WarGames

[JimmyHendricks 0]

Watching the 1991 Wargames match on the Pillman DVD, I'm left wondering why it's so loved, especially by the IWC. Not necessarily the 91 match, but the WarGames format itself.

 

I just have never been able to get into a WarGames match. I just don't know why. I guess it's because the heels ALWAYS win the coin toss. Not really, but you'd think everyone would have caught on by 1996 or so.

 

I always thought it would work better if it became a single elimination match once everyone got in, instead of the "first submission by ANYONE wins the match" rule.

 

Call me crazy, but I just don't understand why everyone in the IWC goes nuts over the format, and is always hoping the WWE will bring it back.

[Hawk 34 0]

It's popular, especially because of the violence and usual drama involved. Before WCW stopped the violence and made it a glorified 8 man tag match within a cage, it always involved top stars in the heat of some major programs.

 

The 1992 WarGames is still tremendously effective and one of the best pieces of storytelling within such a barbaric premise.

 

The reason it works better with the one submission to a victory rule was the emphasis on team-work. It forced team-mates to pay attention, which meant that you'd might have give up beating your biggest rival to prevent your partner from submitting on the other side of the ring.

 

So many intricate details went into those earl WarGames and that's why they are so effective.

[GODSON 0]

The heat around them is crazy. Even the 94 Wargames with Col.Parker Team(ANderson,Funk,Bunkhouse and Parker himself) vs. The Rhodes and Nasty Boys had the crowd behind them and the build up to Col.Parker sweating because he was afraid to get in is what made me people love that Wargames. Or the 1989 wargames with Michael Hayes talking sh!t outside the ring the WHOLE match, telling his teammates they should go before him,etc. was great and when he got in the ring he gave the babyfaces some great DDT's. Other little things like that made me love Wargames.

 

I think when WCW started to have the wrestlers come from the back instead of staying ringside is what hurt Wargames for me.

 

The whole fake Sting angle, Mr.Perfect turning on Flair or Warrior silly magic tricks made the late 90's wargames fun.

 

I hated the triple cage Wargames.

 

This year Lethal Lockdown in TNA was fun and brought back memories.

[Perfxion 0]

The best wargames are 1987(The bomb GAB tour- 7/4/87), 1989 (GAB PPV), 1991 (Wrestlewar 91), and 1992(Wrestlewar 92).

 

What makes these matches so great is that the drama is building up in the match. Watch 1987 for proof, watch how Dusty gives and then takes a shit kicking by the Brainbusters to build heat on who ever saves him. The heels win the coin toss for drama, it would be dumb to have it the other way around. Its having people like Hawk(87 and 89) and Sting(91 and 92) not start the match because of their great skills at timing the comebacks to build heat. Its why having the Austin, (92), Midnight Express(89), Dusty (87) and Pillman(91) pacing to keep the heat going on. Plus it allows talentless slugs like Sid (91), and Koloff(87,92) to be apart of ****+ matches with little work as possible being done.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

"I have to go in?"

 

"You have to go in."

 

"Damn!"

[Just John 0]

I actually got a tape online with all the Wargames matches, so I watched 'em all in about 3 sittings. I think what bugs me the most is how repetitive they get, and how many spots are recycled year to year. I can't count the number of times someone got military pressed into the top of the cage repeatedly, and of course, the heels won the coin toss every year. As stand alone matches, they range from passable to really good, but I strongly recommend not watching them all together.

 

My favorites were 91, 92, 96, and 97. 92 was definitely the best traditional formula WG based on hatred, violence, and the face team overcoming the odds. The other three all stand out because the heels actually go over. 91 has an especially sick finish. I feel 96 has the best story of any WG match with the fake/real Sting storyline going on and the NWO at the top of their game. I think 97 gets overlooked because of the lack of star power, but there were more innovative cage spots, some real hatred (think about that Nash mocking Arn promo), and a good heel turn which is something that hadn't been done before either in WG.

 

1998 was by far the worst thanks to nonsensical rules and too much Warrior silliness. 95 wasn't real great either, probably the worst traditional format WG.

[cabbageboy 0]

The 1987 one is really good and I also like the 1991 and 92 ones too. It was hilarious watching the 91 match on Pillman's DVD, Sid was calling all sorts of spots throughout the match. He and Rick Steiner practically have a conversation.

[Guest netslob]

cause it was one of the few good ideas Dusty Rhodes ever had.

[Rendclaw 0]

87 was the best by far, though 91 ranks second. Considering all of Dusty's problems with ALL of the Horsemen, The Road Warriors' dominance of the tage team division, and Nikita's face turn because of Magnum TA's career ending accident.

 

On the other side, The Horsemen were running roughshod in the NWA at the time, and none of them were winning very many matches clean. It was the right time, the right kind of match, and the right kind of participants in that match. Hell I have it on my Youtube list and I still watch it. I owned the video tape when it came out, too.

 

JJ Dillion getting his shoulder wrecked after the Doomsday Device wasn't any more tasty than Brian Pillman almost getting broken in half by Sid. After 91, I lost my taste for the match, more because the heat was nowhere near as palpable as in 87 or even 91

[World's Worst Man 0]

The hilarious thing about the Sid-Pillman thing from '91, is that after Sid nearly killed Pillman, he decided he had to do the move again, this time "properly". As if a "properly" executed powerbomb was needed after he nearly broke Pillman's neck with a crazy high-angle powerbomb. Good old Sid.

[razazteca 0]

2 rings + cage = the climax of the feud.

[Broward83 0]

which wargames took place in Houston?

 

I remember when I was young going and seeing it at the Astroarena and just remembering how fuckin huge Stevie Ray was in the car parked next to me and my dad.

[Just John 0]

1993

 

Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes, and The Shockmaster beat Sid Vicious, Vader, and Harlem Heat

[Lil' Bitch 0]

98 had great potential since, with the exception of Stevie Ray, you had the biggest names / legends in wrestling going at it in the same match. Of course, WCW failed once again.

[Rendclaw 0]

2 rings + cage = the climax of the feud.

 

Exactly. Things had cooled down a bit between the eight men after the Wargames, though you still had every one of the faces chasing Ric Flair's title.

 

I'll say this about old-school NWA. They may have had a shitload of titles, but almost all of them meant something.

 

How many did they have at the maximum?

 

World Heavyweight

US Heavyweight

World Tag Team

US Tag Team

World Six Man

Light Heavyweight

US Heritage

 

I know they had one or two more, I just can;t remember what they were.

[GODSON 0]

2 rings + cage = the climax of the feud.

 

Exactly. Things had cooled down a bit between the eight men after the Wargames, though you still had every one of the faces chasing Ric Flair's title.

 

I'll say this about old-school NWA. They may have had a shitload of titles, but almost all of them meant something.

 

How many did they have at the maximum?

 

World Heavyweight

US Heavyweight

World Tag Team

US Tag Team

World Six Man

Light Heavyweight

US Heritage

 

I know they had one or two more, I just can;t remember what they were.

 

They also had endless tv time for one roster. WWE have a lot of tv time but have to deal with three rosters and that's why the titles don't mean nothing.

[Perfxion 0]

Seen on TV:

 

NWA World Title: which came the Big Gold Belt...

NWA US title: best looking US title ever.

NWA World Tag Team: Best looking tag team titles ever

NWA US tag team: the red belts aka the Midnight Express championships.

NWA TV title: the only belt to fit around Dusty's waist

NWA 6 Man Tag titles: Excuse to give Dusty a title, then the Road warriors.

NWA National title: Yet another belt for singles matches, died about 86ish to 87ish.

NWA National tag titles: More tag titles, last used to make LOD champions without having to strip other teams of the World titles.

NWA Western States Heritage title: The former AWA World Champion Defect to South title.

 

There was a Woman's champion that the WWF bought, Moolah as first champion...nuff said on that.

There was a Junior weight title that Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid were wrestling for: dried up after that in North America.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Don't forget that they also sometimes showcased some of the more regional NWA titles, like the Florida Heavyweight Title, etc.

 

MX, I don't remember the Road Warriors holding a "National Tag Team Title", but I do remember them being seen on TV as the "NWA International Tag Team Champions", which was actually a tag title from All Japan wrestling that they won from Tsuruta and Tenryu.

[Perfxion 0]

My mistake, little hazy on my history, checking out their DVD and Solie.org they were national champions BEFORE leaving to the AWA, not returning. oops.

[nl5xsk1 0]

The Road Warriors were National Tag champs before they went to the AWA and won the World Titles there. I think the National belts were a regional (Georgia) thing ... and, if memory serves, they won the belts like a month into their tenure as a tag team.

 

EDIT: MX snuck in a response while I was typing up my paragraph. Oops.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The Road Warriors were National Tag champs before they went to the AWA and won the World Titles there. I think the National belts were a regional (Georgia) thing ... and, if memory serves, they won the belts like a month into their tenure as a tag team.

 

EDIT: MX snuck in a response while I was typing up my paragraph. Oops.

 

OK, yeah, that is right. The National Titles were basically the Georgia promotion's tag belts. The Road Warriors DVD actually covers this.

[BruiserKC 0]

The TV title was one of my faves...especially back when the rule was the champ always defended it whenever he wrestled on TV.

 

Don't forget that the NWA had a Brass Knuckles title at one time also.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The TV title was one of my faves...especially back when the rule was the champ always defended it whenever he wrestled on TV.

 

Don't forget that the NWA had a Brass Knuckles title at one time also.

 

That was only for a few years in one of the southern territories though, wasn't it? I don't think that was ever featured on the classic Mid-Atlantic/Georgia/WCW programs people remember, AFAIK.

 

Edit: Looked it up on wrestling-titles.com (an invaluable wrestling site) and found that the Brass Knuckles Title existed for about three years in the Nashville territory. Title was held by Gypsy Joe, Dennis Condrey, and Don Fargo.