The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 06.29.90

The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 06.29.90

Buying a new couch is STRESSFUL. Being an adult is hard.

Your host is Jim Ross

NWA World tag team champions Doom v. The Rock N Roll Express

Thanks to JR for literally spoiling the finish of this match in the introduction of the show. This is a non-title match in advance of the Great American Bash title match. Reed powers Ricky down right away to start and Ricky is already doing sympathy selling in the corner to show how shooken he is. So the RNR team up and send both Doomers to the floor with shoulderblocks and they regroup out there. Capetta does a 5:00 call at 4:00 as they’re already shaving time off this one. More stalling from both teams back in the ring, as Robert slips away from a double-team and both teams discuss things in the corners and it’s back to Ricky. He tries a crossbody on Simmons, who catches him, but Robert dropkicks them over for two. And then we get the 10:00 time call at 8:00. Robert gets a superkick on Simmons and Ricky comes in to slug it out with Reed, but he walks into a sideslam. Reed misses a splash and Robert comes back in and tries a crossface chickenwing on Simmons, but that goes badly for him as Ron dumps him to the floor to escape. Robert comes back in with a sunset flip for two, and Ricky also gets a sunset flip for two. Reed puts Robert down with a clothesline, but Ricky comes in and quickly switches off with Robert as the match isn’t really going anywhere. Reed and Ricky trade cradles for two and time expires at 13:10. This was just a very meandering match that never had a heat segment or any particular direction. *. They started doing time calls during the initial lockup sequences, which shows you telegraphed the finish was. Honestly, the actual title match was about the same length and wasn’t that much better.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK! WITH GORDON SOLIE!

Gordon has been talking with fans about the main event and he thinks Jim Herd should come up with a fair way to ensure that it’s man on man.

Meanwhile, Jim Cornette accuses the Southern Boys of being rednecks. This segues to the Clash 11 match between the Souther Boys and Freebirds that I just watched, as the Boys upset the Birds in 7:33.

Meanwhile, Paul E. Dangerously talks about the history of the US title and how anyone who was ever anything in the sport held it, and Mean Mark is going to be the next champion when he beats Lex Luger at the Bash.

Mean Mark v. Joe Defuria

Mark charges the ring and makes Capetta flee the ring in terror mid-introduction, dropping a leg on Defuria for two after smashing him. Mark puts the boots to the jobber in the corner. Mark with a leaping clothesline and he finishes with the HEART PUNCH and a ropewalk elbowdrop at 2:10. Yeah good thing Ole Anderson didn’t waste money giving this bum a contract.

Meanwhile, Jim Cornette chats with Buddy Landel, who thinks there’s a big conspiracy against the Horsemen. Also he admits he’s not a bodybuilder or a particularly good wrestler, but he’s SMART. That’s a debatable statement given his personal life.

World TV title: Arn Anderson v. Tom Zenk

They trade hammerlocks to start while JR has HOT NEWZ about Pillman and Zenk: They’re still “great pals” but they’ve chosen to go their separate ways to pursue World title fame. Yeah Pillman jerking the curtain against Buddy Landel is really putting the rocket under him for sure. AA slugs away on the ropes, but Zenk takes him down with a drop toehold and goes to an STF. Arn claims a pull of the tights and convinces the ref to break the hold, and then hits Zenk with a cheapshot in the corner behind the ref’s back to take over. Zenk slugs back and puts him down with a back elbow for two, however, showing his usual good babyface fire, but Arn dumps him to the floor. Arn suplexes him back in, but Zenk tries a rollup to counter, so Arn clotheslines him on the top rope and pins him at 6:00. Good pace but it just kind of ended before it really got going. **1/4. Zenk didn’t exactly have a hot run after splitting with Pillman, until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Ric Flair has some last words for Sting before next week’s PPV defense.

If you’re counting the tag match from the Clash on this one, there was a couple of pretty decent TV matches on offer here this week, although this show kind of feels like recycled leftovers from other tapings at this particular point in time. Probably because it was.