Pro Wrestling Love vol. 3: Best of WCW in 1995-2001 (Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, DDP)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

My mom has been talking a big game about what she is going to do with her retirement money. She keeps pushing that she wants to buy a pizza shop or a deli. Today, she switched gears to opening up a shoot catch wrestling promotion because she was afraid that they were going to force Becky Lynch into letting Charlotte win. Now this is an idea I can get behind!

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 3:

The Greatest Matches of WCW in 1995-2001

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram @superstarsleeze or at ProWrestlingOnly.com as Superstar Sleeze to continue the discussion. 

Subject: This third volume of Pro Wrestling Love finishes the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in World Championship Wrestling from 1995-2001 (hey  I completed something!). The years were selected based on Hulk Hogan’s arrival in July of 1994 completely reimagining the company in his likeness. I would argue that similar reimagining happened when Vince Russo took over the booking in October of 1999, but WCW was so terrible from October of 1999 to end, March of 2001 that is not worth doing a separate blog on that. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Ratings: The #1 match is a mortal lock for my final list. The #2 match will most likely be my #100, just a personal favorite match of mine. #3 is gonna be a heartbreaker for me, but I think it is on the outside looking in. Then #4-#6 won’t make the final list. As you will see, I will really rave about all six matches and you will probably think it is crazy that only two of these matches will make the list, but that’s how much amazing wrestling is out there.  

The Father's Day Brawl!

The Top Six Matches of World Championship Wrestling from 1995-2001

#6. WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs Chris Benoit – SuperBrawl VIII

WCW Match of the Year, 1998

For a critically acclaimed wrestler, Chris Benoit lacks a clearly define canon. I think a lot of people would blame WCW and their promotional machine for that. A lot of critics would claim that WCW was not an environment conducive for Benoit to put on classics, to put on good matches yes, but not classics. Benoit always remained over in WCW even when he was not being pushed. His 1997 was pretty pedestrian aimlessly feuding with the Dungeon of Doom and being affiliated with a dying Four Horsemen. In late ’97, he started a feud with Raven and his Flock and this began Benoit’s first singles push. His Souled Out ’98 match with Raven is pretty damn good and Benoit is over huge even with a lack of push. DDP was coming off his major feud with Savage and just won the United States Championship from Curt Hennig. These two did a respect feud going into SuperBrawl. My Dad loved to mock this feud because of how much they said “respect”. My Dad still makes fun of babyface vs babyface feuds where “respect” is a major part.  

As far as I know, I am out on an island by myself with rating this match so highly, but I am a-ok with that as this is just an absolute war. I said it above that DDP is well-known for his pre-planned matches, but they never feel rehearsed or forced. This match is a great example of that. Everything from an Irish Whip to the final Diamond Cutter was earned. Both men were like the Russians at Stalingrad, there was no retreat only marching forward. I once heard the difference between babyfaces and heels is that babyfaces always move forward and heels retreat. I love the simplicity of that statement. As these two men are babyfaces I love that both men are always moving forward. This is a great babyface vs babyface match. The rough and tumble collar and elbow tie up, both men tenaciously looking to apply their finishers early, lots of great mirroring going on. It was two men totally invested in winning the championship and when the wrestlers are invested in winning the fans will be too. Two spots that I think really speak to how much struggle was in this match. Benoit eats a jawbreaker and then just keeps coming with chops and kicks. He was not not selling, he was fighting through the offense. Babyfaces always move forward. Other spot is when Benoit fights like hell on an Irish Whip attempt and turns it into a snap suplex. To me this is pro wrestling. There is a really, really good nearfall sequence that was pretty novel in 1998, but would be the perfect trigger now for a “This is awesome” chant, the difference is this match those nearfalls were earned. The best spot of the match was Benoit shoves DDP off a Diamond Cutter attempt and Page immediately uses that momentum to climb to the top rope and leap 3/4s of the away across the ring and wipe out Benoit. The urgency! The desire to win! The out of control nature! I just love it. Struggle, urgency, energetic, chaotic and an investment towards winning all things I love and this match had that in spades.

#5. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Psicosis – Bash At The Beach ‘96

Rey and Psicosis came up together on the Tijuana scene. They were the Tom & Jerry of Lucha in the 90s. Psicosis the bigger of the two was the rudo. He was like a modernized Midnight Express. Tons of great bumping and stooging spots. I will never get tired of watching Psicosis go ass first into things. However, once Psicosis gained control just like the Midnight Express he had amazing, breath-taking offense. Just like MX even though he was so good, you never wanted to cheer for him. Not to mention, I think Psicosis may have the best costume in pro wrestling history. One part was how good he was as a rudo but the other part was being paired with maybe the greatest babyface of all time, Rey Mysterio Jr. What a phenomenon! I am so lucky to seen Rey’s run in WCW live. It was so revolutionary. His offense was sublime and completely shifted the paradigm. His selling is where he made his money because as much as everyone remembers the offense, it is the selling that made you invest in the man not the spots. That’s when you make money, when people are invested in you not your spots.

Rey and Psicosis had a vaunted, critically acclaimed classic in their home promotion of AAA on September 22, 1995. They would go onto have touring matches in ECW and in WAR. This would be the last of their touring matches as they would find a home in WCW. I have not seen the AAA match in years and cant remember it, but for my money at this time this is the best incarnation of their match. It is a true testament to how influential and important this match is that it is still promoted as one of the great PPV match openers on the same show that Hulk Hogan turned heel and joined the NWO. It easily could have been overshadowed, but that’s how good and revolutionary this match was.  

It would have been so easy for Misterio and Psicosis to just hit a myriad of mind-numbing highspots to astonish and amaze a virgin audience, but what make these two among the all-time greats is how they transition and build to those highspots for maximum senory impact. As I described before, Psicosis is the consummate heel. He knows when to let Rey shine and when to get heat for himself. It is so important to be selfless as a heel and Psicosis was so good about that with Rey Rey. In addition to Psicosis going ass first into hard objects, my other favorite Psicosis highspot is his gorgeous tope over the top rope just wiping out his opponent. On the flip side, Psicosis eats a crazy monkey flip on the apron into the post. For his part, Rey sold his ass off, great verbal selling, which is not used enough. When it came time to amaze, he certainly did with amazing hurricanranas. Even though the highspots are amazing and getting these two over with the new audience, their desire to win the match stops this from becoming just a spotfest and also the fact there is a great thread of neck psychology which is a touchstone that Psicosis keeps going back to whenever Rey goes on a fast break and the match looks to be getting away from him. Misterio’s Twisting Corkscrew Asai Moonsault is the crown jewel spot of the match. They had been blowing everyone’s minds all night and had established Psicosis as the nasty heel and Rey as the sympathetic babyface and then Misterio hits this and the crowd and their announcers all lose their minds. As revolutionary as this match was in terms of highspots, the reason it remains timeless is because of how character-driven it is. It is Tom & Jerry of pro wrestling putting on their masterpiece.  

#4. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
Great American Bash ‘96

WCW Match of the Year, 1996

A very polarizing match that I obviously fall in the camp of it being a classic match. This is Rey’s debut match not the previous match and I think that’s something a lot of people take issue with. I agree with them in a perfect world that you flip the order of these matches chronologically, but I don’t think this takes away from the greatness of this match.

The fledgling WCW cruiserweight division needed a shot in the arm otherwise it was going to go the way of the WCW Light Heavyweight division. It got exactly what it needed in the form of Rey Mysterio, a true overnight sensation. I think another thing critics take umbrage with is total lack of shine in this match. That is a very valid point. A debuting babyface needs that shine to get himself over with the fans. It is his way of introducing himself to the audience. It gives the fans a reason to cheer him and want him to win. Normally, I would be very upset about this, but the heat segment and comeback are so elite that this match remains to me one of the best matches in WCW history. The lack of babyface shine keeps it from being an all-time great match however.

They have a simple, but effective match. It is match all about space. Rey is trying to squirm away from Malenko and create space to enable his high flying offense versus Malenko wrangling Rey and suffocating him with his trademark chain wrestling. It is the perfect clash of styles. I love that opening Greco-Roman Knucklelock arm-snap thing Malenko does. It transition perfectly into an awesome Malenko heat segment where he worked the arm relentlessly with great variety. Dean controlled the bulk of the match, but he did not gobble Mysterio up. With no shine, it was important that Rey got in his hope spots and that is exactly what happens. Dean does a great job conveying frustration not being able to put Rey away. So when Rey can finally cut loose, he unleashes an arsenal of aerial maneuvers that wow the crowd and also demonstrate why Malenko was working so hard to ground Rey. The finish rages to a very satisfying climax.

The Star of my Mom's Shoot Catch Wrestling Promotion

#3. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs Sting – Nitro 4/26/99

WCW Match of the Year, 1999

GOOD GOD! Diamond Dallas Page knows how to lay out a classic. I wish he was a producer in WWE we would have so many good World Championship matches. Another feather in DDP’s cap is that he had all these other great matches as a babyface, the blue collar hero, People’s Champion, Die Hard, but here just less than month removed from turning heel, he is totally rocking it as a heel. On the other hand, Sting had an atrocious 1998 and honestly looked like one of the worst wrestlers I have ever seen. Here he was back to being the Sting of old that kid all hopped up on sugar and I mean that as a compliment.

This match is a great example of the positive feedback loop that can exist between wrestler and fan. The wrestlers delivered crowd-pleasing spots early popping the crowd, the wrestlers fed off this energy the crowd sensed this was popping even bigger and bigger and then all together there is absolutely incredible explosion at the end of this well. We start off as all great matches should with a long and strong babyface shine. DDP was bumping and running for the Stinger making him look like a million bucks. Sting was creating so much movement and energy. Fargo and the Stinger were vibing hard. I am a total sucker for the finisher teases. DDP sells his failed Diamond Cutter attempt by trying to walk out of the match, which I think was the perfect time for that spot. The transition to the heat segment was perfect: Sting doing the ten count punches in the corner, the ref is admonishing him because that is illegal and DDP nails a low blow. Textbook heel work there. The heat segment showcases the new heel viciousness of Page. Loved the finish stretch, DDP was really on the cutting-edge of US workrate the way he worked in so many nearfalls into his matches. They really crescendo into a raging climax. The failed Diamond Cutter late and the top rope Stinger Splash felt huge. By accident, Sting hits a safer version of the Ganso Bomb! This match really had it all. Sting blocking the Diamond Cutter and then dropping Page with the Scorpion Deathdrop to win the championship to one of the loudest pops you will ever hear is a great feel-good moment. Just an amazing Clash of the Titans, big fight feel that really did a great job with babyface/heel dynamics. Just a pure babyface vs. pure heel with a traditional layout, but the escalation was so perfect that everyone just lost themselves in the moment.

#2. Ric Flair vs Randy Savage – Great American Bash ‘95

WCW Match of the Year, 1995

The Father’s Day Brawl! This is perhaps my most out their pick that I will make out of all 100 matches that I will place in my Top 100. It will most likely come in at #100 as a way for it stand out. This could be my favorite match of all time as it features my two favorite wrestlers of all time. I have never heard anyone talk this match up besides me. It is so shocking to me. This match is not hidden by any means. It happened on a major PPV in the second biggest company. It features perhaps the two most popular wrestlers among wrestling critics. Yet I usually see ratings such as this was very good and baffles me because there is just so much hate and emotion in this match. This is a visceral and violent brawl. It is so chaotic. It feels like a shoot at times. The way Savage decks Flair from behind without any prompting and without Flair having any knowledge that it was going to happen was insane. That is so rare in pro wrestling. That’s what I mean when I say this felt like a legitimate barroom fight. Savage had every reason to be so pissed off because Flair had been going after his father, Angelo Poffo. The Macho Man was defending the honor of his dad on Father’s Day. He was just relentless opting for punching and choking in lieu of traditional wrestling moves. Constantly lunging at Flair, suffocating Flair even when he is begging off and even fighting from his back when his knee so injured he cant stand. This was Savage in all his Wildman glory. However, as great as the Macho Man was, this is still Ric Flair in there and Flair is still The Man. He bumps all over the place for Savage. He also knows he is in a fight and he brings that same violence back at the Macho Man. He suckers the Macho Man into checking on his father and clips the knee. The kneecrusher across the steel railing is perfect. They settle into that perfect rhythm. Savage desperately fighting from his back because he cant stand and Flair so smug attacking the knee at will. There is a very emotional spot as Angelo Poffo is pleading to the referee that Flair is cheating to try to save his son’s leg from being snapped in half. The finish sequence is a tour de force. Savage is fighting on one leg and but manages to get enough control to hit the Big Elbow, but he picks Flair up at two because that’s not enough. He grabs the ring bell and he wants to maim Flair and one can only assume the same way he did to Ricky Steamboat and crush his larynx. Savage ends up crashing and burning on the guardrail. I still remember how concerned those front row fans were because he hit so hard. The finish is superb Flair is a scumbag and decks old Angelo Poffo, Savage is forced to check on his dad and Flair knocks Savage out with the cane. Tremendous pro wrestling! You have never seen this before. Check it out. If you have, watch it with fresh eyes and be prepared for one of the most chaotic, intense brawls you will ever see, it really does feel like a shoot at times.  

#1. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Jr.  

Halloween Havoc ’97

WCW Match of the Year, 1997

Matches like these are always the most daunting in my mind to review. How do you add to all the thousands of words written and spoken about this classic? In my estimation, what makes this match stand out is how crisp everything is. I am not super into execution. I care more about character and plot development than being able to execute things perfectly. It really stood out to me on my most recent watch just how perfect everything was even though they were moving at such a high speed. Rey and Eddie were just clicking and both happened to have the night of their lives on the same night. I was also surprised how short it was. They pack so much in there that you believe it a 20+ minute match classic, but it is actually closer to 13 minute match.

The beauty of Rey is for all his crazy highspots nothing ever feels artificial or forced. There is no waiting for Rey standing there with a thumb up your ass. There is no overly orchestrated setup. It is Rey using his environment to create opportunities to go on offense and add weight to his blows. Rey was just so perfect on this night. Truly poetry in motion! Eddie was wrestling out of his mind on this night. This heel run is one of the best of all time. He was his sadistic best in this match. The sneer and scowl were on full display here and that translated into a medieval ass-whuppin’ on Rey. I loved how over Eddie was a heel at this point, big “Eddie Sucks” chants throughout the match. The stakes of this match are also high as Rey had to put his mask on the line to get this championship opportunity. The mask is attached to the bodysuit because of a previous incident on Nitro where Eddie tore it off causing Rey to lose the mask. So when Eddie is tearing at Rey’s mask all the while torturing Rey’s back, you cant help but want Rey to make that amazing comeback and kick Eddie’s ass. 

Unfortunately for Rey fans, for every breath-taking Rey hope spot, Eddie had a very literal breath-taking counter for Rey where he would knock the wind out of Rey with dropkicks, suplexes and even a massive powerbomb. The eventual Rey comeback, after Eddie slid into the post on a charge, was awesome and the crowd was him on every highspot. The finish stretch with the hurricanranas from crazy angles, missed Frogsplash and the forever famous Splash Mountain into a hurricanarana remains one of the all-time great stretches in pro wrestling history. Eddie was a mean son of a bitch in this match and Rey is the ultimate underdog. A perfect pair of characters combined with two men who were having career nights together and the stakes could not be higher with title vs mask. They could not fire a bad shot in this match.

I think after all this talk about American wrestling, it is high time we get the Japanese involved, what do you all say? Pro Wrestling NOAH is up next!