Match of the Day - La Parka defeats the macho one?!?

Macho Man Randy Savage vs. La Parka - Monday Nitro (1997)

Macho Man Randy Savage gets more than he bargained for when "the Chairman" La Parka diamond cuts him out of no where in the middle of the ring and reveals to everyone that he was a certain arch-nemesis of the virus that was nWo. 

Who was it? I'll give you another hint: It was that self high fiving yoga guy. 

Song of the Day - Redwoods

Dad Punchers - Redwoods from Dad Punchers (2012)

Dad Punchers is the "bummer punk" side project of Elliot Babin AKA the drummer of Touche Amore.


Elliot also drums for the band DNF (formerly Duke Nukem Forever) - a band that features members of TA and Trash Talk.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The first fans bring the LEGO deathmatch!

Flip vs. Stinky the Homeless Guy - Fans Bring The LEGO Deathmatch - Inter Species Wrestling 4 Years of This?! (2009)

Flip takes on his former Lady and the Tramp tag team partner, the late Stinky the Homeless Guy in a match featuring everyone's favorite childhood building toys, LEGOs!

Before you start rolling your eyes at me internet goers, hear me out: Would you rather not get put through a table, get fluorescent lights smashed over your head, or step on a Lego? I know which one I'd rather not have to deal with... the Lego one, of course! That shit hurts like hell.

Okay, so being slammed on some Legos wouldn't be as painful as, say, a gusset or a kenzan (look it up), but  you gotta at least give it up to these two for going where not a lot of wrestlers had gone before... the toy box.

Also, check out that sweet D'Lo Brown Lego vest! This match touches all my childhood nostalgia buttons.

Song of the Day - That Summer Feeling

Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling from I, Jonathan (1992)

That feel. It's coming.

Fun fact: My biology teacher in high school was cousins with good ol' Jonathan. No big deal.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Shelley/Strong/Dutt/Aries Bound For Glory pre-show

Alex Shelley vs. Roderick Strong vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Austin Aries - TNA Bound For Glory (pre-show) (2005)

Since TNA's Bound For Glory PPV in 2005 was so jam-packed with total non-stop action, hah, the X Division showcase of future/present indy mega stars had to open the free BOG pre-show. The 4-way match includes two soon-to-be World X Cup winners (Dutt and Shelley from Team USA), a very successful X Division and tag team champion around the world (Shelley), Two eventual winners of the ROH world title (Strong and Aries), a TNA champion (Aries), and an athlete who still deserves a lot more (Dutt).

Enjoy.

Song of the Day - Memorial Day Night

Dead Confederate - Memorial Day Night from Dead Confederate EP (2007)

Hope everyone had a beautiful Memorial Day.

Song of the day fifth year in the row. The Saddest song I know.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - Waylon Mercy shows no mercy on his first jobber

Waylon Mercy vs. Bill Weaver - WWF Superstars (1995)

Waylon Mercy, played by a former NWA/WCW and WWF wrestler, Dan Spivey, was a character inspired by Robert De Niro's Max Cady character from Scorsese remake of Cape Fear. The character would be Spivey's last run in WWF as well as wrestling all together due to the built-up injuries that he had sustained through the course of his 20 plus year career. Spivey as Mercy only lasted a few months with one PPV appearance and a few semi high profile matches with Bret Hart, Diesel, and his former American Starship partner, Scott Hall.

The character of Waylon Mercy may be long since gone and went, but the wrestling portrayal of De Niro's Max Cady persona now lives on in Bray Wyatt, who is soon to make his debut in the big leagues with his "family" any day now.

Song of the Day - Crippled By Pizza

Horse the Band - Crippled By Pizza from Pizza (2006)

Today, on top of eating a good pound of pizza, I ate the worst pizza I have ever eaten. I'm not going to say who made it or where to find it, but let it be known that cold peanut butter and bacon pizza is a big no-no in my book.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Kota Ibushi takes on YOSHIHIKO as rocket-launching Hulk Hogan?

Kota Ibushi vs. YOSHIHIKO - Ironman Heavymetalweight and KO-D Openweight Championship match - DDT (2009)

Two great Japanese wrestling stars of Dramatic Dream Team go one-on-one with each other's title on the line. Kota Ibushi was the KO-D champ at the time while YOSHIHIKO (dressed as Hulk Hogan) was the reigning Ironman Heavymetalweight champ - a title that is defended under 24/7 rules just as the Hardcore title once was back in the states. The seemingly normal title match soon becomes a 30 minute slobberknocker!

PS: I heard that YOSHIHIKO stiffed Ibushi pretty good in this match due to some backstage heat/bad blood between one another. Maybe that Infinity Destroyer YOSHIHIKO delivered to Ibushi was a little more personal than perceived.

I sure hope YOSHIHIKO gets signed to WWE soon so his career can really blow up!

Song of the Day - Panda

Dungen - Panda from Ta Det Lugnt (2004)

Some Swedish groove rock is in order.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Raven vs CM Punk dog collar match!

Raven vs. CM Punk - Dog Collar match - ROH Death Before Dishonor (2003)

One of CM Punk's greatest rivalries in Ring of Honor. Features an early use of Punk's straight edge lifestyle versus a man who is struggling with his personal demons - a gimmick that was later used in Punk's rivalry with Jeff Hardy which some say really put Punk over in WWE. Parts of this rivalry were also used again in the Punk/Jericho Best in the World '12 feud.

Raven and CM Punk fought in many hardcore matches together around this time... some for ROH and some for TNA when Punk was in Raven's "Gathering"; TNA's version of The Flock.

Song of the Day - Absurdities & Echoes

Wreck and Reference - Absurdities & Echoes from No Content (2013)

From W&R's new doomed noise metal 7", Content (pronounced: No Content). It's free!


Last.fm

Match of the Day - Regal refuses to be squashed by Goldberg?

Steve Regal vs. Goldberg - Monday Nitro (1998)

Ah yes, the age old tale of Lord Steven Regal stiffing Goldberg in what was supposed to be a normal Monday Nitro Goldberg three minute squash match. The result: Regal's first release from WCW.

As it turns out though, the bookers actually told Regal to have a real rasslin match with Bill to show that the big green former football player could actually wrestle. Unfortunately, Goldberg was just not ready for such a match and the whole thing ended up looking like one big convoluted shoot fight. Goldberg looks surprised when Regal takes him down to his level because, well, he genuinely was. Regal, in the end, wasn't stiffing anybody but himself... 

As for Regal's first departure from WCW, that was all Regal's doing. Regal was having a lot of problems with drugs at the time and left the WCW to coupe with his "demons". After a short stint in WWF where he was given a hardhat and the moniker of a real man's man, Regal checked himself into rehab before one more WCW run.

Song of the Day - Xylem Up

D Numbers - Xylem Up from Lightparade (2007)

Progy post rock from New Mexico.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - The most perfect debut!

"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig vs. Mike Richards - WWF Wrestling Challenge (1988)

Curt Hennig might have had a small run back in the early 80's with WWF, but after jumping ship to AWA and making a name for himself as a top star and title holder, it was only a matter of time before he returned to the federation with a new attitude and the title of "Mr. Perfect".

Of course, Hennig would back up his perfect role not only in the ring but outside of it by doing sporty things perfectly with sporty famous people.

Song of the Day - Mr. Black

Dope Body - Mr. Black from Nupping (2011)

Spastic yet heart-pounding noisiness from Baltimore.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - May 19th! It's happening again!

Kane vs. Big Show - Backlash (2006)

What's going on inside Kane's head?

May 19th may have been the release date for WWE's first film released by WWE Films that starred Kane as   the slasher, Jacob Goodnight, but it was also a date that Kane never wanted to be reminded of ever again. What was so significant about May 19th? Why was it such a traumatic remembrance?

Clearly the date was enough for Kane to turn on his tag team partner, Big Show just for mentioning it. The attack on Big Show, which damaged his eye*, resulted in one of the most dominate teams to split and led to this match at Backlash.

As it turns out, May 19th was the day that Kane's brother, The Undertaker burned down the funeral home which killed his parents and left Kane permanently scarred! So, yeah... pretty heavy stuff.

Unfortunately, the voices in Kane's head did not stop after May 19th had passed that year and it was later revealed that the voices were of impostor masked Kane... an angle that was quickly dropped soon after Drew Hankinson (Festus/Luke Gallows) debuted with a god-awful wig on.

*Kane damaging Big Show's eye was also a little jab at the release of Kane's movie, See No Evil, clearly.

Song of the Day - One Word Mary

Three Man Cannon - One Word Mary from Nelson (2010)

A new find for me from the Philly indie rock/punk band, Three Man Cannon. Heard about these guys through The BIG Comp which apparently is unavailable now... shame.



Last.fm

Match of the Day - A very excited Jon Moxley takes on MNM in his first WWE dark match

MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro w/Melina) vs. Jon Moxley & Brad Taylor - Velocity (2006)

I've been watching the Best of the Indies series, Stories From the Streets: The Jon Moxley Story by Smart Mark Video and thought I would look up this match mentioned early on in the interviews with Jon Moxley - a man now known as Dean Ambrose. The bout is Moxley's first dark match with the WWE where he tags with his fellow Heartland Wrestling Association wrestler, Brad Taylor (Brad Attitude). In the interview mentioned above, Moxley talks about how excited he was to get a chance to have a try-out match with the WWE and be where the big boys play. During the match you can plainly see just how amped up Moxley was for this little bit of spotlight. The tiniest, really.

All in all, it's not a bad match for what it is: a glorified preliminary match to make the champs at the time, MNM, look strong. But Moxley didn't care about that here at 19-20 years old and was just really in love with wrestling. Also in the interview, which was made pre-Shield/FCW (so, 2011), Moxley mentions that he has no plans of being with the WWE anytime soon.

Now he's already fought the Undertaker and pinned Randy Orton at Wrestlemania.

Bonus: You can pick up The Jon Moxley Story in DVD form from Smart Mark Video dot com. It's actually a three disc DVD that also features 14 Jon Moxley matches from CZW, IWA-MS, IPW, HWA, and wXw.

Song of the Day - You Will Never Go To Space

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die - You Will Never Go To Space from Whenever, If Ever (2013)

Pre-order dat new TWIaBP&IaNLAtD album.

...or wait.


Out June 18.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Abyss and Desmond Wolfe's Monster's Ball match featuring the hardcore teddy bear!

Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe - Monster's Ball match - Slammiversary VIII (2010)

Part 1:

In the midst of the the new championship ranking system and Hulk Hogan giving the Monster Abyss his Hall of Fame ring and some Hulkster music/attire, the TNA audience was treated to the small and forgettable (I forgot about it at least) feud between Desmond Wolfe and the Abyster.

The feud all began when Abyss beat Desmond Wolfe (better known as Nigel McGuinness from ROH) and got the services of Wolfe's valet, Chelsea for 30 days.

Part 2:

As Abyss started to show affection for Chelsea, Chelsea also began to show some sort of sympathy for the big monster. This story does not end like King Kong here at Slammiversary in the Monster's Ball match, however. No... instead, as Abyss gives Chelsea a teddy bear covered with barbed wire that Taz dubs the "hardcore teddy bear", Chelsea (who seemed fed up with Wolfe's continuous demands) eventually helps Abyss by tossing Wolfe's brass knuckles to the masked beast. The TNA Fairy tale ending at last!

But not really... Chelsea eventually returns to Desmond Wolfe after the 30 days are up and they ride off into the sunset to find a new life and success in the Impact Zone. Well, maybe not that last part.

Song of the Day - Hay

Crucial Conflict - Hay from The Final Tic (1996)

Smokin' on that hay. 90's hip-hop featuring the sample, "I'll Stay" by Funkadelic.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Rosey feels the wrath of Triple H's "game rage"

Triple H vs. Rosey - Raw (2005)

Triple H takes out his raging aggression for Batista, who recently turned his back on Evolution (now just Haitch and Ric Flair), while the 400 pound superhero looks to avenge his fallen ally who had been taken out by the Cerebral Assassin a week before.

Let the burying began.

Minor fun fact: This is the match where Triple H makes that weird noise at the end when he holds up his World Heavyweight title and the sledgehammer - the sledgehammer he lodges into Rosey's gut during the unprovoked attack on the poor superhero after the match.

Song of the Day - Whistler's Mother's Day

Black Bear - Whistler's Mother's Day from The Cinnamon Phase (2006)

Happy Mother's Day, Mamas.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - "The match is called Judy Bagwell on a pole"

Buff Bagwell vs. "Positively" Kanyon - Judy Bagwell on a pole match - New Blood Rising (2000)

...But it's Judy Bagwell on a forklift.

When I think of mothers in wrestling, since it's Mother's Day here in the states, two particular incidents come to my mind. The first mother/wrestler gimmick would have to be Shelton Benjamin and the short period of time when his mother showed up on Raw to help him win some matches including one for the intercontinental title, and the other is Buff Bagwell and his mother, Judy. 

Judy Bagwell first came on the scene in WCW when she was revealed to be the mystery partner of tag team champion, Rick Steiner one night on Nitro in 1998. Judy would return in 2000 via Buff Bagwell's feud with "Positively" Chris Kanyon (a DDP rip-off) which eventually culminated into this match... the Judy Bagwell on a pole match. A match that turned out to be "the foul mouth" Judy Bagwell strapped to a forklift match because, for some odd reason, Kanyon could not find such a pole that could hold Mrs. Bagwell anywhere in Canada. 

Why did Buff Bagwell's mom even need to be put on a pole during this match in the first place? Answer: WCW 2000.

Judy Bagwell has actually been known to get involved in Buff Bagwell's work so much that rumor has it she got her son fired from the WWF after continually calling in to WWF headquarters complaining that Buff was getting mistreated and needed time off to heal from his injuries sustained at the hands of the APA. 

Whether or not the accusations of Buff getting future endeavored by WWF are true, it is well documented how much his mother loved him. Happy Mother's Day, Judy!

Song of the Day - On Yr Side

Slow Magic - On Yr Side from On Yr Side (single) (2012)

Slow Magic is the electronic glo-fi whatever project of Jerry Joiner AKA Girlfriends. He's a really cool guy.



Last.fm

Match of the Day - Kenta Kobashi takes on the American Bossman

Kenta Kobashi vs. The Big Bossman - AJPW (1993)

One of the greatest Puroresu/Japanese wrestlers of all time, Kenta Kobashi wrestled his retirement match today in Japan. Kobashi has wrestled countless five star matches including almost every All Japan Pro Wrestling match rated five stars by the Roger Ebert of wrestling reviews, Dave Meltzer. 

Kobashi's finest matches may have included the likes of Mitsuharu Misawa (and tagging with Misawa), Stan Hansen, Jun Akiyama, Steve Williams, and Samoa Joe, but my personal favorite Kobashi match currently has to be his AJPW match against The Big Bossman from 1993. Kobashi takes Bossman to the limit and really makes him look unstoppable at first. If anything, this match was Bossman's best thanks to Kobashi.

Enjoy.

Song of the Day - Awake In Sleep

Dark Castle - Awake In Sleep from Spirited Migration (2009)

Slow rooting doom metal.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Kyoko Kimura goes bananas on Abdullah Kobayashi in BJW!

Abdullah Kobayashi vs. Kyoko Kimura - Intergender Lighttube Deathmatch - BJW (2006)

Think of this match as less of a wrestling match and more of a horror movie where you actually care about the girl who's being attack by the monster and actually has a chance of winning.

It's tough to watch at some parts, especially if you are not a big fan of the whole 'make sure to break as many lighttubes because it looks cooler' hardcore wrestling mentality, but it's not as tough to watch as an intergender match once you realize how stiff Kyoko Kimura normally works. I haven't watched a lot of Kimura's matches, but the ones I have she is either really nice and friendly or stomping on girls off the tops of balconies. No joke.

Ultraviolent Wednesday.

Song of the Day - Smith & Jones Forever

Silver Jews - Smith & Jones Forever from American Water (1998)

One of my favorite songs and the last song that Silver Jews ever performed live.

Finals week is finished! 

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Last WCW match on the last Nitro ever!

Ric Flair vs. Sting - last Nitro main event - Monday Nitro (2001)

March 26, 2001: The Night of Champions, AKA the last Nitro of all time marked the end of an era and the dawn of WWF as the ultimate wrestling promotion. Vince had won the war and World Championship Wrestling had run its course. I guess it would only be fitting that the last match on the last Nitro, and the last WCW match (if you don't count the Buff Bagwell/Booker T "WCW" match on Raw) ever, be between the first man to be called the WCW World Heavyweight champion, Ric Flair, and the only big name wrestler to ever not jump ship to WWF, Sting!

Ric Flair versus Sting also just makes sense as the send-off match for Nitro. These two had gone toe-to-toe with each other countless of times including at the main event of the very first Clash of the Champions where they wrestled until the 45 minute time-limit. Flair and Sting even wrestled each other for the US Heavyweight title at the very first Nitro at the Mall of America right before the Hogan/Big Bubba Rogers main event less than six years prior. So yeah, perfect.

Anyways...

RIP WCW.

Theme Results:

Final match: Ric Flair in WCW, Sting in WCW, Nitro, and WCW.

Song of the Day - Pepsi/Coke Suicide

Elvis Depressedly - Pepsi/Coke Suicide from Holo Pleasures (2013)

Matt Cothran (also Coma Cinema) and his new album as Elvis Depressedly, entitled, Holo Pleasures is great!


Last.fm

Match of the Day - Brian Pillman faces his fellow comrade in his last match on Raw

Brian Pillman vs. Owen Hart - Intercontinental title tournament semi finals match - Raw is War (1997)

The Loose Cannon takes on his friend and fellow Hart Foundation comrade, Owen Hart in what would become his last televised match. The match was a semi finals tournament match for the vacant Intercontinental title against the two - who had both won their opening match of the tournament, but Pillman had other plans as he did not want to fight his friend, Owen. So, Pillman came out with a sling on and informed the crowd that he had slipped in the shower and broke his arm while doing non-PG things with Goldust's wife, Marlena (Terri Runnels).

Commissioner Slaughter, however, didn't buy the whole arm injury excuse and forced the two Stampede Wrestling alum to fight it out regardless of their partnership in the Hart Foundation.

Around this time, Brian Pillman was in a heated feud with Goldust, who had beat him at Summerslam with the special stipulation that Pillman had to wear one of Marlena's gold dresses if he lost. Pillman eventually got his revenge on Goldust at In Your House: Ground Zero when the Loose Cannon defeated Goldust to win the services of Marlena for thirty days. This was day 16.

Brian Pillman's next match on WWF TV was scheduled to be against Dude Love at In Your House: Bad Blood, but Pillman did not make it to the event. It was later revealed that Pillman had passed away from an unknown heart condition that day.

Owen Hart would go on to win the Intercontinental title tournament when he defeating Faarooq in the finals at Bad Blood that night.

Theme Results:

Final match: Owen Hart

Match of the Day - Mean Mark gets an 8.2 on the slam-o-meter + Robocop gets his own dressing room

Mean Mark w/ Theodore R. Long vs. Johnny Ace - NWA/WCW Capital Combat: The Return of Robocop (1990)

Who knew that all three of these men would still be around and even employed by WWE in the year 2012? Two of whom would have their own separate teams in a Survivor Series-style elimination match at WrestleMania XXVIII while the other would win his 30th WrestleMania match, the longest streak of its kind in WWE!

Who knew that Mark (pre-Undertaker) Calaway would be the last person to face Johnny Ace, AKA "Senior Vice President of Talent Operations" John Laurinaitis, in a televised match in WCW? A bout that may have also been Johnny's last televised match ever in the US as, soon after leaving WCW, he went of to wrestle and fine tune his "skills" in Japan with AJPW until his in-ring retirement in 2000.

Johnny Ace would later return to WCW after retiring, but just as a backstage figure with his real name, John Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis would eventually replace Vince Russo and be the head booker for WCW until its demise in 2001.

... And the rest is history.

This match is taken from the Capital Combat WCW PPV that revolved around Robocop saving Sting from the Four Horseman in promotion for Robocop 2 and then disappearing into wrestling folklore. Maybe Robocop will make a return in TNA this year or the next to help rescue Sting from the Aces & Eights to promote the new Robocop remake.

The match also features great use of the Slam-O-Meter, a very scientific metering system that WCW invented to calibrate and calculate the impact of a slam. Mean Mark earned himself an 8.2 on the Slam-O-Meter with his tight-rope elbow drop to end the match and send Johnny packing...

Theme Results:

Final match: Johnny Ace's final televised match in WCW and possibly in the US.

Song of the Day - Jump

Kris Kross - Jump from Totally Krossed Out (1992)

RIP Mac Daddy.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - RVD van-terminates almost every midcard title in 2002!

Speaking of hardcore Intercontinental Championship matches:

Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer (c) - Intercontinental title match/last Hardcore title match - Raw (2002)

In 2002, RVD made (little known) history when he unified the European title with the Intercontinental title after defeating Jeff Hardy (Euro champ) and then faced Hardcore champion Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore unification match a little under a month later. Rob Van Dam with his IC title was pretty much the go-to guy for defuncting a midcard title back then. Maybe if Rob returned to WWE today he could win the IC title and unify it with the US title since, like the Hardcore and European title in 2002, the US title serves zero purposes anymore.

Theme Results:

Final match: final Hardcore title match.

Song of the Day - Gotta Go Home

Boney M. - Gotta Go Home from Oceans of Fantasy (1979)

German steel drum reggae Europop?

Sampled in "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce.

I honestly like this version better.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Jeff Jarrett teaches Chyna how to be a woman in his last match ever in WWF

Hardcore Wednesday:

Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Chyna - Good Housekeeping match for the Intercontinental title - No Mercy (1999)

In order to prove that Chyna was really a woman, Jeff Jarrett issued a special challenge to the "Ninth Wonder in the World" to put her female skills to the test. The challenge: a Good Housekeeping match. What exactly is a Good Housekeeping match, you ask? Clearly it is a match filled with any sort of object that could be found in the house that women might use. So yep, Jeff Jarrett tried to beat Chyna with everything... including the kitchen sink.

This match is pretty significant not only because it was the first ever match featuring a man and a woman fighting each other with household objects and no one got arrested for domestic abuse on PPV, it was also significant because it was the last WWF/E match for Jeff Jarrett (who was wrestling without a contract and technically wasn't a WWF superstar) and was also the first time that a female wrestle, yep Chyna, won the Intercontinental title or any other title that wasn't in a female division in the WWF/E!

Now, this Good Housekeeping match might sound a little ridiculous and the last hurrah of Vince Russo (who was also leaving for WCW at the time) on paper, but from the looks of the promo shown before the match, this was seemingly one of the better and more well put together rivalries of late-1999. Even if this match revolved around Jarrett trying to hit Chyna with "every household appliance known to woman".

While Jeff Jarrett has yet to step in a WWF/E ring since this match, he did have a run in with Chyna again a couple years back when Kurt Angle brought her out as his "mistress" tag team partner against Jarrett and Angle's former wife, Karen. However, this was after Chyna stopped wrestling and started doing porn instead. So...

Thanks TNA.

Theme results:

Final match: Jeff Jarrett in WWF/E

PS: There were so many jokes for this match and I just couldn't write them all down. My apologies.