YouTubular: High Voltage

High Voltage was the tag team of Robbie Rage and Kenny Kaos. They were active between 1996 and 1998. The pair started together in the WCW Power Plant and took their team name from Matt Hardy. So says Hardy, but he’ll claim anything. They were mostly a jobber team, but had a couple high points here and there. They defeated several thrown together cruiserweight teams and feuded with Public Enemy, Kidman and Sick Boy and Harlem Heat. They also spent some time in New Japan feuding with nWo Japan. The pair split in Sept. 1998 and wrestled as singles, with Kaos having a brief tag title reign with Rick Steiner (bet everybody forgot about that). Kaos retired from wrestling in 1999 with Rage following in 2007, although he was never the same after shoulder surgery in 2000. Rage is now a born again Christian and personal trainer. Check out the Wikipedia page on the team. It’s more detailed than a Stephen Hawking physics book.

High Voltage vs. The Faces of Fear
Video Length: 5:05
Link

This is High Voltage’s debut from the June 3, 1996 “Nitro” Commentators are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko. Schiavone calls Rage, Ruckus.

Barbarian and Kaos start. Barbarian just manhandles Kaos until he can reverse a whip and Rage flies in for a double team hip toss. They duck a double clothesline and hit tandem flying shoulder tackles. Rage telegraphs a backdrop and he’s caught for a power bomb. Meng tags in and pummels Rage. Meng scores a dropkick and then a sidebreaker. Barbarian back in for an inverted pumphandle slam. Barbarian sits Rage on the top rope for a super overhead belly to belly suplex and Schiavone jizzes in his pants. The FoF hit the double flying head butt. Kaos runs in only to get tossed to the floor and Rage is pinned off of the Mafia Kick. Just a squash, but HV looked plucky at least. I forgot the Faces of Fear were actually pretty sweet in how they just dismantled people. ¼*

High Voltage vs. The Steiner Brothers
Video Length: 8:01
Link

This is from “Nitro” on July 29, 1996. Commentators are Tony Schiavone, Larry Z and Scott Hudson. This is Scott with his mullet before he became Big Poppa Pump. This was getting toward the end of the era where they just killed bitches dead in the ring. Before the match starts we see Lex Luger concerned over an injured Scotty Riggs from an nWo beat down. This was just the start of the period where the nWo killed bitches dead wherever they may be.

Kaos and Scott start with Scott getting a hip toss. Schiavone, still pretty awesome at this time as well, points out that Rick is not on the apron, but on the floor and scouting for a possible nWo run in. Scott gets a fireman’s carry takedown into an armbar. Kaos works his way up to break, but is nailed with a shoulder block. Scott scores a body slam and then hits the floor to talk to his brother. Rick tags in, but he’s still concerned with the back and Kaos jumps him from behind. Tag to Rage for a double team dropkick and double team elbow drop. Tag back to Kaos for a double team suplex. Tag back to Rage for a body slam and he goes up top. A flying shoulder tackle gets two. Kaos tries it, but Rick catches him in mid air for a body slam and covers for a near fall. Tags all around. Scott destroys everything moving. A tilt-a-whirl side slam on Rage leads to a butterfly bomb. Tag to Rick for a running slam into the corner. Rick knocks out Kaos and tags Scot for the Steiner Screwdriver for the win. The whole nWo storyline kind of threw off the match as the Steiners worked the storyline more than the match, but it picked up nicely and the storyline did allow High Voltage to look competitive. They looked a bit disjointed, but this was early in their history yet. *

High Voltage vs. the Amazing French Canadians
Video Length: 8:39
Link

This is from Oct. 28, 1996, “Nitro” with Tony Schiavone and Larry Z on commentary.
The Canadians are Carl Ouellet and Jacques Rougeau. Nick Patrick is wearing a neck brace to work some angle I half remember. The Canadians get jumped while the heels sing the Canadian theme song. HV for once hit the double whip to knock their opponents into each other. Kaos comes off the top with double axehandle to Carl’s arm. Hour two of Nitro starts in the middle of the match leading to fireworks and Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay assuming commentary duties. Not to mention a complete disregard for the match in the ring.

Jacques yanks Kaos’ foot from the floor and then tags in. Rage tries to interfere allowing the heels to hang Kaos out to dry on the top rope. The heels hit a double team big boot and slam. Rougeau then slams Ouellet onto Kaos. This triggers a USA chant from the crowd. Carl holds Kaos up in a bearhug for Jacques to hit a seated splash. They set up for the Quebec Crash, but the Nasty Boys hit the ring and take out HV. The Canadians runs out. No rating for the non-match. Jerry Sags gets a microphone and says Hogan invited them to join the nWo, but Hogan lied. Saggs says they don’t need to belong anywhere, but neither do Roddy Piper and Sting. So does that mean they’re a stable of loners? Brian Knobbs says they’re not liked or wanted, but they are nasty and they were nasty before nWo or WCW were even thoughts. They were born nasty. That must have been nice. “I’m not too sure what it is Mrs. Knobbs I just pulled out of your vagina, but it’s damn nasty.”

High Voltage vs. Super Calo and Villano IV
Video Length: 4:31
Link

This is from the June 1, 1997, “WCW Pro” with Scott Hudson and Larry Zbyszko on commentary. I usually don’t comment on the tech specs, but the video has a hum like a dying refrigerator throughout.

Kaos and Villano start. Kaos controls with clubbering early, but Calo makes a blind tag and the luchadores hit a double hip toss and double dropkick. Calo covers for a near fall. Calo gets twisted around working an arm wringer and Kaos knees him in the back to take over. Tag to Rage for a Nothern Lights Suplex. He hits a short arm clothesline and goes after Villano on the apron. It’s mere subterfuge for some double-teaming. Kaos back in to work the arm. Rage returns to work the arm on the mat. Tag back to Kaos. He misses a blind charge and Calo makes the hot tag to Villano, in theory. He slugs it out with Rage. Villano mounts Rage for a punch count in the corner, but Kaos sneaks in from behind to get Villano in an electric chair position. Rage hits a pretty sweet springboard spinning wheel kick for the win. Hudson calls the move the Power Plant, but Wikipedia calls it the Power Surge. Who is more reliable? You decide. Solid little squash to put High Voltage over. ½*

High Voltage vs. Public Enemy
Video Length: 5:51
Link

This is “Nitro” with Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan on commentary. Two weeks prior to this match, High Voltage defeated Public Enemy with help from the Four Horsemen. You may say to yourself why the Horsemen would mix it up with these guys, but it was Steve McMichael and Jeff Jarrett with Debra.

They brawl before the bell with PE reversing a double whip on HV and sending the heels (I guess, but both teams are getting face pops) into each other. Rage takes a double backdrop. Kaos takes a double big boot and double suplex. PE raises the roof while their opponents regroup. Kaos starts things off proper with Rocco Roc. Roc goes to the ropes, but Rage pulls them down to send him to the floor. Rage works him over out there before tossing him into the ring and screaming at the camera, “Loddy Doddy! High Voltage!” Loddy Doddy indeed. Rage comes in with a shoulder block and covers for a near fall. Kaos tags back in to take a big boot and swinging neckbreaker. Tags all around with Johnny Grunge taking on both men. Kaos takes a double backdrop and Rage is clotheslined to the floor. The crowd goes nuts! “D-Von, get the tables!” Oh, my bad, wrong team. Kaos is placed on a table outside and Grunge misses the fat guy out of control splash. Back in the ring, Rage surprises Roc with the Northern Lights Suplex and picks up the win. Loddy Doddy! A lot of High Energy, damn, wrong team again. I mean, the match had high energy, but the actual wrestling in between the hot double team portions seemed like just a courtesy nod. *

High Voltage vs. Public Enemy in a street fight during a rain storm
Video Length: 4:20 (really?)
Link

Ok, this is from something called “The Ultimate Music Video Feud” in April 1998. It’s outdoors in the rain with about a dozen people watching in ponchos holding umbrellas. High Voltage is representing Will Smith, and I don’t think it’s the actor from Any Which You Can. In an insert promo, Kaos promises to get “jiggy with it.” What happened to loddy doddy? Public Enemy is representing LL Cool J, because Roc says they’re the last of the old school like him and momma said to knock High Voltage out. These guys should be representing Vanilla Ice and Snow.

Commentary from under a tent is Tony Schiavone, Larry Z and Matt Pinfield of MTV. Only one of these men appears to actually give a damn. You decide. As Larry points out, High Voltage needs to be careful not to electrocute themselves in the rain. Carson Daily is in the ring and I can’t believe both teams resist the urge to put him through a table. They should unite to take out the greater threat. Referee Nick Patrick appears to be chilling with a can of beer. It’s not like he has to actually do anything in this match.

So, basically it’s just brawling and smacking each other with plunder. Public Enemy reverses the double whip again. The fight spills to the ground and Rage is thrown through a barricade. Roc hits a slingshot senton through a table on Rage and wins for LL Cool J. Word to your mother! I can’t really rate it, but it’s five stars on the weird-ass-shit-o-meter.

High Voltage vs. British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart
Video Length: 4:11 (really?)
Link

This is from “Thunder” with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Lee Marshall on commentary. The sound is a little choppy and the entrances are clipped.

Everyone brawls to start with High Voltage having their corner whips reversed as usual to slam into each other. Kaos rolls to the floor and Rage takes a double backdrop. High Voltage regroups on the floor. Kaos and Neidhart go at it. Kaos sends Neidhart into the ropes and Rage pulls his foot to trip the Anvil from the floor. Rage comes in with a slingshot leg drop. Rage knocks Bulldog off the apron, so he tries to enter which distracts the referee and allows double-teaming by the heels. Rage misses a springboard senton and Bulldog tags in. He takes on both guys. Smith hits a delayed suplex on Kaos and covers, but Rage saves the pin fall. Neidhart takes Rage out and Bulldog finishes with the running power slam, or slow walk slam as it were. Decent if too short power match with the vets expertly walking the young guys through it so they don’t look too bad. ½ *

High Voltage vs. Glacier and Ernest Miller
Video Length: 3:36
Link

This is from “WCW Saturday Night” with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Dusty Rhodes on commentary. Rage controls on Glacier to start. Rage whips Glacier into Kaos on the apron, but Glacier catches himself and pummels Kaos. Glacier turns around into a Rage dropkick. He doesn’t sense Miller behind him and turns around into a roundhouse kick. Glacier covers, but the referee is too busy trying to get Miller out of the ring. Kaos tries to break the cover with an elbow drop, but Glacier moves and Kenny nails his own partner. The heels taken stereo spin kicks. Miller comes in against Rage. Rage gets a waistlock takedown into a rear chinlock with body scissors. Somebody’s been watching the Greco-Roman wrestling at the Olympics. Glacier enters and kicks Rage in the head.

Rage tosses Miller to the floor for Kaos to work over. Rage covers for two back in the ring. Tag to Kaos. Miller comes off the ropes with a flying body press for two. Kaos struggles to push Miller into his corner to tag Rage. Rage hits a body slam and goes to the apron for a slingshot something. We’ll never know as Miller jams his boot into his mug. Rage tries to recover with a falling elbow drop, but Miller rolls out of the way and tags Glacier. He tries to take on both men, but Kaos catches him from behind with a full nelson. Rage charges, but Glacier manages to move himself and Kaos out of the way to make Rage post himself. Glacier hits the Cryonic Kick on Kaos. He follows with an atomic drop to Rage and Miller comes off the top rope with the Feliner for the win. A lot of action packed into such a short period and entertaining without being crazy spot heavy. ¾*

High Voltage vs. Vicious and Delicious
Video Length: 8:08
Link

This is from “Nitro” on Feb. 23, 1998. Vicious and Delicious were Scott Norton and Buff Bagwell. Commentators are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan. It’s mentioned Tenay invited his first grandchild into the world that week and this was over 10 years ago.

Bagwell flips Rage over his back off of a wristlock for a slam and then laughs at Rage. He gets a knee lift into a hip toss and poses. Bagwell always worked his character well. Rage comes back with a shoulder block and dropkick. Rage hits a press slam and Bagwell bitch slaps him. Rage responds with a clothesline. Kaos in. Bagwell cuts him off and tags Norton. He knocks Rage off the apron. Kaos ducks a clothesline, but Norton hits a shoulder block. Kaos gets a scoop slam and tags Rage for a backbreaker and leg drop combo. It barely gets a one on the cover. Tag to Kaos. He works Norton over in the corner, but he reverses. Norton posts himself on a charge and Kaos gets a clothesline. Kaos goes into the ropes, only for Bagwell to nail him from behind. He stumbles into a body slam. Bagwell in for a body slam. He nails Rage on the apron to allow a double team. Norton introduces Kaos to the guardrail on the outside. Bagwell blocks a sunset flip back in the ring and poses. This allows Rage to springboard in with a flying bulldog. Tags all around. Rage goes to town on the heels. Rage hits a high angle belly to belly suplex. Norton reverses a double team suplex try. A bit sloppy. Norton holds Rage for a super Blockbuster for the win. Another decent power match with the guys meshing well. * ½

High Voltage vs. Lodi and Saturn
Video Length: 10:19
Link

This is from the Aug. 31, 1998, “Nitro” with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay on commentary. The storyline is that Saturn lost a match to Lodi and now has to be his public servant until Fall Brawl. Lodi gives Saturn a sign that reads “I’m with Lodi” and Lodi’s sign reads “Hey, Now.” No loddy-doddy? Raven tells Lodi to tell Saturn he can’t put his hands on Raven or Kanyon at all. Raven then tells Kanyon to break Saturn. Raven tosses the microphone to Kanyon, who misses the pass like he plays for the Seahawks. Kanyon picks up the mic and chides Saturn for having pride and integrity and saying he and Raven don’t. Kanyon acts like these are bad things to have. Kanyon demands Saturn hit him, but he won’t because of his pride and integrity. Put that on a sign Lodi. Somehow the silent treatments works and Raven and Kanyon leave.

Saturn tells Lodi, “I would like to win, so I’ll start.” Hilarious. Lodi demands to start and goes against Rage. Rags shoves Lodi into his corner and Saturn says “do something, go get him.” So, Lodi charges into a clothesline. Lodi asks for a tag and Saturn takes his sweet time doing it. Saturn runs into a shoulder block and sits in the corner. Rage calls him out and Saturn runs into a press slam. Saturn allows Rage to go into the ropes and this time he eats a clothesline. He hits a gargoyle suplex and Lodi demands to tag in. However, Rage tags Kaos and Lodi backs off. Saturn runs into a jackknife powerbomb. Kaos works him over in the corner. Saturn fires back. Rage makes a blind tag and catches Saturn a little high for a belly to ball sack overhead suplex. Rage covers for two. Rage scores a drop toehold and Kaos slingshots in with a leg drop for two. Saturn comes back with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Rage runs into a fall away slam, but it allows Kaos to recover for a clothesline. Rage tags in to run Saturn into the turnbuckles then slams him. Kaos comes in with a leg drop to the back of the head. Kaos goes to the apron for a slingshot shoulder block, but Saturn moves and he nails Rage. There was a lot of miscommunication there for HV on what they should be doing. Saturn hits the Death Valley Driver on Rage and Lodi begs to be tagged in for the pin fall. This was just to advance the storyline, but everyone worked the storyline well in crafting a serviceable match. *

The 411: High Voltage worked well with other power teams and while they never had defined characters or running storylines, they could work within other people’s storylines well as the matches with the Steiner Brothers and Saturn and Lodi show. They had a limited move set, but that move set showed a great mix of power and agility. The early matches show some growing pains, but the later ones show good chemistry between the two with constant tagging and crisp double team movies. While they’re no Midnight Express, High Voltage surprises me more here than I remember as bringing a pretty serviceable mid-card team that could be used to get other guys over while still being credible threats to win a match here and there. If these guys would have had a manager and been put in a long running, high profile feud, who knows?

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]