Goody Bag 43: Hidden Gems 4

19-Man Battle Royal: From a WWF live event in East Rutherford New Jersey on November 16 1987, which famously caused a rift between Vince McMahon and Randy Savage when the former wouldn't allow the latter's father to participate. Which is perplexing not only because why the hell wouldn't you appease one of your top acts with such a simple concession, but because they're one shy of twenty men anyway. We've got: Lou Thesz, Nick Bockwinkel, Bobo Brazil, Gino Brito, Edouard Carpentier, Al Costello, Crusher, Dominic DeNucci, Tony Garea, Rene Goulet, Gene Kiniski, Killer Kowalski, Pedro Morales, Pat O'Connor, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Arnold Skaaland, Ray Stevens, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Art Thomas. Anyway, there's not much to this beyond the usual battle royal stuff, but it's interesting to see some of these guys working in a WWF ring in general, let alone during the Hulkamania era. I mean, how trippy is it to see Lou Thesz, with the classic WWF block logo in the background? These guys are all well past their primes, but it's worth noting that they're such well seasoned veterans that this is still totally watchable. I mean, 'watchable' for a battle royal, but still. Down to Thesz, O'Connor, Bockwinkel, and Stevens as the final four, and Pat gets rid of Ray right away. Bockwinkel tries to slug it out with him, but gets dumped as well, and we're down to two. Thesz wants a double-knucklelock, and they go to the mat for some interesting amateur style exchanges. Thesz was 71 years old at the time, and O'Connor 63, but their form is better than a lot of the young guys today. They may not be doing shooting star presses, but they mastered the basics far better than almost all modern wrestlers have. Actually, I think that's why the 80s, and especially the 90s, produced such legendary wrestlers. Those guys still had a firm foundation in the basics from the training they received from these old school guys, but were willing to expand into more advanced spots as well. Now, it's shifted to guys who are doing moves in the opening thirty seconds of a match that are far more advanced than the previous generation of guys ever did, but most can't back it up with proper psychology and form. Anyway, Pat charges, but Lou is ready with a backdrop over the top to win it at 11:11. This was actually very interesting on a lot of levels, and a neat addition to the Hidden Gems section. *

Sgt. Slaughter v Kokina Maximus: From AWA TV on April 29 1990 (taped March 18) in Rochester Minnesota. Despite my research efforts, I can't be certain on those dates, though. Kokina is billed at 482 pounds, but he looks practically thin compared to the way he did just a few years later in the WWF. He looks hardly larger than Samoa Joe here. Slaughter passes out American flags on his way to the ring, which makes the fact that he'd be headlining WrestleMania as an Iraqi turncoat just a year later all the more interesting. Kokina's even managed by the future General Adnan, just to confuse things further. They measure each other forever in the early going, and there's just nothing going on here. There's 'slow,' like the Hart/Michaels Iron Man, and then there's just boring, and this falls on the wrong side. Slaughter tries a hammerlock, but Kokina escapes in the corner, and unloads. Sarge returns fire to clean house, and he manages a clothesline for two on the way back in, so Adnan gets involved. That allows Kokina to try a sneak attack, but it backfires, and Slaughter dropkicks him over the top. Oh, but the referee DQ's Slaughter for touching Adnan at 7:20. What lousy booking, no wonder this promotion died. Watching this, you'd never believe both of these guys were future world champions. And not some indy groups so-called 'world' title, but the top title in the top promotion in the world! Heck, these two headlined three of the next four WrestleManias between them! You just never know, I guess. Horrible, horrible match though, with a terrible finish to boot. It's a neat inclusion, but damn. -**

Kokina v Ron Neal: This is a neat little bonus, as the Network's copy of the previous match ends, and suddenly we're treated to grainy raw footage of this TV taping dark match, tacked on like some old school VHS compilation tape. This one is from Hershey Pennsylvania on September 1 1992, and is the future Yokozuna's first appearance in the promotion, still doing the Kokina gimmick for his tryout, back when they thought he'd be coming in as part of the Headshrinkers. He's also looking a lot larger than he did in the 1990 match, though still not scary big. He throws Ron around in energetic fashion, moving more in the first thirty seconds here than he did in seven minutes against Slaughter. Pop-up flapjack and a pair of bodyslams set up some choking, as Kokina works over this scrawny rebel themed jobber. Superkick and a uranage set up a splash, and that's enough for a single finger pin at 2:29. Not surprisingly, he got a job out of that one. ¼*

WCW World Title Match: Ron Simmons v Big Van Vader: From a WCW live event in Baltimore Maryland on December 30 1992. Almost zero contact for the first three minutes, as they square off and size each other up from a distance. Finally, Vader lands a short-clothesline, then sends Simmons spiraling to the mat with another clothesline. The challenger goes to work in the corner, but Ron returns fire, and they tear it up in the corner. Vader gets the upper hand and uses a cross corner whip, but Simmons barrels out of the corner with a clothesline, and drills him with rights. Another two clotheslines send Vader over the top, and Ron chases after him for a bodyslam on the floor. Vader stalls out there as he milks the count, but is met with a flurry of abuse in the corner when he decides to climb back in, and Simmons lands a powerslam for two. Bodyslam gets two, so Ron grounds his challenger in a chinlock. He shifts to a mat-based abdominal stretch to try for a submission, but no dice. Ron hammers him instead, but misses a charge in the corner, and the challenger flattens him with a few seated senton splashes for two. Vader adds a vertical suplex and a 2^nd rope flying bodyblock, followed by an avalanche into a clothesline, then a splash for two. Chinlock, but Simmons escapes, and slams him with a spinebuster for two. Powerslam gets two, and he drills him with a 3-point stance, but a second one is sidestepped, and Ron spills out of the ring. Van Vader tries to suplex him back in from the apron, but Simmons counters with a side suplex for two - only to have a bodypress countered with a shoulderblock at 12:45. I wouldn't have pegged that as the finish. This was a decent power match once it got started, but the first three minutes or so were basically dead air. It's certainly historically significant though, and a worthy inclusion. * ½

Terra Ryzing v Brian Armstrong: From WCW Worldwide on February 26 1994 in Orlando Florida. Not sure when it was taped, but probably January. Feeling out process to start, with Armstrong getting a slight edge with an armbar, but running into a high knee. Ryzing adds a pop-up flapjack to set up a pair of elbowdrops, followed by a jumping backelbow. Ryzing with a bodyslam to set up a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop, and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker leads to the Indian deathlock at 2:50. Squint, and you'd think you were watching Lex Luger squash somebody. Interesting because of who they'd become and nothing more, but that's part of the charm of these gems. ¼*

Rob Van Dam v Chris Jericho: From ECW Big Apple Blizzard Blast on February 3 1996 in Queens New York. This marks one of Jericho's very first ECW matches, and is only a month into Van Dam's run as well. Feeling out process to start, and a nice, fast criss cross ends in Van Dam hitting a spinkick, then dropping Chris with a visually impressive brainbuster for two. Jericho fires back with a clothesline for two, and he takes Rob to the mat to stretch. Dropkick gets two, but Chris gets backdropped over the top on another criss cross, and Van Dam dives after him with a somersault plancha. Holy shit, they have actual mats on the floor at an ECW show! If I didn'a seen’d it, I wouldn'a believed it! Rob with a flying sidekick on the way back in, followed by a springboard twisting legdrop for two. Standing moonsault gets two, and a slam sets up a split-legged moonsault, but Jericho lifts his knees to block. Chopfest ends in Chris hitting a spinkick, and a whip into the ropes leads to a clothesline for two. Jericho with a tigerbomb for two, but Van Dam reverses a tombstone, and goes upstairs - only to get crotched. Chris follows for a vertical superplex, but Rob isn't playing ball, so Jericho hits a standing dropkick on the freakin' top turnbuckle to knock RVD all the way down to the floor! Wild shit! Chris follows with a springboard bodypress out there, but Rob beats the count, so Jericho vertical suplexes him in from the apron for two. Corner dropkick follows, but Van Dam reverses a corner whip, and pulls Jericho to the outside for a springboard moonsault press off of the guardrail. He grabs a chair, but Jericho gets it away from him, so RVD spinkicks it into his face. You could see him trying the spot where he tosses the chair to Jericho for Jericho to catch and get blasted with the kick, but Chris had no idea what the hell was going on, since that wasn't really an established move yet at this point. Rob follows with a neat moonsault from the edge of the ring to the floor, and a slingshot facebuster is worth two on the way back in. German suplex, but Jericho reverses with a brutal side suplex to set up the Lionsault at 11:00. This was really fun! Nonstop action, and loaded with innovative stuff for the time, a lot of which, hell, is still pretty damn impressive today! *** ½