Okay, so, over at this place, we've started a Greatest WCW match ever poll, and that basically means I'm gonna be talking about a shit ton of WCW over the next year or so. I've already spoken about loads of 1992 stuff as part of the 1992 project, but you can expect ramblings on stuff from anywhere between November '88 when Turner bought out Crockett until March 2001 when Vince swallowed it up. Anybody else wants to take part in this then you know what to do. Anyways...
Steven Regal v Too Cold Scorpio (Main Event, 8/29/93)
Different from what I expected. Scorp is pretty much locked down from the get go here and Regal seems content to keep him on the mat and just grind him down for the duration. Works well enough from a "keep the high flier grounded" standpoint, but going to a time limit draw doesn't do anything for Regal, and that always seems to be his end game. If he was the TV champ already then sure, I buy that, but he's not so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. By the time Scorp finally manages to get something going and come off the top, the time limit expires and that's that. Not bad or anything, and Regal wearing guys out with holds is always gonna be somewhat interesting, but not as good as I was hoping, either.
Steven Regal v Ricky Steamboat (Fall Brawl, 9/19/93)
Hell of a match. Steamboat comes in with taped up ribs thanks to a recent mugging from Regal and Sir William (Bill fuckin' Dundee), and we get a trademark Steamboat sell job. So many great little touches, like stopping between flurries of strikes because even breathing hard seems to hurt. He hits a running cross body at one point and his sell of the damage to his own ribs is just perfection. This is also pissed off Steamboat; he's not interested in wrestling until he's had his fill of whipping someone's ass first. When he eventually does settle into working Regal's arm it's all really nice stuff. When Regal takes over he focuses on the ribs, and that's really nice stuff too. I always love Regal's added touches of nastiness whenever he's working a body part, like cranking back on a camel clutch while digging his knee into the injured ribs. Finish was great, with Dundee blasting Steamboat in the head with an umbrella while he's skinning the cat, Steamboat stumbling backwards into a German suplex that KO's him. Gets plenty of time, and it might be a top 3 match for both guys in 1993.
Steven Regal v Ricky Steamboat (Saturday Night, 9/25/93)
These guys could wrestle every week for a year and it still wouldn't be enough. Steamboat is major pissed off this time, even more so than at Fall Brawl, and attacks Regal before the bell even rings. First 6 or so minutes are ALL Steamboat and he just goes to town on Regal. Jesse on commentary bitches constantly about how Steamboat's broken every rule in the book, and really, this is about as gung ho as I've ever seen Steamboat. Really gives the impression that he only cares about whooping this fool. Regal's great when he takes over, totally laying into Steamboat with some vicious looking forearms right to the nose. Big overhand bad boys from a snarling Englishman. Cool finish that gives Steamboat a bit of payback from the PPV, too. There are 4 matches between these two (that made TV anyway; I'm not including the handheld) on Goodhelmet's Regal set up to this point, and right now I could see myself voting for 3 of them at least. Wouldn't expect this one to go very high, but their Fall Brawl match could.
Steven Regal v Arn Anderson (Saturday Night, 10/9/93)
Not spectacularly great or anything, but definitely something a fan of these two would want to see. Arn controlling by working the arm is about as good a section as Steamboat's in the Fall Brawl match. Then Dundee jabs him in the ribs with the umbrella and Regal takes over, although I didn't think Regal in control here was as good as Regal in control in the last two matches with Steamboat. Dundee's a weasly little shit on the floor as well, always on hand to dish a cheapshot should it be required, and I dig that kinda thing in my pro-wrestling managers. He's especially great at the end when it looks like Arn's gonna get the win. The finish itself is mistimed by a few seconds, but Dundee jumping around like a maniac is enough to negate that minor quibble. Comparing this to the Scorpio match, Regal trying to run out the clock down the stretch makes sense. Arn's picking up a head of steam, so it's best just to put it in the deep freeze. There's way too much stuff from the '89-'94 period that I like as much or more than this to say whether I'll toss a vote its way or not, but if you like these guys at all then check this out. Their Superbrawl match from 2/94 is coming up on one of the later discs, so I'm pretty excited about seeing that in good VQ for the first time in...ever, I think.
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