Hardcore History Episode 3: 04-20-1993 ECW Review

April 14, 2018

ECW Hardcore History: Episode 3 – April 20th, 1993

Introduction:
Hello and welcome to episode 3 of a Hardcore History. Last week we saw the two more matches in the ECW TV Title tournament. Eddie Gilbert and Glen Osbourne moved on to the semi-finals. We also saw Larry Winters and Tony Stetson in a tag match. We get our fist peek at the ECW Heavyweight Champion in action when the Sandman took on the Kodiak Bear. There was some decent matches last week so I am interested to see what we get this week. Lets get to the ring….

Show Opening:

The show opens up with Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful ringside. They run down the shows card. Wonderful lets us know the Rockin Rebel will be in action. The Super Destroyers are here as well. We will also get the semi-finals and the finals of the ECW TV Title Tournament. Stevie Wonderful introduces a former World Heavyweight champion to be in the booth with Sulli and Wonderful and its Eddie Gilbert again.

Terry Funk then comes out and Gilbert is glad that he did. Eddie Gilbert says he was in the wrong and that like Funk they come from a wrestling family and he hasn’t been showing Funk the respect he deserves. Gilbert says he knows for a fact that Funk won’t shake his hand. Gilbert says that what he wants to say is that he is sorry for the way he has acted then he walks off. Stevie Wonderful then hands his mic to Funk as Wonderful walks off.

Match 1: ECW Tag Team Title Match: The Super Destroyers vs. Super Ninja/Wolf Man

Right when the bell rings the Super Destroyers attack the Ninja and the Wolf Man with their tag team title belts. One Destroyer takes the Wolf Man’s head and rams into the elbow of the other Destroyer. They make a tag then the Destroyer this the Wolf Man with an enziguri to the back of the head. The Destroyer then drops a head butt to the lower back of the Wolf Man. The Destroyer hits the Wolf with a back elbow then lays in a few right hands.

The Destroyer throws the Wolf Man into the ropes and hits him with a terrible looking body slam. The Destroyer could barely get him up for the slam. It looked like Luger’s slam on Yokozuna thats how bad it looked. The Destroyer makes the tag and he pokes the Wolf Man in the eye. Meanwhile, the crowd is chanting asshole to Hunter Q. Robbins on the third. The Destroyer drops 3-4 elbows while the Wolf Man lays on the mat. They make a tag and the Destroyer comes in and lays in some right hands.

Destroyer whips the Wolf Man into the ropes and he levels him with a clothesline. The Destroyer picks up the Wolf Man and drags him over to the Super Ninja and makes the tag. The Destroyer makes the tag and he comes in and picks up the Super Ninja and drapes him over the top rope. The Destroyer bounces off the rope and does a head butt to the groin area. We get a few more moves before they tag in the other Super Destroyer. He comes in and hits a side slam on the Super Ninja. The Destroyer then makes a tag and he nails the Super Ninja with a senton. He goes for the cover and gets the 3 count. Your winners and still ECW Tag Team Champions….The Super Destroyers!

After the match Terry Funk tries to get an interview with Hunter Q. Robbins and the Super Destroyers. Funk calls Hunter the turd instead of the third. Hunter Q. Robbins tells Funk that he is sick and tired of the disrespect that Terry Funk shows him. Funk is then looking right at the camera as Eddie Gilbert comes charging in and nails Terry Funk in the back with a vicious steel chair shot. Funk gets laid out and Gilbert starts choking him out with the chair. Gilbert then hits Funk in the back with the chair 2 more times. Gilbert is choking out Funk with the chair as the show heads to commercial break.

Recap:
This was your typical squash match and really nothing to write home about. The Super Destroyers were terrible and the two jobbers they were going against didn’t do them any favors. These guys can’t leave the promotion soon enough. The best part of this whole segment was Gilbert attacking Funk with the chair. The camera was in an awkward spot so when Funk got hit with the chair it felt up close and personal and you can hear the thud. It was pretty well done and Gilbert, so far, is getting the last laugh on Terry Funk. I am interested to see where this one goes.

Match 2: ECW TV Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Jimmy Snuka vs. Tommy Cairo

Eddie Gilbert comes out to the ring wearing a cowboy hat and mocking Terry Funk. It’s hilarious looking. We start with a collar and elbow tie up and Snuka pushes Cairo into the ropes. Snuka pats him on the chest then Cairo pushes him in anger. Cairo gets Snuka in a head lock but Snuka pushes him off and Cairo hits Snuka with a shoulder block. Cairo goes back to the head lock and he cranks it in a few times. Snuka pushes off again and gets up extremely slow and Cairo gets him in another head lock.

Eddie Gilbert gets up on the apron and distracts the ref but Snuka is unable to take advantage. Gilbert hops on commentary and mocks Terry Funk. Cairo gets Snuka in another head lock but this time Snuka reverses it with a suplex. Snuka picks up Cairo and nails him in the throat with his thumb. Snuka whips Cairo into the ropes and he just jumps over the top rope and goes to the floor. Eddie Gilbert then decks him with a right hand on Tommy Cairo. Gilbert throws Cairo back into the ring and Snuka dumps him with a brutal looking pile driver. He starts laughing after he nails him with it which is awesome.

Cairo gets right up after a near fall and hits Snuka with some right hands then a shoulder block off the ropes. Cairo goes after Gilbert who is standing on the apron. Snuka charges at Cairo but ends up hitting Gilbert instead. Cairo then rams the head of Snuka and Gilbert together. Snuka falls back into the ref. Cairo goes for a pin but there is no referee to make the pin. Johnny Hotbody comes into the ring out of no where and attacks Cairo. Cairo gets rid of him but Snuka decks Cairo with a loaded right hand. Snuka hits a back breaker on Cairo and then goes up to the top and nails Cairo with the superfly splash. He goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and moving on to the finals of the ECW Television Title Tournament….Superfly Jimmy Snuka.

After the match Gilbert calls for Jay Sulli to come in and interview Snuka and Gilbert. Sulli tells Gilbert that he is despicable. Sulli tells Eddie that it is disgusting what he did to Terry Funk before the match and what he did to help Snuka during his match. Eddie Gilbert starts talking and says that his name is not Eddie Gilbert but it’s Terry Funk. He mocks Funk and says that Gilbert just rattled his brains a little bit ago. He also says that Eddie Gilbert is one of the best wrestlers he has ever seen. Gilbert says he wants to go on record and show the ECW what they have in store for them going forward. Gilbert says its a man who hasn’t been seen in a while. It’s a man who will become the next ECW Television Champion and its Superfly Jimmy Snuka.

Gilbert says that all the doubters and disbelievers will remember one thing and thats Terry Funk. Gilbert says Funk is out grazing in the pasture somewhere. What ECW has to look forward to is Jimmy Snuka, Eddie Gilbert, and Hot Stuff International.

Recap:
There wasn’t much to this match which is kind of surprising. They were building Cairo up as this undefeated guy but he hardly got any offense in during this match. It was just a squash match for the most part which is what is surprising to me. I figured they would at least let Cairo get some of his offense in and make this a little closer if they were going to be showcasing him going forward. The match itself was nothing to write home about but it was pretty awesome how Snuka laughed after he dumped Cairo with the pile driver. Little things like that to get just enough heat to keep the match interesting.

Match 3: ECW TV Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Eddie Gilbert vs. Glen Osbourne

Before the match starts Eddie Gilbert gives Glen the opportunity to walk out of the match now and get a chance to leave early. Gilbert says he’s going to make sure Snuka wins the ECW TV Title. Gilbert says that Glen’s career is done and over with after tonight so it’s best he just leaves. Glen just stands there then Gilbert tells him again he needs to take his 20 kids and 2-3 ex wives and leave right now. Gilbert tells Glen that it’s his career not his.

The match finally starts and they circle around each other. Glen gets Eddie in a side head lock then hits him with a shoulder block off the ropes. On commentary Wonderful lets us know that Funk is more mad than hurt at this point but we will get an update later on. Gilbert backs Osbourne into the ropes and nails him with a right hand. Osbourne then hits Eddie with right hands of his own. He drives Eddie into the opposite rope and then goes outside to stall.

Gilbert gets back in the ring and offers to shake the hand of Glen Osbourne. Osbourne just ignores him as they get in a collar and elbow tie up. Gilbert hits him with a right hand then snap mares him over. Gilbert throws Osbourne to the floor then rams Osbourne into a table. Gilbert then sets up a table on the apron and the floor and he rams Glen’s head right into it. Gilbert then lays the table on top of Osbourne then he stands on it to add some pressure. Osbourne gets back up to his feet and rolls back in to the ring. Eddie greets him with a boot to the throat and chokes him until a 4 count. Eddie then snap mares Glen over and gets him in a reverse chin lock.

Glen gets up to his feet but Eddie grabs Glen by the hair and gets him back down to the mat in the rear chin lock. They both get back to their feet and Eddie gets Glen in a head lock. Glen pushes him off but Eddie nails him with a shoulder block. Both men are struggling to get up to their feet but they get up at the same time. Glen then hits Eddie with a big time head butt and he follows that up with a right hand. Osbourne then hits Eddie with a flying clothesline. Glen then hits Eddie with a back drop out of the corner. Eddie gets in the corner as Glen goes up to the middle rope and lays in the right hands as the fans count to 10.

Eddie goes down in his trunks and pulls out some brass knuckles. Glen comes at Gilbert and Gilbert levels him with the brass knuckles. Eddie goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. However, Jay Sulli gets up and tells the referee that Eddie Gilbert used a foreign object to win the match. Eddie says he has nothing but the evidence falls to the ring and the ref sees it. The referee then reverses the decision and gives Glen Osbourne the victory. The Winner of the match and moving on to the finals of the ECW TV Title Tournament…..Glen Osbourne!

After the match Eddie Gilbert confronts Jay Sulli and tells him that he cost him the match. Before he could get another word in Terry Funk shows up out of no where and levels Gilbert in the back with a chair. Funk winds up and decks Gilbert in the back with the chair again. Funk then picks Eddie up and nails him with a right hand. Funk then holds up a chair and rams Eddies head right into it. Funk attacks and brawls with Eddie Gilbert all the way to the back. Eddie runs off as Funk throws a chair at him. Funk then confronts Stevie Wonderful and tells him he better not be popping off about him anymore. Funk says he is an individual and an athlete and he is someone that no one is going to tell him what to do. Funk says if he wants to come out here and kick ass he will do it.

Funk then says that Gilbert thinks he is a fool and an idiot. Funk says Gilbert can call him an old man but he doesn’t care. Funk says he is an old man and he’s an endangered species. Funk says he’s the baddest son of a bitch in town and that he wants to get in the ring with Eddie Gilbert.

Recap:
This was a pretty boring match to say the least. Osbourne got about 30 seconds of offense before they went to the finish. The action outside the ring wasn’t bad but it wasn’t very good either. One thing that stood out during this match was how terrible Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful were. I can’t wait for the days when Joey Styles is calling all of the action.

Ringside Interview w/ The Rockin’ Rebel

Rockin Rebel calls over Peaches who is standing ringside. The Rebel wants to know what the hell the Sandman has that he doesn’t. Rebel says he has the better body, the looks, the hair and he has it all. He says the Sandman is a fat slob who uses a belt to hold his gut up. The Rebel then grabs Peaches by the hand and demands that she plants a kiss on him. Peaches tries to get away and the Rebel says he’s not letting go. Peaches then slaps the Rebel right in the face. The Rebel becomes enraged as he rolls in the ring and attacks his opponent.

Match 4: Rockin’ Rebel vs. Frank Tony

The Rebel hits his opponent with a kick to the stomach then a vicious chop to the chest. He whips Tony into the ropes and nails him with a clothesline. He then picks up Frank again and throws him into the ropes and hits him with a spine buster. The Rebel then puts his boot on his chest and gets the three count. Your winner via pinfall…..the Rockin’ Rebel!

After the match the Rebel rolls out of the ring and chases down Peaches, who is trying to exit out the back. The Rebel catches up with Peaches and he drags her back into the ring by her hair. The Rebel is holding onto her hair and the Sandman comes out of no where and attacks the Rockin’ Rebel. The Rebel lays in the right hands. Tigra then comes in and claws the eyes of the Sandman. The Sandman is blinded by the claws as Rockin’ Rebel grabs the surf board and breaks it over the head of the Sandman and lays him out cold. Wrestlers come running out to break up the fight as Sandman is laid out in the ring.

Recap:
This was a pretty good segment and it got the Rebel over as pretty nice heel. It also helped his status of being the number 1 contender for the Heavyweight Title. The show with the surf board was pretty damn awesome even though it was styrofoam. This segment as a whole really got over the feud between the Sandman and the Rebel as well as Peaches and Tigra. Very nicely done here and worth the watch if you ask me.

Match 5: ECW TV Title Tournament Finals: Jimmy Snuka vs. Glen Osbourne

They start the match with a collar and elbow tie up. Osbourne backs off but Snuka pushes him out of the wave. They get in a collar and elbow tie up again and this time Osbourne gets Snuka in a head lock. Snuka pushes Osbourne off as they do a criss cross. Osbourne ends up getting Snuka into an arm drag and he follows it up with a second one. Osbourne gets Snuka in an arm bar and starts working the left arm.

Snuka gets out of the head lock and pushes Osbourne into the ropes. Snuka goes for a clotheslines but Osbourne ducks and ends up hitting Snuka with a clothesline that sends him to the outside. Gilbert distracts Osbourne from the outside as Snuka attacks him from behind. Snuka goes for a body slam but Osbourne blocks it and hits Snuka with his own body slam. He hits Snuka with an elbow drop and goes for the cover and only gets a 2 count. Gilbert gets up on the apron and Snuka throws Glen Osbourne into the ropes and he ends up hitting the referee who then knocks down Gilbert. Osbourne rolls up Snuka and goes for the pin with no ref but Gilbert comes in and attacks Osbourne. Snuka then hits Osbourne with the back breaker then follows it up with the Superfly Splash. He goes for the cover and gets the 3 count. Your winner and first ever ECW Television Champion….Superfly Jimmy Snuka!!!!!

Recap:
This was a very short match and it’s sole purpose was to get the TV Title on Snuka and in the stable of Hot Stuff International. There was very little wrestling and not a lot of action. It was an extended rest hold and some outside interference followed by the Snuka splash. Pretty underwhelming for the finals of a championship tournament but it is what it is. Only reason to watch this is to see who and how the very first ECW TV Champion was crowned.

Show Closing:

The comes back with Stevie Wonderful standing outside the dressing room of the ECW Heavyweight Champion. Stevie Wonderful recaps what the Rockin’ Rebel did to the Sandman earlier on during the show. Wonderful is trying to get a comment from the champion. Wonderful knocks on the door and Peaches ends up answering the door. Wonderful wants to know if we can talk to the champ. Peaches says that he is really hurt and we are just waiting for the doctors. Wonderful asks here what the Sandman is going to do about what happened. Peaches say she is not sure what is going to happen but the Sandman could have a slight concussion. She said she is going to worry about the Sandman right now and we will worry about the Rebel later.

Peaches shuts the door on Stevie Wonderful who then proceeds to run down what is going to happen on next weeks show. He says we will get the introduction of the Magnificent Don Muraco on next weeks show.

Show Recap:
There wasn’t a lot of good on this show at all. The tournament matches were short and not a lot of action. The Rockin Rebel had his squash match and we got the pretty sweet story of him trashing the surfboard over the Sandman’s head. We also seen the rivalry between Eddie Gilbert and Terry Funk intensify. Those are really the only reasons to watch this show because the TV Title Tournament finishes with a giant thud instead of something great. All in all this show was bland and boring outside of 2-3 segments therefore I would recommend skipping this episode.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks episode of a Hardcore History. I look forward to seeing what we have in store on next weeks show. I hope you join me as we continue on this path down the history of ECW.

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Hardcore History Episode 2: ECW 04-13-1993

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April 3, 2018

ECW Hardcore History: Episode 2 – April 13th, 1993

Introduction:
Hello and welcome to episode 2 of a Hardcore History. Last week we saw the first acquisition of Hot Stuff International when Eddie Gilbert introduced Jimmy Snuka as the first member. Tod Gordon announced the ECW TV Title Tournament and we got a few those matches in. We also saw the ECW Tag Team champions, the Super Destroyers, in action. There wasn’t a lot of good from the first show, so lets see what we have in store for us here on episode 2.

Show Opening:

The show starts off again with Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful ringside. Stevie Wonderful introduces the third man in the booth and again Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert comes out. Wonderful says that Gilbert is the official king of the Texas death match. Sulli says that Funk is the real king of the Texas death match. Terry Funk then comes out and takes his coat off as Eddie Gilbert starts cutting a promo on. Gilbert tells Funk he needs to get out of here. Funk gets right in Gilberts face and says that if he wants to talk he will talk. Gilbert asks Funk what he is going to do about it and he says that he plans on staying here for good. Funk says he is not going to put up with it anymore and that Gilbert means nothing to him.

Funk then takes Gilberts water and pours it down his shirt. Gilbert runs off as Funk says he doesn’t need Gilbert out here insulting himself or the fans. Funk then sends us to break. They then show us the TV Title Tournament bracket as they fade to commercial.

ECW TV Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Johnny Hotbody vs. Glen Osbourne

They say Johnny Hotbody weighs 300 pounds counting his ego. Thats pretty damn hilarious. Anyways, the match stars with a lot of stalling by Hotbody before they finally tie up in the middle of the ring. Osbourne tries to get the crowd into it but they aren’t having any of it. Osbourne gets Hotbody in a headlock but Hotbody shoots him off and Osbourne hits him with a shoulder block. Osbourne eventually ends up clotheslining Hotbody and he ends up on the outside of the ring.

Osbourne grabs the top rope and flips Hotbody back into the ring. Osbourne gets Johnny in a headlock but Hotbody reverses it into a head scissors. They do this same spot 2-3 times. The last time they both get up and Osbourne levels Hotbody with a right hand. Hotbody then grabs the trunks of Osbourne and sends him packing in the middle turnbuckle. Hotbody then gets Osbourne in a standing vertical suplex that led to a 2 count. Hotbody whips Osbourne into the ropes and hits him with one of the worst clotheslines I’ve ever seen. Its like he was trying to grab him as he went down and Osbourne just went down instead of allowing him to hold him. This was garbage.

Hotbody gets Osbourne in a headlock because he’s probably worn out already after hitting a clothesline. Hotbody whips Osbourne face first into the turnbuckle then levels him with a nice German suplex. Hotbody goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Hotbody throws Osbourne out of the ring as he taunts the fans in the ring. Hotbody goes out after Osbourne and he suplexes him on the outside. Hotbody gets up on the apron and nails Osbourne with a dive to the head as Osbourne is kneeling down on the ground. Hotbody throws Osbourne back into the ring and whips him into the ropes to get him into a sleeper hold. Osbourne gets back up to his feet and whips Hotbody into the ropes. Hotbody comes running out and Osbourne ducks and Hotbody ends up decking the ref with a clothesline.

Hotbody hits Osbourne with a low blow and then he dumps him with a pile driver but the referee is still out of it. Hotbody picks him up again and he puts Osbourne up to the top rope. Hotbody goes for the superplex but Tommy Cairo comes out and holds on to the leg of Osbourne as Hotbody falls to the mat. Osbourne then goes off the top rope and hits a splash on Hotbody for the 1-2-3. Your winner and moving on to the second round of the ECW TV Title Tournament….Glen Osbourne.

After the match Terry Funk gets an interview with Glen Osbourne. Funk says that Osbourne might be the next ECW TV Champion and what he thinks of that. Osbourne says the ECW TV Title will be around his waist and that Johnny Hotbody went down and now the rest of them will fall as well.

Recap:
This match wasn’t that bad actually. There was some sloppy moves and to many repetitive spots but there was also some good action. The German suplex that Hotbody hit was pretty awesome as well as the piledriver. It got Osbourne to the second round and it looks like it started the feud between Hotbody and Cairo. The match did it’s job and was a nice opener. This was by far the best match we have seen so far but that really isn’t saying much.

Match 2: Larry Winters/Tony Stetson vs. Chris Michaels/Samoan Warrior

The match starts off with Winters and Michaels going at it. They have a feeling out period where they take turns throwing each other to the mat. Michaels hits Winters with a knee to the stomach then a few punches to the back. Winters hits Michaels with a hip toss but Michaels kicks out of it then gets to this feet. Winters eventually returns the favor and hits Michaels with a few arm drags. Winters makes the tags to Stetson then he hits Michaels in the midsection so he slouches over then Stetson hits him with a spinning neck breaker.

Stetson then picks up Michaels and hits him with a gut wrench suplex. What a dumbass spot here. Stetson just irish whips Michaels into the ropes and he thinks it would be a good idea to go over the top just so he can skin the cat. He struggles to complete the spot but once he finishes he starts pointing at his head as if he is some kind of genius. Stetson then charges at Michaels and he clotheslines him and himself over the top rope to the outside. Stetson gets back into the ring and tags in Larry Winters. They then double suplex Michaels back into the ring. Winter works the arm then tags Stetson back into the ring. Stetson comes in and drops the leg on the arm of Michaels.

Stetson gets Michaels in an arm-bar then hits him with a side kick. Stetson tags Winters back in and they hit Michaels with a double back drop. Winters does a snap mare while Michaels was sitting on the mat, ala Mr. Perfect. Winters tags Stetson back in then Stetson tags Winters right back in and they hit Michaels with a double shoulder block. Stetson hits the ropes but the Samoan Warrior hits him with a knee to the back. The Warrior finally gets a tag into the ring. He whips Stetson into the ropes but Stetson ducks and ends up slamming the Samoan to the mat.

The Samoan whips Stetson into the turnbuckle and her follows him in with a clothesline. The warrior goes for a splash in the other corner but Stetson moves out of the way and makes the tag to Winters. Winters comes in and backdrops the Samoan Warrior then he clothesline him out of the ring. Winters drags Michaels back into the ring. Winters tags Stetson in and they end up hitting their finishing move which is very similar to the side-winder that the Smoking Gunns would do. Basically, Winters held up Michaels as Stetson came off the top rope with a leg drop. Winters goes for the cover and they get the 1-2-3. Your winners are Larry Winters and Tony Stetson!

After the match Terry Funk interviews Stetson and Winters. Funk congratulated and they worked hard. Funk tells them that they are moving on up in the ECW. He butchered the line because he has no idea what the hell is talking about. Hunter Q. Robbins comes out and interrupts the interview. Hunter asks Funk why he is wasting his time with these two nobodies. He then calls Winters Bart Simpson and Stetson Homer Simpson. For some odd reason this pisses off Winters and Stetson as they start roughing up Hunter Q. Robbins. The Super Destroyers come out and attack Winters and Stetson so they can protect their manager. All four men brawl to the back.

Recap:
This was basically a squash match. It was a way to get Winters and Stetson over so they can start their feud with the tag team champions. They had some nice offense and made a lot of hot tags so the action continued throughout the match. These look like normal people off the streets but they worked pretty well in the ring. Nothing to write home about here but again not a terrible match here.

Match 3: ECW Heavyweight Title Match: Sandman vs. Kodiak bear

Before the match they show a portion of the music video from last week before the Sandman comes out and gets interviewed by Terry Funk. Sandman says it is his pleasure to be interviewed by a legend like Terry Funk. Sandman also says its his privilege to be here with the fans because without them he wouldn’t be champion. Funk thanked the Sandman for his work he has down in the area with kids and whatnot. Again Terry Funk is all over the place and he has no idea what the hell he is even talking about or what he is even trying to say.

Before the match gets started Peaches, the ring attendant, lays a kiss on the Sandman. They start off with a collar and elbow tie up and the Sandman drives him into the corner. The Sandman gives the clean break as the Kodiak bear claims that Sandman hooked the tights. They repeat the same spot but this time the Sandman hip tosses the Bear across the ring. Sandman tries to catch the Bear off guard with a quick pin but the Bear gets out at 2. The Bear keeps crying of his tights being pulled. The Bear gets an arm bar and he starts working the arm over. The Sandman gets up and reverses the arm bar then he dunks under and goes for another pin but the Bear gets to the ropes. The Bear gets the Sandman in a headlock then he nails him with a right hand.

The Bear then chokes the Sandman over the middle rope. The Bear then rakes the Sandman’s eyes with his boot laces. The Bear then chops Sandman in the corner. He irish whips Sandman into the corner and goes for a splash but Sandman gets out of the way. Sandman hits the Bear with a clothesline to the back. Sandman then goes to the top rope and nails the Bear with a 1 legged drop kick. Sandman then does a spring board splash into the ring. Sandman then picks up the Bear and gets him in a sleeper hold type move and puts the Kodiak bear to sleep. The winner and still ECW Heavyweight Champion….The Sandman!

Recap:
It’s awkward and weird seeing the Sandman as this character instead of the one that he is known for. This just didn’t work and I am surprised it took so long for them to realize it. The action in the ring was eh and the Kodiak bear was the drizzling shits. He was a fat slob who had no business in the ring to be honest. Sandman looked sloppy but I believe that was a product of his opponent. This match was the worst of the bunch on this card so far. But we still have time to top and I wouldn’t be surprised if they figured out a way to do so.

ECW TV Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Eddie Gilbert vs. J.T. Smith

The bell rings and Eddie Gilbert goes right after J.T. Smith and nails him with some right hands. They trade rights and lefts before Gilbert throws JT outside the ring. Gilbert then picks up a chair and nails him in the back with it. Gilbert then decks Smith with a clothesline and throws him face first into the table. Eddie knew how to get the crowd going. Gilbert and JT brawl to the back of the arena. Gilbert comes back to the ringside area and picks up the ring bell. Funk hops off commentary to prevent Eddie from using the ring bell.

JT finally gets back to the ringside but Gilbert smashes him into the table again. Gilbert picks up JT and JT nails him with two left hands to get Gilbert off his back. They get back in the ring and JT is looking punch drunk at this point. JT goes into the corner and hits him with some right hands. JT then hits Gilbert with a clothesline. JT then picks up Gilbert and hits him with a fall away slam. JT Goes up to the top rope and goes for a moonsault but Gilbert gets out of the way. Gilbert then nails JT with a big time clothesline and he damn near ends up on the announce table. Gilbert lays in a couple of boots.

Gilbert then gets JT in a side head lock and hits him with something to the throat. Gilbert goes for an elbow drop and JT gets out of the way. Both men get back up and JT hits him with a left hand then whips him into the rope. JT goes for a back drop but Eddie stops and goes for a kick but JT moves out of the way and Gilbert falls to the mat. Eddie goes out to the apron and pulls something out of his tights. Gilbert goes for a right hand but JT ducks and goes for a side suplex to get him back in the ring. Gilbert then decks JT with the foreign object and gets the cover 1-2-3. Your winner and moving on to to the second round of the ECW TV Title Tournament….Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert!

Jay Sulli leaves the broadcast area and tries to tell the ref that he had something in his tights but the ref doesn’t really care and they go to commercial break.

Recap:
This match was pretty fun. The crowd was dead then Eddie comes out and gets them right back into the action. This was a sneak peak into what ECW will be come just a few weeks down the road. Eddie won the match but made JT look good in the process which is always a plus. This was a fun match thats not to bad to watch.

Match 4: Tommy Cairo vs. Super Ninja (Joined in Progress)

We come back from commercial with this match already in progress. The Super Ninja has Cairo in the corner and he is working him over. He rakes him in the eyes and hits him with a kick to the mid-section. Ninja then hits him with a shot to the throat and some elbows to the back. Ninja nails Cairo with a 3 chops in the corner. He goes for some right hands but Cairo blocks it and nails him with some right hands. Cairo then hits the Super Ninja with a hip toss out of the corner. Cairo goes for a spinning wheel kick and he pretty much misses everything while the commentary puts it over as this awesome move.

Cairo goes to pick up the Ninja but the Ninja rakes him to the eyes. The Ninja works over the midsection in the corner. The Ninja goes for a back splash in the corner but Cairo catches him and just dumps him with a suplex. Cairo goes for the cover and Johnny Hotbody comes out and interrupts the pin. Your winner here is Tommy Cairo.

After the match Johnny Hotbody tries to attack Tommy Cairo but he doesn’t really succeed. Hotbody drops and elbow then throws him outside of the ring. Both men brawl to the back of the building and to backstage.

Recap:
There was nothing to this match and it was just used to fill some time before the end of the show. Cairo looked pretty good but it was a short match and really did nothing for either guy. We can go ahead and skip this one.

Show Closing:

Terry Funk and Tod Gordon go over next weeks show. They mention will we have the rest of the semi finals and finals on next weeks show. Gordon asks Funk who he thinks is going to win the tournament and Funk says he doesn’t know but he doesn’t want Gilbert to win it. Gordon says you don’t want to miss next weeks show then they roll the credits and we are out.

Show Recap:
This show was actually a lot better than the first show. The action in the ring was decent and not a chore to watch. We also got the advancement of the storylines as well as some new ones to watch out for going forward. Eddie Gilbert and JT Smith had the best match on the show and that’s because Gilbert got the crowd hot as well as making JT look good in the process. The only really terrible match was the Sandman vs. Kodiak bear match so you can skip that one if you do happen to watch this show. The rest of the card was pretty fun to watch and worth checking.

That will do it for this weeks trip down memory lane as we review the history of ECW. Stay tune next time to see who comes out on top in the ECW Television Title Tournament as well as what happens between Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert and Terry Funk.

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ScreenCaps: ECW 04-13-93 in Pictures

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April 3, 2018
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Screen Caps from ECW Hardcore TV 001 – April 6th, 1993

The Event Center: Wrestlemania IX Review

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April 2, 2018
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The Event Center: Wrestlemania IX

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. It’s been a while but we have been working on some other things that have been popping up on the site so we haven’t totally disappeared. But with Wrestlemania season in full swing it’s only right that we bust out a Wrestlemania review for you fine folks who visit us here at CrazyMax. We are going with Wrestlemania 9 here on the Event Center and I am pretty excited to get into it. I know a lot of people have this listed as one of the worst Wrestlemania’s of all time but I have a soft spot for this show. I was 6 years old when the show aired so I was a little Hulkamaniac and I loved the ending to the show. The rest of the card isn’t terrible either. For nostalgia reasons I still enjoy this show. Therefore, with this review we are going to look at this show in a positive light and I really hope you enjoy it.

Show Opening:

The show opens up with the camera panning up to the Caesars Palace building where they are showing some action shots of the wrestlers involved with the show. We get Vince doing the voice over and he is selling this like a million bucks. “Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas Nevada. Site of Wrestlemania IX. Here is your host Gorilla Monsoon.” We end up in the Coliseum where Gorilla is standing near the entrance rocking a pretty bad ass toga if you ask me. Gorilla then introduces the newest addition to the WWF broadcast team and it is none other than Jim Ross. Ross says that this is his first Wrestlemania and this is also the first time he has been in a toga as well. Ross pumps the fact that there are over 16,000 fans and millions world wide. Ross then runs through the two main events.

Ross, after talking about the tag match, sends it up to the Fink, but today he is Finkus Maximus. Fink then introduces Caesar and Cleopatra. They come out riding a elephant. They get to the ring and they get off the elephant and then the elephant stands on it’s hind legs. Pretty impressive to be honest. Caesar and Cleopatra then walk around the ring and wave to the crowd. Meanwhile, Fink then announces Macho Man Randy Savage. He comes out on a sedan getting fed grapes by the vestal virgins. The virgins of pure of body and pure of thought.

Ross with a classic line while Savage is stepping into the ring “If Macho was around in the Roman days he’d be the fiercest gladiator of them all.” Thats so true on so many levels. The dude was a nut job and I could only imagine him in those days. Savage then gets on the mic and says its lock and load type situation at Wrestlemania IX. Savage then says “the grapes were great and the chicks were cool.” Only Savage would say something like that.

Fink then announces Bobby Heenan and he comes out riding a camel backwards. He looks scared to death as he heads to the ring. His toga is pretty awesome looking by the way. Heenan then makes his way over to Ross and Savage and he falls down on his face. Savage then grabs the toga of Heenan and lifts it up to expose who’s big ass in some blue underwear. Both men then comment on how bad Heenan stinks because of the camel. Savage says the camel was hot about the situation because he had to carry Heenan out to the ring. Savage says do the thing if you got the guts because its Wrestlemania IX. Ross asks if he needs an air freshener deodorant or something. Heenan quickly responds with “i want a bath.” So clutch. Heenan is one of the greatest characters of all time and it’s a shame what happened to him and the fact that he is no longer with us. They send it up to the Fink and we get on with the first match on the card.

Match 1: WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels (C) vs. Tatanka

Shawn comes out first, which is weird, but he doesn’t come out alone. He brings out Luna Vachon with him. This was her debut and she was kind of just there. Shawn never really acknowledged her and it really made no sense at all for her to be out there. Tatanka then comes out to the ring and Sensational Sherri ends up coming out and getting in the corner of Tatanka.

Before we get to the action I just want to give some props to the WWF for how they booked this feud and the match in general. Tatanka got two non-title wins over Shawn Michaels leading up to Wrestlemania. This not only gave you the thought process that Tatanka can really win the IC title but it also puts Tatanka in a position where he has to prove himself on the big stage. Yeah he won a couple of non-title matches but what can you give us when the title is on the line at the biggest show of the year. Just really well done all around and Tatanka more than held his own with Shawn.

Shawn starts the match by stalling and making Tatanka wait while he adjusts his hair and gets out of his ring attire. Tatanka is pacing as he is waiting to get this match going. The match starts with Shawn getting a single leg takedown on Tatanka but Tatanka kicks him back right away. Shawn gets up and gets the single leg again and again Tatanka kicks him off again. Shawn quickly gets Tatanka in a head lock then a go behind. Tatanka then reverses it and starts working the arm of Shawn. Shawn reverses it again and gets an over head wrist lock on Tatanka. Tatanka forces himself back up to his feet and he pushes off Shawn again.

We get in another collar and elbow tie up and this time Shawn gets the head lock on again. Tatanka tries to push off but Shawn holds on to the head lock. Tatanka then tries to get Shawn off of him by using the corner. Shawn climbs up the top rope and flips over as he holds on to the head lock. Tatanka gets back to his feet while in the head lock and Shawn goes to the corner again and tries the same move but this time Tatanka hangs on and dumps Shawn with a side suplex. Tatanka then nails Shawn with a chop in the corner. Tatanka whips Shawn into the other corner and charges after him but Shawn quickly jumps to the outside and climbs to the top rope. Shawn comes off the top rope but Tatanka ends up catching him with a pretty awesome looking arm drag. Shawn quickly gets up and Tatanka hits him again with the arm drag take over. Shawn gets up again and Tatanka nails him with a drop kick. Tatanka then irish whips Shawn into the corner and Shawn does his flip to the outside and to the apron. Tatanka then nails Shawn with a vicious chop and Shawn sells it like a million bucks and does like a spin in the air as he crashes to the mat on the outside.

What a fast start to this match and every spot is better than the previous. Great action all around here. Shawn is laid out on the floor and Luna tries to come over to Shawn but Sherri comes around the corner and prevents Luna from helping Shawn. Shawn tries to get back in the ring 3-4 times and each time Tatanka nails him with a chop. On the 4th try he hits Tatanka with a poke to the eye. Shawn then rams Tatanka’s head into the turnbuckle. Shawn then jumps to the top rope and goes for a sunset flip. This was a mess up here because Shawn came down on the side of Tatanka instead of flipping over him and actually executing the move properly. Shawn played it off and got a 2 count out of it anyways. Shawn picks up Tatanka and hits him with an elbow to the head. Shawn then tries to whip Tatanka into the ropes but Tatanka reverses it. Tatanka dunks early and Shawn grabs him and throws him into the ropes again. Shawn drops down and Tatanka goes over. Shawn then leap frogs Tatanka once and tries a second time but Tatanka catches him and hits him with an inverted atomic drop.

Tatanka lays in a vicious sounding chop then whips Shawn into the ropes. Shawn reverses it but Shawn dunks down early and Tatanka drops an arm bar on Shawn. Tatanka then grabs the arm of Shawn and hits a leg drop on the arm. Heenan says that Shawn dislocated his arm in the 6 man tag so it’s smart that Tatanka is going after the arm. Tatanka has a hold of Shawns arm and he lays in some chops to the shoulder of Shawn. Shawn grabs Tatanka by the hair and pushes him back to the ropes. Shawn whips Tatanka into the ropes and tries to hit him with a clothesline but it hurt Shawn more than it did Tatanka. Tatanka then drops a leg on the arm again then gets Shawn in the arm bar once again.

Tatanka takes the arm of Shawn and yanks him down to the mat 2-3 times. Again we get in the arm bar. Shawn gets to his feet and pushes Tatanka into the corner. Tatanka lets go and thinks he’s going to get a clean break but Shawn levels him with a right hand. Shawn hits Tatanka with an elbow then whips him into the corner. Shawn comes charging in with a shoulder block but Tatanka gets out of the way and Shawn goes shoulder first right into the post. Tatanka quickly gets Shawn in another arm bar and works the arm. Meanwhile on commentary Heenan says he loves watching Luna and that she is something. Ross then quips back “yeah what is she?” Gotta love early 90s commentary. Shawn gets back to his feet and lays in some right hands to Tatanka. Shawn whips Tatanka into the corner but Tatanka reverses it. Shawn grabs the top rope and tries to go over Tatanka but Tatanka catches him and drops him with a shoulder breaker.

Tatanka then hits the rope and drops a big elbow on Shawn. Tatanka goes to the top and hits a chop off the top rope. Tatanka goes for another chop off the top rope but this time Shawn drops him with a beautiful super kick. Shawn then picks up Tatanka and throws him over the top rope. Luna heads over to Tatanka but Sherri blocks her again and sends her packing back to her corner. Shawn heads outside and picks up Tatanka and smashes him head first into the apron. Shawn then runs off the apron and nails Tatanka with a beautiful clothesline off the apron. That looked awesome. He also used his right arm because Tatanka has been working over the left arm the whole match. It’s the little things that make matches great.

Tatanka tries to get back into the ring but Shawn kicks him in the head a few times to keep him out of the ring. Shawn then turns his attention to Sherri and he taunts her a few times. Tatanka gets in the ring and Shawn hits him with a right hand in the gut then lays Tatanka out with a swinging neck breaker. Shawn picks up Tatanka and hits him with a standing drop kick. Shawn goes for the cover and gets a 2. Shawn then gets Tatanka in a reverse chin lock. Tatanka gets back to his feet and drives some forearms into the midsection of Shawn but Shawn doesn’t let go. Shawn then lays in some left handed jabs to Tatanka. Shawn then climbs up the turnbuckle and hooks Tatanka by the head and gets him in a victory roll type pin but only gets a 2.

Shawn then lays in some more right hands to Tatanka. Shawn climbs up to the top rope and gets on the shoulders of Tatanka but Tatanka walks into the middle of the ring and Tatanka dumps him with a fall away slam. Both men are laid out in the middle of the ring. Tatanka crawls over to Shawn and gets 2 3/4 of a count. Tatanka goes off the rope and tries the elbow drop again but Shawn gets out of the way. Shawn climbs to the second rope on the inside and hits a double ax handle to the back. Tatanka starts bouncing on one leg trying to get his adrenaline going as Shawn goes off the top rope 2 more times with ax handles. Tatanka no sells them then starts war dancing around the ring. Shawn goes for the super kick but Tatanka catches him and spins him around and decks him with a nasty sounding chop.

Tatanka hits 2-3 more chops on Shawn then whips him into the ropes. Tatanka decks him with a chop and Shawn does the spinning sell job to the mat. Tatanka goes up to the top rope and hits Shawn with a cross body. Heenan mentions that Luna is pacing and Randy responds with “who’s watching Luna?” What a great response. Tatanka catapults Shawn into the steel post and Tatanka nearly gets a 3 count but Shawn gets out at 2. Tatanka goes for the End of the Trail but Shawn gets out of it and rolls up Tatanka for a 2 count. Shawn goes to the top rope again and this time Tatanka catches him with a power slam. Tatanka goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Shawn is in front of the ropes as Tatanka goes after him. Shawn grabs Tatanka by the trunks and throws him outside.

Shawn hits Tatanka with a right hand as he rolls back into the ring to stop the count. Shawn goes for another clothesline on Tatanka on the outside but Tatanka moves out of the way and Shawn goes crashing into steel steps. The ref was about to count the 10 count but Shawn grabs the ref and pulls him outside. Shawn then whips Tatanka into the ropes and goes for a right hand but Tatanka dunks and ends up nailing Shawn with the End of the Trail. Tatanka goes for the cover but the ref comes over and pats Tatanka on the back and then calls for the bell. Tatanka quickly lets go of the pin once he hears the bell. Tatanka has a frustrated look on his face as he awaits the decision. The winner of the match by way of count out…..Tatanka!

After the match Tatanka looks upset because he is not the champion. He can care less that he won the match and he wants some more of Shawn Michaels. Michaels gets his belt and wobbles back to the back. Sherri gets on the apron to celebrate Tatanka’s victory. Luna then grabs Sherri by the leg and pulls her off the apron. Luna then decks Sherri with a clothesline and then picks her up and body slams her on the floor. Luna lays in 3-4 boots before Tatanka gets out of the ring to check on Sherri. Luna high tails it out of there while Tatanka checks on Sherri. Tatanka picks up Sherri and helps her to the back.

Recap:
This was a really good match from beginning to end. There was a lot of action and it never really stopped. There was some rest holds but they didn’t last to long and they served a purpose since Tatanka worked the arm the whole match. Also, with Shawn having the injury from the 6 man it made sense that Tatanka worked the arm. Shawn sold like a million bucks for Tatanka, which was great to see. Tatanka had some pretty good offense as well and the arm drag reversal when Shawn came off the top was pretty damn awesome. The only bad part about this match is the finish. Not a huge fan of the ref getting back in the ring and letting the action go until the finisher gets hit then calls for the bell. If it’s a DQ then it’s a DQ just call for the bell when he drags you out of the ring. I also never understood the count out finish. Clearly Shawn interrupted the count before it could be finished. Therefore, the finish should have been a DQ. Anyways, I digress. This isn’t one of the greatest matches you will ever see but it was definitely entertaining and probably the best match on this card. To me this show started out so good then kind of falls off the rails for most after this match up. We will see how it goes but as of now so far so good here at Wrestlemania 9.

Backstage Interview: The Steiner Brothers

Gene is backstage and he says that Julius Caesar would be proud of the action here at Wrestlemania IX. Okerlund says the Steiner Brothers are one of the most promising tag teams to come to the WWF in a long time. Okerlund says Michigan hoops are on a roll this weekend. Scott starts the promo by stating that they are proud to be wrestling in their first Wrestlemania. Scott says this may be their first Wrestlemania but it is going to be a memorable one. Rick says the Headshrinkers are unpredictable and you never know where they are coming from. Rick then says that they are going to go out there and do what they do best and that is wrestle. Rick then says that they are going to make Julius Caesar proud.

Match 2: Steiner Brothers vs. Headshrinkers

Savage on commentary “Okerlund looked pretty stupid in a toga but not worse than Bobby Heenan.” Savage is all over the place but it’s awesome. The match starts out with Scott and Fatu in the ring. Scott gets Fatu down with an arm drag takedown out of a collar and elbow tie up. Fatu gets up in the face of Scott and pushes him so Scott does a double leg take down on Fatu and gets a 2 count. Scott works the arm until Fatu gets back to his feet and drives Scott back into the corner. Fatu then lays in a couple of head butts to the chest of Scott. Fatu goes for a hip toss but Scott blocks it and gets Fatu with a hip toss. Fatu gets back to his feet and they have a pushing match. They then start to trade brutal right hands and they are hitting each other at the same time. Scott gets the upper hand and stuns Fatu for a moment. Scott then hits the ropes and levels Fatu with a big time clothesline that Fatu flips out of it. What a great clothesline that was.

Fatu thumbs Scott in the eye to get the advantage here. Fatu then puts Scott in the corner while Samu and Fatu both pound on Scott. Rick gets in the ring to help his brother but Samu gets in and levels him and throws him out of the ring. Fatu then throws Scott out of the ring. The Headshrinkers are posing in the ring while Rick and Scott both climb up to the top rope and they nail both Headshrinkers with clotheslines off the top rope. The Shrinkers go outside and regroup with Afa. They have a pow wow then all 3 head butt each other. Ross on commentary informs us that Sherri has been attacked in the first aid room by Luna. Fatu gets back in the ring and Scott gets him in an arm wringer and tags in Rick. Fatu breaks away and quickly tags in Samu. Samu gets in the ring and kicks Rick in the gut then decks him with a big time chop. Samu gets Rick in the corner and rakes his chest.

Samu then whips Rick into the other corner and nails Rick with a big time clothesline in the corner. Samu whips Rick into the other corner and he comes charging in for another clothesline but Rick runs out of the corner and decks Samu with a clothesline of his own. Rick then takes Samu and throws him head first over the top turnbuckle into the ring post. Rick then drags Samu into his corner and tags in Scott. Scott comes in and hits Samu with a double under hook suplex. Fatu gets in the ring and gets met with a drop kick by Scott. Scott goes for an irish whip on Samu but Samu reverses it. Samu then picks up Scott like he is going for a hot shot type move but instead just dumps him over the top rope and he goes crashing to the floor. This looked brutal as hell and it’s shocking Scott didn’t get hurt on this move.

Afa then takes the kendo stick and nails Scott in the back with it. The thud echos throughout the whole arena and it sounded brutal. Fatu then picks up Scott and body slams him on the outside. Fatu finally throws Scott back into the ring where Samu starts biting him in the face. Samu then takes Scott over to Fatu and head butts him. Samu tags in Fatu as they club Scott in the back. Fatu then picks up Scott and hits him with a back breaker. Fatu then goes to the second rope on the inside and drops a head butt on to Scott. Samu gets in the ring and they double head butt Scott. Samu then picks up Scott and nails him with a spinning kick to the face.

Samu picks up Scott and whips him into the corner. Samu comes charging in but Scott gets the boot up. Samu quickly tags in Fatu while Scott crawls over to his partner. Fatu charges at Scott and hits him with a knee to the side and sends Scott to the outside of the ring. Scott tries to get back into the ring but Samu comes and gets him and throws him head first into the turnbuckle post. Fatu whips Scott into the ropes and Fatu ducks down early and Scott throws him head first into the mat. Fatu jumps right up and nails Scott with a big time side kick. Fatu tags in Samu and they both bite Scott in the head.

Samu gets on the back of Scott and gets him in a reverse chin lock. Samu then rakes the face of Scott and then drops an elbow on the back of the head while he is on all fours. Samu then picks up Scott and nails him with a big time drop kick. Samu rams the head of Scott into Fatu again. Scott lays in some right hands on both guys but Samu stops that momentum with a poke in the eye. Samu then rakes the back of Scott. Samu tags in Fatu and he coms off the top rope with an elbow to the face while Scott laid on the knee of Samu. Fatu goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Fatu then gets Scott in a nerve hold. Scott works his way up to his feet and he lays in some elbows to the midsection to break free. Scott then hits the ropes and they hit each other with a double clothesline. Fatu gets the tag first to Samu and he comes in and kicks Scott in the gut.

Scott gets back to his feet and Samu nails him with a big time chop. Samu then rakes the face of Scott and drops him again with a head butt. Samu picks up Scott and hits him with a body slam. Samu then heads up to the top rope and goes for a flying head butt but Scott gets out of the way. Both men are crawling to their corners as Samu gets the tag first and finally Rick gets the tag. Rick comes in and hits Fatu with a big time back body drop then a body slam to Samu. Rick then lays both guys out with a Steiner line. Rick then double head butts Samu and Fatu but they no sell it and double head butts Rick. The Headshrinkers then drop Rick with a double face plant type move. Fatu tags in Samu and then he puts Rick on top of his shoulders. Samu goes to the top rope and goes for a clothesline but Rick catches him in mid-air, while on the shoulders of Fatu, and delivers a power slam. What a crazy ass spot that was. The Steiner Brothers were so damn good.

Rick goes for the pin but Fatu breaks it up. Fatu throws Rick out of the ring while Scott tags himself in while Rick is falling outside. Scott gets in the ring and Fatu decks him with a clothesline. Fatu whips Scott into the ropes but Scott reverses it and ends up getting Fatu in a belly to belly suplex. Scott gets up and turns around and Samu drops him with a crescent kick. Samu then body slams Scott. Samu whips Scott into the ropes but Scott reverses it and ends up dumping Samu with a ugly ass Frankensteiner. Scott jumped a little early and didn’t really connect with his legs so Samu ends up doing a flip to sell for Scott. Scott goes for the cover and gets the 3 count. Your winners by way of pinfall….The Steiner Brothers!

Recap:
What a damn good match this was. The action was non-stop throughout the majority of the match. There were a few rest holds but nothing that lasted to long. Some of the spots were just insane and I am surprised no one really got injured. Scott getting dumped over the top rope like that was brutal. Also, the power slam off the shoulders of Fatu was freakin awesome as well. The Headshrinkers were great and had a lot of good offense. All in all I really enjoyed this match and I still enjoy it every time I see it. It probably could have been cut short by 2-3 minutes and it would have been even better because the end kind of dragged but thats a minor hiccup on an other wise pretty solid match. We are off to a pretty good start here at Mania 9 with two really good matches to start the show. I have a funny feeling we are about to buck that trend.

Backstage Interview: Doink the Clown

We head to the back where Okerlund informs us that during the tag match Doink came in and did some handy dandy artwork on Julius Caesar. He gave him the Doink face paint and a green wig. Okerlund says these are things that we have become accustomed to with Doink. He talks about playing tricks on little kids, throwing pales of water on little kids, and throwing pies in the faces of people. Doink says he just has a good sense of humor. Okerlund then says the most memorable act took place when he took his arm out and attacked Crush with it. They show the footage of the incident where Crush gets destroyed with the fake arm.

Doink says he was just clowning around. Doink is dying of laughter at all of these acts. Doink says he is brining a sense of humor to this party here at Wrestlemania IX. Okerlund says that Crush has vowed revenge on Doink. Doink says revenge would be sweet. Doink then guarantees that after Wrestlemania IX, Crush will be seeing double vision. Doink then sprays some water in the face of Okerlund as he walks off the set laughing.

Match 3: Doink the Clown vs. Crush

Doink comes out to the ring with an umbrella and Savage makes the comment that Crush needs to stay away from it. Heenan then says “that could be a chainsaw for all we know.” Crush goes over to the ropes where Doink is standing on the outside and Doink squirts him with some water. This infuriates Crush so he heads outside and starts to chase Doink down. He grabs the coat of Doink and this causes Doink to fall down. Crush then grabs Doink and head butts him. Crush then picks up Doink and body slams him on the outside. Crush picks up Doink and lays in a right hand and then throws him head first into the steel post. Doink tries to leave ringside by climbing over the guard rail. Crush then rams the head of Doink into the guard rail and then throws Doink back in the ring.

Doink is on his knees begging off Crush but Crush goes right in as Doink gets back up to his feet. Doink tries to run from Crush but Crush grabs Doink and throws him back into the corner. Crush then chokes out Doink. Crush grabs Doink by the neck and hangs him in the air and then throws him back into the corner. Crush then whips Doink into the corner with some velocity and Doink falls to his face. Doink rolls to the outside of the ring and pulls Crush outside with him. Doink lays in some left hands to the mid-section of Crush. Crush just gets more pissed and he ends up head butting doink. Crush then throws Doink head first into the ring post.

Doink gets back in the ring and Crush kicks Doink in the mid-section. Crush picks up Doink and drops him with a hangman’s type neck breaker. Crush then rakes the face of Doink using his boots. Crush then drapes Doink over the top rope then he jumps over the top rope and to the floor to clothesline Doink over the top rope. Crush picks up Doink and whips him into the ropes and hits him with a big time back breaker. Doink is on the apron on the outside of the ring and Crush nails him with a clubbing blow to the chest. Crush is going for another one but Doink grabs him and drops him over the top rope with a clothesline.

Doink then goes to the top rope and nearly falls but comes off with an ax handle. Doink goes to the top rope again and hits a forearm to the side of the face of Crush. Doink goes outside and up top for the third time and this time he ends up dropping a fist to the back of the neck of Crush. Doink then picks up Crush and gets him in a nice looking pile driver. Doink then lays in the boots to Crush who eventually rolls out of the ring. Doink grabs Crush by the hair and rams him head first to the ring post on the outside. Doink drags Crush back into and hits him with a body slam. Doink climbs up to the top rope again and goes for a elbow drop or something but Crush gets his boot up and Doink comes crashing into it.

Both men get up to their feet and Doink ends up grabbing Crush and ramming him into the turnbuckle. Doink climbs up to the second rope and goes for a cross body but Crush catches him and dumps him with a power slam. Doink gets up to his feet near the rope and Crush dumps him with a big time clothesline. Both men get back in the ring and Crush picks up Doink for a gorilla press slam and just dumps him. Crush is calling for the head vice and he gets it on Doink. Doink however gets in the ropes to break the hold. Doink swings his arm back and ends up nailing the referee.

Doink tries to go under the ring again and again Crush stops him and gets thrown back in the ring. Crush then nails Doink with a spinning leg kick as Crush calls for the head vice again. He gets the head vice on Doink again. A second Doink gets in the ring and he levels Crush in the back with the loaded arm. Heenan on commentary says this is an illusion. 1 Doink then holds Crush from behind while the second Doink levels Crush with the arm right in the head and it was a sickening thud. The two Doink’s then do this awesome spot where they move at the exact same time to make it look like an illusion. I always loved that spot because it’s just awesome. Doink wakes up the ref as and then he pins Crush for the 3 count. Your winner by pinfall….Doink the Clown!

After the match a second referee comes out to tell the original ref that there is a second Doink under the ring and that they need to check it out. They then look under the ring and they don’t see anything so there was really nothing done after this. It appears they may do the switch but they don’t as we move on. Crush is holding his head as they head to Todd Pettengill in the stands interviewing some fans.

Recap:
This match started out pretty good but it went a little to long and it started to drag towards the end. Crush looked a little lost towards the end on what he should do as far as offense goes. They could have cut the last 2 minutes of the match and went to the two Doink spot a little sooner. Other than that the action was solid but it was a little to slow for my liking. This was nothing more than a dud if you ask me. We have our first dud of the night and I am not really surprised with it being these two guys.

Interview w/ Fans in the crowd

Todd is in the stands wearing an ugly ass toga interviewing some of the fans in attendance. He of course finds the Japanese contingent in the stands who have their big ass cameras taking shots of the action. Todd asks if there were two Doink’s or if it was an illusion. He then asks another person who’s taking photos for Japan and he just has this hideous laugh and he’s laughing for no reason. He then asks the same guy what he thinks about Yokozuna and the guy starts that stupid laugh again and says “Yokozuna #1 ha ha ha ha ha” Todd says he has been drenched with beer and soda but he hasn’t had a better time in his life. Razor’s music hits and ends this fraud of a segment.

Match 4: Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund

Before the match starts Ross lets us know that Sherri has been battered and is pretty shaken up but the scene is under control. Razor says he is going to break Backlund in half and throw him out rather easily. Backlund starts by trying to shake the hand of Razor and he just ignores it. Surprisingly the crowd is chanting Razor, Razor at the start of the match. They get in a collar and elbow tie up and Razor just throws Backlund into the corner. They get in another tie up and Razor throws him into the corner again. They tie up for the third time and this time Backlund gets control and throws Razor into the corner. This pisses Razor off so he charges at Backlund who ends up hitting him with a leg trip.

Razor gets back up to his feet, embarrassed, and charges at Backlund again and again Backlund gets him with the leg trip. Backlund backs and forth as Razor gets back to his feet. Razor acts like he wants to do a test of strength and this suckers Backlund in. Razor then boots Backlund in the gut and then lays in some big time right hands. Razor then picks up Backlund and body slams him. Backlund gets up and Razor slams him again. Razor then hits Backlund with a boot to the face. Razor picks up Backlund and he measures him with a big time right hand. He nails him again with another right hand and Backlund falls to the mat.

Backlund sits up on the mat and Razor just lays some right hands to him. Meanwhile, Savage brings up the fact that Luger knocked out Bret Hart with his forearm at the Wrestlemania brunch. Razor then gets Backlund in the corner and he slaps him in the face. This pisses Backlund off and he lays in a right hand to Razor. Razor retaliates with another right hand that just sounded awesome. Razor then whips Backlund into the corner but Backlund reverses it and sends Razor into the corner. Razor comes out of the corner and Backlund hits him with a hip toss. Razor gets up and Backlund hip tosses him again. Razor is barely grabbing on to the arm and he nearly landed on his head with this hip toss.

Backlund goes for a drop kick but totally misses him. Backlund then bounces off the rope and nails Razor with a thrust to the throat. Backlund then hits Razor with a butterfly suplex. Razor gets up and goes for a right hand but Backlund dunks and gets Razor in an atomic drop. Razor nearly overshoots the knee of Backlund. Razor rolls outside and Backlund flings him back into the ring. Backlund tries to pick up Razor but Razor grabs him and rolls him up for the surprise three count. Heenan summed it up perfectly “He beat the wrestler with wrestling.” Your winner by way of pinfall….Razor Ramon!

Recap:
This match was short and to the point. Razor got his brawling style in while Backlund did some wrestling moves throughout. It was a weird pairing but they made it work if you ask me. I’m sure a lot of people find this match trash but to me it worked. Razor sold Backlund’s offense like a champ if you ask me. Another thing that could have been the reason why Razor didn’t do much except throw some punches was the fact that he was injured during the match. He didn’t really get in any of his normal offense such as the fall away slam, the choke slam, or the Razor’s Edge. I’m assuming he couldn’t lift much so he had to avoid those type maneuvers. The ending was pretty good if you ask me because, like Heenan said, the brawler beat the wrestler with a wrestling move and it caught Backlund off guard. Pretty good ending if you ask me. All in all I don’t mind this match at all and I could watch it again if I had to.

Backstage Interview: Money Inc.

We head to the back where Gene Okerlund is standing by with Money Inc. Okerlund says for the first time in a long time their titles are in jeopardy. He says there are 3 reasons why they should be worried. 1. The return of Hogan. 2. Teaming with Brutus Beefcake and 3. Jimmy Hart managing them. They then show footage of Money Inc. wrecking the face of Brutus Beefcake on Monday Night Raw. This is what prompted the return of Hulk Hogan.

DiBiase with his classic laugh starts the promo. DiBiase says he has heard them cry for weeks now and now it is time for them to put up or shut up. This is Wrestlemania 9 and this is Las Vegas Nevada. DiBIase says the stakes are always high. He says that is just the way Money Inc. likes it because the bigger the stakes the bigger the bank roll. DiBIase says that Hogan and Beefcake want to bankrupt them but he wants to know how you can bankrupt something that has an unlimited credit line. DiBiase says this is their city because it is the city of money. DiBiase wants to know what are the odds that somebody comes into their own backyard and beats them.

Irwin starts his portion with the classic name calling as he calls the Mega Maniacs the Mega Morons. Irwin says they think they have all of the answers. He says Beefcake has the protective mask that is supposed to save him. Irwin says they are going to take his mask off and beat him to oblivion and when they are done his face is going to look like a jigsaw puzzle with a few missing pieces. Irwin then says they heard that Hogan ran into a little accident at the gym the previous night and that is what money can do. Irwin then says if you think Beefcake’s face is bad what til you get a load of Hogan’s.

What a great promo by both men. This was good stuff. I loved how DiBiase implemented the money angle since they are in Las Vegas. I also liked how Irwin brought up Hogan’s legit injury and used it as an angle. Pretty good stuff here.

Match 5: WWF Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc. (C) vs. Mega Maniacs

We get some red and yellow smoke that covers the whole entrance area. Some cheap second rate shit here. Brutus comes out first with some ridiculous looking shears made of steel. They look pretty damn awesome. Hogan comes out rocking a black eye and some stitching tape. His eye looked pretty damn bad if you ask me. Savage on commentary adding fuel to the fire with the line of the night “it had to be a cheap shot.” If you believe the rumor that Savage decked him then that statement is pretty damn hilarious. The truth of the matter is the fact that Hogan got injured in a jet skiing accident and thats what caused the black eye. The Savage story is so much better….if only it were true.

Hogan and Beefcake get in the ring and Money Inc. attack them right away. IRS hits Beefcake with the briefcase. However, the Maniacs get control and end up dumping DiBiase and IRS over the top rope as Real American still blares out. Hogan rips off the shirt and starts to pose for the crowd before the bell even rings. The crowd is going nuts for Hogan already and they haven’t even done anything. How awesome would it be to where you can do pretty much nothing and be as over as this guy was.

Money Inc are stalling outside of the ring as they regroup. The camera then pans in close on Hogan’s face and his eye is all blood shot and purple. Pretty disgusting looking. We finally get the guys on the apron and it appears this match is going to start with Brutus and IRS. They go for a collar and elbow tie up but IRS says screw that and nails Brutus with a knee to the midsection. He then tries to ram Brutus’s head into the turnbuckle but instead of going face first he throws him in sideways and it hits the side of his head. IRS then quickly drags Brutus to his own corner as he and DiBiase working him over. IRS tags in DiBiase and he lays in some lefts and rights to the midsection. DiBiase then nails Brutus with 2 chops to the chest.

DiBiase whips Brutus into the ropes and ends up hitting him with a back elbow. IRS goes after Hogan who tries to get in the ring and this distracts the ref. On the other side of the ring IRS and DiBiase work over Beefcake by throwing him into the turnbuckle. IRS drops and elbow to the back of the head of Brutus. He works him over a little more then tags in DiBiase. DiBiase comes in and kicks Brutus in the stomach. DiBiase then goes off the top rope and hits Brutus with a double ax handle to the face but it hurt DiBIase more than it did Brutus because of the mask. Brutus then rams the heads of DiBIase and IRS together. DiBIase tries to smash Brutus’s face in the turnbuckle 2-3 times but it didn’t work because of the mask. Brutus reverses it and rams DiBiase’s head into the corner 10 times. He then rams the face of DiBiase into the boot of Hogan and Brutus tags him in.

Hogan then drives DiBiase back into the corner and he climbs up to the middle rope and lays in the 10 punches as the fans count along. DiBiase does the Flair flop to the mat. Hogan then mounts DiBiase and punches him 10 more times as the fans count. Hogan whips DiBiase into the ropes and ends up decking him with a clothesline. Hogan then lays in some quick right hands to the head of DiBiase. Hogan tags in Beefcake and they double big boot DiBIase as he comes off the ropes. Brutus then picks up DiBiase and slams him to the mat and quickly tags back in Hogan. Hogan then climbs to the middle rope on the inside and hits DiBiase with a double ax handle.

Hogan gets DiBiase in a side head lock 2-3 times and decks him with a right hand each time. Hogan gets thrown into the rope and DiBiase lays on the mat as Hogan jumps over. Hogan stops and waits for DiBiase gets up and he hits him with a right hand. DiBiase then heads toward Brutus on the apron and he hits him with his own right hand. Hogan then clothesline DiBiase of the top rope. IRS comes in to make the save but Hogan lays down and IRS runs right into a right hand of Brutus. Hogan then hits him with a right, then Brutus hits him with a right, and finally Hogan ends up poking IRS in the eye and this makes IRS slouch over. Hogan grabs IRS and tosses him to the outside of the ring.

Money Inc then throw their hands at the match and heads toward the back as if they are just throwing the match and losing by count out. Hogan and Beefcake are telling them to get back to the ring. The ref goes over to the ring announcer and tells him something. The Fink then gets on the mic and says that if Money Incorporated don’t get back to the ring by the count of 10 that not only will they lose the match but they will also lose their WWF Tag Team titles. Classic, we are making the rules up as we go. This infuriates Money Inc as they ponder what they are going to do. The ref starts the count and finally Money Inc get back to the ring right when the ref hits the 9 count.

DiBiase gets back in the ring as IRS gets on the apron. Hogan and Jimmy Hart strategize while Money Inc stalls a little bit. DiBiase goes with a knee to the midsection then a thumb to the throat of Hogan. DiBiase then drapes Hogan across the middle rope and chokes him out. DiBiase distracts the ref as IRS tags the tag rope and chokes out Hogan. DiBiase then gets Hogan in the corner and chokes him with the tag rope as IRS distracts the ref this time. IRS tags in DiBiase and DiBiase nails him with a great knife edge chop to the chest. DiBiase then drapes Hogan over the top rope and chokes him out some more. DiBiase distracts the ref again as IRS chokes out Hogan some more over the top rope.

DiBiase gets Hogan in the Million Dollar Dream and we sit here for a good 2 minutes before Hogan gets back up to his feet. However, Hogan goes back down. IRS and Beefcake come in at the same time but this time the ref is admonishing IRS. Meanwhile, Brutus gets DiBiase in the sleeper hold for about 30 seconds. Both guys get laid out by the sleeper holds as the ref counts them both out. We get to the 9 count and Hogan sits up like he is the Undertaker. Hogan then crawls over to the tag and gets Brutus back in the match. DiBiase makes the tag to IRS as well.

Brutus gets in and lays in some rights and lefts to IRS. Beefcake then whips IRS into the ropes and decks him with a high knee. DiBiase comes in and he goes for a right hand but Beefcake ducks and gets DiBiase in an atomic drop that sends him backing over the top rope. Beefcake then bounces off the rope and he hits IRS with a right hand. He does this two more times and he goes for a 4th turn but this time when he hits the ropes DiBiase hits him with the briefcase to the back. IRS then hits the ropes and drops a short elbow to the chest of Beefcake. IRS tags in DiBiase and he puts the boots to Beefcake when he gets back in the ring.

DiBiase then drops a few knees to the stomach of Beefcake. DiBiase then sits Beefcake up and he tries to take the mask off of Beefcake. Heenan says “Once they get the mask off we are going to have a hockey game, we are going to have a face off.” DiBiase keeps going for the mask. DiBiase hits a shot to the throat and this sends Beefcake down to the mat. This time DiBiase goes for the mask and he is able to get it off. DiBiase then goes right after the face of Beefcake and decks him with a measured right hand. DiBiase drives the face of IRS’s boot and he tags in IRS.

IRS comes in and lays in the right hands to Beefcake who looks punch drunk at this point. IRS quickly tags DiBiase back in and he lays in some more right hands to Brutus. DiBIase tags IRS back in and he works the face again. Meanwhile, Heenan on commentary says “Beefcake’s face is like a refrigerator, lets hang some magnets and the grocery list.” Heenan is gold on this show and he is one of the better parts of this show. DiBiase and IRS whip Beefcake into the ropes and they go for a double clothesline but Beefcake dunks under and hits both of them with a clothesline. Beefcake then gets up and gets IRS in the sleeper hold. Hogan tries to get in the ring but the ref stops him. DiBIase then clubs Brutus from behind and this sends Beefcake and IRS into the ref and the ref gets knocked out.

IRS makes the tag to DiBiase and Beefcake makes the tag to Hogan. Hogan comes in and punches DiBiase three times to the face. Hogan then hits the big boot on DiBiase. IRS comes in with the mask and tries to hit Hogan with it but Hogan blocks it IRS drops the mask. Hogan picks up the mask and drops both DiBIase and IRS with the mask. Hogan pins DiBiase while IRS gets pinned by Beefcake. The ref is still knocked out so Jimmy Hart decides to take his jacket off and he turns it wrong side out. On the inside of his jacket are black and white stripes so he is posing as a referee. He gets in the ring and counts the 3 for both Hogan and Beefcake. No way this is going to count as the pinfall but it was a nice try by Jimmy Hart none the less.

Danny Davis comes running out from the back and he raises the hands of Money Inc. The Fink gets on the mic and lets us know that the winners of the match by way of disqualification is Money Incorporated.

After the match Hogan goes after Danny Davis for saying it was a disqualification. DiBiase and IRS hit both Hogan and Beefcake in the back with the tag title belts but it doesn’t phase them at all. They chase them out of the ring and they head to the back. Hogan and Beefcake are still working on Danny Davis but Jimmy Hart says he wants to take care of it so he grabs Davis and throws him over the top rope. Hogan and Beefcake pose for the crowd until they locate the briefcase of Money Inc. Jimmy Hart, who used to manage Money Inc still knows the combination, so Hogan opens it up to see what is inside. We have some tax forms, a brick, and a boatload of cash. All three men then start handing out the cash to the fans.

While Hogan and Beefcake are passing out the cash, we get Todd Pettengill in the crowd interviewing a few people. These interviews are just killing time while Hogan does his thing and they aren’t really that important. The first person that Todd interviews is music singer Natalie Cole. Todd then interviews the CEO of Caesar’s Palace, Dan Reichartz. Dan runs through what he has had at Caesar’s Palace and that this is the most energy that an event has had in the building.

Recap:
I know a lot of people don’t like this match at all and I can see where they are coming from with that assessment. However, I am of a different thought process when it comes to the match. As a kid it was pretty awesome to see Hogan back and it didn’t matter what kind of match he was in for me. I’m not saying this match is some great work of art or one of the greatest matches you will ever see. However, the atmosphere in the “coliseum” was pretty awesome and they were engaged with the match throughout. Hogan got a massive ovation when he came out and ripped his shirt off and the fans never really stopped cheering throughout. The 2 1/2 minute Million Dollar Dream spot was just a little bit to long and it kind of killed the momentum of the match. Again if we cut out 2-3 minutes the match would have been better off. The post match stuff was pretty sweet as well considering they were handing out real money to the fans at ringside. It’s always fun seeing DiBiase’s money in the hands of fans, sort of like Wrestlemania 6.

I still don’t understand the finish to this match because Money Inc won by DQ but the Mega Maniacs never really did anything that would warrant a DQ. If you consider Jimmy Hart posing as a referee and counting the 3 then thats weak at best. He never interfered and he never made contact with an official so I don’t see how that could be a DQ. If anything the ref could have woke up and he could have counted the 3 himself. I’m okay with a non pin finish but at least have it make sense. All in all this match is no classic by any means but, to me, it’s still entertaining and I enjoy it for the most part.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Perfect

Okerlund says that Perfect is the man that personifies athleticism. Okerlund says that Perfect does everything perfectly. Okerlund says that his opponent has been knocking everyone right and left. Okerlund says most recently he knocked out Bret Hart at a Wrestlemania brunch. Perfect says that Luger likes to call himself a knockout artist. Perfect says that Luger comes out and says that he is beyond perfection and then he comes out and cheap shot on Bret at a breakfast. Perfect wants to know what his problem is and wants to know if he really needs to carry a mirror around with him to show himself how great he thinks he really is. Perfect then says that this is Wrestlemania and that he is on a roll so far. He said he hit a hole in one on the golf course and he has been hot playing the tables. Perfect says that he is exactly what he says he is and thats perfect. Perfect, right after saying he is perfect, totally butchers the name of the Narcissist Lex Luger as Okerlund helps him out and gets the name out for him. Perfect says that he is so excited and that it is Wrestlemania and times to watch what happens.

Match 6: Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect

Luger comes out first with some beautiful women in bikini tops and thongs. Can’t go wrong with that at all. These ladies are smoking hot. Savage and Heenan are creaming themselves at commentary and it is hilarious. Heenan keeps saying oh yes in some perverted manner and then Savage says “have you met the Macho Man yet?” And Heenan follows that up with another oh yes. It so was done so perfectly, no pun intended. Mr. Perfect heads to the ring when the ladies were leaving and one of the women rubs her hand down his chest. Perfect has a shit eating grin on his face as he heads toward the ring. What a great set of entrances here.

Before the match starts Perfect spits his gum out at Luger. They get in a collar and elbow tie up and they exchange arm wringers 2-3 times. Perfect flips to the mat and kicks up and and sends Luger down to the mat. Both men get up to their feet and Perfect nearly decks Luger with a right hand but Luger quickly backs into the corner. They get in a tie up again and Perfect gets a head lock then rolls to the back and gets him in an arm bar. They then reverse each other 2-3 times with that hold as well. Luger gets in the rope and Perfect gives him a clean break.

They get in another collar and elbow tie up and Luger pokes Perfect int he eye. Luger whips Perfect into the ropes but Perfect reverses it and ends up slapping Luger in the stomach and follows that up with a high knee to the face. That slap sounded brutal. Perfect then gets Luger in a head lock again but Luger pushes him into the ropes and Perfect hits Luger with a shoulder block. Perfect then hits the ropes again and this time Luger dunks down as Perfect jumps over him. Luger dunks again and this time Perfect leap frogs him effortlessly. It looked as if Perfect was just floating in air. Perfect looked like he weighed 10 pounds because of how light he was on his feet. Just a truly great athlete. Perfect ends up nailing Luger with a beautiful looking drop kick. Luger rolls to the outside and takes a little bit of a break here.

Luger gets back in the ring and they get in another tie up. Perfect drives Luger into the corner and he tries to break free but Luger decks him with a right hand. Luger then grabs the hair of Perfect and sends him face first into the top turnbuckle. Luger then whips Perfect into the ropes and misses a clothesline. Luger goes for a kick but Perfect catches him and ends up slapping him in the face. Perfect then trips the other leg of Luger and sends him to the mat. Perfect then drops a knee to the knee of Luger as Perfect starts to work the leg. Perfect drapes the leg over the bottom rope and drops his weight on to the knee of Luger. Perfect then gets Luger in a spinning toe hold. He gets a second spin in and then Perfect sits down on it and continues to work the leg.

Luger gets back to his feet and Perfect kicks him twice in the leg that sends him back down to the mat. Perfect then lays in a right hand and follows that up with a vicious chop to the chest of Luger. Perfect tries to whip Luger into the opposite corner but Luger holds on so Perfect ends up chopping him again. Finally Perfect is able to whip Luger into the corner but Luger reverses it and Perfect goes crashing into the corner and hits his lower back, which kept Perfect out of wrestling for quite some time. Luger then whips Perfect into the other corner and this time Perfect comes flipping out of it because of the amount of velocity that Luger whipped him into the corner.

Luger picks up Perfect and throws him outside of the ring through the middle rope. Luger goes out after him and drives the lower back into the apron. Luger throws Perfect back in the ring as he continues to work the back. He clubs Perfect 2-3 times in the lower back once he gets back in the ring. Luger then pushes Perfect into the ropes as he bounces back and Luger levels him with a forearm to the back of Perfect. Luger picks Perfect up and drops him with a back breaker in the middle of the ring. Luger then drops an elbow and goes for the pin and gets a 2 count.

Luger then grabs Perfect and throws him back into the corner. Perfect kicks Luger twice and decks him with 2-3 right hands to regain some control of the match. Perfect then whips Luger into the corner and Perfect comes charging in but Luger hits him with a boot to the midsection. Luger then gets a double leg take down and tries to get the cheap pin but the ref catches him and stops the count. Luger then whips Perfect into the ropes and lays Perfect out with a big time power slam. Luger goes for the pin and gets a 2 2/3 count. Luger then whips Perfect into the ropes again and Luger dunks but Perfect gets him with a sunset flip for a 2 count.

Luger goes for a right hand but Perfect dunks and ends up getting Luger in a sleeper hold. Luger drives Perfect back into the turnbuckle to break the hold. Luger comes in but Perfect hits him with a right hand then an open handed slap to the midsection. Perfect hits Luger with 3 big time rights that sends Luger to the mat. Luger ends up whipping Perfect into the ropes and he dunks again and this time Perfect nearly gets the win with an inside cradle. Perfect whips Luger into the ropes and hits him with a back body drop. Luger gets up to his feet near the corner as perfect comes in. Luger hits Perfect with a knee to the midsection and tries to whip Perfect into the corner but Perfect reverses it and Luger goes chest first into the turnbuckle. Perfect grabs the legs of Luger and sling shots him to the top turnbuckle. Perfect winds up and hits Luger with an ax type forearm. Perfect then whips Luger into the ropes and Perfect hits him with a forearm to the face again.

Luger gets into the corner and begs off Perfect but Perfect doesn’t stop as he climbs to the second rope and gets 2-3 punches in. Luger tries to get him with an atomic drop but Perfect blocks it and hits Luger with a clothesline. He follows that up with a club to the face with his forearm. Perfect then hits Luger with a swinging neck breaker for the 2 count. Perfect gets up and climbs to the top rope and hits Luger with a top rope drop kick. Perfect goes for the cover but he only gets a 2 count after the ref recognizes that Luger got his foot on the rope. They go for a backslide but Luger used the rope to block Perfect from getting the backslide. Luger gets the advantage and goes for the pin and gets the 3 count but Mr. Perfects feet were all up in the ropes and the ref totally missed it. Your winner by way of pinfall…..The Narcissist Lex Luger!

After the match Mr. Perfect looks pissed because the ref didn’t see his feet in the rope. Perfect then turns around and Luger levels him with the forearm to the face. Luger then puts his foot on the chest of Perfect as he does a pose. Perfect is laid out. Luger heads off to the back as Perfect is getting checked out by the ref.

Perfect gets up to his feet and he shakes off the shot from Luger. He looks pissed off so he heads to the back looking for Luger. Perfect finds Luger speaking to Shawn Michaels backstage but that doesn’t stop him from attacking Luger. Shawn ends up getting involved as he helps Luger beat up Perfect in the back. Shawn picks up a trash can and nails Perfect with it twice. He then picks up a broom stick as the referees come in and break it up.

They then go ringside where Savage and Heenan are getting in a heated argument about what just happened. Savage gets out of his seat as if he is challenging Heenan or something and this gets the crowd going. Gorilla recaps the rest of the card. This was more of the intermission without really announcing the 5 minute break.

Recap:
I thought this match was solid but could it have been a lot better. It appeared that Luger was gassed early on so he was a little slow throughout the match. Perfect did his part as he was flying all over the place and he even went off the top with a drop kick. It appeared that Luger didn’t carry his weight here and it clearly showed as something about this match was just off. It felt like it never really got going and the crowd just wasn’t into it as much as they should have been or could have been. Its really hard to pin point what the exact issue was but it was visible as these guys should have done better than this. The after the match stuff was pretty awesome and it was pretty cool seeing the backstage area because at the time you never really saw that. Shawn getting involved will surely lead to things down the road so the angle gets a B to B+ while the match itself is more along the lines a of a C-.

Match 7: The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales

Undertaker comes down to the ring in a chariot and a vulture and it looks pretty damn awesome. The match starts with a stare down and it is so weird looking at the Undertaker looking up to somebody. Gonzales clubs Undertaker in the back but Taker gets right up. Gonzales goes for another one but Taker blocks it and he chops Gonzales two or three times and it sends Gonzales into the corner. Gonzales then grabs Undertaker by the throat and is choking him out. Taker climbs to the middle rope and starts to choke Gonzales himself. Gonzales delivers a low blow to break the choke hold of Undertaker.

Undertaker then does a couple of chops and ends up doing Old School on the Giant Gonzales. Gonzales wobbles around and taker just lays in the right hands and the boots. Gonzales slouches over in the corner while Undertaker tells the ref to back up. Taker turns around and goes after Gonzales and he gets met with a big boot and a clothesline. Gonzales then picks up the Undertaker and throws him across the ring. Gonzales then gets the Undertaker in a reverse chin lock. We stay in this chin lock for a good 2 minutes until the Undertaker gets up and and elbows him in the stomach a couple of times.

Undertaker finally breaks free and hits the ropes but Gonzales takes Undertaker and throws him out of the ring. Gonzales goes out after him and clubs him a few times. Gonzales then slams the head of Undertaker into the steel steps. Gonzales then picks up the Undertaker and whips him into the steel steps again. Undertaker gets back to his feet and gets back in the ring and it baffles the Giant. Giant knocks Undertaker down and Taker sits right back up. Gonzales chops him again and Taker gets right back up.

Gonzales then clubs him in the back while the Undertaker chops the Giant back. Taker then throws some rights and some boots and gets control of the exchange. Theres nothing fancy about this match but the crowd is eating up everything the Undertaker is doing. The Giant Gonzales goes down to 1 knee. Whippleman then gets up on the apron and Undertaker goes after him but he drops a cloth in the ring. Gonzales goes over to Paul Bearer and head butts him. Then, Gonzales takes the rag and smothers the Undertaker with it. Undertaker gets knocked out by it because it had some sort of chemical on the rag, they were calling it chloroform. Giant Gonzales poses in the ring while a ton of WWF officials come out to check on the Undertaker. Gonzales picks up a referee and choke slams him in the middle of the ring.

They get him on a stretcher and wheel him to the back. Gonzales is posing for the crowd then all of a sudden Undertaker’s music hits. Undertaker wobbles back out to the ring and attacks the Giant Gonzales and nails him with a couple of clotheslines. The Giant Gonzales falls down and rolls out of the ring. The fink finally gets on the mic and lets us know that the winner of the match by disqualification is the….Undertaker!

Recap:
Not much to say about this one here. Giant Gonzales is completely useless and Undertaker did what he could to make the match somewhat decent. The finish was dumb but it made sense all things considered. Unfortunately they drag this feud on until Summer Slam so we couldn’t really have a clean finish on this show. One thing I always thought was funny was then some of Las Vegas’s finest are coming down to escort Gonzales out of the ring. One of the guys gets this big time shit eating grin on his face when Fink announces the winner being the Undertaker. I always found that funny for some reason but not even that can save this stink fest.

Backstage Interview: Hulk Hogan

We head to the back where Gene Okerlund is standing by. Gene runs down some of the destruction that Yokozuna has left on his path to Wrestlemania 9. They show footage of Duggan getting destroyed by Yoko. They then show what Yokozuna did to Bret at the contract signing for the match between himself and Bret Hart. Okerlund says it has been a trying week for Bret Hart. Okerlund then brings up that the odds makers are saying there is going to be a new World Wrestling Federation champion. Okerlund says there isn’t a better person to talk about the match than Hulk Hogan, who steps into the interview area.

Okerlund asks Hogan about his eye but Hogan totally ignores it. Hogan says that he just left Bret’s locker room and he wanted to let Bret know that all of the Hulkamaniac’s and Hulk Hogan are in his corner. Hogan says these are times in the WWF where people are stepping over the line. He said it all started with his brother the bionic Brutus Beefcake. Hogan says the night before leaving the gym in Vegas. He says he guesses money can by anything as they took it out on him. Hogan says that Bret is a brother and a Hulkamaniac and he has a warning to the wise. Since guys are stepping over the line that he needs to watch Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji like a cat out there. Hogan wants Bret to know that he and all of his Hulkamaniacs are on his side.

Hogan says that he knows the power of Hulkamania and he knows the greatness of Hulkamania. Hogan says after he looked into Bret Hart’s eyes he questioned the greatness of Hulkamania. Hogan then says that is why he is issuing the challenge of whoever wins the title, whether it’s Bret Hart or the Jap, he wants the first title shot. Hogan then says with he, all of the Hulkamaniacs, and the attitude that Bret Hart has that the WWF Title is going to stay right here in the WWF and in the United States….Whatcha gonna do brother!

Todd Pettengill then interviews some fans in the stands.

Match 8: WWF Title Match: Bret Hart (C) vs. Yokozuna

Bret Hart starts the match with a big time drop kick that sends Yokozuna into the corner. Bret then lays in some right hands and climbs to the second rope and lays in the 10 punches. Yokozuna pushes him off like a fly. Bret then lays in some more right hands. Bret ties a go behind but Yoko just flings him off. Bret then gets up and Yoko charges him with a big time shoulder block that sends Bret flying to the outside. Bret tries to get back into the ring and Yoko kicks him away. Bret tries to get into the ring again as Yoko tries to kick him again but this time Bret grabs the foot of Yoko and trips him up between the second and bottom rope. Yoko is trapped in the ropes so Bret does a sling shot splash back into the ring. He then mounts Yoko and throws some right hands. Yoko pushes him off again but he’s still stuck in the ropes.

Bret gets up and climbs to the second rope on the inside and drops an elbow drop to Yokozuna. Hebner ends up helping Yokozuna get out of the ropes. Yoko gets up and gets met immediately with a clothesline. Bret hits a second one and tries a third one but Yokozuna ends up decking Bret with his own clothesline and knocks Bret down. Yoko drops an elbow then picks Bret up and body slams him. Yoko then hits the ropes and drops a big time leg drop to the face of Bret. Bret is laid out and Yoko is dropping some kicks to the back of Bret’s hair. Bret gets up and Yoko drapes him over the top rope and chokes him out a little bit.

Yoko then picks Bret up again and gets him in a nerve hold. Bret gets up to his feet and Yoko throws a right hand to Bret. Yoko then whips Bret into the corner but Bret gets his boot up that stuns Yoko a little bit. Bret then climbs to the middle rope and jumps on the back of Yoko and drives him down to the mat. Bret goes for the pin and gets a 2 count. Yoko gets up to his feet first and he nails Bret with a side kick that lays out Bret. Yoko then picks Bret up and snap mares him. Yoko then drives his hand into the nerve of Bret. This goes on for about a minute or so. Heenan quips during this rest hold “Shows how smart these fans are, one guy is from Canada and the other guy is from Japan and they are chanting USA.”

Bret gets up to his feet and Yoko hits him with a martial arts thrust. Yoko then whips Bret into the corner and Yoko comes charging in with a back splash but Bret moves out of the way. Bret then climbs to the middle rope and hits a bulldog on Yokozuna. Bret goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Bret then goes to the middle rope again and hits an elbow drop. Bret then climbs to the middle rope while Yokozuna stalks him and Bret hits him with a clothesline. Yoko is nearly down so Bret hits the ropes and hits a lay down clothesline that knocks Yokozuna down. Yoko gets right up and goes to the corner where Bret climbs and lays in 6 punches when Yoko tries to carry him away. Bret holds onto to the turnbuckle pad and rips it off.

Yoko then tries to take Bret and ram his head into the exposed turnbuckle but Bret blocks it and ends up running Yokozuna into the exposed turnbuckle. Yoko falls down on his belly and Bret gets the Sharpshooter on Yokozuna. Mr. Fuji grabs some salt out of his pocket and throws it right in Bret’s face. Yoko then walks over to Bret and pins him. Your winner and NEW WWF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…..YOKOZUNA!

Immediately after the bell rings Hulk Hogan comes out to tell the ref that Fuji threw salt in the eyes of Bret. Fuji gets on the mic says that Yokozuna issues a challenge to Hogan the yellow belly coward. Hogan is more concerned with helping out Bret and making sure he is okay. Fuji then says that he will put up the WWF title belt right now if he gets in the ring and accepts his challenge. Bret tells Hogan that he should get in the ring and take the match.

Match 9: WWF Title Match: Yokozuna (C) vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan gets in the ring and Yokozuna hits him with a kick to the stomach. He then chops Hogan. Yoko grabs the arms of Hogan and holds him while Fuji tries to throw salt in the eyes of Hogan. Hogan moves out of the way and the salt goes right into Yokozuna’s face. Hogan decks Fuji then clotheslines Yokozuna. Hogan hits the ropes again and drops the big time leg drop. The ref goes down for the count and he gets the 1-2-3. Your winner AND NEW WWF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION….THE IMMORTAL HULK HOGAN!!!!!

Hogan poses in the ring after the match to send the fans home happy as Wrestlemania IX goes off the air.

Recap:
First off the match between Bret and Yoko was pretty damn good. Bret sold every move Yoko did as if he got hit by a Mac truck. This made Yoko look very good in the long run and it really showed just how good Bret really was. Bret worked fast throughout the match and it made the match keep moving even when there were rest holds. Yoko held his own and showed off his athleticism which was awesome at the time because he a fat slob yet. The finish to me was fine and it kept Bret look good as well as getting Yoko the title. All in all a really good match from beginning to end.

Then we got the Hogan segment where he comes out to check on his “friend” Bret. Fuji, for some dumbass reason, issues the challenge to Hogan and of course he accepts. It was short and sweet and it worked if you ask me. A lot of people shit on Hogan and this finish as the reason this show is terrible.

I completely disagree with that assessment. If you look back at the first 8 Wrestlemania’s, please find me where a heel was celebrating at the end of the card and the fans went home disappointed. If you don’t have Hogan coming out winning the title then the fans not only leave disappointed because Yokozuna is the champion, they also leave with the thought process of who the hell can beat this guy. At that point and time nobody really could, so the fans would have been left with a shitty taste in their mouth. That’s why this finish works for me.

Also, if you listen to Bret and pretty much anyone who follows Meltzer, as if he is the be all end all to reviews, then you will think that Hogan used his authority to over ride the finish and take the title. I call bullshit on this one as well. Again, the finish made complete sense to me and you have to understand the times in order for it to make sense. If you are some 20 something who has read their whole life that this show is the shits then you really have no idea how the business worked back then because you didn’t live through it. 6 year old me loved this ending and the 32 year old me still appreciates it. Also, if you don’t think this was the right decision then go listen to the crowd when Hogan rips off his shirt during the tag match or when he gets the pin against Yokozuna at the end and tell me if the fans didn’t eat that shit up.

Show Recap:
Where do we start with this one. The show started off with two really solid matches that are must see if you ask me. After that it goes a little down hill from there and they never really recovered. After reviewing the show with a review mindset instead of just watching mindset, there is one theme that sticks out. Matches should have gone 2-3 minutes shorter. The tag match with the Steiners dragged towards the end so if they cut out 3 minutes at the end then it would have been more memorable if you ask me.

The Crush vs. Doink match ran into the same problem as well. Crush kind of got lost out there after he did his initial bit of offense and he didn’t really know where to go after that. If we ended it 2 minutes earlier we wouldn’t have had that problem. The Razor vs Backlund match was fun for me because it was the perfect amount of time and the finish was pretty clever. Razor was clearly injured here because he didn’t pick Backlund up once and he won with a small package. That makes the match make more sense after the fact and the fact that the brawler beat the wrestler with a wrestling move was pretty awesome.

Next up, we got the tag match between Money Inc and the Mega Maniacs. Again this match should have been a few minutes shorter because a 2 and 1/2 minute spot in the Million Dollar Dream was simply way to long. It still amazes how little Hogan had to do to get a reaction from the crowd and it was still working in 1993. His time away did him some good. The ending still makes no sense because there was no DQ moment that happened. We finish up with the Luger vs. Perfect match that never really gelled or worked. Luger got blown up early on and Perfect wore himself out trying to carry the match.

There’s really no reason to talk about the dud of the show – Giant Gonzales vs. Undertaker. Undertaker did what he could with the Giant but it was just bad. Then we got the main event between Bret and Yoko. Bret worked his ass off and worked face to make the match move along faster than it really did. He sold everything Yokozuna did perfectly and it really solidified the monster aspect of Yoko. Job well done all around there. The Hogan ending with him getting his 5th title works for me because it sends the crowd home happy and the giant was defeated but for how long is the real question.

All in all, there are some good things on this card and there are some bad things on this card. The good was very good and the bad was pretty damn bad. If you want to trash this show because the matches didn’t just deliver then that’s your prerogative, but I don’t see it. When looking at reviews for this show across the internet you see stuff like that togas, Giant Gonzales’s spray painted gear, and the Narcissist gimmick is what makes this show shit. If you want to base it off that then any show Luger was on with that gimmick is garbage. Any time Giant Gonzales wrestled in that outfit then the show is trash. It’s no reason to call an entire show garbage. Do better with your reviews and your assessments of the shows if you are solely basing it off of gimmicks and ring attire. Last thing I gotta say with this one is give it a shot and look at it objectively and you may find things that are fairly enjoyable.

I hope you have enjoyed the return of the The Event Center and I hope you enjoyed the action from Wrestlemania IX. I’m not sure whats up next on the docket but look out for some more Event Center’s coming your way. Also, don’t forget to check out all of the other work here on Crazy Max, such as The Audit reviews by my buddy Ian R. Singletary. Also, check out the brand new “A Hardcore History”, where we review each ECW episode in chronological order. Thanks again for reading and I look forward to seeing you all again right here on CrazyMax.

ScreenCaps: March to Wrestlemania 7

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