Ryan Navigates '90 - #4 (1/15 - 1/19)
The Warlord is Good, Actually.
Good day!
We’ll have some interesting stuff this go-round. We’ll get a true hidden gem from the WWF, our first look at the Texas branch of the USWA, TWO hard-hitting shoot-style matches courtesy of Newborn UWF, and we’ll cap it off with an awkward Mick Foley promo and Arn Anderson defending his newly won NWA TV title.
MONDAY, JANUARY 15th
Prime Time Wrestling
Prime Time Wrestling was the WWF’s Monday night offering. It underwent some format changes over the years, but at this point, it’s still a studio show hosted by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan where matches from TV and live events were shown. Prime Time was replaced by Monday Night RAW in January 1993.
Brace yourselves, because it’s a WWF SPECIAL BULLETIN.
Mean Gene Okerlund announces that Viewer’s Choice, a major PPV company that Vince McMahon had been playing a game of Financial Chicken with over the last several weeks, will indeed be carrying the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania VI!
It’s made to sound like the calling and writing campaign undertaken by the loyal fans of the WWF had toppled the big bad PPV company, but in reality, Vince hit the brakes first. The WWF ended up signing a seven-year distribution deal with Viewer’s Choice for the same 10% take. Not exactly a victory for The Fed, but it had to be done.
WWF Madison Square Garden
The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) vs. Powers of Pain (The Warlord & The Barbarian) - Didn’t think I’d see too much Warlord (or even Barbie, for that matter) on these sets, but The Rockers excel like crazy in these David vs. Goliath matches.
First, we get a Coliseum Video promo from The Rockers. Jannetty especially sounds like he’s chemically altered, which was par for the course with these guys around this time.
Get those veggies off my plate, because we’re only having MEAT tonight.
Shawn and Barbarian lock up to start, with Barbie hurling Shawn around the ring as expected. Barbarian hits a stiff shoulderblock, but the Rockers score a double-team cross body for a quick near-fall. The Rockers use their agility to work over Barbarian’s arm, then soon hit him with a DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Double Superkick to Warlord! It’s like watching the Young Bucks, but with more illicit substances! Double clotheslines to both Powers of Pain force the big guys to regroup on the floor. The crowd is going absolutely apeshit in MSG.
Things settle down with Warlord clubberin’ away at Shawn, but The Rockers catch him with a dropkick-assisted hurricanrana! After a schoolboy-style dropkick, Marty tries a hurricanrana of his own, but Warlord plants him into the soil with a powerbomb. Warlord then fucking LAUNCHES him with a back body drop. I let out an audible “HOLY SHIT” watching this.
Warlord then sends Marty to the heavens with a flapjack. This is the most awesome Warlord has ever been, or ever will be. He distracts the ref while Barbarian chokes Marty out on the ropes. Barbarian tags in for a running headbutt, then boots Marty so hard he flies out of the ring. Mr. Fuji whacks Marty with his cane, then Barbarian runs his back into the post on the outside. Back in, Jannetty does a 360 sell off a clothesline but kicks out of the pin. Warlord tags in and resumes the beating, but Marty keeps fighting back! That comeback is quickly snuffed out, then Barbarian wears him down with a bearhug.
Marty escapes the bearhug and hits a flying fist off the top, but Barbarian catches a dive with a powerslam! Barbarian goes for a second-rope elbow, but he misses! Marty rolls into the corner and it’s WHITE-HOT TAG SHAWN MICHAELS! He slingshots in with a dropkick onto Barbarian, then runs wild with fists. He axehandles an approaching Warlord, then gets a clothesline-assisted sunset flip for two! Warlord catches a crossbody, but Marty dropkicks Shawn into a pin attempt. Barbarian accidentally elbows his own guy!
It’s double corner punches, but Mr. Fuji soon trips Shawn up with his cane! Barbarian hits an elbowdrop and covers for the win!
Post-match, Shawn dropkicks Mr. Fuji, but the Powers overwhelm the Rockers. They pummel Marty with elbows and a top-rope clothesline from Barbarian. Shawn comes in with a chair to chase the baddies off.
**** - This was AWESOME; terrific big vs. little tag wrestling served in ten minutes. I can’t say I’ve seen too many *good* Powers of Pain matches, but Barbarian and (especially) Warlord put on the quintessential display of roided-up meathead wrestling. The Rockers took some ridiculous bumps to make these guys look even more like killers, with Marty being able to high-five God on a couple of occasions. They also used their agility for some impressive double-team offense to keep the big fellas unbalanced. If you can find this, watch it.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th
UWF with '90 1st
There’s been a lot of promotions named UWF over the years, and we’ll have a few of them over the course of this year. They will wildly vary in terms of success and quality.
The one we have today, also known as Newborn UWF, was a revival of the original Japanese Universal Wrestling Federation, which had been closed in 1986. Like its predecessor, the UWF specialized in “shoot-style” professional wrestling, which placed emphasis on hyper-realism and clean finishes via submission and knockout. It was like watching mixed-martial arts, and in the days before UFC and Pancrase, that realistic approach resonated with a lot of fans. The resurrected promotion would set attendance records and run the second-ever pro wrestling show from the Tokyo Dome in 1989.
However, disagreements in direction between management and top draw Akira Maeda, and economic collapse in Japan, caused the company to close its doors by the end of the year. Fear not, shoot-style fans, as UWF would rise again, Solomon Grundy-style, in 1991 as Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi), with Nobuhiko Takada as the primary attraction. As well, two other shoot-centric promotions, Fighting Network RINGS (founded by Maeda) and Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (headed by former UWF-er Yoshiaki Fujiwara) would spawn as a result of the Newborn UWF’s closure.
In terms of the rules, matches can be won via submission or knockout. A competitor can also lose after being knocked down five times during the match. If a competitor uses the ropes to break or assist with a hold three times, it counts as a knockdown. Traditional pro wrestling three-counts were not a thing in this version of the UWF.
Kazuo Yamazaki vs. Yoji Anjo - Yamazaki had stints working in New Japan and all of the permeations of UWF. Readers of my 1995 retrospective may have some familiarity with Anjo, who was most famous for coming to California to challenge the Gracies in their own dojo and getting absolutely schooled by Rickson. That aside, he’s a very good shoot-style worker.
Anjo gets a quick knee in the corner after some initial kick feints, but Yamazaki hits a Saito suplex. They tangle on the mat, with Yamazaki going after the legs and Anjo attacking the arm and neck. When they’re back up, Yamazaki suplexes Anjo down again, but Anjo catches him in an attempted double-wristlock.
Yamazaki tries to wriggle free, but Anjo holds on until they encroach the ropes. Anjo scores a huge takedown and works the side mount, then switches to a leg grapevine. Yamazaki grabs Anjo’s ankle, and the hold is broken by the ropes (with Anjo raining down short kicks onto Yamazaki’s head). With both men on their feet, Anjo blasts Yamazaki with knees and takes him over with a single-arm suplex. Back to the side mount and attempted choke from Anjo, but Yamazaki rolls into. Anjo lets go, so Yamazaki rewards him with a stiff kick.
Moments later, Yamkazaki catches an Anjo kick and takes him to the mat with a legbar. Anjo turns and grapevines both Yamazaki’s legs, like a quasi-Sharpshooter.
Anjo converts it into a more grounded variant, but Yamazaki counters with a single crab. Yamazaki really leans into it, forcing Anjo to seek refuge in the ropes. Seconds later, Anjo hits some more knees, but Yamazaki catches him and just tosses him, nearly dropping him straight onto his head! Yamazaki gets the jujigatame, then switches to a triangle choke, but Anjo escapes and grabs a leglock. Yamazaki breaks via the ropes, then fires back with some hard kicks to the midsection. Yamazaki gets a front facelock, then kicks Anjo in the skull. That counts as the first knockdown of the match, but Anjo makes it back up before the ref’s ten.
Anjo drives Yamazaki to the corner and just unloads with a grounded corner knee and a kick to the cranium. Anjo charges in and almost pays with his life, as Yamazaki just pummels him with headbutts! Anjo comes back with knees and a nasty slap to knock Yamazaki down! He makes it up at 9, then dodges a flying knee. He goes for a rear choke, and Anjo makes it to the ropes. As Anjo’s reached three rope breaks, he’s now down 2-1. Seconds later, Yamazaki gets another rear choke, and Anjo taps out!
***1/2 - This was some really clever, hard-hitting action. The submissions and strikes looked downright brutal at times, and things were suitably intense. It did lag in places, but it’s still a very good representation of a style that may not be for everyone.
Akira Maeda vs. Nobuhiko Takada - The main event sees current top dog in Maeda tangling with the ace of the future UWFi in Takada.
Takeda draws first blood with some slaps and a kick to the sternum, scoring a quick first knockdown on Maeda! Maeda beats the count, but Takada peppers him with a few kicks. They each dodge high kicks, then Takada gets a few more midsection kicks before Maeda takes him down and tries for a jujigatame. Maeda lays in some slaps and continues going after the arm until Takada makes the ropes. Moments later, Maeda lands a kick to the face that puts Takada down. We’re at one knockdown apiece as Takada makes it back up.
Takada hits a glancing kick to Maeda’s noggin, then belly-to-bellys him. He looks for an armbar, but Maeda escapes with the ropes. They square off again, with Maeda catching a leaping back kick with a legbar. Takada burns his second rope break, then they feel each other out again until Maeda blocks a takedown and tries to work an armbar. Takada powers out and slams Maeda onto the canvas, face-first!
Takada works a full mount, then transitions into a side mount in pursuit of an armbar, but Maeda wrestles out of it and snatches a leglock. Maeda then works at a top wristlock for a while, then they roll around until Takada goes for a standing legbar. They work off of that for a good bit until Maeda locks in a half-crab, then segues into a side headlock. Maeda resumes his attack on the leg, getting an ankle lock that is broken via the ropes. Takada takes his second knockdown as he exceeds his rope breaks.
They exchange kicks until Takada catches Maeda with an open hand to the face and a rear choke. Akira seeks asylum in the ropes, then blocks a takedown attempt and makes him pay with some vicious kicks. One particularly nasty one knocks Takada down, putting him down 3-1. Takada arises and goes for a kick, but Maeda catches him with a capture suplex and sinks in a half-crab.
Maeda transitions into a double-leg grapevine, then into a full-on Boston Crab. Takada uses the first in a fresh set of rope breaks, then Maeda assaults him with kicks. We take it to the mat again until Takada gets some kicks of his own. Takada takes Maeda down again, but Maeda eventually grapevines the legs again to force another rope break. Moments later, Takada strikes Maeda around the eyes, knocking him down. It looked like an eyepoke, but it counts as a knockdown against Maeda, I guess. Maeda answers the count but is REALLY favoring the eye. After some evaluation, Maeda presses on.
After some circling, Takada catches Maeda with an ankle lock and holds on for dear life! Maeda tries to fight out, but he taps! Takada wins!
***1/2 - I really wanted to like this more than I did. At 23 minutes, the pangs of repetition set in, and the match tended to drag at times. However, this was still an enjoyable main event with some nifty sequences, great throws and submissions, and both guys kicking each other into pudding. The finish protects Maeda a bit due to the likely eye poke leading to his downfall.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19th
USWA (Texas)
Welcome to the Navigation, Dallas branch of the USWA! As brought up before, some of the guys were working both arms of the USWA ($38 plane tickets from Memphis to Dallas certainly helps). We get a little bit of that crossover here.
“Superstar” Bill Dundee, “Gentleman” Chris Adams & Eric Embry vs. Devastation, Inc. (Billy Joe Travis, “Gorgeous” Gary Young & Skandor Akbar) - As we saw last week, Travis and Dundee are very much beefing at this point. Chris Adams was a former judoka who wrestled in World Class Championship Wrestling and many other promotions (such as Paul Alperstein’s AWF) over the years before a brief, unremarkable stint in WCW in the late 1990s. He also trained Steve Austin, popularized the superkick, and was a really good wrestler that was plagued by SERIOUS demons. Seriously, check out his Dark Side of the Ring episode.
Embry was primarily known for his work in WCCW and not a whole heck of a lot else from what I can find, and Akbar was a long-time manager in the southern territories. He was the manager of Devastation, Inc. in WCCW and Akbar’s Army in Bill Watts’ Mid-South Wrestling.
We pick it up with Travis strutting, so Dundee literally kicks his ass. Dundee sends him to the floor, and Adams clocks him, resulting in a tremendous staggering sell from Travis. The heels regroup as USWA ROLLS ON…
…and we’re back with Dundee punching Travis down for two. We get a criss-cross spot, then Dundee and Travis trade dropdowns until Billy Joe puts himself on the floor! After some stalling and regrouping, Travis and Dundee battle over a knucklelock until Adams sneaks in and uppercuts Travis, leading to an amazing punch-drunk sell from Billy. The heels block pin attempts, then Adams tags in. Travis scurries and tags in Young, who works a headlock. Adams hits a backdrop and a dropkick to tangle Young in the ropes! Adams leaps over Dundee onto a prone Young, then Dundee clocks an intercepting Travis.
Young escapes the ropes and ducks an Adams crossbody, causing him to bugger his leg in the cables. The bad guys work over the leg as Toni Adams, Chris’ manager and then-wife, encourages the Sportatorium faithful to let him their support. Akbar tags in and resumes the attack on the leg, carefully picking his spots to enter the match as he hasn’t seen full-time competition since 1977. Gary Young comes in and further punishes the knee with some nice stuff.
Devastation, Inc. continues to beat Adams down as USWA ROLLS ON…
…and we’re back with Young continuing to try to take Adams’ leg home with him. Embry and Toni check on Chris, with Embry rolling Adams back in. The Gentleman endures a kneebreaker, then Akbar jabs at the leg with a foreign object. Adams manages an enzuigiri on Travis, but Young cuts off any hope of a tag. Travis re-enters and tosses Adams to the floor. Toni and Embry again check on Adams…then Embry shoves Toni to the ground! Rude! It’s played off by the announcer like Embry shoved her by accident, but it was totally deliberate.
Suffice it to say, Chris Adams is PISSED, and him and Embry scrap on the floor as the heels cheer them on! HA! Dundee tries and fails to break up the fracas. Adams and Embry continue beating the tar out of each other while the heels triple-team Dundee. The ref throws the match out due to all the chaos as everyone continues going at it until some of the wrestlers (including a young Steve Austin) break it up.
***1/2 - This was a really fun, well-worked trios match. Dundee and Travis stole the show, though, especially Travis with his incredible comedy bumping and selling. Billy Joe was a national treasure. Adams as the face in peril was great as he sold the beating well, and Young did a very good job working over his leg. The ending angle was well-executed and justified the inconclusive finish. There was a bit of a rift forming between Adams and Embry for a while, and this would certainly widen it.
NWA Power Hour
We head back to Funk’s Grill, where today’s guest is “simple-minded pahtnah” Cactus Jack! Foley, who speaks with an odd southern drawl, says he’d rather “hurt a man than love a woman”.
Money is also not a priority, and Terry appreciates Jack’s out-there-ness, saying he’d be a good foreman at the Double Cross Ranch. They then have a brief conversation about beans.
Onions, however, taste like owl to Cactus, which he likes. Funk then talks about Jack’s issues with his tag team partners, which he chalks up to Jack being insane. Jack denies those claims about his mental health.
Well, this was…something. Jack seemed SO nervous and lost here, which is interesting considering he’d go on to be one of the top promo guys in the history of the business. The fake southern accent is pretty silly, but he was also fairly new to doing this kind of promo and character work. He also had to be anxious trying to do this with someone he considered a hero. Speaking of Funk, he did a great job guiding Mick through this, and it’s kind of a neat to see the beginnings of this particular relationship.
NWA World Television Championship: Arn Anderson (c) vs. Buzz Sawyer - This one came about after Sawyer challenged Anderson immediately after The Enforcer took the TV strap from Sawyer’s J-Tex Corporation contemporary Great Muta last week.
Buzz was a really solid, stout worker, but he had a reputation of dickheadedness, especially as a trainer. He would often take money from a prospective trainee, beat the absolute crap out of them, show them maybe one or two basic things, and skip town. One of Sawyer’s victims was none other than a young Mark Calaway, who would go on to be The Undertaker. Sawyer would pass away in February 1992 from drug overdose-induced heart failure.
It’s amazing that Buzz looks OLDER than Arn yet is somehow younger. Buzz is 30 here! THIRTY!
Arn charges into a Sawyer boot but dodges an elbowdrop to kick things off. Buzz hurls Arn out but ends up clotheslining the ringpost. Like J.D. Vance on a fine Naugahyde couch, Anderson just ATTACKS THAT THING. Back in, Arn hits a hammerlock bodyslam and continues to bar some arm. More arm-based castigation ensues until Sawyer knees him in the guts. Sawyer gets a suplex, but misses another elbowdrop and gets his arm firmly barred.
Sawyer boots Arn in the face to break it, then Buzz pounds away until Arn goes right back to the left arm. Another couple of shots to the midsection put Anderson on the floor. Arn comes back in, but a leapfrog is caught with a powerslam for a VERY close two. Buzz works over the ribs and lower back, locking in a bearhug, which he transitions into a sweet overhead belly-to-belly for two. The bearhug resumes until Arn fights out…only to get quickly cut off.
Buzz presses his attack, cinching in an abdominal stretch (while grabbing some trunks like a good heel). Anderson barely hiptosses out, but Sawyer boomerangs back and attacks the ribs. Sawyer slams Arn on the floor, but Anderson counters a Sawyer axehandle with a gut punch. The comeback is short-lived, though, as Sawyer drives his back into the ringpost. Arn re-enters and dodges a blind charge by Sawyer, causing him to drive his injured arm into the corner.
Anderson starts to mount a sustained comeback, hitting a jawbreaker and a high back body drop. He hurls Sawyer out and rams HIM into the post. Back in, Arn hits the spinebuster, but Sawyer kicks out! Dragon Master and Great Muta run in, with the latter spraying mist into Arn’s eyes! Sawyer is disqualified as a result.
The J-Tex guys spike-piledrive Arn. Ole Anderson runs in and gets immediately swarmed by the heels. Dragon and Muta hold Ole down for a big Sawyer splash and the heels walk out, happy with their handiwork.
***1/4 - This was a rock-solid TV match with both guys sticking to a particular gameplan, and everything was sold well. Both men also busted out some enjoyable offense. The powerslam spot and the overhead suplex from Buzz were especially neato. The finish, while not the most decisive, was heated, especially when the baddies took out Ole. Overall, this did an admirable job building to the six-man tag at the upcoming Clash of the Champions.
Now it's time for THE TUGBOAT TRIBUNE!
As always, the news comes courtesy of Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
In a 44-4 tally, New Jersey voted to deregulate professional wrestling. However, the governor vetoed the bill.
This was a bill that came about when Vince McMahon infamously testified in a New Jersey court that pro wrestling was pre-determined entertainment and NOT legitimate athletic competition in order to avoid regulation and taxes. If successful in New Jersey, he hoped that it would result in further deregulation in other states, such as Pennsylvania.
For quite a few out there, this was THE confirmation that wrestling was not real. I mean, it was fairly obvious to a good many just by watching it, but a lot of people in the industry were still fiercely protective of the illusion. Vince upsetting that particular apple cart REALLY pissed people off.
You can read more about this situation in this article by David Bixenspan.
Pro wrestling would eventually be deregulated in New Jersey in 1997.
In USWA scuttlebutt, Jerry “The King” Lawler doesn’t want to commit to working both Memphis and Dallas on a weekly basis, so USWA owner Jerry Jarrett was looking to phase him out in favor of someone that would make the commitment. Unsurprisingly, a plan to get Jerry Lawler out of Memphis does not bear fruit.
NEXT TIME: It’s time to RUMBLE! Royally Rumble!
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Gorilla Monsoon and The Brain were so much fun. Of course, I was 14 in 1990, so I HATED Bobby Heenan.