The SmarK Rant for Allied Powers: The World’s Greatest Tag Teams

Well, this one won the poll I did, and I love me some tag team wrestling, so let’s crack the seal and give it a look. Much like the Hogan set, I’ve got no idea what’s on this one.

Hosted by Miz & Morrison, which really dates this one. Can you imagine if they were tag team champions 11 years later and doing the same shtick? Anyway, they’re completely phoning this one in and add nothing.

Disc One

The concept here is pretty dull, with the generic video narrator guy introducing a notable team, then a minute long highlight package, and finally the feature match. Doesn’t appear to be presented in any particular order.

First up, a look at the British Bulldogs.

The British Bulldogs v. The Hart Foundation (09.23.85)

We’re in MSG for this one, early on for the Harts, when they had black and blue tights. Bret hides from Kid and complains about having hair pulled right away, so Kid catches a dropkick attempt and slingshots him into the corner and out of the ring. The Harts are of course grossly offended by this. Back in, Bret tries a hammerlock and gets taken to the floor on the reversal. Over to Davey Boy and Anvil, and they trade slams as Neidhart gets the worst of that. They do the test of strength and Davey flips out of it and dropkicks him out of the ring. Jesse notes that they need to trap a Bulldog in the corner and put the beats on him. “You gotta put out the cheese to catch the mouse” he notes. But the Harts ignore this and Davey gets a victory roll for two on Bret. Finally Bret just hits Davey with a knee to the gut and drops an elbow on him to take over. Into the corner and the Harts go to work and Bret gets a standing dropkick while Anvil holds Davey. Anvil with a bearhug, but Davey fights out and brings in Kid, and he immediately gets cut off and slammed on the concrete outside. Back in, Anvil goes to work in the corner and then taunts Davey into the ring while Bret switches in and drops the leg on Kid. Bret sends him into the corner for the turnbuckle bump, and then taunts Davey in AGAIN and slams Kid by the hair behind the ref’s back before dropping the middle rope elbow for two. Backbreaker gets two. Anvil with a facelock to cut off the ring, and then Bret knocks Davey off the apron to be a dick, resulting in Smith running in like a fooking idiot while the Harts put the beats on Kid in their corner. This is textbook stuff. Kid fights to his corner again, and this time Bret takes the ref and Davey again gets sucked into the ring illegally and the Harts do more double-teaming. Kid tries to flip out of a Bret backbreaker and Bret kind of loses his grip, so they flail around for a bit before Kid gets a backslide for two. Finally Bret charges and crotches himself on the ropes, and it’s HOT TAG Davey Boy. He runs the Harts into each other and Bret takes the turnbuckle bump for two. Davey with a press slam for two on Bret. Harts come back with a double team backbreaker and they set up a TOP ROPE HART ATTACK, but the ref is busy getting Anvil out, and Kid switches into the ring with a top rope headbutt and gets the pin at 18:40. Now that was a clever “heels get their comeuppance” finish. ***1/2

Next, the Steiner Brothers.

The Steiner Brothers v. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki (03.21.91)

Hey, this is from the New Japan Supershow! Which is not available on the Network, but is available on New Japan World. Scott trades takedowns with Hase and neither gets anywhere with it, so Scott hits him with a throw instead. Hase responds with a reverse kick and clotheslines Scott to the floor, but Scott scowls him out of trying a dive. Back in, Rick comes in to face Sasaki, and Sasaki immediately takes Rick down with a judo throw and grabs a headlock. Powerslam gets two and he follows with a bulldog right away and then KILLS Rick with a lariat. You don’t see the Steiners selling for anyone like that! Hase comes in and the Steiners trap him in the corner, allowing Scott to hit the pumphandle slam and take him to the top for an Angle Slam off the top. Scott decides to shit-talk the Tokyo Dome crowd instead of covering, and Rick comes in and runs Hase into the corner. Rick with his own clothesline on Hase and Scott gets the belly to belly for two. Hase fights back, so Scott hits him with a DDT and Rick takes him to the top for a belly to belly. Elbowdrop gets two off that. Rick whips Hase into a Scott clothesline for two. Butterfly powerbomb gets two. Steiners double-team Hase but he fights back with uranages on both Steiners and it’s HOT TAG Sasaki. Powerslam for Rick gets two. Scott gets pissed and beats on him while making the save, and Sasaki gets a running powerslam on Rick. Sasaki superplexes Hase onto Rick and Hase follows with the northern lights suplex for two. Hase and Rick do the double down, but Scott comes in with a tilt a whirl slam on Hase, who luckily tags Sasaki back in. Sasaki tries a Doomsday Device on Scott, but Rick comes in and breaks it up before setting up their own version with the top rope bulldog on Sasaki. Scott pulls down the straps and follows with the Frankensteiner for the pin at 9:39 to win the IWGP tag team titles, in addition to the WCW World tag titles they already held. This was an incredible sprint, literally all action for 10 minutes, but needed another few minutes to achieve greatness like the Steiners would hit later. ****

Next, we take a look at great high flying tag teams, like Steamboat & Youngblood, The High Flyers, The Fantastics, and The Killer Bees.

Best 2 out of 3 falls: The Killer Bees v. Demolition (10.09.87)

THIS is the followup we get to “high flying tag teams”?! From Houston, so of course we get the all time trainwreck commentary team of Bruce Prichard, Mike McGuirk and Duke Doherty. Smash beats on Brunzell in the corner to start, but the Bees double-team the arm. Smash catches Blair with a bearhug and then Ax beats Brunzell down and follows with a slam for two. Blair comes in and fights off the heels before bringing Ax back to the corner for more double-teaming on the arm, and a rollup gets two. Smash beats on Brunzell in the corner, but the Bees go back to the arm again. And then Blair gets taken back to the corner and they double-team him for a bit as this match is going nowhere. Finally the Demos cut off the ring and start working Blair over with a chinlock from Smash, but Blair keeps hitting Ax’s leg to escape the corner and now the Bees goes to work on that. But then Smash distracts the ref and Ax gets the knees up to block a splash from Blair and gets the pin at 9:20 to win the first fall.

Second fall and the Bees continue working on Ax’s leg, but Smash tags in, and Brunzell gets a dropkick on Smash to win the fall at 11:38.

Third fall and Brunzell tries a sleeper on Smash, but Blair gets caught in the corner and double-teamed by Demolition some more. They trade nerve holds on Blair and Ax goes to a neck vice, before Smash beats Blair down for two. False tag to Brunzell, but Smash misses a blind charge on Blair and Ax misses an elbow, and it’s hot tag Brunzell for real. Brunzell with the dropkick for two on Ax and it’s BONZO GONZO, at which point Ax uses Fuji’s cane and Smash gets the pin at 19:25. First two falls were a waste, third fall was pretty good stuff with lots of heat from the crowd. ***

Speaking of high flyers, time for the Hardy Boyz.

Edge & Christian v. The Hardy Boyz (06.27.99)

So of all the matches they could have picked, we get King of the Ring 99. They cut something out after the entrances and we’re joined with Jeff getting double-teamed in the Brood corner as Edge gets a gutbuster. Jeff tries a headscissors in the corner and Edge whiplashes him to counter, but Matt comes in while the crowd is dead. Christian misses a charge and Matt goes to a chinlock, but Christian escapes with the inverted DDT. Now the Hardyz have their shirts off so they mean business. Edge with a DDT on Matt while Gangrel takes the ref, but Michaels Hayes gets a cheapshot for the Hardyz and Edge spears him. So Hayes brawls with Gangrel on the floor, but Edge spears Jeff for two. But then Gangrel spits that red viscous-like fluid into Edge’s face by mistake and Jeff gets the pin at 4:30. What an odd choice for inclusion here. Some highspots but not much else. ½*

Speaking of Michael Hayes, the Freebirds are the next team featured.

Country whipping match: The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes & Gordy) v. Kevin & Kerry Von Erich (October 83)

From World Class, complete with butchered entrance music. The exact date isn’t given but I’m assuming this show is on the Network should you want to look it up. Big brawl to start and the Von Erichs send the Birds running by strapping them right away. So the gimmick here is that everyone gets a strap to use as they wish, rather than the usual “loser gets whipped 10 times” deal. Kerry starts the match proper with Michael Hayes and beats the tar out of him, but he gets trapped in the corner and Gordy just LAYS into him as the crowd shrieks in horror. Over to Kevin, who hangs Gordy in the Tree of Woe and beats on him with the strap, and the Freebirds run away. Back in, Kevin goes to work on Gordy again, but Gordy finally clotheslines him to stop the beating. And then Hayes comes in with more sick shots across the back and chokes Kevin out, before the Birds double-clothesline him with the strap for good measure. Kevin fights back on Hayes and makes the hot tag to Kerry, who uses Kevin’s strap for DOUBLE STRAP ACTION and they’re just beating the fuck out of each other. Finally the Birds toss Kevin over the top rope for the DQ at 6:45, as usual for their matches. And then everyone just brawls like crazy some more until Buddy Roberts manages to pull Hayes out and the heels fight another day. This was entertaining as FUCK and the crowd was hanging on every move. ***1/4

Next up, a feature on brother tag teams, brother. Of course, the Von Erichs, plus Ole & Arn Anderson (who were only brothers depending on which week you were watching), Undertaker & Kane, Johnny and Jimmy Valiant, the Strongbows, the Funks, the Brisco Brothers, and the Smoking Gunns. Of course, many of these people are not actually related to each other. Like, aren’t there enough legit brother tag teams in wrestling without using all the fake ones?

The Funk Brothers v. The Brisco Brothers

This is from Florida at an unnamed date, but pretty clearly sometime in the 70s. This is more of a series of highlights from the Florida TV show than an actual match, as the Funks get all discombobulated and Dory gets rolled up and pinned with about 2:00 aired.

Back to the regular features, with a look at Harlem Heat.

WCW World tag title: Harlem Heat v. The Steiner Brothers

So of all the matches, they picked HOG WILD to represent the Heat. So the Heat stall forever as the bikers can’t really care for their skin type, and finally the Steiners throw a bunch of suplexes to clear the ring while the bikes all rev in obnoxious fashion. Scott slugs away on Booker in the corner as we learn that the Trump rally masquerading as a crowd can actually count to 10, and the Heat bails. Back in, Stevie beats on Scott and stomps him down, and you can’t say that the match doesn’t have heat, I’ll give it that. Scott comes back with a suplex and Rick comes in with a chinlock on Stevie and hits a Steinerline for two. Stevie rakes Scott’s face and Booker comes in with a sideslam and beats on Scott in the corner, but Scott hits a suplex for two. Over to Rick, who also suplexes Booker for two. Cheapshot from Stevie turns the tide and the Heat go to work on Rick and Stevie goes to a chinlock. Rick fights out and Scott comes in with a dropkick for two, and back to Rick for his own chinlock on Booker. But then Stevie pulls down the top rope and Rick hits the floor to get the heat again. Stevie with a forearm to the neck for two. Stevie with a chinlock on Rick again and he follows with the big boot, and Booker boots him down for two. He misses an elbow, but spins up with the sidekick to recover while Dusty rambles. Stevie with a backbreaker and suplex for two. Booker misses an elbow as the bike revving is already giving me a headache, and it’s hot tag Scott. Overhead suplex for Booker gets two, but Parker throws powder and hits Booker by mistake. But then he uses his cane instead and knocks Scott out, and the Heat retain at 17:58. Man, I forgot how long Sherri and Parker were together managing the Heat after their wacky angle in 1995. Of all the Heat v. Steiners matches we’ve seen, this was certainly one of them. **1/4

Finally, we get the Midnight Express!

US tag team titles: The Fantastics v. The Midnight Express (06.10.88)

I was hoping they’d pick the Worldwide match to get it archived, but this will do. From the famous Great American Bash 88 PPV, with Jim Cornette put in a straitjacket and hung above the ring in a cage. Cornette trying to bribe the ref is hilarious (“This guy’s a crackpot, he’s an honest man!”) and of course Cornette is legitimately terrified of heights in real life, which makes his reactions to getting pulled up in the cage all the better. Eaton starts with Fulton and they trade headlocks, but Fulton snaps off a sunset flip for two and the Express regroups. Fulton with a headscissors and a rana to take Eaton down, and they back off again and think about it. Over to Lane and Fulton takes him down with a slick armdrag reversal, but Stan beats on him with karate kicks that put the Question Mark to shame, and Fulton hits the floor. Lane charges and Fulton runs him into the post, however, and follows with a baseball slide. Over to Rogers and he hits Lane with dropkicks and controls Eaton with an armbar while we get a bit of foreshadowing from Jim Ross: The matches are sanctioned by the Maryland Athletic Commission, and they rule with an iron fist! So that’s why Cornette is locked away in the cage, you see. Eaton slugs away on Rogers, but Fulton gets a blind tag and comes in with a double backdrop and they work Eaton over before tricking Lane into backdropping his own partner! The Fantastics clear the ring and the Express has another talk on the floor to figure this out. Back in, the Fantastics double-team Lane’s arm, but Eaton gets a blind tag of his own and comes in with a bulldog on Rogers for two. The MX double-teams Rogers and Lane slingshots in with a lariat on him, followed by a back elbow from Eaton and an elbow for two. Eaton keeps coming with a neckbreaker for two. Eaton with Divorce Court for two and he works the arm, but Rogers escapes with a facejam and Lane comes in with a punt to stop the tag. The ref gets distracted by Fulton and the Express double-teams Rogers for two, before Lane goes to an abdominal stretch. Fulton again distracts the ref by accident and Rogers uses the distraction to run Eaton into the post this time, but Lane cuts off the tag again. Rogers with a sunset flip for two, but Bobby goes up with the Alabama Jam and Lane gets two off that. Lane with a legsweep to set up the Rocket Launcher, but it hits knees and it’s hot tag Fulton. Fulton rolls up Eaton for two after fighting off Lane, but Stan trips him up from the apron and the ref is bumped. Rogers sends Eaton into the post, but Lane loads up a chain and Eaton uses it to knock out Fulton for the pin and the titles at 16:23. See, they didn’t need Cornette to cheat all on their own, fair and square! ****1/4 And then Eaton shoves in the chain into Fulton’s tights for good measure, leaving the Fantastics with no legal recourse.

Next up, some “Honorable Mentions”, in this case MNM, Billy & Chuck, The Hollywood Blondes, the APA, and the Nasty Boys.

The Public Enemy v. The Nasty Boys (02.11.96)

From SuperBrawl VI, a show I really like, but this isn’t one of the main reasons. I’m gonna have to redo that show someday, actually. As usual, this is a street fight and everyone immediately brawls out of the ring. Knobs runs Grunge into the post while Rock brings a table from the souvenir stand, but Sags just beats him down with a chair. But then Grunge gets his own sick chairshots on Sags and Rock goes up top, only for Knobs to slam him through the table for two. Sags goes back to the fake concession stand and finds a trash can full of plunder and they beat on each other with that. They finally make it back into the ring and Sags piledrives Grunge onto the can for two. Meanwhile, back at the concession, Knobs suplexes Rock through a table, but the ref is still in the ring and can’t count. Everyone makes it over to the stand and slugs it out with weapons and no one is selling and there’s no story to the match at all. Finally Rock goes up and tries a dive off the concession stand, misses, and gets pinned at 7:49. This was fine for what it was, but they had a million of these matches and it’s been done far better before and since. **1/2

And finally for this disc, The Rockers.

The Rockers v. The Brainbusters (03.18.89)

Well this is a way to end the disc. We’re in MSG and I’m surprised that Tully & Arn don’t get their own segment. I’m reminded of Herb Kunze on RSPW many years back, joking that when Tully and Arn toured Japan during this period they were billed as “The Vertical Suplexes”. Arn gets a cheapshot on Shawn to start and rakes the bootlaces in the corner, but Shawn blocks a sunset flip and slugs away in the corner. The Rockers clean house with DOUBLE ROLLUPS and double flying fists and the Busters retreat to the floor. Back in, Tully misses a charge on Shawn and the Rockers go to work on his arm while Arn complains to the ref. Double hiptoss on Tully and Shawn continues working the arm while preventing Tully from tagging. Finally he slips away from Marty and brings Arn back in, allowing AA to go to work on Marty on the floor. He accidentally punches the post, however, and Marty goes to the arm again as a result. More nice leverage from Marty as Arn dives for the tag and gets taken down again to prevent it, but Tully uses the knee from the apron and comes in. But then the Rockers hit double ranas and double dropkicks to put the Busters on the floor, followed by double dives. But then the Busters use some well-timed cheating and cut Shawn off in their corner, clotheslining him on the top rope to block a headscissors and allowing Arn to take over. AA whips him into Tully’s knee and Shawn takes a melodramatic bump to the floor, where Arn adds a forearm shot to lay him out for good measure. Back in, Shawn fights off Tully, but the heels cut off the ring again and move Shawn back to their corner. Shawn puts his head down and Arn blasts him with an elbow for two. Arn gets caught in a bodyscissors, but turns it into a catapult into Tully’s fist instead, and then Tully catapults Shawn under the bottom rope. Shawn runs Tully into the corner, but charges and runs into the knees. Tully goes up and Shawn slams him off, and it’s HOT TAG Marty. Sunset flip out of the corner on Tully gets two and it’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA, but Shawn pulls out Arn and Marty rolls up Tully for two. Shawn goes up off Marty’s shoulders with a splash on Tully for two, but Arn takes out the ref and it’s a DQ at 13:50. Fantastic match with a shitty finish. ****1/4

Hey, questionable match selection aside, this was a hell of a disc! Some great matches here, and probably more to come.

Disc Two

Kicking it off with my faves, Demolition!

WWF tag team titles: Strike Force v. Demolition (03.27.88)

Oh come on, they just pick the lazy Wrestlemania IV choice? Whatever, let’s watch it again. Smash beats Martel down to start and catches a bodypress attempt, but Tito dropkicks them over and Strike Force clears the ring. I think it once again needs to be stated that this is the deadest sellout crowd of a large arena you will ever see in your life. Not involving Roman Reigns. Tito works Ax’s arm and trades off with Martel, and then more of the same for Smash. I have to say, I didn’t particularly care about Strike Force at the time, but Martel’s injury kind of screwed them because they had some juice left as a team. And as I’ve noted before, they’re generally thought of as transitional champs between the Harts and Demolition, but they were actually champions for months! They just didn’t have anything in particular going on in terms of a feud. These days it would be a legendary reign. Tito gets caught in the Demo corner and double-teamed while President Drumpf watches at ringside. Ax puts his head down and Tito gets an elbow, but Smash drags him back to the corner for more punishment. Tito hits the flying forearm out of nowhere on Ax and it’s hot tag Martel. I think one guy in the 14th row actually cheered! Martel runs wild and gets the Boston crab on Smash, but Tito gets taken out by the ref and Fuj the stooge throws the cane in, allowing Ax to nail Martel and Smash to win the tag team titles at 8:00. And THAT finally draws a pop from this crowd of high rolling mannequins. Probably would have been better in a setting that wasn’t quieter than the Performance Center, but it wasn’t, and it sucked anyway. * Still a sentimental favorite for me anyway.

“International attractions” is our next feature, including the Mountie and his brother the doofus announcer, plus the French Canadian Russian and his nephew the Minnesota preacher, The Bushwackers, La Resistance (?!), Windham & Rotundo, Sheik & Volkoff…and of course you know what match we’re getting.

WWF tag team titles: Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo v. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (03.31.85)

Yeah, it’s Wrestlemania. Sheik headlocks Rotundo to start, but gets hiptossed and dropkicked. The US Express pinballs him in the corner and Rotundo goes back to the headlock. Windham comes off the top and legdrops Sheik low, but gets caught in the wrong corner. Heel miscommunication allows him to escape, however. Volkoff tries and gets headlocked by Windham right away, and Rotundo gets an elbow and elbowdrop for two. Windham comes in with an elbow and they work over the arm in the corner. Good tag stuff there. Rotundo meets the boot of the Sheik, however, to turn the tide. Sheik backdrops him and drops an elbow for two. Gutwrench suplex gets two. Rotundo comes back with a suplex of his own, but Volkoff stomps him down. Rotundo tries a hammerlock, but gets worked over on the ropes. He gets a sunset flip for two, but Volkoff stomps him down again. Knee to the gut and Rotundo gets worked in the heel corner, which leads to the ADOMINAL STRETCH OF DEATH by Sheik. He escapes and makes the hot tag to Windham, who dropkicks Volkoff and gets a bulldog for two. It’s BONZO GONZO, but Sheik hits Windham with Blassie’s cane and Volkoff gets the pin and the titles at 6:55. Match was your usual tag formula, but had terrific heat. **

OK hopefully the selections get a bit less lazy.

Our next choice is the Dudley Boyz…

WCW v. WWF tag team titles: The Dudley Boyz v. The Hardy Boyz (11.18.01)

Holy god you forget sometimes how crazy stupid hot Stacy Keibler was. So yeah, this was a cage match to unify the titles and I was happy to flush away this entire era as soon as it ended, so I haven’t watched it or thought about it since then. Matt pounds on Bubba to start and the Hardyz double-team in him in their corner, as apparently you have to tag here in this cage match. Also, Jeff is wearing a ball cap, so hopefully there’s no spots where he has to take a framed photo on the head. D-Von comes in and they double-team Jeff for a bit, and then D-Von gets a suplex on Matt for two. I should note the logo blurring is in FULL effect here, at various points around the ring and even on the big LED board beside the Titan Tron, which is unbelievably distracting. Dudleyz work Matt over, but he gets the inverted DDT on Bubba and makes the tag to Jeff. Hardyz with the Poetry in Motion on both guys and now they abruptly drop the tag rule and everyone climbs the cage. Bubba brings Jeff down with a top rope Bubba Bomb and everyone is out. About time. Jeff dives for the cage off a leapfrog and makes it to the top, but Bubba brings him down with a Doomsday Device and everyone is out again. Bubba with a backdrop suplex on Jeff for two and they run Matt into the cage and then take turns splashing him into it. More of the same for Jeff and both Dudz go up and miss splashes, allowing Matt to come back with a top rope clothesline on both guys. Matt sends them into the cage as Bubba bumps all over, and Matt gets a DDT on Bubba for two. The Hardyz both go up and hit the double legdrop/splash combo, and that gets two. Matt goes up and gets hung in the Tree of Woe on top of the cage, which leaves Jeff open for the Wazzup, while Stacy seduces Nick Patrick and steals the cage key. Thus the tables are gotten, but Matt breaks up the 3D and the Hardyz make the comeback. Matt fights with Bubba on the top of the cage and manages to climb out, but now Jeff is alone and man does that look like a stupid move now. So Jeff fights them off and makes the climb, but then he sees D-Von left on the table and just has to do the swanton, at which point D-Von moves and Jeff is BROKEN IN HALF, BY GAWD, and pinned at 15:43 to make the Dudleyz the undisputed champions. Well good personal choices have never been Jeff’s strong point. And now let us never speak of the Invasion again and certainly not e-mail me about it a million times. Took a while to really get going and there was never any real story to it or heat segment, but it was mostly entertaining by the end. *** The ending made Matt and Jeff both look like complete dumbshits, though.

And of course, the Outsiders get their segment…

WCW tag team titles: Harlem Heat v. The Outsiders (10.27.96)

Well this is the obvious choice, from Halloween Havoc 96. The crowd alternates chants of “Razor” and “Diesel”, so I guess Vince’s fakes really are getting over! The Heat control Hall while fights in the stands distract the crowd, presumably between members of the WCW and WWF legal teams who happened to be attending the show in the same section and just couldn’t resist suing each other over who got the last hot dog. Finally they settle down after a lot of nothing in the ring, and Nash throws elbows in the corner on Stevie Ray. Stevie fires back and Booker comes in with an axe kick for two. Over to Hall with a bulldog on Stevie for two, but Booker comes in with a flying forearm for two. Finally a cheapshot from Nash turns the tide, and Hall gets a lariat for two off that. The big scary Outsiders are so clearly the babyfaces to the casual fanbase here. Snake Eyes on Booker, and Hall adds a chokeslam for two. Sherri gets involved and Hall distracts her with his machismo, allowing Booker to hit him with a spinkick. They trade sleepers and Hall drops him on the top rope to break, which as Dusty notes, “You’re nuts if you don’t think that hurts.” Nice. Hot tag Stevie and he presses Hall onto Nash and cleans house, and the Harlem Hangover on Hall follows, but Col. Parker comes in and loses the cane to Nash, which results in Hall pinning Stevie to win the titles to a gigantic babyface reaction at 13:13. Pretty good showing for the Heat, who had been struggling to break ** in the months leading up to this on Nitro. **3/4

Time for some Horsemen!

WCW tag team titles: Tully Blachard & Arn Anderson v. Sting & Nikita Koloff (06.10.88)

Really, Bash 88? Come on, there’s so many great matches from the 80s they could have used. Big brawl to start and Sting quickly cradles Tully for two out of that. Arn bails and Sting follows him with a tope con hilo, and back in Arn comes off the top and gets caught. Sting puts him in an armbar and Koloff trades off on that, but Arn pounds him in the corner to break. Koloff comes back with a Russian Sickle for both heels, and gets two on Arn as a result. Sting comes back in and goes back to the arm, but runs into a knee. Arn makes another ill-advised trip to the top, but outsmarts Sting and sucks him in for a sleeper. Sting powers out of that and goes back to the arm again. Tully comes in for a double-team, but Sting dropkicks both of them. Tully immediately gets taken down with an armdrag, and Nikita goes to the arm as well. They stay on it and Koloff runs Tully’s shoulder into the post, and we get a funny spot with Arn trying to tag Tully’s foot and protesting the legality of it. This gives the challengers a chance to switch off again. Tully tries to fight back on Koloff, but Nikita takes him down with an atomic drop and goes back to the arm. Nice sequence sees Nikita holding a hammerlock and holding on through a snapmare counter by Tully, but it also puts them in the heel corner and allows Tully to tag out. Nikita takes Arn down with a drop toehold and holds him on the mat with a half-nelson, but goes after JJ on the floor and clotheslines the post as a result. And now we go to school, as the champs pound the arm and Arn gets the hammerlock slam and goes to work. Hammerlock on the mat, but Koloff fights back, so Arn gives him a DDT for two. Tully comes in for a cross-armbreaker and standing armbar, but Koloff fights out and it’s hot tag Sting. Dropkick for Tully and press slam, and Arn gets bulldogged. Noggins are knocked, but Tully tags Arn in again, which allows Sting to put him in a sleeper with a minute left. Not MY strategy for a match with a minute left, but whatever. Tully tries a sunset flip to break, but Sting blocks and hammers away, and it’s BONZO GONZO with time running out. Stinger splash for Tully sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, but time expires at 20:00. *** Sting and Koloff rather presumptuously put the tag belts on before the decision is even announced. There’s confidence, and there’s being an asshole, guys.

“Tribute to the Classics” next, with the Texas Outlaws, Patterson & Stevens, The Samoans, The Blackjacks, and Bockwinkel & Stevens.

AWA tag team titles: Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens v. Billy Robinson & Red Bastien (December 1972)

From AWA TV and I’m pretty sure I’ve done this one before but it ruled. Robinson & Bastien quickly double-team Stevens with flying headlock takedowns and Robinson drops a knee on Stevens for two. Robinson gets caught in the heel corner but fights back on Bockwinkel with a kneelift, and Bastien comes in and drops a knee on Nick for two. Bockwinkel tries to grabs the ropes and escape, but Robinson pulls them away and Bastien gets a hiptoss for two. Bockwinkel finally runs away and thinks it over, “planning some skullduggery” with Stevens according to the announcer. That does sound like him. Robinson wants the test of strength with Bockwinkel and then ties up Nick in knots and takes him down, allowing Bastien to come in and try for a submission. Stevens comes in and lays Red out as he takes a crazy bump on the ropes, hitting his head on each rope on the way down, but then KATIE BAR THE DOOR as he comes back and pounds on Ray in the corner. Over to Robinson with a dropkick on Stevens and a slick judo throw into a butterfly suplex for two. The champs manage to double-team Robinson in their corner, which taunts Bastien into coming and thus distracting the ref. Stevens gives Billy a stiff boot to the head from the apron and they choke him out in the corner, but Robinson keeps fighting back with forearms. But they keep dragging him back to the heel corner and switching off. Finally Robinson collides with Stevens and they’re both out, but Robinson falls into his corner and makes the hot tag to Bastien. Red lands on his feet out of a backdrop and cleans house with dropkicks, and an atomic drop on Stevens gets the pin and the first fall at 9:15.

Second fall and Bastien keeps coming, dropping a knee on Stevens’ back, and Robinson beats on Bockwinkel in the corner and puts him down with a forearm for two. Bastien also knocks him down for two. Catapult into a Robinson forearm on the apron, and he hangs on and does it again! What a great spot. Robinson with the dreaded SKULLCRACKER and Bastien goes with the crab, but Stevens breaks that up. Robinson keeps coming with a gut wrench and Stevens breaks that up as well. Stevens comes in and chokes Robinson, but Billy hits him with an upkick from his back to escape. Finally the heels slow him down and double-team him in the corner, and Nick follows with a biel and then gives Robinson a crazy whip into the corner as Robinson just flails around. Double backbreaker in the corner, but Robinson keeps fighting, so Bockwinkel hits him with a slam and tries a piledriver. Robinson escapes that with ANOTHER kick and it’s hot tag Bastien and he runs wild with dropkicks on Bockwinkel. Back to Robinson for the elevated backbreaker on Nick for the pin and they win the tag team title at 14:31! But then Wally Karbo clarifies that it’s not for the titles after all. This was an INCREDIBLE TV match for the time, non-stop action during a time when headlocks were highspots. ****1/2

Next up, Miz & Morrison present their own segment.

Miz & John Morrison v. Rey Mysterio & Shawn Michaels (11.17.08)

OK well this an oddball choice. This is from RAW before Survivor Series 2008, building up whatever match they were hyping. Team Shawn v. Team JBL apparently. Rey and Shawn double-team JoMo to start and Rey goes for the 619, but Miz trips him up and then Shawn hits Miz with a dive. And we take a break as RAW ROLLS ON, and return with Miz holding a chinlock on Shawn. Rey makes a comeback, but Miz runs him into the post and they go to work on him, as John whips him into the corner for two. More dull stuff, but Rey gets a dropkick to block a JoMo springboard and makes the hot tag to Shawn. He runs wild with the usual and goes up with the flying elbow, but Miz escapes the superkick. Shawn clotheslines him for two and Rey hits the 619 into the superkick, but Morrison hits his own superkick on Shawn and Miz falls on top for the banana peel finish at 8:20 aired. Slick finish, but just the normal RAW formula tag team match and nothing special at all. **1/2

And finally, the Hart Foundation to end the disc! Hopefully they don’t just do the Summerslam 90 match and go with something more interesting.

WWF tag team titles: The Hart Foundation v. The Rougeau Brothers (03.07.87)

Hey, much better! We’re in Boston for this one. The Harts are fresh off screwing the Bulldogs over for the tag titles so it’s big heat. Plus Danny Davis hanging around with them now just adds onto that. Actually, I think Danny was trying to kickstart an autobiography a few years back, and I don’t know if it ever happened. Bret hides in the corner to start while Jacques insinuates that he’s CHICKEN, so Bret offers a free shot and then waits for the ref to tell Jacques not to punch with a closed fist. Ah, see, now they’re getting inside refereeing advice from Davis. They do the test of strength while Bobby Heenan lets us know that his research has discovered that “Rougeau” is French for “coward” and they’re known as “Les Chickens” in their home province. Anvil comes in and wins a power battle over Raymond, but Ray goes to the arm and the Rougeaus double-team on that. Back to Bret, but he misses an elbow and Ray works his arm too. Bret blocks a rollup but gets cocky and Ray kicks him in the gut to set up more double-teaming in the Rougeau corner. Jacques works the leg now, but Bret rakes the eyes on Raymond and Anvil clobbers him from behind to take over. That was a nice spot, too, as Bret tries his usual knee from the apron and Ray sees it and goes after Bret, but then that opens him up for Anvil to get his own cheapshot. Lots going on there! Bret chokes him out to get the ref’s attention, which allows Neidhart to choke Ray out with the tag rope and then go to the chinlock. Ray bridges up out of that, so Bret swoops in and hits him in the gut in another subtle spot. Ray with a sunset flip on Anvil for two, but Bret breaks that up by making a blind tag. These guys are ON tonight. Ray with a backslide for two on Bret, but he puts Ray down with an elbow again and goes back to work by throwing him out. Jimmy Hart suckers Jacques AND the ref over to the other corner, allowing Danny to put the boots to Ray on the floor. Back in, Anvil with the bearhug, but Ray fights out of that, so Bret pulls him back to the corner for more abuse behind the ref’s back. Backbreaker gets two. Bret charges and hits Ray’s knee and it’s the false tag, but Bret charges and hits Anvil by mistake. It’s LE HOT TAG to Jacques and he runs wild and chops Bret down, then follows with a Lawler fistdrop and a rolling short-arm scissors for your batshit crazy move of the match. It’s BONZO GONZO and the Harts get rammed together to set up the Rougeau finisher in the corner, but Anvil saves. Everyone is still brawling and Jacques cradles Bret, but Danny Davis pushes them over in the chaos and the Harts retain at 15:00. This was GREAT and a great way to end a so-so disc. ****

Also on this disc, we get some special features!

– First up, the complete “Badstreet USA” music video! I can’t even deal with the 80s cheese on display here. Also, the song has a second verse AND a break after the second chorus, who knew? Also, the video has a story, which involves the Freebirds (and Jimmy Garvin!) getting into a rumble with what appears to be the cast of The Warriors on a lunch break. Gotta say, if Michael Hayes was any kind of singer, the actual music track is technically good enough that it would have lent itself to being a pretty damn good song.

– Animal advice from the British Bulldogs in 1987, as Matilda gives Dynamite advice: Use the headbutt.

– Mean Gene visits the Hart Foundation HQ from the Hart Foundation video in 87. Just one of the many segments from that video.

– Mean Gene goes to visit the Bushwackers but they’re CAMOFLAGED and pop out of the leaves.

– Mean Gene interviews the three-man version of Demolition in June of 1990, as we meet CRUSH.

– The Legion of Doom returns to Chicago in 1992. Sadly not the dummy promos.

– And now, a deleted segment on LOS CONQUISTADORS!

– From RAW in 1999, Mick Foley vents his spleen to the Rock in the dressing room, while Rock is on the phone and paying no attention to him.

– From Cyber Sunday 2006, Shawn tries to rig the vote for the special referee in his match, so HHH gets him all riled up and he superkicks an intern who looks suspiciously like Shawn Spears!

– And we finish with Miz & Morrison’s “Mizfits and Mofos” music video, which doesn’t quite live up to the standards set by Badstreet USA.

This disc was certainly up and down, but there’s a couple of hidden gems on here for sure.

Disc Three

And we kick it off with the team so awesome they don’t need a clever name, Edge & Christian…

Tables Ladders & Chairs, WWF tag team titles: Edge & Christian v. The Dudley Boyz v. The Hardy Boyz

Ooooh, haven’t watched this one in a while! My favorite petty touch here is that when they do the medium-zoom of the tag team title hanging above the ring, they still make sure to blur out the WWF logo on the side-plate. Now that’s attention to legal details. And it’s instant chaos as the Hardyz charge the ring and everyone immediately throws chairs at each other, with Christian taking D-Von onto a chair a drop toehold. Edge brings a ladder in and misses a charge, running into it when Bubba moves. Bubba makes the first climb and gets yanked down by the Hardyz, and then the Dudleyz set up two ladders and climb, and Edge brings them BOTH down with a legsweep! Christian climbs and Bubba brings him down with a Bubba bomb. Next up, Jeff climbs and Edge pushes him off and onto another ladder, which catapults into Matt’s face, for a sick throwaway bump. E&C decimate people with chairs, but the Dudleyz set up a ladder and do the Wazzup on Edge off that. Which means it’s time to get the tables. Well, more of them. The pace here is absolutely insane and people who complain that indy guys are doing spotfests too fast should probably watch this and shut up. 3D on Christian through the table and the Dudz set up four tables in the aisle, but Edge destroys them with unprotected chairshots. JESUS. And then Matt lays out Edge and the Hardyz take turns diving off a ladder onto him. Matt sandwiches Edge in a ladder and then slams Christian onto the ladder and is it any wonder that all these guys suffered neck injuries and concussions? Jeff puts the Dudleyz onto tables on the floor and dives off the ladder with a swanton, but misses and puts himself through it. Matt climbs a giant ladder but everyone bunches up on it and slugs it out, and everyone gets knocked down and out. This leaves Bubba as last man standing and he climbs, but E&C push him over and through Chekhov’s tables in the aisle to kill him off. So that leaves Edge and Christian to climb alone, but now Lita runs down and pushes THEM over and out of the ring. So Matt climbs, but D-Von pushes HIM over and through another pair of tables on the floor. MATT HARDY IS BROKEN. And then Edge spears Lita on the floor for good measure, nearly smashing her head into a nearby ladder. Hopefully that doesn’t affect their relationship later. This leaves Jeff and D-Von in the ring and they climb for the belts and slug it out, but each one grabs a belt and they’re left hanging from the hooks with no ladder. So Edge TOSSES FUCKING LADDERS AT THEM to knock them off, grabs the big one again, and E&C climb to claim the belts and retain at 14:46. HOLY FUCK, THIS FUCKING MATCH. ***** Like, were the agenting notes on it “Go out and destroy everything at 100 miles an hour”? Because mission accomplished. Even King and JR give it an ovation afterwards.

OK, time to take it down a notch with the Rock N Roll Express.

NWA World tag team title: Ivan Koloff & Krusher Kruschev v. The Rock N Roll Express (07.09.85)

From Worldwide Wrestling! Nice deep cut here, and this is actually the Rock N Roll’s first ever shot at the titles, and a match I’ve never seen! Krusher beats on Ricky with a knee on the ropes and gets a press slam, but misses an elbow and it’s over to Robert. Ivan tries a sneak attack and Robert gets away from it and takes him down with a wristlock, and it’s a stalemate. The RNR double-team Ivan’s arm and Ricky gets a sunset flip out of the corner for two. The RNR stays on the arm, even as Ivan tries to take Ricky down by his beautiful mullet. Ivan tries to elbow out of the armbar and misses, but Krusher grabs Ricky in the corner and beats on him. Krusher with the press slam for two off that. Krusher wraps him up with a neck vice and it must be horrible in that arena because they’re all pouring sweat. Ricky escapes with a dropkick, but Krusher wraps him up on the mat again for two. Ivan with a neckbreaker on Ricky for two and we gotta take a break, but the tape machines are rolling. Back with Krusher choking Ricky out now, but Ricky fights back on Ivan and it’s HOT TAG Robert as the crowd goes nuts. Robert goes to work on Ivan’s leg now and the RNR double-team it, and we get the classic spot where they roll into a double punch on Krusher on the apron. So they try it again, but this time Krusher drops down to avoid them, so they turn around and hit IVAN instead, and then hit Krusher off the apron for good measure. Robert with a sunset flip on Ivan for two, and Ricky comes in and ties him up on the mat as the RNR is actually the team cutting off the ring in this case! Ivan finally fights him off and makes the tag to Comrade Smash, and Robert promptly charges and hits the post, allowing the dirty Russians to go to work on Robert. Ivan stomps him down and goes to a hammerlock on the mat and we take another break. Back with Ivan holding a hammerlock bearhug on Robert, and the Russians work him over in their filthy red corner. Robert escapes but he’s so messed up that he crawls to a neutral corner. Krusher misses a charge, but still tags Ivan, and they cut off the tag again. Ricky gets too excited and distracts the ref, allowing them to further work on Robert’s arm in the corner, and Ivan drops an elbow for two. Ivan goes up and misses a kneedrop, but Krusher cuts off the tag AGAIN and then puts him in an armbar while putting the badmouth on Ricky. And Ricky has once again had enough and charges in, but that allows the Russians to beat Robert down further. Ivan tries the knee from the top, but Robert yanks him down and makes the comeback, only for Krusher to cut him off again. Robert grabs the ropes to escape but still can’t get out of the corner, and finally just collapses off a double elbow. Probably from the heat, it’s like an 18 out of 10 on the Mike Rotundo sweatbox scale in there. Robert finally gets the knees up to block a splash on Ivan, and then Krusher punches Ricky off the apron at the last second to really irritate the crowd. But Robert keeps fighting and takes Krusher down for two, and then hits one last desperate clothesline as David Crockett is LOSING HIS FUCKING MIND. Ivan JUST cuts off the tag, but Robert takes him down, so Ivan chokes him out and then takes him over to the other corner again for more choking and a running knee to the back for two. Krusher holds him on the mat with an armbar, putting himself between Robert and Ricky to keep him from tagging. Back to the Russian corner and Ivan rolls him into a wristlock on the mat, and then beats him down for two. Ivan takes him down with the Russian Hammer choke for two and Krusher gets the atomic drop for two. Krusher physically puts himself in the middle again and punches Robert back towards the Russian corner, but Ivan comes in and collides for a double down. Krusher comes in first, however, and takes Robert down for two before going to the wristlock again. This match is giving new meaning to “Heat segment” since it must be 110 degrees in there. Finally, FINALLY, Robert hits a kneelift out of nowhere and collapses into the hot tag to Ricky, but he immediately goes up and Krusher nails him on the way down. Ricky gets a sunset flip on Ivan, but Ivan tosses him while Robert fights Krusher on the floor with Tommy Young out. The Russians double-team Robert, but Ricky dives in with a victory roll on Ivan and gets the pin and the tag team titles at 30:33 aired! HOLY SHITBALLS WHAT A MATCH! ****1/2 To say the crowd goes nuts is an extreme understatement. Just an incredible effort from everyone and one of the most amazing heat segments ever.

And then from that, we profile the New Age Outlaws.

WWF tag team title: The New Age Outlaws v. The Rock N Sock Connection (12.11.99)

From Armageddon 99. Mankind slugs it out with Mr. Ass to start, but Rock comes in and beats on Billy for two while JR has an aside about “getting bags put over your head” in Oklahoma. The fuck? Road Dogg comes in and tries the shaky knee on Mankind, but gets cut off by the Mandible Claw and the brawl is on. Everyone fights on the floor and Rock battles Mr. Ass in the crowd and hiptosses him back to ringside in a nice bump. So there’s at least one thing Gunn can do. Back in, the Outlaws suddenly cut off the Rock and work him over in the corner. Gunn gets a shitty cutter, which JR calls “kind of a modified neckbreaker type of maneuver.” It’s the ASSCRACKER! No? OK, carry on. Rock continues his run as face-in-peril and Jammes slugs him down for two and this is kind of dull. Rock slugs back, but Dogg tries the pumphandle slam and wastes too much time, allowing Rock to fight back again. The Outlaws cut him off again and Gunn drops a knee on him and goes to the chinlock. Rock fights out and makes the hot tag to Mick, but the ref gets bumped as he hits the DDT on Dogg. Oh no, now the Rock and Sock are robbed of the super-prestigious tag titles, whatever will they do? Mandible Sock on Dogg, but SHOCKINGLY Al Snow runs out and hits Mankind with the Head, which gets two. Rock saves and goes after Snow, running him into the helicopter stationed by the entrance, while the Outlaws hit Mankind with the bell and get two. Billy Gunn with the piledriver on Mick for two, but he fights out and makes another hot tag to the Rock. Rock Bottom on Billy, but Snow runs in a SECOND time and that’s a DQ at 16:30. What the fuck was the point of having two Snow run-ins? If you’re doing a DQ finish, just have him use Head for the DQ and be done with it. Last couple of minutes were good, but this was some paint-by-numbers stuff otherwise. *1/2

Next up, “Blockbuster tag teams”, which would be teams like the Rock N Sock Connection, Sting & Lex Luger, HHH and Shawn, Rated RKO, and the Mega Powers.

Edge & Randy Orton v. HHH & Shawn Michaels (11.05.06)

From Cyber Sunday 2006, which I believe is the only show from 2006 I’ve never reviewed. Add it to the list, I guess. I thought RKO were champions but apparently the Spirit Squad were champions for FIVE MONTHS in 2006 and the current champions at this point, dropping them to Flair & Piper at this very show, with RKO not winning it until a week after this. The gimmick for this one is that Eric Bischoff “won” the vote for special referee, which was probably skewed by them heavily telling people to vote for Eric earlier in the show. Although I seriously doubt “14 million people” voted, like they’re claiming. Shawn with a sunset flip on Edge for two after some chops, with Edge literally showing ass, and Shawn chops him down in the corner and gets another sunset flip for two. Shawn works the arm and HHH slugs away in the corner and follows with a corner clothesline. Over to Orton, and HHH gets a suplex on him and follows with a kneedrop. DX continues doubling on Orton, but he comes back with a dropkick on HHH and Edge gets two. RKO takes turns beating on HHH in the corner, but he comes back with a DDT on Edge and both are down. This one is kind of going nowhere thus far. Over to Shawn, who drops the flying elbow on Edge, but Orton trips him up on the superkick attempt and Edge gets two. They work Shawn over in the corner and Edge gets a dropkick for two and goes to a facelock on the mat, then cuts off the tag with a sunset flip for two. Orton with a chinlock to slow down this slow match a bit more. Shawn fights back but Orton takes him down with the neckbreaker. Edge comes in for the spear, but misses and hits Uncle Eric instead. That was probably his punishment for beating Vince in the fan vote. Even with no ref they still make the tags on both sides anyway, and HHH makes the comeback, running wild within the bounds dictated by the merchandising department. Edge cuts him off with a spear and Shawn dumps Edge and follows with a dive, but Orton hits HHH with the RKO and another ref comes in for two. Orton tries another one, but Shawn hits him with the superkick to block and HHH gets two, as Bischoff pulls out the replacement ref for some reason. I guess he’s a heel ref here, even though he just called it completely down the middle otherwise. And then Orton lays out HHH with a chair and hits an RKO onto it for the pin at 18:16. Apparently this was not a DQ. What is this, AEW, AM I RIGHT GUYS? Match was reasonably competent but nothing I’d ever watch again. **1/2

And now, although we don’t get a profile on the Allied Powers here on Allied Powers: The World’s Greatest Tag Teams, we DO get one on The World’s Greatest Tag Team at least.

Los Guerreros v. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin (12.11.03)

From Smackdown. Eddie locks up with Haas to start and they slug it out. Benjamin comes in for a test of strength, which Eddie turns into a rana. Chavo comes in and stomps a mudhole as Eddie chokes him out with the tag rope, but Benjamin takes Eddie down with an armbar, which looked REALLY ugly. That must be where he injured it. Shelton tries to slam the hood on the arm, but Eddie fights him off, only to get sent into the post as we take a break. We return with Haas working on the arm and TWGTT switch off on it. Haas hammerlocks him, but Eddie slams him with the good arm, but can’t escape to his own corner. Chavo finally tags himself in and backdrops Haas, and sends Benjamin out with a headscissors. Springboard senton gets two. Sunset flip out of a press slam gets two. Chavo takes Haas down with an armbar, but Haas hammers out and some shenanigans from the heels turn the tide. Haas goes to work on Chavo’s injured knee, and Benjamin goes to a half-crab. Eddie pulls him over to the corner by cheating, and then irony strikes as the referee is distracted with Benjamin and doesn’t see it. Benjamin keeps on Chavo, but falls victim to a dropkick and Chavo is about to make the tag, but Benjamin yanks him off the apron. Chavo fights off the double-team and finally makes the tag, cleaning house with a hiptoss on Haas and Monkey-flip that sends the heels crashing together. One-armed backdrop suplex on Benjamin and Eddie goes up, but Haas cuts him off with a superplex. Everyone’s out now. Haas gets a clumsy hot-shot on Eddie to set up the Broken Arrow, but Chavo saves a pin. Chavo dumps Haas and follows with a pescado, leaving Eddie and Benjamin. Eddie blocks a suplex and gets the rolling verticals, stopping to backdrop Haas in mid-suplex, but Chavo tags himself in for the frog splash on Benjamin, which gets two. Haas dropkicks Chavo into Eddie, sending him off the apron, and the superkick looks to finish, but Eddie’s the legal man. Eddie, ever the inventive one, uses an air filter as a weapon and gets the pin on Benjamin at 16:01. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT? Usual good match, although an arm injury suffered by Eddie slowed it down somewhat. ***1/4

And now, a few words about the Crockett Cup!

1987 Crockett Cup Finals: Dusty Rhodes & Nikita Koloff v. Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger (04.11.87)

Thankfully this is the full version because the one on home video was clipped to about 5 minutes. Magnum TA of course joins us at ringside for the most telegraphed babyface win ever. Even by Dusty’s standards. Dusty grabs a headlock on Tully to start and threatens him with the elbow, so Tully backs off and brings Lex in. He of course wants Nikita and flexes imposingly at him. Well, it was 1987 and that was one of his only highspots. That and yelling while missing an elbow. So Nikita wins a lockup battle and then does his own flexing, which granted looks kind of dumb with a neck brace on. They fight over a suplex and neither one gets anywhere with that, so they do the test of strength instead and Nikita wins that. Back to Tully, and Nikita sends him flying out of the ring with an atomic drop and then back in for a bearhug, but Luger hits him from behind to break it up. Tully pulls out the slingshot suplex, but Nikita lands on his feet, takes out JJ Dillon on the rebound, and then backs off after laying waste to the heels. He follows with his own suplex on Tully for two and takes him down with the Russian Hammer, then takes him to the floor with a Cactus Clothesline! At this point, JJ gets revenge by ripping off Nikita’s neck brace, and the Horsemen go to WORK on the neck back in the ring. Lex drops him on the top rope for two and Tully beats on him in the corner, then Luger follows with a vicious short clothesline for two. Lex drops knees on the neck and Tully gets two and goes to the chinlock. Nikita fights over towards Dusty, but the Horsemen cut him off and THEY BE CLUBBERING, TONY! Lex with the facelock to cut off the ring and Tully throws Nikita over the top rope behind the ref’s back, which allows JJ to hit Koloff with his shoe for good measure. Back in, Tully slingshots Nikita under the bottom rope to really hurt the neck, and that gets two. Tully goes up with an elbow from the middle, but Nikita hits him on the way down, and it’s HOT TAG BOOKERMAN. Elbows for everyone and he spears Tully, but charges and hits the floor. Oh damn, THAT’S why there was that earthquake on the eastern seaboard reported in 1987. Tully tries a piledriver back in the ring, but Dusty flies in from the top rope with a bodypress and gets the pin and the $1,000,000 at 17:30. In the Observer at the time, Dave noted that many people weren’t super happy with Dusty putting himself over yet again, but between Magnum TA and Mrs. Crockett they weren’t gonna give a fake cheque to a heel team and the Road Warriors had already won the year before. Really, what other choice was there? Hard work from everyone here. Except Dusty, but standing on the apron and getting the hot tag is literally the best use of him anyway. ***1/2

And finally, we close this awesome DVD set with the Road Warriors.

Money Inc. v. The Legion of Doom (08.31.92)

After all the buildup to this finale, this is an oddly low-key choice of a feature match for the Road Warriors. They weren’t even the Road Warriors here! Anyway, this is the PPV opener of Summerslam 92, of course. Dibiase is rocking the all white gear for this and throws chops on Hawk to start, but has to run away when that doesn’t work. Animal throws him back in and then Hawk clotheslines him right back out for an Animal clothesline, and back in he goes again. MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS. These guys are worse than Brexit. Over to IRS and Hawk steps on the tie, but Irwin comes back with the sleeper and he really should have used the tie for extra heat. Hawk escapes, but the heels haul him out for a cheapshot and take over. IRS with elbow drops for two and he goes to the chinlock. Vince and Bobby are such an odd combination together, as Bobby is trying to feed Vince all these lines for jokes and Vince just no-sells everything and barrels on WITH AUTHORITY and no-sells all of it. Kind of weird because every other heel gets to score off Vince constantly on commentary. Hawk tries to fight back and Money Inc cuts him off in the corner, but Hawk basically just no-sells and hits IRS with an awkward clothesline to set up the hot tag, but the heels cut it off again. Another try and it’s a false tag behind the ref’s back, and IRS puts Hawk down with a clothesline this time, but finally it’s hot tag Animal. IRS gets dumped and a corner clothesline on Dibiase sets up the Doomsday Device, but IRS saves with a dropkick. Animal powerslams Dibiase instead and pins him at 12:00 for the win, however. This was decidedly an OK opener and nothing more. Hawk in particular looked completely bored despite the giant crowd and electric atmosphere. **1/2 I would have picked them winning the tag team titles from the Midnight Express (which STILL isn’t archived anywhere!) or maybe something from the Crockett Cup 86.

Anyway, it ended with a fizzle, but this was a hell of a DVD set that gave me lots of fun on a shitty weekend off where I was stuck inside the house. So thank you for that. And thank you for reading! Stay safe and be healthy.