Ryan's Dive into '95 - Part Eleven (3/12-3/18)
A technical showdown in the New Japan juniors division, a quintessential AAA trios match, a bloody joshi brawl, Hair vs. Hair, ECW tag team mayhem, and Undertaker shows up...in SMOKY MOUNTAIN?!?!
If you haven’t read it already, please check out my introductory article that explains what this series is all about. As a reminder, footage is sourced from the Goodhelmet 1995 Yearbook, unless otherwise stated.
How ya now?
We have a LOADED week at The Dive. We have AAA trios action, a Hair vs. Hair match from CMLL, a New Japan juniors match, and joshi promotion JWP makes a DOOZY of a Dive Debut. Plus, we have a big tag match from ECW Extreme Warfare and our usual Saturday stops.
Well, PITTER PATTER.
MARCH 13th
NJPW Muscle Storm Night 6 - We launch a busy week with some juniors action courtesy of The Nooj.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Koji Kanemoto (c) vs. Wild Pegasus - Koji is a delightfully grumpy, motherfucker, so this should be intense. Koji offers a handshake, but Pegasus refuses to adhere to the Code of Honor.
We get some nifty counter-wrestling to start us off. Pegasus works a hammerlock and a surfboard, but Koji counters by going after the leg. Both guys continue working the mat during the early stages, but neither are able to establish a clear advantage. The pace picks up a bit as Koji snaps off a rana, but misses a baseball slide, leading to Pegasus whipping him into the railing. Benoit prematurely celebrates and eats a Kanemoto dropkick as a result.
After a breather, Pegasus returns to the ring and starts to work over Koji's leg. Moments later, both guys start leathering each other with chops. Pegasus applies the figure four headscissors as per NJPW juniors tradition, but Koji makes the ropes. Wildbomb is countered with an armdrag, but Benoit snuffs out the comeback with a headbutt, then suplexes Kanemoto out of the ring! Tope from Pegasus! Nasty back suplex gets two. Benoit busts out the Torture Crab Hold (the Liontamer) and bends Koji in a very unnatural angle.
Northern Lights suplex and a German suplex each earn two-counts. Koji comes back with some STIFF kicks…until Pegasus catches him with a dragonscrew legwhip. However, Kanemoto continues fighting back. Moonsault…misses! WILDBOMB gets two! Pegasus hits one flying headbutt but whiffs on a second! More kicks from Koji! Moonsault (with a knee landing on Pegasus’ HEAD) hits for two! That looked NASTY. While Koji argues with the ref, Benoit hits a German suplex for two. Tombstone piledriver and flying headbutt gets a CLOSE two!
Suplex is countered by Koji into a rolling prawn hold, but Pegasus quickly escapes. Superplex from Pegasus gets another two! Wildbomb is countered into a rollup for two! Another Tombstone gets two, but Koji gets a flying bodyscissors off the top seconds later for the pin!
****1/4 - This was a very strong, hard-hitting, exciting match. We got the trademark intensity and viciousness from Benoit, Koji effectively fighting from underneath, fun mat wrestling at the start, and GREAT near-falls at the end. I could have done without the abandoned knee work, but it doesn’t hamper the match too much. If you’re not uncomfortable with watching Benoit’s work, this is a terrific example of the much-lauded 1990s junior style from the lion.
WWF Monday Night RAW - Our sole contribution from The Fed this week sees Vince McMahon interview the legendary Ernie Ladd. Because of his NFL and wrestling pedigree, The Big Cat is asked to weigh in on Lawrence Taylor’s chances against Bam Bam Bigelow. Ladd says that LT’s chances are slim as wrestling isn't his chosen arena, and LT is wrestling on emotion and pride. However, Ladd believes the element of surprise might help LT’s chances against Bam Bam. I’ve always enjoyed Ernie Ladd. I can listen to him talk all day, and this is a somewhat interesting way to establish a more sports-like vibe for the Bigelow/Taylor build. Like, say what you will about having a WrestleMania main event featuring a retired football man, but at least the build feels less cartoony than anything else the big two were doing at the time.
MARCH 14th
ECW Hardcore TV - On the Hardcore TV before Exteme Warfare, we catch up with Shane Douglas and Cactus Jack. Shane brings up the NWA belt throwing-down incident and calls out Terry Funk for not showing up at the event where that happened. He calls Funk a PIECE OF SHIT, a hanger-on, an OLD MAN, and threatens to kick his ass. Foley calms The Franchise down and HE calls Funk a hypocritical PIECE OF SHIT. Despite what transpired, Funk is still Foley's hero, but Mick will still destroy him.
We cut immediately to Woman who refers to Shane as a wannabe Horseman, then cut to her, Sandman, and Terry Funk. They tell Jack to question Shane's loyalty. Funk says that Shane fills everyone with BULLSHIT, and threatens to whip him like a goddamn dog! A solid set of promos to set up Saturday's tag.
MARCH 17th
AAA Sin Limite - I'm disappointed in the lack of March 16th content so I can make a Steve Austin joke. No, I will not be making an Aliyah reference. We certainly have a hell of a lot going on this St. Patrick’s Day, starting with…
Rey Misterio Jr, El Hijo del Santo & Octagon vs. Blue Panther, Psicosis & Fuerza Guerrera - More trios fun from AAA, and we get our first appearances from El Hijo Del Santo, Octagon, and Blue Panther on The Dive. Santo is an all-time great babyface in all of wrestling, Octagon is incredibly fun to watch, and I've always enjoyed Blue Panther greatly. Adding these guys to Rey Jr., Psicosis, and Fuerza should result in a good time.
PRIMERA CAIDA: Psicosis and Rey start us off with some fun mat wrestling, with Rey tenaciously holding onto a waistlock despite Psi’s efforts. Rey armdrags Psicosis outta the ring as team captains Octagon and Fuerza check in…until Fuerza rolls out of the ring to bide some time. Fuerza comes back in…and is immediately armdragged out as Psicosis takes a Pillman bump into the guardrail! Back in, Octagon outquicks Fuerza and hits a quebradora. Fuerza tries to sell the refs a low blow out of THAT, but they aren't buying it. Now we get Hijo del Santo and Blue Panther going at it, with Santo hitting some flying scissors and armdrags.
Psicosis and Rey re-enter the fray and they do their awesome fast-paced flippy shit, ending with a somersault rana on the floor! Panther and Santo come in, and Santo quickly rolls up Panther for the three to take him out of the fall! Frankensteiner from Rey dispatches Psicosis. Fuerza begs off, and the technicos win the first fall!
SEGUNDA CAIDA: We pick it up with Psicosis getting yeeted from the ring. Fuerza then puts his arm around Rey, like they're old friends or something, and kisses him on the forehead…but it was a RUSE! Fuerza slaps the taste out of Rey's mouth!
They go back and forth for a bit until Rey armdrags Fuerza out of the ring and into the crowd! Panther and Santo come in, but the rudos gain the upper hand. Fuerza knees Octagon in the junk out of view of the refs. Psicosis pins Rey after a twisting senton, Panther pins Santo with a rolling cradle, and Fuerza uncles Octagon with a royal octopus hold to win the second fall for the rudos!
TERCERA CAIDA: Fuerza, ever the bastard, ties Octagon's mask to the top rope and knees him into pudding. Santo comes in and gets triple-teamed. Rey then comes in and HE gets triple-teamed! Powerbomb from Fuerza gets two as Octagon comes to the rescue. Fuerza rams him into the turnbuckle, loosening his mask in the process! The crowd and the technicos start freaking out! Santo and Rey each attempt to have a go at the rudos, but it doesn't go well for either of them. The rudos try for a triple-team pose like Kaientai would do, but Santo stops that, and Psicosis takes a HUGE bump to the floor. Octagon comes in and is going after Fuerza's mask, tearing up a good chunk of it!
Spinebuster from Octagon, and Fuerza cries fowl again, but to no avail. Octagon fends off Fuerza and Psicosis, then hits La Silla on the floor to Fuerza! Psicosis is floored, and Rey comes off the top with a SWANTON to the damn floor! Sorry, Psicosis, but your senton from last week may have been beaten out for “Most Batshit Insane Move of 1995”. Not to be outdone, Santo hits Panther with a suicide dive senton atomico on the floor!
Fuerza and Octagon are back in the ring, and Octagon hits a Russian leg sweep into a grounded octopus hold for the submission and the win!
****3/4 - Holy shit, this was AWESOME. Ridiculous heat, babyfaces the fans lived and died with, and completely detestable rudos. Fuerza especially stood out by being a complete dickhead heel, and it was incredible. Rey and Psicosis continued to demonstrate why they would take their pairing around the world with their state-of-the-art displays. Everyone else played their parts well, too. That last fall was absolutely something else, with the mask stuff and the crazy series of dives just before the submission. If you want an example of a quintessential lucha trios match, THIS is it!
JWP Jazz & Soul - Welcome to The Dive, JWP Joshi Puroresu! This is one of two splinter promotions from the original JWP (Japanese Women's Pro-Wrestling), the other promotion being LLPW (Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling). The split came from idealistic differences between two separate camps. The LLPW contingent preferred more “shoot-style” wrestling, while JWP Joshi Puroreso is more firmly in the traditional “worked” wrestling camp. JWP lasted quite a while for a joshi promotion, folding in 2017.
Street Fight: Mayumi Ozaki vs. Dynamite Kansai - This match is also known as a “Dress Up Wild Fight”, which is unspeakably awesome. Both ladies are in street clothes. We start off IMMEDIATELY with Ozaki strangling Kansai with a chain while walking through the crowd.
In the ring, they each tug at the chain until Kansai lays Ozaki out with a HUGE backdrop driver. Kansai then works over Ozaki with the chain and applies a sleeper, but Ozaki escapes. Back to the floor, Ozaki sends Kansai into the railing several times as a sea of white-shirted young lionesses and attendants try to keep order and safety. Ozaki hangs Kansai with the chain!
Ozaki hits some chain-assisted punchings in the ring, then we go back out to the crowd for chair strikes! They're clawing at each other at this point, too, as if you can’t tell that THEY DON’T CARE MUCH FOR EACH OTHER. Back in, Kansai fireman-carries Ozaki and dumps her in brutal fashion. Now it's Ozkai's turn to be hurled into the sea of chairs! PILEDRIVER ONTO A CHAIR ON THE FLOOR FROM KANSAI! YIKES!
Kansai then grabs the ENTIRE TOP ROPE (It had been undone during the last brawling segment) and drags it to the crowd, then strangles Ozaki with it! We brawl backstage, with the ladies fighting down a staircase. We go OUTSIDE where they beat the crap out of each other near the entryway. Back inside, Kansai reintroduces the two most important words you will ever hear in your life:
Kansai then whacks Ozaki with an umbrella, then nails another massive backdrop driver in the ring for a two count! Ozkai counters a powerbomb with an armdrag and hits a tiger suplex for two! Ozaki then chains Kansai to the turnbuckle BY THE HEAD AND FACE, then HITS HER WITH A CHAIR! Ozaki dropkicks her into putty until Kansai goes outside, then Ozaki follows up with chain-wrapped chair shots and a facecrusher on the concrete! Kansai is busted open, and it's a GUSHER. Ozaki leads Kansai around with the chain like a dog and smashes her with the chain and into the guardrail. Back inside, Ozaki bites the wound as Kansai is dripping blood like a goddamned faucet.
Ozaki DDTs Kansai repeatedly, but only gets a two-count. Kansai comes back with some lariats, a couple buffed by the chain. Kansai then wraps the chain around her boot and KICKS OZAKI IN THE FUCKING HEAD! TWICE! Ozaki is now bleeding! Table is brought in, but Ozaki fights off of it and they forearm the shit out of each other. Slick reversal sequence leads to Ozaki hitting a half-and-half suplex for two! Ozaki folds up the table and powerbombs Kansai on it for a close two! Ozaki escapes a Splash Mountain attempt but gets kicked in the head for her troubles. Massive backdrop driver gets two! Table is again set up, and Kansai gets a piledriver…AND THE TABLE ACTUALLY BREAKS! That gets a two-count. Powerbomb attempt, but Ozaki counters with an armdrag and a roll-up for three!
***** - I don't know if I'm overrating this or not, but I really don't care. This was an INCREDIBLE brawl. Ridiculously violent, bloody, intense, and full of brutal spots and PURE HATRED. Ozaki was on another level of unhinged here trying to take out her much larger opponent, and Kansai was a great powerhouse who returned the brutality and took joy in tossing Ozaki around like a Wrestling Buddy. The match was also brilliantly structured, with the violence escalating throughout. Add another legit banger for the week, and the first fiver not from All-Japan.
CMLL Super Viernes - And we go from AAA, who gave us a trios match, to CMLL, who presents another staple of lucha libre: an apuestas match!
Hair vs. Hair: Sangre Chicana vs. La Fiera - We have another couple of wrestlers I'm not super-familiar with, so this'll be interesting. That's one thing I like about these compilations: you definitely learn about a lot of wrestlers you wouldn't know much about otherwise. This is the third apuestas match they've had with each other, with each man having one win apiece.
PRIMERA CAIDA: No time wasted here as La Fiera presses the ‘X’ button to attack Sangre during his entrance. Order is restored for a bit until Fiera is run into the ringpost multiple times. Fiera is already busted open!
Back in the ring, Chicano works over the cut and small-packages him to win the first fall! Well, that was brisk.
SEGUNDA CAIDA: We pick it up with Chicano choking Fiera against the ropes, but Fiera fires back (“Fieras back?”) with a missile dropkick. He continues the assault with some punchings, but misses an enzuigiri. Chicano misses a clothesline and Fiera rolls him up for a desperation three to tie it up at one fall each! That was also brisk, though I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of clipping in there at the beginning of the fall.
TERCERA CAIDA: As the signal for the final fall sounded off, Fiera attacks Chicano on the floor, then hits a RIDICULOUS tope con hilo, knocking Chicano a couple of rows into the crowd!
Chicano somehow makes it to the ring before Fiera, then tosses him back out. Chicano hits his own tope suicida, and Fiera takes a crazy “arse over teakettle” bump into the chairs! Back in, that gets a two for Chicano. Chicano goes for a front-flip senton and misses, and Fiera gets a close two after a cover. Fiera gets a VERY close two with a small package. Moments later, Sangra catches a Fiera hurricane with a powerbomb for three!
**3/4 - Well, this doesn't exactly extend the banger streak to four matches, but there’s still stuff to like about this one. The rating is on the strength of the crowd heat the match had and that third fall, which had some crazy dives, bumps, and near-falls. The first two falls felt rushed, though it did make sense in the story they were telling when Fiera got busted open early on. As I mentioned, it's possible there was some clipping at the start of the second fall, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Still though, this was pretty fun.
After the match, La Fiera's locks are shorn off.
MARCH 18th
USWA Championship Wrestling - We're walkin’ in Memphis and checking in with Dave Brown, who is with USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion “Superstar” Bill Dundee. Dundee is asked about the PG-13/Doug Gilbert & Tommy Rich business. He said that his son (JC Ice) will get his revenge on the heels soon enough. They then discuss a “Luck of the Draw” match where a fan draws a wrestler’s name out of a fishbowl, and that wrestler gets a title match with Dundee.
They also discuss an upcoming match with Dundee and Brian Christopher that involves four poles, each with a box containing either Dundee's bullwhip, Christopher's chain, or a signed picture of Scott Hall nothing. He cuts a “I was young once” promo on Christopher.
We cut to Brian Christopher, who joins Dave Brown and calls out the fans for cheering Bill Dundee earlier. They discuss the proto-San Francisco 49ers Match, and Brian claims Dundee is TOO OLD to climb poles. Christopher claims he will also have his name picked for the aforementioned fishbowl draw match. He then runs down the Shriners and says Dundee is too old even for THEM!
Dundee comes out brandishing with his bullwhip, but he JUST WANTS TO TALK. I imagine this is how Dundee was planning to confront the wrestler dating his daughter until he found out it was Bobby Eaton.
Dundee says that old people like The Rolling Stones and George Foreman still get shit done, but Christopher clocks him with the chain (take a drink!). They brawl until the other wrestlers pull them apart.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling - We kick it over to Good Ol’ Jim Ross who is with Jim Cornette and Tracy Smothers. Smothers declines Cornette’s managerial proposal, but Cornette signed him up for a six man tag at Bluegrass Brawl. It will be The Gangstas & D'Lo Brown vs. Smothers, Bob Armstrong, and the dreaded Mystery Partner. If the Gangstas lose, they have to stand in the middle of the ring and salute the Confederate Flag. Fucking… YIKES.
If the Gangstas win, the Armstrong/Smother/Mystery Fella team have to salute the X flag. Smothers takes great exception to having that match signed for on his behalf by Corny.
The mystery partner turns out to be…THE UNDERTAKER. Tracy seems to be more receptive to the match after THAT reveal. We cut to a video of Undertaker making his entrance at Survivor Series 1994, then kick it to Paul Bearer and The Undertaker. Undertaker saying “GANGSTAS” in his gutteral drawl is kinda funny. Undie threatens to bury The Gangstas under six feet of COLD GROUND. Will he bring his Thin Blue Line flag to go with the Confederate Flag?
Eleven volumes in, and Undertaker makes his Dive Debut, and it's in Smoky Mountain Wrestling of all places! To be fair, he was mired in a go-nowhere feud with the Million Dollar Corporation and was set to face King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania, so it’s not like a lot of that shit would make a Yearbook compilation.
This week on CONFRONTATION WITH LES THATCHER, we join The Gangstas. Les brings up The Undertaker, and New Jack is freaking out. He does NOT want to face Undertaker.
New Jack then introduces Killer Kyle, who will be in the Gangstas’ corner at Bluegrass Brawl.
WCW Saturday Night - Before we cap things off with some ECW action, we board The Mothership.
Lord Steven Regal vs. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton - As you may recall, this match was set up last week. Bobby wants to be tag partners with Regal, but Regal wasn't having it, so we're having a match so Bobby can try to prove himself.
We keep cutting to Dave Sullivan in the crowd for some reason. Regal is such a smarmy bastard here, even having his nose up in the air while going for lock-ups. Regal out-grapples Eaton with his European catch style to start, and hits some European uppercuts between bouts of trash talk. Bobby comes back with some punchings! Swinging neckbreaker, but Regal escapes the ring to avoid an Alabama Jam. Regal then calls Mean Gene over to the interview area and says he has a WONDERFUL IDEA. Bobby would make a wonderful tag partner!
Bobby comes over and is initially hesitant, but they shake hands and leave together.
* - The match itself was immaterial, though it was kinda fun for the little time it lasted. It was a means to set up the new Eaton/Regal partnership. I will say that Regal IMMEDIATELY bailing on the match as soon as Eaton got in some offense was pretty damn funny. The Blue Bloods are born!
We cut to the end of Vader pummeling jobber Tracy Benton. Powerbomb ends the match, but Vader hits a post-match Vader Bomb as Dave Sullivan comes to ringside. Evad gets decked by Ric Flair and thrown into the ring, where Vader powerbombs and Vader Bombs him into oblivion.
Vader then hits a top rope splash, then Flair comes in to punch the crap out of the lifeless Dave until Bobby Heenan of all people pulls him off! This was to make Vader look like a killer ahead of the next night's strap match with Hulk Hogan.
ECW Extreme Warfare - I wasn't able to find a decent logo of the event, so we'll make do with that piece of crap above. We wrap up the week with a huge tag match.
The Sandman & Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack & Shane Douglas - Cactus and Shane seems like an odd duo on paper as Cactus at this point is a babyface and Shane is the heel world champion, but their shared training history allows this to make sense. I know this may come as a surprise, but this starts off as a wild brawl and kinda stays that way. Sandman brings in the cane, but Douglas grabs it and whacks Sandman, Funk, AND Cactus (by accident).
Cactus is NOT happy about that one. They shove each other, and Douglas exits the match. Guess they really WEREN'T compatible after all. Funk throws a chair into the ring and nearly clips Jack’s knee with it! Sandy and Terry attempt a double-team, but Jack fends them off with chairshots until the heels regain the advantage. Of note, we see the infamous “Cane Dewey” sign that would trigger one of Jack’s most legendary promos.
Douglas returns to the fray with the cane and wallops Funk and Sandy. He almost hits Cactus, but manages not to! They CAN get along! Cactus clothesline to Funk! Cactus clothesline to Sandman! Another Cactus clothesline to Funk! ANOTHER Cactus clothesline to Sandman! Funk is busted open and is hit with a Cactus Elbow from Jack! Sandy is whipped into the guardrail and into the fans, then Shane whips Cactus, who cannonballs into Sandman in the crowd!
Back in the ring, Foley and Shane hit a double back elbow and an atomic drop legdrop onto Funk. Sandman breaks up the count. Funk DDTs Shane, and him and Sandman abuse Jack on the outside with a chair. Sandman and Funk work at taking apart the guardrail for a while, but they finally get a section of it off and into the ring, where they drop it on Douglas a couple of times!
Cactus throws a chair into the ring, but Funk chucks it right back at him! Douglas gets tossed into the section of guardrail, then Sandman clotheslines him off of it. Funk smashes Douglas repeatedly in the legs with a chair, then whacks Jack with it. More brawling in and out of the ring continues. Funk DDTs Jack on the concrete and grabs a toolbox…but the tools fall out on top of his own head! Dude just Home Alone'd himself!
Jack throws a trashcan onto Funk, then drags Sandman back to ringside…but Sandy back suplexes Cactus onto the concrete. Back in, Jack legdrops a chair onto Sandman's face. Jack looks to brain Sandman with the chair, but Sandman goes low a couple of times and hits a DDT on the chair. Sandman places a chair on Jack's head and hits a top rope legdrop onto it! Douglas limps back in and breaks up the count, then books Sandman with a chair. Plancha follows, but Funk re-emerges with the FLAMING BRANDING IRON!
He bonks Cactus with it and BRANDS HIM. Piledriver (kind of) onto the fire earns an “OH MY GOOOODDD” (Is that Private Party?) from Joey Styles. While Shane is whacking Sandman with the cane, Funk covers Foley for the pin!
*** - While a bit repetitive and slow in places, this was the fun, messy ECW brawl that you would want from these guys. Funk brought the awesome here with the intensity, the branding iron, and the toolbox spot. With Terry, there's always this sense of unpredictability, like beautiful chaos, that just draws you in. It's so much fun. Foley and Shane did a great job keeping things (mostly) together, and Sandman was also there.
Well, this was certainly a very strong collection of matches with a five star contest, another one that came close, and a stellar juniors bout. We also had Undertaker's oddball Dive Debut, the genesis of the Blue Bloods, the FLAMING BRANDING IRON, and La Fiera going bald. Your mileage may vary when it comes to watching Chris Benoit matches, but at the very least, the AAA trios match and the JWP brawl are absolute must-see matches.
NEXT TIME: It’ll be another beefy week at The Dive as we have some matches from the very first WCW Uncensored PPV, one of which is an all-time infamous piece of crap. We’ll also have action from AJPW’s Champion Carnival, and JWP and AJW each contribute a match.
So, until next time, keep your feet on the ground, a song in your heart, and, for the love of God, have a Happy New Year!
See you again soon!