Brian Pillman v Scotty Flamingo (Beach Blast, 6/20/92)
Our future Raven was passable enough here, but I thought Pillman did a Hell of a job carrying him to something much more than that. Scotty is about as by-the-numbers as you can get when he's on offence, pretty chinlock and clubber happy, but Pillman is great on defence and manages to offset it well. Pillman on offence is also really good and this is one of the better examples of him working holds that I can think of. I mean, I've watched a hefty chunk of U-Style, Battlarts and RINGS over the last few days, so Pillman working holds around the arm and Scotty trying to find ways of shaking him wasn't likely to set the world on fire or make me forget who Volk Han is, but it's solid to good stuff and that's really all I'll ask for with something like this. Cool spot that gives Scotty control, as Pillman goes up top to fly, but remembers this is Wattsville and top rope moves are banned, except he realises it too late and can't climb down before Scotty launches him from the top all the way across the ring. Pillman's bump that sets up the finish is totally crazy as well. Looks like he's going for an inside-to-outside flying clothesline, but Scotty moves and Pillman goes head-first into the ramp. Think Undertaker's tope from Wrestlemania 25 where he spikes himself on the ground. Scotty's knee drop or whatever it was supposed to be afterwards was pretty flimsy, but that bump made up for it big time and really felt like the kind of thing that would cost you a title; anything after it is insult to injury.
Sting v Cactus Jack (Falls Count Anywhere on the Gulf Coast - Beach Blast, 6/20/92)
Falls Count Anywhere on the Gulf Coast might be the best name for a gimmick match ever. Wild match. It's been said before that Foley's a guy who's great at bringing the best out of guys in this kind of crazy environment, and it definitely applies to his matches with Sting. Wouldn't necessarily say it was a Foley carry job, but I can't imagine Sting having *this* kind of match, *this* good, with anyone else. Is this one of the more notable nutso Foley bump shows? He doesn't eat the same kind of ridiculous strikes as he does in the Vader matches, and I guess there isn't anything as visually impressive (is impressive the right word to use considering what he's actually doing to himself..?) as a fair amount of his other famous career bumps, but he still eats a vertical and back suplex on concrete, gets nothing but concrete on an elbow from the middle rope to the floor, and does his crazy sunset flip from the apron that somehow hasn't ever broken his shin (or has it?), so it's not like he's taking it easy on himself or anything. Still, this isn't all about Foley taking nasty bumps (Sting takes a few himself); they manage to capture an out of control aura really well, and by the end it feels like Sting has just come through a war against one of the most insane motherfuckers walking. The bumps that Foley takes go a long way in making this, but it's not as if they're the be all-end all, and the match has enough going for it outside of them for it to be a legitimately great match as opposed to ONLY being a Mick Foley attempted suicide stunt show. I might actually prefer their Submit or Surrender match from '91 to this ever so slightly, but both are great and very likely top 10 for Sting's career. Maybe Foley's, too.
WCW 1992 Project
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