Dream Matches — page 9

lol Sid wasn’t in this.

WCW BATTLEBOWL 1993:
(Nov. 20th 1993)
* It’s time for a very special review! This was recommended to me months ago, but with AEW pulling off a BattleBowl tournament of their own, it’s time! So the deal with BattleBowl is all the faces are in their locker room, and all the heels in theirs, and people “randomly” draw them into tag matches- the winners getting into a battle royal at the end of the show. It leads to some of the wildest possible team combination, as you see tag partners randomly paired up, sometimes fighting each other, and sometimes heels & faces on the same team (extra points if they’re actively feuding at the time).

I absolutely love the hell out of this concept- it’s one of my all-time favorites- but unfortunately it’s a very “Because WCW” thing, as the work is often poor, nobody knows how to work matches with each other, and everyone’s working twice so the laziness and half-assery is well in hand. Except some of this stuff is AMAZING for all the hilarious character interplay you’d never otherwise see- stuff like Brian Knobs trying to convince his goody-two-shoes partner to cheat, Jerry Sags begging Sting to help him, and the babyfaces getting aggravated when the HEELS start showing good sportsmanship and appreciation for each other!

I mean, this show has had some snark directed at it, but how the frick can you hate a PPV that gives you a Steven Regal vs. Fred Ottman sequence, Hawk beating up his own partner for being a loser, and wrestling’s greatest joy- a FAT MAN STAND-OFF?

YOUR PARTICIPANTS:
BABYFACES: Sting (the company’s top babyface), Ric Flair (now a face again), Road Warrior Hawk (running without Animal), “The British Bulldog” Davey-Boy Smith (fresh from the WWF dumping him due to steroids and packaged as the #2 babyface and Sting’s good buddy), Ricky Steamboat (newly re-returned to WCW shortly before the end of his career), Johnny B. Badd (a midcarder on the rise), Cactus Jack (now a babyface), Ron Simmons (no longer WCW Champion and just an upper-mid guy with no push), Erik  Watts (Bill Watts’s useless son getting an undeserved “rising rookie star” push), The Shockmaster (now repackaged as a jovial construction worker after infamously tripping in his debut), Dustin Rhodes (a midcarder), Maxx Payne (a big fat guy with an acid rocker brawler gimmick), Charlie  Norris (a really tall Native American lower-midcard guy I’ve never seen before), Paul  Roma (!!! as a BABYFACE?! oh right, he was a Horseman and they were good guys for a while), 2 Cold Scorpio (a high-flying wonder at this point), Marcus Alexander Bagwell (another rising star), and The Cole Brothers (Keith & Kent… never heard of ’em, but they’re jobbers who lasted a couple years)

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have an incredible match of the ’90s for you- a WON ***** bout between Psicosis & Rey Mysterio Jr. for the WWA Welterweight Title- one of those matches that turned both guys into instant stars and tape-trader darlings, and got them jobs all over the world.

Following that, it’s weirdo WWF mish-mash stuff, we get one of the weirdest combinations of dudes I’ve ever seen- Eddie Guerrero, D’Lo Brown & Lance Cade vs. Brian Adams, Haku & KWEE-WEE! Yes, the WWF’s farm-league in HWA was hosting this weirdo variety of trainees, fading stars and guys trying comebacks. Then it’s the Natural Disasters vs. Koko B. Ware and a jobber, in a match showing just how far Koko’s falling down the card! And finally, we see Pat Tanaka of all people end up in 1994 ECW as he challenges for Sabu’s TV Title- a match that has good elements but then you start wondering how much crack Tanaka is on.

WWA WORLD WELTERWEIGHT TITLE:
PSICOSIS vs. REY MISTERIO JR.:
(AAA Mexico, Sept. 22nd 1995)
* This is a fabled WON ***** match, and is pretty well the start of the legend for both guys in the U.S. as a result- both were still somewhat unknown otherwise. Both guys were already 6-year vets and had been seen in ECW. Psicosis is in white & black, while Rey seems to be in grey, and is backed up by what is clearly the White Tiger Power Ranger. Juventud Guerrera (with his old mask, with no hair showing) is backing Psicosis.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I have a hell of a doozy for you, as it’s STAN HANSEN vs. TERRY GORDY in All Japan, when both dudes were legendary big, burly brawlers. Prepare to see some SLAPPING OF MEAT, as well as a lot of showcasing of just how smart a worker Stan Hansen really was, despite portraying this simple-minded brutish ass-kicker.

Even better, I have a classic Saturday Night-esque bout for you, as it’s RENEGADE vs. SUPER CALO! Only in WCW will you get surefire main events like that, and then I follow it up with a US Tag Team Titles match as The Patriots (Todd Champion and Firebreaker Chip in my first time seeing either) defending against the Young Pistols! And Colonel Mustafa goes out on his back as he’s utterly squashed by The Undertaker, freshly a babyface, before WrestleMania VIII! Read on!

STAN HANSEN vs. TERRY GORDY:
(All Japan, July 17th 1990)
* This looks to be a MEAT-SLAPPING masterpiece, with two huge burly dudes with similar physiques going at it in All Japan, where both hit their peak. Both dudes are in their trademark big trunks, but Stan is much chunkier- he’s in navy blue while Gordy’s in black.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I have something a little different, as I reviewed a 1991 podunk indie federation more or less by accident (stupid YouTube search for Tatanka/Shamrock and I thought this was it and learned my error too late, haha), so come see the NAWA- the attempt to revive the Mid-Atlantic territory!

But primarily the focus here is a match starring Terry Gordy when he was only 14 years old (!!) as he takes on the Big Cat, Ernie Ladd in 1975! Come see just how good Gordy was even while he was a literal child, and how graceful Ladd was in his athletic prime. And since I feel bad about calling out two Bryan Clark matches in a row in “Anatomy of a Disaster”, I’ll put in one of the good WCW squashes that got him over, as he pummels the luchadore Ciclope on WCW Thunder! Come see the weird stylistic shifts when you pit a giant dude against a guy with an unfamiliar style!

The NAWA show is a bit interesting, though, as it’s your usual combination of past-their-prime veterans slumming it (the heel Champion is Robert Fuller- who becomes a WCW manager not too long after this), young rookies Chris “Tatanka” Chavis and Ken Shamrock (as Vince Torelli), and a ludicrous amount of focus for head promoter Paul Jones, who keeps getting the spotlight stuck onto him in the way of many a podunk indie company that goes nowhere.

“THE KING OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING” ERNIE LADD (w/ Beautiful Bruce) vs. TERRY MEEKA:
(International Championship Wrestling, 1975)
* A strange one I never expected to see- a FOURTEEN-YEAR OLD Terry Gordy as 237-lb. New Yorker “Terry Meeka” (pronounced like “Mecca”) taking on the Big Cat, Ernie Ladd- a legendary performer. Gordy is in blue trunks and has big bleach-blond hair, and notably TOWERS over referee Tommy Young, even as a 14-year old kid. The gigantic Ladd, in blue/purple trunks, gives Terry a somewhat disingenuous-looking “earnest” handshake.

Paul Orndorff’s stuff has really held up over the years… but him as a WCW guy in his mid-forties?

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This one features a mostly WCW-themed assortment of bouts, but with things varying over the years. First off, it’s Arn Anderson vs. Paul Ordnorff, pitting two of the great heel talkers against each other, but while Arn was a babyface Horseman! Disco Inferno defends the WCW TV Title against Booker T on Nitro while the announcers can only talk about the Hogan/Sting match the previous night!

Then it’s a true mixing of the eras, as Rey Mysterio Jr. takes on early ’90s workhorse Pat Tanaka, who’s doing a kung-fu gimmick on a WCW D-Show in 1996! A request, as the Heavenly Bodies face Virgil in his “Teaming With a Jobber” era, with job guy Mike Bell as his partner! And then it’s TWO Tatanka vs. Blake Beverly matches, as they fill TV time with the solo Blake on the JTTS squad five months apart!

ARN ANDERSON vs. “MR. #1DERFUL” PAUL ORNDORFF:
(WCW TV, 10/6/1993)
* This is an authentic Dream Match, but against a weird couple of dudes, as both are largely career heels. Both look like very unpleasant dudes, and Col. Rob Parker & The Assassin are watching for some reason, the latter coming down to Paul to help deal with the “Paula!” chants (lol those are still happening in 1993?). I guess that makes Arn the babyface here. Arn’s in red/black trunks & Paul’s in black.

oh dad-blast it- someone deleted the video before I could post the review XD. Well, uh, take my word for it! I found the last two matches on YouTube, at least.

GWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE TOURNAMENT (Part Two):
(GWF, Dallas, Aug. 1991)
* It’s time for more GWF’s North American Heavyweigth Title Tournament!! With THE PATRIOT vs. AXIS THE DEMOLISHER!!

Last Round: The Patriot d. Soultaker (Charles “Papa Shango/Godfather” Wright) by rollup, Axis the Demolisher d. Terry Garvin (not that one) w/ the Cobra Clutch, Steve Cox d. Rod Price, Stan Lane d. Action Jackson, Jeff Gaylord d. John Tatum, Brian Lee d. Bill Irwin (The Goon), Al Perez d. The Handsome Stranger (Buff Bagwell) by pulling the tights, Terry Gordy d. Randy Rhodes, Austin Idol d. Scott Anthony (Raven) with his feet on the ropes to mimic Scotty doing it before, Bad News Brown d. The Aztec w/ the Ghetto Blaster, Gary Young d. Cactus Jack by count-out, Steve Dane d. Chaz when his manager trips up Chaz.

They say during the first match that there will be three finalists- two wrestle to face the guy who receives a “bye” for the title. And for some reason Cactus is back in it despite losing last show- they even say he defeated Gary Young. Oh, and this entire show (save Patriot/Axis) takes place during one taping, which is a veritable recipe for restholds.

THE PATRIOT vs. AXIS THE DEMOLISHER:
* More of Bill Eadie slumming it with a bad knock-off of his WWF character as “Axis”, cutting a promo with a normal high-pitched voice instead of Ax’s gravelly deep one. The Patriot is apparently the current TV Champion. Patriot’s in his usual long American flag tights, while Axis is still in his Demolition gear with unique facepaint (not the “Ax silver”) with the most “someone’s ordinary-looking beer-bellied dad” appearance otherwise. Both of these men actually wrestled their first round matches earlier in the day, which means you’re gonna see some WORKRATE here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_qNwQKTsMY&ab_channel=NLWrestlingArchive

GWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE TOURNAMENT (Part One):
(GWF, Dallas, Aug. 1991)
* So after weeks of incredible peer pressure, and caving to the Blog’s current obsession: “Shitty Indies”, I’m finally reviewing the GWF! This being the Global Wrestling Federation, which as is obvious by the name, is an indie run out of one tiny portion of the United States. It seems like every indie of the 1990s was either an ECWA-style “skinny indie guys doing Rockers matches” or a regional promotion with some grandiose name (Universal Wrestling Federation! GLOBAL Wrestling Federation!), a money mark at the center of it, a couple indie darlings (Cactus Jack & Scott Levy), and 30 guys Vince McMahon didn’t want. Case in point, this promotion’s GWF North American Title Tournament features The Patriot, pre-fame Cactus Jack, a green-as-grass Godfather, and a heavily pregnant Bill Eadie as “Axis the Demolisher”. This also gives us Stan Lane before he called it quits, Terry Gordy between Japan runs, failed WWF guy Al Perez, a pre-pubescent Buff Bagwell, and assorted other dweebs. This is FANTASTIC in terms of weirdo Dream Matches… but since it’s a U.S. indie in the early ’90s, it’s probably just going to be a lot of guys lazily humping each other, doing nerveholds and cheap falls.

FIRST ROUND:
THE PATRIOT vs. SOULTAKER:
* HELL YES! We start off with Del Wilkes, the most “what Vince wants in a wrestler” guy to never last more than a couple of years in any company, and a very young pre-Papa Shango Charles Wright. Patriot’s an obvious body guy with long U.S. flag tights, while Soultaker’s a giant dude with a big, thick body but not as much definition, and Mantaur’s hairstyle. He’s wearing the black singlet he’d keep as Papa Shango.

Bunkhouse Buck legit looks like some Western Movie stock character named “Pa” who doesn’t like the young protagonist hanging around his daughter. Straight up wrestles in an undershirt! 

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I have a whopper of a WCW Pro match for you, as “Lifeguard” Steve Collins, my new favorite jobber ever, has to face WCW luminary Bunkhouse Buck! In the most hilariously cheating-filled squash ever! With maybe wrestle’s all-time worst ever finishing move! Also it’s some Nitro goodness as Booker T defends the TV Title in a hot match against Psychosis, where Booker shows the fire that rocketed him to… well the main event of a dying company! But still, he was awesome!

Then I spoil you all as I found TWO Scotty Riggs vs. Scott Putski matches to review! I knew I had to get to these ever since I saw Scott or someone (Dave? Mike?) review it a month or so ago! And finally, it’s more lucha, as I found a really long, solid Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera match! More of Juventud’s dad! And a hilariously violent old lady in the front row that both pros make a show out of!

BUNKHOUSE BUCK (w/ Col. Tom Parker & Dick Slater) vs. “LIFEGUARD” STEVE COLLINS:
(WCW Pro, March 30th 1996)
* MORE LIFEGUARD!! And against one of the most inexplicable JTTS guys of the age in Buck. Collins has his little floatation device and slaps hands with the fans on the way to the ring. This is LONG after the other Collins stuff I have, meaning this dude was around longer than I thought. Tragically, though, checking Cagematch reveals he was only in a tiny handful of matches per year unless they’re missing a ton.

Reviewing Fred Ottman matches. Oh, how I’ve missed this.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! And this week, I have one of my favorite things in the world to share with you… FAT MAN STAND-OFFS!!! I feared I’d gotten through all the ones I could find, but lo and behold- Yokozuna vs. Typhoon! TWICE!

And then it’s a dramatically awful match-up on paper as it’s… well it’s 1990s AWA, what more do I need to say? But it’s the AWA’s patented “washed-up old fart” wrestling COMBINED with 1990-era American’s women’s wrestling! The worst of two genres! Col. DeBeers & The Magnificent Mimi take on Baron Von Raschke the babyface goose-stepping Nazi and his partner Candi Divine! Watch DeBeers try to save the whole match from the apron!

Then it’s over to 2000s-era WWE Velocity as the re-trained Sean O’Haire takes on… WCW’s Crowbar! Back when WWE just hired every indie worker they could find to work squashes! And then it’s another request, as I combine my tributes to Lanny Poffo and David Sammartino as they partner up with the future Haku in the clean-faced, ripped Tonga Kid doing his best “Superfly Snuka” rip-off act, and they take on the job squad of Les Thornton and the Moondogs!

YOKOZUNA (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. TYPHOON:
(WWF Mania, April 10th 1993)
* Hell yes! I found another one! A FAT MAN STAND-OFF!!! These are always extremely short matches between these two- I mean, I wouldn’t wanna deny Fred Ottman’s cardio but I’m guessing this is for his benefit. Typhoon is noticeably taller, but Yoko has considerably more bulk, even now shortly after WrestleMania IX (though it was probably taped before).

I somehow missed the “banana-yellow pants” phase of John Cena’s career.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time the headliner is a future WWE Pay Per View Main Event, but in 2003 and on the infamous D-show WWE Velocity, as indie darling Bryan Danielson shows up on WWE TV to put over this rising star- a roided-up rapping heel named John Cena.

More WWF Light Heavyweight Division goodness as Taka Michinoku and pre-2 Hotty Scott Taylor team up against Brian Christopher and YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI, back when he was just some generic pasty-faced kicky guy out of Big Japan. Yes, the Japanese Buzzsaw pre-ECW hit WWF RAW! Then it’s to ECW, as Mikey Whipwreck’s “Underdog Sensation” gimmick gets put to the test against the 1996 version of an indie darling, Devon Storm (yes, all you need is a discarded Rockers costume and a few moves swiped from Mexico and YOU TOO could have been an indie darling in 1996!). And then… yes, I have ANOTHER LIFEGUARD STEVE COLLINS MATCH, as he takes on WCW midcarder “Stunning” Steve Austin in a battle of the Steves! Finally, we end with a Street Fight between Ron Simmons & Maxx Payne… in the New York set of Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando!

JOHN CENA vs. BRYAN DANIELSON:
(WWE Velocity, Feb. 4th 2003)
* Welcome to WWE Velocity, where John Cena gets to demolish some dweeby indie nobody named “Bryan Danielson”. LOL look at this dork’s clean-shaven baby face and Indie Kickpads- what a ridiculous act. Speaking of, Cena has now revolutionized his career by being a douchebag wannabe rapper, before this of course became entertaining enough to turn him babyface, which took him from “cultural-appropriating doofus” to “big star for the kids” and the biggest star of his generation- wrestling is weird. Cena’s in giant bright yellow jeans AND BOOTS and is roided out of his mind, while Bryan’s in white trunks.

The WWF was never really a “Workrate Company”, so the Big Boss Man is one of those guys who kind of slipped through the cracks and people only now have come to appreciate and credit with a lot of great performances and remarkable agility for his size. I now honor him with this hilariously suggestive picture.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I have a very solid TV match from 1992 as Shawn Michaels and the Big Boss Man do a rare singles match against each other, showcasing Ray Traylor’s shocking speed for such a big guy as he does one of the best “evasion” spots I’ve ever seen, despite outweighing his opponent by eighty pounds! Then it’s more 1992 WWF goodness as Virgil tries to take revenge against the Repo Man for the loss of the Million Dollar Title!

Over to 1998 WWF as Brian Christopher and a newly-heel Scott Taylor are paired up as heel goobers “Too Much” and set against… yes I’m subjecting you to more Devon Storm, as he and indie partner Ace Darling are paired up as jobbers on Shotgun Saturday Night against the new heel team! Then it’s a random throwaway WCW TV main event of Sting, Marcus Alexander Bagwell & The Steiner Brothers against Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Eaton & Cactus Jack! Finally, a spectacularly weird WCW Prime match, as Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker takes on LIFEGUARD STEVE COLLINS in a gimmick I am just now hearing about. Read on!

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. THE BIG BOSS MAN:
(WWF Wrestling Challenge, Nov. 14th 1992)
* Shawn is JUST set to win the IC Title from the British Bulldog on the Saturday Night’s Main Event airing this same day, and Boss Man is in the middle of a huge feud with Nailz, so I’m imagining this’ll be a screwjob ending. But it’s a pretty rare opportunity to see guys whose careers coincided but didn’t interact that much- the Rockers jobbed to the Twin Towers but as singles these two didn’t fight often- Boss Man was in WCW when Shawn had peaked, and returned when Shawn was gone. Sherri is out with an injury after Marty famously returned and Shawn pulled her in front of the mirror to save himself.

Nitro had a lot of weird one-offs and random-ass dudes from all over the place showing up, but DAVID SAMMARTINO?

With Scott Keith recently uploading David’s short history in the wrestling business, somebody wanted to see his one appearance on Monday Nitro. But even better, I found the “phantom submission” match, AND David’s appearance in the “End of Nitro Brawl” between the nWo and WCW loyalists! WOO Blog Synergy!

DAVID SAMMARTINO vs. RON SHAW:
(WWF at the Spectrum, Nov. 1985)
* So the story here is that David, sick of his lack of push from the WWF, was out to quit in a blaze of glory. Taking on balding, pot-bellied jobber Ron Shaw in a match that was being filmed, he had his way. David at this point is a short, bloated muscle-guy in black trunks, with really bad hair. Shaw’s in blue, and David gives this happy little smirk to the camera before the match. Oh, he knew.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I have a pretty weird assortment, including a very early William Regal vs. Bryan Danielson match from all the way back in 2001!

Then it’s a great showcase of how messed-up the WWF was in 1997, as TOMMY ROGERS vs. BOBBY FULTON makes WWF RAW, because they need a Light Heavyweight Division and when Jim Cornette is on the booking committee that means putting the past-their-prime Fantastics against each other in front of a crowd who has no idea who they are to put over the idea of a division full of young death-defying high-fliers. 1997 WWF, everybody!

Then we hit the AWA in 1986 as top star Sgt. Slaughter, just getting his G.I. Joe fame takes on a very green John “The Barbarian” Nord! Then it’s over to Smoky Mountain Wrestling for a pair of Ladder Matches- one a hilariously-weaksauce house show version where the “ladder” is just a tiny stepladder, and the other a really good one in a big show for the promotion- both involve “Discarded Toys” from other companies- Tracy Smothers vs. Chris Candido! Come see Candido take the most exaggerated sell I’ve ever seen- one that would have Jim Cornette calling for a boycott if it happened today.

WILLIAM REGAL vs. “THE AMERICAN DRAGON” BRYAN DANIELSON:
(Memphis Championship Wrestling, May 5th 2001)
* Announced as the “WWF Commissioner”, Regal takes on Danielson, whom he’d have a hand in training. Bryan is unrecognizable as this fresh-faced young kid with short hair and… are those Midnight Express tights? They’re long blue tights with stars on them. Regal gives Bryan a chance to walk away, but Bryan says “I’m not a COWARD BRITON!”, which Regal actually sells like it stunned him. Bryan would get a bit better on the mic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1WI_z9xccI&t=2489s&ab_channel=signsquad

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time I have a mish-mash of stuff, as I hit a bizarre contest from Germany, as Fit Finlay takes on DOINK THE CLOWN, Matt BorneI mean Steve Keirn, probably! Using the weird “4-minute rounds” CWA style! It’s super-weird.

Then it’s over to the WWF for a standard-issue “Dream Match” that is just Razor Ramon being super-generous in a bout against Virgil! Then over to WCW as the Steiner Brothers face Big Van Vader and Mr. Hughes in a big “Steiners Tossing Around Monsters” match that ends a lot differently than I expected! And it’s a WrestleMania rematch, as Owen Hart takes on Skinner in the latter’s final TV appearance in 1993!

Then I pack the back end of this one with the WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament. Most of it’s not on the free video-sharing sites in full, so I didn’t want to do a whole review just on those- WWE put up the final 2 minutes of most matches on their own YouTube channel and that’s it. But I did manage a complete review of Aguila (Essa Rios) vs. Super Loco (Super Crazy)! Also, come see indie dorks like Flash Flanagan, Devon Storm & Eric Shelley on WWF TV in 1997!

CWA INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE:
4 MINUTE ROUNDS:
FIT FINLAY vs. DOINK THE CLOWN:
(Wales, 17/12/1994)
* Oh yes, DOINK vs. FIT FINLAY in GERMANY. This was requested ages ago by Manjiimmortal but I forgot to put it on my To-Do List for some reason- checking an old column reminded me of it. Doink gets roundly booed, while “Mr. Fit Finlay” is wildly popular. He’s a bit skinnier than he was in WCW, with a horrible moustache and mullet. Doink I thought was Matt Borne here, given the era- his droopy clown hair gives him a creepy vibe, and the sarcastic “not gonna cheer me? SHUCKS!” reaction is what made me sure it was him, but apparently it’s Steve Keirn. The ring announcements are in German, which I mistook for Welsh as I knew Fit Finlay was a big star there, which is totally funny because I often forget that there’s people all “wwyllechw2fflewunfummuwfurwurrr” and shit over in England despite it being all English and stuff.

I was only barely paying attention to TNA during AMW’s peak, but I remember them getting a lot of hype, especially as WWE was ignoring tags at the time. I know one went on to more success and the other got fat and faded away. Was this the peak of both guys?

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I start off with a pretty notable TNA match, as their first Steel Cage Match takes place between tag team rivals Triple X (Christopher Daniels & Elix Skipper) and America’s Most Wanted (James Storm & Chris Harris)! Come see Elix Skipper be a spot machine, Daniels be smart, and AMW show how they ended up being one of the most talked-about acts of 2003!

Then it’s over to Stampede Wrestling, as we have insanity as CHRIS BENOIT & DAVEY-BOY SMITH make the same team, allying with Brian Pillman & Rob Ritchie against Makhan Singh (Bastian Booger), Volkan Singh (Gary Albright), Great Gama (whose last name is literally also “Singh”) and Larry Cameron in an ultra-clipped Elimination Tag match! And another match from “Dream Matches MVP” Blake Beverly as he takes on Virgil in Aug. 1993! And finally, it’s William Regal versus RECKLESS YOUTH, as the indie wunderkind who just copied his Japan wrestling tapes faces the soon-to-the-WWF guy in 2000!

NWA TAG TEAM TITLES:
STEEL CAGE MATCH:
TRIPLE X (“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & “Prime Time” Elix Skipper) vs. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (“Cowboy” James Storm & “Wildcat” Chris Harris):
(NWA TNA, Weekly PPV 6/25/2003)
* So this is a big deal in TNA’s history- their first Steel Cage match, featuring their top two teams at the time. AMW was a big deal for them, as two singles guys got slapped together and turned into a heckuva duo, while Triple X were three of the flashiest guys at the time doing a “Freebirds Rule” gimmick- Daniels was one of the “under-utilized” guys of the time, having ****-ish matches but never getting sniffed by WWE (probably because he was both quite short AND weirdly skinny, with an elongated head & torso), while Skipper was a major spot-machine and was also stuck in TNA during its formative years, and ended up lacking the pedigree of the other fast-paced guys of the era like Low-Ki & AJ Styles, despite being more acrobatic than either. Not here is Low-Ki. Both teams were in a long-running feud over the NWA Tag Belts, Triple X being 4-0 but always due to outside interference- hence the cage match. Mike Tenay & Don West thankfully explain the whole story in the prelude. AMW are in blue trunks, and Triple X are in black shorts.

Repo Man is a veritable fountain of horrible matches that are somehow also amazingly fun to watch- a rare talent!

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week I have another assortment of weird stuff from various promotions, starting off with a classic “Roddy gobbles up his opponent” match as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper defends his Intercontinental Title against Repo Man, in a match based around Repo swiping a ringside lady’s watch!

Following that, I finally investigate a question I’ve always had: Were Doug Basham & The Damaja actually any good? Both were bland-ass forgotten wrestlers in WWE and never made an impact on the wrestling business, but Jim Cornette adored them in OVW and I swear I’ve heard some people fanboy for them as true lost gems. As such, I check out their final match in Ohio Valley Wrestling for the OVW Title! Then it’s more of “Dream Matches MVP” Blake Beverly as he faces Mr. Perfect! Then it’s back to Dragon Gate, as I try to find more of their solo matches- this one is CIMA vs. Sumo Dandy Fuji in a Hair vs. Hair Match!

INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE:
“ROWDY” RODDY PIPER vs. REPO MAN:
(WWF MSG, Feb. 1992)
* Oh damn! You don’t often see Roddy Piper taking on lower-midcarders- these are always totally one-sided and humiliating. I love it! Repo Man is hilariously skulking along, looking shorter than every single ring attendant despite being like 6’3″ legit, then POCKETS A LADY’S WATCH while hugging her and how did this gimmick not make millions? She’s now on camera screaming “I want my watch back, thief!” while Heenan suggests she was just behind on payments (“What’s the matter- didn’t her husband have a good enough job?”). Now the lady sics Piper on him and Monsoon backs her up (“Her husband’s a deadbeat!” cries Heenan).

I always wonder how you should rate this guy’s look. I mean he’s so big he makes 300-lb. men look like small children, so he’d be a 10/10 in “Look”… but he’s so skinny and awkward looking.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This time it’s another smattering of random WWF, ECW & WCW stuff, starting with a match I had no idea existed from 1992 WCW as Cactus Jack has to try and make a match work against EL GIGANTE, the most hopeless in-ring guy to ever live! Then it’s over to ECW as Stan Hansen of all people shows up, and he’s immediately put up against jobber duo Twisted Steel & Sex Appeal!

Then a very “1993 WWF” match as Tatanka takes on Mr. Hughes! WWF’s Light Heavyweight Division heats up as heatless heel Brian Christopher gets put up against his Player Two version and future tag team partner, Scott Taylor! And finally, it’s the first-ever Scaffold Match in wrestling as Jerry Jarrett faces Don Green in Kentucky- a request since Jerry has died fairly recently.

CACTUS JACK vs. EL GIGANTE:
(WCW Pro, Jan. 18th 1992)
* Oh yeah, this is the good shit- WCW in the early ’90s isn’t the fountain of “Wait, that happened?” nonsense as other promotions but MICK FOLEY vs. JORGE GONZALEZ? That will do nicely. Cactus Jack is coming down to a slow piano version of the “Funeral March” here, while El Gigante, in his black bicycle shorts, somehow looks like a giant dork despite making his 290-lb. opponent look like a small child. Gigante’s sporting a bandage on his face owing to a scrap with Vader in Japan.

You know it’s 1997 WWF when THESE two show up!

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, we have a wild assortment, as I found another Bowl Match from the WWF! A sequel to the “RAW Bowl” where everyone was in football gear, this one is classic 1997, as it’s Owen Hart & British Bulldog vs. The Godwinns vs. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon vs. Faarooq & Crush in a 4-way elimination tag match!

A weird mish-mash bout from 1993 WCW sees a young BABYFACE Steve Regal take on The Barbarian! More of Devon Storm and Ace Darling as they form “The Extremists” and hit WCW as a pair of jobbers against The Public Enemy! A palette cleanser from that as babyface Kona Crush takes on “Dream Matches” MVP, Blake Beverly! And we end things with a great example of the Dragon Gate style as CIMA, Dragon Kid & Susumu Yokosuka invade Pro Wrestling NOAH to face Naomichi Marufuji, Ricky Marvin & Ippei Ota!

BOWL MATCH (4 corners elimination tag, anyone can tag and must accept tags):
OWEN HART & “THE BRITISH BULLDOG” DAVEY-BOY SMITH vs. THE GODWINNS (Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn, w/ Hillbilly Jim) vs. DOUG FURNAS & PHILIP LAFON vs. THE NATION OF DOMINATION (Faarooq & Crush, w/ Clarence Mason, PG-13 & Flunkies):
(WWF Superstars, Jan. 26th 1997)
* Wait, they ran ANOTHER Bowl? All I remember was the RAW Bowl! Where they all wore football uniforms and it was actually pretty dumb! This is another from the next year, with a smattering of oddball tag teams from the era- Owen & Bulldog are the tag champs, with Furnas & LaFon (in matching blue trunks) brought in from Japan as charisma-free challengers in an attempt to combat WCW’s perception as the “workrate promotion”, probably. The Godwinns are a fading act at this point (and oddly both in matching red shirts), while the Nation are rising stars, without Savio yet, I think.

Welcome to a very special Dream Matches edition! Wherein I searched Billy Kidman and found a Psychosis match, then went back to review it and found out they fought at least seven times on TV, six of which are captured by YouTube! So I managed a whole column’s worth out of these two! It’s interesting because the first three are total throwaway bouts on lesser shows where Kidman was just one of the forgotten background Cruiserweights, indistinguishable from anyone else, then suddenly they have a really competitive one, and then it’s a big one when Kidman actually got his major push and PSYCHOSIS was the guy suffering from credibility issues! So it’s an interesting cross-section of the careers and credibility of these two wrestlers! And also watch as WCW changes the spelling of the luchadore’s name constantly!

PSYCHOSIS vs. BILLY KIDMAN:
(WCW Worldwide, July 27th 1996/WCW Prime, Aug. 12th 1996)
* Early in the WCW run of Billy Kidman, he’s a generic skinny Cruiserweight in blue tights going up against Psychosis in his most garish, awful gear- the black bodysuit with the salmon-colored abs & gold chestpiece. God that version sucks. This same match was on two different D-shows- I nearly reviewed it twice until I realized they weren’t just copying the same match… it was LITERALLY the same match.

The Brain Buster’s finish is the piledriver but Koko’s theme is Piledriver and his finisher the Brainbuster.
-YouTube comment.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week, I found a very odd one-off, as it’s the Brain Busters versus the makeshift team of… High Energy? Yes, it’s OWEN HART AND KOKO B. WARE, but several years early, as Owen’s the Blue Blazer and neither is in gigantic parachute pants, and they’re taking on the NWA-styled Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard!

Then it’s over to New Japan, as the IWGP Tag Team Champions, Rick & Scott Steiner, defend against the monster squad of Scott Norton & Tony “Ludvig Borga” Halme! Come see some real Hoss Style wrestling… at least until their cardio wears out! Then it’s a classic 1994 WWF match, with The 1-2-3 Kid & Thurmann “Sparky” Plugg vs. Adam Bomb & Kwang! Sting vs. Lt. James Earl Wright in 1995 WCW! And we cap things off with a jobber squash featuring Don Muraco in 1980s Florida dismantling a green rookie Barry Windham!

THE BRAIN BUSTERS (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. KOKO B. WARE & THE BLUE BLAZER:
* !!!!!! This was mentioned in a daily thread as a fascinating unknown match, and look at it! The Brain Busters vs. High Energy… three years early! Owen Hart at this point was a masked undercard guy in light blue gear for some reason, and Koko was on the JTTS train already. The Busters, in black trunks, are so NWA they look bizarre in late ’80s WWF, but they kinda fit because of that- two guys in regular gear with regular dad-bods like good NWA stars should look. Like, WWF was so full of weird characters that this actually STOOD OUT… and thus kind of worked? I mean the whole company was guys trying to stand out so “NWA Guys” was ironically a good fit. The jobber team is listed as 70 lbs. heavier than the Busters- that doesn’t sound right.