Dave Reviews Wrestling — page 7

More Saturday Night, with some “before he was gone” matches featuring the biggest star in wrestling of the nineties.

I was recently reminded of a lost classic match on this show, and it’s not like Scott will be rushing to review an episode of Thunder any time, so I’ve bitten the bullet on this. Although I was on the internet by this point, which was prompting me more than ever to skip certain shows and just read the reports, I did watch this one without any prior knowledge and was in for a pleasant surprise.

Back again with more WCW Saturday Night from the nineties, featuring probably one of the few guys who was there from the change from NWA to WCW until the very end.

And last week I posted the review in the evening before I went to bed, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to Saturday night everywhere, so read it whenever you’re reading it.

Had a really interesting WCW Saturday Night match pop up on my playlist that I wanted to review, so I figured I’d try and make Saturday Night on Saturday Night a thing. Probably helps with that cool Arn/Regal match I reviewed in the Lords of the Ring article too.

This will take in the pre-Nitro glory days and the weirder days of the late nineties. I’m also avoiding the years that are predominantly collected on the Network.

Yesterday, an episode from the early days of Global. Today, an episode from the twilight year of Global. Not sure on the date, but if anyone wants to do the maths from the episode number they’re welcome to.

Gotta mention the intro, which includes a soundbite from the ugly mug of Black Bart and Tim Brooks destroying someone on the outside with a powerbomb that looks like it ended with the guy’s smacking the concrete plus John Tatum punching geek character Sebastian off the apron and him taking a similarly nasty bump through the guardrail. Well, I guess if you’ve got them on tape you’ve got to use them.

After visiting Memphis last weekend, I’m happy to fulfil a request and head to the Sportatorium this weekend for the GWF. When I first read in wrestling magazines about the Global Wrestling Federation in 1991 as a new fan I was quite impressed, with the Patriot seeming a surefire superstar and a abundance of credible stars and a legendary home base. Didn’t take long to go wrong, though.

Today’s review will be an episode from their first year, tomorrow’s review will be an episode from their last year.

I’m not topping the ’89 Survivor Series review today, but after yesterday did the King win back the belt or did he ride off into the sunset?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ8hW6YI7Tk

My Lords of the Ring review, with the Ta-Gar section, got me in mind to check out some 1991 USWA, so here’s the closest episode to thirty years ago today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEsX7MjZDf0

As I’m sure many of you have, I gave the new show Young Rock (such a bad title!) a look. Almost immediately it started getting my back up (“Look, ma! Dad’s really over!”) but I gave it a bit longer. The third episode seemed a bit more promising because it didn’t include the goofy Asian reporter, but instead it had the goofy blonde assistant, and I really don’t have that much interest in the aspiring singing career of Ata Maivia, so I’m out.

As that third episode focused on the Hawaii promotional war, from a far more fictitious perspective, I recalled that Steve Corino interviewed main star and booker Lars Anderson a few years ago, with stories that painted Lia Maivia as less likely to have a dog full of tumours and more likely to have attack dogs on guard, so I’m going to look at that today.

I was asked in the manager matches review if I could take a look at Lord Alfred Hayes and Bobby Heenan wrestling one another in the AWA, and while I don’t have any other manager-themed matches in the bag to put alongside it I thought it would be a good time to do a lord-themed review, so have a look and see what awaits inside!

Back with some more manager matches.

Before the break, here’s the greatest of all time with his regular sparring partner, trying to weasel his way out of trouble as usual.

Managers like Sensational Sherri and Mr. Fuji have come up in recent discussions on the blog, particularly regarding their wrestling ability, so I thought I’d have a look at some in action.

Before the break, here’s Sir Oliver Humperdink failing to “restrain” himself after a fallout with Gordon Solie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYcTbV4lVM

Nature Boy Buddy Rogers would’ve been 100 today if he were still alive, so I thought I’d have a look at some clips of him at different stages of his career.

Back to wrestling, for the best.

When my family first got a satellite dish and TV package in 1991, my attention was immediately drawn to the WWF shows over some of the channels, predominantly Sky One but also elsewhere. With channels like Eurosport and Screensport there was the chance to see some other promotions, which was a bit strange to me at the time, especially when they were obviously made on and for the continent. It’s some of those matches I’m looking at here, which I believe would be courtesy of the Catch Wrestling Association in Germany and the EWF in France. I’ll start with some familiar faces, then stretch out to some weird and wonderful ones.

Had a suggestion/request to look at Larry Simon’s Florida group from the eighties, so doing just that. This can double as a tribute to Rusty Brooks, who passed away a few days ago.

USA! USA! USA! From Knoxville…

Back to Calgary after last week’s trip to Winnipeg.

And away we go!

As I said yesterday, that Coronavirus vaccination kicked the shit out of me, but luckily after an afternoon nap I managed to start feeling better, even if it screwed with my sleep last night. So, a review today, but a different Canadian promotion than Stampede instead.

WFWA stands for the ungainly West Four Wrestling Alliance, which later became the IWA (International Wrestling Alliance). The promoter was and is Tony Condello of the Death Tour stories you’ll have heard from people like Edge and Christian and Rhino.

Notes from Dave: This review was written before the review of the March 5 show, but as the show overall looked to have a reasonable run I thought I’d go back and review all of it into August of 1988 when it closed down.

I’m publishing this on a Saturday, with the intention to go and review a Stampede episode today to post tomorrow. That was the plan, except for part of my job currently including lateral flow test processing, which enabled me to get an invitation on Thursday to have the first vaccination for Coronavirus. I booked an appointment for Friday evening on Thursday night.

I came into work on Friday morning and the people who had the vaccination the night before were all talking about feeling out of sorts. I didn’t take too much notice, figuring it could be some but it wouldn’t be everyone.

Went for the vaccination on Friday night and had to wait about an hour as someone had taken ill in the waiting room after the jab. Didn’t worry too much, they could’ve been a bit worked up about it and fainted, but an ambulance was taking them out anyway for a checkup.

Had the jab, then got some food on the way home after a delayed journey. Didn’t feel too bad, but woke up once or twice in the night to pop to the loo.

I’ve woken up this morning and I feel like I’ve taken a kicking. I’ve not got a cold or cough, but just ache all over. My colleague who got vaccinated on Thursday said she felt terrible all day too, but eventually it passed. I’m hoping the same, because it’s a Paracetamol job at the moment and a day in bed on my day off just taking things easy.

The bottom line, take this stuff seriously, because we know it can do serious damage, even if you’re doing the right things.

Now, to wrestling!

I really enjoyed this show last week, but sadly we skip a week and pick up on the 26th. Be interesting to see how far ahead the programmes have advanced in the weekly territory system.

What a screenshot!

Made a decision after last weekend that I’d try and review as much of the short run of USA Championship Wrestling as is available. The promotion itself came to life after Ron Fuller split off the Knoxville end of the Continental Wrestling Federation from the Alabama end and ran independently. It did… OK, but didn’t get to the other end of the summer.

This episode is joined in progress and is one week before the last episode I reviewed. The next episode will be three weeks later because the March 19 episode isn’t available.