Skyefire's WWE DVD review featuring NOPE matches

[Skyefire]

Jake "The Snake" Roberts was one of the more unique competitors of the 1980's and 90's. His slow delivery in his promos kept people on edge. His bringing a snake to the ring and using it on his opponent made the crowd go wild whether they loved him or hated him. This is a collection of his greatest matches and moments. This DVD starts with a documentary on Roberts' life and career before going on to some matches.

Snake Pit Match, Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, The Big Event 1986
Taking place from the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, was The Big Event. The Big Event was not televised but was released on home video. Gorilla Monsoon, Ernie Ladd, and Lucious Johnny V are on commentary. This match was essentially a No Holds Barred match, which were kinda rare back in the mid-80's WWF. This match stems from Saturday Night's Main Event when Roberts (legitimately) knocked Steamboat unconscious with a DDT on the concrete floor. Roberts attacks Steamboat before the bell. Steamboat soon turns the tide and Roberts escapes to the outside. Roberts gets back in the ring and Steamboat hits him with some chops. Steamboat delivers a karate kick across the crotch of Roberts, not a direct hit, but it sends the Snake down to the outside. The Dragon meets him out where Roberts delivers a modified spear to the midsection. Roberts then slams Steamboat on the elevated platform surrounding the ring. Roberts would lay Steamboat with his head hanging over the edge of the platform and deliver a knee drop to the throat. Steamboat starts to fight back and Roberts grabs a chair and swings and misses The Dragon. Steamboat then grabs the chair and jabs it into the midsection of Roberts before whacking him over the head. Steamboat gets Roberts back in the ring and delivers a karate chop from the top rope and goes for a pin but only gets two. Steamboat whips Roberts into the corner and begins delivering repeated chops to the head. Steamboat goes to whip Roberts into the opposite corner but Roberts reverses it sending Steamboat over the top rope and out. Outside the ring, Roberts slingshots Steamboat head first into the ring post. Roberts then smashes his opponents head into the steel guardrail. Steamboat is now busted open. Back in the ring, Roberts jabs at Steamboat. Roberts then hits an atomic drop. Roberts has Steamboat down and goes for a pin by sitting on Steamboat and placing his knees on Steamboat's arms. Steamboat gets his legs up underneath Roberts' arms and pulls him down and pins him. The Dragon is victorious in this grudge match. These two did a great job in this match. They took the fight to the outside which was fun. A little bit of blood was involved. All in all, this match delivered. WWF didn't do triple threat matches in the 80's but imagine Roberts vs Steamboat vs Savage. They all had great one-on-one matches with each other in 86-87.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts (w/Alice Cooper) vs Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart), WrestleMania III
Six months later, and Jake is now a fan favorite. Mean Gene interviews Jake and Alice Cooper before the match showing highlights of Honky smashing his guitar over Roberts' head during The Snake Pit. Jake them comes to the accompanied by a rock star and there's no entrance music. Next we go to an interview with Honky. We get Gorilla alone on commentary as Jesse Ventura's commentary has been edited out. Jake jumps Honky before the match much in the same way he did to Steamboat. Jake hits Honky with a knee lift and Honky goes to the outside. Outisde the ring, Jake strips the Elvis-like attire from Honky Tonk Man before slamming him on the ringside platform. Roberts hits a short-arm clothesline to Honky in the and goes for the DDT but Honky slips out. Outside the ring, Honky whips Roberts into the ring post. Alice Cooper helps The Snake up but Honky won't let him get back in the ring. Eventually, Honky brings Jake back in the ring and hits a knee drop from the second rope. A short while later the two are going back and fourth with jabs. Jake soon signals for the DDT and Honky slowly pushes The Snake back towards the ropes where Jimmy Hart grabs Jake's foot. As Roberts is distracted by Jimmy Hart, The Honky Tonk Man rolls him up, grabs the ropes and pins Roberts. After the match, and angry Roberts takes Honky's guitar and swings at him. Honky moves out of the way and the guitar shatters against the ring post. Honky is gone, and he has left poor Jimmy Hart alone in the ring. Jake grabs Jimmy in a Full Nelson while Alice Cooper brings out Damien. Jimmy is kicking with all of his might to keep Cooper away. Roberts tosses Hart to the match and then tosses Damien on top of him. Honky Tonk Man is the winner, but Jake clearly got the last laugh. This match wasn't anything special. It was really the finish and the post-match antics that made it worth while, not the match itself.

Finishers Match, Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Madison Square Garden, October 24, 1988
It's the DDT vs The Rude Awakening. Howard Finkel explains that whoever hits their finisher first wins. Really, of all of the WWF/WWE employees over the years, perhaps the one that I, personally, associate with Madison Square Garden the most is The Fink. Rude comes out first and does his pose as he takes his rope off. He's got his face on the front and back of his tights. Jake comes to the ring accompanied by his wife, Cheryl who has played an interictal role in this feud. Rude turns to antagonize Cheryl and Jake attacks him from behind for that. Jake gets an arm wringer on Rude. Rude pokes the eyes of Roberts to take control. Rude ties Roberts up in the ropes and then goes outside the ring after Cheryl. Roberts gets free with help from the referee and attacks Rude from behind. Back in the ring, Rude gets a front face lock on Roberts and begins taunting Cheryl some more. The fight extends to the outside of the ring, where the two men play a sort-of tug-of-war trying to pull the other into the ring post. Roberts ends up pulling Rude into the post. Roberts then slams Rude on the arena floor. Roberts gets Rude back in the ring and begins to soften Rude up some more. Roberts signals for the DDT but Rude grabs the ropes. Rude tries to escape and Jake grabs him by the tights as Rude shows everyone in MSG his ass. It wouldn't be a Rick Rude match without it. Jake hits a short-arm clothesline on the Ravishing One. Jake sets up for the DDT but Rude shoves him backwards into the corner. Rude goes to the top rope and drops a fist on the head of Roberts. He then crawls towards Cheryl Roberts. He returns to Jake who hits the DDT. But that's not the end of the match as Jake still covers Rude and the referee counts three. Jake brings Cheryl into the ring as she slaps Rude. Time to bring out Damien. He places Damien across Rude and Rude tries to squirm away. This match has some really good storytelling. Rude the despicable heel going after Jake's wife. Jake standing up for his wife, trying to protect her. And in the end, Cheryl Roberts herself got a bit of revenge on Rude.

Ricky Steamboat & Jake Roberts vs Jim Nelson & Mike Miller, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling September 12, 1981
On to disc two where we go back to the beginnings of Jake's career. Here he's teaming with future rival Ricky Steamboat against Jim Nelson and Mike Miller. We start with Steamboat and Miller in the ring. Steamboat takes Miller down but it's near Miller's corner and he tags in Nelson. Steamboat takes Nelson down with a drop kick followed by an arm drag. Roberts gets the tag in. Roberts hits a drop kick followed by a knee lift. This match is a pretty basic squash match with the opponents getting in a few moves to make the stars mount a comeback and make the match more dramatic. Nelson has an aggressive form of offense using his size and power to his advantage. Roberts really relies on his knee lift. Roberts gets a side suplex on Nelson and gets the pin in a little over five minutes. Nelson would go on to become a member of Sgt. Slaughter's Cobra Corps. not long after this and then he later became famous as the evil Russian Boris Zhukov.

NOPE Match
NWA World TV Championship, Jake Roberts (w/Paul Ellering) (c) vs Ron Garvin, Georgia Championship Wrestling 12/3/83
Garvin has shaggy hair and is nicknamed The One Man Gang at this point in his career. Ellering has bleach blonde hair and a bleach blonde goatee at this point in his career. Gordon Solie is on commentary. Roberts takes Garvin down with a side headlock to start the match. The referee is named Scrappy McGowan. Roberts backs Garvin against the ropes and as Scrappy tries to get them to break Garvin lands a cheap shot. Solie keeps reminding the viewers that time is a factor with a 15-minute time limit. It's like he's hinting at something. Garvin gets a front facelock on Roberts and keeps it on there for a good three minutes. Roberts soon simultaneously gets a facelock of his own, and Garvin releases the hold. After a commercial, Roberts has Garvin down with an STF. Ellering has a stopwatch and keeps reminding Roberts of the time. Garvin comes off the top with a cross body block. Roberts slips out of the ring. Roberts is trying to slow the momentum that Garvin has. Back in the ring, Garvin strikes Roberts with some jabs. Garvin works over Roberts before rolling him up for a pinfall attempt but Roberts' foot lands on the ropes. Garvin begins stomping on Roberts just as the time limit expires. This match would be considered dull and boring by today's standards, but for 1983, it wasn't bad. The small crowd in the WTBS studio was really into this match. All of the references to the time limit almost seem like they're hinting that it's going to go to a draw, much like the Ric Flair vs Sting match in 1988 where the same thing was done.

NOPE Match
Jake Roberts vs Lanny Poffo, Madison Square Garden March 16, 1986
We jump ahead to 1986 where Roberts is now in the WWF and making his Madison Square Garden debut against "Leaping" Lanny Poffo. Poffo starts off with a poem wishing Roberts luck before saying "If Manhattan doesn't like his style, I hear the Bronx has one hell of a zoo." Roberts starts off with a shoulder block to take Poffo down. Poffo comes back with a couple of dropkicks and Roberts slides out to the outside. Back in the ring, Roberts puts an arm wringer and wristlock on Poffo. Leaping Lanny then climbs the turnbuckle, while Roberts still has ahold of his wrist and does a summersault taking Roberts down with an arm drag. Roberts gets back up and Poffo takes him down with another arm drag. A very impressive sequence. A short while later, Roberts gets a sleeper on Poffo. Poffo bridges out and escapes the hold. After some offense by Poffo, Roberts slides out of the ring. Poffo leaps up to the top rope in an attempt to leap off onto Roberts but slips on the top rope and lands awkwardly on Jake. Outside the ring, Roberts delivers a hip toss to Poffo on the floor. Poffo manages to get back in the ring where he's met with a DDT and Jake The Snake gets the win. Time for his post-match celebration where he brings out the snake and places it on his fallen opponent. I must say I was quite impressed with Poffo in this match. He was doing moves that not a lot of wrestlers were doing in 1986.

NOPE Match
Jake Roberts vs Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart), Superstars April 27, 1991
We jump all the way ahead to 1991 where Roberts is now very much a fan favorite in the WWF and he's going up against the hated Earthquake. Quake jumps Roberts as soon as he gets in the ring and Roberts comes back with a high knee and brings out Damien which scares off Earthquake and Hart. Earthquake and Hart decide to walk away from the match but another referee stops them and orders them back to the ring. The second referee then orders Roberts to put Damien away. Roberts complies and puts Damien back in the bag and places the bag. But that's not enough as the referees order Roberts to place the bag underneath the ring. After he does that, Hart begins taunting Roberts as Quake comes up from behind him and attacks. Earthquake then tosses Roberts back in the ring and surpassingly pulls Damien back out from underneath the ring and tosses the bag in the ring. Quake then ties Roberts up in the ropes, places the bag containing Damien in the center of the ring and delivers his Earthquake sit down splash on Damien all while Jimmy Hart has ahold of the referee. The camera actually cuts away to Sean Mooney in the Event Center during the actual splashes. Back in the arena, Quake and Hart are celebrating. As officials get Roberts free, Earthquake and Hart flee. Obviously this wasn't so much a match as it was a segment with Earthquake smashing, and presumably killing, Damien.

NOPE Match
Jake Roberts vs Bob Werner, Superstars November 23, 1991
Roberts would not be stopped as he would get a new snake. Later in 1991, Roberts would turn heel once again and enter into a feud with Randy Savage. Savage is on commentary for this match along side Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper. This match is a complete squash as Roberts wins with a DDT in under a minute. Jake grabs a microphone and begins taunting Savage. Savage makes his way to the ring. As the referees try to hold Savage back Roberts hits him with a clothesline. Roberts ties Savage up in the ropes and brings out the king cobra which chops down on Savage's arm. Even I had to turn away watching this. Miss Elizabeth comes down to the aid of her husband. For those who don't know Roberts legitimately had a hard time getting the snake to let go of Savage's arm.

Coal Miner's Glove Match, Sting vs Jake Roberts, Halloween Havoc '92
Roberts left WWF after WrestleMania VIII and joined WCW. His stint would be relatively short. At Halloween Havoc, WCW Vice President Bill Watts set up a "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" to chose the stipulation of the Sting vs Roberts match. The spin landed on a Coal Miner's Glove Match. Roberts goes straight for the pole and the glove right away but Sting pulls him off. Sting then goes for the glove, but Jake pulls him down. Roberts whips Sting off the ropes, Sting stops and levels Roberts with a right hand. Sting misses with a dropkick. Roberts soon tosses Sting over the top rope, but it's a no DQ match, so throwing him over the top rope is legal (as it was otherwise illegal in WCW). On the outside, Roberts goes to ram Sting's head into the ring post, but Sting pushes him off throwing him into the pole. Interesting side note as I'm watching this, this even takes place in Philadelphia and famous ECW superfan "Straw Hat Guy" is in the font row. Back in the ring, Sting works over the arm of Roberts. The fight soon goes to the outside where Roberts grabs Gary Michael Capetta's chair and strikes Sting in the back with it. Roberts then removes the tape from around his wrist and begins choking Sting with it. Sting whips Roberts into the corner and goes for a Stinger Splash but Roberts moves out of the way. Roberts then delivers a DDT to Sting. Roberts then stars to climb the pole, but Sting runs along the ring apron, and around the pole to strike Roberts in what is almost a 6-1-9 move. It's now Sting's opportunity to climb the pole, but out comes Cactus Jack. Cactus hands Roberts a bag containing his snake. Roberts pulls the bag out just as Sting grabs the glove. Sting hits Roberts in the kidney area using the Coal Miner's Glove. The force of the blow sends the snake, the actual snake, into Roberts' face where it starts biting him. Sting (loosely) covers Roberts for the pin. God that was such a bad match. While most of the match isn't too bad it's not good. The Coal Miner's Glove stipulation might have worked in places that have coal mines, but not in Philadelphia and not in front of a national audience. And really any object on a pole match doesn't work that well. Half of the time the wrestler who grabs the object isn't the one who uses it. Then the ending is just bad. Roberts trying to sell that the snake is actually biting him. While Jim Ross screams bloody murder. Plus, when Sting pins Roberts he barely covers his mid-section. Roberts had ample opportunity to kick out.

SMW Heavyweight Championship, Dirty White Boy (c) vs Jake Roberts, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, May 7, 1994
Halloween Havoc would be Roberts' last televised match in WCW. After leaving WCW Jake would travel the globe wrestling for AAA in Mexico, New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as in Australia before coming to the Smoky Mountain promotion run by Jim Cornette. Here he's facing SMW's Champion Dirty White Boy (aka Tony Anthony aka TL Hopper). Dirty White Boy is wearing an eye patch over one eye. The two men start off with some decent chain wrestling. Roberts gets an arm wringer on White Boy and then brings him down with a hair grab. White Boy soon comes back with a hair pull of his own. Roberts then slaps White Boy in the bad eye multiple times. White Boy gets Roberts down on the mat with an arm bar. Roberts soon gets up and knocks White Boy through the ropes to the outside. On the outside, some Samurai guy, who was apparently the one who injured White Boy's eye in the first place comes out and steals the eye patch. Tracy Smothers and Bobby Blaze come out to attack the Samurai. Now without the eye patch the light is blinding White Boy. Roberts nails him with a right hand. Roberts then removes the rape from his wrist and tries to put it in the eye of White Boy. White Boy comes back with a rollup pinfall attempt but only gets two. Roberts goes for an intentionally lacking cover but White Boy kicks out. Roberts pokes his opponent in the bad eye. Roberts turns his back to Dirty White Boy to taunt the fans and ends up paying the price for that. White Boy comes back with some jabs followed by a better-than-Hulk-Hogan big boot. Roberts stumbles to the outside where he kicks the ringside photographer and steals his camera and flashes the camera's light into Dirty White Boy's eye. Jake then hits the DDT, places one hand on Dirty White Boy and picks up the pin to win the title. This is actually a decent match. Better than the Sting match (even setting aside the bad ending). Roberts has noticeably put on some weight and there's some indication that Roberts isn't 100% there that maybe he's a bit inebriated as he stumbles around a bit at times, but it doesn't affect this match. The match is no classic but it was decent.

In 1996, Roberts would return to the WWF. Do you remember that? Do you remember how Jake was billed as an old man? He was 41 years old. Younger than AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and John Cena are now. Younger than Ric Flair was when he joined WWF in 1991. Younger than I am now. Of course his demons were aging him.

King of the Ring Finals, Jake Roberts vs Steve Austin, King of the Ring '96
At King of the Ring Jake found himself facing Steve Austin in the Tournament Finals. Highlights are shown of Vader delivering a running splash to the corner on Roberts followed by a Vader Bomb during their semi-finals match. As soon as Roberts enters the ring, Austin attacks him. Austin goes right after Roberts' injured ribs. Austin had actually busted his lip (legitimately) against Marc Mero. Austin continues to beat down Roberts. Roberts manages to fight back but it's only brief. Roberts begins to remove the medical tape from around Jake's ribs. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon comes out along with a doctor seemingly to stop the match. But, Roberts refuses and fights back against Austin. He sets Austin up for the DDT but Austin backs him into the corner and begins ramming his shoulder into The Snake's injured ribs repeatedly. Austin then hits the Stunner and wins the match. Austin is the King of the Ring. It's kinda weird not hearing Austin's usual music, this is generic orchestral music. This match is not bad, it's just not good. There's not botches, nothing sloppy, just a one-sided beatdown that lasts less that five minutes. Of course, we all know what happens next, Austin gives his "Austin 3:16" promo and a legend is born.

Jerry Lawler vs Jake Roberts, Summerslam '96
This feud is centered around Roberts' alcohol addiction. Yes, a wrestling company is using a wrestler's real-life addiction as a storyline. Much like WWF would later do with Road Warrior Hawk and like WCW would do with Scott Hall. We start off with Lawler already in the ring, and seeing as this event takes place in Cleveland in 1996, Lawler is wearing a Baltimore Ravens jersey playing to the fact that the Browns had left Cleveland for Baltimore. I guess since Lawler is legitimately a native of Cleveland, he needed something to help get the fans to boo him. Lawler introduces Roberts' "two tag team partners" Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. He then makes fun of Jake's wife. He then taunts Olympian Mark Henry who is at ringside as a guest. Jake comes out to the ring next. Lawler then asks for a mic back. He opens a bag that he brought to the ring and reveals a giant bottle of wine. Roberts then opens his bag and brings out his giant snake which he places around the neck of The King. The match soon gets underway properly. Lawler then goes to the outside for another microphone and begins taunting Jake with a bottle of booze. Roberts goes to the outside and begins attacking Lawler ramming him head-first into the ring steps. Jake gets Lawler into the ring and delivers a low kick to The King. Lawler tosses a fan's soft drink into Jake's face. Jake fights back with a few jabs and a short-arm clothesline. Roberts signals for the DDT. As he hooks Lawler for the move, Lawler grabs referee Harvey Whippleman and brings him in towards the move. Roberts has to let Lawler go and as Roberts argues with the referee, Lawler grabs a bottle and strikes Roberts in the throat. Lawler covers Roberts, pulls his tights and gets the three count. Also, a subpar match. Lawler gets on the mic and claims that Roberts' throat is dry and he needs a drink. Lawler then pours the booze down Jake's throat. Mark Henry then gets up and goes after Lawler. The King wisely backs away.

Next we go to ECW Hardcore Heaven '97 for Jake's surprise appearance. We see Tommy Dreamer battling Jerry Lawler already in progress. A bloody Dreamer goes to piledrive Lawler when the lights go out. When the lights come back on Jake "The Snake" is in the ring and he attacks Dreamer. Lawler looks surprised by Jake's appearance and Jake then hits the DDT on Dreamer. Jake goes to shake Lawler's hand but instead Jake clotheslines him. Jake walks away as the match continues and the DVD fades away to the next match.

Jake Roberts & Tommy Dreamer vs Justin Credible & Jack Victory, November To Remember '98
We start as Dreamer tosses Credible into the ring from the ramp and Jake tosses Jack Victory into the ring. A pair of Irish Whips is followed by a pair of knee lifts and individual backdrops to the floor. Dreamer then leaps over the top rope onto Credible, Victory, Jason, and Mr. Right. Back in the ring, Dreamer runs off the ropes and Jason and Mr. Right attempt to grab Dreamer's ankle but miss. Dreamer stops and delivers a sliding dropkick to the two. Jake clotheslines Justin to the outside. Soon thereafter, Credible suplexes Dreamer on the ramp. With the referee distracted, Jason gets in the ring and attacks Dreamer, but he gets a DDT from Roberts for his efforts. Dreamer then hits a superplex on Justin Credible. Later in the match, Jason becomes a legal competitor when Justin Credible tags him in. He gets some punches and a short arm clothesline for his efforts. Justin Credible gets the same from Dreamer. The two babyfaces signal for the DDT. That's when Rod Price and the One Man Gang interfere. Jack Victory is still on the ring apron. Gang hits the 747 on both Dreamer and Roberts. Out comes New Jack and Kronus. Of course, New Jack has a grocery cart with some toys to play with and Kronus has a ladder. Jack breaks a crutch on Jason's back. This match has broken down. Dreamer goes low on Justin with a metal baseball bat. New Jack goes golfing, because that's what black guys from the hood do, but instead of a golf ball, he nails Jason in the nuts. Jake is largely absent from this part of the melee. At some point, Jack Victory gets busted open, I'm not sure how. Kronus then goes to the top rope and hits the 450 splash on Justin Credible and the referee starts to count the pin, forgetting that Kronus is not a legal participant in the match. Kronus then gets up and is hit with a clothesline from OMG. Gang hits the 747 on Kronus. Jack goes to the top rope and delivers a chairshot to the head of Gang. All the while in the background there's a thumping noise that's being used by WWE to cover up New Jack's music. Tommy Dreamer hits a frog splash on Justin Credible and goes for a pin but only gets two. Dreamer then hits a Spicoli Driver. Mr. Right attempts to get involved and he is met with a right hand from Jake. In comes Chastity who delivers a low blow to Jake. Dreamer then grabs her by the hair and hits her with a piledriver. Now, the final unused player in this game, Nicole Bass gets in the ring. She and Chastity were out there for the entire match. Bass taunts Dreamer and Jake gives her a low blow. Joey Styles: "He nailed Nicole Bass right in the...the nuts." Jake hits a DDT on Bass. Justin Credible gets back in the ring and hits a low blow on Jake using the golf club. Dreamer whacks Victory with a Singapore Cane. Dreamer then grabs the last unused toy on this playground, the ladder. Credible goes to the top rope and Dreamer launches him off the top onto the ladder. Jake hits a DDT to Credible on the ladder and Roberts and Dreamer both cover Justin for the win. So, if you're keeping score at home, it's Tommy Dreamer, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, New Jack, and Kronus against Justin Credible, Jack Victory, Jason, Mr. Right, Rod Price, One Man Gang, Chastity, and Nicole Bass. That started off as an average match, worthy of Raw or Nitro then turned into an all-out ECW brawl and I loved it. Maybe the most pure fun match on the DVD.

The DVD then moves on to a series of promos and vignettes. These include an early appearance on Tuesday Night Titans, Rick Rude picking out Jake's wife in the crowd, a blind Jake on Brother Love show when Rick Martel shows up and Jake ends up delivering a DDT to Brother Love thinking it's Martel, Jake introducing the world to Lucifer on the Barber Shop after Earthquake killed Damien, several bizarre vignettes with Jake training Ultimate Warrior for The Undertaker (far from Warrior's best work), and then wraps up with a trio of Snake Pit segments one with Kamala and The Wizard, one with Junkyard Dog, and one with Hulk Hogan.

I bought this DVD on a deep discount. The match listing on this is not great. The Earthquake match was mostly a segment as well the squash match where he attacked Macho Man. The two 1996 WWF matches were not that good. One was a memorable rivalry and the other was memorable for what happened after the match. It's the three matches on disc one that are the good ones. I've come up with a few matches that I feel should be on this DVD whether in addition to or in place of the matches that are on this set.

Roberts vs Ricky Steamboat, Saturday Night's Main Event 5/3/86-Roberts delivers a DDT to Steamboat on the concrete floor and legitimately knocks him out.
Roberts vs Ricky Steamboat, Saturday Night's Main Event 10/4/86-The payoff match between the two
Roberts vs Randy Savage, Saturday Night's Main Event 11/29/86-Two heels facing each other in a big match. Dick Ebersole, president of NBC Sports, told both men that if the rating for the show dropped one point during their match, they would never wrestle on NBC ever again. The two men delivered a good match and the ratings kept up.
Roberts vs Andre the Giant (guest referee, Big John Studd), WrestleMania V-Jake scares Andre with the snake until the Ted DiBiase and Virgil get involved
Roberts vs Ted DiBiase, WrestleMania VI-a match for the Million Dollar Championship on the biggest stage of them all
Roberts vs Randy Savage, This Tuesday In Texas-this was the payoff to their 1991 rivalry
Roberts vs Jerry Lawler, Raw 10/14/96-Roberts stumbles to the ring, appearing to be inebriated, only to reveal that it's all a ruse and beats Lawler in under a minute.
Probably a Mid-South match, not sure which one.

Next up. This one may be polarizing, maybe a bit controversial. But, remember I'm reviewing the matches. Two (or three or four or more) competitors in the ring busting their ass, whether it's a technical masterpiece, a brutal brawl, a hardcore bloodbath, or maybe it's just not good. You may not like what this person did, but I'm not going to take that into consideration when reviewing his matches.

 

[Skyefire]

My next full review will be up in the coming days, but first a mini review. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the pro debut of Chris Jericho, so I decided to review said debut match and two other early career matches from his Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Jericho DVD.

NOPE Match
“Cowboy” Chris Jericho vs Lance T. Storm, Canadian Wrestling Connection, October 2, 1990, Calgary, AB
The onscreen graphics for this match list Jericho as being 220 pounds and from Wyoming while Strom is 225 pounds from Ontario. Jericho is wearing yellow pants with tassels on them making him look like the third member of The Rockers, while Storm has a hot pink singlet. The two lock up and Jericho gets a headlock on Storm. Storm attempts several moves to get out of the hold but Jericho holds on. The two soon do a criss-cross with Storm doing a leap frog and then taking Jericho down with a series of arm drags. Storm applies an armbar to Jericho.Jericho soon whips Storm off the ropes and brings him down with an arm drag and follows that up with an armbar of his own. Storm delivers a monkey flip from the corner on Jericho. Jericho is later able to get a flying head scissors on Storm and goes for a pin but Storm uses his legs to pull Jericho over and get a two count of his own. Storm goes to the top and hits a flying body press on Jericho. Jericho soon brings Storm down with a crucifix takedown and pinfall attempt but Storm kicks out. Storm takes Jericho down with a belly-to-belly suplex but is unable to get the pin. The pace is picking up at this point in the match. Storm whips Jericho into the corner but Jericho leaps up onto the second turnbuckle and comes off with a flying body press. Storm rolls Jericho up in a small package but is unable to get the three. Storm whips Jericho off the ropes and the bell rings to indicate a 15-minute time limit draw (although it’s only about 11-12 minutes). This match follows a pretty basic format for a match with two rookies showing off their moves. They do not look like rookies in their first match. They show flashes of the future greatness they would become known for.

The Thrill Seekers (Jericho and Storm) vs The Infernos, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, March 19, 1994
Jericho and Storm would form a tag team known as The Thrill Seekers in Canada and Japan. In 1994 they would come to Smoky Mountain Wrestling. The next match on the DVD pits the Thrill Seekers against the Infernos, two guys dressed in all red with red and black masks, and was one of three taped the night of their SMW debut and the first to air. This match is a three minute squash with Storm and Jericho winning. Some of the highlights include a high dropkick by Storm, a vertical suplex by Jericho, and a double dropkick from the top rope that results in Storm picking up the pin. The Infernos never really went anywhere in their careers. Brimstone had a few job matches in WWF and WCW while finding his most success in Ohio Valley Wrestling as Damien of the Disciples of Synn, and while he mostly teamed with BJ Payne, the Disciples faction would include Leviathan aka Batista. Fire the Inferno would be best known as a member of the Dudley family in ECW. He was…Snot Dudley. After the match Bob Caudle interviews the Thrill Seekers regarding arriving in SMW. Storm was a bit more enthusiastic than most people remember him for but he mostly just says “we hope you’re ready because the Thrill Seekers are here.” Jericho is obviously better on the mic and resembles Jericho that we all know. This show is available on Peacock.

NOPE Match
International Junior Heavyweight Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs Ultimo Dragon, WAR Wrestling July 7, 1995
Jericho returns to Japan, this time as a solo competitor and is defending his International Junior Heavyweight Championship against Ultimo Dragon for the WAR Wrestling promotion. The two exchange monkey flips early on before simultaneously going for a dropkick which they both miss. Dragon goes to the outside and Jericho hits a springboard dive to the outside onto Dragon. Back in the ring, Jericho hooks the arms of Dragon, similar to the start of a Pedigree, then lifts him up, turns him over, drops him in a sit down powerbomb, and folds him up for a pinfall attempt but only gets two. With Dragon on the ring apron, Jericho goes for a springboard dropkick but Dragon moves out of the way and Jericho falls to the floor. Dragon then runs across the ring and hits a sliding drop kick then leaps over the top out onto Jericho. Dragon attempts to get back in the ring, but Jericho pulls him out, picks Dragon up and hits a Tombstone piledriver on the floor. The fight goes back to the ring, briefly before Jericho goes to the ring apron, starts walking towards the corner as if he’s going to climb to the top, but Dragon dropkicks him out to the floor. Dragon then gets a running start and hits a springboard splash onto Jericho on the outside. Back in the ring, the two both keep attempting different moves with the other countering until Dragon gets a Full Nelson suplex on Jericho. The crowd is very much into this match at this point and largely behind Ultimo Dragon. Late in the match, Dragon hits a double arm DDT on Jericho and then climbs the ropes. Jericho joins him on the top rope and Jericho hits a belly-to-belly suplex from the top rope. Jericho then goes for a moonsault from the top turnbuckle but Dragon moves out of the way. Dragon then ascends the turnbuckle and does a corkscrew moonsault but Jericho moves out of the way. Jericho places Dragon on the top turnbuckle, hooks his arms and delivers a suplex into the ring. That move is enough to keep Ultimo Dragon down as Jericho retains his title. As far as mid-90’s Japan, I’m partial towards the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Jushin Liger, though this match is outstanding nevertheless. Five years into his career and Jericho has the moves of a big star.

 

[Skyefire]

Chris Benoit. You all know how this story ends. But, how did we get to the end? Why did his story get so much notoriety both in and out of the wrestling world? Would the attention have been the same if it was Mario Mancini or Pez Whatley or Scott McGee? Probably not. Because Chris Benoit was already well known in the wrestling world for being one of the best in-ring performers in the world. Here we look at the matches that built his reputation, but at the same time may have taken their toll on him.

NOPE Match
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Jushin Liger (c) vs Pegasus Kid (Benoit), August 19, 1990
Benoit wears a mask for his run as Pegasus Kid. Liger, of course, is a legend in Japan. The referee is checking the wrestlers before the match and checks Benoit's bare shoulders. He's not wearing a shirt, where's he going to hide a weapon, under his skin? Benoit takes Liger down a single leg takedown, but Liger comes back with a series of arm drags and Benoit retreats to the outside of the ring. These two put on a technical showcase. Liger gets a modified surfboard on Benoit and places his foot in his back during the hold. Liger then gets the Pegasus Kid into a modified Camel Clutch putting more pressure on the back. Benoit comes back with a back breaker to Liger. He then applies a head scissors on Liger, but Liger gets out of it and gets Benoit into a full surfboard submission. Liger soon applies his tenth submission hold of the match which is about five minutes old. Benoit picks Liger up and tosses him over the top to the outside. Benoit then does a leap over the top out onto Liger. Benoit soon goes to work on Liger's back. He applies an STF while torquing on Liger's back. This match is available in its original Japanese commentary, and two sets of alternate commentary, one by Michael Cole and Tazz, the other by Benoit, Todd Grisham, and Dean Malenko. Benoit slams Liger in the ring and then goes for a baseball slide dropkick, but Liger uses his legs to launch Benoit over the top and out. Liger then delivers a dive over the top and on top of Benoit with Benoit's head striking the guard rail. Benoit comes back and delivers a superplex from the top rope. Benoit goes for one of his signature head dives from the top rope but Liger moves out of the way and Benoit headbutts the canvas and begins grabbing his head in agony. Liger goes for a pin but only gets two. Liger bodyslams Benoit and goes to the top and hits a senton splash on his opponent. Liger sets Benoit up for a powerbomb, but Benoit rolls through and goes for a pin on Liger but only gets two. Benoit picks Liger up and hits a Tombstone. He then delivers a leg drop from the top and secures the pinfall. Pegasus Kid is the new Junior Heavyweight Champion. This was a fast-paced match. The submission holds didn't feel like rest holds or time killers either. It was a great match to watch. I kinda wish more wrestlers would wrestle this style in the present day instead of doing all moves that look like they could actually kill someone.

Chris Benoit vs Too Cold Scorpio, WCW SuperBrawl III
Now we go to Benoit's first run in WCW which lasted 8 months in 1993. The two men lock up to start the match and Benoit backs Scorpio to the ropes. Benoit whips Scorpio off the ropes and hits him with a back elbow followed by a snap suplex. Benoit whips Scorpio to the corner but Scorpio leaps up to the top and turns around for a splash on Benoit. Tony Schiavone is on commentary in between long gaps of silence. That's of course, because his color commentator at the time was Jesse Ventura. Who would have thought at the time this DVD was released that 20 years later Ventura is back with WWE and Benoit is ignored. The two men do some nice chain wrestling in the ring. Scorpio soon works over the arm and wrist of Benoit with some wear-down and submission holds. Benoit comes back and soon gets Scorpio in sleeperhold. Benoit soon dumps Scorpio abdomen-first on the top rope. Scorpio soon goes to the top rope and goes for a missile dropkick but Benoit moves out of the way. Benoit goes back to the sleeper. Benoit is playing the cocky, arrogant heel in this match. After 13 minutes and 30 seconds of this match, the ring announcer declares that 15 minutes have gone by. Benoit delivers a massive belly-to-back superplex from the top turnbuckle. But the move hurts Benoit as well and he is unable to take advantage. Benoit hits a powerbomb and folds Scorpio up for a pinfall attempt but Scorpio kicks out. Scorpio whips Benoit off the ropes and goes for some spin kicks, but misses the first two before connecting with the third. Scorpio whips Benoit into the corner then runs at him spinning his body around as he launches himself into Benoit. Scorpio goes to the top seemingly setting up for his 450 splash but instead does a splash where he rotates his body around in mid-air into a moonsault position. Down to the final seconds of the time limit. Benoit comes back and bodyslams Scorpio before hitting a leg drop from the second rope. Benoit goes to pick Scorpio up but Scorpio grabs him and rolls him up into a pinfall attempt but only gets two. Benoit sets up for a Suplex, but Scorpio dips down, pulls Benoit over and pins him with one second left in the time limit. Scorpio is your winner after 19 minutes and 59 seconds. This match was at a slower pace than the Liger match, especially in the middle. A lot of submissions and wear down holds that just ate up time while doing nothing. Now, this chapter in the DVD only goes 18 minutes and 35 seconds, so I'm not sure how they got 20 minutes out of that. Maybe the timekeeper went to the Scott Steiner School of Mathematics. After finishing this match, I went back and watched the last minute with a timer going and the last minute, including the 10 second countdown, is legitimate and Scorpio legitimately pins Benoit as Gary Michael Capetta announces "one (second)", which is unlike some other matches I've seen where "one" is announced and they continue for about 3-4 seconds before the bell rings to signify the time limit. This makes me wonder if the finish was planned, or if it was supposed to be a time limit draw and Scorpio just managed to get the pin in on time.

NOPE Match
Super J Cup Quarter-Finals, Wild Pegasus (Benoit) vs Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero), Tokyo, April 16, 1994
Back to Japan and Benoit is facing another wrestling great, in Eddie Guerrero, who is competing as Black Tiger. This match is part of the Super J Cup Tournament, a tournament that included the likes of Jushin Liger, Dean Malenko, Hayabusa, as well as the man Guerrero beat in the first round, Taka Michinoku. Benoit comes out without his mask as he had lost his mask to Jushin Liger. The two men roll around getting quick wear down holds working over each others legs. Guerrero slams Benoit down and then does his rolling senton over the top rope onto Benoit. He follows that up with a side suplex. Guerrero then gets Benoit into a head scissors. Guerrero picks Benoit up for a suplex, but Benoit slips out of it, goes behind Eddie and gets an inverted vertical suplex of his own. Benoit soon drags Guerrero to the ropes, slides out to the outside and seems to want to suplex him from the ring to the floor, but Guerrero has other ideas and suplexes Benoit back into the ring, though Benoit slips out of the move. This was a very fast paced sequence that even with pausing and rewinding the DVD, I can't keep up with it all. Benoit gets a powerbomb on Eddie and goes for a pin but only gets two. Benoit hits a snap suplex on Tiger and goes for a pin, but Guerrero gets his foot on the ropes. It's at this point that Michael Cole and Tazz on alternate commentary are talking about Benoit's air-brushed tights as well as the difference between a Pegasus and a unicorn. Benoit picks Guerrero up for a powerbomb but Guerrero reverses it into a flying head scissors takedown. Guerrero gets a camel clutch on Benoit. Guerrero goes to the top and goes for a missile dropkick but Benoit moves out of the way. I didn't notice it earlier in the match, but Tazz mentioned that this referee is slow at his pins and slow at getting down for the pins. Guerrero then goes to whip Benoit off the ropes, Benoit holds on, Guerrero runs with him and climbs to the top rope, while holding Benoit's hand, almost loses his balance but recovers and gets Benoit down with a flying head scissors into a pinfall, but only gets two. Guerrero grabs Benoit in a head vice,/ climbs to the second rope and goes for a DDT, but Benoit shoves him off. Benoit sets Guerrero on the top rope and goes for a superplex, but Guerrero shoves him off. Guerrero goes for a cross body block from the top rope, but Benoit turns it into an arm drag and picks up the pinfall. Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit is your winner. Not as fast paced as the Jushin Liger match but still very good. It was a good showing of what these two men could do and what they would become. This match was listed on the DVD as being the semi-finals but from looking it up online it appears to only be the quarter-finals as Pegasus would go on to defeat Gedo in the semis to move on to the finals against Great Sasuke.

NOPE Match
Super J Cup Quarter-Finals, Wild Pegasus (Benoit) vs Great Sasuke, Tokyo, April 16, 1994
The finals are up now. Sasuke is a Japanese legend and Benoit has a tough test ahead of him. The two men start off with some chain wrestling. Benoit back Sasuke into the corner and delivers several chops. A lot of this is too fast paced to describe. Benoit whips Sasuke off the ropes but Sasuke comes back with a spinning heel kick. Sasuke gets an arm breaker on Benoit. Benoit comes back and gets Sasuke on the ring apron. Benoit then hits a leaping cross body on Sasuke sending them both to the outside. Benoit then hits a Full Nelson suplex in the ring and goes for a pin, but Sasuke kicks out. After a bodyslam Benoit hits one of his diving headbutt off the top turnbuckle. He goes for another pin but is still unable to keep Sasuke down. Benoit then locks in the Sharpshooter. The referee checks on Sasuke but he refuses to give up and Benoit breaks the hold out of frustration. Benoit hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and goes for another pin but still can't keep the legend down. Benoit hits a belly-to-back suplex and bridges for the closest near-fall yet. Benoit whips Sasuke into the corner but the Japanese legend leaps off the turnbuckle and down onto Benoit with a cross body. He follows that up with a spinning tornado kick. Benoit slips to the outside and everyone seems to know what's going to happen next. All of the ringside photographers and other wrestlers at ringside move to the side that Benoit is on. Sasuke does a handspring dive to the outside, taking Benoit out. But Sasuke is down as well. The referee checks on both men before beginning the count. Both men make it into the ring. Sasuke hits a belly-to-back suplex for a pin attempt but Benoit kicks out. He follows that up with a fisherman's suplex for a pinfall attempt but still can't keep his opponent down. Sasuke goes to the top turnbuckle and leaps off for a dropkick but Benoit moves out of the way. Sasuke starts to roll out of the ring, but Benoit stops him on the apron. Benoit, on the inside of the ropes, grabs Sasuke, who's on the outside, and attempts to suplex him into the ring. But Sasuke reverses it and suplexes Benoit, and himself, out to the floor. Surprisingly both men are able to get up from that and get back in the ring. Sasuke dropkicks Benoit who rolls back to the outside of the ring. Sasuke then leaps up onto the turnbuckle and then a big leap out to the outside for a dropkick on Benoit. Taka Michinoku, Jushin Liger, and others help encourage Sasuke back up and into the ring. Sasuke goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault onto Benoit and geos for a pin, but only gets two. Sasuke again climbs the corner but Benoit stops him. Benoit climbs to the top rope as well and hits a gutwrench suplex on Sasuke and pins him for the three and the win. "Wild Pegasus" Chris Benoit has won the Super J-Cup Tournament. That match was a five star classic in my books. You didn't see that kind of action in the U.S. in 1994 and wouldn't until many of these same guys would come to ECW. Both men had already wrestled two matches each that same night. Sasuke had wrestled for 29 minutes before this match, Benoit for 16 which makes this more amazing especially with it going 18 minutes.

Chris Benoit vs Sabu, ECW November To Remember '94
Seven months later Benoit was back in the U.S. bringing his talents to ECW where he's facing Sabu in an ECW Death Match. The Crippler comes to the ring first. Sabu is out second accompanied by Paul E. and 911. Sabu does not want to wait for the introductions and goes right after Benoit. Benoit pounds on him before whipping him off the ropes and taking him down with a knee to the mid-section. Benoit picks Sabu up and drops him across the top rope. Benoit picks Sabu up by one leg and hits an awkward looking suplex in which Sabu lands directly on his head. He rolls to the ring clutching at his head and neck. Joey Styles is in shock and the match is stopped. You know it's bad if Sabu couldn't continue. This is the guy who once tore open his bicep in a barbed wire match and another time taped his jaw shut during a match and still continued both times. ECW would improvise by sending 2 Cold Scorpio out to have a match with Benoit. Sabu would only miss a little over a month of action because of that. This just adds more to Benoit's moniker of "The Crippler".

Chris Benoit vs Al Snow, ECW Double Tables
Next we move on to February of 1995 where Benoit is taking on "The Snowman" Al Snow. This was before Al Snow got Head, and even before he became Leif Cassidy. Benoit takes an early advantage with a wrist lock. The two men exchange holds before Snow hits Benoit with a superkick. Benoit soon backs Snow into the corner where he chops him and you can hear the chops echo off the walls of the ECW Arena. Benoit whips Snow to the outside and then delivers a sliding dropkick to the Snowman. Benoit gets just a bit cocky, turning his back to his opponent who gets back up on the ring apron and leaps up onto the top rope and delivers a dropkick to the back of The Crippler. Much of the match to this point is resembling the Sasuke match just at a slightly slower pace. Benoit soon has Snow down and begins daring him to get up. Every time Snow does get up Benoit knocks him back down. The match starts to slow down a bit more with Benoit in control. Benoit hits his flying headbutt on Snow and goes for a pin but Snow kicks out at two. Benoit picks Snow up and hits a powerbomb and again goes for a pin but Snow refuses to stay down. Benoit hits a belly-to-back suplex on Snow and bridges into the cover but again only gets two. Snow reverses Benoit into a Snowplex suplex to knock Benoit down but he can't capitalize on the advantage. Benoit hits a belly-to-back throw on Benoit. Snow is stumbling around. Snow has Benoit down in the corner and begins stomping him repeatedly. Snow hits a fisherman's suplex on Benoit and goes for a pin but Benoit kicks out. Snow goes to whip Benoit across the ring, but Benoit reverses and hits a Full Nelson suplex and bridges into the pin and gets the three count. Benoit proves to be a sore winner as after the match, he continues to attack Snow hitting him with a powerbomb. Snow grabs at his neck as medical crews come tend to him. Not as good as some of the matches in Japan but this is still a very good match and probably one of Snow's best matches. Tazz may call himself the Human Suplex Machine, Lesnar is the Mayor of Suplex City, but neither one of them can hold up to Benoit's suplexes.

Chris Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero, Nitro 10/16/95
By the end of 1995, Benoit was back in WCW and Eddie Guerrero was there too. These two clashed on one of the early episodes of Nitro. Benoit looks jacked by his standards. As you might expect a lot of fast paced offense in the first minute of the match. Guerrero takes Benoit down with a flying head scissors and Benoit rolls to the outside of the ring. Guerrero then quickly goes to the top rope and hits a flying body press on Benoit on the outside. They get back in the ring briefly before Benoit attempts to suplex Guerrero to the outside but Guerrero shifts his weight and both men take a tumble to the floor. Guerrero whips Benoit into the ring post and then charges at him with a forearm but Benoit moves out of the way and hits the post. The announcers are hyping Benoit quite a bit but not much of Guerrero. Guerrero hits a springboard DDT on Benoit and goes for a pin, but Benoit kicks out. Benoit comes back with some chops to the chest. Benoit then applies a wrist lock to the hand of Guerrero which was injured against the ring post. Guerrero leaps up to the top rope while still in the wrist lock and takes Benoit down with a flying head scissors. Guerrero goes to the top rope and goes for a frog splash but Benoit gets his knees up. Benoit hits a snap powerbomb without letting go of Guerrero and folds him up for a pin attempt but Guerrero manages to kick out. Benoit can't believe it as he argues with the referee over the count. Benoit goes for another powerbomb but Guerrero reverses into a sunset flip. Guerrero then punches Benoit, but with his injured hand it hurts him more than Benoit. Benoit then hits a Full Nelson suplex and bridges for a pin and the victory. This was of course a good match as I don't think these two are capable of having a bad match with each other. While by no means was Guerrero treated like a jobber in this match, this was clearly a showcase for Benoit. The announcers hyped him up, hyped up his Crippler nickname as talking about some of his credentials. With Guerrero there was nothing. No mention of his history, of his family, or anything.

Falls Count Anywhere Match, Chris Benoit vs Kevin Sullivan, Great American Bash '96
It's Benoit, representing the Horsemen against Sullivan representing the Dungeon of Doom. Benoit comes out first, Sullivan and Jimmy Hart are out second, and as Sullivan is walking to the ring, Benoit leaves the ring and goes right after him in the aisle. Sullivan rams Benoit's head into the steel stairs. The two men then exchange chops. The fight goes into the crowd. They’re climbing the stands while exchanging punches and eye gouges. They fight into the men's restroom where Sullivan slams a stall door on Benoit's head. Benoit starts to fight back with some punches but Sullivan gets an eye gouge. Sullivan seems intent on ramming Benoit's head into a urinal but Benoit will have none of it. Benoit then begins to ram a stall door on Sullivan's head. Now, they did not close the restroom prior to the match and there were a couple of fans in there when the fight entered. Of course, more fans came in wanting to see the action and Randy Anderson, Doug Dillinger, and at least one other referee had the difficult task of holding them back. Dusty Rhodes on commentary absolutely loses his shit over the fact that among the crowd of fans is a woman, in the men's restroom. Sullivan opens the supply closet and slams a garbage bag full of paper towel rolls onto Benoit. Benoit fights back with a plastic garbage can as the two exit the restroom (without washing their hands, yuck). Dusty wants them to go to the women's restroom next. They make their way back into the arena. Sullivan tosses Benoit down the arena steps about a half dozen at a time. Sullivan then drops Benoit crotch first onto the guardrail. Benoit soon returns the favor. Benoit then pulls out a table. He sets the table up in the corner of the ring. Sullivan then gets in the ring and whips Benoit into the table, which does not break. He then charges at Benoit who moves out of the way as Sullivan rams into the table, which still does not break. Benoit puts the table on the top rope in the corner. But, it's Sullivan who gets Benoit up on the table. Benoit fights off Sullivan and hits a massive superplex from the table to the ring. That's enough to keep the Taskmaster down for the three as the crowd erupts. Benoit then challenges Jimmy Hart to get in the ring. Instead Arn Anderson comes down. Anderson, of course, was a member of the Four Horsemen but apparently had been siding with the Dungeon in recent weeks. Anderson pulls Benoit off of Sullivan. Anderson then kicks Sullivan and the Horsemen beat down Sullivan. Out comes the rest of the Dungeon of Doom, including Meng, Barbarian, and whatever gimmick the former Big Bossman was using at the time. Benoit and Anderson retreat. This was fun to watch. Not the best Falls Count Anywhere match, but still enjoyable. The battle into the restroom was different. Dusty's commentary was something else for sure.

Chris Benoit vs Booker T, Great American Bash '98
This was the finals of a Best of 7 Series to determine the #1 contender for the WCW Television Championship. The winner faces Fit Finlay later in the night for the title. These two fought a few days earlier on Thunder with Bret Hart interfering to help Benoit attempting to recruit him to nWo Hollywood. Benoit refused to accept the victory and wanted this match. Seems like a lot to go through to earn a shot at WCW's third highest singles prize. Benoit gets a hammerlock on Booker early on with Booker reversing the hold. Booker whips Benoit into the corner and begins delivering some blows. Benoit soon has Booker in the corner and delivers a couple of hard chops that echo throughout the arena. Benoit gets Booker down in a sleeper and Booker fights back. The two criss-cross with Booker doing a leapfrog, Benoit stops right after, turns around and chops Booker, knocking him down. Benoit picks Booker up for a suplex, but Booker shifts his weight and knocks Benoit down. Later in the match, Booker hits a Spinebuster on Benoit. Booker does a Spinaroonie and goes to the top rope, but Benoit knocks him down causing Booker to be crotched on the top turnbuckle. Benoit then hits Booker with a superplex from the top. It takes Benoit a minute to capitalize and go for the pin, and Booker is able to kick out. Benoit goes for the triple German suplexes, and gets two before Booker elbows his way out of it. Booker grabs Benoit from behind and Benoit elbows his way out of the hold and hits a Full Nelson suplex on Booker, bridges into a cover but is unable to get a pin. Benoit climbs to the top and hits a diving headbutt on Booker. But that took a lot out of Benoit as well. Benoit struggles to get up and covers Booker but only gets two. Booker gets up and hits a Harlem Side Kick to the back of the head of Benoit which just grazes Benoit’s head so he hits another one from the front which he hits square on and knocks him down. Booker climbs to the top rope and hits the Harlem Hangover missile dropkick and pins Benoit for the three. This was a solid match. Very scientifically sound, and plenty of excitement. I dare say this match could be shown in wrestling schools.

Next up is the Owen Hart tribute match between Benoit and Bret Hart on the October 4, 1999 edition of Nitro. As you’re all aware, Owen Hart fell to his death in May of 1999. Chris Benoit had trained in the Hart Family Dungeon and knew the family well. So, Benoit and Bret Hart faced off in a match that was a tribute to Owen’s legacy in the same arena where Owen died. I’m not going to give a detailed review of this match. Instead, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy this 27 minutes of wrestling excellence.

Later in 1999 Bret would capture the WCW World Championship beating Goldberg, but we know what happened in that match. In early 2000, the title would be vacated due to Bret’s injury and Benoit was placed in a match against Bret’s scheduled opponent, Sid Vicious at Souled Out.

Vacant WCW World Championship, Chris Benoit vs Sid Vicious, Souled Out 2000
Sid backs Benoit into a corner early on. Perry Saturn and David Flair are shown in the entry way. Sid knocks Benoit down with a shoulder tackle. Benoit gets up and Sid clotheslines Benoit over the top to the floor. More mid-card wrestlers are now in the entry way. Back in the ring, Sid picks Benoit up in a vertical suplex setup but instead simply drops him face first on the mat. Benoit comes back by dropkicking Sid in the knee. Benoit then goes to work on Sid’s legs. The fight goes to the outside where Benoit places Sid’s leg in between the side of the steel steps and the ring post then dropkicks the steps into the big man’s leg. Guest referee Arn Anderson gives Benoit some leeway. Back in the ring, Benoit continues to work over Sid’s injured leg. Benoit continues to work over Sid for a few more minutes before Sid starts to fight back, but it’s short lived as Benoit is able to get a German Suplex on Sid before applying a move that’s part ankle lock, part single leg Figure Four. Sid gets the crown riled up for him as he gets to the ropes forcing the break of the hold. Benoit hits another German Suplex, though and goes to the top rope hitting Sid with his diving headbutt. Benoit goes for a pin, but Sid pushes him completely off. Sid then chokeslams Benoit and covers him, but Benoit gets his foot under the ropes. Benoit gets the Crippler Crossface on Sid and immediately gets a tap out. Chris Benoit is the new WCW Champion. This match was average. Hardly a PPV main event. Of course, Sid was hardly on the level of the likes of Bret Hart. Benoit kisses the belt as he celebrates. But, he was at the same time kissing the belt goodbye.

Benoit had already announced his intention to leave WCW before this match, and he did indeed leave, despite WCW making him the champion in an attempt to keep him from leaving. Two weeks later, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko, who would become collectively known as The Radicalz, debuted in the WWF.

NOPE Match
Chris Benoit vs Steven Regal, Brian Pillman Memorial Show, May 25, 2000
Another tribute to another wrestler who died too soon. The Brian Pillman Memorial Show was an annual event held in Pillman’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. This match is being held on the campus of Xavier University, near Pillman’s home neighborhood in front of approximately 2000 fans. There is no original commentary, so Michael Cole and Tom Prichard are doing commentary for this. The two men start off with a collar-and-elbow tie up. Benoit backs Regal to the corner and Regal fights out. Benoit gets Regal down and applies an armbar. This match starts off slow between these two. The two men soon get each other in knuckle locks and Benoit starts headbutting Regal from a standing position. The headbutts are so rough that Regal gets busted open. And in case you're wondering if Regal bladed, he did not as he and Benoit had had their hands locked for a good two minutes before Benoit did the headbutts and Regal had not been bleeding then. Benoit then delivers a kick to the back of the head of Regal. The two men start battling on the ring apron and Benoit delivers a DDT to Regal on the apron. Benoit hits a side suplex on Regal. Tom Prichard, talking about how he shows this match to his students, explains how there is no wasted motion between these two. Regal gets an STF on Benoit. Benoit makes it to the ropes. Regal then gets a surfboard hold on The Crippler. He bends back on the hold and in Benoit’s chin. Benoit gets out of the hold with an elbow and hits Regal with a series of chops. But Regal comes back with a standing short headbutt. Benoit hits two German Suplexes but Regal fights back before Benoit can get the third. They briefly exchange blows before Benoit is able to get the third suplex. Benoit goes to the top for his diving headbutt but Regal gets to him. With Benoit sitting on the top turnbuckle, Regal climbs all the way to the top rope, and with both feet on the top superplexes Benoit down to the ring. Regal goes for a pin, but Benoit kicks out. Regal continues to go for pinfall attempts but can’t keep Benoit down. Regal picks Benoit up for a Tombstone, but Benoit reverses the hold and delivers a Tombstone of his own. Benoit goes for the diving headbutt but Regal moves out of the way and Benoit hits the ring canvas. The two do some standing switches before Benoit hits a Full Nelson suplex then applies the Crippler Crossface and Regal taps out. If you look up “wrestling clinic” in the dictionary, it’ll mention this match. These two went there to put on a clinic as they were not just entertaining ordinary wrestling fans, there were also wrestling students there. The show was put on by Heartland Wrestling Association which was a WWE developmental territory at the time and trained wrestlers such as Umaga, Rosey, Charlie Haas as well Charlie’s late brother, Russ. HWA was also partnered with Louisville’s Ohio Valley Wrestling which produced such stars as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, and Batista. So there were no doubt some students in the audience, if not wrestling in other matches, that night.

NOPE Match
Steel Cage Match, Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle, Raw June 11, 2001
Benoit comes in as one-half of the WWF Tag Team Champions (alongside Chris Jericho) and is less than two weeks away from him and Jericho challenging for the WWF Championship against Steve Austin in a triple threat match at King of the Ring. Austin joins JR and Paul Heyman on commentary for this match. Benoit enters the cage and Angle goes right after him. Angle hits a couple of German Suplexes right away. Benoit hits some chops on Angle. Angle is the first to attempt to escape as he begins to climb the cage but Benoit stops him and hits a German Suplex from the top rope. Both men are down and struggle to get to their feet. Benoit is up first and attempts to climb the cage but Angle stops him. The two turn around on the ropes and Angle shoves Benoit off. Kurt then hits a Macho Man elbow from the top rope onto Benoit. Benoit soon whips Angle into the cage on three consecutive occasions. The Wolverine attempts to climb the cage but Angle hits him with a low blow. Angle hits an Angle slam then climbs the ropes and climbs all the way to the top of the cage and goes for a moonsault from the top of the cage but Benoit moves out of the way and Angle belly-flops the ring canvas. Holy shit! Benoit soon hits the one…two…three…four…five…six German Suplexes. He goes for the door but he sees Angle getting up and charging at him and moves out of the way as Angle strikes the steel. Benoit follows that up with three more German Suplexes. Benoit climbs the ropes, then all the way to the top of the cage. He looks like he might try to climb down but Austin gets up from his commentary spot, grabs a chair and starts banging on the cage telling Benoit to come down and get an ass whooping. Benoit decides instead to take a dive off the top of the cage onto Angle. Knowing what I know now, that’s on par with Mick Foley taking unprotected chair shots to the head. Benoit manages to get up and head for the door but Austin knocks the referee out of the way and prevents Benoit from opening the door. Benoit dropkicks the door into Austin. Angle grabs Benoit by the ankle. Benoit comes back with a kick to the head of Angle. He goes for the door once again and that damn Rattlesnake slams the door on Benoit’s head. Kurt climbs the cage and escapes to the outside. Kurt Angle is your winner. Austin then gets in the ring and smacks the chair on the back of Benoit repeatedly. Rewatching this DVD I completely forgot this match was on here. It was a gem. A lot of exciting spots in the match. And this match is not on Netflix.

WWE Championship, Kurt Angle (c) vs Chris Benoit, Royal Rumble 2003
Two of the finest technicians in the business square off again this time for the WWE Championship. Angle had won the title from Big Show a month earlier at Armageddon. These two had been tag team partners for a while in fall of 2002 even holding the WWE (Smackdown) Tag Team titles together. Angle comes out accompanied by Team Angle. Benoit gets in a scuffle with Team Angle and several referees come down to the ring to force Haas and Benjamin to go to the back. Benoit gets the better of Angle early on forcing the champion to retreat. Benoit soon delivers a series of chops to the chest of Angle. He whips Angle off the ropes and takes him down with a high knee and goes for a pin but only gets two. Angle soon drops Benoit gut first on the top rope. Benoit then gets Angle out of the ropes and DDTs him on the ring apron. Benoit then goes to the top and goes for his signature flying headbutt but Angle moves out of the way. It’s kind of hard to tell, but it looks like Benoit gets his arms in front of him at the last second and they hit the mat first partially protecting his head in a similar way to putting your hands in front of your head for a chair shot. The fight soon goes to the outside where Angle drops Benoit gut first on the guardrail before giving him some kicks while Benoit is down. Back in the ring Benoit hits two Geman Suplexes on Angle and before he can hit the third, Angle switches and hits one of his own. Angle sets up for a second, but Benoit switches and hits a third. Angle soon goes for an Angle Slam but Benoit slips out and gets Angle in a Crippler Crossface. Angle manages to get to the ropes to force a break. Benoit does indeed break but then applies an ankle lock to Angle. But the Olympic Gold Medalist knows how to get out of his own submission hold and then gets the same move onto Benoit. Benoit attempts to escape but instead gets Angle in a Crippler Crossface. Angle rolls Benoit over into a pinning position but Benoit reverses it before the three and continues with the Crossface. Angle looks like he’s going to tap but instead rolls through and picks Benoit up hitting an Angle Slam. Angle goes for a pin but Benoit kicks out. The straps come down and the ankle lock comes on. Benoit rolls through, sending Angle into the corner. Benoit sets up for a German Suplex, but Kurt gets out of it with an elbow to the head of the challenger. Angle then goes for a German of his but Benoit rolls through into a pinfall attempt on Angle but the champion gets out at two. Benoit then hits a German Suplex on Angle, Angle hits a German Suplex on Benoit, Benoit hits a release German Suplex on Angle sending the challenger face first onto the mat. Benoit climbs the ropes and hits a diving headbutt from three quarters of the way across the ring. Benoit goes for a pin but Angle kicks out. Kurt hits an Olympic slam on Benoit and goes for a pin but Benoit kicks out again. What is it going to take to keep either of these two men down? Angle goes to pick Benoit up but Benoit applies the Crippler Crossface. Angle rolls through into an Ankle Lock. Benoit rolls over, shoving Angle off but Angle goes right back to the ankle lock again. Benoit attempts to escape again but Angle holds on. Angle then wraps his legs around Benoit’s. Benoit has no choice but to submit. Wow. Benjamin and Haas come out and lift the champion on their shoulders. This match is a five star classic. Two of the best technical wrestlers at the time. Both of whom are excellent submission wrestlers. Both like to utilize suplexes in their repertoire. And as dangerous as Benoit’s diving headbutt is, you have to give him credit for hitting one from three quarters across the ring. These men pulled out all of the stops for this one. There was no outside interference. No low blows. No chair shots. This was pure wrestling at its finest.

World Heavyweight Championship, Triple H (c) vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit, WrestleMania XX
In 2004, Benoit finally got his big break. Challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania. Now, Vince being unsure of Benoit headlining the biggest event of the year, and one of the biggest Manias of all time to that point, added Shawn Michaels to the mix to make it a triple threat match. Howard Finkel is introducing this match at the famed Madison Square Garden. This was 21 years ago and it’s not only the last WrestleMania to be held in MSG, but in New York City and even the state of New York for that matter. Benoit and Michaels both want to go after Triple H from the start and are shoving each other out of the way to get to him. After Benoit and Michaels take each other out, Triple H goes after them both. Triple H whips Benoit towards the ropes and Michaels tosses him out of the ring. Triple H goes to the outside and rams Benoit back-first into the ring apron. HBK delivers a baseball slide taking both men out then goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault to the outside onto his two opponents. When all three men get back in the ring, Benoit throws Michaels shoulder-first into the ring post. He then delivers some chops to Triple H. The Game then hangs Benoit in the Tree of Woe in the corner and throws Michaels into him. Benoit breaks free, tosses Michaels out of the ring and hits the three German Suplexes on Triple H. Benoit is able to get the Crippler Crossface on Triple H but Michaels breaks things up. Michaels Michaels then takes a page out of Benoit’s playbook with a German suplex. He goes for a second but Benoit reverses into one of his own, hitting the hat trick on HBK. Benoit then goes to the top turnbuckle and hits his diving headbutt on Michaels. Benoit goes for a pin, but Michaels kicks out. Michaels makes it back to his feet and knocks Benoit out of the ring. He scoop slams Triple H and then goes to the top rope and hits an elbow drop on Triple H. He follows that up with Sweet Chin Music on the champion and goes for a pin, but Benoit pulls Triple H out of the ring. Benoit attempts to place the Sharpshooter on Michaels but is unable to lock it in, so, instead, he catapults Michaels into the corner and Shawn hits his head on the ring post and comes out bleeding. Benoit gets the Crossface in on Michaels who is about to tap but Triple H stops his hand and breaks the hold up. On the outside, Benoit and Triple H battle on the outside. Benoit gets Triple H up onto the Spanish announcers’ table. He’s looking for a German Suplex but Triple H stops him. Shawn Michaels joins the fun. The two former D-X members pick Benoit up and suplex him onto the Smackdown announcers’ table. Shawn wants to finish things with his former best friend. Michaels whips Triple H into the corner and Triple H is flung to the outside. Shawn then whips Triple H into the ring post. The Game is now busted open. The two men stumble into the ring where Triple H hits Michaels with a Pedigree. Triple H covers Michaels but Benoit gets back in the ring to break up the count. Moments before Benoit made the save the crowd noticed him stirring and getting up, yet somehow Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and all of the cameramen missed it. All three men are down in the ring. Triple H gets up followed by Benoit. Benoit begins chopping Triple H but The Game counters and sets up for the Pedigree. Benoit will have nothing of it as he takes Triple H down and gets him in the Sharpshooter. Triple H attempts to crawl his way to the ropes but Benoit pulls him away. He’s about to give up when Michaels comes in and suddenly hits the Sweet Chin Music on Benoit. Michaels covers Benoit but Benoit gets his shoulder up. HBK is tuning up the band and goes at Benoit, but Benoit tosses him over the top to the outside. Triple H grabs Benoit and sets up for The Pedigree but this time Benoit turns it into a Crippler Crossface. Triple H is fading but gets his arm up when the referee checks up. Triple H rolls through but Benoit holds on. In the center of the ring, Triple H has no choice but to give up. An exciting finish to a great match and now Chris Benoit is the World Heavyweight Champion, and this time he’s not going to give it up the next day. Benoit turns around to find WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero in the ring and the two embrace and both cry as Guerrero raises his friend’s hand. A moment WWE fans never thought they’d ever see, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero on top of the company. This match was not as technically sound as the Kurt Angle match was still good to see.

This concludes the look at the “Rabid Wolverine” Chris Benoit. What he did on his final days was awful and inexcusable but in his career he was a stellar performer. One of the best to ever do it and this collection shows it. He was a guy who was committed to the ring. For obvious reasons WWE never released any additional DVDs on Benoit’s career. Additional matches I think could be included in a Benoit collection would include his Royal Rumble 2001 ladder match with Chris Jericho, Smackdown Tag Team title match teaming with Kurt Angle against Edge & Rey Mysterio, Vengeance 2003 match against Eddie Guerrero to determine the first WWE United States Champion, US title match against Randy Orton from January 2006, US title match against Booker T from Smackdown in 2006, WrestleMania 23 against MVP, and perhaps just for fun his Summerslam 2005 match against Orlando Jordan where Benoit won the US title from Jordan in under a minute.

Next up, not only am I going to change my mind about what DVD I’m going to review, but I’m going to outright tell you what DVD it is. I was going to review a different DVD but recently myself and a few people were getting into a discussion about the Ric Flair Ultimate Collection DVD and specifically the Royal Rumble Match and Bobby Heenan’s commentary, so I will review that DVD next.