Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker 07/01/02

Where: Manchester, NH

Backstory:
This is near the beginning of the brand split between Raw and Smackdown which was made partially to give the younger stars more opportunity. The Undertaker was the Undisputed Champion of the WWE, and was beating on Jeff Hardy every chance he got. Hardy would not cower away and wanted a ladder match for the Undertaker's belt. Undertaker accepted and promised that Jeff Hardy would not walk away after that match.

This match got the fans excited since the ladder match was a Hardy specialty and gave him a chance to win the title. Undertaker is a huge star and Hardy is an underneath (underdog) wrestler, so they have to be creative in how they let Hardy get ahead or the Undertaker will look weak. They also have very different styles as the Undertaker is big and lumbering and Hardy is small and athletic. This is a huge styles clash, so laying out the match will have to be realistic, yet fun for the fans.

In Ring Analysis:

Undertaker rides his motorcycle in first, and Hardy follows. Undertaker is in the ring waiting patiently for Hardy, but Hardy seems uncharacteristically slow in getting inside as well. Hardy then taunts Taker by messing with his bike which draws him outside the ring. Hardy then runs back in and kicks a ladder outside the ring onto the Undertaker. He then follows up with a plancha to the outside. Hardy then takes out a chair from under the ring and whacks the Undertaker over the head with it. Hardy grabs a ladder and throws it at the Undertaker, but he catches it. He tries to sandwich Hardy between the ladder and ring apron but Hardy dodges and Taker runs into the apron.

Hardy goes back on attack, but Taker knocks him down with a clothesline. Taker punches again, and slowly stalks Hardy. He then rams his head into the ringside barricade. He continues pounding on him. Taker goes to ram Hardy into the same ladder that was left off the side of ring apron but Hardy dodges and Undertaker crashes into it instead. Once again Hardy will have to use leverage and quickness to get the Undertaker to make mistakes. Hardy then put the ladder onto the prone Undertaker and hits a seated senton onto the floor from the apron.

Hardy brings the ladder into the ring to attempt a climb but Taker whips it into his face. He then kicks it into his gut and both men are finally back in the ring. Undertaker then rams the ladder into Hardy's head which sends him back to the outside. Undertaker starts to climb, but then decides that he wants to punish Hardy more. His character doesn't feel threatened by Hardy so he enjoys punishing him before he wins.

Taker does more damage to Hardy with strikes and a couple of chairshots to the body. Taker sends him back into the ring, and begins picking Hardy apart. Hardy tries to fight back with weak punches but the Undertaker seems more surprised then hurt. Hardy's punches start getting harder and he just keeps punching away and knocks Taker back until he ends that flurry with a big right hand. That was a good spot to remind the crowd that Hardy isn't a quitter and will fight back when he has the chance.

Taker then sandwiches Hardy between both legs on the ladder and hits a legdrop on the apron. Hardy is thrown back into the ring, and Taker continues the assault. Taker sets Hardy and the ladder up in the corner, but misses a corner splash after Hardy uses his quickness to get out of the way. Hardy can't capitalize right away as Taker grabs him. He whips in into the corner, but Hardy comes back with the Whisper in the Wind, and takes him down.

Hardy starts crawling to the ladder, and gets it. Taker knocks him out of the ring with a kick to the head. Taker goes outside, but Hardy kicks him the groin to get the edge back. Great transitions so far to make Taker look stronger than normal men like Hardy, but Hardy is crafty and resilient. Hardy then goes back inside and does a running springboard senton off the ladder onto the Undertaker outside.

Hardy then goes outside the ring and gets the really big ladder that shows that they mean business. Hardy starts to climb for the belt, but Taker comes back in and pounds his back. He then goes for his last ride powerbomb, but Hardy reverses for a hurricanrana. That move was super weak looking as the styles clash comes into play since the Undertaker isn't flexible enough to take that move properly.

Hardy goes back up the ladder, but has to slow down to let the Undertaker get back in the ring. That was faulty timing there which is common for ladder matches. Takers gets a chair and whacks Hardy in the back and yanks him off the ladder. He then hits Hardy a few times with the chair and goes for the Last Ride on the chair. Hardy punches out, and goes for the hurricanrana again, but Taker blocks before Hardy can rotate. While he's pulling him back up Hardy grabs the chair and whacks him in the head. That was a sound move as it shows Undertaker not falling for the same trick twice, but Hardy is crafty enough to have another trick up his sleeve.

Hardy then hits a monstrous chair shot to the Undertaker's head for good measure, and Hardy climbs again. He nearly gets to the top, but Taker comes back with two chair shots to the back. He then climbs up the other side of he ladder and hits an awkward looking chokeslam to finish Hardy off. He then grabs the belt and wins the match.


Winner in 14:05: The Undertaker ***1/4

After the match the Undertaker starts riding his bike to the backstage area but sees that Hardy is still standing. The Undertaker made a promise, so he went back and then hits the Last Ride to finish Hardy. He then starts heading to the back again, but Hardy gets on the mic and tells Taker that he's still standing. Taker goes back to the ring again, but this time instead of hitting him, raises his hand as Hardy gained his respect for his toughness.

Overall, it was a good match since it took a guy like Hardy who at the time was a midcarder, and put him in a position where he threatened the Undertaker. The match was laid out where the Undertaker didn't take any risks yet it wasn't just Hardy falling off ladders all match. The few spots the Undertaker did where he was asked to do athletic stuff looked poor, but psychology-wise it fit into the context of the match, so they had to try it.

Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndoff 08/28/86

Where: Toronto, ON

Backstory:

One of the tried and true Hulk Hogan formula's would be that his friends would turn on him out of jealousy, and the Hulkster would have to get his revenge. Paul Orndoff went this route as he and Hogan had a really hot feud that stemmed from Mr. Wonderful getting sick of playing second fiddle. He turned on Hogan and they worked against each other on house shows all over the United States in front of large crowds. Business was so good that Orndoff decided to continue working with a major neck injury because he couldn't turn down the money he was making off this feud. This match took place in Toronto in a card billed, "The Big Event" and is for Hogan's WWF Title.

In Ring Analysis:

Orndoff shows his heel pedigree by attacking Hogan before the bell while the ref is checking him. Orndoff works Hogan over with punches and stomps. They roll around on the mat and Hogan gets the advantage and starts punching out Orndoff to a big pop from the crowd. This is during a time period where closed fist punches might not be tolerated so the referee pulls Hogan's hair to get him off Mr. Wonderful.

They stand up and start trading blows which Hogan naturally wins. Hogan then runs to the ropes and hits a big right hand to Orndoff's head which floors him. Hogan then uses his tremendous charisma to show his excitement which draws a big pop from the crowd. Hogan knocks Orndoff outside the ring, but Orndoff drags him out too. They take turns slamming each other's heads to the mat, and Hogan throws him back in the ring. Hogan back in, and Irish whips
Orndoff and comes at him with a clothesline. Hogan then throws him into the turnbuckle and hits a clothesline there too. He poses to the crowd again which they are eating up. You have to admit, at least Hogan knows what he can do in the ring, so he makes crowd interaction a big part of his match since he's not a four star worker.

When Hogan goes back to Orndoff, he hits him with a shot to the gut, and as Hogan stumbles to the ropes, Bobby Heenan slaps him. Hogan no-sells it and stares down Heenan. Bobby Heenan was great because he understood that his job was to add to the match whether it be cheating to get heat on his wrestler or taking a beating from the face. He avoided trying to make himself look like a threat or a star because that's not the manager's job.

Hogan turns his back on Orndoff to persuade Heenan to get in the ring, but Orndoff isn't able to take advantage. Hogan punches him out again, and give him an atomic drop. Hogan then goes outside after Heenan, and chase him into the ring where Orndoff catches Hogan on his way inside. Orndoff does a good job of cheating as he uses the ropes for his attacks, and never takes advantage without using underhanded tactics.

Orndoff then knocks Hogan outside the ring and hits a suplex outside the ring. Orndoff gets back inside and starts mocking Hogan. Hogan crawls back but Orndoff drapes him over the apron and hits elbows to Hogan's throat. Hogan back in the ring and Orndoff gets a 2-count off a pinfall attempt. He then gives Hogan a bodyslam and an elbow drop. He then goes to the top rope and hits a punch to the throat. Orndoff goes for a piledriver (his finisher), but Hogan backdrops out. Orndoff recovers first and starts rubbing his forearm into Hogan's eyes. He then does even more cheating by biting Hogan around the eyes. Orndoff then hits a belly to back suplex and goes for a pin attempt. He thinks he has a three count, but Hogan put his foot under the bottom rope.

Hogan then Hulks up and recovers to hit a kneelift to Orndoffs back.The ref also gets bumped when Orndoff's momentum makes him collide. Hogan then mimics Orndoff's betrayal of Hogan by lifting his arms up in celebration before knocking him down with a clothesline. That was actually somewhat higher in psychology then I was expecting from this period in the WWF. Hogan then motions for the piledriver which the crowd sees as the ultimate sign of revenge, so they cheer wildly. This was before it was more common for a lot of guys to use their opponents finishers against them in big matches. Hogan gets Orndoff up, but Heenan comes back in the ring with a chair to Hogan's back.

Orndoff goes for the cover, but the ref is still out which would give Orndoff a reason to expect a rematch should he lose here. The ref recovers enough to go up to Orndoff but instead of tapping the mat, he taps Orndoff's shoulder three times. Heenan and Orndoff
celebrate as if they've won and grab the WWF title. The ref then rings the bell. Apparently he saw the interference and called for the DQ.


Winner by DQ in 11:05: Hulk Hogan **


Orndoff, still wearing the title, attacks Hogan after hearing the results, but Hulk comes back and punches and clotheslines Orndoff down. He then hits his big boot and Orndoff bails out of the ring.

Overall a decent match. The wrestling wasn't great, but the WWF had a money-making formula that didn't require wrestling, so it's hard to fault both guys to not go for more in what it essentially a house show even though it drew 60,000 people.

Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs. Sting & Nikita Koloff 07/10/88

Where: Baltimore, MD

Backstory:

This was during the peak of the Horsemen years. Arn and Tully were part of this elite stable which the focus on the company was based around. There opponents were Nikita Koloff who was a Russian heel turned babyface, and Sting, a man who after going to a time-limit draw with Ric Flair at the first Clash of the Champions, was being booked super strong in order to make him a draw.

In Ring Analysis:

Both men stare each other down briefly, and they start brawling with the faces getting the better of the exchange. The crowd is red hot and into the product. The Horsemen come back and they continue brawling. Once again, this is the type of intense action that the WWF wasn't putting on at the time. For some reason visions of Lanny Poffo throwing Frisbees into the crowd was a sharp contrast from this serious product. Tully and Sting square off, and Sting gets a quick roll up which the ref was too slow getting over, and only gets a 2-count.

Arn takes over, and Sting hits a dropkick to the gut. Arn falls out of the ring and sells being stunned when Sting catches him out of the corner with a running tope to the outside. Great camera work as they don't show Sting until he's in midair so the home viewer gets the same feeling of shock that Arn Anderson is feeling. Once again the crowd is majorly into Sting as he seems super enthusiastic about the response, and it's no wonder the NWA really wanted to push him as the top guy.

Both men enter the ring again, but Sting stays in control. He gets Arn down and tags in Nikita Koloff. He works an armdrag really well by getting a tight grip and making it look like he grips it tighter everytime Arn tries to escape. Arn finally gets out by forcing Koloff into the corner and getting the natural cheap shot to the gut. Arn goes for an Irish whip to the corner but Koloff reverses. He then charges, but Arn moves out of the way. Koloff slows down before he hits the turnbuckle then gets a Arn an angry stare behind his back and hits a hard clothesline. Tully comes in and Koloff gets one on him too. The crowd is going crazy as the Horsemen have all types of proper heel heat that gets the babyfaces over.

Koloff goes for the cover after posturing to the fans, but the ref is distracted by Tully. Sting tags back in, and they continue working on the arm of Anderson. Arn gets Sting in the corner and has his Irish whip into the corner reversed again, but this time Arn has learned his lesson and puts up a knee to the charging Sting. Arn then goes for a sleeper, but Sting reverses out and sends Arn's head to the turnbuckle.

Sting heads back to the arm, and after reviewing the Brian Pillman vs. Lex Luger match, I feel the style at the time was using a rest hold to work in some big spots, then go back to the rest hold to plan out the next offensive flurry. Overall, it was a great way to have a high energy match without winding the wrestlers too much.

Tully comes in to help Arn take down Sting by having both men grab his arms, but Sting out maneuvers them and both Horsemen go down. Arn tags out to Tully and Sting hits a couple of armdrags on him. Sting works on Tully's arm, and tags in Koloff. Koloff pounds on Tully then goes back to the arm. Koloff fortunately goes into an amateur hold that is different from the copious amount of armbars they were using before. Sting tags in, but Tully whips him into the corner. Tully charges, but Sting dodges, and Tully goes shoulder first into the turnbuckle.

Tully in a daze goes to make a tag, but goes to the wrong corner and Koloff gets him. He soaks in the crowds anticipation before he hits him in the head. Koloff tages back in, and he and Sting go about keeping Tully from tagging out to Anderson. After several minutes Blanchard holds down Koloff and gets the tag, but Nikita escapes before Arn can take advantage of the situation. Arn gets visibly frustrated that he lost that opportunity because he doesn't want to face Nikita on an even playing field, and it's minor comedy for the crowd to see the evil heel throwing a fit.

Both men lock up and Anderson gets the advantage but Koloff takes him down with a drop toehold and goes back to the arm. It's interesting as they talk about Arn Anderson's size and strength as he wouldn't have looked big compared to any of the WWF's cartoon characters at the time. Still, even the trimmer wrestlers are pretty thick compared to the average man.

Koloff gets Anderson in another amateur maneuver which puts pressure on the arm and shoulder, then transitions that into a full nelson which was a lethal finisher at the time. Anderson uses his heel to kick at the knee of Koloff to get out of the hold. Arn tags out to Tully but because Koloff was selling the knee, he couldn't escape and Tully goes to work. He kicks the knee several times and goes for the Irish whip. Nikita reverses and gets a chokeslam without Tully jumping.

Tully gets up and goes back to the knee. He has another Irish whip reversed and this time Koloff gets a flying shoulder tackle. Koloff then follows up with a clothesline that sends both men over the top rope. Koloff gets him back onto the ring apron and suplexes him back inside. Koloff goes for the cover but the Horsemen's manage, JJ Dillon pulls Koloff from Tully. Koloff is enraged and grabs JJ outside the ring. He sets him up against the ringpost, but misses a lariat. Koloff hits his arm on the ringpost and is in a lot of pain. It's kind of ironic how the faces spend the whole match working on the arm, yet it's Koloff who takes the major arm injury.

Arn goes out and rams Koloff's shoulder into the ringpost again. The Horsemen continue working over his arm in the ring. Arn gets Koloff in a reverse hammerlock which Koloff eventually no sells and fights out of the hold. Koloff Irish whips Anderson into the ropes but he puts his head down, and Arn hits a great DDT right on the top of his head. Arn knows he hit a homerun as he raises his arms in victory and the crowd boos. He goes for the cover but Nikita barely kicks out at 2. The Horsemen take turns coming in the ring and working over the arm just like Sting and Koloff did until Anderson goes to the second rope and catches Koloffs knees on a reverse splash.

Koloff gets the hot tag and Sting tears apart Tully and Arn. Sting gets his low dropkick again, but hits a nice gorilla slam on Blanchard. He then starts beating his chest which drives the crowd crazy. He hits another drop kick, and bashed both Horsemen's heads together. Arn tags back in but Sting gets a sleephold on Anderson. Arn fights out, and Tully tries to help and gets pounded on while Koloff hits his finisher, The Russian Sickle (lariat) on Anderson.

Sting gets Tully into the corner and hits one of his big moves, the Stinger Splash. He then goes for the Scorpion Deathlock. He gets it on, but Tully survives until the bell rings and we have a draw

Draw in 20:00 ***1/4

The match was a lot of fun, and the crowd heat was great. It could have been much better if the heels got in more offense as Sting in particular dominated. The purpose of this match was to get Sting over and make him a better worker which certainly did work. Arn and Tully were great workers, but when you're in a faction and you're not the top guy, you usually have to put people over to get them ready for guys like Flair. Koloff really surprised me as he was fun and exciting to watch. I read on Wikipedia that the WWF offered him a deal, but thought he was going to get a better run in the NWA at the time. It would have been interesting to see if he could have prospered with a more cartoonish character than he had here in this match.

Brian Pillman vs. Lex Luger 10/28/89

Where: Philadelphia, PA

Backstory:
Pillman had been in WCW for a little bit and was one of the pioneers for a high flying style of wrestling. He wasn't a big guy, but had a very strong passion to make it to the top of his profession. Lex Luger on the other hand was very big, and got pushed due to it. He gets a lot of flack for being a lazy worker, but there was a time when he went out to have good matches and 1989 was one of his best years in the ring. This match is for Luger's U.S. Title. Jim Ross was on the booking committee at the time, and I would suspect that he came up with the idea for these two to wrestle.

In Ring Analysis:

Both men circle each other and lockup. Luger naturally gets the advantage, but Pillman continues to battle and gets in a cheap slap during the break. This is Pillman (probably as a shoot) letting Luger know that he's not intimidated and isn't going to play the humble rookie to the established star. They lock up again, and Luger backs him into the corner again, but Pillman battles out. Luger gets Pillman into the corner again, but Luger starts using his striking offense to pound on Pillman.

Luger hits a bodyslam and stars taunting Pillman. Luger lazily throws Pillman outside the ring, but Pillman lands on his feet and rushes Luger with a tackle. He starts throwing haymakers all over the place. He then hits a dropkick and Luger bails to take a breather. Pillman follows him out with a baseball slide. After Luger gets back in the ring, and out again, Pillman chases him, and Lugers runs away. Once again, in 1989, Luger was a different wrestler as he is willing to play ball and make the less established Pillman look like a threat to him.

Luger outsmarts Pillman as he gets back in the ring and catches him with stomps to the body.
Luger throws Pillman into the corner but he dodges then hits a reverse cross body block off the top rope. Pillman then grounds Luger with a cross armbar so both men can take a breather. Jim Ross does a great job of explaining to the fans that Pillman needed to ground Luger because Luger hates being on the defensive. Jim Ross is a great announcer because he explains why things are happening in the ring as opposed to just explaining what's happening in the ring.

Luger gets out of the armbar with some knees and punches. He Irish whips Pillman, but Pillman comes back with some armdrags and hiptosses. Pillman goes back to the armbar. Luger fights out a few times, but Pillman keeps reapplying it. Normally using an armbar for a decent portion of the match would bore the crowd, but the make sure to keep breaking the hold to do some nice sequences of wrestling action before going back to the move.

Luger finally gets out for good by using his power to punch out. He throws Pillman into the corner, but runs into his boots, and Pillman goes to the top rope. He goes for a big splash, but misses and the advantage goes to Luger. Luger then hits a flapjack and it's clearly his turn to try to put Pillman away. He uses some more moves that accentuate his strength and poses to the crowd to let them know that he's bigger and baddest than all of them. Luger then hits a few clotheslines, and I notice that Luger doesn't have the best stamina as you can see him hide his face as he breathes heavily.

Luger then hits a big clothesline to the back of Pillman's neck which he sells perfectly. Luger is doing a great job of showing intensity and believability. It feels like a wrestling match. Luger then is a vertical suplex. He goes for an nonchalant cover but Pillman kicks out. Luger then throws Pillman outside the ring. The booking for this match is solid because if Luger started beating on Pillman like this from the start, then Pillman would look weak and out of Luger's league. By letting Pillman control the beginning of the match, the crowd thinks that Pillman has a chance to come back. When it's done the other way and the underdog babyface gets his offense near the end,then it looks like he's just getting lucky and doesn't really deserve to be the same ring.

Pillman comes back in the ring, and gets a minor bit of offense with a sunset flip for a two-count. Luger then goes for a huge clothesline which Pillman ducks, and Luger's momentum takes him over the top rope to the outside. Pillman gets him back in and mounts him in the corner for a series of punches but Luger grabs him and hits a stiff inverted atomic drop. Luger then takes Pillman up top for a superplex, but Pillman knocks Luger off and hits a top rope sunset flip for a nearfall. Pillman then gets a reverse flying elbow and he's pumped up. Pillman then hits a big springboard clothesline on Luger and gets a nearfall before Luger put his foot on the ropes. Pillman goes up top again, but misses a missile drop kick. Luger then throws Pillman into the ropes and finishes with a stun gun for a three count.

Winner by pinfall in16:49: Lex Luger ****1/2

Great match. No blow spots, solid psychology, and a clean finish. It must have been very frustrating for the NWA to be putting out a superior wrestling product while the WWF was making all of the money. The marketing power of NWA was obviously lacking, as this was a match that wrestling fans could easily get into with the proper build.

Weekend News

Since I don't have time to do a full match on the weekend, I'll give my thoughts on things I see:


Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels in a ladder match:
Should be a great match as Michaels hasn't had a high profile ladder match since 1995. Wade Keller of Pwtorch.com doesn't think that match makes much sense because they're in blood feud, but I think it can be justified. The Raw GM Mike Adamle needed to be convinced as to which match would be best for No Mercy's title match, so Shawn Michaels figured that a ladder match was the best way to get him to agree.

People have been critical of the feud in the last few weeks, but these guys are pros and have great wrestling smarts, so I'll sure they'll make adjustments.

Jake the Snake fiasco:
There's not such thing as an ex drug addict, and Jake the Snake is no different. I truly wonder what has him so tortured because you don't have a drug problem like this just because getting high is fun. The Youtube footage is a shame, but is just as big a shame that he'll continue to do work because that company drew one of its biggest houses ever because Jake was there.

Kowalski bio from Observer:
Once again Dave Meltzer brings the goods with the history pieces. I have only seen once Killer Kowalski match, but Meltzer is giving a rich three part history of Kowalski's life that has me anxious to read the conclusion. The mere fact that he lived to an old age as a wrestler makes him a role model of sorts, but he truly led an interesting life as well. If you don't have the Wrestling Observer it's only 10 dollars a month for online access. It's a great deal as you get a new issue and a retro issue from 1991 every week.

TNA Wrestling Game:
I haven't played it yet, but the Wii version got very weak reviews. Sean Radican and Derek Burgan of Pwtorch.com gave it good reviews, so maybe it's a game that wrestling fans will be more apt to like. I'll probably wait to get it used or when the price goes down. $49.99 is a lot of pay for something I've never played, and got horrible reviews.

Wade Keller's Thoughts on Triple Threat match:

Smackdown's debut on the MyNetwork features a Champions match with Champions from all 3 brands fighting in a Triple Threat Match. It's Chris Jericho (Raw), Matt Hardy (ECW), and Triple H (Smackdown) facing off. Wade Keller had it right on the nail. This match is a waste that no one is going to see. It would be great if they used Triple H to put someone else over. He's been so dominant on Smackdown that he's killed all challengers until the Undertaker or Edge is ready for him. Maybe that's the idea, but it makes for a predictable product which makes fans not care if they miss an episode.

Edge vs. Lance Storm 08/19/01

Where: San Jose, CA

Backstory:

This was during the middle of the Invasion angle which while a critical failure did draw a huge buyrate for the PPV in the previous month. Lance Storm was the Intercontinental Champion and was put in a match with Edge for the title. Edge, who had just made a face turn, was a star with a ton of potential, but had not proven that he could put together singles matches without top-tier help. The contrast in two personalities was important as Storm was a very serious person while Edge engaged in "off-beat shenanigans"

As a side story, Edge's storyline brother Christian was showing signs of being jealous of his brother as he always had possession of the King of the Ring trophy that Edge had won in June

In Ring Analysis:

Storm comes out and asks the crowd to be quiet while he talks about the importance of not being silly, but Edge's music interrupts which helps out his pop. As Edge comes out, they show the WWF locker room with a bunch of people who either aren't with the company anymore or have passed away. Nevertheless they cheer Edge on as he comes to the ring.

They start with a lock up and they keep reversing hammerlocks. Edge gets hit with a shoulderblock but comes back with a flapjack. Edge clotheslines Storm outside which gives them a chance to kill a little time to lengthen out the match. Edge beats on Storm on the outside and throws him back in the ring.

Back in the ring Edge gets a flying crossbody off the top rope for a two count. They then take turns blocking suplex attempts until Storms drops Edge stomach first over the top rope. Storm then bounces off the ropes sending Edge flying off the apron to the security barricade outside.

Storm with the advantage stomps on him and chokes him out. Storm is clearly in control and leading Edge through the match. A guy like Storm who is a veteran should be on offense a little bit more so that Edge can just sell and not worry about controlling the bulk of the match.

After some more offense by Storm, Edge gets a quick rollup for a near fall, but Storm takes Edge back down with a kick to the gut and a front suplex. While it's important for the heel to control the match and build up heat for the babyface comeback, it's important to give the face quick flurries of hope so that the crowd doesn't die out and lose interest. Too much time on defense and the crowd will start to look at you as an inferior worker, and lose hope that you are able to come back.

Storm goes for a couple of pinfalls, but Edge kicks out, and the crowd starts to rally Edge to make a comeback. Edge obliges by punching Storm in the gut a few times, but misses a dropkick. Storm then goes for a Boston crab, but gets rolled up for another 2 count.

Edge is doing a good job of timing his comebacks to give the crowd hope so that when he makes his big comeback, the crowd will be dying for it. Storm gets Edge in the corner, but Edge punches out and goes another leverage pin attempt, but Storm reverses into an Oklahoma Roll. Storm then gets Edge in a submission maneuver which gives the crowd a chance to come down before the big finale. Unfortunately they don't keep the move on for long and Storm goes back to a more move oriented offense. Storm comes back with and abdominal stretch, and now he can build up heat for the comeback. Edge tries to reverse with a hiptoss but Storm lands on his feet and heads up to the top rope. He goes for a springboard clothesline, but Edge reverses into a powerslam which turns the tide of the match.

The referee does a double count out, but both me are up at 8. The slug it out, but Edge starts taking Storm down with clotheslines. Edge hits an Edge-O-Matic for a 2-count. Storm goes for a hurricanrana, but Edge reverses into a powerbomb for another 2-count. Storm then reverses an Irish whip into his finisher the Maple Leaf. After fighting to the ropes Edge breaks the hold. Edge then gets his own Maple Leaf which was a little sloppy as he lost his grip on Storms leg. Christian then runs out and tries to spear Storm, and hits Edge instead.

Storm only gets a 2-count after taking Christian out. Storm goes for a super kick on Edge, but it's reversed for an Impaler DDT for the 3 count.

Winner by pinfall in 11:18: Edge **1/4

Afterwards, Christian has the IC title in his hands and holds it subtly like he's going to hit Edge with it but then hands it to him. It wasn't overly obvious, but anyone who watches enough wrestling knows when someone is holding the belt normally and when it's going to be a weapon. This builds up the underlying tension that would be played off in a few weeks.

Otherwise, the match was a nice effort by both guys, but I felt they probably didn't have enough time to do what they wanted as far as submissions and Storm building up heat while he was on offense. Otherwise, Storm did a good job of leading the match, and keeping the crowd interested until Edge made his big comeback. Edge is a huge star now, and this match shows that he was on his way back in 2001.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show 05/18/03

Where: Charlotte, NC

Backstory
Brock Lesnar is in the midst of his first babyface title run after beating Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania XIX. Rather than show off Brock's great wrestling skills by putting him with talents like Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit, the company wanted to show that he could take down unstoppable monsters like the Big Show. Brock has freakish strength, and it's a little simpler to sell a ticket on that, so that understandable.

To get the feud hot, they established that Brock was friends with the undersized super babyface, Rey Mysterio. Big Show destroyed Mysterio at the last PPV, so now Brock is out to tell him to pick on someone his own size. This is designed to use Rey's popularity to transfer it to Brock for rbeing his savior. The match is for Brock's WWE Title, and it's a stretcher match. The first man to strap his opponent to a stretcher and wheel him over the line at ringside is the winner.

In Ring Analysis:

The Big Show enters the ring with the stretcher that he used on Rey Mysterio in his hands to remind the crowd why he's an unlikable person. Brock enters and Big Show misses an attack with the stretcher. Brock opens up with a flurry of kicks and punches, and grabs the stretcher. He then his several shots to the Big Show's back. He then hits a big one to the Big Show's head knocking him over the top rope onto the floor. I'm not so sure about going to weapons so early in the match, but the Big Show doesn't have the in ring skill to go for a main event length (20 minute) match. Shortcuts like these will be needed.

Brock goes outside to meet Big Show and continues to use the stretcher. Big show comes back and uses his brawling offense on him. Big Show sets the stretcher up against the ringpost and you can see Rey Mysterio's, Chris Benoit's, and Brock Lesnar's names on the stretcher. Ray's is crossed out because he's already been eliminated. Big Show tries to ram Brock into the stretcher, but Brock reverses. He then gets the gurney and rams it right into the Big Show's face in a stiff looking spot. After taking painful looking punishment again Show gets the advantage fairly quickly. Big Show is a such a huge monster that it's a little more acceptable for him to recover quicker than other men.

Show the presses Brock and drops him on the gurney in an impressive spot. Big Show throws Brock back into the ring but Brock comes back. The renditions from offense to defense are quite weak in this match as they just randomly trade turns being on offense. Big Show comes back again and hits a chokeslam.

He tries to put him on the gurney then his a big legdrop. He puts him on the gurney and tries to wheel him across the finish line. Brock sits up and Big show clotheslines him back down and tips the gurney over. Brock is doing his usual great job of bumping and he does a full backflip on the clothesline.

Once again with very little in the means of reason Brock punches back and starts hitting Big Show with the gurney. Brock then gets the electrical cable and begins to choke out the Big Show in a move that doesn't usually get cheers for a babyface. Brock then tries to put show on the gurney, and begins wheeling him over. Big Show is too powerful and the gurney is too small for Brock to win.

As a recurring theme, Big Show just gets back on offense with punches before Brock hits a spear on the outside. Brock then bodyslams Show onto the gurney but he bounces off. He then rams the gurney into the Big Show's gut, but Show returns the favor and sandwiches Brock between the gurney and the ringside apron. Show rams Brock several times. Show the rams Brocks' back into the ringpost. Big Show then goes back to the stretcher and begins whacking Brock over the back with it. This is a pretty brutal match as you can't fake contact like that.

In a sick looking spot, Brock rolls into the ring and recovered to shoulderblock Big Show from the ring apron to the gurney on the floor. Big Show is way too big for his body to take that type of pounding. Brock then leaves the ringside area and heads to the back. Big Show gets back in the ring and Rey Mysterio returns to attack him. The crowd is into Rey getting his revenge as it's Rey and not Brock who was a victim of the Big Show. Rey hits a 619 to the gut, but Big Show takes him down with a clothesline moments later. Big Show motions for the chokeslam that took Rey Mysterio out at the last PPV. Brock Lesnar returns with a forklift and Rey goes for a sleeper on Show. SHow takes him down, but Brock is on top of the forklift and hits a big flying crossbody. The fans are starting to get into Brock as he hits a suplex on Big Show. Brock then hits a version of his F5, and Brock starts to put hm on the forklift. Brock gets Big Show up high enough where he can't get down and then wheels him across the finish line for the victory.

Winner in 15:27: Brock Lesnar **3/4

The lack of selling and transitions bothered me a little, but this was a sport entertainment match. I feel that after taking stiff offense you need a good excuse to get the advantage again, but for this match the guys just decided to start punching when they wanted to take control. The usage of Rey Mysterio really seemed to fire up the crowd as he was super over and was the main reason for this match taking place. Brock was a beast at this point and had great moves, but he still needed the right person to reign him in for psychology and match pacing. Overall a fun match even if it wasn't a technical classic

Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race 12/17/79

Where: New York, NY

Backstory:

I make it policy to put the city and state for where a match is taking place, but Madison Square Garden is a such a huge place for wrestling that I slipped and wrote that instead. Anyone reading this blog probably has a great match they loved that took place at MSG.

While the WWE/WWF/WWWE always had a stronghold there, they used to bring in outside talent for their shows before they transformed into a national promotion. This show had Dusty Rhodes, who worked mainly out Florida, but became a huge star during his feud against Superstar Billy Graham. Bret Hart pointed out in his autobiography that the New York crowd was used to, and preferred big musclular guys that relied more on showmanship than solid technial ability. This worked perfectly to Dusty's advantage as he used his insane charisma to win over crowds that ordinarly would have thought he didn't bring a lot to the table as far as looks or ringwork.

His opponent tonight was the NWA World Champion, Harley Race. For those that aren't familiar with the NWA, they were an alliance of many small regional promotions that all worked together to protect their company. The NWA champion was the top guy, and would travel all over the world. It was a great concept at the time, and made those dream matches that are so hard to find in this era of wrestling.

Vince McMahon (without absolute power over North American wrestling) is the announcer and tells the crowd that this is the rubber match as both men have traded the World Title in their last two encounters.

In Ring Analysis:

Dusty stars with some flamboyant trash talking, and dances around the ring like a boxer. He has probably taken a lot of his character from Muhammed Ali. The much less showy Race just stands there and does not respond. They lock-up and Race gets the first shot, but Dusty comes back with a flurry of showy punches that look really cool, but use a lot of wasted motion.

Dusty then poses to the crowd to get them into the action. The lockup again, and Race gets a side headlock, and hits a running shoulderblock off the ropes. Race runs the ropes again and gets back body dropped for 2.

Rhodes then gets a headlockand the match slows down. Race fights out of it and has a suplex attempt reversed into an atomic drop. Rhodes gets a two count again as his foot is on the ropes. I feel its a little eary to go for pinfalls after back body drops, elbow drops and atomic drops, but Dusty is limited and is using this to stretch the match out without having to do too much action.

Rhodes gets another headlock, and Race throws him into the ropes. Race gets him up for a bodyslam but Dusty is too heavy and Race falls back for another 2 count. Race gets back on track with some knees to the gut and punches. He misses is headbutt drop, and Rhodes comes back with an elbow drop and a front facelock.

So far I find this match to be very very plodding. It was almost 30 years ago, so the style is different. Race fights up from the front facelock, and tries another suplex attempt, but Rhodes is too big. Dusty does a great job of interacting with the crowd to show that he's too big for Harley to lift him up. Dusty's size limiting Race's offense is becoming a theme for the night. Dusty hits his own suplex while the crowd applauds. Rhodes misses an elbow drop, but Race misses another headbutt attempt. Race has always said that was a bad move to do physically, so to do it twice in one match must have hurt.

Dusty back to the front face lock, but Races gets him in the corner and starts laying in the shots. Race irish whips Dusty into the turnbuckle, but Dusty reverses and take the over the top rope bump that Triple H, Sgt. Slaughter and Chyna all liked to use at various points of their career.

Rhodes gets him back in and hits him with a piledriver which was a finishing move back then. Race gets his foot on the ropes as he goes for the pinfall. Race comes back with a headbutt to the gut and 2 to the head. Race then measures Dusty for a stiff looking footstomp and knee drop. Out of nowhere Rhodes does a super human comeback and stands up. He does his flamboyant moves to let Race and the crowd know that he's okay. This is pretty much the Hulk Hogan comeback before there was a Hulk Hogan comeback.

Rhodes takes Race down and goes for another cover for a 2 count. Race hits Rhodes with another headbutt, and finally gets a suplex on Rhodes. Race then goes to the second ropes and hits a diving headbutt. Unlike Chris Benoit his was much less reckless. He then goes to the second rope and hits a knee drop which draws blood from Rhodes.

Race then works on the head with punches, and rams him headfirst into the ringpost. Dusty then gets fired up and makes another big comeback which is much less about showmanship. The referee tries to stop Rhodes to see if his cut is too bad to continue, but Dusty is relentless. Both men butt heads together after running the ropes and their both down.

Winner by ref stoppage in 13:20: Harley Race **

Afterwards Dusty gets back in the ring to fight which makes the ref stoppage look kind of silly for pro wrestling. The crowd hates the finish as they chant the standard profanities for such an occasion. I know you have to find ways to keep a feud going, but at MSG, they might have wanted something a little more definitive.

Overall the match was okay, but I was a little disappointed in Race. I kind of got what I expected from Rhodes, but Race seemed to work down to his level. I will know his style better when I watch more of his matches, but overall this was a disappointment to me in several ways.

Low-KI vs. AJ Styles 04/27/02

Where: Philadelphia, PA

Backstory:

It's early ROH, so the backstory usually is, "this great wrestler will take on this great wrestler and have a great wrestling match." This one is no different. For someone like me, that's a great sales pitch. AJ cuts a promo to pretaped promo to introduce himself to the ROH viewers as this is his first match with the company after establishing his name in NWA: Wildside. Low Ki is the top dog in the company, and also one of my favorite wrestlers.

In Ring Analysis:

AJ comes to ring pretty pumped up. Low-Ki shows such great intensity in his ring intro and with his character that it's a shame he's too small for the WWE to really have interest in him. The match starts with a handhsake then they lock up take each other down. They roll around in a mat wrestling sequence of complex maneuvers and reversals. This is always so much more believable when it's Low-Ki because he is so aggressive that it doesn't look like a mere formality that has to be done in the context of a wrestling match.

They have a stalemate which always pops the crowd. They stand up and Low Ki delivers a kick to the back of AJ Styles leg which AJ returns. AJ then yells at Low Ki that he wants more. That kind of attitude is what gets fans pumped up. Low Ki kicks Styles, and Styles retaliates. This happens four times until they both go for kick at the same time and hit each other's shins. Nice sequence.

AJ then goes for a roundhouse kick and misses and Low Ki tackles him as his momentum spins him around. More mat wrestling follows as they are able to catch their breath and show off their great matwork. AJ has a reputation as a great high flyer (which he is), but he can also take it to the mat, and will have a career long after he physically isn't as impressive in the air.

Styles gets Low-Ki back up and they lock up again with a collar and elbow tie up. Low Ki kicks at the legs to gain the advantage then takes styles down with a snapmare. Low Ki once again uses believable strikes to set up his offensive maneuvers. He's a like a seasoned boxer in a way. He uses a jab to set up his big punch as opposed to just throwing hey makers that have no business connection if the opponent is only guarding against that.

Styles comes out on top on the mat this time, but Low Ki gets up quickly and hits a stiff kick to he face that the announcers and AJ sell very well. AJ goes for a double leg take down, but Low Ki side steps it and hits another kick to the head. This was a great showcase of what Low Ki brings to the ring. Very believable yet exciting.

Low Ki gets Styles down with a kick to the face, but Styles gets a hurricanrana off his back! Styles then misses a kick to Low Ki but comes back with a hard clothesline. Styles then starts using some of his state of the art offense which he's been saving for the whole match. He gets Low Ki up for a vertical suplex and floats him over onto a neckbreaker. AJ then charges Low Ki in the corner and takes another vicious looking kick to the head. That's turning out to be Low Ki's great equalizer as it is bailing him out every time Styles gets the advantage.

Both men are back up exchanging chops and Styles gets the better of them and his a hard jump kick to the head that puts Low Ki outside the ring. Styles comes back with another big kick to the head. Styles then hits a super kick outside and at sends Low Ki staggering back against the security barricade. Styles kicks look good, but compared to Low Ki the look a little slow and heavy.

Back in the ring, Styles goes for a pin but only gets two. He hits a brainbuster but that only gets two. Styles has his Irish whip reversed as Low ki hits a rolling kick to once again regain the advantage. Low Ki follows up with a mafia kick, and the crowd gives Low Ki a round of applause for a great performance so far. Low Ki has Styles on the ring apron and gets a dragon sleeper between the ropes Tajiri style.

Low Ki goes for his finisher the Ki Krusher which is pretty much a muscle buster but AJ reverses into a great ddt. After fighting over submissions, AJ comes back and does a asai moonsault to a get behind Low Ki and hit a reverse ddt. The amount of athletic ability, precision, and timing need for that move is amazing. AJ then goes for a hurricanrana which Low Ki reverses into a powerbomb, and uses his great flexibility and momentum to roll into a bridge. That gets a near two fall as the crowd is really into this contest.

Low Ki goes for the kill holds AJ by the head as he repeatedly kicks him in the nose, forehead and back. Low Ki only gets a two count after kicking him nearly 20 times. I thought that would be a good finisher ala Bryan Danielson's MMA elbows.

AJ comes back with a clothesline and both men are down. AJ the hits a German suplex, rolls it into a move that I describe as a atomic drop to the stomach and face, then rolls hm up for a pin. That's a impressive and fluid combo right there. Low Ki then comes back and gets Styles in the corner for his cartwheel to a roundhouse kick spot.

Low Ki then sets up styles for his 450 splash, but Styles puts is knees up. Styles then his another phenomenal move as his has Ki up for the razor's edge, and turns it into a side piledriver. That move was very dangerous as the standard piledriver has the guys legs to catch the guy, but Styles had to use his arms to protect Low Ki on this one. Styles gets a nearfall for that move as once again the match should be over.

Styles then misses a twisting 450 senton and both men are exchanging blows on their knees until Low Ki hits another hard kick to the back of the head. Low Ki then goes for his Ki Krusher which Styles reverses to a Styles Clash, which Low Ki reverses for a rollup and finally a three count.

Winner by pinfall in18:14 : Low Ki ****

Afterwards Styles shakes Low Ki's hand and motions that he wants a rematch.

Overall a great match with good wrestling, great innovative moves and spots, and awesome technique. I do have issue with the lack of selling by both guys. They were great at selling the moves, but did a poor job of selling the consequences of the moves as the match progressed. AJ Styles took tons of hard kicks to the head by Low Ki, but he seemed to recover from all of them within minutes.

Otherwise I thought the match was fantastic. Even though AJ Styles is a bigger star now, Low Ki was much more established back then, hence he was the right guy to win the match.

Bob Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter 05/23/83

Where: New York, NY

Competitors
Bob Backlund: Great technician, WWF Champion, Babyface
Sgt. Slaughter: Heel, Brawler, Dresses in Military Fatigues

Back story: Bob Backlund has been the WWF Champion for several years, and this feud was set up when Slaughter attacked Backlund with his riding whip. The WWF formula back then (there's always a formula) is that the heel attacks the baby face champion. They fight all over their territory for the title, and the blow off match is at Madison Square Garden.

In Ring Analysis:


Backlund shows the crowd the whip marks on his body to gain sympathy. Slaughter is attacked as he makes his ring intro, and Backlund is all offense as revenge matches usually are for the babyface in the beginning.

The crowd is into the match, and Slaughter's style of selling is all about the theatrics. It's very cartoonish and unrealistic, but that's wrestling in some territories. After Backlund rams Slaughter's head into the ring posts, Slaughter begs off and creates distance between them. He flees to the outside of the ring to stall and kill Backlund's momentum.

Slaughter comes back and takes some more light punches from Backlund. The camera shows that he wasn't making contact on some of them. The WWF stars worked very light back then which I'm sure some guys appreciated. Slaughter bails out of the ring again and stalls for time. These kind of tactics really stretch the match time out, and sometimes builds heat from the crowd.

Slaughter back in and Backlund does more brawling. I like that since this is a grudge feud, that Backlund isn't using mat wrestling or complex moves to deal out punishment. Backlund gets Slaughter to the ground and grinds his boot into his ear which looks really painful.

Backlund hits a series of clotheslines until Slaughter reverses and hit a soft clothesline to gain his first advantage of the match. Slaughter goes for a stun gun, and Backlund pulls up way before his neck would have hit the rope. The announcer, Gorilla Monsoon, sells it as Backlund partially blocked it, but you can tell it didn't connect at all. The WWF/E resolved these kind of problems in the future by quickly cutting away the second impact is supposed to hit. It's quite a brilliant move as the average person never notices that they never actually see impact get made by the move.

Slaughter is in control with some methodical heelish offense. He uses simple kicks and punches, then uses a dreaded rake of the eyes against the ring rope. I always hated moves that like, and Ted Dibiase's fist drop because they were never blocked, hence I felt the babyface was in a hopeless position when he was getting beaten with these maneuvers.

Slaughter loses advantage momentarily when he punches Backlund and he bounces off the turnbuckle to punch him back. Backlund then hits a neckbreaker, but runs into a Slaughter knee in the turnbuckle. Backlund and Slaughter then block vertical suplex attempts against each other until Backlund finally wins and hits it.

Backlund then hits a weak piledriver which Monsoon sells that Slaughter partially blocked. That line I kind of believed because a piledriver used to be a finishing move, but Slaughter is still moving around a little. Backlund gets a near 2 count after struggling to make a cover.

Both men as struggling back to their feet as Slaughter and Backlund botch an Irish whip, but Backlund keeps going as Sarge hits an impressive dropkick. I was a little surprised Slaughter had that one in him. Slaughter hits some shoulders to the stomach of Backlund in the corner. He then whips into the other corner and goes for a huge running shoulder, but Backlund dodges and Slaughter runs into the ringpost.

You can tell Backlund senses victory as he goes to work on the arm to set up his finisher, the crossface chickenwing. Backlund locks it on, but Slaughter grabs the rope. While Slaughter is holding the ropes, his manager, the Grand Wizard, hand Slaughter his riding whip and Slaughter whips Backlund in the head for the DQ finish.


Winner by DQ in 15:52: Bob Backlund **1/4

Slaughter then pushes the referee outside the ring and charges Backlund who backdrops him and grabs the whip. The crowd goes crazy as Backlund picks it up and whips Slaughter until he runs outside the ring.

This match had decent flow for its time, but the camera work was poor as wrestling was a little more accepting of this back then. It's kind of odd that they would claim it was real when some of the moves they were using obviously weren't making contact. Nevertheless, I liked Backlund's style, and thought that while unmemorable it was a good effort by both men.

The Rock/Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton/Batista/Ric Flair 03.14.04

Where: New York, NY

Backstory:
Randy Orton was being groomed to be a top player in the WWE and had adopted the legend killer gimmick. Every time there was a wrestling legend around Randy Orton, he would fall victim to Randy Orton's RKO. When Orton met Mick Foley in Madison Square Garden in 2003, Randy spit on Foley and threw him down a flight of stairs. Foley then later came back for a match against Orton, but in a rare babyface move, showed fear and chickened out. After Evolution jumped Foley and beat on him 3 on 1, Foley enlisted his former tag partner to Rock to help him battle Evolution at Wrestlemania XX.

In Ring Analysis:

The crowd is ready for this match as not only is the star power amazing, but the feud has been going on for almost nine months.

Evolution enters first, and you have to admit that Triple H trained them well (except Ric Flair) because they all act like their huge stars. They walk with confidence, and that means a lot when it comes to being a huge star in this industry.

Foley enters next to a good response, and then waits outside the ring for The Rock to make his entrance. They give a quick pep talk outside, then they charge the ring to begin the match. The Rock and Sock Connection get the better of Evolution and clear the ring.

There's a little bit of awkwardness in the beginning with 5 guys in the ring, and the Rock having not wrestled since April of 2003, but it's quickly cleared up. Rock and Flair start off the match proper.

Rock hits a shoulderblock on Flair and does a subtle Nature Boy strut that the crowd notices. The Rock his some more offense as you can tell the crowd is liking Flair a little more than The Rock right now. This can be expected as wrestling fans view Flair as one of their own as he's on the road every day, and the Rock is entering retirement at a very early age. This is evident as Flair hits his signature eye poke on The Rock and the crowd loves it. Rock comes back with a back body drop outside the ring, and Foley hits an elbow drop from the apron to the floor. Smart teamwork by these two as they have worked together a ton.

Orton tags in and The Rock tags in Foley. I was surprised as they usually let the big showdown build for a little bit with the heel chickening out whenever he can. Orton tries to run away and sucker punch Foley, but Mick is too smart and strikes first. Foley gets the advantage and puts Orton in the tree of woe, then hits him with a diving forearm. The Rock follows with a groin shot.

Orton finally gets relief when Batista pulls down the top rope after The Rock gets Irish whipped. Batista tags in and uses his limited offense to pummel Rocky. He tags in Flair after 30 seconds who continues the assault. For the uninitiated with wrestling booking, big guys like Batista can be top draws in our wrestling society as long as they can mask their shortcomings in the ring. Batista looks like a badass but it's a decent wrestler at this point. They put him in tag matches like this so the more talented and experienced guys can do the bulk work, while he goes in for short bursts. This lets him get some seasoning, makes him look tough, and keeps him from being exposed as a poor wrestler.

Flair is having a good time hitting chops and soaking in the acknowledgement from the crowd. Flair goes a little overboard and Rock hits him with a big clothesline to boos. Flair then goes up top for a double axe handle which the Rock counters to a bodyslam. Flair is considered an all-time great, and you can see how he adjusted his character from serious top wrestler to older somewhat crazy comical figure.

Batista comes in to hit some shoulder blocks in the corner, but Rock comes back with a clothesline and a tag to Foley. Foley is a much bigger star so he takes a bulk of the offense, but they are protecting Batista properly so he gets to break up the offense with quick responses so he doesn't look weak. Batista dumps Foley outside, and Flair and Orton work him over.

Foley is now playing the sympathetic face now, and Foley dos a great job of it as he's a great bumper. All of Evolution take turns working him over until Foley and Batista hit a double clothesline on each other. Flair tags in, but Foley is able to fight him off and tag The Rock.

The Rock hits all his big moves on all three guys including his flying forearm and the ddt. Batista gains the advantage on The Rock and hits a spinebuster, and here comes the spot of the match. The crazy Ric Flair then begs Batista to let him have at the prone Rock so he can hit his own People's Elbow. The crowd loves it and cheers his attempt. Flair takes too long as the Rock nips up and spinebusters Flair down to a chorus of boos. The crowd finally acknowledges the Rock as the great performer that he is by cheering his People's Elbow with a majority of cheers.

The WWE is the top company in the game because when it comes to signature spots like that, they KNOW how to film it. Credit goes to Kevin Dunn as he makes sure to pan to a wide shot of the crowd to show the reaction the move gets.

After getting only a 2 count, Randy Orton tags in, but The Rock hits a Rock Bottom. Flair pulls the Rock out, and the match is starting to break down. Batista clotheslines the Rock and hits the Batista Bomb. Orton crawls over very slowly and gets a nearfall. Rock staggers over and tags in Foley who tears into Orton. He eventually gives him a double armed DDT and goes into his pants for Mr. Socko. Out of nowhere, Orton hits Foley with an RKO for the surprise pinfall.

Winners by pinfall in 17:00: Randy Orton/Batista/Ric Flair ****


Oton leaves in shock of himself as he didn't think he could do it. Afterwards The Rock who is clearly disappointed in the loss (or realizing that he might be done wrestling) gets the crowd to give Foley a round fo applause for a great effort after being out of the ring for 4 years.

Foley is quoted as saying that he petitioned for Flair to be involved in the match because he didn't want Orton to freeze up in his first marquee match. We never know if he would have, but having Ric Flair in the match was a great idea as the MSG crowd loved the man that they rarely got to see live.

Looking back, this match is all star power. Everyone one in this match either had, has, or went on to have major main event runs in the wrestling industry. Foley, The Rock, and Flair being in a ring with Batista and Randy Orton was some great on the job training.

Historically the match is also great as it turned out to be The Rock's retirement match, Ric Flair got a great Wrestlemania moment and Randy Orton got put over as a star in a major way. Kind of surprising that after all of that, it's Batista who is main eventing Wrestlemania 21. The wrestling business sure is funny like that.

Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine 11/24/83

Where: Greensboro, NC
Back Story:

This is the first match I have done that took place a little more before my time as a fan, and definitely before I had any opportunity to spend my money on wrestling. Here's what I've learned:

This took place at the first Starrcade on Thanksgiving Night in 1983. Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine engaged in a brutal dog collar match. Valentine injured Piper's ear in a previous encounter, and this is Piper's revenge match. The two competitors both have dog collars around their necks and those collars are connected by a steel chain
In Ring Analysis:

Piper is the face, and Valentine is the heel here. Gordon Solie is on commentary for this match, and you can really see why Jim Ross respects him so much. He gets across his point without having to go into hysterics. It actually feels like you have a respected sportscaster out there, and his words feel honest, rather than premeditated. He just does such a great job of explaining Piper's plight, and also gets across that Piper is the babyface, and that Greg Valentine is evil.

The bell rings and rather than go straight at each other, they both pull at each other by the necks as a show of will and strength. This is wrestling booking 101. Everyone knows the chain will get involved, and everyone knows it will be a brawl, but they are building it first with the tug of war.

Piper then slowly and methodically grabs the chain with his hands and starts to pull Valentine with him. Valentine grabs the chain to slow him down. You can see both men hold the chain with one hand while getting a nice grip on another part of the chain to whip his opponent. Piper scores with the first hit, and Valentine sells it with a great mixture of not just pain, but shock.

A man in Valentine's shoes knows the chain will come into play, but it's like the first dip in a freezing pool. It shakes you up just as much as it hurts. Back to the tug of war and both men are figuring out their strategy for their next attack. Back to pulling with the arms, and grabbing piece of chain for whipping. Valentine attacks first, and misses a haymaker to the head three times. Piper recovers and it's back to the tug of war.

Valentine jerks his neck back to throw Piper off balance. Both men voluntary come to the center of the ring and they start throwing punches at each other. After some good strikes by both men, they resort to the tug of war. As they pull the chain towards each other, Piper maneuvers and whips Valentine in the hamstring with the chain, and then punches him in the head with a chain wrapped fist. Piper punches Valentine in the corner, then pulls him towards him with the chain and hits him with a big right.

Valentine comes back and gets Piper in the corner. He then hits some punches with the chain as well. Valentine start hitting Piper in the ear with the chain and takes him down. He only holds the advantage for a minute as Piper comes back and wraps the chain around Valentine's mouth from behind which gets a good crowd response.

Piper hits some more punches with the chain, then wraps the chain around the ringpost to trap Valentine. There are some really innovative spots for this time period. Valentine comes up bleeding, and the both go down with Valentine choking Piper with his hands.

They battle outside, and you can see fro me the poor lighting that this isn't the WWE. Great match, great atmosphere, crappy production. Valentine comes back and take Piper down with a chain whip to Piper's bad ear. Valentine then starts pummeling the ear with a series of punches. He rams his ear into the ringpost outside, and the tide of the match has turned severely in Valentine's favor.

Piper uses good selling, but the scene is really sold well by Solie who asks, not as an announcer, but as a concerned parent, " I wonder now if he's able to hear out of that side (ear) at all...if he's able to hear anything? His balance is gone." Just great stuff that helps set the consequences for what's happening to Piper. Piper keeps trying to fight up but since his equilibrium is off, he keeps staggering and falling. The announcers suggest ending the match as Piper is pounded on.

Piper tries to come back, but Valentine holds the edge. Valentine builds up for Piper's big comeback by using very methodical and basic offense, which is the backbone for a proper heel. Valentine motions that he's going to hit a running elbow drop while Piper is down, but Piper grabs the chain as Valentine runs to the ropes and yanks him down by the neck.

That was Piper's big comeback transition as Piper gets his strength back and tackles Valentine with a barrage of brawling offense that was 15 years before Stone Cold Steve Austin. While Piper is getting fired up he feels his ear and sees all the blood that Valentine's caused. He then hits a series of shots to the head and body with the chain that floors Valentine. Piper continues to hit him while he's down. Piper keeps grabbing his ear which only makes the crowd more bloodthirsty for Piper to get his revenge. Valentine tries to fight back and puts all of his focus on that ear, but Piper no sells it as he has too much adrenaline and punches him back.

Valentine later gets a sleeper on Piper, but he reverses by using another punch with the chain. Valentine recovers first and goes to the second rope, and hits an elbow to Piper's head. He goes up again, but is yanked off by Piper. He really pours it on as he hits him repeatedly with the chain and pins him in an anticlimactic finish

Winner by Pinfall: Rodd Piper in 16:11 ****1/4

After the match Valentine gets his heat back by beating on Piper and hanging him over the top rope with the chain.

Great match by both men. They really let it all hang out. The Mid-Atlantic territory was a great place to see good action, and this match proves it. It's too bad Vince McMahon wasn't Jim Crockett's son because I would have loved to have seen him promote this instead of his cartoonish wrestling up north. Great bloody brawl overall.

Did you know my mother always hated Ron Harper when he was on the Bulls in the 90's? You know why? He looked too much like Michael Jordan and it was hard to tell them apart. Vince McMahon would never have never let these two wear the same color tights for a match like this as a less educated fan may get them mixed up. All pettiness aside, this was a war. It was a true grudge match as there was no complex wrestling involved, but there were two men that hated each other, and wanted to cause severe pain to one another.

Piper was a great worker, and I think I would respect him more if he didn't brag about it every chance he got. Nevertheless, he never got the credit he deserved as a great worker and draw of his era, but then again, besides Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and Vince McMahon, I think you can say that about half the top guys of any era.