[1993-12-15-WAR Revolution] John Tenta vs Warlord

[Ma Stump Puller]

Tenta's thing in WAR seemed to be wrestling ex-WWF dudes lol. Warlord and him haven't actually wrestled each other in singles ever (yes, even in the WWF) so this is a surprising first. Obviously Warlord isn't remembered for his workrate classics but I think they really make this work for a 9 minute match for a number of reasons I'll get to while going though the match. Warlord and co shoulder barge before Tenta takes a bump off a good big boot and then eats a scoop slam, which got the crowd going great here; already they are super hyped to see these two hoss guys jumping around. Warlord gets in a good flying clothesline before his opponent takes over with a running dropkick. From then on in it's more or less by the numbers work by Tenta as he goes though his usual big man repertoire, followed up by Warlord occasionally taking control with big meaty suplexes and slams. if you aren't a fan of that style then I can see this getting grating but it's fairly decent action and the crowd enjoy every minute of it. Warlord tries for a cartoonish axe-handle off the apron and Tenta catches the guy mid-air to ram him into the turnbuckle post which was incredibly sick. We also get a nice false-finish as Tenta lands the powerslam + elbow drop and even a Earthquake Splash, but Warlord kicks out at 2.9! Big cheers from that.

Warlord somehow gets a dumb Hogan spot over as he gets caught in a bearhug and literally throws his arms in the air when he's getting his second wind; it's stupid but again, the audience are into this as they chant for the guy. He Hulks up and lands a big jumping shoulder press and wild backdrop, teases the powerslam but gets countered into a crossbody for a near fall. Tenta lands a elbow AND a leg drop for yet another near fall. In true Kings Road style he then has to come up with a superfinisher to beat the guy: in this case a running neckbreaker Baba-style: which gets the win at last. Probably Warlord's best ever match apart from maybe the Bret showing. Tons of intensity, Tenta just landing crazy bumps while also getting over his own shit at the same time, Warlord's limited offence getting over because of who's he's doing it to, etc. Even loved the little touches like Tenta getting more and more grumpy after every near fall as he's just not really used to somebody this resilient, you really get the feeling that he's just pissed that this dude won't go down proper. I also feel like the two paced this well; despite it obviously not being the fastest match this never slowed down to a crawl, which was vital to keeping the crowd friendly and interested in what they were trying to do. Either way, a surprisingly solid outing that I think showcases how a limited worker like Warlord can be guided and paced up to a proper good match with the right hand. Seriously, this was top-notch stuff.