classics

TGIF everybody! Talk about Family Matters, Step By Step and any other classics of the ABC Friday Night lineup. Also, anything else going on in the world!

Here’s something different for a change. This is from ROH’s Glory by Honor 2002. The venue for this was kind of jarring for me, as I usually don’t stray from big time WWE arenas. However, it’s an awesome match, and if you don’t check out indy feds too often, watch this and you’ll soon forget about the production values and small crowd.

Windham and Rhodes were the unified WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champions here. Dr. Death’s original partner was supposed to be the late Terry Gordy, but Gordy left WCW just before this show, as a sign of loyalty to All-Japan found Giant Baba; WCW had begun striking up a working relationship with All-Japan’s rival New Japan. Gordy’s replacement was Stunning Steve Austin, who would leave WCW a few years after this show, and would appear sporadically on the indepedent circuit before retiring. If I remember that correctly.

I apologize for the quality of this one. October in 2002 brought some awesome goodness on the Smackdown side. I want to focus on that timeframe with the next several videos. Let’s kick it off with this match between Edge and Kurt Angle. Earlier in 2002, they had a feud which led to Angle losing his hair. Edge and Rey Mysterio formed a team as they were entered into the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament. Angle had formed an alliance with Chris Benoit. Here is a singles match between Edge and Angle in the middle of all this.

Edge vs. Kurt Angle Pt.1 by Stinger1981

Edge vs. Kurt Angle Pt.2 by Stinger1981

Kurt Angle had defeated Austin to win the WWF Championship in his hometown of Pittsburgh at Unforgiven 2001. Austin had been off TV for a couple of weeks after that loss, and was then granted a rematch for this episode of RAW. The Invasion angle may have been botched, but it did offer plenty of memorable moments, this being one of them.

By request! Also because it was next on my list anyway. Rock is WCW Champ here near the end of the Invasion angle, and Jericho has not quite turned heel. Which is better; this one, or their match at Vengeance 2001?

The Rock vs Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2001 WCW… by puropwgwwestuff

In all honesty, I wanted to go with Benoit-HHH from this show as I felt it was the best match on this card. However, even I had to object to some content in the video clip I found. So I went the safer route and chose Rock-Angle instead. Still a good match, screwy ending aside.

10-22-00 The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (WWF Title No… by puropwgwwestuff

Jeff Hardy won the TNA World Championship at Bound for Glory 2012, and makes his first title defense here on an episode of iMPACT! The two put on a pretty good match, shall we say near the **** range?

So, the other match I was referring to yesterday was this one. DDP and the Macho Man had quite the rivalry in 1997, even going so far as to involve Elizabeth and Kimberly. They met at Spring Stampede earlier in the year, with DDP getting the win. At Bash ’97, Savage got the win. Bash at the Beach ’97 saw the two team with Curt Hennig (DDP) and Scott Hall (Savage), with Savage/Hall taking it, then another tag match at Fall Brawl ’97, with DDP taking up with Luger against Savage/Hall, with Luger/DDP winning that one. Finally, it culminated at Halloween Havoc in a Las Vegas Sudden Death Match.

Randy Savage vs DDP (HH97 Part 1) by mrbling

Randy Savage vs DDP (HH97 Part 2) by mrbling

Halloween Havoc ’97 was main evented by Piper vs. Hogan in a cage match, but there were a couple of matches on the undercard that stood out. The first of which was this match for the Cruiserweight championship, with the stipulation that Rey would unmask if he lost. I’ll post the other match tomorrow.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Eddie Guerrero by PWF

This match was influential in the tag team landscape of the era. This match would lead to the Triangle Ladder Match at Wrestlemania 2000 (or XVI, if you’re anal about such things, as I am), which would lead to TLC I at SummerSlam 2000, which would lead to TLC 2 at X-7, etc. Each time out, the teams would try to outdo the last match. This is the one they all built up from. Two part video alert!

Edge & Christian vs Hardy Boyz part1 (No Mercy… by holywrestling

Edge & Christian vs Hardy Boyz part2 (No Mercy… by holywrestling

Bound for Glory was such an interesting card. You had the Kevin Nash X Division Gauntlet Battle Royal, a Monster’s Ball Match with Jake Roberts as referee, Larry Zbyszko vs Eric Young where the loser gets fired, and Sting vs Jeff Jarrett as the main event, which even in 2006 was probably ill advised. Anyway, the match shown here would probably be the best match on that card.

We’ve seen it many times, but does that make it any less awesome?

This is a 30-minute Iron Man match for the X Division title. These two have had many matches with each other, and this isn’t even their best one! Still, a solid **** match between two of the more talented guys that have ever graced the TNA roster.

This is the blowoff to Hulk Hogan’s feud with Ric Flair after Hogan’s debut back in the spring/summer of ’94. It has a cage, Mr. T as the referee, a mysterious masked Hogan attacker being unveiled. Overbooked, yes. Entertaining, also yes.

Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair (HH94 Part One) by mrbling

Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair (HH94 Part Two) by mrbling

With the Razor’s Edge within the first couple of minutes of this match, I was hooked. I have not really seen this match included on any DVD sets (you may correct me if I’m wrong), and it certainly has not been seen on the Network. I’ve only ever seen this match when it originally aired. Call it ****1/2?

Action Zone ’94 – Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs… by WCWRULES4LYF

This is a 2 out of 3 Falls Match in the ECW Arena. For the most part, North American fans had not been totally exposed to the lucha libre style. Both of these wrestlers would go on to make their mark in WCW not long after this.

The Monster’s Ball Match. Three guys and Jeff Hardy locked in a dark room for 24 hours without food or water, and then unleashed. A wild 15 minute ****-ish brawl.

Spin the Wheel! Make the Deal! It didn’t land on Coal Miner’s Glove Match this time, and it gave Foley and Vader the chance to beat the crap out of each other. The ending holds this back a little, but each guy had their working boots on for this. Sick bump from Foley when Vader falls back on him. Just an amazing brawl.

WCW Halloween Havoc 1993 – Cactus Jack Vs. Vader by Bluthor

With tears in his eyes, Bret would pop his dislocated finger back in place so he could finish the match. With tears in his eyes, Flair found the imaginary land of Saskatoon and dropped the title. Two part video alert.