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Episode 67: WCW / New Japan Supershow II
66 Plays1 year ago
WCW returns to Japan for the second WCW / New Japan Supershow - known in Japan by the much better title "Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome." Like the prior year, WCW's presenting a heavily edited and cut down version of the Japanese original - but don't worry, I'm sure they didn't cut a match featuring a legendary wrestler and then-member of the Japanese government or anything. They didn't...right? Well, what we do get for sure is a whole slew of tag matches, including a Rhodes family teamup, Arn bowing to peer pressure from Larry Zbyszko, and an array of outfits you could only possibly find on a wrestling show - plus, Sting teaming up with Great Muta with absolutely no explanation! On the singles side, Luger does have to wrestle in Japan this year, and El Gigante is back but at least this time he's with Vader. For all this, plus a match we weren't expecting to get, let's go to the squared circle...I mean, the ring!
Music by Michael Gary Brewer at https://www.instantmusicnow.com/
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Transcript
Welcome and Introduction
00:00:28
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to Let's Go to the Ring, where we take a look at the good old days, and not so good old days, of World Championship Wrestling Series by Series. I'm your host Bob Moore, and joining me fresh from unpacking a carry-on bag full of massive trophies is Alec Bridget. You know, you get really weird looks when you go through the, uh, X-ray machine. I can imagine. I can imagine. I mean, they're, they're large metallic objects and some of them, uh, appear quite sharp, I would imagine. So yeah, it can be a bit of a problem. If you're lucky, you get one guy gives you a nice high five, but other than that, it's really suspicious. How's it going tonight? Great. How's it going with you?
00:01:08
Speaker
It's going good. We are two shows in to our, well, three-show run of this ah of this series. yeah it's ah It's brisk. Let's call it that. yeah But it's been a fun one so far, hoping that continues.
WCW New Japan Super Show 2 Overview
00:01:22
Speaker
yeah Tonight, we are taking a look at WCW New Japan Super Show 2, known in its more complete form in Japan as Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome. And come on, WCW, why do you rename this stuff? Right? Yeah, exactly. These are great titles. Oh my gosh.
00:01:44
Speaker
Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome was held on January 4th, 1992 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, in front of 50,000 fans per ProWrestlingHistory dot.com.
Match Reviews and Exclusions
00:01:55
Speaker
As noted last show, Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome is the first in a series of January 4th Tokyo Dome shows put on by New Japan ProWrestling, a series which continues to this day under the flat-out amazing name of Wrestle Kingdom. Yeah, that's true. Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome was brought to America as WSW New Japan Super Show 2 on pay-per-view in March of 1992. I was unable to find actual pay-per-view numbers or the exact date. Yeah, it's weird that the show's air date is not common knowledge. Yeah, I kind of wonder if it actually means that it was just available for general purchase during that time. I don't know if i don't know enough about pay-per-view during the 90s or ever, frankly, to know if that's even a thing.
00:02:39
Speaker
I mean, the, from the point I end up about pay-per-view, which is around 2000 or so when I really got into it wrestling, a show would just air and you would buy it and then there would be the replay. Yeah. Yeah. I guess if this is like an early version of like an on demand thing, like at any point during March, you can watch this boringly titled wrestling show. That's what I'm wondering if it was more of a general availability to during this period, since it wasn't a live show. As with last year's show, we are going to be reviewing the WCW version since we are a WCW podcast. Right. In this case, that means we get seven of the 12 matches from the Japanese show, surprising us as the Wikipedia article claimed that we would get six, incorrectly eliminating Ricky Choshu versus Tatsumi Fujinami, which actually is included. Yes. So what is cut from our version? Black Cat versus Hiroyoshi Yamamoto.
00:03:34
Speaker
Osamu Kido and Kuniyaki Kobayashi versus Kengo Kimura and Kantaro Hoshino, Tony Halme versus Scott Norton. Norton of course we know and Tony is better known in the US as Ludwig Borga in the WWF. A heel from Finland of all places. The most evil of all countries clearly. but The scariest of all countries Finland. yes Shinya Hashimoto versus Bill Kazmaier. Kind of sad about that one, as both of these guys are ones we've only gotten to see once so far, I believe. yeah And Antonio Inoki versus Hiroshi Hase. Of all the matches to cut, right they cut Antonio Inoki and Hiroshi Hase. I'm kind of amazed they were allowed back after that. It's amazing. and As a reminder, not only was Inoki one of the most famous and notable Japanese wrestlers in the world,
00:04:30
Speaker
But at the time he was a sitting member of the Japanese government. Correct, yes. And Hase himself would go on to be elected in 1995. Correct, yes. Just two quick notes. One is that Hiroyoshi Yamamoto is more well known by his gimmick name, Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Mm-hmm. This is before he became a big star. There's a thing in Japan, probably mentioned before, where you come in, if you're accepting the training, you become what's called a young lion. Right, right. You brought in, you basically have no gimmick. You wear black boots, black tights, basically you're Steve Austin. And you earn your way and then you you get a gimmick and you get a character and you sort of become your own thing. So this is 1992. He is not at that point yet.
00:05:16
Speaker
I know we saw Mr. RK95, him and Reddy Savage. I don't think we had him on the other shows.
Six-Man Tag Match Analysis
00:05:22
Speaker
I don't believe so. The Shinya Hashimoto vs. Bill Kazmaier match would be Bill Kazmaier's final wrestling match ever. Oh really? Yeah. Oh my. It doesn't seem like he got injured or anything. It wasn't like, oh, I should probably stop. It was just, I'm guessing his contact was to run up with WCW and he decided to wrestle anywhere else. How interesting because Tony and JR actually reference Bill at a certain point on the show, his his entrance carrying the world. Yes. Yeah. And there's no like note in their voice of that there's been a trouble between him and the company or anything. So that that's interesting to hear.
00:05:57
Speaker
As far as no, there's no big controversy. You have no major injury. It was just, he would never a major position of the card. I would see, we saw him and struck in ID one where he was in the random team with Jushin Liger. But yeah, I mean, he wasn't a major, major player there. So it's not surprising to see him go, which is then that didn't be salting it obviously, but it's just, it wasn it wasn't like suddenly a real champion left. Right. Right. Yeah. Well, will what's left on the show be good enough to make us forget that we're missing Inoki vs. Hasei? To find out, let's go to the ring. We get the same opening music as last year over a montage of the stars who will be appearing. Notably, this year, Vader with Awesome Helmet and Lex Luger are included. Shots of the Tokyo Dome follow, and we cut to Eric Bischoff in front of a green screen with the show logo.
00:06:51
Speaker
Yeah, Bischoff openly talks about the show in the past tense, so at least we're not pulling a collision in Korea and awkwardly trying to pretend the whole thing is live until sometimes we don't. Mm hmm. Bischoff claims that there were 65,000 people on hand and goes over the selected matches. Interestingly, he has to note that Lex Luger was the heavyweight champion of the world at that time as Luger had actually lost the belt to Sting in February of 1992 between the show's actual performance date and the date that this was aired on American Pay-Per-View. Correct. Yes.
00:07:27
Speaker
Throwing to our first match, Bischoff happily notes that it features Jushin Thunder Liger and Almost. Almost gives us our title with a Let's Get Down to the Ring. Ow. Maybe that's like a dance spin-off, Al? Oh, yeah, yeah. I can see that. That'd be terrible. Neither of us knows anything about dancing. Yeah, that's true.
00:07:49
Speaker
So our first match is Jushin Thunder Liger, Masashi Oyagi, and Akira, last name redacted, Nagami, versus Hiro Sayito, Norio Hanaga, and Super Strong Machine in a six-man tag match. The referee for this one is Japanese ref number one because they never said the guy's name on the entire show. Oh, yeah, they don't, do they?
00:08:15
Speaker
Obviously, if you listened to the last episode, we had Liger and Akira in a big like sort of blood viewed match. You know, Kira leaves the company for a year to go train, comes back and then doesn't win, unfortunately. So a year later, here they are as tag team, which is interesting. This will be a pattern on this show. That is true. Yes. It's interesting. I don't have much on them civically, but it's interesting to see the whole, the whole super strong machine gimmick. Yes. Most old caressing fans know this from WWEF. They would put wrestlers under the same mask and outfit and they would be, you know, super blank machine and such and such. So you got under the giant wearing a mask and somehow you can't tell who it is. It could be anybody.
00:09:00
Speaker
I think doesn't even like go by giant machine or something like that. Yeah, I believe he's super giant machine. Yeah. And then Hulk Hogan also wearing a mask. Again, you can't tell him his body type at all. Obviously, that was a holdover from like the mid to late 80s in WWF. So it's weird. This guy who was just doing that at the same time, still doing it. say um One last note is that, as you mentioned, the tape nature's event means that Liger was actually WCW Light Heavyweight Champion when this match took place, but notably he doesn't have his belt. I don't know if he simply didn't take it out or they cut around it.
00:09:36
Speaker
Because of course he would drop the belt in a time between when this match took place and with the show aired losing, of course, to Brian Pillman. Yeah. They, they do pretty much cut out like the entrances for most of the matches on this show. So he might well have brought the belt out and just to put it down by the time they actually cut to this. Yeah. It's right it very, very, very likely. Yeah. As with last year, the team of Tony Schiavone and JR provide commentary. I believe, though I might be wrong, that their commentary segments were properly recorded live at the time of the show. They sound like they're speaking live in contrast to the Bischoff segments. Yeah, they don they don't talk in past tense about the show, so I i would assume they did yeah live commentary
Tag Team Dynamics Explored
00:10:19
Speaker
and they just kept that. Yeah, yeah.
00:10:23
Speaker
This is a battle of epic outfits hu with Akira in his kabuki gear, Aoyagi in a martial arts uniform, Liger in a rather nice lavender version of his usual superhero gear, and super strong machine in a purple luchador outfit. Pretty much, yeah. Al, you and I both kind of thought that there was something wrong with the color balance, seeing Liger in purplish colors, right? Yeah, absolutely, yeah. It's not until mid match when Tony comments on the lavender outfit that we realized, Oh no, there's nothing wrong with the video. It, that just is a rare color choice from biker. When of course, some strong machines partners wearing black and bright neon green as well. Yeah. Like it's still a bright outfit, but they look much more like normal wrestlers than everyone else in the match. That's fair. Yeah. And, uh, yeah, I can definitely tell that they're a standard tag team from their similar looks.
00:11:20
Speaker
Get a brawl to start, and Liger and Akira get dumped out, ending up fighting with Hinaga and Machine, so it's Ayagi versus Saito to start. That goes poorly for Ayagi, who takes a beating from Saito, Hinaga, and Machine in turn, but he manages to tag Akira, who also takes a beating from the three. Liger's turn, and he does land a quite solid double stomp from the top, but Saito stops any chance of sustained offense with a slug to the gut, and Saito and Machine beat Liger down too. Liger hits a cool flip kick to escape and tags Aoyagi, and the match gets more even as Aoyagi's kicks and knee strikes set up a great Akira leg drop and single leg crab on Hanaga, but Sayito just casually boots him hard in the chest to free Hanaga and resume the beating.
00:12:07
Speaker
Two counts off a machine clothesline and a triple team ending with a saito elbow drop, but Akira gets saito into his corner for a triple team clubbering, and they get one and two counts off a legger flipping sentin and legger second rope moonsault, then trade off against saito. Akira, putting on a single leg crab again, eats headbutts from machine. Akira, start putting holds on near your corner, okay? Yeah, yeah. It doesn't go well for you. Akira keeps hold to tag Liger, but Sayito soon escapes with a spinebuster and tags Machine. Two off of Machine elbow drop, and Hanaga gets in, but Liger grabs him when he goes up top only for Sayito to knock Liger down, so Hanaga can get two with a diving clothesline after all. Somewhere, Ric Flair makes a note to hire Sayito to stop Flair karma spots. Liger fights back with a cool top rope butterfly suplex, and tags Akira, who gets booted in the crotch almost immediately.
00:13:06
Speaker
Poor guy. He eats a double team spike pile driver for a couple two counts, but kicks Hanaga in the face to escape. And Akira, Ayagi, and Liger pull their own double teams, with Liger and Akira getting their own revenge spike pile driver on machine. Sayito in, but Liger counters a Sayito-Hanaga double press with a double drop kick, and tags Ayagi, who kicks the crap out of Sayito and machine. Taking a few blows himself, but dodging a machine-diving headbutt. Liger adds insult to injury by hitting one of his own. Aoyagi clearly forgets a spot momentarily. He kind of
Father-Son Match Storytelling
00:13:44
Speaker
climbs out of the ropes and then stops and comes back in. Oh, yeah, yeah. But he recovers, holding machine for a Akira top rope dropkick that would make Z-Man proud. Two counts on Akira off of Sayito Hanaga Powerbomb, Sayito Sentin, and Sayito's second rope Sentin, but Akira reverses a Sayito German suplex into the Dragon suplex for the three count and the win.
00:14:07
Speaker
JR credits Tatsumi Dragon Fujinami as the innovator of that move. Akira, Liger, and Ayagi celebrate, and you would definitely never mistake that shot for anything other than a pro wrestling show with that combination of outfits. Yeah, that's true. Thoughts on this one? I think this is a pretty solid match and really good back and forth action. Obviously outside the first section where yeah every time they they would get in, they get beat up. It does kind of play to the story that the other trio are much more of a cohesive team, a trio rather than a group of three people that make it a long, but aren't a team. So you tell a regular story that way. Oh, it definitely works. It definitely works. It's just very notable. Yeah, for sure.
00:14:53
Speaker
It's definitely interesting because again, you have two rivals in Liger and Akira and a Yagi from when I could read up on him, he was like legit Karateka. I think they that's the term for that. So when he transitioned to wrestling, that's why you see a lot more karate strikes in that rather than, you know, suplexes and, you know, chin locks and the, and the like from him. His strikes are really good. Oh yeah. Obviously this has the advantage of, I've recovered from previous shows of a six band match. So you have one more guy on each side, tag in and out so you can keep the action going more continuously. You need less rest spots. Other than if you hold, there's never like a, really a pause point in the match. So it makes it a good opener in that regards.
00:15:37
Speaker
This is, we'll get to an issue I generally have throughout the show, which is that we don't get like a big tag team finish, which I know is not every tag match has that, but I like a tag finish. And so it's, I was coming to get more of that, but getting a dragon suit, like this is still really good. Kira does well, everyone does pretty well. I didn't get a lot of super strong machine at first, but then, you know, he pressed to the guy and oh, okay. Name name fits. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. He definitely proves worthy of the name. Yes. It is also worth noting, Hiro Sayido is not related to Maso Sayido. Oh, they look very similar. Someone just how Jeans work with someone also by design. Hiro got that haircut and dresses like that because of Maso Sayido. Gotcha.
00:16:21
Speaker
It's kind of a Anderson family situation where they're like, hey, you kind of look like this guy. Let's name you after him. Very similar. Yeah. Gotcha. Yeah, I thought this was an excellent opener, really fast paced and with a ton of creative spots and double and even triple teams. Everyone came off really well, but I'm particularly happy that we got to see a lot more of Akira in this match. He really got short change last year, and it was great to see him show what he could do as he is dang good. Mm hmm. amazing drop kicks in particular, and I really like the energetic and really painful looking way that he puts on single leg crabs. I don't know if we'll get to see any more of him in the future, but here's hoping. I really like the match storyline as well. The heavily costumed team of Liger, Akira, and Ayagi really struggled to get sustained offense for much of the match, often quickly being stopped by the sheer strength of Maschine or Saito in particular, but they kept with it and used frequent changeups to stop any of them from taking too much damage until they could turn things in their favor.
00:17:19
Speaker
They really built well to Aoyagi's late match kick fest, teasing it repeatedly early on. And both teams did a really good job of fighting as teams overall, working together and always aware of what was going on with their partners. Tony and JR note quite accurately that little of the match happens dead center in the ring. They are frequently near one corner or the other to enable quick tags and double teaming. All in all, a really fun and exciting opener that showed me a lot of what these guys could do. And I really hope that we get to see at least some of them again. Mm-hmm. A little bit after this show and the months following Akira would move up to the heavyweight ranks, which basically beats, you know, put in like 10 pounds of muscle on but essentially. like And he would enter a tournament that would be held for the vacant NWA tag team titles, do a whole complicated thing with the NWA and WCW, which we'll cover probably on the show um teasing for later. Notably, he would make one appearance.
00:18:19
Speaker
He's on a cluster champion show as part of the buildup to the paper view. Oh, gotcha. Where his team, which is him and Hiroshi Hase. Yeah. They qualify for the pay-per-view, which is the great American bash 1992. Okay. Unfortunately, he would get an injury between those matches. Oh. So he does not make pay-per-view. That's too bad. Yeah. The Japanese contingent ultimately on that show is Hiroshi Hase and Shinya Hashimoto. Still a really good team. Yeah.
Dusty Rhodes' Post-WCW Career
00:18:49
Speaker
But I feel bad for the guy who doesn't like to make, oh, I believe would be his only like real chance to be on Devastator Paper View. Not counting this show, obviously. That definitely sounds like a Clash of the Champions match I want to see. Mm-hmm.
00:19:04
Speaker
While he's much less well known than Masa Seido, Hiro Seido is actually notable historically in Japanese wrestling. He is one of the founding three members of the NWO Japan. Oh, okay. he He looks like a guy that would end up in NWO Japan, frankly. Yeah, the caveat is that, as far as I can tell, he never made any appearances in America as part of that group. Oh, okay. From what I will tell, looking at the Cajun match ah as thorough as I can get with that, he wrestled lots and lots of matches as part of the group in Japan, just never in American soil. Okay. Tony praises the action and the high-risk maneuvers, and JR quickly builds up the next match and gives us a, let's go back down to the ring.
00:19:46
Speaker
By the way, it's weird that he plays off of what Eric said, even though Eric said it like two months later. This is true. This is true. I guess maybe Eric is reverse playing off of what he said. Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. It's like, what would have come, what would have come before what JR said? Yeah, right.
00:20:05
Speaker
Our second match
Vader's Impactful Performance
00:20:06
Speaker
is Michiyoshi O'Hara and Shiro Koshinaka versus The Enforcers, Arne Anderson and Larry Zabisco of the Dangerous Alliance. The referee is again Japanese ref number one. By the time this match aired, Aniston had won the WCB attacking titles twice. One time with Nabisco, a fairly brief run as the enforcers. And then more recently with Bobby Eaton, which he's actually was currently champion when the show aired. Ah, okay. So to be clear, that happened between January and March. Wow. It's still not quite keeping pace with 2000 level title changes, but you know, pretty, pretty fast.
00:20:49
Speaker
Maybe it's just common knowledge among Western people, but I didn't realize that Liz Biscoe was married to one of Vergande's daughters. I did not know that. Apparently, they've been married since 1988. Well, good for him. Yeah. I just want to tie things back to AWA one more time if I could. Oh, there's a couple of mothers coming, I'm sure. Oh, yeah.
00:21:12
Speaker
Koshinaka has a long blue coat that oddly made me think of a painter's smock. That that can't be what they were going for. I doubt it. No, but just it just I don't know something about how he stands with it. I think it just made it look more like that than like a yo cool biker coat or something.
Vader's International Career
00:21:30
Speaker
Gotcha. Anderson offers a hand and Zabisco insists that O'Hara or Koshinaka shake his hand, but Koshinaka smacks it away. It's Zabisco versus O'Hara to start. O'Hara outwrestles Zabisco, but Zabisco keeps holding back and preventing O'Hara from building momentum and mouthing off constantly to his opponents and the ref. He is very audible on the show, yes. Super audible. I mean, Zabisco is loud on any show, but especially when, you know, it's with the the more quiet Japanese crowd.
00:22:02
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah
World Heavyweight Championship Match
00:22:03
Speaker
R&N and he eats an Ohara Koshinaka headbutt, but he takes Koshinaka down hits a flipping neck snap and smoothly floats over on an arm takedown to tag Zabisco who gets two off an abdominal stretch roll-up and continues mixing skilled mat wrestling and loudly complaining to anyone who will listen. I love Zabisco Arne back in, but Koshinaka escapes him with some drop kicks, but Arne backs away to stop any sustained offense. Tag to O'Hara, and Arne drives him down with a knuckle lock, as Zabisco cheers for him to kick the punk. So Arne obliges. Arne and Zabisco each engage in quick counterwrestling with O'Hara. Koshinaka in, and after some initial strikes, Zabisco and Arne wear him down, including an Arne rude awakening, San's hips swivel.
00:22:51
Speaker
Zavisco gets two with a suplex and tries a Boston crab, but O'Hara breaks it up. So Arne in and he slaps it right back on. Zavisco rubs Arne's head for luck. I mean, to apply pressure. Yeah, its I get the idea, but it looks really silly because yes.
Luger's Wrestling Journey
00:23:08
Speaker
So Arne is leaning forward towards the corner and Zavisco puts his hand up like against his palm of his head. The idea is he's pushing him to apply more pressure to the, the Boston crab because of how they're facing, but it really looks like one of those, like, I'm mostly bald from my head for good luck. Yeah. It's probably like, we're making a Buddha statue. Yes. Yeah. It looked very funny. Arne gives him leverage on an abdominal stretch in turn, hated by O'Hara accidentally distracting the ref with protest. Zabisco continues mouthing off, of course.
00:23:41
Speaker
Tag to Arne, but Koshinaka kicks him down and tags Ohara, who gets two counts with an elbow drop and a Russian leg sweep, then hits a series of slams and elbow drops and a jumping elbow drop for two. Koshinaka in, and he runs wild with butt bumps, as I regret Dusty not being on commentary. He would have a field day. Yeah. Two on
Technical Match Between Fujinami and Choshu
00:24:00
Speaker
Arne off of that, and a tag to Ohara, who hits a cool over-the-shoulder suplex on Zabisco, who wasn't legal, so Arne just kicks Ohara. Why not? Arne Whipp and Zabisco knees Ohara from the apron, leaving him easy prey for a beautiful Arne Spine Buster for the three count and the win. Anderson and Zabisco celebrate two cool rock guitar music as Koshinaka comforts Ohara. Thoughts on this one? I thought this is a really fun match. It showed the contrast in style and attitude for sure.
00:24:33
Speaker
They really play into just how disrespectful, but someone days leave being disrespectful, but also wanting respect as fusing as that is as a visco is. Yes. Like his nature Anderson. It's basically playing into that. he He's not, definitely not in the same level as a disco, but he's more willing to, to join in. He's easily sway. They put that way. Like I said, the visco says kick the guy and they hit the guy. Yeah. Yeah. It's a bit harder. yeah like Yeah. Okay. Sure. But you tell a nice story because Ohara is definitely the rookie here in case it's obvious by his, his haircut. He's very early in his career. He's only about a year or so in his career. I think it's one and a half years about. Yeah. Yeah. Coming off of judo into wrestling, which is a pretty natural transition. I would say it's easier one for sure. This one really did nice job of showing the American tag formula, physically the cheating side of it. Yes. Really well with the duo, which I really liked.
00:25:32
Speaker
It was one is not an amazing match, but it's definitely one you could show to people who are necessarily U-turns of wrestling because it gets hits all the right beats and it's briskly paced and it's very enjoyable. And if you're at all curious about who the bad guys are, one second of Zabisco yelling at the top of his lungs at everyone who will listen will tell you that. Yes. Easy to follow. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, I thought this was a good solid tag match in the Anderson tradition to absolutely no one's surprise. A good story with this one of Koshinaka and especially O'Hara being very strong and good fighters, but not as canny or willing to manipulate the rules as
Match Legacy Discussion
00:26:10
Speaker
Anderson and Zabisco who control most of the match and repeatedly prevent the Japanese team from getting momentum. Zabisco makes great use of his mouth throughout, just constantly yelling at the other team, the fans, the ref, and even encouragingly to Arn without ever slowing the match down. So study him, Scott Steiner. Yeah.
00:26:30
Speaker
Arne did his usual excellent tag work, keeping control, preventing tags, and contrasting his calm with Zabiska's constant agitation. They make a really great team. Koshinaka was fun to watch with good strikes and hold counters, and Ohara seemed quite strong in matwork, but maybe a little bit repetitive with his slams and elbow drops at times. so It's understandable, though, as you noted, he's not even two years into his career, so I'd call it a strong showing. Yeah. And much like last year's Anderson match, it had a really good and well timed ending spot that finished it off. Very fun match. I will say it's interesting. Obviously the move you think of when you think of our Anderson is the spine buster, but I can't think of a ton of matches at the top of my head where he actually wins a match with the spine buster. That's true. Yeah. It was a little rare for that to occur. It seemed like the DT was, or his go-to. Yeah. Cause he could could really just spike you with that. Like we saw last time in that Dustin Rhodes match where he turned on him pretty much immediately.
00:27:25
Speaker
The spinebuster tends to be his taking back control move. It's the big, stunning hit that either sets up his finish or at least turns the tide of the match. Yeah. And the DDT is more often the one you see him to use to finish. Yeah, that's a good point. but it's It's nice to see it used really well and actually be super effective. Yeah. Yeah. Tony praises the Dangerous Alliance's performance and he and JR note that Zabisco was very vocal. JR builds up the anticipation for the next match featuring Dusty Rhodes coming out of retirement to team with his son, Dustin. Let's go back to the squared circle, JR notes. We're getting further and further from our title, Al. That's true, yeah. So our third match is the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, and the Natural, Dustin Rhodes. Should we call him the Natural Dreams? Oh, yeah, that's good.
00:28:21
Speaker
or the American Naturals. That's also kind of cool. Oh, that's good too. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Tell me choices. Versus Masa Saito and Kim Duck. The referee for this one is Japanese ref number two, because it is a different person than the first two matches, but they still don't give his name. Yeah, it's not the famous Japanese referee in red shoes, because at least people know who that is.
00:28:44
Speaker
Kim Duck, he had a actually producing career playing a Hollywood heavy, a number of films in the 1980s. Yes. He appeared in such films as The Golden Child, Red Heat, and Blind Fury. When he was in Andabay, Florida, which is a theme on his partner, of course, he was managed by Boris Malenko. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, right. I had a Boris Malenko reference, unfortunately, since him being mocked for being dead ah by his church, Jericho. So, you know, it's a positive one. Yeah, this is a better, better, better time for Mr. Malenko. Yeah. It is interesting. JR does mention Kim Duck's movie career in commentary, but he mentions him starring in Chuck Norris films, which I don't know if you did, Al, but I didn't find any on his IMDb page.
00:29:30
Speaker
No, I mean, the only other film that that really gets noted is Cage, which is him and Lou Ferrigno. And of course, Brown. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that was interesting. I think he just kind of maybe made an assumption there of martial arts. But yeah. Masasito is very prolific in the way Florida again, like Kim Duck was. Notably, he was perfect there when dusty was there, which I believe is mentioned in some passing and commentary. Oh yeah. Notably, he won the tag titles multiple times, including a win over the Briscoe brothers. Oh, that's cool. A team we had mentioned since the very first episode. Yeah, I mean, they and they were good. They were. Yeah. I remember us really liking them and being very sad that we have not seen them again since. Yeah, it was just a timing thing because they basically got out of main wrestling and sold their, famously sold their shares to Vince McMahon, that whole Black Tuesday thing.
00:30:22
Speaker
I just flash back to that. Remember the I forget which one of them it is, but one of them for the entire like match introductions just standing very casually on the top rope. Yeah, like balancing perfectly. Just like, that yeah, I think it was Jack Briscoe, but I couldn't be sure. Yeah. They're kind of coy about it, un understandably, but they will mention eventually that Dusty has addressed in about a year. Which is the last time he wrestled before the show was for the WWF. Which is why they don't mention it by name. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. They they kind of act quite throughout about like he's been retired for a while. Like implying it was years and years. You were sort of joking that they don't count his time in WWF. So that, but it would explain that. Yeah. Yeah. He didn't, he didn't exist during that time period. Dusty fell into a time portal and emerged in 1992. Yeah, pretty much.
00:31:18
Speaker
It's very cool to see Dusty and Dustin pacing the ring side by side during the intros. I know this is not the first time they teamed up, but it's really cool to see. Oh yeah. And in one of those huge coincidences that we could not possibly have planned on purpose if we tried, we ended up watching a show with a father-son team up on the month of Father's Day. That's true, yeah. Absolutely amazing. I do really wish that this show did not open with three tag matches in a row though. Yeah. It's a bit much. At the very least, if they say open with the Anderson, the Biscoe one, and then the six man match, as good as that is as an opener, that would have given you at least a slight variation. You would have two on two, then three on three, then two and two again. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, yeah, just like like you've got a bunch of singles matches on the show to just, you know, alternate. That'd be preferable. That'd be nice.
00:32:12
Speaker
JR repeats the line from last show about Sayito being a Japanese version of a Steiner. Tony and JR have a nice discussion of previous father-son team-ups in wrestling, name-dropping, Vern and Greg Gagne, among others. Oh yeah, that's true. Dustin and Kim Duck start, though Sayito and Dusty quickly both try to get in, but the referee imposes order. Dustin uses agility and speed to dominate early. He's a little early or Kim's a little late on a leapfrog, but thankfully Kim bends enough to avoid a Wyndham Dr. Death Starrcade 1987 situation. Yeah, yeah. Dustin seems a bit sloppy throughout the opening. I wonder if he's nervous, either due to the crowd size or teaming with dear old dad. Yeah, the crowd, the crowd could definitely be a factor with every team 50 and 60 thousand people there. Yeah, definitely, definitely.
00:33:01
Speaker
And I mean, Dusty, I'm sure is an encouraging person, but I imagine you feel a little bit of pressure tagging with a guy who's a legend, even if it's your dad. Or possibly, especially if it's your dad. Yeah. It's both better and worse, yeah. Yeah. Still, Dustin keeps a really good pace during this intro. Oh yeah. At one point, Sayito charges in, but the ref just gets him to leave right away. It doesn't even do anything. It's great. J.R. and Tony wish WSW wrestlers that perspective the WSW referees that much. Kim takes over with a headlock and punches and Sayito repeatedly refuses a tag, evidently feeling that Kim is doing fine. Dustin tags Dusty and Dusty hurls Kim to the corner and elaborately dances around taunting Sayito, who finally gets in. J.R. and Tony note that the two have a very long history.
00:33:52
Speaker
Dusty wins a brawl, and Sayito bows respectfully to Dusty, but when Dusty follows suit, Sayito beats him up, pulling the hair to keep control. Sayito goes for a tag, but Kim refuses now. Tony notes ring attendants at ringside for the Japanese team, and JR equips that their ring attendants don't break telephones over people's heads.
00:34:14
Speaker
Dusty stuns himself with a headbutt, but Suplexes Sayito for two. Sayito tags Kim, whose lap's on a nerve hold. Kim tags Sayito, but Dusty ducks a clothesline, and Sayito nails Kim. Dusty tags Dustin, who gets one with a diving lariat and boldly fights both guys in their corner, only to swiftly regret it as he takes big kicks and punches and a double suplex. But the ref won't count due to the double team. I have never seen that. Yeah, that's true. Ever.
00:34:48
Speaker
JR says the US refs could learn from the Japanese ones, and Tony notes, so could the rules committee. Wow. The salt is strong on this show. Yeah, right. Two counts off a Kim pile driver, and Dustin tries a flying body press, but Kim ducks and Dustin bounces clean out of the ring and rolls onto the ramp. That always makes the spot look really good. I love that Dustin does that. Oh yeah, absolutely. and And it emphasizes very nicely like how strong the hip was going to be if he had made it. So it's it like builds him up too, but it's, it always looks great. Yeah. Dusty stands in defense until Dustin recovers. And on a later Kim nerve hold, we get a terrific shot of Dustin struggling while a concerned Dusty looks on. Kim goes up, but Dustin flare Kim buzz him down for two. Yeah, sorry. I can't blame her alone.
00:35:44
Speaker
Two counts off a Dustin elbow drop and some Saito suplexes, but Saito and Dustin collide and both go down. Tag to Kim, but Dustin aggressively attacks, dropkicks Kim for two, and counters a whip with a kick and the bulldog for the three count and the win, as Dusty lunges across the ring to slug Saito to stop the save. Great ending spot there. Dustin and Dusty each get a nice trophy. They look like glass, so be careful with those guys. Yeah, right? Thoughts on this? I thought it was an enjoyable match. I do think it was quite a bit slower, more methodical is the term people like to use in wrestling than the previous two matches. Yes. Obviously I'm not surprised. I mean, even at his peak Dusty was not Liger as far as speed goes. And the proponents are again, are not cruiserweights or light heavyweight, whatever you want to call them. So it's not surprising, but it is definitely notable.
00:36:41
Speaker
You didn't you didn't see that one match between Dusty and Masa Seido where Dusty did the Dragon Rana. I think I missed that one now. It's legendary, man. Yeah, I did not see that one now. In that it doesn't exist. That's yeah. That's true. Notably, this match seems to be all about Dustin. Like he really is the key to this whole match. He does, I'd say 80 percent of the of the work on his team. Which again is not surprising given Dusty's out of semi-retirement and working a big show like this. Attention too, because he, um, he doesn't do a whole lot like offensive wise, but he does a lot of dancing. Yes. So he has the energy. He just uses it for dancing and not for like running or, you know, drop kicks or anything.
00:37:30
Speaker
It makes sense that Dustin is kind of the focal point of their team, not only because of, you know, dusty just kind of coming out of a retirement, but um also, I mean, Dustin is the active wrestler. So you you kind of want to use this match to build him up. Oh, yeah. No, it totally makes sense. It's just it's just notable that the balance is very different in this match than the other ones as well. Yeah. I will say this is the first time that three tag matches where the partner ran in, in time to stop the save, which is really nice to see. Yes. The other two times they kind of ran into hit, but they're like, yeah, I still three. The rest was obviously, you know, Hayes is the finish. I'm not going to fall off my pin because this guy ran up because that's the finish.
00:38:11
Speaker
I think Dusty's timing there was really, really good. He moved faster than I think I've ever seen Dusty Rhodes move too, which was amazing. Yeah. and It sold as a lot of things in this match did. Dusty and Dustin caring about each other. Oh yeah, for sure. That their father and son, not just teammates. I liked that spot for that. Oh yeah, absolutely. I guess ultimately I was hoping for some sort of more tag teamwork between dusty and Dustin. That's my only real, I don't know if I say gripe, but my only regret about the match. Yeah. They do. I think like one or two, like hold the guy for the other one to hit spots, but that's about it. Yeah. It's still into a match. Obviously you just know what you're getting know that's different than their matches. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just different kind of match.
00:39:01
Speaker
Yeah, some initial sloppiness aside, this was a really fun, hard-hitting match filled with big, heavy blows intermixed with some quite nice and unusual storytelling, whether that be Kim and Saito's refusals to tag each other, or the ref not counting a pinfall because of a double team, or some really good father-son spots between Dusty and Dustin, with each feeling protective of the other and concerned and angry when the other was being hurt. Right up to the ending, with Dusty moving faster than I have ever seen him move to protect Dustin from Saito. They got a lot of mileage out of the relationship between the two in the storytelling and out of Dusty's legendary reputation and big personality. Dusty and Masa Sayito had some great interactions and looked really comfortable working together. No surprise as they were in a ton of matches in the late 70s and early 80s, so this was a meeting of old pals. It wasn't as technically complex as earlier matches, but some great storytelling and ferocity made up the gap, and it made it a fun watch.
00:39:55
Speaker
Dusty would unretire quite a few more times. ah Yes. Uh, notably he would do it again, 1994, uh, setting up a war games match where he teamed up with Dustin. He also worked various indie shows through about 2007. His last major match is actually a singles match against Randy Orton in WWE television, part of an angle involving Cody Rhodes, teaming up with Randy Orton. So tying your different son back for a match like that. Oh, interesting. And according to Cage Math, Dusty Rich's final match would happen in 2010. He was a six man tag where he teamed up with Dustin and Cody in FCW, which he was at least partially managing slash promoting as a training facility for WWE. So make for example, they may work that out. That's cool. Cool that he got to do one. Absolutely.
00:40:46
Speaker
JR and Tony build up the great win and how much the crowd loved Dusty and JR agrees he was funky like a monkey. Yep. but Then throws to our next match. So our fourth match is Eligante versus Big Van Vader. The referee for this one is Bill Alfonso. Hey, I finally know the name of a ref. Yay. Blow a whistle. ah Vader would wrestle a lot. It was called the CWA or the Catch Wrestling Association, which is a wrestling company based out of Austria slash Germany. So that air general area. Okay.
00:41:27
Speaker
and by oto vo They would hold tournament to create a new champion championship. The CWA IC title order or your continental title. So it would come down to a match between big van Vader and Tassumi Fujinami of all people. Oh, wow. Yeah. So to summarize this Austrian wrestling company holds a match for one of their titles between an American and a Japanese man. and why Why not center continental, I guess. Tony notes that both men are very familiar to Japanese fans, and JR notes that Vader has held the IWGP world title multiple times. Vader is actually unmasked from the get-go here. I will note that this match is probably the first time Vader has ever looked small. Which is pretty impressive.
00:42:16
Speaker
yeah After attempts to shove each other around go nowhere, Heligante gets Vader into the corner for strikes, but Vader reverses, beats him down in the corner, hits a corner splash that draws an O from the crowd, continues the beatdown, and gets two with a jumping splash. There's a weird bit as he stalls for a while in the corner while seemingly adjusting his outfit. Yeah, I thought he was going for an object at first, but nothing really comes of it. So I think he just, you know, something was not fitting, right? Eligante gets a boot up on a charge and builds to the claw, but they end up in the ropes and Alfonso forces a break after an awkward shoulder block. Vader goes, whoa, and visibly throws himself to the ramp. Yeah. God bless you, Vader.
00:43:07
Speaker
They brawl on the entrance ramp and Vader hits a couple of falling fridges, as Alfonso counts 20, giving us a double countout. Vader casually walks over, picks up his awesome helmet, and leans the stunned elegante onto it, then activates it, spraying steam into his face, then shoves him to the mat as elegante clutches at his face. Tony says he may need medical attention. Thoughts on this one? Yeah, it fortunately is a pray nothing match. Vader is amazing, obviously, in case you're not clear my stance on Vader by now. But, traditionally, he can't do really much at all with Eligante. I'm pretty sure if this guy was like 6'5", Vader could literally body slam him at the very least, power slam him. But, because of his long limbs, it makes that very difficult. Picking him up, he might just fall over you just because his arms and legs, you know, poke up past you.
00:44:05
Speaker
Yeah, he's not just big. He's like linky big. Yeah. So I'm sure it makes things even more awkward. Yeah. The most you could probably probably do and I understand why is it that happened? This the spot you like to do a Vader where he jumps and you turn his jump into a power slam. Yeah. But picturing El Gigante climbing ropes. I can't see that, unfortunately. I'm sure he was a nice guy. I i don't disrespect the guy at all, but he really could not do much in wrestling, unfortunately. Once you get past the visual, ooh, look at this giant guy. There's really nothing there, unfortunately. He was he was not a Paul White big show type of character where he's big and mobile. Exactly. Yeah. He was a big guy who was visually interesting, but not going to put on a ah really intricate match.
00:44:55
Speaker
Yeah. The closest equivalent I'd say to body type performance. And again, this is not until it's either person is giant Baba, who was a big Dave in all Japan, you know, founded all Japan wrestling. Cause he had the same thing where he was a giant, but it was, it was all arms and legs, especially as he got older and he just couldn't attain muscle mass. Yeah. I will say it's notable that they booked a match between a guy famous for never holding his strikes back to the detriment of, I'm sure of his opponents who did not like being hit very hard in the face at chest and legs and back and everywhere.
00:45:32
Speaker
And a guy who seemed like he wasn't sure he really wanted to hit you. Maybe the idea is supposed to be that he's, because he's a giant, he's and inherently super strong, which I don't think really bore out. So, so like he's like, Oh, I get i gotta hold my punch back. Or else, you know, I explode your head like Ricky. Oh, it's just funny that they put this guy's the stream opposite working style together. I do feel like Eligante's strikes look better in this match than they ever have, though. That's fair. And I kind of wonder like Vader has this tough reputation. So I wonder if maybe Eligante did feel more comfortable. It's very possible. Yeah. In a match against him, then against someone much smaller. Mm hmm.
00:46:16
Speaker
Because i'm I'm sure, you know, like, yeah, giants are not ne not super strong, but I'm sure, you know, just from sheer weight and size and everything, you you would, if you're his size, be concerned about potentially hurting someone yeah if you swung the wrong way. So I would imagine it probably would help you mentally to be like, OK, this guy's super tough. Yeah, yeah you know, he he could take it. And I'm i'm sure they had just as much discussion as they could have about that as well. Yeah. They're just being like, look, hit me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I can see Vader. Yeah. Tell dad to worry about it. He'll ask and everyone to hit him harder other than Ken Jamrock. Yes. Well, and he eatock he talked. He talked in the way to hit people that eventually. Yes. That match. At least we get the great aftermath, which is the best part of the match for me. It's really good. Yeah.
00:47:07
Speaker
This was not as bad as I feared, largely due to it being roughly 75% Vader offense. But like I said, credit where credit is due, Elegante did heavier-looking strikes than when I watched him in the past. The plot of this was pretty basic, and I don't like the count-out finish, but it did give us the genuinely unique spectacle of traditional big-man Vader actually being the smaller guy in a match, and the crowd was clearly into it. The post-match spot with the helmet was one of the coolest Vader moments yet. So while this was nothing special, I'll always remember it as the one where Vader steam cleaned his opponent's face. Yeah. Yeah. I will say this has been great opportunity for Vader to do the moon salt because he'd have the biggest target you can't possibly miss. Yes. Aim for three quarters of the ring when he's stretched out in his back. You're perfect.
00:47:57
Speaker
Yep. Yep. Yep. Probabilities are definitely in your favor on that one. Even knowing that this didn't independent fall, I get really nervous when it's on the, they went to the cloth spot. I'm like, Oh, what are you doing? Yeah. Well, I liked that. I wasn't the finish for a number of reasons, obviously.
00:48:14
Speaker
Well, if you love this match, then you would have loved the WSW house show loop here. ill I'll make it for fun for you. Oh no. how much How many times do you think they featured a Vader El De Gante match on house shows? Across like what period? A couple months. Okay. A couple months. Uh, seven too low. Okay. They've eaten this match 12 times. Oh, okay. Okay. By the way, just twelve this is 12 times after this batch.
00:48:45
Speaker
I almost went with 11, but I was like, Oh, that sounds a little high. So no, sadly, I wish it was, but no, uh, notably the last match between the two of them would also be El De Gante's last match in WCW. Cause he would spear for a little while, come back in the WWF as giant Gonzales.
00:49:08
Speaker
As noted in the last show, he would come back to Japan for some inexplicable reason. There's a whole story about him, supposedly he got to come back in 1995, which we'll cover on the related show to that. It almost feels like the reward for Vader for having to do the the very minimum 13 matches with El Tigante is give him the world title, which he got later that year. I guess it does prove you'll do what the company wants you to do. Yeah, that's fair.
00:49:39
Speaker
We are about halfway through the show, so Eric Bischoff reappears in front of the show logo, claiming that Vader's attack set up an intense international situation. I assume there's a Tom Clancy novel about the aftermath? Yeah. Rainbow Six versus Vader would be an interesting contest. Harrison Ford has Jack Ryan on commentary. Oh, yeah. If any wrestler would be a clear and present danger or the sum of all fears, it's Vader. Got this all in there, didn't you? Yes. What do I get to reference Tom Clancy on a wrestling show? Come on. and That's fair. Yeah. Maybe we'll be very good at show with Cobra. You can reference Splinter Cell with that. That's fair. It is funny that they reference an international incident with Vader because there is one that comes to mind, but that's a few years later. Yes. That involves ah choking and assaulting a Kuwaiti talk show host for insulting wrestling to his face. Yes. Yes. I remember that. Oh my gosh.
00:50:37
Speaker
Bischoff advertises Wrestle War 1992 and throws to the next match Lex Luger versus Masahiro Chono, but it's again forced to note that Luger was the then champion as Luger was champ at the time, but this is being aired after Luger lost the title. Kind of a spoiler for the match, though I guess if you're a WSW fan at the time, you know when Luger actually lost the title. I will say at least at that phrasing, it could still imply that Chono wins the match and with the title. And then, like, Luger wins it back and then loses it to Sing or, yeah. Yeah. There's some leeway there, but yeah, realistic. I think they know people two months later are watching this know what happened. No reason to really rub it in, though. So our fifth match is Lex Luger versus Masahiro Chono for Luger's WSW World Heavyweight Championship. The referee for this one is Tiger Hatori.
00:51:30
Speaker
This sadly is going to be a trend for this and the next show, which is no brick flare. Because of course, brick flare famously was fired by Jim herd, uh, late 1991 around the grammar can bash show. That led of course, to the champion becoming Lex Luger coming heel and thus being the character we have now. And Luger is still in his title reign from that match. So he's, he's, he's been a strong champion for the company.
00:51:57
Speaker
The much larger Luger shows off his power early on, but Chono quickly gets him down for the s STF and Luger immediately lunges for the ropes for the break. JR notes that Luger had claimed that there was no way someone so much lighter than him could beat him. And Tony says you do need confidence to succeed, but both discuss world champions that have been in Chono's weight range, namedropping Jack Brisco in particular. JR also discusses Luger's collegiate football career, noting that he was kicked off the Miami Hurricanes. He says that's hard to do as they aren't known for their sportsmanship anyway. Did did Miami beat Oklahoma recently? JR seems bitter. they They must have, yeah. That's all I could figure.
00:52:39
Speaker
Despite some Luger strikes, Chono keeps control and works around an armbar. Luger sneaks in a headbutt, and later goes for the eyes. Luger gets two counts with a forearm drop and suplex, and power slams Chono, but Chono gets a neat backslide counter to the torture rack for two. Huge Chono kick, and he locks on the s STF, but Luger slowly crawls to the ropes for the break. JR thinks Luger's height saved him there. Chono aggressively attacks, but Luger dodges a charge and he spells out, only to roll back in to roll Luger up for 2. Luger roll up for 2, and Chono again for a 2 that's so close, Tony actually thinks it was a 3 at first. Luger dodges a diving shoulder block and puts on the torture rack, but they spell out over the ropes and Luger puts on the torture rack outside as well. He can't win out there, but JR and Tony discuss whether he's trying for a countout. Luger back in and Chono in at 18.
00:53:32
Speaker
Chono floats over a suplex, but Luger punts him in the crotch and hits a second rope double axe handle of all things for the three count and the win. In in fairness, I think the three count is more off the punt to the nuts than anything that follows. Yes, it's dread fair. Thoughts on this one? I thought this was actually pretty enjoyable. They had a nice clash of styles between the two of them. Luger is never the great type of a wrestler, but I think that in a way that kind of works here because I think it keeps the match from being a bit dry. Like we had the experience of the different show in a match, unfortunately, as good as it was technically, there wasn't much heat to kind of dry as far as working holds and everything.
00:54:12
Speaker
So having the story be that, you know, he can take down and lock Luger in a hole, Luger can just flip him over and just slam him to the ground really hard. Worked pretty well for me as a story. Yeah. Yeah. They definitely worked the idea that Luger is a heel as well, which I was enjoyable. I'm pretty, a little confused by the whole original torture rec spot. I think it's both look accidental, but he like walks his way towards the rope for no apparent reason. It seems like they're going for like, Oh, yeah I'm bouncing him down the hole. And he kind of shifted his weight and fell over, but it like feels very intentional. I mean, Luger has a bit of a history with torture rack.
00:54:53
Speaker
accidental spots. Oh what yeah. That's true. So yeah, I, I would wager that was meant to look a lot more accidental than it did. Yeah. Cause it's, it's, this it's the measured nature of it. It's like walk here, step, step. There we go. The actual fall looked really good. I liked the story that he put him in the rack outside hope again, hoping he just couldn't get up and back in the ring. Yeah. Yeah. So I enjoyed what they got. And it's still a loving how they got there. There's a thing in wrestling where you can tell when someone does their big move and they don't win from one another, either, you either know, either they're going to lose cause they hit their big spot and didn't win. Or in this case, they're going to win in a kind of random fashion, but does kind of work. They mentioned Luger doing an ET or lower, which is interesting. Cause yeah, I can't picture him doing that hold or that, that move much in his wrestling career. So it's interesting to see that as well. Yeah. It's always neat to see guys pull out a move that they don't normally do when it's like a special occasion.
00:55:49
Speaker
Mm hmm. Obviously, I'm generally a fan of the more clean finish, but I think with the story of this and the fact that there's no way they're going to put the title on Chono, I don't mind this blatantly cheap finish by Luger because he's this blatantly cheap heel. That's definitely a thing he'd been doing in the company to keep his title. So it makes absolutely perfect sense. Yeah, yeah. He does at least like do a move after the punt to the crotch. Yes. Even if it's a double axe handle.
00:56:19
Speaker
Yeah, I thought this was a solid power match with a good mix of strikes and big slams with the requisite Luger selling. He was actually not as noticeable as I was expecting with the quiet crowd though. I thought he'd be just like super clear, but it was just kind of the same level as a normal Luger match.
00:56:36
Speaker
They do a good job of having a progression of spots in this one, learning each other's big spots and countering them, and I particularly like the roll-up sequence late match with each catching the other off guard for different reasons, and the storytelling around the STF. As we mentioned last year, the desperation of the person caught in the hold really builds a hold up, and this match is another great example of that. Absolutely, yeah. The ending is a little bit flat. It's too bad that they couldn't tie things more directly to the torture rack, even if they didn't want Jonah to give up, like more visibly showing him injured by the one Lucre did outside the ring or even just actually letting it be a countout due to Lucre's nefarious plan. It's a case where I would have been fine with that with Lucre just having clearly intentionally injured Jonah outside. Still, these two did quite well together and it was good to see Lucre in a different setting and against a different opponent than the norm.
00:57:27
Speaker
Yeah, then there's this story about Luger that a certain point late 91, it became clear that he wasn't, he wasn't planning to re-sign with the company. And it wasn't necessarily interested in doing more work than was required. Because notably outside of this match, You know, hes he's evolved in the finish of Starrcade 91 Battle Bull situation. they They have, you know, Sting beat him and set up Super Brawl, which is coming up after this text took place, but he didn't do any house shows or any other shows between those points. So basically he, he came in, worked the show to set up his big title loss and then he worked for title loss and that's it.
00:58:06
Speaker
And of course, they talked about it last time, they want him to work Japan and he just didn't feel like it last year and they couldn't make him. So it's interesting that they find a way to make him do it this time. So I'm wondering if maybe if he had decided to come in 1991, it would have gotten more over the top Luger selling for kicks and striking maybe perhaps. Yeah, yeah. That said, he, he did really commit to the gimmick. He really works the heel stuff, especially in the latter half. So I'm not saying he didn't, he didn't work hard, but maybe there's a certain mental aspect to it. I'd say. Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Shona would go on to win the vacant end of the way title now separate from the WCW title, of course, and new Japan. They would put that up for grabs in the G1 climax, their big tournament show they would do every year.
00:58:56
Speaker
Luger would, of course, join the WBF, the World Bodybuilding Federation, not the World Wrestling Federation. Because by all accounts, he was not interested in doing any more wrestling, which again, maybe points to his feelings of a wrestling as a whole at this point in time. But he had famously gained interest in motorcycle accident, breaks his arm on the one side, he famously gets deal reinforcements, and comes part of his gimmick in WWEF. By the time he's recovered from his injury, the WBF is no longer a thing due to discovering after steroid testing and all these guys quietly leaving the company, but seriously for no reason. So of course he'd become part of the WBF by the time this next year would take place. The other thing I noted, I can't honestly confirm this, but I had skimming through his match record. I couldn't find one. As far as I can tell, this seems to be Lewer's only match in Japan. and Maybe it just didn't like international travel.
00:59:50
Speaker
Yeah, not judging from that. But it's just interesting that if this is is only Japanese match, it's very notable in that regard. Yeah, yeah. Tony notes that Luger just showed Japan what the US has known for years. He'll do anything to hold on to a title. JR says his unpopularity is international. all This show is so salty, it might as well be soy sauce. Mm hmm. So our sixth match is Tatsumi Dragon Fujinami versus Ricky Choshu for Fujinami's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Choshu's Greatest 18 Club Championship. The referee for this one is Tiger Hitori. So famously, Ricky Choshu would win the IWGP title for a man we've sadly only featured once, which is Salman Hashimikoff. Oh, he was good.
01:00:40
Speaker
One of the two very good Russian wrestlers we saw in the one Starrcade 19... Is that 1990? 1990, yeah. Yes, okay. The Pat O'Connor tournament one, yeah. I had noticed I always get 89 and 90 mixed up because they're both tournament shows and we watched them one after another. Yes. So I do my best to keep them straight. Asimikov, of course, has famously beat Vader for the title, which is a match that is around and online. You should definitely check out. Yeah, I need to look that up. It's very, it's very intense. There's a lot of big men selling each other. And of course the duo that being Chosu and Vader would trade the title throughout the summer as well. As I said, before last year's show, Fujitami, he had a very recently won the IWGP title before his match with Flair. Well, he has held on that title since that show. So he is. Wow. Rating champion. Yeah. Through almost full calendar year. That's pretty impressive. Yeah. Chosu is out first to the show theme. He has quite a mullet.
01:01:40
Speaker
Yeah, not sure. JR builds him up as one of the first to use the Scorpion Deathlock. JR also notes him as a former Olympian. Mm-hmm. Fujinami gets a hard rock and flute theme this year that sounds very Zeno Saga. Yeah, I can do that, yeah. And has another awesome dragon-themed robe. JR builds this up as a major rivalry, but a respectful professional one. Tony and JR discuss the Greatest 18 Club, and for more on that, see our show intro last time. Mm-hmm. Streamers are thrown, as for many matches, and I have to note that the staff and the wrestlers are really good at getting them cleaned up fast. If this were a WCW show, they'd be all over the map for the duration. Yeah, right? The show logo shows up to block out part of the ring for some reason. Weird. Yeah, I didn't get that. They trade holds and skilled counters as JR and Tony start talking all about Antonio Inoki, who trained Fujinami.
01:02:38
Speaker
Funny, it feels like there would have been a great opportunity to do that earlier in the, oh wait, WSW cut Onoki's match. Yeah. Genius. h Choshu shows greater strength, and JR says that his size is an advantage now, but it might hurt him as the match goes on, because Fujinami has a reputation for conditioning. Fujinami slaps Choshu in the corner, but Choshu keeps his cool. Fujinami keeps a hold on a little long as Choshu gets to the ropes. He's playing subtly heel for this, but very lightly. Choshi works the back and chest and puts on the scorpion deathlock, but surprises JR by eventually letting go even though Fujinami hadn't reached the ropes. He goes back to work, but Fujinami hits the dragon screw leg whip. Again, too bad Dusty is not on commentary. Then locks on his own scorpion deathlock. I love how both of them put that hold on. It's very like mechanical. Three distinct steps rather than like smoothness and fighting that you'll sometimes see from Sting. Yeah.
01:03:37
Speaker
Choshu makes the ropes. Fujinami viciously kicks Choshu, lands a diving knee drop in a pile driver, and locks on the dragon sleeper. Choshu manages to just catch the ropes with one leg, but Fujinami just puts the hold back on. A second break, and Fujinami goes for it again, but Choshu, quite tired of that, kicks him in the head. So Fujinami locks on the octopus hold instead. Choshu levers free and Fujinami goes up top but gets superplexed. Choshu tries his Lariat, but Fujinami drop-kicks him for two. Fujinami back on the attack, but Choshu hits two powerful Saito suplexes, stuns Fujinami with a Lariat, hits another Lariat from behind, and finally fells the day's Fujinami with a third.
01:04:24
Speaker
Funny ah bit from Tony on commentary. Fujinami still standing. Oh, there he goes. but Yeah. Choshu covers for the three count and the win. JR builds up the series of high impact moves from Choshu at the end there. And Tony praises Fujinami for staying up as long as he did, which serves nicely to build up both guys. Choshu for his power and Fujinami for being so tough that it took all of that to take him down. JR praises both men for a clean match in hopes everyone learned something from them. Choshu gets a trophy and both belts, and then gets an enthusiastic handshake from Fujinami. They hug and raise their hands together, as Tony praises their sportsmanship. I feel like Tony and JR both want to go call Japanese matches from now on. It does feel like it, yeah. JR for sure. Such a wonderful break. Yeah. Thoughts on this? This is a very strong technical match, as you'd expect from both men. Especially in Fujinami, we saw a really good taste of that last year.
01:05:24
Speaker
It's their leave our first real show with chose you. So it's really interesting that we get them in such a high high profile match. And again, a match that we were both expecting not to be on the show. We're like, yes. i but Like weird that you cut this match for both their big titles. Then it comes up like, Oh, I guess they didn't have both. Oh, okay. Thought we weren't getting this, but sure. Happy surprise. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They did a really good job with the match of showing the experience of these two and how well they know each other. I mean, so much of the way they fight out of holds, the way they escape, obviously the great bit where Josie goes for Larry needs to get to dropkick by Konami is really good. Yes. Because the dropkick is not like an amazing move, but doing it late in the match like that. And then that precise, the timing of that was so good.
01:06:13
Speaker
The Dropkick is one of those moves that I think always looks really good as a counter. Yes. You feel the impact of it. Mm hmm. For sure, yeah. Yes, definitely really good sort of virtuosio. Again, I had heard of by reputation. I referenced him on an old episode of being an Olympian from 1972. But yeah, definitely a really good way to see him for the first time. Let's put it that way. Mm hmm. Yeah. Fujinami of course is great as well. It's nice that we're still in this point where this is like the big match for the titles. And it really is tending for like the best match on the show. In contrast, sadly to later WWE shows in like say late nineties, you know, 98, 99, where
01:07:00
Speaker
The biggest match in the show is underwhelming because you know, either people are too past their prime or RTS Rodman and can't do anything. It just, you know, Oh, this is okay. Anybody watched 10 of the guys really impressed earlier and like, wait, why are these guys not in the main event? This is a great example of showing these are guys that really deserve to be in the main event because they are so good at their jobs. Yes. I was worried that a match like this, given that so much was built on their history that I really don't know other than reading Wikipedia saying, it Oh yeah, they fought this time and then mentioning, oh, Futurama is back injury and chose to take the title and all that. I was worried it wouldn't hold up without firsthand knowledge of that, but it's really good. Yeah.
01:07:48
Speaker
It's a funny running thing throughout this match as well. It's brought up earlier, but really gets heightened in this one that JRC is really offended by the name dragon sleeper because it's not actually a sleeper hold. Yeah. Yeah. Because he's like really defensive about it. I'm like, ah dude, it's okay. He's always really careful to point out that it is a submission move, not working like a normal sleeper. Yeah. You know, a sleeper's purpose is to make you unconscious. Yeah. The submission hold is to make you tap out from pain. So. Mm hmm. It didn't know we had an match at all, which is a funny thing because you it comes up in the next match as well. He's like, mind you again, it's not a sleeper hold. OK, JR, I believe you.
01:08:31
Speaker
Yeah, I thought this was an excellent, carefully crafted and plotted match that clearly shows the length of the feud between these two wrestlers. They came off as guys who knew each other extremely well, cautious of each other in the early going as they knew well what each other could do, refusing to be drawn in by taunts, and making really good use of their entire arsenal of moves and sometimes each other's, while countering the biggest weapons of their opponent if they were brought out too early. As JR noted, the match was quite clean, as even though Fujinami did play subtle heel for parts of it, he did so without actually breaking rules or even pushing them all that much. He just maybe showed a tad less respect for Choshu than Choshu showed for him. So it allowed Choshu to look like the bigger man until the post-match anyway, when both come off very well. The ending spot was really cool, letting Fujinami look tough as nails even in a loss without devaluing Choshu's big lariat since it did in the end do the job. Yeah.
01:09:24
Speaker
It felt like an appropriate ending for a match in a mega feud. And like you, Al, I felt like this ah match did a good job of making me understand that this was a pairing that had a ton of history, even without me having read that history or or like seen it. Yeah. It's notable to be able to get that across just in your performance. Mm hmm. Josie would hold on the titles until August. We lose him to the great Buddha. So Muda would have one title offense in September. So a month after he wins the titles, he's defending them both titles simultaneously. At the end of the match, he goes, oh, by the way, i'm I'm not going to keep this greatest 18 championship anymore. He said it nicer than that, obviously, and in Japanese, but basically the point is he's only going to be defending one title from this point on. And that's the end of that title.
01:10:12
Speaker
But Hey, I had a good run all the same, especially given that it was Antonio keys, WWF belt, I believe technically. Yeah. The actual belt is not intended to be the same title. I don't think right it's literally the same title, but it's the physical belt. Yeah. Same, same belt. But yeah. Yeah. It goes from basically the, we need a Nokia to have a belt. So here's a belt form. So they all matter about it. to then being the confusing, but still really well-respected Hall of Fame belt, which they tried to explain briefly in commentary. Oh, and a little note about longevity. At Wrestle Kingdom 17, which happened to waste in 2023, they held a memorial six-man match featuring older Japanese wrestlers honoring the then recently late
Fujinami's Continued Influence
01:11:00
Speaker
Antonio Minoki. Oh, okay. Featured in that match, Fujinabe, still wrestling in 2023. Oh my. Wow. Yeah.
01:11:07
Speaker
I can picture that. I mean, he has one of those styles, like, I think a a flair and and that sort of wrestler that is more technical. Yeah. As long as you avoid like major injuries, you can kind of keep that going more than a power wrestler can. Yeah. Or like a Dory Funk Jr., for instance, you wrestled it way, way past what most people would think would be a logical stopping point. Yeah, I was like I was looking through them like, let's look at him like, oh, yeah he's always looking to 17. Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. So I just moved him at that about 31 years after this show. We cut back to JR and Tony, and Tony praises Choshu as tough as nails and builds the next match as a dream tag match. JR notes the unusual setup as Sting will be fighting the Steiners, his friends, and teaming with Muda, who has been his foe. Let's go down for the introductions, he says.
01:12:02
Speaker
where would Where would we do that, JR?
Dream Tag Match Setup
01:12:04
Speaker
Perhaps to some sort of squared circle or ring, maybe? Someone got the ropes, perhaps? No. Oh. They really, really don't ever give us our title on this one. It's sad. Yeah. All right. So our final match is Sting and the Great Muda versus the Steiner Brothers, Rick and Scott. Referee for this one is Bill Alfonso. So they would of course note on commentary that they think it's the first time that Sting and Mood have teamed up, but as a fact, not true. As I noted in the last show, where that they went from, we have this blood feud, you know, you cheated, you cheated by spin, missed my face while I was jumping at you. So I'll fight you one time on a house show, non-televise, and then I'll team up the twice, just just for fun. I'm over whatever happened. I mean, it's Sting. Yeah. He said, I'm sorry. Okay. I believe you but this once. Yeah.
01:12:59
Speaker
Also with noting that Muda, it is non gimmick form as his actual name, Keiji Mudo is colder. The IWGP tag titles with Roshi Hase. Oh, cool. Who sadly was cut from the show. Yep. Still bitter about that. Yeah. Also, even though there's no issue of tape delay with that, cause they were champions, even when the show aired in America, they don't have the belt. So it's weird. It's weird. So like no one wants to have their belts, except Luger, I guess. That is a little odd. Yeah. Yeah. Luger and I guess Shidami Chosu. Yeah. <unk> There's like a, a bin in the back for your belts. Don't take them outside. Just put them in the, put them in the bin over you done of the show. We actually get entrances for this match. Yeah. The Steiner's are out first and we even get a stats screen showing their height and weight. Scott is seven centimeters taller than Rick, but Rick is 10 kilograms heavier in case you needed to know that. Yeah. Absolutely bizarre to have these only start up now in the final match. Yeah. Right.
01:13:56
Speaker
J.R., giving the Steiner's history and covering their college education at University of Michigan, sounds somewhat defensive when he notes that they both graduated. Like, that was in doubt. I know certain commentators like to make fun of the Steiner's thing. They were very smart. Yeah. But he's not with Jesse Ventura or Bobby Heenam right now. He's sitting there with Tony Schiavone. That's true. Yeah. Tony's probably like, yeah, I know. It is funny that he mentioned that both of them got degrees in education because, of course, Rick Steiner is, I believe, still on the school board and is where it's calmed down. I think so. I think so. Sting is out next, and sadly, the Captain Sting Merica jacket does not make a reappearance this year. Instead, he's got this slightly strange, shiny, wavy striped coat. Yeah. Weird look. He is two centimeters taller than Scott and the same weight as Rick, incidentally.
01:14:47
Speaker
Japanese text also informs that he's the former WSW World Heavyweight Champion per Google Translate, which is funny because as of the air date of the pay-per-view version, he's again the current WSW World Heavyweight Champion. I love the freeze frame in front of him that could be a dive outside the ring as well. Yes.
Sting, Muda, and Steiners Match Details
01:15:05
Speaker
Muda is last out, separate from partner Sting, preceded by performing Acrobats. Very cool. Muda actually wins the glitter contest tonight with his glittery blue Ninja gear. He is five centimeters taller than Rick, but the lightest guy in the match by eight kilograms. That tracks. The Japanese text proclaims him one of WCW's top heels. Huh? Per Google translate. That is actually what it says. It says there. All right. I was not expecting that. Kayfabe is dead.
01:15:38
Speaker
J.R. notes Muda's different personalities as Great Muda and Kijimoto, but manages to make it sound like he changes personality based on whatever he happens to be handed his entrance gear. Yeah, it's weird. They did like, oh, he puts on his face, but he changes. doesn Like, why would he put it on then if he knows it changes his personality? Yeah, it sounds it sounds involuntary when it's clearly not. Yeah, like he goes to take a nap and someone paints him. It's a prank. Yeah, it's a prank. They just. Yeah. Maybe ah Great Muda is just Muda being ticked off because someone painted his face backstage. Maybe that's all it is. It started from that old prank we'll do where they like draw like cat whisk on your face. Yes, exactly. And just went from there. He dubs Sting and Muda brothers in paint due to their shared face paint gimmicks. Muda sprays blue mist as we start up. Muda and Scott start and Scott outwrestles Muda but Muda outkicks Scott.
01:16:32
Speaker
That tracks tags to Rick and Sting and Rick gets the advantage hits a Steiner line and hits the top row Bulldog. It gets to the commentators point out that the Stiners are trying to end this really fast. Yeah. Sting gets revenge with a heavy closed line. Stinger line. yeah Yeah. He goes for the Stinger splash, but Rick dodges and he's turned buckle. Scott in for a double underhook powerbomb, then a tilt whirl slam for two, but Sting floats over a Tombstone Piledriver and hits his own. Stinger call. A Sting elbow drop for two, and Rick saves, surprising JR, as Sting hadn't done anything illegal. I didn't know that tag saves were a moral judgment. Yeah, apparently so. Sting holds Scott's arm for a Muda top rope elbow, and if this was the 80s, Muda would win right there.
01:17:22
Speaker
Yeah. Buddha power drive elbow, but Scott escapes an arm bar and hits a devastating belly to back suplex. Scott and Rick trade off wearing Buddha down, including a Scott top rope Steinmohan drop. Yeah. I've decided that's the name of it. Oh, I thought it's like Michigan to drop personal, but that's. And get to with a Rick release German suplex, their double team suspended top rope elbow and a vicious Rick corner ram and kick. Scott even uses the dragon sleeper. Muda Sayido suplex, and he tags Sting, who beats the crap out of Rick, and hits the stinger splash. Muda in, unclear if there was a tag, but Rick counters the handspring elbow with a very smooth belly to back suplex for two, as Sting saves. I love he catches him, does not even like have a hint of putting him down there. No, just catches him smoothly rotates, boom.
01:18:14
Speaker
When I like that it's an interception move as well because he steps out of the corner. Yes. Otherwise he's explaining why he's not taking the impact when he crashed into the corner. Yes. He's cutting him off just before the last jump. Yeah, it's really, really nicely done. Rick tags Scott and goes to yell at Sting despite Rick making a save earlier.
01:18:34
Speaker
Everyone brawls and Sting stuns Rick with a turnbuckle ram, then double team Scott with Muda. Rick recovers, so Sting hurls, hurls Muda bodily into him to send both of them out. Yeah, this, this was a, a regular WSW show. We'd have to debate about whether it's a yeah disqualification or not to throw your own partner out. Does it get a reverse disqualification? Yeah, because it's a partner. Yeah. you Threw a guy out, but he's your partner. So how does that count for you? Yeah. Sting and Muda dive on the Steiners in turn, and back in Sting and Muda high five as evidently Muda is totally cool with being used as a human weapon. Yeah. The Steiners surprise them with stereo diving clotheslines. Sting counters a Scott tilt whirl with a victory roll as Rick belly-to-belly suplexes Muda and pins him, but Alfonso counts Sting's pin of Scott for the three count and the win. As far as I could tell, Muda and Scott were the legal men, so neither pin was technically legal.
01:19:32
Speaker
True, yeah, I think that's right. Rick thinks that he's won, but Alfonso explains that Sting and Buddha won, and raises Sting and Buddha's hands. There's tension for a few moments, but then the signers graciously accept their loss, extending hands to Sting and Buddha, and its handshakes all around. Thoughts on this one? As a whole, I think this is a really good match. I just think it could have been a really great match. There was just little things here and there keeping the match from, from me, from being a really well executed dream match. Still getting it is really nice. Again, even if you put it inside the fact that steak and Buddha have team together before they still have nowhere near the tag team experience as Rick and Scott. So that absolutely goes to them.
01:20:16
Speaker
So you get a nice version of the story we had in the very first match. Although I don't think don't think that's planned at all. It's just a coincidence the way we watched the show. It's the two non-tag wrestlers actually winning out with their ability and strength over the tag team, which is nice.
01:20:34
Speaker
If you're looking, you know, this purely on paper, you have Sting hits just about all the big moves. He does something he doesn't do too often. Like the tombs don't counter. I don't think it's intentional, but even back in 1992, we're getting little teases of a Sting Undertaker match that never came
Match Critiques and Analysis
01:20:50
Speaker
to be. Yeah. Hey, Buda gets his dives in. Buda does the miss for the intern, but not, I guess, cause he's sort of playing face here, despite what the text on screen said, apparently. Yes. He, he, he doesn't miss as a counter at any point. Maybe he knew it was on thin ice was staying after last year. So yeah. It never would have made the post-match thing a lot. What if he'd use the mist to help get a pinfall and they're like, yeah, thanks buddy. I are cool.
01:21:20
Speaker
But yet my problem with this match is that that sudden supposedly a double pin finish just kind of comes with a match really so that it's still building up to the finish. It feels like an abrupt stop. Not a bad stop. It's not like going back to Badger Beach 97. We're getting a decent match with Booker T and Bret Hart and suddenly, boom, chair shot match over. It's not that not that bad. But it's it's disappointing in the sense that it's well done, but it's important because I was thinking they were building up still, and I was like, oh, roll from the ring, roll from the pins, and oh, okay, I just over know. ah Yeah. Putting aside the fusion over who's League or not, I think you're right. Like, neither of these fans really made any sense. But I know Red Kool-Aid doesn't see the slam counter by Sting, but as he went for the pin, he completely repped not looking his direction.
01:22:12
Speaker
Yeah. The reference clearly turned away from him. So he's like, hmm. Like, why do you think the ref catch your pinball? He wasn't even watching you, man. He takes the expression eyes in the back of your head quite literally. OK. He hears. He hears. He hears
Show Recap and Highlights
01:22:29
Speaker
the mat being padded. Oh, must be for me. Yeah. Yeah. Again, putting aside whether who's legal or not, allowing a pin to be taking place while the other two guys will find the rig. It's also kind of interesting. Yes. Yeah. Flies in the face of the really strict officiating from on the Japanese referees. Yes. As the commentary team noted, the WSW refs could, could learn some things. Yeah.
01:22:53
Speaker
Yeah, so i I still a good match. I'd still recommend it if you're a fan of the teams or the, you know, the two will match separately. But for me, it just, it ended too early. And I don't know what the point of having this abrupt finish, which I get other than T's more matches, like why in a match like that? Yeah, yeah. I imagine they like the idea is, hey, look how equal these guys are because they got simultaneous pins. But there's got to be better ways to do that. Yeah.
01:23:26
Speaker
Unsurprisingly, this had awesome action. A hard-hitting, fast-paced match filled with big, big moves and powerful strikes, but with an atmosphere of respectful competition rather than the blood feud that normally prefaces such intensity. Things did get heated as the match went on, but it felt like temper is flaring due to wanting to win, not due to either side having a personal problem with the other. They did well with that delicate balance. I really like both sides getting to their big moves quite early. As with last year's Sting-Muda match, they made it clear that they knew each other well and knew what it would take to win, so they weren't holding back. Yeah. But as you noted, the ending is pretty confusing. And for me, the main problem with it is it results in a really flat finish yeah without a really big reaction. They all just kind of stand around confused until Alfonso declares the win. And even then, they and the crowd seem underwhelmed.
01:24:18
Speaker
It's not a bad finish. Like you said, it's just not one I would pick for this match. Yeah, especially not as the main event of the show. Mm hmm. And it stands out because the Chosu Pigeonabe match had this really strong, well-built up finish and celebration afterwards. And this is like, Oh yeah, I guess you won. Yeah. I think I probably would not have as big a problem with this finish if this were not the last match. Yeah. If we reverse the orders of the last two matches, then I think it would be maybe a little stronger. Mm-hmm.
01:24:49
Speaker
In defense of the counting of the pinfall, it's possible that Sting was the legal man on his team still, because it's very unclear from the camera work whether Buddha tags in before the elbow spot. Right. And as mentioned on the other show, there may have been some cuts as well. So not as evident as the previous one, too. So that could be a factor as well. Overall, though, it's a really enjoyable watch filled with some great stunts and perfectly timed and smooth action. So I really enjoyed it.
01:25:19
Speaker
The tag team of Mudo and Hase would lose their titles to the team of Big Ben Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow, who would of course be the champs that these diners would be fighting for the right to fight at Russell Ward 992. They show we've covered. With the match with Fujinami and Izuka, right? Correct. Yes, the one. That's cool. There is a match evolving Sting and Vader in Sting's future. Yes. A very painful one, as I recall.
01:25:49
Speaker
We get a recap video covering some of the night's big moments. Haven't seen one of those since the earliest arcades, I think. Yeah. When it comes weirdly, because they talk about how we're we're going to replay the finish, see what happened. And then they replay like the show. Yeah, yeah. That's so strange. We get clips from the Rhodes versus Saito and Kim Duck match. Eligante versus Vader, which JR describes as not pretty at all. Yeah. And then staying at Buddha versus the signers. Apparently nothing else happened tonight. No, no. JR thinks that Buddha and Rick were legal, but I'm almost 100% sure Scott had tagged in.
01:26:27
Speaker
We cut back to Eric Bischoff and he nods to the controversy as well, but says it was an exciting tag team match. Bischoff advertises Russell war in 1992, building up the war games match and the dangerous Alliance and signs off and super show two is done. Bischoff really speaks kind of like a news anchor in that last segment. It's not like his later commentary or what he sounded like earlier in the show, but I wonder if it's just cause it's prerecorded that it comes off a little bit odd, maybe a little bit. Yeah.
01:26:58
Speaker
So overall thoughts on Super Show 2? It's overall a very strong show. It's got a lot of enjoyable matches. It's got some really good moments to it. The only real negative about it is that it feels like it's being treated like a fancy afterthought by WCW because it takes place in January by air in March. And, you know, they introduced it by telling you it's an all in the past. So ah for which in the mindset of, well, this happened already. So I didn't know what happens later. So that said, there are some really good tag matches.
01:27:33
Speaker
whether they're just really well-worked by some of the people like the Anderson's Bisco tag match or the opening six-man match, or there's this a sort of really interesting appeal like seeing Dusty and Dustin together, which is always great. The singles matches they throw near the end are both really good. Chono Luger is a very interesting clash of styles that I think works, even if maybe Luger's heart died and he's still performing fairly well. Likewise Chosu and Fuzhami really, really delivers. Again, showing that these guys really know each other very well and really deserve to be in this main event spot because they really work hard and earned it. And again, the main event match is a very joyful spectacle, which is a shame that's kind of a sudden abrupt and flat finish like that, which puts a not a real damper on the show, but it would nice at the end and a more exciting upbeat kind of moment like with the previous match before it.
Japanese Atmosphere Appreciation
01:28:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's still a very adorable show. It's obviously hard to find because of various legal reasons, but towards tracking down, especially if you're a fan of this era of wrestling, you can see matches and duos you may not ever see before or since. And even though a lot of it's cut, there's still a very interesting Japanese feel to the show. So it's it's unique in that regard. As far as the action went, this was just as much fun as the first Super Show, with some really, really good contests with performers both familiar and not. Presentation-wise, not so much.
01:29:07
Speaker
yeah where the first one was presented akin to a live show, cut down, but generally not feeling cut down much. This one has more noticeable edits that, while they leave the matches intact, strip out much of the ceremony that I loved from the previous year, and, thanks to being much more blatant about the show being in the past, hurt the drama of some matches, in particular, Luca vs. Chono. I could have done with a better balance of batches on the show as well. Four tag matches, even if all were good, was a tad much. And I could definitely have done with a better layout. Three tag matches in a row, then three singles matches, then the final tag. I know that's the order they happened on the actual show, no resorting this year, but I definitely have preferred they alternate match types to keep things fresher. There's no bad matches on this one though. And I'm counting Vader versus Eligante there, though, largely because of Vader in the helmet spot. Oh yeah. Sure.
01:30:01
Speaker
There's absolutely no promo content on all this year, which adds to the perfunctory feel of the show. and Don't get me wrong. I like these shows to be about the action, and I get that these are international shows being released over here months later, but it still feels strange for us not to get, say, a Sting promo about how it feels to team with longtime nemesis, Muda, or comments from Vader about the helmet incident. Cue next year's show having like 20 promos if this follows the usual pattern when I comment on this stuff, of course. Yeah.
01:30:30
Speaker
Fortunately, the commentary was again really strong. I am very much liking the Tony and JR pairing. This year it felt like they traded off a little bit more on who was doing the lead commentary match by match, but they continue to have really smooth interaction and good deep discussions about the matches and wrestler strategies and personalities. Impressive considering they are not dealing with the wrestlers they're most familiar with in most of the matches. They make a good team.
Overall Show Evaluation
01:30:55
Speaker
Production, well, as noted, feeling somewhat underwhelming for much of the show, was capable, and except for a tag or two, cameras were always on target and got some truly great shots at certain points in the show, like showing the interaction between Dusty and Dustin, or some nice shots of Muda's Acrobats. There's some good character moments and major stunts on this show, and we get a good view of the majority. All in all, this one is a fun watch, if not quite as fun as the first show, just because of the editing and production that make things a little bit disjointed at times and dampen the drama of the show.
01:31:25
Speaker
Still, much like the first show, they gave us a really enjoyable action-heavy show with a lot of good matches featuring less familiar performers. Yeah, there's definitely, there's a through line in the first show where they build up to the Futuranami Flare match, which has direct implications on WCB television. And that's that's sadly lacking here, unfortunately. Yeah, you can tell this is more of a Japanese show where some WSW guys are on his guest rather than still being a critical part of WSW programming. Mm hmm. Match of the night and MVP. So, Al, what is your match of the night?
01:32:04
Speaker
All right, so there's some pretty strong contenders. The opening six man is good. The following time I i also really enjoyed. I still liked the dusty, Dustin match, but I don't think it quite makes my final slotting just for the overall reaction. But I absolutely get your view on how they would sort of appeal with them together. So I like that. Turn on the Luger I really liked. And again, we've been talking before, I'm kind of disappointed with the overall feel of the main event match, but I can't say it's a bad match at all.
Awards and Recognitions
01:32:33
Speaker
For me, I think ultimately probably ends up being the Chosu Fujinami match. Because again, I've only seen Fujinami twice and seeing Chosu for the very first time. They both really impressed me here. Okay.
01:32:49
Speaker
Like last year, you could make a fair case for almost every match on this show, but like you, I'm going to go with Fujinami versus Choshu. Yeah, it's a really good match. Considering I'm not super familiar with Fujinami and I'm not at all familiar with Choshu, the two still made me feel the history of their conflict, understand how well they knew each other and get involved in the tense, but largely respectful contest that built well to a really strong finish. I'd say close second for me is Sting and Buddha versus the Steiners, but I just did not like that ending. Mm-hmm. That's fair. and MVP. You know, I want to give it to Vader's helmet, but there's so many good people on this show. It really would be fair to people that really worked really hard, but just no deep down my heart. That's probably my, my emotional pick. Yeah. Yeah. But no, there's a lot of people that really deliver. The best guy was quite good. He really stood out in the show, feeling so different from everyone else, especially in this audience and this, this arena.
01:33:49
Speaker
Like I said, the little things that Dusty and Dustin Dolt did character wise was really good. Action was still good as well. Uh, Chono made a nice baby face against the real despicable Heel Luger. It's just a shame he couldn't have done better in the final match results. Obviously, Chosu and Fijanabe are both the really easy ones to pick. Again, liking everyone in the main event match. I feel like if we had a sting promo that could have pushed ding over the edge for me or something extra food genomic, other than food genomic getting the entrances, which they said he's been a million dollars in that ramp, but we only have to say it once on the American broadcast. It's crazy. I say it's not their money, but it sounds like money well spent.
01:34:30
Speaker
I think, honestly, I have to go with my gut, which is giving it to Chachosu. Okay. Not knowing him other by reputation. He was really, really, really good here. Obviously, in order with Fujitami, it's gonna look great, but he really stood above and beyond. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is the only chance I'm gonna get to do this. So that's also a factor. Fair enough. Yeah. Yeah, this is a very tough call as there's a lot of really great performances tonight. Like you, I'm, I'm so tempted to go with Vader because of the helmet spot, but I am going to give this one to Larry's a Bisco kind of thought. So for showing future Scott Steiner, how one constantly complains and mounts off without slowing a match to a crawl. He had so much character and made his match really fun to watch. And he worked really well with Arne as the more quiet, serious, but dependable partner. Yeah.
01:35:19
Speaker
Sorry, a and i'm I'm really tempted to make this a double MVP for the double act, but I feel like Zabisco's attitude just went above and beyond.
Conclusion and Teaser for Next Show
01:35:28
Speaker
And that wraps up our review of Super Show 2. If you've enjoyed listening to us tonight, you can find us on Facebook as Let's Go to the Ring. A link will be available in the episode description. Follow us for episode announcements and other show details, and share your own thoughts about each show as we go through. You can subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, YouTube Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, TuneIn, or Pandora. And please if you've enjoyed this show, give us a rating or review and share the show through your favorite social media platforms to help others discover us. Many thanks to ProWrestlingHistory.com for attendance figures, and to Gina Trujillo for our logo.
01:36:07
Speaker
Next up, WCW New Japan Super Show 3, or in Japan, Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome, which sounds like an anime about elves and dragons showing up in modern Tokyo during a sports event, which I would totally watch. Say, is that not already a show? I i would be shocked if it isn't. Yeah. This is Bob Moore for Alec Pritchen signing off. Good night, everybody. Happy wrestling.