Sabu a Day 9 vs Taz Blackwood New Jersey December 27th 1997

Way back in 2009 I talked about a Sabu vs Taz match from Halloween 1997. http://drvictatorpresents.blogspot.com/2009/09/taz-vs-sabu-10-3197.html

I really love it and it ended up number 2 on my ECW Top Twenty list. They ran this match around the horn. But as Fancams are slightly difficult to come by online. It was the only one I could find.

Recently I found two more. One is from February 1999 and the other from December 97. I will talk about the 12/97 one here.

One thing I love about watching a long running series is seeing how it evolves. Watch the Hulk Hogan/Macho Man feud and every match in 85 and 86 you see things being added and things subtracted. Until finally you get the perfect Boston Garden match.

This is similar in some ways. The thirty minute draw from 10/31/97 Sabu and Taz ran out of spots early on. Taz hit most of his suplexes and Sabu his big aerial stuff. So they had to fill up time in the match. Which leads to neat stuff like Sabu going after Taz's knee. Even locking on a good looking figure four leglock.

This match they learned their lesson. Taz is very careful to space out his suplexes. Using them in the same context. Basically he nails Sabu with one, anytime Sabu is building up momentum.

But this match is not as good. A few minutes in, Taz hits Sabu with a nasty clothesline. Sabu broke his jaw a month before, and he messed up here. The rest of the match he is trying to recover from that.

Every thing he hits looks a bit off. At one point he leg drops Taz thru a table and hits his head on the guard rail.

He hits Air Sabu and kinda does a Flair Flip over the turnbuckle.

Later Taz T-Bone suplexes Sabu thru a propped up table and lands at a bad angle. He gets flap jacked on the table and it does not break.

It is one of those nights where nothing goes quite right.

Taz is TV Champ so he is not jobbing and Sabu is not jobbing on a house show. Sabu is the only guy I can think of more willing to lose on Television than on House Shows.

So they are obviously working toward a draw. The submission stuff is not as fun here. It does look like they are cranking it on. But you also know its more to fill time. Since unlike last time its not building up a story like the Halloween draw.

I still enjoyed the match. It has some rough charm. Also its fun contrasting it with the other matches.

Sabu Casbah

Sabu A Day 8: vs Billy Black

In the DVDVR thread I kinda slagged this match. Watching it now, I can see where I was coming from but it improved on a second viewing.

Billy Black in a very small circle, is a bit of an underground legend. He was a really talented guy who never made it. He worked a SMW taping or two. An All Japan tour then three ECW shows in 1996. After that he was in the news for pistol whipping a wrestling promoter in public. Which honestly, is not even a crime in most states.

The most interesting thing was his look. He had a big arsenal of fancy moves but looks like the scummiest Southern County Fair indy wrestler.

This is Black's biggest match in ECW. It did not make TV but it is a match with Sabu which in 96 is the default main event.

Match starts out good. Black dodges Sabu's leg dives, and drops and elbow and catches him with some great looking uppercuts. Really they look fantastic. He catches him with some knees, front suplexes him on the top rope and European Uppercuts him to the floor. His strikes are William Regal/Finlay level.

Black climbs to the top rope and hits a beautiful Flying Body Press to the floor. Then he rolls Sabu in and clamps on a bodyscissors. This is when I turned on the match last time. This is not a Sabu structured match. It feels like Black had a good segment mapped out did it and needs to think of something else. I see this in Sting matches sometimes so Black is in good company. To his credit he does not do a chinlock or headlock. He tries to keep it visually interesting.

Sabu fights out of it turning It into a leg submission and Black rakes his eye to escape.

Black works him over on the ropes. Hits another of those uppercuts, they rule. Sabu catches him with a spinning heel kick that doesn't quite hit Black flush. Sabu slams him and hits a springboard leg lariat. We hear Tommy Rich tell Sabu to use the table.*

Sabu pulls him up and DDTs Black and heads outside. Grabs a chair and hits a beautiful Air Sabu in the corner on Black. Sabu whips him in the opposite corner but Black reverses and hits a hard clothesline.

Sabu reverses a suplex, but Black catches him with a boot in the corner and drops a great looking elbow. Black is like the ECW version of Bob Cook. This dude with not quite the most conventionally good look. But has these awesome looking strikes and you can buy him getting offense on way bigger stars. Like Cook fucking up Dick Murdoch in a TBS squash.

Black clamps on an abdominal stretch. It looks really good and I think it should be brought back as a finisher. It has not been seen in years. A properly applied one could be a credible finish. I love how Black releases it when he realizes Sabu will not submit. He hits a nasty elbow to the back of the head.

He whips Sabu into the ropes but Sabu flips over and spin kicks Black sending him out of the ring. Sabu puts him over the guard rail and hits Air Sabu. Back in the ring and Sabu starts tagging him with punches and Black fires back. it is a rare occasion when a dude out punches Sabu. But damned if Black did not do it. This section has some good back and forth brawling. They keep reversing a waist lock til Black hits a picture perfect German Suplex for two.

Fans are into this as they are chanting Sabu. They hit a brutal double clothesline. Side tangent but I remember the first time I ever saw a double clothesline. It was Hogan vs Warrior at the 1990 Royal Rumble and it blew my mind. I never saw such a brutal move. I thought they had killed each other.

They fight back up to their feet and Sabu has the advantage. Gets Black in the corner and hits a cool looking Stinger Splash clothesline.

Sabu hits his flipping legdrop and locks on a Code Red Armbar but Black is near the ropes. Sabu catches him with a big clothesline. Sabu is that rare smallish wrestler who can hit a credible looking clothesline. Black pulls himself up and Sabu tags him again. Up again and Sabu hits the springboard leg lariat. Then hits the Arabian Press moonsault.

Black comes off the ropes and blocks a hip toss with a bulldog. He goes for a moonsault and misses. But Sabu was not positioned right. I swear like only a tiny percentage of wrestlers know how to position a dude for a moonsault.

Black gets knocked to the outside. Sabu props him on a table and hits a flipping senton onto Black and the table does not break. It looks very painful. Like hitting the floor woulda felt better. Sabu has a "Fuck it it lets go home" look on his face.

Back in the ring Sabu misses a charge in the corner and Black hits a nice looking spin kick. Then hits a good looking spinning heel kick in the corner. Black tries to go to the top and Sabu catches him. He hits a Hurracarana, and Black takes a nasty looking bump. One Arabian Facebuster later and its over.

On a second viewing I was wrong about this match. It had some structure problems but kicked ass too.



*Not Tommy Rich but an incredible simulation.

The Holly's vs The Hardy Boyz 9-6-99

I remember watching this eleven years ago. Hardcore Holly definitely had the best undercard act in wrestling in 99. I remember him and the Acolytes were the highlight of any given Raw for me. Best part was when he was the Big Shot and Big Show's buddy. He was even a part of the Big Show/Undertaker alliance. Shortly after that his cousin Crash Holly was introduced. A pint sized version of Hardcore. He had a big chip on his shoulder and was determined to prove he was as tough as his cousin.

Now Crash probably did water down the act some. But at the same time he really added to it. The Hollys were a tag team and picked a fight with everybody from The New Age Outlaws to the Acolytes to the Rock and Mankind.

Now for me the highlight of their run was their epic brawl on Heat with the Acolytes. I talked about it in an entry from last June.

But the other highlight is this and it is not really related to a match. The Hollys said they were super heavyweights and insisted on only fighting their fellow super heavyweights. Tonight their oppoenents are the Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff. Believe it or not there was a time Matt could be referred to as "Anorexic Andy" and not be in an ironic fashion.

"Karen Carpenter" (Jeff) is invited to step up next. Well the Hardyz do not meet the weight requirement. But wait Matt and Jeff have a manager at this time, Gangrel.

Hardcore in a generous giving mood, makes an invitation.

"Hey, Hey Dracula, why don't you hop on there and see how much you weigh ya fat bastard."

Which is one of the single greatest lines in the history of Monday Night Raw. I love that this genuinely cracked up Jerry Lawler and JR (who tried to hide it.)

Well Hardcore is distracted and does not see Jeff Hardy perched on the top rope who nails Hardcore with a flying dropkick, and the match starts. The Hardyz get the better of the first part of the match. Knocking Hardcore out of the ring and working over Crash. Crash is in the corner and Jeff hits poetry in motion and Matt knocks him down with a big clothesline.

The Hardyz were very underrated as brawlers. They could hold their own in a straight brawl and not look out of place.

That said the match is strangely booked. I think the Hardyz and Hollys are both heels. Crash works face in peril for the Hardy Boys and the Hardyz do a a good job working him over. I love when Crash will bust out a fancy crusierweight move when he is desperate. Like he wants to win a fist fight, but once he gets desperate he goes to what will work.

Hardcore gets tagged in and he is an excellent house of fire. Hitting a great looking powerslam. Hardyz get back the advantage using quick double teams. Matt hits a suplex and Jeff the Swanton Bomb. But it is not a finisher yet.

They go for another double team, but Hardcore kicks Jeff in the face and hits the Falcon Arrow on Matt for three. Just realized this was a clean finish on a 99 Raw. Weird.

Sabu a Day 7 vs Umaga

Umaga vs. Sabu by neoche78

Last night on DVDVR Dylan Waco said

"I actually think in a way the greatest strength of Sabu was his ability to be a fun novelty act against almost any opponent. It's the same trait that Abby has and that Necro has. The persona is so big that even if you aren't high on him as a worker you just want to see him and the weirder the match up the better."
I think that is why I have been mostly looking at his runs in places that are not ECW. Seeing him in WWE is so strange that beyond being good (they are) they also have a freak show appeal. This match is one of those. This is a match Sabu had with Umaga the week before Survivor Series 06.


The match is almost a complete squash. I've seen Mike Jackson and Tony Stuber get more offense in TBS squashes than Sabu got here. But Umaga is such a beast and Sabu does such a great job taking the beating its hard to care.

Sabu goes on the attack first and Umaga catches him with an uppercut to the throat. After this Sabu never gets going. Umaga takes a part Sabu with headbutts and a huge chop which folds Sabu up. Umaga starts clubbering in the corner. Sabu fights his way out and Umaga will have none of that and drops him again.

On the outside Sabu gets whipped into the barricade taking a chest first bump. Back in the ring he starts hurting Umaga with punches only to get his head taken off by a kick.

Umaga misses a charge. Sabu hits a leaping leg lariat, dropkicks his knee and hits the big springboard DDT but Umaga gets up. Sabu leaps blindly into the ropes and takes the Samoan Spike. Probably the best looking Samoan Spike I have seen anyone take.


On commentary JR and even King try their best to put over Sabu. Getting across how tough Sabu is which gets Umaga over even more as a force of nature.

Sabu a Day 6 vs Cactus Jack NWC 1995

Last night on DVDVR, I got a request from Dylan Waco to review the matches Sabu and Cactus Jack had in 1995 for NWC in Las Vegas. I'm going to look at the Cage match first since cage matches are such oddities for both of them.

Cactus does this great promo about how Sabu brings out the worst in him. I really miss Cactus Jack. Not Mick Foley but Cactus Jack the sick and twisted fuck. The cage match has a good premise. Last time they wrestled they destroyed the building, endangered fans and ruined a blackjack game.


Cactus and Sabu have really weird chemistry. A lot of it is they feel like putting two magnets together of the same polarity. It makes me wonder what a Cactus Jack circa 95/Necro Butcher match would be like. Have Butcher and Sabu wrestled?

The match starts and it is awkward. It is escapes rules BTW and filled with weapons. A combination of Sabu and Jack's weird chemistry and Jack being bad in cage matches. In his book Foley said anytime he was in a bad match he would kick into over drive to try to save it. That happens here. He really tears into Sabu and like the Parka match it feels like two guys dropping bombs. Jack beats the shit out of Sabu. Laying into him with kicks, punches and weapon shots. Wears him out with a snow shovel. Then starts trying to shove Sabu through the cage.

I think that Foley know he can't outcrazy Sabu, so he steps into the role of large brute and fucks him up. He breaks a pane of glass over Sabu's head and starts cutting him up, even messing up his own hand. I don't think even the Japanese Death Leagues were using glass yet.

Cactus sets up a table and Sabu blindsides him. Tries to go up top and Cactus puts him in a sleeper causing them to plummet into the table.  Sabu tries to scale the cage and Cactus follows. Sabu hits a dropkick on the top rope crotching Jack. Now Sabu is going after Cactus with a barrage of weapon shots.

We get another edit and Cactus is trying to escape but Sabu wails on him with the shovel. They fight on top of the cage again and Sabu knocks Cactus to the mat and follows up with a Rey Mysterio esque splash.

Later Sabu is thrown at full speed into the table which doesn't break. Staggers out and headbutts Cactus in the gut. Later Sabu places Cactus on the table and misses a moonsault and the table does not break.

Sabu's selling is great. I mean he probably is hurt but the result is the same. Cactus misses a top rope elbow and the table still does not break. Now Sabu hits the legdrop and the table still refuses to break. They have both collective said fuck it and go to the finish. Which is the Orndorff/Hogan SNME finish.

Sting vs Kurt Angle Huntsville

nun8un by Moonshame
  
                                          
I was at the Impact Taping last Thursday. I took my seven year old nephew. It was his first wrestling show and he loved it. My favorite part was him very earnestly telling me every time a heel cheated. I went to see one man. I went to see Sting. Sting was one of my favorite wrestlers growing up and my appreciation for him has grown as I get older. I think the fact he has been in a shithole like TNA and still retained his aura is such a big point in his favor. Guys like Mick Foley, Kurt Angle and even Hulk Hogan have had their legendary auras torn down. To the point they do not seem like that much of a bigger deal than AJ Styles or Eric Young.

The aura Samoa Joe's cultivated in ROH has been decimated. He bears a striking resemblance to Tazz circa 2001/2002. Except he was still over.

Sting came out and the place went crazy. He was the most over guy in the building. Everybody came to see him. I went crazy every time he was out.

So when they announced a Sting/Angle title match I was so happy. I have loved every match Sting and Angle have had. The PPV match last month was really good except for the Impact Zone. They have great chemistry and it is a shame they could not of crossed paths earlier.

I never realized how crummy TNA's editing is until I saw a TV taping. This match was so poorly edited. They have this knack for making the coolest stuff look mundane.

One of my favorite parts of the match was Angle countering the Stinger Splash with a Belly to Belly. Later Sting gets a big near fall on the Scorpion Deathdrop. I thought Sting had won the title.

Later he locks on the Scorpion Deathlock and the ref bump happens of course. By the end of the night it was a running joke in my section. People were looking at the ramp waiting for the Run in.

So Hogan hits Sting with a chair. Sting no sells and Hulks up and I LOST MY SHIT!!! I was howling, beating my chest. It was the best wrestling moment I ever had live. At least since I lived thru Hulkamania in 89.

But Angle hits an Angleslam on the chair. I did not realize it was on top of the chair. Looked nasty on tape.

Loved this and had a great time. Later I will tell tale of meeting D-Von Dudley and locking eyes with Winter and locking her under my thrall. Oh wait I just did.

Sabu A Day:Day 5 vs Big Show ECW on Sci Fi

 Sorry been preoccupied since Thursday. Nothing interesting just bills and family issues.

This is the match with Big Show that set up the Extreme Rules rubber match. Even if it is weird since Show beat Sabu at Summerslam and won here by DQ. But that's modern wrestling for you.



One thing I loved with this feud was Heyman begging Show not to underestimate Sabu. But Show is all "Don't worry I got this. I'm a giant." and slowly reality sets in like when Rocky knocked Apollo Creed on his ass in Round One.

Show was perfect during this period. The perfect mixture of Unstoppable monster/vulnerable heel Champion. You can buy ancient melting man of wax Flair beating Show. Or the Sandman beating Show. Because ECW is this alien planet with its own customs. While the WWE wrestlers were like settlers converting the natives to Christianity. Until eventually the natives entire culture is assimilated.

This match starts like the other Sabu/Show matches. Show comes in overwhelming Sabu. Headbutts, Chops and crazy looking military presses dominate. Show drops him from the press slam on the top rope and Sabu dropped directly from the floor.

With Big Show a basic bodyslam looks brutal. Sabu starts firing off some punches and Show wipes him out with a Lariat. He just suffocated Sabu with half his body.

Show clamps him in a bearhug and Sabu tries to gogue his eyes out. Ref reprimands Sabu while Show starts to realize what he is dealing with.

Blinded, Show accidentally wipes out the referee with a spear. Sabu leaps off the ropes and Show catches him. He hits a crazy Fallaway Slam that sends Sabu flying across the ring.

Sabu heads outside, Show pursues and Sabu cracks him in the head with a chair. Catches him with a few more shots, finally toppling him with a chair shot off the top rope.

He hits the Triple Jump Moonsault and Arabian Facebuster but no referee. Another ref runs in and Sabu gets a two count. Sabu goes fuck it and grabs the ring bell. He splits Show's scalp open and the referee cowers in the corner.

Sabu is enraged and hits Show over and over. He is covered in blood and pleading with Sabu to show mercy. Because of how good Show and Sabu are you buy it. He keeps hitting him and Show goes over the top thru a table. Sabu is DQ'ed I think. Or maybe Show was for wiping out the first Ref.

Sabu stands looking crazed holding the bell in his mouth.

Sabu A Day:Day 4 vs La Parka Mexican Massacre Match

MLW should have been the best of the three upstart promotions of 2002. They did not do the stupid shit TNA did and they were not wrestling as performance art  indy classic bullshit of ROH. But nothing they did ever worked. Even stuff that should have been good in theory.


The Sabu vs La Parka feud however is one of the things that did work. This is not their first match. That one ended with Sabu bludgeoning Parka with scissors. Tearing his mask open and leaving him a bloody mess. It had this awesome visual of a bloody Parka crawling desperately toward Sabu.

This is the rematch some months later. They did some angle where Parka injured Bill Alfonzo, so he sends his brother the Cuban Assassin in his place. Parka comes out in some sweet ring gear. Wearing a crazy rubber skull mask over his regular crazy skull mask. Joey Styles wonders if it is a Missy Hyatt mask.

Match starts with some nice mat work. Sabu takes down Parka with an armbar. They end up brawling on the floor. Both of them taking some nasty bumps. Watching this I wonder if they genuinely dislike each other. Sabu throws a chair in Parka's face and Parka tries to cave in Sabu's skull.

Parka tries to throw Sabu into a table, Sabu escapes and slams Parka's head into the hardwood. Looks really nasty. Parka responds by trying to decapitate Sabu with a short arm clothesline. These two are dropping bombs like a lightweight Hansen/Vader.

Parka hits a great looking suicide dive. Parka misses a senton in the ring. Sabu locks on a Camel Clutch but Parka fights to the ropes. Guys dragging guys to the ropes to escape submissions sometimes bugs me. Like seeing Rey Mysterio pull Edge across the ring to escape the Sharpshooter. But here it works with Parka having a size advantage and it really looks like a struggle.

Lot of people dislike Joey Styles. Hell he bugs me at times. But I think he was good here. One thing he got across was how familiar he was with Sabu. Later he pointed out that Sabu was at a disadvantage not having Fonzie, since he had no chemistry with Assassin. But putting over Assassin is a wrestler which makes him less of a liability.

Parka faceplants Sabu into a chair and again it looks nasty. Parka and Sabu trade punches on the turnbuckle. Parka gets the advantage and faceplants Sabu into the chair from the second rope. Ref tried to move it but you see Parka threaten him. He tosses Sabu out and hits another brutal looking suicide dive.

Parka hits Sabu with a broken table and I don't know where it came from. The match is not edited so I must have missed something.

Sabu tosses Parka into the table shrapnel in the corner. Sabu pins Parka covered in the shrapnel and it is a great visual. The match is disjointed in places. But they go by that old rule of when in doubt beat the shit outta each other and it works. Parka knocks down Sabu and cuts a little jig.

Parka is a guy who really should have been a far bigger star in this country. Lots of charisma, good in the ring and big enough to credibly fight heavyweights.

Weird spot on the apron. It looks like they are having a disagreement on what to do so Sabu hip tosses him into the ring and Parka reverses.

Parka hits a stiff standing enzugiri on Sabu. Hits a sitout Powerbomb, but he can't finish him off.. Sabu escapes the table but is hit by a Crossbody block off the top. Assassin comes in and knees Parka in the gut. The type of brute force that Fonzie can't provide. Sabu hits the Triple Jump Moonsault spot on.


 Assassin proves a liability. He can't move as fast as Fonzie or set up the tables and chairs properly. Which for Sabu is crucial and he pays for it in the end. While Sabu is climbing up top, Assassin comes into hold Parka down. But Parka nails him with a chair and Sabu puts Assassin thru the table. Parka hits a moosault somersault block onto Sabu for three.

This match is not perfect. It is disjointed in places. But the action is stiff and nasty enough I can overlook its flaws.