Randy Savage

‘WCW BASH AT THE BEACH 1995’ Recap + Review – Hogan vs. Vader, Lifeguard Match, Coolest Wrestling Venue of All-Time

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DATE: July 16, 1995
VENUE: Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, CA)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

Bash at the Beach 1995 brings the action of World Championship Wrestling to an honest to god beach, the only place that contain a main event as big as Hulk Hogan vs. Vader in a Steel Cage. Since we’re on a beach and Baywatch is a thing we’ve also got a Lifeguard match as Ric Flair and Randy Savage continue their year-long feud, The Renegade defends the Television Championship against “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, and…Jim Duggan takes on Kamala? We sure this is a WCW show?

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‘WCW BASH AT THE BEACH 1996’ Recap + Thoughts – The New World Organization, Brother!

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DATE: July 7, 1996
VENUE: Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, FL)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, & “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

Bash at the Beach 1996 features a fight for WCW’s future as Sting, Lex Luger, & Randy Savage team up to take on the invading force of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and a mystery partner (brother). This is one of the biggest wrestling main events of all-time and it permanently alters the course of WCW’s future in both a positive and negative way. But that’s not all that’s on the show, as we’ve got additional title matches including Konnan vs. Ric Flair for the United States Heavyweight Championship, a Double Dog Collar Match between The Nasty Boys and Public Enemy, a Carson City Dollar match between John Tenta and Big Bubba, and “Desperado” Joe Gomez in his one and only singles PPV appearance against Steve “Mongo” McMichael. 

Okay fine it’s mostly the nWo thing that this show is remembered for.

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‘WCW THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1995’ Recap + Review – Savage vs. Flair, Sting vs. Meng, Hacksaw vs. Pitbull

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DATE: June 18, 1995
VENUE: Hara Arena (Dayton, OH)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

The Great American Bash returns to the WCW PPV lineup with this 1995 edition, headlined by the blood feud between Randy Savage and Ric Flair. A new United States Heavyweight Champion is also crowned as Sting & Meng battle waddle for the vacant wacant title witle, and Arn Anderson defends the World Television Title against The Renegade.

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WWF SUMMERSLAM 1991 Recap + Review – Match Made in Heaven, Match Made in Hell, Virgil’s Shining Moment, Hart vs. Perfect

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DATE: August 21, 1991
VENUE: Madison Square Garden (Manhattan, NY)
COMMENTATORS: Gorilla Monsoon, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

WWF SummerSlam 1991 features a Match Made in Heaven (the wedding between Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth) and a Match Made in Hell (Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Gen. Adnan, & Col. Mustafa with Sid Justice as the special guest referee), a legendary Intercontinental Championship match, a JAILHOUSE MATCH, and arguably the biggest moment in Virgil’s career that isn’t related to meat sauce at the Olive Garden. This is the first PPV I ever watched live so the nostalgia for me is STRONG, let’s see how it holds up.

CHAMPIONS

  • WWF CHAMPION: Hulk Hogan
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: Mr. Perfect
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)

LINEUP

  • The Dragon, The Texas Tornado, & The British Bulldog vs. The Warlord and Power & Glory (**1/2)
  • Bret Hart [c] vs. Mr. Perfect for the WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (****1/4)
  • The Bushwhackers vs. The Natural Disasters (*)
  • Ted DiBiase [c] vs. Virgil for the MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIP (****)
  • JAILHOUSE MATCH: The Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie (*1/2)
  • STREET FIGHT: The Nasty Boys [c] vs. The Legion of Doom for the WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (**)
  • Greg Valentine vs. Irwin R. Schyster (*1/2)
  • THE MATCH IN MADE IN HELL: Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Gen. Adnan, & Col. Mustafa [w/ Sid Justice as the Special Guest Referee (*1/4)
  • THE MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: The Wedding of Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth (NR)

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‘WCW SPRING STAMPEDE 1999’ Recap + Review – Four Corners World Title Match, Goldberg vs. Nash, New U.S. Champ Crowned

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DATE: April 11, 1999
VENUE: Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, WA)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, & “The Professor” Mike Tenay
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

The World Heavyweight Championship is up for grabs in the main event as  Ric Flair defends against Hollywood Hogan, Sting, and Diamond Dallas Page in a Four Corners Match with the returning “Macho Man” Randy Savage as the special guest referee. Also on the show the United States Championship is decided as Booker T takes on Scott Steiner, Hak battles Bam Bam Bigelow in a Hardcore match, Goldberg finally gets his hands on Kevin Nash after losing the World Title (and streak) to him back in December, and most importantly IT’S THE FIRST PPV WITH THE NEW LOGO THAT ONLY I LIKE, APPARENTLY.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Vacant
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Booker T
  • WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION: Rey Mysterio Jr.
  • WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Rey Mysterio Jr. & Kidman

LINEUP

  • Blitzkrieg vs. Juventud Guerrera (**1/2)
  • Hak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (**3/4)
  • Mikey Whipwreck vs. Scotty Riggs (**)
  • Konnan vs. Disco Inferno (*1/2)
  • Rey Mysterio Jr. [c] vs. Kidman for the WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (***1/4)
  • Raven & Perry Saturn vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (****)
  • Booker T vs. Scott Steiner for the vacant WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (**1/2)
  • Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash (*3/4)
  • Ric Flair [c] vs. Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (***)

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‘WWF WRESTLEMANIA IX’ Recap + Review – Bret vs. Yoko, Mega Maniacs vs. Money Inc., Maybe I Don’t Hate Giant Gonzalez?

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DATE: April 4, 1993
VENUE: Caesar’s Palace (Las Vegas, NV)
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan

Long regarded as one of the worst WrestleMania events of all-time, the 9th edition of the event really leaned into their Caesar’s Palace (parking lot) location from the graphics to mostly everyone being decked out in togas. It was an interesting experiment that many considered a failure. But was it? Was it really?

…

Okay kinda but I think I did end up liking the show a lot more than most people. Let’s run down the show and I’ll tell you why.

CHAMPIONS

  • WWF CHAMPION: Bret “The Hitman” Hart
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Money Inc. (“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)

LINEUP (Personal Favorites in Bold)

  • Shawn Michaels [c] vs. Tatanka for the WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
  • The Steiner Brothers vs. The Headshrinkers
  • Crush vs. Doink The Clown
  • Bob Backlund vs. Razor Ramon
  • Money Inc. [c] vs. Mega Maniacs for the WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
  • Mr. Perfect vs. Lex Luger
  • The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
  • Bret Hart [c] vs. Yokozuna for the WWF CHAMPIONSHIP
  • A TOTALLY FINE AND NOT ALL CONTROVERSIAL SECOND MATCH I WON’T SPOIL HERE

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‘WWF WRESTLEMANIA 2’ Recap + Review – Hogan vs. Bundy, Dream Team vs. Bulldogs, 3 Venues in 3 Cities

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DATE: April 7, 1986 VENUE 1: Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) VENUE 2: Rosemont Horizon (Rosemont, IL) VENUE 3: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, CA) COMMENTATORS: Various After taking a big gamble with their first WrestleMania the year before, the WWF decided to ride their wave of popularity and one-up what they had done … Read more

[PPV Recap] ‘WWF ROYAL RUMBLE 1991’ – Warrior vs. Slaughter, Virgil Becomes His Own Man, Also a Rumble

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DATE: January 19, 1991
VENUE: Miami Arena (Miami, FL)
COMMENTATORS: Gorilla Monsoon & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

The 1991 Royal Rumble features a WWF Championship match for the first time on its card as The Ultimate Warrior defends against the traitorous Sgt. Slaughter. Also on the show The Big Boss Man slaps meat with The Barbarian, The Mountie makes his WWF PPV debut, and oh right there’s a Royal Rumble match too. How silly of me.

CHAMPIONS

  • WWF CHAMPION: The Ultimate Warrior
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: Mr. Perfect
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart)

LINEUP

  • The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (****)
  • Big Boss Man vs. The Barbarian (***1/2)
  • Ultimate Warrior [c] vs. Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF CHAMPIONSHIP (*3/4)
  • Koko B. Ware vs. The Mountie (*)
  • Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase & Virgil (*1/2)
  • THE 1991 ROYAL RUMBLE (***)

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[PPV Recap] ‘WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1990’ – A Legacy Begins, an Egg is Hatched

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DATE: November 22, 1990 VENUE: Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, CT) COMMENTATORS: Gorilla Monsoon & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper Survivor Series ‘90 features a unique (and sadly one time only) spin on the Survivor Series format as the survivors of each match will go on to a final Survivor Series match to determine the ULTIMATE winner of … Read more

[PPV Recap] ‘WWF SummerSlam 1989: Feel the Heat’ – Hogan/Beefcake vs. Savage/Zeus, Warrior vs. Rude

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DATE: August 28, 1989
VENUE: Meadowlands (East Rutherford, NJ)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

The 2nd annual SummerSlam features a blockbuster of a main event as Zeus leaves the confines of BEING A FICTIONAL CHARACTER IN A MOVIE to team with “Macho Man” Randy Savage against his hated rival Hulk Hogan and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Wrestling rules.

CHAMPIONS
  • WWF CHAMPION: Hulk Hogan
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Brain Busters (“The Enforcer” Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard)
LINEUP
  • The Hart Foundation vs. The Brain Busters (****1/4)
  • Dusty Rhodes vs. The Honky Tonk Man (*1/2)
  • The Red Rooster vs. Mr. Perfect (*1/2)
  • Tito Santana & The Rockers vs. Rick Martel & The Fabulous Rougeaus (***1/2)
  • Rick Rude [c] vs. The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (***3/4)
  • Jim Duggan & Demolition vs. Andre The Giant & The Twin Towers (**)
  • Hercules vs. Greg Valentine (*1/2)
  • Jimmy Snuka vs. Ted DiBiase (*1/4)
  • Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake vs. Randy Savage & Zeus (**1/2)

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