Something Different to Enjoy

Guest post from Chad.  

In recent writings, I’ve talked about my decision to stop watching TNA: Impact. After seeing the ending of the 1/19 episode posted online, I think I made the right decision.  Ring of Honor taped their final HDNET shows over the weekend. And while I still watch Raw, I usually feel I’ve wasted two hours watching the same show I watched the week before. 

So what is a fan with “the sickness” to do to get his or her fix of good wrestling on a weekly basis?  If you have the Internet, and if you’re reading this, chances are pretty good you do, there are some independent wrestling promotions that put their weekly shows online for your viewing pleasure.  I’ll state upfront that I am not a regular viewer of all of these promotions.  Not because of the quality of the promotion or show, but because I have only recently started seeking out online shows. Maybe in the future I’ll do an opinion piece about the individual promotions.

NWA HOLLYWOOD (http://nwahollywood.com/main/) Living in Hollywood myself, this is a promotion I should really start paying more attention to. Especially since they are now taping their monthly shows a mere mile away from my apartment. The promotion has a good mix of known indy talent alongside up and comers.  The few shows I’ve watched have had a nice old school production feel with modern in-ring action.  The promotion appears to keep storylines simple and do a good job of building up title matches. 

SHOWTIME ALL-STAR WRESTLING: (http://sawonline.tv/) SAW is based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Looking over the roster on their website, there are only a couple of guys I’ve seen before.  I haven’t watched enough of SAW to really have an opinion of the promotion.  The venue they run in looks like a seedy nightclub, which gives the show a unique atmosphere.

OHIO VALLEY WRESTLING: (http://www.ovwrestling.com/tv/) OVW used to be the development territory for WWE before they set up a new promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling.  Before deciding to write this, I didn’t know OVW was posting their shows online.  I have no knowledge of the current OVW promotion. Will have to give them a viewing. 

ELITE EXTREME WRESTLING: (http://www.elitextremewrestling.com/EXW/EXW_TV.html) Based in Arizona. Looks like they stream a weekly Tuesday show from Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill.  Another promotion I discovered doing research for this article.

I thought there were more online promotions. I wish WWE would put FCW’s weekly show online.  It would give fans a chance to see potential future Superstars showcase their skills and give them some recognition before debuting on Raw or Smackdown to a quiet crowd reaction. 

If you check out any of the promotions, I’d be interested in hearing your opinions on the shows.  At the least, the shows will give you some new talent to watch.  At the most, you might find a good alternative to your routine Monday, Thursday and Friday night wrestling viewing. 

Flashback Friday: A Black December



The Black Scorpion

Turn back the clock 20 years for this week's Flashback.  It was December 16, 1990.  I was a senior in high school and ready to attend my very first wrestling pay per view.  Sure I had attended house shows before, but this was the first time I'd actually be a part of the live audience. 

Starrcade 90 was being held at the Kiel Center in downtown St. Louis.  My friend Jim and I were wrestling fans and got tickets for the show.  Since it was our first PPV, we really weren't sure what to expect.

The card was stacked.  There was an international tag team tournament in memory of former NWA Champion Pat O'Connor.  That tournament featured a Rey Mysterio, Sr. on Team Mexico.  He and Konnan lost to the Steiner Brothers in the semi finals.  The Steiners would go on to win the tourney.

The event was to feature a tag team title match Doom vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a St. Louis Street Fight.  But prior to the match, they announced Flair was hurt and wouldn't be competiting.  As soon as they said that, they pretty much revealed the identity of the Black Scorpion, the guy who had been tormenting world champ Sting for several months.  More on that later.

Barry Windham ended up replacing Flair in the tag match and going to a no contest with Doom.  How does that happen in a street fight?  I always thought there were no rules in such matches.

Lex Luger also regained the U.S. title from Stan Hansen in a less than eventful match.  It was a Texas Lariat match.  Of course it was something that would favor the heel champion, so naturally he's the one to lose.

One thing that stood out to me that night was how over Sid and Dan Spivey, the Skyscrapers were.  The crowd went nuts when they came out and destroyed the Big Cat (Mr. Hughes) and the Motor City Madman.  

Back to the main event now.  Black Scorpion has been threatening Sting and making challenges in the months leading up to this match, which was to be held in a steel cage.  If you were a fan back then, you remember the cheesy promos featuring the Scorpion as he performed different magic tricks to get Sting riled up.  He turned a fan into a tiger at one show.  He made another vanish in thin air. 

St. Louis wrestling legend Dick the Bruiser reffed the main event.  It was your basic back and forth cage match.  I think by the time we got to the match even Stevie Wonder could see that the Scorpion was Flair. 

Of course it would only take about month before Flair would regain the title, which was now the WCW World Title.  The NWA affiliation was dropped around the time of Starrcade.  I can't even remember now if it had already happened or not.  And about six months later Flair would end up in the WWF. 

On that night back in December 1990, I never imagined that would happen.  It was the first of many pay per view events I would end up attending in my life as a wrestling fan.  But it was my one and only WCW/NWA event.