Strange Matches

[air_raid]

2 hours ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

I think they actually wanted Austin to do a job there

You think correctly. For years after Austin’s retirement Vince would get all excited about numerous matches he wanted to put on (Austin vs Hogan being one) before actually coming to an agreement with Steve on pay or creative. Here they went one step further and actually announced the match before running by Austin that in fact yes, they wanted him to lose to get heat on Coach. To what end… beats me, but Steve told them to get fucked either way.

[hallicks]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

You think correctly. For years after Austin’s retirement Vince would get all excited about numerous matches he wanted to put on (Austin vs Hogan being one) before actually coming to an agreement with Steve on pay or creative. Here they went one step further and actually announced the match before running by Austin that in fact yes, they wanted him to lose to get heat on Coach. To what end… beats me, but Steve told them to get fucked either way.

Was that one of the times he disappeared after for a bit? IIRC him not turning up for TV after they booked him to lose to Brock on Raw was the first time, but I feel like it might have happened again. 

[air_raid]

6 minutes ago, hallicks said:

Was that one of the times he disappeared after for a bit? IIRC him not turning up for TV after they booked him to lose to Brock on Raw was the first time, but I feel like it might have happened again. 

Strictly speaking I was referring to times after his retirement but it was essentially the same thing. They announced that match before getting Steve to agree to the finish they wanted which, given Brock needed to win the title shot for SummerSlam, was always going to create an impasse.

[RedTwoster]

Chris Candido and Bam Bam Bigelow vs Kamala and Prince Nana has to be up there:

 

[sivy]

20 hours ago, Chico Torres said:

Against the team of Greg Valentine, Barry Horowitz and Jeff Gaylord on PPV in 1993.

And Bret was wearing the amateur style singlet too.

Same show also had a great match between the Rock n Roll Express vs Heavenly Bodies for the Smoky Mountain tag titles and the audience understandably were a little confused.

Don't forget Terry Funk was booked to be one of the Knights but he cancelled stating his horse was sick and he thinks he's dying.

[simonworden]

With the Survivor Series 93 match. Was there any actual storyline attempt to explain it? Like a promo from Michaels saying he was filling in or something?

[Chili]

24 minutes ago, simonworden said:

With the Survivor Series 93 match. Was there any actual storyline attempt to explain it? Like a promo from Michaels saying he was filling in or something?

No, he just shot a promo in a shack under the guise it was Hart House with Reo Rogers and slagged them off. I think they figured just completely not saying the name or alluding to the bloke just done on statutory rape charges was better than trying to mention it or get a logical explanation. Just fuck it, do it and get the match over with basically.

[air_raid]

22 minutes ago, Chili said:

No, he just shot a promo in a shack under the guise it was Hart House with Reo Rogers and slagged them off. I think they figured just completely not saying the name or alluding to the bloke just done on statutory rape charges was better than trying to mention it or get a logical explanation. Just fuck it, do it and get the match over with basically.

Although weirdly a segment with President Tunney made it to the Countdown show as released on Silver Vision that included a vague reference to “the Lawler situation” as if anybody knew what the situation was.

Anybody who wants to see Shawn and Reo’s segment can do here. Also, Virgil.

 

[Supremo]

Not exactly the same thing, but a special shout out to the pay-off to CM Punk’s Pipe Bomb promo being a Sledgehammer Ladder match between Kevin Nash and Triple, over Nash sending himself a text message.

That Batista vs. Coachman match takes the crown though. Might be the maddest match ever. Bonkers in concept, bringing Stone Cold out of retirement to lose to a commentator.

Bonkers in execution, morphing into a Batista vs. Coachman match featuring New Gen run-ins from Vader and Goldust, in a fan-voted match that has the potential to be, “verbal debate.”

Extra bonkers to think although he’d have to wait sixteen years, whilst all this bollocks was going on the man who’d actually wrestle Stone Cold in his return match was then CZW Iron Man Champion Kevin Steen.

Pro-wrestling is mental. I love it.

[Liam O'Rourke]

Have to put a vote in for the absolutely out of nowhere, never referred to again one-off of Sting Vs. Nailz from Slamboree 93. After Scott Norton failed to get over in a series of short squashes on TV, he had the nerve to refuse to lose to Sting on pay-per-view, so they drafted in Wacholz to hit the move he gave Vince after he molested him.

I mean, fucking hell Sting, you have a million pairs of tights, he's got one set of orange coveralls, you couldn't pick a different colour pair?

Still, it's just bizarre. The Green Bay hometown is obviously great for 20 people to chuckle at at the time, but it's just so weird to see and then Nailz vanishes into the ether forever. He was able to get a two year deal for six figures during the nWo heyday, which is fucking criminal, but once again, a crime Nailz didn't commit.

Edited July 9, 2025 by Liam O'Rourke

[SaitoRyo]

12 minutes ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

I mean, fucking hell Sting, you have a million pairs of tights, he's got one set of orange coveralls, you couldn't pick a different colour pair?

Kit clashes, especially ones of this nature, are one of my big pro-wrestling pet peeves. 

[air_raid]

3 hours ago, Supremo said:

Not exactly the same thing, but a special shout out to the pay-off to CM Punk’s Pipe Bomb promo being a Sledgehammer Ladder match between Kevin Nash and Triple, over Nash sending himself a text message.

I prefer to think of it as “the payoff to Kevin Nash costing CM Punk the WWE title being a PPV match won by Triple H.”

[wandshogun09]

3 hours ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

That match is a complete mess. I watched it once back when I was reviewing WCW 1992/93 on here and that was enough. Funniest bit I remember about it was seeing Sting pin him and then immediately fuck off down the ramp towards the dressing room. No celebrating, no hanging around waiting for Capetta to announce him the winner, nothing. He was out of there and done with this shit as soon as possible. 

[Carbomb]

On 7/8/2025 at 12:41 PM, Chico Torres said:

Against the team of Greg Valentine, Barry Horowitz and Jeff Gaylord on PPV in 1993.

And Bret was wearing the amateur style singlet too.

Same show also had a great match between the Rock n Roll Express vs Heavenly Bodies for the Smoky Mountain tag titles and the audience understandably were a little confused.

It's weird that I don't remember the former match, but I do remember the latter. I also was confused, as I don't think they'd done a particularly good job of explaining the whole SMW thing. All I knew was that Bobby Heenan was overjoyed to see Jim Cornette in a WWF ring, and that he'd brought his tag team to the WWF, which was going to be challenged by a team from outside the promotion. The first time I saw either team was that match, so I knew nothing about them. I think at that point the Rock n' Rolls had lost a step, so I wasn't wowed by them at the time, especially as I'd been spoiled by Hi-Energy and the Rockers.

[wandshogun09]

It’s pretty crazy to think the Rock n Roll vs Heavenly Bodies happened on WWF and WCW PPVs in 1993. Although technically it was different versions of the Bodies (Prichard/Del Ray and Prichard/Lane). 

Still, it was the Rock n Roll vs Heavenly Bodies. How many matches can you say were on PPV in both of the big two in the same year? It’s gonna be a very short list.