The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 07.06.90

The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 07.06.90

Hosted by Jim Ross & Gary Juster, who are hanging out at the Baltimore Arena in advance of the Great American Bash PPV.

Tommy Rich & Tim Horner v. The State Patrol

And what better way to get hyped for the PPV than with this main event in any arena in the country? Horner takes James Earl Wright down to start, and Wright claims all kind of tights pulling and hair pulling. So it’s over to Buddy Lee Parker, but the babyfaces double-team him and Rich works the arm. Double elbow gets two. Horner just armbars the shit out of Parker, really working that arm and just keeping it good and barred. But then Rich comes in and manages to get double-teamed by the State Patrol and has to go running for a tag to Tim Horner because he just can’t handle THE STATE PATROL and their vicious double-teams. So you know that Horner is barring that arm but good, really showing a dazzling array of armbars until Parker probably wants to cry “Please! Stop armbarring me! I can’t take all the barring of my arm!” Back to Rich, and he also is fond of the armbar. Back to Horner, but the State Patrol gets some heat on him with chinlocks and suchlike, and Parker powerslams Horner for two. Double clothesline gets two. Gut wrench gets two. Horner comes back with a clothesline, however, and it’s hot tag Tommy Rich and he quickly puts Parker away with the Thesz Press at 9:25. Well this certainly didn’t need 10 minutes.

World TV champion Arn Anderson v. Tim Parker

Arn takes Parker down and beats on him while JR makes a lame reference to McHale’s Navy and then sheepishly explains the joke because he’s so old that no one would have gotten it. Arn works the arm and drops a knee on it. He puts the boots to him and chokes him out on the ropes and then finally puts him away with the spinebuster at 3:41.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK! WITH GORDON SOLIE!

We are gifted by a promo from JIM HERD, who argues with Ole Anderson about his actions at Capital Combat and then announces that Ole will be handcuffed to El Gigante during the World title match. Ole, the old pro, does the comic oversell of the situation to put him over.

The Steiner Brothers v. Dutch Mantel & Paul Sampson

Poor Dutch slumming it as an enhancement guy here. Rick wins a wrestling battle on the mat and Scott comes in and chases Mantel around the ring, which results in the heels having some communication errors. Scott tosses Sampson around with a suplex and Rick comes in with a Steinerline while JR predicts that Scott will be a heavyweight champion of the world sometime this decade. Close enough to call it true I think. Scott dumps Sampson and Rick beats on him out there. Back in for a pumphandle slam and the Frankensteiner finishes at 5:00. Man Scott throwing that Frankensteiner in 1990 was just a work of poetry in motion.

Buddy Landel v. Stanley Littlebear

Buddy beats Littlebear down with chops and puts the boots to him while JR brings up Buddy’s propensity for self-destruction and undermining his own career because he’s such a colossal fuckup and all. Also his training regimen isn’t great either apparently. Way to put the heel over there. Buddy chops him down and poses while stepping on the guy, and the corkscrew elbow finishes at 4:15. Budro looked like he was halfway out the door and on the way to the bar here.

Meanwhile, Jim Cornette presents a montage of Ric Flair beating geeks and curtain jerkers, typically by cheating, to make the case that Flair isn’t an underdog against Sting.

Stan Hansen v. Joe Defuria

Stan tosses the geek and beats on him out there, and drops elbows on him in the ring. And that gets the pin at 2:00 without even throwing the lariat!

And JR does the final hard sell for the Bash PPV as they really hit it hard for the entire episode and it’s no surprise that the show did well for them. I really miss Paul E. on these shows, though, and I wish they had a heel commentator for JR to play off because he’s so dull as a solo act.

Next time: The Sting era begins!