The Rockers

[ohtani's jacket]

I've got a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to the Rockers, but that Powers of Pain match was really fucking good. It was pretty much picture perfect. You could maybe pick holes with the finish, but I'm not sure a ten minute match like that suits an operatic finish. The Rockers' bumping for the PoP was superb. Textbook stuff.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Lets go through Demolition vs Rockers 1990 feud...

 

WWF World Tag Champions Demolition vs Rockers - SNME 7/90

 

Since this is 1990, this is not going to be anywhere near the 1988 match and it was a backdrop to transition the three-way feud from Rockers/Hart Foundation to Rockers/Demolition to Demolition/Hart Foundation for Summerslam. Crush is really not good when he is asked to sell for the Rockers. It is pretty heel in peril to begin with for the first five minutes or so with none of the Demolition trademark work. Marty even gains controls without double teaming. They go through the usually team moves to clear the ring. There is a really poor rana by Shawn where he just hooks underneath the shoulders and Jannetty dropkicks over him. They work over Crush's arm and we get some Warlord-inspired selling here. Marty slides underneath Smash, but Ax smokes this smarty-pants. Crush is actually halfway decent on offense making him better than Warlord and Akeem in my book. Jannetty sells pretty well and takes the Bret Bump, before hitting a reverse bulldog to tag in Shawn. Double dropkick. Double fistdrop, but Crush saves. Shawn goes for that Bret roll-up off the ropes, but Ax crushes him with a lariat for the win. Hart Foundation & LOD are out to complain, but decision stands.

 

This is a pretty by the numbers match and illustrates the continued drop in quality of Demolition performances since 1988 and they are starting to lose heat also. The Rockers looked pretty good, but nothing outstanding. The finish does not even build the Hart Foundation/Demolition match all that well.

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Rockers vs Demolition - MSG 11/90

 

Holy shit, this match totally snuck up on me and I thought it was really good. It was not an elite Rockers match, but this was still really good. This is by far the best Smash & Crush match and I am favorite Crush match of all time. This is a good speed vs. power match without huge bumps, but still good work. The opening Jannetty/Crush bit is the best thing I have ever seen out of Crush. It is light-hearted, but still establishes the dynamic of the match really well. People should watch it because there is too much good stuff for me to write down every single thing they do. It is punctuated by Shawn with a dropkick to tabletop Crush. I really dig the tabletop spot. Crush throws Shawn around, but Shawn bites out of the bearhug. Rockers showing a bit of a vicious side. Smash comes in and I love the Smash/Shawn bit too. Smash thinks he outsmarted Michaels by ducking, but Shawn hits Smash with a fist and then Smash does some weeble-wobble selling before crashing down. Rockers do their quick tag arm work and Smash sells discombobulated about as well as you can. In a spot I fuckin love, Marty runs the ropes, but halts before getting hit by Crush so he gets hit from behind by Smash. The heat segment is decent with the highlights being Crush hitting a double axehandle onto Jannety's back and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. We hit the bearhug. Smash hipchecks the turnbuckle. Smash tries desperately to stop the hot tag, but you can't deny Marty Jannetty. Shawn busts out the flying shoulder tackle, which I don't like for his size. Shawn really wants to hit a sunset flip, but Smash is holding onto Crush and Marty leapfrogs over Smash and breaks that up, sunset flip only gets two. The Rockers hit the worst double superkick ever. They do one a little better and Shawn hits a rocket launcher fist drop, but Crush pulls the ref out for the DQ. They are still protecting Demolition!?!?!?!?!?1??!

 

This match is a ton of fun and even though it lacks the big spots of Powers Of Pain match, this one definitely required more finesse from Demolition. In that match, Rockers adapted to Powers of Pain to deliver a great match. In this match, Demolition can contribute to the match. The Marty/Crush and Shawn/Smash segments require better work from both parties. I loved those. The heat segments and home stretch were good, but not at the level of the shine segments.This is another great speed versus power match from the Rockers that continues to bolster their case as an all-time great tag team as it is still different than first Demos & POP match. It was wrestled as a cross of the Rougeaus and Demolition match, which was really interesting layout. So finally, Demolition has reached their 1988 peak again and it's a great match to end their run (well I am not watching their '91 stuff). Demolition work way better as heels to me.

[JazeUSA]

my favorite Rockers match was vs the Powers of Pain at MSG on 1-15-90, I also enjoyed there series w/ Arn & Tully & the Hart Foundation matches too...

[Superstar Sleeze]

The Rockers vs Nasty Boys w/Jimmy Hart - 11/91 UK

 

I have been looking forward to revisiting because I feel like the Nasties and the Rockers are such a natural pairing. This is easily the Nasties best match in the WWF and one of my picks for Top Ten WWF Rockers matches. It is very similar in format to the Rougeaus match, but just does not do everything as well as that match. They do a little bit of stooging for the crowd before the match proper gets started. The UK crowd lapped it up again responding accordingly. I liked how the Nasties always looked like they were going to get control with strikes, but the Rockers would always gain the upperhand. Especially, like the first sequence where Shawn bit his away out of a bearhug and then Marty dove onto both Nasty Boys. They did no tag switch out much to the chagrin of Jimmy Hart and delight of the Brits. Eventually, Knobs pulls down the ropes and Shawn goes tumbling over. I liked the King of the Mountain portion of the heat segment, but once it got in the ring it dragged a bit. I think thats where this match really loses ground on the Rougeaus is in the heat segment. Shawn powers up on a camel clutch, which I did not care for that spot. Marty runs through the Nasties in a really good sequence. I thought they blew the finish where Marty got the pin, but Shawn upstaged him, but it turned out to be a false finish. In the confusion, Jimmy gets one of the Nasties the Megaphone to polish off the Rockers, which makes sense since the Rockers would be breaking up soon.

 

Yes, this is a poor man's Rougeaus/Rockers, but I still like it a good bit. The Rockers work around the Nasties' goon offense making them look like clumsy, lunkhead heels until the Nasties finally break the momentum with some underhanded tactics. I really liked Nasties' strikes and I wish they just brawled with the Rockers during their control segment. Thats what is really missing from the Rocker's WWF resume is a nasty brawl and if there was ever team to deliver that it would have been the Nasty Boys. I would have loved to see a good chase for the Nasties' tag belts by the Rockers in the summer of '91 if there was no LOD.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Rockers vs Haku & Barbarian w/The Brain - Wrestlemania VII

 

From a poor man's Rougeaus match to a poor man's Powers of Pain match, but still really fucking good. I loved all the action in this and this would be the perfect match to get a crowd revved up for a Wrestlemania if it was any crowd besides this lame LA crowd. Shawn & Haku worked a nice little sprint to start things off. I liked how when Shawn was moving he had the advantage, but if Haku could just catch him the momentum would switch to him. It really established the dynamic of the match. Little bit of self-plagiarism from their Hart Foundation match, after a double team Barbie decks them both (their synchorized 360 sells are really good), but the Rockers send both packing with double superkicks. The future Faces of Fear regroup with The Brain after was a pretty well-executed Rockers offensive series. The Barbie/Marty sequence was not as fun, but Barb has some really sweet strikes. In a really great sequence, Shawn helps Marty do a rana takeover on Barb with a dropkick. When Marty tries again on Haku, the ref detains Shawn and Barb takes Marty while on Haku's shoulders and drops him throat first across the top rope. That was friggin' bitchin' both as a spot and in the intelligence of it all. What follows is a well-down power heat segment with the highlights being Haku's backbreakers and Barbie catching Marty off the second rope into a bitchin' powerslam.

 

Barb misses his diving headbutt. Before this, I would have given Marty the edge in work because he was the better hot tag, but this match proves Shawn had really closed the gap as he worked a really good hot tag and really let himself fly. They double dropkick Barbie out. Marty hits Haku with a missile dropkick and Shawn grabs the victory with a flying cross-body to end a great match. I would say the Powers of Pain match is better because everything seems bigger in that match. The Rockers shine is bigger and the heat segment is bigger, but this is the finish that match should have had. This was actually probably the Rockers' biggest victory in the WWF that was televised. I wish they kept Haku & Barbarian together throughout '91 as they would have been perfect foils for LOD in the fall.

 

I just have write-ups to do for Heenan Family vs Ultimate Warriors, the OX Rumble match and watch the match against LOD. I am going to miss the Rockers.

[BruiserBrody]

I was surprised to stumble upon this card. Shawn and Marty were only in their 4th or 5th month in the AWA and not yet headlining, but here Shawn is fighting the World champ. Any details how this came about?

[peachchaos]

Talk about a dream match I never thought was possible.

 

Also, "Monty Janetty" is Jack Pfefer level.

[iamthedoctor]

I dont know why Vince didn't let them have the belts as at times they seemed a better team than the Harts and I know there was that match that supposed to air but the top rope broke and Anvil re signed with the company so they gave them back pretending like it never happened.

 

So why not just redo the match?

 

Was it really that bad the top rope broke, there been plenty of matches when it has broke and the match still happened and counted.

[Ricky Jackson]

I think it was more Anvil was going to be released due to legal issues, but after the SNME taping Vince was persuaded to keep him and not switch the belts.

 

Still, it is kinda odd that the Rockers didn't get the belts from the Demos instead of going back to the Harts. The history of WWWF/WWF tag teams was pretty much a cycle of alternating between a fresh heel team and fresh face team with very few repeats, especially on the babyface side. Although them going back to the Demos multiple times had already broke that formula

[flyonthewall2983]

It's funny to me that they broke up right when Nirvana's Nevermind album was exploding, and the pop metal of Poison and others (with an aesthetic Shawn and Marty were pulling off) died off in the court of public opinion at the same time.

[Migs]

It's funny to me that they broke up right when Nirvana's Nevermind album was exploding, and the pop metal of Poison and others (with an aesthetic Shawn and Marty were pulling off) died off in the court of public opinion at the same time.

 

So, is it possible they broke up at just the right time?

 

Thinking of it, I'm not sure what else they'd have done over the next year or two. Rockers v. Money Inc. would have been fun, but the tag division as a whole was dying fast.

 

(This is also making me think of other teams that stayed together the right length of time v. ones that maybe held on too long. It feels like the Midnight Express got out at the right time, while the Rock'n'Roll Express went on way too long from a legacy perspective.)