Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

WWE NETWORK HIDDEN GEMS


RIPPA

Recommended Posts

I know it's not a new release on the network but it's a hidden gem and holy shit does that apply here. It's from 93 and it's called All Aboard the Lex Express. Everything about it is so goddamn great and time permitting is worth checking out on this holiday. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That opener with Steve Regal and Denny Brown was really solid.

I couldn't fathom that a post war Nazi would know what to wear in a bunkhouse scrap. Funny seeing Manny Fernandez wear a pair of Dusty's stardust era boots.

Wahoo and Gorgeous Jimmy had a good strap match with Precious hitting all her cues. Highlight was her offscreen yelp when Wahoo acted like he was going to spit blood on her.

Tully's bumping and staggering during that taped fist match with Ron Garvin is the stuff of legend. JJ was a hoot all throughout and even postmatch.

That cage match with Midnights/Corny vs. Dusty/Magnum/Baby Doll was even better than I thought it would be. Maggie's counter to Condry's piledriver was certainly unique...go see it. Why don't more people do that?

Flair vs Morton was as good as you expect from those two. I believe this was the same match on one of those WWE Flair DVD releases...

I love 1986 JCP, so much juice. 

Edited by The Great ML
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, NikoBaltimore said:

I know it's not a new release on the network but it's a hidden gem and holy shit does that apply here. It's from 93 and it's called All Aboard the Lex Express. Everything about it is so goddamn great and time permitting is worth checking out on this holiday. 

Agreed, my favorite hidden gem considering Lex is one of my all time favs. Rewatching it for the second time since it was uploaded, absolute greatness. the Stars & Stripes challenge is fun, always loved the unique setting. Luger comes off like a total star and the coolest dude throughout this with the various on location scenes. Hilarious during the hotel check in and the Slam Jam album release party, analyzing the foods for the camera.  I wish they tried more different stuff like this over the years, this is a blast.

Still bizarre that here they open with the regular I'll Be Your Hero video but on SummerSlam 93's ending, it's overdubbed with a different song (though I really like the song they used). Forever believe Lex should've got a title run after this, no matter how short, especially with the heroic celebration happening anyways.

About to start the GAB shows next.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I want Cody to be inspired by his father. 95% percent of matches having color is not one of the inspirations. By the the time Jimmy Valiant Vs. Pez Watley starts, you’d think somebody got an appendage amputated. Surprisingly great match from those two, BTW. No wonder Jimmy, and his feud with the Paul Jones Army lasted so long. The TV matches sucked, but the non-televised matches in front of large crowds rocked. 

I hope all these shows make it too the network. These are all extremely important pieces to the JCP puzzle that we’ve been missing while watching 80’s MACW, and WCW.

Edited by LoneWolf&Subs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

On one of Fuller’s podcasts, he talked about when in the early 70s that Dusty started gigging his arm and not just his head. Just crazy.

Oh, I’ve known of that other blading practice. I remember the first time I saw that was on an FMW VHS, featuring a Masato Tanaka Vs. Mr. Gannosuke championship match, where Tanaka gets color on his arm. Also the famous White Castle of Fear strap match between Vader & Sting has Race very clearly blading Vader’s back on camera briefly. 

Tully also talks about on a shoot getting color on his stomach.

I like to credit Pro Wrestling Secrets Revealed for making me look for the gigging whenever I see color.

Edit: Holy shit, Flair’s entrance for the Ricky Morton cage match is outstanding.

Edited by LoneWolf&Subs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, odessasteps said:

On one of Fuller’s podcasts, he talked about when in the early 70s that Dusty started gigging his arm and not just his head. Just crazy.

I want to say Killer Karl Kruup claw to the arm in Florida was one occasion, but my memory could be wrong from 45 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So after watching both of the 86’s Bash’s on the network here are some of my takeaways...

- I never want to see Manny Fernandez Vs. Baron Von Raschke ever again. I love “The Raging Bull”, but the Baron’s old ass drags him down. Getting color does nothing to help the quality of their matches.

- “Mr. Electricity” Steve Regal deserved more than being an opening match guy. His match against Sam Houston is an underrated gem on the Greensboro show. Do yourself a favor by not skipping over it.

- I have a new found respect for Jimmy Valiant. His head shaving in Greensboro actually put a tear in my eye. He went through so many emotions during this angle. Disbelief, anger, pain, and acceptance. 

- So much fucking forehead blood. 

- Flair’s cage match with Morton is the best of the two World Championship cage matches. Though the Dusty match has the better ending. The Morton match after having such a great body, has such a flat cheap ending.

Edited by LoneWolf&Subs
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched the Charlotte version of the Bash (haven't seen Greensboro yet) and man I need every single Tully Blanchard vs Ron Garvin taped fist/first blood match they have done.  Just a beautiful display of story telling and utter brutality.  Tully and probably Ronnie as well must have had PTSD from all those shots he took during that summer

Also maybe overreacting but has anyone ever took a head first bump into a cage better than Bobby Eaton.  I know Savage would just fly into them as hard as possible  but damn Eaton looked like he wanted to tear down the side of the cage with the force he went into them.

I wonder if there was an intermission between the strap match and the taped fist match because Wahoo going from bleeding heavily in the match to immediately being the 2nd for Garvin all taped up was quite impressive.   And was that Dustin Rhodes riding the golf cart to the ring?

Ricky Morton has always claimed that Dusty was trying to bury them because they were getting too popular in 1986,  I must say that putting the ultimate babyface in a world title match after getting his nose broke before In Charlotte of all places doesn't hurt his argument.    Although the popularity that Flair got in the beginning from the fans from being local quickly died

Edited by hammerva
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, hammerva said:

So was Dino Bravo supposed to be in the 86 Crockett Cup with Rick Martel and actually got sick or was that false advertising by the Crocketts?

It was explained, IIRC, as appendectomy or such. 

It was weird they had Martel there and didnt just add a sub. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Especially when they had a first round bye which makes even more shady.  So they had the afternoon and night show to find somebody and not one. 

I will say that new Orleans crowd had  no interest in 1986 Giant Baba after that match against Bart & Jimmy Garvin.  They seem to enjoy Tiger Mask because he was willing to put in the work.  I love when the final pin was set up you can hear someone in the crowd yell 'don't tag the tall slowpoke"

 

Edited by hammerva
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/4/2019 at 6:55 PM, odessasteps said:

On one of Fuller’s podcasts, he talked about when in the early 70s that Dusty started gigging his arm and not just his head. Just crazy.

The old NWA WarGames 87 tape had a Dusty/Blanchard barbed wire match where Dusty proved the barbed wire was real by ripping Tully's arm open right in front of the camera.  I mean they did that shit for matches that weren't even going to be televised.

Just finished the first Bash, and yeah, the amount of blood on these shows is crazy.  Even Jimmy Garvin bleeds a gusher, and you can't tell because he has so much hair hiding it.  It's only when he wipes his face and then touches Precious' aerosol can that you see what a mess he is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a spontaneous post because I am digging on thee Charlotte GAB so much, specifically the Garvin/Blanchard taped fist match. It is quite brilliant and JJ Dillion is perfection here. Like the Rhodes/Blanchard first blood match from later that year (1986), this is a match where the stipulations make the pacing and story-telling much different than a regular bout and these guys (inc. referee TYoung) know how to do it right.. Blanchard was a worker who got better and better throughout his career (which ended about 200 years before it's time). Damn, this is greatness.

- RAF

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

People should take five minutes and watch the Larry Sharpe match that starts off the Meadowlands show. It has something I'm not 100% sure I've ever seen (more like heard) before. It's at the 8:00 minute mark for the show, then listen again at 8:55. 

Amazing stuff.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay I am starting to freak out how the fuck do you access the Hidden Gems section of this new format?   It was in vault which is gone.  I can't find it in In-Ring or Originals.   I can find if I do a search and I do see the most recent one on the main page but that isn't helpful.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They definitely seem to be reorganizing how some of the previously posted Hidden Gem stuff is classified. I tried using the search function and some things came up, some things didnt come up, though it's possible I wasnt searching for the exactly worded title, as the new search function seems incredibly unforgiving.

For example, i searched for "Crockett Cup" and it was listed under the heading "Tournaments", but searching for the Tazmaniac dark match from a couple weeks back, "AWA Team Challenge Series", and "Mid-South Wrestlefest" was listed under an "Originals" header. 

So I am keeping my fingers crossed that having a dedicated section for this is just an oversight that will be corrected shortly, or given more clarity. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That PWUSA show headlined by the Ugandan death match...

Watch the end to the first match, Larry Sharpe vs. Bobby Duncum. Sharpe takes a bump over the buckle and lands feet first on the ringside table...a local guy from Jersey audibly cusses a blue streak about his table and equipment getting messed up.

The ring announcer is horrible on PBP. He can’t tell the difference between tags, nabes, and high fives.  “AND THERES A TAG! Oh no, maybe not...”

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Matt D said:

People should take five minutes and watch the Larry Sharpe match that starts off the Meadowlands show. It has something I'm not 100% sure I've ever seen (more like heard) before. It's at the 8:00 minute mark for the show, then listen again at 8:55. 

Amazing stuff.

Just watched that before leaving for work. That was incredible, it was like a fun companion piece to Bobby Heenan shouting "the fuck are you doing?" at Brian Pillman.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So it seems like not only is it hard to actually find the hidden gems section, I don't think they are even doing one this week.  If they did then they have decided to not include them in the 'Recently Added' section which makes it even worse 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...