Last Wrestling Match Watched 2.0

[Geese]

Sting vs. Steven Regal. Great American Bash '96. Sting Irish whips Regal to the turnbuckles. He flips over in a comedic manner. Stinger outbrawls Regal in the opening minutes of the match. They engage in a test of strength. Sting gets the upper hand, but Regal kip-ups and puts Sting in a wristlock and a Cobra Clutch. Regal weakens him with a Full Nelson. Regal palm strikes Sting repeatedly when he abdominal stretches Sting on the mat. Regal elbows Sting to the back of his head. Whenever Sting tries to get some offense in, Regal reverts back to his amateur wrestling holds. Regal puts Sting in a half-Nelson. Regal with a snapmare and head scissors.

Regal is crafty enough not to keep Sting in any stretching hold for too long because he knows Sting will power his way out of it. Regal cinches on a knuckle lock and proceeds with several forearm shots to Sting's chest. Sting goes for a splash but Regal puts his knees up. Sting eventually finishes him off with a Scorpion deathlock.

Regal gave a good account of himself here.

 

[Geese]

Shoji Nakamaki vs. Cactus Jack. KODM Semi-finals. No feeling out process here. Jack stomps away at Nakamaki. Jack wraps barbed wire around Nakamaki's forehead. Nakamaki is busted open in the early in the match. Nakamaki headbutt's him and pushes Jack against a board filled with nails. He also pushes Jack's shoulder towards the nails. They fight it out on the entrance way. Jack attempts to slam him on a board of nails but Nakamaki blocks it. They eventually make it back in the ring. Nakamaki with a few standing headbutts on Jack. Jack tries to suplex Nakamaki but Nakamaki blocks it. Jack is eventually successful in suplexing him onto a board of barbed wire. Jack pins him with a double-arm DDT.

 

[Geese]

Shoji Nakamaki vs. Hiroshi Ono. Nakamaki outfights Ono and forces him out the ring. Nakamaki follows it up with a Suicida. Nakamaki clotheslines Ono who's backed up against the ring post. Ono bites into Nakamaki's forehead. Nakamaki slams a chair on Ono's head. Ono did not keep his hands up to protect himself. When they get back in the ring, Nakamaki powerbombs Ono on the barbed wire. Nakamaki gets a two-count. Nakamaki wraps himself around the barbed wire, climbs the second turnbuckle, executes a frog splash but, again, gets a two-count. Nakamaki did have some difficulty unwrapping himself from the barbed wire. Nakamaki Full Nelson Slams Ono face-first on the canvas. This time, Nakamaki hooks his opponent's leg for the win.

 

[Geese]

Shoji Nakamaki vs. Kanemura. Kanemura starts it off by battering Nakamaki repeatedly with a barbed wire baseball bat. They eventually fight it out near the merchandise table and food court. When they make it back in the ring, Nakamaki connects with a few standing headbutts. He clotheslines Kanemura. Kanemura is dazed but not out. Nakamaki knocks him down with a lariat. Nakamaki didn't entirely connect with a flying headbutt on a fallen Kanemura. Kanemura swings the barbed wire bat to Nakamaki's gut. Kanemura wins by piledriving Nakamaki on a welding sheet.

 

[Geese]

Ernest "the Big Cat" Miller w/Sonny Onoo vs. Horace. Great American Bash '99. Initially, it was Scott Norton vs. Miller but Horace came in as a last minute substitute. It was a short match. Ernest thrust kicks Horace. Horace scoop slams him and connects with an elbow. Horace tries a clothesline, Ernest ducks it, but Horace connects with a big boot. Horace runs off the ropes and splashes Ernest. When The Big Cat is out of the ring, Sonny hands him a red karate shoe. As Sonny is arguing with the ref, Ernest gets back in the ring and superkicks Horace with his red shoe. Ernest pins him for the win.

Horace did a few solid moves but there was no heat between these two.

 

[Geese]

Ric Flair w/Arn Anderson & Asya vs. Roddy Piper. Great American Bash '99. The stipulation is if Piper won, he'll be president of WCW. Piper chops Flair against the turnbuckles. Piper lands several haymakers. He knocks Flair down with a left jab. Piper puts him in a sleeper but Arn comes up on the ring apron to argue with the ref. Flair takes out his brass knuckles and knocks Piper out but Flair took too much time to take a breather. Flair puts Piper in a figure-four and holds Arn's hands for added pressure. Buff Bagwell rushes in and attacks Anderson and Flair, costing Piper the match.

This match was a replay of their Royal Rumble '92 encounter: Piper outboxes Flair. Whenever Flair tries to get some offense in, Piper pokes him in the eye. Piper puts Flair in a sleeper. The crowd goes wild but, at the last instance, a heel saves Flair's hide. In the 1992 Rumble, it was Jake Roberts. In 1999, it was Arn.

 

[Geese]

Buff Bagwell vs. Disco Inferno. Great American Bash '99. Disco with a side headlock but Bagwell pushes him against the turnbuckles. Bagwell cinches on a wristlock. Whenever Disco tries to fight back, Bagwell sees it coming. Disco breaks free of a wristlock but Bagwell knocks him down with a running shoulderblock. The sequence of moves is repeating itself, and Disco can't seem to figure out Bagwell. Disco with a Stun Gun and clothesline. Disco Stone cold Stuns Bagwell out the ring. Disco gets in the ring, content with a count-out win. Bagwell does get back in, too, and beats Disco with the Buff Blockbuster. Bleh.

 

[Geese]

(c) Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn vs. Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon w/Bam Bam Bigelow. Great American Bash '99. Kanyon tries a boot, but Benoit baseball slides under him to avoid it. Benoit flapjacks Kanyon and knocks him down with a back elbow. Saturn sling-shot legdrops DDP. DDP short-arm clotheslines Benoit and then does a belly-to-back suplex. DDP attempts a buckle bomb, which Benoit easily counters with a sunset flip.

Kanyon with a side Russian leg sweep on Saturn. DDP follows it up with an elbow drop. Kanyon lifts Saturns up for a Razor's Edge but converts it to a front-face slam. Dean Malenko runs in to help a dazed Saturn. As the ref is distracted, Bam Bam and DDP execute a Double Diamond Cutter on Benoit. DDP drapes Kanyon's arm over an unconscious Benoit for the pin to become new tag champs.

The ref's back was turned to the in-ring action while he was arguing with Malenko. How could he not sense there's a 350 pound wrestler in the ring?

 

[Geese]

The Steiners vs. Ice Train & Scott Norton (Fire & Ice). Great American Bash '96. They all look 'roided up. Scott did have some difficulty trying to hiptoss Ice-Train. Scott eventually hiptosses Ice-train and his tag partner. Norton Irish whips Rick against the turnbuckles but he badly misses. Norton doesn't miss a beat as he sends Rick down with a vicious clothesline. Ice-Train short suplexes Scott Steiner. Norton short-arm clotheslines Scott. Norton picks him up for a shoulder-breaker but little did he know Rick had tagged in. Rick rushes in with a sharp clothesline on Norton. Scott Steiner Frankensteiner's Norton for the pin but he didn't fully connect with his finisher.

 

[Geese]

Davey Boy Smith vs. Haku w/Bobby Heenan. Davey Boy ducks Haku's reverse knife edge chop and counters with a side suplex. Davey grapevines Haku's legs, turns him over for a sharpshooter but he was too close to the ropes. Haku knocks Davey down with a reverse knife edge. Haku with a shoulder-breaker. Davey catches a second wind and bodydrops Haku. Davey does his signature vertical suplex, where he held Haku up for several seconds before dropping him to the mat. He defeats Haku with his running powerslam.

When Davey Boy returned to the WWF in 1991, him and Haku faced off in house show matches which were stiff, athletic contests: Haku lifting Davey up for a piledriver. Davey getting a lot of hang time with a back bodydrop. Basic moves which were done with the stiffest of impact.

 

[Geese]

Sting vs. (C) Lex Luger w/Harley Race. Super Brawl II. They're face-to-face, trash talking to each other. Luger proceeds with clubbing blows on Sting. Sting Irish whips Luger against the turnbuckles and Stinger splashes Luger. But Luger is unfazed and rushes towards Sting with a vicious clothesline. Sting puts Luger in his own finisher The Torture Rack. Sting is going for his and Luger's signature moves in the match's opening minutes.

Sting puts him in the Scorpion deathlock but Luger quickly gets to the ropes. Luger with clubbing blows in an attempt to wear Sting down. Luger picks him up for a Gorilla press Slam. Luger follows it up with a sloppy piledriver. When an exhausted Sting is outside of the ring, Harley tries to piledrive him but Sting counters with a back bodydrop. Sting climbs the top turnbuckle, executes a cross-body on a distracted Lex to win the World title.

Sting vs. Luger was a much better match than I expected, and the crowd was electric throughout. They wanted Sting back in the ring after he left. The only issue was Luger not entirely connecting with a piledriver but that was it.

 

[#Waddles]

Bret Hart (c) vs British Bulldog - SummerSlam 1992 for the IC title.

BANGER.

 

[Geese]

Brian Pillman vs. (C) Jushin Liger for Liger's Light Heavyweight title. Super Brawl II. Liger cinches a wristlock on Pillman. Pillman with a drop toehold, a wristlock, then a hammerlock on Liger. Pillman head-scissors Liger and knocks him down with a dropkick. Liger leaves the ring for a brief respite, but Pillman has none of it as he nails Liger with a baseball slide kick.

Pillman snapmares Liger to the mat and clamps on a modified abdominal stretch. Liger atomic drops Pillman's knee and then puts him in a figure-four. Liger drives his knee to Pillman's lower back and stretches him out for a half Boston Crab. Pillman suplexes Liger on the edge of the ring apron.

In the ring, Pillman blocks Liger's superplex attempt. He then connects with a cross-body. Pillman Irish whips Liger, dropping his head down for a bodydrop. Liger counters with a Tiger Driver. Liger misses a flying headbutt. Pillman quickly takes advantage of a dazed Liger and bridges him for the win.

Fans were chanting "USA!" but appreciated Liger, too. What an opener for Super Brawl!

 

[Geese]

(c) Lex Luger vs. Mean Mark w/Paul E. Dangerously for the US title. Great American Bash '90. Luger puts Mark in a loosely applied side headlock. Luger then applies a hammerlock. Luger with armdrag takedown. He keeps Mark grounded to the mat with an armbar. Mark tries to break free but Luger keeps it on. Mark wristlocks Luger, walks the top rope and comes crashing down with a fist to the back of Luger. Shades of The Undertaker. Mark suplexes Luger, but Luger gets up. He picks Mark up for the Torture Rack but as Mark's legs are flailing, he accidentally kicks the referee, temporarily knocking him out. Paul runs into the ring and slams his cell phone against Luger's ribs. Mark rushes in for his heart punch. Luger stops him with a short kick. Luger puts him away with a clothesline.

Luger showed solid technique early in the match.

 

[#Waddles]

Demolition [c] vs. Hart Foundation

2/3 Falls for the WWF Tag-Team Championship

SummerSlam 1990.

Def. a heater!