I like the entire WM3 card, top to bottom, even the midget match. In the moment (ie not sure if I'd still like it so much), I was a big Men on a Mission fan.
Shawn's first stuff as a face in his '95 face turn. Shawn vs Bundy. Shawn vs IRS. Fantastic and fun.
The other that I never see mentioned was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs Mr. Perfect from Primetime Wrestling. I only saw it one time, and remember being deeply into the match and its result.
I've held on to this long enough; here it goes: I thought Hogan vs. Bundy at Wrestlemania II was absolutely epics when I was a kid because A) It was the first cage match I'd ever seen and B) Though I'd heard tell of such an occurrence, I'd never actually witnessed a man bleeding in a wrestling match before. I look back now and see a tiny scratch, but to me at the time, Bundy was the Muta scale before there ever was such a thing.
Another good one is the Main Event match where Tito Santana was wrestling The Red Rooster and Heenan was mic'd so that you could hear him berating Taylor throughout the the match. When the Rooster finally snapped and turned on The Brain at the end of the match, I became a total mark for him...so there was at least one of us out there. I am sharing some stuff today.
I'm going to go with two from 1997 (even though I wasn't the typical "mark" anymore): -Owen vs Pillman from the MSG Raw in September. The comedic first part, followed by some fast-paced aggression, made for a very cool match. Too bad it's cut short. Pillman's body was screwed at that point, and it was a shame he didn't have enough good people (like Owen) to carry him while in the ring. But I LOVE this match and it reminds me of the many things I appreciated about those two guys.
-Shamrock vs Vader from Cold Day in Hell. Your mileage may vary, but to me, it was a classic. It was the perfect melding of MMA and pro wrestling at the time. Vader probably is not as enthusiastic about this match as I am, but oh well. It had freak show appeal at first--very few of us had any idea if Shamrock would be able to do anything worthwhile in the ring, but we were quickly proven wrong.
Tatanka vs. Ludvig Borga when Tatanka's undefeated streak ended. Surprisingly good match considering the participants. It was hyped as such a big deal and a devastating loss, and on top of that, it's a super-sized post-match beatdown that also removes him from the Survivor Series Main Event. When it rains, it pours.
I was at Cold Day in Hell live and we all audibly gasped when Vader nailed Shamrock with that shot at the end. My friend and I thought Vader was pissed about something and let Shamrock have it.
Honestly... everything I watched before I was 16 or so. I took it all very seriously, like everything was real and enjoyed it FAR more than I do today.
The Steiner/Rotundao match is a good one though. Also the Fantastics/MXE match from the first Clash.
The Main Event in 1988 where Andre beats Hogan with twin Hebners. Watching Hogan lose back then was sheer glory. DiBiase was RED HOT as a heel after those shenanigans.
That Steiner/Rotundo match was a great match. In fact a lot of the TV titles were. My favorite was the Mulkey Brothers (the jobbiest jobbers that ever jobbed) beating the Gladiators to qualify for the Crockett Cup.
Anything at all with SID.
ReplyDeleteBoss Man v Heenan family, my 'first feud'.
I have great fondness for any Headbangers match for some reason.
That 'magic flute' match with 3MB, Khali and Santino from Smackdown recently.
I like the entire WM3 card, top to bottom, even the midget match.
ReplyDeleteIn the moment (ie not sure if I'd still like it so much), I was a big Men on a Mission fan.
I've also always enjoyed the Hillbilly gimmicks.
George Steele vs Kamala on PTW. Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sika on Superstars or Wrestling Challenge or whatever.
ReplyDeleteShawn's first stuff as a face in his '95 face turn. Shawn vs Bundy. Shawn vs IRS. Fantastic and fun.
ReplyDeleteThe other that I never see mentioned was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs Mr. Perfect from Primetime Wrestling. I only saw it one time, and remember being deeply into the match and its result.
I've held on to this long enough; here it goes: I thought Hogan vs. Bundy at Wrestlemania II was absolutely epics when I was a kid because A) It was the first cage match I'd ever seen and B) Though I'd heard tell of such an occurrence, I'd never actually witnessed a man bleeding in a wrestling match before. I look back now and see a tiny scratch, but to me at the time, Bundy was the Muta scale before there ever was such a thing.
ReplyDeleteAnother good one is the Main Event match where Tito Santana was wrestling The Red Rooster and Heenan was mic'd so that you could hear him berating Taylor throughout the the match. When the Rooster finally snapped and turned on The Brain at the end of the match, I became a total mark for him...so there was at least one of us out there.
ReplyDeleteI am sharing some stuff today.
I'm going to go with two from 1997 (even though I wasn't the typical "mark" anymore):
ReplyDelete-Owen vs Pillman from the MSG Raw in September. The comedic first part, followed by some fast-paced aggression, made for a very cool match. Too bad it's cut short. Pillman's body was screwed at that point, and it was a shame he didn't have enough good people (like Owen) to carry him while in the ring. But I LOVE this match and it reminds me of the many things I appreciated about those two guys.
-Shamrock vs Vader from Cold Day in Hell. Your mileage may vary, but to me, it was a classic. It was the perfect melding of MMA and pro wrestling at the time. Vader probably is not as enthusiastic about this match as I am, but oh well. It had freak show appeal at first--very few of us had any idea if Shamrock would be able to do anything worthwhile in the ring, but we were quickly proven wrong.
Tatanka vs. Ludvig Borga when Tatanka's undefeated streak ended. Surprisingly good match considering the participants. It was hyped as such a big deal and a devastating loss, and on top of that, it's a super-sized post-match beatdown that also removes him from the Survivor Series Main Event. When it rains, it pours.
ReplyDeleteI was at Cold Day in Hell live and we all audibly gasped when Vader nailed Shamrock with that shot at the end. My friend and I thought Vader was pissed about something and let Shamrock have it.
ReplyDeleteThe battle royal from SNME with Hogan and Andre involved.
ReplyDeleteThe Hart Foundation vs. The Brain Busters - SummerSlam '89
Tito Santana vs. Mr. Perfect - from a 1990 ep of SNME
"most of Lex Luger's output in the 80s" "are all examples of matches with little redeeming value"
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of revised history bullshit is this? Lex stopped giving a shit in 91 but the previous 3 or 4 years is A Level stuff.
Hogan/Slaughter.
ReplyDeleteSNME - Hogan vs Bossman in the blue steel cage. Fucking SUPERPLEX from the top of the cage. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that magic flute thing cracked me up. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteHonestly... everything I watched before I was 16 or so. I took it all very seriously, like everything was real and enjoyed it FAR more than I do today.
ReplyDeleteThe Steiner/Rotundao match is a good one though. Also the Fantastics/MXE match from the first Clash.
The Main Event in 1988 where Andre beats Hogan with twin Hebners. Watching Hogan lose back then was sheer glory. DiBiase was RED HOT as a heel after those shenanigans.
ReplyDeleteThat Steiner/Rotundo match was a great match. In fact a lot of the TV titles were.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was the Mulkey Brothers (the jobbiest jobbers that ever jobbed) beating the Gladiators to qualify for the Crockett Cup.
Side note: They are still ALIVE?!?!!
http://youtu.be/g3kCMgAPSTc
That one Kofi vs. Ziggler match, that was just the best!
ReplyDeleteThey repeated that spot all around the house circuit. (thus exposing the business to me for the first time.)
ReplyDeleteThat Fantastics/MXE match is objectively a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteIt could be worse, you could be a total mark for Hillybilly Jim.
ReplyDelete