The House Show Hall of Fame

[GojiColin]

So I mentioned this off-hand in the Stevie Richards, but this thread is for those wrestlers out there who gave 110% when it wasn't a big time situation.  The guys (or gals) who would make a show in Podunkville something special that the crowd would remember.

 

For me Stevie Richards is my First Ballot guy.  When my friends and I were super into wrestling we'd be lucky to get a house show in Maine every two years; so when one showed up it was Wrestlemania for us broke-ass highschool and college kids.  We all still remember the fact that Stevie Richards would always do everything in his power to get the crowd  into the match.  He'd do his damnedest to try to get cheered or booed depending on what his gimmick was and if he found a group of fans that were really into it, he'd pretty much wrestle a match just for them.  

 

I decided to text my friends and see if the still remembered the 'Stevie Match' (And to patch some gaps in my recollection) so I present to you a story as proof of Stevie's nomination.

 

One time he was wrestling someone (it was either Christian or Jericho, no one can agree on whom; just that it was a blond Canadian) and our little section by the ringpost were the only people who cared; so they pretty much spend the entire match finding ways to get to our corner so we'd cheer and boo them.  At one point Stevie (the good guy) went to the top rope much to our concern.  I remember my friend Di shouted "Don't do it Stevie!" and he turned and gave the thumbs up to us before getting shoved off the turnbuckle to the floor.  No one really expected him to take a tumble like that at a house show so there was a gasp from the crowd and Di us asked "Are you okay?" to which Stevie slowly got up, gave sort of a sad smile and said "I've got him right where I want him" before making his way back into the ring and promptly losing the match.

 

Now that might seem like little thing, but six of us fondly remember that moment like it was the most amazing thing ever.  Plus there's no doubt he did similar stuff elsewhere, so think of all the people with memories like that.  That's why Stevie should be in the House Show Hall of Fame.

 

Who would you put in there?

[Thomas Bugg]

I used to go to WWE house shows in Savannah GA during the Brand Extension days. I remember one in 2008 when it was a split Smackdown/ECW show. Mark Henry and Tony Atlas punked out this annoying little fuckwad in the parking lot that was taunting them as they made their way to the building and it was funny as hell. Later on during the actual show, Henry came out to a reception that pretty much rivaled Hogan in Toronto, and he busted his ass in his match with MVP and Matt Hardy in appreciation. From then on I've been a big Mark Henry fan.

[BrianS81177]

During the attitude era, my friends and I were in the second row for a house show. During the 2nd or 3rd match, which was The Headbangers vs Furnas/LaFon you could hear a pin drop. Some idiot a few seats over from me yells some lame drunken insult at Thrasher, who turns around and (loudly) verbally shreds the guy for about 3 minutes while the match is going on. Mosh tags him, Thrasher (again LOUDLY) says "I'll get back to you in a minute bitch", works his spots, tags out to Mosh again and goes right back to ripping on the guy. I wish I could remember what he said, but we were all laughing our asses off. The dude didn't make a peep the rest of the night. From then on, I was a fan of the Headbangers.

[BrianS81177]

I'd also nominate Austin for a house show HOF. Every time I saw him on one he was hilarious. A couple I can remember:

 

Him and Taker vs Owen and Bulldog (which to this day remains the best match I have ever seen live). Owen does his "Whoo!" pose and gets hit flush in the face with a soda. Austin literally laughs at him for about 3-4 minutes (he would get ready to lock up then point and laugh again) before they finally go back to wrestling (and to Owen's credit, he went with it stomping around, yelling "Don't laugh!", etc).

 

Austin vs HHH. A fight breaks out in the crowd. Both guys stop, lean on the ropes and watch impatiently yelling stuff like "Stop stealing our time", etc. Finally the fight is broken up, Austin and HHH look at each other shaking their heads. Kick, stunner. Austin laughs his ass off at HHH.

[jayhawk_in_cny]

When I was a teen, I won tickets to a WCW House Show in Topeka, KS, just after having bought a pair of front row tickets for a friend and I.  I gave the other pair (also front row, on the other side of the arena) to my parents.  When Scott Steiner (BPP era) came out for his match, he cut a promo about having to go to Nebraska to find the "real women" because there were no freaks in Kansas good enough.  My mom jumped up and yelled something to the effect of "You have to go there because you're too ugly to get a Kansas woman".  He froze for a second and glared at her before going on with his promo.  Doug Dellinger was standing nearby on their side, he seemed shocked, and mockingly jumped back in fright before laughing and chatting with them for a couple minutes after.  Thought it was pretty cool.

[Jamie Virtue]

I'd say Hugh Laurie is a first ballot nominee, no?

[Just Dave]

I used to go to Center Stage tapings as a kid, and Alex Wright ALWAYS busted hump. Always looked like a pro, no matter if the cameras were rolling or not. More recently, Dolph Ziggler was fantastic in a dark match last year. Being Atlanta, we don't get many true house shows, but LOTS of dark match mains...

[offspring515]

I was ar the house show the night before the screwjob and when a raucous Detroit crowd started a "you sold out" chant at Bret he got up on the buckles and made the "rubbing my fingers together" money gesture. That was pretty cool.

My mother, to this day, swears that at the same show The Rock smiled at her. We were in the upper deck...

As to guys who busted hump I saw DLo Brown work his ass off at multiple house shows. That guy was going full tilt even when everyonr else was half assing it.

[thee Reverend Axl Future]

Arn Anderson and DDP always gave me my moneys worth, no matter where they were placed on the card. Arn was almost more fun in an opener rather than the main (where he deserved to be).

- RAF

[Vgmastr]

I went to a Raw House Show in the summer of 2003, this was after Austin retired from wrestling but was the Raw Co-GM.  He and Jericho did a Highlight Reel segment and it was pretty clear the whole thing was just them trying to get the other to laugh.  Jericho won after stealing Austin's catchphrase and doing multiple "If you want to see Chris Jericho and Stone Cold share a beer give me a " followed by goofy phrases, and the crowd was with him on each one.  Austin was just guffawing and hiding it badly by putting his arm over his face.  By far the most entertaining thing on the show.

[Brian Fowler]

There is a really great post-RAW Jericho/Austin segment similar to that on the Jericho dvd set from a few years ago.  Absolutely awesome, stupid fun.

 

(Although the best part of that whole set is guy in the crowd "Go back to Calgary!"  Jericho:  "I'm from Winnipeg, you idiot" in the middle of a Smackdown match with Undertaker.)

[Jingus]

You could easily nominate at least half of the original ECW crew.  Those guys treated house shows like PPVs.  Well, not ALL of them (Raven, looking at you!) but most of them busted ass every single night.  There's good reason why Feinstein's fancam tapes were such hot sellers.  

 

Sabu was especially the uber-god-emperor of the house shows, that guy truly did not have the phrase "night off" in his vocabulary.  He's one of the very few whom I've genuinely never seen give less than 100%, every single time, night in and night out.  Even in that infamous pilled-up trainwreck match against Air Paris at a Wildside house show, Sabu was at least TRYING to do all his usual shit, even if he was totally incapable of pulling it off.  And he never gave a fuck about injuries either, I saw him limp out on one leg and carry Mike "Colorado Kid" Rapada to the best match of his life, managing to hit all his spots despite not even being able to fucking WALK.  

[bobholly138]

The first WWF house show I went to had a fun Barry Horowitz vs Boris Zukoff match. Which Barry won. The place went nuts. Then the main event was Warrior vs then IC champ Rick Rude.

[cwoy2j]

Mick Foley always went all out at house shows. I saw him vs. Abdullah here in C'Ville around 1991 or 92 and there couldn't have been more than 5,000 people there and he was taking bumps on the concrete, getting thrown through the wooden barrier, etc.

[BurningBeard]

Kinda unrelated but this thread reminded me of a funny house show story I read on the net once. Bulldog and Owen were tagging and two smarks were giving Davey Boy a load of shit about Diana n stuff, so Davey Boy's reply was to simply point at these two guys, yell "Fuck you!" at them then flex his biceps. Genius

[Tromatagon]

I'd like to nominate Tugboat Girl to the fan wing.

I went to a show at the LA Sports Arena as a kid with my parents, headlined by Hulkster and Tugboat vs Dino Bravo and Earthquake.

During the show, my mom nudges me and points to a grown ass woman dressed like Tugboat a few seats down from us, and even had earrings that looked like captains wheels. Seemed fairly normal, despite an odd taste in wrestlers.

So as should be obvious by who was in the match, most of it was Tugboat getting the shit beat out him so Hulkster could make the comeback. Over the chorus of boos, I hear sobbing.

For fucking Tugboat.

Tugboat girl is a fucking mess, bawling her eyes out, screaming GET UP TUGBOAT!!!

Frantic. Crying.

For fucking Tugboat.

[Cobra Commander]

the semi-main event for the last house show I went to was Jarrett/Abyss v. Beer Money (main event was Angle v. Kennedy). So the closest thing i'd have to a House Show HOF entry involved Abyss being 1/4th of a Southern-style tag match.

 

So, Tugboat girl went on to that farm where the Bee girl from No Rain went?

[Web Conn]

Another one for the fan wing. A friend of mine went to a house show at the Washington State University campus like four years ago. Him and his buddies bought upper deck seats but were comped to front row. During the show he was hassling a ref who he didnt think made a good call the ref said something like "I dont go to Burger King and tell you how to flip burgers" my buddy shot right back with "jokes on you buddy I dont have a job" the ref started laughing and was like well played.

[J.H.]

You know what, Lanny Poffo doesn't get enough love as guy who busted his ass for years jobbing like a fiend and making everybody look good. Best Example is when Harley was first debuting in the WWF. He and Lanny had this pretty fun match at MSG, where Lanny even took a brainbuster on the arena floor and kept going (and Harley's brainbuster looked nasty). Even when teamed with another jobbber on the syndie shows, Lanny always bumped like a king before letting the other guy take the fall. There isn't enough love for Lanny Poffo!

 

James

[ivpvideos]

Ken Anderson at the two TNA house shows I went to tore the roof of the place with character work. Once as a face, once as a heel.

[Web Conn]

Ken Anderson at the two TNA house shows I went to tore the roof of the place with character work. Once as a face, once as a heel.

That Ken Anderson?

[Tromatagon]

All three people there were totally losing their shit

[ivpvideos]

It was a few years back when they were drawing a couple hundred to house shows. He had fun comedy schtick and engaged the crowd. I was pretty shocked as well

[Pete]

One of my lasting memories from the Peoria WWF house show I went to a good 20 years ago is Damien Demento's shtick as he worked (I think) Typhoon. He worked to the back of the building with the mannerisms of an old-timey vaudevillian and it was fabulous.

 

I SHALL ENGAGE HIM IN A TEST OF STRENGTH!

 

VICTORY IS WITHIN MY GRASP!

 

I SHALL EMERGE TRIUMPHANT!

 

He did everything but ask "DID SOMEBODY ORDER A LARGE HAM?" I could watch a whole bunch of Demento's matches if he did that on every house show.

[Uncle Coaster]

My favorite house show match was in the old Scranton (Pa) Catholic Youth Center between Greg Valentine and Ron Garvin.  I was about 16 years old and could have sworn Garvin was legit injured.  They tore into each other and put on a clinic.  Great memories.  It may have been the only time I saw Garvin in person, but I was never disappointed in a live Valentine appearance, so he'd get my first vote.