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[1990-12-16-NWA Starrcade '90] Lex Luger vs Stan Hansen (Bullrope)


Loss

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  • 3 months later...

I don't know why I didn't expect much, but this was really good. It was laid out very well. Luger took some stiff shots from Hansen and his stuff looked good too. The finish was really well done, with Luger hitting the fourth corner at the same time as a ref bump, and them teasing a Hansen victory. Very good match. I want to go back and watch their Halloween Havoc match now.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hansen as I remember it had nothing but good things to say about Luger as a worker--that he was willing and able to do whatever Hansen asked of him. Lex adjusts pretty damn well to a role he doesn't often play, even as a babyface, and that's working underneath. He took and dished out some stiff shots and I really liked the spot where Luger was down and kicking up at Hansen like a maniac. This moves to a heated brawl on the floor, and we go back in to a REALLY fun finish that's clever and that the crowd is way into. Hansen matches outside All-Japan almost invariably lead to bullshit finishes but this one finds a way to appease Hansen's rep while also being satisfying. This isn't one of the all-time high-end guys-attached-to-each-other matches but it was pretty damn fun.

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I think this match is a pretty good feather in Hansen's cap as it was stateside and had amazing heat in the finishing run. I want to take nothing away from Luger because he was great in this match to. Ending was pissing me off with Nick Patrick coming out counting for Hansen but Paul E's rationale on commentary that if this wouldn't have happened in the Sting vs. Sid match at Havoc, Sid would be the champion made a lot of sense. The bullrope was really small. Really fun match capping off a good year for both men.

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I don't know why people were always so meh about this series. Hansen brought out a whole different side of Luger, who never looked like much of a brawler against anyone else. I loved the way Lex adapted with stuff like the headbutts and the desperate kicks from his back. Also a really good screwy finish, with both guys essentially getting to win the match in ways that reinforced their personae. Luger teased the possibility of more Hansen matches in his post-victory interview, and I wish they had happened.

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Hansen still has his chew in this mouth. That’s a real crappy rope they are using. No bell either. Ross is bringing the football references. Not a fan of these four corner matches but bothe Hanse and Luger do a pretty good job. They reverse the finish where Lex originally did get the four corners and a new referee came down. Lack of blood hurt it for me though.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

A lot to like here, as for once some good drama is milked out of screwy false finishes. However I would have liked another 5 minutes or so. Lex looks really intense, and this match really makes me think of Hansen's working style as a driver for his opponent, not just the stiffness but the way he drags small details out of them, like making them roll him into the ring extra hard before he'll budge.

 

The boot shot during the ending is a sight to behold.

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  • 1 month later...

I liked this a lot better than the Doom/Horsemen street fight. Even though there was no blood, it felt like a lot more of a desperate struggle, mostly because of the obvious effort both men had to exert to touch all four corners. All in all, I still would have rather seen them allow the cowbell, but the lack of it didn't affect the match nearly as much as I thought it would. Luger went toe-to-toe with Hansen quite effectively, giving as good as he got, and Stan really looked like he wanted to kill Luger. My favorite spot in the match was Stan using the rope as a whip, which I'd never seen before but made up for the lack of a cowbell about as much as possible.

 

I liked Paul putting over both men's attempts to affect the other's breathing, which would daze them enough to make it easier for the opponent to drag them to the corners. It's details like that which make him a much more effective commentator than I ever thought he'd be. As for JR, he crammed every football reference he possibly could into each man's intro, and I'm honestly surprised that he didn't sneak in any references to Luger's college GPA or his turning down an appointment to Annapolis. He can still be effective, but he's relying on catchphrases and well-known facts more and more as time goes on, which makes him very predictable and unable to react to his partner, whomever it is.

 

The double finish was done much better here than in the street fight, especially because it actually led to a decision. There was no doubt about the replay; Pee Wee Anderson clearly saw Luger touch the last corner just before he was run over, so the correct call was made. Of course, Stan needs to still look good in Japan and have something to do if he ever comes back, so we get the second finish, with Nick Patrick declaring him the winner after he (legitimately) touches all four corners. That's how you do a screwy ending; Luger got the duke because Hansen was done in the U.S. for now, but if he'd stayed, they could have used the controversy to continue the feud and lead up to a blowoff at WrestleWar '91, either in a straight cage match or an "I Quit" match, to name two possibilities.

 

Getting back to the announcing for just a second, I thought it was strange that JR completely ignored Paul's attempts to liken this restart to the one in the Sting/Sid match at Havoc. Even though this one would have favored a heel (and one that he was disgusted by to boot), it was a perfect opportunity for him to be what he always claims to be: a historian. There's something really off about JR when he works with Heyman, for whatever reason. Whether there's personal heat, or whether JR simply doesn't like working with heel commentators (with his good friend Corny as the exception), I'm not sure. He's still great with Bob Caudle on Saturday Night, but his work with Heyman has been subpar at best.

 

By the way, Hansen never played for the Colts. He was drafted by them in the eleventh round of the '72 draft, but never made it out of training camp.

 

This wasn't quite good enough to make the top three, but might have made a top five and would have definitely been in a top ten. Too bad we never got the rematches that Luger teased afterward.

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  • 1 year later...

NWA US Champion Stan Hansen vs Lex Luger - NWA Starrcade 1990 Bullrope Match

 

There are very few things that gross me out in this world, but chew is one of them. That was just nasty with Hansen having that big wad in his mouth, spitting towards the fans and having the dribble on his chest. Gross, gross, gross. I am surprised this is not more highly regarded. Maybe I am biased because these are two of my favorites. The bullrope is really skinny and does not make much of a sound, but the wrestlers make for it with hard work. Luger sets the tone early that he will not be bullied. He blasts him with a clothesline and bodyslams him. Luger is ready to go to war with the Bad Man from Borger. It is a great struggle with each man just scrapping with each other. Luger hit a monster clothesline at one point. Hansen throws Luger into a row of chairs and then bounced chair off his back. They tease the corners, but men still have too much life force left so Hansen hangs him. Good heat segment as Hansen looks to win. Then Luger makes a big time comeback and it is great. The finish is a crazy one and one that satisfies Hansen's need not to do a clean job. Luger runs into the ref as he touches the fourth corner. Big pop! Then when Nick Patrick restarts it; Hansen blasts him with a cowboy boot in the head. Hansen touches the first corner and Patrick raises his hand for one and the crowd boos heavily thinking they will get the bullshit finish. Plenty of struggle but Hansen gets fourth corner and the decision is reversed!!! Huge Pop! Luger hits Hansen with the clothesline out of the ring and takes the belt. Strong match with lots of struggle there was just not that extra oomph or memorable spots to make it great, but hard work by both men. ***3/4

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  • 11 months later...
  • GSR changed the title to [1990-12-16-NWA Starrcade '90] Lex Luger vs Stan Hansen (Bullrope)

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