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Best of Oct 21, 1996 - Nov 17, 1996 (Part 4)

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Guest TSMAdmin

Best of October 21, 1996 - November 17, 1996 (Part 4)

 

It's only taken me a total of three months, but this tape review is finally complete. If you haven't already, be sure to check out this weekends dual Confidential reviews.

 

LINKAGE for those of you have forgotten/didn't read the first three parts.

 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

 

November 9, 1996: WCW Saturday Night

 

Psychosis & Juventud Guerrera vs. The American Males

FINALLY DUSTY HAS GRACED US WITH HIS COMMENTARY ON THIS TAPE!! Sorry about that. Its just Dusty is generally the highlight of the WCW portion on these tapes. I guess WCW was spelling Psychosis' name the "American" way at this point. The Males consist of Marcus (Buff) Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. They began to tease a split on Nitro, so Dusty analyzes that situation. Tony ignores him. Bagwell gets a USA chant going. He works Juvi's arm until Guerrera makes the ropes. Juvi with a spinkick and some chops. Bagwell turns a leapfrog into a powerbomb. Dusty and Tony have yet to touch on this match. They are too busy discussing the possibility of Hogan facing Piper. Here is Dusty's take on it, "I know evryone is flyin' to Portlan, Oregan (Piper's hometown). Agents, managers. I'm not supposed to say this but in the old dayyys there a fight. Hogan, yo momma's bad. Well, yo momma's bad. Then lets fight." Tony's reply, "The times have changed." Why not have Dusty replace Lawler on Raw? That should bring in the ratings baby. Riggs tags and misses a blind charge. A pier six breaks out. The Males clothesline Psychosis and Juvi to the floor. The heels, well... I guess they are heels, take their time getting back in. Bagwell and Psychosis are legal now. Juvi gets the blind tag and hits Bagwell with a springboard dropkick from behind. Juvi follows up with a Michinoku Driver. He misses a springboard guillotine legdrop. Riggs gets the tag. He whips Juvi into Bagwell, who was on the apron. Psychosis connects with a somersault off the top to Riggs. Juvi puts him away with a springboard somersault legdrop. (4:38) *1/2 The Males argue, but then reconcile. Decent match while the Psychosis and Juvi were in control.

 

Chris Benoit w/Woman vs. Hugh Morrus JIP

Hugh is going up for the No Laughing Matter, but Nick Patrick stands in front of Benoit. Morrus gets pissed and yells at Patrick, then..."WOMAN RACKING DEM EYEBALLS!! OOOOH, SHE'S A DEVILISH WOMAN." Thank you Dusty. Benoit wins it with a bridged northern lights suplex. (0:27) The Dungeon of Doom attack Benoit on his way to the back. Sullivan taunts Benoit while Big Bubba delivers 2 DEVASTING belly-to-belly suplexes ON TO the guardrail. That was sick. The fans are actually pulling Benoit under the rail. Surprisingly good segment. 22.5/42

 

Tony is with Kevin Sullivan and Jimmy Hart. Kevin tells BEN-WAH that he never should have gotten involved with Woman. He adds that Woman is the reason behind the Dungeon attacking the Horsemen. 22.5/43

 

Highlights of the Rey Misterio Jr.-Dean Malenko match from Halloween Havoc follow. Dean won his second WCW Crusierweight Title in that match. 23/44

 

WCW Crusierweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Rey Misterio Jr.

Dusty is still going on about Hogan-Piper (THEY WANT TO HAVE A WORH TONY). Rey starts the match off with a quick dropkick. He gets a springboard moonsault and a small package for 2. The screen splits and Psychosis cuts a promo on Dean Malenko. He says the whole thing in Spanish, except for when he plugs the PPV. Rey with the 10 punch in the corner. Dean blocks a sunset flip for 2. Rey reverses for 2. Dean connects with a spinebuster. Malenko continues his assault with a hanging vertical suplex for 2. Rey gets stretched out as Dean hooks his legs around Rey's arm and applies a crossface. Dean gets 2 off a backbreaker. Dusty, "Crusierweight Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko is here!" Riiiight. Dean picks Rey up for a scoop slam. Rey uses leverage to fall on top for 2. Rey is stomped to the floor. Back in, Malenko gets a gutbreaker. Misterio with a mulekick in the corner. Rey goes up top. Dean stops him and puts Rey on his shoulders. Rey ranas Dean over the top to the floor. Misterio follows up with a baseball slide and a suicide dive, which cause Dean to crash into the rail. In the ring, Rey gets 2 from a slingshot sunset flip. Dean comesback with a double underhook powerbomb for 2. Rey hits a corkscrew moonsault for 2. Dean counters a springboard moonsault from the second rope with a backslide for the duke. (5:31) ***1/4 Good match, but a little on the short side.

 

Dusty sends us over to his "distinguished colleague" who is with Dean Malenko. Dean sucks at promos. 'Nuff said. 23/45

 

November 10, 1996: WWF Superstars

 

Kevin Kelly interviews Billy Gunn in the locker room. Gunn goes on about how he brought Bart to the WWF and how HE won three WWF Tag-Team Titles, whereas Bart lost three WWF tag-team titles. I like that last bit that Billy said. This segues into a tag-team match. 23.5/46

 

Bart Gunn & Freddie Joe Floyd vs. Billy Gunn & T.L. Hopper

Hopper was also known as the Dirty White Boy in SMW. McMahon made him into a wrestling plumber. Definitely not one of his better ideas. The Gunns have a staredown and we CLIP to Bart beating up Hopper. Billy runs in, but is dropkicked to the floor by Floyd. Bart covers Hopper after a double dropkick for the win. (0:49) Billy offers Bart a handshake and he accepts. They embrace in what is supposed to be a babyface act, but the crowd boos. All of a sudden Billy clotheslines the shit out of Bart. Billy takes off his boot and nails all three other guys with it. Billy used to have no muscle at all, then one day the guy was jacked. Hmmm. Fun segment, which was helped quite heavily by Jim Cornette's heel commentary (KICK HIM LIKE A DOG!!). 24.5/47

 

November 11, 1996: WWF Monday Night Raw

 

Yet another Rocky Maivia promo. It starts out with clips of him training and practicing in the ring. This leads us into a very gay and very fat looking Kevin Kelly questioning the Rock about his debut at Madison Square Garden. Rocky respectfully answers Kevin by saying that he is excited because his father and grandfather also wrestled in the Garden. In retrospect, this had to be one of the VERY few times that the Rock actually had a conversation with Kevin Kelly and didn't call him a hermaphrodite. A clip of Rocky introducing his father into the Cauliflower Alley Club follows. Rocky calls this the greatest moment in his life. Now I'm not in the least a sentimental guy, but how could THAT have been the single greatest moment in his life? The Rock ends the segment by saying that in five years all he wants to do is look back and say that he always gave 110%. He also wants to be able to succeed not because of his family's legacy, but because of his own unique style. In hindsight, this was actually an interesting vignette because judging from this alone video package alone, the Rock was nothing more than a loser rookie with a ugly haircut, yet he went on to become the third biggest wrestler of all-time. Go figure. Maybe this means that there is still hope for Randy Orton and Batista.... Nah, I doubt it. 25.5/48

 

WWF Tag-Team Titles: Owen Hart & The British Bulldog w/Clarence Mason vs. Shawn Michaels & Sycho Sid w/Jose Lothario JIP

This was the match that was announced two weeks earlier during the Sid-Shawn face to face interview. We join as Sid gets the hot tag. He delivers one of the sloppiest chokeslams ever to DBS. Smith, in turn, blocks a powerbomb with an UGLY backbody drop. HBK starts up the band. He goes for the Superkick, but Smith ducks and he hits Sid in a very contrived spot. Who didn't see that one coming from a mile away? Smith pins Sid while Owen trips up Shawn. (0:59) Afterwards, Shawn tries to avenge the loss, but ends up out cold due to an enziguri from Owen. An angered Jose Lothario gently pounds his fist on to the mat. What the point of signing that old bag anywhere? He was never active in Shawn's matches up until the feud with Cornette and then at the Survivor Series. All Jose ever did was just stand there. It's not even like Shawn needed a manager. Moving right along...25.5/49

 

One of those "Moments Ago..." things air featuring the Superkick and the enziguri. Kevin Kelly is standing in the locker room while officials are separating Shawn and Sid. Kevin, being the ballsy guy he is, proclaims that he will indeed interview both men. What was the Rock thinking when he questioned the gender of a man like Kevin Kelly? And the point of this segment was? 25.5/50

 

Dok Hendrix is up with the Survivor Series report. He goes over the traditional Survivor Series matches that will be taking place on the PPV.

 

* Lawler/Goldust/HHH/Crush vs. Rocky/The Stalker/Marc Mero/Mark Henry

* Savio Vega/Yokozuna/Flash Funk/??? vs. Diesel/Ramon/Faarooq/Vader

* Godwins/Doug Furnas/Phil LaFon vs. Owen Hart/Bulldog/New Rockers

 

The mystery man in that second match would end up being Jimmy Snuka appearing in his final match at Madison Square Garden. 25.5/51

 

Kevin Kelly finally catches up with Sid. As usual Sid's promo is meaningless and makes little sense. Sadly McMahon still decided to put the WWF Title on him. Damn, this episode of Raw is dragging along quite slowly. 25.5/52

 

Austin is backstage to cut a promo before his match with Bob Holly. More hard sell for the PPV. No real content here. 25.5/53

 

Shawn Michaels had appeared on Regis and Kathy Lee, so we see a clip. Shawn walks on to the set with a bouquet of flowers, Lawler, "Shawn brought those flowers for Regis?" Regis speculates that they call him HBK because he has broken many hearts in the past. Kathy Lee though looks at it in a different light and thinks that Shawn has had HIS heart broken many times. Shawn agrees with Kathy. This was mildy entertaining, but the last five segments have really knocked my expectations down, so take that for what it's worth. 26/54

 

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Shawn Michaels, who is sporting nothing more than a towel. Hopefully Kelly doesn't pull a Cole and try to look places he shouldn't. Shawn cuts an INTENSE promo on Sid. It actually came off kind of heelish, but it's all good. 27/55

 

November 11, 1996: WCW Monday Nitro

 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit w/Woman JIP

The dissention in the Horsemen continues. They are exchanging blows on the apron. Jarrett suplexes Benoit to the floor and struts in the ring. Sting runs in and gets Jarrett from behind with the Stinger Deathdrop for the DQ. (0:36) WCW spent the better part of a month trying to get Jarrett over as a credible face and now Sting squashes any chance of that happening in one fell swoop. At least Benoit was sort of a heel at the time, so why not attack him? Woman wants Benoit to help his fellow WCW-ite to his feet. Benoit reluctantly pulls Jarrett up by his hair and we go to break. 27/56

 

Some crazed fan delivers a package to Tony. Sadly it is not a bomb. Instead there is a note inside mentioning a Piper video from 1992. That video is never shown on this tape, so I have no idea what it was all about. 27/57

 

Dr. James Andrews, who is the same surgeon that the WWE uses, talks about Ric Flair's rotator cuff rehab. It will take him four months before he could return. Otherwise this was the usual medical update bullshit with lame-ass music playing in the background. 27/58

 

Mean Gene interviews DDP. A clip of the Outsiders helping him win a match follows. Gene speculates as to what that means. DDP says that although he used to manage Hall and teamed with Nash that didn't give them the right to get involved in his matches. The Outsiders stroll on down and offer Page a spot in the nWo. He is offended by their offer because that would make him the EIGHTH member of the faction. He could understand four or five, but not eight. Decent shit here...well at least compared to the last few segments. 27.5/59

 

FUCK!! I just spotted a nasty spider on the ceiling. I fucking hate spiders. And it's not even like this one is out in the open, it's in a corner, so it's going to be a bitch to swat it. I really need to buy one of those bug vacuums. OK, I just nailed it with a relatively heavy Family Circle magazine. It fell to the floor, hopefully either dead, or just under the magazine. HOLY SHIT!! I destroyed that motherfucker, as it got pulverized with the most lethal part of the magazine...the binding. Now I feel energized and ready to go, which is good considering it is 12 AM. Nothing like a good spider killing to get the adrenaline pumping.

 

Ciclope vs. Rey Misterio Jr.

As Rey walks down to the ring, Sonny Ono and Ultimo Dragon show off his J*Crown Titles. Ciclope quickly starts by working the arm. Rey speeds it up with a springboard rana and a suicide dive. Rey springboards back into the ring, but is nailed with a clothesline for 2. Rey is now on the apron, so Ciclope sunset flips him to the floor. He rolls Rey back in and gets 2. Malenko joins the party and watches the match. Ciclope with 2 off a missile dropkick. Ciclope sets Rey up on the top and DDTs him to the mat for 2. Psychosis walks behind Malenko, his opponent at World War 3, and also watches the match. Tony suggests that Dean look behind him instead of forward. Why do they pay him again? Ciclope applies a chinlock, thus bringing this match down to WWE-level Crusierweight matches. Ciclope hits a gutwrench powerbomb for 2. Back to the chinlock. Rey makes the superman comeback with a spinning heel kick. He does a springboard moonsault, but is caught with a tombstone piledriver. Lets just take a break for a quick reality check. Rey has just been hit with a DEVESATING piledriver, so what do you think should happen next? If you were going to say that Rey should no-sell the move and take Ciclope from the top rope to the floor with a rana, you would be correct. Rey puts him away with the springboard rana. (5:57) *1/2 Honestly, I know that the cruisers tend to no-sell some moves, but that was just pathetic. That aside, this was a little too spotty for me.

 

The Outsiders and Syxx grace us with their presence. They promote the upcoming Cable Ace Awards, stating that the nWo is the reason why TNT and Nitro are doing so well. Nash and Hall harass Tony and Larry for a while and threaten to take over Nitro. Do I care? No, I don't. Only WCW could kill the rush that I had going due to the spider incident earlier. Thanks a lot. 27.5/60

 

Miguel Perez vs. Juventud Guerrera

You may remember Perez from Gang Warz fame. He was the Boricqua that was hairier than Albert. This would be his WCW debut. Guerrera misses an enziguri. Perez with a clothesline in the corner. He backdrops Juvi on to the apron. From there, Juvi hits a missile dropkick. Perez scores with a sweet russian legsweep. A twisting senton from the second rope and a standing moonsault get 2. Juvi whips Perez, who takes a Flair Flip to the apron. Juvi dropkicks him to the floor. Perez is put up on the rail. Juvi attempts a rana, but gets powerbombed HARD to the floor. That sounded NASTY. Perez connects with the Space Flying Tiger Drop, which is of course ignored by the babbling fools. Back in, Perez hits a tornado DDT. Juvi comesback with a springboard dropkick. He goes up top and misses a 440 splash, yet lands on his feet. Perez rolls him up for 3. (3:56) *1/2 This was on par with the Rey-Ciclope match. What I want to know is why Perez got fat and never did any of those moves in the WWF.

 

DiBiase and Vincent are in the rafters. They offer an absent Sting the chance to join the nWo. 27.5/61

 

November 17, 1996: WWF SuperStars

 

Vince McMahon conducts a sit-down interview with Shawn Michaels. They actually talk about nothing for a good 5 minutes. Somehow the discussion went from the Hall of Fame ceremony to Shawn giving a long-winded reason as to why he is the way he is. FINALLY they get to his upcoming match with Sid. Vince asks if Shawn will alter his style for this match. Shawn responds with "You live by the sword, you die by the sword". WOW, this last chunk of segments has really done a number on the good streak this tape had going. 27.5/62

 

November 18, 1996: WWF Monday Night Raw

 

I would imagine this segment was included just to round the tape off at four hours. Anyway, we get a recap of the Hall of Fame Ceremony from one night prior, where Capt. Lou Albano, Killer Kowalski, Baron Mikel Scicluna, the Valiant Brothers, Johnny Rodz, Pat Patterson, Jimmy Snuka, and Vincent J. McMahon were all inducted. Interestingly, it was Shane McMahon who inducted his grandfather, not Vince. Too bad the WWE did away with the Hall of Fame. There are plenty of guys from the 80s/90s that should be inducted. 28/63

 

THIS IS IT

 

Not so good ending to cap off a pretty good tape. I'll break it down by federation for those of you who enjoy statistics (like me).

 

The WWF had all two matches (*** and ¼*). 40 of the segments on this tape were from the WWF and 20.5 of them received points, thus putting the WWF slightly over .500.

 

The WCW on the other hand delivered about 30 minutes of in-ring action with seven matches (1/2*, *¼, ¼*, *1/2, ***1/4, *1/2, *1/2). They had 23 segments with a mere 7.5 scoring points.

 

On a whole, I would recommend this tape due to the Austin-Hart feud and the Austin-Pillman stuff. Plus you get two ***+ matches in HHH-Mero and Rey-Malenko. You can buy this tape at Wrestling Power.

 

Expect last night’s Confidential to be up a little later tonight. As for my next tape review, I’ll do a WCW tape sometime around the holidays.

 

Drop me a line, take a look at my Archives, and check out my Amazon Wishlist.

 

The Smart Marks

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