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WWE Wrestling’s Highest Flyers – Disc Two
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Disc Two
WCW Cruiserweight Championship- Chris Jericho © vs. Ultimate Dragon from Bash at the Beach 1997
Feeling out process and we reach a stalemate. Dragon fires away with some kicks and he grabs a chin lock. Jericho catches Dragon with a double power bomb and he follows up with a back senton for 2. Delayed suplex by Jericho gets 2. Back breaker by Jericho and he stretches Dragon across his knee. Dragon catches Jericho with a Saito suplex and Jericho comes back with springboard moonsault press for 2. Tiger Driver by Jericho gets 2. Jericho puts Dragon on top and follows up. Jericho goes to dropkick Dragon to the floor but he misses completely and Dragon goes down anyway. Springboard crossbody to the floor by Jericho and he slams Dragon. Jericho goes up and leaps but eats boots. Dragon puts Jericho on top and follows up. Jericho tosses him off but Dragon goes back up. Jericho dumps him to the floor this time and he goes for another cross body to the floor but Dragon dropkicks him on the way down!!! Jericho suplexes Dragon on the floor and he goes for a springboard forearm but misses and crashes to the floor. Springboard Asai moonsault to the floor by Dragon!!! Hurricanrana by Dragon gets 2 as Jericho gets his foot on the ropes. Inside cradle by Dragon gets 2 as Jericho grabs the ropes before the 3 count. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Jericho gets 2 and he runs to the ropes to send himself and Dragon crashing to the floor. Enzuigiri by Dragon and back in, Jericho catches Dragon with a Lionsault to the back. He rolls Dragon up for 2 and he goes for another Lionsault but Dragon attempts to dropkick him, which he misses. Lariat by Dragon and he goes up. Moonsault off the top by Dragon and Dragon tries to block a Tiger Bomb with a hurricanrana but Jericho rolls through for 3!!!
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion- Chris Jericho ***1/2 ( This is one of those matches where Jericho REALLY wanted to blow people away and steal the show but is too overzealous for his own good. There were a number of spots that messed up because they were going for the WOW factor and it took away from what was actually a really great match. They went all in when they have should have settled for what they were good at and would have gotten a better result. )
1-2-3 Kid vs. Hakushi from Summer Slam 1995
Feeling out process and we reach a stalemate. Hakushi fires away and he hits a tilt-a-whirl back breaker. Handspring back elbow in the corner by Hakushi and he works over Kid in the corner. Seated senton in the corner by Hakushi and he throws some kicks to the leg of Kid. Slam by Hakushi and he hits a Vader Bomb for 2. Nerve hold by Hakushi and he catches Kid with a backdrop as he attempts to fight out. Spin kick by Hakushi knocks Kid to the floor and he follows out with the Sasuke Special!!!! Back in, Hakushi goes up and hits a flying battery ram head butt for 2. Slam by Hakushi and he goes up. Diving head butt misses and Kid catches him with a dropkick, knocking Hakushi to the floor. Springboard crossbody by Kid and back in, he hits a sling shot leg drop for 2. Slam by Kid and he goes up. Flying Splash by Kid gets 2. Hakushi counters the spinning heel kick with a power bomb for 3.
Winner- Hakushi ***1/4 ( A very good opener for the show. Some hold this is really high regard as the Michinoku Pro style was pretty new and seeing that style being worked on a WWF event in 1995 was crazy. The stuff they did in this match was awesome but the whole body of the match was dominated by Hakushi with a minor flurry by Kid at the finish, so it wasn’t the most competitive or compelling match in the world but it was really cool for the offense they displayed that was ahead of its’ time. )
John Morrison vs. Tyson Kidd w/David Hart Smith and Natalya from WWE Superstars 7-30-09
Morrison targets the arm but Kidd backs him to the corner to force separation. Crucifix by Morrison gets 1 and he goes back to the arm. Kidd hammers away to come back and Morrison comes back with a flap jack. Break dance leg drop by Morrison gets 2. Kidd catches Morrison with a neck breaker on the apron and back in, Kidd covers for 2. He grabs a chin lock but Morrison fights out. Crucifix by Morrison gets 2 and Kidd dumps him to the floor. Smith gets a cheap shot in as we go to break.
Back and Kidd has a rear chin lock on Morrison. Morrison breaks with a back suplex and he fires back. Morrison cleans house and catches Kidd with a leg lariat for 2. Morrison clotheslines Kidd to the floor and he goes up. Smith stands in the way to prevent Morrison from diving and the ref kicks him and Natalya out!!! Morrison catches Kidd with a spinning pescado to the floor and back in, he covers for 2. Spinning heel kick by Kidd gets 2. Kidd works Morrison over in the corner and Morrison rolls through an O’Connor roll for 2!!! Low dropkick by Kidd gets 2. Morrison rolls through a sunset flip and hits a basement knee strike. Starship Pain by Morrison gets 3.
Winner- John Morrison ***1/4 ( Good match. Kidd and the Hart Dynasty did some solid heel work in the match and Morrison was firing on all cylinders, as this was during the biggest push of his career and he was part of the crew that was putting out great matches on a weekly basis on Smackdown, and this was another solid notch on Morrison’s belt for the year. )
Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships- Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) © vs. Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) from WWF WrestleMania XVI
Edge and Christian attack to start and Christian catches Matt with a dropkick. Spinning heel kick by Edge to D-Von. Whisper in the Wind by Jeff to Bubba and Bubba comes back with a back drop. Bubba Bomb to Jeff and Matt and Christian prevent each other from climbing. Jeff hits Poetry in Motion into a ladder onto Bubba and the Hardy Boyz clothesline Edge with a ladder. Matt hits a second rope elbow drop onto D-Von on a ladder. DDT by Jeff to Bubba and he goes up. He goes for the 450 splash but misses and crashes onto the ladder!!!! Bubba hits a second rope back senton onto the ladder on top of Jeff!!!! Edge goes up and rides a ladder onto another one on top of Matt. D-Von hits a second rope leg drop onto a ladder on top of Edge. Bubba does the Terry Funk ladder spot but Edge and Christian catch him with a double dropkick. They flap jack D-Von onto a ladder in the corner and Christian climbs a ladder. He dives onto Bubba and Matt on the floor!!! Jeff climbs but Edge goes up and takes Jeff off the ladder with a Spear!!! Edge climbs but Matt takes him off with Splash Mountain. Matt climbs but D-Von tosses him off. D-Von climbs but Christian tosses a ladder at him to bring him down. Christian climbs but Bubba follows and takes him off with an Ace Crusher!!!! The Hardyz climb and hit a flying leg drop/flying splash combo off the ladders onto Bubba!!!! D-Von climbs but Edge and Christian follow up and take him off with a double superplex!!! The Hardyz and Edge and Christian climb and they each other down to the mat. All six men climb and the ladders tip over, bringing everyone crashing all over the ring!!! The Dudleyz sandwich Christian between some ladders and they catch Edge with the 3D. The Dudleys bring out some tables and they set up a platform on two ladders using a table. Bubba sends Matt into the steps and he sets a table up on the floor. D-Von puts Jeff on a table and climbs a ladder. He misses a diving head butt and crashes through the table!!! Bubba power bombs Matt off the announce table through a table!!! Bubba tosses a ladder at Jeff and he sets a ladder up in the entrance way. Bubba puts Jeff on the table but Christian drills Bubba in the head with a ring bell, placing him on the table. Jeff climbs the ladder and HITS A SWANTON BOMB THROUGH THE TABLE!!! Back in, D-Von hits the Electric Chair on Christian and Matt catches him with the Twist of Fate. Matt and Christian climb onto the platform and they slug it out. Edge SHOVES MATT OFF THE PLATFORM THROUGH A TABLE!!!! Edge and Christian grab the belts!!!!
Winners and NEW WWF Tag Team Champions- Edge and Christian ****1/2 ( This was an amazing spectacle and is the forgotten classic of the series between these three teams. The spots early involving the ladder were awesome, they went at a great pace where everyone had time to sell the impact of the spots and I love the use of the tables during the match, as it helped get the Dudley Boyz over at the next level like the initial ladder match helped Edge, Christian, and the Hardyz a couple of months prior. Jeff’s Swanton on the floor is an iconic WrestleMania moment and this cemented these three teams as the heart and soul of the tag division for the next two years. )
Elimination Match- Yoshohiro Tajiri w/Mikey Whipwreck and Sinister Minister vs. Little Guido Maritato w/FBI vs. Super Crazy from ECW One Night Stand 2005
Guido gets dumped to start and Crazy hits a tilt-a-whirl back breaker on Tajiri. Handspring back elbow by Tajiri and Guido tilt-a-whirls into the cross arm breaker. Crazy breaks with a standing moonsault. Basement dropkick by Crazy and Tajiri gets one as well. Baseball slide by Crazy and he looks to dive but Mamaluke trips him up. Sicilian Slice by Guido and Crazy bails. They brawl in the crowd and Crazy HITS A MOONSAULT OFF THE BALCONY ONTO THE FBI!!!!!! Back in, Tajiri catches Crazy with the Tarantula. Punches in the corner by Crazy and the FBI pull Crazy into the post. Big Guido goes to power bomb Tajiri but Minister clips him. Tajiri takes out the FBI and Whipwreck catches Guido with a Whipper Snapper off the top on Guido. Tajiri covers for 3. Little Guido is eliminated.
Lionsault by Crazy gets 2. Tajiri counters a power bomb with a DDT for 2. Fireman’s carry slam by Crazy and he hits 2/3 of the triple moonsault. Whipwreck blocks the third and Crazy catches Tajiri with a power bomb. Crazy goes up and hits the moonsault for 3.
Winner- Super Crazy **1/2 ( This match exisited for Super Crazy to dive off the balcony and I’m fine with that. This match was bit around nostalgia so all the interference was all in good fun and it was very spot heavy so the crowd got to see all these’s guys signature maneuvers one more time. They’ve done better work in the glory days of ECW but it made sense to have these three in the ring together on the reunion show. )
Brian Pillman vs. Alex Wright from WCW Great American Bash 1995
Feeling out process and Pillman takes Wright down with a head scissors take over. Dropkick by Pillman and he goes to work on the arm. Wright escapes and he catches Pillman with a dropkick. Head scissors take over by Wright and he maintains the hold. Wright misses an enzuigiri and Pillman catches him in the bow and arrow. Tilt-a-whirl head scissors by Pillman and he misses a dropkick. Boston Crab by Wright and he converts it into the rear rowboat. Sunset flip by Wright gets 2 and he gets a small package for 2. Pillman goes back to the arm but Wright runs to the ropes, sending Pillman crashing to the floor. Pillman pulls Wright out with him and he chops away. Back in, they trade blows and Wright slams Pillman’s face off the mat. Big splash eats knees and Pillman grabs a body scissors. Wright starts to fight out so Pillman hits a gut buster. Gord buster into the ropes by Pillman and he goes to suplex Wright back in but he reverses, sending Pillman crashing to the floor!!! Suicide plancha to the floor by Wright!!! Back in, Wright goes up and catches Pillman with a missile dropkick for 2. Pillman pulls Wright to the floor and he follows out with a suicide dive!!! Pillman goes up and leaps but misses and crashes into the railings. Back in, Wright goes up and leaps but Pillman moves out of the way. Both attempt a dropkick and neither man can connect. They go up and Wright blocks the superplex. Cross body off the top by Wright gets 2. Wright goes up and leaps but Pillman dropkicks him on the way down for 2!!! Pillman goes up but Wright tosses him onto the top rope to block. German suplex by Wright gets 2. Wright blocks a sunset flip for 3!!!
Winner- Alex Wright ***3/4 ( Pillman was the perfect guy to stick Wright in the ring with as he made Wright look like a million bucks. Took some time to find their rhythm but the final stretch saw the intensity pick up and every near fall was hot as the urge and desire for both guys to win got bigger as the match went on. It gave Wright a strong win and these two would top themselves a few months later at Fall Brawl. )
Great Muta vs. Sting from WCW/New Japan Supershow 1991
Muta attacks to start and he hits a handspring back elbow in the corner. Back breaker by Muta and he goes up. Sting avoids the moonsault and Muta catches him with an enzuigiri, forcing Sting to bail. Slingshot pescado to the floor by Muta and back in, Muta goes up but Sting nails him on the way down. Sting presses Muta to the floor and he hits a slingshot pescado of his own. Back in, Sting grabs a front face lock but Muta backs him to the corner to break. Monkey flip by Sting and he goes back to the front face lock. Muta fires back and Sting catches him with a bulldog. Sting works Muta over on the apron and he goes for the Scorpion Deathlock but Muta makes the ropes to break. Spin kick by Muta and he hits a power drive elbow for 2. Muta grabs a chin lock but Sting starts to fight out so Muta throws an elbow to the head. Handspring back elbow misses as does the Stinger Splash. Back breaker by Muta and he goes up. Moonsault eats knees and Sting goes for a press slam but Muta blocks for 2. Another back breaker by Muta and he goes up. Sting dropkicks him and follows up. Back superplex by Sting gets 2. Sting goes up and he misses a flying elbow drop. Both men attempt dropkicks but miss. Backslide by Sting gets 2. Small package by Muta gets 2. Sting grabs the Scorpion Deathlock but Muta makes the ropes to break. Sting goes for the Stinger Splash but Muta blows the mist to block. Springboard cross body by Muta gets 3.
Winner- Great Muta ***1/4 ( This was the Muta show, as Sting was pedestrian but Muta was fired up and came across as a megastar. The work they did was solid but you would have thought they could have added some extra juice considering this was in the Tokyo Dome. Everything about this was fine but we have seen better from this matchup. )
WWF Hardcore Championship- Rob Van Dam © vs. Jerry Lynn from WWF Sunday Night Heat 8-5-01
They show off their athleticism before reaching a stalemate. Lynn catches RVD with a slingshot guillotine leg drop and he hits a cannonball off the apron for 2. Lynn sends RVD into the post and he catches him with a dropkick knocking RVD into the front row. Lynn jumps off the barricade and dives onto RVD in the crowd for 1. Back in, RVD slams Lynn on a chair and he goes for the Rolling Thunder but misses and he crashes onto the chair. Sunset flip by Lynn gets 2 and they have a roll-up reversal sequence for some near falls. German suplex by Lynn gets 2. RVD goes low and he hits a short arm clothesline. RVD goes for the split legged moonsault but Lynn blocks with a chair. Spinning heel kick by RVD and he goes up. Lynn stops him and follows up. RVD blocks a superplex and he shoves Lynn onto a chair. Five Star Frog Splash by RVD gets 3.
Winner and Still WWF Hardcore Champion- Rob Van Dam *** ( It’s kind of cool that these two got to wrestle each other at least once while they were in the WWF. This was tame compared to what they have done in ECW but RVD gave Jerry Lynn a lot here and the result was a really fun hardcore match that made a random episode of Sunday Night Heat a little special. )
Bonus
Kaientai (Funaki and Mens Teioh) w/Yamaguchi Son vs. Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) from WWF
Sunday Night Heat 9-27-98
Funkai and Jeff start. Jeff dropkicks Teioh off the apron after a cheap shot and Kaientai double teams him until Matt saves. Slingshot pescado by Matt to Teioh. Funaki dropkicks Jeff and he catches Jeff with a back elbow. Cross body off the top by Teioh gets 2. Tag to Funaki and he hits a corner forearm into a bulldog. Tag to Teioh and Jeff catches them with a double dropkick. Tag to Matt and he cleans house. The Hardyz monkey flip Kaientai onto each other and Jeff LEAPS OFF MATT’S BACK FOR A SUMMERSAULT PLANCHA BUT HE MISSES AND CRASHES ON THE FLOOR!!! Back in, Funaki suplexes Matt and Teioh goes to use a flag but misses and nails Funaki by mistake. Power slam by Matt and the Hardyz go up. Flying leg drop/splash combo gets 3.
Winners- Hardy Boyz ** ( They packed as many spots as they could in three minutes and you saw the Hardyz were hungry to impress, with Jeff taking an extra step and nearly killing himself just to get themselves over on a big stage. )
