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Dolfan Watches Every Wrestlemania On Lockdown


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7 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The clothesline was from Akeem.

This is what I get for typing at the time while dealing with a not-so-smart customer. They temporarily make you feel like your IQ dropped a few points. But yes, Akeem woke that crowd up and it was quite the standout moment. Watching it again it very much holds up and was easily my favorite thing from the show.

But the main event wasn't far off as my mind was blown first time seeing Hulk wrestle like that. He didn't have to but when motivated the guy could go. 

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13 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Not that he deserves any more attention, but what's the legit best Hogan workrate match? Only thing I can think of is him vs. Stan Hansen. 

Muta vs. Hogan in '93 is up there, IMO. I believe Hogan has talked before about how much he respects Muta, so it's no surprise he'd have his working boots on against him.

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44 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Not that he deserves any more attention, but what's the legit best Hogan workrate match? Only thing I can think of is him vs. Stan Hansen. 

More than likely its a Japanese match. Not even sure what his best US match is considered

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7 minutes ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

I'd hazard a guess and say vs. Ultimate Warrior at Mania VI.

Maybe vs The Rock at Mania X8? 

Having just seen the latter, I would say it's that especially if you compare it to VI vs. Warrior and you throw out the crowd insanity and just watch the match. He was motivated.

 

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On 4/4/2020 at 3:08 PM, Elsalvajeloco said:

I'm telling you...the concept of two (count em two!) tapes was because they knew it was not a good show and needed some type of selling point.

Then the made the tape  cut right in the middle of  Hogan-Andre match too. 

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10 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Not that he deserves any more attention, but what's the legit best Hogan workrate match? Only thing I can think of is him vs. Stan Hansen. 

It hasn't aired yet in this timeline, but I'd go with the 10-man tag with Hogan and Metallica vs. Nick Gage, Elton John, Meng, Dennis Rodman, and evil cyborg John Cena.

(Not gonna lie: Now I kinda want to see that match).

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I liked Hogan/Tenryu and Hogan/Muta, but I don’t know if it was just the novelty of them. A lot of his 80s NJPW stuff is fun, but even then it’s just a more spry, less refined version of his formula later on. 

The Rock match is probably considered his best US match. He does break out his “Hogan in Japan” chain wrestling and grappling spots for his first WCW matches with Flair.

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Early-SNME’s had some good Hogan matches. His match with Harley Race had a table spot. He also has a surprisingly good match with Nikolai Volkoff. I think it was a flag match, maybe. 

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Day 11 (con't)

Two more matches in this day, so we're at Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted DiBiase. DiBiase in a cute bit holds his brand new Million Dollar Belt up to the guy who would eventually become our fucking President.  I'm sure Don was trying to figure out how to make one of his own, but bigger and call it the Billion Dollar Belt. Or he was probably lying to Ted and saying he already had one.  

Anyway, sitting through this match is like sitting through one of the President's press conferences.  Confusing, terrible, and somehow boring as hell.  This is a 10 minute draw and I'm not sure who this was supposed to make look good, but it wasn't the completely outclassed Beefcake, and it certainly wasn't the 'annoyed-to-be-there' DiBiase.  

The Bushwackers are on now doing their kid-friendly gimmick. I'm positive Luke and Butch made a fuckton of money doing this thing as they were doing this for almost 10 years.  So, honestly, good for them.  The Rougeaus are their opponents and are announced as being from "Memphis, TN", during that phase when they were saying they were now proud Americans.  

Some would say this was probably a dig at Lawler, but I think it's more of a tribute to Brian Mulroney, without whose bold leadership, we would probably never have had NAFTA and Canadian-American relations would not have become as strong as they are.  In that vein, Dino Bravo is clearly a play to make fun of the FLQ and their failed separatist movement of the 60's, 70's, and 80's.  

Oh, and there's Butch blatantly grabbing Raymond's dick mid-match and nearly making him break with laughter. (And for what it's worth, this was a very good little match.)

This was the end of Day 11. 

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DAY 12

Mr Perfect is new in the WWF at his point and this is his debut against some guy in a blue mask and cape. I'm sure he'll blaze a path of his own soon enough. Honestly though, I do not know why they gave Owen a mask unless it was to separate him from his brother. (But Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage were brothers and no one put Lanny under a mask.)  It's just notable because Owen is visibly frustrated by the mask, and at more than a couple of points is adjusting and readjusting the mask.  

Hennig and Hart have a match that I remember as being a LOT better than what this was.  And it looks like Hennig is disappointed too because he takes no time to celebrate his win and just bolts.  Though that could be Vince telling them to get the fuck out of the ring ASAP because they have to set up whatever's next and it's already an absurdly long show.  

Jesse poses and again hints HARD that he will be coming back soon.  My understanding is he had the same thing that eventually forced the NBA's Chris Bosh to retire (blood clots in his lungs), and that sucks. 

Mr. Fuji "runs a 5k" segment is next.  My only desire is to find some interview of Fuji, who was born in Hawaii, speaking without his over the top Japanese accent.  It has to exist.   And it has to be as unnerving as hearing George Steele or Kamala speak in their normal voices.  Or in Kamala's case... singing!

 

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2 hours ago, odessasteps said:

The one for me is Ivan

 

Oh wow, that is one of the most elderly Canadian speaking voices I have ever heard, somehow more jarring that when I first heard Baron Von Raschke's normal speaking voice a couple of weeks ago while watching his Back to the Territories interview with Jim Cornette. 

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SetList.fm says Run DMC's one and only performance of "The WrestleMania Rap" was during this show.  Gorilla instantly says he hates it when he's done, and even Jesse seems a little taken aback.  

I must say, that I'd never seen a double turn done before in wrestling before Survivor Series '88 when the Demos and the Powers of Pain switched sides around Mr. Fuji. The Demos were easily my favorite team of that time.  Though the NWA people were saying "tHeY'rE cLoNeS oF tHe RoAd WaRrIoRs", but fuck that they were my boys.  This was a handicap match for the Tag Titles - which again, I'm sure was a shot at NWA (probably at the Freebirds because this is the time when most everything is an inside joke about something that annoyed Vince).  I remember this being pretty good, and frankly, wow, does it hold up well.  Solid power vs power match. Well worth the re-watch.

Dino Bravo is back up to his ridiculous muscles phase here.  He faces ex-NWA Champ Ronnie Garvin - which is a title reign that still mystifies me to this day. Bravo wins a terrible and quick affair, which also describes the way he died.  Terrible and quick.  

That wrapped Day 12.

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DAY 13

It's fucking BRAINBUSTERS~ time.  Arn was in his god mode phase at this point, where everything he did was amazing and everyone around him was elevated.  Tully was super-motivated too so this is gonna be awesome. The match is here to serve two purposes, to turn Rick Martel heel, and for the Busters to shine - Tito's just along for the ride.  The match itself is a 2010's level match, psychology, moveset, even speed. It's a very good back and forth until there some miscommunication. Martel walks out on Tito after they collide and the Busters are both as happy as I've ever seen either of them ever. And holy fuck that spike piledriver at the end.  

"Arn Anderson annihilating Tito while screaming 'Where's your partner???' the whole time" is my new sexual orientation, please respect that.

 

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The rest of Day 13 was... shall we say... significantly more disappointing.  

Brother Love, Morton Downey, Jr., and Roddy Piper is on now for Piper's Pit.  This affair begins with Pritchard in a tartan pleated skirt, doing an actually decent impression of Piper. Morton Downey, Jr., who doesn't appear to know he's in a show, drunk, smoking cigarettes, and eventually throwing them. (To quote Clerks, "At least they weren't lit.") And finally Rowdy Roddy.  Fun thing I found out, if and when you encounter a Scotsman, they can tell you're American, because we wear kilts backwards.  Anyway, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic jokes happen.  Pritchard is Sheamus-level white when he gets de-skirted (yes, it's a skirt -- pleats went all the way around). 

It's nice to know a legitimately horrible person like Downey had his flash in the pan career basically begin a downward spiral here when he is exposed as a claw-less bully. After making up an incident where he got beat up by Neo-Nazi's about a month after this, his show would be cancelled two months later, and his career never recovered.   Good.

Then there's a  preview for No Holds Barred, which looks terrible and even like the guy who edited the preview just gives up about halfway through.  

Then there's an interview with 45.  Dear god.  

Then there's a Hogan interview that takes like 5 minutes and is just flaming death.  I'm pedaling and on my phone on Instagram... "OOH! Peanut Butter flavored hot sauce!"

Now finally, a match.   Andre vs Jake, with John Studd as the special referee.  The match itself is all Andre... which in 1989 is a very, very bad thing.  Especially when this thing goes on for 10 interminable minutes.  Ted DiBiase comes out to steal the snake at the end and Jake takes it back.  Andre is DQ'ed for "use of a foreign object" according to Gorilla.  (It was actually for beating up Studd.)   

Okay, whatever, this part is done.  End of Day 13.  

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DAY 14

Alright, a little rule I gave myself was that 45 minutes would extend if it ended during the middle of a match.  This is gonna be an extra long day as the main event is underway when I'm supposed to be done, so 45 became 65.  Oh well.  

Hart Foundation vs. Valentine/Honky Tonk Man.  I could've sworn Greg & Honky were named Heart & Soul, but I could be completely wrong about that.  Bret's career is in a holding pattern at this point as he's ready to go to singles.  Mania 5 again holds up its reputation as a showcase of tag team wrestling as these 4 combine to have yet ANOTHER great tag match. The finish shows the Harts are still willing to cheat as much as anyone so Bret clobbers Honey with Jimmy Hart's megaphone for the pin.  

Rick Rude is up next with the Warrior.  Distinct memories as a kid of expecting the Warrior to destroy Rude and continue his push unabated.  I'm gonna guess that's what the crowd was expecting too because boy oh boy that does not happen here. Rude's heat portion here should be studied by everyone in the PC as you can see the people in the crowd going nuts when Warrior was in control to being legit worried that Warrior might actually lose!  (Especially Eric Trump in the first row.) The end comes with Bobby Heenan grabbing Warriors legs during a suplex attempt and Rude SHOCKING THE WORLD and taking the IC title.  The shock in the crowd is amazing to see.  EVERYONE thought Warrior was gonna win.  It's Taker-Lesnar level shock.  Rude should have been WWF Champion, man. 

 

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