way to freedom was a creative spot that looked smooth-as-silk. Malenko is able to finally lock on the cloverleaf and Dragon submits, sending the crowd into a frenzy! ★★★½

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero (WCW Fall Brawl - 9/14/1997)
They obviously brought the workrate in spades here, but Eddie being a scumbag heel is what made this match so fun to watch. He had the heel schtick down. He doesn't seem too keen to lock up with Jericho and stalls around before being arm-dragged, which Eddie then claims that Jericho was hair-pulling. What makes this exchange even better is that Guerrero uses hair-pulling seconds later to keep Jericho down.  Jericho was fine here. He didn't bring anything too interesting to the table, but he could keep up with Guerrero and all his moves looked good. He did look a bit goofy when selling Eddie's holds, but it wasn't so over-the-top that it detracted from the match. He is pretty much here to be the straight man to Eddie's heel act. Eddie thinks he has got Jericho under control when he hits a barrage of chops and uppercuts in the corner, but this blows up right in his face when one Jericho chop sends Eddie out on his arse. When it comes to WCW cruiserweight matches, you can find matches with better workrate, but you will struggle to find one with as much personality as this one. Eddies performance here was comedic, but never goofy and he looked like he was at the top of his division when this one wraps up. ★★★★

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (Title vs. Mask) (WCW Halloween Havoc - 10/26/1997)
You gain a new appreciation for this match when you watch the other big cruiserweight matches that WCW was churning out during this era. Those matches are great, but this is next fuckin' level. The stakes are obviously higher than any other cruiserweight that precedes it as Misterio's mask is on the line here. Misterio's high spots are some of the best that he would ever land. That somersault plancha that he transitions flawlessly into a hurricanrana might just be one of the best high spots that I've ever seen. The swagger of Guerrero as he's walking down to the ring is unmatched. He never lets down as he's working down Rey. He's cool as fuck and he wants you to know about it. He rips open a part of Rey's mask, and he's smart enough to cover up the view from the camera when he exposes too much of Rey's face. They open the match with Eddie trying to catch Rey and it's like lucha libre meets Tom and Jerry. Rey finds his openings in short bursts. He's not as powerful as Eddy, but he's a lot quicker, so he gets himself out of trouble by finding a way to land a hurricanrana no matter what situation he finds himself in. These guys are at the top of their game, and their intensity and athleticism are top-tier. Even when it looks like they were about to botch when Misterio jumps at Eddie after doing a cartwheel, they are quick to recover and only the most eagle-eyed viewers could see that something nearly went sour there. This is the perfect cruiserweight match. ★★★★★

Chris Benoit vs. Raven (No Disqualification) (WCW Souled Out - 1/24/1998)
Raven comes out with his Flock, but the ring announcer announces that his Flock must leave ringside. Raven does a great job trying to no-sell his displeasure at this ruling. As much as I admire his character work and promos, Raven is a guy that doesn't do much for me when it comes to the in-ring stuff and this match was no different. Raven has a gimmick where all his matches have to be fought under no disqualification. The match was much better when Benoit was on top. Benoit can deliver a satisfying ass-kicking, using the chair that Raven introduces into the match against him. Benoit hitting a flying headbutt onto the chair is one of those spots that feel uncomfortable in hindsight. Benoit locking on a flash crossface and winning the match would have been an underwhelming finish if not for one small detail from Raven. Just before Raven passes out, Raven has a smile on his face and it's a great bit of character work. The Flock rushes the ring, but they are fought off by Dean Malenko. Malenko and Benoit share a look as this segment wraps up. I think this needed more time as it ended suddenly just as these two were getting started. Raven going longer could have further exposed him as a mediocre in-ring worker, so I get why this ended as quickly as it did. ★★★

Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair (WCW Souled Out - 1/24/1998)
Hart makes his in-ring debut here for WCW and it starts off on the right foot. This was an old-school match between two seasoned pros. Perhaps this was too old-school for the crowd as they sit on their hands for the majority of the match. They open with a lot of headlocks and drop-downs. Hart dominates Flair and locks in a figure four early, which Flair is able to quickly get to the ropes. Flair does a great job at showing that he's doubting himself. Flair does all his Dirtiest Player In The Game spots, such as using the ropes for leverage when he has Bret in a hold and hitting a low blow when he makes the referee check how much time they have left with the timekeeper.  We get some duelling leg-work as both men try to soften up each other for their respective finishing moves. Flair chops at Bret and Bret goes all Jerry Lawler and drops his straps as he makes his comeback. This was a good match, perhaps the best you were going to get out of Flair at this point in his career, but it didn't quite live up to the expectations that WCW had set up for it. It just needed that something extra to take it to the next level. Bret's callback to the Screwjob by writing WCW in the air was class though. ★★★½

Booker T vs. Rick Martel (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/22/1998)
The winner of this match will goes on to face Saturn. Booker is over like rover here and Martel, while looking good, feels like he's a veteran that's on his way out. There was no chance that he was winning this. He felt like a jobber to the stars, despite being TV champ. He does all your typical heel spots. He tries to offer a disingenuous handshake, but Booker ain't falling for that trick. Booker has buckets of charisma and all his stuff looks great. He does end up causing a legitimate injury to Martel when he biel throws him out of a corner. Martel's leg would snap against the rope and the injury would send him into a premature retirement. Props to Martel though, as he fights through the injury and finishes the match, even if it's clearly giving him a lot of grief. I've always loved that Booker would add small touches to basic moves to make them feel like they belong to him. For example, you could see Booker T's knee drop in silhouette and you would still know that that's Booker T delivering the move due to his mannerisms. Predictably, Booker wins this one by catching Martel with a crescent kick as Martel was flying through the air. Booker doesn't get time to enjoy his victory as Saturn rushes through the crowd and his next match is happening right now. The match here was nothing special. The crowd was into it and it added another hurdle for Booker to clear as he now has to fight Saturn with no time to rest. ★★¾

Booker T vs. Saturn (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/22/1998)
After locking Booker in the Rings Of Saturn after Booker had just had a match with Rick Martel, Saturn tries to put away Booker early with a number of cradle pins. Saturn's control segment is pretty bad, with Saturn beating Booker down with some weak-looking strikes. Saturn can hit high-flying moves, which is impressive for a man of his size, but they look so ugly that you are left wondering if they were really worth it. This makes you wonder if they worked up this business with Booker wrestling twice in one night to avoid Saturn from working a long match and stinking out the building. Booker's hope spots were good at least. He violently slams Saturn into the barricade after countering Saturn's whip attempt, but Booker isn't able to recover in time. Saturn makes it back to his feet first and Saturn is able to take back control. I always thought Saturn was a good hand, but he was actively bad here. He has a nice springboard moonsault at least.  Booker looks better coming out of the PPV as he wrestled for 30 minutes and beat two guys back-to-back. If the rumour is true that this match was entirely improvised after Martel suffered his injury, then I have to give them credit. I didn't like this that much, it felt way too disjointed. ★★¼

Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (Title vs. Mask) (WCW SuperBrawl - 2/22/1998)
I'm not too sure about Jericho's performance here. He is a fantastic comedy heel, but this stipulation called for a heel that could make the fan's blood boil. The stakes are high here and it looked like Jericho seemed more interested in making the crowd laugh at him than getting them to hate him. This has been a problem that has plagued Jericho's career as he always wants to do comedy when he's meant to be a hated heel. For example, Jericho playing possum on the outside in an attempt to take a count-out loss so that he can keep his title would be a great spot in a curtain-jerking match for a lower-level title, but it doesn't feel appropriate here. Juvi is a decent high flyer. He hits all his high spots with grace. He can't sell as well as engagingly as someone like Misterio, but not many people can. Juvi thinks he has won this after hitting his finish on Jericho, who had his hand on the ropes. I was expecting Jericho to roll Juvi up after this false finish, but they carried on for a few more minutes trading near-falls before Jericho scores the win. Juvi and Jericho didn't click as well as other WCW cruiserweight pairings. Some of their sequences are great, but some feel a little awkward. This was solid overall, but I was expecting more from this. ★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris Benoit vs. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven (WCW Uncensored - 3/15/1998)
3-way matches still felt like a novelty at this time and they work in some neat psychology about having to deal with two opponents at once. Raven convinces Benoit to make an alliance with him to take out DDP. Raven berates Benoit when things don't go to plan and this goes to show that Raven's character skills are his best qualities. The match opens with a triple lock-up and we get some neat three-way spots throughout the match. The commentators mention that this match has no rules and sure enough, this eventually breaks down to a walk-and-brawl weapons match. They fight up to the stage where Benoit brings out a kitchen sink from out of nowhere. DDP gets taken out after being driven through the Uncensored sign and Raven and Benoit fight their way back to the ring. If this match was a vehicle to get DDP over, then it did just that. The fans are rabid for Page as he slowly crawls his way back to the ring. The Diamond Cutter through the table might not have been picture-perfect, but DDP is so popular that no one cares about the botch. ★★★½

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Goldberg (WCW Halloween Havoc - 10/25/1998)     
Although Goldberg was still green here and couldn't lay out a match to save his life, DDP is here to save the day by laying out every move here and the result is a compelling heavyweight main event that absolutely delivers during the big moments. Goldberg has his game face on and brings the ferocity during the staredowns. All his big spots look devastating and he even does a backflip and lands on his feet during the opening exchanges. DDP was clearly guiding Goldberg through this match and he was tremendous in this role. He would bounce off Goldberg and put over the fact that he's going to need a tank to knock Goldberg down when nothing seems to faze him. Both men brought some excellent facial expressions to the table. After Goldberg misses a charge into the corner, the tide of the match changes as Goldberg looks to be seriously hurt. This was an excellent transitional spot, which Goldberg put over by selling well and DDP looks thrilled that he's finally found an opening. Goldberg is able to land a spear, but his shoulder is still giving him trouble. This leads to some phenomenal finisher countering sequences where Goldberg isn't quite able to get DDP up for the Jackhammer. This leads to DDP hitting one of the best-ever Diamond Cutter counters. The drama is absolutely thrilling during these final moments of the match and they had everyone in the audience hooked. ★★★★
     
Juventud Guerrera vs. Kidman vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW Starrcade - 12/27/1998)
This starts with Kidman and Rey working together to take out Juvi, but that alliance predictably breaks down. Kidman and Rey trading elbows at each other while Juvi cheered them on was a great bit of comedy, especially once Rey and Kidman realize what Juvi is up to, so they come together again to take him out once again. There's a sprinkle of story-telling here with all the business with Juvi being a heel for the first few minutes and the LWO involvement,  but this soon turns into a spotfest. The big three-man spots look great in a highlight reel, but there are a few blow spots and you have to put up with moments where a wrestler is clearly trying to get into position for the next big sequence. This had a fun finish with Eddie Guerrero trying to win the match for his LWO stablemate, only for it to blow up in his face. Eddie was a heat magnet when he came out and he really hammed it up during his post-match tantrum. Not the best spotfest of all time by a long stretch, but I've seen a lot worse.  ★★★¼

Psychosis vs. Kidman (WCW Monday Nitro - 3/1/1999)
This was a run-of-the-mill cruiserweight match. This is a tight match with zero downtime, so it is quite an easy watch despite its moments of sloppiness. Kidman is crazily over with the female audience. He's not the most compelling babyface ever, but he caters to a dwindling demographic, so it made sense that WCW made him the face of the cruiserweights around this time. Psychosis tries to heckle the crowd, but they aren't biting. Even to this day, Kidman's Shooting Star Press is still a beauty. This was a fun TV match, but you don't have to go out of your way to see it. This is the kind of match that you enjoy when you watch it, but can't remember a thing about it once you are done with it.  ★★★

Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit (WCW Monday Nitro - 3/1/1999)
This was building up to be a classic before interference from Hennig and Windham causes this match to prematurely end in a lacklustre fashion. Seriously, give these guys five more minutes to craft a fitting final act and I could easily see this being in my top 20 of WCW matches. Perhaps it's due to his Horseman association, but Benoit seems more popular than Bret at this point. Bret looks to be checked out when he comes to the ring, but it only takes him a few minutes to warm himself up and he puts in a fantastic heel performance. Bret's heel work was always subtle and he would escalate things at a realistic pace. He feels like a real person and not a cartoon character. Benoit sells for Bret well and worked the majority of this one fighting from underneath. The wrestling here was physical and violent, but you don't need me to tell you that. Benoit lands one of the best counters I've ever seen when he transitions a Bret sharpshooter into a crossface. Seriously, it was so smooth whilst still looking like a struggle. Bret noticing the interference from Hennig and Windham, but doing nothing about it felt odd. He would lock Benoit in the sharpshooter and refuse to release the hold when Benoit was in the ropes, and the ref has no choice but to call this one off. Blah finish, but this has left me salivating to see their Owen tribute match. ★★★¾

Kidman vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW Monday Nitro - 3/15/1999)
This match doesn't touch the 10-minute mark and they fight through a break, but I loved everything we got here. Kidman and Mysterio go together like peanut butter and jelly. There's not a botch to be found in this workrate sprint. There's been plenty of high-flyers over the years, but no one makes it look as easy as Mysterio does. They cram in a ton of cool spots and the pace never slows down. They had the crowd invested in all the near-falls. Kidman made me wince when he face-planting the mat after missing his shooting star. He goes for it a second time, but Rey cuts him off and shows great urgency when doing so. Mysterio hits his cartwheel bulldog move from the top rope and you can tell by all the shocked reactions in the first few rows that the fans haven't seen anything like that before in their lives. I could have easily watched these guys wrestle for another 10 minutes. ★★★¾

Juventud Guerrera vs. Blitzkreig (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/11/1999)
Although he has the same moveset and attire as your create-a-wrestler from Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain, Blitzkreig was bloody brilliant here. This is his only PPV match and he would quietly retire after his run with WCW finishes up, but this match makes me wish he stuck around as he would have made a killing on the indies during the 2000s. The guy can fly and he gets some serious air on his high spots. The match opens up with some surprisingly stellar matwork before it turns into the type of action you had come to expect from WCW's cruiserweight division. Blitzkrieg throws some weak chops, but Juvi starts chopping and really lays them in. Blitz pulls off one of the best ever Asai moonsaults ever, with him getting a lot of air and momentum as he bounces from the top rope to the outside. My favourite spot of the match would have to be the last one: a top rope Juvi driver that looked like it might have paralyzed Blitzkreig. Even my neck hurt watching that! It makes you scratch your head that WCW didn't build their entire cruiserweight division around Blitzkrieg after this match. ★★★★

Perry Saturn & Raven vs. Dean Malenko & Chris Benoit (WCW Spring Stampede - 4/11/1999)
Raven and Saturn are babyfaces now, even though they do not feel natural in that role. Raven playing to the crowd and trying to get them to cheer Saturn on just didn't feel right. Benoit and Malenko looked much more comfortable here as the dry, no-nonsense heels. Malenko shows the teeniest bit of personality when he spits at his opponents, but he's back to being the expressionless technician in no time. Despite being medically retired and not being able to do anything physical, Arn brought a lot to this match by cheering on Malenko and Benoit and helping them get the win. I think the whole Raven's Rules thing is dumb as it just felt like a cheap way to keep Raven's matches interesting by having every match have no disqualifications to hide Raven's limited in-ring skills. On top of that, having the referee kick off about Arn's interference after they have brought foreign objects into the ring just moments before feels nonsensical. This takes a while to get going and the ending with Benoit trying to turn his brain to mush does make me feel uncomfortable considering what happened just eight years later, but I enjoyed parts of this match.  Every move pulled off by Benoit and Malenko was perfectly executed and the fans got behind Saturn and Raven eventually. ★★★

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's everything on my initial watchlist done! I'm going to take a break now, but I will return with a selection of matches that I added after I started the project soon.

Juventud Guerrera vs. Blitzkreig vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Pyschosis (WCW Monday Nitro - 4/19/1999)
You can see how matches like this influenced the multi-man spotfests that we have seen a lot of over the last two decades, but they had yet to iron out the crinkles here. Despite some sloppiness, all the high spots look amazing. We get a lot of big dives, hurricanranas and stuff of that ilk all pulled off to perfection, but the highlight of the match would have to be Blitzkrieg pulling out a phoenix splash. This must have been the first time someone had done this move on American TV. It utterly baffles Tony Schivone as he has no idea what to call that move. Rey looked like a total star and got the biggest reactions by far. The main issue I have with this is the length and how directionless some parts of the match were. The match starts promisingly enough with Juvi and Psychosis forming an alliance, but this soon breaks down after one of them predictably hits the other after a miscommunication and this breaks down into a total spotfest where every man is fighting for himself. They should have had this done and dusted in 10 minutes. 20 minutes is way too long for this type of match. The match just kept going on and they start to lose the crowd when the pace slows down so that the wrestlers can catch their breath back. ★★★

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sting (WCW Monday Nitro - 4/26/1999)
From what I've seen of his work, DDP's big matches always use the same, simple formula. It works wonders, so I can't fault this match for feeling quite similar in structure to DDP's match with Goldberg the previous year. He is so giving during the babyface shine segment and he makes Sting look like a million bucks by selling for him and showing his frustration by taking constant breathers when things aren't going his way. He is able to use Sting's hair to ground him, but this just enrages Sting, who follows Page outside and they start brawling up the aisle. The referee follows them and doesn't start a count as this is such a big match that no one wants this to end on a count-out. The middle portion of this is the weakest part of the match, with Page not being that interesting when working on top and Sting not being that compelling of a seller. Things pick back up again during the finishing stretch when Sting pulls off a Ganso Bomb! DDP is the king of the finisher-tease sequence and the Diamond Cutter to Scorpion Death Drop counter might just top anything that was in the finale to the Goldberg/DDP match that I previously mentioned. Those moves are so simple that even an amateur could pull them off, but the moves are protected and the talent is over to the level that you can't help but get swept up in the drama. ★★★★

Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Perry Saturn & Raven vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (WCW Slamboree - 5/9/1999)
Don't expect too much long-term selling or deep psychology here, but this was an exciting opener with a fast pace. WCW seemed to have a better grasp of these multi-team matches than WWF did at the time. It's three people in the ring at once and you can only tag your tag partner. Malenko and Benoit are the heels here, and they work together exceptionally well as the no-nonsense ruffians. When you have two wrestlers as dry as Benoit and Malenko dominating the field, you feel compelled to cheer on any wrestler with a shed of charisma to make a comeback! Kidman gets thrown around like a frisbee here, Saturn first dumps him over the top rope with a belly-to-belly suplex, and then later Malenko gives him some serious air with a flapjack. Mysterio also impressed me here with some of his athleticism. He leapfrogs over a wrestler and is able to land on the top rope, fully standing up and he is able to land a standing moonsault in one fluid motion without even taking a second to maintain his balance. The finish does suck, with run-ins from Arn Anderson and Kanyon watering down the match. ★★★
     
Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit (WCW Monday Nitro - 10/4/1999)
Bret and Benoit put on a clinic to pay tribute to Owen Hart, who passed away in the same building just months previously. This is Bret and Benoit going long, so it's should come as no surprise that this was a technical masterclass. Benoit has the speed advantage. Things remain respectful during the first few exchanges, but frustration builds and Benoit soon busts out the chops. Both guys are pros at putting together a match that drums up tension naturally. The execution of the moves here was obviously brilliant, with Bret's backbreaker and Benoit's two tombstones being particular highlights. It's not just the execution of moves that was impressive, but even things like Bret adding an extra snap to the bump he takes when he charges into the ropes made the fan care just that little bit extra. They redo that amazing counter where Benoit escapes a sharpshooter by pulling Bret's arm through the hold and locking him in a crossface and you can feel the air in the arena change when fans realize that Bret could tap out during his brother's tribute match. We get some excellent struggling on the mat where Bret is able to roll through and tap Benoit out with the sharpshooter. The post-match is quite emotional with Bret and Benoit embracing after having wrestled the best match to take place on a Monday Nitro. ★★★★¼

Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett (Ladder) (WCW Starrcade - 12/19/1999)
Benoit was awarded the US title earlier in the show, but he wants to earn it, so this match is put on the card. The match is very good overall, with both men putting the work in. The ladder spots might feel basic now, but there's a level of violence here that you don't usually see in most ladder matches. They only use one ladder, so they don't waste any time trying to set up the furniture and everything involving the ladder looked fairly realistic. Benoit gets cut open hardway and ends up hitting his signature headbutt from the top of the ladder. We are treated to a clean finish (a rarity for WCW during this time!) where the fans clearly cared who won. If this was an attempt by WCW to capture the magic of the recent Hardys/E&C ladder match, then this failed, but by no fault of the wrestlers involved. This had zero build and they were only given 10 minutes to work with, so Benoit and Jarrett couldn't be expected to pull out a classic for the ages out of thin air. ★★★½
     
Evan Karagias & Jamie Knoble vs. Kaz Hayashi & Yang vs. Shane Helms & Shannon Moore (Triangle Ladder) (WCW Starrcade - 12/17/2000)
Outside of a few nutty spots here and there, this was dogshit with mind-bogglingly stupid stipulation. Chavo Guerrero Jr. is on commentary and he was dreadful here. He will give the winner a shot at his title. So despite this being a 3-way tag match, only one man can win the prize of the match. The action in the ring isn't much better and we get plenty of botches. They use tags for the first few minutes before abandoning that concept and making this a total free-for-all. Moore gets hit with an awfully stereotypical marital arts combo from Yang and sells it by jumping into the air as if he had just walked on lava. The Yung Dragons have a valet who gets involved in one of the worse interference spots that I've ever seen. Helms & Moore get to the top of the ladder, and they decide to pull down the contract together. They are declared winners as Chavo loses his shit that only one man should be able to get the contract. Christ, I didn't think that this could get any worse. Russo might have left WCW by this point, but his booking style still lives on through this match! ½★

Evan Karagias & Jamie Knoble vs. Kaz Hayashi & Yang (WCW Sin - 1/14/2001)
Even though this was a cold match added to the card with no build, everyone involved did a good job and the result is a fun spotfest that doesn't drag or outstay its welcome. Karagias and Knoble are doing a bit where they don't get along despite being tag partners, but it doesn't come into play during the match. The Yung Dragons are good, especially Hayashi, whose strikes looked proper stiff. These guys move around at a fast pace throughout the entire match, but it sucks that the only botch to be found here is the finish where a top rope move completely misses its intended target. Although this is nothing to go out of your way to see, it's a fun cruiserweights match that showed that WCW could have created some more stars if they were given the opportunity to stick around. ★★★¼     
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...