Goody Bag IV: Almost Famous

 

Randy Savage v Ricky Steamboat: From December 7 1985, at a matinee house show in Boston. Savage hides behind Elizabeth and tries a sneak attack, but the Dragon fights him off in the corner, and rams him into the post as they spill to the outside. The old Boston Garden had such a unique look. It's interesting that when you watch these old shows, how you can easily tell whether they're at MSG, the Boston Garden, the Spectrum, and the Maple Leaf Gardens instantly because the buildings themselves had so much character. Steamboat works a wristlock, as I notice the insane amount of security they used to have at ringside for these shows. Not to mention how into the product they are - they're literally laser focused on the match, which is something you never see today. Savage escapes and tries suckering him into a chase, but ends up getting taken down in a hammerlock. He escapes and bails to the floor again, but this time stalls out there, until Ricky comes out and chops him. Randy slides in first and tries to take advantage of having the high ground, but Ricky wins a criss cross, and armdrags him down for another armbar. Unfortunately for the Dragon, Savage is able to toss him over the top to the floor, and Randy dives after him with a flying axehandle. He dumps Steamboat into the front row and leaves him out there to eat the countout, but Ricky is still fighting, so Randy hits a 2^nd rope flying elbowsmash. Snapmare gets two, but Steamboat starts throwing chops - only to get toppled for two while trying a bodyslam. Savage tries capitalizing with a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop, but Steamboat dodges, and starts chopping again. Desperate, Randy goes to the eyes, but Steamboat reverses a turnbuckle smash, and hits a delayed atomic drop. He goes up, but Macho slams him down, then bodyslams him to setup the Flying Elbowdrop, but Ricky is on his feet! Savage tries a flying axehandle instead, but Steamboat gut punches him to block, then hits a vertical suplex for two. Savate kick gets two, and he tries a side suplex, but Savage bops him with a foreign object for the pin at 11:15. Their chemistry was already very obvious here, even if this isn't a classic match. ** ¾

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v Ricky Steamboat: From November 1 1986, again in Boston. Interestingly, they'd actually shot the throat-crushing angle a few days before this, but it wouldn't air until weeks later, so Steamboat isn't selling it yet. Ah, the shit they could get away with before the internet. This is a normal sized WWF ring, but the camera angle here makes it look absolutely gigantic tonight. Savage stalls to start, and walks into a hiptoss during a criss cross. Dragon takes him down with a drop-toehold to setup an armbar, which may be one of the only times I've ever seen him do that without using an armdrag. And then he does it AGAIN when Savage tries escaping! Almost seems like some weird rib between Steamboat and one of the agents, or something. Ricky forces a hammerlock into a cradle for two, so Savage tries to criss cross again, but takes a bodypress for two, then walks into an armdrag for another armbar. There we go, much better. Macho takes a cheap shot in the ropes to escape, but Steamboat blasts him with chops, so Savage tries a sunset flip for two - reversed by Steamboat for two. Ricky with a bodyslam for two, and another armdrag takes Macho to the mat for another armbar. Macho gets the ropes and bails to the floor to regroup, and he palms a foreign object on the way back in - nailing the challenger with it. That turns the tide enough for Savage to hit a hangman's clothesline for two, but Steamboat counters a bodyslam with an inside cradle for two, so Randy punishes him with a backelbow for two. Kneedrop sets up a flying axehandle for two, and a closed fist knocks the Dragon to the outside. Randy goes after him with a bodyslam out there, and seems unsure whether he should try for the countout or drag him in to finish off. Ultimately, he tries vertical suplexing him in, but Steamboat topples him for two, so Randy tries a piledriver - only to get backdropped. Macho goes back to the foreign object to cut off the comeback, and a high knee sets up a straddling ropechoke - only for the Dragon to dodge! Knife-edge chop gets two, and a vertical suplex is worth two for Steamboat. Atomic drop gets two, and a flying tomahawk chop sets up a shoulderblock for two. Another one also gets two, but a third gets sidestepped, and Savage sends him flying out over the top! Randy dives out with a flying axehandle, but misses, and takes a nasty bump on his ankle out on the exposed wood floors. Ouch! That allows Steamboat to roll back in, and the champion is counted out at 14:47. Good stuff, to the surprise of no one. ***

Bret Hart v Davey Boy Smith: From Superstars on May 9, 1987 (taped April 23). Bret is one half of the WWF Tag Team Champions here. Criss cross goes Davey's way with a hard shoulderblock that sends Hart to the outside, and he unloads on him in the corner upon re-entering. Bret blocks an Irish whip and slugs at the Bulldog, and drives a knee to take him down during another criss cross. Legdrop and an inverted atomic drop follow, and a backdrop sets up a pointed elbowdrop. Davey tries a crucifix during another criss cross, but Hart drops him like a Samoan, and follows up with another pointed elbowdrop - only to get reversed going into the corner. Smith cross corner whips him to setup a hairpull-slam, and a forearm smash follows. That draws Jim Neidhart onto the apron to protest, and Bret is able to throw a dropkick thanks to the distraction. Meanwhile, Dynamite Kid brawls with Neidhart on the outside, and Davey is able to counter a tilt-a-whirl into the Running Powerslam at 3:44. Obviously they'd have far better singles matches with each other later on, but this was a good little quickie. ** ½

Bret Hart v Bob Backlund: From Madison Square Garden on June 12 1993, one day before King of the Ring. Handshake to start, and a feeling out process. Both men are fairly evenly matched as they trade holds, but Backlund develops a slight edge as things progress, and holds Hart in a mat-based side-headlock. Hart keeps trying to get off the mat, but Backlund controls the resulting criss crosses, and keeps taking him right back down in those headlocks. Bret finally manages to dodge him long enough to apply an armbar, and once he has that, he sinks his teeth into it - keeping a tenacious Backlund grounded. Bob manages to counter a hammerlock into a cradle for two, and Bret wisely bails to the floor before Bob can slap a hold on the vulnerable Hitman. Back in, Hart tries taking him down, but ends up in a hammerlock. Bret reverses, so Bob tries a snapmare, but Hart holds onto it. This is all very basic stuff thus far, but well executed. Backlund uses an elbow to escape, so Hart tries another armlock, but Bob counters with a belly-to-belly suplex. That may be the first non-hold move in the match, some fifteen minutes in. Unfortunately for Bob, he fails to capitalize in time, and Bret gets him back on the mat in another armbar. Backlund uses a kneebreaker to escape, and he starts going to work on the leg. Leglock and a Boston crab put the hurt on the Hitman, but Bret tries reversing, so Bob counters with a sunset cradle - triggering a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Bob applying another leglock. Hart fights into several cradle attempts from the defensive position, but Backlund hangs onto the hold. Bret eventually manages to counter to a hammerlock, but Bob manages to counter into a fisherman's cradle for two. Bret takes him right back down for a short-armscissors, so Bob tries his power-out escape, but Hart hangs onto it. Bob finally gets it on his third try, but he makes the mistake of setting Hart on the top turnbuckle on the break, and the Hitman dives at him with a 2^nd rope bodypress for two. Backlund fires back with a side suplex for two, but Hart cuts him off with a backbreaker. Bodyslam sets up the Sharpshooter, but Backlund quickly blocks. Hart tries softening him up some more with a vertical suplex, but Backlund keeps blocking that as well, so Hart reroutes with an inside cradle for two. Bob tries a piledriver, but Hart backdrops free, and hits the Russian legsweep to setup a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Backdrop, but Backlund counters with a sunset flip for two - only for Hart to go for the Sharpshooter! Backlund manages to block before he can apply again, so Bret drills him with European uppercuts in the corner, but Bob is cool with trading fists, and gets the better of the exchange. Delayed atomic drop sets up a nasty piledriver for two, but Hart escapes a vertical suplex with a rollup - Backlund reversing, but Hart reversing back for the pin at 32:21, thus giving Bob his first ever pinfall loss at the Garden. This was a very technical style matchup, and felt like it was right out of the 70s. It was like a collegiate wrestling match, before picking up in the final few minutes. And the mat war was all well done, with fine execution all around, but it's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea. ***

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Bob Backlund: From Superstars on July 30, 1994 (taped July 3). Okay, so this one is pretty famous, but whatever. Feeling out process to start, as Backlund teases being a bit unhinged, but doesn't take it too far. He doesn't waste time trying to put Hart away with a cradle following a hiptoss, and the Hitman bails to the outside to break the momentum, but Bob is right after him, and a waistlock gets two on the way back in! Test-of-strength goes Backlund's way with a swift takedown for two, as Hart looks stunned at the fire Bob is bringing here. The Hitman finally manages to best him on the mat with an armbar, but Backlund is tenaciously trying to escape. Hart turns a hammerlock into a cradle for two, but Backlund manages to reverse for two, so Hart goes back to grounding him with an overhead wristlock. Bob escapes, so Hart tries a pointed elbowdrop, but Backlund slugs him before he can tie him up in a hold again. Backlund with a bodyscissors into a cradle for two, and they trade headbutts - Bret escaping a piledriver with a backdrop. Bodyslam sets up a legdrop, but Bob reverses an attempt at an abdominal stretch - in one of the smoothest reversals of that hold I've ever seen. Bret reverses back, but Backlund is ready with a hiptoss. He tries another waistlock cradle, but they end up falling out of the ring in it, and Hart unloads with headbutts to the lower back on the way back in - only for a cross corner whip to get reversed! Backlund with a bodyslam of his own for two, and an overhead backbreaker looks to finish, but Hart counters with a backslide for two. Bob tries again, but Hart counters with a northern lights suplex, only for Backlund to bridge up into a backslide for two! Cross corner whip gets reversed, and Hart hits a backbreaker for two. Sharpshooter, but Bob blocks, so Bret tries rattling him with a pointed elbowdrop. Criss cross sees Hart trip over his challenger and fall out of the ring, but Backlund is right on him - rolling him in and covering for two. Side suplex and an inside cradle get two, but Bob thinks it was three! He figures out that it wasn't, but Hart is ready with his own inside cradle to retain at 14:27. I actually haven't seen this match in over twenty years, since it originally aired. I remember being absolutely blown away by it as a nine year old kid, since you almost never saw matches this good on TV, as they were mostly squashes. Is it any wonder Bret Hart became my favorite wrestler that year? That summer alone he had great matches with Diesel, 1-2-3 Kid, Backlund, and Owen - and that's not even counting the rest of the year! And, of course afterwards, we get the awesome angle on top of the great match, as Backlund snaps - putting Bret in the Crossface Chickenwing to turn heel. *** ¾