An Extreme Review with ECW - Hostile City Showdown 1994

My Kingdom of Honor co-host and I are doing a new series exclusively for our Patreon subscribers where we are going to extensively breakdown older special events for various promotions. We are starting it with ECW and all the events and promotions we can find starting with 1994. To listen to the series please check out our Patreon site here.

Hostile City Showdown, June 24th 1994

Hack Meyers vs Tommy Dreamer

Highlights: 

Tommy tries to endear himself to the fans by grabbing a Rangers jersey and stomping on it. That doesn't work as he is mercilessly boo'd. Joey Styles tries to play off that he is the "NWA rookie of the Year" and is gaining fan support since he is no longer a pretty boy but gritty. The crowd has different ideas. The crowd chants 'Dreamer Sucks" as Joey Styles tries to sell Dreamer as the next big thing. Meyers drops Dreamer and the crowd cheers. An odd looking splash by dreamer gets the pin and the crowd boo's.

Grade: 1.5 Stars 

Thoughts:

Because he is viewed as a pretty boy, Tommy is not connecting with the crowd. This match suffered because of it. They can't keep running Tommy out there in this light and expect him to ever get over. This guy is in desperate need of a heel turn.

Chad Austin vs Don E. Allen

Highlights:

911 comes out and choke slams the referee that cost him the TV title. Then he choke slams Austin and Allen. Then Todd Gordon hits the ring and pushes down Paul E Dangerously. 911 choke slams Gordon for good measure. Tommy Dreamer comes in to check on Gordon and he gets a choke slam too.

Grade:  4 Stars

Thoughts:

This is amazing story telling. I love the fact that 911 is still so upset that he was DQ'd two months ago that he is destroying this ref and everyone else. Great way to make him a dominate heel.

The Pitbull #1 vs The Tazzmaniac

Highlights:

A dog collar match is going to finally settle the score between these two. This match doesn't take long before it spills outside the ring and into the stands. Pitbull wraps the chain around Tazz's throat and carries him around the ring touching corners as Tazz touches them too. After the third corner, Tazz suplexes Pitbull and gets the three count. Pitbull #2 charges the ring and the Pitbulls beat down Tazz

Grade:  1 Star

Thoughts:

The reuniting of the Pitbulls was fun but otherwise this match was not good, The pinfall stipulation in a dog collar match made no sense.

The Bruise Brothers vs The Franchise Shane Douglas and Mr. Hughes

Highlights:

Douglas and Hughes get jumped before the match but we quickly get to a traditional tag match as Douglas and one of the Harris brothers head to the ring apron. This match quickly broke down and turned into a typical hardcore match. Mr. Hughes has Ron Harris pinned in the ring and there is no referee. Don comes in, Stomps Mr. Hughes in the neck and rolls his brother into the pin fall. After a five count the referee enters the ring and counts the three on Mr. Hughes? 

Grade:  1 Star

Thoughts:

This was an uneventful match followed by a confusing and weak finish. Just bad all around.

Ironman Tommy Cairo with Peaches vs Sandman with Woman

Highlights:

A singapore cane match on a pole and Enter Sandman by Metallica brings Sandman and Woman to the ring. He spends a ridiculous amount of time lighting a cigarette and walking around the ring talking to the fans. Cairo goes for the pin and the referee refuses to count instead reminding him that he needs to retrieve the cane to win. Cairo goes for the cane and Sandman stops him. Sandman gets thrown out of the ring and through the time keeper table. The two men fight in the corner causing the cane to fall. The referee grabs the cane and puts it into the turnbuckle making this a much easier match. Cairo sees the cane is easy to get and decides to not take it. Woman throws Sandman a cane and he starts wearing out Cairo. The referee claims this is a no decision. Peaches comes in and Sandman pushes her down. Peaches covers up Cairo and Sandman takes the extra cane throwing it to woman who uses it on Peaches. Sandman grabs a mic and tell Tommy to pay your bill then continues to cane him before leaving the ring. Cairo is busted open from the caning.

Grade:  2 Stars

Thoughts:

Interesting story that was told and Cairo took a beating with that cane. Sandman is becoming a great heel, and Cairo is on of the most talent wrestlers I've ever seen. I can't wait to see where they both go from here. 

The Public Enemy vs The Funk Brothers

Highlights:

Dory Funk looks like the crypt keeper from Tales from the Crypt. Terry takes one to many punches on the outside and throws The Public Enemy into the crowd. Chairs come flying from the crowd and become a huge part of the match. Dory Funk gets the best of Rocko Rock and the battle continues far longer than it should have. The Funk brothers spend the majority of this match getting beaten down by the Public Enemy. Joey gets in about his 47th rip on WCW and WWE and the action spills to the stands.  Rock goes for a somersault over the top rope and hits Grunge instead of Funk. Dory is getting beaten down while Terry bleeds on the outside, Paul E and 911 make there way ringside. 911 choke slams the ref and Paul E makes the count. Terry Funk clears the ring and Dory makes the cover on Grunge while Terry counts the three. Terry and Rock end up in the eagles nest where Terry ties Rocko's legs with a rope and then hangs him from the eagles nest.

Grade:  1 Star

Thoughts:

Good old school story telling with the faces getting beaten down but it wasn't believable that they would come back. This got way to over booked with referee bumps and wrestlers making counts. I honestly don't really know why this match ended the way it did but it seriously was a cluster. 

Mikey Whipwreck vs the Rockin Rebel With Jason

Highlights:

This is for the TV title and as Mikey makes his way to the ring the belt hangs off of him like it is three sizes to big. Mickey literally gets his ass kicked from pillar to post and Rebel doesn't go for the pin after the pile driver. Rebel hits a sidewalk slam and goes for a lazy cover but pulls up before the three count. Mikey leapfrogs Rebel and clotheslines Jason for his first offensive move ever. Rebel sets up Mikey who falls down and Jason hits Rebel with a chair. Mikey rips the suit off Jason and then gets double teamed by Jason and Rebel. Taz comes in and goes after Jason and Rebel. The Pitbulls charge the ring and eventually take out Tazz. Match ends as a DQ since Jason interfered.

Grade:  3 Stars

Thoughts:

The match itself was really entertaining. I said it last time and will again. there is something really entertaining about a guy that has no offensive moves in his matches. I am truly interested every month to see how they pull this off and they deliver above and beyond my expectations every month.

Cactus Jack vs Sabu

Highlights:

Sabu comes to the ring tied up and escorted by 911 and Paul E Dangerously. Sabu and Cactus Jack waste little time getting chairs involved. Jack uses a frying pan to smack himself in the head multiple times? After all the carnage and hitting himself in the face with a frying pan, Paul E hit him in the back of the head with his phone and knocked Cactus Jack out for the three count. After the match more of the same continued with 911, Bruise Brothers, Mr Hughes, Shane Douglas and Paul E all getting involved. Eventually it was just Sabu and Jack in the ring and they beat the hell out of each other some more.

Grade 1 Star for the match add the after event promos and this segment is 4 Stars

Thoughts:

Other than the frying pan spot nothing remarkable happened. This was just Cactus Jack and Sabu being Cactus Jack and Sabu. Carnage via chairs, tables, guard rails and frying pans. This just became a hardcore spot fest and honestly wasn't a good one. Paul E's phone must be a Nokia cause he was able to knock out Cactus Jack and the thing stayed in one piece. After the event Cactus Jack held an interview where he spit on his WCW tag team title and declared that he lost his mind. He talked about how Paul E disrespected him by not signing him because he doesn't want to be a family entertainer anymore. Paul E then cuts a promo where he really puts over Cactus Jack as a mad man and one of the toughest people he has ever known. 

Final Grade: 2 stars 

Final Thoughts:

Not a lot of good in this one. Some great Character work by 911 and Mikey Whipwreck. Then add great promos by Cactus Jack and Paul E Dangerously but other wise.......meh

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com

The Wrestling Legacy of Harley Race

My Kingdom of Honor co-host and I are doing a new series exclusively for our Patreon subscribers called Wrecked with Rasslers. We are going to be choosing one wrestler and picking four matches or moments that we would want with us if we were stranded on a desert island. This series will focus on wrestling and wrestling only as the real-life stuff you can find else where. To listen to the series please check out our Patreon site here.

If you are a true wrestling fan, you needs to pay homage to the greats that came before. Yes there style was more plodding (especially in the heavyweight division) and a lot more cerebral, however no one could tell a story like the true greats of the 70's. We have great talent in 2019, Jay White, Matt Taven, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Cody, AJ Styles, Kuzuchika Okada, Austin Aries, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and so many more. As much as I love those guys (especially AJ Styles) it is hard to compare them to the true greats of the 70's

Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Nick Bockwinkle, Verne Gagne, Hulk Hogan (before Hulkamania) Bruno Samartino, Randy Savage. This list can go on and on but one name stands out and that is Harley Race. Harley had one of the best minds in the wrestling business and his matches were works of art. He was a true heel and had the ability to draw an emotion from the crowd like no other. His 8 NWA championship runs were all the proof that was needed.

Sit back and enjoy as I take a little trip down memory lane and bring you my four all time favorite Harley Race matches.

.vs Ric Flair, Starrcade 1983. This rivalry hit it's climax in a steel cage for the NWA heavy weight championship. Pomp and Circumstances play in a darkened arena with occasional flickers of light. After some silence a sparkler shines behind the obvious silhouette of the Nature Boy, he comes through the crowd surrounded by police and enters the cage. Race enters to no music and a chorus of boos. Gene Kiniski is our special guest referee. Flair gets introduced to a round of cheers while Race is boo'd out of the building, clearly establishing who the fan favorite is. One thing that's gets lost in today's wrestling is the build. Everyone wants that fast paced, high octane, spot fest style and I get it, that is fun. But if you want to make believable, two fresh guys should go in there and try to feel out and wear down his opponent with head locks and snap mares. These two guys are brilliant at that and great technical wrestlers to boot. The brutality that Harley race inflicts is amazing and he has a beautiful pile driver. The way he rolls his pile driver to protect his opponent but still make it look devastating is a thing of beauty to watch. A bloody Flair and Race put on a classic as each man tried to wound and wear done the other so one could get the upper hand. Flair hits an awkward top rope cross body trying to avoid Gene Kiniski who is prone on the mat for a three count. This is one of my all time favorite matches. It has a little bit of everything and the fact that my boy came out on top makes it better. You can't count out the effort of Harley Race. He delivered a great heel performance in his battles with the ref and the way he put over Flair. This is a 5 star match all the way and still almost 40 years later holds up as one of the greatest of all time.

vs Dusty Rhodes, 12/17/1979 In Madison Square Garden, the 10 pounds of gold is on the line. Vince McMahon on commentary and Dusty is in rare form with some trash talking and an insane amount of charisma. The American Dream is on fire early with a little shuckin and a little jivin some flip flop and fly and a quick 2 count to fluster the champion. Rhodes counters a suplex and hits an atomic drop, after the elbow to a fallen Race then goes for a pin. Harley is pointing to his feet on the ropes so the ref can break the cover without expending any energy on a kick out. The second rope diving head butt looks devastating the way Harley does it. His knees hit the mat before he hits, then uses his knees to catapult forward driving his head into Rhodes. The match ended due to referee stoppage because of Dusty's extensive bleeding. The crowds may have given us our first ever bullsh*t chant and I'm giving this 4 stars.

and Hercules with Bobby the Brain Heenan vs Hulk Hogan and Ken Patera, June 1987. Bobby Heenan grabs the mic and tells everyone to bow to the King Harley Race. No one does so he taps the mic and asks "is this thing on". Hogan and Race start things off with the Heenan family gaining the early advantage. After a blocked suplex and a couple right hands, Hogan sends Race up and over the top rope to the floor. Hulk listens to the crowd who want Patera to enter the ring against Hercules. After a lock up Patera shoves Hercules to the corner and Race catches a backhand from his tag team partner. Hercules checks on him and Patera delivers a double noggin knocker to the heels. In the good guys corner Patera and Hogan are playing a little right hand ping pong with Hercules. Hernandez goes for the bear hug submission but Hogan fights free and gets the hot tag to Patera. Race hits a couple of suplex's for two counts as Hogan breaks them up. After a snapmare Race misses the headbutt which allows Patera to get the upper hand and eventually the tag to Hogan, The Big Boot followed by the leg drop on Race while Patera clears out Hercules. Hogan gets up and punches Heenan off the apron. Hulk and Patera deliver a double clothes line for the 3 count on Race. 3.5 stars and an excellent job by Race and Hercules getting Pantera and Hogan over.

vs Tito Santana 10/4/1986. This one is in the historic Boston Gardens. Mean Gene and Gorilla Monson are on commentary and mock "hansom" Harley Race on his way to the ring. After Tito hits Race with a couple right hands, Harley falls through the second rope and slides on his back down the ring steps. Santana has a front face lock and Harley pics him up and carries him across the ring and slams him into a corner. Heenan distracts the ref and Race uses a foreign object and his thumb to rake the eyes and gain the upper hand. Santana gains the advantage and hits a couple double noggin knockers on Heenan and Race. A low blow by the King and Race is back in charge. After a back body drop where Harley doesn't bridge the referee hits the 3 count and declares Santana the winner stating that Tito lifted his shoulder before the three count and Race did not. Excellent heel work by Race this entire match 4 Stars.

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com