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April 2009 focuses on the great wrestlers in the WWE Hall of Fame. This will be a review of the assorted matches that were posted this month focusing on these legendary wrestlers.
-Lou Thesz(c) vs. Antonino Rocca for the NWA Title-
There’s no date on here, but it’s damn old. It’s in black and white. Antonio is introduced as Argentina Rocca. We go to the mat wrestling right away, with Thesz locking on a head scissors and Rocca working a hammerlock. Thesz powers out and does a side headlock takeover. They slug it out and Thesz hides away in the corner leading to Rocco headscissoring him down. Thesz comes back with punches and a Lou Thesz press finishes this at 14:05. What’d they call it before it was the Thesz press? This was a series of catch as catch can moves and your mileage may vary, but I found it entertaining for what was an ancient wrestling match, when the focus was on the wrestling and not the outlandish characters and/or storylines. **.
-Gorilla Monsoon vs. Lou Albano-
Vince McMahon is calling the action here. This is an airing of a Madison Square Garden event from June 30th, 1973. Albano was a manager at the time and Gorilla must’ve been nearing the end of his in-ring career. Gorilla is freaking huge. Albano rakes the eyes of Monsoon but Monsoon counters with punches and chops. Albano is chopped to the outside and runs to the dressing room, getting counted out at 2:18. That was a massive squash. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen Gorilla wrestle before. Cheap ending but the fans ate it up. ½*.
-Bruno Sammartino(c) vs. Killer Kowalski for the WWE Title-
This is an MSG match from April 29th, 1974. ==Taken from my History of the WWE Title DVD Review==
This one is joined in progress (with Vinnie Mac calling the action) with Kowalski firmly in control of things. Bruno fights back like a soccer player, kicking him in the leg. Kowalski takes over again, works Bruno over, and then goes to the top. Bruno tosses him off and works Kowalski over in the corner. Kowalski fights back with his claw hold (grabbing Bruno’s stomach fat) but Bruno fights back again. The two take control for parts of the match but nothing too noteworthy. Kowalski kicks Bruno out of the ring a pair of times. Kowalski works over Bruno in the corner by biting him, and Bruno isn’t in good shape, getting bloodied in the process. Bruno starts Hulking up before there was a Hulk and the crowd erupts. They trade blows but the bell ends the match at 11:35. A bunch of wrestlers storm the ring to break up the fight and the official word is that this match is a draw, with no other reason given. I would’ve been pissed too if I was in the crowd.
-Billy Graham vs. Bruno Sammartino(c) for the WWE Title-
This is from April 30th, 1977 and was held in Baltimore.
==Taken from my History of the WWE Title DVD Review==
Vince McMahon is again calling the action. Bruno starts off working the arm which leads to a test of strength, which Graham wins. Bruno eventually breaks free, then loses another test of strength. Bruno trucks on, breaks free, then works the arm again. They battle back and forth but Bruno gets the better of it, getting Graham caught up in the ropes and then sent to the outside. Graham comes in and gets worked over handily. He looks busted open, too. Graham takes over briefly, with a bearhug, but Bruno is right back on him and counters with a bear hug of his own. Bruno works over Graham in the corner, to the point where the referee intervenes. Graham takes advantage of this by knocking down Bruno, covering him and using both feet on the ropes for leverage. The ref didn’t see it, and Graham gets the three count and the victory at 13:42. Another very slow match, but it moved well enough. **.
-Peter Maivia vs. Sylvano Sousa-
This is a May 3rd, 1977 match-up from Championship Wrestling and is actually the first appearance of Peter Maivia. Maivia is the Rock’s grandfather if you didn’t know. He has a ton of tattoos running along his legs and back. Maivia works over Sousa with some armdrags and shows off some of his athleticism by balancing his head on the ropes. He puts Sousa in a headlock. Not much goes on until Sousa throws Maivia headfirst into the turnbuckle but he’s Samoan, so he has a thick head and it doesn’t hurt. A Sousa headbutt follows up and he just does more damage to himself than Maivia. A backbreaker puts Sousa down and Maivia locks on the Samoan Stump Puller (he sits on the guy and pulls his leg up) and it’s over at 5:11. This was pretty boring. ¼*.
-Bobo Brazil vs. Hans Schroeder-
This hails from All-Star Wrestling, held on February 18th, 1978. Hans is German and therefore evil. Bobo was one of the first big African-American wrestling stars. The website lists this as being for the US title, though neither guy has a belt and a title shot is never mentioned. Bobo works the arm to start and Hans forearms out of it, only to get clubbed in the corner by Bobo. Albano comes out to cause trouble for Bobo and gives advice to Hans. Hans takes his advice and locks in a bearhug. Bobo punches out of it as this match goes nowhere. It’s 2 minutes in and I am dead bored already. Why use a rest hold after two minutes? Bobo breaks out more classic rest holds, using the nerve pinch. Hans’ face in selling this is terrible. Bobo works in a hiptoss, then headbutts Hans for the pin and the win at 4:33. This was beyond terrible. Hans and Lou attack Bobo post-match. Bobo knocks Hans out and Albano calls out his whole family for help. Bobo just headbutts all of them, including Albano. DUD.
-Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Greg Valentine-
This is from the Spectrum and took place on July 21st, 1979. The WWE says that these guys sold out arena’s with their feud. The footage isn’t too great, compared to other WWE stuff, but it is 30 years old so I can understand why. Valentine blindsides Strongbow, who is wearing a knee-brace, but Strongbow quickly comes back and Valentine escapes to the outside. Valentine comes back but is kneed down by Strongbow and the fans are freaking pumped for this. Valentine is rammed into the metal prong of Strongbow’s knee-brace and is cut open as a result. Jay now uses a microphone cord to choke him, then hits Valentine with a stool. Is this no DQ? Vince McMahon, our announcer, answers my question by saying Strongbow should’ve been DQ’ed a long time ago. Valentine takes a breather then comes in and works on the leg of Strongbow. Valentine locks on the figure-four but Strongbow chops out of it. Jay puts his head down and Valentine drops an elbow. He tries it again but Strongbow moves out of the way. Valentine goes right back to work on the knee then forearms him but Strongbow starts no-selling. Valentine keeps at it and sends Strongbow reeling to the outside. Strongbow pulls Valentine outside with him and sends Valentine into the barricades. They end up back in the ring and a shoulderblock sends both guys to the outside. Valentine makes it into the ring and kicks out Strongbow, who can’t make the count and Valentine is victorious at 11:10. That was a cheap ending to keep both guys strong. This was a wild match for 1979. Too much punchy-kicky but it was a solid match. **.
-Bob Backlund(c) vs. Pat Patterson for the WWE Title in a Steel Cage Match-
This an MSG match from September 24th, 1979.
==Taken from my WWE: Bloodbath DVD Review==
We’re JIP with Backlund in control of Patterson. He drops a knee on Patterson and this is escape only rules. Backlund makes a break for the door but Patterson catches him. He knocks him down and makes his way out but Patterson grabs him by the legs and pulls him in. He picks Patterson up and sends him into the cage. A kneelift follows and Backlund climbs to the top. Patterson grabs his ankle to stop the descent and then sends him face first into the cage. Patterson again makes a break for the door but Backlund holds him in. He draws him to the center of the ring and rakes his foot across his face and makes a break for the door. Patterson grabs him and chokes him down in the corner. Patterson tries to climb out but Backlund catches him and tries to elbow him down. Both men are hanging at the top and Patterson elbows Backlund down. He’s hung upside down from the cage but gets up and gets one leg over the cage. Backlund quickly catches him and holds onto his leg. He pulls Patterson back in and Patterson wisely holds onto Backlund’s leg. They both tumble to the mat where Patterson starts working on the open wound of Backlund’s head. Patterson kicks Backlund down and tries for the top but Backlund grabs his tights and pulls him back in. That gets a punch to the face for his efforts and Patterson starts swinging away until Backlund makes the comeback. He shoulderblocks him down but he too falls down from fatigue. Backlund and Patterson make their way to the top then Patterson realizes Bob is trying to leave and catches him and brings him back down to the mat. Patterson continues working on Backlund’s open wound and they exchange blows again. Backlund takes Patterson over and slingshots him into the cage, leading Patterson to be cut open. Backlund crawls towards the open door but Patterson pulls him back in. Backlund responds by sending him into the cage a few times and dropping some fists on him. He tries to bring Patterson into the cage battering ram style but Patterson pushes him off and Backlund eats steel. Patterson climbs to the top but Backlund catches him and atomic drops him. Backlund makes a play for the top but Patterson catches up to him, climbs over, and tries to hit him with the brass knuckles he has. Backlund ducks the blows and Backlund elbows him down, but Backlund falls down as well. Backlund goes towards the door but Patterson catches him. Backlund kicks him off and manages to slide backwards out the doors onto the mat to retain the title at: 12:55. What a match. It is totally unlike anything that you’ll see now, but the build was so great and everything made sense, each move built upon the last and really, who thought two guys pounding on each other on their knees for a few minutes would make a **** match? ****.
-Wild Samoans vs. Tony Garea & Rene Goulet-
This is from an episode of Championship Wrestling that aired on September 9th, 1980 and is for the vacant Tag Team Championship. The website mistakenly lists Rick Martel as Goulet’s partner, even though it is Tony Garea. That’s a big boo-boo for whoever put that up, especially considering McMahon kept calling him Tony Garea the whole time. The Samoans have Albano in their corner. Rene and Afa start things off and Afa wants a handshake. Goulet gets an early bodyslam and an abdominal stretch but both times Sika breaks up the pinfall. Garea comes in and tries to slam Afa’s head to the mat but that doesn’t work because Samoans have thick heads. A kneedrop gets two, though. The team of Garea and Goulet come in without tagging to keep Afa in reverse chinlock, to basically beat the Samoans at their own game. Afa comes back with a knee to the gut but misses an elbow drop. Garea comes in and knocks Afa to the outside then deals with the interloper, Sika. The double-teaming eventually overwhelms Garea and they stomp away at him. Garea is the face in peril now, taking the usual assortment of punches, kicks and headbutts. A shoulderblock sends both guys down and Garea makes the hot tag to Goulet who comes in with a pair of dropkicks to the Samoans. He drops an elbow on Sika but Afa breaks up that pinfall. This brings in Garea but he’s ushered to the outside by the ref, who doesn’t see the Samoans hit a double bodyslam on Garea. He does see the Samoans cover and counts the pinfall, giving the Samoans the tag titles at 10:08. That finish came out of nowhere but it was a solid early 80’s tag match. **. The Samoans are awarded the title and Albano gives a promo to Vince McMahon after the match.
-Harley Race(c) vs. Bob Backlund(c) for the NWA and the WWE Titles-
Whoa, where’d this come from? This is another MSG show, this time from September 22nd, 1980. Harley was the NWA champ at the time while Bob was the WWE champ. This definitely won’t have a clean finish. There’s no announcers on here I should note. They exchange leapfrogs and Backlund gets the better of that deal, hiptossing and bodyslamming Race. He puts him in a side headlock. Race breaks so Backlund comes back with Lou Thesz press for two. Backlund continues with a side-headlock takeover for two, then a sunset flip for two. We’re back to the side headlock and there’s a cool spot of Harley trying to stand-up and Backlund bridging it and taking Race back down for two. Harley breaks only to get caught in a gut-wrench suplex for two. Backlund bodyslams the NWA champ and goes back to the move-du-jour, the side headlock. Race gets a couple of pinfall counters which just serves to piss Backlund off. Race breaks and gets a high-knee but can’t maintain the momentum as his suplex attempt is blocked and reversed to a Backlund suplex for two. And we’re back to the headlock. Race breaks but falls victim to an abdominal stretch now. Race has gotten no offense in and we’re at the 18-minute mark. Race hiptosses out of it, drops a knee, then tries for a German suplex that is reversed by Backlund into one of his own for two. Backlund misses the ensuing elbow drop and goes back to the (you guessed it) side headlock.
Race makes it to his feet and back suplexes out of it and head upstairs, only to be caught and atomic dropped to the outside. Race comes back in with a well-timed punch to the gut that Backlund sells like he’s been shot. Race drops a knee and covers but Backlund does a strong kick-out. Race follows with a piledriver and a headbutt. Race tries another piledriver though Backlund is wise to him this time and backdrops out of it. Backlund gets a piledriver of his own and rolls on top of Race for two. Race is up first and promptly misses a diving headbutt leading to a Backlund cover for two. Race is whipped to the ropes and the two collide, sending Race to the outside. Race comes back in and is hit with a double underhook overhead release suplex for two. Race recovers quickly and headbutts Backlund to the outside. Backlund makes the apron but is sent into the ringpost. Race tries it again but Backlund counters (in a blown spot) and Race is now cut open. They show a close-up and Backlund’s been busted open, too. They go to black and white footage since Race is so cut up when they do a close-up. Backlund gets a neckbreaker for two. A gut-wrench suplex follows for two. Backlund locks on a sleeper hold only to have Race pull the referee into him, earning the DQ at 35:42. Well, you knew it was going to a cheap ending. I was surprised at how strong the WWE champ was booked against the NWA champ. I am sure Backlund returned the favor somewhere in Greensboro, or I hope he did. This is something that most modern fans may not be able to watch due to the slower nature of the match and the buildup. I mean, there were 15 minutes of side headlocks alone. This is a great match though, from a technical standpoint. The blown spot by Backlund (sending Race to the ringpost) and the screwy finish knock this down a bit, but you still have a classic on your hands. ****.
-Sgt. Slaughter Cobra Clutch Challenge-
This is from Championship Wrestling, January 13th, 1981. I have a couple of old tapes from 1981-83 WWE wrestling, so I may have seen this before. Sarge takes on a jobber named Big John Callahan. Sarge has the Grand Wizard in his corner. Slaughter just destroys the big lug as the fans chant “Gomer.” Sarge locks on the Cobra Clutch right away and this thing is over at 1:21. The thing was that at the time, Slaughter said he would give $5,000 to anyone who could break out of the Cobra Clutch. This gets my usual jobber rating of 1/4*. Sarge is interviewed by Vince McMahon after the match and talks about the Cobra Clutch Challenge. So some jobber comes down to accept the challenge. The jobber can’t break the hold but don’t worry, there are brighter days ahead for the jobber named Jim Duggan.
-East Coast Connection vs. High Flyers-
This is an AWA showdown from August 30th, 1981. The East Coast Connection features the team of Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura. The two talk to Okerlund and are raving mad about a match with the High Flyers. We see the tape of that match, with Ventura getting worked on in the corner. The High Flyers were Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne for those who didn’t know. The Flyers do some heel tactics (choking in the corner) to get face heat. Interesting. Gagne hits a backbreaker but the pin is broken by Adonis. Brunzell drops a knee onto Ventura’s leg and the Flyers start working that leg. Gagne misses a dropkick and Ventura tags into Adonis. Adonis slugs down Gagne, leading to illegal involvement on the part of Brunzell. Adonis hits a clothesline for two. A bulldog follows but a second try leads to Gagne shoving Adonis off into the ropes. Adonis tries a piledriver but is backdropped off and Brunzell is tagged in. He dropkicks Adonis and Ventura needs to run-in to break the count. Adonis is sent to the corner where he goes up and over. Brunzell piledrives Adonis and covers and again Ventura breaks the pin. The timekeeper says we’re 15 minutes in now, though we’ve only seen about four. Brunzell misses a blind charge and Ventura comes in and promptly misses an elbow drop. Gagne’s tagged in and locks Ventura in the sleeper. Adonis breaks it up and the East-Coasters hit a spike piledriver for the pin and the victory. No time here because it was JIP and no formal rating, though I imagine it was close to *** based on what we saw.
-Andre The Giant vs. Killer Khan-
This is a Spectrum match-up from November 14th, 1981. The set-up is simple, Killer Khan broke Andre’s ankle and Andre wants revenge. Khan gets huge heel heat here. My alliterative skills impress me, too. There’s a stretcher at ringside, so I guess one of these guys will be leaving on it. Andre headbutts Khan to start and connects with a big boot. He lands a butt splash and Khan is about to be put on the stretcher but quickly revives. So, this is definitely a stretcher match. Andre piledrives Khan and tries a head butt but misses. Khan wraps up Andre’s leg in the ropes and goes to work, dropping knees into his giant head and calling for the stretcher. In a funny bit, they try to get Andre onto the stretcher but he’s just too damn big. Andre grabs the stretcher and uses it on Khan. A suplex follows and Andre wants the stretcher. Khan revives in time so Andre switches tactics, opting to work over the ankle of Khan. Andre chokes Khan on the bottom rope and the ref calls for the stretcher, but Andre throws it away. He butt splashes Khan a few times and finally the stretcher is brought in. Khan holds onto the apron so he’s not carried away, so Andre tosses him around a few times and lands some big fat French splashes. That’s enough to end this at 9:56. This was really slow and prodding, and there was no flow to the match. 3/4*.
-Tests of Strength-
This was a Tony Atlas/Jesse Ventura match-up. We see a promo setting up the actual posedown contest between the two. Atlas wins the pose-down quite easily, since it was based on the biased fan voting. So Ventura runs his mouth again about losing and Atlas challenges him to an arm-wrestling match. So we see their arm-wrestling challenge the next week. This took place over a month-long span on Championship Wrestling in April of 1982. Of course, the arm-wrestling ends with Ventura driving a chair into Atlas to avoid losing.
-Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. Rocky Johnson-
This is from Championship Wrestling and aired on October 5th, 1982. Rocky Johnson is also known as the Rock’s father. They lock-up to start, and Rocky kips out of an armbar but takes a knee and Scicluna pounds away. Rocky goes after the arm but that doesn’t go anywhere and Rocky gets a sunset flip out of nowhere for the pin and the victory at 3:04. This was a nothing match. There were no other Rocky Johnson matches to showcase on here? ¼*.
-Roger’s Corner with Big John Studd-
This is an interview spot from Championship Wrestling, airing on January 29th, 1983. Studd has HOF Manager Freddie Blassie with him. This was a precursor to interviews segments like Piper’s Pit and them all. Rogers asks him a question about Andre the Giant, and Studd wants to wrestle him to prove who the real giant is.
-Arnold Skaaland & Jimmy Snuka vs. Don Muraco & Lou Albano-
This match-up took place at the Spectrum on November 24th, 1983. Snuka used to have Albano as a manager but when he turned face, Albano was dumped in favor of Skaaland. Muraco was the IC champ at this time. Skaaland starts with Muraco which is interesting, since Skaaland is a manager. Muraco seems to have underestimated his opponent, getting body slammed early on by Skaaland. Skaaland small packages Muraco for two. Skaaland tags in Snuka, who is ripped at this point in his career and not the saggy joke we know of him now. Muraco is dropkicked into his corner and Albano splits so he wouldn’t have to be tagged in! Snuka tags in Skaaland who is quickly overpowered by Muraco and Skaaland is your manager in peril. The heels double team him in the heel corner drawing the ire of Snuka. Muraco misses a blind charge but Skaaland starts crawling to the wrong corner. Muraco telegraphs a back drop and the ensuing Skaaland boot to the face is enough for Snuka to get tagged in. He chops Muraco down. Muraco manages to escape and tags in Albano. Albano goes to work on Snuka but that doesn’t last long when Snuka realizes he’s getting schooled by an overweight manager. Soon all hell breaks loose, Skaaland takes out Albano and Snuka connects with a crossbody onto Muraco for the pin and the win at 13:07. This was good enough. **.
-Tuesday Night Titans with the Iron Sheik-
This is from an undated episode of TNT. I’d say it is from 1984, during his feud with Sgt. Slaughter. McMahon interviews the Sheik, who has his own harem. We go to footage of Sheik battling Billy Travis. Sheik hiptosses Travis and proclaims that Iran is #1. Travis comes back with a bodypress for one and a side headlock. Sheik comes back with a monster clothesline and Travis is a sitting duck now. Travis tries to come back with a boot to the face but an Irish Whip is reversed and Sheik back suplexes Travis on the rebound, and the Camel Clutch is enough to finish this at 4:49. Decent squash match. *. So we go back to the Sheik, seeing his girls dance and introducing a camel to the show. This drags on for what seems like forever until it finally concludes 23 minutes after it started.
-Hulk Hogan vs. Gilbert Guerrero-
This is Hulk’s first televised singles match during his second run with the WWE. This was called Wrestling at the Chase and is from January 24th, 1984. Okerlund introduces us to Hulk Hogan, saying he’s the number one contender for Iron Sheik’s WWE title. Hulk gives a spirited promo then we see him challenge Gilbert Guerrero. The promo itself was 90 seconds and this whole thing on WWE.com is only 3 minutes, so I expect this to be a quick match. Hulk’s theme song is piped in, probably because he was using Eye of the Tiger at the time. The fans popped huge when Hogan walked through the curtains. Gilbert gets off to a quick start but Hogan quickly takes control. Hogan bodyslams Guerrero, drops an elbow, hits a clothesline, then another bodyslam leads to the leg drop and this is over at 1:08. Quick squash for the Hulkster to show off his first televised appearance in the WWE. 1/4*.
-Kevin, Fritz & Mike Von Erich vs. The Fabulous Freebirds-
This is a WCCW match from May 6th, 1984. The Freebirds come out first to Badstreet. They have a big brawl before the bell even rings and the Birds a dumped by the Von Erichs. There are no rules, except for the rule that only one man from each team is allowed in the ring at a time. One of the Von Erich’s has his fingers busted open, they say it is Kevin even though he’s not listed as being in the match on the website. He starts with Roberts, only to have Hayes come in and interfere. Mike comes in and works the leg of Roberts. Hayes is tagged in and he stomps away with his leather boots. Fritz comes in and pounds away on Hayes and he’s triple teamed in the corner and Hayes is whipped with a belt across his ass. Hayes bails and we resume with Gordy and Kevin. Fritz interferes which just allows the Birds to take over. Hayes comes in with a clothesline and smacks his boot into Kevin’s head. There’s a botched back drop that leads to Kevin tagging in Fritz and the Birds cower to this senior citizen. Fritz puts the Claw on Hayes, then on Roberts with his other hand. He doesn’t have a third hand so Gordy is able to break the hold. Pier-six erupts and the ref, who said he’d only enforce one rule, doesn’t even enforce that. This whole big brawl ends with Kevin hitting a bodypress from the top rope on Gordy for the pinfall at 6:46. They are presented the world 6-man tag championship, which is just a trophy. The Free Birds attack from behind as some “Big Oriental” comes in and that brings out Kerry Von Erich, who clears the ring. This was entertaining, though I couldn’t suspend disbelief long enough to have the Birds cower to Fritz. **.
-Tito Santana(c) vs. Bob Orton for the Intercontinental Title-
This is an MSG showdown from June 23rd, 1984. Orton’s a guy who is probably most famous for being Piper’s lackey for most of the 85 and 86 and wearing a cast on his arm during that same time. This is a 20 minute time limit match and since this is a 23 minute feature, I think I know what the ending will end up being. Tito gets a quick arm-drag into an arm-bar combination. Orton breaks but is rolled up for one and heads to the apron for a breather. Orton grabs a wristlock which Santana quickly reverses. Orton pushes him down but Santana bridges back up. Orton misses a blind charge in the corner and Santana stomps away before hitting an axehandle from the top. Orton slithers away to the corner only to get stomped on some more. We slow things down a bit with another arm-bar. Orton breaks by sending Tito to the ropes then clubs him down after a Tito leapfrog. Orton stomps at Tito and plays to the crowd. A powerslam for Orton gets two. Orton drops a knee for two. Orton whips out a perfect-plex (called a small package) for two. Orton goes to the reverse chinlock to tire his opponent down some more since he can’t get a pinfall out of it. Santana armdrags out of it but succumbs to a boot to the abdomen. A fistdrop gets two for Orton. Orton tries a Vader bomb but falls on the knees of Santana. Santana makes his comeback and drops a knee to the gut of Orton for two. He smashes Orton’s head into the ring a few times and gets a two from that as well. Santana puts Orton in an abdominal stretch which Orton reverses and Tito hiptosses out of. They get up slowly and Orton back suplexes Tito for two. Orton tries a suplex but Tito small packages him for two. Tito misses the flying forearm allowing Orton to fistdrop him and cover for two. Santana reverses a whip to the corner then rolls him up for two. Orton tries a piledriver but is backdropped off. Santana pounds on Orton in the corner and is atomic dropped as a result. Orton drops an elbow only to land onto the fist of Tito as the bell rings at 20:00 to signal the time limit draw. The two slug it out, which is won by Tito. This was a fun classic 80’s match. ***.
-Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Johnny Rodz for the WWE Title-
This WWE Title defense took place on the January 19th, 1985 episode of Championship Wrestling. Rodz is in the hall of fame, having been inducted in 1996. He was a jobber to the stars more than anything I believe. Hogan has the turquoise blue tights on tonight. Hogan takes down Rodz with a drop toe hold and puts in a reverse chinlock as Luscious Johnny walks to ringside with Brutus Beefcake. This title defense was a year into Hogan’s four-year run as champ. Rodz gets in some token jobber offense which is stopped by a Hogan armbar. Rodz reverses but Hogan takes him down, leg drops the arm and goes to a seated armbar. Rodz punches out of it, then forearms Hogan from the second rope. He follows with a splash for two but not Hogan has hulked up. Clothesline leads to an elbowdrop and the legdrop finishes this at 4:12. It’s more wrestling than we normally see from Hogan and he gave Rodz some offense. I like jobber matches like this where the jobber gets in some offense to at least make a “match” out of it. *.
-Ricky Steamboat & U.S. Express vs. Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff & George “The Animal” Steele-
==Taken from my Best of SNME DVD Review==
This was from the first ever SNME, airing on May 11th, 1985. I think the All-American’s music was overdubbed here. There was an issue here with Windham/Rotundo and Sheik/Volkoff and the tag titles and probably one with Steamboat and Steele. Freddie Blassie is in the heel corner and Albano is in the face corner. Windham and Sheik start. The crowd is pumped for this. It’s probably the only time you can hear fans in Nassau Coliseum. Windham hiptosses Sheik then bodyslams him down. The faces all get a chance to tag in and work the arm of Sheik. Sheik throws in an abdominal stretch which Steamboat hiptosses out of and a pier-six brawl ensues as we head to commercial. We come back with Steamboat controlling things in the ring with a powerslam. A missile dropkick connects, followed with a bodypress from the top rope. The cover is broken by Volkoff who is then tagged in and worked over by the faces. Double dropkick gets two. Rotundo comes in and rolls up Volkoff for two, then follows with a weird pinfall sequence. A Windham sunset flip ends up in the ropes in another weird spot. The Animal is tagged in but he heads to his corner to tag out, leading to the Unamericans bailing and Windham rolling up Steele for the victory at 6:16. This was a total squash. *1/2. The evil-doers attack Animal from behind only to get clubbed away. Albano comes in to get Steele under control and start his face turn.
-Greg Valentine(c) vs. Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental Title-
This comes to us from MSG, June 21st, 1985. Hart is wearing the same jacket he wore in TNT featured below. Steamboat looks to be in great shape here. Valentine tries a bodyslam which Steamboat blocks and they end up fighting over it on the mat, leading to Steamboat chopping the champ and sending him to the outside. Steamboat considers the offense when Valentine comes back into the ring by chopping Valentine down, neck-snapping him, and then putting him in a reverse chinlock. Valentine fights out of it only to get karate kicked into the corner and chopped down for two. A high crossbody gets two for Steamboat. Steamboat hits a chop from the top rope and covers for two. Steamboat bodyslams Valentine and tries for a splash but lands right on Valentine’s knees. Valentine takes over with a gutbuster and a fist drop for two. Valentine works the leg and tries for the figure-four only to get rolled up for two. Steamboat tries a bodyslam but his leg gives out and Valentine falls on top of him for two. Valentine nails Ricky in the gut and he ends up on the outside. Steamboat recovers and comes in as a man on fire and chops away at Valentine, covering for two. The fans are really into the match now. Steamboat heads upstairs and hits a cross body. He covers and Valentine beats the count with a foot on the ropes. Valentine gets a burst of adrenaline and back suplexed Steamboat and drops a pair of elbows for two. Valentine goes for the figure-four again and is kicked off into the corner. Steamboat chops Valentine out to the outside. Valentine is counted out at 14:20 prematurely ending an MSG classic. The ending was there to protect both guys, though it really hurt the quality of the match overall. **1/2.
-Tuesday Night Titans w/Jimmy Hart-
This is the episode from June 21st, 1985, so the fans at the MSG show probably didn’t get a chance to see this. JYD is at the interview area and Hart doesn’t want to sit down next to JYD and demands he leave. JYD, ever the gentlemen, obliges and leaves. Jimmy has a crazy blue/black zebra pattern tie and jacket on. Jimmy gives Alfred Hayes a gift for dumping water on his head last month. We see video tape footage of Valentine battling some jobber with Jimmy Hart in his corner. There’s a female referee in the ring, which is odd to see. Valentine works the leg, then hits a double underhook slam and the figure-four ends thing for our jobber, Mario Mancini, who submits. JYD makes fun of the Dog as Hayes opens up his gift which is just a series of boxes that blows powder in his face. Hart laughs at them as JYD comes back and pours water over Hart.
-Wendi Richter(c) vs. The Spider Lady for the Women’s Title-
This the infamous Women’s title screwjob which took place on November 25th, 1985 at Madison Square Garden. The Spider is really Fabulous Moolah in disguise, though we won’t find that out until later. Wendi drives Spider to the corner and they throw terrible punches. Wendi goes for the mask but Spider hides behind the ref and bails. The Spider comes in only to get tossed again and Wendi follows, chasing her around the ring. Spider falls down in the ring and Wendi goes to work on the leg. Wendi throws a terrible boot to the leg and pulls the leg in a submission type move. Spider reverses and chokes Wendi on the ropes. Wendi is sent to the outside and comes back in throwing dropkicks. She tries a headscissors and Spider falls on top of her for two. Wendi comes back with clothesline for two. Spider small packages Richter and the ref counts the pinfall at 6:38. That was definitely a screwy finish. Wendi does look a little stunned at everything, then she goes to work on Moolah with chops and punches and unmasks her. Moolah no sells everything and Wendi tries to grab the belt from the ref, who won’t give it up. Wendi whips her with the belt but Moolah just bails from the ring. This was definitely a confusing finish and common lore says that Wendi was screwed here, a la Bret Hart some 12 years later. The match sucked, by the way. DUD.
-Dory & Terry Funk vs. Jeff Gripley & Ivan McDonald-
This is an All-American match-up from March 2nd, 1986. Ivan McDonald has a pretty good build. Dory forearms away at McDonald in the corner, followed by chops from Terry. McDonald is quickly dumped to the outside where Funk manager Jimmy Hart cheers on. McDonald is sent to the railing courtesy of Dory. He even comes back with a dropkick that misses Funk by a mile. Dory comes in and McDonald misses another dropkick. Finally the Funk’s have had enough and chuck McDonald into his corner so he can tag in Gripley. Gripley comes in and is double suplexed then caught in a double-underhook suplex. Gripley is piledriven into the mat and then Terry connects with a neckbreaker. This is pathetic, the jobbers have just been pounded on for over 3 minutes now. Gorilla says that Dory wants to be referred to as “Horse” then gets the correct information that it was “Hoss” and not Horse. Terry misses an elbowdrop but that doesn’t lead to anything. The Funk’s start working the leg of the Gripley then he’s put in a cloverleaf submission for the submission at 5:15. He’s branded afterwards by Hart. Very one-sided and long squash. ½*.
-Wrestlemania 2 Battle Royale-
Yeah, this is the WM2 (04/07/86) Battle Royale and it’s one I’ve done before, so here’s the C&P.
==Taken from my WWE: Wrestlemania Anthology Vol. I Review==
Jimbo Covert (NFL), Pedro Morales, Tony Atlas, Ted Arcidi, Harvey Martin (NFL), Dan Spivey, Hillbilly Jim, King Tonga (Haku), Iron Sheik, Ernie Holmes (NFL), B. Brian Blair, Jumping Jim Brunzell, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic (NFL), Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Russ Francis (NFL), Bruno Sammartino, Refrigerator Perry (NFL, and the Bears who play in Chicago), and Andre The Giant are our 20 men this evening. Ernie Ladd joins Gorilla on commentary. Mayhem ensues to start, as twenty people are in the ring. The NFL guys help each other out. To clarify, this is over the top rules. King Tonga and Covert are tossed first by Fralic. The Hart Foundation have the cool blue variation of their tights on tonight. Bruno dumps Holmes. Andre and Studd square off in the corner, a veritable rematch of their match the year before. One of the Killer Bees (Brunzell) is dumped by a horde of wrestlers. Fridge dumps Tony Atlas to a huge pop. Andre is very tanned tonight. Martin and Morales eliminate each other. Arcidi body presses Blair out of the ring, but not to the outside. Arcidi’s dumped by Hillbilly and others. Spivey is back dropped out by Sheik. Hillbilly and Blair are dumped by Sheik, too. Studd and Sheik dump Fralic, and Studd gloats. Sheik is backdropped out by Sammartino. Sammartino goes after Studd now, with some NFL’er battling Andre, and the Harts taking on Fridge. Bruno is dumped by Studd and Studd goes after Andre. Fridge sends both Harts over the top, but they don’t reach the outside. Studd and Fridge square off, and Studd dumps Fridge. Studd gloats some more so Fridge does the Rumble 1991 ending, and shakes the hand of Studd, then pulls him out. Who would’ve thought the last NFL’er in there would be Russ Francis, in there with Andre and the Hart Foundation. The Foundation dropkick Andre who gets tied up in the ropes. The Foundation dumps Francis then start double-teaming Andre. Anvil is sent battering ram style into Andre and they try to send him over but Andre is just to big. They try another battering ram, but Bret runs right into Andre. Andre goes to work on the Foundation, dumping Anvil with a big boot (oversold by Anvil) then catches Bret on the top rope and tosses him onto Anvil on the outside, picking up the Rumble win at 9:05. This was somewhat enjoyable towards the end. **.
-Junkyard Dog vs. King Kong Bundy-
This is an MSG showdown from June 13th, 1986. If Jim Ross were announcing he would mention how this wouldn’t be a catch-as-catch can style of match. They lock up and JYD forces Bundy into the corner. The first two times we see clean breaks, the third time results in a Bundy cheap shot. He misses an elbow drop and JYD does his on-all-fours headbutts that sends Bundy reeling to the outside. Bundy returns and slugs Dog down and drops an elbow for two. JYD responds with headbutts and punches that knock the big man down. JYD covers for two, then misses a diving headbutt. Bundy pounds away at the head of JYD to no effect followed by a double clothesline spot that sends both guys down. Bundy’s up first and slugs JYD down, then locks on a reverse chinlock. Bundy misses a big splash and JYD comes back. Heenan then trips up JYD (which we don’t actually see thanks to the camera work) and Bundy splashes JYD. The ref saw Heenan trip JYD and awards the match to JYD via DQ at 8:44. The heels double-team JYD but some deft maneuvering leads to Bundy running into Heenan and JYD grabs his chain to clear the ring. It was a bad match, but not as bad as I thought it would be. ¾*.
-Fabulous Moolah(c) vs. Sherri Martel for the WWE Women’s Title-
This is a Houston show from July 24th, 1987. Moolah had been champ for a ridiculous amount of time, though the announcers don’t mention her dropping the title to Velvet at WMI. Moolah pulls Sherri’s hair into a hammerlock which Sherri counters which Moolah counters into a snapmare. Moolah chokes away at Sherri in the corner, but Sherri escapes and sends Moolah into the top turnbuckle and covers for two. Moolah comes back and works the arm, stomps at Sherri, chokes her some more then drops her across the top rope. Moolah makes it back onto the apron where Sherri slingshots her back in. Moolah fires back with a right and sends Sherri awkwardly into the corner. Martel is sent again so Martel hops on the ropes, maybe for a spot, but blows it. So Moolah dumps Sherri to the outside. Sherri pulls Moolah out and bodyslams her on the concrete floor. Moolah comes back and reciprocates, then pulls Sherri back into the ring where she tosses her out to the other side. Sherri makes it to the apron and Moolah tries to slam her back into the ring, but Sherri rolls through it for the pinfall and the title at 10:07. This was really boring, though I am surprised they gave these girls 10 minutes to work with. *.
-Bob Orton & Adrian Adonis vs. Midnight Rockers(c) for the AWA Titles-
This is an AWA match from February 20th, 1988. Adrian is quite portly here, much heaver than his tag-teaming days with Ventura and after he left the WWE. Jannetty gets an early dropkick and Michaels gets a not as early atomic drop as the Rockers work a side headlock on Orton. Adonis comes in and is head-scissored down while he’s still holding the side headlock. Adonis tries a double-team by holding Jannetty only to eat the high knee of Orton. That’s not the only thing he’s been eating apparently. Michaels is caught in a backbreaker over Orton’s knee, and he holds him there while Adonis comes in with a leg drop. Adonis follows with a bulldog. Orton comes in with a double underhook suplex for two. The heels do a good job of cutting the ring in half, including an Orton slingshot right into an Adonis clothesline. Adonis tries for a splash but it hits the knees of Michaels. So Orton comes in with a knee from the top rope and drops a forearm. He covers but Jannetty breaks up that pin. Adonis connects with a running powerslam for two. Michaels makes the tag but the referee doesn’t see it so Jannetty argues only to have Michaels tossed to the outside where the double-teaming continues. Michaels ducks a splash in the corner and bodyslams Adonis, but doesn’t go to tag and tries a splash, which misses. Orton comes in with a vicious neckbreaker and a fistdrop for two. Michaels reverses an Irish Whip to the corner and finally makes the hot tag. Jannetty comes in and tosses Adonis to the corner, then Orton, then he sends Adonis into Orton. Adonis looks to have hurt his leg as he can’t run now. Jannetty snapmares Adonis and covers but Orton pulls him to the outside. They brawl on the outside and the bell rings at 15:51, signaling the double count-out. The Rockers bring Orton back in and double super-kick him. This match would’ve been awesome with an actual finish, but there was none. The heels did a great job of pounding on Michaels and kept it interesting during the face in peril process. I don’t think the injury to Adonis changed the finish at all. This was an excellent tag formula match. ***.
-Jerry Lawler vs. Samoan Joe-
This is an AWA match from February 27th, 1988. Joe corners Lawler and Lawler punches his way out. Joe is knocked down with a shoulderblock and he works him over with an elbow drop and a reverse chinlock. He goes to work on the leg only to have Samoan Joe headbutt his way back into the match. Lawler comes back with a bodyslam and fistdrop from the second rope finishes this at 5:07. This was a decent squash. *.
-Verne Gagne & Butcher Vachon vs. Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy & Jerry Blackwell-
This is an AWA match-up from October 1st, 1988. I just finished the AWA DVD review and I am surprised there was no Mad Dog match. This is another JIP classic. I guess no full match footage exists of 90% of the AWA matches? Mad Dog and Kaissy start this off and quickly brawl to the outside. Mad Dog gets hit with a microphone and is busted open. A chair gets involved as we go to black and white when we see Vachon. Is this the WWE’s work or part of the original AWA show. I would hate to see censoring like this on the WWE’s part. It seems random, too. Some close-ups you see the blood, others are in B&W. Blackwell comes in with a powerslam for two and Kaissy comes back in and puts on an abdominal stretch. Verne comes in with a dropkick on Blackwell only to get powerslammed for two. Blackwell misses a blind charge and Gagne puts on the sleeper. Kaissy tries to interfere but Vachon wards him off, then uses Kaissy’s cast to smash it into the head of Blackwell. Gagne now works on Kaissy and unwraps his cast as Kaissy is tossed to the apron. Mad Dog uses a chair on Blackwell outside and Gagne bodyslams Kaissy for two. Gagne works the arm of Kaissy, who is cut open now. A knee drop from the second rope onto the arm is enough for the pinfall at 7:28 (shown). I thought this was a wildly entertaining brawl and I would’ve liked to have seen the whole thing, actually. **1/4.
-Big John Studd vs. Akeem-
This is an MSG match from February 20th, 1989. I am not anticipating good things from this match. Akeem has Slick in his corner and we have Lord Alfred Hayes calling the action with someone whose voice I can’t recognize. Akeem ducks what could loosely be called a clothesline about 4 minutes in and is then sent into the corner. Studd throws in an armdrag but telegraphs a back drop and Akeem clubs away. Akeem tries a bodyslam but he can’t lift the Big one. So he punches him down and drops the leg. He tries a bodyslam again but this Studd falls on top of him for two. Studd clotheslines Akeem to the outside and they brawl, ending with a double count-out at 7:51. Studd says that he didn’t come here to get counted out but to win. Studd says he can bodyslam Akeem so Akeem makes his way to the apron, is dragged in and is then bodyslammed. This was a waste of time. ½*.
-Paul Orndorff vs. The Barbarian-
This is from WCW Saturday Night dated January 30th, 1993. This is an odd choice for an Orndorff match to be put on here. An Orndorff piledriver to Barbarian on the concrete floor after Barbarian was fired from Race’s family set this up. Orndorff attacks Barbarian from behind but Barbarian has none of that and clotheslines Orndorff in the corner. The video for this isn’t too great. WWE stuff from ten years before this looks great, but this look really crappy for some reason. The arena is also really dark. Barbarian bodyslams Orndorff outside and drops some elbows. They make it back to the ring with Orndorff slugging away. He misses a dropkick and Barbarian takes advantage. Barbarian hits the running powerslam but Orndorff’s feet make the ropes. Barbarian thinks that he’s won (what an idiot) allowing Orndorff to German suplex Barbarian for the pinfall at 5:14. Well, Barbarian was never portrayed as a genius in the ring. *.
-Ric Flair(c) vs. Ricky Steamboat for the WCW Title-
This is their WCW Saturday Night showdown from May 14th, 1994. Steamboat is announced as hailing from Charlotte, NC. Ricky has his silly Dragon wings that he used in the WWE on. Flair was only an 11-time champ by this point. They start off trading side headlock pinfall combinations and Steamboat goes right to work on the arm. Flair breaks out of it but runs into a press slam. Steamboat liked it so much he did it again and Flair rolls to the apron. Steamboat suplexes him back in and covers for two. Steamboat goes back to the arm and arm drags Flair when he tries to break. Flair pushes him to the corner where a slap fest ensues. Steamboat back drops Flair after a whip to the corner and Flair begs off then bails to the outside. He comes back in and gets a right to the gut of Steamboat then unloads on him in the corner with uppercuts. We take a quick break and return with Steamboat at ringside and Flair in the ring. Flair brings him back in and covers multiple times for two. Flair slugs him down again and tries more covers but can only get two from the ref, even with Flair using the ropes! Steamboat starts coming back with chops and backdrops Flair coming out of the corner. Steamboat misses a dropkick so Flair tries an elbow drop, which he misses. Steamboat tries a bodyslam but Flair falls on top of him for two. Steamboat ends up on the apron and sunset flips in for two. He bodyslams Flair for two. A blind charge misses and Flair rolls him up for two. Flair heads upstairs but is crotched and super-plexed off for two. Flair comes back with a pin using the ropes for two, which Steamboat reverses for two, leading to Flair chopping down Steamboat. Flair drops a second rope knee and locks on a sleeper hold.
Steamboat fights back to his feet and charges into the corner, ducking out in time for Flair to hit headfirst on the top turnbuckle. Steamboat chops away as we take another commercial break. We come back with Steamboat getting dumped to the outside, running back in and exchanging chops with Flair. Flair is flipped over onto the apron courtesy of the corner and is then chopped to the outside as he runs. Steamboat with a springboard knife chop from the top misses but he comes back with a suplex to Flair on the outside. Flair suplexes Steamboat in from the apron but misses a knee drop and Steamboat grabs one of Flair’s legs, goes outside, and posts the leg. Steamboat locks Flair in the figure-four, using Flair’s own move against him. Flair avoids some pinfall attempts while in the figure-four and finally makes the ropes, but the ref kicks his hand off the ropes, drawing criticism from Heenan (When quarterbacks run to the sideline the refs to throw them back in!). He makes it again and Steamboat has to break. Steamboat wisely keeps on the leg and tries another figure four, but Flair kicks out of it. Steamboat chops away and Flair just collapses in the corner. Steamboat gets a series pinfall attempts but no three count. We take another break and return to Steamboat missing a splash off the top rope, landing flush on his knee. Flair stomps on Steamboat but buggers up his knees in the process. Flair is all right and suplexes Steamboat, selling his knee again. Flair hits a knee crusher and drags Steamboat to the middle of the ring for a figure four, using the ropes for leverage. The ref eventually catches on, but it seems the damage is done.
Flair tries another knee crusher but Steamboat fights it of and responds with an enzuigiri. Flair goes upstairs and is pressed off. Steamboat is drenched with sweat and I love how these guys always gave it their all against each other. Flair is sent to the corner and flips over and runs on the apron, this time ducking the chop and going to the top. He tries for an axe-handle from the top but gets punched in the gut instead. Steamboat charges Flair who stun guns Steamboat on the top rope. It looks like he was supposed to back drop but messed it up. Flair tries for an atomic drop but Steamboat flips out of it and puts on his own sleeper. Flair back suplexes out of it then takes down Steamboat with a side headlock for two. They do a bridge sequence that ends with Steamboat setting up Flair on the second rope. He follows with a top rope superplex and covers but Flair’s foot makes the rope. Steamboat tries a slingshot sit-down on it, but Flair moves his leg out of the way. Flair is sent to the corner and Steamboat back suplexes Flair for two. Steamboat goes upstairs and hits the chop from the top for two. Steamboat does it again but it’s the same result. Steamboat press slams Flair and goes upstairs again and hits a crossbody but he takes out the referee as well and he can’t count the pinfall. Steamboat attends to the ref as Flair rolls him up for two. Flair tries a bodyslam that Steamboat turns into a small package for two. Steamboat with another roll-up for two. Flair shoulderblocks Steamboat down then stomps him in the face. Flair gets an awkward roll-up for two. Steamboat tries to leapfrog Flair but Flair headbutts Steamboat down low and he covers for the pin and the victory at 36:41. Besides the out of nowhere ending, this was a really good match. It isn’t up to their 1989 quality but it was damn close. There were a few awkward spots towards the end of the match and it started off a bit slow, but this is another classic from these two. ****1/4.
-Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko in a 2/3 Falls Match-
This is from an ECW encounter from August 26th, 1995. This is their last match with ECW as they both headed to WCW after this. Joey Styles explains that to the audience and they are less than pleased with WCW.
==First Fall==
A handshake starts this and the fans chant “Please Don’t Go.” Malenko takes down Guerrero and is headscissored out to the first standoff of the night. Malenko trips up Guerrero for one. Guerrero takes Malenko down and is monkeyflipped by Malenko but lands on his feet. Malenko goes for the legs but Guerrero evades and does a springboard bulldog takeover (which was messed up a bit) and works the arm. He does the springboard wristlock takeover as they face off again. Guerrero gets a rock bottom then a fisherman’s suplex into a cradle for two. Malenko gets an interesting bow and arrow cover for two, then an STFU submission. Guerrero makes the ropes. Guerrero dumps Malenko to the outside and he regroups. A belly to belly overheard release suplex gets two for Eddie. An enzuigiri also gets two. Eddie sets up Malenko for a superplex and hits it, covering for two. Tilt-a-whirl backbreak gets two. Malenko tries a roll-up but Guerrero reverses that to a schoolboy for the first pinfall at 10:31.
==Second Fall==
Malenko starts off by dropkicking the knee of Guerrero, but Guerrero comes back with a German Suplex for two. Malenko goes back to working the leg and puts the Texas Cloverleaf on Guerrero to get the submission at 13:02.
==Final Fall==
Guerrero goes right at Malenko only to get whipped into the corner and a clothesline immediately following that. A brainbuster gets two Malenko. He dropkicks Malenko and Tigerbombs him for two. Guerrero comes back with a swinging DDT off the top rope for two. Guerrero gets a brainbuster of his own and a frog splash follows for two. Guerrero follows with a hurricanrana for two. Guerrero goes upstairs but is caught which Guerrero turns into a sunset flip for two. Guerrero tries for another swinging DDT but Malenko has the counter this time and he tosses him off. Malenko does a press-slam into a rib-breaker for two. Malenko does a roll-up with a bridge and covers for three but his shoulders are down, too and it’s a draw at 18:29. That was a cheap ending, but I guess neither guy wanted to do the job on their last night. Both guys get on the mic to say something to the crowd before they leave. Blah blah blah, we liked ECW, goodbye. It was a decent match, nothing that is as legendary as some in the ECW circles would have you believe, though. ***1/2.
-Sabu vs. JL-
This is from Halloween Havoc, first airing on October 29th, 1995. This is just the ending of the match, with Sabu hitting a somersault springboard moonsault and the two brawling on the outside and hitting WWE Hall of Famer, The Sheik, instead. They come back in and Sabu misses a moonsault. JL hits one of his own for two. A sitdown powerbomb gets two. Slingshot somersault legdrop for Sabu gets two. He goes back upstairs but JL catches him and German suplexes him off for two. JL goes upstairs but is sunset flipped off for two. Sabu goes up top now and JL dropkicks him to the outside. Sabu comes back in and does his split legged moonsault for the pin. No rating because it was clipped, though it was the standard ECW-ish spot-fest with no psychology or storyline and this was in here only because of Sheik’s involvement.
-Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Jake Robert-
This is the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, held on June 23rd, 1996.
==Taken from my WWE: Jake Roberts DVD Review==
This was a career defining moment for Austin. Jake had injured his ribs earlier in the night and he has them taped up. Austin attacks the ribs of Jake right away and Roberts is in bad shape. Jake tries to fight back but to no avail. Austin destroys him so badly that Gorilla Monsoon comes down to call off the match. Jake says he won’t give up, allowing Jake to try and fight back and call for the DDT. Austin drives him into the corner and destroys Jake some more before a Stunner finishes things at 4:38. This was just Austin destroying Roberts for 4 minutes. To add to the awesomeness, we get the Austin promo that followed this that led to millions of dollars of merchandise sales. *.
-Wrestlemania XIV – Pete Rose’s WM Moment-
This is from Wrestlemania XIV, held on April 29th, 1998. Pete Rose is introduced as a future Hall-of-Famer. They were right, it just wasn’t the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose immediately plays the heel by mentioning the 1975 World Series where the Reds beat the Red Sox and says they can’t win a World Series and name-drops Bucky Dent. He introduces Kane who comes in and tombstones Rose to a huge pop.
-The Bottom Line- I had intended to do ALL the matches but that is just way too much. I couldn’t even finish the last week since it was only posted for a few days before the May features started. So there were some cool matches I couldn’t fit in here, including a couple of Flair title matches. So I am going to post this as is, and if I do add anything to it (which I doubt), it will be here.
I still plan on doing these reviews but instead of reviewing EVERYTHING, I will focus only on matches I haven’t seen before, or haven’t seen in a long time. I won’t do every match, since if there is one I’m not really interested in I won’t waste my time watching it. I just don’t have the time to do all of the Legacy stuff, my other DVD reviews, the comic reviews, and fitting work into all of this, too. I will stay away from the silly TV show segments, too. One thing I will keep up is the Superstars reviews and even though I am a few weeks behind on that, I will catch up and keep those going. What I love about Legacy is the wide range of matches on here. There is really something for everyone. For only $40.00 a year it is really worth it.
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