KENTA vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. BJ Whitmer - Triple Threat ROH World title match - Pro Wrestling Noah Northern Navigation Day 1 (2008)
Nigel McGuinness goes to Japan to defend his ROH world title against BJ Whitmer and Noah's own, KENTA. Despite KENTA's obvious home field advantage, Whitmer and McGuinness ganged up on the Japanese sensation and created an odd-man out situation that is very common in triple threat matches. Eventually the playing field was evened when Whitmer, aware that he wasn't going to win the title he continued to side with McGuinness, began to fight back against fellow ROH'er in hopes to win his first World Championship.
Not to give anything away, but this match almost ends with the same exact move that yesterday's match did. Hint hint.
Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Match to unify the WWF Championship with WCW's World Heavyweight Championship and to crown the new Undisputed Champion - WWF Vengeance (2001)
WWE may be labeling Randy Orton and John Cena's TLC match to unify the WWE title and the World Heavyweight title as the first unification match of its kind, but as someone who watched WWF buy out WCW, the eventually Invasion angle, and the final unification match with both companies top titles, I would have to beg the differ on that. Yes, I am aware that Jericho and Austin were wrestling to unify the WWE and WCW titles, but that same WCW title is being considered the same title still used today (or was, we'll see what happens) as the World Heavyweight title when it was reintroduced in 2002. Saying that this title here is not the same as the one John Cena held before TLC, yet saying that the title that Booker T won in WCW is the same, is completely ridiculous. By the way, if you go back and watch Jericho's entrance from the previous match you can clearly see Jericho is labeled as the "World Heavyweight" Champion; not just the WCW Champion.
Clearly someone just wants to make this Orton/Cena showdown huge by calling it the first of its kind.
The context behind this Austin/Jericho unification match is that there was a mini-tournament of sorts to crown the first undisputed champion by combining the WWE title with WCW's World heavyweight title. The first match was Kurt Angle taking on the WWF champ, Steve Austin, then The Rock (unsuccessfully) defended the World Heavyweight title against Chris Jericho. Jericho, just hot of winning the WHC had to take on Austin in the match above to crown the very first Undisputed Champion. The rest is history.
Ric Flair vs. Edge - TLC match for the WWE Championship - Raw (2006)
While maybe overlooked by wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and The Hardy Boyz when it comes to who's who of ladder matches, Edge is definitely a pioneer of the ladder match in his own right. He was in the very first tag team ladder match, the first ever triangle ladder match, the first three TLC tag team matches, seen here in the first ever singles TLC match, participated and won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match, and has (as of right now) been in more TLC matches than anyone else. Looking at it that way, Edge should definitely not be overlooked when it comes to ladders and wrestling. His opponent in this first ever TLC match for the WWE title on the other hand, had never been in a TLC match, let alone a ladder match. Edge's opponent was familiar with one thing in this match of firsts however, and that was championship gold... his opponent was the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair after all, a 16 time World Champion. And it was also Flair's home state of North Carolina.
This match between Edge and Ric Flair is a PPV quality match that replaced the death-defying spots that the tag team TLC matches were praised for with pure brutality. I almost forget this match is even a ladder match until at least 10 minutes in. Someone eventually climbs the ladder and retrieves the title, but who?
Fun fact: This is the only TLC match where someone blades... You'll never guess which one did that *Cough* Flair *Cough*.
Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels - No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship - In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies (1996)
Today, Canadian wrestling legend, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon passed away at age 84. Maurice, along with being part of the Vachon family, was also a multiple time heavyweight champion in AWA and WWE Hall of Famer. No disrespect to the man what-so-ever, but - despite all these accolades and accomplishments and rivalries with guys like The Crusher or Dick the Bruiser - I will always remember him most for his participation in the Diesel/Michaels match at In Your House 7 in 1996.
The match between Diesel and his former tag team partner, Shawn Michaels is a notable match in of itself as it serves as the last match that Kevin Nash ever played the character of Diesel in WWF before jumping ship to WCW (not counting a couple of years ago where Nash was dressed in the Diesel gear during his Royal Rumble return). The match was also a "No Holds Barred" match for Michaels' WWF championship and the first PPV or televised match Mad Dog Vachon ever got involved in. Well, a part of him got involved at least. See, Mad Dog Vachon was just a spectator in the audience that night until Diesel got out of the ring mid-match and threw the 67 year old man over the guardrail. Diesel then grabbed at Vachon's leg and ripped it off revealing an artificial leg that Vachon had from losing his real leg in a hit-and-run accident. That's when Diesel took Vachon's prosthetic leg and brought it into the ring to use against Michaels.
Unfortunately for Diesel, the leg was snagged away from him by the Heart Break Kid - who ended up using it to tune up the band and harness super "Mad Dog" powers for a devastating Sweet Chin Music. So devastating in fact that Kevin Nash was never seen in the WWE again until 2002. In a way, one could argue that it was the power of Mad Dog Vachon (and his fake leg) that drove Kevin Nash away all along.
The Rock vs. Mankind - Empty Arena Match for the WWF World Championship - Halftime Heat (1999)
Here's a little something-something for all the halftime lovers out there. Yay, football!
Not satisfied with Beyonce's breathtaking performance tonight? Watch this classic featuring Mankind taking on Th Rock for his World title in a very special Heat that was aired during the halftime of the 1999 Super Bowl on USA.
Owen hart vs. Bret Hart (c) - WWF Coliseum Video Exclusive Lumberjack Match (1994)
Remember when Owen Hart won the WWF World Heavyweight Title?
No? Well don't worry, I don't either. Not just because this was a Coliseum Video exclusive (usually matches that were taped only to be released on special video packages) but because he actually doesn't.
Turns out even though this match looks like it ends with Owen Hart getting the pinfall on his older brother, Bret thanks to Jim Neidhart hitting "The Hitman" in the back with his anvil-tough arm, the decision is soon called-off thanks to the interference and the match is restarted and officially ends with Bret retaining his coveted gold. However, you don't see that part of the match as most of the "Owen Hart wins the WWF Title" videos online have this important part of the match cut out.
It's a shame that Owen didn't ever win the title though. Maybe not so much this way, but it would have been a really nice change from super face champion to bitter heel shadow-of-his-brother-no-more champion. Maybe this would have led to an earlier Attitude Era? I doubt it though. If anything Bret would have just won the title back at Survivor Series (where Bob Backlund beat "The Hitman" via submission) of that year.
Anyways, here's Owen Hart versus Bret Hart, brother versus brother, in a Lumberjack match featuring the oddball characters of 1994 and the closest time Owen Hart ever got to becoming a World Champion.
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams vs. Raven - ECW Crossing The Line Again (1997)
After Steve Williams left WCW to make a name for himself as one of the best American wrestlers in Japan in the better part of the 90's, he decided to take his tough guy reputation and the decade-long undefeated streak he had built to the mean streets of South Philadelphia as he entered the dirty bingo hall known as the ECW arena for some Extreme Championship Wrestling blood.
While appearing on the Crossing The Line Again card in 1997 against Axl Rotten, Williams proved himself a World title contender by winner the match in 2 minutes tops. So after calling out Raven, the ECW World champ at the time, Williams didn't have to wait for his championship match - an impromptu match for the title was announced and the fight took off just like that...
The match probably seemed frantic not only because Williams wanted to win the title so quickly but also because there was still four more matches to be had that night. Unfortunately for Williams however, American wrestling isn't as faithful to some wrestlers as Japan is as Williams doesn't end up with the title and instead ends up losing for the first time in a decade.
Overall reaction to this match: First off, the pacing for this match is great - remember that Williams just had a match against Rotten and he was rearing to go - there was even the classic table at ringside ECW spot. But what really takes me aback about this match would clearly have to be the ending. Not only does Williams not win a title he could have easily won, he loses his undefeated streak... to Stevie Richards no less! Yep, Stevie Richards: The Dave Grohl of wrestling (I don't know about you, but I think they look very much alike).
Sometime after the match gets underway, blue World order along with bWo shirt-wearing Raven's son and girlfriend (?) show up to distract Raven and try to get "Dr. Death" to become the first international wrestler to join their crew. Williams refuses the offer of the bWo belly-shirt handed to him by Stevie, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and become The Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels and delivered Williams with three sweet chin music. Stevie must have really tuned up the band nicely because after Raven came in to finish Williams of with a DDT, Raven got the 1-2-3 and retained his title.
I always read that Williams had such a terrible time once he tried to break into the WWF, but looking back on this match, it seems that Williams was just one of those guys who did super well for himself in Japan but never really had it in the States. Maybe Williams just had a little something I like to call, 'Japanese wrestling syndrome'.
But hey, Japan-based wrestling is one of the most well-respected and true 'professional wrestling' forms this world has to offer. So... yeah.
Here's something interesting, a wCw match taking place on Raw.
This World Heavyweight title main event didn't just happen on Raw because Nitro was full that night. No, at this point in 2001, WCW and all of its talent (the ones still around) was now owner by Vince McMahon who could do whatever he wanted with it. So, before doing away with the WCW name all together and calling the wrestlers still around "The Invasion", or later, "The Alliance" as talent still lingering for pay with ECW and WWF Benedict Arnolds started joining in, it looked like WCW was going to have its own brand inside Raw. At least that's what they made it out be one night in July with Booker T, the current WCW World Heavyweight champion taking on Buff Bagwell in his only appearance on Raw.
To think, if this match didn't get booed out of the building, would we have seen WCW become a brand just like ECW did years later? Ehh, maybe - but probably not. Brands hadn't really been thought up at this point in WWF and I don't think McMahon wanted to give these wrestlers (he had acquired from the AOL Time Warner Buy-out) their own show every week. No TV network wanted that, that's for sure. The whole situation was sort of reminiscent of when WCW decided NWO should be its own separate thing; Thus creating WCW/NWO Revenge (the N64 game) and Souled Out, a PPV originally conceived as an NWO-only event with WCW wrestlers as challengers.
Overall impression of the match: I remember this happening very well actually. At the time, I was a huge WWF mark and seeing WCW talent coming in and having their own wCw logo and apron on the ring really gave me the frights! I mean, I really thought that WCW was going to somehow take over big and powerful WWF and I would have to put up with more of their crap that they tried pulling out of their ass like they did in 2000-2001.
WCW was done. With that being said, I don't think I watched this match the first time it aired - but I did stay tuned for the end when Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin (who would later jump ship and join The Alliance themselves) attacked Booker to end this match and the fans misery. No wait! scratch that, I didn't! I think the last thing I remember from this Raw was Austin kicking Bagwell out of the building (literally) while my past self cheered for the fact that I'd never have to see Buffman - I mean Buff Bagwell - or his mom on TV ever again.
Also, Arn Anderson and Scott Hudson make one boring commentating team. That and this match was pretty much doomed from the beginning. Boring, un-WWF, not main event level wrestler, and an all around poor attempt to convince anyone that a WCW reincarnation in the WWF could ever exist.
It's the main event. It's a steel cage match. It features Dick the Bruiser as Popeye, Paul Heyman on commentary making Popeye and Gordon Solie jokes, and even a spaceship entrance to top it all off accompanied by the voice of The Shockmaster, Ole Anderson. What more do you want?
This was also the match that ended the Black Scorpion gimmick which, originally thought up by Ole Anderson himself, really had nowhere to go. So, after Dusty Rhodes took over booking in WCW, The American Dream put an end to whole gimmick by putting someone who could really be the man behind the mask after months of impostor Black Scorpions had been running around taunting Sting. I'm not going to give it away if you don't already know who signed up to be the real Black Scorpion but maybe you can figure it out yourself just by watching a little of this match. It's not as obvious as Mr. America (pic) but it's close-ish. Hopefully that flashy robe doesn't give it away after that out-of-this-world entrance too much.
Overall impression of the match: Beginning is crazy. Match is a little boring. Unveiling at the end is super rushed, especially with Good Ol' JR screaming the countdown and just who is under that mask,errr, those masks I mean. In the end though, definitely worth watching.
