Ah... The War Games. It's spawned some of the greatest moments in wrestling. Of clurse, it also did spawn one of the worst moments, as well...
Anyway, we're not hear to focus on that, whatsoever. Trust me, The Shockmaster, and the events of the 1993 Fall Brawl are not going to make my list of greatest... Well, anything, really. That is, unless you count the greatest fuck ups of all time. But this isn't about The Shockmaster, it's about The War Games, the match that spawned thousands of pissed pants throughout the world. Everything about this match screams tradition; The Double Ring Double Cage, The stiff knocks into the cage that happened more than a fair share of times, the ever humorous coincidence that the heel team always won the coin toss. War Games is something that's been bantered about as potentially returning for the past five or so years. Naturally, in the PG Era, that may prove difficult, but there is still a calling of people who'd love to watch it return. Why, you ask? Because it's so fricking bad ass, you'd have to be a complete ass hat to not want to watch one of the brutal, career threatening matches. Plenty of the worlds greatest have stup into this extremely before its time contraption, only to watch their blood, sweat, and tears be used all in this match. Who better knows the dangers of the Double Ring, Double Cage than Arn Anderson, who's competed in a whopping 17 out of 28 of these matches. Of course, in another pretty interesting fact, Arn Anderson had never won a War Games match in his entire career, meaning he was on the receiving end of 17 ass kickings in the cage. People that walk into War Games rarely ever walk out the same, and those that do probably take shitty bumps anyway. Hulk Hogan, here's looking right at you, pal. You're not too far behind, Kevin Nash. Still, of all the War Games Matches you've ever seen, which one stands out as your favorite.
Personally, I feel as though the 1989 version, involving the Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Dr. Death VS. The Freebirds and SST was a fantastic War Games. As a matter of fact, had it at least one Horsemen, or a tag team of them, it would get my vote. But it doesn't, and the lack of star power does really hurt it for me. The wrestling was good, given the participants and there admittedly wasn't blood, which also hurts it for me. I would have probably enjoyed this match for more were it not for the fact that were no Horsemen. Alas, I really can't see fit to put a staple in the Horsemen Tradition thread up, without actually talking about the Horsemen. So, the 1989 earns my Third Place, or Second Runner Up. However they call it now.
The 1996 War Games, on the other hand, probably put on the best story. The story of where Sting's allegiance laid was something that was pretty damn riveting, and admittedly, little mark that I was, I bought it. I legitimately bought that Sting had defected to the other side. The fact that it was the ultimate WCW player defecting at the ultimate WCW match was something that made me believe so much that the face of WCW was going to turn his back. Looking back on it now, though, it seems pretty obvious that it was a rip off. Furthermore, in hindsight, I'm not sure why I didn't see it coming earlier; the man that played Sting barely even looked like the guy. That, plus Hogan, Hall, and Nash just didn't work that kind of style. War Games calls for a brutal style, and all of these men kind of worked an egg shell offense, in which wasn't conducive to the actaul War Games match. It's a great match, but then again, War Games is a great gimmick. Which is why this slides into #2 for me.
For me.... It's always a cliche to go with the first of its kind, and I hate I have to play the cliche role. But my God.... What could ever top the First War Games, back in 1987?
This one, unlike its 1996 counterpart, actually does stand the test of time, for so many reasons. First, let's just count the obvious; it had both The Horsmen, as well as The Road Warriors. Both of these groups were so damn important to making this type of match a success, and really, this was their kind of match. Both of the teams were absolutely brutal at the time; The Horsemen knew how to kick ass when they weren't out fucking your wife. The Road Warriors... Well, they just kicked all sorts of ass, and even kicked your wife's ass for fun. Many people will point to the fact that Dusty was in it, and that it was Dusty booking himself to dominate. Personally, I disagree. Dusty did everything he needed to; he got a crowd pop, albeit its still stunning he does, he bled like a stuck pig, and he proceeded to brawl. Sure, he probably shouldn't have started with Arn, and that should have been Nikita, but it worked for what it was. Nikita was always a hard worker in the ring, and I've always been a huge fan of his style. So, from a star standpoint, this match has you covered. From an action standpoint, it was as brutal as any cage match I'd ever seen. These ten men knew what it took to use the cage to their advantage, and they did. Blood was ample, which is always a good things for these War Games matches, and there was no one that left unscathed. From a story standpoint, I always like how it booked everybody strong. They had the manager take the fall, which made sense, as both teams had managers on their roster, and kept any of the Horsemen from being made to submit. The idea of having to go through so much to get to Dillon was something I liked, and it made total sense. The storylines all fit, as, well, who didn't want to kick the Horsemen's ass. Flair and Dusty had their feud, Luger and Koloff were going for their US Title feud, which Luger would win one week later, and The Road Warriors working against Blanchard and Arn Anderson just really made sense. Also, the idea of keeping the face team separated by the gang attacks of the heels was something that really made you pull for the faces. You knew every fifteen seconds, that face was going to even up the score when he was let into the cage, and once the clock hit zero, you popped like a virgin's cherry on prom night. The winning psychology of letting the Road Warriors work on Dillion was ingenious for its time, and just a good example of the ring psychology you just won't find. Even the atmosphere for this match seemed so tense, that you can't help but get sucked in. And sucked in I was. You can try, but you can;t do outdo greatness. And this was pure greatness.
What is your favorite War Games?
[YOUTUBE]kByD3cqlVHY&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Anyway, we're not hear to focus on that, whatsoever. Trust me, The Shockmaster, and the events of the 1993 Fall Brawl are not going to make my list of greatest... Well, anything, really. That is, unless you count the greatest fuck ups of all time. But this isn't about The Shockmaster, it's about The War Games, the match that spawned thousands of pissed pants throughout the world. Everything about this match screams tradition; The Double Ring Double Cage, The stiff knocks into the cage that happened more than a fair share of times, the ever humorous coincidence that the heel team always won the coin toss. War Games is something that's been bantered about as potentially returning for the past five or so years. Naturally, in the PG Era, that may prove difficult, but there is still a calling of people who'd love to watch it return. Why, you ask? Because it's so fricking bad ass, you'd have to be a complete ass hat to not want to watch one of the brutal, career threatening matches. Plenty of the worlds greatest have stup into this extremely before its time contraption, only to watch their blood, sweat, and tears be used all in this match. Who better knows the dangers of the Double Ring, Double Cage than Arn Anderson, who's competed in a whopping 17 out of 28 of these matches. Of course, in another pretty interesting fact, Arn Anderson had never won a War Games match in his entire career, meaning he was on the receiving end of 17 ass kickings in the cage. People that walk into War Games rarely ever walk out the same, and those that do probably take shitty bumps anyway. Hulk Hogan, here's looking right at you, pal. You're not too far behind, Kevin Nash. Still, of all the War Games Matches you've ever seen, which one stands out as your favorite.
Personally, I feel as though the 1989 version, involving the Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Dr. Death VS. The Freebirds and SST was a fantastic War Games. As a matter of fact, had it at least one Horsemen, or a tag team of them, it would get my vote. But it doesn't, and the lack of star power does really hurt it for me. The wrestling was good, given the participants and there admittedly wasn't blood, which also hurts it for me. I would have probably enjoyed this match for more were it not for the fact that were no Horsemen. Alas, I really can't see fit to put a staple in the Horsemen Tradition thread up, without actually talking about the Horsemen. So, the 1989 earns my Third Place, or Second Runner Up. However they call it now.
The 1996 War Games, on the other hand, probably put on the best story. The story of where Sting's allegiance laid was something that was pretty damn riveting, and admittedly, little mark that I was, I bought it. I legitimately bought that Sting had defected to the other side. The fact that it was the ultimate WCW player defecting at the ultimate WCW match was something that made me believe so much that the face of WCW was going to turn his back. Looking back on it now, though, it seems pretty obvious that it was a rip off. Furthermore, in hindsight, I'm not sure why I didn't see it coming earlier; the man that played Sting barely even looked like the guy. That, plus Hogan, Hall, and Nash just didn't work that kind of style. War Games calls for a brutal style, and all of these men kind of worked an egg shell offense, in which wasn't conducive to the actaul War Games match. It's a great match, but then again, War Games is a great gimmick. Which is why this slides into #2 for me.
For me.... It's always a cliche to go with the first of its kind, and I hate I have to play the cliche role. But my God.... What could ever top the First War Games, back in 1987?
[YOUTUBE]7LJQmpokl-c&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
This one, unlike its 1996 counterpart, actually does stand the test of time, for so many reasons. First, let's just count the obvious; it had both The Horsmen, as well as The Road Warriors. Both of these groups were so damn important to making this type of match a success, and really, this was their kind of match. Both of the teams were absolutely brutal at the time; The Horsemen knew how to kick ass when they weren't out fucking your wife. The Road Warriors... Well, they just kicked all sorts of ass, and even kicked your wife's ass for fun. Many people will point to the fact that Dusty was in it, and that it was Dusty booking himself to dominate. Personally, I disagree. Dusty did everything he needed to; he got a crowd pop, albeit its still stunning he does, he bled like a stuck pig, and he proceeded to brawl. Sure, he probably shouldn't have started with Arn, and that should have been Nikita, but it worked for what it was. Nikita was always a hard worker in the ring, and I've always been a huge fan of his style. So, from a star standpoint, this match has you covered. From an action standpoint, it was as brutal as any cage match I'd ever seen. These ten men knew what it took to use the cage to their advantage, and they did. Blood was ample, which is always a good things for these War Games matches, and there was no one that left unscathed. From a story standpoint, I always like how it booked everybody strong. They had the manager take the fall, which made sense, as both teams had managers on their roster, and kept any of the Horsemen from being made to submit. The idea of having to go through so much to get to Dillon was something I liked, and it made total sense. The storylines all fit, as, well, who didn't want to kick the Horsemen's ass. Flair and Dusty had their feud, Luger and Koloff were going for their US Title feud, which Luger would win one week later, and The Road Warriors working against Blanchard and Arn Anderson just really made sense. Also, the idea of keeping the face team separated by the gang attacks of the heels was something that really made you pull for the faces. You knew every fifteen seconds, that face was going to even up the score when he was let into the cage, and once the clock hit zero, you popped like a virgin's cherry on prom night. The winning psychology of letting the Road Warriors work on Dillion was ingenious for its time, and just a good example of the ring psychology you just won't find. Even the atmosphere for this match seemed so tense, that you can't help but get sucked in. And sucked in I was. You can try, but you can;t do outdo greatness. And this was pure greatness.
What is your favorite War Games?
