Goody Bag X: Return to the Rising Run

 

Randy Savage v George Takano: From the joint WWF/SWS WrestleFest card in Tokyo on March 30 1991. Savage is playing full heel here, despite the events of WrestleMania VII. Takano dominates him in the early going, so Savage uses the hair to escape a headlock. He snapmares George over, but a kneedrop misses, and a frustrated Macho Man bails to the outside to regroup. Back in, Takano goes at him with a quick spinkick, and he whips him into the ropes for a well executed dropkick for two, and Macho bails again. Randy decides to play mind games next, stalling George out, and taking cheap shots. That suckers Takano into a chase, and Randy is able to clobber him on the way back in, then vertical suplex him for two. Chinlock, but Takano counters to an armbar, but Randy's in the ropes. Takano responds by cross corner whipping him to setup a nasty corner spinheel kick, and an enzuigiri follows for two. Randy manages to send him to the outside for a flying axehandle, and he rams George into the post out there for good measure. Inside, that's worth two, and Randy unleashes some choking. Small package gets two, but Takano counters a front-facelock with a hammerlock, and starts kicking Macho in the face until he gets the message! Unfortunately, Randy doesn't, and rakes the eyes, then launches George over the top to the outside again. Randy follows for a vertical suplex on the floor, then back in for more choking. Jesus, was he riding with Undertaker during this trip, or something? Takano wins a slugfest and hits a bodyslam to setup a falling headbutt for two, and a spinheel kick follows. Clothesline for two, and another one gets two as well. Another bodyslam sets up a nice flying splash for two, and an ugly tombstone (OUCH!) sets up a second flying splash, but Macho lifts his knees this time. He gets two out of it, and a gutwrench suplex is worth two. Haven't seen him use that one in a while, pretty much since the face turn in 1987. Bodyslam sets up the Flying Elbowdrop at 13:42. Good stuff here. ***

The Rockers v George Takano and Shunji Takano: From the joint WWF/SWS SuperWrestle card in Tokyo on December 12 1991. Marty Jannetty trades kicks with George to start, but gets snapmared over for a chinlock, and Shunji tags, but runs into a tandem-hiptoss with Shawn Michaels. That brings George in illegally, so the Rockers quickly dispatch him, but that allows Shunji to saito suplex Michaels. George tags in to drop him on his head with a German suplex, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Marty gets the tag - snapmaring George over for a chinlock. George counters to a wristlock, and throws a dropkick to put Marty down, then tags - whipping Jannetty right into a 2^nd rope missile dropkick from Shunji. That was pretty cool! Shunji dumps Jannetty to the floor for George to whip into the first row, and inside Shunji hits a vertical suplex. George tags in with a flying splash for two, but Marty hooks a quick inside cradle for two, so Shunji tags in to put him in his place - only to get swept for two. Marty with a takedown for two, and a jumping backelbow on George is worth two. Over to Shawn with a superkick for two, and a tandem-backelbow gives Jannetty two. George manages a dropkick to fight Marty off, and he drops him with a tombstone to setup a flying splash - Michaels saving at two. That allows Marty to go up, but George dropkicks him off the ropes, so Shawn comes in again to help - acting mighty heelish. He bodyslams George to setup a rocket launcher, but he rushes his partner through it, and Marty hits knees to allow George the pin at 10:55. Afterwards, Shawn berates Jannetty over the loss, in a bit of foreshadowing for the upcoming heel turn/split. *** ½

Hulk Hogan v Genichiro Tenryu: From the same joint WWF/SWS SuperWrestle card in Tokyo on December 12 1991. Handshake to start, and Hogan immediately takes him down into a cross-armbreaker. I never understood why Hulk and Vince thought that his wrestling ability wouldn't translate to North American audiences, and felt he had to dumb it down for us. Tenryu counters to a toehold, but Hulk gets into the ropes, and takes him down in a half-nelson. He rolls it into a cover for two, so Tenryu throws a big chop in the corner. They continue to feel each other out on the mat, until Hulk gives him a slap across the face, and rakes the eyes! That leads to a slugfest, and Hulk is outmatched, so he rakes the eyes again! Big boot, but Tenryu catches the foot, and sweeps him down into a kneebar - Hogan quickly in the ropes. He slugs Tenryu for another try at the big boot, and gets it this time for two. Chinlock, but Tenryu escapes, so Hulk smacks him with a cross corner clothesline, then applies a Boston crab. Tenryu gets the ropes, so Hulk hits a running high knee, but aggravates his own leg in the process, and Tenryu is able to knock him to the floor with an enzuigiri. Tenryu follows and uses a chair on the leg out there, then back in for another enzuigiri for two. Toehold is applied, but Hogan elbows his way out, so Tenryu drops him with a powerbomb for two! Wild! Hulk fires back with a bodyslam to setup the Legdrop, but it only gets two?!? Axe bomber gets two, but Tenryu catches the foot on another big boot attempt, so this time Hulk is ready with his own enzuigiri! Who is this guy?! Tenryu absorbs it and shifts into another toehold, but Hulk won't quit, so Tenryu starts cracking him with kicks and chops. Hulk shoulderblocks him down during a criss cross for a pair of elbowdrops, but another Legdrop still only gets two! Hogan with a leg-feed enzuigiri, and a second axe bomber finishes him at 13:59! Truly Hulk Hogan as you've rarely seen him before here. Not a classic match in the general sense, but if you grew up as a Hulkamaniac in the 80s and 90s, prepare to be blown away. *** ½

Ric Flair v Randy Savage: From an NJPW card in Sapporo on July 16 1996. Flair doesn't even have his robe for the entrances, instead simply dressed in a t-shirt. Weird. Maybe customs confiscated it? Feeling out process to start, with Flair controlling with a chinlock for a while, but Macho slugging free. He corners Ric with a bootchoke, and a backslide gets him two. Flair begs off, and manages to sucker Randy into the corner that way, blasting him with a chop to take control. Another big chop gets two, and he tosses Randy out of the ring - following for a smash into the guardrail. Back in, Savage reverses a cross corner whip and backdrops the Nature Boy, then bodyslams him. Ten-punch count, but Ric counters with an inverted atomic drop, and adds a kneedrop for two. They spill to the outside for a quick slugfest, and while Macho gets the better of that, he runs into a backelbow on the way in. Another slugfest goes his way, however, so Flair fights him off with a mulekick, and adds a side suplex for two. Ric with a hanging vertical suplex, but Randy gains control during another slugfest, and a corner whip flips Flair into a clothesline. Macho with a flying axehandle, and Ric wisely bails - only for Savage to dive out after him with another flying axehandle! He hurts his knee on the landing though, and Ric wastes no time targeting it as they head back in. Kneebreaker sets up the Figure Four, but Savage counters with an inside cradle for two. Flair tries going up to keep control, but gets slammed down, and Savage tries the Flying Elbowdrop - missing! That allows Ric the Figure Four, and we're done at 10:28. Pretty much just a paint-by-numbers Flair/Savage match here. ** ¾

Randy Savage v Jushin Liger: From another NJPW card the next night, also in Sapporo, on July 17 1996. Reversal sequence to start, to a stalemate. Liger grabs a side-headlock as they feel each other out, and manages the koppou kick during a criss cross, then sends Randy to the floor with a dropkick. He teases a dive out after him, so Randy bails into the crowd to put the brakes on that idea. Back in, Liger goes after the knee that Savage hurt the previous night, and takes him down in a leglock. Savage tries to escape, so Liger adds a facelock while applying the hold, until Randy gets the ropes. He quickly dumps Liger out of the ring during the break, and follows to slug at him, but Jushin drops him knee-first into the rail to keep control. Macho beats the count, so Liger throws a dropkick at the knee, then wraps the leg around the post for good measure. Figure four is applied, but Savage is immediately in the ropes, and he bails to the floor upon the break. In, Liger bodyslams him to setup a flying frogsplash for two, but Randy blocks a superplex, and hits a flying axehandle. The knee slows him down as he tries for the Flying Elbowdrop, however, and Liger dodges. Kneeling powerbomb hits, and a sitout version follows for two. Not sure if that first one was a botch or not, but it looked fine, and that's all that matters. Muscle buster gets two, but Randy blocks a German suplex, so Jushin clotheslines him instead, for two. Savage then fires back with one of his own to setup the Flying Elbowdrop out of nowhere for the pin at 8:12. I didn’t like how out of nowhere the finish was (if you turned your head for a second you’d have thought you passed out without realizing), but it was a good match otherwise. ***