Author: dtm666

I ramble about things.

WWF Summerslam 1994

Summerslam is hitting the network, so I guess to coincide with the challenge here on the blog, we might as well hit a couple of these up as they play.

This is one of the more “interesting” shows in that it features two big matches. In one main event, reigning WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart defending his title against his young brother and newly crowned King Of The Ring winner Owen Hart. In the other main event, both Ted Dibiase and Paul Bearer have Undertakers and the two fight it out to see who’s the genuine article… except it should be plain as day who’s the real deal given that the other one is played by some other due.

Should be fun, I guess… then again, maybe not.

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WCW Bash At The Beach 1999

So here’s the other WCW PPV show that I still have from the “old” days of VHS to DVD conversions; the 1999 iteration of the Bash At The Beach. My memory of the event is a bit fuzzy; the only thing I recall is that one of the matches took place in a junkyard… well, sounds like a good place for a WCW event in 1999, amirite?

Why am I writing “amirite” now?

Bash At The Beach was known for many things in its short history; it’s the event where Hulk Hogan would beat Ric Flair for the WCW World Title in his first WCW match. It’s the event where Hogan would turn heel and planted the seeds for the birth of the nWo. It’s the event where Vince Russo would cut his scathing promo on Hogan that planted the seeds for a lawsuit. It’s the event where… where a bunch of guy would fight in a junkyard in a hardcore invitation match for a crappy trophy.

Because, sure… why not?

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Finally Made The Jump To Windows 10

So I left the computer on overnight so that it can make the long awaited jump from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10… free of charge, which is so unlike Microsoft to make people NOT pay money for a significant boost. Though I’ve obviously not used it much thus far – I only woke up roughly 30 minutes ago – it already feels faster than the previous version. Also, all of my apps (that I’ve tested thus far and seem relevant to my causes) seem to be in proper working order, which means the checker on the pre-install thing wasn’t lying when it didn’t find any incompatibilities.

Of course, there’s always the possibility of something potentially fucking up as things progress – it is an early and free release, after all – but so far, Windows 10 has left a favorable first impression.

WCW Superbrawl VIII

San Francisco, CA – Feb. 22, 1998

I’ve got this on VHS, so I’m fairly certain this is the most complete version I’ll be watching unless there’s one floating around online that I’m unaware of. In any case, this is two months after Starrcade where Sting and Hogan locked horns in a clusterfuck of a match and Sting won the big one in dubious fashion… except he didn’t because shortly after, the World title was held up and so this show is where the rematch is taking place… everyone got that?

Yeah, me neither.

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BOOK REVIEW – Journey Into Darkness: The Unauthorized History Of Kane (2005)

“I think you’d have to be on cocaine to enjoy it.”
Blade Braxton, Wrestlecrap Radio

So, 2005 saw WWE release a fictional book detailing the story of Kane, the Undertaker’s half-brother who debuted in 1997 and caused a big scene… and then bit by bit, that aura dwindled with stupid stories like Katie Vick, unmaskings, and corporate Kane. Fortunately, Journey Into Darkness was published long before that last bit took place and in fairness, I want to give the author credit in trying to reconcile all these different plotholes in WWE narrative into one cohesive story.

I mean, the poor bastard tried.

The book is poorly written… sometimes it reads fine, sometimes it reads bad, and then there are moments when it is unbearable (but those times are few and between). Here’s the thing, though; I enjoyed the book because I like the wrestling product. There’s a certain level regarding suspension of disbelief that you’d have to attain in order to follow wrestling. If you’re NOT a wrestling fan, though, then this book will do NOTHING for you. You’ll be reading this thing wondering, “What the hell is going on here?” And while the story is certainly readable for the most part and isn’t remotely terrible, it doesn’t make any attempt to make sense to the people who are picking this up without prior knowledge of the wrestling product.

If you’re a fan of the Big Red Monster and are remotely interested in his backstory, then Journey Into Darkness is probably worth a look. The story does its best to explain the various inconsistencies with the Kane backstory, but is marred down by generally poor writing and the fact that this is trying to make sense out of a narrative concocted by a company who didn’t give a rat’s ass about cohesive narratives unless it was convenient to them. There’s a “clever” attempt to try and make this grounded in reality by using real names here and there while maintaining their hokey fake story and for what it’s worth, you can’t help but admire the attempt.

I don’t know. If you’re into trainwrecks in literary form or want to know how WWE makes sense of its nonsense (and fail), then this is worth checking out. Otherwise, there are plenty of more worthwhile books to check out – either within the wrestling or fictional realms.

WCW Superbrawl V (1995)

On tap for the Network, it’s a WCW Pay-Per-View from 1995. Superbrawl V… wait a minute. A WCW Pay-Per-View from 1995? That could only mean… oh no.

For those with no context to what I’m talking about, Hulk Hogan signed with WCW in 1994 and in his very first WCW match, beat Ric Flair for the WCW World Title. He’d continue to feud with Flair for a couple months before the Nature Boy was “retired” for a couple months. By the time we got to Starrcade, Hulk Hogan was defending the World Title against his BFF, Ed Leslie… it went over about as well as you’d expect.

Superbrawl V sounds promising, though. Hogan’s going up against Big Van Vader, the big guy who tore off Cactus Jack’s ear, the guy who dominated WCW for the better part of 1993, the guy who had been involved with an awesome feud. Surely, WCW couldn’t possibly fuck this up, could they?

Well, WCW isn’t around anymore… are they?

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