10. Demolition/Fuji vs Strike Force/Ultimate Warrior - Boston - 6/4/88
MD: This is a very different match from Bulldogs/Warrior vs Demolition/Fuji. It comes about a month before the other match and in some ways is more of what you'd expect and in some ways is just really quite odd. Demolition takes their good time getting their gear off but they're allowed being the new champs and all. Warrior being there is to help even the odds considering it was Fuji interference which had a big part to play at WM with the title changes. Warrior gets into a huddle and Fuji throws the ceremonial salt. In the Bulldogs match, he started out with Dynamite from the get go. Here he taunts Martel with a bow and immediately tags out to Smash with a big smirk on his face. He's going to pick his spots and be chickenshit here. Smash pounds on Martel and tags Fuji in, who thinks he has easy prey for some cheap shots. Martel's playing possum and Fuji gets hammered quick. Both the crowd and the Warrior, who does this crazy leg-lifting fist pump thing from the outside, love this. The biggest problem with this match, compared to the Bulldogs one, is the camera angle. We can't see what Warrior's doing most of the time. It's a travesty.
Anyway Fuji takes a few bumps before tagging Ax in and things look like they'll get back to normal, but Martel almost immediately runs to Warrior and it's crazytime again. Ax draws back to his corner for a conference because really (like in the Bulldogs match), what the hell does one do with the Ultimate Warrior? Bounce off of him a lot, for one. Ax marches around bemused, hammers him a few times as Warrior does this crazy bouncing selling, and then eats a clothesline after a duck under. Tag to Smash. Ax has had enough. I'll stop here because as fun as it is to do Warrior PBP, we already covered this ground in the Bulldogs match. Highlights to watch for: Warrior hits a nasty out of the corner short clothesline on Smash. Tito reaches for a tag and Warrior just keeps walking around the ring like a madman. Strike Force and Warrior do awesomely amusing double team arm offense, including this weird weird kick wind up to a big windmill punch by Warrior at the 8 minute mark that looks like he's having a seizure. Actually the arm work on Smash is good because Strike Force has learned their lesson by now and are just doing super quick tags so that they can double team him as much as possible. Warrior looks like he's having a blast.
Finally, though, he misses a corner splash which leads to Ax coming in, stomping the life out of Warrior, and the Demos double teaming and taking over. Warrior is such an odd FIP. Oh and here's the most surreal moment of the match: Fuji comes in just to hit the Banzai falling headbutt on Warrior. Warrior gets a foot up on a charging Ax, though, and does the Tommy Dreamer upside-down rope climb across the ring to make the hot tag. Tito gets in, hits the fivearm and slaps on the figure four. Now if this was a normal Strike Force match, this is where Fuji would hit the salt in the face of Tito and we'd go into the finish. The chaotic force of the Ultimate Warrior alters such a destiny tonight. He's there and clobbers Fuji out of nowhere. The salt flies. Fuji goes down. He does not get up. Ax makes it to the ropes but Tito keeps working the leg. Smash is completely focused on helping Fuji to the back as his partner gets mangled, which is hardly surprising given their relationship.
What this means is that suddenly we've got a 3 on 2 handicap with the third man on the face side being the freaking Ultimate Warrior and Ax having a bad wheel. Demolition is suddenly fighting for their lives. Ax reverses another Figure 4 and gets out and they take over on Tito with Smash dropping him neck first over the top rope. When they try to hammer him on the outside, however, the faces rush over. Demos can't get a break with these odds. Still, they double-team, keep things at their pace, make frequent tags and cut Tito off at every turn (including after a great non-flying forearm off the ropes). They don't take risks. They keep on top of him with neck vices and just beat the tar out of him. They infuriate Warrior allowing for illegal switches (including an awesome corner pummeling on Tito by Ax that looks just great). Finally Ax misses his falling headbutt(which yes, he never hits), and Smash misses an elbow on a cut off Tito, who finally uses his superior speed to get around Smash for the super hot tag. Well done segment there. Martel hits the Canadian hammer and puts in the Boston Crab but Ax hits him from behind. That might be a finish too, were Warrior not there to intervene. Now it's a 2 on 2 brawl with Tito recovering and Martel and Warrior totally fresh. Warrior goes out. Tito comes in. Tito goes out. Warrior goes to the top. Demos doubleteam Martel. Ax turns around with perfect timing and eats a Warrior double axe-handle from the top and that's the match. Very weird match that almost felt like two different ones with the Fuji injury being the split.
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