Ricky Steamboat v Bret Hart (Boston Gardens, 3/8/86)
Hokey karate WWF Steamboat is sort of a pale imitation of Mid-Atlantic Steamboat. At least that is what we have always been led to believe. I don't really give a shit if it's actually true but even if he's not a pale imitation you'd at least rather him lighting people up with chops than the hokey karate. But even at that he's pretty easily a few steps ahead of most wrestlers in the WWF at this point in time. Bret isn't setting the world on fire in 1986 but he's rock solid and this was basically that: rock solid. Bret jumps Steamboat at the bell, but before long Steamboat takes over and Bret does his awesome corner bump. It's Steamboat working the arm early and we know how that goes. He has some pretty, pretty good armdrags and Bret is a good base for it all. Jimmy Hart is a constant stream of gibberish on the floor and Steamboat tells him to shut up to a nice pop. Bret takes over by doing something I've forgotten about now and his control segment was decent. He works the back/midsection and even if WWF Steamboat isn't throwing mean chops he can still sell his butt off. He sells his butt off. Bret's offence and strikes always look nice and tight, his stompy punches are fine if not spectacular, he has good cut-offs, etc. Also has a killer backbreaker and I love that Steamboat sold the effect of it by writhing up on his shoulders right until Bret tried his next move (which was the elbow off the middle rope. Which missed). Did every Steamboat match in the WWF have him take a phantom pinfall? Bret gets one on him here and I don't remember any other babyface having so many matches where they were booked to look like, were it not for a ref' bump, they would have lost the match clean as a sheet. If one were the cynical sort then one might suggest this was intentional on the part of Vince in order to make former NWA darling Ricky Steamboat look WEAK and maybe sometimes PITIFUL but then Vince would never be so NEFARIOUS, would he? No no of course not. Anyway this was some fine professional wrestling.
The Rockers v Orient Express (Royal Rumble, 1/19/91)
Yeah, this still rules. It maybe took a little to get rolling and they probably overreached a bit on a couple of the double teams, but they're minor complaints. Structure is a little different as they sort of tease a couple FIP spells without going all in on them, which makes it it looks like it might end up being mostly heel in peril and that's not the best scenario even if it'd still work, but then the Express take over with the awesome double hot shot on Michaels and we get our proper heat segment. They work Shawn's throat which is always going to score some bonus points. Fuji jabs him in the throat with the cane and I love Tanaka's little karate thrusts right under the chin, which are almost as good as his Kabuki style leaping forearm. Man I love that move. He's also able to make a nerve hold somewhat decent because he'd slyly choke Michaels at the same time. A treasure of a wrestler, Pat Tanaka. Awesome spot where Michaels takes his upside down corner bump, ends up on the apron and Takana comes sprinting across to thrust kick him back into the ring. I also love the spot leading to the hot tag with Michaels jumping into the belt that causes the Orients to bump heads. They actually do a few really fun bits around the heels running into each other, one early on where Jannetty leapfrogs over both of them and they collide, then one later where they stop short of bumping heads again, take a bow because they've avoided making the same mistake twice, and as they're doing that Michaels runs over and gives them a double noggin-knocker. First few minutes were interesting because they work pretty clean and equal, and we even got Jannetty and Kato doing the Ric Flair headscissors into bridge into backslide spot. Midway in they kind of work a reset that leads to stereo dives and you can tell that they worked hard to come up with ideas for cool double teams and the like. Not all of them were perfectly smooth, but it's easy to appreciate the effort. Finish is pretty great as well. Ten years ago I'd have pointed to this as the best Rockers match ever, and even if I'd probably lean Rockers/Powers of Pain now it'll always be a personal favourite. The Rockers were great.
Ric Flair v Randy Savage (Wrestlemania VIII, 4/5/92)
I'll probably always love this on some level. At least one of their matches in WCW is probably better (the '95 Great American Bash?), but this one has the nostalgia factor as I remember taping this as a kid and writing "Hoosier Dome" on the label because I guess I thought that was the name of the event or something and kids are stupid. Savage is great in a hate feud because he'll often just grab someone by the face and try to yank their nose off. He did that several times to both Flair and Perfect. His bump over the ropes for Flair to take control was lunacy. He was full fucking vertical and because it came on the opposite side to the hard camera it looked like he got launched head-first into a volcano. Flair actually gets a longer run on top than I remembered and it's decent enough, but Savage selling the leg is where it's great and that doesn't come until later. Flair bleeds because of course he does and Heenan is apoplectic on commentary. I don't remember what did it now but Monsoon about snaps and I thought he was going to physically strike Bobby. Maybe it was when Heenan told him to take the bananas out his mouth. Great cheapshot from Perfect to set up Flair working the leg, and the leg work itself is good. I'll never tire of watching Savage try to punch a guy while hobbling around on one leg. I also like him grabbing Flair's tights at the finish because, honestly, Flair absolutely deserved it and Savage already had him dead to rights twice and Perfect saved his bacon. Savage is a man possessed after Flair puts the lips on Elizabeth and it takes all eleven of the Hebnar twins to restrain him. His post-match promo is wonderful Savage ridiculousness.
Bret Hart v British Bulldog (Summerslam, 8/29/92)
I've never loved this and think their In Your House match a few years later is much better, but it's one of those matches your Bret Hart fans will often point to as one of his definitive performances. With pretty good reason as well -- he was good in this and clearly carried the load because Davey - WHO WAS ON CRACK!!! - is fucked to bits after about six minutes. Bret works subtle heel and it was decent stuff. He grabs Davey by his hideous dreadlocks and yanks him up off the mat and I bet it hurt like a bastard because I don't think Davey was in any shape to cooperate with the bump. Bret's strikes look rock solid as they usually do, those stompy punches again and his European uppercuts were a nice addition, but he laid them in a little extra this time. Couple of his stomps to the face looked mean and he popped Davey with a real potato shot elbow. Heenan: "Right in the ol' fish and chips." Bret starts getting some nice heat after throwing Davey out the ring and Heenan ponders, "Why are these limeys booing? It was a good move!" Can we really argue with him? Bret's plancha looks way nastier on account of Davey being too gassed to know where he is and about getting his neck wrung when Bret needs to adjust. At one point Davey just chucked him from a military press position into the ropes and Bret landed all awkward and no wonder he talks about Davey being fucked up during this. They do lots of shots of Diana in the crowd showing ANGST and Heenan asks if it's Mike McGuirk. Someone please find that video of all the times Heenan tears into Mike McGuirk. Jeez Louise he was great; maybe the greatest. Match drags quite a bit in the middle, but it likely would've stunk outright if just about anybody else in the company at that point was in there with Davey Boy so absolutely fair play to yer Hitman. He's clearly trying his hardest to make a purse out of a pig's ear, and for a guy you'd never say was an obvious spot-caller there are points where he's obviously in Davey's ear (and I'm not saying that to knock him). Biblical reaction for the finish. They should run Wembley again. You know, the new one. Unless they're worried it starts pishing rain and everybody's fake tan gets streaky.
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