Let's Talk About Lance Storm

Well, it's been a while since I've done a wrestling review (or any review, for that matter), so I decided that today I'd watch a few matches and review them right here. So, here's a post about the pride and joy of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, none other than Lance Storm. Lance Storm is a wrestler that I always thought was better in theory than in execution. By that I mean Storm was a guy that knew all the holds, was very athletic, could cut a decent promo and was versatile in many different styles. But for whatever reason, when I watched Lance Storm, he didn't come across as a guy that was a top-notch talent, despite what his reputation on the internet might have been. I mean, it wasn't like he was terrible or anything, but he was rather forgettable. But maybe I'm wrong and I should have been on the Lance Storm bandwagon years ago, so let's begin this review with Storm getting a shot at the WCW Title.

Match 1: Lance Storm vs. The Rock, Monday Night Raw, August 20, 2001

This match took place the night after Summerslam and is the first WCW Title defense for The Rock, who had won the title the previous night. Earlier this episode, Lance Storm interrupted a Rock interview and kicked a little person impersonating Booker T in the face. Lance tries to attack early, but that doesn't work and Rock gets a two count after a Samoan Drop. The two do an exchange of missed clotheslines, then Storm hits a superkick that sends The Rock flying out of the ring. Storm moves quickly to roll The Rock back in and goes for the cover, but Rock kicks out at two. They exchange some blows, then Storm comes off the top with a clothesline that gets another two count. Storm stomps away on The Rock, then foolishly charges into a Rock spinebuster. Man, this match feels rushed. Rock hits his trademark punch combination, then follows with a DDT for a two count. The two brawl in the corner for a few seconds, then Rock hits the Rock Bottom for the three count. Post match, Rock brings the little Booker T impersonator out, who can barely climb up the stairs. Little Booker tries a People's Elbow, but he trips over Storm. So Storm gets back up, Rock spinebusts him back down, and on the second try Booker gets it as right as he was going to get it, which is still subpar even for a midget. Then Little Booker does a Spinarooni and everyone is happy. Well, not me. Match was way too short and the post-match stuff was embarrassing. I'd give it a 0.8 out of 5.  

Match 2: The Unamericans (Lance Storm and Christian) vs. Booker T and Goldust, WWE Tag Team Title Match, Summerslam 2002

Storm and Christian are the champions at the time. Booker comes out to a huge reaction, while the Unamericans come out with the American flag upside down because, you see, they're Unamerican. Goldust and Christian start, and Goldust goes to work early, hitting a butt bump and then an uppercut from the ground to get a two count. Storm is tagged in, but takes an arm drag and atomic drop for his efforts, then Goldust tags in Booker T. Booker continues to run roughshod over Lance, with a sideslam and a knee drop that gets a two count. That great American patriot Goldust is tagged back in, but a cheapshot from Christian and a thumb to the eye by Storm gives the Unamericans the advantage. Storm throws Goldust over the top rope, which would have been a disqualification in the NWA. After Christian works him over, he rolls Goldust back in and Storm gets a two count. The crowd chants 'USA' to try and Goldust back into the match, but the Unamericans use quick tags and underhanded tactics to keep Goldust isolated. Storm misses a dropkick though, and Goldust gets a quick two count. He tries to get to Booker, but Christian cuts that off. Front facelock by Christian, but Goldust forces his away into the corner and backdrops Christian. Tag to Booker, but the ref didn't see it so it's not allowed. Meanwhile, he doesn't see the other team make a tag but allows it anyway. I don't know about you, but I hate that spot as it makes no sense and makes the ref look like an idiot.

Anyway, a clothesline gets two for Storm, and the Unamericans continue their isolationist tactics. But Goldust fights back, catapults Christian into Storm on the outside and then rolls Christian up for a two count. Double clothesline, and Goldust and Christian are down. Before Goldust can get over to tag Booker, Storm goes over and trips Booker off the apron, forcing Booker to lose his cool and give chase. That's the same tactic I would use while playing a tag match in any Smackdown game. Christian is able to get Goldust away from his corner, and Storm sneaks in a chair. Actually, two chairs, and Storm and Christian attempt a Conchairto on Goldust, but luckily the big golden patriot ducks, and follows with a double clothesline. Finally, Booker gets the tag, and he starts wailing away at The Unamericans. A missle dropkick on Christian almost gets a three count. Booker and Christian each try their finishers to no avail, and Booker ends up delivering a flapjack to Christian. Storm tries a leaping heel kick, but Booker ducks and the ref ends up taking the blow. Booker gets both Unamericans with the Scissors kick, then follows up with a Spinarooni and a Harlem Sidekick to Christian. But the ref is down so that's all for naught. Storm comes in with a belt, but he's quickly taken care of by Booker T and Goldust. With the ref still down, fellow Unamerican Test (and a former Tag Team champion with Booker T), comes in and flattens Booker with a big boot. Christian covers, and the ref recovers to administer the three count. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either, so I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Match 3: Lance Storm w/Tammy Lynn Bytch vs. Rob Van Dam w/Bill Alfonso, ECW Television Title Match, Guilty as Charged 1999

Before the match begins, Storm says something about not having to compete in a previously scheduled match with Spike Dudley and Jerry Lynn, so he challenges RVD to a match for Van Dam's TV Title Out comes Van Dam, and after a two minute entrance, he's ready to go. The bell rings, and nobody does anything for a minute and a half before the two do a basic exchange of holds that ends with both men at a standstill. Storm backs Van Dam into the corner, firing away with shoulder blocks and chops, before whipping him into another corner. But Van Dam reverses it and eventually monkey flips Storm to the other side of the ring. Storm backs into the corner while Alfonso keeps Van Dam hydrated by handing him a water bottle. Quality managing there, Fonzie. A thumb to the eye by Storm, but after a few blows, Van Dam gets the advantage back with a dropkick and a two count, followed by a snap mare which also draws a two count. Storm reverses an Irish whip and rolls Van Dam up into a single leg crab. So Alfonso goes over to the other side of the ring and starts messing with Bytch (yes, that's what she was known as at the time, so that's what I'll call her here). That distracts Storm, who grabs at Alfonso. However, he's in perfect position to take an apron leg drop from Van Dam. RVD gets thrown into the guardrail, but rebounds and then sets Storm over the guardrail to deliver a corkscrew legdrop from the apron, which RVD connects on. Back in the ring, RVD hits a double-underhook lifting facebuster for a two count. He whips Storm to the ropes, but Storm does a leapfrog and then lands a superkick to Van Dam for two. Storm traps Van Dam in a corner and delivers a series of strikes, including a dropkick to a seated RVD. Out of the corner, Van Dam tries a springboard manuever, but gets dropkicked out of the ring into the guardrail. Van Dam oversells a baseball slide by flying over the guardrail and landing eight rows back. In the crowd, Storm is whipped into the guardrail, backdrops Van Dam over, but Van Dam catches himself and does a somersault dive off the railing onto Storm. Van Dam tries to slam Storm on the floor, but Storm counters with a inverted DDT, which is a stupid move to do on the floor since you land on your back before your opponent, causing both participants to take damage. But Storm ignores that, and while RVD attempts a springboard off the guardrail, he gets dropkicked back into the crowd by Storm. Storm then follows with a dive from the top rope, over the guardrail, and onto Van Dam. While Joey Styles tries to sell the notion that Storm is in control, Van Dam does his own brand of selling by joking with the crowd. Ok then.

Back in, RVD tries for a springboard move out of the corner, but Storm catches him again and crotches Van Dam. Back Suplex is attempted, but Van Dam flips over on his feet and catches Storm with a leg drop before he can get up. Van Dam follows up with a drop toe hold and a Surfboard. Instead of holding him up, Van Dam kicks him off and catches Storm with a rolling senton for a two count. Storm is whipped into the corner, but he catches Van Dam with a springboard back elbow and gets a two count. Storm then does a cartwheel clothesline which Van Dam just shrugs off to catch a chair tossed by Fonzie. RVD tries for the Van Daminator, but Storm dodges the blow and ends up tapping RVD in the head with it. Unfortunately, Storm picks the chair back up, and gets caught with a Vandaminator. Storm sells the heck out of the move, but he was playing possum as he caught Van Dam with a low blow and nearly got a three count from a small package. Van Dam catches Storm with a spinning heel kick which "almost cut Lance Storm clean in half", according to Joey Styles. Like hell it did. Van Dam goes for another Van Daminator, but Storm ducks and the chair goes into the ref's face. Storm follows with a Van Daminator of his own, but the ref is out. Fonzie brings in a chair, which Storm takes away, but all that does is allow Van Dam to come off the top for a Van Daminator into Storm's face. Storm kicks out at two. Back up, RVD hits a crappy looking clothesline and goes for the Five Star Frog Splash, but Storm moves. Storm goes for a powerbomb, but RVD reverses into a rollup. The two men do a nice exchange of holds before Van Dam hits a German Suplex with a bridge, which is enough to get the three count. Ten years ago, I probably would have told you that this was a great match and these two men are what wrestling is all about or whatever. However, while there were a few solid spots, the match was hurt by RVD's indifferent selling and Storm's weak chair shots. Still, it was rather decent, so I'll give it a 2.35 out of 5.

Match 4: Lance Storm vs. Triple H, WWE Smackdown, May 21, 2002

Before the match, Storm gets on the mic and says that, despite Triple-H's victory over Chris Jericho in Hell in a Cell, he's nothing but a barbaric animal, and Storm will teach him a lesson like only a true technical wizard can do. Storm sets out to teach Triple-H a lesson by taking two hard clothesline and a high knee lift. But Triple-H's knee is all bandaged up from his last match, so the big dummy ended up hurting it after the move. Storm hits a jawjacker and some punches, but Triple-H follows up with a driving knee to the face, this time using his good leg. Storm reverses an Irish whip and dropkicks HHH down to the mat. Storm shows off his technical wizardry by attacking Triple-H with a series of punches, kicks, and other various blows. Even Tazz, on commentary, notices how Storm's actions differ from his words and calls him a hypocrite. It's effective, though, as Storm has re-opened Triple-H's headwound and nearly gets a three count. Storm lands a clothesline from the top and gets another two count. Storm continues to pound away, but Triple-H has had all he can take so he starts firing back with blows of his own. Storm misses a Stinger Splash, and HHH then lands a neckbreaker, followed by a spinebuster that gets a two count. Storm ducks a clothesline and lands a superkick, following up with a Canadian Mapleleaf on Triple-H's bum leg. But Triple-H gets to the ropes. Storm hits another superkick, and climbs to the top rope while the ref checks on Triple-H. HHH, ever the ring general, pushes the ref into the ropes, knocking Storm off. A Pedigree follows, and Triple-H holds Storm down for the three count. All in all, not a bad TV match and probably my favorite of the four. I'll give it a three out of 5.

So, what did I learn from all this Storm watching. That Lance Storm should never pick up a chair in a wrestling ring again. Other than that, I stand by my previous statement, Storm's a decent to good wrestler who got about as far in wrestling as he should have been. He had a nice career of producing matches that were neither bad nor great, just in the middle. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this post or about Lance Storm in general, or you have ideas for future post, then please feel free to send them to me either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.

Canon Wrestling Review: WWF Raw, February 17, 1997

February 1997 was a tumultuous time for the WWF. Shawn Michaels had lost his smile and vacated the WWF Title, while Bret Hart was in the midst of turning against the fans who he felt had turned on him. A young Rocky Miavia was struggling to gain fan support, while talk of an ECW 'invasion' were abound. Meanwhile, the WWF Title was awarded to Bret Hart after he won a fatal four-way match at the PPV Final Four. This episode of Monday Night Raw took place the day after Final Four took place, on February 17, 1997, and the announcers for this show are Jim Ross and Jerry 'The King" Lawler.

No time is being wasted on this episode, as 'Sycho' Sid is coming out to face the new WWF Champion, Bret Hart in a Title match. I must say that I love Sid's entrance, from his theme song to the giant "SID" sparking sign over the ring. Hart comes out to a great ovation from the fans, so I guess he's still a face at this moment. Staredown to start, but OH HERE GO HELL COME as Steve Austin enters the ring and attacks Bret Hart. The two trade blows, then Sid decides he wants some of Austin so he attacks. While security separates the two, Austin chop blocks Sid in the back of the knee, and the big man is hurt. After Austin is escorted from the ring area, Sid tries to walk off the injury (and drops an audible f-bomb in the process) and the match is delayed until the end of the show.

Clips are shown from Shawn Michaels vacated the WWF title on last week's Raw because he "lost his smile". Yes, that was the reason given. I don't remember Lou Thesz or Harley Race vacated world titles because of a 'lost smile', but this was the 'New Generation'. Then, still shots from last night's main event are shown. Vader took a nasty cut above his eye, while the Undertaker was so close to winning the title, but thanks to interference from Austin, Hart came away with the victory and the championship. But don't worry about 'Taker, because it was announced that he will face the winner of Bret vs. Sid for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania. To the back, where Kevin Kelly is with Sid. Sid tells Kelly to shut up, then proclaims that it will take more than a knee injury to keep him from his destiny of becoming the WWF Champion. Also, he is the master and ruler of the world.

Wildman Marc Mero comes out with Sable to face off against the Nation of Domination's Savio Vega. Sable's apparently becoming more involved in matches, including smacking Leif Cassidy last night in his match against Marc Mero. Vega comes out with a cadre of Nation members, including PG-13, who are rapping over the NOD theme song. Meanwhile, Faarooq and Clarence Mason are in the crowd above the entranceway, and everybody gives the Nation salute before the match starts. Mero gives Vega a series of arm drags before Savio bails to the outside, but that doesn't go well as Mero catches buth Savio and Crush with a somersault plancha. Back in, Savio has the advantage for a while, but that changes and Mero backs Vega into the corner for a 10-punch. However, Savio drops Mero face first on the turnbuckle, then throws the Wildman to the outside so PG-13 can stomp away at him. Sable comes over, and knocks JC Ice down with a couple of kicks that don't exactly inspire visions of Kawada. Mero and Vega continue the fight, with Mero taking Vega down with a Samoan drop, but the rest of the NOD is pissed at Sable, so they chase her into the ring and cause the match to be thrown out. While Mero and Sable are cornered, Ahmed Johnson comes out with a 2 x 4, in a bright orange jumpsuit for some reason. Johnson chases off the Nation and good prevails. This match was just filler, and not very entertaining filler at that.

To the back, where Bret Hart is interviewed by J.R. and The King about his upcoming match with Sid. Hart predicts victory for himself tonight, to which Lawler takes slight offense to. Well, Bret says that he's looking out for number one because if you "don't look out for number one, you end up stepping on number two". Not quite as catchy a catchphrase as Austin 3:16. Lawler comments that Bret is probably thrilled about Stone Cold injuring Sid's leg, so Bret simply tells the King to shut up. Good one. Up next is a match between Leif Cassidy and the Intercontinental Champion, Rocky Maivia. Rocky comes out with a goofy smile on his face to a lukewarm reaction. Before the match starts, Sunny comes out to serve as the guest timekeeper. A flimsy excuse to bring her out, but I'm not complaining. Lockup to start, Leif and Rocky start trading blows with Rocky eventually getting the better of the exchange and clotheslining Leif over the top rope. Leif comes back in and the two start trading holds. While the two are wrestling, we get an interview with Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the back, who says a lot of words but the basic gist of the message is that he will defeat Rocky Maivia for his I/C Title and Goldust for getting involved in his match with Maivia last night. Back to action, and Leif starts to do a lot of holds on the left arm of Rocky. Rocky nearly gets the pinfall after a rollup, but a thumb to the eye turns the momentum back Leif's way.  After some more work on the arm, Rocky recovers long enough to get a pair of two counts with various pinning holds. However, an armbar DDT from Cassidy gives the challenger the advantage. Cassidy goes to the top after a body slam, and hits a diving axe-handle on Rocky. That gets two. Cassidy decides that since it worked before, it will work again and climbs the top rope, but this time Rocky recovers and throws Cassidy off the top. Some fists follow from Rocky, then the champ hits a cross body block from the top rope, but doesn't go for the cover. Instead, Rocky decides to finish Cassidy off with a running shoulderbreaker, and that proves to be the winning move, as Rocky retains his title. Post-match, Sunny rings the bell, while Jerry Lawler goes on a rant about ECW thanks to some fan waving an "ECW Rules" sign in his face. For some reason, Lawler compares the wrestlers of ECW to the denizins of 'Escape from New York', referring to them as a bunch of misfits who couldn't make it in the WWF. Of course, about half the roster would sign WWF contracts at some point, but whatever. Lawler concludes his diatribe by challenging the ECW wrestlers to show up on next week's Raw. Anyway, the match was decent enough, even if the audience weren't too interested in either man and therefore, seemed bored by the match.

Hey, Jesse James was on TNN's Prime Time Country a few days prior, so good for him. Kevin Kelly is out in the ring and introduces Goldust and Marlena for an interview. Goldust is not too thrilled about Hunter Hearst Helmsley's obsession over Marlena, and promises to make Hunter pay for his indecent proposal. Goldust continues his point by stating that the only way Hunter will get to Marlena is over his dead body. Marlena gets the mic, and proclaims that despite all the weird actions and psycho head games, Goldust is all man and more of a man than HHH will ever be. Well then. That brings Helmsley out, and the two men jaw at each other for a while before Hunter grabs a drink and throws it in Goldust's eyes. Helmsley then pounds away on Goldust before laying him out with the Pedigree. Marlena is none too thrilled about this turn of events, so she slaps HHH. Helmsley looks back in anger, but WAITAMINUTE, a female 'fan' jumps over the guardrail and puts Marlena in a reverse bearhug, shaking Marlena like a ragdoll. That 'fan' would later be known as Chyna, but the announcers had no idea who she was at this point in time. Marlena has to be carried to the back by Goldust.

The Headbangers come out to the ring to face the Hardy Boys, who are not high enough on the card to even receive a proper entrance. The Headbangers waste no time by going right after the Hardys before the bell rings. Jeff gets a couple of moves in early, but after he tags in Matt the Headbangers take control of the match. During the middle of the match, we go to the back where Faarooq and the rest of the NOD are interviewed. Faarooq claims that Ahmed Johnson is not a man of the streets, but that Ahmed is lucky since "most people have to die to go to hell, but you're already in it". Faarooq also claims to be Ahmed's devil and the Nation are his demons. Faarooq finishes the interview by challenging Johnson to a 'Chicago Street Fight'. Back to the match, and the Headbangers are punishing match with moves such as a bodyslam into the ropes and a cross body block from the top. Thrasher misses an elbow drop, which gives Matt a chance to tag in Jeff. Jeff throws a couple of dropkicks at the Headbangers, but takes a big bump off a Mosh clothesline. Mosh sets Jeff up for a powerbomb, and Thrasher comes off the top with a legdrop for the Stage Dive, which gets the three count. Not a bad match, but nothing memorable.

Up next is the WWF Title match between Bret Hart and Sid. Sid seems to be walking without a limp, so his leg must be fine. The Hitman's music hits,  but before he can get to the ring, Steve Austin attacks him in the hallway. Sid comes back there and security must separate the three men. Once again, the title match is delayed. Kevin Kelly is with WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, and despite the delays, Monsoon promises a WWF Title match tonight. EVERYBODY HERE COMES Flash Funk with the Funkettes. He's here to face Slammy Award winner Owen Hart. The two exchange armbars to start the match, then after some other holds, both men try a dropkick at the same time, then have a standoff. While Funk and Owen do a series of Monkey Flips out of a double-knuckle lock, ECW head Paul Heyman calls in the show and tells Jerry Lawler that he and the rest of the ECW athletes will be there on Raw next week. The two trade insults for a minute before Heyman hangs up. Owen knocks Funk down, then tries to go for a sharpshooter, but his manager Clarence Mason is on the apron for some reason. Owen is distracted by this, and Funk dropkicks Hart over the rope. While Owen argues with Mason, Funk dives off the top onto Owen. The British Bulldog comes out, and tells Mason to scram. Back in, Funk gets a two count after a backslide, then Owen gets a two count after a German suplex with a bridge. Stone Cold Steve Austin is interviewed next, and I'm really getting tired of every match being interrupted by an interview. Stone Cold feels he should be champion because he won the Royal Rumble and Shawn Michaels vacated the title, so in protest he will open up a keg of whoop-ass upon the WWF. Back to action, and Owen tries for a splash in the corner, but misses. Funk goes on the attack with a back drop, then gets a two count after a cross body block from the top rope. Funk slams Owen down a goes back to the top, where he connects with a moonsault. Somehow, Owen kicked out of that as well. Owen reverses a Funk Irish whip, and Bulldog hits Funk in the back with the Slammy Award, allowing Owen to hit a spinning heel kick and get the three count, with Bulldog holding Funk's legs down from the apron. Good match between two good wrestlers, even if the constant interruptions detracted slightly from the action.

Beehtoven's Ode to Joy plays through the loudspeaker as Hunter Hearst Helmsley comes out for his match. A video recap of Chyna's actions against Marlena plays before Bart Gunn is introduced as Helmsley's opponent. Meanwhile, the Honky Tonk Man is the guest commentator for this match for some reason. While Helmsley's standing in front of the announcer's table, J.R. takes this opportunity to ask about the mysterious woman attacking Marlena, and Triple-H denies any association with said woman. The match starts with some arm wringers by both men while HTM talks about his quest to find the next great superstar to mentor. Helmsley takes a dropkick to the mouth from Bart, who then follows up with an armbar while J.R. plugs the WWF Hotline. I really don't care much about this match, and neither do the announcers as they talk about everything but the match. Eventually, Goldust runs in and chases Helmsley through the stands, giving Bart Gunn a countout victory which was probably forgotten by the next show. This match was filler and the only purpose was to further the Goldust-Helmsley feud. That said, it was probably the worst match of the night.

A clip of Dr. James Andrews is shown in which he talks about Shawn Michaels's knee injury. Apparently, Michaels may or may not need surgery depending on how the knee responds to four to six weeks of rehab. It is finally time for the WWF Title match between the champion, Bret Hart, and Sycho Sid, provided that Steve Austin does not interfere again. The match starts with both men trading punches, Bret backs Sid in the corner, only for Sid to turn it around and fire away a few shots to the gut. For much of the first few minutes, the match is an exchange of punches and kicks, with a few moves mixed in. Bret uses the Russian leg sweep and the side backbreaker, while Sid employs a short arm clothesline and a backbreaker of his own to great effect. Sid's got Bret trapped in the corner and seems to have the advantage, but Bret remembers that the Sycho one has a bum knee, so he attacks it with kicks at first before going to work on it. Bret has Sid down and drags him to the post, where he first slams the knee against the steel before debuting the ringpost figure-four. I tried that once with a bedpost, but it didn't go too well. Anyway, back from break, and the Hitman still is attacking at Sid's knee. Just when Hart seems to have the advantage, Sid comes back and hits a big clothesline. He follows that up with a legdrop for a two count. Sid slams Bret hard down on the mat, then climbs to the second rope. This seems like a bad idea, but Sid, after nearly slipping, comes down with a leg drop that sort of connects and gets another two count. A chokeslam is attempted by Sid, but Hart gets out of that and backs Sid against the ropes. He charges for a cross body block, but Sid moves and Hart hits the ropes instead. Sid goes to attack, but Bret uses a back drop in desperation to dump Sid out of the ring. WAITAMINUTE! It's Austin again from the crowd, but Sid has none of that and punches Stone Cold in the face before getting back up on the apron. Sid tries a sunset flip, and remarkably, it's looks rather decent, but Hart rolls through and locks on the Sharpshooter. While the ref is checking on Sid, Austin gets on the apron and hits the Hitman with a chair behind the ref's back. One powerbomb later, and we have a new WWF Champion. Post-match, Sid celebrates, but is interrupted by the Undertaker, and the two big men have a staredown as the show closes. Good match, although it was slightly hurt by Sid forgetting to sell his injury. Still, the best match of the night.

Overall, this show was kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, the Hart-Sid storyline and match was compelling, and Owen and Flash Funk had a pretty decent match as well. On the other hand, a lot of the other matches were just pointless filler, and I was really getting annoyed by all the constant interviews interrupting the matches, especially when the subject had nothing to do with the match at all. I guess this was a decent show, so I'll give it a 5.5 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading. Remember, if you have any ideas for future posts at the Canon Review, than send them to me either by leaving a comment, by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com, or by telling me if you happen to find yourself talking to me.


Owen Hart vs. Flash Funk - WWF Raw 2/17/97 by smarkschoice

Canon Magazine Review: Pro Wrestling Illustrated, August 2000

Here is a review of a magazine I, or somebody else, purchased for my reading enjoyment some 10 years ago, the August 2000 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. This issue is apparently a Special Collector's Issue, whatever that means, and covers 'Y2K's Greatest Cards'. Those cards being Wrestlemania 2000, WCW Uncensored 2000, and ECW Living Dangerously 2000. If those were 2000's greatest cards, then 2000 must have been a lot worse than I remembered. Anyway, here's the cover of the issue, courtesy of the PWI website:

The magazine starts with publisher Stu Saks offering his opinion about the return of Eric Bischoff to a power position of WCW, just two months after Bischoff told a reporter that it would take 'more than an act of congress and less than an act of God' for WCW to reinstall him as head booker. In hindsight, they either should have just given Bischoff full power or find somebody else instead of going with the failed Bischoff-Russo regime. Up next is the letters section, and a common theme in the letters is how much WCW sucks. Other letters praised Jerry Lawler for his commentary, Balls Mahoney for his hardcore wrestling skills, and another letter called for the NWA Title to be recognized as an official world title. At the time, the NWA Title was held by Naoya Ogawa, not exactly a household name today. Although he did beat Gary Goodridge at Pride 6, so at least he had shoot fighting credibility.  Following the letters, we get more columns, including ringside with Will Welsh, in which he writes about Bischoff, the surprising track record of ECW's Judge Jeff Jones, and Chris Jericho's call for Hulk Hogan to retire on his website. Dave Lenker follows with his column, where he implores Bret Hart to retire for good (which he would) and talks about Jake Roberts's 'performance' in Beyond the Mat. It's been a while since I've seen that film, but Jake the Snake doesn't come off too well,




More columns follow, as Brandi Mankiewicz berates readers and slams Hulk Hogan just like everyone else was around this time for not stepping back and letting the young stars shine. Meanwhile, Frank Krewda gets all nostalgic and wishes wrestling would turn back the clock some, bringing back such concepts as monthly title defenses, a clear line between good vs. evil where pimps are not celebrated, and referees who actually withold the rules instead of looking like clueless putzes, much like the referees in ECW.

The magazine's cover story is next, about the greatest cards of 2000 or something like that. Up first is a recap of WCW Uncensored 2000, which the article damns with faint praise by saying it was at least better than Uncensored 1995. I'd disagree with that, but then that would probably mean that I'd have to go back and watch both shows to compare them, and I'd rather not. The main event of Uncensored 2000 was the same as Uncensored 1999, a mess of a match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, this one being a strap match. Even the recaper seemed bored by this show, and it's their job over at PWI to overhype everything. According to the article, the best moment was a move similar to one seen in ECW years before, in which the Wall chokeslammed Crowbar off a scaffold.



Up next is Wrestlemania 2000, which only cost $34.95 on PPV. Now a days, it cost 40 dollars to buy WWE Coal Miner's Glove or whatever gimmick match they push there PPVs around these days, but I digress. Wrestlemania 2000 was built around the main event in which a McMahon was in every corner, with Vince McMahon representing The Rock, Stephanie in Triple-H's corner, Shane with the Big Show, and Linda in Mick Foley's corner. The match ended in a shocking development when Linda McMahon somehow landed on top of Triple-H and the ref counted to three, making her the first female WWE World Champion. Actually, Vince turned on The Rock, then after the match The Rock destroyed everybody and gave Stephanie a People's Elbow. Also on the card, Kurt Angle lost two titles without being pinned (the Intercontental and European to Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, respectively), Pete Rose took a stinkface from Rikishi, and the three way ladder match between the Hardys, the Dudleys, and Edge and Christian stole the show. Here are highlights from that match, set to Chris Benoit's WCW theme for some reason:



The last of the big three supercards to be profiled was ECW's Living Dangerously 2000, which I remember for two reasons. One was the Dusty Rhodes vs. Steve Corino match that was an entertaining brawl full of blood, and the other was New Jack and Grimes' fall off a scaffold in which Grimes nearly killed New Jack by landing on his head. Other than that, the main event was Super Crazy vs. Rhino for the television title, which drew high praise from the magazine despite the lack of star power in the match, and a three team tag match was featured in which the Impact Players won the tag titles from Mike Awesome and Raven and Masato Tanaka and Tommy Dreamer. Plus, Joey Styles and Cyrus played some Hardcore Revolution on the air, which I'm sure sucked.



After a color section featuring pictures from the three previously mentioned supercards, there's a quick article about the 2000 Super 8 Tournament hosted by ECWA. Christopher Daniels won the eight man tournament by defeating the 'Black Nature Boy' Scoot Andrews in the finals. I always thought Andrews would make it further in wrestling, but he just never got his big break and retired in 2005. An interview with Rob Van Dam follows, and Van Dam talks at length about his injury suffered before his feud with Mike Awesome over the ECW Title, as well as his experiences in WCW and the WWF and he discusses what ECW must do in order to take the next step. It seems hard to believe now, but around this time ECW was being talked about as a company that could one day challenge the WWF and surpass WCW by the end of 2000. Of course, ECW ran out of money and closed up shop in 2001, but at the time the future looked bright. Anyway, Van Dam also talks about training with The Sheik and his endorsement of marijuana. Unlike most PWI interviews, this one actually seems legit and is still an interesting read today, as RVD is quite outspoken on a variety of topics.

The last major article is a list of the top 12 Supercard matches in Wrestling history according to PWI. Want to know the list? Well here it is:

1. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, Wrestlemania 3
2. Bruno Sammartino vs. Pedro Morales, Shea Stadium, 9/30/72
3. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania 10
4. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Wrestlemania 3
5. Ric Flair vs. Harley Race, Starrcade 83
6. Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn, Living Dangerously 99
7. Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair, David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, 05/06/84
8. Antonio Inoki vs. Ric Flair, Collision in Korea, 4/29/95
9. Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko, Showdown at Shea, 8/9/80
10. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, Summerslam 1994
11. Undertaker vs. Mankind, King of the Ring 1998
12. Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair, Chi-Town Rumble 1989

I've seen every match on this list except for number 2, and of those 12, only numbers 1, 3, 10, and 12 would probably make my list, while 5, 6, 7, and 11 were decent matches and the rest weren't very good. Anyway, this seems like a topic that I might revisit in the near future. The magazine finishes with a few columns. Media watch reveals that the WWF will soon be moving Monday Night Raw to TNN and also discusses Beyond the Mat. Meanwhile, Dave Rosenbaum wonders just what WCW can do to dig themselves out of their hole and also wonders if WCW is going the way of exctinction. As it turns out, Rosenbaum was right on that point. Harry Burkett writes about the Impact Players and wonders why they must antagonize everybody they come across. Well, it's because Lance Storm is a jerk, I guess. The Japan and Mexico reports follow. In Japan, the Super J Cup 2000 is about to take place while in All-Japan, Jun Akiyama finally pinned Mitsuharu Misawa in a singles match. Meanwhile in Mexico, Abismo Negro won the fourth annual AAA Rey de Reyes tournament by disqualification, and Perro Aguayo is in the midst of wrapping up his career, although like any good wrestler, Aguayo would eventually come back to the ring. Finally, the monthly rankings follow, with The Rock ranked at number one this month while the Dudleys top the tag ranks, and there's an advertisement for ECW Hardcore Revolution on the back cover, which just serves to remind me how bad that game is.

Overall, this wasn't too bad of an issue, thanks in large part to the RVD interview. I do have to question the decision to cover WCW Uncensored at such length, but then again I don't think they had any other choice, as Super Brawl was even worse that year. Overall, I'd give it a 5.85 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading a review of me reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future reviews, than share them either by leaving a comment or by e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.

The 2BWE Video Project: Pages 23-27

This is part 4 of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project, in which I attempt to watch a video of every single entry listed in the WWE Encyclopedia. In this edition, I get to see wrestlers such as Bertha Faye, the Bastian Booger, Battle Kat, and Beaver Cleavage in action. Lucky, lucky me. For more specifics about this project, then check out the link here. Not, onto the show.

P23- Barry Windham: Barry Windham vs. Arn Anderson


This match is from sometime in September of 1991, although I'm not sure of the exact date. Jim Ross mentions that these two used to be part of an elite organization, but refuses to state which organization that is. Windham gets right in Anderson's face, so Arn decides to slap him, and the fight is on. Windham with three right hands, and Anderson scurries out to the outside. Anderson tries a hammerlock, but Windham gets out of that with a back elbow. The video skips to later in the match, and Windham is working over Arn's leg to the point where Arn is limping. On the outside, Windham goes after Arn, but Arn gets the advantage and throws Windham into the steel post. Anderson, like a good Anderson does, works over Windham's arm now, yanking it into the ring post, and then stomping on his shoulder once they get back into the ring. Anderson continues the assault with an arm bar, and uses the ropes for leverage whenever the ref is out of position. After Windham declares that he will not give up, Anderson then tries to position Windham's shoulders on the mat, and gets a series of two counts before Windham finally gets out of it by kicking Arn in the face. Now up, Windham decides to kick at Arn's injured leg before whipping him into the ropes, only for Arn to rebound with a kick to Windham's bum shoulder. Arn with a hammer lock, but Windham gets back up and fires back at Anderson with a series of back elbows, then catches Arn with a sleeper hold after reversing an Irish whip. Both men fall face first to the mat, and neither me or Jim Ross is sure as to why. Back up, Windham is whipped into the ropes, and both men's heads bump into each other. Arn gets the advantage with a snapmare, then tries an attack from the second rope, only to take a pair of boots to the face. Windham tries a similar attack, and his clothesline connects. Cover, but Anderson's foot is on the ropes. A Windham powerslam also gets two, but Arn rakes the eyes and tries a piledriver. Windham is able to backdrop him, but Anderson holds on for a sunset flip and with the assistance of the ring ropes, holds Windham down long enough to get the three count. BUTWAITAMINUTE, Ron Simmons comes out and explains to the ref that Anderson was holding on to the ropes, so the match is restarted and amidst the confusion, Windham scores a quick rollup on Arn to get the three count. Good stuff here between two top-notch performers, though I wish it went longer. I'll still give it a 3 out of 5.

P23- Bart Gunn: Bart Gunn vs. Faarooq

The leader of the Nation of Domination takes on the future Mike Barton in this match from the January 20, 1997 edition of Monday Night Raw. Faarooq starts by knocking down Bart with a shoulderblock, then Gunn gets back up with a pair of armdrags sandwiched by a dropkick and takes Faarooq down. Gunn continues to work over Faarooq's arm as the show goes to commercial. Back from the break, Faarooq is now in control, and flattens Gunn with a spinebuster that gets a two count. Faarooq distracts the ref while PG-13 works over Gunn from ringside, then puts Gunn in a rear chinlock. Bart gets out of it and boots Faarooq in the head after an Irish whip, but then misses an elbow drop. Faarooq covers for a two count, then puts on the rear chinlock again. Faarooq gets tired of that and slams Gunn down, then goes to the top rope, only for Gunn to move out of the way of his flying attack and send Faarooq flying face first to the mat. Bart connects with a back elbow and a pair of clotheslines, then takes Faarooq down with a bulldog. Cover, but PG-13 puts Faarooq's leg on the bottom rope. Well, Bart's had enough of their antics, so he takes out both members, but gets knocked down by a flying axe handle from the apron by Faarooq. Crush comes over and rolls Bart back in, and Faarooq finishes the job with a Dominator to get the victory. Well, that wasn't very interesting at all. Not good and did nothing for anybody. I'll give it a 1 out of 5.

P23- Basham Brothers: Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero vs. Basham Brothers

The Bashams defend their World Tag Team Titles against the team of Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio in this match from No Way Out 2005. Eddie and Danny Basham start out, with Danny pointing to the S.O.D. on his tights, which stands for Sit on Down. Actually, it's referring to their positions as the Secretaries of Defense in JBL's Cabinet. Eddie, and the rest of us, are not in the very least impressed. The two do a sequence of holds which ends with Eddie putting an arm wringer on Danny and tagging in Mysterio who attacks the outstretched arm with a double axe handle. A quick leg drop after a snap mare gets a two count. Danny drives Mysterio into his corner and tags in Doug, and the two pound on Mysterio in their corner before Danny leaves. Danny chokes Rey with the tag rope while the ref is preoccupied with Doug, then Doug whips Rey in, which is a bad idea because Mysterio rebounds with a flying arm drag. Tag to Eddie, and he goes to work on Doug with some strikes before countering a backdrop attempt with a huracanrana. But Basham lands on his feet, and brawls with Guerrero before eventually tagging out to Danny, and the champs double team Guerrero in their corner. Danny applies a cross armed sleeper on Eddie, using Guerrero's own arms against him. Eddie is able to get out, and back suplexes Danny down. Doug gets in, and blocks Eddie's attempt to tag out by pulling him back towards the middle of the ring and elbow dropping him. He follows up with two more, which gets a two count. Doug whips Eddie into the corner, takes a boot to the face but quickly rebounds with a powerslam that gets a two count before Mysterio breaks it up. Doug tries a diving headbutt, but misses and Eddie tags out to Mysterio, who catches Doug with a seated senton and a twisting springboard body press to get a two count. Mysterio gets another two count after a bulldog, but Danny breaks it up. While the ref has his back turned, Danny switches with his brother, and flattens Mysterio with a clothesline. While Michael Cole slams the Bashams for cheating while making an excuse for Eddie's cheating because "its a family tradition" (how does he know that cheating isn't a Basham family tradition as well), the Bashams work over Rey in the corner with stomps.

Danny locks in a Full-Nelson on Mysterio, then takes him down and switches to a reverse bearhug. Back up, Danny continues to overpower the smaller Mysterio, and whips him hard against the corner. Danny jacks Guerrero in the jaw, and the ref has to hold back a fired up Guerrero while the Bashams double team Mysterio. A double hotshot gets a two count for Danny, and Mysterio tries to crawl under Danny's legs to get the tag, but Basham puts a stop to that by grabbing the ankle. Tag out to Doug, who lifts Rey onto the top rope, but Mysterio punches out of the predicament, then hits a beautiful moonsault press on Doug for a two count. But Rey still can't get the tag, and Danny gets the tag and puts Rey in a cravate hold before turning that into a rear chinlock. Mysterio tries to escape the Basham's clutches, but gets caught with a double team facebuster. Cover, but Eddie makes the save just in time. The Bashams go for another tag team, but Rey kicks away at both men, then uses his quickness to dodge them, and has them running around in circles, allowing Rey to get the hot tag to Guerrero. Guerrero takes on the Bashams with some dropkicks and clotheslines, then uses his trademark headscissors armdrag to take down both Bashams. That gets a two count on Danny, but Doug comes in and breaks it up, and the two get another two count after a double spinebuster. The Basham try a double suplex on Eddie, but Mysterio takes out Doug with a dive, and Eddie small packages Danny for a two count. Eddie goes to the outside and grabs one of the tag team titles, so Rey goes over to stop him while the Bashams pull off another switch with Doug now in the ring. Eddie thinks better and goes for the frog splash, but rolls through after Doug moves, then nearly gets the victory after a small package. Danny tosses the tag belt to Eddie, who then tosses it to Doug, which draws the referee's attention. While Doug proclaims his innocence and the ref takes the belt away, Rey tosses in the other belt to Eddie, who flattens Doug with it, and Mysterio takes care of Danny with a 619 on the ring post, allowing Eddie to cover Doug and gets the three count. Rather good match, not the greatest of all time but still very good. I'd give it a 3.25 out of 5.

P23- Bastion Booger: Bastion Booger vs. Tony Webb

In this match from the December 11, 1993 episode of WWF Superstars, the legendary Bastion Booger takes on the 260 pound Tony Webb. Webb offers Booger something to eat, it looked like an ice cream sandwich but I'm not exactly sure, but Booger refuses and whips Webb into the ropes. Webb tries a pair of shoulder blocks, but gets nowhere fast and then takes a clothesline to the mush. Booger does one of the worst dances in wrestling history, then throws Webb outside of the ring and follows. Booger with a big splash on Webb against the ring post. Back in, Booger with a power slam, then he repeats his dance before delivering a sitdown splash on Webb (with the camera focused on Booger's gargantuan butt the whole time) to get the victory. Afterwards, Booger reaches into a bag and eats a marshmallow. Well, that was disgusting. I'm giving this a 0.25 out of 5.

P24- Batista: Batista vs. Goldberg and Stone Cold


How can Batista possibly fight off the two most powerful bald men in wrestling history? This video is taken from the November 3, 2003 episode of Raw. Austin calls out Batista in the ring, and Batista doesn't waste much time getting there. The two men exchange punches, and Batista earns a knockdown, but Austin fires back and clotheslines Batista over the rope. Mark Henry comes in for no reason, except to take a Stone Cold Stunner. While Austin disposes of Henry, Batista comes back in and knocks Austin down with a big right hand. Batista goes to stomp a mudhole in Austin. Batista throws Austin into the ringpost, but WAITAMINUTE! Goldberg is coming, bad ankle in all with a steel chair in his hand, and Batista is waiting for him. Poor Mark Henry gets up just to take a chair to the head from Big Bill. Goldberg enters the ring, trades punches, then spears Batista on the rebound of an Irish whip. Goldberg then tries to Pillmanize Batista's ankle with a chair, but Ric Flair comes out, only to eat a spear. But it did allow Batista to escape, and he helps Ric to the back. Austin comes back to the ring to drink a few beers with Goldberg, but Goldberg refuses until he gets a match with Batista on the next episode. Well, Austin decides that that would be swell, so he makes the match and the two 'drink some damn beers', as Austin puts it. Well, it wasn't a match, but it was a fun angle featuring some big name guys, so I'll give it a 3 out of 5.

P25- Battle Kat: Battle Kat in Action

The masked alias of the late Brady Boone, Battle Kat wrestles Paul Diamond in this match from the November 18, 1990 edition of Wrestling Challenge. Battle Kat is decked out in a black cat mask and orange and purple tights. It is not the worst costume I've ever seen a masked wrestler wear, but I can see why Battle Kat didn't last too long. Kat enters the ring and does a couple of backflips to show off his acrobatic skills. Kat pounces towards Diamond and ties up to start the match. Kat shows off his superior skills with a headscissors takedown sandwiched between two armdrags, then comes off the second rope with a back elbow on Diamond. Diamond gets a slight advantage after a headbutt to the gut, but a Battle Kat leapfrog is followed by a superkick. Diamond gets back up, and the two do a rope-running sequence featuring a leapfrog from each men before Battle Kat does a weak looking Thesz Press leading with the knees, and somehow gets the three count even though he barely touched Diamond during the cover. Battle Kat backflips in celebration. Not much to say about this one, other than I can't see why Battle Kat wasn't given the strap at Wrestlemania VII. I'll give it a 0.6 out of 5.

P25- Battle Royal: Wrestlemania 21 Battle Royal

This is a 30 man battle royal featuring 15 stars from Raw and Smackdown, each men wearing the shirts of their show. The two shows square off, with Heidenreich and Hurricane leading the teams. Hurricane gives Heidenreich a Hurri-mask, so Heidenrecih becomes Hurrireich before decking the Hurricane. Now everybody starts to fight one another, and Oh Here Go Hell Come as it's very hard to keep track of what's going on. Hurricane's doing a ten punch move in the corner on Akio when Luther Reigns comes up, puts Hurricane on his shoulders, and dumps him over the top rope. William Regal and Tajiri try to toss Luther Reigns over the top, and eventually they get some more help and Reigns is out. Booker T knocks Viscera down with a big kick, and a number of Smackdown superstars hold Viscera down so Scotty 2 Hotty can deliver his big move, the worm. Chris Masters is apparently offended by this, as he goes into beast mode and eliminates Scotty, Funaki, Spike Dudley, and Billy Kidman in quick succession before Mark Jindrak comes over to duke it out. Charlie Haas gets thrown out by a number of Raw Superstars, and Masters puts the Masterlock on Nunzio and throws him under the ropes, meaning Nunzio is not out since he must go over the top. Raw has a big advantage now, but Heidenrich has had all he can take, so he rips the turnbuckle and then stomps on the mask Hurricane gave him earlier, then he clotheslines Val Venis over the top rope. Heidenreich then starts to go after his own teammate Booker T, but the Bashams talk him out of it, so Heidenreich settles for eliminating Simon Dean instead. Heidenreich's reign of terror continues as he eliminates Sylvan and then throws Rosey over onto the apron, but Rhyno gores Heidenreich in the back, which knocks Heidenreich into Rosey and Rosey out of the match. Rhyno gores Snistsky for some reason, then Hardcore Holly eliminates Rhyno. Tajiri puts one of the Bashams in a Tarantula while Booker T eliminates Conway and Regal eliminates both Bashams at the same time. Both teams regroup, and oh Here Go Hell Come again as they restart the fight with a wild brawl.

Holly hits an Alabama Slam on Regal, while Viscera backdrops Akio and poor Akio lands face first on the steps. Masters and Heidenreich continue their dominance by eliminating Holly and Regal respectively, and Tajiri stands up for his partner by misting Heidenreich. Paul London helps up Heidenreich, then enziguri kicks Masters as he held Booker T in the Masterlock. London goes to monkeyflip Tajiri, but gets placed on the top rope instead. A charging Heidenreich tries to save London, but Tajiri moves and Heidenreich inadvertently knee lifts London over the top rope and out of the ring. Heidenreich and Tajiri fight on the apron, and while Tajiri gets a kick to the head in, Heidenreich absorbs the blow and eliminates Tajiri, only to take a boot from his good friend Snitsky and get eliminated. Jindrak eliminates Snitsky with a monkey flip, and your final four are Jindrak, Viscera, Masters, and Booker T. While Jindrak knocks Viscera silly with a big left hand, Masters comes from behind and tosses Jindrak over the top. But WAITAMINUTE! Nunzio comes back in and climbs on Masters' back, only for Viscera to knock him off and Masters to press slam him over the top rope, meaning Booker T is alone with Raw's Masters and the 500 pound Viscera. Viscera flattens Booker T with a splash in the corner, and the two Raw superstars scoop up Booker and try to toss him over. However, Booker's not done yet, and he fights out of it. Atomic Drop to Masters by Booker, and he goes for the Harlem Sidekick but misses and gets hung up on the rope. Viscera charges, but Booker ducks just in time and Viscera can't stop himself from going over the top, leaving Booker and Masters in the ring. Masters tries for a Master lock, but Booker elbows his way out and then tries to catapult Masters out. That doesn't quite work as Masters holds on, but Booker then superkicks Masters out of the ring and wins the battle royal. Wasn't too bad of a battle royal, and Masters and even Heidenreich looked good in this type of environment, so I'll give it a 2.15 out of 5.

P26- Battman: Championship Wrestling from Georgia bonus footage

Well, I couldn't find a video of Battman in the ring, so I'll have to settle for watching the man behind the Battman gimmick, Tony Marino, compete as Devil Blue in this match against Terry Ellis from the February 23, 1985 edition of Championship Wrestling from Georgia. If you know of any video featuring Battman in the ring, well feel free to point it out to me. Devil Blue is wearing a blue mask, while Ellis is a doughy looking guy in red trunks. Devil Blue with an early advantage as he pounds Ellis down to the mat, and he follows up with a snapmare and a knee to the back. Blue with another snapmare, and he fish hooks Ellis while holding him in a chinlock. He repeats the process, only he decides to change it up a bit by using a head vice. Blue lets go, kneedrops Ellis, then puts him back in the head vice. Blue then tires of this, and starts raining blows all over Ellis, with forearms, stomps, knees, the works. Devil Blue puts on a Russian Sickle, but Ellis stays strong and gets up and out of the hold with some elbows. He then tries to slug it out with Blue, but a big right hand sends Ellis down, and Blue follows with a knee lift and an uppercut. Blue whips Ellis into the ropes, tries to put him in a cobra clutch, but they mess up the spot and it takes a while before Blue can get his grip and properly get the hold on him, and the hold wins the match for him. Well, this was quite boring, even for a squash match. I'll give it a 0.4 out of 5.

P26- The Beast: Cuban Assassin vs. The Beast

The Beast if Yvan Cormier, and he takes on the original Cuban Assassin in this match from Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling in 1999. For some reason, the Beast comes out to Rock n Roll part 2 by Gary Glitter. At this point, the Beast is about 60 years old, so I'm not expecting a five star classic here. The bell rings, and Cuban gets a punch in out of a headlock before letting go. Tie-up, and the Beast wins that exchange with a right hand of his own. After a Beast shoulder block, the Cuban Assassin bails to the outside to regroup. Back in, Beast continues to frustrate Cuban with a takedown by the head and a drop toe hold. Beast scores with an arm wringer, and Cuban must bail again to regroup. So far, Cuban's really doing all the work here. Assassin gets back in, and Beast tries another arm wringer, but Cuban gets out of it with a punch, and knocks the Beast down after two more punches. Cuban continues to work over Beast with punches and nerve holds. The ref constantly checks Cuban's fist for a foreign object, but doesn't find anything. For the next few minutes, the match goes as follows, The Beast gets out of the predicament somehow, then Cuban punches the Beast down, and then goes back to work on the mat. Finally, the Beast gets up and uses a series of punches to knock Cuban down. Beast bashes Cuban's head into the turnbuckle, but takes a boot to the gut after whipping Cuban into another corner. Cuban then Irish whips Beast into the ropes, but the crafty veteran comes back and hits a swinging neckbreaker on the Cuban Assassin, which is enough to get the three count. After the match, the Cuban Assassin complains to the ref, but to no avail. I'll be nice and give it a 1 out of 5.

P26- Beaver Cleavage: Beaver Cleavage promo

This is so stupid that it hurts. For a short time in 1999, the former Headbanger Mosh portrayed a character known as Beaver Cleavage, decked out in a beanie, a jacket and bow tie, and some shorts as well. He was based off of the character in the 1950s show Leave it to Beaver, but it was just weird seeing a grown man in this getup. In this clip, the Beaver has just sat down to eat some breakfast, but his Shredded Wheat is dry. But never fear, because Beaver's 'mother' is here, and by mother I mean a stacked blond woman in her mid-20s, with some milk. She asks if "mother's hairy beaver wants some of mother's milk". Well then. This was about as witty as a Bill Cowher stand-up routine. Of all the bad ideas Vince Russo came up with over the years, this would have to be in the top five. Still, it did have a hot blonde, and because I am shallow, I'll give it a 0.5 out of 5.



P26- Bertha Faye: Alundra Blayze vs. Bertha Faye

The Monster Ripper herself, Bertha Faye defends her WWF Women's Title against Alundra Blayze in this match from the October 23, 1995 edition of Raw. Bertha starts off with a big shoulder block, then shows off her power advantage with a press slam.  A bodyslam and a pair of legdrops follow, but Bertha can only get a one count after the second leg drop. Bertha follows up with a pair of chest bumps in the corner, but Alundra comes back out of the Irish whip with a sunset flip that gets a two count. Bertha's up quick with a clothesline, and Alundra tries another sunset flip, but Bertha is ready as she sits down on it and gets a two count. Bertha continues to womanhandle Blayze, constantly thrawting Blayze's attempts to regain the advantage with punches, slaps, and takedowns. The video cuts, and suddenly Alundra is in control, and she scores three straight running clotheslines. Cover, but only a one count, so Alundrea tries to powerbomb the much larger Bertha Faye. Well, that goes as one might expect, as Bertha backdrops Alundra to the mat. Bertha slams Alundra and takes forever to climb to the second rope, which gives Alundra enough time to handspring onto Blayze and huracanrana her down off the ropes. Bertha's manager Harvey Wippleman (a future women's champion in his own right, don't ask how) gets on the apron and holds Alundra. But Alundra moves, and Bertha runs into her manager, allowing Alundra to get behind her and give Bertha a German Suplex with a bridge that gets the three count, making Blayze the new Women's champion. Bertha is not happy about this at all, so she goes after Wippleman, who scurries back to the back as quickly as possible. Well, that wasn't too bad, if a little short, so I'll give it a 1.75 out of 5.

P27- Berzerker: Ultimate Warrior and the Undertaker vs. Berzerker and Papa Shango

What a titanic tag team match this is. I mean, who would of ever thought that The Berzerker and Papa Shango would form a tag team? This match took place on June 3, 1992. Undertaker and Warrior have a staredown, but are able to catch their charging opponents with big boots, and then clothesline them over the top rope. Berzerker and Undertaker square off and trade blows, with Undertaker getting the better of that exchange, trapping Berzerker in the corner and then choking him. Berzerker moves out of the way of a charging Undertaker and dropkicks Taker over the ropes, but 'Taker lands on his feet and drags Berzerker out for some brawling on the outside. Berzerker gets his head slammed into the steps, and both men soon after enter the ring, and the Warrior is tagged in. Warrior slams Berzerker and continues to keep him off balance with clotheslines and running shoulder blocks. Shango gets a knee into the back of a running Warrior, and now he gets tagged in and Berzerker and Shango double team Warrior. Shanog hammers on Warrior, then tags out to Berzerker who does a series of shoulderblocks to the gut of Warrior in the corner. Irish whip, Warrior ducks a clothesline only to take a big boot from Berzerker. Berzerker tries to do something with Shango in the corner, but Warrior blocks it and bashes his two opponents' heads into each other. Warrior tries to tag out, but Berzerker recovers quickly enough to stop that and tags in Shango. Shango and Berzerker work over Warrior in the corner, then Shango flattens Warrior with a diving shoulder block. Berzerker comes in, traps Warrior's arms in the ropes and kicks him a few times before charging at him, but Warrior is able to backdrop Berzerker over the ropes and out of the ring. Undertaker gets the tag, and he stuns Berzerker with a few Asiatic Thrusts before Choke slamming him. That brings in Shango, but Taker is ready as he kicks him in the gut, whips him into the ropes, and catches him with a diving clothesline. Now both Shango and Berzerker try to double team Undertaker, but that doesn't go well, as Taker holds them by the throats and Warrior clotheslines both men from behind. Warrior with a diving shoulder block on Berzerker, followed by a running splash, and that's enough to get the pinfall. Well, at least it was short. I'll give it a 1.1 out of 5.

P27- Beth Phoenix: Royal Rumble 2009 Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

The second Women's Title match in this post, Phoenix comes in as the champion to defend against a woman that Bret Hart once called the best wrestler in the world. Phoenix comes out with Santino Marella, so I'm pretty sure he'll get involved at some point. Tie-up to start, but Phoenix will have none of that and throws Melina down on her face. Melina tries a headlock, Phoenix powers out and then bearhugs Melina. Melina gets out and tries to take Phoenix down with a dropkick, but that doesn't work, and Phoenix shoulder blocks her instead. Phoenix attempts a side slam, but Melina spins her way out of it and surprises Phoenix with an armbar. After a few seconds of this, Phoenix gets tired of it and just stands up and throws Melina into the corner. Melina tries a victory roll, but Beth dumps her off and Melina lands oddly on her side. Melina crawls to the corner, and Phoenix then takes a page out of Umaga's playbook with a running hip bump, which only gets a one count.  Phoenix puts Melina on her stomach and tries to push Melina's own foot into the back of her head, and she succeeds in this quest, making Melina kick herself in the back of the head a few times. Well, I've never seen that before. Back up, Melina delivers a couple of kicks to Phoenix, but gets sideslammed and has to kick out at two. Phoenix presses Melina over her head, but Melina escpaes, and then messes up the next move before a bit of improvisation ends with Melina give Phoenix a jawjacker. Melina hits a few punches, ducks a clothesline and Sunset flips Phoenix over for a two count. Melina follows up with a double knee lift to the back and a running facebuster to get another two count. Phoenix backs Melina into the corner, only to take a boot to the face, followed by a seated senton. Melina tries for some bottoms-up type maneuver, but Phoenix escapes, chops Melina, but Melina comes back with a Rey Mysterio like roll up to get the victory and the Women's Championship. Not too bad, so I'll give it a 2 out of 5.

P27- Beverly Brothers: Beverly Brothers vs. Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake

The team of the Mega Maniacs face the men formerly and once again known as Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom, the Beverly Brothers, in this match from March 8, 1993. Beefcake and Blake Beverly start off, and Beefcake just has to strut before getting started. Actually, he does nothing and tags Hogan in. Tie-up to start, and Hogan wins that easily while Ross talks about Hogan losing weight in order to get quicker. Um, sure, whatever you say. Headlock by Hogan, Blake throws him off into the ropes only to take a shoulder block. Then Hogan and Beefcake decide to cheat so he thumbs Blake in the eye, and the duo does this a few times before Hogan gives Blake an atomic drop that sends him out of the ring. Beau comes in, and they repeat the sequence so both Beverlys regroup on the outside. Back in, Beefcake gets tagged in, only to take a knee to the gut and a scoop slam by Blake. Blake misses a couple of elbow drops, and Beefcake lands a few punches before tagging out to his protector Hogan, and the two do a Rockettes impression on Blake's poor face. Hogan continues to cheat with eye rakes and back rakes with a ten punch move in the corner mixed in there before tagging out. Double back elbow by the Maniacs, and Beefcake whips Blake again, but ducks and allows Blake to pound on his back and tag out to Beau. Beau connects with a double axe handle and some brawling tactics, then he gets the ref distracted, allowing Blake to choke Beefcake with the tag rope. Blake is tagged back in, snap mares Beefcake and goes for a diving headbutt, but misses. Beau is tagged in and goes to the top while Blake slams Beefcake down. He dives, but Beefcake gets a boot up. This allows Beefcake just enough time to get the hot tag to Hogan. Hogan hits three punches and a big boot on Beau, while Beefcake comes after Blake. With the ref distracted by Beefcake and Blake, Jimmy Hart tosses his megaphone to Hogan, who bashes Beau with it and gets the victory. Um, why exactly did Hogan have to cheat to beat the gosh darn Beverly Brothers? Post match, Hogan calls somebody a MFer, then the Maniacs pose for the crowd. This was dumb on many different levels. However, it's still better than Beaver Cleavage, so I'll give it a 0.8 out of 5.

Well, that's it for part 4 of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project. I'd like to give a shout out to the website http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/, as it has a valuable source in helping me find out the exact dates when the videos I've been watching originally took place. Also, thanks to all of the uploaders of the various videos I've been watching. Well, if you have any thoughts about the 2BWE Video Project, or anything else at The Canon Review, than I'd be more than happy to read them, so feel free to leave a comment of send me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

The 2BWE Video Project: Pages 19-22

In this installment of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project, I will watch a video of every entry found in the WWE Encyclopedia from pages 19-22. So get ready for some action featuring Avatar, Bam Neely, Baron Von Raschke, and the legendary B.B. For the guidelines of this project, see this post here. So away I go into some great and not so great pro wrestling action.

P19- Avatar: Avatar WWF Debut vs. Brian Walsh

This match took place on the October 23, 1995 edition of Monday Night Raw, and features the former and future Al Snow as Avatar. Avatar is a masked wrestler who puts his mask on only when he comes to the ring. Why he does that, I don't know. Avatar also has a costume that makes him look like one of those Karate Fighters figures from the 1990s. Tie up to start, and Avatar shows off his agility by going behind Walsh and taking him down with a leg drag. Walsh shows his agility by doing a kip-up to get back to his feet. Avatar does an arm-wringer, and the two men do a leapfrog sequence before Avatar kicks Walsh out of the ring in an awkward exchange. Avatar heads to the top rope, loses his balance, and then does a tope from the ring to the outside.  Back in, Avatar attempts a moonsault, but misses as Walsh moves out of the way. Walsh with a pair of clotheslines, then he doesn't seem to know what to do next, so the two stand around for a few seconds before Walsh whips him into the corner, only to have Avatar come back with a clothesline of his own. Avatar hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a standing moonsault, before finishing Walsh off by standing on his chest and doing a frog splash from that position, getting the victory. His job done, Avatar takes the mask off again. Not the best debut a wrestler's ever had, as Avatar and Walsh had no chemistry what so ever in the ring. I'll give it a 1 out of 5.

P19- Backlash: WWE Backlash 03- The Rock vs. Goldberg

The main event of Backlash 2003 and Goldberg's WWE debut. Rock comes out to a huge ovation even though he's supposed to be the heel in this match. To be fair, Goldberg gets a nice reaction as well. Rock stalls for a while as the crowd chants his name quite loudly. Then Goldberg gets a chant from the fans as the two still have a staredown. Finally, they tie up, and Goldberg violently shoves the Rock down to the mat. Rock gets up, regroups, and suffers the same fate after a second tieup, this time getting shoved out of the ring.  The Rock gets back in, and slaps Goldberg in the face. Goldberg smiles, then fires back at the Rock with punches and knees before clotheslining Rock out of the ring. Rock stalls outside the ring for a long time before coming back in and catching Goldberg with a jawbreaker on the top rope, and then knocking him down with a clothesline. Goldberg counters an Irish whip, and hits The Rock with his own finisher, the Rock Bottom. Instead of going for the cover, Goldberg sets Rock up for a spear, but the Rock moves out of the way and Goldberg ends up spearing the steel post and falling out of the ring. Rock gets Goldberg back into the ring and applies the Sharpshooter. After about a minute of being in the hold, Goldberg finally inches his way to the ropes, forcing The Rock to break the hold.

After letting go, the Rock shoves the ref out of the way and blatantly punches Goldberg in the family jewels. Rock sets up for the Rock Bottom, only to take a surprise spear from Goldberg, and now both men are down. Rock's up first, but Goldberg blocks a punch with one of his own, and then powerslams Rock down hard on the mat for a two count. Rock stops Goldberg with a back elbow, and after a pair of clotheslines fail to fell Goldberg, Rock uses a charging spinebuster to slam Goldberg and does a kip-up, much to the delight of the crowd. Rock Bottom on Goldberg, and Goldberg just barely gets the shoulder up as most of the fans boo his kick out. Probably not a good thing that the crowd has turned on Goldberg like this. After taking a clothesline, Rock is able to catch the weakened Goldberg, still holding his shoulder, with a spinebuster and sets him up for the People's elbow. It connects, and Goldberg once again barely escapes the three count. Both men take a while to get up, and when the Rock does, Goldberg uses the opportunity to catch the Rock off guard and spears him hard. Rock takes a while to get up, while Goldberg is waiting for him in the corner to catch him with another spear, and eventually, he does. A Jackhammer follows, and Goldberg gets the pinfall and wins his first WWE match. Of about 13 minutes of match time, 8 or 9 minutes were nothing but stalling, not only making for a boring match but exposing Goldberg as a guy who can't put together a 20 minute match as he had neither the moveset nor the stanima at this time to do that. So, while this match is between two of the biggest names in wrestling over the past 25 years, it's not very good or particularly memorable. I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5.

P19- Bad Blood: La Resistance vs. Rob Van Dam/Kane Badd Blood 2003

In this match, Rene Dupree and Sylvain Grenier of La Resistance challenge for RVD and Kane's World Tag Team Titles.  There's trouble brewing between the champs, as last week on Raw, Kane did not show up to save RVD from a double team beatdown by La Resistance. The Coach is backstage interviewing La Resistance, who are not happy about being in Texas, the state which gave us George W. Bush. Well, I spent four months in Texas once and it wasn't too bad, but then again I'm not French. Rene Dupree dedicates their match to a real president, France's Jacques Chirac. I'm sure he's on the edge of his seat watching this match. The champs come out separately, which Jerry Lawler sees as a sign that the two are not on the same page. Well, we shall see. RVD and Dupree start, and after breaking a tie-up, Dupree entertains the masses with his French Tickler dance. But the crowd or RVD does not seem impressed with Dupree's dance, which is their loss, frankly. Another tie up follows, and RVD goes behind and gets a quick two count after a rollup. Van Dam nearly takes off Dupree's head with a spin kick, but Dupree backs up against the corner to keep his head and dodge the blow. A shoving match ensues, and RVD catches Dupree with a spinning heel kick after that, then continues to dominate Dupree with a twisting body press from the second rope that gets a two count. Another two count follows after an RVD small package, and then he throws Dupree in the corner to give him a couple of shoulder blocks. However, Grenier gets involved and gives RVD a Snake Eyes from the apron, allowing Dupree to DDT Van Dam. Cover, but Kane comes in to break it up. While the ref backs Kane up, La Resistance double teams RVD, and Grenier draws a two after an elbow drop. Dupree gets tagged back in, and the two keep RVD grounded with brawling tactics. Dupree tries to keep RVD away from his corner, and after a jumping side kick, RVD tags in the Big Red Machine Kane. Kane hits any Frenchman that moves, then catches Dupree trying to come off the tope with a choke lift powerbomb, then gets a two count after a side slam to Grenier. Kane then clotheslines Grenier from the top, but Dupree breaks up the cover. La Restistance finally slows down Kane and delivers what was supposed to be a double-team maneuver but really was just a neckbreaker from Dupree with Grenier holding him in place for a split-second, but Kane sits right back up, and knocks both Resistance members down with a clothesline. Tag to RVD, and he catches Dupree with a side kick from the top rope. RVD with a baseball slide to Grenier to the outside, then backdrops Dupree over the top rope. Kane gets back up and grabs both La Resistance members by the throat, but he's unaware that Van Dam is coming from the apron with a flipping tope, so he gets taken out by his own partner. Meanwhile, La Resistance is unharmed, and they roll RVD back in and take him out with their version of Chronic's High Times move to get the victory and become new Tag Team Champions. Jim Ross calls this a Texas sized upset. Well, I guess so. Match was ok, although it wasn't anything special or memorable. I'd give it a 1.89 out of 5.

P19- Bad News Brown: Hulk Hogan vs. Bad News Brown

One of the baddest men to ever step in the wrestling ring, Bad News Brown takes on Hulk Hogan in a match that took place in the Meadowlands on September 11, 1988. Hogan comes out looking like a buffoon with a red and yellow Trojan war helmet on. Bad News takes advantage early by peppering Hogan with punches before the bell rings, and continues to dominate Hogan with punches, stomps, and by using Hogan's own T-Shirt to choke him with. Brown misses a couple of elbow drops, though, and Hogan rises to his feet to the delight of the crowd. Bad News takes a few punches and goes to the outside of the ring, and Hogan follows to give Brown another punch. Brown gets on the apron, and Hogan sends him back in the ring the hard way by pulling the ropes, slinging Bad News down to the mat. Hogan continues his assault with brawling tactics, but a Bad News headbutt slows Hogan's momentum, but he regains it after a boot to the face from the corner, and then sends shivers down Brown's spine with an atomic drop.  Hogan misses an elbow, and Bad News goes to work on Hogan with a series of punches to the midsection. Brown continues to dominate Hogan with a series of strikes, and then body slams Hogan down. Bad News tries to show up the Hulkster by beating him with a legdrop, but Hogan gets out at one. Brown doesn't seem to mind too much, as he takes down Hogan with a Russian legsweep. Hogan reverses a whip into the corner, but Bad News rebounds with a clothesline that takes Hogan off his feet. Bad News sets Hogan up for the Ghetto Blaster (jumping kick to the head), but Hogan ducks, and then Hulks up on Bad News. Hogan follows up with a knee lift and a clothesline in the corner on Brown, then whips Bad News into the corner. News charges, but Hogan ducks and Brown ends up taking out the referee with a clothesline. While Hogan checks on the ref, Brown takes the war helmet (or war bonnet as Superstar Billy Graham calls it on commentary, and btw, Graham is not very good at commentary). and smashes Hogan with it in the back. Brown puts on the helmet and charges at Hogan, but Hulk moves, takes the helmet off Brown and then headbutts him while wearing the helmet. A legdrop follows, and the ref recovers enough to count to three, giving Hogan the victory. Not a bad match, although the ending kind of sucked, so I'll give it a 2.1 out of 5.

P20- Balls Mahoney: Balls Mahoney and Kelly Kelly vs. Kenny Dykstra and Victoria

This mixed tag match was originally shown on the December 6, 2007 episode of ECW. Apparently, Balls and Kelly had a thing going on at that time, which is just strange to me on so many levels.  They face Lenny Dykstra's illegitimate brother (not really) and his partner Victoria. Balls and Kenny start the match, and Dysktra gets the advantage earlier by punching his way out of a headlock then dropkicking Balls down to the mat for a two count. Balls goes for his series of punches, but Dykstra ducks the big haymaker and quickly tags out to Victoria, which means Kelly must come in due to the rules of the match. Victoria predictably gets the advantage early, but Kelly takes her opponent by surprise with a tilt-a-whirl headscissiors. A Kelly Kelly clothesline gets a one count, and Kelly goes to work on Victoria's arm. After letting go, Kelly shoves Victoria back, which does not please Dykstra, so Kelly slugs him to shut him up. Victoria is able to catch Kelly with a clothesline, and uses stomps and simple wrestling holds to keep Kelly at bay. Kelly finally escapes the evil Victoria's clutches and tags in her 'boyfriend' Balls. I'm sure Kelly's parents must have been thrilled to find out their daughter is dating a 350 pound miscreant named Balls, even if it is only a storyline. Anyway, Balls comes in and takes care of Dykstra, getting a two count after his patented uppercut. Kenny gets out of a bodyslam and tries to hold Balls for Victoria to slap around, but Mahoney moves, Kelly takes care of Victoria with a huracanrana, and Mahoney small packages Dysktra for the three count. Post match, the happy couple celebrates while Dykstra and Victoria walk back in a bad mood. Well, I guess it wasn't too bad, so I'll give it a 1.25 out of 5.

P20- Bam Bam Bigelow: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. New Jack

This match is from Wrestlepalooza 1998, ECW's first show in Atlanta, Georgia and a show that my friend Sonny Bone attended in person, just for the chance to see New Jack in action. Before the match, Taz comes down and beats up Shane Douglas, forcing security to take him out back and drive him off in a car. While Douglas is being taken to the back, Bam Bam waits and here comes New Jack with a trash can full of plunder. They waste no time, as Bam Bam pounds away on New Jack and stomps on him in the corner. Bam Bam tries to hit New Jack with a guitar, but misses, and takes a plastic sign to his noggin instead. Assaults with a crutch and a cookie sheet follow from New Jack, and he tops it off by putting a Godzilla action figure between Bigelow's legs and whacking the figure with a hockey stick. Only in ECW, I suppose. To the outside, where New Jack gets the worst of a headbutt to Bam Bam, and then takes a chair to the back. Two chair shots to the head follow, and New Jack is now bleeding. To the crowd they go, as Bigelow throws New Jack over the guardrail and then slingshots himself onto New Jack. Further into the crowd they go, and Bam Bam decides to throw a bunch of chairs on top of New Jack before throwing him against a wall. Bigelow sets New Jack up against a guardrail and tries to splash him, but New Jack moves, and Bigelow rams into the guardrail instead. New Jack then goes back into the crowd, climbing the steps towards the balcony. New Jack finds a guitar on the balcony, and instead of playing the crowd a tune, he decides to dive off the balcony and hit Bam Bam in the head with it instead. Well, it hit Bigelow more in the shoulder than the head, but still, the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Bigelow is up first, though, and carries New Jack to the ring on his shoulder. One Greetings from Ashbury Park later, and Bigelow is the winner of this match. This wasn't exactly too good of a match, as the whole thing was built around one spot and the spot didn't come off exactly as planned. I'll give it a 1.1 out of 5.


P20- Bam Neely: Ricky Ortiz and Evan Bourne vs. Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely

First there's Kenny Dykstra, now there's Bam Neely. Who's next, Harry Bird? I have no idea who Neely is, as I wasn't watching any wrestling during his reign of terror. According to the WWE Encylopedia, he's a former border agent who is from the same home town as Rick Rude. This match is from the August 5, 2008 episode of ECW, and is a result of a two on one beatdown that Chavo and Neely administrated on Ortiz during the previous week. Ortiz starts things off strong with some punches and a back elbow to Neely that makes Neely regroup on the outside of the ring. Back in, Neely and Ortiz exchange arm wringers before Bourne is tagged in an makes an immediate impact with by jumping off the top rope and stomping Neely's outstretched arm. Chavo comes in, attempts a back suplex, but Bourne escapes and sends Chavo down with a huracanrana. Bourne comes back with a Fujiwara arm bar, but Chavo gets up with his arm still locked in by Bourne. Tag to Ortiz, and he takes Chavo off his feet with a diving shoulderblock from the second rope that draws a two count. As Matt Striker informs us that Ortiz is the only WWE superstar to ever play in the XFL, Neely grabs Ortiz by the hair, regaining the advantage for his team and allowing Chavo to tag Neely in. Neely takes care of Ortiz with a barrage of blows to the back and torso. After a clothesline in the corner draws a two count, Neely tags Chavo back in, and he gets a two count after a European uppercut. Chavo puts Ortiz in a chinlock, but after 45 seconds or so, Ortiz is able to get up and delivers a back suplex to Chavo. Chavo tags Neely, and Ortiz is just able to reach Bourne for the hot tag. Bourne knocks Neely off his feet with a series of kicks, then goes off the top to deliver a pair of knees to Neely's face. Cover, but Chavo is there to break the count. Bourne dropkicks Chavo out of the ring, then ducks a Neely clothesline and gives him a lighting fast rollup, which gets the three count. Post match, Neely goes after Bourne, but Evan is smart enough to escape. Not too bad of a match, all in all. I'd give it a 1.95 out of 5.

P21- Barbara Bush [B.B.]: Michael Cole Interviews Barbara Bush about Ivory

Yes my friends, there once was a WWE diva who shared the same name as the first lady. Too bad she wasn't around longer, or they could have found another woman, call her Betty Ford, and have the two form a tag team. Anyway, Barbara's gimmick was that she was one of the paramedics, and one day she was just doing her job helping get a piece of food free from Miss Kitty's throat after a gravy match when all of a sudden, Ivory attacked her, ripped her shirt off and threw her into the gravy. Yes, that does sound ridiculous. Well, four days later, on the November 29, 1999 edition of Raw, Barbara's humiliation continued as she had to be interviewed by Michael Cole.  Apparently, EMTs get their own theme music now. BB states that she was embarrassed to have her shirt ripped off on national TV, so naturally she challenges Ivory to an evening gown match where the winner must rip the clothing off the opponent. Um, ok then. Ivory comes out, and uses BB's initials against her by calling her bird brain. She then accuses BB of trying to make friends with the perverts in the crowd, and to prove her point Ivory takes off her jacket to a rousing reaction from the same perverts she just belittled. Ivory then cheap shots BB and for the second time, rips her EMT shirt off, which perhaps would be a sign not to challenge Ivory to an evening gown match. Well, that was fun. In the spirit of this video, I'll give it a big 2 out of 5.

P21- Barbarian: Hercules vs. The Barbarian

This match is from the May 8, 1989 episode of Prime Time Wrestling. At this time, Barbarian is still part of the Powers of Pain and is being managed by Mr. Fuji. Hercules comes out with a chain, and Tony Schiavone is one of the announcers, and every time I hear Schiavone calling a WWF match, it's just weird to me since he was the voice of WCW for such a long time. Anyway, the two stare each other down to start, and the ref physically separates them. A tie-up follows, and the ref has to separate the two once again as neither man wants to give an inch in this contest. The same thing happens again after both men try to choke the other, and finally it is Hercules that gets an edge by putting on a side headlock. Barbarian counters with a bearhug, but Hercules breaks the hold by forcing Barbarian's arms apart by using his own forearms. The two exchange some kicks to the gut and punches, before Barbarian nearly makes a big mistake by missing a wild punch giving Hercules an opening to slap the Full Nelson on, but Barbarian is able to keep the hold from getting sinked in and gets to the ropes. Barbarian takes control with a back elbow, and knocks Hercules down with a big boot. Hercules fires back with shots that at first have no effect, but he's able to stagger the Barbarian before knocking him down with a clothesline. Both men get back up, and Barbarian overpowers his opponent with a power slam. He then goes for a big splash, but Hercules sees it coming and gets the knees up. Hercules is red hot now, staggering the Barbarian with a series of lefts before using a right to knock him down, and then keeping him off balance with clotheslines and knee lifts. Hercules puts Barbarian up in the torture rack, but Mr. Fuji hits him on the ass with his cane. Well, that annoys Hercules, so he comes after Fuji. As you probably can guess, Barbarian sneaks up from behind to attack Hercules. A whip into the ropes by Barbarian, but Hercules counters with a cross body block that sends both men tumbling over the top rope. Neither man can get back in the ring in time, so the match ends in a double countout. Post match, Fuji tries to hit Herc with his cane, but Herc's ready and takes the cane out of Fuji's hand, then goes after the Barbarian and cracks the cane over his back. Match wasn't too bad, although the ending could have been better. I'll give it a 2.25 out of 5.

P21- The Barber Shop: Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan on the Barber Shop

The Barber Shop was an interview segment hosted by Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake. As far as interview segments go, it was no Carlito's Cabana. This segment is from the September 22, 1991 edition of Wrestling Challenge, and what a challenge it is. Heenan comes out first with Flair's NWA Championship, not happy with Barber's condescending tone in introducing Ric Flair, so he decides to do it himself and introduces the real Heavyweight Champion of the World, Ric Flair. Flair says he, and not Hulk Hogan, is the real World Heavyweight Champion, and also has a message for Roddy Piper, as he seeks revenge for Piper spitting on Flair's belt earlier. Flair finishes by stating that until Hogan beats him, then the Hulkster will only be second best. Good stuff here, despite the presence of Brutus Beefcake. I'd give it a 2.6 out of 5.

P21- Baron Mikel Scicluna: WWWF TV Peter Maivia and Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna and Moose Monroe

This match is from the October 22, 1977 episode of WWWF Championship Wrestling, to the best of my knowledge. Scicluna, a man billed as being from the Isle of Malta, is actually a WWE Hall of Famer, and I don't think I've ever seen him wrestle until now. I will say that he does have a sweet cape. Maivia, the grandfather of the Rock, by the way, and Scicluna start off for their respective sides, and the High Chief (Maivia) starts out strong with a beal to Scicluna and a blow for Monroe on the apron. While Maivia waits on Scicluna to approach him, Scicluna seems to have placed something in his right hand, and decks Maivia with it, stunning him. Scicluna continues to work over Maivia with his right hand, until Maivia gets over to his corner after a big punch and Strongbow tags himself in. Scicluna does the same to Strongbow, then puts the object back in his tights. Maivia sees this as an opportunity, so he comes in and oh here go hell come as both men work over Scicluna. Maivia and Moose head to the outside to fight, while Strongbow fishes into Scicluna's tights and takes the offending object out. By which I mean the roll of coins Scicluna had, not his penis. Maivia is now all fired up, and works over Scicluna until he tags out to Monroe. Strongbow comes in and decides what's good for the goose is good for the gander, so he uses the object to give a power boost to his punches on Monroe, then promptly hands it to Maivia once the ref starts to suspect something. Maivia then comes in to deliver more of the same, and eventually Moose tags out while Strongbow comes back in and is given the object again behind the ref's back. More blows follow, Maivia gets tagged in and does a snap mare on Scicluna followed by an elbow drop. The two exchange blows and tag out at the same time. Moose pulls out a rope and chokes Strongbow with it before the ref takes it away, but is unable to follow up as Strongbow dodges a punches, crawls under Monroe's legs, and tags out to Maivia. Maivia decks Monroe once, then hits him with a cross body block to get the three count and the victory for his team. Post-match, the winning team hugs while the losers bicker, and we get a shot of a young Vince McMahon at ringside talking about the manager of the year contest. Match wasn't too bad for what it was, and the crowd was really behind Strongbow and Maivia. I'd give it a 1.85 out of 5.

P22- Baron Von Raschke: Baron Von Raschke Part 1

This video here is part of a three part interview with Von Rashcke by two people calling themselves the Primadonns. Von Raschke comes out acting like a crazy man plugging somebody named Terry Eason's CD, then sits down to talk about such topics as how he got started in the business (the Baron was an amateur wrestler all throughout high school and college, then got into pro wrestling after spending a year as a teacher), some of the toughest wrestlers he ever encountered, how he learned his infamous Iron Claw hold, and a joke about midgets. Some interesting observations from Von Rashcke, who in spite of his in ring persona, comes across as a level-headed guy. If you want, check out part 1 right here:



P22- Barry Horowitz: Blue Blazer vs. Barry Horowitz 1988

A pat on the back is due for Barry Horowitz as he takes on Owen Hart, a.k.a. the Blue Blazer, in this match from the September 17, 1988 edition of WWF Superstars. Horowitz is wearing suspenders, while the Blazer has a feathered helmet on his mask to presumably look more like a bird. Horowitz removes his suspenders, the Blazer removes his headgear, and the match starts. The Blue Blazer starts with an arm wringer, runs to the ropes, backflips off the ropes and arm drags Horowitz to the mat. Horowitz gets up and comes out Blazer with a shoulder block. He tries again, but Blazer does a leapfrog and follows up with an arm drag and hold. A bodyslam follows, and Blazer then gets a two count after a Northern Lights suplex. Horowitz catches the Blazer with a savate kick, and then exclaims that 'now we go to school'. Who does he think he is, Ric Flair? Going to school seems to include a hard whip into the turnbuckle, followed by a knee drop that gets a two count. Horowitz attempts another whip into the corner, but the Blazer catches himself and then takes Horowitz down with a flying body press from the second rope that gets a two count. A suplex from the Blue Blazer follows, and he continues his aerial assault with a dropkick from the top rope. A pair of body slams follow, and Blazer finishes off Horowitz with a moonsault from the top rope that gives him the victory. For a four minute match, this was rather good, and made me curious as to what these guys could do given more time. As it is, I'll give it a 2.35 out of 5.

P22- Barry O: British Bulldogs vs. Barry O and Bret Hart

Hmm, one of these things is not like the other. This match is from the July 13, 1985 episode of All Star Wrestling and features Randy Orton's uncle, Barry O, teaming up with Bret Hart against two men Hart knows very well, the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid). Jimmy Hart is in the corner of Bret Hart and Barry O. Dynamite and Barry start, and Dynamite takes Barry down with a shoulder block. Dynamite then gets out of an arm hold with a back drop, but Barry comes back with a body slam. An elbow drop misses from Barry O, and Kid gives Barry an arm drag before tagging in Davey Boy. Davey also uses a shoulder block, and keeps Barry at bay with a dropkick and a pair of arm drags before tagging back out to Dynamite Kid. Dynamite gets a hold of Barry's arm, but O tags in Hart real quick and then catches the Kid coming off the ropes and holds him across his knee while Hart comes down with an elbow from the second rope. Hart brawls some with Dynamite, keeping the advantage with punches and hair pulls before tagging in Barry O. A big powerslam by Barry O gets a two count, as does a karate chop to the chest. Barry whips Dynamite to the ropes, but Dynamite leaps over Barry and tags out to Davey Boy. Smith hits a huge back body drop and follows with a powerslam, but Barry gets out at two. After some smashes into the turnbuckle, Smith tags in Dynamite, and he then picks Dynamite over his head and launches him onto Barry O to get the three count. But Hart's not done, as he attacks Davey Boy and throws him out of the ring before going after Dynamite. Hart gets a few shots in before Davey Boy comes back in to break it up. Not a bad match, although I do wonder why Barry O was in there instead of Niedhart. I guess they just wanted to do something different for a quick match. I'd give it a 2 out of 5.

Well, that's it for part 3 of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project. I'd like to give a shout out to the website http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/, as it has a valuable source in helping me find out the exact dates when the videos I've been watching originally took place. Also, thanks to all of the uploaders of the various videos I've been watching. Well, if you have any thoughts about the 2BWE Video Project, or anything else at The Canon Review, than I'd be more than happy to read them, so feel free to leave a comment of send me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.