The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 07.29.90

The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 07.29.90

Another one moved to a later timeslot by the Goodwill Games.

Taped from Gainesville, GA, although about half the show is recycled rerun matches anyway.

Your host is Jim Ross

Big Van Vader v. Jason Knight

Vader knocks the ref over and beats on Knight, who bounces off Vader impressively. Vader with a press slam and he tosses Knight and then presses him back into the ring again and adds another slam before going with a flying tackle and a big splash to finish at 1:40. Well, Jason can always fall back on his career as World’s Sexiest Man, at least.

Meanwhile, Paul E. Dangerously congratulates the Four Horsemen on finally ending the career of Lex Luger.

Mean Mark Callous v. Eddie Martin

Mark takes Eddie down with a drop toehold and cranks on a facelock, and then hits a running dropkick and puts the boots to him. Back suplex as JR strongly hints at a US title match between Lex Luger and Mean Mark for the upcoming Meadowlands show in August, although we just saw that match at the Bash and Luger won decisively. Mark with the HEART PUNCH and he then decides to go to the top and hit a ropewalk flying elbow to finish at 1:58. Interesting that they were trying to find ways to integrate the ropewalking better, although far too late to save the character.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK! WITH GORDON SOLIE!

Last night on World Championship Wrestling, Barry Windham and Sid Vicious teamed up to destroy the leg of Tim Horner, with partner “Candyman” Brad Armstrong helpless to do anything. Later on, Sting and JYD are sick of the Horsemen’s antics and they’re ready to play dirty, but Tommy Rich interrupts and tells them that Lex Luger was attacked and beat up by mysterious assailants. So Lex Luger comes to the ring, with a shirt torn up like he just transformed back from being the Incredible Hulk on the 70s TV show, and everyone wildly speculates on it being the Horsemen that went after him.

So Gordon Solie interviews Ole Anderson and Sid, and Ole straight up admits that they did the attacks and they’ll continue doing so. They really needed a PPV or big league Clash of Champions to make Sting into the giant star they wanted, and instead we got 3 months of nothing between PPVs.

Junkyard Dog joins JR, and he’s worried that he might be next on the Horsemen hitlist, but he’s still gonna fill all his contractual obligations.

Ric Flair & Arn Anderson v. Mike Rotunda & Jerry Price

This one is imported from Worldwide Wrestling as this show continues down the road of recycling footage to save money. JR points out that this was taped before Flair lost the title, which makes it all the more pointless here. Captain Mike puts Arn down with a bodypress while JR continues pushing the “alleged attackers” storyline, but Ole already admitted that they did it in the last segment. I don’t even really know where this was supposed to be going, but of course it all got thrown out and completely changed a couple of weeks after this anyway. Flair comes in and Rotunda gets an airplane spin for two, but Arn saves and Mike beats on him in the corner while JR points out that Mike was a former TV champion himself. That feels like a decade ago watching this, but it was only a year and a bit. So Mike foolishly tags in Jerry Price after getting beat up on the floor, and Price promptly gets mauled by Flair in the corner and Arn adds a DDT to finish at 3:03. The Horsemen do a beatdown on this jobber no one cares about, so Sting makes the save. Whew, I was really worried about Jerry Price there.

Meanwhile, Paul Orndorff is really worried about turning his back on someone and getting attacked. Well he’s the expert on that.

Barry Windham v. Tim Parker

Barry beats on Parker in the corner while JR makes a reference to McHale’s Navy that’s so old and obscure that even I don’t understand it. Windham takes him to the floor and drops him on the railing, and then finishes with the superplex at 1:30.

Meanwhile, Jim Cornette gives us another look at the Luger attack the night before, and chats with Sting.

Paul Orndorff v. Dirty Dutch Mantel

Orndorff works a headlock while Dutch complains about hairpulling, and JR quips that he’ll to specify whether it’s head or back hair. Paul goes to work on the arm with a cross-armbreaker, but Dutch grabs the ropes and uses those for a pinfall attempt that gets two. Orndorff with a sunset flip for two while JR keeps bringing up Buddy Landel and then apologizing for mixing up the names. Jim really desperately needed either Cornette or Dangerously to play off at this point. I’d even take Bob Caudle. Mantel gets a cheapshot in the corner and works the arm to take over. Orndorff with a small package for two, but Dutch goes to an abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for leverage while JR details Dutch’s move from Bucksnort TN, to Oil Trough TX. That first one was too good to not have a goofy heel using it, to be honest. And it’s a real place! Orndorff slugs out of the armbar, but Dutch sends him to the floor and runs him into the railing. Back in the ring, Dutch puts his head down and Orndorff finishes him off with the piledriver at 8:09. Wasn’t terrible. This appears to be Orndorff’s last appearance on WCW TV until he returned years later, however. **

Truckin’ Norman v. Barry Horowitz

Another match recycled from another show, in this case the World Championship Wrestling show from the night before, as Norman overpowers Barry and sends him running to the floor. Back in the ring, Barry chokes him out on the ropes while we get an inset from Norman, explaining that his father died and because his father was a long-haul trucker, he’s apparently a trucker now. That’s actually kind of unhealthy and messed up. Barry goes up and Norman catches him and slams him to set up a legdrop. Norman with a suplex, but Horowitz comes back with a kneelift as I’m astonished this match has been allowed to continue this long. Norman with a powerslam and he finishes with the Karachi Krunch, which doesn’t have a catchy gimmick name yet, at 5:15. So I guess if you father dies you can switch careers and suddenly not be insane anymore, either. Good to know. Like really, did it really matter whether Mike Shaw was a lovable insane asylum escapee or a long haul trucker?

Another one with not much notable to talk about this week as Sting desperately needs a top challenger to give him some momentum coming off his title win.