The Wrestling Professor's Weekly Quiz (November 17)
On Monday, November 17, 2008 at 3:28 PM EST The Wrestling Professor sent this in:
Welcome to the Armpit wrestling quiz for Monday, November 17, 2008.
If you’re not sick of questions on Clash of the Champions yet, then this week you will be. We’re back with Part 4 of the quiz, and this where things start to fall apart.
Answers from last time:
-The “Shot heard ‘round the wrestling world” was Jim Cornette’s awesome tennis racket shot to the back of Shane Douglas. Cornette “turned heel,” but the Dynamic Dudes were such weak babyfaces that the crowd erupted into cheers. It’s one of the great moments in NWA history. The “shame on you” smile on Bobby Eaton’s face was priceless, and at last the Midnight Express were re-united. The only thing that would’ve made this angle more perfect was if Cornette had smacked Johnny Ace (current WWE executive and resident McMahon stooge) instead of Douglas.
-Sid was replaced by Mean Mark Callous at Clash #9. Everyone knows Callous is now the Undertaker. We take him for granted sometimes, but the Undertaker deserves respect for how long he has lasted as a top star, what good shape he’s in, and how good a worker he can still be. Of course, it’s easier to stay over when you have lots of political power.
-Luger had a great match at Clash #9 with Brian Pillman. The two also had a great match at Halloween Havoc that year.
-Saving Flair from the post-match beatdown at Clash #9 was Sting.
-While Sting was getting revenge (from being booted out of the Horsemen) at Clash #10, he climbed the cage and destroyed his knee. There went his planned title change. Instead he had to wait until the Great American Bash that summer. In my dreams there is a 24-hour wrestling channel run by Mike Tenay and Jim Cornette, and on it they have a reality show called “Who Wants to Be a Horseman?” Twelve entrants vie for the spot, and the judges are Flair, Windham, Arn, Tully, and JJ.
-Clash #11 was headlined by Flair vs. the Junkyard Dog.
-Interfering at Clash #12 was Japanese wrestling legend Stan Hansen. I’m sure Luger enjoyed working with the ultra-stiff Hansen and taking those potatoes every night.
-At Clash #12, Sting wrestled the Black Scorpion. That night the Scorpion was played by former WCCW wrestler Al Perez. I always thought Perez would be something of a star, but I don’t know what happened. Decent worker with a good look.
Here are this week's questions. No winners will be declared. We're just doing this for fun and to honor the forgotten world of wrestling history.
1. Time for Clash XIII: Thanksgiving Thunder. This show was notable for featuring perhaps the worst match of 1990. It was two men who, just standing there, were probably the two most impressive looking wrestlers ever. One was Sid Vicious. Who was the other?
2. Thanksgiving Thunder at least finished with a good match, and it wasn’t all because of Flair. Flair wrestled a man who was once known for being a very good worker in Mid South Wrestling, but unfortunately is most well known for being much more slow and lazy during his late ‘80s WWF run. But in WCW this year, he was nearly back to his old form, and he and his partner (who became much more famous years later in both WCW and WWE) formed a great tag team in 1990. Who wrestled Flair that night?
3. The first Clash of 1991, and the 14th overall, was loaded with good workers in the undercard and main event. Foreshadowing the future owner of TNA, it was called “Dixie Dynamite.” The main event was something of a dream match, but it ended up a letdown because Flair’s opponent was apparently pretty nervous that night. Far from the sh*t talking bully he would later become, back then he was a nicer, gentler, and extremely more athletic superstar in the making. Who was Flair’s opponent that night?
4. Clash #14 also featured two people who today are most well known for chiming in on various websites with their thoughts on today’s wrestling scene: Paul Heyman and Missy Hyatt. On this show, they competed against each other. No, not in a wrestling match, but in this kind of match?
5. Clash #15 featured a future who’s who of 1990s wrestling before they were mega famous, including Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Golddust, Doink the Clown, and even Giant Gonzales. They were Stunning, Oz, the Diamond Studd, Dustin Rhodes, Big Josh, and El Gigante, respectively. Dusty Rhodes was back booking around this time, which meant bad storylines but decent matches on big shows. Sure enough, the main event was a dream match for hardcore fans. Two of the best wrestlers in the country squared off in 2 out of 3 falls: Ric Flair versus whom?
6. Clash #16 was called Fall Brawl again, and this was right about the time I discovered underground newsletters and it opened up a whole new world for me. This show was weak on star power, as Flair and Sid were gone, as was Scott Steiner with an injury. That left the tag titles vacant, and the main event pitted Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko against Rick Steiner and Bill Kazmaier. Yes, Rick gained a tag partner who was one of the few men on Earth even stronger than he and his brother Scott. What was the name of Arn & Larry’s tag team?
7. After months of bad WCW TV and empty house shows in the wake of Flair’s departure for the WWF, along came Clash #17 and turned it all around (at least for one night). This was a really fun show, featuring a match of the year candidate when Ricky Steamboat made the epitome of a triumphant return. Dustin Rhodes brought out this dragon as his mystery partner and most people at home thought it was just another bad Dusty/Herd gimmick. But then the dragon head came off and we got Steamboat, who then teamed with Dustin to beat Arn & Larry in one of the best U.S. tag team matches of the 90s. Whom was Steamboat replacing that night?
8. It is believed that tag match was the first ever meeting of Steamboat and Arn Anderson, and what a treat it was. WCW felt like such a doomed enterprise back then, and Steamboat’s return showed that there was still hope for the company. If Steamboat was the ultimate babyface, then Rick Rude was the ultimate heel. And what do you know, Rick Rude had just debuted for WCW at this time as well. On this show (Clash #17), Rude faced off against whom?
9. While the Steamboat match stole the show at Clash #17, Mick Foley’s match at least attempted robbery. Cactus Jack brawled with Van Hammer in a Falls Count Anywhere match; the stipulation he made famous. Hammer was not a good wrestler (but as a metal fan I loved his gimmick to death), but Foley was such a hard worker that he made this match one to remember. It went all over the place, even near a barn area where what unfortunate WCW announcer got shoved into a barrel of water (this was unplanned)?
10. Last question on Clash #17. There is no PPV today that can match up with its star power. It had Austin, Foley, Rude, Sting, Hall, Eaton, Steamboat, Arn, Zbyszko, Pillman, Luger, and Steiner. It also featured a guy who rapped long before John Cena was even able to drink or vote. Name this rapping wrestler.
Answers will be posted next time.
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