Chairshot Classics: WCW WrestleWar ’91

Match #3: Itsuki Yamazaki & Mami Kitamura vs. Miki Handa & Miss A
They start with all four women. Kitamura and Yamazaki reverse Irish whips into drop kicks. Kitamura works on Miss A’s arm and tags in her partner. Yamazaki to the top rope and lands a flying arm drag. She walks along the top of the rope and lands a sunset flip. She brings Miss A back to the corner and tags in her partner. Knees to the midsection by Hitamura and she sends Miss A. She tries an elbow and rights, but can’t effect her opponent. Miss A delivers some brutal kicks and tags in her partner. Kitamura reverses a whip to the ropes with an arm drag. Side headlock and a shoulder block.

They run the ropes and Kitamura is caught with a back body drop. Kitamura is lifted for a scoop slam and a near fall. Miss A with a standing vertical suplex and get a two count. Submission work on the mat. Miss A gets up and works her opponent’s knee with her own. Irish whip to the corner, Kitamura climbs the turnbuckle and comes back with an elbow. Tag is made to Yamazaki who whips A to the ropes and lands a cross body following it with a drop kick. She hooks Miss A’s arms and takes her over with a suplex. Another two count. Kitamura is tagged back in and hits Miss A with a belly to back suplex. Miki Handa breaks up the count.

Handa is tagged in, she hits Kitamura with a big forearm, goes to pick her opponent up but is caught in an inside cradle and a two count. Handa hits a vertical suplex and another two count. Reverse Irish whip to the corner and Kitamura hits Handa with a drop kick. Running bulldog by Kitamura and she tags in her partner. Rolling headbutt by Yamazaki. A gut wrench suplex and she kicks out. Handa powers to her corner and tags in Miss A who hits Yamazaki with a flurry of hard kicks to the face. A final kick to the face lays her opponent out. She pulls Yamazaki up and starts a test of strength. Yamazaki leaps over A’s shoulders and pulls her down with a sunset flip for two. Miss A  reverses her weight and sits on Yamazaki’s chest for a two count also.

A belly to back suplex with a bridge forces Kitamura to break up the pin. Another belly to back suplex and Yamazaki kicks out. Handa is tagged in, another bridging suplex for two. Yamazaki escapes to her corner and tags in Kitamura. She drives Handa all the way back to her corner, and a blind tag is made to Miss A. They send her for a double shoulder block followed by a double team vertical suplex. Kitamura sits up and is close enough to tag Yamazaki. She heads right for the top rope and lands a double dropkick. Miss A reverses the Irish whip, Yamazaki leaps over her for a sunset flip but can’t quite pull A down, Kitamura runs to the top rope and helps her opponent by hitting a flying clothesline on Miss A. Kickout at two. Irish whip to the corner and Miss A gets her boot up and clotheslines Yamazaki. She gets her foot on the rope to break the pin. Yamazaki is sent to the ropes, but catches Miss A with a Victory Roll pin to pick up the victory.
Winners: Itsuki Yamazaki & Mami Kitamura (Yamazaki/Victory Roll)

• EA’s Take: It’s pretty hard to call the match when you don’t know any of the competitors and they have foreign names! What an alphabet soup that can be. I counted several times Good Ol’ JR said the wrong name. That being said, fast-paced bout here. Women’s wrestling wasn’t always technically impressive back in the day, but these four certainly did more than pull hair. The spots were a bit contrived, but for the era it was good. We’re obviously still many years away from really good women’s wrestling on a consistent basis though.

In The Arena: Joining Tony Schiavone is Missy Hyatt, Missy explaining that women have never been allowed to conduct an interview in the men’s locker room, but she’ll be doing it for the first time later tonight. She doesn’t know who she’ll be interviewing yet, but will be looking for a babe.

Match #4: ‘Nature Boy’ Buddy Landel vs. ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes
Landel mocks Rhodes, but Dustin fires rights. He’s sent for the ride and a back body drop. Drop kick by Rhodes and he gets two after a quick pin attempt. Landel slows it down. Collar and elbow tie up and Landel goes on offense. Buddy lands chops in the corner but Rhodes reverses it. He drops the Rhodes’ elbow in the corner. Irish whip and a hiptoss by The Natural. He follows with a clothesline and Landel kicks out of a pin. Armdrag/armbar combo by the young kid. They work back to a vertical base and Dustin hangs on to the arm. Landel fights out of it with rights and kicks. Scoop slam by Buddy and he goes to the top turnbuckle.

Rhodes catches him and throws him with a gorilla press. Landel slows it down again. Collar and elbow and they go to the corner. Rhodes reverses an Irish whip but Landel moves and he hits the post. Landel goes on the attack while Nick Patrick tells him to get off the ropes. Another chop and a right from Landel followed by a two count. Rhodes is taken down with a wrist lock into an arm bar. Patrick breaks the hold but Landel gets right back on top of his opponent with rights. Nature Boy rakes at the face and Patrick continues to lecture him.

Scoop slam and a lateral press by Landel for two. Landel applies a sleeper but Rhodes fights out, hits the ropes and locks in one of his own. Landel quickly breaks it up in the corner. Irish whip by Landel and Rhodes gets his boot up. Rhodes clotheslines The Nature Boy over the top rope. He gives chase and rolls him back in the ring. Rhodes lifts the veteran with a military press followed by a bulldog and he picks up the 3 count.
Winner: ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes (Bulldog)

• EA’s Take: A short, but decent pay-per-view debut for the future Dustin here. His stuff wasn’t as crisp as it would one day become, but the veteran Landel was clearly willing to give the young kid an early, marquee win. I mean, that was really all Landel was used for by now.

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