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PRE-2000 CONTENT ONLY

 

This is one of those threads where people watch some stuff and then type stuff about it. This one is for any kinds of miscellany. An entire show, a couple of matches, some music video from Youtube... any wrestling-related footage or audio. Give your thoughts for us to read.

 

I have decided to resurrect my viewing. I don't know if I'm going to start WWE watching again or if I'll just settle for a big Dragon Gate catch up in preparation for November. To ease back into American wrestling, I have targetted my two favourite areas:

 

1) Nostalgia

2) Jobber squashes

 

Waylon Mercy vs Jobber.

 

I know it's a commonly held belief amongst most of the IWC these days and doesn't need pointing out, but by god it's a shame that Dan Spivey's back injury cut this character short. The look, the facials, the soft spoken delivery, the music, the Max Cady-esque overrall concept. Absolutely amazing gimmick and so, so well executed. I checked some links after watching the match and watched one his vignettes about how Waylon was going to make things "real peaceful" on arrival in the WWF and it was creepy as hell.

 

The match is what you expect from Waylon Mercy. From his intro up until bell time he's a charming Southern gent. I like that he isn't just cordial with the ref but also schmoozes and shakes hands with fans in the front row. It's not just a con to fool the ref and opponent, it's the facade he puts up for everyone, to mask the fact that he's a sadistic loon.

 

He jumps the jobber right from the bell while his back his turned and lays on a methodical beating. No hostility whatsoever towards the ref however. The ref cautions him on a couple of occasions for choking or not letting the guy out of the corner etc. and Waylon is totally apologetic and perfectly nice about it before returning to the assault.

 

I don't normally like the sleeper as a finisher, simply because it's become so established as a transitional move to head into a babyface comeback, but there really is no better finisher they could have had for Waylon. The look on his face, particularly his eyes, as his opponent fades away is just amazing. You often hear of serial killers who said that they killed purely because of an addiction to that moment where they feel someone's life fade away in their hands, and the frenzied, manic levels of joy that Waylon gets from putting this guy to sleep is clearly the wrestling equivalent of that.

 

Waylon Mercy vs Savio Vega

 

Waylon's first PPV match and the end of his undefeated streak. Savio has always been a capable wrestler, but this match is a wee bit sloppy. Savio hits probably the worst german suplex I've ever seen at one point. I like that Waylon's sleeper is protected though. Savio has to fight out of it using all of his resources, which is how it should be. I was cringing at the idea of them doing the usual, "arm drops once, arm drops twice, arm drops thre... no wait, arm shakes wildly and we have a babyface comeback!" because if the sleeper is your finishing hold then that spot needs to not feature in your matches at all ever because it will kill it. Savio wins with his sweet spinning heel kick.

 

I need to put a little comp together of all of Waylon's televised stuff. There wasn't a great deal of it anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard.

 

Know what I mean?

 

Doink vs Bob East

 

This was awesome. Matt Borne as evil Doink is one of my favourite things in wrestling. The character and his portrayal of it were just far too good for the promotion at the time. The subtleties of Borne's constantly shifting personality are a joy to watch. There's a post-match change in his expression that they capture as a close up and play in slow motion that is genuinely chilling, which is helped by the fantastic facepaint. That's not even mentioning one of the best theme songs of all time.

 

It helps that Bobby Heenan appears to be a huge fan of the gimmick. You can tell when The Brain is truly motivated because he'll try to add things to the match beyond his usual quips and silliness. For instance, in this one, he sells for the whole match that the scariest thing about Doink is that "he knows what he's doing in there" and that he's "an accomplished wrestler". Selling the idea that he's an absolute nut, but he's doubly dangerous because he's a dangerous nut with a textbook understanding of how to bring the pain. Contrast that with Brain's commentary when watching a Papa Shango match "the great thing about Papa Shango is that if you get bored when wrestling him you can just read him".

 

Anyway, yeah, Doink is amazing and I think the whole gimmick, theme and portrayal were years beyond what the promotion was ready for. On his way to the ring he offers a balloon animal to some children, then whips it away and cackles insanely at the last minute. Children look genuinely scared. They were big on cutting to shots of children during scary heel matches/entrances at the time, and only for Doink did they look genuinely terrified.

 

He is indeed an accomplished wrestler too. He hits an absolutely lovely fireman's carry to start, which I watched a few times over because it was so perfect. He works the jobber over with a coupe of submissions, an enzuigiri and a sweet dropkick to the chin. At one point he sets the guy up for a suplex, laughs like an absolute loon and then instantly snaps into the suplex with an angry grunt. Matt Borne just had every little aspect of the character down to perfection and it's great to watch.

 

He finishes the guy with that stump puller hold dealy. The jobber is tapping out but the ref counts three instead because his shoulders are down. Doink holds on for a bit after the bell to torture the guy, but the impact is lost a bit because we've sort of been told it's a pinning hold rather than a painful submission. It looks cool either way.

 

 

Papa Shango vs Jobber

 

I like Papa Shango. It was corny and cartoony, but I think he looked insanely cool, had wonderful theme music and is my favourite Charles Wright gimmick (admittedly the latter is faint praise at best). He beats the jobber good and proper here. Love the flying shoulder block, the biiiiig dropkick and of course his absolutely brutal shoulder breaker finish. He doesn't set him on fire or anything, I think this was a bit before that. He does give him a post match beating with the skull-on-a-stick though. I reviewed squashes a while back going by certain criteria, and post-match jobber violence is always a massive plus as part of any squash. Good work Papa, good work.

 

 

Adam Bomb vs Wrestling Superstar Virgil

 

Yet more amazing theme music. It's a shame that a composer with such a flair for the cinematic is reduced to generic rawwwk so much of the time these days. Sometimes he gets inspired and knocks out something like Beth Phoenix's theme, but he just doesn't seem to care so much any more. Adam Bomb's heel theme is absolutely tremendous. It's like something from a John Carpenter movie. So bleak, more worthy of a great horror movie than for the entrance of a slightly silly midcard heel. Bryan Clark is partly to blame here. He has Harvey Whippleman, he has a cool theme, awesome bright green contacts to sell the "affected by radiation" silliness and he looks suitably imposing because Bryan Clark has always been built like three houses. However, the mystique of it all is totally ruined when he gets into the ring, goes up to the camera and yells "ADAM BOMB, TAKING YOU, TO GROUND ZERO!!!!". Christ, how 80s is that? Oh, and the goggles are fucking ridiculous, but big Bry didn't choose them, so that's not his fault.

 

The match is a curious one. They have the idea right. Virgil is all speed and aerial moves, Bomb is all power and no-selling. It works, but the two don't quite gel and I got this uneasy feeling that they were always on the verge of a massive botch. It didn't happen, but there some hella sloppy moments, including a horribly loose Meltdown from Bomb to finish. There's one point where Virgil goes for a springboard flying cross body and Bomb just leans in with a shoulder to splat him down. That was friggin' great.

 

This was a really fun bit of wrestling viewing all round. Doink was amazing, so was Waylon. The jobbers were pasty, flabby and useless, their beatings were needlessly abusive. Five stars all round.

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Posted

I always thought I was viewing Waylon Mercy through rose-tinted spectacles, based on maybe 2 matches I'd watched with him in, but having recently watched all of Raw 95, I can honestly say, every single thing involved with him is totally compelling. With him, Goldust, and tweener Diesel the WWF were taking unbelivable strides forward with their character development. It's amazing to see them set to a backdrop of Dean Douglas, Duke Drosse, TL Hopper & co. Such a contrast.

 

Anyway, as I'm killing time at work, here's some Waylon Mercy footage to save people time finding it:

 

 

 

vs Savio Vega

 

vs Bret Hart

Posted

I randomly came across this the other day and it seems to fit well enough in this thread.

 

 

Yokozuna killing some jobber. Everything about this rules. Special mention to McMahon's "Forgettaboutit!". That used to be like his catchphrase.

Posted

I use to like Waylon Mercy it is a shame that poor Dan Spivey's back was knackered. I wonder if they was tempted to give the role to someone else - Vince and Co would have known that Spivey was on borrowed time before he made his debut.

Posted (edited)

More jobber deaths~!

 

- Yoko kills some poor bastard with the Banzai Drop, then sits on him for ages. Try not to laugh as the guy struggles underneath him. Especially as Yoko's balls are practically in his face. Even Jim Cornette feels sorry for the poor guy and tells Yoko to get up.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XngKLjGD7tk - Vader breaking a jobbers back. You've probably all seen this one or at least heard about it. He really puts a beatdown on this poor guy. He slaps him silly, hits a brutal lariat, chokeslams him so viciously that two guys in the background jump to their feet and put their hands on their heads and then finishes the job with a powerbomb that almost literally snaps the guy in half.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJnb-_YOdZM...feature=related - 'Sid Vicious destroys two gay guys' is the title of the video. Yup, that just about sums it up. At about 0:48 see Lenny Lane get annihilated.

 

Oh, and you're not wrong about Doink. Especially the Evil Doink

. Terrifying. Edited by BionicRedneck
Posted
I use to like Waylon Mercy it is a shame that poor Dan Spivey's back was knackered. I wonder if they was tempted to give the role to someone else - Vince and Co would have known that Spivey was on borrowed time before he made his debut.

 

I always wondered this too. They would have needed someone just as soft spoken with the killer eyes who didn't have a massively popular gimmick already in place. They signed Tony Anthony in 96, he might have been good enough, though his short stature could have looked weird with it.

 

Picking my own pre-2000, I'd like to nominate the first 10 or so episodes of Shotgun Saturday Night, as I've just recently watched them. Set in bars and clubs across New York (and one in San Antonio), they are totally off the wall and different to how you've ever seen (or will ever see) WWF/E. Vince and Sunny are the (perfect) hosts, and though it's messy and jumbled, it's nice to see Vince really trying to find that perfect formula. The fans are mainly ECW regulars, and are thus totally racous and largely uncontrollable. It's just another Attitude building block, so it's influence cannot be denied.

 

The three highlights for me were:

 

- Terry Funk showing up in San Antonio and just ripping into everybody. Called Vince a "Yankee bastard", called Todd Pettengill's mother a "whore" and mocked Steve Austin, who was on guest commentary. They then had a great brawl throughout the bar.

 

- Mankind vs Bret from some club. Bret was on the verge of turning heel and fought his "aggressive" style, having a really great brawl with Foley. Seeing the traditional wrestler type in this environment was a such a weird thing, imagine Bret in ECW, and this is the closest we would ever get to seeing that.

 

- HHH vs The Undertaker from a train station. HHH bailed to run away, but Taker chased him and tombstoned him at the top of an escalator. Then HHH, laid out on the stairs, just slowly drifted down, as you would. Really great visual.

 

Alongside these, you had Marlena's boobs, Ahmed doing a Pearl River Plunge to a Nation member (D'Lo) on a car, Mankind falling in love with strippers and prostitutes, drunk Jake Roberts, and Sunny fucking Elmo.

 

It's weird but great stuff. Track it down, if you're like me, you'll love it and have no idea why.

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Posted

It's hard to imagine anyone else doing the Waylon Mercy gimmick as well as Spivey. He had the imposing size, but it was little things like the thinning hair and the disarming accent and carefully pitched delivery that made him so perfect for it. He was also big without being all ripped and wrestler-like. He looked like a normal man, but a giant and slightly scary version of one, which is exactly what you want from a larger than life implied serial killer.

 

I can't wait to watch these jobber deaths later. I love squashes way too much. Good contributions gents, I was worried about this thread dying on its arse.

 

So yeah, I need complete heel Doink and complete Waylon Mercy. Also another squash comp like that amazing one banocref made a few years ago.

Posted

I didnt see this then but the way the doink gimmick was done really blows my mind. Amazing entrance music and that guy could really wrestle.

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Posted

Recently watched Marty Jones vs Roy Regal (a very young William Regal).

 

Regal started 1 fall up, decent little wrestling match which is mostly Jones, ends in round 2 when Jones dropkicks Regal in the head and he can't answer the 10 count.

 

Short but sweet and a nice mix of my favourite era of wrestling with a more modern name.

Posted

I really thought the Doink gimmick had lots of potential. Many people are scared of clowns, so a wrestling clown with a personality disorder would have been a great heel.

What ever happened to Dink?

Posted
I really thought the Doink gimmick had lots of potential. Many people are scared of clowns, so a wrestling clown with a personality disorder would have been a great heel.

What ever happened to Dink?

 

Nothing, after that. It was Tiger Jackson that played him, I think, so I'm pretty sure he settled into the indies wherever he can still get work.

 

I too love heel Doink, but sadly thinking of Dink pretty much makes me think of everything I don't like about wrestling.

Posted

Lets watch some goodness shall we.

 

WCW Monday Nitro 02/06/1997

 

Well, I don't know if it'll be good as I don't know what's on it. Star ratings will be on here. More as a reference point than anything else. I've been doing them for myself as comparison points, so I might as well give them when I'm posting these.

 

Alex Wright vs. Glacier

 

Gotta laugh at Alex Wright's idiotic dancing. If you like short matches with lots of weak kicks ended with one big kick then this is the match for you. It's a bit short, but the action while the match was on left a lot to be desired, so I guess we're gonna have to start with a DUD.

 

After match beatdown of Glacier from Wrath and Mortis. I guess that's what he gets for being in such a shit match.

 

Buff Bagwell vs. Joe Gomez

 

This is bound to be a massive step up. Hey, turns out it WAS a step up. Not any great length and didn't have much, but what WAS there was spirited action, especially from Joe Gomez who seemed way up for it, even if he blew a big spot. I always give points for the Blockbuster as well. *

 

Hugh Morrus vs. Prince Iaukea

 

Prince Ikea has a bit of an advantage as Konnan attacks Morrus before he even gets to the bottom of the rampway. NAE LUCK BIG MAN ! This was too short to even consider rating, but they still managed to blow three moves. I guess that means we have to consider a rating after all. This is what's known to me as a DUD.

 

We have an interview with JJ Dillon who says that Steiner Brothers are the #1 Contenders, and out come Harlem Heat to allow Sherri to cut a promo which makes me want to tear my ears off, so it's right to ...

 

The Great Muta and Masa Chono vs. The Steiner Brothers

 

Less of the sarcasm. This WILL be a step up. This was a decent TV tag team match for the most part. The action sure as hell picked up in the second half of the match with all four men getting involved in the match. The non-sensical ending did my head in. The referee seen the interference as clear as day. Why did the nWo not get DQed ? That aside, this was decent. **1/2

 

M. Wallstreet vs. Dean Malenko

 

Wasn't he called V.M. Wallstreet or something like that ? I can't remember M. Wallstreet being the right name. Ah well, benefit of the doubt here. The idiocy of the booking at the end of the match takes away from it for me, but this was an action packed match with both guys looking good. **3/4

 

Harlem Heat vs. Damien and Ciclope

 

This wasn't very good for the time it lasted, apart from an absolutely mental Suicide Dive from Damien. I think I might give points for that ! Damien and Ciclope looked horrible in there though. 1/2*

 

Barbarian vs. Chris Benoit

 

This match features the most hilariously and brutally blown Front Suplex onto the top rope that I have ever seen. Knees first on the top rope and head first to the mat. OUCH ! The pace of this match was superb though and there was some big moves. Can't complain too much about this. **1/2

 

Scott Hall vs. Ric Flair

 

This is your main event for the evening. The opening minutes of this match were an absolute treat as it was as hot as hell with Flair going absolutely mental on anything that moved. When the match gets going, there's still some cracking exchanges and this was a hate filled brawl. A worthy TV main event. ***

 

We have a segment at the end, where Randy Savage basically mauls JJ Dillon. HA !

 

Thanks to JLM for this topic, which has basically urged me to go back and watch old shows like this.

Posted
More jobber deaths~!

 

- Yoko kills some poor bastard with the Banzai Drop, then sits on him for ages. Try not to laugh as the guy struggles underneath him. Especially as Yoko's balls are practically in his face. Even Jim Cornette feels sorry for the poor guy and tells Yoko to get up.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XngKLjGD7tk - Vader breaking a jobbers back. You've probably all seen this one or at least heard about it. He really puts a beatdown on this poor guy. He slaps him silly, hits a brutal lariat, chokeslams him so viciously that two guys in the background jump to their feet and put their hands on their heads and then finishes the job with a powerbomb that almost literally snaps the guy in half.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJnb-_YOdZM...feature=related - 'Sid Vicious destroys two gay guys' is the title of the video. Yup, that just about sums it up. At about 0:48 see Lenny Lane get annihilated.

You'll probably like seeing the Beverley Brothers trying to murder this jobber then...

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