Category: DVD/Blu-Ray Extra

SUMMARY:                         RUNNING TIME: 16:02 Min.

Nearly five months after his WrestleMania V I-C Title win, “Ravishing” Rick Rude would again face The Ultimate Warrior in this grudge rematch.  This SummerSlam ’89 showdown would occur at The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on August 28, 1989.  Giving Rude a ringside advantage is his unscrupulous manager, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, whose interference had previously sealed Rude’s title win over the Warrior. 

The match commentators are Jesse “The Body” Ventura and Tony Schiavone.  Also making a pivotal ringside appearance is “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, as he would be Rude’s next major feud.

Notes: This title clash has been collected at least times on WWE DVD sets: specifically, the first SummerSlam anthology (1988-1992); The History of the WWE Intercontinental Championship; and The Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection.  In his last WWF Pay-Per-View main event a year later, Rude subsequently challenged for The Warrior’s WWF World Championship inside a steel cage at SummerSlam ’90 in Philadelphia, PA. 

For trivia’s sake, Rude and the then-called ‘Dingo Warrior’ were once mid-80’s tag team partners in the Von Erichs’ World Class Championship Wrestling promotion.  

REVIEW:

It’s been said that far too few competitors (i.e. “Macho Man” Randy Savage) could consistently conjure up excellent in-ring chemistry with The Ultimate Warrior.  Among them, “Ravishing” Rick Rude is another name that comes to mind.  Beyond these two wrestling icons, it’s likely a steep drop.  Case in point: even “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig’s solo clashes with the Warrior, comparatively, were a few shades beyond merely watchable.   

It’s indisputable that this Warrior-Rude bout’s initial few minutes imply another glorified Warrior squash win in the making.  Patient viewers, however, are subsequently rewarded with perhaps the best I-C Title showdown since 1987’s Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat feud.  I don’t make this assessment lightly – given I’m admittedly a fan of neither Rude nor the Warrior. 

Rude and the Warrior’s SummerSlam ’89, however, effort readily surpasses the Honky Tonk Man’s endlessly cheap 1987-88 finishes – escaping the far more talented likes of Savage, Steamboat, and Jake Roberts, among others.  Specifically, Rude leads with a high-caliber heel performance that prompts the Warrior to keep up with him for over fifteen minutes.  The Warrior, in that sense, overcomes his ultra-limited power move set (and matches running only a few minutes) to appear closer to Rude’s in-ring equal. 

What’s peculiar is that Bobby Heenan briefly teases some outside interference, but then nothing actually happens.  It’s possible that a consummate professional like Heenan wouldn’t upstage Roddy Piper’s own contribution.  Accordingly, fans will get a decisive yet hardly surprising end to the first Rude vs. Warrior title feud.   

For a nostalgic return to SummerSlam ’89, this WWF Intercontinental Title match deserves re-discovery.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  8 Stars

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 10:26 Min.

This NWA U.S. Championship bout was contested at The Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD.  It was a semi-main event for The Great American Bash: Glory Days card held on July 23, 1989. 

Having recently turned heel, U.S. Champion “The Total Package” Lex Luger arrogantly insists upon the no-disqualification stipulation be waived or he will refuse to wrestle.  Eager for personal vengeance after his beatdown by Luger the month before, Steamboat supposedly has no choice but to acquiesce to Luger’s demands.  Hence, the bout subsequently takes place under pro wrestling’s standard title defense rules. 

At ringside are commentators Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.  The bout occurs inside a double-ring due to the War Games bout (Road Warriors/Midnight Express/Steve “Dr. Death” Williams vs. The Freebirds/Samoans) on the same card.

Notes: Steamboat’s then-wife, Bonnie, and their young son make a customary cameo appearance during Steamboat’s extended ring introduction.  Reminiscent of his 1986 WWF encounters with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Steamboat brings a presumably sedated Komodo dragon with him to ringside.

REVIEW:

While “The Total Package” falls short of the same match chemistry that “Ravishing” Rick Rude had with Ricky Steamboat, the end result is still solid.  Both the spry Steamboat and Luger (despite his somewhat limited move set) ensure that fans are entertained by a well-choreographed brawl.  Though heavily alluded to beforehand, the match’s inevitably cheap finish isn’t as bad as it may sound. 

If anything, Steamboat’s rarely seen sadistic streak makes Luger evidently his most ‘hated’ adversary since his epic 1987 WWF Intercontinental Title feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage.  Given its less-than-decisive ending, this slightly-above-average showdown isn’t necessarily must-see viewing.   Catching a glimpse of the short-lived Steamboat vs. Luger feud, however, still makes for some fun nostalgia.     

Note: Prior to the NWA’s next Pay-Per-View, the inaugural Halloween Havoc ’89, Steamboat quietly quit the NWA.  Hence, his title feud with Luger was abruptly dropped, with Brian Pillman soon inserted as Steamboat’s replacement.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          6½ Stars

SUMMARY:           APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 30:00 Min.

On June 20, 1992, this non-title ‘Iron Man Challenge’ occurred at the Mobile Civil Center in Mobile, Alabama for WCW’s Beach Blast ’92. 

On one side is WCW U.S. Champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, with his usual ‘Dangerous Alliance’ cronies (i.e. Madusa and manager Paul E. Dangerously – aka Paul Heyman) ‘barred’ this time from ringside.  Opposing him is former NWA World Champion Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.  The bout’s stipulation specifies that the wrestler accumulating the most falls within thirty minutes becomes the winner.   

Prior to the bout, co-hosts Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff offer brief remarks.  Seen at ringside are the commentators: Jesse “The Body” Ventura and Jim Ross.        

Note: Steamboat’s then-wife, Bonnie, and their young son makes a customary cameo appearance coming down to ringside during his ring introduction.

REVIEW:

Supposedly injuring a caught off-guard Rude’s ribs, Steamboat dominates the first several minutes.  Yet, an aggressive Rude still racks up multiple falls to gain a numbers advantage over “The Dragon.” 

For some viewers, this gritty bout could be construed as dull or merely slow-paced, but what matters most is probably its last ten minutes. Demonstrating several flashes of their impressive in-ring chemistry, Steamboat and Rude save their best trading blows for the end.  Hence, the suspense factor kicks in, as Steamboat is forced to race the clock and still remain conscious against Rude’s hard-nosed onslaught.

Including Ross and Ventura’s spot-on commentary, this non-bloody ‘Iron Man’ face-off concocts a welcome deep dive into WWE’s video archives.  If anything, even with ex-WCW Champions Ric Flair and Lex Luger by then working for the rival WWF, it makes for great nostalgia.  Specifically, this ‘Iron Man Challenge’ is proof enough that World Championship Wrestling (two years before Hulk Hogan’s vaunted arrival) still had several wrestling legends, who could deliver the necessary in-ring substance.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       7½ Stars

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 18:53 Min.

Held at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion on December 13, 1988, this World Title unification bout would headline the AWA’s sole Pay-Per-View: the interpromotional SuperClash III.  At the time, in addition to starring in his co-owned CWA outfit, Jerry “The King” Lawler doubled as the AWA’s World Heavyweight Champion.  Opposing him this night would be WCCW’s multi-time World Champion, “The Modern-Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich. 

To stoke interest, Von Erich had recently lost and then regained his WCCW title from Lawler on their own perspective home turfs.  Hence, the winner of their SuperClash III showdown would be declared the AWA’s Unified World Champion – presumably, as a dig upstaging WWF World Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage and NWA World Champion “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. 

For this pivotal bout, Von Erich’s second would be WCCW promoter Frank Dusek.  The ringside commentators are the AWA’s Lee Marshall and Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. 

Along with a Lawler biographical career profile, this match is included on the WWE’s The Greatest Wrestling Stars of The ‘80s DVD set. It also is provided in the WWE’s The Spectacular Legacy of The AWA DVD set.    

Note: It’s all about the acronyms.  1. AWA: Verne Gagne’s Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association.  2. CWA: Lawler’s Memphis-based Championship (or Continental) Wrestling Association.  3. WCCW: The Von Erich family’s Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling.

REVIEW:

The Von Erichs’ 22-year-old World Class franchise essentially ended at SuperClash III, if not on paper.  However, an ultra-brawny Kerry Von Erich’s one-dimensional performance isn’t to blame.  After evidently lacerating his arm with a hidden blade in his ring robe (during the pre-match introductions), Von Erich proceeds with a game effort against Lawler’s opportunistic villain. 

While neither champion demonstrates much of a repertoire (i.e. lots of punches, trading single piledrivers, Von Erich’s ‘Iron Claw,’ Lawler’s brass knuckles, etc.), this bout is solidly constructed — up to a point.  Hence, neither the WWF nor the NWA would likely lose sleep over this second-tier competition between rival World Champions.

Including repetitive teases, the match’s fateful miscalculation is its gory, cop-out finish.  Curiously, the NWA’s Great American Bash ‘88 Pay-Per-View World Title bout between champion Ric Flair and Lex Luger had implemented a similar outcome only five months earlier.  Inevitable blowback from NWA fans indicated that Luger’s eye-rolling disqualification (or submission) due to blood loss was a major turn-off.  One visible difference is that Luger’s forehead bled minimally, as compared to Von Erich’s grisly head wound.  Still, why would SuperClash III foolishly risk this same tainted ending? 

One can reason out the tone-deaf justification.  First, assuming SuperClash III was even a moderate success, then the show’s promoters cynically figured they would get away with it.  Seeing an upset Dusek (along with a bloody Von Erich) protest to the referee during the match and afterwards definitely adds a semblance of real-world credibility.  Then, having a straight-faced Lawler concur with the referee’s decision to ‘protect’ Von Erich’s health delivers the cheating winner’s insult after injury. 

More so, a blood stoppage might have been the one dubious option that could be agreed upon backstage without anybody losing face.  That means the various promotions involved wouldn’t care less, even if fans despised the ending.  Regardless of any pride-driven motives, this Lawler/Von Erich title bout is still remarkably good.  The drawback is having a satisfying and conclusive finish replaced by some ugly wrestling politics.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  7 Stars

Notes: Ironically, SuperClash III’s fallout surpassed its main event.  For starters, the show’s dismal failure was threefold: it flopped both at the box office and on Pay-Per-View.  Most significantly, its dire lack of revenue effectively halted future collaborations between Lawler’s group and World Class, among others, with the AWA.   

Still, Lawler’s CWA and Von Erich’s World Class merged into what became the USWA (United States Wrestling Association) — an entity which Lawler would privately co-own with Jerry Jarrett.  By early 1989, backstage animosity had abruptly stripped Lawler of his AWA World Championship.  Even so, his Memphis-based USWA’s regional success continued, including a mid-90’s affiliation with Vince McMahon’s WWF/WWE.  

World Class, after merging with and then later separating from the USWA, quietly closed in 1990.  The Von Erich brothers, Kerry and Kevin, were reportedly among its last co-owners, along with Jerry Jarrett.  

Lastly, Verne Gagne’s long-diminished AWA shut down approximately two years after SuperClash III. Per its bankruptcy, the company officially became defunct by August 1991.