'Good' Pro Wres Streaming Links

[LWPD]

Tugboat vs Earthquake 9/21/90

tinyurl.com/kvm45

This was originally aired on Prime Time Wrestling from the USA Network....a precursor to what would eventually become Raw years later. It's a textbook 80's-mid 90's WWF 'big man' style match. Earthquake is played by former legit Sumo competitor John Tenta. Fred Ottman played the role of Tugboat. As compared to what is expected from today's big men...note the slower pacing and limited bump taking... along with the dropkick spots.

LWPD (the cartoonish characters of Earthquake & Tugboat...complete with physical taunts like the 'Quake Shake bounce' and the human 'Tugboat motion' are for better or worse relics of Vince's 'family friendly' creative past)

[Holland227]

Great work LW. I am in love with this post. Great matches from great events and shows. Thanks!!!!!!

[LWPD]

Stan Hansen vs Big Van Vader 2/24/91

tinyurl.com/psaay

This was from the the WCW PPV Wrestle War 91. The program was put together without much in the way of first hand build up. Then rotating booker Ole Anderson had called in long time friend Stan Hansen to work some shows...while Vader had come in by way of a working relationship with New Japan. Hyped as a 'dream rematch' from their previous encounter during a joint promotion 'Super Show in Japan....Vader was Inoki's 'top gaijin' ....while Hansen played the same role for Baba in All Japan. Under the given circumstance of a 'no job' policy these two did the best they could with what they had to work with.

LWPD (Vader and Hansen were two of the best working big men of the previous decade....it's a shame that opportunities in the once lucrative Japanese pro wres market have contracted in recent years)

[LWPD]

Shawn Michaels vs Billy Jack Haynes 1/11/85

tinyurl.com/hojvf

At the time BJH was a hot commodity with success in territories like Portland and Florida...it appeared the sky was the limit. Shawn had yet to make his bones in the business and was just a small Indy kid 'paying his dues'. In retrospect it's interesting to watch these two men who's career paths would go in radically different directions....I never would have expected it at the time

LWPD (Billy Jack Haynes was a 'can't miss prospect who did'...ultimately done in by burning his bridge with Vince and suffering a slew of personal problems outside the ring which caused him to lose focus)

"The lovely and effervescent Sunshine!"

-World Class Announcer Bill Mercer

[LWPD]

Stan Hansen vs Big Van Vader 2/10/90

Part 1
Part 2

At the time this was considered a dream match as it featured the top gaijin superstars from New Japan and All Japan against each other. Very stiff execution made even stiffer than usual because of the underlying tension between Inoki and Baba...who didn't want either of their promotions or stars 'shown up' during the match. While an inconclusive finish was inevitable due to politics...they really made the most of what they had to work with here. This match was famous for Vader being forced to remove his then trademark mask in order to 're-insert' his right eye back into it's socket!

LWPD (this was not the first time the two worked together...back in his rookie days in the AWA a young 'Baby Bull' Leon White worked in an enhancement role as Stan Hansen brutally worked him over in a squash)

[LWPD]

Lord Steven Regal vs Fit Finlay 3/10/96

Part 1
Part 2

This was from the WCW Uncensored PPV. At the time Kevin Sullivan was the booker and had a strong belief in the Eddie Graham 'card diversity' philosophy...using a mix of performer with diverse styles from top to bottom. Here both Regal and Finley were able to bring a mix of strong mat work, staggered pacing, expert ring psychology and a willingness to brutalize each other that is rarely seen in such combination. This makes for an excellent 'compare and contrast' with the Vader/Hansen match above. They bring an unusually high level of stiffness...yet mix it with other elements of pro wres that make for a match and story that stands the test of time...even with the poor finish!

LWPD (today Steven works under the name William...it's a shame that few in the US today know how to work a submission based style as it has really hampered his opportunities)

[LWPD]

Andre the Giant vs Kamala 10/85

tinyurl.com/gre5c

This was a steel cage match from Saturday Night's Main Event. Kamala was a strong sporadic draw throughout the 80's who actually did better business with Hogan than just about anyone on the entire roster. He was also effective in roles like this...doing jobs on the way out to elevate others when one of his tours was winding down to an end. Andre's back was deteriorating at this point...yet he still shows a great understanding of how to work the Giant gimmick...along with displaying uncanny athleticism for a man his size. The 'walk the top rope/flying butt drop' finish was an impressive reminder of what Andre was once capable of...even toward the downside of his career.

LWPD (Kamala had a very success career and rarely gets the credit he deserves as a touring draw)

[LWPD]

Black Cat, Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr vs Octagon, Perro Aguayo & El Hijo del Santo 5/93

Part 1
Part 2

This is lucha action from the AAA promotion in 1993. Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr worked as a major heel faction called Los Gringos Locos and for a period of time did monster business. Aguayo and Santo are both revered as legends....while Octagon was still in the process of establishing his legacy. While the VQ is poor and the finish is clipped this is still well worth checking out for historical purposes as it gives a feel for just how hot the AAA promotion once was.

LWPD (with it's mix of solid veterans and rising young stars like Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juvi....AAA was among the best pro wres promotions of the mid 90's)

[LWPD]

Bret Hart vs Ric Flair 10/12/92

tinyurl.com/gnsfo

This was the surprise title change from Saskatoon, Canada that took place at the monthly TV tapings. At the time the company was undergoing inner turmoil as in addition to the ominous shadow of the steroid controversy there was a major falling out with chosen heir apparent to the title the Ultimate Warrior (UW would go on to 'walk out' on the next PPV with angles already shot and very little notice). With the writing on the wall Vince took a gamble from with-in and decided to elevate Bret to the top of the card. This match served as the transition. While promoting BH to the upper echelon was a real shock to many both inside and outside the business...it would prove to be a decision which would come to pay off in terms of his reliability, consistency and longevity.

LWPD (Ric Flair had a standard match template that he liked to follow in an effort to always produce a 'good match' regardless of who he worked with...on the flip side this would cause resentment from those capable of working 'outside' his cookie cutter and who were critical of the formula's composition)

"If you watch Flair's matches you'll see that he usually made himself at the expense of his opponents, something I was famous for not doing."

-Bret Hart

[gwffantrav]

Dang, I never knew this was on tape...never had saw it on WWE TV back in the day.

[LWPD]

Big Stevie Cool vs Little Guido 4/97

tinyurl.com/js2dc

This is worth a look as it's the first example of WWF/ECW cross promotion. It gives an indication of how much Vince was comfortable with allowing ECW wrestlers to do in the ring...and how much he would allow Paul Heyman to say at the time. Stevie is known today as Steven Richards and LG has morphed into Nunzio. This Raw was taped at the Manhattan Center...which Vince thought would give the product a 'tighter' feel. Business was down at the time and VKM experimented with concepts like smaller venues and the ECW cross promotion in an effort to catch fire.

LWPD (Paul Heyman will once again be getting an office at Titan Tower in conjunction with his position in the new ECW project...given his prior history this could be an impending disaster just waiting to happen)

[LWPD]

Mike Awesome Vs Masato Tanaka 12/17/99

tinyurl.com/qv9a8

This was from ECW on the old Friday Night Spike TV show. Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome had worked together in Japan for Onita's Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW) and had perfected a 'high impact/garbage style' spot fest match. With ECW at a critical point in it's history...ravaged by injuries and the defections of key talent...booker Paul Heyman chose to feature the program and use it as a vehicle to instantly elevate Awesome to the upper echelon. While blatantly 'raising the bar' and encouraging such a brutal and dangerous style has drawbacks on several levels...it was a desperate point in time for the promotion. Edited the way it was you see all the high points which are fun to watch...from a safe 'consequence free' distance.

LWPD (although aged...these two actually stoled the show at the last ECW One Night Stand...it'll be interesting to see if Vince allows for such recklessness in the 'new' ECW)

[LWPD]

Mr. Perfect vs Ric Flair 1/25/93

tinyurl.com/pk5qe

This was from Monday Night Raw and was Ric Flair's swan song from his initial WWF run. RF left Vince on good terms and put over the rejuvenated Curt Hennig on his way out in this Loser Leaves Town match. Curt was attempting another comeback after being sidelined with a back injury. Here he shows he could still go.

LWPD (looking back the WCW stars who went for runs in the WWF (Luger, Flair, Dusty, Arn, The Steiners, The Road Warriors) almost always went back....the guaranteed money they got from Turner would always prove to be more attractive than their market value in the WWF)

[LWPD]

Kenta Kobashi vs. Big Boss Man 7/93

tinyurl.com/hmf4x

This was from All Japan where BBM worked a summer tour for Baba in 93. Here he takes on AJPW stalwart Kenta Kobashi. If one ever questioned the skills of Ray Traylor...this match should give a fresh perspective of what he was capable of doing given the right setting and opponent.

LWPD (Ray Traylor was a very talented big man who was surprisingly agile for his size...his WCW program with Vader is well worth tracking down)

[LWPD]

Sable/Torrie Wilson vs Miss Jackie/Stacy Keibler 2/27/04

tinyurl.com/n8xed

This was the 'first ever' Playboy Evening Gown Match from Wrestlemania 20. It highlights the strengths of the softer WWE Diva style that Vince has moved toward after the failure of the Fit Finley 'make it serious' approach. The goal has been to give the fans a different entertainment payoff from the traditional formula of 'women wrestlers cloning male in ring content'. Here you see a tightly focused segment that tells a short story _WITHOUT_ carbon copying the male wrestlers as unique 'Diva Spots' substitute for the content the men tend to perform and serves as a point of differentiation between the two..

LWPD (for a compare and contrast of how the cosmetic and in ring proficiency expectations have evolved in Vince's presentation of women in pro wres one may want to check out WM 1 Wendi Richter/Leilani Kai and WM 10 Alundra Blayze/Leilani Kai)

[LWPD]

Hart Foundation vs. Demolition 8/27/90

tinyurl.com/pje2u

This was a 2 out of 3 falls match from Summerslam 90. Demolition at the time was comprised of Smash (Barry Darsow) and Crush (played by Bryan Adams). Ax (Bill Eadie) was out due to an injury so the WWF invoked the old Freebird rule where any 2 members of the team could defend the title. At the time the Road Warriors had just made the jump over to Vince for their first run...with the underlying tension of a 'Dream Match Showdown' with Demolition playing a side story. Bret and Darsow anchor this match and turn it into a classic that still stands the test of time.

LWPD (originally labeled as a cheap imitation...with time Demolition proved to actually be a better in ring unit than the RW's and had come to carve their own niche longevity wise...yet for whatever reason once Hawk and Animal hit they were quickly jobbed out and fell into a state of oblivion)

[LWPD]

Great Muta vs. Sting 11/22/92

This was from New Japan. Sting was 'leased out' for sporadic tours in a talent exchange program where Muta himself directly booked Sting's programs. The two always worked well together and this match stands as one such an example.

LWPD (Sting and Muta found success both programed against each and teaming in NJPW...both had a 'sports entertainment' feel which got over with the audience and enabled them to mesh well together)

[LWPD]

The Road Warriors vs. The Funks 10/19/85

tinyurl.com/f47wc

This match took place in All Japan and was toward the tail end of Terry & Dory's run as bookers for Baba. Hawk and Animal had already cemented a name for themselves in the States and their gimmick quickly got over in Japan through formula matches like this. An interesting glimpse of two 'name' gaijin tag teams going against each other...albeit at different stages of their respective careers.

LWPD (the Road Warriors have often been criticized as 'poor in ring workers'...yet truth be told few in the business have left a track record behind that can match their world wide drawing power or longevity....impressive hallmarks to remember when judging their careers)

[countnecros]

Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuto vs Manami Toyota & Mariko Yoshida




NJPW & WCW Collision in Korea, a pretty good match with four great women wrestlers, although Eric Bischoff is a little painful on the commentary. This match started the brief surge of Japanese womens wrestling stateside with both WWF and WCW bringing in several Japaense women wrestlers to fight.

[LWPD]

Chris Jericho/Lance Storm vs Heavenly Bodies 8/5/94

tinyurl.com/gmcvl

This was from Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling which was financially backed by music mogul Rick Rubin. Here a young Chris Jericho (competing with a legit broken arm) teams with Lance Storm as the two comprised the 'sugar pop' duo of The Thrill Seekers. The Heavenly Bodies were the tandem of Tom Pritchard & Jimmy Del Rey. Aside from the solid wrestling..this match is best remembered for the unsightly Jericho blade job.

LWPD (Jericho was a great all around performer who never really achieved his full potential...it'll be interesting to see if he gets the itch to ever come back)

"If Smoky Mountain Wrestling does not succeed, then I will concede that the world will not support and does not want real wrestling anymore, in which case I'll find something else to do."

- Jim Cornette in 1995 before SMW went belly up...to this day he still fails to concede