Gancarski Feb 23 1999, 3:00 am show options
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling.moderated
From: gancar...@aol.comingtodie (Gancarski) - Find messages by this author
Date: 1999/02/23
Subject: WCWSN Workrate Report for 2.20.1999
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What Worked

Fit and El Dandy have a match as smooth as you'd expect from two old-school
world class wrestlers. A lot of good scientific stuff blended with some nice
kicks and the Patented Right Hand from Dandy. Dandy also took the time to
introduce an element called psychology by working on Fit's leg with some pretty
kicks to the thigh leading into an attempted Figure Four. Some pretty kickass
outside the ring brawling, though it didn't quite turn into a donnybrook or a
Pier Sixer. Fit went over, but Dandy was the star here, proving that he can
work given time and context to do so.

Hugh Morrus and Dave Taylor was about as good as it could be. The styles didn't
clash too much and Morrus made Taylor's retro scientific-heel offense look
credible by, you know, selling. Morrus's offense isn't my cup of tea, but he's
such a natural face and manages to get pretty over with no exposure whatsoever
that it only makes sense for him to be lumped in with the Teddy Long of heel
managers, Jimmy Hart. Morrus could probably be what Duggan was in the
Mid-South; a charismatic face that appealed to the marks and could be carried
by a real worker. But I wouldn't want Naimark to punk me for fantasy booking,
so I'll stop.

Ciclope hit a swank spinebuster and Chavito proved that he can work heel with
the best of the cruisers (cf. Uncle Eddy) so this was good. Chavito is crazy
over with the mark punk raspberry berets in the audience, as they chant for him
and boo the understatedly attractive Ciclope. Even though the match was
designed to get Chavo over as a heel, the pros in the ring gauged the crowd
reaction and Ciclope heeled it up a bit. What was that rest/submission thing
Ciclope had locked on Chavo, the one where they were facing each other sitting
on the mat and Ciclope had a full nelson on Chavo vising his head into the
crook of Ciclope's arm? The masked man worked like a mother, with some lovely
hang time on a vertical suplex and a handsome li'l superkick on Eddy's nephew.
This was pretty nice, number two and the second best.

Well, Lodi and Al Greene stuck around with Konnan and Rey, so this was here.
Konnan and Greene had a nice sequence, and Lodi dropped the signs to work with
Rey the Cruncher. I don't get Lodi's rolling vertical suplexes, but otherwise
the booking of this was sound. Lodi was elevated by getting offense in against
Rey, while Al Greene's power looked impressive against the plucky masked man.
But what's this? Konnan and Greene fucked up a K-Dawg leapfrog over the
Reverend, so they repeat the spot. Whee. Still, this was more gooder than bad.

Psicosis and Villano V really needed some rubber barbed wire or golf clubs to
be extreme. Psic is somehow over, and he was feeling it against Mr. V. And
these two had a real wrestling match, with psychology and selling and hot near
falls and stiff blows from Villano and Psic flying all over the place. Too much
good shit to list, but Psic makes Villano say UHHH like a punk strawberry
yogurt with a neck jarring hurracarana, and Villano brings the pain like a
friendly bank teller with the best tilt-a-whirl backbreaker I've seen since
Austin/McMahon. Villano misses a top-rope senton splash just like El Dandy did
in a preceding match, but that's cool. Psic wins with the Alabama Jam.

BT and Jericho started out with a lot of halfass Memphis stalling, but ended up
building nicely. This stayed on the mat, and at times dragged, but I can't
bitch about 12 minutes being given to these two. Both men sell like bank
tellers, and their comfort in what they do on offense often overcomes the
occasional cruise control each of their matches get in (as was the case
tonight). Wild Pier Sixer when Disco jumps in and Saturn emerges from the back
to even up the sides! Jericho and Saturn brawl to the back, and Booker just
looks at them like he's flabbergasted.

What Didn't Work

The question going into Bobby Blaze and Lash leRoux's match is how much can
Blaze drag the rookie down. A lot of indie-level sloppiness in the early part
of the match before Lash did an extended rear chinlock. Some sloppy mat work
here, and it seemed like Blaze's fault, since Lash is as green as Fresh Fields'
Pesto sauce and all. Lash goes over in about five minutes, and its nice that
Zbyszko got over Blaze recovering from Steiner squashing him on Thunder, but
the bad just managed to outweigh the good here. There's the door, Bobby.

While Hector Garza got in a couple of nice moves and got to deck Jimmy Hart,
there's very little good to be said about the Barbarian squashing him in three
minutes. This mighta worked for someone, but to me it was just the same old
shit let's put an outmoded heavy over a luchadore match.

Who is Torrie Wilson, Gene Mean axes? Who the heck cares, says Fat Tony?

Meng and Barb fight over a Jewel CD in the back. This is hardcore?

Mike Enos and Barry Darsow fight with golf clubs. Enos took a big bump, being
thrown over the top rope by Darsow, but whatever. This was useless and way too
long.

Hardcore Hak and Bull Pain was really extreme, and this fatboy just doesn't
give a darn. A couple of decent bumps here, but this was ultimately artless and
dated. And Hak's top rope hurracarana will hurt someone legit sooner than
later. Is Jim the lost Steiner?