The Meltzer 4+-Star Match Review Thread
07-27-2015
, 04:14 PM
07-27-2015
, 06:30 PM
07-28-2015
, 10:05 PM
08-01-2015
, 01:58 PM
Royal Rumble '93: Intercontinental Title - Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Marty Jannetty
Date: January 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345323
Background: Jannetty and Michaels were tag team partners as The Rockers, had a nice run of about three years until they got in an altercation on Superstars in early 1992 where Michaels superkicked Jannetty and then Jannetty dived through a nearby plate glass window trying to escape.
Michaels had gone on to win the IC Title later in 1992, after which Jannetty made a surprise return to attack his former partner. That brings us to here. I really don't remember this match even though I vaguely remember this feud happening. Also, Sensational Sherri had been put out with an injury when Jannetty swung a mirror at Michaels and Michaels pulled Sherri in the way.
The Match: Sherri made her return here, coming out first to no music with nobody knowing whose corner she would be in. Gorilla and Bobby on the call. Marty Jannetty wears a truly absurd outfit to the ring that would probably even make Max Moon blush. Michaels enters, and actually invites Sherri into the ring, but she just glares through him.
Michaels arrogantly goads Jannetty at the opening bell and gets clocked for his efforts. He leads Marty on a chase around the ring, back inside and whips him into the ropes, but drops his head and takes a facebuster. Jannetty continues a flurry of offense, whipping Michaels into his flip onto the top rope, then kicking him out of the ring after he lands. Slingshots him back in, then clotheslines him back out on the other side. Jannetty in full control early.
As HBK tries to recover, Marty gets a running start and hits him with the slowest-looking tope I've ever seen through the middle ropes to the floor. Jannetty up to the apron, and a flying punch from there clobbers Michaels as Michaels regains his feet. Tries to follow with a similar spot as he goes all the way up to the top, but on his way to the floor Michaels hits him and puts him down. The IC Champ picks his former partner up over his shoulder and rams him shoulder-first into the post. And another post job on Jannetty's shoulder follows.
HBK returns the action to the ring and executes a shoulderbreaker on the bad shoulder, then rains right hands on that same shoulder. Gorilla brings up what I was just wondering about: this shoulder that Michaels is working is the left shoulder, and Jannetty isn't left-handed, so WTF at this focus. Kind of funny that Gorilla buried the psychology like that though. Marty attempts to get a breather and escape up the ramp, possibly mistaking it for a plate glass window, but Michaels chases him down and ambushes him with a running axhandle to continue taking the fight to him.
Bodyslam on the floor by Michaels. Jannetty clutches at his bad shoulder, agonizing but eventually returning to the ring. Arm-wringer and an elbow to the bad arm, followed by a smash of that shoulder into a corner. The champ goes up top and hammers an axhandle home to the same focal point, which he then applies a hammerlock to. But seriously though, Marty's finisher was a fistdrop off the top or something, right? He didn't do it with his left fist. Whatever, I guess. Heenan: "What I would do at this point would be to take him outside and piledrive him on the steel steps. You bust his head open and you break both shoulders. Good amateur move."
As Shawn wrenches the arm, Jannetty taps out hard, but we're still in the pre-tapout era so the match continues. Jannetty fights his way back up to a vertical base, but Michaels gets a running start and latches on for an armbreaker that gets a two-count. Possibly the first pin attempt of the match? Scoop slam by the champ, who climbs to the second rope but wastes too much time and takes a boot to the face once he finally jumps.
Michaels still makes it up first and sends the challenger into the corner, but misses on a corner charge and actually rams his own shoulder into the post this time. Both slow to regain their feet; once they do, they trade right hands, an exchange that Jannetty gets the better of when he takes a running start with one. His advantage doesn't last however, as he charges again and Michaels just drops down and pulls him through the ropes to the floor.
The champ attempts to suplex Jannetty back inside, but Jannetty blocks and suplexes Michaels to the floor. Sherri, who had remained stoic up to this point, sees an opening as the referee was distracted by Jannetty and slaps the hell out of Shawn. Heenan wails about Sherri being a backstabber.
Marty back suplexes Michaels into the ring. Sends him into the corner, and Michaels flips up over the corner and falls to the floor. Jannetty follows him out and slams him into the steel steps. Marty up to the top rope for his fist drop, Michaels moves but Jannetty sees it and lands on his feet. DDT gets two and a fairly believable near-fall. Superkick by Michaels misses, Marty hits him with a superkick of his own. Two. Slingshot by Jannetty sends Michaels careening into the corner; catches him in a pinning combo on the way back. Two. This sequence rocks.
Michaels rares back for a right hand, and catches the referee on the way back. Ref bump. Full nelson by Jannetty as Sherri comes into the ring. He's going to hold Michaels up while Sherri clocks him with her shoe. This should go well. Predictably, Shawn ducks, Sherri hits Jannetty and knocks him cold. Shawn points the finger and puts the badmouth on Sherri as he corners her. After some nasty words, he returns to work on Marty, picks him up and superkicks him as the ref comes to, and we get our three-count as a terribly upset Sherri runs back to the locker room.
Mean Gene tries to settle Sherri down, Michaels goes back after her, Marty jumps him back there and they brawl a bit before separating.
Result: Shawn Michaels via pinfall (14:20)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: For much of this match, it really wasn't doing much for me; the story of Michaels fixating on Jannetty's left arm just wasn't very compelling, even if it told a consistent story and Jannetty sold it well. The match was salvaged a bit late with a great sequence of near-falls, but then the ending was pretty stupid too. Decent overall, but nowhere near four stars. ***
Date: January 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345323
Background: Jannetty and Michaels were tag team partners as The Rockers, had a nice run of about three years until they got in an altercation on Superstars in early 1992 where Michaels superkicked Jannetty and then Jannetty dived through a nearby plate glass window trying to escape.
Michaels had gone on to win the IC Title later in 1992, after which Jannetty made a surprise return to attack his former partner. That brings us to here. I really don't remember this match even though I vaguely remember this feud happening. Also, Sensational Sherri had been put out with an injury when Jannetty swung a mirror at Michaels and Michaels pulled Sherri in the way.
The Match: Sherri made her return here, coming out first to no music with nobody knowing whose corner she would be in. Gorilla and Bobby on the call. Marty Jannetty wears a truly absurd outfit to the ring that would probably even make Max Moon blush. Michaels enters, and actually invites Sherri into the ring, but she just glares through him.
Michaels arrogantly goads Jannetty at the opening bell and gets clocked for his efforts. He leads Marty on a chase around the ring, back inside and whips him into the ropes, but drops his head and takes a facebuster. Jannetty continues a flurry of offense, whipping Michaels into his flip onto the top rope, then kicking him out of the ring after he lands. Slingshots him back in, then clotheslines him back out on the other side. Jannetty in full control early.
As HBK tries to recover, Marty gets a running start and hits him with the slowest-looking tope I've ever seen through the middle ropes to the floor. Jannetty up to the apron, and a flying punch from there clobbers Michaels as Michaels regains his feet. Tries to follow with a similar spot as he goes all the way up to the top, but on his way to the floor Michaels hits him and puts him down. The IC Champ picks his former partner up over his shoulder and rams him shoulder-first into the post. And another post job on Jannetty's shoulder follows.
HBK returns the action to the ring and executes a shoulderbreaker on the bad shoulder, then rains right hands on that same shoulder. Gorilla brings up what I was just wondering about: this shoulder that Michaels is working is the left shoulder, and Jannetty isn't left-handed, so WTF at this focus. Kind of funny that Gorilla buried the psychology like that though. Marty attempts to get a breather and escape up the ramp, possibly mistaking it for a plate glass window, but Michaels chases him down and ambushes him with a running axhandle to continue taking the fight to him.
Bodyslam on the floor by Michaels. Jannetty clutches at his bad shoulder, agonizing but eventually returning to the ring. Arm-wringer and an elbow to the bad arm, followed by a smash of that shoulder into a corner. The champ goes up top and hammers an axhandle home to the same focal point, which he then applies a hammerlock to. But seriously though, Marty's finisher was a fistdrop off the top or something, right? He didn't do it with his left fist. Whatever, I guess. Heenan: "What I would do at this point would be to take him outside and piledrive him on the steel steps. You bust his head open and you break both shoulders. Good amateur move."
As Shawn wrenches the arm, Jannetty taps out hard, but we're still in the pre-tapout era so the match continues. Jannetty fights his way back up to a vertical base, but Michaels gets a running start and latches on for an armbreaker that gets a two-count. Possibly the first pin attempt of the match? Scoop slam by the champ, who climbs to the second rope but wastes too much time and takes a boot to the face once he finally jumps.
Michaels still makes it up first and sends the challenger into the corner, but misses on a corner charge and actually rams his own shoulder into the post this time. Both slow to regain their feet; once they do, they trade right hands, an exchange that Jannetty gets the better of when he takes a running start with one. His advantage doesn't last however, as he charges again and Michaels just drops down and pulls him through the ropes to the floor.
The champ attempts to suplex Jannetty back inside, but Jannetty blocks and suplexes Michaels to the floor. Sherri, who had remained stoic up to this point, sees an opening as the referee was distracted by Jannetty and slaps the hell out of Shawn. Heenan wails about Sherri being a backstabber.
Marty back suplexes Michaels into the ring. Sends him into the corner, and Michaels flips up over the corner and falls to the floor. Jannetty follows him out and slams him into the steel steps. Marty up to the top rope for his fist drop, Michaels moves but Jannetty sees it and lands on his feet. DDT gets two and a fairly believable near-fall. Superkick by Michaels misses, Marty hits him with a superkick of his own. Two. Slingshot by Jannetty sends Michaels careening into the corner; catches him in a pinning combo on the way back. Two. This sequence rocks.
Michaels rares back for a right hand, and catches the referee on the way back. Ref bump. Full nelson by Jannetty as Sherri comes into the ring. He's going to hold Michaels up while Sherri clocks him with her shoe. This should go well. Predictably, Shawn ducks, Sherri hits Jannetty and knocks him cold. Shawn points the finger and puts the badmouth on Sherri as he corners her. After some nasty words, he returns to work on Marty, picks him up and superkicks him as the ref comes to, and we get our three-count as a terribly upset Sherri runs back to the locker room.
Mean Gene tries to settle Sherri down, Michaels goes back after her, Marty jumps him back there and they brawl a bit before separating.
Result: Shawn Michaels via pinfall (14:20)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: For much of this match, it really wasn't doing much for me; the story of Michaels fixating on Jannetty's left arm just wasn't very compelling, even if it told a consistent story and Jannetty sold it well. The match was salvaged a bit late with a great sequence of near-falls, but then the ending was pretty stupid too. Decent overall, but nowhere near four stars. ***
08-01-2015
, 03:21 PM
RAW: Loser Leaves Town - Ric Flair vs. Mr. Perfect
Date: January 25, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31307261
Background: Flair and Perfect were on-screen allies from the point Flair arrived in the WWF in late 1991. However, they had a falling out in late 1992 when Randy Savage actually convinced Perfect to defect to his side to take on Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series. The feud between the two kept on escalating until this match was signed as the final blow-off for someone's WWF career (for nearly a decade anyway).
The Match: Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan on the call. And…Rob Bartlett. Heenan leaves the broadcast table briefly before the match to wish Flair the best in the match. Earl Hebner is the third man in the ring.
Perfect and Flair stare each other down, both tentative to make the first move. Flair offers a test of strength, but they don't fully lock. Full lock-up, Flair works Perfect into the corner and Perfect delivers several insulting slaps to the face of Flair. Flair keeps his cool and locks back up normally. Running the ropes, Flair delivers a shoulderblock, but Perfect sidesteps and executes a drop toehold, then circles Flair taunting him as a rustled Flair rolls out to regroup and consult a bit with Heenan on the floor.
Match resets, Flair with a hammerlock, reversed by Perfect, re-reversed, hold and counterhold until Perfect regains a hammerlock. Back elbow by Flair gets him free, followed by a couple of hard chops. Perfect turns Flair back around against the corner and delivers his own series of chops to cause Flair to take the face-first flop.
After some more jostling, Flair works Perfect into the corner and connects on some closed fists, but again Perfect is able to seize Flair and turn him into the corner to take some counter-punishment. Eye gouge by Flair is followed by a hard throw over the top rope. He goes to follow with a chair shot, but Earl Hebner races outside to grab the chair out of Flair's hands as Raw goes to commercial.
Back from commercial, Flair puts the boots to Perfect. Whips Perfect into the corner, sending him flipping up over the corner, hitting head-first on the ringpost and falling to the floor. We stall a bit in the ring so that Perfect can slice his own head open, and he gets back up bleeding. Flair pulls him back into the ring and works him over in the corner with a series of punches. Hard whip into the opposite corner with an impact that puts Hennig down. Two-count.
Flair again gets back into a punching/chopping contest with Perfect that enables Perfect to get some momentum back. Hard running clothesline by Perfect, who rolls through into a pinning combo for two. Flair back up first and goes for a punch on Perfect, but Perfect catches him and reverses into a backslide for two. Perfect whips Flair into the corner and backdrops him on the way back out. Hard right by Perfect, then a series of rights as he stands up on the second rope and rains fists down on Flair.
Perfect in the advantage, Flair catches him with a desperation roll-up as Perfect stalks toward him, but only gets two. Flair takes a quick breather, but upon returning to the apron he's greeted by a really hard chop and a suplex back into the middle. Follows with a pin for two. Flair plays possum and suckers Perfect into the corner, where he's waiting with a thumb to the eye.
Nature Boy is back in control, and slaps on the sleeper. Hennig fades hard, but gets his hand up before the third drop and works his way back to a vertical position, then charges toward the corner and lunges through the middle to cause Flair to hit the top buckle and release the hold. Perfect whips Flair into the ropes, botches a Thesz press hard on the way back but sort of naturally transitions it into a reverse chinlock that he holds onto. There's a lot of sloppiness in this match, more of it on Perfect's side than Flair's.
Flair works his way back up to a standing position and back suplexes Hennig out of the hold. Both slow to regain their feet, but Flair gets the advantage and actually wraps Perfect into the figure-four leglock. Flair continually leverages the hold, Earl Hebner keeps missing it, but Hebner eventually catches him and forces a break.
Perfect was in that hold for a decent bit, and is now limping. Flair kicks away at the newly-injured leg, then executes a snapmare. Heads up top, but Perfect catches him and throw him off. Cut to commercial.
Back from the break, both men are hobbled. Flair reaches into his kneepad for a foreign object while Earl Hebner isn't looking, and successfully clocks Perfect with it. Seems to knock him out, but Flair follows up extremely slowly and obviously doesn't get the pinfall because of how long he takes; Perfect gets a foot on the ropes. Flair hammers away at Perfect's open head wound, then sets him up in the corner for a hard chop. Perfect no-sells the chop, then no-sells a few more, getting the patented babyface adrenaline rush.
Perfect follows with a clothesline, then a backdrop, and then…sort of a clothesline. He blatantly misses, but Flair goes down. Again, lots of sloppiness. Hennig sends the Nature Boy into the corner, Naitch manages to flip over and run the apron to the other top rope, but gets hit on the way down from it. Flair throws Perfect into the ropes, drops his head too early as Perfect is coming back, Perfect stops short and hooks in the Perfect-plex, 1-2-3.
Flair heads back to WCW as Bobby Heenan unleashes a tirade that gets bleeped out. And then heads to WCW himself, where their censors weren't always as successful at bleeping him out.
Result: Mr. Perfect via pinfall (17:53)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: When I did the Curt Hennig tribute thread, I found that I was surprised at how much I didn't like this match, since I really remembered it being awesome. I've mostly been copy/pasting reviews from that thread over here when Hennig matches come up, but decided to redo this one because I wanted to believe that I was wrong about it then.
I am here to confirm that I still don't think it's a very good match, and I'm not fully sure what I ever liked that much about it. There's no real story to the match…it's two guys throwing what they can at each other the way you would expect in a brawl, except that it's not a very interesting brawl. Both looked worn out way too early in the match. The crowd really didn't care very much about this match at all, which is never helpful. There was a lot of botches and sloppiness. The ending was really abrupt. The whole thing is a big pile of meh. **1/2
Date: January 25, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31307261
Background: Flair and Perfect were on-screen allies from the point Flair arrived in the WWF in late 1991. However, they had a falling out in late 1992 when Randy Savage actually convinced Perfect to defect to his side to take on Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series. The feud between the two kept on escalating until this match was signed as the final blow-off for someone's WWF career (for nearly a decade anyway).
The Match: Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan on the call. And…Rob Bartlett. Heenan leaves the broadcast table briefly before the match to wish Flair the best in the match. Earl Hebner is the third man in the ring.
Perfect and Flair stare each other down, both tentative to make the first move. Flair offers a test of strength, but they don't fully lock. Full lock-up, Flair works Perfect into the corner and Perfect delivers several insulting slaps to the face of Flair. Flair keeps his cool and locks back up normally. Running the ropes, Flair delivers a shoulderblock, but Perfect sidesteps and executes a drop toehold, then circles Flair taunting him as a rustled Flair rolls out to regroup and consult a bit with Heenan on the floor.
Match resets, Flair with a hammerlock, reversed by Perfect, re-reversed, hold and counterhold until Perfect regains a hammerlock. Back elbow by Flair gets him free, followed by a couple of hard chops. Perfect turns Flair back around against the corner and delivers his own series of chops to cause Flair to take the face-first flop.
After some more jostling, Flair works Perfect into the corner and connects on some closed fists, but again Perfect is able to seize Flair and turn him into the corner to take some counter-punishment. Eye gouge by Flair is followed by a hard throw over the top rope. He goes to follow with a chair shot, but Earl Hebner races outside to grab the chair out of Flair's hands as Raw goes to commercial.
Back from commercial, Flair puts the boots to Perfect. Whips Perfect into the corner, sending him flipping up over the corner, hitting head-first on the ringpost and falling to the floor. We stall a bit in the ring so that Perfect can slice his own head open, and he gets back up bleeding. Flair pulls him back into the ring and works him over in the corner with a series of punches. Hard whip into the opposite corner with an impact that puts Hennig down. Two-count.
Flair again gets back into a punching/chopping contest with Perfect that enables Perfect to get some momentum back. Hard running clothesline by Perfect, who rolls through into a pinning combo for two. Flair back up first and goes for a punch on Perfect, but Perfect catches him and reverses into a backslide for two. Perfect whips Flair into the corner and backdrops him on the way back out. Hard right by Perfect, then a series of rights as he stands up on the second rope and rains fists down on Flair.
Perfect in the advantage, Flair catches him with a desperation roll-up as Perfect stalks toward him, but only gets two. Flair takes a quick breather, but upon returning to the apron he's greeted by a really hard chop and a suplex back into the middle. Follows with a pin for two. Flair plays possum and suckers Perfect into the corner, where he's waiting with a thumb to the eye.
Nature Boy is back in control, and slaps on the sleeper. Hennig fades hard, but gets his hand up before the third drop and works his way back to a vertical position, then charges toward the corner and lunges through the middle to cause Flair to hit the top buckle and release the hold. Perfect whips Flair into the ropes, botches a Thesz press hard on the way back but sort of naturally transitions it into a reverse chinlock that he holds onto. There's a lot of sloppiness in this match, more of it on Perfect's side than Flair's.
Flair works his way back up to a standing position and back suplexes Hennig out of the hold. Both slow to regain their feet, but Flair gets the advantage and actually wraps Perfect into the figure-four leglock. Flair continually leverages the hold, Earl Hebner keeps missing it, but Hebner eventually catches him and forces a break.
Perfect was in that hold for a decent bit, and is now limping. Flair kicks away at the newly-injured leg, then executes a snapmare. Heads up top, but Perfect catches him and throw him off. Cut to commercial.
Back from the break, both men are hobbled. Flair reaches into his kneepad for a foreign object while Earl Hebner isn't looking, and successfully clocks Perfect with it. Seems to knock him out, but Flair follows up extremely slowly and obviously doesn't get the pinfall because of how long he takes; Perfect gets a foot on the ropes. Flair hammers away at Perfect's open head wound, then sets him up in the corner for a hard chop. Perfect no-sells the chop, then no-sells a few more, getting the patented babyface adrenaline rush.
Perfect follows with a clothesline, then a backdrop, and then…sort of a clothesline. He blatantly misses, but Flair goes down. Again, lots of sloppiness. Hennig sends the Nature Boy into the corner, Naitch manages to flip over and run the apron to the other top rope, but gets hit on the way down from it. Flair throws Perfect into the ropes, drops his head too early as Perfect is coming back, Perfect stops short and hooks in the Perfect-plex, 1-2-3.
Flair heads back to WCW as Bobby Heenan unleashes a tirade that gets bleeped out. And then heads to WCW himself, where their censors weren't always as successful at bleeping him out.
Result: Mr. Perfect via pinfall (17:53)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: When I did the Curt Hennig tribute thread, I found that I was surprised at how much I didn't like this match, since I really remembered it being awesome. I've mostly been copy/pasting reviews from that thread over here when Hennig matches come up, but decided to redo this one because I wanted to believe that I was wrong about it then.
I am here to confirm that I still don't think it's a very good match, and I'm not fully sure what I ever liked that much about it. There's no real story to the match…it's two guys throwing what they can at each other the way you would expect in a brawl, except that it's not a very interesting brawl. Both looked worn out way too early in the match. The crowd really didn't care very much about this match at all, which is never helpful. There was a lot of botches and sloppiness. The ending was really abrupt. The whole thing is a big pile of meh. **1/2
08-03-2015
, 07:09 PM
08-08-2015
, 09:51 AM
08-08-2015
, 11:38 AM
08-08-2015
, 11:42 AM
08-08-2015
, 11:49 AM
SuperBrawl III: Falls Count Anywhere - Cactus Jack vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: I don't know. Given the stipulation I would think that there was one, but Orndorff's pre-match promo got interrupted so I didn't get the story.
The Match: Paul Orndorff is cutting a top-of-the-ramp interview with Eric Bischoff when Cactus Jack suddenly appears in the shot wielding a shovel and charging Orndorff with it. The ring announcer just sort of breaks into a quick announcement as Cactus keeps charging Orndorff toward the ring, and we're off.
Orndorff dodges the various shovel shots, referee Randy Anderson gets into the fray and pulls the shovel away from Cactus, and during the distraction Orndorff gets a shot in and manages to get on offense, hammering away on the floor outside the ring.
Mr. Wonderful slams Cactus against the steel barricade, then chokes away at him with an electrical cord outside. And another smash into the barricade. Cactus blocks the next attempt to smash him into the steel, and delivers some of Orndorff's own medicine as Onrdorff now gets slammed into the steel a couple of times.
Cactus picks part of the blue mat on the floor out of the way and exposes the concrete floor. Slams Orndorff on it, then delivers a running elbow drop. Two-count. Jack back up to the apron, actually to the second turnbuckle, and he executes a partially-botched sunset flip from there. Brutal back bump; the botch was that he didn't pull Orndorff over with him, and Orndorff just sort of sold it on a delay. Hate to see Foley take that kind of bump and not even get the spot off properly over it.
The action finally goes into the ring for the first time, as Orndorff tosses Foley in. Whips him into the ropes and hits him with a clothesline on the way back. Works him over a bit more, then dumps the future hardcore legend through the middle rope.
Mr. Wonderful connects with an elbow to a standing Cactus's arm on the floor, then continues the assault, brawling up the ramp and then executing a hard whip toward the corner of the barricade that actually sends Foley sprawling over top of basically two sides of it. That looked cool.
Orndorff keeps after him, delivering a right hand, but Cactus is more than ready to go blow-for-blow, raining his own right hands back at Orndorff and actually getting the better of him. Cactus sends him over the barricade, but doesn't maintain full control as Orndorff connects on a hard right of his own on the other side, then suplexes Foley back-first into the barricade. That spot was better in theory than how it actually looked. Still, Orndorff continues to bring the pain, slamming Cactus multiple times head-first into the bottom of the steel rail.
Orndorff grabs Foley by the neck and walks him back to the ring, continuing to intersperse right hands the whole time. Again they end up back in the ring, with Orndorff landing an elbow drop to his standing opponent. Orndorff rips away at Cactus's knee brace, eventually removing it. Figure-four leglock. Tony Schiavone comments that Ric Flair returned to the company tonight, and this was the first figure-four we'd seen in a while. Orndorff grabs the ropes for leverage, and in a no DQ match Randy Anderson tells him to break. Jesse Ventura calls this idiocy out, but even dumber is the fact that Orndorff agrees and breaks it. Foley sits up and connects on a few right hands to get himself free. Both back up to a vertical base, and Orndorff clotheslines Foley over the top to the floor.
Mr. Wonderful takes Foley's now braceless leg, drags him over toward a spot of exposed concrete, and slams that bad knee into it twice. Solid attention to psychology right there. Orndorff sends Foley head-first into the concrete as well. And a face-first slam into the apron. Orndorff re-enters the ring and lies in wait as Foley tries to climb back in himself, but then gets a running start and clobbers Foley with the knee brace and knocks him back to the floor.
As Foley returns to the ring, Orndorff gets a steel chair and waffles Foley's bad leg with it repeatedly. Mr. Wonderful starts showboating and signals repeatedly like he's going to piledrive Foley. He takes a ridiculous amount of time doing this, enabling Foley to recover, pick up the shovel he started the match with, and to hammer Orndorff in the head with it (fairly softly) for the 1-2-3.
Result: Cactus Jack via pinfall (12:17)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: Well, I don't know. There was some nice bumping by Foley because of course there was, but the brawling was fairly repetitious overall until we got to the late parts of the match when something of a story actually developed, with the leg work. But then that culminated in Paul Orndorff, who had been uber-focused up to that point in the match, just randomly giving the match away for a really lame ending. I don't know; it wasn't without its charms, but I'm not a big fan of this one. **3/4
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: I don't know. Given the stipulation I would think that there was one, but Orndorff's pre-match promo got interrupted so I didn't get the story.
The Match: Paul Orndorff is cutting a top-of-the-ramp interview with Eric Bischoff when Cactus Jack suddenly appears in the shot wielding a shovel and charging Orndorff with it. The ring announcer just sort of breaks into a quick announcement as Cactus keeps charging Orndorff toward the ring, and we're off.
Orndorff dodges the various shovel shots, referee Randy Anderson gets into the fray and pulls the shovel away from Cactus, and during the distraction Orndorff gets a shot in and manages to get on offense, hammering away on the floor outside the ring.
Mr. Wonderful slams Cactus against the steel barricade, then chokes away at him with an electrical cord outside. And another smash into the barricade. Cactus blocks the next attempt to smash him into the steel, and delivers some of Orndorff's own medicine as Onrdorff now gets slammed into the steel a couple of times.
Cactus picks part of the blue mat on the floor out of the way and exposes the concrete floor. Slams Orndorff on it, then delivers a running elbow drop. Two-count. Jack back up to the apron, actually to the second turnbuckle, and he executes a partially-botched sunset flip from there. Brutal back bump; the botch was that he didn't pull Orndorff over with him, and Orndorff just sort of sold it on a delay. Hate to see Foley take that kind of bump and not even get the spot off properly over it.
The action finally goes into the ring for the first time, as Orndorff tosses Foley in. Whips him into the ropes and hits him with a clothesline on the way back. Works him over a bit more, then dumps the future hardcore legend through the middle rope.
Mr. Wonderful connects with an elbow to a standing Cactus's arm on the floor, then continues the assault, brawling up the ramp and then executing a hard whip toward the corner of the barricade that actually sends Foley sprawling over top of basically two sides of it. That looked cool.
Orndorff keeps after him, delivering a right hand, but Cactus is more than ready to go blow-for-blow, raining his own right hands back at Orndorff and actually getting the better of him. Cactus sends him over the barricade, but doesn't maintain full control as Orndorff connects on a hard right of his own on the other side, then suplexes Foley back-first into the barricade. That spot was better in theory than how it actually looked. Still, Orndorff continues to bring the pain, slamming Cactus multiple times head-first into the bottom of the steel rail.
Orndorff grabs Foley by the neck and walks him back to the ring, continuing to intersperse right hands the whole time. Again they end up back in the ring, with Orndorff landing an elbow drop to his standing opponent. Orndorff rips away at Cactus's knee brace, eventually removing it. Figure-four leglock. Tony Schiavone comments that Ric Flair returned to the company tonight, and this was the first figure-four we'd seen in a while. Orndorff grabs the ropes for leverage, and in a no DQ match Randy Anderson tells him to break. Jesse Ventura calls this idiocy out, but even dumber is the fact that Orndorff agrees and breaks it. Foley sits up and connects on a few right hands to get himself free. Both back up to a vertical base, and Orndorff clotheslines Foley over the top to the floor.
Mr. Wonderful takes Foley's now braceless leg, drags him over toward a spot of exposed concrete, and slams that bad knee into it twice. Solid attention to psychology right there. Orndorff sends Foley head-first into the concrete as well. And a face-first slam into the apron. Orndorff re-enters the ring and lies in wait as Foley tries to climb back in himself, but then gets a running start and clobbers Foley with the knee brace and knocks him back to the floor.
As Foley returns to the ring, Orndorff gets a steel chair and waffles Foley's bad leg with it repeatedly. Mr. Wonderful starts showboating and signals repeatedly like he's going to piledrive Foley. He takes a ridiculous amount of time doing this, enabling Foley to recover, pick up the shovel he started the match with, and to hammer Orndorff in the head with it (fairly softly) for the 1-2-3.
Result: Cactus Jack via pinfall (12:17)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: Well, I don't know. There was some nice bumping by Foley because of course there was, but the brawling was fairly repetitious overall until we got to the late parts of the match when something of a story actually developed, with the leg work. But then that culminated in Paul Orndorff, who had been uber-focused up to that point in the match, just randomly giving the match away for a really lame ending. I don't know; it wasn't without its charms, but I'm not a big fan of this one. **3/4
08-08-2015
, 01:04 PM
SuperBrawl III: The Heavenly Bodies (w/ Jim Cornette and Bobby Eaton) vs. The Rock 'n Roll Express
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: This was the Stan Lane and Tom Pritchard rendition of the Heavenly Bodies, with Bobby Eaton tagging along. Maybe Eaton was hurt? I don't know the full history of this transition, but it seemed like a way of transitioning away from Midnight Express while still capitalizing on their past ongoing feud with the Rock 'n Roll Express. The Heavenly Bodies were competing in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and were here on this show because of a cross-promotional deal.
The Match: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura on the call, Nick Patrick controlling the action. Before the match gets under way, the officials actually get together and force Bobby Eaton to leave the ringside area. After some griping, he leaves, and the match kicks off.
Pritchard vs. Gibson to start. Collar-and-elbow tie-up leads to a rope break in the corner. They wrestle into the corner again, Gibson blocks Pritchard's hip-toss attempt and manages one of his own. He charges Pritchard at the other corner and takes him over with a flying headscissor. Tag to Morton, who enters and promptly executes a hurracanrana on Pritchard. Pritchard tags Stan Lane in.
Morton with an armdrag on Lane. Follows with an armbar, Lane attempts repeatedly to run out of the armbar and into a tag but keeps coming up short; eventually, Pritchard enters on his own, but Morton then causes the two Heavenly Bodies to collide. Pritchard returns to the apron.
Lane lands a martial arts kick to the gut of Morton, then whips Morton toward the opposite corner, but Gibson runs the apron and lays across the rope to block Gibson from getting hurt on the corner. A moment later, they look to do the same spot reversed, with Morton going to whip Lane into the corner and Pritchard going for the block, but Gibson picks Pritchard off in that corner and Morton reverses his momentum and whips Lane into the other.
Pritchard is now laid out in one corner, and Morton whips Lane into that same corner, causing Lane run ass-first into Pritchard. Double-team armdrag by the Rock 'n Rolls on Lane, then a double whip of Pritchard into Lane, who inadvertently backdrops his own partner after ducking. The Heavenly Bodies take a break on the outside after that great sequence.
Lane re-enters and tags Pritchard, and we re-set at Pritchard vs. Morton. The two trade right hands, Morton gets the better of the exchange, executes an atomic drop, and it propels Pritchard into his partner Lane for a hard collision. Morton tags Gibson in, they go for a double-team that Pritchard mostly thwarts; he stopped short of a double backdrop and kicked one of the Express, but Gibson is able to keep some control as a subdued Morton shrugs and returns to the apron.
Enziguiri by Gibson, cover for barely two. Tag back out to Morton; Gibson holds Pritchard and Morton enters with a stiff right to the gut. Morton carelessly lets himself wrestle into the enemy corner, but furiously fights his way back out and we again reset the match. I'm liking a lot of this action, but some of these pacing choices are odd. Morton and Lane run the ropes past each other, Morton baseball slides to the outside of the ring and chases Cornette, Cornette escapes to the ring and gets rammed into by a still-running Stan Lane. I mean…that was a bit contrived.
Gibson rams both Heavenly Bodies' heads together as Morton takes Cornette out. Cornette isn't out for long though, as Morton's attempt to continue on offense leads him to running off the ropes, and Cornette trips him and allows Lane the window to drive a knee into Morton's back. An angry Robert Gibson runs in to protest, but this just causes a referee distraction as Pritchard sets Morton up outside and allows Cornette to hammer Morton with a tennis racket.
Back into the ring, Sweet Stan hangs Morton along the top rope, then connects on a hard running clothesline. Tag back out to Pritchard, who enters with an elbow from the second rope onto Morton's arm. Running kneedrop gets two; tag to Lane, who enters with a swinging neckbreaker. Tag back to Pritchard. Cornette's men both apply a chokehold to Morton simultaneously until Nick Patrick forces Lane to the apron.
Ricky Morton has fallen into face-in-peril status at this point, and Robert Gibson is playing the role of "****ing moron who won't stop losing his temper and running into the ring illegally every two seconds." Frequent tags between the Bodies, who connect on a double-team where Pritchard holds Morton up for a suplex and Lane connects on kind of a running lunge that takes Morton to the mat.
Cornette runs distraction as Morton is able to manage a sunset flip on Lane, but Pritchard is in quickly with a kick to break that up anyway. Naturally Gibson gets all huffy about that as well. Morton fights back with a few right hands, but Pritchard puts him down quickly with a hard sit-out powerbomb that gets two. Tag to Lane, Morton tries to fight him off but Lane is quickly able to muster a powerslam for two. Tag back to Pritchard, the Bodies attempt a double backdrop, but Morton stops short and executes a simultaneous DDT on both men. Finally the hot tag to Gibson.
Gibson fights off both Heavenly Bodies for a bit before the numbers momentarily overwhelm him, but Morton is back in and the Rock 'n Roll Express hit Lane with a double clothesline before hitting Pritchard with a double dropkick. Cornette up on the apron. Gibson slingshots him into the ring, but the distraction allows Pritchard to bulldog Gibson from behind and pin him for longer than three, but Nick Patrick was distracted by the other chaos in the ring.
Morton with an atomic drop on Pritchard, has him covered but again Nick Patrick is distracted, this time by Jim Cornette. During this distraction, Bobby Eaton hits the ring, heads to the top, looks to drop an axhandle on a covering Ricky Morton, but Morton rolls out and Eaton hits Pritchard. Morton clears Eaton out, Gibson hits a running splash on Pritchard, Morton cleans up Stan Lane, and Nick Patrick counts to three.
Result: Rock 'n Roll Express via pinfall (12:52)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: This was very good action with an excellent pace. I thought it had a shot at four stars midway through, but I don't think it quite rises to that level. Still certainly a fun watch. ***1/2
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: This was the Stan Lane and Tom Pritchard rendition of the Heavenly Bodies, with Bobby Eaton tagging along. Maybe Eaton was hurt? I don't know the full history of this transition, but it seemed like a way of transitioning away from Midnight Express while still capitalizing on their past ongoing feud with the Rock 'n Roll Express. The Heavenly Bodies were competing in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and were here on this show because of a cross-promotional deal.
The Match: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura on the call, Nick Patrick controlling the action. Before the match gets under way, the officials actually get together and force Bobby Eaton to leave the ringside area. After some griping, he leaves, and the match kicks off.
Pritchard vs. Gibson to start. Collar-and-elbow tie-up leads to a rope break in the corner. They wrestle into the corner again, Gibson blocks Pritchard's hip-toss attempt and manages one of his own. He charges Pritchard at the other corner and takes him over with a flying headscissor. Tag to Morton, who enters and promptly executes a hurracanrana on Pritchard. Pritchard tags Stan Lane in.
Morton with an armdrag on Lane. Follows with an armbar, Lane attempts repeatedly to run out of the armbar and into a tag but keeps coming up short; eventually, Pritchard enters on his own, but Morton then causes the two Heavenly Bodies to collide. Pritchard returns to the apron.
Lane lands a martial arts kick to the gut of Morton, then whips Morton toward the opposite corner, but Gibson runs the apron and lays across the rope to block Gibson from getting hurt on the corner. A moment later, they look to do the same spot reversed, with Morton going to whip Lane into the corner and Pritchard going for the block, but Gibson picks Pritchard off in that corner and Morton reverses his momentum and whips Lane into the other.
Pritchard is now laid out in one corner, and Morton whips Lane into that same corner, causing Lane run ass-first into Pritchard. Double-team armdrag by the Rock 'n Rolls on Lane, then a double whip of Pritchard into Lane, who inadvertently backdrops his own partner after ducking. The Heavenly Bodies take a break on the outside after that great sequence.
Lane re-enters and tags Pritchard, and we re-set at Pritchard vs. Morton. The two trade right hands, Morton gets the better of the exchange, executes an atomic drop, and it propels Pritchard into his partner Lane for a hard collision. Morton tags Gibson in, they go for a double-team that Pritchard mostly thwarts; he stopped short of a double backdrop and kicked one of the Express, but Gibson is able to keep some control as a subdued Morton shrugs and returns to the apron.
Enziguiri by Gibson, cover for barely two. Tag back out to Morton; Gibson holds Pritchard and Morton enters with a stiff right to the gut. Morton carelessly lets himself wrestle into the enemy corner, but furiously fights his way back out and we again reset the match. I'm liking a lot of this action, but some of these pacing choices are odd. Morton and Lane run the ropes past each other, Morton baseball slides to the outside of the ring and chases Cornette, Cornette escapes to the ring and gets rammed into by a still-running Stan Lane. I mean…that was a bit contrived.
Gibson rams both Heavenly Bodies' heads together as Morton takes Cornette out. Cornette isn't out for long though, as Morton's attempt to continue on offense leads him to running off the ropes, and Cornette trips him and allows Lane the window to drive a knee into Morton's back. An angry Robert Gibson runs in to protest, but this just causes a referee distraction as Pritchard sets Morton up outside and allows Cornette to hammer Morton with a tennis racket.
Back into the ring, Sweet Stan hangs Morton along the top rope, then connects on a hard running clothesline. Tag back out to Pritchard, who enters with an elbow from the second rope onto Morton's arm. Running kneedrop gets two; tag to Lane, who enters with a swinging neckbreaker. Tag back to Pritchard. Cornette's men both apply a chokehold to Morton simultaneously until Nick Patrick forces Lane to the apron.
Ricky Morton has fallen into face-in-peril status at this point, and Robert Gibson is playing the role of "****ing moron who won't stop losing his temper and running into the ring illegally every two seconds." Frequent tags between the Bodies, who connect on a double-team where Pritchard holds Morton up for a suplex and Lane connects on kind of a running lunge that takes Morton to the mat.
Cornette runs distraction as Morton is able to manage a sunset flip on Lane, but Pritchard is in quickly with a kick to break that up anyway. Naturally Gibson gets all huffy about that as well. Morton fights back with a few right hands, but Pritchard puts him down quickly with a hard sit-out powerbomb that gets two. Tag to Lane, Morton tries to fight him off but Lane is quickly able to muster a powerslam for two. Tag back to Pritchard, the Bodies attempt a double backdrop, but Morton stops short and executes a simultaneous DDT on both men. Finally the hot tag to Gibson.
Gibson fights off both Heavenly Bodies for a bit before the numbers momentarily overwhelm him, but Morton is back in and the Rock 'n Roll Express hit Lane with a double clothesline before hitting Pritchard with a double dropkick. Cornette up on the apron. Gibson slingshots him into the ring, but the distraction allows Pritchard to bulldog Gibson from behind and pin him for longer than three, but Nick Patrick was distracted by the other chaos in the ring.
Morton with an atomic drop on Pritchard, has him covered but again Nick Patrick is distracted, this time by Jim Cornette. During this distraction, Bobby Eaton hits the ring, heads to the top, looks to drop an axhandle on a covering Ricky Morton, but Morton rolls out and Eaton hits Pritchard. Morton clears Eaton out, Gibson hits a running splash on Pritchard, Morton cleans up Stan Lane, and Nick Patrick counts to three.
Result: Rock 'n Roll Express via pinfall (12:52)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: This was very good action with an excellent pace. I thought it had a shot at four stars midway through, but I don't think it quite rises to that level. Still certainly a fun watch. ***1/2
08-08-2015
, 01:10 PM
08-08-2015
, 03:42 PM
SuperBrawl III: Strap Match - Vader (w/ Harley Race) vs. Sting
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: Vader was the WCW Champion again by this point, but this was not a title match and was a kayfabe unsanctioned match. I don't even know what they were going for with the "unsanctioned match" business that they would trot out from time to time; it was never believable, even in a world of suspended disbelief.
The Match: Vader walks out rocking some all-white robe with a fur wrap, like a less manly version of what you would see The Barbarian wear in the WWF. It's odd how I start every Vader writeup by criticizing his weird entrance garb, but there we are again. As with the rest of this SuperBrawl, it's Tony and Jesse announcing the match, and Nick Patrick draws main event officiating duty.
The two men get attached to the leather strap, and the bell rings. After some posturing on both sides, Vader pulls on the strap to take Sting down. Back up, they both attempt to get some leverage, but again it's Vader getting the better of the tug-of-war and pulling Stinger down. On the third go, they both pull in toward each other and end up chest-to-chest before separating, but Vader pulls Sting in toward him by the strap and executes a clothesline followed by a pair of elbow drops.
Vader whips Sting on the back with the strap a couple of times, then lays him out horizontally and heads up to the second rope. Big splash on Sting from there. Vader gets a bit too comfortable preening after that, actually turns his back on Sting, and Sting pulls the strap through and crotches Vader several times in a row, before going on the attack with a series of punches that eventually send the big man down.
Sting teases a second rope move before returning to the mat and connecting on a jumping kick. Now up to the second rope for a flying clothesline. And all the way to the top for a flying splash. He lingered, seemingly expecting the referee to count, but strap matches can only be won by going to all four corners.
Sting back up top, and another flying splash. With Vader on his stomach, Sting pulls Vader's straps down to fully expose his back and then whips away relentlessly at him. Harley Race gets on the apron and attempts to interrupt the whipping frenzy, but gets whipped himself for his efforts. Vader rolls to the floor, obviously still attached to Sting.
Sting rolls out on a perpendicular side, positioning himself to pull the strap tight against the post. He does so, and pulls Vader into the post twice. A shot of Vader's back looks brutal, as the blows he's taken from the strap have obviously broken him open and actually have him bleeding hardway. Ouch. Bodyslam by Sting outside. Sting touches one corner, then a second as he proceeds to drag Vader around the outside, but halfway to the third corner Vader clings to the strap and pulls Sting really hard into the steel barricade. The succession of post-touching is broken up as of that move, and the two wrestlers return to the ring.
Sting picks Vader up slowly on his back and executes a Samoan drop. As he sets up for a follow-up move, Vader is able to grab the strap to pull him in directly and hammers him. Does it again. Then the big man pulls Sting in for a powerbomb attempt, but Sting blocks and backdrops him. Dammit, I wanted to see the powerbomb. Sting up top for another splash, but this time Vader rolls out and Sting hits the mat. Running splash by Vader, who follows with a series of stiff right hands to his fallen opponent. Vader executes his own Samoan drop now, then sets up in the corner and hits a Vaderbomb.
It's Vader's turn to use the strap as a weapon, whipping away at Sting's back now. Man, I can't imagine how awful it must be to face the prospect of Vader whipping away at you after you broke him open with whips of your own. Matches with him weren't exactly the least painful as it was. Vader puts Sting up on his shoulders for another Samoan drop, heads up to the second rope, and actually executes a full Samoan drop from there. Holy ****.
Vader gets up and tags the first corner. Then the second. He's about to hit the third when Sting manages to kick him in the face from his back, and that move breaks the sequence. Sting is probably 40% of the way across the ring when Vader sets up for a Vaderbomb, but Sting rolls out of the way of this one. Both slow to get up, but Vader is in better shape and manages it first. With Sting laying down, the big man heads up top, but Sting clings to the rope and crotches Vader across the top. Sting then desperately tugs at the strap and sends Vader spilling all the way back to the mat.
Sting is not yet up; Vader gets to his knees and lays in some hard rights. Sting eventually blocks one and hits a series of his own right hands. Those don't take, though; Vader hammers back, and Vader was one heel who usually didn't lose the punching back-and-forths. The Mastodon sets Sting up on the top corner and executes a superplex. Vader tags one corner, then another. Heads over for a third. As he's going to get to the fourth corner, Sting manages to grapevine his legs on the bottom rope and then to land a kick that knocks Vader over to break the series.
Back up to their feet, Vader lays in those brutal rights and lefts in the corner. Nick Patrick backs him up and admonishes him for not trying to win, but Vader just heads to the corner and does it again. He knocks Sting down a couple more times.
At this point though, Vader makes a mistake as he pulls Sting in by the strap and Sting uses the momentum to connect on a rolling sentan that knocks the big man off his feet. Vader back up first, but Sting hits him with a few clubbing back elbows and then executes a great release German suplex. And a DDT. Sting is broken open by this point, bleeding from the forehead.
Sting pushes Vader into the corner and hammers away with a series of punches that leave Vader helplessly seated in the corner and just accepting the raining blows. Sting pulls Vader's mask off, picks him up on his own shoulders in what looks like it will be another Samoan drop, but Vader's foot hits Nick Patrick for the ref bump. Instead of executing a move, Sting tags one corner and then a second, but the referee hasn't seen this. Sting makes the third corner. It looks like we're headed for Sting making the fourth corner and it not being seen, but he actually trips over Nick Patrick just short of the fourth corner and doesn't make it. Both competitors and the official all down, and Vader is bleeding from the head now too.
Vader executes a sit-down splash on Sting near the ropes. Drags him to the first corner and tags it. Tags the second and the third, and desperately tries for the fourth, but Sting clings to the bottom rope to stop him. Harley Race tries to hit Sting's hand off unsuccessfully as Sting maintains the grip, but Sting connects on a kick to separate himself from Vader that actually knocks Vader back into that fourth corner, and that gives Vader the win.
An incensed Sting takes the strap and whips the hell out of Vader with it, clearing him out of the ring. It's like he was trying out to be a babyface in a Vince McMahon company 22 years later.
Result: Vader wins by touching all four corners (20:54)
Meltzer Rating: ****1/4
My Review and Rating: This was great. It had some slow-down in the middle that took me out of it somewhat, but the first act and the final act were fantastic. The two guys just beat the hell out of each other, worked extremely stiffly and really earned their paycheck on this night. The story-telling was perfect, they straddled the line nicely between trying to win the match and trying to hurt the other man since it was a personal feud by this point, and while the ending felt slightly anticlimactic, I can get on board with the win feeling like kind of a fluke where the kayfabe favorite Vader just barely managed to escape with a win and without being harmed any further. The more I think about it, the more I like the ending.
Not quite the classic they produced in December '92, but still great. ****1/4
Date: February 21, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660403
Background: Vader was the WCW Champion again by this point, but this was not a title match and was a kayfabe unsanctioned match. I don't even know what they were going for with the "unsanctioned match" business that they would trot out from time to time; it was never believable, even in a world of suspended disbelief.
The Match: Vader walks out rocking some all-white robe with a fur wrap, like a less manly version of what you would see The Barbarian wear in the WWF. It's odd how I start every Vader writeup by criticizing his weird entrance garb, but there we are again. As with the rest of this SuperBrawl, it's Tony and Jesse announcing the match, and Nick Patrick draws main event officiating duty.
The two men get attached to the leather strap, and the bell rings. After some posturing on both sides, Vader pulls on the strap to take Sting down. Back up, they both attempt to get some leverage, but again it's Vader getting the better of the tug-of-war and pulling Stinger down. On the third go, they both pull in toward each other and end up chest-to-chest before separating, but Vader pulls Sting in toward him by the strap and executes a clothesline followed by a pair of elbow drops.
Vader whips Sting on the back with the strap a couple of times, then lays him out horizontally and heads up to the second rope. Big splash on Sting from there. Vader gets a bit too comfortable preening after that, actually turns his back on Sting, and Sting pulls the strap through and crotches Vader several times in a row, before going on the attack with a series of punches that eventually send the big man down.
Sting teases a second rope move before returning to the mat and connecting on a jumping kick. Now up to the second rope for a flying clothesline. And all the way to the top for a flying splash. He lingered, seemingly expecting the referee to count, but strap matches can only be won by going to all four corners.
Sting back up top, and another flying splash. With Vader on his stomach, Sting pulls Vader's straps down to fully expose his back and then whips away relentlessly at him. Harley Race gets on the apron and attempts to interrupt the whipping frenzy, but gets whipped himself for his efforts. Vader rolls to the floor, obviously still attached to Sting.
Sting rolls out on a perpendicular side, positioning himself to pull the strap tight against the post. He does so, and pulls Vader into the post twice. A shot of Vader's back looks brutal, as the blows he's taken from the strap have obviously broken him open and actually have him bleeding hardway. Ouch. Bodyslam by Sting outside. Sting touches one corner, then a second as he proceeds to drag Vader around the outside, but halfway to the third corner Vader clings to the strap and pulls Sting really hard into the steel barricade. The succession of post-touching is broken up as of that move, and the two wrestlers return to the ring.
Sting picks Vader up slowly on his back and executes a Samoan drop. As he sets up for a follow-up move, Vader is able to grab the strap to pull him in directly and hammers him. Does it again. Then the big man pulls Sting in for a powerbomb attempt, but Sting blocks and backdrops him. Dammit, I wanted to see the powerbomb. Sting up top for another splash, but this time Vader rolls out and Sting hits the mat. Running splash by Vader, who follows with a series of stiff right hands to his fallen opponent. Vader executes his own Samoan drop now, then sets up in the corner and hits a Vaderbomb.
It's Vader's turn to use the strap as a weapon, whipping away at Sting's back now. Man, I can't imagine how awful it must be to face the prospect of Vader whipping away at you after you broke him open with whips of your own. Matches with him weren't exactly the least painful as it was. Vader puts Sting up on his shoulders for another Samoan drop, heads up to the second rope, and actually executes a full Samoan drop from there. Holy ****.
Vader gets up and tags the first corner. Then the second. He's about to hit the third when Sting manages to kick him in the face from his back, and that move breaks the sequence. Sting is probably 40% of the way across the ring when Vader sets up for a Vaderbomb, but Sting rolls out of the way of this one. Both slow to get up, but Vader is in better shape and manages it first. With Sting laying down, the big man heads up top, but Sting clings to the rope and crotches Vader across the top. Sting then desperately tugs at the strap and sends Vader spilling all the way back to the mat.
Sting is not yet up; Vader gets to his knees and lays in some hard rights. Sting eventually blocks one and hits a series of his own right hands. Those don't take, though; Vader hammers back, and Vader was one heel who usually didn't lose the punching back-and-forths. The Mastodon sets Sting up on the top corner and executes a superplex. Vader tags one corner, then another. Heads over for a third. As he's going to get to the fourth corner, Sting manages to grapevine his legs on the bottom rope and then to land a kick that knocks Vader over to break the series.
Back up to their feet, Vader lays in those brutal rights and lefts in the corner. Nick Patrick backs him up and admonishes him for not trying to win, but Vader just heads to the corner and does it again. He knocks Sting down a couple more times.
At this point though, Vader makes a mistake as he pulls Sting in by the strap and Sting uses the momentum to connect on a rolling sentan that knocks the big man off his feet. Vader back up first, but Sting hits him with a few clubbing back elbows and then executes a great release German suplex. And a DDT. Sting is broken open by this point, bleeding from the forehead.
Sting pushes Vader into the corner and hammers away with a series of punches that leave Vader helplessly seated in the corner and just accepting the raining blows. Sting pulls Vader's mask off, picks him up on his own shoulders in what looks like it will be another Samoan drop, but Vader's foot hits Nick Patrick for the ref bump. Instead of executing a move, Sting tags one corner and then a second, but the referee hasn't seen this. Sting makes the third corner. It looks like we're headed for Sting making the fourth corner and it not being seen, but he actually trips over Nick Patrick just short of the fourth corner and doesn't make it. Both competitors and the official all down, and Vader is bleeding from the head now too.
Vader executes a sit-down splash on Sting near the ropes. Drags him to the first corner and tags it. Tags the second and the third, and desperately tries for the fourth, but Sting clings to the bottom rope to stop him. Harley Race tries to hit Sting's hand off unsuccessfully as Sting maintains the grip, but Sting connects on a kick to separate himself from Vader that actually knocks Vader back into that fourth corner, and that gives Vader the win.
An incensed Sting takes the strap and whips the hell out of Vader with it, clearing him out of the ring. It's like he was trying out to be a babyface in a Vince McMahon company 22 years later.
Result: Vader wins by touching all four corners (20:54)
Meltzer Rating: ****1/4
My Review and Rating: This was great. It had some slow-down in the middle that took me out of it somewhat, but the first act and the final act were fantastic. The two guys just beat the hell out of each other, worked extremely stiffly and really earned their paycheck on this night. The story-telling was perfect, they straddled the line nicely between trying to win the match and trying to hurt the other man since it was a personal feud by this point, and while the ending felt slightly anticlimactic, I can get on board with the win feeling like kind of a fluke where the kayfabe favorite Vader just barely managed to escape with a win and without being harmed any further. The more I think about it, the more I like the ending.
Not quite the classic they produced in December '92, but still great. ****1/4
08-08-2015
, 04:11 PM
08-08-2015
, 06:00 PM
WCW Worldwide: Tag Team Titles - Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas (c) vs. The Hollywood Blondes
Date: March 27, 1993
Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w...ood-blon_sport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-EOwiiY8KE
(The best YouTube clip I could find starts several minutes into the match, and I wanted to do the whole thing, so I found a "part one" clip of lesser quality on DM.)
Background: The Blondes had been chasing the titles for a decent bit in early 1993, and this was set up as the last time that Steamboat and Douglas would defend against them.
The Match: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura calling the action. It occurs to me that Jim Ross had made his way to WWF right at about this point, and was readying to make his debut at WrestleMania IX. Randy Anderson is the official.
Steamboat vs. Austin to start. They lock up in the middle, Austin gets the better of it and wrestles Steamboat into the corner, but Steamboat wins a chopping contest there. Roll-up by Steamboat gets two, Austin rolls through into his own pinning combo and pulls the tights, but that's just a two-count as well. Backdrop by Steamboat, followed by a dropkick. Pillman tries to run interference, but the Dragon knocks him off the apron and still has the awareness to turn around and chop Austin down as well.
Tag to Douglas, who enters and has Steamboat pick him up and drop him down on Stunning Steve; cover gets two. Shane cinches in a step-over armbar. Austin works his way back to his feet and sends him into the Blondes' corner, where Pillman drills him. Austin tags out.
Flyin' Brian lays in some chops on Douglas in the corner. Douglas tries to fight back out with right hands, but Pillman gets the better of the exchange, putting Douglas on the mat with a snapmare. Douglas kicks him off into the corner and scoops him staggering back out into a pinning combination for two. Both back up, Douglas attempts to kick Pillman, Pillman catches his foot but Douglas counters into an enziguiri and tags Steamboat back in.
Steamboat with an arm-wringer on Pillman, the two wrestle into a corner, Steamboat offers a clean break but Pillman delivers a cheap shot elbow to take advantage of the situation. Flyin' Brian with a whip into the ropes, drops down and then goes for a leapfrog, but Steamboat catches him and drops him, then hitting a back suplex. We get sent to commercial.
Back from the break, Austin and Douglas have a series of move vs. countermove where Austin continues to execute double-leg takedowns on Douglas but Douglas keeps kicking his way back upward…the third sequence results in Douglas actually sending Austin flailing completely out of the ring. Austin is back up to the apron quickly, tries a suplex, but Douglas blocks and executes his own suplex on Austin into the middle of the ring. Two-count.
Austin begs off, literally calling for timeout, and it causes enough hesitation by Douglas to create an opening for a boot to the gut and for Austin to get some control back. Stunning Steve's whip attempt is reversed, and Douglas catches him in an abdominal stretch on the way back. Tags to Steamboat, who comes in and promptly takes over that same hold. Austin hip-tosses his way out of the move, but Steamboat slaps it back on within seconds. Tag back to Douglas, who also continues the hold.
Austin finally works his way out of the abdominal stretch, reaching down and pulling Douglas's leg to trip him and then dropping an elbow before tagging out to Flyin' Brian. Pillman's whip attempt gets reversed, but he hits a shoulderblock on the way back anyway. Runs the ropes one more time, but this time gets caught and scooped up into a press slam by Douglas. Shane punches him against the ropes, Pillman tries to reverse into an atomic drop that gets reversed, Shane fights off both Hollywood Blondes and then tags Steamboat back in.
The Dragon chops the **** out of Pillman, dropping him long enough for a two-count. Back up, Dragon drops him with a back suplex for another count of two, then applies a standing clutch against Pillman's jaw that he then transitions into something of a surfboard submission hold, planting a foot into Pillman's back and pinning his arms back. Tag back out to Douglas, who enters with an axhandle off the top. Douglas attempts to follow, but does it too slowly and Pillman seizes the short window to ram Douglas into his own corner and then to tag Steve Austin back in.
The Blondes double-team Douglas in a corner, then Austin works Douglas over in the adjacent corner. Douglas manages a go-behind, pins Austin against the ropes and then rolls him up into a pinning combo, but the referee is distracted by Ricky Steamboat griping about something and there's no count. Douglas gets back up and tries to run the ropes, but Pillman has come up with a towel and he briefly chokes Shane with it on the way back, pulling him down along the bottom rope with it and then escaping the referee's attention. Again we get sent to commercial.
Back from the break, Pillman knocks Ricky Steamboat from the apron to the floor. He tries to follow up by diving off the apron himself, but Steamboat dodges and Pillman rams himself into the guardrail. As the referee is distracted by that, Austin chokes away at Douglas in the ring with the same towel that Pillman was using previously.
When the match resets, Pillman tags Austin in as the legal man, then slingshots him in with the intent of landing him on a fallen Shane Douglas, but Douglas avoids and Austin just hits the mat. Austin still up first, whipping Douglas against the ropes and then catching him in a bearhug on the way back. Douglas fights his way out of the hold, fights off both Hollywood Blondes, goes jumping toward his partner for a near-tag, but Austin catches him and slams him down hard with something of a sidewalk slam. That was a better near-tag spot than most.
Douglas creates another opportunity when he ducks a right hand by Austin, turns him around, and hits him with a back suplex. He just isn't able to follow in time to make a tag though; Austin tags Pillman, and Pillman cuts Douglas off. The Blondes go for the double-team again, as Austin throws Pillman off the top in a rocket launcher move, but Pillman lands on Douglas's knees. He slowly makes his way over to tag Austin, and Austin promptly misses on a move as well that leaves him hobbled, and as Austin tags out, Douglas is finally able to make the hot tag to Steamboat.
Steamboat fights off both challengers, ramming them into each other head-first. Behind Randy Anderson's back, Steamboat blatantly tosses Austin out over the top rope as Jesse Ventura becomes furious and gives us the "I CAN'T BELIEVE STEAMBOAT WOULD STOOP TO THAT LEVEL!" Dragon sets Pillman up top and superplexes him to the middle. Back up top, and he connects with a flying cross-body on Pillman. Austin goes up top and tries to drop the elbow down to break up the pin, but Steamboat senses and avoids, and Austin hits Pillman. Steamboat seems to have Pillman pinned here, but Randy Anderson takes a while pushing Austin back out of the ring, and the eventual count only gets two.
Douglas runs in and cleans Austin out of the ring. Steamboat tosses Pillman into the ropes, the two collide on Pillman's way back, the collision leaves both dazed and Austin reappears in the picture with one of the title belts. He clocks Steamboat, pulls Pillman on top - I have no idea where Randy Anderson is here - and we get the 1-2-3 to crown new tag team champions.
Result: Hollywood Blondes via pinfall, new tag team champions (19:20)
Meltzer Rating: ****+ (so who even knows if he gave this four stars)
My Review and Rating: This was completely formulaic and neither team executed one spot that I will ever remember in my life. Cool to see Austin and Pillman win gold I guess, but that doesn't move the needle for me. Nothing exactly wrong with this match, but it was just painfully average. **1/2
Date: March 27, 1993
Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w...ood-blon_sport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-EOwiiY8KE
(The best YouTube clip I could find starts several minutes into the match, and I wanted to do the whole thing, so I found a "part one" clip of lesser quality on DM.)
Background: The Blondes had been chasing the titles for a decent bit in early 1993, and this was set up as the last time that Steamboat and Douglas would defend against them.
The Match: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura calling the action. It occurs to me that Jim Ross had made his way to WWF right at about this point, and was readying to make his debut at WrestleMania IX. Randy Anderson is the official.
Steamboat vs. Austin to start. They lock up in the middle, Austin gets the better of it and wrestles Steamboat into the corner, but Steamboat wins a chopping contest there. Roll-up by Steamboat gets two, Austin rolls through into his own pinning combo and pulls the tights, but that's just a two-count as well. Backdrop by Steamboat, followed by a dropkick. Pillman tries to run interference, but the Dragon knocks him off the apron and still has the awareness to turn around and chop Austin down as well.
Tag to Douglas, who enters and has Steamboat pick him up and drop him down on Stunning Steve; cover gets two. Shane cinches in a step-over armbar. Austin works his way back to his feet and sends him into the Blondes' corner, where Pillman drills him. Austin tags out.
Flyin' Brian lays in some chops on Douglas in the corner. Douglas tries to fight back out with right hands, but Pillman gets the better of the exchange, putting Douglas on the mat with a snapmare. Douglas kicks him off into the corner and scoops him staggering back out into a pinning combination for two. Both back up, Douglas attempts to kick Pillman, Pillman catches his foot but Douglas counters into an enziguiri and tags Steamboat back in.
Steamboat with an arm-wringer on Pillman, the two wrestle into a corner, Steamboat offers a clean break but Pillman delivers a cheap shot elbow to take advantage of the situation. Flyin' Brian with a whip into the ropes, drops down and then goes for a leapfrog, but Steamboat catches him and drops him, then hitting a back suplex. We get sent to commercial.
Back from the break, Austin and Douglas have a series of move vs. countermove where Austin continues to execute double-leg takedowns on Douglas but Douglas keeps kicking his way back upward…the third sequence results in Douglas actually sending Austin flailing completely out of the ring. Austin is back up to the apron quickly, tries a suplex, but Douglas blocks and executes his own suplex on Austin into the middle of the ring. Two-count.
Austin begs off, literally calling for timeout, and it causes enough hesitation by Douglas to create an opening for a boot to the gut and for Austin to get some control back. Stunning Steve's whip attempt is reversed, and Douglas catches him in an abdominal stretch on the way back. Tags to Steamboat, who comes in and promptly takes over that same hold. Austin hip-tosses his way out of the move, but Steamboat slaps it back on within seconds. Tag back to Douglas, who also continues the hold.
Austin finally works his way out of the abdominal stretch, reaching down and pulling Douglas's leg to trip him and then dropping an elbow before tagging out to Flyin' Brian. Pillman's whip attempt gets reversed, but he hits a shoulderblock on the way back anyway. Runs the ropes one more time, but this time gets caught and scooped up into a press slam by Douglas. Shane punches him against the ropes, Pillman tries to reverse into an atomic drop that gets reversed, Shane fights off both Hollywood Blondes and then tags Steamboat back in.
The Dragon chops the **** out of Pillman, dropping him long enough for a two-count. Back up, Dragon drops him with a back suplex for another count of two, then applies a standing clutch against Pillman's jaw that he then transitions into something of a surfboard submission hold, planting a foot into Pillman's back and pinning his arms back. Tag back out to Douglas, who enters with an axhandle off the top. Douglas attempts to follow, but does it too slowly and Pillman seizes the short window to ram Douglas into his own corner and then to tag Steve Austin back in.
The Blondes double-team Douglas in a corner, then Austin works Douglas over in the adjacent corner. Douglas manages a go-behind, pins Austin against the ropes and then rolls him up into a pinning combo, but the referee is distracted by Ricky Steamboat griping about something and there's no count. Douglas gets back up and tries to run the ropes, but Pillman has come up with a towel and he briefly chokes Shane with it on the way back, pulling him down along the bottom rope with it and then escaping the referee's attention. Again we get sent to commercial.
Back from the break, Pillman knocks Ricky Steamboat from the apron to the floor. He tries to follow up by diving off the apron himself, but Steamboat dodges and Pillman rams himself into the guardrail. As the referee is distracted by that, Austin chokes away at Douglas in the ring with the same towel that Pillman was using previously.
When the match resets, Pillman tags Austin in as the legal man, then slingshots him in with the intent of landing him on a fallen Shane Douglas, but Douglas avoids and Austin just hits the mat. Austin still up first, whipping Douglas against the ropes and then catching him in a bearhug on the way back. Douglas fights his way out of the hold, fights off both Hollywood Blondes, goes jumping toward his partner for a near-tag, but Austin catches him and slams him down hard with something of a sidewalk slam. That was a better near-tag spot than most.
Douglas creates another opportunity when he ducks a right hand by Austin, turns him around, and hits him with a back suplex. He just isn't able to follow in time to make a tag though; Austin tags Pillman, and Pillman cuts Douglas off. The Blondes go for the double-team again, as Austin throws Pillman off the top in a rocket launcher move, but Pillman lands on Douglas's knees. He slowly makes his way over to tag Austin, and Austin promptly misses on a move as well that leaves him hobbled, and as Austin tags out, Douglas is finally able to make the hot tag to Steamboat.
Steamboat fights off both challengers, ramming them into each other head-first. Behind Randy Anderson's back, Steamboat blatantly tosses Austin out over the top rope as Jesse Ventura becomes furious and gives us the "I CAN'T BELIEVE STEAMBOAT WOULD STOOP TO THAT LEVEL!" Dragon sets Pillman up top and superplexes him to the middle. Back up top, and he connects with a flying cross-body on Pillman. Austin goes up top and tries to drop the elbow down to break up the pin, but Steamboat senses and avoids, and Austin hits Pillman. Steamboat seems to have Pillman pinned here, but Randy Anderson takes a while pushing Austin back out of the ring, and the eventual count only gets two.
Douglas runs in and cleans Austin out of the ring. Steamboat tosses Pillman into the ropes, the two collide on Pillman's way back, the collision leaves both dazed and Austin reappears in the picture with one of the title belts. He clocks Steamboat, pulls Pillman on top - I have no idea where Randy Anderson is here - and we get the 1-2-3 to crown new tag team champions.
Result: Hollywood Blondes via pinfall, new tag team champions (19:20)
Meltzer Rating: ****+ (so who even knows if he gave this four stars)
My Review and Rating: This was completely formulaic and neither team executed one spot that I will ever remember in my life. Cool to see Austin and Pillman win gold I guess, but that doesn't move the needle for me. Nothing exactly wrong with this match, but it was just painfully average. **1/2
08-08-2015
, 06:04 PM
(borrowed from my Hennig tribute thread
King of the Ring '93: 2nd Round Tournament Match - Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart
Date: June 13, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303265
Background: Bret Hart beat Razor Ramon in the first round. Mr. Perfect beat Mr. Hughes in the first round. The two hadn't met since SummerSlam '91, when Bret took the Intercontinental Title belt off of Perfect.
The Match: Mean Gene plays the role of pot-stirrer in a pre-match interview and tries to build up some heat between the two. Perfect vows payback for SummerSlam '91. Both guys do a nice job on this interview to build the match.
To the ring, the two men lock up to start, Perfect with a go-behind, Bret with a rope break, Bret almost seems to think about a cheap shot elbow and then decides against it. Side headlock by Bret, sends Perfect into the rope, armdrag. Perfect back to his feet, takes Bret down, executes a headscissor. Bret escapes to another side headlock, temporarily has a pin and gets a one-count. Bobby Heenan has pinned a few people with a side headlock.
Perfect and Bret continue to go at a faster pace than I wish to transcribe in full, but sufficed to say that it's impressive. After a flurry of moves, Bret is able to get Perfect back down in a headlock. Perfect works his way back to his feet, drives in a forearm, sends Bret to the ropes, crucifix pin by Bret, two-count. Back to the side headlock.
Both back to a vertical base, Perfect sends Bret into the ropes, Bret comes off with a cross-body and pin attempt, Perfect shoves him all the way off to the outside of the ring. Bret right back up to the apron, lunges a shoulder at Perfect through the middle rope then flips over the top with a sunset flip. Two-count, obviously.
Side headlock by Bret, Perfect reverses the leverage after grabbing Bret's hair. The two stand back up. Perfect with a waistlock, Bret gets a rope break, and instead of letting him go cleanly Perfect drives a knee into his gut in something of a cheap shot. The crowd boos a bit. Perfect splits Bret's legs apart and stomps in his lower abdomen. Picks him back up, knocks him back down with the elite standing dropkick and Bret leaves the ring.
As Bret briefly recovers, Savage makes mention of Perfect "having a salty past," also disclaiming that he himself does as well. Bret makes his way back to the apron, Perfect sits on the middle rope to help let Bret back in, then as Bret is halfway through Perfect stands up and kicks him. Perfect definitely playing the role of heelish face here, and teasing the heel turn. Chops Bret hard in the corner, then stomps away at him while he's down. Goes for a cover, only gets two, kicks at Bret and Bret rolls to the outside.
Perfect follows Bret to ringside, lays in a hard chop, slams Bret's head into the apron, then returns to the ring. The crowd is starting to turn on Perfect more and more. Heenan: "You know, I'll tell you something: if Perfect wins this match, and if he becomes King of the Ring, and he apologizes to me, I would consider handling him again!" God I love Bobby.
Bret up to the apron, Perfect immediately slingshots him away and back into the steel barricade. Bret now selling a knee injury on the impact there. Makes his way back up to the apron, Perfect greets him into the ring by slugging him down, then making him eat a knee-lift. Bret lands some weak blows in return as he tries to get up, but Perfect is able to absorb them and knock him back down. Perfect to the top rope, plants the missile dropkick into Bret. Bret puts his foot on the rope to save himself from a pinfall. Perfect hooks the leg again, but only gets two.
Back to their feet, Perfect is going HAM at this point, sends Bret super hard into the corner, Bret with the hard chest-first bump. Pin, two-count. Perfect back up to the top, but Bret gets up and catches him, crotching him against the turnbuckle. Hitman climbs up with him and delivers a superplex. Pin attempt, again only two. This match might be even better than I remember, which is saying a lot.
Bret is still selling the leg injury, but he tries to inflict one of his own on Perfect by kicking Perfect's leg out twice. Great psychology too as he locks in a figure-four quickly after hurting his leg. Perfect manages to escape first by gouging Bret's eyes and then working his way over to the ropes.
Bret gets up first, limping even harder than before. Grabs Perfect's left leg, trips Perfect's right, then drops an elbow on the left leg and grapevines it. Again Perfect escapes with an eye gouge. Both men back to their feet, but slowly and limping hard. Perfect controls Bret in the corner and whips Bret out across the ring by his hair.
Perfect locks in a sleeper, Bret almost gets a full hold of a rope before the hold is fully cinched in, but Perfect pulls him away. Before he fades all the way to the point of arm droppage though, he goes and forces a rope break. Perfect holds it well after the rope break, waits for the five-count to get to four before finally releasing. Perfect still selling the leg injury like a champ. Slaps Bret, reverse chinlock, and he puts a foot up on the rope to cheat and leverage the hold. Bret struggles, but finally manages to get enough footing to lunge forward and bring Perfect into the corner with him. Perfect's head hits the turnbuckle, hold released.
Back up, Bret hits a big uppercut. Nice sell on that by Hennig. Bret whips Perfect to the corner by his hair and Perfect gets crotched on the post. I still don't like that spot, but it was better than usual that time. Bret with the Russian legsweep, pin attempt, two. Quick legdrop, then he brings Perfect back to his feet and executes a backbreaker. Elbow off the second rope. Pin, only two.
Bret sets up for the sharpshooter, but Perfect grabs for Bret's fingers, which Razor Ramon stomped on earlier in the night (a minute or two earlier, JR and Savage had speculated that Bret might have multiple broken fingers; Bret had his fingers heavily taped). Bret sells this as terribly painful, and he can't follow through on locking in the hold. God that's some brilliant stuff. Then Perfect gets back to his feet and stomps on those fingers again.
Perfect brings Bret back to his feet, gets ready to suplex, but Bret kicks a leg up and blocks it. Then Bret suplexes Perfect his way, and they both spill over the top rope to the outside. Awesome. The announcers speculate on a double countout, but both make their way back in. Perfect in first, Bret shortly after. As Bret gets in Perfect surprises him with a small package. 1, 2…no, Bret reverses it into his own small package. 1, 2, 3.
Perfect is pissed, barks something at Bret and rolls out of the ring. Randy Savage and JR say they wish he'd shake Bret's hand. Perfect yells a few more things back into the ring, then with resolve he marches back up the steps and back into the ring. Perfect gets up in Bret's face, still seems angry, but after saying a few things he offers a handshake. They quickly shake hands, and a still-pissed Mr. Perfect completes the handshake and drops and rolls out of the ring to head to the back. Thought it was absolutely the perfect way to handle the post-match, for a competitor like Perfect to never stop being pissed and to basically force himself to be sportsmanlike and congratulate his opponent.
Result: Bret Hart via pinfall (18:56)
Meltzer Rating: ****1/4
My Review and Rating: This is just a fantastic match. Having watched both matches in quick succession, I will say that I don't think that the SummerSlam match has much of a case for being the better of the two. I think that this one is better, and I don't really hesitate at all in saying so. Excellent pace, excellent psychology…at least where his WWF work was concerned, this was Mr. Perfect's opus. ****3/4
King of the Ring '93: 2nd Round Tournament Match - Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart
Date: June 13, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303265
Background: Bret Hart beat Razor Ramon in the first round. Mr. Perfect beat Mr. Hughes in the first round. The two hadn't met since SummerSlam '91, when Bret took the Intercontinental Title belt off of Perfect.
The Match: Mean Gene plays the role of pot-stirrer in a pre-match interview and tries to build up some heat between the two. Perfect vows payback for SummerSlam '91. Both guys do a nice job on this interview to build the match.
To the ring, the two men lock up to start, Perfect with a go-behind, Bret with a rope break, Bret almost seems to think about a cheap shot elbow and then decides against it. Side headlock by Bret, sends Perfect into the rope, armdrag. Perfect back to his feet, takes Bret down, executes a headscissor. Bret escapes to another side headlock, temporarily has a pin and gets a one-count. Bobby Heenan has pinned a few people with a side headlock.
Perfect and Bret continue to go at a faster pace than I wish to transcribe in full, but sufficed to say that it's impressive. After a flurry of moves, Bret is able to get Perfect back down in a headlock. Perfect works his way back to his feet, drives in a forearm, sends Bret to the ropes, crucifix pin by Bret, two-count. Back to the side headlock.
Both back to a vertical base, Perfect sends Bret into the ropes, Bret comes off with a cross-body and pin attempt, Perfect shoves him all the way off to the outside of the ring. Bret right back up to the apron, lunges a shoulder at Perfect through the middle rope then flips over the top with a sunset flip. Two-count, obviously.
Side headlock by Bret, Perfect reverses the leverage after grabbing Bret's hair. The two stand back up. Perfect with a waistlock, Bret gets a rope break, and instead of letting him go cleanly Perfect drives a knee into his gut in something of a cheap shot. The crowd boos a bit. Perfect splits Bret's legs apart and stomps in his lower abdomen. Picks him back up, knocks him back down with the elite standing dropkick and Bret leaves the ring.
As Bret briefly recovers, Savage makes mention of Perfect "having a salty past," also disclaiming that he himself does as well. Bret makes his way back to the apron, Perfect sits on the middle rope to help let Bret back in, then as Bret is halfway through Perfect stands up and kicks him. Perfect definitely playing the role of heelish face here, and teasing the heel turn. Chops Bret hard in the corner, then stomps away at him while he's down. Goes for a cover, only gets two, kicks at Bret and Bret rolls to the outside.
Perfect follows Bret to ringside, lays in a hard chop, slams Bret's head into the apron, then returns to the ring. The crowd is starting to turn on Perfect more and more. Heenan: "You know, I'll tell you something: if Perfect wins this match, and if he becomes King of the Ring, and he apologizes to me, I would consider handling him again!" God I love Bobby.
Bret up to the apron, Perfect immediately slingshots him away and back into the steel barricade. Bret now selling a knee injury on the impact there. Makes his way back up to the apron, Perfect greets him into the ring by slugging him down, then making him eat a knee-lift. Bret lands some weak blows in return as he tries to get up, but Perfect is able to absorb them and knock him back down. Perfect to the top rope, plants the missile dropkick into Bret. Bret puts his foot on the rope to save himself from a pinfall. Perfect hooks the leg again, but only gets two.
Back to their feet, Perfect is going HAM at this point, sends Bret super hard into the corner, Bret with the hard chest-first bump. Pin, two-count. Perfect back up to the top, but Bret gets up and catches him, crotching him against the turnbuckle. Hitman climbs up with him and delivers a superplex. Pin attempt, again only two. This match might be even better than I remember, which is saying a lot.
Bret is still selling the leg injury, but he tries to inflict one of his own on Perfect by kicking Perfect's leg out twice. Great psychology too as he locks in a figure-four quickly after hurting his leg. Perfect manages to escape first by gouging Bret's eyes and then working his way over to the ropes.
Bret gets up first, limping even harder than before. Grabs Perfect's left leg, trips Perfect's right, then drops an elbow on the left leg and grapevines it. Again Perfect escapes with an eye gouge. Both men back to their feet, but slowly and limping hard. Perfect controls Bret in the corner and whips Bret out across the ring by his hair.
Perfect locks in a sleeper, Bret almost gets a full hold of a rope before the hold is fully cinched in, but Perfect pulls him away. Before he fades all the way to the point of arm droppage though, he goes and forces a rope break. Perfect holds it well after the rope break, waits for the five-count to get to four before finally releasing. Perfect still selling the leg injury like a champ. Slaps Bret, reverse chinlock, and he puts a foot up on the rope to cheat and leverage the hold. Bret struggles, but finally manages to get enough footing to lunge forward and bring Perfect into the corner with him. Perfect's head hits the turnbuckle, hold released.
Back up, Bret hits a big uppercut. Nice sell on that by Hennig. Bret whips Perfect to the corner by his hair and Perfect gets crotched on the post. I still don't like that spot, but it was better than usual that time. Bret with the Russian legsweep, pin attempt, two. Quick legdrop, then he brings Perfect back to his feet and executes a backbreaker. Elbow off the second rope. Pin, only two.
Bret sets up for the sharpshooter, but Perfect grabs for Bret's fingers, which Razor Ramon stomped on earlier in the night (a minute or two earlier, JR and Savage had speculated that Bret might have multiple broken fingers; Bret had his fingers heavily taped). Bret sells this as terribly painful, and he can't follow through on locking in the hold. God that's some brilliant stuff. Then Perfect gets back to his feet and stomps on those fingers again.
Perfect brings Bret back to his feet, gets ready to suplex, but Bret kicks a leg up and blocks it. Then Bret suplexes Perfect his way, and they both spill over the top rope to the outside. Awesome. The announcers speculate on a double countout, but both make their way back in. Perfect in first, Bret shortly after. As Bret gets in Perfect surprises him with a small package. 1, 2…no, Bret reverses it into his own small package. 1, 2, 3.
Perfect is pissed, barks something at Bret and rolls out of the ring. Randy Savage and JR say they wish he'd shake Bret's hand. Perfect yells a few more things back into the ring, then with resolve he marches back up the steps and back into the ring. Perfect gets up in Bret's face, still seems angry, but after saying a few things he offers a handshake. They quickly shake hands, and a still-pissed Mr. Perfect completes the handshake and drops and rolls out of the ring to head to the back. Thought it was absolutely the perfect way to handle the post-match, for a competitor like Perfect to never stop being pissed and to basically force himself to be sportsmanlike and congratulate his opponent.
Result: Bret Hart via pinfall (18:56)
Meltzer Rating: ****1/4
My Review and Rating: This is just a fantastic match. Having watched both matches in quick succession, I will say that I don't think that the SummerSlam match has much of a case for being the better of the two. I think that this one is better, and I don't really hesitate at all in saying so. Excellent pace, excellent psychology…at least where his WWF work was concerned, this was Mr. Perfect's opus. ****3/4