Rollerball Rocco vs. The Dynamite Kid (and other Dream Matches!)

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have a mixed assortment of insanity! We start off with me finally remembering to check out more of Mark “Rollerball” Rocco, as he faces the DYNAMITE KID in the World of Sport UK style in 1982! Come see how slick and snug they kept their mat wrestling with two of the all-time greats of that style, before Dynamite was famous!

Then it’s over to WCW, it’s The Giant vs. Roadblock, in the second of their three matches that I’ve seen! Check out LUCHA GIANT as he hits the top rope! Also, two straight Demolition vs. Young Stallions matches, as Roma & Powers get upgraded to “stars” and get a modicum of offense against the Tag Team Champions! Including an Italian house show with extra half-assed match-extending stuff! Finally, it’s a pair of matches I found from a guy’s YouTube channel on “the Most Random WCW Matches”, as Ultimo Dragon trainee Judo Suwa faces Kendall Windham on WCW Worldwide and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan puts on the most half-assed performance in years against the infamous Super Calo!

WORLD HEAVY MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE:
3 15-MINUTE ROUNDS, TO TWO FALLS:
MARK “ROLLERBALL” ROCCO vs. THE DYNAMITE KID:
(World of Sport, Jan. 16th 1982)
* It’s more Rollerball! With the DYNAMITE KID as his opponent! When I last reviewed a Rollerball match, people were all “here’s other World of Sport” stuff, to which I was like “I’m definitely gonna review that!” but then I forgot to write it all down so I didn’t remember until two months later. Rocco’s in his usual silly red suit with the stars on it, while DK’s in blue tights, looking charismatic and jovial as usual as he blankly acknowledges the crowd with a single bow.

The lock up to start round one, Dynamite acrobatically cartwheeling out of a wristlock and flipping a grumpy Rocco, then clobbering him with a forearm (Rocco immediately sells it by rolling upside-down against the ropes and rolling back up). Rocco quickly snapmares him and works holds on the mat, DK usually rolling out or escaping, but Rocco goes under the arm and backdrops him to stay on it. Their shit is TIGHT, both guys spinning out of moves almost before they’re executed, and DK puts on a headscissors with commentary calling out how he’s hooked his instep behind his calf, Rocco doing a great job making it look inescapable until he leverages onto his back and pushes up while bridging to finally unlatch the hold. Rocco knees him in the gut and the head, but gets gutwrench suplexed as the round ends. 3 minutes in and DK’s hair is already afloof instead of slicked back. Rocco works a TIGHT armlock, DK rolling to his feet and doing a quick backdrop, sold as agonizing and humiliating, but Rocco boots him next time he tries it, slams him, and hits the greatest ripcord move I’ve ever seen in my life, doing a Cobra Clutch-esque grip, shoving Dyno off and NAILING him with a shoulder. But he tries it again, this time Dynamite ducking him and a backdrop/crossbody combo gets one. Rocco clutches the legs to buy time and gets slapped, of course whining about it to the ref. He promptly does exactly the same thing and then kicks Dyno right in the eyeball to be a giant asshole. I love how he’s not just a great technician, but he constantly reminds the crowd that he’s an evil prick.

Rocco SMASHES him into the corner but DK lands on his feet from a backdrop and dropkicks him to the floor- Rocco immediately pops back in but gets leveled with a forearm. They trade a pair of them but Rocco misses an elbowdrop, DK kneedrops him in the face, and Rocco boots him from the ground and that’s the round. Rocco starts the 3rd with a headbutt but SLAMS his knee into the corner, and screams. The Kid immediately pounces on that knee (which already has tape from a pre-existing gash), scolded by the ref, and breaks a full nelson to hit a sunset flip for two. Rocco misses another elbow and takes a nasty European uppercut into a slam & another knee to the face- Rocco fires back with a headbutt from all fours, but gets armdragged out of some Internationals and has to escape a top-wristlock to a headscissors, kipping up and grabbing a chinlock to round’s end. Except Rocco snags a chokehold and won’t release, earning his first Public Warning! R4 starts with Kid still trying to recover, so Rocco just drops massive elbows and grinds away at his face with crossface holds. Back body drop and check that BOUNCE on the Kid! Oh no but Rocco hits the top rope and WHIFFS a back elbowdrop, rolling over backwards to sell it! DK works the brain to make the comeback, but a butterfly suplex has them in the ropes. But Rocco immediately fires back with a punch & vertical suplex for two, facelocks & dumps him. DK comes back with a dropkick over the ropes but they mostly sit in holds till the bell. Rocco immediately pounces at the start of R5 with charges, but gets slammed and Dynamite climbs, getting Flair Tossed off. Monkey flip for Rocco and they are SPEEDING through this- Dynamite blasts him with a forearm but a suplex puts them BOTH over the top rope in a huge bump (I think DK smokes his head on the stairs there) and that’s the Double Count-Out at (0:49 of Round 5). Yup- No Contest. Well I wasn’t expecting an ultra-clean finish- not even sure how many of those World of Sport had.

Man, these guys work TIGHT- obviously that’s a signature of both dudes but even their lockups looked intense, slapping against each other’s torsos and pushing off each other, grabbing holds with intent to work and grind them out, loosening only when the other guy does a “spin-out” to “break the grip”, so you get a combination of really tight, credible work and guys just FLYING around on bumps. Rocco keeps reliably doing a snapmare to set up stuff, which looks great as his execution is tight and it keeps the match frenetic, as DK can either take a ground move, roll to his feet, counterhold, or whatever- this sets up nearly all the match’s transitions and spots. Rocco’s selling of strikes is particularly good- every single one has him spin around and collapse knees-first until he goes face-down. Great use of making every move count- this was a style where a simple vertical suplex or back body drop was HUGE and hurt like hell, so those become what’s built to instead of like… powerbombs and stuff (though I’ve seen Rocco finish with a tombstone). Great stuff overall, with a classic non-finish to keep both guys strong and put over the difficulties in earning a win.

Rating: ***3/4 (really good example of this style, which can be somewhat hard to rate given the stylistic differences and round breaks altering the psychology a lot)

LUCHA GIANT!

THE GIANT vs. ROADBLOCK:
(WCW Saturday Night, March 22nd 1997)
* It’s ANOTHER Giant/Roadblock match! I’ve actually reviewed two of these before, and this was so close to the last one that I legit though I’d just gotten the date wrong. But nope- this is another 1997 bout between the two.

Roadblock attacks the Giant as soon as he stands on the apron (this spot is copied in September), but Giant no-sells him with a big boot in the corner, then goes AERIAL (!) for a missile dropkick, hitting the Chokeslam for the finish at (0:51). Well that missile kick looked like total dogshit (it came in sloppy and low-impact, Giant more concerned with landing right than working it) but it still hit.

Rating: 1/4* (literally a three-move match)

WWF TAG TEAM TITLES:
DEMOLITION (Ax & Smash) vs. THE YOUNG STALLIONS (Jim Powers & Paul Roma):
(WWF House Show- Italy, April 4th 1988)
* It’s two more Demolition vs. Young Stallions matches! The previous ones were all as the Stallions in their “jobber” incarnation, while here they actually have a team name and everything. I mean they’re still job guys but they’re PRETENDING they’re stars and they can beat other, actual jobbers so they’re in that Sal Sincere tier. This one is from some Italian broadcast (possibly a house show, judging from camera guys who can barely follow the action and have it off-center for the whole thing, and the lack of Mr. Fuji… also I finally checked CageMatch), and the Demos are the Tag Champs.

haha this is great- Smash starts with Roma and immediately bludgeons him to the mat with overhands, then puts him on the top rope so he & Ax can waffle the shit out of him- Powers comes out to protest and they just eat him alive, too. But a HOPE SPOT- they whip the Stallions together and they do-si-do into stereo dropkicks, a double-dropkick gets two on Smash (who immediately repositions himself perpendicularly in the ring and shouts something so Roma covers him). They double-team him with armbars as Darsow’s “OHHHHHHHH!” selling can be heard over the sound mix, and you can tell the Stallions are no longer pure jobbers because they resist the “knee to the gut” counters and Demolition has to cheat to take over, pulling hair, and even AX gets countered when he’s in, selling agony and begging off as they trade off on his arm.

Dig that amazing wristlock execution from Powers. RINGS, what? World of Sport, who?

Twice they do the “Ax begs off but they come off the top on his arm” spot with different guys until Ax headbutts out and Smash immediately runs into an armdrag and HE gets worked. Man this match is LONG. Smash does an International but misses Powers tagging in, and turns around into his dropkick after “outsmarting” Roma, haha. Then the STALLIONS do a fake-tag spot, trading off an armbar. Powers uses his legendary brawling ability to keep the Demos off-balance, but putting Ax on the floor allows the guy to trip him up. Powers sells that like he died (lol he blown up) and barely sells a beating, but dodges Smash’s charge. Roma comes in with his high dropkicks (whiffing on Smash), slams and punches them, then hits a flying sunset flip- Smash saves and everyone fights. The Demos get run into each other, but Smash pulls Powers to the floor and Roma is left alone- Smash backdrop suplexes him out of the corner punches and Demolition Decapitation finishes him at (7:33). Felt like it was 10+ minutes- not a good sign.

This was a pretty long, lazy one- felt like a televised house show mostly with Demolition sitting around in holds (awful execution on some of them by Powers). The Demos sold and sold, whining and complaining, which is funny given how brutal their squashes are, but it’s the usual “one move by surprise counts as much as 10 regular moves” as Powers & Roma are just mashed by a tiny bit of offense.

Rating: *1/2 (slow and pretty lazy)

DEMOLITION (Ax & Smash, w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. THE YOUNG STALLIONS (Jim Powers & Paul Roma):
(WWF Superstars, May 10th, 1988)
* Back to America!

Smash starts pounding Roma down immediately, but just like last match he misses the tag to Powers and gets dropkicked. They trade off a bit but Powers gets lifted into the Demo corner for their trademark beating (Jesse correctly points out “what’s fair one way is fair the other way!” given how the Stallions were allowed some double-teaming), then Ax PLANTS Powers with an elbow. Ax: “Gimme a boot!” as usual and Ax puts on the neckvice so we can get an inset promo by Strike Force, who want a rematch for their belts. Powers fights up from Smash’s vice, but Smash, technical wizard that he is, drop-toeholds him into a double-team. And same as before, Powers finally dodges Smash and Roma’s in with dropkicks and clotheslines, into the sunset flip- as before, Ax nails him, but now Smash clotheslines him, Ax grabs the cane… and here comes Strike Force! They take out Demolition, swiping the cane and swinging away with it as that’s a Disqualification at (4:47).

Demolition/Stallions matches tend to peak at **, and only if they’re kept short- the babyface offense of Roma & Powers is just not effective enough and they sit in restholds otherwise. This was fine, with the Demos mostly overwhelming them except for a few highlights from the kids. Funny to see the YOUNG STALLIONS saved with a Fuck Finish, but them’s the breaks of TV wrestling and I think they were a newly “pushed” duo.

Rating: ** (a pretty basic, quick match from both- good Demolition offense and tolerable speed from Roma)

“HACKSAW” JIM DUGGAN vs. SUPER CALO:
(WCW Pro, July 13th 1997)
* A YouTube reviewer “NotThatTomGreen” recently did a video about the “Most Random WCW Matches”, which is right up my alley. From the drug-addled mind of whomever was hitting “Random” on Fire Pro to book the weekend shows, here’ a washed-up ’80s brawler against one of the least-competent luchadores in the company. WCW, everyone! I fucking love this promotion so much, haha. Like you know Duggan ain’t selling SHIT- Calo is not only a luchadore, but a JOBBER luchadore and almost a head shorter than he is. Duggan of course starts up a “USA!” chant while Calo has one pant leg shorter than the other, like junkies do in my town.

Calo uses his speed to start, firing off some shots to Duggan’s leg- Duggan walks it off and whips him off the ropes, but eats a dropkick to the leg, sold like “sir how dare you!” and going “HOOOOOOOOOOO!”, whipping Calo to the corner, but he just runs up and hits a corkscrew block. And Duggan goes down! Except he’s back up in an instant, arms at his sides and a disappointed look on his face, haha. He starts his dumbass stomping and goose-steps over to Calo, starts pounding the shit out of him with those giant soupbone hands of his, pulls his arms down so he can get a clear shot, hits the most low-effort hiptoss in history, beats on him some more, slams him, hits the Three Point Stance… and literally just walks towards Calo at a brisk pace with his arm out and THAT’s how he chooses to execute his old finisher hahahahaha! Duggan does the theatrical rolling up of the fist-tape (oh god I forgot he did that) and punches him- that’s it at (2:10), Duggan giving this a hilariously half-assed performance, like he could barely be bothered to show up to work that day. That “clothesline” was a thing of beauty. I mean I’ve had days at work like that but GOD.

Hilariously low-effort- Calo was sorta trying some stuff like working the leg/inner thigh and a slingshot move off the top, but Duggan just wasn’t having it and really… dude had easily a hundred pounds on his opponent, why WOULD he? Calo couldn’t even beat other luchadores; why would the ’80s star sell for him? Not that just standing up and completely ignoring everything is remotely professional, though. Like… you should sell a TINY BIT, maybe? Or at least not expose the business with your big set-up move, haha.

Rating: 1/4* (almost a pity-upgrade from DUD for Calo almost trying)

KENDALL WINDHAM vs. JUDO SUWA:
(WCW Worldwide, 11/01/1998)
* Also included in that video is this match of a rookie Ultimo Dragon trainee and later Toryumon guy up against Barry Windham’s shitty brother. Worldwide was shot at Disney/MGM Studios, largely featuring tourists in the crowd who had no familiarity with wrestling, meaning they just cheered or booed who they were told to and watched a bunch of 3 minute matches in random blocks. Judo here comes out to 1800s “Japanese music” despite wearing baggy pants and wearing a durag to the ring. Kendall’s in green trunks and hahah- his chyron spells his NAME wrong! “Kendell Windham”, lol. Now THAT’s how you know the office doesn’t give a shit about you. At like a shoot 6’4″, Windham looks like a different species than the diminutive Suwa. Soft, unathletic-looking physique, though.

Kendall shoves Judo off to start, interrupts an ankle-pick with a punch, but misses an elbow and gets knocked down, doing the “I’m actually put in work” bump off of it. He counters a whip for a hiptoss but misses a clothesline and hits the floor. He intercepts Judo off the apron with a punch & elbow, then works him over with strikes and a legdrop, and mostly keeps to the gut with various shots. Big backdrop suplex gets two, but he misses a corner elbow and gets hiptossed himself. Judo throw by … Judo Suwa. Well that makes sense. But then he tries for a suplex and holy shit Kendall does NOT help on that lift and that goes sideways (literally). They try again and Kendall this time blocks it and gets a swinging neckbreaker (I’m guessing he realized too late that Judo was trying the move and not expecting a counter, lol). Kendall then pulls him up and hits a MONSTER lariat for the pin at (3:36). GREAT bump by Judo there- just teleports to the ground in a single frame as Kendall puts his whole body weight into it.

A pretty weird match, with both guys working heel (Judo doing the “Japan-loving foreigner” earning “USA!” chants and Kendall fighting dirty and yelling at the ref a bunch), the crowd clearly being told Kendall is the babyface, yet constant momentum shifts- way more than usual when the guys are from different countries and unfamiliar with one another. That keeps the match peppy, even if they interrupt each other a bunch and seem to get in each other’s way (the suplex spot, which seems like miscommunication). Good finish, though. Kendall looked okay save the botch and Judo worked hard throughout.

Rating: *1/2 (hard-fought but miscommunicated, odd match)