What I'm Watching Thread

[Chris]

The Horsemen vs. Dusty/Nikita & the Road Warriors on YouTube.

Man, even back then Dusty looked like 300 pounds of chewed bubble gum.

[cactusjames]

I didn't really know where to throw this, but yesterday watching the CM Punk/ Elijah Burke match, I enjoyed the spot where Punk fucked up his top rope move and Burke went for the pin right away. Then went into the finish, I love in spots like that where someone fucks up and instead of being caught like a deer in headlights, they improvise, even by simply going for a pin, and you don't see it a lot. Credit to Burke for reacting pretty much instantly. I look foward to him getting even better in the ring. He should get some mic time about the draft even if he doesn't go anywhere.

[$heriff Tom]

So last night I watched a tape of Rob Van Dam vs Jeff Hardy from Raw......in May 1997!!!!!!!!!

Different times for both lads. Hardy was just starting off with the fed, wearing obnoxious tights and his hair was out of control. JR and Lawler did not have much to say about him, he was jobbing pretty much. RVD was bought in by Lawler from ECW, in his "Mr Monday Night" gimmick. This was soon after Lawler had his imbroglio with the likes of Paul E, Tazz, and Dreamer on Raw.

Quick match, good high-flying, and a clean pin for RVD. Lawler was going on and on about how that was it for RVD in ECW, which was never the case. RVD got a nice reaction, as this Raw was in Philly. All the ECW ringsiders who booed all things WWF at the time were clearly seen enjoying their expensive tickets at a Raw event throughout the show.

[cactusjames]

I was at that show, at the manhattan center, Sabu dove off the raw sign and almost killed himself. Great fucking show and Paul E was awesome on the stick between matches.

[$heriff Tom]

So last night, celebrating my birthday, I had no qualms putting in what I wanted to put in, and boring my wife. Dana likes wrestling.....but not Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson wrestling.

What a scientific clinic, from Christmas night, 1981. Lots of grappling, body twisting and contorting, headlocks and leglocks. It went on a bit. I liked it, but I can see how a fan of Mr Kennedy and ladder matches would be bored, especially as Robinson was looking very fat and Nick was plain old lookin' Nick.

Yet another controversial defense for the champ. Robinson put Nick into a sleeper hold, and Nick got his feet to the ropes and kicked back, coming down on top of Robinson, who still had the hold locked in. And the ref dives down and counts a 1-2-3. A blind man could tell what happens, but not those fans in Minnesota. They popped, thinking the title changed hands, and Robinson raised his arms as the victor. But, alas, Nick was on top, and actually scored the pin while falling asleep to the sleeper hold.

Great stuff!

[Ms. Jericho]

So last night, celebrating my birthday, I had no qualms putting in what I wanted to put in, and boring my wife. Dana likes wrestling.....but not Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson wrestling.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[sancho231]

the Older stuff can be hard for a lot of fans to digest, that style doesnt even really exist anymore.
anyway, Tom did you check out any of the All Japan DVD?lots of good stuff on there

[$heriff Tom]

Have not dipped into that stuff yet, but I am very much looking forward to it. I need to reserve it to when I have a block of couch time, with beer in hand. This other stuff where I am more familar with, I have been watching as I have been downloading my CD collection into my computer.

Whats funny about those old, laborious matches is the crowd was hot for all of it. Todays crowds are trained to tune out during restholds and chinlocks, but back then the fans would stomp and hoot as the good guy was trying to break a sleeper, for 5 minutes at a time.

I never saw the infamous Shane Douglas/Tully Blanchard match in ECW, which went on for 45 minutes or so....I think they were going "old-school" and the fans crapped all over it.

[sancho231]

cool. i didn't get a chance to put the match listings on there so here they are

Best of All Japan Budokan Hall Main Events
1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Steve Williams
2. Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue vs. Stan Hansen/Ted DiBiase
. Misawa vs. Kawada
4. Misawa vs. Kawada
5. Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi
. Dan Kroffat vs. Kikuch
7. Abdullah the Butcher/Kamala 2 vs. Heavenly Bodies
8. Kobashi vs. Hansen
9. Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue
0. Kobashi vs. Misawa
11. Kawada vs. Gary Albright 1995
12. Williams/Johnny Ace vs. Misawa/Jun Akiyama 1996
13. Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue 1996
14. Williams vs. Kawada 1994
15. Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue

[$heriff Tom]

Awesome. I have read much of these matches and stars.

As Paris Hilton would say, "thats hot!"

[grover]

I watched most of the latest WWE 24/7 NWA segment, and man, I fucking hate Jimmy Valiant. He brought out some beast he called Big Mamma, and I couldn't comprehend fully this duo in action on the mic. It was otherworldly.

[$heriff Tom]

That Valient/Big Mamma/Ron Garvin in drag stuff is crap.

Last night I threw in my "TNA - BEST OF RAVEN" DVD, figured Id watch a match. I was up to Raven vs Vampiro (with Father James Mitchell) in a match where they had dog collars hanging off chains draped off of all four turnbuckles. To win the match you had to hang your opponent over the ropes until they were out. Fun, fun! Nice little brawl. A nice touch had Vampiro wrap a chain around his forehead and then headbutt Raven a few times.

Vampiro ended up choked out, but not before Mitchell saved him a couple of times. I had absolutely forgotten that C.M Punk was around at this time as part of Raven's followers. He was out at ringside just hanging around. It was a nice little brawl, and I followed it up with the culmination of Raven's feud with the New Church as he battled Father James Mitchell in a no-holds-barred brawl, which left Mitchell in a pool of blood.

[grover]

Yeah, you do forget that Punk was in TNA, and then you wonder exactly how the hell did he get over in ECW as much as he has.

[$heriff Tom]

I was not really watching TNA at that time. I missed most of the FOX stint. I stumbled upon yet another guy in a TNA match that I had no idea was around even for a squash...Ken Kennedy in a TNA match.

youtube.com/watch?v=hWp6wgQJ1pE

[$heriff Tom]

OK, so last night after a surprisingly entertaining ECW offering I tossed on one of my archival tapes - I am running to the end of May 1997 now. Here was an interesting match. Stone Cold and HBK vs The Legion of Doom.

Austin and Michaels were playing the old reluctant partner gag, and actually had a PPV match against one another coming up. The match was hard-hitting, and for a while Austin and Michaels were getting along and making steady tags. Then the Hart Foundation came sauntering out, pulling the distraction. Michaels gets tossed to the floor, and as he jabberjaws with the Foundation, Austin hops off the apron, grabs Michaels by the hair, and starts punching him. They fight. The Hart Foundation laughs and scurry away. There are heaps of footage of them laughing at their foes not getting along around this time. LOD stands and watches from the ring, winning by countout.

Fun little match just a week away from Austin's landmark "Austin 3:16" King of the Ring coronation.

[thecaptain15]

Austin and Michaels were playing the old reluctant partner gag, and actually had a PPV match against one another coming up.

Good to see WWE hasn't overused that gag......LOL

[bernie51williams]

currently watching part of the rise and fall of ECW DVD.

[$heriff Tom]

So last night I was watching some of another PPV I had not seen back in the day, but riffed off of 24.7 - an In Your House from 1995. The show-stealer was a frantic battle between HBK and Double J for the IC title, with Roadie running around at ringside and sticking his nose in. They went about 15 minutes of fast-paced action, aside from some crashes outside the ring from the guys flipping and diving over the ropes. Many still call this Double J's best match.

I enjoyed the match, it ended in campy fashion as Double J instructed Roadie to trip HBK as he got set to toss him to the ropes. Of course Jarrett throws him towards the ropes, Roadie turns around to pose for the crowd and sticks his arm out, only to trip Jarrett when HBK reverses the throw. After this show - in real life - Double J and Roadie quit the promotion, over issues stemming from drug testing earlier that day. Mike Hayes did an over-the-top promo from outside "their locker room" where he claimed they were fighting one another, as cover.

I also watched a tag battle between Yoko and Owen and The Allied Powers of Bulldog and Luger - nice little battle, won with chicanery by the foreign threat. In one funny scene Yoko was dropped to his rump near his corner by a flurry, and "landed on Owens foot." Owen jumped off the apron howling cause his foot was crushed, then came in and started pushing and shoving with Yoko as if it was his own fault.

I'm up to the lumberjack battle between Sid and Deisel, which I will watch later on.

[MSBNYY]

That was an almost all dead tag match. Too bad Luger is still alive.

[$heriff Tom]

Still deep into that June 97 tape, a couple of notes.

Funny seeing Elizabeth getting physically involved during this era. This is the time of the vicious Macho Man / Diamond Dallas Page battles. One cool scene on this tape had Savage arriving via limo in the back, and Liz gets out first. All of a sudden DDP storms over, trying to get at Macho Man, who had pulled the door closed, leaving Liz out there. DDP stars kicking the window with his cowboy boot, and kicks through the window on the 3rd attempt, which looked dangerous the way his leg caught on the crumpled glass on the way out. Goldberg screwed up his arm punching out a window the same way.

So DDP reaches in and pops the door. As he is on his way in, Liz reappears and slams the door on him. Looked good. DDP crumples, and Savage puts the boots to him.

Also on this tape was the BEST out of control brawl I can remember, ending a Nitro. Happened stemming off a tag battle between Hall and Nash vs. Flair and Piper. The NWO runs in, followed by, well, everyone. In one area Benoit and Kevin Sullivan were going at it, in another Harlem Heat in the Steiners, in another even Glacier and Mortis and Wrath were battling it out. Everyone was fighting. It went on for 10 minutes or so. At some point wrestlers crashed the announce booth, and the announcers were off the air, adding to the chaos.

It was an excellent brawl, the crowd heat was off the charts, and wrestlers were fighting everywhere.

[sancho231]

was just watching an episode of ECW tv from dec 95 , featuring a good brawl with Public Enemy vs heavenly bodies. this was your typical ECW around the bulding brawl bunch of weapon shots and table spots. shit Grunge hit jim del ray with a buleberry pie at one time. funny stuff Stlyes kept hyping it as a Dream match as the Bodies had came up from SMW, to " get Extreme" finish kind of sucked as PE won after a botched moonsalut on the part of Del ray as Dr tom got rolled up very slopply by Grunge, that said it was a fun match to watch

[thecaptain15]

Sancho stop watching TV and make sure "My Place" is cleaned up for next week....

[sancho231]

hey man, i talked to the boys at "my place" on sunday Im still loved there, and it will be spotless, after the boston series, not so sure.

[bernie51williams]

watching the Fresh Prince ha.

[$heriff Tom]

So the other night I saw some fun, fun, fun. The initial appearance of Crush's "DOA" faction, which included him, the Harris Twins (who I remembered in that gang) and Big Brian Lee (who I had forgotten was in there)

During a match involving Farooq's new version of the NOD (including him, D-Lo, Kama, and Ahmed Johnson - who played a nasty heel but was turned again in like a month when the NOD jumped him) a commotion kicked up on the ramp - coming out on motorcycles was Crush and his new cohorts. They were revving the bikes, and the crowd was going NUTS. What a pop. There was more a pop for this going on than there is when Cena FU's Orton these days.

Well, sure enough, the bikers circle the ring, park the bikes, and head right into the action. Great brawl and the crowd was, again, going gaga. A ton of heat for this. Four on four gang warfare. Punches flying. It was intense and wrestling is missing crazy action like this. We need more gangs. This precedes the arrival of Savio Vega's faction - that 3-way war between the bikers, Spaniards and the NOD was a hoot and a holler.

Crush looked good here, too. Totally badass.

[MSBNYY]

He doesn't look so good right now though. He's really deteriorated lately.

[$heriff Tom]

Watching an old AWA mix, and just checked out a Greg Gagne / Adnan Al Kaissie battle. The future "General Adnan" was actually a pretty darn good grappler. He was pretty built here in a squat way, moving around fast, and playing a great heel. He had a cast on his arm, and was using it to his advantage. The crowd was really mad.

I would peg this match around 82-83. Gagne won after a spirited battle. But I was impressed by Adnan. Funny aside about him, despite the fact that he knew Saddam Hussein when they were children in Iraq. From Larry Nelsons book, Adnan was the king of the hotel pool at a condo where most of these guys lived. He would hang out there with nothing on but a skimpy set of black briefs, with a wife half his age, holding court at the pool. He was the proverbial "life of the party." Good for him!

[$heriff Tom]

So, as part of one of my recent purchases from a trader on the kayfabe memories board, I picked up a disc entitled "The Best of Black Blood in WCW."

Yes, the infamous Black Blood. Better known as Billy Jack Haynes. Haynes, for whatever reason, has always been one of my favorites. I remember being stoked for Black Blood coming on the scene. He never did much. The disc is less than 2 hours worth of footage, which may be all of it (not simply "the best.")

Starts off with his first few matches on Saturday Night and the Power Hour, which included his cool finisher of draping a black hood over his foe and coming off the top rope with a guilletine type move. He was coming out with Kevin Sullivan, brandishing an axe at this time. Fitting with the axe gimmick, he faced off with fellow axe-man Big Josh in a frantic lumberjack battle, from what is considered by many to be the worst PPV of all time (the Bash in Baltimore right after Flair split town)

My favorite here is the way he would go right up to the camera in the middle of his match and scream in a deranged voice, "its BLACK BLOOD!"

[$heriff Tom]

So I'm finishing up a deal with a trader out there, bringing in 10 DVDs for 23 bucks.

This order is as eclectic as it gets, even for me, a man known for his varied tastes in the grappling game.

The meat of the order is a 6-disc set - the Best of Butch Reed. I have always been a huge Reed fan. This set includes some classic tilts against Ric Flair, from a couple of different territories he was based in at the respective times.

This order will be filled in with a 2-set "Mr Kennedy in OVW" compilation, a "shoot interview" with one of my favorite female wrestlers in Shantelle Taylor, and - yes, the long awaited "BEST OF NAILZ IN THE WWF" which is akin to the Black Blood in WCW DVD I recently picked up.

[grover]

Wow, that sounds like solid pick ups.