Intro and NWA Wrestle War 90: Wild Thing Review

Hello,

I guess sometimes New Year's Resolutions turn into Memorial Day Resolutions. I intended to have one of these back in January, but always found one reason or another to put it off. I guess there's no time like the present, so here goes...

This here blog has no format whatsoever. I'm into a LOT of different stuff, and I'm gonna discuss it here. That includes music, film, fashion, pro wrestling, and whatever the heck else is going on. I'll try not to make it TOO personal, though, since I'm not really that type of person. I'll try to keep it light, but we'll see what happens. So, let's not waste any time and get started.

One of my favorite pastimes is viewing old pro wrestling shows. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some choice stuff recently and I just got done watching a good one. I usually don't spend Friday nights in the basement watching wrestling, but tonight was as good a time as any to take a night off from the high life. I was totally wrecked this morning after the Methadones/Copyrights/Hollywood Blondes debauchery last night at the Beachland Tavern, and I didn't feel any better for the rest of the day and into the night. So I decided to take it easy and watch NWA Wrestle War 90: Wild Thing. I took notes as the show went on (partially because I knew I would write this and also because it makes things a little more interesting), so heres my review of the show!

Note: I've read a ton of reviews of wrestling shows that give exhaustive play-by-play of each match. I usually get easily bored with that approach, so I'm not gonna do that. I'll just type some stuff about each match and other things I noticed/thought of as the show went on. It might be a little too stream-of-consciousness for some, but too bad. And, all match times are taken from Wikipedia. I'll guess that they're correct.

Wrestle War 1990: Wild Thing
02/25/1990
Greensboro, NC

After the Turner Home Entertainment logo appears, there's an absolutely hysterical opening video. It's to the tune of any basic 80's rap song, and here are the lyrics:

hey homeboy gather around/some serious stuff is gonna go down/called the wrestle war daddy(?)/the kings of the ring/all are together to do the wild thing/lex luger, the steiners, nature boy and sting/and they all be doing that..wild thing/yeah they'll all be there with something to prove/threatenin with intentions to bust a move/w-w-w-w-wild thing

(Insert old school hip hop icon here) would be proud. The first thing I notice is the padding on the ringposts. They say Rooster, and I'm wondering if that's the chewing tobacco company, or maybe something else. Since the show's from Greensboro, NC it's probably the tobacco. Jim Ross and Terry Funk in the booth tonight. Funk's got a long ass earring that makes him look like Jesse Ventura. He also calls Ross Jimbo Diddley, and I think I'm gonna try and refer to him by that name in conversation from now on. They go to Gordon Solie who is talking to Teddy Long. He tells us that Dan Spivey is injured and he's found a replacement for the Skyscapers/Road Warriors Chicago Street Fight later. I wonder if the replacement is Mean Mark Callous, who would later go on to bigger fame as the Undertaker. I seem to remember him being a Skyscraper at one time. Let's go to the ring for the first match! Note: This is taken from the commercial VHS version of the show, so there are some edits. There are two matches missing and they are Kevin Sullivan and Buzz Sawyer defeating The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas & Johnny Ace) in 10:15 and Norman the Lunatic defeating Cactus Jack w/ Kevin Sullivan in 9:33. On the original broadcast, these matches occurred prior to the matches below.

1. The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. The Midnight Express ("Beautiful" Bobby Eaton & "Sweet" Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette

The MX (Midnight Express) have one of the best entrance songs ever. A quick pause of the tape and a look online shows that it's Giorgio Moroder's song "Chase" from the film Midnight Express. A quick glance at the four wrestlers and Stan Lane's the only one without a mullet. Lane announces Cornette as "The man who stole Ivana from Donald Trump" Ross: "I didn't even know he (Cornette) liked girls." These are two of the greatest teams of the 80's and it's only 1990, so they probably haven't started their declines yet. Therefore, there's no possible way this match can be any less than great. The referee is Nick Patrick, and I had no idea he was in the business this long. I think he still refs for the WWE. Oh boy, a 1-900-909-9900 banner sighting. I was tempted many a times when I was a youngster to give that number a call and get the latest scoops. Then, with the advent of the internet and so much free info, junk like that became obsolete. Somebody has a sign that reads, "We Have Herd Enough!" in reference to Jim Herd, the man in charge at the time. On the recent WWE DVD about the Four Horsemen, I believe Ric Flair refers to him as a "fucking asshole." Flair also discusses him in his book and his 3 disc DVD from a few years back, so I'm not gonna go into too much detail. So this is a great match so far, as expected. The crowd is really into everything, too. I really believe that a great crowd can make or break a show. Action is back and forth, with Cornette (the manager of MX) getting involved and using his trusty tennis racket as a weapon. At one point MX get into a shoving match on the outside of the ring, so maybe they're teasing a breakup? I'm kinda fuzzy on the whole NWA/WCW name change timeline, mostly because I was a WWF kid growing up, but I find it strange that they refer to themselves as the NWA but there are WCW banners everywhere. There's also a WCW sign that's lit up but the quality's so bad that it looks like WOW from far away. And I've typed this much and barely discussed the match. Ricky Morton does a cool spot where him and Eaton are in a test of strength and Morton climbs up Eaton's chest and dropkicks him. I find it amazing that the NWA had World Tag Team titles and US Tag Team titles and this isn't a title match. There's too much talent in the ring right now to not have a title on the line. The match has now gone close to 20 minutes but the time has flown by. Morton has been in most of the match, and I'm sure that means they're building to one of the oldest tricks in the book: the hot tag. Sure enough, after getting his ass handed to him for most of the match, Morton makes the "hot tag" to Gibson who cleans house. He then gets the pin and the win in 19:31.
Winners: The Rock-N-Roll Express

2 The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) w/Paul Ellering vs. The Skyscrapers (Mean Mark Callous & The Masked Skyscraper) w/Teddy Long - Chicago Street Fight

Straight to the 2nd match with no interruption. So I guess the Skyscrapers at this time were Mean Mark and Dan Spivey. I thought Sid Vicious was still a member, but he must be injured too. A quick pause of the tape and a look online reveals that The Masked Skyscraper was Mike Enos, aka Blake Beverly of the Beverly Brothers in the WWF circa 1992. I love the internet. The Road Warriors' entrance music is louder than the commentary. If I remember correctly, they used Ironman as their song, and they probably couldn't put it on the tape. So they had to substitute it with something else, and the dubbing was bad. Just a guess, though. All four are in jeans and t-shirts, or "street clothes", which is appropriate. After a few minutes of brawling, Teddy Long emerges from the dressing room with Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed). I remember seeing clips of this match on an old WCW tape I got from Suncoast in 1992(?) I think it was called Bone Crushers. Anyway, there aren't any weapons yet, and that's pretty lame. However, Animal's wearing a Zubaz logo shirt, and that's not so lame. But, he's not wearing the Zubaz pants, and that's pretty lame. The Road Warriors pick up the victory following a DDT on The Masked Skyscraper (figures he'd take the loss) in 4:59. Then because Doom needed a reason to be around the match, they start brawling with the Road Warriors. Their post match scuffle is better than the match that just ended.
Winners: The Road Warriors

3. "Flyin" Brian Pillman & The Z-Man (US Tag Team Champions) vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin)- Title Match

The third match on the show is the third tag match. There may never be another Pay-Per-View in the history of wrestling that has 3 tag team matches on the entire event, let alone 3 in a row. I'm certainly not complaining, though. The entrances are edited off the tape. I'm not too happy about that. It's good to see the crowd booing the 'Birds, since I think they work much better as heels. I wasn't really an action figure kinda kid. Most of my toys were wrestlers and wrestling related products. That said, I thought then and still think today that it's a real crime that America never got Freebirds WCW figures. I found out years later that the UK got a lot of figures that America never saw (The Freebirds, Dustin Rhodes, El Gigante, etc) and that sucks. I played the shit outta my WCW Galoob toys, and I wanted the 'Birds! Anyway, Pillman and The Z-Man (what an absolutely ridiculous name, by the way) are fundamentally sound, so this match reflects that. Lots of armdrags, armbars, etc. Pillman's audibly calling spots to Jimmy Garvin. That's never good. The crowd is going crazy for something off-camera. A fight in the crowd? The fight's in the ring, folks. It's weird hearing Terry Funk call the action since he spent a good portion of 1989 in a blood feud with Ric Flair. Pillman gets beat up for awhile then makes a hot tag to Tom Zenk (aka The Z-Man) and the crowd loves it. The cut-off leather gloves of the Freebirds remind me of Big Van Vader, one of my all-time favs. Jimbo thinks that the eyeliner on the Freebirds makes them look like Alice Cooper. I'd have to agree with that. After yet another hot tag (this time to Pillman) and he's in control. However, Garvin goes to throw Pillman out of the ring but the cameraman's in the way. In a cool visual, Pillman hits his head on the lens of the camera. But, it must have been a mistake because he acts like nothing happened and climbs to the top rope to give Garvin a crossbody and Pillman/Zenk retain the titles in 24:32.
Winners: "Flyin" Brian Pillman & The Z-Man


4. The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) (World Tag Team Champions) vs. The Andersons (Ole &
Arn) - Title Match

It must be noted that Arn Anderson was the reigning World Television Champion at this time, and his and Ole's entrance music kicks all kinds of ass. It's so good, in fact, that it's currently on my iPod shuffle workout mix. And, since Arn already has his own title going in to this match, it's almost certain that the Steiners will retain. I'm sure the match will still be tremendous, though. And, yet ANOTHER tag team contest. The 4th of 4 matches so far. Rick comes out with a sheet of paper that reads "Sting's Revenge." I think this is in reference to an injury Sting suffered at the hands of the Andersons and Ric Flair. Ross just mentioned that tonight is Ric Flair's birthday, and a quick pause of the tape and a look online reveals that Flair turned 41 on 02/25/1990. Not too shabby. Also, he mentions that the next match will pit Flair against Lex Luger for Flair's World Heavyweight Championship. Therefore, the streak of tag matches ends now. Ross and Funk constantly mention that the NWA IS wrestling, and I think those were not-so-subtle digs at the WWF, which was much more cartoonish. Ole's in the ring with Scotty and he looks OLD. I'm pretty sure Tully Blanchard (AA's partner in the NWA and later the WWF) failed a drug test around this time, so that's why the Andersons are teaming here. Blanchard is definitely missed in this contest. I mentioned the Galoob-manufactured WCW figures from my childhood earlier, and it looks like Scott Steiner is wearing the same outfit as his figure. Interesting. Now Arn's in the ring and he's working very methodically. That's a concept that seems to be lost today. Today's pro wrestling seems to be moving in fast forward compared to the older era. In my opinion, a slower match = better timing of moves, more yelling at the crowd (one of my favorite parts of any match), and a more realistic bout overall. It's very common knowledge that this stuff is fixed, but a guy like Arn Anderson always that look on his face like he was gonna kick somebody's ass. Then he did. That stuff's largely missing today. He also spends a long portion of the match working on Scott's arm, an Anderson tradition. Focusing on one body part for an entire match is another lost art. I just realized that I rented this tape some time in the early 90's at the Mentor Network Video (R.I.P.). I don't know why it took me this long to remember that fact, but whatever. I really miss that place. They always had a great selection of WCW tapes, back when those were damn near impossible to find. Scotty just busted out the Frankensteiner outta nowhere! Now he's getting his ass handed to him. Hot tag to Rick and the crowd loves it. After some brawling, Ole gets pinned and the Steiners retain the belts in 16:05. After the match, Ole and Arn attack and seemingly injure the arm of Scott Steiner. It looked legit, but you never know.
Winners: The Steiner Brothers

5. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (World Heavyweight Champion) vs. "The Total Package" Lex Luger - Title Match

The entrances are clipped off the tape and this is BULLSHIT. I loved Luger's entrance music in 1990, and Flair had pretty much the greatest entrance of all time. So, that stinks. You can hear Flair talking to Luger in the ring: "You'd better be at your best. You're talkin to the World Champion, pal." Classic Flair. After about three minutes of action, the match is CLIPPED. WHAT THE FUCK? I can understand some clipping in trying to fit a 3 hour show on a 2 hour tape, but who in their right mind would clip the MAIN EVENT? Especially when none of the other matches had any edits at all, outside of the entrances in match #3. I'm not really gonna go into too much detail on this one, since I'm so peeved about the edits, but i was impressed with what I saw. At one point Flair busts out the old "Siddown fat boy, and keep your mouth shut!" routine on a ringside fan. That'll never get old. The crowd is REALLY into the matchup, too. Although a quick pause of the tape and a look online reveals that Luger was the reigning US Champion at this time, so it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Flair retains. I would have seen him come out with the belt of it wasn't edited off the tape. Plus, Ross and Funk keep bringing up Sting and his hatred of the Nature Boy. So, I'm guessing that Sting factors in the finish of this match and eventually faces Flair for the belt. Flair working on the arm of Luger, which is strange since his finisher is the Figure Four Leglock. After a really loud chop by Flair, Jimbo states that, "That's the NWA style. Man on man and physical." I'll take his word on that one. Well, it looks like I was right, as Sting has made his way to ringside. He's sporting crutches, too. Flair's punching Luger and he's acting like it's not hurting him at all, like Hulk Hogan. Now he's shaking the ropes like The Ultimate Warrior. The NWA IS wrestling, ladies and gentlemen. Luger with a superplex on Flair that's not on the same level as Barry Windham's. I think Windham was in the WWF as The Widowmaker at this time. He was missed on this show. Uh oh, the referee just went down. I smell a screwy finish. Luger tries to pin Flair, but the ref's out. Luger with the Human Torture Rack on Flair, but the refs still out. The Andersons hit the ring to attack Sting. Luger goes outside of the ring to help Sting, the ref wakes up, and counts Luger out at 38:08 (although I don't know if Wikipedia listed the actual length of the match or the clipped length that I saw. I'm not gonna time it to find out.) Then the Steiners hit the ring to help Luger and Sting and that's it.
Winner By Count Out: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

So, that's that. I really enjoyed the entire event, outside of the aforementioned clipping of the main event. Ross and Funk mention that the next event will be Armed and Dangerous, but it was later named Capital Combat and featured Robocop saving Sting from The Four Horsemen (including a returning Barry Windham). Yeah, that Robocop. I don't have that one, but I do have the one after it. It's the Great American Bash 1990, and I might do another one of these when I get around to watching it. I've wanted to see this for years, and the main event of that show was Sting challenging Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship. I've heard nothing but good things about the entire show, so it should be good. That probably won't be for a while, though. I might do reviews of other stuff as well, but we'll see.

Until then,
Later