Goody Bag 42: Taking Center Stage

Rick Rude v Boss: From WCW Saturday Night on December 18 1993 (taped December 13) in Atlanta Georgia. Rude is the WCW International World Champion here, but this is non-title. This is also Boss' surprise debut, replacing Davey Boy Smith here, after he abruptly left the promotion in the middle of a program with Rude. It's also a nice little callback to their unresolved feud from 1990, when it was Rude who abruptly left the WWF. And adding to that general feeling, Boss is wearing his WWF gear here. Boss destroys him, beating Rude from pillar to post in the early going, working the lower back. Backdrop and a bodyslam set up a few kneedrops to the back, as the crowd goes wild for Boss. If I remember correctly, this was the era when they had literal signs telling people who and when to cheer, but it looks great on TV, and that's really all that matters. Boss with an inverted atomic drop, but an attempt at a pop-up flapjack is countered with an earringer, and Rude dives at him with a flying tomahawk chop. Swinging neckbreaker sets up a flying kneedrop, and a snapmare leaves Boss grounded in a chinlock. Rude dumps him to the outside for a trip into the post, then snaps Boss across the top rope on his way back in for another chinlock. Boss powers out, but is still dazed, and runs into a boot while trying a charge in the corner, allowing Rude to dive with another flying tomahawk. Reverse chinlock is applied, but surprisingly Boss doesn't do the electric chair escape. Instead, Rude lets off to try another tomahawk, but Boss blocks this time, and starts making a comeback - finishing with the scrapbuster at 10:29. The chinlock stuff in the middle went on for way too long, and just killed what was looking to be an otherwise energetic match. ¾*

Sting v Vader: From WCW Saturday Night on October 15 1994 (taped October 4) in Atlanta Georgia. This marks the last match between these two in their long and legendary rivalry. They spend time measuring and sizing eachother up to start, with Sting able to sweep him for some mounted punches, and land the Stinger Splash early. He tries keeping it going during a criss cross, but runs into the wall that is Vader, and gets slammed. Vaderbomb, but Sting pops up, and starts kicking at the leg to stop him, then brings the big man down off the ropes with an electric chair! He adds a flying splash for two, and a clothesline sends the monster over the top. Sting follows to slug him on the outside, but Vader beats the count in, so Sting hits him with an elbowdrop for two. Sting with a wild DDT off the middle rope for two, but a splash gets blocked when Vader lifts his knees, and the big man drops his own elbow on this punk. Pair of Vaderbombs are worth two, but a 2^nd rope flying bodypress is countered with a powerslam from the Stinger! He's still battered, allowing Vader to corner him with a series of blows, followed by a short-clothesline to set up a splash for two. Vader unloads in the corner some more, but he awakens something inside the Stinger, and starts getting no-sold. Sting with a standing dropkick for two, and he drops Vader on his head with a German suplex for two. Series of shoulderblocks knock Vader down, so Harley Race trips Sting up, allowing Vader to recover with an elbowdrop. In full view of the referee, too! And, yep, that's a DQ at 13:00. Not quite up to the level of some of their higher profile wars, but an appropriate way to wrap up the series. I just wish it had a clean finish. ***

Eddie Guerrero v Chris Benoit: From WCW Saturday Night on November 18 1995 (taped October 18) in Atlanta Georgia. Feeling out process to start, but Eddie gets cute trying to reverse some cradles, so Chris kicks him hard in the gut. Powerbomb, but Guerrero counters with an armdrag to the outside, and follows with a plancha out there. Guerrero with a slingshot somersault senton splash on the way back in, and a clothesline leads to the gory special. Eddie works a camel clutch next, wearing Chris down for a bridging fisherman's suplex for two. The camera work here has been really amatuerish throughout, which is especially surprising since they ran this building regularly, so there should be no surprises for the crew. Reveral sequence ends in Benoit creaming him with a lariat, and he adds a clothesline before matslamming Guerrero. Side suplex sets up the flying headbutt, but Eddie dodges, and hooks a majisteral cradle for two. Victory cradle gets two (and a sloppy one, at that), but Benoit counters a crab into a cradle of his own for two. Another reversal sequence ends in Benoit cradling for two, but Guerrero blocks a powerbomb, and takes Chris to splash mountain for two. Brainbuster is worth two, but Eddie gets crotched while going upstairs, and Chris brings him down with a side superplex. Really vicious one too, and both guys are out, leading the referee to declare it a no-contest at 12:00. Took a little while to get going, but it was great once it did. Unfortunately, it was missing an ending. ***

NXT Title v Career Match: Andrade Almas v Johnny Gargano: From NXT TV on February 21 2018 (taped February 1) in Atlanta Georgia. Almas tries to get this wrapped up quick, taking Johnny down in a schoolboy for two right away, then hooking a waistlock into a cradle for two. Gargano bails to regroup, and tries a waistlock on the way back in, but Almas is tired of wrestling, and just straight up elbows him in the mouth to escape. WWE sized rings just look so massive at Center Stage, to the point where it's almost comical. Gargano manages a corner dropkick, and a standard dropkick rocks Almas for Johnny to clothesline over the top. He wants to add a dive, so Zelina Vega stands in his way, prompting Candice LeRae to hit her with a tope for him! Now that's a woman! That allows Johnny to dive off the apron with a somersault senton at Almas, as Candice beats poor Zelina's backside all the way to the dressing rooms. Gargano tries a slingshot on the way back in, but Almas blocks, and drops him across the apron with a two-alarm inverted DDT for two. Almas hangs out with a triangle on the ropes, as he starts going to work on the arm/shoulder. Two-alarm inverted DDT gets two, and the champ cranks on an armbar. Suplex, but Johnny slips free, and manages to kick him in the face to buy time. Gargano with a 2^nd rope flying headscissors and a slingshot spear for two, but a superkick gets countered into a buckle bomb, quickly followed by a running kneesmash in the corner for two. Hammerlock-DDT, but Gargano railroads him into the corner to block, so Almas throws him shoulder-first into the post, since he likes the corner so much. Almas goes after him on the apron, but Johnny is ready with a superkick out there, only so have another slingshot spear countered with a fujiwara armbar! Gargano manages to cradle his way to a two count, but his own hammerlock-DDT is countered with a small package - reversed by Johnny for two. He charges, but Almas is ready with a hiptoss into the buckles to set up another running kneesmash against them for two. He takes the dazed challenger upstairs for a hammerlock-DDT off the top, but Johnny fights him off with a series of headbutts, and shoves the champ down to the floor. Gargano dives after him with a tope tornado DDT, and a slingshot DDT is worth two on the way back in. Both guys are battered, and engage in a slugfest on their knees, with Gargano able to fire off a superkick. He takes the champ down into the crippler crossface, but the referee has been bumped, and here comes Tommaso Ciampa! He blasts Johnny with his crutch to break off the hold, and Almas is able to capitalize with the hammerlock-DDT to retain at 15:16. Not at the level of the all-time classic they had at Takeover, but another really good performance from both men, that also set up another all-time classic between Gargano and Ciampa. So, win-win all around. *** ½