[ShowStopper '97]

Originally Posted by WOOLCOCK

I'd say you're being highly dismissive of his Rockers days, unless you're talking strictly singles career up to that point. I haven't seen as much of his AWA work as the Rockers, but everything in WWF with Jannetty as reaffirmed by belief he's an all time great US tag worker.

No, I was talking about his singles career up to that point.

[WOOLCOCK]

Ok, I figured that was the case.

Hoping to watch the Booker/Goldust vs Jericho/Christian series tomorrow and wednesday for this Christmas project everyone wants to do.

[Yeah1993]

Michaels definitely first became a really good singles guy in 94. He wasn't *bad* before that, but he would over-bump too much and was kinda boring on offense. Like, in 1993 there was no way he was even a top 100 wrestler in the world.

Originally Posted by FuckChristmas

And speaking of big tags, I think the Hart Foundation tag rivals the Clique tag. Bulldog & Bret Vs Anvil & Owen. Forget when it happened. There are two of them too .

I watched one of these last month and LOVED it. It was from October 94, I think. There's another one? NEED.

[ShowStopper '97]

Originally Posted by Yeah1993

Michaels definitely first became a really good singles guy in 94. He wasn't *bad* before that, but he would over-bump too much and was kinda boring on offense. Like, in 1993 there was no way he was even a top 100 wrestler in the world.

Agreed.

[-Mystery-]

Originally Posted by WOOLCOCK

You seen the Michaels/Diesel vs Razor/1-2-3 Kid Action Zone tag Mystery? Wonderful tag match and Michaels and Razor are both really excellent in it. Feels like a top 10 tag match in company history, and there may only be 3 tags better than it post 94.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7t...2#.UMY6XHcybk8

Wrote about it a month or so back:

Yeah, I've seen it before. It's been awhile though, might actually re-watch. Anytime the Kliq wrestles each other is gold because all they do it bump like crazy for each other and do whatever it takes to make one another look like a million bucks.

[Obfuscation]

Originally Posted by WOOLCOCK

Figure I might as well add a few more obscure 80's matches that need some love.

Tully Blanchard vs Ron Garvin, National Heavyweight Title (Worldwide 5/3/86)

Amazing match, one of the best title matches I've ever seen and arguably a top 25 match in US history. Think it was a televised match as well so its also definitely in the running for greatest TV match of all time. Garvin is no Windham, Steamboat or Morton when it comes to 80s babyfaces, but he's still great in his own right and the build around his injured hand is wonderful storytelling. Blanchard demonstrates why people consider him such a special talent from the era with a wonderful heel performance that shows you he could have been a heel to rival Flair in the main event. Match also has arguably the best Dusty finish of all time too. Perfection.

Review is here:

Spoiler for Blanchard vs Garvin:

Tully Blanchard vs Ron Garvin, NWA National Heavyweight Championship, (Worldwide, 05/03/1986)

This is a spectacular TV match, arguably up there with some of the greatest televised matches from any era in any promotion. It had an organic Benoit vs Finlay feel in how everything was a struggle, every hold felt important and dramatic and the crowd was magnificent.

To touch on the last point first, this crowd is ridiculously amazing for Garvin. Its about as loud and consistent as I can recall for 1 match, seeing them getting thunderous ovations for simple lock ups and test of strength spots is amazing.

Garvin comes into this with an injured hand as a result of the Horseman & Blanchard in particular I believe. His selling of the hand is awesome, he establishes it as a major weapon early on before then refusing to use the hand due to the pain and sets about resorting to kneedrops and awesome headbutts to compensate. He can't hook the leg on pins or abdominal stretches and constantly shakes at the hand after the odd offensive manouevre. Tully is terrific in peppering him with kidney and face shots in the hopes of getting Garvin to use his injured arm and its this spot that leads to Garvin using his noggin to send Tully loopy. Tully establishes himself as a terric bumper and spends the best part of the opening 5 minutes working from the bottom and constantly being one upped and seeking JJ Dillon's guidance. There's one spot in particular with Garvin jumping to the turnbuckle and over Tully before catching him in a backslide for a close fall.

I touched on it earlier that this match is one giant struggle for control and a beautiful exchange of crucifix pins highlights this. Tully deadweights on every attempt to gain control and Garvin really sells the difficulty in trying to force him down to the mat. JJ is a constant maniacal genius with how he distracts the referee long enough to have Tully reach the ropes and there's a beautiful spot where JJ talks to the ref whilst simultaneously dragging Tully to the ropes. Garvin realises he's overwhelmed and sets about ripping Tully's leg out of his socket and locks in a couple of leg locks to gain control. Tully sells it amazingly by constantly fallinf down when trying to get to his feet and constantly rolling under the ropes for a breather, lovely stooging by Tully.

No sooner have they reached 15 minutes and both men are selling the wear and tear of the match to perfection. There's a beautiful pacing in stretching out bursts of offence before selling the damage and teasing close near falls. Garvin in particular looks a perfect babyface worker: looking invincible in spells before selling himself as a biable underdog and pacing the match superbly. Tully smartly sets about using the hair and tights to keep control and I marked out for an attemped roll through pin which Garvin counters by grabbing the ropes before screaming in pain and almost letting go with his damaged right hand. JJ finally gives Tully a means of control via a foreign object which Tully smashes off of the injured arm before removing the tape and working it over nicely with submissions and stomps. Garvin again sells to perfection and the women are almost crying: everytime you see a kid in the audience with his mom screaming you believe good ol' Ron had his way with the mom at some point in time.

The finish though puts this over as a classic. Dusty Rhodes has enough with the cheating and gives Garvin some extra tape to protect his injured hand and make it deadly whilst JJ is in the process of handing Tully a roll of quarters. The crowd reaction is amazing as both men rise to their feet with loaded weapons and turn ever so slowly before Garvin finally connects with a right hand sending the bag of change everywhere and scoring the 1-2-3!!!!!!

But JJ enters the ring and points Tommy Cooper to Garvin now having a loaded hand and accuses Dusty of shenanigans and Tommy reverses the decision and this crowd is freaking PISSED. Perfect heel finish and I loved it.

Sgt Slaughter vs Iron Sheik, Boot Camp Match (6/16/84)

I go back and forth when it comes to best matches in company history, but if you asked me today I don't think there's a better match in WWF/E history than this. Just a pure brawl and incredible spectacle capped with immense storytelling and callback spots throughout the feud and one of the most rabid and passionate crowds I've seen. Can't really do justice to just how insane and perfect it is, it is something you have to see for yourself.

Sgt Slaughter vs Pat Patterson, Alley Fight (4/21/81)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xp3...2#.UMXs7Xcybk8

Amazing brawl. Slaughter takes a lunatic ring post bump and ends up bleeding on a scale Eddie Guerrero would replicate 23 years later. Patterson is a tremendous ass kicker from here on out, zeroing in on the cut and working it to perfection. Stiff and lunatic brawl with two tremendous performances from babyface and heel.

Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine (2/19/79)

Their famous match which I think is a lock for top 20 in company history and depending on my mood I can see it pushing between top 15 and maybe higher. Its a fairly basic match formula executed to perfection: Valentine spends a lot of the early going being outwrestled by Backlund and shows his frustration really well. I enjoyed him using the ribs as a target to weaken Backlund to set up some arm work and neck work, and I loved the full nelson spot where Backlund countered and tortured Valentine for a good minute or so. I really love these sort of simplistic spots from the 70s and 80s in developing the story of one man being ahead of the other, of course the continued frustration of Valentine being outmatched by Backlund builds really well into Valentine's control segment. His leg work is really good (and a nice payoff to the arm and neck work being useless) and Backlund has some really great selling moments, particularly on a underhook suplex attempt. One of my favourite 60 minute draws ever, though I'd probably just put Windham/Murdoch and Windham/Flair ahead of it.

Will I attempt to watch all of those? Probably. Tully, Slaughter, & Backlund SWAG.

btw, you got a link to the first Rockers/Brain Busters tag?

Originally Posted by Best In The North Pole

HERE'Z MINE ATM (Gonna rewatch before the end of the year) ;

Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat : Wrestlemania III
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart : Wrestlemania X
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin : Survivor Series 1996
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin : Wrestlemania XIII
Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker : IYHBB 1997
Triple H vs Cactus Jack : Royal Rumble 2000
Triple H vs Chris Jericho : Fully Loaded 2000
Triple H vs Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels : Wrestlemania XX
Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker : No Way Out 2006
The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels : Wrestlemania XXV
The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels : Wrestlemania XXVI
John Cena vs CM Punk : Money in the Bank 2011
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar : Extreme Rules 2012

Top 10 On the Outside Looking In ;

Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero : No Way Out 2004
Royal Rumble Match 1992
Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit : Smackdown 2001
The Undertaker vs Triple H : Wrestlemania XXVII
Steve Austin/Triple H vs Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho : Raw 2001
Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle : Royal Rumble 2003
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan : Over the Limit 2012
Batista vs Triple H : Vengeance 2005
Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle : Summerslam 2001
The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar : No Mercy 2002

This could change. I'll letcha know

I really have to watch the Two Man Power Trip vs Canadian Chris' tag again. That might make my list just by memory. Lots of matches on the honorable mentions list are right near the 5 star mark. Especially Austin vs Angle from Summerslam 2001 & Undertaker vs BROCK from No Mercy 2002. It's weird, I would say I personally love those more than Angle vs Benoit Royal Rumble '03. Yet, my star rating shows differently. I guess that's proof I rate according to how the match is done more than only from personal marking. Maybe I overrate it, but Angle vs Benoit really was perfectly done for what they wanted to accomplish. Don't have too much to gripe about Angle in it. Benoit seemed to bring out the best in him.

[WOOLCOCK]

Do you mean the very first one in Cal's list of their series yesterday? Superstars 12/10/88? If so I'm afraid I don't

[Obfuscation]

Well this isn't a promising start. I'll wait and see if Cal does. I got to watch these in order.

[Big Z]

If I'm not mistaken, it might just be the Brainbusters attacking The Rockers before the bell, so essentially a beatdown before they get a proper match together. If you can wait until 2morrow, I'll rip and upload the lot of them. That way everyone gets to see one of the GOAT tag series ever .

[Obfuscation]

I'm down for that.