The Wrestling Thread

[DomDom]

Time for more !

Rick Martel vs. Bret Hart - WWE Copps Coliseum 01/05/1989

I guess this is some sort of prelude to the singles career of The Hitman then ! Rick Martel had just packed in Strike Force, and he was SOOOO much fun at this point, doing all sorts of showboating and just basically being an absolute p***k. He can't even get into the ring without showing off. The execution and snap on the moves of both guys looked amazing. A simple Suplex was done with pure power and you won't see a better one as Lord Hayes rightly points out. This match was so well put together that you can't help but really enjoy it.

Highlight of the match : Bret Hart hits the most vicious Clothesline of his career. ***3/4

Demolition © vs. Akeem and The Big Bossman - WWE Tag Team Championships - WWE Copps Coliseum 01/05/1989

This is my last match on this show, but apparently this was the first match on the show. Appears that I did it in reverse ! I can't see this being very good. What was I doing putting it onto my playlist ? Akeem was a class act all through this match. Brilliant agility for a guy his size, and his selling is intentionally hilarious at times. Could have been a bit of a star in WWE at the time. Bossman isn't great here, but he would get better in time. Fairly boring tag formula stuff.

Highlight of the match : Akeem laid across the top rope. Great visual. **

The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Silver Kings - WCW Clash of the Champions XIX

BADSTREET USA~~~!!! Silver Kings are mexican lads. I wonder if one of them is the Silver King that would go after the WCW C/W Title at times. JR and Ventura are a brilliant commentary team here. The Silver Kings are brilliant to watch here with some belting tag team work and everything they do just looks so slick. I'd love to see a lot more of their work against better teams, because if they can do something this good with the Freebirds, they're worth a look. The Kings certainly know a lot of Dropkicks ! Anyways, this is great fun.

Highlight of the match : One of the Kings hits a GORGEOUS Stalling Slingshot Senton. ***1/4

Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton vs. Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes - WCW Clash of the Champions XIX

More tag team action and I expect it'll be more GOOD tag team action. I actually expect this to be one of the best matches I watch tonight. Loads going on in this match, but a lot of it felt awfully hollow. Another example of that thing I like to refer to as "lots of nothing going on". It's a shame because these four guys were part of what was a brilliant tag team division at the time. Towards the end, this thing really kicks off, but by then it was too late. Not to say that this wasn't good. It was.

Highlight of the match : Heyman's hilarious cell phone shot. ***

Rob Van Dam © vs. Jeff Hardy - WWE Hardcore Championship - WWE Smackdown 23/08/2001

If this is the match I think it is, then the highlight of the match should be a pretty obvious one. I won't spill untill I've seen it. Ah, it is. Right I'll reveal it at the end. This match was okay before that point with another pretty cool spot from Jeff hitting the top rope Rana while RVD was standing on the second rope on the outside. Other than those two spots, the match was pretty much bog standard hardcore stuff. Poor effort from both guys really.

Highlight of the match : Jeff Hardy misses a Swanton Bomb off the ladder and goes through a table, and the table EXPLODES. I mean, this thing breaks into a million pieces and goes everywhere. Batshit crazy. *

Mr. Kennedy and Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy and Shawn Michaels - WWE RAW 22/10/2007

Shawn Michaels seems to get the worst of Kennedy, as he completely forgets to go over with a Swinging Neckbreaker, causing HBK to get a bit angry. Most of the match is the extended formula down to a tee and nobody really breaks out the moveset untill Jeff Hardy hits the ring for the final big babyface push for the win. Always acceptable for a TV match though.

Highlight of the match : Orton doing a shaky knees sell off an Enziguri. **3/4

One more batch hopefully coming later with a match from the Tanaka vs. Awesome series and Tito Santana vs. Bob Orton. Good times !

[The Naitch]

Mike Tyson is going to be Guest Host of Raw on January 11th ... that could be, erm, interesting.

[DomDom]

Mike Tyson is going to be Guest Host of Raw on January 11th ... that could be, erm, interesting.

God. He spent about 30 seconds in front of a mic and managed to f**k up last time.

Brock Lesnar © vs. Giant Bernard - IWGP Heavyweight Championship - NJPW 05/03/2006

Apparently Lesnar was horribly unmotivated at this point. We'll soon see though. Giant Bernard was A-Train in WWE, and when he went to Japan he showed some amazing improvements. Wrestling big Bernard doesn't seem like something any sane person would want to do. That man will hit you HARD ! The action was horrible at times, as evidenced by the crowd reactions. They could have been wrestling in an empty warehouse at times. Lesnar couldn't even be bothered getting energetic for the final stretch. Poor show.

Highlight of the match : Bernard runs full pelt into the ringpost. Pain for the cause. 1/2*

Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy - WWE Smackdown 30/03/2007

This is a sort of build up for the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania 23. This match features a criminally long Chinlock from Orton. We always see a Chinlock from the guy but there was no need for THIS. Jeff Hardy always takes 100% to a match no matter where it is, and Randy Orton does do his bit, so fair play. The match was hurt badly by no flow whatsoever before the commercial break and the Chinlock. Good match.

Highlight of the match : Hardy drops Orton on his head with a Front Suplex. ***

Mike Awesome © vs. Masato Tanaka - ECW Heavyweight Championship - ECW February 2000

How many matches did these guys have ? I must have seen six or seven matches and I haven't seen this one. I have no idea how I managed to live without this one. This is absolutely breathtaking. They manage to add some new tricks to the old ones and freshen things up. Both guys seem also to be more willing to take unreal risks than they were before and the crowd honestly couldn't believe some of the things these two guys were doing to each other. I won't ruin many of it for you as I'll link you to it. This is definately must-see.

Highlight of the match : Tanaka hits a Swinging DDT off the apron through the table. Insanity. ****1/2

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4cfj7_ma...omeecw-ti_sport

Tito Santana © vs. Bob Orton - WWE Intercontinental Championship - WWE MSG 23/07/1984

I suspect that this match won't be much of a highlight reel ! Bob Orton decides that it's all about the delivery and does all sorts of cool things when he does moves, swivelling hips and kicking legs and stuff. The referee must have a hard time getting out of his way ! The match hasn't aged well as it's a bit slow but that is really the only flaw I can pick from this, but it's a biggie. It's an incredibly well put together piece of work. Almost to the point of it looking rehearsed.

Highlight of the match : Santana really going after that arm ! Work it baby ! ***

Marty Jannetty © vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - WWE Intercontinental Championship - WWE RAW 31/05/1993

Oh man, this HAS to be good. Turns out that it IS good ! Bigelow is superb when he's kicking the living shit out of high flyers. His reaction to Jannetty's overselling is brilliant. He seems to actually be taken aback by it before regaining his composure and acting all bad and stuff. The cheap ending doesn't do anything for Marty who just won the belt, so points off for that, but this would have hit 4* if it had an ending that actually fitted with the match.

Highlight of the match : Jannetty's Superkick. Bejeezus. ***3/4

NOTE : This was definately Jannetty's year as he had so many awesome, awesome matches in 1993.

Rob Van Dam © vs. Balls Mahoney - ECW Television Championship - ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999

I can remember this being the usual RVD vs. nomark contender sort of match. If it's any better than that, then adding it to my Playlist definately paid off. The amount of stalling in this match is really bad. I know that RVD matches by default in ECW had a ridiculous amount of stalling, but this one really takes the piss. The sad fact is that this main evented over an AMAZING ECW Title match between Taz, Tanaka and Awesome. So this actually turned out to be WORSE than the usual RVD, which could be entertaining at times. It's a shame, because Balls Mahoney actually could be really good at times.

Highlight of the match : RVD jumping the rail, only to be chaired by a bored Balls Mahoney. *

Right. I'm done for the night.

Edited December 24, 2009 by DomDom

[RB-Scotland]

That RVD/Balls match really annoyed me. They had a really good match on Hardcore TV a little while later(one of my first ECW matches), more of an RVD showcase than anything, but really fast-paced. In saying that, a Balls Mahoney singles match should never have main evented a PPV.. remember though, he was a last minute replacement for Johnny Smith. I'd have given Simon Diamond the spot and bumped the match down the card a little, personally.

[DomDom]

In saying that, a Balls Mahoney singles match should never have main evented a PPV.. remember though, he was a last minute replacement for Johnny Smith.

Oh aye ! I forgot Johnny Smith was there. A match with him and Rob Van Dam would have been quite good actually.

I'll take it you've seen Balls Mahoney vs. Masato Tanaka ? That's what COULD happen in a Mahoney match. Then again, that might have been because Tanaka is gold.

[The Hurricane]

Whit happened there? Jonny Smith just came out and got smacked wae a chair so Balls got to be his replacement. I take it he was injured.

[DomDom]

Whit happened there? Jonny Smith just came out and got smacked wae a chair so Balls got to be his replacement. I take it he was injured.

That's got to be the case. Why else replace Johnny Smith with Balls Mahoney in a main event ?

[DomDom]

We're back to the playlist, and I seem to be running into some ECW stuff.

Rob Van Dam and Sabu © vs. The Dudley Boys - ECW Tag Team Championships - ECW October 1998

Can't understand for the life of me why this match didn't make it to PPV. RVD and Sabu were the superhot guys and The Dudley Boys were hated up and down the ECW circuit. You want chaos and madness ? This is where you wanna be. This match is so much fun as it is basically the ultimate showcase of Rob Van Dam and Sabu, with both men showing off their very best stuff. A match this one sided shouldn't be seen as such a high rating, but this much fun HAS to be rewarded.

Highlight of the match : Rob Van Dam with one of the most mental Planchas you have EVER seen. ***1/2

Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam and Kid Kash - ECW August 2000

Very cool. You have to wonder how RVD ever got over as a face. He was the most arrogant and cocky c**t in ECW. Tommy Dreamer doesn't spend much time in the ring so we're left mainly with Jerry Lynn doing his stuff with Kash and RVD. This is about as good as it sounds. Some of the innovation in this match is incredible and even RVD does some stuff which, while he's done it before, seems fresh because of the little twists. All in all, this is a great match and you MUST see it.

Highlight of the match : Rob Van Dam hits a glorious leaping Split Legged Moonsault. ****1/4

The full thing. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x46fgx_je...s-rob-van_sport

Elijah Burke vs. Chris Benoit - ECW on Sci-Fi 19/06/2007

This was the last match that Benoit wrestled on TV so I guess this has some historic value. This is the first time I've ever felt weird watching a Benoit match after his death. Doesn't do much to diminish the decent quality of the match though. Benoit seemed to spend a lot of his time in 2007 making younger guys look like they could hang with him. Burke looked great here thanks to some nifty exchanges and great counters to some of Benoit's moves, but experience from Benoit seemed to shine through.

Highlight of the match : Benoit hits the knees with the Flying Headbutt. ***

The Great Khali vs. The Undertaker, Last Man Standing Match - WWE Smackdown 18/08/2006

I've always maintained that, for as shit as Khali was, the guy should have been a star in WWE. So why didn't he become a star ? If you can't even win your first fued and you're the size of Khali, you're going to have difficulty recovering, and sure enough, that's what happened, no matter how much WWE tried to stop it. What also doesn't help is someone no selling your high impact moves. It could be argued that Taker made him look better than he's ever looked, but anyone who DOES say that clearly misses the point. Not to say this wasn't a decent match though.

Highlight of the match : Khali throws Undertaker off of the 619 platform through two tables. **3/4

The British Bulldogs © vs. Dream Team, 2/3 Falls Match - WWE Tag Team Championships - WWE The Main Event 04/10/1986

This is a return match from a decent match from Wrestlemania II. This match featured the worst referee I have ever seen, allowing blatant cheating and doing quick counts and stuff. This was still quality tag team action though. Quality twist on the tag formula, as they make the hot tag, but Beefcake sees what's coming and gets across the ring quickly to make sure Davey Boy can't do the "house on fire" spiel. You don't get much teamwork from Beefcake and Valentine but they are fluid as hell. Superb match and better than their Mania effort.

Highlight of the match : Dynamite Kid hitting a Springboard Flying Headbutt off the back of Beefcake. ****

As always with a ****+ match, here it is. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7munq_br...ream-team_sport

Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat, Snake Pit Match - WWE The Main Event 04/10/1986

For being a blowoff match between two talented wrestlers, this was a massive disappointment. Main problem is that Roberts was always supposed to be a pretty smart guy, but here he did so many stupid things that you couldn't help but think yourself "what a moron". The match was alright and it only lasted a few minutes and was mainly built around the dragon and snake in the opposite bags. Could have done with seeing a more straight forward match.

Highlight of the match : Dragon vs. Snake~~~!!! **1/2

[DomDom]

I'm hoping to do a double shot with this and the Saturday Night that comes after it. Time and the episode of SN actually working will dictate whether I try both of 'em.

WCW Nitro 19/02/1996

This match has Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair, and it's not even the opening match of the show. Excellent.

Arn Anderson vs. Hulk Hogan

They make a big deal about Hogan not losing twice to the same guy, which makes me think that there's going to be another shock result here. Hogan is all fire and fury right from the word go, giving Arn Anderson about five back rakes. Jesus christ. A bit of a mixed crowd where Hogan is concerned, but it's mostly pro-Hogan. Total domination from Hogan which makes sense considering the story going into the match, but is there any need for the blatant cheating ? There was a low blow right in front of the ref. The match ends with Arn Anderson winning by DQ because Savage hit the ring. Superb. Not much of a match here. Just a completely one sided beating.

That car driver is back on my PC screen. GET OFF MY PC SCREEN !

Alex Wright vs. Loch Ness

This is not going to end well for the Wonderkid. Nor will it end well for my eyes. They keep calling Loch Ness English but SURELY he'd be Scottish, right ? Loch Ness has music which can only be described as horrible. Stupid moment as Alex Wright sits on the top rope and gives Loch Ness a Sleeper Hold and the referee doesn't count or anything. Twat. This is absolutely shite. I mean really, really shite.

Johnny B. Badd vs. Chris Benoit on the Saturday Night show. That sounds nice.

The Belfast Bruiser vs. Brad Armstrong

I'm pretty sure the Bruiser is Finlay, but he looks really different with the moustache and the long hair. This match is really dull and plodding. It feels like the two guys are just wasting time untill Finlay starts attacking the leg, with almost every single exchange looking awkward. Once we reach the leg work though, it's good from that point onwards as both men get the fans excited big time. Finlay takes the win with a Tilt-a-Whirl Slam.

Ric Flair © vs. Randy Savage - WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Ric Flair is accompanied by Woman and Liz. Man, Randy Savage really won't be very happy about this, will he ? Really surprised at the restraint from Savage at the start of this match, especially considering the beating that he gave to Hugh Morrus the previous week in anger. Finish comes when Arn Anderson hits Savage with a DDT among shenanigans and Flair gets the win because of that. I was trying to think of a way to describe the match about 10 minutes into it and then Heenan said "this isn't really a wrestling match anymore". The match just gradually descended into chaos which was good and both men played their roles absolutely perfectly, with Savage getting more and more angry and frustrated while Flair didn't have any idea how to deal with it. Great main event.

Brutus Beefcake hits the ring and helps out Hogan and Savage when they're getting beaten down. What the hell is going on here ? Ric Flair joins the commentators and gloats, and Brutus Beefcake runs over there and cleans house. Hogan then joins them and comes out with a promo which I can't even make out.

End of show.

Edited December 26, 2009 by DomDom

[The Hero of the Day]

Mike Tyson is going to be Guest Host of Raw on January 11th ... that could be, erm, interesting.

"Tyson!, Tyson!, Tyson!, right hand!" lol

whatta guy that JR is, his voice plastered over so many moments.

[KilliePie]

Been busy last few weeks and not being keeping up with wrestling as much, but after catching up I can say that I'm looking forward to TNA's January 4th show now.... because I fucking hate Bret Hart!!!

Hope he gets to f**k, and quickly.

[DomDom]

TNA have signed The Young Bucks.

Give them 15 minutes with MCMG and watch the sparks fly. They can't sign the Bucks and NOT have that match. It was a short match with MCMG that got them their spot actually. Apparently really good.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Been busy last few weeks and not being keeping up with wrestling as much, but after catching up I can say that I'm looking forward to TNA's January 4th show now.... because I fucking hate Bret Hart!!!

Hope he gets to f**k, and quickly.

I'm with you on this. There are plenty of so-called smart fans lining up to have a go at TNA for hiring an old timer like Hogan, but the very same people are creaming themselves in excitement over the WWE doing exactly the same thing with Bret Hart.

I know Hogan is a massive bawbag who likes to re-write history and talk shite in every interview he does, but Hart does the same thing - always bleating on about Montreal 1997 and recent belters such as 'Melina is currently the best wrestler in the world'

Obviously i this part of the world we won't have the option of watching TNA on Jan 4 th, but I'm much more looking forward to that than Raw.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Sherrif John Bunnell

[DomDom]

I'm with you on this. There are plenty of so-called smart fans lining up to have a go at TNA for hiring an old timer like Hogan, but the very same people are creaming themselves in excitement over the WWE doing exactly the same thing with Bret Hart.

Wrong right off the bat. The vast majority are actually looking forward to Hogan coming in, not because of Hogan himself being on TNA, but because what and who he will bring to the table overall because, for the first time in a long time, people actually think TNA might be able to do something. The fact that Eric Bischoff is coming in only adds to that excitement.

I know Hogan is a massive bawbag who likes to re-write history and talk shite in every interview he does, but Hart does the same thing - always bleating on about Montreal 1997 and recent belters such as 'Melina is currently the best wrestler in the world'

He also said that Cena is like a modern day version of himself. Not sure what led him to that conclusion.

Obviously i this part of the world we won't have the option of watching TNA on Jan 4 th, but I'm much more looking forward to that than Raw.

Depends really. TNA has the factor of not knowing exactly what the Hogan/Bischoff era is going to start off like, so it's going to be much more intriguing. The oppertunity of watching Bret Hart confront Vince McMahon over Montreal is too good to pass up though.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

I couldn't give a f**k about Bret Hart the guy, but the controversy of him returning has me interested to see where they go with it.

I couldn't give a f**k about Hulk Hogan the guy, but what he brings to TNA will be interesting to see and will hopefully bring the best out in both of the companies.

Also it seems that WWE and TNA are going signing for signing with each other. Hogan and then Hart. McGuinness and Danielson. Young Bucks and the Briscoes.

[DomDom]

Also it seems that WWE and TNA are going signing for signing with each other. Hogan and then Hart. McGuinness and Danielson. Young Bucks and the Briscoes.

The Briscoes is an interesting one. If they can go with the WWE style then I'll be delighted as they are incredible to watch. The Young Bucks don't have to change at all and will fit into the TNA tag division quite well. Potential matches with MCMG and Beer Money should be amazing.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

The Briscoes is an interesting one. If they can go with the WWE style then I'll be delighted as they are incredible to watch. The Young Bucks don't have to change at all and will fit into the TNA tag division quite well. Potential matches with MCMG and Beer Money should be amazing.

I'm looking forward to seeing Young Bucks in TNA. To be honest, the TNA Tag division is where my main interest lies in wrestling just now. The WWE tag division could be awesome, but for some reason they just don't give a f**k about it anymore.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Shuggie_Murray7

[The Hero of the Day]

I'm with you on this. There are plenty of so-called smart fans lining up to have a go at TNA for hiring an old timer like Hogan, but the very same people are creaming themselves in excitement over the WWE doing exactly the same thing with Bret Hart.

I know Hogan is a massive bawbag who likes to re-write history and talk shite in every interview he does, but Hart does the same thing - always bleating on about Montreal 1997 and recent belters such as 'Melina is currently the best wrestler in the world'

Obviously i this part of the world we won't have the option of watching TNA on Jan 4 th, but I'm much more looking forward to that than Raw.

Am i missing something here? TNA is on Virgin or Bravo or something is it not? Have they stopped showing it on these channels or what?

[DomDom]

Am i missing something here? TNA is on Virgin or Bravo or something is it not? Have they stopped showing it on these channels or what?

Read it closely. We don't have the option on January 4th.

[Parscelona]

Look what i got for Christmas