Chairshot Classics

Chairshot Classics: WCW Spring Stampede 1994 – Let The Stampede Begin!

Published

4 years ago

November 28, 2018

Backstage: Jesse Ventura is standing by with Nick Bockwinkel and The Boss. He reminds him that he’s supposed to represent a lot of good people, so the Commissioner strips him of his nightstick, handcuffs and even the name ‘The Boss’ due to his actions tonight.

Match #8 for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. WCW World Heavyweight Champion ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair
Nick Patrick explains the rules and there’s the bell. Drop toe hold by Flair, Steamboat escapes into a hammerlock but they both roll off. Collar and elbow, Flair with a side headlock and an arm drag takedown. They struggle for position and it must be broken on the ropes. Collar and elbow and a side headlock takedown by Flair. Steamboat counters with a head scissor and Flair escapes. Collar and elbow and they hit the ropes, shoulder block by Steamboat and Flair regroups. Another tie up, waistlock by Flair, Steamboat jockeys for better position and drops him with a toe hold. In the corner, Steamboat lays in a slap across the face, clearly meaning business.

Collar and elbow, to the ropes, Steamboat leapfrogs twice and lifts Flair with a military press, following it with a series of flying head scissor takeovers. Standing dropkicks from Steamboat and Flair is dumped to the outside. The Dragon rolls him back in and comes off the top rope with a chop, Flair kicks out at two. The champ rolls out to the floor to regroup. Flair returns to the ring, he attempts to haul Steamboat down by the hair over and over again, each time Ricky kicking back to his feet. Flair with a big chop in the corner, Steamboat fires back and they exchange shots. The ref tells both men to watch it. They measure and lock up, side takeover by Steamboat.

Flair is up, Ricky hangs on and runs to the corner for more leverage with another takeover. Steamboat hangs onto the side headlock, to the ropes they go, The Dragon with a shoulder block and returns to the headlock. He cranks it on hard, another shoulder tackle and Flair kicks out. Right back to the side headlock for Steamboat. Flair works to his feet, in the corner and Flair throws in a chop. Irish whip, Steamboat leapfrogs and delivers a hiptoss. He follows it with a head scissor and a side takedown for two. Steamboat grinds Flair’s head and hits the ropes. Shoulder blocks by Steamboat. He moves in for another, Flair tries tossing him over the top rope but The Dragon hangs on. Flair poses for the crowd, but Steamboat shocks him with a schoolboy, the champ kicks out.

Side takedown and Flair still won’t give three. Headlock by Steamboat, Flair grabs the tights to roll him over but Ricky stays in control. Up to their feet, Flair tries an atomic drop but it’s blocked. He throws a knee to the midsection to break the lock and chops away. Drop toehold by Steamboat and he moves into a front facelock. Back to vertical and into the corner, Flair drives the shoulder into the midsection. Steamboat reverses the Irish whip and backdrops Flair, but The Nature Boy moves away from a dropkick. A chop in the corner and a short right from Flair. He moves to another corner to do the same thing.

Snapmare takeover and a knee across the forehead by the champion. Another snapmare and knee combo, he hooks the leg and The Dragon kicks out multiple times. To the ropes and a back elbow by Flair but he still can’t get Steamboat to lay down. They exchange chops and Steamboat gets the upper hand. For the ride, Flair ducks a clothesline, he comes back with a flying crossbody but both men go flying over the top rope and out to the floor. The count is on and Flair breaks it. He stays outside, sets up for a piledriver but Steamboat reverses with a back drop. Steamboat tries a running splash, Flair moves and The Dragon gets hung up on the steel railing. The champ rolls Ricky into the ring and heads for the top rope.

The Dragon cuts him off and hits him with a superplex. He tries a cover but Flair kicks out. Irish whip to the corner, Flair flips over the turnbuckle and out to the apron, Steamboat chops him down to the floor. Up to the top rope and it’s Steamboat with an ax handle down to the floor. Flair rolls back into the ring and begs for mercy. Steamboat climbs to the 2nd turnbuckle and lays in some rights as the crowd counts along. Chops from The Dragon and Flair falls face first. Steamboat tries a cover but Flair has his foot on the rope. Steamboat goes to pick Flair up, The Nature Boy dumps him through the middle rope but The Dragon is up to the apron quickly.

He lays in a shoulder to Flair and jumps in with a sunset flip. Flair cuts it off with a right. He measures Steamboat and drops a knee but Steamboat catches his leg, he stands up and locks in The Figure Four on the master of the move. Nick Patrick counts when Flair’s shoulders hit the mat but he doesn’t give. Steamboat cranks the hold and pulls him to the middle of the ring. Finally Flair goes to the eyes to break the hold and Ricky bails to the floor to regroup. From the apron, Flair tries a vertical suplex but can’t hold him, Steamboat lands on top and tries a pin. Some chain wrestling and Steamboat is trying a backslide.

He drops to his knees but Flair kicks out at two. Ricky tries a small package but still can’t get him. Flair begs from his knees and baits him into the corner. A kick to the midsection and a few chops from The Nature Boy. Steamboat fires back with backhand chops and sends Flair for the ride. He chops again and Flair tumbles onto the entrance ramp. From the ramp, Steamboat tries a suplex, Flair blocks it and tries one of his own, Steamboat lands on his feet and chops Flair back into the ring. Steamboat Irish whips him over the top rope and to the floor again and immediately gives chase. He tries a big chop but Flair catches him with a boot. Flair returns to the ring and Steamboat buys some time, staggering around the ring.

Up to the apron and they exchange strikes. Steamboat chops Flair’s down and heads for the top, he lands a crossbody and Flair kicks out at about 2 and 3 quarters. Snapmare by Flair and he climbs to the top, Steamboat cuts him off and gorilla presses him to the mat. Steamboat’s turn to head back to the top, he tries a splash and Flair moves. The champ tries locking in the Figure Four but Steamboat blocks it with him hand. It’s finally too much and Flair has it on. Steamboat pulls his way to the ropes and he has them. Both men return to their feet and Flair quickly takes Ricky out at the kneecap. Snapmare by Flair and he wants the hold again, Steamboat reverses with a small package but he can only get two. Steamboat works into a backslide but Flair kicks out again.

Chops and rights from the challenger and he seats Flair on the top rope. He sets up for a superplex and lands it, but he’s hit his head as well. The 10 count is on, Steamboat covers when Patrick gets to 8 and Flair gets his shoulder up. To the ropes they go, Steamboat with a waistlock and a victory roll but they knock Nick Patrick to the floor along the way. He’s slow to get back allowing Flair to kick out. Flair ducks a backhand, tries lifting Steamboat for an atomic drop, he rolls off Flair’s back, hooks the arms and locks in the double chicken wing submission. He falls back and puts Flair’s shoulders on the mat, Nick Patrick counts to three and it appears we have a new champion.

Referee Randy Anderson & WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel come down to the ring to confer. Patrick explains that both men’s shoulders were down and neither had clear control, so he counted to three on both of them. Bockwinkel will take the decision to the WCW Board to determine the champion, but for now, Flair leaves with the title.
Winner: Draw (Double Pin)

EA’s Take: Steamboat was the consummate babyface for a lot of his career. I get that it’s a babyface vs. babyface situation in this match and that the fans have been extremely vocal for Flair since his return, but I didn’t like hearing a smattering (maybe 20%) of boos in Steamboat’s direction. The only thing he did to warrant that was not being Ric Flair. This was a “Both These Guys!” situation. They’re gearing up for Hogan vs. Flair, so it was pretty obvious that Steamboat wasn’t taking the title, but the finish is good in that it makes you interested to tune into the next cable show.

EA’s Finisher: This was WCW’s first Spring Stampede, but it didn’t make a return as an annual staple until 1997. I wouldn’t call this show a “Classic” by any means, but I don’t have too many complaints. One of the few is how they teased Hogan. Look, in wrestling you definitely need to lead the fans on a little bit, I get that. Vignettes are a perfect example of dangling a concept out there for something that doesn’t actually occur for a while. But, they sold the idea that Hulk Hogan may make his WCW debut to confront Ric Flair during the main event pretty hard. If it doesn’t happen this time, then fans are eager to see what happens next time, but there was literally no payoff even in terms of closing remarks after talking about it throughout the night. None. Oh well.

Top Three To Watch
1 – Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat
2 – Lord Steven Regal vs. Brian Pillman
3 – Rick Rude vs. Sting

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Classic SummerSlam

Attitude Of Aggression #277- The Big Four Project Chapter 4: Summer Slam ’88 & Survivor Series ’88

Published

3 weeks ago

March 2, 2023

David Ungar

Attitude Of Aggression #277- The Big Four Project Chapter 4: Summer Slam ’88 & Survivor Series ’88

The Attitude Of Aggression returns for Chapter 4 of The Big Four Project, a chronological analysis, review, and discussion about WWE’s Big Four PPVs/ Premium Live Events. On this Episode, Dave is again joined by the one and only PC Tunney to discuss two more huge events in pro wrestling history, the inaugural Summer Slam and Survivor Series’88. However, the guys are also joined by the debuting DJ of The Mindless Wrestling Podcast to join in the festivities. Summer Slam ’88 was a key event in the story of the rise, and eventual fall, of The Mega Powers. But it also saw a different kind of explosion as The Ultimate Warrior burst upon the scene like few had before him with an iconic dethroning of The Honky Tonk Man. The fellas look at how the events of that night in MSG nearly 35 years ago redefined an industry. From there, Dave & DJ recap the second Survivor Series. While not as unique or good as the first Survivor Series, there were still many key moments that took place that night. The Mega Powers would be the sole survivors of their match that night,,,,but they would not survive as a united force for much longer. What changed that night in Richfield, Ohio so long ago? We have the whole story for you here on Chapter 4 of The Big Four Project!

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Chairshot Classics

Chairshot Classics: What I Watched #16 – ECW Guilty As Charged 1999

Breaking up the 2018 time travel with a much deeper dive! Harry goes back to some prime ECW with Guilty As Charged 1999!

Published

7 months ago

September 2, 2022

Harry Broadhurst

Greetings, salutations and welcome back. Harry here once again with another edition of ‘What I Watched’. As the calendar year turns to 1999 on my watch-through of all things ‘big three’ wrestling, I covered Starrcade 1998 in an earlier edition of WIW. I figured since this is probably the last year where all three major companies are relevant (at least at the start), it could be fun to compare and contrast how I feel about the respective PPVs when compared to some of the independent wrestling I’ve been covering recently. Or even going back to the PROGRESS or Impact Wrestling shows that I’ve covered before. I am fully aware there are going to be some bad shows in 1999. But there is also a lot to talk about in a drastically changing industry. Let’s do this, shall we?

ECW is in flux as talent losses haven’t yet gotten to what they would become but names like Sandman, Mikey Whipwreck, Bam Bam Bigelow and others are no longer with the company. To make matters worse, the ECW-FMW relationship is falling apart now as well as a Chris Candido and Sunny (sorry, Tammy Lynn Sytch) no-show of a scheduled FMW appearance. Paul Heyman himself is the first person we see telling us the card is going to change…how much does it change? The WayBack Machine takes us to January 10th, 1999 in Kissimmee, FL as it’s time for ECW to be Guilty as Charged!

What I Watched #16

ECW Guilty as Charged 1999

1/10/1999

Millenium Theatre in Kissimmee, FL

Runtime: 2:40:30 (Peacock)

Commentary By: Joey Styles (PBP)

THE RESULTS

Match 1: Axl Rotten/Ballz Mahoney win 3 team tag elimination match, eliminating Little Guido/Tracy Smothers @ 10:44 (Danny Doring/Roadkill eliminated @ 8:15)
Match 2: Yoshihiro Tajiri pins Super Crazy, dragon suplex @ 11:37
Match 3: Psycho Sid Vicious pins John Kronus, powerbomb @ 1:31
Match 4: Bubba Ray and D’Von Dudley def. New Jack/Spike Dudley, both Dudleyz pin Spike @ 10:05
Match 5: ECW TV Title- Rob Van Dam pins Lance Storm, bridged German suplex @ 17:46
Match 6: Justin Credible pins Tommy Dreamer, That’s Incredible on ladder @ 18:44
Match 7: ECW Heavyweight Title- Taz defeats Shane Douglas © by KO, Tazmission @ 22:15

THE BREAKDOWN

Three Team Tag Elimination Match
Started as a straight up 2 vs. 2, but within the first two minutes, Ballz and Axl (Axl making his return to the company after the passing of his grandmother) join the frey and it becomes your traditional ECW three team brawl. Nothing really stands out here but the overall work is good enough for what the match is supposed to be. The elimination of Doring and Roadkill is well done, as a FBI double-team fishermanbuster looks really cool and gets a decisive win for what was to be the original match. They do give the win to Axl and Ballz here, which I get given the fact they are a popular act, but I personally think that Guido and Tracy were a better team during the time frame. (**½)

Super Crazy vs. Tajiri

Yes, it’s the feud that never ends. But this is where it begins. Both men were relative newcomers to the American wrestling scene with both having had limited exposure on WWF TV (both were in the Light Heavyweight title tournament). This is a good match but not a great match and honestly, I think timing is the issue here. Eleven minutes may seem like a lot but knowing what these two would be capable of down the road once there is more of a fan and time investment into their matches, it ends up being a good starting point but probably not the blow away match that ECW was expecting to deliver here. (***)

John Kronus vs. Mystery Opponent

So, ECW fans are notorious for their belief that the “big oaf” style of the WWF and WCW wouldn’t work in ECW. Obviously, they are wrong. Guys like Big Dick Dudley and 911 became massive fan favorites due to their look, not anything they could do in a wrestling ring. You can add another name to that list, as Psycho Sid makes his ECW debut here (following an introduction by the ‘Judge’ Jeff Jones) and absolutely kicks Kronus’ ass in less than two minutes. Sid was never anything special in the ring but he is one of the more charismatic big men in wrestling history so the cult-like following is easy to understand. Too short to rate, but fun for what it was. (X)

Dudleyz vs. New Jack/Spike Dudley

Sixteen year old Harry getting into ECW was a huge Joel Gertner fan. Thirty seven year old Harry going back and watching these shows is an even bigger fan of Joel Gertner. Granted, his shtick is incredibly juvenile but sometimes, you just want to laugh…

The match is your standard ECW garbage brawl. Most New Jack matches definitely have a similarity to them that does not hold up well for re-watching. I will openly admit to being a Spike Dudley mark and he does well taking an ass whooping from Bubba Ray. The Dudleyz definitely have their moments in ECW (the best is still to come in my opinion) but this isn’t one of their best performances. I will give props to New Jack for taking 3D on the ramp, even if it doesn’t come across the cleanest. About what you’d expect, but nothing more. (**)

Rob Van Dam vs. Masato Tanaka was the originally scheduled match and I think it could have been fun. However, Tanaka apparently has visa issues which prevent him from being able to get into the US for the show and thus ECW has to pivot quickly. I do have to give credit to Lance Storm for his pre-match promo here. For someone who is not known as one of the better talkers in wrestling history, he does a really good job explaining the situation with the 3 way that was supposed to happen (Storm vs. Spike vs. Jerry Lynn (cracked pelvis)) and then calling out Rob Van Dam since his opponent wasn’t there either. Storm has a really good closing line for the promo too: “I’m not the ‘Whole F’n Show’, but I am the best damn part of it’. That is one of the lines that sticks with you and you remember it.

The match itself is very good but not great. It is better than anything else on the show, so perhaps I’m rating it on a slight curve for that. Van Dam’s selling is sporadic but to be fair, Van Dam’s selling is always sporadic. The biggest thing for me is that despite that, they still keep an impressive pace and the match is by and large clean. There is a super weak chair shot by Storm (which the crowd gives him a good ration of shit over), but they do manage to turn that crowd around for the finishing sequence. A little surprised by the choice of finish, but I imagine that has something to do with telling the idea that Storm got caught and wasn’t soundly defeated like most of Van Dam’s prior opponents had been. (***½)

Stairway to Hell- Justin Credible vs. Tommy Dreamer

The problem for Credible in ECW is that Paul wanted you to believe that Justin was this huge deal but truthfully, the booking never actually treated him as such. Yeah, he won…A LOT…but more often than not, it was almost treated as an afterthought. He very rarely won the big matches on his own and while I get that as a heel, you want to give him that sense of dickishness, as a wrestling fan eventually you have to make it look like the dude could stand up on his own. Dreamer has long been a favorite of mine, even if he has overstayed his welcome in the ring on occasion. You know going in that win or lose, Tommy will bust his ass to give you as good a match as he is capable of.

As for this match, it never reaches that next level that you expect a gimmicked semi main event of a PPV to reach. It’s not actively bad or anything (in fact, probably up there for Credible’s best match in ECW to date) but with the stipulation and the gaga around it, it feels like there was so much more it could have been. The finish comes off really flat as well as it renders the whole point of the stipulation useless and only serves to put more heat on Credible by way of Funk. (**½)

So, I’ll be a little nicer to this match then some other reviewers I’ve seen for a couple reasons. It completely accomplishes the goal that Heyman set out for it. Taz comes out of the match looking like a world beater. Douglas comes out of the match as the face of the company who “went out on his shield” as the old phrase goes. Sabu looks like a lunatic and a viable threat to take the title at any time he damn well pleases. Candido comes off as a huge dick and sticks the final knife in Douglas’ back for the end scene. So the story telling is magnificent.

The match itself? At least a good five to seven minutes too long for that story. I get wanting that epic storytelling to fold out but when you guys are down and low on ideas, it might not be the worst idea to take it home. The other issue is that by trying to serve so many masters, Heyman causes the main event to end up being epically overbooked. Granted, that is an ECW trademark but for what was to be the crowning moment for Taz, I don’t think the 73rd Airborne needed to be a part of it. Sabu could have just as easily returned post match to set up a run with Taz. Or Candido could have turned on Douglas post match to give him a direction going forward since Taz would be occupied with Sabu. I’m not saying it completely takes away the moment but it does make it mean less than it could or should have in the overall scheme of things. (**)

THE FINAL REACTION

Best Match/Moment: Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm, although I do think their match at the first ECW PPV ‘Barely Legal’ (which I imagine I’ll eventually do) is better
Worst Match/Moment: The main event. What could have been an awesome moment for the ‘Human Suplex Machine’ and the biggest ass kicker in the company is ruined with a boring crowd brawl (to the home viewer) and a couple of run-ins that either end up actively taking away from it.
Overall Show Score: 5.5/10
MVP: Joey Styles is the best thing about this show with his one man performance. There is a reason he was such a major influence on what I did as an announcer.

THE SIGNOFF

It’s not a bad show. It’s just not a particulary good one either. And while ECW would put out worse, it only barely outdoes Starrcade 98 to avoid the worst show of the return thus far.

So, where do we go from here? January of 1999 had no chill. The very next Sunday would see the first WCW outing of 1999, called Souled Out. The Sunday after that would be the 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble. I’m going to hit both of those but as a fair warning, I’ll probably try to mix an Independent show from 2018 in the middle of them. Hope to see you guys at Souled Out. And feel free to check out my archives by clicking on my name at the top of this review. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!