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[2000-03-20-WCW-Nitro] Tank Abbott vs The Barbarian


Loss

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If Tank Abbott could even halfway work, this match would have worked, because Barbarian gave him a great template to do a short, barfighting shoot style match, for lack of a better way to describe it. They were building up Abbott for a match with Meng, but they could never explain Meng's unique toughness without breaking kayfabe, so most fans never got it.

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Barbie tried but Tank sucked and didn't have stiffness or charisma to do much of anything. I wonder why they didn't make a play for Frye as he excels in every way over Tank so far. *

I've wrote about this in the past as Frye talked about it on an episode of the old Eyada Observer live. Long story short, but Frye had a meeting with Bischoff (can't remember the year) about joining WCW. Bischoff starts talking about his buddy to him saying that he's a real tough guy etc. Said buddy happens to be outside and he asks Frye if he wants to meet him. Curiosity piqued, of course he does. Not long later in walks Ernest Miller. Miller was bigging himself up saying he could beat anyone in the UFC, that they've never had a real 'kicker' fight there. Frye brings up Maurice Smith (legitimate World champion kickboxer) and Miller starts belittling him and his credentials, claiming he's nothing. Things get a bit more heated between the two of them and it ends up with Frye grabbing Miller and offering him to go outside with him. To no surprise that was the end of WCW's interest!
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So: You take two big, strong, legitimately tough guys and put them in the ring and let them throw bombs at each other. Is it a fail-safe formula for an entertaining match? No, sadly, it is not. Not in this case, anyway. Magnum Milano's story is way more entertaining than this match.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Meng is watching a monitor backstage chomping at the bit to get his hands on Tank. The Barbarian sits referee Billy Silverman on the top turnbuckle and he and Tank start throwing clubbing blows at each other’s chests. Barb shoves him back into the corner and starts chopping him with Tank almost inviting him on. Irish whip and they collide seemingly lost with what to do next. Tank lifts Barb over his shoulders and slams him to the canvas. Some sort of grappling-come-jockeying for position and Barbarian with a belly to bell suplex. He forces Tank into the corner and unloads on him with Abbott even dropping to one knee. Silverman tries to pull the Barbarian off, but he picks him up and sits him back on the turnbuckles. As he turns around he’s met with a left from Tank and a big right that KO’s him for the win.

 

They tried to work this like it was a ‘fight’, but it just looked bad. Tank has no idea when it comes to pro wrestling and looked at a complete loss at what to do in there at one point.

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I liked this, didn't care that it was so disjointed and awkward. I don't know if I'd say it was "good" or anything and clearly the moments where Tank was lost hurt this but it was refreshing compared to some overchoreographed and dancy type thing. It was perfectly stiff and had kind of a vibe of an off-kilter real life fight so yeah. I enjoyed this.

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  • GSR changed the title to [2000-03-20-WCW-Nitro] Tank Abbott vs The Barbarian

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