Max's Matches #2 - Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton (WWE Backlash 2004)

Date: April 14th, 2004



Location: Rexhall Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada



Match: Randy Orton (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Cactus Jack (Challenger)



Background: Mick Foley is a man of many faces. During his tenure in the WWF/E from 1996-2008, the self-proclaimed "hardcore legend" treated fans to a multitude of different characters that each embodied a portion of Foley's real life personality.

Mankind, Foley's first gimmick (1) in the WWF/E, was tortured soul who enjoyed pain, physically abused himself and others, all while wearing a Hannibal Lecter style mask that was meant to convey the character's fractured self-view. Ostracized as a child for being fat and unpopular, especially to members of the opposite sex, Mankind represented Foley's self-view during his formative years while growing up in Setauket, NY, a small town on the North Shore of Long Island.

Dude Love, Foley's second character, was the opposite of Mankind. A character he invented as a teenager while attending Ward Melville High School, Dude Love was a late 60's sex, drugs, and rock n' roll hippie that was the embodiment of cool and a man who always, always, got the ladies.

The last and final character, and the one that is represented in this week's match selection, is Cactus Jack. A hardcore, sadistic outlaw from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico who would stop at nothing from defeating his opponents in the ring, even if it meant the use of various weapons which usually ended up in self-mutilation.

Foley actually debuted the Cactus Jack character on the independent circuit in the mid-1980's and in Ted Turner's WCW from 1991-1994, however, it wasn't until 1997 that the WWF/E audience caught a glimpse of this version of Foley. A version that would be used sporadically over the course of the next 11 years until Foley's departure from the company in 2008.

This match took place in 2004 and features one of the WWE's rising stars at the time, Randy Orton. A third generation superstar and the son of "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy needed that one big feud (2) that would make him a legitimate superstar for years to come. It's a time honored tradition in the wrestling business that older established stars, preferably champions, put over (3) younger wrestlers in order to give the younger talent the rub (4) they need. Oddly, Orton is the Intercontinental Champion in this match, however, winning a lower-tiered title doesn't mean your a star these days. If I remember correctly, Randy didn't beat the best competition on his way to the title. He was a heel (5) at this point and it makes sense that a heel wrestler would lie, cheat and steal his way to a title as...you know...bad guys do those sort of things.

Anyway, Vince McMahon called on Mick Foley to come out of semi-retirement for this match in the hopes that Randy would get that much needed boost by beating the hardcore legend in a match that was stacked against him.

With all that said, here....we....go.

Workrate: Wow, what can I say, let's throw workrate right out of the equation here as a sound technical wrestling match this was not. But it wasn't supposed to be. This was supposed to be a disgusting, sadistic hardcore match fashioned after the famous "King of the Deathmatch" tournaments from Japan during the mid-90's which used props such as barbed-wire, tables, trash cans, fire and C4 explosives. Yes, you read that right, actual C4 explosives. And who was the 1995 "King of the Deathmatch" you ask? That's right - Cactus Jack himself.

The first portion of the match takes place mostly outside the ring, a normal occurrence in hardcore matches, where Randy repeatedly hits Cactus with various weapons. We even get the now famous, "back suplex onto the steel ramp" which Foley always ended up taking during his WWF/E matches that had no stipulations. Yes, folks, that's his actual head hitting the ramp and, no, he didn't put his hand up. Now I know what you're going to say. Wrestlers fake these moves by placing their hand up and hitting the ramp or the mat to make an elaborate sound thereby creating the illusion that the impact was real. Yes, this is true for most wrestlers. But not Mick Foley. Mick literally made a career of taking actual hits in the ring because he believed that the more real things got, the better his performance would be in the eyes of the fans and his peers. Whether that makes him an idiot or a genius, I still haven't figured out.

The match continues and we get some truly awful images of a barbed-wire bat being raked across Randy Orton's forehead. Again, folks, contrary to popular belief, there are no "blood capsules" in professional wrestling. The way they bleed from the head is an art form known as "blading." The way it works is that a wrestler has a small razor blade inserted into the tape around one of his/her wrists. When he or she is hit with an object or a stiff punch that in reality would cause someone to open up via a wound, said wrestler puts his hands around his head, cradles into the fetal position to ensure the cameras have no view, removes the razor blade and cuts their forehead multiple times horizontally. The wounds are skin deep, but because of the amount of blood vessels in the forehead, the bleeding is much more pronounced even though the wound is not very serious. They take it a step further by holding their breath and breathing out through the nose so the blood comes out faster.

As the match progresses, we get several horrific sequences where Cactus ends up being embedded in a table full of barbed-wire and an even more amazing spot where Randy gets impaled onto a bed of thumb tacks. Seeing the thumb tacks sticking out of Randy's back as he gets up in a state of shock is enough to make even the most hardcore of fans a bit squeamish. Some more outside the ring brawling ensues and Cactus even hits his famous flying elbow off the rampway onto a stack of tables as Orton is helpless to get out of the way.

Crowd Involvement: I love Canada. I really do. These people know their wrestling. Some of the greatest crowds, minus the Bret Hart match I reviewed last week, have been in Canada.



Let me digress for a minute and give you my top 3 Canadian crowds:



3) Edmonton, Alberta: Not just because their featured in this match. Prior to the horrific events of June 2007, Chris Benoit was Edmonton's favorite son. I can remember watching an episode of RAW back in 2004 where Chris returned to his hometown as WWE Champion and the crowd giving him a several minute ovation. It's too bad Chris became a monster, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include this great town on the list.

2) Toronto, Ontario: Site of multiple Wrestlemania's and the crowd that turned Hogan vs The Rock from Wrestlemania 18 into my all-time favorite match. These people literally changed the landscape of the WWF/E in 2002 by their reaction to Hulk Hogan.

1) Montreal, Quebec: Outside of New York, NY and MSG, this is BY FAR the greatest wrestling city/crowd in North America. In fact, they might be better. Sorry brethren. The reaction they gave Hogan on RAW after WM 18 and their continued persecution of Vince McMahon, Earl Hebner and Shawn Michaels 10+ years after the Montrea Screwjob is nothing short of epic. Did I mention you can use both hands at Montreal strip clubs? That alone is enough in my book to own the number one spot on this list.



Okay, I'm back. What was I writing about? Oh yeah, strip clubs. So you can use both hands and the dancers take you back to this room and then they proceed to.......wait........that wasn't it. Oh right! Crowd involvement. Okay, well, the crowd was great here. They chanted the obligatory, "holy shit, holy shit, holy shit" chant when they should have and made the match that much more entertaining with their knowledge.

Finish: Made total sense and accomplished what Vince set out to do. Randy beats Cactus clean with multiple RKO's (Orton's finishing maneuver) and the story ends up being that the young kid took all of Cactus's abuse and best shots in match he owns and beat him. No better way to establish a rising superstar than that.



Footnotes:

1) Gimmick: a wrestler's character or persona

2) Fued: a storyline/dispute between two wrestlers that normally ends up in a match

3) Over: In this case, allow another wrestler to win a match/beat you

4) Rub: The benefits a wrestler gets from the fans after beating another wrestler

5) Heel: badguy


WWE Backlash 2004 - Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley - No Holds Barred

WWE Information MySpace Video

Max's Matches #1 - Excuses, subject revisions and The Hitman

When your first blog entry begins with apologies and excuses, I believe it's safe to say that we've started off on the wrong foot. However, I'm here to solemnly swear to all our devoted readers (all 6 of you) that I will not miss a deadline moving forward. However, I think it would be best if we all understand why I missed week one's deadline.


One word: indecisiveness.


Originally, my idea was to blog about what I perceived to be the biggest sports story of each week in the year 2010, then cook a signature dish that was aligned to the city or region in which the story or its subjects hailed from.


Huh? What? Say that again?


And therein lies the problem. The above idea was a stretch, and one that ultimately doesn't properly serve the purpose of this blog. Where were my new experiences? Where's the review? Yes, the cooking aspect delivered on that somewhat, but how does the sports op-ed portion tie in?


Simply put, it doesn't.


Therefore, the cause of my delay is that fact that I've decided to change my blog subject. Gone is the sports/food idea and in it's place is......wait for it.......wait for it.......PRO WRESTLING.



*crickets*



Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Okay, I know what you're thinking. Pro wrestling? Really? Yes, really. And here's why. I am a professional wrestling fan. And I'm probably the complete opposite of what most folks think of when they think of a wrestling fan. Yes, I'm educated, yes I have a job and, yes, I have all my original teeth. To give you an example of how far my being a fan goes, I was lucky enough in college to work for a small independent federation where I wrote storylines and booked matches ("booked" in wrestling speak means determining who wins and who loses).


As you'll quickly learn in subsequent posts, wrestling has a language all to its own that has roots in turn of the century carnivals. So I'll be using some terms in my posts that will seem foreign at first, but will be explained in detail as part of, you, my esteemed readers, pro wrestling education.


So here's the deal - my goal is to review one professional wrestling match per week that I have never seen. There are literally thousands of matches from federations like New Japan, WCCW, Smokey Mountain Wrestling, the original ECW and WCW that I've never gotten to chance to see let alone write about. Much like beer or albums, wrestling matches have many characteristics that can be reviewed and analyzed in order to determine one's opinion. For example, beer has aroma, taste and appearance whereas wrestling has "workrate (1)", crowd involvement, storyline relevance and "the finish (2)." (footnotes provided below)


But before I descend into this journey, I feel I must preface a few things before I begin. Most people can't get over the fact that wrestling is fake. Their entire perception of the industry, usually negative, is built on this one fact. In reality, the pre-determined nature of the matches has little or no bearing on the actual performance itself.


So, if you're not a fan, I ask you to look beyond your pre-conceived notions when reading my entries. Instead, focus on the fact that pro wrestling is a skilled art form that very few people on this planet can perform with excellence. Focus on the fact that every time two wrestlers get into the ring with each other, they both put their lives in the hands of the other. Focus on the fact that the ring doesn't really "feel like a box spring" and that the bumps and bruises they take are indeed very real. And, lastly, focus on the fact that many of the matches I will likely review this year contain performers that are no longer with us.


Sadly, wrestlers have no benefits, they have no pensions and there is no wrestlers union. So, the best I can offer them is to review their life's work with both dignity and respect.


Hold on a second as I remove the soapbox from beneath my feet.


Okay, we're good! Now, since match footage exists from roughly the 1950's on, I've decided to only consider matches that took place in the modern era (1984-Present). The main reason is that I'd never be able to select a match with all those possibilities and wrestling sucked prior to the birth of Hulkamania on January 23rd, 1984. Who here remembers Hulk Hogan hitting the big boot then the leg drop on the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden thereby transforming wrestling from a dingy, Southern, smoke-filled gymnasium attraction to a nearly billion dollar industry that captivated America's youth, sold out some of the world's greatest venues and essentially created the pay-per-view business? I know I do.


With all that said, let's move onto my first match review of the year! As many of you may or may not know, Bret Hart returned to the WWE for the first time in 12 years this past Monday night on RAW (1/4).

Not seen since the infamous Montreal Screwjob (3) at Survivor Series 1997, The Hitman was front and center this past Monday night burying the hatchet with Shawn Michaels, something no WWE fan thought they'd ever see, and kicking off a new angle (4) with Vince McMahon that will supposedly culminate at Wrestlemania 26.

For anyone who knows anything about the Montreal Screwjob, the tragic passing of Owen Hart at a WWE pay-per-view in 1999, the death of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith in 2002 and the Hart family's near destruction due to infighting brought on by the professional wrestling industry, the Hitman's return was nothing short of shocking and will forever be one of the most surreal moments in WWE history.

Unable to physically compete due to a career-ending concussion suffered back in 2000 while working for WCW, and a stroke which left him partially paralyzed for a brief period in 2002, Bret looked rather good considering all that has happened to him in the last ten years. Wearing the famous Hitman shades and donning a "Hitman" leather jacket that became most prominent during his 1997 World Title run, it was easy to see why they once called this man the "Excellence of Execution."

So, in honor of Bret and his return to WWE, let's take a look at his first WWF Heavyweight Title win for the first installment of Max's Matches!

Date: October 12th, 1992
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Match: Ric Flair (WWF Champion) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart (Challenger)

Background: Considering how big of a wrestling fan I am and how much I've loved, and hated at times, Bret Hart throughout the years, it's astonishing that I've never seen this match. Yes, I've seen clips here and there as they've been played multiple times on WWE promo videos and DVD's, but I've never seen the match it it's entirety. What's even more shocking is that there may be many more wrestling fans out there that haven't either as this match was not televised nor was it shown on PPV in 1992. Yes, you read that right. A match that essentially represented the changing of the guard in the WWF at the time was not broadcast live whatsoever. It was eventually released on a WWF Coliseum home video many months later. How can that be? Well, let me tell you.

Ric Flair's contract with the WWF was set to expire in 1993 and he made it very clear that he intended on going back to WCW. It's a time honored tradition in the wrestling business that the promoter, in this case Vince McMahon, will not push (5) a wrestler who intends on leaving his company for the competition. In fact, said wrestler will actually be booked to lose the majority, if not all, of his or her matches before leaving in order to lessen their credibility once they debut for the new promotion. So, in this case, Vince had to take the title off Flair. The most obvious choice to take the reign would be Hulk Hogan, however, rumors began surfacing in the fall of 1992 that Vince McMahon and the WWF were being investigated by the federal government for distributing steroids illegally to wrestlers, Hogan in particular. So rather than stoke the brewing Fire, McMahon had Hogan take a leave of absence.

That left an up and coming superstar with multiple Intercontinental titles on his resume by the name of Bret Hart as the next logical World champion. It didn't help that Hart at that time was considered small by industry standards and would have helped Vince in his claim that not all his wrestlers are roided up freaks, I mean, hey, just look at his new World champion. And with that, the stage was set for Bret Hart to win his first major World title in his home country of Canada.

Workrate: Sadly, this match took place at a WWF Superstars taping, therefore the "big title bout" atmosphere is clearly absent. But even with somewhat diminished crowd involvement, both Bret and The Nature Boy go nearly 28 minutes exchanging amateur holds, brawling outside the ring and trading signature submission moves. Stu Hart, Bret's famous father, once described Ric Flair as being a "routine guy." Meaning, if you watched one Ric Flair match, you've seen them all as he performs the same moves every time in roughly the same sequence. And that basically rings true in this match as we get the Flair begging off routine, the irish whip flip over the top turnbuckle spot and the Flair flop. But combined with Bret's solid mat wrestling and his ability to tell a story in the ring with his actions, their chemistry works extremely well here and produces a fairly good championship match for 1992.

Crowd Involvement: Not the best except for the finish. As I mentioned, this match took place at a Superstars taping and the odds of a title changing hands at one of these back in '92 was slim to impossible.

Finish: Excellent. Flair finally submits to the Sharpshooter, much stronger finish than if Bret pinned him, and a new era in WWF history is born. Vince needed Bret to as look as strong as possible in this match in order to make his new champion credible in the eyes of the fan base, and making a multiple time World Champion and living legend tap out is about as strong as it gets.

Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair 1992



Jimmy MySpace Video

FOOTNOTES:

(1) Workrate: An analysis of the action in a match and the skill level exhibited by one or both performers.

(2) The Finish: The planned end of a match.

(3) Montreal Screwjob: Look it up on Wikipedia.com

(4) Angle: Wrestling storyline

(5) Push: When a wrestler is chosen by the promoter to win a series of matches