Match of the Week: Brain Busters vs Demolition (WWF Saturday Night Main Event 7/29/89)
A mainstay of NWA, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard ventured up north into WWF getting paired with Bobby "the Brain" Heenan and immediately liven up tag team scene for a year. They reached the pinnacle of WWF tag team division in this match.
At the previous WWE Saturday Night Main Event they took on tag team champions, Demolition, which they won in disqualification. On this SNME show they had a rematch in 2-out-of-3 falls match.
Brain Busters tries to out-wrestle Demolition using various double team moves and cheating measures. Demolition returned fire with their smash-mouth brawling. Demolition takes the first fall after Smash hits a hotshot on Arn Anderson. Second fall came when Demolition gets disqualified for excessive double teaming. During that time the late Andre the Giant showed up. Final fall came when Bobby Heenan distracted the ref just for Andre the Giant to slide a chair to Tully. He clobbered Smash with it and Arn pinned him to take WWF tag team titles ending Demolition 17 month long tag team title reign. The Heenan Family celebrates with another set of titles.
Arn and Tully WWF tag title reign last for over 4 months before dropping it back to Demolition. They were on their way back to NWA/WCW when this happened. Tully gets fired from WWF after failing drug test. Word of failed test gets back to NWA/WCW who didn't want him back. Arn returned and stayed to the end when WWF bought them out. Tully, with his career in shambles, turned to ministry and preaches on the word of God. His daughter Tessa went on become a wrestler.
Last month Hasting Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last Thursday they announced there are closing and liquidating all their stores. End of era and place I will miss. For me who used to live in west Texas cities, Hastings was vital part of my life. It's a place I could go to rent movies, browse through and purchase books, music, and movies, or just hang out. For there's nothing to do I would go there. Another place I grew up biting the dust. I will sure miss Hastings big time.
Match of the Week: Masato Tanaka vs Balls Mahoney (ECW Hardcore TV #271)
1998 is the year then FMW wrestler Masato Tanaka made his US debut in ECW. This is his second appearance in ECW and first at the famed ECW Arena going against Balls Mahoney in front of wild, bloodthirsty crowd.
He made quick impression out wrestling Balls early on then went toe-to-toe in a brawl outside. Once they got back in the ring both had chair battle trading sick chair shots on each other and still got up to roar of ECW crowd. Balls tries go for Nutcracker Suite on to the chairs, but Tanaka turns it to tornado DDT on to the chairs for the win. He won ECW Arena crowd for his skills and toughness.
It's first of many battles these two had. Both teamed up a bit later in the year winning ECW tag team titles from Dudleyz. He returned in another stint ECW in late 1999 holding world heavyweight title. Known for his toughness,Tanaka continue blaze a career in Japan with FMW then Zero 1 and various Japanese feds.
Balls Mahoney stayed with ECW til it closed and worked around northeast including short stint in TNA. Wrestled in WWE with the ill-fated ECW revival brand. He passed away this year.
Match of the Week: Athena vs Su Yung (ACW Distrust, Dismay & Antisocial Behavior 2015)
Pika-Su vs Charthena
Nintendo released PokemonGO app earlier this week and immediately became a big hit. So big that it got people socializing, talking, and in some cases, get shot or falling to their deaths while chasing Pokemon in public using their phone and not looking in their way.
What does this do with wrestling? How about match featuring Pokemon battle? Say what? What in creative minds would do such a thing? Creativity belongs to women wrestlers Athena and Su Yung.
Last year in Anarchy Championship Wrestling, Athena defeated Su Yung to win ACW Joshi title after spending half of 2014 chasing her. Their second battle happened at Queen of Queens when they faced other in semifinals with Athena coming on top and on her way to winning the tournament and retaining Joshi title. Two months later at this show, they faced each other in third and final match between the two. Billed as final showdown these two took creativity off the charts.
Match started with bad blood with slaps then submission holds and the original ref taking a beating as well. Both got outside the ring when anarchy happened as the locker room emptied out and brawled. After the brawl both came out under the ring dressed in Pokemon kigu with Su Yung dressed as Pikachu and Athena as Charmander. They battled to Pokemon theme and Su Yung using yellow streamers as thunderbolt on Athena. Another interference when Angel Blue appeared cutting off strand of Athena's hair. Jessica James makes the save attacking Angel Blue til one of Blue's henchmen VG Allin put stop to it. During this time both Athena and Su Yung went under the ring. Baby Dumplins came out and help Jessica James ward off attack from Angel Blue and VG Allin chasing them out to the back. Athena and Su Yung re-emerge this time as DC Comics women with Su Yung as Catwoman and Athena as Supergirl. Both went on having hard hitting straight wrestling match battling in and out of the ring. Su Yung had Athena in armbar/headscissors submission which she got out. Athena hook STF variation on Su Yung making her tap to win the final battle.
In Athena post match speech she talked how both came up with creative touch on this match. After thanking everyone she dropped a bombshell this is her last match thus vacating ACW joshi title. Reason? She signed development deal with NXT. Amazing way go out in a fed she called home for years.
This year at Wrestlemania weekend I end up running into Su Yung and talked about the match. I wish I mention about their Queen of Queens match because I enjoy that as well. I wish she appeared down here again.
There you have it. Two women wrestlers Athena and Su Yung use their creativity featuring Pokemon and DC Comics women making this match fun and memorable to this fan.
Match of the Week: Outsiders vs Sting/Randy Savage/Lex Luger (WCW Bash at the Beach 1996)
The day Hulkamania died and New World Order arrived
The match and turn that changed the wrestling world and made WCW no. 1 for almost two years. It started when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash declared war on WCW. They took it further when Kevin Nash powerbombed Eric Bischoff through a table. They follow it up assaulting Arn Anderson, American Males, and Rey Misterio who got thrown face first on to production truck. Then this match at main event of Bash at the Beach where it was three-on-three encounter. Going to show Outsiders have not said who's the third member.
Started as two-on-three encounter with Hall and Nash dominating Team WCW with Luger getting taken out early in the match. Sting and Savage fought valiantly, but Hall and Nash kept overpowering them. Hulk Hogan showed up thought to save WCW from Hall and Nash. Instead Hogan hits the legdrop heard around the world aligning himself with Hall and Nash in one of biggest shocks in wrestling. After over decade and half being hero to the fans now Hogan turned to the other side becoming a heel. Soon ring litter with debris and trash at the three. Cut from from all showings is a fan attempting get in the ring only get stomped out. Hogan cuts a blistering heel promo with Tony Schiavone ending the show with the words, "Hulk Hogan you can go to hell!"
This is a big deal. When started watching I grew up cheering for Hulk Hogan. I was a Hulkamaniac. To see him turn heel shocked the hell out of me. Not because it came out of nowhere he's the guy that told all his Hulkamaniacs to say their prayers, take their vitamins, and never go wrong. Witness him tell the fans to shut up and stick it becoming a prima donna was all brand new to fans that grew up around 80s and early 90s. New World Order sent WCW to new heights making big money and dominating over WWF during that short period.
