Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Taz vs Sabu 10-31=97

I uploaded this a long time ago and am reuploading it because it rules.

http://rapidshare.com/files/286490292/Sabu_vs_Taz_10-31-97.wmv


The match starts off with some good brawling thru the crowd. They get back to the ring and Sabu starts working over Taz's knee. Taz in return goes after Sabu's arm. Really good back and forth mat wrestling.

They do a section of spot stuff with tables to satisffy the fans and their is an act of god where the table collapses. But they recover quickly and Sabu puts Taz thru the table. Later Taz puts Sabu thru a table. After that they are back in the ring with sabu still trying to take out Taz's leg.

The match shifts to them brawling around the arena again. What i love about this is it all happens organically. They are actually brawling thru he crowd rather than Taz pulling Sabu by the hair.

By the end of it they are doing this thing where Sabu continues going after Taz's leg, because anytime he tries to fight him directly Taz fucks him up with a suplex. abu comes up with a couple of ways out of the Tazmission. Only once doing the shitty ball shot that every WWF Taz match ended with.

Sabu even locks on a nice figure four at one point. By the end they are on their knees trading blows as the bell rings.

No idea why ECW did not put this on their tv show. People would still be talking about it today.

Bill Alfonzo is a super underrated manager. Gets his guys over without making himself the center of attention and is a big help in smoothly tossing Sabu and RVD weapons.

RVD was doing his Sabu doppelganger bit which always rules.



Bruise Brothers vs Eliminators Hardcore Heaven 96

Its suppose to be the Gangstas last title shot but the Gangstas are mugged by the Samoan Gangsta Party and mauled by the Bruise Brothers. The Eliminators take offense and tell them to take the Gangsta's ass kicking. What results is a cool brawl with Saturn unloading a stiff hrust kick into a Harris twins jaw. Saturn and Kronus get chunked into a table. The Gangstas return and a big fight ensues.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Matches from thunder 3/22/2000



First match is Tank Abbot vs Fit Finlay. They first show clips of Tank Abbot knocking Doug Dillinger and Barbarian on Nitro. I thought it was a nice touch to show it took two punches to take out Barbarian. Abbot gets on the mic and issues an open challenge. Which brings out Fit Finlay. I miss Finlay's badass WCW theme. He gets in the ring and for about three or four minutes they have a really good hard hitting match. Finlay gets distracted by the ref for a second and get knocked down by Abbot. Just then Meng's music starts, Finlay has gotten to his feet and knocks Abbot out of the ring and Meng attacks Abbot. We then cut to Sid and Hulk Hogan brawling in the back. Gene Okerland comes to the ring to interview Finlay. Finlay says he will beat respect into Tank Abbot. Now Sid and Hogan are brawling to the ring. Security separates them and Sid slides into the ring. Finlay shoves Sid and is choke slammed for his trouble. Hogan and Sid go back and forth and im really impressed with how Sid is heeling it up here.

Hulk Hogan vs Dustin Rhodes


This is a match I had completely forgotten about. I have to say I really liked Hulk's run in late 99/early 2000 WCW. He was working as hard as he could to get guys over even if he was broken down. He could also be relied upon for a good brawl. This match is a good example. Dustin is working an American Nightmare gimmick.Which really suited Dustin. He did agreat job playing the slezy cowboy gimmick. He looked better than he had since returning to WCW. He had just finished a feud with Terry Funk that featured the chicken punch. Funk put his fist up a frozen chicken anus and would punch guys.

Dustin challenged Hogan earlier in the show for attacking him Monday. Hogan and Dustin work well together and if this had taken place a few years earlier it could of been really good. Dustin has some great looking punches as usual. Most of the match is him working over Hulk. Hogan finally gets the Hulk UP. Dustin slides under the big boot and hit a clotheline. He then grabs the cowbell and starts beating Hogan with it. He punches Nick Patrick for good measure. He leaves the ring content with the DQ. But Patrick refuses to give him the easy way out. He says if Dustin does not return by the count of ten he is suspended. Dustin runs to the ring only for Hogan to hit the big boot and leg drop which seemed really rushed. Which is odd for a taped show.


I think kevin Sullivan's 2000 tenure of booking WCW is underrated. Most people just talk about Big T. Most people forget hat the roster had been gutted hen Eddy, Malenko, Saturn and some guy left. Not to mention Rey Mysterio being injured and different guys awol or injured. I think by the time he was done he had gotten WCW back on the right track. He did a good job with what he had.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Taz vs Lance Storm July 1998



Good little tv match. Lance Storm comes out and declares the FTW belt does mean shit and Taz object. Storms ounches and kicks are really weak looking. But the match has some nice looking suplex counters from Taz. storm gets some nice looking top rope offense. Finish is of course the Tazmission.

Vader and Arn Anderson vs Stars and Stripes



I watched this as part of the Vader project at Wrestling KO. Damned if this is not really good. Its not really your traditional Vader tag. Still really good tag match. Bagwell and Patriot were really good in this. Great selling and everything they did looked good. One cool thing was Arn and Vader had some double teams. Like Arn slingshotting Bagwell into a Vader chokeslam. Ric Flair had just been reinstated and came to ringside. He is so rabid for action he starts strangling Patriot.

Vader, Arn and Flair were a great heel trio. People were clammoring for a fourth member to make it officially the Horsemen. But I think a fourth guy would of threw their chemistry off.

Back to the match. Patriot is the face in peril for most of the match. He keeps getting comeback but is so pumped up he forgets to tag and goes back on the attack. Cool spot with Arn hitting the drop toehold as Patriot charges him. Vader runs in and crushes him wih an elbow.

Finishing sequence is great. With Stars and Stripes hitting some great dropkicks, including a big double dropkick to knock Vader out of the ring. Bagwell hits Arn with a perfectplex but Vader hits the big splash and Arn pins Bagwell for the win.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Goldberg vs Saturn Spring Stampede 1998

This is a match I have wanted to see for years but never have. Local Blockbuster never had the commercial tape and there was nothing else on the ahow to justify buying it. On a whim I decided to look for it online.



I remember the build up for this match well, because Saturn was one of my favorite guys in wrestling. Scott Keith called him the mutant offspring of Taz and Sabu as an insult. But thats a wrestler I want to watch every night. Anyway after a match on Thunder Saturn calls out Goldberg, Goldberg accepts and we have a match.

I like Saturn's look here. He has grown his hair out and he looks like a homeless veteran. His hair being grown out helps as it does not look like Goldberg vs mini Goldberg.

The match starts with Saturn attacking Goldberg right off the bat. He throws Goldberg into the ropes only for Goldberg to catch Saturn's knee and hit a big pumphandle suplex. He then hits him with this underhook belly to belly suplex. He then rolls Saturn into a leglock. Kidman tries to intefere but Goldberg puts him up in a gorilla press and throws him out of the ring on to Saturn.

Saturn flips over Goldberg back into the ring and hits some kicks and takes him off his feet with a leg drop. Then comes off the top with a elbow. Saturn starts working over Goldberg with kicks whips him into the other corner. He goes for a suplex but Goldberg counters into this weird move. Looks kinda like "Roll the Dice" except it hurt. Then Goldberg hit the gorilla press into powerslam and it looks like its going to be a short nights work for Goldberg. But Kidman distracts Goldberg again.

One thing I like about Saturn in this match is how he is selling the beating. he is not popping up the second its his turn to be in control. Instead he looks like a guy who has been beaten up and thrown around by a guy bigger than he is. He is on the apron and snaps Goldberg's neck across the top rope then leap frogs over the rope with a splash. Saturn is still in control and hits a big exploder suplex on Goldberg. He follows it up with a thrust kick and a running knee to knock Goldberg out of the ring.

Saturn hits a flying dropkick off the apron knocking Goldberg into the ring steps. He puts Goldberg's head between the steps and the turnbuckle, and slams the steps. Saturn jumps off the apron and nails a hurracanrana on Goldberg. He throws Goldberg into the turnbuckle. Saturn tries to lep off the ropes with a back elbow but slips. But they cover for it to make it look like Goldberg blocked it. Actually it might of been an Asai moonsault but Saturn changed direction to keep from being killed.

They get back into the ring and Saturn hits a top rope spinning heel kick. Now Saturn is trying to force Goldberg to the mat attempting different arm submissions.

Saturn has him in another armbar but Goldberg stands up and stomps Saturn's face. Saturn has his wits enough to hit a drop toehold and slide into a front facelock. But Goldberg drives Saturn into the corner and hits some shoulderblocks. Goldberg whips Saturn into the corner, Saturn hit a boot but Goldberg hits a side slam. Saturn comes off the rops with a dropkick, he tries to charge Goldberg, but Goldberg hits him with a thrust kick. I really have to praise Goldberg here. His selling is really good. He looks like a guy who has taken a beating, not a guy whose turn it is to get beaten up.

Goldberg finally hits Saturn with the spear. Its time for the JackHammer but Saturn hits the low blow while the ref was distracted. Saturn attempts to suplerplex Goldberg, but Goldberg hits a super gorilla press! This brings in the Flock. Really fun watching Goldberg clean house here. He punches Sick Boy, leaps off the second rope and hits Reese with a side kick, then mows down Kidman with a spear. But Saturn is still not done and locks on the Rings of Saturn. Its not enough as Goldberg still hits the Jackhammer.

Really like this match. Its not perfect but it feels like a big deal. More of a big deal than the matches higher up on the card. Both Saturn and Goldberg come off of this match looking great.