Initial Thoughts: Throughout the 2007 KOTDM, Freak Show would be placed against IWA’s top deathmatch guys as a way to get revenge for him injuring Ian Rotten’s eye. Unlike Tank, Freak Show leans into being a bad guy and the crowd is willing to talk trash with him which helps the whole thing. Mitch Page … Continue reading Freak Show vs. Mitch Page (IWA-MS King of the Deathmatch 2007 6/22/07)
Mickie Knuckles vs. Tank (IWA-MS King of the Deathmatch 2007 6/22/07)
Initial Thoughts: This King of the Deathmatch is part of the IWA-Mid South vs. Deep South feud where Freakshow blinded Ian Rotten and, as a result, several matches on this show have the theme of MS vs. DS including this one. Even at the time I don’t remember the whole storyline being super cohesive as … Continue reading Mickie Knuckles vs. Tank (IWA-MS King of the Deathmatch 2007 6/22/07)
Pretty Wonderful vs. Stars & Stripes (WCW House Show 7/14/94)
Initial Thoughts: Overall, I’m a fan of Pretty Wonderful as a tag team and have started to come around on Paul Roma in general. They tend to be good at the two big things that are asked of them, which is playing to the crowd and keeping things engaging while they’re in control. Obviously by … Continue reading Pretty Wonderful vs. Stars & Stripes (WCW House Show 7/14/94)
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood vs. Jimmy Snuka & Ray Stevens (NWA/Maple Leaf Wrestling 6/29/80)
Initial Thoughts: This match is going to start filling in several blanks I have in my general wrestling knowledge. The vast majority of the Snuka matches I’ve seen have been from the post-Hulkamania run so while not entirely past his prime, they’re not necessarily what you’d start building a case for Snuka as a great … Continue reading Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood vs. Jimmy Snuka & Ray Stevens (NWA/Maple Leaf Wrestling 6/29/80)
Ricky Steamboat vs. The Sheik (AJPW 6/11/81)
Pre-Match: So six months later, here’s the rematch. I’m not expecting anything wildy different than the first time. Steamboat is still the consummate professional and Sheik still likes stabbing people in the face; the question is whether or not Steamboat will have any adaptations to his game that prevent him from being stabbed (as quickly) … Continue reading Ricky Steamboat vs. The Sheik (AJPW 6/11/81)
Ricky Steamboat vs. The Sheik (AJPW 12/9/80)
Initial Thoughts: This feels like the type of pairing that should just work. Sheik has been wrestling for a little over 30 years by this point and is firmly entrenched as the guy who will stab his way toward a DQ just because it’s what he likes doing. It’s not for everyone but I can’t … Continue reading Ricky Steamboat vs. The Sheik (AJPW 12/9/80)
Randy Savage vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Worldwide 1/31/1998)
WCW C-level shows really are the place to go for the “Wait, did that really happen” matches. This is two guys on totally different levels of the WCW hierarchy, but I’m curious exactly how much they’ll do in five minutes. Savage offers a handshake at the start but Ultimo doesn’t accept it. Savage then offers … Continue reading Randy Savage vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Worldwide 1/31/1998)
Stevie Richards vs. Mikey Whipreck (ECW Hostile City Showdown 4/15/95)
The crowd is solidly behind Mikey in this match. Raven is here with Stevie who misses a charge and eats some punches from Mikey. Mikey knocks him down with a haymaker but Raven trips him as he hits the ropes. Mikey slides out of the ring and heads to the back and comes back with … Continue reading Stevie Richards vs. Mikey Whipreck (ECW Hostile City Showdown 4/15/95)
Hair vs. Hair- El Satanico vs. El Dandy (CMLL 12/14/90)
El Dandy hits the ring and immediately gets jumped by Santanico and thrown into the ring post. Satanico takes a little time to pose while the referee checks on Dandy. He then goes back outside to jump on Dandy during the introductions and brings him into the ring just so he can choke and punch … Continue reading Hair vs. Hair- El Satanico vs. El Dandy (CMLL 12/14/90)
Buddy Rose & Doug Somers vs. The Midnight Rockers (AWA 8/30/86)
The Midnight Rockers are Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. Rose and Somers are accompanied by Sherri Martel and are defending the AWA tag team titles. The announcers make a weird comment about the crowd being quiet while they’re loudly booing Rose and Somers. Buddy Rose stalls early and doesn’t want anything to do with Shawn. … Continue reading Buddy Rose & Doug Somers vs. The Midnight Rockers (AWA 8/30/86)