Missed Dangerous Alliance

I had a feeling I'd forget to post something. And I've probably forgot something after this. Anyway 3 matches from SuperBrawl II, which was btw a hell of a show.

Larry Zbyszko/Steve Austin v Barry Windham/Dustin Rhodes (SuperBrawl 29/2/92)
--I think my favourite thing about Barry Windham is how he's the greatest of all time at making himself look a lot smaller than he actually is. Being 6'5"/245+ it has to be hard to look like a great face in peril without making every bit of offense from a small whineboat like Zbyszko look good, but he does it. I think that's one of the things I really like about current day Chris Masters, as well. It's obviously a lot easier when he's dealing with someone as big or bigger, but I can always buy the fact that those two are actually in trouble whenever they portray to be. Dustin's another guy who's great at it (6'5" as well IIRC), but he's not the FIP here so that's beside the point. (Or he might've been, they probably both were at some point. Hazy memory and all that. ) I've probably said many many times before but a handful WCW matches of this time go from a really simple formula of babyface-dominant brawling -> slight heel comeback -> babyface dominant wrestling -> FIP -> babyface comeback. And fucker it works every time. A good time's spent on the ramp (they should bring that thing back) and there's some MONSTER clotheslines taking place, I remember one in particular taken by Zbyszko that I still remember. Honestly I think of Windham as practically an all time great but I always think to myself how he only had a few good years in the 80s while always managing to forget how good he after coming back from WWF. I'm not actually sure there's anything separating NWA/Florida Windham from WCW Windham. totally awesome on control when throwing out lariats and really making you believe he hates the son of a bitch (Zbyszko) for breaking his arm. Then he goes ahead and shoves Austin into Austin's OWN corner just so he can tag Zbyszko in. And I've been waiting to see someone do that spot forever. Moving out of the ring after Rhodes & Windham lost control, Zbyszko plants Windham's coconuts on the guardrail and it looks nasty, hell even Madusa said "ow". And she has no coconuts. I had to point that just in case no one got it (you know, for HER to say "ow", it's like... yeah. Ow.). I may have to watch this again but I'm making sure it isn't falling off. If for anything for the Windham-shoving-Austin-into-his-own-corner spot alone.

Bobby Eaton/Arn Anderson v Scott Steiner/Rick Steiner (SuperBrawl 29/2/92)
--I really get into scenarios where the Champions (Arn & Eaton) are really billed as underdogs coming into a big match, and that kind of thing almost always leads to the underdog(s) pulling a victory somehow. But the underdogs are the underdogs so they're starting by not getting much in, and I loved how they did it here. Every time Eaton got some offense in, Scott would reverse it, counter it, or just plough through it, and Eaton would back into a corner putting on a "what in heyell am I gonna do?" face. He decides what in heyell he's going to do is tag in Arn, and Arn's demanding Rick gets in here so get the two bigger power guys and you get the crowd giving that "oooohhhhh" thing going. Arn lays on the floor after an Irish Whip and Rick lays beside him and if i remember right he just gives him a totally fake warm smile. Or he smashes him. Either way one suplex later and The DA are conversing on the outside about what they're going to do next and Paul E's in panic mode. They get back to going and I loved how they still couldn't get a good offensive stream going, if this was TV match they might have, but on a PPV they have enough time to build this thing more. I actually love that about short WCW TV matches, I mean they're terrific as just matches, but when you compare them to a PPV match the PPV match seems a lot longer and bigger. I also love how Eaton had to resort to low blow to get the upper hand in this eventually, and then Arn works on the abdomen to try to trick the ref. Would've been amazing had he worked on the groin, but it's "illegal" and "immoral" and stuff. Rick becomes the FIP and I thought it was good but the hot tag to Scott was, well, "cold", I guess. Maybe it was just the crowd, but I didn't feel it. Scott becoming the new FIP kind of made up for it since they got to "right the wrong" of the cold tag (well, in my eyes, anyway. ;D). I liked this hot tag better, mainly for Arn almost looking like he was going to shit his pants when Eaton was going to be pinned by Rick. Hilarious turn of events where Rick gets salt (or some white stuff) gets thrown in his eyes by Arn so in confusion and blindness he gives a belly-to-belly to the ref. Awesome stuff.

Rick Rude v Ricky Steamboat (SuperBrawl 29/2/92)
--Steamboat brings his ninja!!!!!! That's enough to put this in the top ten. I mean, it's A NINJA. This is a US Title match and the atmosphere is bigger than a lot of World Title matches I've seen. The heat Rude gets is off the charts as well. It was great how they played off of the big atmosphere too, they didn't start this with anything more than collar and elbow with brawling, and it gets the crowd going nuts, they didn't want these two to do anything specific, just as long as they were touching each other (I know what you're thinking after reading that. Forum full of sickos. ). Steamboat gets in control with his armdrags and such, and moves on to Rude's to not give the Rude Awakening so much effect. Rude was unbelievable on selling that arm, even when on offense he had it bent and would gradually extend it as time went on. They clash into each other in a sort of a double crossbody spot, and I think the whole "even playing field" deal is spot-on perfect for a match with a big atmosphere and it's the kind of thing that makes a good crowd hold their piss in until the match is over with. Steamboat's ninja turns on him and it turns out it was Paul E. who was banned from ringside. That clever chicketty. Man I swear half of the matches on my list will probably be from 1992 by the time this thing's done (2024).