Sigh…let’s discuss Dave Meltzer.
If you’ve ever listened to a podcast of mine or if you’ve read previously articles tackling the subject, you probably know that I vehemently dislike and disagree with Dave Meltzer as a person and as a concept. You can argue that he has been incredibly detrimental to the wrestling business as a whole over the span of his ridiculously long career and he’s also hurt the reputation of wrestling journalism. So, he bothers me in a multitude of ways: as a wrestling fan, as a journalist, as a man and as a human being.
I cannot lie, however. He has reared his head in this entire process without being referenced because I am a completist. After every show, I’ve looked at YouTube reviews, recaps and star ratings across the board in the wrestling business. Naturally, Meltzer’s are the most prominent and considered the most valid. So, I’ve had a subconscious worry that I’ve matched in his opinion at many times.
Is that a stupid concern? Absolutely. I will like what I like. I’m probably the only person ever to recommend The Wrestling Classic or WrestleMania 2 as one example. I have worried that someone would read my diaries and see my critiques and favorites align with big Dave and wonder if I wasn’t putting in the work or merely trumpeting the highest profile opinion. I cannot stress enough that it is not the case.
Why am I bringing this up? Today’s PPV was voted “Best Wrestling Show of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Sure, that’s the readers of Dave, but he has such an influence on his readers that it was surely close to his thoughts as well. Also, the main event was rated the illustrious five stars by Meltzer, the first North American match to get that in almost two years.
Do I agree? I don’t care and neither should you. I am reviewing this show as my opinion and I want you to have your own as well. I hope I entertain you because that’s the lane I’ve picked as a writer. I hope other writers can pick a lane as well.
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 38- WCW WRESTLEWAR 1991
Written on 6/29/2020
THE FIRST THING YOU SEE: The desert of Arizona with cacti, rocks and militant music with a Tony Schiavone voiceover. We go live to a loud crowd in Phoenix with a ton of empty seats and it doesn’t seem to be that big of a building. Some good pyro goes off as Tony previews the card on camera. DDP’s PPV debut with the Freebirds vs Doom! A Stan Hansen/Vader rematch! Oh baby! Tony introduces Jim Ross and DUSTY RHODES! Less than one month from his Rumble appearance and he’s back home on commentary no less! It has begun! He’s wearing a red leather jacket, chains and a camo hat. Hell yeah.
-The six-man tag titles are a thing since when? The State Patrol and the Big Cat enter and there’s so much I hate about all of this already. It’s some police dicks named Lt. James Earl Wright and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker and Mr. Hughes with a leopard shirt. Some rock music plays for Ricky Morton, JYD and Tommy Rich. They are the champs and there are no actual titles. Cheap asses! If this were 2020, Big Cat and JYD would be teaming, the Patrol would be a comedy act or not a gimmick at all and Morton and Rich would be the Young Bucks.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: SIX MAN TAG TITLES MATCH- The State Patrol and The Big Cat vs Ricky Morton, Junkyard Dog and Tommy Rich (Champs)
-JYD and Cat start the match for the athleticism, no doubt. They poke each other in the chest and throw some bad punches.
-Wright and Morton are in soon. Wright is a journeyman just getting a gimmick, right? Rich and Morton make him bump like crazy. I’ll give him a sympathy MVP to start.
-Parker comes in and JR tells us Wright is his mentor. JR also tries to convince us that they are real patrolmen. I’m sad Dusty is as good as he is right now as a color commentator.
-I can see those goddamn posters of Sting and Flair hanging in the rafters. They are probably covering the empty seats. Can they cover this JYD/Big Cat test of strength?
-Dusty says JYD looks like George Foreman with his haircut. Morton gets hit from behind and the Patrol hit a good double team. It’s basically the Demolition finish but with a headbutt instead of an elbow.
-I was shitting all over them to start, but the Patrol are a really good mechanic team. They have several moments of good cohesion. They even bring Hughes up to their level.
-Cat hits a nice, catching backbreaker. Who am I complimenting here?!?!?
-Morton gets a hot tag to JYD and he beats down the Patrol with headbutts. He hits the Thump on Parker and Cat breaks it up. A brawl emerges and WOW, how about a fucking tag, ref?
WINNERS: Ricky Morton, Junkyard Dog and Tommy Rich in 9:54 when Ricky Morton pins Sgt Buddy Lee Parker following a JYD Thump.
-Why is Tommy Rich sweating so much? He did nothing!
-Everyone ignores the legal man situation.
FINAL WORD: Way more passable than it had any right to be despite the shit finish.
-Schiavone interviews Alexandra York and Terrance Taylor. In two months, Michael Wallstreet is out and the man he was feuding with takes his place, huh? WCW 1991! The Computerized Man of the 1990s is such a stupid gimmick. York is not comfortable on the mic. When Taylor is better by quoting Mr. T in Rocky III by promoting pain, you know it’s bad. They predict they will beat the Z-Man in less than 15:28. God, I’d hope so!
-Simple babyface music and no real reaction for Brad Armstrong. That’s the story of his career. JR talks about the future Road Dogg fighting in Desert Shield. Bobby Eaton enters to a loud chant and some pyro. Dusty predicts a singles title for him in 1991. He’s the new booker, so that’s a good sign.
MATCH NUMBER TWO: Brad Armstrong vs Bobby Eaton
-Eaton jumps Armstrong from behind at the bell. He’s still a heel? Armstrong gets a good headscissors and arm drag to come back.
-Eaton gets a good punch that gets the crowd to react, but a monkey flip and arm drag puts Brad back in control.
-Man, there are chunks of empty seats. They are good seats, too. Thankfully, the people there are loud enough to make up for it.
- “If you will in public!” Man, I gotta give Dusty an MVP chance before I get annoyed by him. “Live and in color” is so good.
-Armstrong pulls a Morton and climbs up and over Eaton before another rest hold. Then, Armstrong blocks a slingshot suplex with one of his own.
-Jason Hervey is shown in the crowd. Ugh, not this twerp again. I bet Fred Savage goes to WWF shows.
-Eaton hits a good backbreaker and pinpoint elbow to the forehead. The Great Muta is shown watching in the crowd. You couldn’t work him onto the card?!?! He’s wrestling Sting at the New Japan Supershow and Dusty is very excited for sushi. JR calls it bait.
-Eaton hits his innovative slingshot backbreaker. Put him in BOLA!
-A Japanese women’s tag match is next. Based on Dusty trying to speak to them earlier, I cannot wait. Brad gets dropped chest first on the railing on the floor.
-The ref crawls through legs to stop Eaton from using the ropes in an abominable stretch. Brad comes back with a great dropkick and side Russian leg sweep, which is his finish somehow. Eaton gets his leg on the ropes.
-Armstrong gets caught with a neckbreaker. Then, he finally wins with it!
WINNER: Bobby Eaton in 12:52 with the Alabama Jam
FINAL WORD: It’s always going to be good with these two, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed.
-A SuperBrawl commercial airs and I hope it’s on a Saturday. JR and Dusty promote the first ever all Japanese women’s tag match. JR is honest about the name pronunciation. The first team is Miss A and Miki Handa. Miss A looks like Spike from Little Giants, so a badass. They are wrestling Mami Kitamura and Itsuki Yamasaki, the former Jumping Bomb Angel. Oh yeah! JR does about as good as GMC at the names and Dusty immediately makes me feel better about every Japanese name I ever said on Podswoggle. “I’ll just stay with Miss A.” Okay, that’s a LOL moment. Then he says “Cookie Yamasaka.” Like Heath Ledger over Batman…HERE…WE…GO! Is it going to be a Dark Knight challenge or a Little Giants challenge? It’s a race! Handa is rocking Zack Ryder’s tights and Miss A is very colorful. JR is good at breaking down the style. We get a handshake, the bell and the heels attack.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: Miss A and Miki Handa vs Mami Kitamura and Itsuki Yamasaki
-The faces hit a do-se-do reversal and the crowd is surprisingly respectful early. There are some whistles and I’m not sure if that’s still respectful or not.
-MISS FUCKING A. She hits two STIFF kickboxing shots to the face and the crowd responds in kind. Dusty- “she kicked her in the Handa!” Dusty is the best rooting for Miss A.
-I always thought Miss A was Aja Kong, but I’m wrong. And racist. I’m sorry. She is Dynamite Kansai.
-Three attempts for a butterfly suplex that the crowd encourages Itsuki before she finally slams the larger Miss A.
-Dusty is going to try and get JR a date with Miss A. I’d pay Tyson PPV money to see that.
-A bulldog is hit that pisses Dusty off because it’s his son’s move and he’s coming up. Miss A comes back in with more killer kicks. She’s also cocky as fuck, too. That’s an MVP right there.
-Nonstop action with suplexes that the crowd digs. Itsuki gets a big pop for a double dropkick from the top. A top rope sunset flip almost gets the W. The W comes soon afterwards and the crowd gives them a great reaction.
WINNERS: Itsuki Yamasaki and Mami Kitamura in 6:46 when Itsuki pinned Miss A with a victory roll.
-Dusty calls “both men” on the replay, then says “what’s wrong with me?!?!” Amazing.
FINAL WORD: Why in the fuck were they not brought back? WCW 1991!
-Schiavone is with Missy Hyatt with another first. Women have not been treated equally in her profession, but now she’s going into the men’s locker room to get interviews. She’s looking for a babe AKA a penis. Meanwhile, in 2020, Charly Caruso lives in the dressing room.
-Bootleg Nature Boy music for Bootleg Nature Boy Buddy Landell. Baby Fat Dustin Rhodes is out next and JR calls out the uniqueness of calling the match of a son with their dad being unique. Vince didn’t want Dustin, so Dusty left with him to go to WCW, right?
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: Buddy Landell vs Dustin Rhodes
-A big slap to Dustin’s face and Dustin is a house of fire to begin.
-Ten elbows in the corner and the ref definitely passed the five count for a DQ, but Dustin just ignores him.
-Landell even gets caught from the top rope like Flair, too! He jaws with some fans and Dustin throws him off. Imagine the other dimension where Buddy Landell is a 16-time champ.
-Buddy controls the pace with chops, eye rakes and rest holds. Dustin counters with a sleeper. He’s definitely green with some of his clotheslines, but he’s not Erik Watts.
-Dustin hits a press slam, a big boot and a clothesline to the floor. Dustin brings him back in and that’s all she wrote.
WINNER: Dustin Rhodes in 6:31 with a bulldog
FINAL WORD: Dustin has been established, but that was too short to be any good.
-Tony introduces Missy backstage and her historic first in the dressing room. It’s the 10th time she’s actually been there tonight, but I digress. She naturally finds Stan Hansen yelling like an animal at her and she’s apparently going to call someone. It cuts back to Tony laughing and sending it back to the ring. That was a waste. I’m shocked Hansen didn’t tell her to ‘watch it, Ice Chest or I’ll mess up your face.” Little Giants it is!
-Some music straight outta It’s a Small World plays for the Royal Family and their stupid outfits. So, these guys got signed from Starrcade, but not Chris Adams, Konnan, Norman Smiley or the Russians? Then, some gun music that makes Billy and Bart jealous for the Young Pistols and their shinier look complete with stirrups and less problematic flags. They get a good reaction.
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: The Royal Family vs The Young Pistols
-The Family tries some weird handshake ritual like they’re Samoan before the bell, but they eventually jump the Pistols. Another do-se-do spot, but it’s blocked by a double clothesline by the heels. Their advantage doesn’t last and Steve Armstrong gets good elevation on a cross body.
-THE FUCKING LIGHTS GO OUT! THEY HAVE TO SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON THE RING! WCW 1991! The commentators attribute it to the heat. The match just goes on and they come back a little bit later.
-The Royal Family look like the slightly less Nasty Boys. Or Knobbs and Sags with swords. They are not as good as them; that’s what I’m trying to express.
-Jacko Victory keeps doing Stan Hansen’s yell and it’s distracting. He’s the only LVP I got so far.
-The commentators mention Arn Anderson being out of War Games and speculating the cause for it. Larry Zbyskzo is replacing him. It’s so damn random, but ends up not being random by the end of the year.
-Steve takes the heat in what’s been a nothing affair so far.
-Tracy Smothers gets the hot tag and the camera catches another big pocket of empty seats! Tracy only gets the advantage for a few seconds before taking a clothesline over the top and Rip Morgan sending his back into the post.
-Rip hits a spinebuster after applying a bearhug. He’s the workhorse of the team. Jacko enters and puts on a bearhug of his own. I rest my case.
-Why has this gotten twice as much time as the women’s tag match or Buddy/Dustin?
-That was out of nowhere. Not that I’m complaining. Steve gets hit, then helps for the win.
WINNERS: The Young Pistols in 12:04 when Tracy Smothers pins Rip Morgan after Steve Armstrong dropkicks the Royal Family attempting a double suplex and Tracy falls on Rip.
FINAL WORD: Another worthless lower card tag match. The power should have stayed off.
-Tony Schiavone interviews DDP. He looks 54 in 1991!!!! He doesn’t let Tony get a word in (thankfully). It’s his first promo on PPV and it…is…GONE! He is so charismatic and awesome, insulting Teddy Long while insulting the fans. Teddy interrupts and he’s angry and expositional. There’s apparently rumors of Doom splitting up. Wow, that was a 90 second MVP case for DDP.
-York Foundation music for Alexandra York and Terrance Taylor. He’s still wearing that same fucking ring jacket and those Red Rooster tights. Change your shit with the gimmick, bro! The Z-Man music makes the girls swoon and me head to the bathroom. Even his orange tights piss me off.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: NO DQ MATCH- Terrance Taylor w/Alexandra York vs The Z-Man
-JR recaps their time limit drawas and two previous DQs well. The ref admonishes Zenk too early already in a no DQ match.
-Some pushes and slaps and the ref is again in the way. His name is apparently Lee Scott. I need to know his name so I can give him an LVP. This has seriously happened four times in two minutes. Fuck this.
-Nothing says No DQ like a side headlock. This ref even counts likes shit.
-JR compares York to Leona Helmsley and calls her staunch. Dusty is hilarious, asking what “storch and starch” is. It solidifies his MVP worth.
-The ref counts when they fight in the corner. Nikita Koloff is shown sitting in the crowd with Hervey and Muta.
-Taylor chokes Zenk with a cord on the floor and he’s counted. Taylor complains, “you gonna disqualify me” as Z-Man breaks the fourth wall, selling into the camera twice.
-Hiro Matsuda is shown in the crowd. Who isn’t in attendance besides thousands of fans?
-A brawl develops on the floor after Taylor is clotheslined over the top. Zenk ends up draped on the rail and JR forgets all about Michael Wallstreet as he claims this is York’s first PPV opportunity.
-Z-Man hits a nice, snug superkick and a rope break stops the count. What does No DQ mean in 1991 or WCW? A powerslam and this is the best Zenk has ever looked. York distracts the ref after a top rope cross body.
-JR points out this is a rookie referee. No shit.
WINNER: Terrance Taylor in 11:00 with a roll up and hook of the tights.
-Taylor tries to sneak attack after the bell even though he won, but takes an atomic drop and bails. Dusty once again nails the replay.
FINAL WORD: Some No DQ match, huh?
-JR and Dusty preview El Gigante in the Danger Zone. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Dusty Rhodes say “El Gigante” twice. Paul E. Dangerously enters to some naturally offensive Hispanic music wearing a sombrero and cape. Forget WCW 1991: how about wrestling sensibilities in 1991? JR says he looks like a maître D at Taco Bueno.
-Paul says all of you illegal aliens are under arrest because he’s an immigration officer. YIKES. He introduces Gigante as an alien and the big man enters with his shitty physique. There’s a matador bit and some OLEs and amigos. Paul antagonizes him as a “jerk-o”. He tells him he’s “never known a Latin person that didn’t lie and steal. Man, this is making me breathe heavy. The giant is going to guest referee a cage match between Ric Flair and Sting. Gigante says “no ingles” twice off mic as he can’t stand still. Paul slaps him with the hat and we get some bug eyes and a big slam. Gigante can’t even put the sombrero on properly! Yeah, this is the best wrestling show of the year…
-Tony interviews Hiro Matsuda and Great Muta to preview the Rolling Thunder tour in the “Egg Dome”. Hiro is very soft spoken and Muta has his eyes closed. Hiro is somehow less useful saying two sentences than Muta is blowing mist at the end of the promo.
-A return bout is announced as Stan Hansen enters to a good reaction and his usual ugly demeanor. Here comes the Vader I know and love with the theme that scares me! The crowd loves him and some BIG pyro adds to the effect. He’s oddly playing the face here and eggs the crowd on to cheer for the steam coming out of his headgear.
MATCH NUMBER SEVEN: Stan Hansen vs Big Van Vader
-Stan jumps Vader on the ramp and Vader catches him and picks him out of the ring. Strikes and blows to start as chaw fills the ring.
-Is this before or after Vader’s eye popped out?
-Vader out-lariats the Lariat with a LOUD shot.
-Clubbing strikes on the floor and Stan eventually comes back with a belly to back in the ring.
-Stan hits Vader with a crate and Vader surprisingly protects himself with his arm. Vader hits Stan in the head with a chair, but it’s protected. The commentators are scared as the fight hovers over them. The ref lets it go and Dusty says “don’t knock over my Courvoisier.”
-Vader slams Stan stomach first hard on the rail. This is the right kind of nuts.
-Both men are on their knees punching and headbutting. The ref tries to stop them, but he gets thrown to the outside. That’s the bell!
WINNER: Double DQ at 6:21
-Vader hits an impressive flying clothesline from the top, but misses a follow up splash. They are still fighting and Vader takes a rope Stan was choking him with and starts dragging Stan to the back with it.
FINAL WORD: A great, intense brawl between two of the manliest men who have ever manned.
-Dusty and JR preview the U.S. Title match. Did Dusty insist on these for more camera time? Crazy eyed Dan Spivey enters with a leather vest and stirrups. He’s from Tampa, so he’s definitely seen some shit with those crazy eyes. Lex Luger enters soon afterwards to a great reaction.
-Nikita Koloff is there to present the winner with the new U.S. Title. Lex is probably a proponent that wrestling, like football, is 80% mental and 40% physical (and we’re done!)
MATCH NUMBER EIGHT: U.S. TITLE MATCH- Dan Spivey vs Lex Luger (Champ)
-The ropes are very loud as Lex bounces off of them with several tackles.
-It’s weird seeing a match with two larger guys trying to bump quickly. Lex is essentially 1991 Brock Lesnar in that he could really use a smaller guy to maximize his potential.
-Lex tries a cross body, but Dan ducks and Lex takes a big tumble from one ring to another. The ropes look like they really hurt.
-Spivey hits a fucking TOMBSTONE three minutes in as a transitional move. Lex kicks out! WHAT? It was a good-looking tombstone. Is that a message to his old partner?
-Spivey hits a DDT! What is he on and can he stay on it? It gets the crowd invested because these are big bullets Lex is taking and surviving.
-I spoke too soon about this being weird. This has been good with Dan mostly owning the offense and Lex kicking out like crazy. Spivey is an MVP threat.
-HOLY SHIT. Spivey hits a moonsault-like elbow from the top rope. If he’s Waylon Mercy here, he’s a number one heel for five years. Lex still kicks out. Spivey has supplanted all as MVP.
-Lex tries to block a piledriver, but can’t. It’s still a two! Great story being told here and the crowd loves it. Spivey hits a belly to belly for two. He’s gotta be running out of moves soon.
-Chin lock and crazy eyes from Dan. Lex gets up before three and Spivey snuffs out the rally with a JAPANESE ARM DRAG. Get this man in the G1!
-Lex hits a second rope clothesline and powerslam on a great comeback. He gets dumped to the floor before putting the rack on.
-Two double downs with a double clothesline and tackle. They are starting to get gassed.
-Lex gets caught on the top like Flair, but he’s ready! Even the finish is really good!
WINNER: Lex Luger at 12:54 with a small package off the top.
FINAL WORD: What an underrated gem. Fuck the Lex haters.
-The commentators put this over really well as we cut to Tony with Nikita and WCW President/piece of shit Grizzly Smith. Nikita and Lex hug before Nikita, with gravel in his voice, congrats Lex and takes pleasure in giving the belt to Lex. BAM! Title shot to the face and Lex flies off the stage. Big shock by everyone, especially Dusty. Nikita cuts a good, heel promo about being angry having to prove himself again after retirement. Man, I missed Nikita, particularly as a scary heel. This whole U.S. Title scene is gold. Let’s reevaluate Lex’s career, huh?
-GMC announces the tag title match and DDP enters with his Diamond Dolls and the Freebirds. They are more rock n’ roll than usual, but still strutting and wearing bad volleyball glasses. DDP wearing a fur coat with his arm out of the sleeves is good heel shit. He steals “live and in color” from Dusty and overuses “Good God!” He’s fallen completely out of the MVP hunt. He talks some nonsense before introducing the road boss: Big Daddy Dink. He gets fucking pyro! It’s Oliver Humperdink in shitty biker gear with two Dolls. This falls very, very flat. What did Oliver ever do any good?
-Doom’s music hits and the champs enter. Why did they get so many heel vs heel matches? They get another pseudo-face reaction. There is apparently a lot of hearsay and speculation about their problems. Again, it would be nice to have a video summarizing it because we’ve seen none of it. Dusty loses focuses as the Dolls and DDP exit and one almost flashes her pussy.
MATCH NUMBER NINE: WCW TAG TITLE MATCH- The Fabulous Freebirds w/Big Daddy Dink vs Doom (Champs) w/Teddy Long
-“Freebirds suck” chant and Dusty Rhodes is to Ron Simmons what Roddy Piper has been to Virgil. He’s wants more from him and sees him as a future force.
-LOUD bearhug spinebuster by Ron on Michael Hayes, who answers with a good right hand and bulldog. Ron catches him and Jimmy Garvin with powerslams.
-It’s Garvin versus Butch Reed now. Even these Jannettys are having a good back and forth. Reed military presses Garvin, but Hayes punches him for a one count only. Reed gets back on offense with a backbreaker and butterfly suplex.
-Garvin hits the DDT on Ron as the Birds are sorta the faces now? The DDT is a transitional move in 1991 now, huh? Simmons approaches MVP territory with a BIGGGGG spinebuster.
-A random breakdown and Dink distracts the ref. Teddy gives Reed an “international” object, but Hayes ducks. An out on his feet Garvin gets a friendly shove by Dink.
WINNERS: The Fabulous Freebirds at 6:54 to win the titles when Jimmy Garvin pins Ron Simmons after an international object shot by Butch Reed
FINAL WORD: That’s how this title reign ends? And it’s to the Freebirds? And in less than seven minutes? I mean, it was good, but…
-DDP comes back out to celebrate as Doom starts fighting in the ring almost off-camera. Ron pushes Teddy and Reed attacks him with the object multiple times. Long gets a couple of kicks in, too. The crowd doesn’t react because they like Doom together. Dusty does a good job with the replay again.
-The same damn SuperBrawl commercial airs and Dusty and JR introduce a sweepstakes winner: a 12-year-old black kid who says his favorite team is Doom. GREAT TIMING! We finally get a recap video and it’s of the Horsemen’s gang attack on Brian Pillman the previous night. Dusty calls out Zbyszko being an odd choice to replace Arn.
-Audio issues as Schiavone can be heard announce War Games to the live crowd, but it doesn’t come through on the TV. Before WWE’s cage had a theme, War Games had on. Big pyro as the cages are lowered. They almost fuck it up! The center of the cages peak like a tent! WCW 1991! They figure it out and Tony reads the rules of the match. Why not GMC? We have on-screen graphics detailing word for word what Tony says. More pyro! If more people were there, what else would they have done?
-Not that Horsemen theme plays for the Sid Vicious, Barry Windham, Ric Flair (who is champ again) and Larry Zbyszko accompanied by Arn Anderson in street clothes. Man, Flair being champ again is really crazy. All that work for nothing. Brian Pillman’s music leads his team out and that’s crazy because his team is Sting and the Steiner Brothers. The crowd is very loud for the faces. Brian’s shoulder is heavily taped. Pillman sneaks by his team to enter the ring against their wishes to start the match against Windham
MATCH NUMBER TEN: WAR GAMES- The Horsemen and Larry Zbyszko vs Brian Pillman, Sting and the Steiner Brothers
-Pillman is a house of fire early with a headscissors and using the cage for some elevated kicks.
-Pillman rakes Barry’s head into the cage several times and he’s already bleeding. That cage is probably what started COVID-19.
-Pillman bites Barry when he gets up and he screams bloody murder, selling epically for Brian.
-Brian hits a great top rope clothesline and he’s an expected MVP candidate. Barry is great, too, taking a hellacious bump bouncing over the rope of both rings. His face is a mess.
-JR and Dusty add so much to this. It’s coin toss time and the heels naturally win. Flair enters with a heavily taped leg. He trades chops back and forth as the place is crazy for Pillman.
-The heels take the advantage and send Brian’s shoulder into the cage.
-Sting is next in like a man possessed. He hits a double clothesline on both heels out of the corner and JR and the crowd are battling for energy.
-Windham’s balls have taken a lot of abuse. Larry comes in to give the heels a 3-2 advantage. Sting hits a dope cross body over both rings onto Larry.
-The cameraman gets a close up on Sid who threatens said cameraman.
-Rick Steiner comes in and they are really going to make me wait for Scott, huh? Rick has numbers all over his tights for some reason. Big Steinerlines to Ric and Barry. Ric takes a belly-to-belly and thrown into the cage aka gig gig gig gig.
-What has Ric Flair eaten more in his life: a War Games cage or 37-year-old pussy?
-Sid enters and goes right at Rick, sending him hard into the cage twice and Rick takes it UNPROTECTED. The camera catches Sid being surprised at this and asking Rick if he’s okay. Never change, Sid. That said, get your hands up, you animal!
-You can see the blood on the cage. What an awesome, gross visual.
-Flair is so bloody and giving out so many low blows.
-The ref is literally holding Scott back before he’s allowed in. Ric and Barry take another double clothesline and Larry hates taking a Tiger Bomb.
-Another full conversation is caught up close by Sid and Rick in the corner as they set up Scott taking Sid down with a top rope clothesline.
-Sid has entered the LVP hunt just by looking so damn lost. He grabs Pillman 3 or 4 times in the wrong spot before throwing him into the corner.
-There is too much action to keep up with and call. Sting tries the Scorpion, but Ric gets out quickly. All four faces lock in a figure four and the place is rocking. The heels unlock one another from the holds.
-Sting press slams Flair into the roof four times. Sting is bleeding in a rare sight. Sid annihilates Rick with a clothesline. Nay, Sid was sloppy and Rick takes a bump on his head and neck.
-Now Rick does a 360 bump on a double clothesline. Is this Rick-ochet Steiner?
-Larry is choked into the cage right in front of the commentators. Brian is still chopping and fighting. Scott botches a DDT on Barry. The sloppiness works in this war at times.
-More audbile spot calling by Sid throwing Brian into the roof. He sets up the powerbomb and OMG he KILLED him. Dusty’s “JESUS” is very telling because it’s a scary ass bump.
-Everyone else is in the other ring. Sid thankfully protects Brian with a second powerbomb, but he almost dropped him.
-El Gigante is out and he rips the door open. It’s his “little buddy!” Pillman is unconscious and Gigante makes a big arm motion.
WINNERS: The Horseman and Larry Zbyszko at 22:06 when El Gigante surrenders on behalf of Brian Pillman
-Nick Patrick calls it off and the crowd is not happy, but they get it.
FINAL WORD: That was an incredible spectacle. Vicious, exciting and messy. What else can you ask in a War Games?
-The replay shows Pillman’s feet hit the same time over his head as his back on the powerbomb. Good grief.
-Dusty and JR interview Nick Patrick and he explains that Brian couldn’t speak for himself and didn’t want to be responsible for ending his career. Dusty and JR support the decision.
-They replay Nikita attacking Lex…NOPE. The tape is not ready. WCW 1991! Dusty and JR cover well, particularly Dusty as Nikita’s former partner. They thank the great fans of Phoenix and the people leaving give that a great reaction. They sign off and the credits roll with a cactus backdrop. “Senior Producer Virgil Runnels” is back! Some pyro and the ring shown again, then the cactus one more time. WrestleWar graphic and good bye
THE LAST IMAGE: A wide shot of the cage and the arena
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: Brian Pillman had some great dancing partners and Dusty Rhodes gave his best commentary performance ever, but Dan Spivey completely changed my opinion of him on this show.
FINAL LVP of PPV: On the flip side of that, his Skyscrapers partner solidified my opinion. In other words, Sid Vicious wrestled like it was his first match at times and appeared to kill a human being.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: War Games
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: The Royal Family vs The Young Pistols
FINAL THOUGHTS: That was a very, very good show and it will probably be the last for WCW in 1991. The overall presentation was solid, stories were developed and there was little that was bad or offensive outside the times. Will it be the best of 1991? I don’t know, but it is so far. I HATE to agree with Big Dave, but MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: Security concerns mean we are in a smaller venue than advertised for WrestleMania VII. Big Dave says otherwise. I say Big Dave will have security concerns if we are ever in the same room together.