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[1991-11-02-WCW-Pro] Barry Windham vs Arn Anderson


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I don't want to "spoiler" the latest episode of WTBBP too much but this is a match I was extremely high on, and Chad less so, although he still liked it. Matt D has written a whole essay on it (great read).

 

This is one where I'm very very interested to see how PWO members would rate it. For me it's probably Arn's career singles match and one of the matches of the year for 1991 (any promotion).

 

Will leave it there, but strongly encourage everyone who cares about pro wrestling to give this one a watch.

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It's a great match. I had it in my top 50 when I did the Smarkschoice WCW poll. I think it had been uploaded on the Solie's account at that time. I don't know if I'd call it Arn's best singles match, but then I'm not sure what I would call Arn's best match so it's as good a pick as any. It kicks a lot of ass. Did Chad say Windham/Steamboat was better? I can't agree with that at all.

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I would put Arn's best singles match as vs. Regal from SuperBrawl right now. This is in the running. The match suffers a bit from the first portion. Maybe if more had been played up on commentary of them being aligned for so much of their career, it would have benefited the match overall, but it was presented as them biding time until we got to the target on Arn's leg. The match really comes alive for me with the middle portion and dueling limb work is always one of my favorite themes when watching wrestling and it is done well. I do still wish it would have played a bit more into the finish where for instance, Barry would have hit a clothesline and Arn was able to kick out due to the damage but that is just dissection of an overall great match.

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The one you watched is this: Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham (WCWSN 6/6/92).

 

I was wondering if you had a longer version of intros with Arn coming out, but I chalked it up to being 5:00 AM and me being groggy.

 

I have now laughed at my office for five minutes straight about this gaffe.

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I did wonder when I mentioned it was 2 out of 3 falls and Chad said it wasn't. Oh well, I stand by my rating for the 92 match.

 

Will give 91 match a full review in this thread later. It does mean that out of 12 matches we reviewed on WTBBP #70, I watched 2 wrong ones! I am blaming poor labeling on the part of youtube uploaders.

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I've started the greatest thread in the history of PWO.

 

Since Matt D's article basically asks the question, this match was taped on 10/15 in Huntsville.

 

This one has a terrific start, as Arn and Windham have a mini-debate right in the center of the ring after the bell, with Arn complaining about how Windham wouldn't listen to him trying to teach him "to be a team player," and then hauls off and slaps Barry. And that awesome start leads to one of the best meat-and-potatoes TV matches you'll ever see. Windham tears up Arn's leg and Arn tears up Windham's arm, and it isn't just to fill time--it's a focus for both guys for the entire match and both guys use the limb work to execute counters later on. Also I've been very down on 1991 Jim Ross but he is absolutely fantastic here, and this may well be one of my favorite calls of his, period. He plugs the right shit (WCW live, upcoming matches) and does a terrific job of getting over both the body part psychology and the backstory. Even the re-start ending works, as it keeps both guys looking strong without coming off as cheap as a DQ, plus it pushes the ill-fated Windham/Simmons team that Ross put over earlier.

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The 2 different matches also explains why I was confused when listening, and Parv made the comment about Arn making the hand signal indicating he wanted to be a 4-time TV champ. I was wondering why they would make that insinuation since Barry had nothing to do with the TV Title in 1991, and Arn was Tag Team Champ at the time. The 6/6/1992 was when Windham was TV champ so the announcers dicussing the hand signal makes more sense.

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  • 5 months later...

What a find! This is the first great (~4*) match I can recall in WCW since April's Pillman/Flair and Pillman/Windham. That's an eternity, though there were some very good matches here and there. As others have said, a hold and catch based clinic in the mold of Arn/Regal. I tremendously respect the ability to get heat and carry interest without a lot of high spots, which both guys have a proven history of. And having just watched some Rockers/Brain Busters matches, I love Arn's versatility. Both the finishes were pretty nifty.

 

This is THE reason to watch all the TV if you're doing a watch-through. I will have to keep an eye out for the version with Ross commentary, as I had Schiavone on Pro Chicago. I can't wait for 6/6/92, which I recall as amazing but haven't seen in a few years.

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  • 3 months later...

This was a pretty hard-hitting match for TV, especially syndicated TV. In fact, this almost felt like a Clash match, with the amount of time spent by each man trying to disable each other's limbs, which both men executed flawlessly. There wasn't much out-and-out contempt or hatred expressed once the intros were done, but that really wouldn't have fit Arn's more cerebral character in particular.

 

JR did the best he could to put over the former partnership, but because he was prohibited from using the words "Four Horsemen", he had a bit of a tough time. In fact, Arn's prematch trashtalking session with Barry probably set things up more concisely in that regard.

 

This is the first show since Havoc, so they're trying to set up different programs for both Barry (a singles feud with Abby) and the Enforcers (a feud with the returning Steiners). A couple of questions: How did we get from the Steiners as the Enforcers' next challengers to Larry Z slamming the car door on Barry's hand? Was Luger that bereft of credible challengers that Dusty decided Rick was the only person in the company who could possibly draw money with him? And could Barry have originally been the one to electrocute and brawl with Abby in the Chamber of Horrors instead of Cactus? Why else would he have been put on the heel side in the match when he'd been allied with Simmons since right after the Bash?

 

Good to hear JR calling Arn out for going to the top on his injured leg. Play-by-play men didn't usually bother getting so deeply into strategy by now, preferring (or being forced to) shill everything under the sun instead. Same thing with telling us about how Barry's offense actually affected Arn's leg. I'd have loved to hear a similar dissertation concerning Arn's work on Barry's arm and shoulder, but we only had seventeen minutes.

 

In a similar vein, was Arn using his bad knee to get Barry in the gut a planned spot or not? Either way, Arn sold the potential damage brilliantly.

 

Since this match was taped before Havoc, Simmons involves himself, and JR covered for it by musing about how fun it would be if Simmons and Windham teamed to go after the Enforcers. Of course, Havoc had just established Barry and Dustin as the top contenders due to the car door attack on Barry's hand. Had Barry hurt his hand yet when this match was taped? It just seems so weird that we started out with (presumably) Simmons and Windham as the top contenders for the tag belts and ended up with Dustin and Steamboat taking them.

 

Finally, you would think that Larry would be somewhere lurking around, but for whatever reason he wasn't. Then again, the restart segment which led to Arn being pinned wouldn't have worked so well with him out there, because why would a motormouth like him not protest a restart in order tom distract the ref from counting Arn's shoulders down?

 

I'd be kind of curious to hear how Tony commentated this one for Chicago Pro myself.

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I don't know that it's the case here, but the biggest criticism people who worked with Dusty Rhodes as a booker always had was that he would set things up and then forget to follow up on them because his attention would go elsewhere. Bill Watts even set up a team right below him to remind him of his own ideas near the end of his time in WCW. I don't know that that's what happened here, but I wouldn't be surprised.

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  • 2 years later...

Tony did a pretty good job on commentary. He did take a shot at JR involving time-outs in wrestling that was pretty amusing too. Arn is really good at shining a babyface up and he really tries to make Barry look good here. The leg-arm stuff is incredible and done about as well as you're going to see it done. Arn only loses that focus a little bit when he forgets to sell the leg after dropping the 3 or 4 knees on Barry's arm. I liked the finish a lot, the false one anyway. I always hate when the ref reverses his own decision because somebody comes out and tells him something. If you didn't see it, how are you gonna call it? Even so, this was easily one of the best worked TV matches I have ever seen. Everything has a purpose and consequences. They don't do a whole lot just for the sake of killing time, they actually make all of the work matter. That's a very rare thing.

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The most hilarious gaffe in podcast history has made this match famous.

 

Barry Windham vs Arn Anderson - WCW Pro 11/2/91

 

Two former Horsemen collide. Double A & Larry Z crushed Barry Windham's hand at Halloween Havoc, but this is taped before that incident. Windham turned babyface in the double turn with Luger. So that means him and Arn are on opposing sides. This is very reminiscent of the excellent Dustin Rhodes vs Arn Anderson match from Saturday Night 1/4/92, the double limb psychology with a strong commitment to selling from both wrestlers. Heels tend to be big bumpers and don't have to sell as much typically. Arn Anderson put on a selling clinic. Also see how he didn't let Barry sit in holds. He caused movement. He raked the eyes and then hit a kneelfit with his bad leg and goes down in heap. Then he gets another opening and goes up top and gets press slammed. He is creating movement. It builds to the figure-4 as the climax of the segment. Arn is such a consummate heel. Always looking for eyerakes or the ropes for leverage or the tights. He uses the tights to send Barry into the post arm first. Windham does an incredible job selling the arm as Arn tortures it. I love how they use this double psychology not just to sell but they attack each other's damage body part. Windham cranks it up first with a sleeper then with a lariat and powerslam. He cant keep Arn down. Arn gets a sunset flip and holds the ropes to get three. Out comes Simmons to argue the call and Windham gets the win with an O'Connor Roll on the restart. Not in love with the finish, but God the selling in this match is exquisite. Total clinic from two pros. Watch this match. ****

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  • GSR changed the title to [1991-11-02-WCW-Pro] Barry Windham vs Arn Anderson

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