Ryan Navigates '90 - #92 (12/1-12/7)
"Greed is Good"
Good day!
We jump ALL the way to the next Saturday and we’re firmly into December. We’re getting close to the finish line, people!
It looks like a somewhat light slate on paper, but there’s no shortage of action. Our coverage of All Japan wraps up as we hit the final night of AJPW’s Real World Tag League, and we have a couple of matches from that. We’ll also get more insight into the Michael Wallstreet character, and we’ll see how things go when Teddy Long acts as Ric Flair’s limo driver for the day.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1st
NWA World Championship Wrestling
We catch up with a business-attired Michael Wallstreet in a business meeting talking about business. A toady asks about what to do with the $2 million in a Zurich bank account, and Michael tells them to “let it roll over”.
Another guy tells him that a “Mr. Finkel in New York” is asking for donations for a children’s charity. Wallstreet is not interested in giving money to “snotty-nosed brats”, then he tells the overpaid staff that they have to start doing a better job. He ends the meeting (always the best part of any meeting), then Alexandra York tells him a Mr. Harvey is waiting on the line.
Wallstreet takes the call and talks stocks, warning Harvey that any mistakes will result in him “bending pretzels on 48th Street”.
He tells York to take notes. Mr. Wallstreet has inherited a large sum of money, with which he built a financial empire. He channels Gordon Gekko by saying “greed is good”, then says that he will become the next World champion.
Alexandra then introduces his most ambitious project: a computer program for every WCW wrestler that will enable Wallstreet to win each and every time. Wallstreet throws out Lex Luger as an example, York keys it into the multi-computer set-up, and prints out a game plan that guarantees victory.
The duo then examine all manner of graphs and charts as vaguely Superman-like stock music plays. It makes me think of that Angry Video Game Nerd episode about Superman on NES. “What - are we talkin' about STOCKS now??!?!!”
This gimmick doesn’t feel like it should be this entertaining, but I’m kind of enjoying it. Mike Rotunda is wooden as hell, but he still comes off as a total douche, which just adds to its weird charm. The reliance on newfangled technology adds an interesting wrinkle.
Now, we get to follow up on the “Chauffeur For a Day” stipulation, as Teddy Long has to drive Ric Flair around in Atlanta. Long shows up in full limo driver regalia, complete with cap on top of bandana.
They hit the road to pick up Arn Anderson (with Long hiding his face from passing drivers). At 3 o’clock, Janet Jackson will be sitting right next to the Nature Boy!
After picking up a Diet Coke for Ric, they make their way to the airport, but there appears to be some car trouble. Uh-oh! Long tells him that he needs to get the limo looked at, much to Flair’s protests.
Long takes the limo off the freeway for an unscheduled stop. Flair gets out…where he gets mugged by hired goons!
Long takes the camera and, lo and behold, Doom shows up to take a look at the vehicle.
Ron Simmons grabs the camera, allowing Long to WOO! in front of the car. He then cuts a promo saying nobody intimidates the Godfather or the tag champions! Starrcade! St. Louis! December 16th! Street Fight!
Ron puts the camera down as Doom and Long take the limousine for a spin.
OK, that was a fun payoff to the angle. This would be something out of the Horseman playbook, so it’s neat to see them get a taste of it for once. Once again, Long was hilarious here.
Next, Bob Caudle interviews Arn Anderson and Barry Windham about these goings-on. Windham says he was on a six-month vacation, but he’s back three months early due to Flair getting kidnapped and all. Windham with the short hair is an interesting look.
Arn says what happened with Flair makes him want to PUKE. The Horsemen were caught with their pants down one time! What’s the rebuttal? “You jump us, we take off a head!”
On Sunday the 16th, for Doom, it will not be the Sabbath, but a date where the devil himself crucifies you! Whoa! Arn again spitting hot fire in these promos.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7th
AJPW Real World Tag League 1990, Night 18
This is the final AJPW show of the year, and what a damn year it’s been. I’ll get more into it when I do the year-end wrap-up, but it’s been a hell of a ride to start off an all-time incredible decade for the promotion.
Tournament Match: Super Generation Army (Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada) (15) & Tsuruta-gun (Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue) (17) - In terms of tournament standings alone, both teams are playing for pride. However, this is another opportunity for Misawa’s camp and Tsuruta-gun to get one over on the other.
We jump ahead slightly to Taue catching Misawa with a Samoan drop, then tagging Jumbo in for the JUMPING KNEE! Nippon Budokan is LOUD for this one as Misawa comes back with a rebound headbutt and a crossbody for two. Misawa scales the ropes for a missile dropkick for two, then tags in Kawada, who immediately gets besieged by Jumbo and hit with a pair of kitchen sinks.
Taue checks back in for a bodyslam and vicious stomps to the midsection, then he goes for his own kitchen sink, but hurts himself in the process. Kawada takes advantage by lighting Taue up with kicks before applying a scorpion deathlock.
Jumbo fails to break the hold with some kicks, then Kawada releases to catch him with a lariat to send him to the floor where Misawa follows with a dropkick through the ropes. Misawa then hits his dive fakeout that leads into an elbow off the apron, then Kawada hits a senton onto Taue for a two-count.
Misawa comes in for his twisting lariat, then we clip ahead to Taue hitting an enzuigiri on Kawada while Jumbo’s still getting attended to on the floor. The Super Generation Army hone in on Taue’s knee, with Misawa applying a half-crab. Kawada tags in and gets a powerslam for a near-fall, then him and Misawa hits a double-suplex for two.
Misawa hits a rolling powerslam for another two, then Kawada hits a side slam before setting Taue up for a Misawa frog splash.
However, Jumbo’s recovered and breaks up the pin to a big pop! Kawada comes in and just obliterates Tsuruta with knees, then Misawa catches Taue with a hook kick before tossing him to the floor, where Kawada hits him with a vertical suplex on the bare floor.
Taue rolls back in, where Kawada awaits with a dragon sleeper. Taue knees his way out, but Misawa comes in for a rolling elbow for a near-fall. Kawada tags in and brutalizes Taue with kicks, including one right to the face. Kawada sends Taue into the opposite corner for some chops, but another corner charge is dodged, allowing Taue to hit a back suplex.
Misawa tags in, but so does Jumbo! Tsuruta greets Misawa with a bevy of elbows! Misawa ducks a lariat and tries for one of his own, but Jumbo drives him to the mat for a near-fall. He clobbers Kawada with an elbow, then pastes Misawa with a lariat for a close two!
Tsuruta drops Misawa with a powerbomb, but Kawada breaks up the pin. Tsuruta downs Misawa with a running elbow smash for another two, then he gets the Thesz press, only for Kawada to again break the cover.
Taue checks in for a three-point stance lariat and tsuppari thrusts! Kawada tags in and it’s a FURIOUS exchange of strikes that ends with Taue sending Dangerous K to the floor with palm thrusts. Tsuruta demands that Taue follow up, which he does with a tope suicida. Taue then slams Kawada on the bare floor.
Kawada fights his way back in and heads to the top, but Jumbo holds him down, allowing Taue to hit a superplex for two. Taue looks for a Samoan drop, but Misawa interrupts, allowing Kawada to get a backslide for two. Taue comes back with a spinning heel kick for two, then he hits a DDT, with Misawa breaking up the pin.
Taue holds Kawada in place for a top rope knee from Tsuruta, but Kawada comes back with a battery of kicks. The Super Generation Army then hit a double-team elbow smash, and Misawa tries to knock Tsuruta off the apron…but Jumbo isn’t having that shit, catching HIM with an elbow smash! Jumbo breaks the cover and DRILLS Kawada with a backdrop driver! Taue covers, but Kawada kicks out at 2.999!
Taue hits an atomic drop and a big boot, but Kawada ducks a lariat…and Taue runs RIGHT into an elbow from Misawa on the apron. Kawada hits a German suplex, but Taue kicks out! Misawa ejects Tsuruta with a dropkick, and Kawada goes for a powerbomb, but Jumbo recovers and demolishes Kawada with an elbow smash!
Misawa does knock Jumbo off the apron this time, and Kawada hits the folding powerbomb for the three!
****1/2 - This was more excellent action from these four. Jumbo was awesome here as the grump veteran who had ENOUGH of the Super Generation Army while being a mentor to Taue. As usual, his interactions with Misawa were heated and dynamic, and that bit at the end with Jumbo going nuts was awesome. The sequences between Taue and Kawada were hot, too, as were the near-falls.
Watching the rapid evolution of the younger guys has been amazing. At the start of the year, Kawada was wearing teal and zebra stripe tights as part of the Footloose tag team, while Misawa was still Tiger Mask. Now they’re pretty much ready to carry the company.
Real World Tag League Final for the vacant AJPW World Tag Team Championship: Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey (20) vs. The Miracle Violence Connection (“Dr. Death” Steve Williams & Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy (19) - An all-American, all-MEAT final! The MVC needs to outright win here, while Spivey and Hansen can take the tournament and the belts with a win or a draw.
Doc and Dan start off…until Hansen tags in. He bowls Doc down with some shoulderblocks, but Williams comes back with a lariat out of the corner. A blind charge meets Hansen boot, then Spivey tags in for some clubbering. Gordy tags in, but quickly runs into a Spivey boot. Bam Bam does dodge a Spivey elbow, though, and soon gets a schoolboy roll-up for two (with assistance from Doc).
Hansen tags in and hits a double shoulderblock with Spivey, but Gordy kicks out right away. Hansen mauls and headlocks Gordy, then tags Spivey in for more beatings. Gordy ducks a lariat and hits a crossbody, then tags Doc in for a scoop slam and a sliding dropkick to the floor. Williams teases a dive, then tries another dropkick, but Spivey catches him and assaults him on the floor (with help from Hansen).
However, Doc snatches Spivey’s leg and wraps it around the post before coming in and assaulting Hansen. A scrap results in a double shoulderblock for The Lariat and the MVC continuing their assault on Spivey’s limb (with Dan letting out the occasional “ah, shit”).
Spivey fights back and tags Hansen in for a double back elbow, then Stan goes for an assault on the floor. After Hansen runs into the ringpost, he recovers and tosses Gordy in, but Bam Bam takes him down with a lariat for two.
Williams comes in and stomps away at Hansen, but Stan comes back with a couple of slaps…but Doc picks him up and runs him into the corner. However, he runs into a boot to the gut, allowing Hansen to snapmare him down. Doc evades an elbowdrop and takes Hansen down with a lariat. Gordy follows with a legdrop for two, but Spivey breaks the cover.
Spivey re-enters and kicks the crap out of Gordy during a test of strength. Hansen gets him some and ends up in a clubbing match with Doc. Gordy hits a dropkick, then Williams comes in for some chinlockery.
Spivey escapes via a jawbreaker and bulldogs Doc down, but a second bulldog is countered with a back suplex. Gordy tags in and works his way to a scorpion deathlock, but Hansen comes in with a knee to break it up. Hansen tags back in and stomps away (with Spivey joining in from the apron), then resumes clubbing away.
Spivey gets in on the clubbing, but Gordy fights back and tags Doc in for a lariat for barely two. Doc now hits a dropkick, then applies a grounded half-nelson as Hansen shouts encouragement from his corner. Spivey headbutts his way to freedom, then tags Hansen in, who is immediately met with a backdrop and a three-point shoulder tackle. Hansen crumbles to the floor and over the guardrail, where Gordy dishes out some punishment.
Back in, Doc applies a sleeper, which is broken up when Spivey kicks some back. The fans are not exactly happy with the illegal men interfering throughout. Gordy comes in for an assisted avalanche in the corner, followed by a lariat. The crowd gets more into this, cheering on Hansen, but after a Gordy legdrop, Doc assaults him while he’s dangling off the apron.
Back in, Gordy applies a Boston crab, which is halted by a Spivey lariat. Williams tags in and resumes the crab, which is again stopped by Dangerous Danny. Gordy and Doc continue working Hansen over until Doc misses a blind charge. Hansen gets a roll-up for a near-fall, but the MVC maintain their advantage.
However, Hansen ducks a Gordy charge to send him to the floor, where Spivey awaits, not with snacks, but with brutality. Williams catches wind of this and stops the assault, then Hansen hits a bulldog on Bam Bam upon his return to the ring. We get the 20-minute call as Spivey comes in for some stomping.
A lariat from Spivey nets a two, as does a piledriver. Doc broke up that last pin, earning derision from the crowd, which he repays in kind.
Spivey hits a belly-to-belly for two, then it’s onto the chinlock as Hansen grabs a nearby table. On the floor, Hansen bashes Bam Bam in the head with the table, which can’t be good for his brain. They then stomp the absolute piss out of him in some redneck-style mafia beatdown until Doc puts a stop to it.
Moments later, Spivey hits a side slam for two, then Hansen tags in and wins a slapfest with Gordy. An elbowdrop gets two, as does a kneelift, then Spivey takes Gordy down with a boot and a lariat for another near-fall. After a chinlock, Hansen checks back in for a double back body drop and a barrage of elbowdrops.
Hansen hits a vertical suplex for two as we get the 25-minute call. Gordy goes for a crossbody on both opponents at the same time, but they catch him and hurl him overhead with a fallaway slam-like move! OK, that was cool. Doc tackles Spivey to break the cover, resulting in a heated scrap on the floor. Doc hits the powerbomb on Spivey, but Hansen immediately breaks the pin!
Gordy gets a small package for another near-fall, then Spivey comes back with a DDT for another pin that Doc breaks up. Hansen comes in and stomps the crap out of Williams, then Spivey hits Gordy with a neckbreaker for two. Hansen tags in to a raucous reaction, but Gordy takes him down with a lariat! Gordy looks for a powerbomb, but Spivey halts that with a lariat.
Spivey and Doc tag in, which the latter getting the upper hand with a dropkick and an enzuigiri as the time limit is rapidly approaching! Doc hits another dropkick for two, then it’s Oklahoma Stampede time…but Hansen breaks that up with a shoulderblock! Spivey covers for a near-fall, then Hansen tags in for a double vertical suplex for two.
Hansen and Spivey hit a tandem piledriver for two, then Hansen readies the lariat as the crowd is going absolutely apeshit. Williams reverses the Irish whip, so Hansen holds his fire so as not to take Spivey’s head off, then ends up getting a lariat on Doc that doesn’t have the full impact. Seconds later, Hansen looks for more offense, but Williams catches him with a powerslam for the three (as the bell rings to signal the time limit)! The Miracle Violence Connection win the tournament and the tag titles in 29:59 (though in reality, it was closer to 29 minutes, 40 seconds).
Post-match, the MVC are awarded the belts, the trophies, and a check for 10 million yen. Doc wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, then puts over Hansen and Spivey as great wrestlers. Gordy says it’s great to be alive and to be #1 in Japan.
***1/2 - I wanted to like this one even more than I did, but it just took way too long to get cooking. The action wasn’t bad, per se. In fact, there were some really fun power spots, but there wasn’t really much of a flow for the first 25 or so minutes. The crowd reaction was suitably subdued.
However, it got REALLY exciting in those last five minutes or so with the near-falls and the drama of the encroaching draw. The fans were living and dying with Hansen, even rooting for a time limit draw so his team could win. However, the MVC took all the marbles and set themselves up as the team to beat going into 1991.
I know the time limit draw was important to the story, but imagine a compact 15-minute bombfest between these four.
For those curious, here are the final standings for the tournament:
1. Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (21 points) - WINNERS
2. Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey (20 points)
T-3. Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta (17 points)
T-3. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada (17 points)
T-3. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (17 points)
6. André The Giant & Giant Baba (14 points) (these guys had to forfeit their last five matches due to a foot injury sustained by Baba. André stuck around and did trios matches the rest of the tour)
7. Abdullah The Butcher & Giant Kimala II (12 points)
8. Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith (10 points)
9. Kenta Kobashi & Johnny Ace (8 points)
10. Butch Masters & Skywalker Nitron (6 points)
T-11. Dick Slater & Joel Deaton (4 points)
T-11. Rusher Kimura & Mighty Inoue (4 points)
13. Doug Furnas & Ricky Santana (2 points)
Also, here’s some awards that were doled out:
Distinguished Service Medal: Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey
Skill Award: Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta
Fighting Spirit Award: Toshiaki Kawada & Mitsuharu Misawa
Excellent Team Award: Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr.
Fair Play Award: Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith (yes, known sporting gentleman Tom Billington)
New Wave Award: Skywalker Nitron & Butch Masters
Excite Award: Joel Deaton & Dick Slater (well, Slater *is* Mr. Excitement)
See you next year, All Japan!
WCW Power Hour
From this point forward, we're moving into the WCW branding full-time as the NWA name has been removed from the title cards of the various TV shows.
Sting slides into an empty ring as a rambling and incoherent Black Scorpion taunts him via the house audio. While the Stinger is distracted, a balaclava-clad assailant comes in for the attack, but Sting quickly unmasks and runs him off.
Sting demands Scorpion come out right now, but that doesn’t happen. After more nonsense from Scorpion, Sting just leaves. Whoop-de-fucking-doo.
THE TUGBOAT TRIBUNE
As always, the news comes courtesy of Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Prime Time Wrestling isn’t doing so hot in the ratings, recently slipping to a new low of 2.1.
In an update from a previous newsbit about a local DJ who was busted open by Ultimate Warrior, he decided he is going to sue the WWF.
Ric Flair is expected to be absent at Starrcade due to a storyline injury (as a result of the attack from earlier).
Barry Windham is slated to take his place in the tag title match.
Remember that referee who no-sold chairshots from “Dr. Death” Steve Williams on UWF television? There’s a couple of differing stories about how things played out backstage afterward.
One version has Doc continuing to go after the ref as if he were CM Punk going after Jack Perry.
Another version saw the ref apologizing afterwards, with Doc just laughing it off.
However, Billy Jack Haynes was pissed about it, like “everyone fearing for the referee’s life” pissed. However, cooler heads eventually prevailed.
In Oregon news, an angle that saw Rowdy Roddy Piper feuding with The Grappler (Len Denton) had to be quickly dropped.
The reason: Piper opened up “Piper’s Pit Stop”, a transmission shop, and Denton, who is a real-life trained transmission mechanic, was hired to work there during the day.
As such, Denton was abruptly turned babyface so that him working at Piper’s auto shop wouldn't completely shatter kayfabe.
Also, since it’s a new month, here’s some wrestlers who were born in December 1990:
December 18th - Anthony Bowens, “The Pride of AEW” and former AEW tag and trios champion as part of The Acclaimed.
December 27th - Zelina Vega, currently works for WWE’s SmackDown brand, former US Women’s champion, Women’s Tag champion, and 2021 Queen of the Ring. Former TNA Knockouts Tag champion.
December 30th - Rey Fenix, currently signed to WWE and working the SmackDown brand. Former champion in AEW, AAA, Lucha Underground, among others.
December 31st - Katie Forbes, former Impact Wrestling Knockout and indie wrestler. Also married to Rob Van Dam.
NEXT TIME: Jerry Lawler vs. Eddie Gilbert! Brian Pillman vs. Rip Rogers II! And more!
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Ian Douglass and I always love seeing the Rotunda content https://www.theringer.com/2024/03/08/wwe/us-express-mike-rotunda-barry-windham-wwe-hall-of-fame-2024