A shitload of Dubya Cee Dubya:~
Lord Steven Regal vs Sting, Great American Bash 1996
Good lord almighty I still don't think Cal sold Regal's performance well enough, I mean jesus this is about as good as I've ever seen Regal character wise and its just briliant. He's amazing at stiffing the hell out of Sting and using eyepokes and cheap cutoffs to keep control and busts out some swank submissions and smartly positions himself in areas he can use the ropes for leverage on a couple of holds. Like Arn Regal really adds to all these holds and submissions whether its flexing his arms after a submission or taunting America as he has Sting in a headlock by a camera. He throws some lovely open hand slaps and punches to the face when he's got Sting in a headlock, has great facial expressions when he bumps flat on his back on the floor in the opening stages and when Sting hits a desperation back body drop, his 'NOOOOOOO' scream as he'd lifted just added so much to it. The spot where Sting kips up and eventually reverses a wrist lock through his sheer power was a great superman babyface spot and Regal's gradual expression of pain before collapsing to his knees was amazing, and I almost forogt his fucking dance before hitting a hell of a dropkick right to the nose of Sting. He's kneeing Sting in the face during exchanges, even in the standard knuckle lock he's digging his knee across Sting's nose: just fucking disgusting torturing and stretching of Sting as well as some hellacious strikes to boot: that backhand left hand slap to Sting in the corner....JESUS. Finish could been seen as coming from out of nowhere but I dug it as Regal always having a counter for everything Sting threw so Sting managed to eventually one up Regal and utliise a quick counter into the Scorpion Death Lock for the win.
Terrific match made by a wonderful Regal performance. Sting tbf really ate all of Regal's offence really well and added a lot with the superman comebacks and power spots. Regal locking in the Regal Stretch and trying to reassure himself Sting would tap only to have Sting sit in the hold and have Regal break it in disbelief was a hell of a spot, top 25 for sure.
****1/4
Hollywood Blondes vs Ric Flair & Arn Anderson, 2/3 falls Tag Team Championship
Loved this but would have loved for them to have gone the full 3 falls as it could have been a classic and possible top 5 tag match for the poll IMO. Pillman & Flair in particular were great with Pillman being a disrespectful prick and Flair wooing on the ropes to piss him off and then chopping the shit out of him off of the hot tag. Austin was great in bumping all over the shop and there's a great spot where Flair fishooks him in the corner screaming 'who's the man' and Austin screaming 'you are' to get out of the hold. He then takes a bump over the ropes and does a great frantic fall onto the floor on the outside like his legs are too fast for his body and he can't stand up. Arn's FIP segment in the 2nd fall was very good with some good southern heel formula from the Blondes like choking Arn behind the ref's back and using that great spot where Austin pushes Pillman's head backwards as he has a single leg crab locked in for maximum pressure. Arn also does the spot where he gets irish whipped but collapses due to his bum leg, hot tag mixed with Austin's cowardice was timed well and Flair chopping the shit out of both before cleverly throwing Pillman over the top rope behind the ref's back to avoid a DQ was a nice touch in leaving Austin all alone for the figure four. Windham interference was a bit of a buzzkill though plus the crowd were largely flat except for Flair and one excellent snap DDT by Arn which got a great pop.
***1/2-***3/4
Sting vs Vader, Strap Match, Superbrawl III
AWESOME match. Right now I have this ahead of GAB and then Starrcade as their best match of the series with just the Slamboree 94 match left to watch. Really loved how they worked the strap into the match in terms of how it impacted both men's room to breathe as well as led to some clever spots but still didn't detract from the match in making it just a bunch of strap shots. Sting early on trying to be cautious and pace his attack only to have Vader's power yank him right into him was a great way of putting over the limitations of the strap for Sting and demonstrating Vader's power. Sting ruled on offence for me in this match, I liked how he tried to continuously weaken Vader with his offence and then attempt to touch all 4 corners instead of just having repeated attempts after only a few bits of offence like you get in a lot of LMS matches today. Vader's cut on his back was nasty and made for a hell of a visual and progressed the hate these two have for each other, HOLY SHIT at the force Sting hit the guardrail at on the floor when he tried to drag Vader around each 4 corners. Speaking of people ruling on offence....Vader fucking rocks the house here. The samoan drops and splashes were a great destruction of Sting to the point where he could barely stand and I recall one samoan drop that looked rediculous in terms of force and impact, Race was really good as well in trying to constantly interfere and prove an even bigger obstacle for Sting to overcome and his constant taunting of Sting was hilarious.
Crowd really did suck for this one though, they were horribly quiet during some of Sting's comebacks and Vader's heat segments and the closing stretch on the match whilst magnificent in story and drama was shitted on horribly by the crowd. Sting finally mounting a flurry of punches that appeared to finally put down Vader was one of the most defining sequences in the feud and him then dragging Vader around the ring was not only a great show of power but also incredibly dramatic with Sting smartly slowing down as he got to the next corner and really showing the wear and tear from the match.....and then Race trips the ref over Sting and he falls oh so agonisingly close to winning the match....and could this crowd any less? Seriously fuck this crowd to the depths of Monday Night Raw 2011. Finish though did a seem bit strange with an apparent botch in the rules: Vader looked like a true monster dragging a bloodied Sting around the ring whilst Sting tried valiently to cling on to the ropes.....and then Vader touches the final corner after being kicked when they spent the entire match saying Sting would have to be dragged to each corner in order to win the match. Yeah. I could accept the ref was a bit out of it from the earlier bump and they were going for a 'Vader screwed Sting' story but it did seem like a botch on the rules, but I'm not gonna let it detract from a terrific story and war which made for an awesome match. HOLY FUCKING SHIT at that punch flurry in the corner from Vader which bloodies Sting, that shit was disgusting.
****1/2
Arn Anderson & Vader vs Stars & Stripes, Saturday Night 15/4/1995
Yeah I loved this and right now have it in my bottom 20. Simple STF build with a nice heat segment on the Patriot who eats some tremendous abuse from Vader in particular as well as some great Flair beatdowns behind the ref's back...Flair RULES on the floor like a crazy bastard who smoked some weed before he came out and thinks everyone is out to get him. Opening sequence had Arn doing a great tactic of complaining to the ref that his shorts were pulled after an arm drag and he was really good early on as the heel in peril eating a lot of babyface offence and struggling to find a way into the match. Both transition spots were very good: the 1st mini FIP segment comes with Arn catapulting Bagwell into a Vader chokeslam and the 2nd one has him luring the Patriot into a Vader splash. From there the FIP segment is generally good with a couple of teases of a tag and a great little burst of offence from the Patriot after Vader toys with him a little bit too much. Bagwell was great off of the hot tag and the general chaos with bodies flying eveywhere had the crowd going crazy. Finish was terrific with Vader splashing poor Bagwell behind the ref's back and Arn sneaking a pin. Top notch fun.
***1/2
Rock n Roll Express vs Heavenly Bodies (Lane & Pritchard) w/Cornette, SuperBrawl III
Yeah this is a matchup I'll never tire of and could watch endlessly and this will probably be around the bottom 15. Cornette as usual adds so much to the match on the floor whether its calling for a time out or calling Lane over for a conference call or trying to block out the 'Rock n Roll' chants from the crowd. They work the usual comedy heel spots including one of my all time favourites with the atomic drop into a running collision between Lane & Pritchard and a brilliant spot where Gibson runs over to the corner to stop Morton hitting the buckle and then the Bodies trying to replicate the same spot only for the R n R to throw Lane to the other corner and have Pritchard take a kick to the gut for good measure. Then they work the mother of all comedy spots here: a criss cross exchange leads to Cornette entering the ring and eating a shoulderblock from Lane and OH MY GOD Cornette's selling: he flies in the air like he was shot out of a cannon and then acts like he slips on a bananna when trying to get up :lmao :lmao. Eventually he proves the turning point in the transition spot by distracting Morton long enough to eat a dropkick to the floor and a racket shot from JC. FIP segment is great with Morton eating all the punishment terrificly and trying to build to the hot tag which the crowd slowly grows more into as the heat progresses and the finish itself is well done with Eaton interfering after being sent to the back but missing Morton and costing the Bodies the match. Great formula match here which was a total blast to sit through and a very good crowd mixed with some awesome tag team wrestling.
***1/2
Vader vs Ric Flair WCW Heavyweight Championship, Starrcade 1993
Awwwww god damn what a match we had right here. Vader is a relentless ass kicking machine who just well kicks ass relentlessly here and Flair is the hometown boy eating this tremendous beating whilst getting in his hope spots and trying to find some way to take down this behemoth. Opening stages set out the story of the match perfectly: Flair takes an all mighty beating culminating with Vader screaming 'YOU AIN'T TOUGH ENOUGH' whilst headbutting Flair for good measure, and when his trusty chops end up having no effect Flair has to bail to the floor and try and find some way of strategising to overcome this monster. They build up to Vader's whiffed splash on the guardrail tremendously and Flair's barrage of chops and punches get the crowd rocking only for Race to time a cheapshot beautifully in cutting off Flair's momentum and in the process allowing Vader to recuperate and strike again. Once Vader misses that splash we get a constant running theme of Vader's recklessness and overconfidence causing him to miss splashes and the awesome attempted moonsault which usually sets up the beginning of Flair hope spots and I really dug this theme of Flair being wise to Vader's mistakes and having his resilience and experience be the difference maker to combat Vader's force and power. HOLY SHIT at the top rope clothesline...insanity.
Flair's comeback and the crowd reaction is also something truly special. I dug him utlising Race's interference to smash a chair off of Vader's leg and head and then chop and punch the shit out of him until he collapses square on the floor. Really felt like a massive moment and ultimate comeuppance spot for Vader after all his taunting and generally being a massive dickead (no offence Leroy). The teased figure four spot ending with Vader booting Flair on his ass was a really great crowd tease in how deafly silent they fell once it dawned on them that Vader still had plenty more fight in him. Finish to me was terrific though I could see why some people would want more; Race ends up trying to cause a DQ by interfering but hits Vader instead and as the ref boots him out on the floor Flair strikes with a barrage of chops and capitalises on Vader letting his guard down and grabbing a quick roll up. Really felt like it completed the story of Flair just hanging on in and trying to spot any opportunity to keep his belt and career and protected Vader as this unstoppable monster who if anything made one small error off of the back of his manager's mistake which cost him the match.
****1/2
Vader vs Ricky Steamboat, WCW Title, Worldwide 29/05/1993
Really enjoyed this and thought for a 11 minute match it did a great job of giving us a taste of what we could expect in a longer match between both as well as setting up a rematch. Think it will make my list in the bottom 20. Vader as is the norm in 1993 is on fire on offence with sick punches and brute force of power and Steamboat is a natural punching bag with the courage to keep coming back for more punishment, the spot where Vader is digging into Steamboat's mouth and screaming 'I'M THE MAN' only for Steamboat to scream 'NO YOU'RE NOT THE MAN' before breaking free and screaming in agony and unloading a vicious open hand slap should not have been as awesome as it was but god damn did these two pull it off well. Really dug Steamboat managing to get just enough offence in to trouble Vader and tease a victory but still continue the story of Vader being in firm control and Steamboat not really having an answer as to how to beat him. Finish set up a rematch greatly imo, Steamboat gets pissed after Race eye rakes him to break up a figure four and a fight spills to the floor and Steamboat crashes and burns in trying to find an answer to stop Vader. The splash on the floor for good measure and then cooly getting back into the ring was a great dick move on Vader's part to further inflict some punishment. Very good match for the time it got but definitely think they have a better match in them with longer time.
***1/2
Vader vs Ricky Steamboat, WCW Title, Human Cage Match, Saturday Night 16/10/1993
And this was that better match I knew they were capable of, really smartly worked lumberjack match which plays off well from the Worldwide match earlier in the year. Vader toys with Steamboat early on by delaying punching him and they tease dissention amongst the lumberjacks early with Steamboat trying to get back in the ring and the heels trying to rougly force him in. Goes without saying for both men but Vader's punches and Steamboat's selling are both something very special: Steamboat does this great sell after a flurry of brutal Vader punches where he almost falls to his right side into the ropes in the corner before almost turning his head 360 as he gets up and then there's this terrific bit of selling after a top rope Vader clothesline where Steamboat bumps hard into the canvas and then twitches his left arm like he's gone into the shock from the impact. I also dug how Steamboat sold the wear and tear with how weak some of his punches and kicks became the more he utilised them during his first bit of offence. Also enjoyed him busting out a DDT, back suplex and top rope suplex/DDT before locking in a figure four leglock to try and put the big man down.
Really dug as well how Vader noticeably slowed down and looked more sluggish the more the match went on, realy made it look like Steamboat had successfully managed to outlast the onslaught and made Vader punch himself out. Finish was terrific I thought in utilising the match structure as well as being the ultimate heartbreaker: Vader looks a broken man and as he collapses to the floor from a Steamboat crossbody a struggle breaks out between the lumberjacks to get him into the ring and during this Sid Vicious sneaks him and drops Steamboat with the powerbomb which allows Vader to slowly sneak him and hit a splash for the win. Really great in making Steamboat look to have done everything no-one else could do in taking Vader to the limit and on the verge of defeat only to be cheated out of the match by Vicious.
Also: "Those guys better watch out or the ShockMaster will fall and trip all over them"- Jesse Ventura :lmao :lmao
****1/4
Dustin Rhodes vs Bunkhouse Buck, Bunkhouse Match, Spring Stampede 1994
Fucking hell what a bloody and brutal fight this was. Dustin sets the temp from the very beginning by just running to the ring and jumping over the ropes and catching Bunkhouse with a flying lariat. From here he just absolutely beats the piss out of Buck with awesome punches and bionic elbows and a delicious low blow for good measure, Dustin then gets too heated and whiffs a crossbody and does his signature awesome bump to the floor. From here Dustin bleeds horrificly and gets worked over for a good portion of the match via choking, boots right to the cut and some flat out horrifying lashes to the face from a belt...he even gets the time to do a great bit of punch drunk selling where he lashes out at thin air trying to hit Buck. Buck's attire here is incredible: he looks like one of them hicks out of Deliverance taking pleasure in brutalising this ingrate in Rhodes only without the sodomy....well the commentators mention Muta wrestled tonight so I guess the viewers were sodomised to some extent.
Finish is terrifc as well, Dustin finally hits the bulldog only to have Colonel Parker prove a distraction and as he starts to whip him Buck eventually scores some brass knucks and drills Dustin with a right hand for the pin.
****
Vader vs Davey Boy Smith, Slamboree 1993
Great match and a certain vote from me for around the top 75. I'm a sucker for two big guys throwing bombs and doing a clash of the titans esque battle and this was exactly that. So great watching all the Vader 1992 matches and then seeing him here out of his comfort zone when Davey shows he can hang with Vader in the power department and won't be knocked down from Vader's stuff. Vader then proceeds to beat the piss out of Davey when he realises trying to overpower him will have no effect and rocks Davey with some hideous punches that eventually bloody the nose of Davey. Eventually Davey manages to comeback and hits some incredible power spots on Vader, including a bodyslam on the floor, a delayed vertical suplex and the creme de la creme: a running powerslam after catching Vader in mid air attempting a corner splash: absolute carnage. Finish is well done in continuing the feud as Race breaks up the pin and leads to Davey beating the crap out of Race on the floor for revenge only for Vader to crack Davey with a chair for the DQ. Really put over the threat Davey possessed to Vader on this night and ensured a rematch would be a certainty. Also really terrific to see 1 match in this monster run where Vader isn't able to overpower his opponent and has to resort to cheap tactics. HOLY SHIT at that top rope splash moved Vader hit that nearly knocked Davey through the mat.
***3/4