Worldwide Warrior of the Week - RICK FULLER. He's put over everyone from Juventud to Jim Duggan on the WCW syndie circuit, and is apparently finally being rewarded with a mini-push, as he's featured for next week. He's as big as Hugh Morrus, but a bit less complacent in his in-ring work. Check him out on the show next week and read about him right here on this page! Funkdafied!
What Worked
~BENOIT! vs Barry Horowitz. This started out like one of those Benoit squashes
that is only now beginning to approach Luger's in terms of absolute annoyance.
However, Benoit's instincts took over. He let Horowitz have an extended
offensive sequence in which Barry hit a credible Northern Lights Suplex
and a stutter-step leg drop that parodied the Hogan one and looked like
nothing so much as a leg drop answer to maivia's People's Elbow. Barry
got so much work in, in fact, that he got a 'Barry Sucks' chant going.
It was the best Horowitz match since his match with Flair on this program
a few months back, in which Flair was not afraid to sell. Finished with
the Crossface, of course. But Barry apparently wasn't selling enough, so
Benoit leaned back in it and convinced the timeless enhancement man to
sell. Pump up the Volume!
~FIT! vs Scott Louden. Ah! Continuity glitch; Fit comes out without the
belt. Guess this was supposed to air in two weeks... Stiff kicks and Fit's
usual pressure-point intensive offense predominate in this squash, in which
Fit looked like a more credible Ronnie Garvin. Bring the pain!
Villanos versus Disorderly Conduct. What a fun match. The Villanos work
tecnico, DC looks like Condrey/Rose, a whole slew of 80s double team moves,
and the luchadores go over. It was like one of those Thunder dark matches
that blow away everything else on the show, show you how good and underused
much of the WCW roster is, and makes you realize how you wish you could've
gone to a house show instead.
What Didn't Work
Lee Roy Howard (with theme music) vs Goldberg: Lee Roy looks a bit like
Tiny Lister, in that he's bald and black. Then again, so is a bus driver
I often ride with. Typical 3 move Nikita2000 squash, which doesn't get
Goldberg any more over and doesn't enhance his skills. But I liked him
on those first couple of Nitros, yes I did.
Kendall Windham vs Tim Cheeks: This might have worked if it had been Maurice
Cheeks, I don't know. As it was, it was Kendall working superloose, and
it gave Kendall something to do between getting squashed by Goldberg on
Nitro once a month. Kendall lost it, if he ever had it to start with.
Brian Adams versus Bobby Eaton: Yeah, this was on last week's Worldwide.
But it was new to me, since I saw it on the Pro. Horrible match, but it
gives me a platform from which I can illustrate a very important point
about WCW. Brian Adams. Marginal in-ring skills. No interview skills to
speak of, especially in the context of a feud in which Hogan, Nash, Konnan,
and Savage all have their own distinct, yet popular, styles. Adams, like
many of the people Bischoff lured from Titan in the last nine months or
so (Hennig and the Hart Foundation as examples), is about as over as day-old
bread. It was a mistake to hire him in that sense. Yet Adams differs from
Hennig, DBS, and Bret in a key sense. He's NEVER been over. Not as Kona
Crush. Not as Demolition Crush. Not as Nazi biker. And not now. Especially
not now. Asses in seats, indeed.
Lee Marshall interviews Booker T: Sucka, sucka, sucka. Benoit's a sucka.
Can you dig it?
Reese (with Flock, woo hoo) vs ~Ol' Hacksaw! Whip ass! Rocky King is ref!
USA! Because Reese is, like, unAmerican and stuff. Reese pops an exploder
suplex! Duggan SHOOTS with the double axehandle! Reese butt-bumps Hacksaw
in the corner! Duggan debuts the Hacksawlt! Whipass! It's a BUYER'S MARKET,
because no one's SELLING! Asses in seats! HOOOOOOOO! USA! Ol' Glory kneedrop!
Pin, no run-in. Some of this didn't happen.
A final note: Next week will really suck, as Chris
Adams, Hammer, and DDP are promised.
Anthony Gancarski