Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy

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The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

Undertaker was feuding with Ted Dibiase’s Million Dollar Corporation after Dibiase funded an imposter Undertaker in 1994. Bundy was a member of the Million Dollar Corporation and at the Royal Rumble 1995, he assisted in the thefting of Paul Bearer’s urn. Paul Bearer also accompanied The Undertaker to the ring for this match I remember this match too.

As King Kong Bundy entered, they run an interview between Todd Pettengill and some NFL player about a match that is other than this one.

This was the debut of the elaborate entrance at WrestleMania. Lightning sound effects and a strobe effect. Also this was the first mention of The Undertaker being undefeated at WrestleMania.

The Bell

Taker avoided a charge and started his attempts to get Bundy off the ground. It took a few clotheslines. The highlight early in the match is Taker stealing the urn back from Ted Dibiase and giving it to Paul Bearer. Bearer then used it as a spotlight briefly. Kama stole the urn back from Paul Bearer. He promised to melt it down and make it into a chain. Meanwhile back in the ring. Bundy was beating on The Undertaker. After several minutes Taker hit a powerslam and a clothesline and got the three count

The Final Verdict

I do not understand the psychology of Ted Dibiase bringing the urn to the ring. It gave the Undertaker strength. Perhaps that is why Bundy lost. Because the urn was there for even a short time. The most interesting part of the match was what went on outside with Kama, Ted Dibiase, Paul Bearer and the urn.
Undertaker shouldn’t have lost here as the feud was kind of cheesy. I think a match with Kama would have been better than with Bundy. Bundy seemed like a filler. I enjoyed the Kama feud being started, it could have come at a better time than DURING this match but it showed forward thinking.

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales

The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales

The Winner: The Undertaker

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Background Noise

This match took place on April 4th 1993

This feud started when Giant Gonzales attacked The Undertaker in the 1993 Royal Rumble. Giant Gonzales was enormous. A legitimate 7 foot 7. He was accompanied to the ring by Harvey Whippleman. The Undertaker was accompanied by Paul Bearer while riding a funeral chariot with a vulture to his side. I remember this match very well.

The Bell

Undertaker was looking up to the Giant Gonzales. Gonzales ring attire must be mentioned. A body suit with painted muscles and strategically placed fur. This match saw the WrestleMania debut of the Old School rope walk elbow. Gonzales was very easily making The Undertaker his bitch in this match. The match mercifully ends when Giant Gonzales chloroforms The Undertaker and gets disqualified.

The Verdict

I would be slightly distraught if there were a giant “naked” man walking around Las Vegas (or anywhere for that matter) with a chloroform soaked rag. Undertaker came back after the match (he was stretchered out) and chased Gonzales out. Despite that, Gonzales OWNED this match. Taker looked like a punk. Atrocious though. This is the dark mark on the 20-0 record.
Had he lost here, it would have ruined so many things. The feud continued. The better matchups would have been Giant Gonzales facing Bob Backlund here and then The Undertaker facing Razor Ramon.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Jake Roberts vs. The Undertaker

 

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Just to get this out of the way
The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

This match took place on April 5th 1992. Wrestlemania 8

Jake Roberts offered to help The Ultimate Warrior prepare for The Undertaker. He then turned on Warrior by revealing himself to be aligned with The Undertaker, when he tricked Warrior into be bitten by a Cobra. Jake “The Snake” Roberts, clearly an asshole, was planning to hit Miss Elizabeth with a chair (this after sicking a snake on Randy Savage and slapping Miss Elizabeth), when The Undertaker intervened and saved Liz. Roberts then locked The Undertaker’s hand in a casket, DDT’d Paul Bearer and hit The Undertaker with a chair.

The Undertaker was accompanied to the ring here by Paul Bearer. I remember this match happened but may have only seen it once. My VHS copy of this event was corrupt so I don’t think I have seen a clear version of this match since it happened.

The Bell

Roberts has the speed advantage and also the experience. He is able to avoid The Undertaker’s strikes. But when he hits his own, it does nothing. Undertaker spent a great deal of his time on offense choking Jake Roberts. Short of a toss into the post on the outside of the ring and a flying clothesline, its not that spectacular. Roberts reverses what presumably will be a tombstone piledriver attempt into a DDT. But The Undertaker sits up about 30 seconds later. A short arm clothesline and another DDT by Roberts follows. Roberts goes outside after Bearer and strikes him. Not paying attention to The Undertaker he is caught outside the ring and tombstoned on the concrete. Game over.

The Verdict

The Undertaker didn’t do a lot BUT this match did have a back-story unlike the WrestleMania 7 match. The tombstone on the concrete could even be explained as, while it really isn’t a “heroic” thing to do, he got a hold of him out there and was defending the honor of his manager.

The closest Jake Roberts came to winning would have been the DDTs. Nobody had ever kicked out of one but Roberts was too busy posturing/attacking fat morticians to go for a pinfall after either. Overally, I enjoyed this match. And it would be the best built up WrestleMania match for the Undertaker for several years. This would be Roberts farewell match from the WWF. Undertaker looked like the underdog. Roberts was a tremendous evil mastermind.

As far as alternate opponents, Jake Roberts could have faced Randy Savage. They were feuding and it was kind of the kicking off point for this feud, with Undertaker protecting Liz from a chair shot. Undertaker could have faced The Ultimate Warrior, had Warrior not been on a sabbatical at the time. Overall, this was the perfect opponent for The Undertaker.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Undertaker vs. Jimmy Snuka

 

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Just to get this out of the way
The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

This match took place on March 24th 1991. Wrestlemania 7

I had to research this. There is no rhyme or reason for this match to happen other than showing The Undertaker making an example out of someone. Entrances took 2 minutes to the bell. Snuka was already in the ring when my version started. The Undertaker was accompanied to the ring by Paul Bearer. I remember this match from my WrestleMania 7 VHS. I remember being scared of the Undertaker and Paul Bearer. Before the match, Gorilla Monsoon referred to Jimmy Snuka as “The Phenom”

The Bell

After the bell rang, Snuka stared at Taker. Walked towards him. Backed up. Snuka turned his back and Undertaker jumped him. Whipped ass for a minute or two. Hit a huge running clothesline. Choked him in the corner. Snuka reversed a whip into the corner and ran in. Was met with a knee which knocked him to the outside. A big suplex back into the ring by Undertaker. Undertaker missed an elbow drop, which gave Snuka his opening for the offense portion of the match. Headbutts and elbow shots which do nothing. He missed a running dive and bounced off the top rope to the outside. Snuka tried a slingshot back into the ring, was caught, tombstoned and finished.

The Verdict

Definitely important, as it was the first match of The Undertaker’s streak. It confirmed his dominance. I liked the way Snuka took the beating. His bounce off the top rope to the outside was a thing to marvel at. It came and went very quickly (with entrances, about 7 minutes).

This match was like the first scene in a movie where the villain is established, like Darth Vader battling some random Ewok during the first scene of a New Hope. (That scene got cut, but you see my point). It wasn’t even, it wasn’t pretty, but it showed “this guy is a powerhouse”. This wasn’t his debut match, he had been in the company for a while but it was the first match in a significant streak, that in all likelihood wasn’t planned.

The closest Jimmy Snuka came to winning would have to be his frequent (three of them; he hit about three of them) headbutts, those staggered The Undertaker. Staggering is all you could do to the man at this point. Had Snuka won here, it would have ended the greatest Professional Wrestling accomplishment before it started. Koko B. Ware could have been a good replacement for Snuka, as far as the position goes but they had already battled (albeit in team form) at the previous year’s Survivor Series.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant

 


Background Noise

At this point Andre The Giant was “undefeated” for 15 years. This however would be his first shot at the WWF Title. The reasoning behind this is, according to Gorilla Monsoon “He never asked for a title match” and “He never wanted a title match”. These arguments seem to indicate to me that anyone could have had a shot at the title as long as they had asked for it. The story was that Bobby Heenan, who just joined Andre weeks prior had convinced Andre to ask for the title shot. 

Hulk Hogan had at this point been WWF Champion for 3 years. They announced they would be changing the title belt after this match.

The Bell

Early in the match, Hulk Hogan goes for a slam but cannot do it. He falls over and Andre lands on him and gets a two count. This failed slam led to Hogan hurting his back. For the next several minutes Andre hammers away at Hogan’s back.

Hulk managed to make a come back using his major speed advantage.  Hogan was running at one point. Andre at this point was struggling with walking. Hulk’s comeback was halted when he ran into a large boot by Andre. Andre placed him in a bearhug which after several minutes Hulk was able to break out of. Although he had broken free Hulk could not stagger the enormous Andre. The match took a spill outside. Once outside, Andre had Hulk in position against the post and attempted to head-butt Hogan and seemingly squash Hogan’s head  between the post and his own Buick sized cranium. Hogan moved and Andre’s windshield of a forehead hit the ring post. Once back in the ring Hogan was able to down the monster with a clothesline. He then proceeded to immediately body slam the big guy and drop a leg for the victory.

Final Verdict

There is no argument that this match is historically significant. However, quality wise, it wasn’t a barn burner. Hogan didn’t do much. The series of punches to break out of the bearhug, avoiding a headbutt. a miracle clothesline, the bodyslam and the legdrop. I wonder if had he hit the bodyslam at the beginning of the match, would he have been able to beat Andre then? I don’t know what much else they could have done. Andre focusing on the back was a smart move. I wonder what the finish would have been like if much like was done in the Intercontinental Title match from the same night, Andre reversed the bodyslam into a small package.

Rating: **

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley

 

BACKGROUND NOISE

This match took place on February 13, 1997. A rare Thursday edition of Monday Night RAW. I do not recall this match but do remember this RAW very well. It was on this show that Shawn Michaels forfieted the WWF Title due to his “smile being gone”.

Rocky was challenging for the WWF Intercontinental Championship here.  Hunter Hearst Helmsley had been the champion for 74 days at this point. A title reign that actually was more established than Maivia’s WWF career at this point. An interesting fact about this match, Helmsley was scheduled to defend the title just 3 days later against Ahmed Johnson at a PPV. Rock’s position at that event was not announced.

Helmsley was the heel in this match and Maivia thus was the babyface

THE BELL 

Rocky was at this point still a commodity with in the company, the first 3rd generation Superstar. The story early in this match was simply that as much of a blue chipper as he was, Rocky was still outmatched. He went for a headlock early and was downed after a moment. This gave Helmsley a chance to posture. Helmsley was using his experience and arrogance to get into the youngster’s head.

As the match progresses, Rocky finds his niche and the move that can throw Helmsley off of his tracks, a dropkick. A dropkick that while seemingly missing twice at this point, does send Helmsley to the outside of the ring twice.

What happens next is something I don’t necessarily understand. Maivia places a dazed Helmsley up against the ring post and goes for a clothesline. A move that would, if connected, sandwich Hunter’s head between Rocky’s arm and the post. That I get, but what I don’t get is the fact it was done by the babyface. In the Andre The Giant/Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 3, the spot makes sense. Andre tried for a headbutt but Hogan gets out of the way. Andre was the villian in that match. It doesn’t seem like the “right” thing to do here. Its kind of a dick move. Luckily Helmsley gets out of the way and Rocky’s arm gets hurt.

When the match gets back in the ring, Hunter goes full force over the arm. After a few minutes he starts a simplistic beat down. Chops and a neck breaker, asserting his dominance. Every time Maivia starts firing back, he is set back down. He demonstrates a counter to a sleeper hold by running Maivia face first into the corner. Something that Rocky could have used just seconds earlier because Helmsley had him in the same position.

The match takes a brief turn in Rocky’s favor when he starts firing up and is even able to hit a crossbody from the top rope. It is reversed and we go back to Hunter’s dominance. He even hits a neckbreaker that commentator Vince McMahon indicates he believes to signal the end (in fairness, this was a commentary trademark of his). After a piledriver doesn’t get it done, Helmsley begins to show frustration. He keeps going for bigger and bigger moves. After a superplex does not work, he signals it is time for The Pedigree, which he cannot hit because Rocky cannot remain standing. After a third attempt, Rocky grabs a small package (NOT A PENIS JOKE) and gets a surprise three count. 

Winner of the Match: Rocky Maivia

Final Verdict

While it is historically significant in the career of The Rock, it actually isn’t much of a match.  Rocky didn’t do a lot in the match other than manage to not lose. The actual loser of this match however was not Helmsley, it was Ahmed Johnson. The man who was supposed to face Helmsley at the PPV three days later. That match was dropped and replaced with a rematch of this encounter. Ahmed Johnson instead battled nobody. He was off the show.

Rating: **