Wednesday 11 January 2012

Straight Outta Bucksnort, Crazy Motherfucker Named Bunkhouse

So I'm trying to work my way through a shit ton of WCW over the next month or so in order to be able to get a top 100 WCW matches list together. I start my journey in Bucksnort, Tennessee.


Dustin Rhodes v Bunkhouse Buck (Bunkhouse Match - WCW Spring Stampede, 4/17/94)

So this is just a truckload of great. Starts out with Dustin running down the ramp, hurling himself over the top rope and hitting Buck with a flying lariat, which is one of the best uses of the old WCW ramp I can remember seeing. Match is pretty much wild the whole way through. Not wild in the sense they're throwing each other off of stuff and whacking each other with trash cans and aping concessions stand brawls like the Foley/Payne v Nasty Boys match earlier in the show. Wild in the sense they eschew the ECW shtick and just punch each other and whip each other with belts and blast each other with cowboy boots. This isn't something plucked out of the ECW arena and stuck in a WCW ring. This is something plucked out of 1980s Mid-South. Buck cracks Dustin square in the head with a 1x2 and Dustin bleeds and bleeds. Buck is lashing him across the back with his belt and he has this constant look on his face that makes you think he's truly out of his mind. Fuller is on the outside hamming it up and getting under everybody's skin. And then Dustin fights back and wraps the belt around his hand so he can punch Buck in the face. And well, this match pretty much rules. Someone also gets punted in the balls at some point. Match of the century.


Dustin Rhodes v Bunkhouse Buck (Bullrope Match - WCW Slamboree, 5/22/94)

More of the same, thank you. The Bunkhouse match started out with Dustin charging the ring and throwing himself right at Buck. This starts out with Dustin already in the ring swinging the bullrope over his head, so Buck just lowers his head and tries to ram him so he can close the distance before getting smacked with a flying cowbell. First stretch of this is all about Dustin in control, working the leg and stomping Buck in the dick. He wraps the bullrope around Buck's neck and tries to lynch him, and when Buck tries to get free he winds up practically giving himself a rope burn straight across his face. When Buck takes over (to take control in the first place he pulls Dustin's t-shirt up over his head, and while Dustin's face is covered Buck starts whipping him with his belt...which was really fucking great) he does this great spot where he basically ties Dustin to the ring post by weaving himself around the post, and then he starts unloading punches while Dustin is caught in a straitjacket. Dustin fights back by punting him in the nuts and Buck's dazed sell of it is just tremendous. Philly crowd start a huge "we want blood" chant. They don't get it, but Dustin starts blasting Buck in the ribs with a cowbell, and that made me happy at least. The ref' bump was really cool here. Dustin uses the bullrope to sort of irish whip Buck towards him, but Patrick is caught in the crossfire and gets sandwiched between them both. Fuller jumps in at this point and wants to smash Dustin with the cowbell, hamming it up to shit and acting like an asshole. Naturally, it backfires and Dustin swings the cowbell right of Buck's head for the win. Post-match, Terry Funk runs down to the ring with a towel over his head and nails Dustin with a running branding iron shot that looked totally nasty. Dustin bleeds all over the place and we get a huge "TERRY! TERRY!" chant from the ECDubbers in attendance. Not quite match of the century, but still a Hell of a fight.

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