Category: wrestling

Mat Quest, Chapter 2: 1975, The Garden

Mat Quest, Chapter 2: 1975, The Garden

Mat Quest is a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock. Jump in and follow along with us!

We started our journey with a Madison Square Garden card from 1973 and continue that journey, from the same venue, while jumping ahead to 1975.

So, what happened in the WWWF during the interim? The big news is that the world title has changed hands a couple of times. Pedro Morales. who held the title on that 1973 card, dropped it to Stan Stasiak, who quickly lost the belt to the returning Bruno Sammartino in December of that year.

And title defenses by Sammartino serve as the centerpiece, and the biggest highlight, of these two 1975 events from Madison Square Garden.

Let’s get to it…

MARCH 17, 1975

Very Good

Bruno Sammartino defends the WWWF Heavyweight Title against Spiros Arion in a Texas Death Match

Four matches from this card made the cut for Peacock and three of them range in watch quality from skippable to watching paint dry, although the last match features a bearded, barrel-chested Ivan Putski that is quite the contrast from the chiseled bodybuilder look he sported for this same promotion in the 1980s. And he chugs a beer in the ring after his match, so there’s that.

Ivan Putski chugs a beer after beating The Wolfman at Madison Square Garden.

The highlight of this March 17 card is the battle between Sammartino and Arion for the title. These two met the prior month (sadly not available on Peacock) and most of the match played out as a sportsmanlike affair until Arion started bending the rules late when he could not fairly get the better of Sammartino. Eventually Bruno snaps, unloading on Arion in fury and eventually getting disqualified.

So, they ran it back for this Texas Death Match, often used as a blowoff match for Sammartino and his challenger du jour. No standing 10 count here… the WWWF Texas Death Match just means that anything goes. The crowd is fully invested and lives in dies with each punch and kick thrown by the champion. Sammartino scores the pin, but Arion gets a foot in the ropes and the referee does not see it. That sets the stage for another match between these two next month.

APRIL 14, 1975

Borderline Great

Bruno Sammartino defends the WWWF Heavyweight Title against Spiros Arion in a Greek Death Match

The aforementioned rematch… this time the only way to win is by submission. Where the match between these two in March was more even, this one sees Sammartino dominate. Modern wrestling fans have come to expect, even in the most heated grudge match, for the flow of the match to go back and forth. Sometimes, though, you just want to see the bad guy get clobbered and that is what the Garden crowd got here. Bruno gets 75-80% of the match before submitting Arion after he whiffs on a knee drop off the top rope. The atmosphere and the tremendous fire that Bruno shows are both top notch.

Good

Edouard Carpentier vs. Joe Nova

Carpentier is quite the story — fighting for the Resistance in France during World War II before embarking on a career in the squared circle. He is a spry 48 years old here and uses his gymnast background to use Nova as his own personal pommel horse. His style would fit right in modern wrestling, and serves as a reminder for the current curmudgeons who decry “flippy shit” as ruining their beloved business.

Victor Rivera vs. Bobby Duncum

You might remember Bobby’s son, the late Bobby Duncum, Jr., from the West Texas Rednecks in WCW. These two put on their working shoes for this one and turn in a high-energy battle, especially by the often-plodding standards of mid-1970s WWWF.

Worth Watching

El Olympico vs. Greg Valentine

This is the Madison Square Garden debut for Valentine, who is 23 years old and looks about the same that he does for the next 10 or 15 years.

LINEUP & SUMMARY

March 17, 1975 (Madison Square Garden)

Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Butcher Vachon
WWWF World Title-Texas Death Match: Bruno Sammartino defends vs. Spiros Arion – VERY GOOD
Victor Rivera vs. Killer Kowalski
Ivan Putski vs. The Wolfman

April 14, 1975 (Madison Square Garden)

Mike Paidousis vs. Tony Altimore
El Olympico vs. Greg Valentine – WORTH WATCHING
Non Title, 2/3 Falls: Little Boy Louie & Sonny Boy Hayes vs. Little Tokyo & Lord Littlebrook
WWWF World Title-Greek Death Match: Bruno Sammartino defends vs. Spiros Arion – BORDERLINE GREAT
Edouard Carpentier vs. Joe Nova – GOOD
Victor Rivera vs. Bobby Duncum – GOOD

UP NEXT

We wrap up 1975 and dive into 1976 with a few episodes of All Star Wrestling.

Mat Quest: An Introduction

Mat Quest: An Introduction

If you use any type of streaming service, this has probably happened to you.

You are in the middle of watching a series – or worse, a movie – when it suddenly disappears. 

With the convenience of streaming comes the peril of media rights. Your favorite show may become inaccessible when those rights expire. And, as Raw moves to Netflix, speculation has run rampant about what will happen to the WWE library when the promotion’s current deal with Peacock expires in the spring of 2026.

Internationally, Netflix already has the rights to Raw and the archive. We already have seen the archive of NXT drop into the void, after the CW began broadcasting new episodes, and chose not to upload any of the substantial NXT archive, to which they also have the rights, to their app. 

So what happens in 2026? If the WWE archive rights go to some new entity, I have zero confidence the published library survives in full – in large part because when Peacock bought the rights, not everything from the WWE Network made the migration (Get it? Migrate? Because birds!). 

As someone who follows wrestling and studied history, it’s probably not a surprise I like watching older wrestling – partly to check out stuff I haven’t seen, and partly because it reminds me of when I first started watching as a kid in the 1980s. I also know how WWE likes shaping, or reshaping, what is accepted as wrestling history, using its influence as the biggest promotion on the planet for the past several decades. Given that approach, though, I think that makes it less likely that all the currently available non-WWE content survives any move from Peacock to another platform. I’m talking about WCW, ECW, and especially the older stuff from the territories: Mid-South, World Class, AWA, etc. 

But if you’re looking at the older wrestling on Peacock, maybe you don’t know where to start. 

That’s where, hopefully, this series of articles serves a purpose. Mat Quest aims to provide a viewing guide to the wrestling on Peacock, starting from the oldest footage on the platform. 

How will it work?

Basically, I am going through every event and show currently on Peacock, starting from the beginning – or, in this case, 1973. I will let you know what I consider to be worth watching. If I think it’s skippable, it probably won’t be mentioned. Or maybe I will mention something in passing if you are looking to take a deep dive into a particular wrestler or style or title. I want to focus on the non-McMahon promotions, but I am folding in older content from WWE (or, as it was known in the 70s, WWWF) as well. For the record, we are defining older for now as essentially anything that aired prior to the debut of Raw.

A daunting task? Absolutely. Luckily I have a little over a year to get through it. 

A couple of things to remember… 

First, these recommendations are based solely off of my opinion. One of the great things about wrestling is that, I believe, there is something out there for everyone.

Second, these articles are meant to be informational. I definitely will go on a rant or a tangent from time to time, but this series will not be the place for in-depth match reviews or lengthy think pieces on how a certain match or segment contributed to the greater wrestling zeitgeist. You probably will find pieces like that on this site at some point, just not here.

Maybe you are a newer wrestling fan who is interested in the older stuff but was unsure where to start. Maybe you want to make sure you check out the good stuff from the archive before it possibly disappears, moves or evolves into its own paid service. Or maybe you are just burnt out on the current wrestling product and are looking for something different to watch. 

No matter the reason, I hope you check out this guide, and find it informative and helpful. 

For what is available on Peacock, the uploads really do not get going until the mid 1970s – 1976, to be precise. There are a handful of shows from 1975 and one from 1973: a complete card from Madison Square Garden that aired on HBO. And so that is where the journey begins.

Mat Quest: 1973

Mat Quest: 1973

Mat Quest is a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock. Jump in and follow along with us!

Welcome! We begin this journey with a historic event. None of the matches or results from this Madison Square Garden card were earth-shattering, but this event stands out because it was the first time the WWWF had one of its events broadcast live on national television. In this instance, HBO aired the broadcast.

As we begin the viewing guide, it is important to note that I am trying to break down the matches into certain tiers, everything ranging from all-time great to matches that are flawed but fun, or worth watching for some historic value or as a plot point. I may also point to certain matches and interviews where I think current wrestlers might want to take a look, to see what they could learn and use today.

Here we go…

JUNE 30, 1973 (Madison Square Garden)

Very Good

Pedro Morales defends the WWWF Heavyweight Title against George “The Animal” Steele

The best match on the card also has the biggest stakes. For someone who grew up on the Hulkamania Era like me, this is a fascinating look at George Steele, who is incredibly spry and far afield from the beloved turnbuckle-chewing fan favorite. Steele does some sleight of hand with a foreign object and the match becomes a fun brawl, fueled by a crowd that is going wild.

Good

El Olympico vs. Toru Tanaka (w/ The Grand Wizard)

I think that what people — and by people, I guess I mean wrestling fans who are online — define as a good match, or even a great match, has changed. The first thing I ask myself about every match is, did it hold my interest? And this one does. This is a few minutes of harmless fun with an abrupt ending thanks to one extremely effective strike from The Professor.

Worth Watching

Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Mr. Fuji

If Seinfeld was a show about nothing, this is a match about nothing. Fuji and Strongbow go about 15 minutes, and I estimate a good 80-90% of what happens bell to bell is schtick. Fuji spends what feels like a good five minutes applying a Double Pectoral Claw to Strongbow. And that crowd I mentioned earlier? They are watching Fuji grab the tits of this faux-Native-American-but-actually-an-Italian and loving every second of it. Be sure to catch the culturally insensitive war whoops from the crowd each time Strongbow teases powering out of the hold. I remain torn on whether this match is terrible because of the giant dollop of nothingness that it is, or brilliant because it captivates the crowd despite its nothingness. If nothing else, it is an excellent example of how easy it was to entertain wrestling crowds in the Northeast in the mid-1970s. Watch and judge for yourself…

Haystacks Calhoun vs. Moondog Mayne

This is pretty passable if not for the performance of Mayne, who hurls himself around the ring with reckless abandon to make Haystacks look like a powerhouse. Mayne, who died far too young in a car crash in 1978, would have fit right in in ECW. He never met a bloody brawl he did not like and even chewed glass during promo interviews. There are some great matches of his with Buddy Rose in the Portland territory that you can find on YouTube.

Take it or leave it

Gorilla Monsoon vs. Captain Lou Albano

In the Hulkamania days, these two saw plenty of screen time as a commentator and manager, respectively. This is a rare look at both in the ring, and that rarity is really the only thing that makes it watchable.

LINEUP & SUMMARY

June 30, 1973, Madison Square Garden

Lee Wong vs. Blackjack Lanza
El Olympico vs. Toru Tanaka (w/ The Grand Wizard) – GOOD
Gorilla Monsoon vs. Lou Albano – TAKE OR LEAVE
Victor Rivera vs. Black Gordman
2/3 Falls: Jan Sheridan & Joyce Grable vs. Dotti Downs & Peggy Patterson
WWWF World Title-Pedro Morales defends vs. George Steele – VERY GOOD
Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Mr. Fuji – WORTH WATCHING
Haystacks Calhoun vs. Moondog Mayne – WORTH WATCHING

UP NEXT

We jump ahead to 1975, and another card from Madison Square Garden.

Mat Quest: The Master Index

Mat Quest: The Master Index

A chronological viewing guide to the archive of wrestling content currently uploaded to Peacock:

Introduction (How the project will work and why it is being done)

1973 — A prologue installment

Madison Square Garden (3/17/75 & 4/14/75)

All Star Wrestling (9/13/75, 1/10/76, & 1/17/76)

February, 1976 (MSG, 2/2 & All Star Wrestling, 2/28)

Spring, 1976 (All Star Wrestling 3/6 & 3/20; Andre the Giant vs. Ernie Ladd from MSG on 4/26)

Wrapping Up 1976 (MSG, 8/7/76 & 10/25/76; Bobo Brazil vs. Bruiser Brody from MSG on 11/22)

Review the Kraken: The Kraken Classic

Review the Kraken: The Kraken Classic

Pro wrestling is more accessible than ever. Between streaming services, in-house online broadcasts, and good old-fashioned TV deals (a few still exist), fans have more ways to watch more wrestling from around the world than at any point. 

Imagine telling the you from two decades ago – even the you from 10 years ago – “some day there will be so much wrestling available to watch that you will never be able to keep up with it all.” And yet, today, WWE puts out six hours of content per week – and that doesn’t count the feeder shows like Main Event and Level Up. AEW cranks out five hours of TV wrestling each week — and that does not include the weekly Ring of Honor episodes. If there is a pay-per-view / premium live event that week, tack on another three hours. Full shows are available from a host of international promotions, especially in Japan, but those are usually three hours or more, requiring a real investment of time if you intend to watch the whole thing. 

And so, the approach that Kraken Pro Wrestling has chosen feels fresh in its convenience. This neophyte promotion located in southern Georgia breaks down its live events into snack-sized installments of TV for its YouTube channel. Each episode lasts 30 minutes, at most. A couple of episodes clock in closer to the 10-minute mark. 

But, with so many wrestling promotions out there, is Kraken worth watching? I think it is. And hence, welcome to my efforts to Review The Kraken! We kick off this endeavor by looking at the first eight episodes of TV, where the first Kraken champion was crowned in an eight-man tournament called the Kraken Classic. 

These shows happened back over the summer and so given that fact, I won’t attempt to bore you with a match-by-match or segment-by-segment breakdown. Instead, I wanted to take a look at some of the standout wrestlers on these early Kraken shows. They all have one commonality – each left me wanting to see more of them, whether it be here or elsewhere.

Big Business – This three-man faction comprises the top heel act in Kraken. The manager, Justin Kayse, actually came out of the tournament holding the title, as Jay 2 Strong won the Kraken Classic only to see Kayse declare himself as the champion. Jay was incredibly solid in his three tournament matches and the final against Michael Walker is the best match of the tournament. Lamar Diggs is the enforcer of the group and has the physical presence and requisite menace to fill that role. You could plug him right into the middle of the Mid-South territory in its heyday and he would fit right in with those sluggers. I like the concept of a heel manager holding the title everyone is chasing but, through these first eight episodes, I found Kayse somewhat lacking both as a talker and during interference spots sometimes self-sabotaged by poor timing. We will see how Kayse rises to the occasion in future installments.

Michael Walker – Probably the purest babyface on the roster through these first eight episodes. He acquitted himself well in all three tournament matches, all against opponents of different styles, including both wrestlers in Big Business. His match with Diggs was a fine example of one of my favorite tropes, pitting a smaller, speedy wrestler against a powerhouse. Even with the loss in the finals, Walker emerged from the Classic portrayed as a fine never-say-die underdog who you wanted to root for.

Trever Aeon – I have seen Aeon in person a couple of times and followed his work online in recent years. He is one of the more underrated wrestlers on the Southeast scene to me and stands out through his look, his versatility, and the explosion he demonstrates in some of his offense. 

Trey Shaw – I knew nothing about Shaw before his first-round match in the Classic (found in episode 4 of Kraken), but immediately was impressed. Again, these are short episodes, but in the span of about 15 minutes, he stood out with his combination of look, size, promo ability, and snug offense. 

All Star Special – Will Huckaby and Hold My Beer Hanson are one of the more popular teams in Georgia and probably the merch champions of the independent scene in that state. Hanson is also the promoter of Kraken, something that is readily acknowledged on commentary. While this is hard to deny when Hanson is doing local TV spots to promote Kraken using his real name, I emerged from these eight episodes unsure if this was a little too much “behind the curtain” for me. A tip of the cap to Hanson and Huckaby (who is the booker) and not following in the footsteps of so many of their predecessors and making themselves the focal point of the shows.

Kevin Kantrell – Kantrell is not part of the Kraken Classic but he stands out with a rugged, intense style. In his one match in the first eight episodes, he carries a green opponent to a solid effort and then, after the result does not go his way, beats down the referee like the official handed him a light envelope at the end of the night. I came away wanting to see more of him, for sure.

Kody Madden – Having done wrestling commentary in the past, I know how difficult the job is. Kody is the lead broadcaster for Kraken and does a good job with the juggling act of calling the action, telling a greater story, and directing traffic in a three-man booth – although the other two members of that booth are both heels and have similar-sounding voices.

One of the most common, widespread — and often deserved — criticisms of professional wrestling as we sit almost halfway through the 2020s is the sameness of it all. Matches up and down the card, regardless of whether the promotion is located on the globe, see everyone working a similar style. Hanson and Huckaby have done a solid job assembling a roster of different characters with different styles. I will keep watching through their archive of episodes and came away from these first eight shows wanting to see what happens next, and really, isn’t that the first goal for any wrestling promotion?

Imperial Pro April 22 Preview

Imperial Pro April 22 Preview

Every spring, approximately 1.5 million Peeps get eaten.

Tomorrow night, in Bristol, it’s payback time. At least, that’s the inspiration for the show name for the next Imperial Pro Wrestling event, “Attack of the Peeps”. It happens Saturday, April 23, as Imperial Pro returns to its “home” venue, the community center of Realife Church, located at 1317 Weaver Pike in Bristol, TN.

Front row tickets are sold out, but general admission tickets remain available for $12 apiece. Kids 12 and under get in free.

Here is the current announced lineup:

Axton Ray defends the Imperial Championship against Hunter Drake. Axton is a local favorite who just returned from his first tour of the United Kingdom.

Kenzie Paige Henry defends the Imperial Women’s Title against Alice Crowley. Kenzie recently announced she had signed a contract with the National Wrestling Alliance.

Greg Rocker defends the Hickory Tree Hardcore Title against CJ Knight, Big Al and Toby Farley.

Jason Kincaid vs. AJ Cazana

Judi-Rae Hendrix vs. Michelle Green

The Golden Egg Battle Royal

Follow Imperial Pro on your social media platform of choice: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

365 Wrestling, Day 29: Serial Thrillaz vs. Hardy Boyz (OMEGA, 1/29/99)

365 Wrestling, Day 29: Serial Thrillaz vs. Hardy Boyz (OMEGA, 1/29/99)

365 match reviews, one for each date on the yearly calendar? Challenge accepted. Welcome to 365 Wrestling.

How many wrestlers who step through the ropes today grew up watching Matt and Jeff Hardy? They rank as one of the most beloved duos in the history of tag team wrestling. While each has spent some time on the Dark Side as an individual (Matt more than Jeff), the Hardys as a team were consistently fan favorites … but not always. In this installment of 365 Wrestling, the Hardys take to the ring as heels, in this match from OMEGA (the promotion the Hardys helped start themselves) on January 29, 1999 against Shane Helms and Mike Maverick.

This match is available in two parts on YouTube, and embedded below:

The Match

You know three of the players in this match. ECW diehards may recognize Maverick as Jack Dupp.

For all the details on this match, I went straight to the source: Thomas Simpson, one of the co-founders of the OMEGA promotion, and someone I did commentary for on some independent shows in South Carolina a few years ago. The Hardys had been OMEGA champs for about six months, winning the titles off of Helms and Venom (aka Joey Abs from the Mean Street Posse in the heyday of the WWF Attitude Era). Simpson noted Venom was substituting in that match for Maverick, who had broken his arm when he fell off a roof while working a construction job.

This match takes place at East Wake High School in Wendell, NC, also the alma mater of Helms and Maverick. The challengers are out first and greeted as conquering heroes. Meanwhile, the Hardys already are a known presence on WWF TV but they get booed mightily. Matt stirs them up even more, stating that he and his brother will be “winning on Sunday Night Heat” after beating Helms and Maverick.

This match is filmed on a handheld camera and, once it’s under way, you can hear someone in the crowd say, “They’ve gotta win the belts or the crowd’s gonna riot.” That’s a good summary of the raucous atmosphere for this match. The crowd at East Wake High helps elevate what’s happening in the ring — and the match itself already is quite good.

Maverick and Helms work with a big man/little man dynamic that I’ve always enjoyed in tag teams, and they do it well. Twice, Maverick flings his partner into the air to do damage to their foes: a gorilla press that turns into a splash for a close two count, or launching him out of the ring to land on both Hardys. Such power already has been established through some early interactions with Jeff: delivering a brutal-looking spear and then catching him in midair to disrupt the Hardys’ now-well-known Poetry In Motion double team.

Helms plays a spectacular face in peril and is the engine that keeps this match going. He spends more time in the ring than anyone else, and the fans bite on every bit of offense he musters up. When he gets cut off, it just builds the anticipation. Helms continues to sell but never completely fades, showing enough fight to keep the already-rabid crowd engaged.

Jeff Hardy is in splendid form here. This is 1999 and well before many of the catastrophic landings and injuries that Jeff has accumulated through the years, so he is still at his physical peak. At one point, Jeff busts out a springboard swanton off the top rope, chains it directly into a quebrada and makes it all look effortless. In front of a different crowd, it might have earned a golf clap of appreciation or even outright applause. Here, Jeff culminates the high-flying combination by hugging his brother, only further enraging the crowd.

As the match progresses, Matt ensnares Helms in a sleeper and many of the fans start clapping and stomping, to the point that the camera filming literally starts to shake. We’re 15 minutes into the match at this point and it feels half as long — if that.

There is creativity on display here. These four twist the standard tag formula, first during their control of Helms. Then Helms makes the “hot tag” to Maverick, who promptly gets cut off. A ref bump leads to a visual pin by the Hardys, not the fan favorites, as is usually the case. When a replacement referee finally scurries to the ring and makes a count that ends in a long two, Matt responds as a true heel would: first by powerbombing referee #2, then hooking Helms by the arms while Jeff brings a chair into the ring.

By now, you can see what’s coming from a mile away, and so does the crowd, but that doesn’t make it any less satisfying. Helms moves, Jeff pulverizes his brother and gets knocked to the outside. Helms and Maverick both scale the nearest corner, with Helms leaping off of his partner’s shoulders with a splash to score the win and take the titles to the delight of the packed crowd.

Final Rating: 8.7

These four combine to create a love letter to Southern tag wrestling with a modern adaptation through the moves used. The crowd is red-hot throughout and shows no signs of tiring out or losing interest. The end result is fantastic, and a must-watch, especially if you’re a Hardys fan.

Here’s the complete, ongoing list of matches in this project.

Up Next

We take a look at another wrestler who embodies excellence over the long haul.

Follow In Moorehouse Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

365 Wrestling, Day 28: John Cena vs. Umaga, Last Man Standing (WWE Royal Rumble, 1/28/07)

365 Wrestling, Day 28: John Cena vs. Umaga, Last Man Standing (WWE Royal Rumble, 1/28/07)

365 match reviews, one for each date on the yearly calendar? Challenge accepted. Welcome to 365 Wrestling.

The Royal Rumble match is a spectacle that wrestling fans anticipate every January. The event itself has produced some gems on the undercard in recent years. This entry spotlights one of those standouts, from the 2007 Rumble: John Cena vs. Umaga in a Last Man Standing Match.

You can watch this match on the WWE Vault YouTube channel:

The Match

This is Cena’s third, and longest, reign with the WWE Title. Umaga has been built as a juggernaut since returning to WWE in April of 2006. He went undefeated for about nine months, a streak that ended earlier in January when he challenged Cena for the title and lost on a roll-up after dominating the match. After that outcome, heel authority figure Jonathan Coachman (and hasn’t that become an overdone storyline trope in wrestling?) made this rematch.

Cena might be the box-office draw but the star of the match is Umaga. The anything-goes format provides a fine showcase for his athleticism, size and overall fearsome presence. He’s also a credible threat here after several months of steady build as a force. Would this match have so much sizzle if Umaga had been trading wins and losses, instead? Definitely not.

Umaga is such a force here. The tale here is less a battle of two competitors, but one between man and monster. Cena takes a beating throughout and when he does rally, it usually ends with him getting clobbered by the Samoan Bulldozer. Overwhelmed by his foe, Cena has to escalate the violence beyond the normal standards of a wrestling match to even faze the challenger. As a result, Umaga takes some insane bumps down the stretch: getting the ringside steps thrown into his face, and having one of the commentary monitors smashed into his head while Umaga’s head hangs, seemingly lifeless against the ringpost. And yet, like the killer in a slasher movie, Umaga rises again and again.

As the violence builds, Cena pays the consequence and bleeds profusely. In fact this stands out as the last memorable use of blood in WWE until the promotion makes its PG pivot. To this day, WWE continues to avoid blood as a storytelling device, while chastising would-be competitors for it.

One moment in this match sticks with me, which I can describe best as a stunt. With this being the era of three brands of main WWE TV (ECW being the third), there are three commentary tables at ringside. Umaga stacks Cena on the ECW table, climbs on the far edge of the far table (where Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are calling the match) and gets a running start. He leaps off the middle table for a splash that Cena avoids, and the table does not so much break but explode under Umaga’s mass. The challenger barely beats the 10 count in a delightfully close and completely believable false finish.

We reach the climax when Umaga’s manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada, literally dismantles the ring and removes the top rope and one of the turnbuckles. Umaga wields the turnbuckle for a version of his Samoan Spike, but Cena turns the weapon on the wielder and uses the top rope to throttle the challenger into unconsciousness. The fact it takes two separate stranglings to finish the job only underscores the unstoppable atmosphere of Umaga.

Speaking of the commentators, Ross is in his prime here and I can’t think of anyone better to provide the soundtrack for this match, in this era. His “Oh Jiminy God!” when Cena smashes a monitor into Umaga’s head, is a genuine reaction and his line that “even monsters have to breathe” at the finish provides logic and justification for Cena’s brutal tactics.

Final Rating: 9.2

This is one of the best WWE matches of the decade, and maybe the best modern example of the last man standing stipulation. It’s also a perfect example of Cena as the never-surrender fan favorite, and who was, at his peak, the closest approximation to Hulkamania that WWE has produced. It’s also the peak moment in WWE for Umaga, whose fantastic second run with the company as a singles competitor is somewhat overshadowed by its brevity. Consider that, 2 1/2 years after this match, Umaga was released by WWE after two violations of the company wellness policy. He sadly died a few months later, at just 36 years old, of a heart attack brought on by acute toxicity from taking several painkillers.

Other pro wrestlers usually point to the Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit match from the 2003 Rumble as the best non-Rumble match ever. If Angle-Benoit is the wrestling equivalent of a symphony, this is the equivalent of a blockbuster action movie. Is one better than the other? That’s really in the eye of the beholder, as the two products are so different that it’s difficult to compare them outside of the shared setting of a WWE ring.

Up Next

We head to 1999 and a packed high-school gym in the Carolinas to see one of the most beloved tag teams in wrestling… as heels?

What’s your favorite non-Rumble match from Royal Rumble pay-per-views? Agree or disagree with my take on this match? Let me know by using the contact form on this site, or reach me on Twitter.

365 Wrestling, Day 25: Osirian Portal vs. The Colony (CHIKARA, 1/26/09)

365 Wrestling, Day 25: Osirian Portal vs. The Colony (CHIKARA, 1/26/09)

365 match reviews, one for each date on the yearly calendar? Challenge accepted. Welcome to 365 Wrestling.

For all the people who have talked about how pro wrestling is influenced by comic books, I bring you CHIKARA Pro. In its 18 years of existence, this promotion based out of Pennsylvania provided something new in American wrestling: a roster full of colorful characters — many of them masked — and an in-ring style influenced heavily by lucha libre with some dollops of Japanese wrestling mixed in as well.

There was a time, in the late 2000s and early 2010s, that CHIKARA was one of the hottest promotions in all of independent wrestling. Today’s selection, a tag match between the Osirian Portal and The Colony from January 25, 2009, is part of that stretch in time. Many of CHIKARA’s core roster members were trained there and have gone on to stardom in the wrestling world. The list of in-house alumni includes Orange Cassidy, Drew Gulak, Eddie Kingston, Lince Dorado. Chris Hero and Cesaro were mainstays for years, as were names like El Generico, Kevin Steen (now Owens) … the list could go on for a while.

CHIKARA closed down in the summer of 2020, after multiple allegations were made against the promotion and individuals who worked there as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. In the wake of those allegations, Ophidian — one of the four wrestlers in today’s match — announced his retirement from wrestling.

You can watch this match on IWTV.

The Match

CHIKARA’s tag titles, Los Campeonatos de Parejas, are on the line here. These championships were the top prize for years; CHIKARA didn’t even introduce a main singles title until the end of 2011. Los Campeonatos title matches usually were two out of three falls and did not come easy. A team had to have three points to challenge, which meant winning three matches or falls in a row. Lose once, and it was back to zero.

The challengers here are part of The Colony: a stable of masked wrestlers who portrayed characters that were part of an ant colony. Such a concept would be Wrestlecrap-worthy for most promotions but, in he often wacky world of CHIKARA, it worked. Fire Ant and Soldier Ant have assembled a whopping seven points as contenders — the most of any team in promotion history at the time. Due to their high point total, the Colony got the chance to choose the match stipulations and decided the match would be decided in a single fall.

Speaking of wild gimmicks, the champions — Amasis and Ophidian — have Ancient Egyptian influences, with Amasis the “funky pharaoh” and Ophidian acting like a serpent. You might have seen a video of some of their antics that went viral in 2011:

With a standard one-fall format instead of two out of three, there’s a greater sense of urgency. The match is not perfect and takes a few minutes to hit its stride. The CHIKARA style is also, admittedly, not for everyone. Some people can’t get past the gimmicks, some heavily choreographed segments and the liberal amount of comedy in many of the matches. Here, for example, the Portal go for the hypnosis trick in the video linked above, only to have Soldier Ant use his “military discipline” to resist, salute and grab Ophidian so that Fire Ant delivers a splash across the serpent.

Even if CHIKARA is not your taste, there is plenty to like in this match. Fire Ant busts out some nice high-flying moves. I particularly enjoyed when Soldier Ant has Amasis secured in a rear waistlock, with Amasis grabbing the ropes. Fire Ant walks up his partner’s back, leaps off the shoulders of Amasis and down on to Ophidian at ringside. Old-school tag fans, and wrestlers who work tag matches, should pay attention to the portion of the match where the Portal isolate Soldier Ant. They do a fine job cutting the ring in half, and finding non-traditional ways to cut off Soldier Ant and make tags.

Tag matches in CHIKARA are fought under lucha rules but even those guidelines become theoretical down the stretch with all four men frequently in the ring at once. Amidst all the complicated sequences and flying, a rugged lariat by Amasis stands out. There’s a spectacular near-fall where the champions hit 450 splashes in stereo. Speaking of great false finishes, another comes when Fire Ant drills Ophidian with a Beach Break, and on the ensuing pin attempt, Ophidian’s foot barely reaches the bottom rope in a peak example of placement and positioning.

The mach culminates with its biggest spot. Fire Ant sets Ophidian on the top turnbuckle, but before he can execute, Ophidian counters with a Destroyer off the top. This is sold as it should be as a killer, and Ophidian finishes it via Cobra Clutch with a bodyscissors.

Final Rating: 6.3

CHIKARA had some amazingly devoted fans and also plenty of detractors. If you’ve never watched this promotion or the comedy antics turn you off, I still suggest giving this a watch. Shenanigans aside, it is a very good tag match.

Up Next

We spotlight one of the bright stars of the 1980s who left us too soon.

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365 Wrestling, Day 27: Chris Adams vs. Gino Hernandez (World Class, 1/27/86)

365 Wrestling, Day 27: Chris Adams vs. Gino Hernandez (World Class, 1/27/86)

365 match reviews, one for each date on the yearly calendar? Challenge accepted. Welcome to 365 Wrestling.

Some wrestlers are just meant to be the bad guy. Gino Hernandez is one of them.

Hernandez is in my personal pantheon of the most effective heels in wrestling. He oozed arrogance, wasn’t afraid to let his opponent get their comeuppance (working multiple head-shaving angles during his career), and had one of those intrinsic qualities in a wrestling villain: he made you want to see him take an ass-kicking.

Much like another standout of the territorial era of wrestling, Hernandez doesn’t get his just due. He’s best known for his work in three territories — World Class, Southwest Championship Wrestling and Mid-South — and while all three definitely are worth watching, they have less following than other major promotions of the era: the WWF, Jim Crockett Promotions and the AWA. Had Hernandez not died suddenly at the age of 28 (and more on that later), I feel his joining one of these companies would have been inevitable, and then, who knows?

Today we take a look at Hernandez’s final match before his death, a grudge match against former partner Chris Adams from World Class’ Wrestling Star Wars event on January 26, 1986.

You can find this match on YouTube.

The Match

As the Dynamic Duo (a team name Hernandez also used for his pairing with Tully Blanchard in Southwest), Adams and Hernandez won the NWA American Tag Titles in World Class on two occasions. They replaced the Freebirds as World Class’ top villains in 1984, moving right into a feud with the Von Erichs and headlining at the Cotton Bowl in the fall of 1985, where they lost a hair vs. hair match. Soon thereafter, Gino turned on Adams, setting the stage for a feud between former partners. This was their first match –and, as it turns out, only match — since the split.

The psychology around this match is great, and something modern wrestling should look at. In a grudge match, it generally doesn’t make sense to come out and lock up collar and elbow with your hated rival. Or chain wrestle. This match has none of that. Adams comes at Hernandez with fists flying before the official starting bell. Gino begs off as the Fort Worth crowd howls for blood, as he keeps taking a beating. I especially love his woozy punch-drunk swing at nothing after getting thrown headfirst into the top turnbuckle.

Rage quickly trumps discretion. Each man goes for bigger moves off the second rope and, each time, that backfires. One of these misses sets up the finish, as Adams hits a back body drop (have I mentioned I’m a sucker for a good one of these), then clocks Gino with his superkick. The crowd erupts and Hernandez sells it like he got clocked on the jaw with a hammer, rolling semi-conscious out to the floor. Did I mention all this happens before the five-minute call in the match?

Adams has the match won but pulls up Gino from a decisive pin attempt twice. After this second reprieve, following a piledriver, Hernandez goes for the shortcut… a bottle of “Freebird hair cream” at ringside. This is a great example of long-term storytelling, a well-established piece of the World Class mythos with an unknown list of ingredients but powerful hair-removing quality. Gino takes the cream and puts it into the eyes of Adams, who drops to the mat like he’d been burned with wildfire. There’s a nice touch where the referee promptly removes his shirt, trying to rub the licentious lotion out of the eyes of the Englishman. This is a repeat of the same angle the Freebirds had run with Junkyard Dog in different territories

Final Rating: 6.8

This match is an excellent example that, sometimes, less is more. Not every major match has to be a lengthy epic containing multiple false finishes. Bell to bell, this match is well under the 10-minute mark but Adams and Hernandez make the most out of every second they have in the ring. The stage is set for a tantalizing feud between the former partners but Hernandez died just a few days later, with his body being discovered February 4 in his apartment after he missed several dates for World Class.

His cause of death was listed as a drug overdose but the circumstances have remained under scrutiny, especially after the “Dark Side of the Ring” episode on Hernandez.

Up Next

We head to the Los Angeles territory.

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