Ryan Navigates '90 - #6 (1/22 - 1/27)
Can Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior co-exist?!?!?!?!?
EDITORS NOTE: Whilst in the process of writing this article, Kevin Sullivan passed away on August 8th, 2024 at 74 years of age. He was an incredible character in the ring, and a truly influential booker outside of it. He had his hand in a lot of the early Nitro-era storylines and the nWo stuff, and his brawls were legendary. Even when he was doing cheesy stuff like the Dungeon of Doom, he didn’t half-ass it. May he rest in peace.
Good day!
We're doing nearly a full week this time out and have a pretty hefty slate as a result. We'll have a then-rare showdown of 1980's wrestling titans, more Tenryu vs. Tsuruta, a Guitar on a Pole match, Saturday Night’s Main Event, plenty from the NWA including 6- and 8-man tag action, and more!
On a personal note, I recently crossed the 100-subscriber mark, which I'm beyond stoked about. It doesn't sound like much compared to other publications, but having that many people interested in my niche-within-a-niche series shows me that there is an audience for it.
So, to everyone who's been with me since day one, to those who recently started reading, and everyone in between, I say…
MONDAY, JANUARY 22nd
WWF WrestleFest ‘90
Oh, man, we're getting into Coliseum Video exclusives here! Before we get to the match, we get a couple of awesome toy commercials. Jesse “The Body” Ventura tells us about Hasbro WWF figures and the new WWF ring!
They’re so close to the real thing, it’s like being in the ring! Just without the crippling injuries, substance issues, and strained relationships.
I never really had a ton of WWF wrestling figures in my youth except for that Jake Roberts one, but I totally had the ring. Many a battle royal with Jake and characters from Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, Beetlejuice, Street Sharks, and others have been held in that thing.
I’d love to collect figures nowadays, especially the AEW ones, but $30+ a pop? Nope.
Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage - Here's a pairing that I'm shocked never really had any kind of PPV program together in the WWF. Two of THE top guys of the ‘80s. They had some really fun interactions in the Royal Rumble match last time, so I’m looking forward to this.
Both guys channel their inner Tetsuya Naito, taking their sweet time shedding their entrance attires. Sensational Queen Sherri takes a peek up Piper’s kilt and has a giggle, so Piper pats her on the ass in return. Piper dodges Sherri as she tries kicking him, causing her to fall out of her heels. Savage takes this opportunity to clock Piper with an axehandle, but Piper fights back with a clothesline. Piper atomic-drops Savage into another clothesline for two, then thwarts a Sherri distraction with another clothesline. Piper gets a sunset flip for two, but Savage decks him with an elbow. Piper applies a small package for two, then Savage heads for the hills. Piper catches up with him and escorts him back to the ring.
Sherri distracts Piper again, and Savage capitalizes with an axehandle to the floor. Macho takes over with another axehandle, this time in the ring, for two. Savage continues the assault, hitting another axehandle to the floor and allowing Sherri to get her shots in. Macho King and Sherri maintain control over Piper until Roddy starts to mount a comeback with a flurry of punches. Savage ends up in a tree of woe, allowing Piper some free shots. After Sherri frees him, Savage begs off, but Piper doesn’t relent. Piper gets an airplane spin and stumbles into the pin for a two-count. Savage goes for his OWN airplane spin, going faster and with more rotations.
He goes upstairs but ends up tumbling out of the ring because he’s still super-dizzy. OK, that was great.
Piper follows him out, and they fight it out until Sherri jumps on Piper’s back, so the referee throws the match out. Piper gets a sleeper, which Sherri again breaks up. Piper gets HER in a sleeper until Savage puts a stop to it. The camera zooms in on Sherri’s ass, then Piper slams Savage into her. Piper grabs his belt and gives Savage a good flogging before the royal couple flees.
We don’t hear what the actual decision is. Either way, it’s the typical non-finish for a Piper match (and, really, any Coliseum exclusive with big names).
**1/2 - This was an entertaining match, though not exactly one with a lot of meat to it. The battle of the airplane spins was pretty amusing, and the opening bit was quite good, but the stuff in-between was fairly repetitive and uninspired. Still pretty fun, though.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25th
AJPW New Year Giant Series 1990, Night 17
Jumbo Tsuruta, Great Kabuki & Mighty Inoue vs. Revolution (Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki) - As you may remember last time, Tenryu beat up a bunch of ringside seconds during a match. As a result, two of those seconds are teaming with Tenryu’s rival Tsuruta with revenge on their minds.
We cut pretty close to the end of a 21-ish minute match, with Fuyuki hitting a fisherman’s suplex on Inoue for two. Inoue escapes, but ends up taking an enzuigiri from Tenryu on the apron…but Tsuruta takes exception and slugs his nemesis! Kawada comes in for a German suplex for two, then Tenryu comes in and leathers Inoue with a chop.
Tenryu gets a lariat for two, then Fuyuki hits a flying seated senton for another near-fall. Kawada blasts Inoue with a lariat for two, then Footloose hits a double electric chair. Tenryu comes in and tries a powerbomb, but Tsuruta enzuigiris him! Fuyuki clotheslines Jumbo out, then Tenryu wallops him with a chair! The elders brawl it out on the outside while Inoue tries to battle back. Inoue dodges some Kawada kicks and hits a back suplex, then just LAUNCHES into a shoulderblock to dispatch Tenryu from the apron! The referee counts Tenryu out of the ring!
Tenryu flips his lid and goes after his opponents with a chair, smashing everyone in the head!
Tsuruta tries to fight back, but he’s held back by his partners and ringside attendants. The faces roll back into the ring, so Tenryu hurls a chair into the ring and hits poor Inoue! Rude! Tenryu then tosses a table into the ring before finally leaving the scene with his underlings.
We didn’t get much of the match here, but we got more fuel added to the Tenryu and Tsuruta fire. We also had a rather rare count-out ending. One thing that AJPW would go on to be critically and financially successful for is clean, decisive finishes, so when you do a DQ or a count-out, it REALLY stands out.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26th
NWA Power Hour
Ric Flair, Arn Anderson & Sting vs. J-Tex Corporation (Buzz Sawyer, Dragon Master & The Great Muta) - This is basically the main event of the upcoming Clash of the Champions, but without the cage stip.
The Johnson City, Tennessee crowd is absolutely AMPED for this one. Seriously, nobody’s even touched yet, and the fans are whipped into a frenzy. Arn and Buzz aggressively lock up to start, with Arn slingshotting Sting in, who lands a clothesline to a MAMMOTH pop. Everybody brawls it out until the Horsemen clear the ring!
The match settles down a bit with Sting and Buzz having a taunt-off. Buzz slams Sting and steals his taunt, so Sting repays him by pressing him over his head! Muta comes in and eats a press slam of his own, getting tossed onto Sawyer and Master! Sting continues fighting off J-Tex, then Muta comes in to try his luck. They have an athletic exchange that ends with Sting monkey-flipping Muta onto his stomach. Muta ends up in the Horsemen corner and pays dearly. Flair tags in and the crowd again loses it. Naitch lights Muta up with chops until Muta gets an eyepoke and tags in Dragon Master, who shares the same fate as his countryman.
Arn tags in and has his way with Master, but Buzz tags back in. He and Arn have another “young guy who looks old”-off, with Buzz laying in some chops.
Buzz flies shoulder-first into the ringpost, and Arn is ALL OVER IT like Big Mom on a delectable croquembouche. Sting comes in and resumes working over the arm, cutting off any attempted comeback or tags from Sawyer. Flair comes in, and him and Sawyer have a spirited exchange of chops. Buzz tags in Dragon Master, and he gets clobbered by Flair and Arn. The Horsemen work over the leg, with Sting attempting a Scorpion Deathlock, which gets cut off by J-Tex. Flair and Muta enter legally, leading to another delightful exchange that sees Flair attempting a Figure Four that gets broken up by Master.
The J-Tex Corporation finally gain a sustained advantage, punishing Flair inside and outside the ring. Sawyer hits a big powerslam for two, but Flair gets a small package for his own near-fall. Muta comes in and pummels Flair before hitting his handspring elbow. Master comes in and sends Flair over the turnbuckle, but Flair runs across the apron, smashes Buzz with an elbow, then flies off the top with an axehandle onto Dragon! Flair crawls into the corner and it’s MOLTEN HOT TAG STING! Dropkicks for everybody! Stinger Splash on Buzz!
Sting goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Muta sprays the deadly green mist into Sting’s eyes! Referee Nick Patrick calls for the disqualification as everybody fights. J-Tex comes out on top, with Sawyer hitting a big splash onto Sting before heading to the back.
***3/4 - This was an awesome TV tag match with fast-paced work and MASSIVE heat. Seriously, those fans were whipped into an absolute froth by the Horsemen. I’d normally not be a fan of DQ finishes, but it was to be expected considering this combination is set to main-event Clash of the Champions. One thing that’s pretty funny is that we’ve seen three straight non-finishes in matches from three different promotions.
Dragon Master was also known as Kendo Nagasaki (the native Japanese version, as opposed to the British Kendo Nagasaki, portrayed by Peter Thornley), and he spent some time in Stampede and the Continental Wrestling Association. He actually had a hand in training some pupils in Stu Hart’s Dungeon, including a young Bret Hart.
Master later wrestled for FMW and SWS and helped to found Big Japan Pro Wrestling. He passed in 2020 at 71 years of age due to arrythmia.
USWA (Dallas)
Guitar on a Pole Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Billy Joe Travis - Whoever climbs the pole and retrieves the MacGuffin wins the match and can use the weapon against his opponent. The opening strains of Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible” usher in a very young Jarrett, all of 22 years old here.
Travis’ exaggerated warmups in the ring are tremendous.
Jarrett beats the snot out of Travis to start, including a back body drop and a body slam onto concrete. Jarrett wallops Travis with a chair to the head and continues the beating until Travis catches him with a kneelift. Billy Joe goes for the guitar, but Jarrett cuts him off with some punches and a superplex. On the outside, Jarrett DDTs him onto the commentary table! Jarrett then piledrives him onto the floor! In Memphis or Mexico, Billy Joe would be taken straight to the morgue.
Jarrett then Tombstones Travis, leading to a twitchy sell. Double J retrieves the guitar and wins!
Jarrett goes to El Kabong Travis, but Jerry Lawler, who had been doing commentary, runs in and attacks him! Lawler directs Travis to punch the starch out of Jarrett, then Lawler smashes the guitar over Jeff’s head!
Lawler continues clubbing Jarrett with the gee-tar until Kerry Von Erich makes the save! Punches for everyone…until Travis grabs Kerry’s legs, and Lawler rams the broken guitar into Kerry’s throat! Jarrett BLASTS Travis with a chair as Kerry discus punches Lawler to send the heels to the back.
**1/2 - The match was quite short and VERY one-sided, but this was a HOT segment with Jarrett completely destroying Travis, Billy Joe bumping and selling his ass off, and a great post-match with Lawler and Von Erich.
It's still incredible to me how, 34 years later, Double J can still deliver in the ring, most recently having a great AEW Dynamite main event with Bryan Danielson. It's a testament to his conditioning and working a relatively safe style.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27th
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
We catch up with “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Virgil at the gym. Ted threatens to send Jake “The Snake” Roberts to the hospital with a ruptured disc for stealing his money and his belt, then challenges him to a match NEXT WEEK on Superstars.
Short and sweet, and we’ll have that match in a future issue.
USWA Championship Wrestling (Memphis)
Dave Brown brings out the Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & “Prime Time” Brian Lee) for a chat.
Fuller’s love left him, so he grabs his guitar and goes full Jimmy Jacobs, playing a ballad for his Georgia Peach.
The crowd lets him have it, but he plays and sings pretty well. Bill Dundee comes out to fake-cry and piss the USWA tag champions off. Lee suggests a ‘Star Search’ for Fuller’s next paramour, truly dating this segment. Fuller’s looking for “the first woman on the bus, ready to ride”. Dave Brown doubts that anyone is interested.
Brian Lee would go on to quasi-fame in Smoky Mountain Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling, and in the WWF as Chainz of the D.O.A., but he’d probably be best known as Ted DiBiase’s fake Undertaker during the summer of 1994. Fuller will likely be known to WCW fans for a pretty great run as Col. Robert Parker and to WWF fans for his brief stint as Tennessee Lee, Jeff Jarrett’s manager for a few months in 1998.
Jerry Lawler is PISSED OFF at Dave Brown for doubting that he knows a lot of these celebrities that he’s name-dropping. Lawler brings up a photo of him and Rodney Dangerfield as proof.
We get a pic of Lawler and Art Modell, then Jerry promises video footage of himself and Christie Brinkley next week.
NWA Worldwide Wrestling
We return to Funk's Grill, where Theodore R. Long is showing off some duds a ‘senorita’ gave him. Terry Funk says that’s not all she gave him, giving us a one-night stand/venereal disease joke on syndicated Saturday wrestling. Teddy then brings out new Skyscraper, “Mean” Mark Callous. Funk asks if Long can teach the Road Warriors how to wrestle, to which Long says that nobody can teach the Warriors ANYTHING!
Long doesn’t NEED to teach the Skyscrapers how to wrestle, but Funk does ask if Long can teach him how to DANCE! Funk and Long get down and funky while Mean Mark grimaces in the background. The interplay between Funk and Long was pretty funny.
For anyone reading who may not be familiar, that’s a pre-Undertaker Mark Calaway. Callous had not been with the NWA long before being slotted into the Skyscrapers tag team to fill in for the injured Sid Vicious.
NWA World Championship Wrestling
Sting hangs out with Jim Ross on the interview platform. Good Ol’ JR asks Sting about being a Horseman and the crazy parties Ric Flair tends to partake in. He says that he’s adjusting to life in the fast lane, but he’s still hitting the gym and being a good role model to the little Stingers.
JR then asks Sting if he’s ready to beat stablemate Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleWar. Sting seems a tad conflicted, but Ric Flair, his harem, and Arn Anderson come out to put a stop to that unpleasant business talk. Sting’s perfectly fine with the interruption given the company Flair and Arn are keeping.
Arn, who is in his wrestling gear ahead of a TV title defense, promises to retain over Eddie Gilbert, then says that in order for Sting to keep up, he has to hit the Stairmaster and “wear it out”. Oh, my.
JR then asks Flair about being courted by Woman. Before Flair can answer, Woman herself shows up and reiterates her offer to the Nature Boy. Flair again rebuffs her as he does not mix business with pleasure. Woman says that when he’s done with girls to let her know when he’s ready for a woman.
This is a very interesting segment. The impending Flair/Sting showdown is the elephant in the room, but Flair and the Andersons continue to try to evade the subject. You just KNOW that something’s going to happen when they finally have to address it. We also had a bit of mild hype for the TV title match later in the night, and they continue to build intrigue with the Woman stuff. The NWA got a lot done in a few minutes.
Rock ‘N Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) & Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas & Johnny Ace) vs. Midnight Express (“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton & “Sweet” Stan Lane) & Fabulous Freebirds (Michael P.S. Hayes & Jimmy Jam Garvin) - Oh, man, the DYNAMIC DUDES. Sadly, they didn’t have the bright orange shorts or skateboards, so I can’t rip on those and just how dorky they looked.
This should be a fun atomicos, especially with a Rock N’ Roll Express who only just recently returned to the NWA. The fans are especially excited to see them.
Beautiful Bobby and Robert Gibson start things off, which just feels right. Eaton gets an early shoulderblock, but Gibson fights back with a flying headscissors. Off to future sex trafficker Johnny Ace, who gets quickly tossed by Bobby…but Ace headscissors Eaton to the floor. Shane Douglas HA HA tags in and gets flung by Ace into a plancha onto Bobby.
Sweet Stan checks in, as does Ricky Morton. Ricky literally kicks Stan’s and Hayes’ asses, then fights off the latter. The Rock N’ Rolls double-team Hayes, but the heels briefly take over on Douglas. Shane catches Garvin with a sunset flip, then gets a rebound clothesline/crossbody on Eaton and clears the ring with dropkicks! Morton then hiptosses everyone, but Garvin distracts him, leading to a bulldog from Hayes. Morton takes his rightful place of “babyface getting his ass kicked”.
The baddies beat the tar out of Morton, with even Jim Cornette getting some shots in with his omnipresent tennis racket. Eaton lands a powerslam and Lane hits a Russian legsweep, then Morton gets double-teamed on the outside as the crowd tries to will him back into it. Ricky gets a hopeful sunset flip and dodges a Lane corner splash, but Eaton prevents a tag. Morton blocks a bulldog attempt from Hayes, and it’s HOT TAG SHANE DOUGLAS! Well, in theory, because the crowd doesn’t exactly explode like they would with Gibson.
Shane makes the white-meat babyface comeback, even dropkicking Cornette off the apron! The Dudes double-team Lane with a missile dropkick/suplex combo and Shane goes for the cover, but Eaton crushes him with an Alabama Jam!
After a lengthy delay, Lane rolls onto Douglas for the pin.
***1/4 - As predicted, this was a pleasant little TV main event. Ricky sold his ass off, the heels were effective bullies, and we got some pretty neat offense from the babyfaces. Shane seemed to be out of position for that finish, though, which caused it to come off as awkward and ending the match on a weak note.
Having the Dudes team up with the Rock ‘N Rolls exposed just how not over Shane and Johnny were. The crowd LOVED Ricky and Robert, but they barely made a peep when the Dudes were in control. The legendary run of the Dynamic Dudes would be over within a couple of months.
Saturday Night’s Main Event XXV
Yes, in Part 2, I mistakenly thought we weren't going to see this, but here we are! Gotta read the BROADCAST date, Ryan!
First, we get the always-classic SNME opening. Vince McMahon hypes up Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior being on the same team, then we get clips to build to the upcoming matches. Vince and Jesse Ventura make “Volunteer” puns as they are in Tennessee, then Jesse says that Hogan and Warrior won’t get along. They then run through the rest of the card.
“Macho King” Randy Savage defeated “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan after interference from “Sensational” Queen Sherri.
Jesse interviews Mr. Perfect & The Genius. Perfect says that him and the Genius will show the world what Hogan and Warrior are made of, and references Genius actually having a win over Hulk Hogan on SNME (albeit by countout). Lanny “Kendrick” Poffo treats us to some poetry that sufficiently disses Hogan and Warrior.
Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect & The Genius - I love these pre-match graphics.
We recap the legendary showdown between Hogan and Warrior at the Rumble, then “Mean” Gene Okerlund interviews them. Hogan says that when he turns the Warrior loose, he’ll lift Perfect and Genius into the darkness, MEAN GENE. Warrior goes on an insane rant about turbulence and paces around. Hogan says that him and Warrior united will be the ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE for perfection!
“The Ultimate Nightmare” sounds either like a crappy masked Crocket jobber from the ‘80s, or Cody Rhodes’ final form.
The heels are already in the ring when Warrior runs out like a nut. We’re reminded that Saturday Night’s Main Event is brought to you by BURGER KING.
Hulk muscles both Perfect and Genius around with hiptosses and bodyslams. Warrior tags in and has his way with both opponents, slamming their heads together and whipping Perfect into Genius. Warrior looks a little blown up at this point, so he tags Hulk back in. Perfect gets a brief offensive flurry until Hulk puts him out of the ring with a back elbow. Hogan continues bumping Perfect all over the place as the Genius scrawls onto his scroll.
Perfect takes a ridiculous somersault bump off the turnbuckle and continues to get dominated by the power of Hulkamania. Hogan boots Perfect out, so Genius hands him the scroll. Perfect blasts Hulk with the metal scroll, but Hogan dodges an attack with a plastic chair. Hulk is finally the face in peril, eating punches and clotheslines from Perfect. Genius tags in after a Perfect necksnap, but quickly tags back out after some stomps.
Perfect hits the Perfectplex, but he releases the pin so that Genius can try a moonsault…but Hogan gets his knees up! Perfect eats boot, and it’s HOT TAG WARYAH! Warrior beats the crap out of both guys, then press-slams Genius. Hogan makes the blind tag and hits the legdrop for three as Warrior collides with Perfect.
Post-match, the heels attack! Warrior fights them both off, but in his haste, he clotheslines Hogan!
Hogan and Warrior get into a shoving match, then get into each others’ faces.
** - Pretty paint-by-numbers match where the outcome wasn’t entirely in doubt, but Hennig’s insane bumping saves it a bit. This is more remembered for the post-match than anything, as we’re setting up a rather huge WrestleMania VI main event.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts beat Greg “The Hammer” Valentine by disqualification after Ted DiBiase and Virgil interfered.
Mean Gene is in the back with Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire. Gene asks about Rick Rude’s comments about him being able to have Sapphire if he wanted, to which Sapphire says that nobody compares to Dusty. Big Dust says that the 90’s is the decade of the common man AND the common woman. Gene asks “what about Bobby Heenan”, and Dusty says “what about Sapphire?” and ends with “and a place to stick it!”. Fairly entertaining promo, which we typically get with Dusty.
Dusty Rhodes battled “Ravishing” Rick Rude to a double-countout.
Dino Bravo pinned “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin after rolling through a flying body press.
Now it's time for THE TUGBOAT TRIBUNE!
As always, the news comes courtesy of Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Boxing champion and video game end boss Mike Tyson has inked a deal with the WWF to referee a match, namely the Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage match on an upcoming edition of WWF Main Event.
Tyson announced the agreement in a press conference from Japan, where he is training for an upcoming fight in the Tokyo Dome against James “Buster” Douglas.
Ric Flair is still pushing for Tully Blanchard to reunite with Arn Anderson in the NWA, but the promotion isn’t into the idea. Kind of a shame, because the Brain Busters vs. Steiner Brothers would have been a killer feud.
Speaking of Flair, The Nature Boy pulled out of his match with Keiji Muto at the upcoming AJPW/NJPW joint Tokyo Dome show. TBS suspected a potential double-cross in Japan, so they pressured Flair to withdraw from the show.
The new main event is AJPW’s Stan Hansen vs. NJPW’s Big Van Vader for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. That’s a VERY famous match that we’ll get into when the time comes.
The NWA U.S. Tag Team titles have been resurrected, with a tournament for the straps playing out in the recent TV tapings.
NEXT TIME: We’re treated to a couple of matches featuring Jushin Thunder Liger, including the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winner for Match of the Year. Plus, Flair vs. Zenk on television, and tag action from USWA Dallas!
Catch up on the rest of Ryan Navigates ‘90
Also, check out my other series!
“They’re so close to the real thing, it’s like being in the ring! Just without the crippling injuries, substance issues, and strained relationships.”
Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeep cut.
But accurate.