Goody Bag 54: From the Times Before Corona

Davey Boy Smith v Greg Valentine: From a live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, October 20 1986. Bulldog barely aged between here and the 1997 shows I'm covering. They feel each other out a bit to start, dominated by Davey. Greg manages a backbreaker for two, and a series of axehandles to the lower back is worth two. Bearhug, but Bulldog reverses, so Greg pops him in the eye with an elbowsmash. Chop puts Davey down for a headbutt drop to the groin for two, and he works a double-knucklelock, but Davey reverses. Valentine throws kicks to escape, and he dumps Davey to the outside, but Bulldog beats the count to the apron, so Greg welcomes him with a forearm across the chest. Valentine with a shoulderbreaker for two, and a vertical suplex is worth two. Figure Four, but Bulldog counters with a cradle for two, so Valentine goes after the leg, pounding it. He works a few variations of a toehold, but Smith manages a leg-feed enzuigiri to flop the Hammer. Smith with his own headbutt drop to the groin, and he actually locks on a sharpshooter, well before Bret Hart was ever associated with the move. Valentine makes the ropes, so Bulldog gives him a hanging vertical suplex for two, and it's Running Powerslam time, but Greg is in the ropes to break the count. He bails, but Bulldog is on his tail, chasing him around ringside. Greg rolls in and suckers him into chasing, and the Hammer puts the boots to him to grab control. Snapmare sets up a pair of elbowdrops, and it's back to the Figure Four, but Smith won't quit. He manages to grab the bottom rope to force a break (with Valentine milking it for as long as he can, complete with great selling from Davey), and Greg keeps mercilessly pounding on the leg. Bulldog catches a second wind and tackles Valentine for mounted punches, however, then adds a dropkick. Piledriver, but Greg counters to a cradle - using the ropes for leverage at 12:36. Fun match here. ** ½

WWF Title Match: Steve Austin v Chris Benoit: From Smackdown, May 31 2001 (taped May 29) in Edmonton Alberta Canada. Vince McMahon acts as the special enforcer for this one. Benoit attacks from behind to kick start the match, and he unloads with chops on the champ. Whip into the ropes sets up a backelbow, and Chris takes him into the corner to stomp a mud hole. He's working pretty loose there, but I guess that makes sense. You don't fuck with the Stone Cold. Backdrop, but Steve counters with a swinging neckbreaker for two, and he returns the favor by putting the boots to his challenger. Steve with a vertical suplex, but Chris counters to the Crippler Crossface, but Steve is in the ropes. Michael Cole screaming about how we have a new champion before Chris even has the hold applied is the kind of super annoying shit that makes everyone hate his work. Benoit keeps dragging Steve off the ropes and putting the hold back on, but Austin just keeps getting back into them, and eventually bails to the outside after four turns in the Crossface. Chris follows to pound Austin on the outside, putting the boots to him behind the announce table, then rolling him back inside just so he can clothesline him over the top. Steve tries to run, but Chris is on his tail, so Austin suckers him into a boot, and then smashes Benoit's face into the announce table. Only one of them out there, what's up with that? Steve grabs the title belt to either finish him off or draw an intentional DQ, but Benoit fights him off with chops, and drops him with a DDT onto the belt. Chris capitalizes by going up with the flying headbutt drop, but Steve smashes him in the face with the belt on the way down - cutting Benoit's face up in the process. Ouch. That gets Steve a few two counts, so he puts on a sharpshooter to try and get the submission, but Chris reverses - complete with copying the visual of Austin in that same hold at WrestleMania 13. Chris wrenches it on, but Stone Cold reverses back, and man, his version of the hold is shitty. Chris still sells it like mad, and manages to force another reversal after Steve pulls him off of the ropes. He can't get it properly applied this time, however, and Austin gets into the ropes to save himself. Both guys stagger up, and Steve tries hiding in the ropes, but Benoit wants to German some suplexes. Austin blocks with a mulekick, and he goes upstairs for a dive, as the crowd chants for the challenger. Benoit recovers and brings Austin off the top with a superplex, but it only gets two, so he goes back to the Crossface, but Steve is in the ropes. Austin bails to regroup, so Benoit chases, but gets reversed into the announce table. Steve follows up by dropping Benoit across the table (aggravating his taped up ribs), but Chris won't stifle, so Steve does it a second time - even more brutally this go around. Austin sends him into the steps a few times for good measure, and back in we go to finish up. Steve pounds on the ribs as the hot crowd jeers him, but Chris reverses a series of turnbuckle smashes, so Steve gets serious with a spinebuster to set up a pointed elbowdrop for two. Elevated crab looks to finish, but Benoit struggles his way into the ropes to save his title hopes. Steve responds by pounding him in the corner, but that just fires Benoit up, so Steve tries the Stunner, but Chris counters with a ten-alarm rolling German suplex! Ten! Crossface looks to finish, but here comes Vince with a chair! Benoit kicks it away from him, but it forces him to break the hold to do it, and Steve schoolboys him to retain at 19:39! I really disliked that cheap finish, but it was a hell of a match before that, and I appreciated how restrained the booking was. Like, I was fully expecting all sorts of shenanigans from Vince, or other outside interference, but it was totally clean until the final moments. The more I see of Austin's work in 2001, the more I'm appreciating what a career renaissance the guy was having. **** ¼

OTT World Title Match: WALTER v Will Ospreay: From Over The Top Wrestling's Fourth Anniversary show on October 13 2018 in Dublin Ireland. They size each other up to start, with WALTER casually dominating his challenger. Will just kind of takes all the abuse and hangs in until WALTER misses a big boot, and Will is able to tackle him down to get some shots in. He tries a springboard, but WALTER shakes the ropes to block, and Will wipes out. Wow, the first row is practically in the ring here. This is my first time watching OTT, I guess their guys don't do dives? WALTER dumps him to the outside for a merciful countout, but Will beats it back in, so WALTER bodyslams him for two, and takes him to school on the mat. Will manages to come off the ropes at him, so WALTER quickly bails, but Will dives after him, and yep, the entire crowd on that side immediately runs the fuck away to avoid getting hit. That was pretty funny, actually. Will with a flying bodypress for two on the way back inside, and he keeps after the champion by sticking and moving. Another springboard misses, however, and WALTER covers for two, then murders him with a sit-down splash. WALTER unloads, but Will won't stay down, and keeps throwing chops. This just angers WALTER, however, and he hangs Will over the top turnbuckle, and bootchokes the life out of him until the challenger ends up crumpled on the outside. WALTER again tries to give him an easy out via countout, but Will stupidly beats it back in, and yeah, bad stuff happens to him. Will still won't give in, and keeps trying to slug it out with the massive champion, but seven of his shots is equal to one WALTER chop, and that doesn't end well. WALTER tries a butterfly suplex, but Will manages to slip free, and he peppers the champion with quick strikes to put him down for a standing shooting star press. That sets up a dive for two, but a springboard jawbreaker gets blocked, and Will has to scurry to avoid getting slammed. He manages to dive again with a missile dropkick to the back of the head, but WALTER no-sells a short-clothesline, and drops him with a tombstone. And then he doesn't even cover because he wants to really kill him, but Will reverses a short-clothesline on him. Will with a punt to the face to set up a flying shooting star press, but WALTER dodges, and sends him flying to the outside with a running dropkick. Nice sequence there, and Will just FLEW off of that dropkick. This time WALTER doesn't bother trying for the countout, instead following to the outside to powerbomb this kid on the stage, and he just drills him with it. I love how he's just daring the referee to count them out, too. Another powerbomb off of the stage looks to cap it off, but Will manages to slip away, and he baseball slides WALTER off of the stage, then dives at him with a somersault senton! A literal stage dive, where's Mosh and Thrasher? He manages to drape WALTER across the top rope for a flying shooting star press on the way back in, and then gives him a second one. Third looks to finish, but WALTER boots him in the face to block, and latches on with a chinlock to take him out. And yeah, the crowd is so close that they can literally pound the apron to motivate Will, which is a pretty cool visual. So Ospreay makes the ropes, but WALTER launches him with a release German suplex instead of simply releasing the hold, and the big guy goes up, but sadly we don't get to see this jumbo jet fly, because Will crotches him up there. Rana off the top, but WALTER counters with a powerbomb for two, and goes right back to trying to put him out with the chinlock. See, when it's used as a hold, and not just as a break, it's very effective. Will starts to fight free, so WALTER kills him with a package brainbuster, but Will is in the ropes at two. Love the detail of the fans pointing it out because they're so close to the action. WALTER decides he won anyway, and beats up the poor objecting referee, but this allows Will time to recover, and he kicks the champion in the brain. He grabs the title belt, but realizes the referee is looking, and wisely abandons that plan - opting for a series of strikes to set up a springboard jawbreaker for two instead. Great near fall there. Will sets up a butterfly, but WALTER blocks whatever he's going for, and takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Will isn't quite dead dead yet, so WALTER just smacks the shit out of him until he stops moving... and then picks him up to do it some more. It backfires when Will wills his way into a tigerbomb, but it only gets two. Will stays focused by going to the top, but WALTER just CLIPS the leg to stop him, then clotheslines him off. Such brutality! That sets up a flying splash, and WALTER retains at 26:49. Kind of slow and repetitive for the first ten minutes or so, but they were building the story, and it got really great once they got going. And I loved how this felt like a real knockdown, drag out brawl, not just a stunt show. **** ¼   

NXT North American Title Match: Johnny Gargano v Velveteen Dream: From NXT TV on February 20 2019 (taped January 30) in Winter Park Florida. Gargano gets the first takedown, but loses the exchange on the mat, and has to get into the ropes to save himself. They feel each other out, with Johnny dominating with pure wrestling, but Dream able to hang with him throughout. A frustrated Gargano ends up on the outside for some stalling, and he tries wrenching on a side-headlock as he comes back in, but Dream shakes that off as well, and frustrates him again. Dream with a flying axehandle for two, and a standing dropkick follows, but Gargano turns the tables with chops in the corner. Dream responds by trying a springboard, but Johnny sweeps him off the ropes, and the challenger wipes out. That allows Gargano to take control, and a snapmare sets up a seated dropkick to the back of the brain for two. Neckbreaker gets two, and he punishes Dream with a brutal looking bow-and-arrow variation into a cradle for two. Nasty. Dream hides in the ropes, but Johnny keeps abusing him there anyway, milking multiple five counts for maximum damage. It's weird watching this just after seeing the Austin/Benoit match, where the crowd was so crazy hot, and here they're just so quiet. And it's not 'dead crowd' quiet, it's just that they're not really that invested either. They'll probably get crazy for the big spots and the finish, but they're only half into it the rest of the way. Meanwhile, that Smackdown crowd was losing their minds even during the slow stuff. Gargano dumps him to the outside for more abuse, and he works a modified abdominal stretch on the way back inside. Dream slugs free and manages a rotating spinebuster, followed by a big boot, and a clothesline to knock the champion over the top. Dream dives after him with a flying axehandle on the floor, and a reversal sequence on the way back in ends in Dream hitting a rocker dropper for two. Dream takes him up for a backdrop driver off the middle rope, but Gargano blocks, and brings Dream off the ropes with a reverse STO for two. That leads to a slugfest, and Johnny tries a side suplex, but Dream blocks, and both guys collide for a double knockout. They spill to the apron, where Gargano hits a superkick, but the slingshot DDT gets blocked. Dream Valley Driver on the apron, but that gets blocked, and Gargano hits a tope. Slingshot DDT on the way back in, but Dream blocks, and hits his own DDT for two. Dream goes up with a flying elbowdrop, but Gargano dodges, and lands a superkick for two. They're going so hard and so fast here that I'm having trouble keeping up. Going back to what I was talking about before, all of that draws an 'NXT' chant from the crowd, and then they go silent again. Johnny goes upstairs, but the challenger brings him off the middle with the DVD for two, drawing the stupid 'this is awesome' chant. Dream goes up for another try at the flying elbowdrop, but Johnny rolls to the outside to evade. Dream dives after him out there, but Gargano blocks with a superkick, and DDTs him on the ramp. That allows Gargano to hit the slingshot DDT on the way back inside, but it only gets two (and an 'NXT' chant). Johnny pounds him, so Dream tries buying time with a superkick, but Gargano rebounds with a big clothesline. He hits his own superkick, but a reversal sequence ends in the Dream Valley Driver. Dream adds a second one, and that's enough to set up the flying elbowdrop to win the gold at 20:41. A very good match, but still a disappointment, all considered. *** ½