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/29 January 2000
WCW Saturday Night by E.C. Ostermeyer

29.1.0

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Hello, This is E.C. Ostermeyer once again, with the "WCW Saturday Night" recap for 29 January 2000.

We are live on tape from the beautiful state of Indiana. Well, maybe not THIS corner of Indiana, but Evansville's not so bad. If you keep the lights off.

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and TONY SCHIAVONE? What's he doing here?

Is this a manifestation of the hell that is the Nash Reign of Terror? A sign of the impending Apocalypse?

Nah, I bet Hudson's got the night off, is all.

We go right to our first match:

Match # 1: Kid Romeo d. Tommy Rogers

Tommy Rogers? From "The Fantastics"? Holy jumpin' catfish, it IS Tommy Rogers! He looks to be in great shape, too. Rogers wastes no time, as he takes Kid Romeo to school with some good, "old-time wrasslin'" moves. However, as of old, Rogers gets cocky, (old habits die hard, don't they, Tommy?) Whip to the corner staggers the Kid, and as Rogers moves in for the kill, the Kid hits a roll-up pin and a cover for the three count (3:25)

Match #2: Steven Regal (with Dave Taylor) d. Rich Williams

His Lordship is still one of my favorites. He works the crowd like the pro that he is, and is just great "puttin' on airs", as my granny used to say. Jeez, listen to that heel heat! Looks like Regal went to the same gym that Rogers and Flair did; he's in great shape as well. No surprises here: Regal dominates the Power Plant grad. Stiff European uppercuts and a vicious double-arm suplex. Regal hits a half-nelson variation of the neck breaker, and gets the three-count. (3:55) Match # 3: Rick Cornell d. Mark Jindrak

Our WCW Power Plant match of the evening. Jindrak is still looking for a pickup b-ball game, and gets Cornell's attention by bouncing the basketball off Cornell's head. (Ouch!) Good moves by the two grads, especially Jindrak's cruise missile clothesline that floors Cornell momentarily, but Jindrak only gets a two count. Cornell recovers, and wins the match with a classic spinning neck breaker, (5:31)

Match #4: Al Green d. Adrian Byrd

Battle of the Upper-Body-Strength Bruisers?

Nope, just a squash.

Al Green appears to be channeling the spirit of Cactus Jack, but not the talent. Lots of stiff hits on the hapless Adrian Byrd as Green conducts business on the floor. (Right, let's dispense with in-ring action altogether, Al. It just restricts your "freedom of expression", right?) Massive blow to the head by Green, and this Byrd's done, all right! (1:28) What a waste of time and talent!

Match #5: La Parka and Silver King d. Villano IV and V

Once again, we go from the ridiculous to the ultra-sublime! I'm a big fan of lucha libre wrestling in general, and these four practitioners in particular. (You folks remember the six -man Mexican Hardcore Match at the Panama City Nitro last year? Three of the four guys in the ring tonight helped re-define the meaning of "Hard Core Wrestling" back then.) The Villanos epitomize the "rudo" style of lucha libre, and waste no time taking the match to Silver King and "the Chairman". Team planchas nail the Villanos outside the ring! What hang time! It amazes me some of the aerial moves that these guys hit, and they are ALL big guys, too! Yikes, Silver King misses a moonsault, allowing a Villano IV DDT and a cover, 2 count only. Action outside the ring. La Parka breaks up Villano V's "tope suicida" with a mid-air collision! La Parka then hits a huge 360 degree guillotine leg drop from the top turnbuckle on the groggy Villano V. Sheesh, what a move! Massive air time!

Three count?! ( 5:03)
Wasn't Villano IV the legal man?
Who cares?
One heckuva of a good match!
Muchas gracias, senores!

Match #6: Kaz Hayashi d. Lash Laroux

A good, workmanlike match from two under-used professionals. Hayashi is the most misused wrestler in WCW. Hopefully, this match with Laroux is the start of a push for Hayashi. Lash appears to be off his game tonight, though, missing pin opportunities by the bushel. The match is pretty solid, but not spectacular, with Hayashi capitalizing on a mis-fired "Whiplash" finisher, and countering with a speedy DDT for the pin. (6:05)
Hey, WCW, push BOTH of these guys, and give Curt Hennig and Al Green a rest, okay?

Match #7: The Demon d. Bobby Eaton

And back to the ridiculous we go. Face it, The Demon (aka former N.W.O. B-Team baddie Bryan Adams, sans face-fuzz) angle was stillborn way back when Bischoff still had a career! (That's Dale Torborg, dude - CRZ) It's over, WCW! And doggone it, don't throw away a classic wrestler like Bobby Eaton just to push this thing! If you do, have Adams at least TRY to look like he's not phoning in his moves! (Torborg - CRZ) Jeez Loo-weez, he can't even do that "Demon Drop" or whatever it's called with any enthusiasm! (3:10 out of my life that I'll never get back!) This is a real pity, since Bryan Adams does such a great job at the house shows. A hard worker, you can tell that Adams has fun as a heel. Only Val Venis sells being on the receiving end of a DDT better than Bryan Adams. (Umm, it was Dale Torborg. - CRZ) I think we got a serious morale problem here, guys! See to it, please!

Match # 8: Norman Smiley d. Dave Burkhead

Aw, shoot! Yet another waste of two talented careers. Screamin' Norman has finally gotten over with the fans by poking fun at the hardcore bruisers. Did you see his act in Las Vegas? Showgirls and all? OUT- standing! Hey WCW, take a page out of Virgil/Vincent/Shane's book, and don't do to Smiley what you did to that poor guy, okay? Burkhead could be the third man in the David Flair/Crowbar "Loonies" group. There is plenty of talent here. Too bad he has to job, though, as Smiley wins with the Norman Conquest submission hold. (3:05)

Match # 9 The Mamalukes (with Disco Inferno) d. Ashley Hudson and Cory Williams.

A real rip-snorter to finish off the evening. I get more impressed with Big Vito and Johnny the Bull every time I see them. Disco Inferno tries some of his dance moves, and gets yanked by Big Vito. Match opens with Vito pounding on Hudson. Johnny the bull tries to keep up the momentum, but Williams and Hudson run a tag-switch offense that grinds Johnny into the mat for a cover and a two count. It doesn't last, as Vito tags back in. Williams eats a Vito neck breaker and a long-(very long!) hold vertical suplex drives him into the mat. Missed plancha puts derails Vito's momentum, allowing Ashley Hudson to tag in. Hudson with feet of flame! BIG back body drop. Sidewalk slam, Bionic Elbow, cover on Big Vito, but only a two count, as Johnny the Bull rushes in to save his partner. Cory Williams is in to handle The Bull, and we've got an old- fashioned Pier Six brawl going! Hudson tries to pin Big Vito, but Johnny the Bull breaks it up yet again. The Mamalukes toss Williams waayy out of the ring. Double team on Hudson, (double clothesline, double spinebuster, etc.), a corkscrew DDT finisher from Big Vito,(7:05) and the Mamalukes are victorious once again.

A real "agony/ecstacy" show this week, ranging from the agony of Al Green and Bryan "Demon" Adams (I think you mean Dale Torborg - CRZ), to the Mamalukes solid performance, and that superb lucha libre match.

Nine matches with 38 minutes and 47 seconds of in-ring action, out of a two hour time slot on Super Sunday Eve.

You do the math!

Y'all come back now, y'hear!

E.C. Ostermeyer
[slash] wrestling

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