The Re-Watched Thread

[JamJam]

Basically, we're taking a ride down memory lane here. I thought of this idea when I saw jmt225 post a thread about re-watching the Undertaker/Batista match at Mania 23. I was going to contribute to the thread but thought that making this thread would be much better. Could lead to a lot of great discussion. Discuss matches or segments from any company you've re-watched and give your opinion as to why you've brought it up. Try to provide a link as much as possible so that we can all watch it as well.

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I'll start this one off with one of my favorite feuds ever. Christian vs. Randy Orton. These two just put on clinic after clinic after clinic. Not sure if they've ever wrestled each other but from what I know, this World Heavyweight Title Match was their first of any kind. The chemistry these two had was clear and WWE were wise enough to turn this into a feud. Every match that these two had was one to behold. I chose the match that started it all. The one where Christian defended his belt just five days after winning the title. While it wasn't the best match in the feud, it was still a great match. For this title change to happen on TV was also something big since WWE hadn't really allowed that to happen for a while.

Choose any match in this feud and I guarantee you'll be entertained. Every time that I thought they couldn't top their previous match, they did just that and more. Every counter to the Spear, the Unprettier, and the RKO were seen in this feud. So what are you waiting for? Go and watch all the matches in this feud. You won't regret it!

Now it's your turn. Discuss my post or start a new post of your own!

 

[WBL]

[YOUTUBE]qRBZuQK6jg4[/YOUTUBE]

Going through my portable hard drive recently, where I keep all of my videos so that my computer can run that much faster, swimming through Touhou music videos and let's plays, I found this. The Rock (c) vs. Mankind, Empty Arena match, Halftime Heat.

Let's get this straight from the get-go. This is a match in name only. It's really more of a street brawl turned into a vaudeville routine. But seriously... it's fun and entertaining for what it is. You've got one guy with amazing wrestling ability, one guy with tons of hardcore experience, and they're both insanely charismatic and entertaining. For what it is, it's just straight-up fun.

... except that ending.

The fucking ending.

Where a cameraman decided to go ahead and break down the fourth wall, essentially, doing a stupid close-up on The Rock so even the biggest marks might get the hint that yeah, not only is this not real, it might not even be live.

But if you stop the video as soon as Mankind gets on that forklift? Tons of hardcore fun. It's not Flair/Steamboat, but it's fun.

 

[nightmare]

I recently watched a tag match with Tonga Tom & Quick Rick Roberts vs The Cannibals. The first meeting ended in injury, but man the rematch was a classic. It was well worth the wait. You actually felt like you were right along with them for their journey back from injury. It had everything you want- drama, excitement, rock 'n' roll & action. If you have not seen this classic, check it out ASAP !



I would show you a clip, but I cant seem to hook up my VCR to the internet. Sorry guys, maybe you can find a copy at Blockbuster. Its a great new store where you can rent any video you want! Look it up in the yellow pages, because there has to be one in your area somewhere. A great business like that is sure to be all over the place.

 

[The Butcher]

The hour-plus long anthology embedded below is The Von Erichs: Front Row Ringside, and it's one of the best collections of Von Erich matches you'll get without ordering the WWE Network or buying a DVD set. For one thing, the Von Erichs themselves tell the story, as this was made before any of the wrestling brothers except David had died. This allows it to come from a more uplifting and affirming place, as they all speak highly of one another and their matches/careers. Even knowing how things wound up, the tone of the video allows the viewer to push the negative aside for a while and travel back to better days.

There are a number of matches and in-ring segments included, and I want to elaborate on three of them:

-Fritz Von Erich vs. King Kong Bundy (c) in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the NWA American Heavyweight Championship. This was Fritz's retirement match, and for an old man and a mastodon, he and Bundy kept up a pretty good pace. The bout took place at Texas Stadium and my goodness, that atmosphere. Even 32 years after the fact, with all of the pro wrestling extravaganzas that have come since, this match still feels like a big deal. It doesn't matter if you were watching back then or yet to be born, the "big fight feel" and emotion of the evening still come through. The people of Dallas/Ft. Worth loved them some Fritz, and Bundy, a disciple of Gary Hart (who was banned from ringside), got great heat every time he laid his hands on the Von Erich patriarch. The image of Fritz and his boys after the match is iconic. Pretty much essential viewing for anyone claiming IWC street cred.
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-Kevin Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy (c) for the NWA American Heavyweight Championship. As Kevin himself says when introducing the match, he was the big brother of the Von Erichs and Gordy was the de-facto big brother of the Freebirds, so aside from being a title bout this was also a significant part of that legendary feud. One thing that'll surely catch your eye during this match is just how well Gordy moves for a man of his size. I can honestly say I never truly appreciated him before seeing this bout. Gordy was a 6 1/2 foot, 300 lbs behemoth, but he moves nearly step-for-step with the smaller, incredibly athletic Kevin. While guys like Rusev and the late Umaga are often brought up these days for their impressive mix of size and agility, that conversation isn't complete without mentioning Bamm Bamm. It's a high-energy match, and the crowd at the Sportatorium is characteristically raucous. Very fun bout that holds up great despite its age.
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-Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair (c) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Of all the matches included, this is likely the one that the greatest number of people are familiar with and for good reason. It took place mere months after the death of David Von Erich in front of 50,000 people (according to the commentator) at Texas Stadium. The event was named for the late Von Erich brother, and Kerry came to the ring in a robe with "In Memory of David" and a yellow rose (David's nickname) emblazoned across the back. Much of what I said about the Fritz Von Erich retirement match applies here as well-- the atmosphere was electric. What is different is that this has prime Ric Flair. Kerry is every bit his match here, and the match is pretty much what one should expect given that description. This one's also an essential.
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Whether you're re-watching this whole thing or any of the matches included, or you're watching any or all of it for the first time, this is a great way for a wrestling fan to spend an hour and change. It'll do you good to see and hear the legendary family speak about themselves and their careers prior to the string of tragedies that hit them in the late 80s/early 90s. I loved the crowd shots throughout. Front Row Ringside is a wonderful time capsule, perfect for edifying the neophyte or guiding the old-timer down memory lane.

[youtube]xzIYfb3QVSQ[/youtube]​

 

[klunderbunker]

Raw/Nitro from 1999. Pick whichever episode you like.

It astounds me that people are interested in this stuff and long to have it back. The shows are really, REALLY bad with matches that barely ever get any time, booking that feels like it was drawn out of a fishbowl, and plot twists that emphasize shock over any logic or reasoning. This idea of competition is fine, but people need to stop confusing quality with shock. I'd much rather have one company booked competently than two being insane.

 

[The Butcher]

After reading about Bobby Heenan in a thread earlier, I popped in his WWE documentary. As usual with WWE docs, it's a great retrospective on The Brain's early life and career, with a slew of interviewees ranging from his wife and daughter to peers like Jim Cornette and Vince McMahon himself.

Plus the second disc has the '92 Rumble on it. 'Nuff said.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Older fans enjoy re watching their fav matchs & moments, WWE isn't making a mint of retrospective DVDs for nothing.

Some matches worth watching again...

Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes Starrcade 85 – Maybe their best televised match, fast pace, wild affair, red hot crowd, Dusty was more over than anyone in wrestling not named Hulk Hogan at this point

Any of the Flair-Whyndam matches circa 1987 or Flair-Steamboat matches circa 1989

Hulk Hogan-Randy Savage W-Mania V – This was probably the closest Hogan ever came to losing during his 80s prime, win or lose Savage always performed at a high level, maybe Hogan’s best US Match

Tully Blanchard-Magnum TA – US Title “I Quit” Steel Cage Match Starrcade 85 – Still the ultimate I Quit Match, back when name wrestlers NEVER submitted in matches. The hatred between these two was palpable and despite the fact Blanchard often played a cowardly heel he is convincingly tough and nasty in this match, with a hard core style ending that would have made 90s ECW proud (and WAY more brutal than anything in WWE at the time)

Brett Hart-HBK S-Series 92 – The match that made HBK look like a bona fide top tier talent.

Royal Rumble 92 – Incredible collection of future 90s Superstars and existing 80s superstars all in or near their primes, the most star studded Rumble by far all time. Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, Savage, Hogan, Undertaker, HBK, former World Champs Kerry Von Erich & Sgt Slaughter, Sid Viscious, and of course Ric Flair in an incredible “Mr NWA beats the entire WWE” moment. Bobby Heenan’s commentary was priceless as well.

War Games 1 – Great Concept, great brutal match

Austin-Rock 1 – some people say Austin-Rock II was better but I hate the Austin allies with Vince ending

Austin-Brett Hart “I Quit” Match – The only I Quit Match so good it deserves mention alongside Blanchard-TA – kind of like the Lakers & Celtics in terms of historical greatness

HBK-Taker – Both W-Mania matches – like Flair-Steamboat , so great that so much has already been said I don’t have anything new to add

HHH-Taker II & III at W-Mania – Give HHH credit, he works his A$# off for the good of the show and really makes these matches special as the last believable threats to “The Streak”

Edge vs Cena TLC 2006 and Edge vs Ric Flair TLC 2006 – Edge was way past doing TLC matches, working hard to establish his gimmick and credibility as wrestler and not be indentified as a gimmick guy. Reluctantly he agreed to do these two matches, the first time the WWE Title was ever contested under TLC rules – and against two wrestler who do not wrestle this style, a 56 year old Flair and Cena, a guy that while known for working hard in big bouts he isn’t known for taking many high spots or big risks in bouts. Amazingly, both bouts are excellent, the Cena match one of their best in their protracted feud and the Flair match considered one of the best of Edge’s career and one of the best RAW main events all time. Edge might have been remembered as an all time great if injuries didn’t end his career early.

Flair-Terry Funk Great Am Bash 89 - The match was a good mix of brawling and technical wrestling, inside and outside the ring action, and at times brutal (beating each other with branding iron). The wild post match brawl is one of the best you'll ever see, followed by a great promo.

Taker-Foley S-Slam Hell In A Cell - No one should ever take the risks Foley takes in this match, but even without "the spot" this is a brutal, hate filled brawl in which Taker at times looks more vulnerable than normal.

 

[Slash-LN]

I just went back and watched some of the Brawl For All stuff to see if it was really as bad as those of us who saw it remember.

It is. Sloppy punches and horrible take downs. Dan Severn's comments on a story on the front page made me want to revisit it. Dan was shit in it for the one fight he had. He mentions in the interview he wasn't going to wear the gloves and he wasn't going to throw a punch and was just going to get Godfather to submit but submissions weren't even part of it and the ref had to tell him multiple times to release the holds and stand back up. Also in his particular fight the announcers had Godfather winning the fight but Dan was announced as the winner. I don't know if that's why they took him out and put Godfather back in or if they just thought Dan would be too boring.

Jim Ross now and back then calls it the Brawl For It All tournament. I'd think with as long as it was around he'd get the name right at some point.

Anyway I don't recommend watching them but if you do have an interest in it there is a YouTube video that has every fight including the Butterbean one. The video is roughly two hours long.