Dream Matches — page 5

A phony “Tiger Mask” in Central States All-Star Wrestling. What a business.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! I’ve found some hilarious stuff today- a FAKE TIGER MASK! Plus Road Warriors rip-offs! From the same show! This is classic “podunk garbage indie” wrestling! One has Memphis jobber Ken Wayne decked out as “Tiger Mask” taking on jobber Grizzly Evans (who is named “Adams” on the chyron), while the other has 666 (a roided up squat veteran) teaming up with The Mongol (who is, of course, clearly Caucasian) against Central States Tag Champs Bulldog Bob Brown & Buzz Tyler. The best part about this whole deal is Wayne is authentically trying to do “Tiger Mask” spots and pretend he’s the real guy.

The “proper” feature match today is actually the Midnight Express (Eaton/Condrey version) against NWA US Tag Champs Barry Windham & Ron Garvin. Then it’s over to 2000 WCW as Dave Taylor impresses the shit out of me by controlling an entire match against the useless David Flair & barely-decent Crowbar, with Steven Regal backing him up! Picture-perfect European uppercuts! Then it’s more of Bill Goldberg’s reign of destruction, as he destroys the former Beau Beverly- Von Wagner’s dad Wayne Bloom! Finally, it’s the last in the Atsushi Onita vs. Masashi Aoyagi series, as they fight in the inaugural FMW Korakuen Hall show. Come see the wildness of Pro Wrestling vs. Martial Arts when all one guy has is his selling, and the other is a fat but credible karate guy!

US TAG TEAM TITLES:
RON GARVIN & BARRY WINDHAM vs. THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (Beautiful Bobby Eaton & Loverboy Dennis Condrey w/ Jim Cornette & Big Bubba):
(NWA Pro, Feb 21st 1987)
* I went looking for Flair/Windham vs. the Midnights, but it’s not on YouTube I guess. Here’s something not quite as good instead! Garvin’s in black trunks, Barry’s in blue, the MX are in yellow-fronted, maroon-backed matching gear- tights for Bobby and trunks for Dennis.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time the assortment takes us all over the world, and includes insane things like Mexican Minis decked out in miniature versions of *WWF* gimmicks, weirdo Interpromotional Tokyo Dome matches, Goldberg squashes, the dying days of WCW’s midcard dorks, and the origins of FMW!

First up, it’s a AAA Minis match featuring Mascarita Sagrada Jr. & La Parkita Jr. up against Mini Mankind & Mini Vader in Mexico! All four guys are lucha minis, but an agreement with the WWF has two guys swap in WWF gimmicks! Next up, it’s Scott Norton & Dustin Rhodes teaming up against Shinya Hashimoto & Masa Saito in a total MESS where nobody is on the same page! Glorious stuff to review! Then it’s Goldberg tearing apart Kwee-Wee with the mother of all Spears!

Next, I found Chris Candido vs. Crowbar in a hyper-MOVEZ-y indie-style match from 2000 WCW Thunder! Watch two guys practically killing themselves to get over on a show nobody watches! And finally, it’s the origins of FMW, as a fancam show from 1989 pits Atsushi Onita in a martial arts-style match against Masashi Aoyama in a match hilariously devoid of good sportsmanship and tact!

MASCARITA SAGRADA JR. & LA PARKITA JR. vs. MINI MANKIND & MINI VADER (w/ Mini Paul Bearer):
(AAA, Feb. 1st 1997)
* By request, it’s the time we had a “Mini Mankind” and “Mini Vader” appear on WWF television during their time courting lucha libre… which consisted of throwing the Minis on TV, then bringing out some “couldn’t possibly get over in the US” stars to try and compete with WCW’s elite lucha guys. So I do a tiny amount of research into these guys and go “Oh! Mini Mankind is Espectrito II in a temporary identity! Oh, and he’s the TWIN BROTHER of La Parkita! Oh, and both were killed in a double murder in 2009!”. Two hookers had approached them, then poisoned them to steal their wallets- their small size is believed to have resulted in their deaths and the women got 47 years in prison. WRESTLING, everybody! On second thought, I actually had read about this. Of course I brought this up on the BOD and all the comments were like “I bet he got a short sentence”, lol. Mini Vader was the first Espectrito and the older brother of these two. Mascarita Sagrada is the most famous Mini wrestler, but this is the JUNIOR variant, who also wrestled as Max Mini for WWF, while Sagrada was “Mini Nova”.

This twelve-year old boy has an OPINION about Ted DiBiase.

WWF AT THE LOS ANGELES SPORTS ARENA:
(WWF, Dec. 17th 1988)
* Oh, amazing! Another full upload of one of those “televised for one market” house shows! Time for some insanely padded matches starring total losers! Watch them construct an entire card out of garbage padded around Tito/Valentine, Hogan/Boss Man and Demolition/Powers of Pain! There’s an ELEVEN MINUTE Lanny Poffo vs. Boris Zhukov match on here! Plus Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana, Bad News Brown vs. Jim Powers (that’s right- we get an ACTUAL Jim Powers match in my column again!), Ted DiBiase vs. Hercules, Akeem vs. Koko B. Ware, and Rockin’ Robin defending the Ladies Title against Sensational Sherri! The most fascinating thing here is nearly every match being around ten minutes long, and seeing how these guys all try to fill that time!

Our hosts are Ron Trongard (with his AMAZING “1950s announcer” foghorn voice) and Superstar Billy Graham, who is immediately stuttering and stumbling over his words. The video here is AMAZING- no mere transfer of tape to YouTube, it’s got incredible amounts of detail like it was shot yesterday.

LEAPING LANNY POFFO vs. BORIZ ZHUKOV:
* WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION RIGHT HERE!! Poffo was a jobbery dude at this point, but Zhukov was on the lowest-tier tag team at this point. Volkoff was still around, so this is blatant card-filler. Poffo (“minus a few frisbees if uhhh–” “–HEY!”) is in an odd color of blue trunks- “Air Force blue” or “silver lake blue” according to Wikipedia! He of course starts us off with a poem- “That great big ugly Russian thinks he’s worth a million bucks; he’d better stick to wrestling cuz his singing really sucks!”. This gets a pop out of the crowd and earns an attack from Zhukov.

The new WWE Tag Team Champions!  Watch me shamelessly capitalize by looking at their TNA history!

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I have some SHAMELESS ENGAGEMENT, as the Motor City Machine Guns of all people just debuted in WWE of all places and then won the Tag Titles on SmackDown! So come see how part of their legend got started during their big feud against Beer Money in TNA! A 2/3 Falls Match for the Impact Tag Titles! Following that, a COMPLETELY TERRIBLE match between Ron Simmons and Tony Atlas in WCW! Come see a disinterested, injured Ron deal with a clunky, aimless Atlas, who either lost his gear or is legitimately wrestling in sweatpants all the time- and he even suffers a wardrobe malfunction to the amusement of the crowd!

Then I do two straight matches from a WCW Nitro on Spring Break, as it’s first Fit Finlay controlling a match against Ultimo Dragon in a classic “Style Mismatch” bout, then another fantastic Goldberg squash as he sends Lodi to the intensive care unit with another insane Spear!

And finally, speaking of 2/3 Falls, here’s a WWWF match from 1972! I mean, once I learned that KARL GOTCH, one of the “Gods of Pro-Wrestling” and originators of the New Japan “Strong Style” had been a goofy WWWF babyface and teamed with Rene Goulet of all people (he of the blond floppy hair as an agent during pullapart brawls during my childhood), I just had to find some stuff. So here’s Karl Gotch & Rene Goulet vs. The Rugged Russians (Ivan & Igor)!

IMPACT TAG TEAM TITLES:
2/3 FALLS MATCH:
THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley vs. BEER MONEY (James Storm & Robert Roode):
(TNA Impact, Aug. 9th 2010)
* So for ENGAGEMENT, I’ll take a look at the current WWE Tag Team Champions in their TNA run, as the MCMGs were basically everywhere BUT WWE during their long-ass careers. In particular, Sabin was a recurring name in TNA/Impact but kinda found his calling in a double-team-heavy squad with Shelley, while Beer Money was where post-America’s Most Wanted “Cowboy” James Storm ended up, along with Robert Roode. Beer Money are in matching white trunks, with Roode the more “Hire me, Vince!” of the two regarding physique while Storm has gotten doughy. The MCMGs are in matching “La Parka”-style gear (Sabin shorts, Shelley tights) and are noticeably dwarfed by their big opponents. This is the end of a Best of 5 series, and twice Storm has used his beer bottle to help his team win.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This one features a spectacular assortment of random matches, as I finally get a look at that Terry Funk/Chris Candido Hardcore match from 2000 WCW Thunder! Featuring a famous run-in from a four-legged interloper and Funk talking shit on it!

After that, I found TWO different “Just Joe” matches from his ill-fated WWF run. Watch as indie worker Joe E. Legend tries to make it work on WWF D-shows featuring Gangrel- in one, Joe takes on Gangrel who is CLEARLY about to be fired, and in the next they’re TEAMED UP, facing the extremely over Dudley Boyz! Then a request from Maffew as I check out Newborn UWF in 1989 as Masakatsu Funaki takes on Chubby Japanese Elvis (Tatsuo Nakano) in one of the promotion’s most famous matches! One of the top Worked Shoots ever! And finally I shore things up with a Goldberg squash- watch him execute Brad Armstrong!

HARDCORE TITLE:
TERRY FUNK vs. CHRIS CANDIDO:
(WCW Thunder, May 31st 2000)
* Here’s a semi-famous match from Nitro where Candido tries to take Terry Funk’s Hardcore title away- I searched for this before and couldn’t find it, but there’s a brand-new upload. Candido is dressed exactly like Funk and charges him before the bell- Terry hucks the Hardcore belt at him and we’re off!

Funk gives Candido a trio of short shots with the chair to batter him around, then they do the “walk and brawl” to the back- Tony starts laughing about how “we didn’t expect to be on camera” after saying “He’s the Brain; I’m Mike…” because of course WCW takes a while to get a camera on the wrestlers backstage. We finally get there with Terry using a tote full of bottles (that seems dangerous), but is careful to barely touch Chris, who spends all his time cartoonishly flailing around like a total boob. Funk hits another short chairshot (like he’s HITTING him, but it’s only pushing it about a foot so it’s not like… the way the Rock would just put his entire body into it). Candido gets put on a flatbed truck and it turns out that’s Terry’s “family car” and the poor ref, Hardcore belt in tow, is left CHASING THEM as the camera zooms off. They of course find a horse ranch in Boisie and Terry leaves to go kick Candido’s ass some more, but he’s of course recovered and whips a trash can at Terry’s face. They do the “grab hair and run” spot, Candido chucking Terry into the one table inexplicably placed next to some stables. Tony himself lampshades this: “Yes, of course- why WOULDN’T there be a WCW table in the stables?”.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! And this week, I have a TRUE classic for you all- the kind of thing Flair/Steamboat and Misawa/Kawada could only dream about- TED ARCIDI vs. BILL KAZMAIER! Famous workrate promotion Stampede Wrestling was the only territory with the balls to put out this masterpiece, with two of the legit world’s strongest men go against each other in a match that threatens to steal all the oxygen from British Columbia to Manitoba!

Following that, it’s a look to the Florida territory, with Champion Barry Windham defending against Cowboy Ron Bass in a match with a well-known follow-up! After that, it’s the WCW D-shows as the Steiner Brothers get a warm-up against Mortis & Wrath, with the most interesting bit seeing Kanyon get that tag move he always loved to try! Then it’s a match watched and recommended by Maffew, as Kensuke Sasaki faces Jinsei “Hakushi” Shinzaki in Fighting of World Japan in 2003! And finally, we get another D-show match as Mona takes on Asya in the Bischoff/Russo era of WCW on Saturday Night!

BILL KAZMAIER vs. TED ARCIDI:
(Stampede Wrestling, Jan. 30th 1987)
* Stampede Wrestling, North America’s bastion of hot workrate and international legends, brings you the ultimate Dream Match: Strongman vs. Strongman! Bill Kazmaier vs. Ted Arcidi! Both men were as preposterously strong as they were horrible in the ring, with both making attempts at wrestling careers that were largely abject failures, both washing out in only a few years. Arcidi actually made WWF TV in 1985-ish, but soon got the boot and ended up in Stampede. Kazmaier made it to WCW after this, but lasted about five years and never really went anywhere. What made them good at power-lifting (their squat, hyper-muscled physiques) held them back at wrestling, even with Vince McMahon’s famous love of lifting & muscles- they’re just TOO big and immobile, and powerlifting requires explosive force- not stamina, flexibility and cardio. This match is the kind of thing you book as a little kid (“What if the two strongest guys fought each other?”) and also the kind of thing a booker puts out there as a joke. I mean, they HAD to know this would be no good- Ted is so bulky he can’t even put his arms lower than a 45-degree angle from his torso! Arcidi’s in black shorts and Kazmaier’s in trunks.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I have some funny minor matches, starting off with something from Dusty Rhodes’s “Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling” micro-promotion in 2001, as Dusty, a washed-up spherical 56-year old, teams up with svelte son Dustin to take on ECW nobody CW Anderson and WCW’s failed giant Reese (now back as Ron Studd)! Then Bill Goldberg faces Stevie Ray near the start of his dominant run as a killer, with the kind of a sell of a Jackhammer you will NOT be seeing for much longer!

Then it’s WCW jobberdom as Buddy Lee Parker gets fed to Mortis at the start of the “Blood Runs Cold” feud! I try to find more “Lost Dudley Boyz” stuff with a match between Big Dick Dudley & Little Spike Dudley!  Then it’s a rare appearance by Wild Bill Irwin in the WWF, as he takes on “El Matador” Tito Santana in a WWF Mania Exclusive in early 1993! And finally, it’s more DEATH ROW as he gets another shot in WCW two years after trying shit on Mike Rotunda and getting shoot-wrestled to the ground and punched in the face- here, he faces Sting!

DUSTY & DUSTIN RHODES vs. CW ANDERSON & RON STUDD:
(Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, Aug. 2001)
* Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOO it’s Dusty Rhodes’s TCW promotion (a Georgia-based nostalgia fed that actually got TV), and he’s teaming with Dustin against two failed stars! This has disaster written all over it- I love it. Ron Studd is of course WCW’s “Reese”- a huge 7-footer who never amounted to anything and just got used as a JTTS. CW Anderson was portrayed as a “serious wrestler” in ECW’s dying days but was pretty much a Generic McWrestler nobody with no real character. He’s one of those “He was really awesome/underrated” guys I never saw a shred of star power in and is grossly overrated by the fanbase, probably because he could do basic wrestling in the dying era of ECW that had few other stars. He’s in a black singlet and Reis is in blue trunks- why is this giant dude always wearing the worst looks? Dustin has an elaborate singlet on and looks to be in shape while Dusty’s in normal clothes. Dusty is massively chubby (… you know! For a change!) and impossibly old to be wrestling… being about a year older than Dustin is today, haha. Dusty’s also doing commentary.

lol the stereotypical nerd on the bottom left. He’s also the only one not smiling and laughing and looks legitimately worried. I’m DYING at this, hahaha.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have something inspired by recent Scott Keith reviews and comments- incredibly off-putting jokes about a black wrestler’s family, and suspiciously high AEW match ratings! er, wait- I mean a match brought up where jobber Death Row starts to take liberties with Mike Rotunda and gets the absolute dog-piss beaten out of him! Come see just what happens when a big loser tries to take on a surprisingly great amateur wrestler! Then it’s more of the Dudley Boyz’s early days in ECW, as I believe they have their first match in the promotion against the Pitbulls, as Dudley Dudley & Little Snot Dudley take on the roidy monsters while the Stevie Richards drama takes center stage for most of the match!

Then it’s over to the NWA, where the babyface Midnight Express takes on the Samoan Swat Team, Samu & Fatu! Then it’s WWF Jakked, as Eddie Guerrero and his Mamacita, Chyna, face Kaientai: Taka Michinoku & Funaki! And finally, a look at the tail end of Big Bully Busick’s short WWF career, as he takes on the Brooklyn Brawler!

THE PITBULLS (Pitbull #1 & Pitbull #2, w/ Raven, Stevie Richards & Beaulah McGillicutty) vs. THE DUDLEY BOYZ (Dudley Dudley & Little Snot Dudley, w/ Big Dick Dudley):
(ECW Hardcore Heaven, 01/07/1995)
* So Stevie Richards promptly makes nearly everything about himself, raising his ECW Tag Title around and dancing to the crowd. The Dudleyz are a brand-new team at this point, Joey suggesting “this is the first AND the last time we’ll be seeing this team” as the Pitbulls are expected to murder them. This is the original incarnation of the squad, as it’s Dudley and Little Snot. Dudley was talked about last week, but Little Snot, who is noticeably taller than either Pitbull, is a Weird Al-looking guy with no facial hair. He’s indie dweeb Al Michaels, who got hurt after a very short time in a jet ski accident and missed out all the rest of the Dudley run, being replaced by Chubby Dudley. He wrestled for a REALLY long time afterwards- I’ve seen stuff from the 2000s which is decidedly still not very good. Not that the Pitbulls, the “short guys at the gym who roid out to compensate” of tag team wrestling, are any better.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time, I have a hell of a famous match for you, notable primarily for its finish and for making everyone think Shelton Benjamin was going to be a star of the future. It’s Shelton vs. Shawn Michaels on WWF RAW in 2005! You know the ending! But look at just HOW GOOD Shawn Michaels was, and how much he puts the kid over, while Shelton is portrayed like this S-tier Super-Athlete one-upping the Showstopper at his own game! I go a bit nuts with the analysis here, but it’s a famous match for a reason!

And then I decide to watch some HORRIBLE CRAP, as I have decided it’s my mission to track down matches from the “Lost Dudleys”- the awful indie workers that went nowhere while Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley became huge stars. It’s Dances With Dudley doing his offensive stereotype gimmick against The Shah of ECW, Hack Myers! Who also sucks! Then it’s Dudley Dudley (the only Dudley whose parents were both Dudleys) teaming up with the Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) of all people, to take on… the Steiner Brothers?! Oh hey this IS a Dream Match! Almost! Then I decided to find more of that weird giant Mike Fury jobber as he apparently did a WWF squash against The British Bulldog, Davey-Boy Smith!

GOLD RUSH TOURNAMENT:
SHAWN MICHAELS vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN:
(WWF RAW, May 2nd 2005)
* This is a Mystery Challenger match in a Title shot tournament (Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are taken aback by Shawn’s theme playing), and the most famous match and moment of Shelton Benjamin’s career is commencing. Shelton at this point is getting a BIG push as an upstart blue-chipper winning midcard belts, and he reminds me a lot of Booker T in his WCW “TV Title” era or Sakie Hasegawa in All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling- I fuckin’ love the “Super-Athlete with a fire under their ass” type of wrestler- someone going all-out physically every night (in kayfabe and for a shoot) to demand that brass ring and get a push. But now the two-time All-American in heavyweight wrestling and TRACK (like seriously, how can you be god-tier at both things?) is against the wiliest of veterans and a legit Main Eventer. Shelton is a mix of dumbfounded and amused, here, like he’s this arrogant young rookie who now thinks he’s got a shot. Shawn is his usual “silly egomaniac” self to start.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! With the amazing Misawa/Taue match from last week reviewed, people brought up how it informs the June 9th 1995 tag match… one which has gone into wrestling lore as “The Best Tag Match Ever”. And HOLY SHIT does it live up to that hype, as it becomes the Ur Example of the “AJPW Style” and amazed fans all over the internet and tape-trading community. And it’s EVEN BETTER when you know all the context, like the prior match! So come see four of the best to ever do it at the peak of their powers go for 40 minutes of amazing action.

And I follow that with a match of equal magnitude, the Power Twins from that NWC show I reviewed face the Towers of Power in whatever the hell the NAWA is, in 1992! Plus we have Vader vs. jobber Sean McKever in his first match from WCW TV, and Sid Vicious in a legendary squash against Lee Scott!

ALL JAPAN WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
MITSUHARU MISAWA & KENTA KOBASHI vs. THE HOLY DEMON ARMY (Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue):
(All Japan, June 9th 1995)
* This match is somewhat notable. More than twenty years ago, I was in University and made a purchase from Golden Boy Tapes for a number of VHS tapes, including one simply labeled “Best Tag Match Ever”. This was part of the ongoing feud between Misawa & Kobashi and their former ally Kawada (the trio had been playing on former ace Jumbo Tsuruta’s lawn for years) and his new partner Taue. Kawada had been chasing Misawa for literally years, having debuted the year after him and just never being quite as good or successful- Misawa got the bigger matches, the quicker singles push, the Tiger Mask gig, beat Jumbo and became the new Ace, etc. All the while Kawada was AMAZING but just not up to the same level, which killed his ass until he finally quit their stable of guys and hooked up with Jumbo’s tag team partner, the big lug Akira Taue.

So now Kawada was possessed by a pathological desire to beat Misawa- not only has he never done so in singles, he’s never even PINNED him. Misawa by this point almost never did jobs, and only did so to foreign names. Misawa & Kobashi had been tag champions continuously since Dec. 1993, having vacated them for the Tag League but winning them back. Kobashi is BIG here- his more slender early ’90s look had since given way to a bulky, barrel-chested physique with no muscle definition- just pure SIZE. But his leg is almost made of bandages at this point. Speaking of, Misawa’s orbital socket was broken a short while before, and Taue kept working it over when pressed (in a match where his legendary Nodowa Otoshi- chokeslam- off the apron became the centrepoint of the match’s climax), so that’s still an issue. Hopefully Kawada, famously kindly pillar of good sportsmanship, will be a good sport and not focus on such obvious weak points!

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I have the GOOD SHIT- King’s Road Style! Mitsuharu Misawa vs. another one of the Four Pillars- the huge Akira Taue! A Champion Carnival Final seeing some of the best “putting over the move” selling I’ve ever seen!

Next up, a match of equal magnitude: The Power Twins vs. Aerial Assault in a shitty Las Vegas indie! It’s Larry & David Power (two never-was chubby dudes billed as powerhouses) versus Bob Bradley and Rob Van Dam, in one of the matches that was his debut on the greater wrestling scene in North America, for the NWC Tag Team Titles! Then it’s over to WCW Pro where “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan teams up with Stars & Stripes (Marcus Bagwell & The Patriot) against the Three Faces of Fear: Kevin Sullivan, Avalanche and The Butcher (Brutus Beefcake)! Finally, it’s WCW’s short-lived women’s division, as Malia Hosaka takes on mid-80s Glamour Girl, Leilani Kai on WCW Saturday Night!

ALL JAPAN CHAMPION CARNIVAL FINALS:
MITSUHARU MISAWA vs. AKIRA TAUE:
(April 15th 1995)
* Oh hell yeah more Four Pillars time! It’s the Ace of AJPW against Taue, the lowest-ranked of the Pillars, and generally the one accepted as the “weakest worker” of the four. Taue having that rep in the early days of the IWC was always kind of interesting, cuz like… he’s the worst of THOSE FOUR. Which means he could be better than almost anyone else in the world, ya know? A lot of it was a lack of MOVEZ, I suspect- his stuff was generally the ugliest of the four, he had the smallest moveset, and he wasn’t very agile or smooth, so people who didn’t see things like timing and selling as well missed the boat on him. I was thinking “no one would believe Taue had a chance here, right?” as Misawa almost never lost and even Kawada hadn’t beaten him yet, but the Carnival was a round-robin and flukes can always happen in these things. Taue had recently debuted a big new move- his Nodowa Otoshi (chokeslam), but off the RING APRON in a huge crowd-pleasing mega-spot. Misawa had also broken his orbital bone only three weeks prior, giving this some added drama. Both are in the usual- Misawa’s emerald & white, and good ol’ tall, lanky, shapeless Taue in red.

NATIONAL WRESTLING COUNCIL- TOTAL CHAOS- BEST OF THE NWC- Volume I:
(Late 1994)
* The NWC is one of a million goofy indies that popped up all over America in the 1990s, starting the usual mix- guys WWF no longer wanted mixed with future superstars. In this case, it’s dominated by a pair of Cactus Jack vs. Sabu matches, as both guys are making names for themselves in every indie you can think of (Cactus is between his WCW run and his ECW one, while Sabu is a tape trader’s dream at this point), featuring Sabu getting suplexed through a table in front of some old ladies. Then ends up with a Branding Iron Match between Terry Funk and VIRGIL, Terry doing his best to either carry the match or expose the business, and we end things with… the Powers of Pain vs. BOB BRADLEY & ROB VAN DAM!? Oh god I love these weirdo U.S. indies.

The NWC lasted only a short time, and was one of the first American indies to showcase hardcore wrestling, particularly that of Sabu & Cactus Jack. Its first bankruptcy came about due to a partnership with the Ultimate Warrior, who bailed on them. It reopened in 1996 but died two years later. It’s most notable for giving RVD his first prominent spot in wrestling, and for a Ku Klux Klan angle that led to Jim Neidhart and another guy “hanging” Virgil while wearing white robes. I don’t remember ANY of this stuff (nor Foley’s book talking about it), so I just checked Wikipedia for that, haha.

The tape already starts amazingly, via showing clips of the Ultimate Warrior’s workout video (shouldn’t that just be a list of nearby pharmacies?), then clips of Virgil and Honky Tonk Man matches, really going all-out to draw fans in. We also get clips of Jim Neidhart between WWF runs, Sabu legdropping a chair onto someone’s face, and the exact same image of the Las Vegas skyline on repeat over the “Y’all ready for this?” sports hype song.

The commentary team is the promotion’s owner TC Martin & Big Al Rizz (?), who sounds like John Candy mimicking a Chicago accent. TC hosts the opening, wearing a gaudy Vegas dealer’s vest over his shirt.

Cactus Jack deliberately moving Sabu over to a table full of old grannies and suplex him through their table.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time, I found a true rarity- a fancam of Rey Mysterio Jr.’s first-ever match, as “Colibri” debuts in 1989 at fourteen years of age, taking on a guy in Mexico! Then I look for Rey’s OTHER debut- the one in WWE, where he takes on Chavo Guerrero Jr. on WWE SmackDown! Watch me take the opportunity to throw some shots at AEW booking and agenting incompetence as I compare the job done HERE to the job done for acts like Hologram, whose opponent had a similar job to Chavo’s here- acting as a tackling dummy for all the wild moves of the new guy. Following that, it’s a request as we get WWF Champion Hulk Hogan facing Cowboy Bob Orton on WWF SuperStars on Memorial Day Weekend, in a match somewhat well-known for the top rope cable breaking mid-match, probably forcing a complete re-thinking of the match on the fly from the two veterans!

Then it’s over to a Canadian indie as the Motor City Machine Guns take on JUSHIN LIGER AND ULTIMO DRAGON! But it’s 2007 so uhhhhh get ready for Lazy U.S. Indie Style and an announcer who thinks imitating Howard Cosell is the height of comedy. Hoo boy the commentary is always the worst stuff on the indies. And finally I throw in a quickie as Tito Santana takes on Dangerous Danny Davis in the weeks before WrestleMania V!

COLIBRI vs. ????:
(Mexico, April 30th 1989)
* Yes, it’s the debut of REY MYSTERIO JR., as a 14-year old kid takes on some guy whose name I can’t even find out in 1989! Rey isn’t listed on Cagematch at all until 1992, which makes this a nearly-lost thing- Rey is recognizable even with this terrible home video transfer, though I can barely make out the color of his tights (purple?). Rey famously debuted as “Colibri” (Spanish for “hummingbird”), and is barely taller than the top rope here. His opponent is mere inches taller, and is clunky and squat. Let’s call him “Black Mask” for now.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have a one-time-only feature bout, as the IWA Mid-South Title is defended in a Three Way Dance between… CM Punk, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio Jr.! Three all-time legends in one match, at totally different points in their careers (Eddie & Rey were close to their career-defining WWF comebacks, while Punk was just starting out as an indie name). And I went looking for Flash Funk matches and oh yeah- he was SABU’s opponent when ECW invaded WWF RAW in 1997! So there’s THAT as a wild Forbidden Door only-in-1997 match!

Then it’s over to 1980s WWF as Jimmy Snuka and his storyline cousin the Tonga Kid take on The Moondogs! Another indie match sees the S.A.T. face Matt Sydal & Alex Shelley in a match that’s part “indie-style stalling” and part “showcase the S.A.T.’s wild moves”! And finally, it’s JOSHI in Stampede Wrestling, as legendary Devil Masami takes on Mika Komatsu in a match that looks super-odd, as it completely uses the AJW style in a foreign territory, thus looking totally out of place (and at twice the pace of anything men’s wrestling was doing)!

IWA MID-SOUTH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE:
CM PUNK (w/ Dave Prazak) vs. REY MYSTERIO JR. vs. EDDIE GUERRERO:
(IWA Mid-South, 03/02/2002)
* By request, we get a one-time-only (uh, probably! Don’t quote me!) three-way dance between three all-time legends! CM Punk, IWA Mid-South Champion, takes on two lucha legends in Eddie & Rey. Eddie had been fired from WWE for drugs, but was on his way back. Rey had spent a couple years between WCW & WWE recovering and just doing stuff, and Punk was on his way up in the indies. Punk has no physique to speak of (even 22 years ago!) and has ugly bleached/red hair. He also has a mini-me with him with the same hair. Rey is in his dreadful “no-mask” look, still looking like a 14-year old boy except for the big steroid muscles. Speaking of on the gas, HOLY SHIT LOOK AT EDDIE GUERRERO! Okay it was no big mystery, as he was roided even in his New Japan days, but the huge veins in his shoulders and triangular torso are extremely obvious here. He comes down looking unpleasant and annoyed to be there like a good heel. Or like someone who is legitimately annoyed to be there. There’s MAYBE 100 people here. The announcer annoys me by calling Punk the “IWA Mid-South World Heavyweight Champion” like this podunk indie deserves World Title status. YES I KNOW THE TITLES AREN’T REAL SHUT UP IT MAKES THEM LOOK DESPERATE.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have found even MORE horrible indie matches for your approval, starting with the excellent Briscoe Brothers facing the “Hart Foundation”, which is lifelong fuckup Teddy Hart and future AEW washout and uber-flippy guy Jack Evans! Then it’s a spectacularly awful idea as THE WALL defends his Phoenix Championship Wrestling Title against WWF washout Gangrel as the two slobbily go about a classically “former top company talent in an indie match” bout.

Next up, it’s Rowdy Roddy Piper in the WWF as a peak heel, and he’s up against the Tonga Kid, then a scrawny young man out for REVENGE on behalf of his cousin Superfly Jimmy Snuka! Then I couldn’t find a Mona/Asya match I’d written down but managed to find Madusa vs. Asya, and it’s somehow even MORE stupid and needlessly convoluted than you could possibly imagine a WCW Thunder match could be! Finally, I check out more lucha libre, as I get a look at Atlantis as he takes on the heel Emilio Charles  Jr. in a couple matches! The first one disappointed me but I followed a link and found a better one!

THE BRISCOE BROTHERS (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. THE HART FOUNDATION (Teddy Hart & Jack Evans, w/ Mike Mendoza & Carmen):
(Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Jan. 23rd 2010)
* WOO! I finally found what I’m sure will be a flippy one! Maybe! I’ve only seen like 1-2 Briscoe tag matches, but Mark is super-entertaining in current AEW. Jack Evans is a dude I’d never heard of until I saw AEW, and I was like “He’ll be a great worker once he gets some experience and learns to sell more and flip less” until someone told me he was a twenty-year veteran, lol. Here, he looks like a small child or a fan who got lost and ended up on the entranceway- he is TINY. Teddy you know- a lifelong fuckup and total mess. Apparently according to the match notes here the Briscoes got noticed in JAPW before moving on to ROH, but periodically returned. This is actually PACKED for an indie, and Hart/Evans are babyfaces. Teddy cuts a profanity-laced promo that basically shits on Ring of Honor for “dropping the ball” on this match, just spamming out F-bombs in lieu of real stuff to say like he’s Shane Douglas or something. Then he declares his “my dream match” and goes to hug the Briscoes like a total dweebus- haha man, they were doing the “I’ve always wanted to wrestle you” angles back then, too? Teddy’s in white/red shorts, Evans is in black/white baggy pants, and the Briscoes are in black shorts. Mark has more hair- Jay has the ’00s douchebag chin goatee.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! Today, I finally get to one I’ve been meaning to cover for months- Rob Van Dam and Sabu in ALL JAPAN, taking on all-time legend Stan Hansen with Takao Omori as his partner! I mean, RVD & Sabu working their ECW spots with Stan in the “King’s Road” company is pretty frickin’ nuts. It’s also a great look at the “All Japan TV Style” I’ve seen many times before.

Then it’s over to the “Super Indie Championship” tournament as AJ Styles takes on CM Punk in the first round! See two of the biggest indie/ROH legends of the era in some high school gym! Then over to WCW as Jamie Noble & Evan Karagias play “arguing tag team partners” as they take on the super-rookie duo of Mark Jindrak & Sean O’Haire! Come watch poor Noble have to thread these hopeless idiots into a good TV match if it kills him. Then it’s the laziest indie match you’ll EVER SEE, as the Road Warriors fight in an embarrassingly tiny ballroom against indie nothings Da Hit Squad in 2001, with some of the weirdest, most unprofessional selling I’ve ever seen from Hawk. Finally, more indie nonsense as Quiet Storm of “Early TNA” fame takes on current WWE referee Bandido Jr. in a horrifically-bad too-long indie disaster where the highlight is the big deer head in the VFW hall where they’re wrestling.

ROB VAN DAM & SABU vs. STAN HANSEN & TAKAO OMORI:
(All Japan, Jan. 20th 1997)
* Oh sure, why not? ROB VAN DAM AND SABU doing a run in All Japan of all places. Rob actually wrestled there back in his early days, saying that Giant Baba was the inspiration for his trademark airbrushed gear- Baba told him that he should try to get something to make him stand out. That they’re taking on one of the all-time legends is just icing on the cake here, but AJPW was actually really good at getting weirdo dream matches, as their thing was bringing guys in for a tour or two to fill up the midcard. I’m unfamiliar with Omori, but he has that “generic black trunks” look. Jumbo-sized ears, though. Rob’s in the “brick wall” singlet and Sabu’s in yellow.

Hey all! Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I have a TRULY wild assortment, leading off with the craziest 1983 match possible- “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER in All Japan as he teams with Dick Slater to face Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta! Three of the all-time legends and huge stars in Jumbo/Piper/Baba, with some very NWA-style offense by Roddy, who’s unable to use his mouth to get him maximum heat in a foreign country.

Then I found an indie match that couldn’t POSSIBLY be good, as X-Pac faces WCW’s Evan Karagias in a godforsaken high school gym in **2006** with a fat, bloated Scott Hall as his second! Then it’s a crazy Lucha Trios Match as Norman Smiley, Negro Casas & Pirata Morgan team up to face Love Machine Art Barr, Ultimo Dragon & El Vampiro! And finally, I went looking for more Indie stuff on that X-Pac/Karagias channel and found Teddy Hart vs. The Amazing Red from 2004 Jersey All-Pro Wrestling!

NWA INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM TITLES:
GIANT BABA & JUMBO TSURUTA vs. “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER & DICK SLATER:
(All Japan, 6/3/83)
* I’m sorry, WHAT? PIPER vs. JUMBO!?! With Slater & Baba in it, too? This is freaking nuts! I know almost everyone did an All Japan tour at some point back in the day (Baba had some deep pockets, I think), but seeing stuff like Piper a few years before he peaked and Slater of all people as his partner against the two big All Japan legends? It’s so wild! Piper’s in his kilt and a red shirt and I just realized I was thinking Slater was Murdoch but no- this is that weird WCW undercard dork but way back in the day. Piper in Japan will be interesting, because the language barrier takes away his greatest advantage (his promos)- notably, SLATER gets a bigger reaction. Turn out Roddy had only been in the country for two weeks- no way did the fans know him. He kisses one of the tag belts in the prelude. Jumbo’s in black & Baba’s in red, and even in 1983 Baba looks like  he’s dead. Slater’s trunks are dark red, and Piper has these boss green ones.

A rare shot of Ted DiBiase as the WWF World Champion.

WWF BOSTON GARDENS (Feb. 6th 1988):
* So I found a whole-ass Boston Gardens show on YouTube and my god LOOK AT THIS CARD! Hulk Hogan & Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase! The British Bulldogs vs. The Islanders! LEAPING LANNY POFFO vs. TERRY GIBBS! What a supercard! But seriously, this is a fascinating combination of “Total Garbage Dump” mixed with Hogan in an A-tier main event, which seems like how they did the “A-Show” tours (B-Shows were headlined by the IC Title as often as not, I think). This also gives us George Steele in his later years against the One Man Gang, Ricky Steamboat against Dino Bravo, Sam Houston vs. Iron Mike Sharpe, Dangerous Danny Davis vs. Brady Boone and The Rougeau Brothers vs. Barry Horowitz & Steve Lombardi! Yes, they air THREE JOBBER MATCHES before the Hogan match.

Our hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes & Craig DeGeorge.

LEAPING LANNY POFFO vs. TERRY GIBBS:
* Lanny, in blue trunks, sucks up to the Boston fans and bemoans that they want to tear down the Garden before throwing frisbees into the ring. He’s barely a Jobber To The Stars at this point, Gibbs being just a jobber. He’s got an ’80s mullet but looks like the friend’s dad you were always scared of, just a scowling ugly barrel-shaped dude.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I end my Von Erich NWA Title Trifecta with Ric Flair vs. KEVIN Von Erich, as the oldest Von Erich boy uses his wildman fighting style to get a different sort of match out of the travelling champion! How will that dastardly Flair get out this time? Come and see!

Next up, it’s the Can-Am Connection vs. Islanders feud continued on with Rick Martel’s NEW team, as Strike Force takes on the Islanders in fall 1987! Then it’s a highly-recommended Jacob Fatu match, as it’s Title vs. Title- the MLW Champion Jacob Fatu faces National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone in Major League Wrestling’s biggest match ever in 2021! Finally, it’s more of Norman Smiley in Mexico, as “Black Magic” teams up with Mano Negra against the short, obese HEADHUNTERS in lucha!

NWA WORLD TITLE:
RIC FLAIR vs. KEVIN VON ERICH:
(WCCW, 04/01/1983)
* It’s Flair vs. Von Erich again! But now it’s KEVIN! Ric has barely eked out wins over Kerry & David by this point, and now it’s time for barefoot wildman Kevin to try and get revenge! And he’s coming out to “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent! And he’s the American Heavyweight Champion. Man the cheers for Kevin are HIGH in pitch, I tell you. I must have seen him in the WCCW set WWE released, but I don’t recall and have no idea what he’s like in-ring.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I decided to look at the ACTUAL Jacob Fatu, not just his dad! Seeing as how he’s the hot new thing, I wanted to see more of his past stuff. I was given three of his “best matches” to choose from, and this was the only one where I’d actually heard of the opponent, so here it is first! It’s Jacob Fatu, current WWE Bloodline enforcer, vs. the former La Parka, now called L.A. Park! Next up, it’s another David Von Erich match, as zbinks linked me to him vs. Flair AND Harley Race- here, it’s 1977 and Race faces the “Rookie of the Year” in his new career as a wrestler, working overtime to put the young kid over and make him look like he has a chance!

Finally it’s more of the “Current Bloodline Stars’ Dads” as we get Sika again teaming up with Kamala, this time facing the Young Stallions, Paul Roma & Jim Powers, in the battle of the lowest ranked tag teams in 1987 WWF! Then it’s the Islanders, Haku & Tama, in a babyface vs. babyface match against the Can-Am Connection, Rick Martel & Tom Zenk! Babyface vs. Babyface was ultra-rare on WWF TV, and usually the sign of something being up- I WONDER WHAT IT COULD BE?!

NO DISQUALIFICATIONS:
MLW HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE:
JACOB FATU (w/ Joseph Samael) vs. L.A. PARK (w/ Selena Delarenta):
(Major League Wrestling, Nov. 2nd 2019)
* Yes, I decided to check out what WWE new hire Jacob Fatu was doing back in his earlier years! And of the three matches said to be his best by the BOD, this one featured a guy I’ve actually heard of as his opponent so I’m going with this one. It’s WCW’s La Parker, no longer the World’s Fattest Cruiserweight but a huge lucha legend and big-guy brawler. Jacob at this point is a semi-short, very rotund guy billed at 300 lbs., sporting a huge solid gut and man-boobs- a far cry from his current self. L.A. Park says something in Spanish, adding “puta!”, which of course is one word most English speakers learned, lol. You can tell wrestlers have shrunk a lot when the guy who was almost believable as a WCW Cruiserweight is about the same size as WWE’s current new monster heel.