Worldwide Workrate Warrior of the Week: Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine. Recently tributed in a Wu-Tang Clan song, Greg Valentine has spent his career as a lead heel in many promotions, most notably Crockett's Mid-Atlantic and mid-80s WWF. Although the 90s has been a bittersweet time for The Hammer, saddling him with atrophy in both skills and physique as well as an exponential decline in workrate and push, Valentine nonetheless received what someone somewhere could call a push right here on Worldwide. He was put over a few people, including one of today's combatants, Mike Tolbert. His finishing move is an elbow smash. Go Hammer!
What Worked
Tokyo Magnum and Judo Sawa (heels, 'cos they're Japs and stuff) versus
Psicosis and La Parka: Oh, how I long for Silver King. The latter aren't
my favorite luchadores or anything, but are helluva better than any of
the main eventers I'll be skipping out on at the Bash tonight. I think
the Villanos are better suited to go against the Grupo workers (as they
did on the Pro the other week), but what the hell. Gulliotine Legdrop,
enjoyed it, Magnum and Sawa can work.
What Didn't Work
Lee Marshall interviews ~EDDY!. I love ~UNCLE EDDY. Make no mistake about
that. However, I'm bored with the Eddy/Chavo angle. And Eddy looks as he
is as well. But who could blame him? Second match on the PPV, dead-end
booking -- this isn't going anywhere. Eddy has been set up as the underdog
here, but in such a way that his credibility is ruined for a while. Eminently
forgettable stuff...
Brett Hammer vs Rick Fuller, who is a previous Worldwide Workrate Warrior,
and who is carryable, but not by Hammer. Total big lug match -- bodyslam/shoulder
block/ canned heat. Fuller debuts his finisher here, a tombstone piledriver,
which he apparently has dubbed 'The Fuller Effect'. Such a Meng/Duggan
match, and it seems like all Fuller is being groomed for is an issue with
Mr. World Class, Chip Minton.
Buddy Lee Parker vs Chris Adams. More of 'The Filler Effect' here, as two
carryable wrestlers work to the sound of one hand clapping. Larry Whistler
talks about the PPV... I kept thinking about Gino Hernandez during this
match, wondering if Gino would be doing this had he lived. I like Parker
generally, and can stand Adams, but this didn't quite gel.
Mike Tolbert vs Van Hammer and Saturn vs DDP. My feelings about all ten
minutes of this are summed up in the US dub of Drunken Master (with Jackie
Chan) when Thunderfoot, the villain, says 'Crawl Through My Legs. Then
go clean some toilets or something.' As much as I bitch about Mero, DOA,
LOD, et al, at least there are only seven of them. WCW collects these stiffs
like baseball cards.
Anthony Gancarski