WCW Sin 2001 Review

WCW Sin 2001 PPV 

Live From Indianapolis Indiana, where I am writing this today, we are going to look into the biggest events of WCW for 2001, since they were on their way out, and well, I wanted to review things overall. Let’s get into the action, and see how it all went down. WCW 2001, with all sorts of talent.

Chavo Guerrero Jr defeated Shane Helms in the WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match

This was a good opening match, featuring Chavo doing a lot more fast action, high flying work than he would do in WWE. Shane Helms was great here too, and as part of 3-Count, he really did well with fighting through a lot of different focused hits. There was some good back and forth here of course.

Reno defeated Big Vito

This was a good big man match. Lots of power moves, lots of back and forth, and in the end Reno go the win. It wasn’t a terrible match, but it was definitely one that was mostly a matter of big men, throwing big shots, and power moves. Fun for what it was.

The Jung Dragons defeated Evan Karagias and Jamie Noble

Man, this was fast, and quite fun to watch as well. It featured the young cruiserweight from the WCW call ups and it was fun to watch them go back and forth throughout the match. This was under 10 minutes, but it was fun to watch and the two threw out a lot of high spots, and classic small guy moves.

Team Canada defeated The Filthy Animals in a Penalty Box Match with Jim Duggan as a Ref

This was so much fun to watch, and I loved the concept of the Penalty Box, with Duggan calling it all down the middle. The guys really proved to be good workers, and I was even impressed with Konnan’s work here. Kidman and Mysterio were flying around the ring with Storm and Skipper, and Mike Awesome is a gem with this team. Major Gunns looked good, and I’m sure she’s as cold as ever since I recall hugging her in an XPW show.

Meng defeated Crowbar and Terry Funk in the WCW Hardcore Championship Match

This went immediately to the back and there was a lot of back and forth action here. It was a good match, with some great momentum here and there. I didn’t hate it, mind you, I thought that the guys put on an ok match with Funk throwing down some great shots against Meng and Crowbar for that matter. Meng would get the win, and took a lot of chair shots to the head, which were cringe worthy.

Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire defeated The Insiders in the WWE tag Team Match

This was a hard hitting match and was impressive if you ask me. Palumbo and O’Haire were good here and DDP was fighting like he had something to prove. Page and Nash worked well together, and the crowd was incredibly hot for this. The crowd was going nuts for each iteration of this match. I must also say that Tony Schiavone was great here with some great calls. When Kevin Nash got the hot tag, he took out both competitors, but out of the blue came out Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger, which prompted the new guys to win the tag team titles. Buff came in dressed up and had a pipe! This got a lot of heat, and it was a great match even if it ended with cheating. The crowd went nuts booing.

Shane Douglas defeated General E Rection for the US Championship in a Chain Match

This was a hard hitting, crazy match with Shane Douglas getting beat up a lot, but eventually would get a helping hand in knocking out E Section with a chain. This was a first blood chain match, and it ended with Douglas cheating and getting the win, which was one hell of a brawl overall. Good stuff here, and I enjoyed it. Hard hitting, the crowd was into it, and that’s always nice.

Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell defeated Goldberg and Sarge

This was one hell of a match folks. It had Goldberg getting a lot of attention first, then things started to go downhill as Luger and Bagwell would cheat to get the win. They would isolate Sarge then after a fan interaction that seemed to spray Goldberg with something, he got beat down from Buff and Luger and that was that. Good fight, nice work, and honestly, the crowd was into it, until Luger and Buff would get the win.

Scott Steiner defeated Sid Vicious, Jeff Jarrett, and a Mystery Opponent

The story of this match was that Ric Flair had a mystery man that was going to come down and beat up Scott Steiner. However, the bigger story was that Jeff Jarrett and Steiner were working together against Sid Vicious. Sid would break his leg in this match, and the WWE Network doesn’t show it, so make sure you look for the official release if you want to see the unedited version. The Mystery Opponent showed up and it was none other than Roadwarrior Animal! It was not half bad, but the match was rushed, and left the crowd a bit dead. It ended quickly, the credits rolled, and Steiner kept his title yet again.

Overall, I would give this a C rating for the overall matches and crowd. It wasn’t bad, or as terrible as people think, but it wasn’t amazing either. It had some good matches in the undercard, and lots of shenanigans, with a hot crowd. I didn’t hate it.

WCW Starrcade 1996 Results and Review

WCW Starrcade 1996

Here we go, another review that I can guarantee is better on VHS than on the WWE Network. Regardless, here is my take on the event as it was. Today, we’re talking about WCW Starrcade 1996, and all of the ups and downs that occurred.

The event took place on December 29, 1996. I tweeted at Eric Bischoff about this event, and he tweeted me back, because I mentioned how great the opening match was. The attendance on this show was 9,030 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. This was the last PPV event for the 1996 year, and over on the WWF side, they had a crappy In Your House. Now, let’s see how well this event came through, with a few notes of interest.

WCW Starrcade 1996 Results

Ultimo Dragon defated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship
Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship
Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match
The Outsiders defeted The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match
Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title
Lex Luger defeated The Giant
Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

WCW Starrcade 1996 Review

Ultimo Dragon defeated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship

This match was a great example of how to turn on the heat in a Cruiserweight title match. Dragon was flying around the ring and Malenko was trying to stop him. Overall, he wasn’t able to get the Japanese and Lucha star to go down, and in the end, after around 20 minutes, this match was in the books with Dragon being the new champion.

Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship

Madusa was awesome, and didn’t get her dues, I think. Hokuto put on a show here, putting the boots to Madusa, and eventually getting the win. Madusa looked to be legit hurt in this match.

Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.

Talk about another classic, Jushin Thunder Liger and Rey Mysterio Jr. in their prime! This was a 15 minute match that was very much back and forth. There was a little confusion on the finish, but overall, this is an instant classic. This is a great example of how to throw down a cruiserweight match, just because. The crowd got into it with the escalation of moves.

Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match

Not a great match. Didn’t really care for this one, but hey it was ok, I guess.

The Outsiders defeated The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match

The Outsiders put the boots to the Faces of Fear, and won this match in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t that good. Hall and Nash were not putting in a lot of work in these matches, and well it showed. There were a few moments of interest, but overall, this wasn’t a great showing for the tag titles.

Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title

You would think that these two guys would have more chemistry, but it wasn’t to be had, yet. This was a boring affair, with Eddie Guerrero getting the big win. I didn’t really think that these guys hit their stride until 1998, but hey, that’s just my two cents. \

Lex Luger defeated The Giant

No, Luger didn’t rack the Giant. This is the BIG SHOW, by the way, and he’s awesome. The Giant was awesome back then, and this match shows. Luger and Giant put on a good match, with Giant even getting a top rope move in. Great stuff from Luger, selling for Giant, and well, this was a fun match to watch.

Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

The crowd went nuts for this match. It’s what you would expect from two 40 something year old men. Overall, a good brawl, but after about 15 minutes, Hogan was put to sleep. This wasn’t for the title, but the crowd went ballistic when Piper won by submission.

Overall, WCW Starrcade 1996 wasn’t a great PPV, but it had some solid performances. The cruiserweight matches are well worth watching, and the last two matches are a lot of fun overall. Sting was in the rafters, and well, that ended WCW’s 1996. A good year if you ask me, and this PPV was better than a lot of the WWF stuff that was going on, although it would flip.

I recommend buying WCW Starrcade 1996 on VHS here, instead of the WWE Network, as the Network has butchered the music, and edited the fans signs, and more.

WCW World War 3 1996 Results and Review A Better VHS Experience

And here we go, in 1996 this event was definitely an intriguing one. If you are not familiar with the wrestling event of WCW World War 3, you should know that it has 3 rings and 60 men. That’s right, 3 rings, and 60 men go in, and only 1 wins. It’s a battle royal to end all battle royals, and it’s amazing to say the least. I loved these events, and absolutely enjoyed the 60 man gimmick. Anyways, for 1996, the VHS was unedited. When I watched it back on the network, I noticed a lot of blurs, and changes made by the WWE team. So if you’re going to watch this, get the unedited version, or just watch it on the network, what do I care?

In Norfolk, Virginia a crowd of 10,314 was gathered to see this one, and there was a lot of action. I didn’t get to see the dark match, but apparently it featured La Parka and Villano IV. So here we go, Sunday, November 24, 1996, World War 3 cue the fireworks.

WCW World War 3 1996 Results and Review

The Ultimate Dragon defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. (J Crown Championship)

Holy crap! This was an opener that you have to see. These two were in their absolute primes. Mysterio is young, light, and flies around the ring like no other. Ultimate Dragon is a great fighter, and he really showcases some great respect for Mysterio in this match. I loved the back and forth, and the two were playing a game of pro-wrestling chess. Dragon would eventually get the win, and that was that.

Chris Jericho defeated Nick Patrick in a one arm tied behind the back match

This was not a high point for Chris Jericho. He beat up Nick Patrick, in a forgettable match.

Harlem heat defeated The Amazing French-Canadians

Not a great match, but afterwards Sherri would get Colonel Robert Parker for 5 minutes. She is awesome, and she really threw herself around the ring. As for Harlem Heat, they worked stiff, and I don’t know how a lot of teams let Booker T drop his tree trunk of a leg on their heads. Holy crap. You have to see him fly around the ring.

Dean Malenko defeated Psychosis (Cruiserweight Championship)

Malenko was all technical wrestling in this one. Psychosis is a high flyer normally, but Malenko had him grounded for the whole match. I was surprised how this went, and Malenko would eventually get the win. Psychosis is one of my favorite luchadors, but here, he just couldn’t get much going against a very methodical Malenko.

The Outsiders defeated The Faces of Fear and The Nasty Boys (World Tag Team Championship)

This match was hard hitting. The Outsiders and the rest worked stiff in my view. They all brawled but it would eventually be The Outsiders with the win. This was like watching the old school get tossed aside for the new. The Outsiders won after around 16 minutes.

The Giant won the World War 3 match

This was amazing. The ending had the NWO against Lex Luger alone. Luger took on all of them by himself, but eventually it was The Giant that would give him the win. Great match, and a lot of fun.

WCW World War 3 Competitors: Arn Anderson, Marcus Bagwell, The Barbarian, Chris Benoit, Big Bubba Rogers, Jack Boot, Bunkhouse Buck, Ciclope, Disco Inferno, Jim Duggan, Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Galaxy, Joe Gomez, Jimmy Del Ray, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Eddy Guerrero, Scott Hall, Prince Iaukea, Ice Train, Mr. JL, Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, Kenny Kaos, Konnan, Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Meng, Rey Misterio Jr., Hugh Morrus, Kevin Nash, Scott Norton, Carl Ouellet, Diamond Dallas Page, La Parka, Sgt. Craig Pittman, Jim Powers, Robbie Rage, Stevie Ray, Lord Steven Regal, The Renegade, Scotty Riggs, Roadblock, Jacques Rougeau, Tony Rumble, Mark Starr, Rick Steiner, Ron Studd, The Taskmaster, Syxx, Booker T, Squire David Taylor, the Ultimate Dragon, Villano IV, Michael Wallstreet, Pez Whatley and Alex Wright.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 10

The event seemed short to me. I don’t know if that’s editing on the WWE’s part, or it was that short. Other than that, the matches were not that great, with the exception of the opener, which was a lot of fun to watch. The rest was ok at best. Good back and forth hard style wrestling at points, but it’s the main event and opener that is worth checking this out for.

If you find this on VHS, you should buy it, why not? It’s better than the network experience, I guarantee it.

WCW Halloween Havoc 1989 Results and Review Better Wrestling VHS Series

In an effort to go back and watch more and more wrestling, I have decided to review older VHS tapes. As you may or may not know, at the height of my tape collecting, I had 1400 wrestling videos. I had amassed a huge collection before getting married and selling it all off. Now with the network, you can relive the action. As such, here we go, a review of the 1989 classic Halloween Havoc from the Philadelphia Civic Center in Pennsylvania. Before a crowd of roughly 7,000, this was one hell of a night for wrestling, and here are my thoughts.

Halloween Havoc 1989 (October 28, 1989)

Tom Zenk defeated Mike Rotunda

You may know Mike Rotunda as IRS in the WWF but here he was part of the Varsity Club. As for Zenk, he’s known as Z-Man and he didn’t really get to far in WWE as far as I know. However, he has some serious talent. He reminds of Rick Martel, and well he was part of the Pan Am connection. This was a 13 minute, finesse wrestling match, with some good spots overall, and classic old school wrestling action.

The Samoan Swat Team defeated The Midnight Express and Dr. Death Steve Williams

This wasn’t half bad. It was a match that was fast paced, hard hitting, and featured a lot of crowd interaction. The crowd was going insane for everything that each team did, especially when Jim Cornette got involved.

Tommy Rich defeated The Cuban Assassin

Not a good match. Rich was looking old. Cuban Assassin was on his way out, so this must’ve been the bathroom break match.

The Fabulous Freebirds defeated The Dynamic Dudes (Tag Team Title Match)

Holy crap, Johnny Ace and Shane Douglas coming out with skateboards and neon gear! This was hilarious to see, and a bad idea. However, the match featured The Fabulous Freebirds, and they were the champions in this match. Michael Hayes came out without the tag title, and Garvin had one around his waist. That seemed odd to me. Overall, the match wasn’t half bad, and the Freebirds were way over with the crowd, and of course after around 11 minutes, they won this one.

Doom defeated The Steiner Brothers

Holy crap, The Steiner Brothers were over, and they were so fast in ring. Doom is Butch Reed and Ron Simmons and they had a hard time keeping up with the Steiners. Also, note, Nancy Benoit was the manager of Doom. Whatever the case is, the Steiners lost this one after getting distracted. However, they put the boots to Doom, and Scott Steiner was really impressive in this one. Holy crap, the dude can move, and the Frankensteiner is a thing of beauty.

Lex Luger defeated Brian Pillman (United States Championship)

Lex Luger and Pillman tore the house down in my opinion. This match was just under 17 minutes, and the two put on a classic. Pillman was flying around, but Luger was doing power moves and trying to ground and pound his way through this one. Eventually Pillman missed from the top rope, and Luger capitalized. A great overall match in my view.

The Road Warriors defeated The Skyscrapers

This was another hard hitting tag team match. Holy crap was it hard hitting. The Road Warriors weren’t selling as much, and you could tell. It was very noticeable that Sid Vicious was NOT as tough as Hawk or Animal. The match went by nicely, but it was The Road Warriors that got the win with a DQ finish. A young Teddy Long was here, so that was interesting.

Ric Flair and Sting defeated The Great Muta and Terry Funk in a Thunderdome Cage Match with Bruno Sammartino as special guest referee

And away we go, the main event was an insane wrestling match, that was very strange. The Thunderdome cage match was supposed to have an electrified top. I didn’t really see that come into play much. However, this match turned into a brawl fast, and you will absolutely be surprised how ripped Terry Funk was in 1989. Furthermore, Sting and Flair teaming without Flair turning on him. Muta was undefeated at this point, and the four guys in this match absolutely fought a hard hitting brawling cage match. Not a lot of blood or anything, but a lot of just straight chops, suplexes and Sting flying off the top rope a lot. Good overall main event, but a little old school for many tastes.

Halloween Havoc 1989 Overall rating: 8 out 10

The best part of this show was the U.S. Title match, alongside the Steiners and the Samoan Swat Team. This type of wrestling was far and away better than the WWF product at the time, that’s for sure. I had a blast with this one, and the crowd reactions are the best with this. The crowd was distinctly involved with all the matches, and the main event had them going absolutely insane.

I recommend buying Halloween Havoc 1989 on VHS, because it's unedited. If you see it on the network, the music, and some of the signs, and broadcast has been edited for time, and WWE's only standards! Click here to get the UNEDITED version. 

Rare Wrestling Finds: Halloween Havoc 89 VHS

This week's rare wrestling find has me looking through amazon to search for a good copy of WCW Halloween Havoc 1989 on vhs. This was never released on dvd, and it is relatively rare. I know a lot of people didn't watch WCW because it was not WWF or WWE, but the late 80's and mid 90's stuff was awesome. I promise it's worth the investment.

The matches that occurred at Halloween Havoc 1989 live from the Philadelphia Civic Center featured many old stars, including:

Tom Zenk defeated Mike Rotunda

The Samoan Swat Team (Samu, Fatu and The Samoan Savage) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) and Steve Williams (with Jim Cornette)

Tommy Rich defeated The Cuban Assassin

The Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) defeated The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace) (with Jim Cornette)

Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed) (with Woman) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott)


Lex Luger defeated Brian Pillman

The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) (with Paul Ellering) defeated The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious and Dan Spivey) (with Teddy Long)

Ric Flair and Sting (with Ole Anderson) defeated The Great Muta and Terry Funk (with Gary Hart) (with Bruno Sammartino as special guest referee) in a Thunderdome match

You can purchase this vhs by clicking here.



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WCW Lex Luger vs Mean Mark Callous 1990

This video from 1990 features a match up for the U.S Title. The match was from WCW's Great American Bash 1990 and features Lex Luger and Mean Mark Callous w/ Paul E (ECW).

Recognize Mean Mark Callous?

If you don't then you better look closer because that is none other than THE UNDERTAKER! That's right, The Undertaker!

So essentially you're watching The Undertaker wrestling Lex Luger from 1990!

A year or so later The Undertaker jumped to the WWF and never looked back. So enjoy this clip from 1990.

The Great American Bash 1990
WCW U.S Championship Match
Lex Luger (c) vs. Mean Mark Callous





Don't miss out on WWE Starrcade: The Essential Collection DVD Box Set!

NWA Lex Luger vs Kendall Windham

This match up comes from 1989, and features the United States Champion Lex Luger against none other than Kendall Windham. The Windham name is a tradition in professional wrestling that hasn't made a come back in a long time. So enjoy a match from 1989, on this super Bowl sunday!



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Lex Luger Good As Dead

Lex Luger is on his death bed! Seriously, he's not doing so well, he had a spinal stroke and is laid up on a hospital bed waiting for death.

He's paralyzed and he hasn't gained movements in his arms and legs. This is sad, especially considering that Lex Luger was never one to take steroids or drugs or anything.

(note the sarcasm)

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