Skip to main content

Shawn Michaels match I found


I found this match on youtube between Shawn Michaels and Rad Radford from the Action Zone. I didn't even know that Shawn and Louie had a match against each other that wasn't a two minute squash on Superstars. It's a pretty good match too. Thanks 


O
h, Rad Radford, WWE's comment on the grunge fad long after Cobain had already killed himself.  Truly they had their finger on the pulse of America's youth.  

Comments

  1. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Scott was being sarcastic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Scott being sarcastic? That's a myth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was during the time HBK was carrying everybody up and down the roster to ***+ matches.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wasn't Radford a part time Kliq member? Or am I confused with his lackey role in the NWO?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Say what you will about how shitty an attitude he had in the back, Shawn was the pure definition of a "workhorse" wrestler who actually had good charisma.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Scream09_HartKillerJuly 7, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    Grunge. Now there's a genre of music that hasn't aged well as I have. If I never hear Nirvana again I'll be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  7. See also: That Time Known As Every Time

    ReplyDelete
  8. NIRVANA IS FUCKING AWESOME, DUDE

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shawn had a great line in the show opening promo as I recall.

    "Rad Radford?! That'd be like if my parents called me 'Mike Michaels!'"

    ReplyDelete
  10. Louie was one of the early tragedies of the modern era of wrestling, as he was a pretty good worker with charisma, who seemed well-liked by everyone(even the kliq, which wasn't the easiest thing to do at the time.); he just couldn't kick the soma habit.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't want to undermine your joke. It was a good joke, well-timed. But up until about '94 it definitely wasn't that time known as every time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's true. I guess Tom Dawkings was right to say "this was during the time" etc. since HBK wasn't always placed in a position to carry guys, even when it was apparent that he had the makings of a great worker. For instance, he'd gotten to wrestle guys like Ric Flair in his Rocker days, and even got to team with Flair in a tag match against Bret Hart and Randy Savage at the start of his solo run, but he was only ever given opportunities to hang with guys. It wasn't really until 1995 that management seemed confident enough in his abilities to say, "Here's an tuna-shit worker. Go make me tuna salad."

    ReplyDelete
  13. I remember watching that match in 1995. I actually bought Radford as a small threat, but was pretty certain Michaels would win.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nirvana, particularly Cobain, were never really very good , they just captured an odd little moment in time.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like their cover of Man who Sold the World as sung by Tom Waits.

    ReplyDelete
  16. For anyone who wants to say the contemporary names issued by the WWE are bad. I give you Rad Radford. Did they think the term "Rad" was a huge part of the grunge rocker colloquium? And did they think it didn't sound absolutely ridiculous to repeat his first name in his last name as well? If they really wanted to do this gimmick, they should have gone the Van Hammer route and did a play on words. Earl Jam? Vaughn Nirva? Allister Chains? Sam Garden? Ok, those are all stupid too, but still somehow more dignified than Rad Radford.

    Also I'm thinking that a grunge rocker gimmick would have been a much better fit on a guy who was a little on the emaciated side. Louie Spicolli was a big beefy looking dude who didn't fit the part at all. Once he took off the hoodie, the gimmick totally disappeared. There were a lot of grunge elements in Raven's WCW character and they actually worked fairly well. That's what WWF should have been going for. Instead the entire gimmick was Louie Spicolli suplexing his opponent around the ring (when he wasn't in JTTS mode) while JR awkwardly read a list of grunge band names.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tremendous trolling.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You need your hearing checked.

    ReplyDelete
  19. They were trying everything in 1995... look at Man Mountain Rock. He plays guitar, isn't he cool? He wears tie dye, alright!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well, Shawn is great, but in '93 he was going through the motions for most of that year, and only had great matches when he was motivated enough. He kinda skipped most of '94 and in '95 he was resurgant again with the whole face turn, but then again in '96, Shawn was dogging it for the most part on tv/houseshows and only brought the goods when it came to PPVs.

    I'm not trying to dog HBK, it was pretty smart of him as you can't have great matches on a consistant basis without becoming broken down, so you have to pick your spots and HBK always picked the right matches to be remembered by.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Radford was never a member of the Kliq, more of a associate due to his friendship with Hall, same with Justin Credible.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks...I thought that's why Michaels gave him such a good match

    ReplyDelete
  23. That was one of the annoying things at the time: Shawn could take some lower midcard guy and make him into a legit threat, then WWF forgets all about it and turns him into a jobber again.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Another random thing is that I think Radford was undefeated going into that match.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Taking notes? You SHOULD....

    ReplyDelete
  26. I liked Louie's dogged devotion to carrying on his "Madonna's Boyfriend" gimmick with this lame character: he's Courtney Love's Boyfriend! Like that's something to admit in public any time after 94. Could have at least been "Liz Phair's Boyfriend" or if he wanted to impress dweebs like me, "Kathleen Hanna's Boyfriend" or something.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I never understood guys getting addicted and overdosing on soma. Yeah, it's good for what it's intended for, a muscle relaxer. I guess that's what gets them as I'm sure there is a lot of wear on the muscles as a wrestler. But I never saw it having any kind of recreational value. I can not take a soma for months, then take them for a week or so if something extra bad is going on in my back or neck then stop taking them again. I never got high when taking it, maybe the first pill or two will make me a little tired but past that nothing. I also don't take more than one at a time so maybe in higher doses it gets you high?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Scream09_HartKillerJuly 7, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    No trolling, I really just don't like Nirvana. I loved when when I was teenager in the 90's, moved onto other things - bought the greatest hits in 2002, still liked a couple of songs, tried to listen to them again a couple of years ago and just wasn't hearing whatever I liked about it in the first place. I'm not making a statement on whether they were good or not, just that they don't do it for me anymore and aside from a couple of songs I don't know why they ever did.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Did you drink with it?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Compared to the music of the last 15 years?

    ReplyDelete
  31. No, he doesn't. There are many people out there who don't think Nirvana was any big deal.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I think Vince has just finished watching that BMX movie "Rad" and thought it was hip and what all the kids were doing.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I am aware that morons live, work and breed among us. But they should try and pretend to have some taste and intelligence.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yeah. The week before he did a promo about it.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Just like you, someone who trolls under the moniker "Dougie"

    ReplyDelete
  36. He had a really good match some mid-carders (especially with Kama at KOTR.)

    ReplyDelete
  37. I would pay good money for that 3 way dance between Earl Jam, Allister Chains, and Sam Garden. Can we get Jimmy Hart to create some knockoffs of "Them Bones" and "Spoonman" ("Even Flow" is already done for Earl)?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Whaaaaaat? That's crazy, man. You're talking crazy. That's crazy talk. Stop talking crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Scream09_HartKillerJuly 7, 2013 at 2:22 PM

    I didn't say I liked current music, I'm good with what I've always liked and the occasional new band or album that I come across. Nirvana just isn't something I still enjoy. I still like other bands from that era but Nirvana just hasn't aged well with me.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Most minor threadjack: Just listened to this podcast at http://twoandahalfwrestlers.com/


    Any chance some columnists here can shed some light on Hugh Morrus or put a spotlight on his training methods? To me, he seems like a real bully/asshole who is propelled by bitterness, jealousy, and envy. There's talk of doing away with Steve Kiern (I believe) and giving Demott even more power at there new "performance facility" or whatever the hell it's called.

    ReplyDelete
  41. The reason why it isn't doing it for you anymore is you're no longer a teenager. Your brain doesn't react to songs about anger and angst the same way it once did. SCIENCE!

    It's too bad that Cobain shotgunned himself because he never really got the chance to develop into a full, well-rounded songwriter. That may sound like blasphemy to some of his biggest fans, but in retrospect Nirvana's early work was really just loud pop in the style of the early Beatles. Anyone disagree? Listen to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As Your Are," then listen to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "And I Love Her" and try to deny the similarities. When he blasted off his face after the release of "In Utero," I'd say the band had only gotten as far as the Beatles did with "Beatles For Sale" or "Help!"



    Nirvana never had a "Rubber Soul." And that's the tragedy of Cobain's depression and death.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Scream09_HartKillerJuly 7, 2013 at 2:33 PM

    http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/12/9/3747940/head-wwe-trainer-bill-demott-twitter-attack-by-kevin-matthews

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yeah, that was totally the right move having him win the KOTR tournament. Can't-miss booking that only an idiot could possibly get wrong.


    ..


    Hold on a second..

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'll always defend WWF/E NOT giving Shawn or Taker the KotR win in 1995. Neither of them needed it. Now did Mabel of all people need to win it? Hell no.
    If I had to pick anyone in the tourney it would have been Kama. With a bit of tweaking his character could have ended up much better IMO.

    ReplyDelete
  45. cabspaintedyellowJuly 7, 2013 at 3:27 PM

    #1: "You know, we could have three awesome HBK matches!"

    #2: "Nah, I think two Mabel matches is the way to go."

    Vince: "Wait...how about the best of both worlds? Mabel wins, but we get a smaller underdog worker that the fans can really get behind!"

    #1: "Great! I'll let Shawn know he'll be working thr--"


    Vince: "Yes, four Savio Vega matches!"

    ReplyDelete
  46. I liked how Radford used the BEAR hug. If it doesn't work on a bear, you shouldn't do it in the ring.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Vince: He was the inspiration for "Fuck and Run"!

    ReplyDelete
  48. These kids today...GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

    ReplyDelete
  49. KOTR had FOUR opening matches?

    ReplyDelete
  50. cabspaintedyellowJuly 8, 2013 at 1:01 AM

    Savio had to qualify on the pre-show, beating IRS. So to make it to the finals, he had to wrestle another three times.


    Seriously, Vince. Have Mabel win in the end, fine, no one will argue with your weird tastes. But of all the guys in the tournament you have working four matches, you have Savio (who, granted, isn't Giant Gonzales or anything) out there through the entire night? SHAWN MICHAELS WAS RIGHT THERE!


    Some shows are a one-match show while others are loaded, top-to-bottom, with awesome shit. But KOTR really could have used at least one decent match. Then maybe December 2 Dismember would be the unquestioned lord and master of shitty PPVs, instead of running neck-and-neck with this monument to questionable decision-making.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Butch Vig explained that's one of the reason why the band insisted on having such a "heavy" sound on "Nevermind". they knew that most of the songs were very catchy and would lose their "edge" without it.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I totally agree with this, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  53. The Savio push makes even less sense than the Mabel one, really. I've seen maybe ONE good Savio match in my entire life. At least Mabel was big and scary-looking.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Nope, never did and probably never will. I'm like that with my more risky medications. If I do have some drinks, I don't touch my pain medication. I have a respect/fear of those meds, maybe even because of all the horror stories of oding from wrestlers. I take them as directed (usually less actually) and I don't drink when on them.

    ReplyDelete
  55. That's probably the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  56. There's already a "Man in the Box" knockoff that Dreamer used in WWE, too.

    ReplyDelete
  57. I agree. That seems like a bizarre drug to abuse. You really can't get high on it

    ReplyDelete
  58. I remember HBK mocking the Rad Radford name as stupid by pointing out that his family didn't name him Mike Michaels.

    I also seem to recall there was some kind of lead up to this match in which the aforementioned mocking was included, but specifics elude me.

    ReplyDelete
  59. O
    h, Rad Radford, WWE's comment on the grunge fad long after Cobain had already been killed by Courtney. Truly they had their finger on the pulse of America's youth.
    FTFY.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Nirvana is probably my least favorite of the Seattle Big 4, but their body of work is still decent.

    ReplyDelete
  61. They kept talking about the northern lights suplex that was his big move at the time; all he had to do was hook the arm, and they could've done that spot too. I wonder: was that his finisher at the time? I don't think he used the Spicioli Driver until ECW.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Can't you just imagine Bruce Pritchard introducing Louie as Jeff Spicioli to rib Vince?

    ReplyDelete
  63. He also got one of the worst on air "tributes" from WCW after his death.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Anthony RatcliffeJuly 8, 2013 at 7:35 PM

    Which lodges "Never Said" firmly in my brain. Damn, I hate Liz Phair.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment