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In this month’s edition we weigh Big Van Vader’s GWCW ballot. We first talk about Leon White the man and how made his way into wrestling, then move on to his career taking off in Japan and his brutal matches with Stan Hansen and just how an eye can fall out in a wrestling match. Then the golden era, his first match with Sting and then the greatness that is The White Castle of Fear and the Beach Blast mini-movies. We talk about Cheatum’s short WCW career and how Vader packed much more sensibly than Sid Vicious. From there we look at Vader’s feud with the man known as Ray Traylor, the Boss, We conclude with Vader’s face turn and what could have been.
Matches Include:
- VAN VADER VS Z-MAN (GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1990)
- VADER VS STAN HANSEN (WRESTLEWAR 1991)
- VADER VS STING (02/15/92 POWER HOUR; 8:01)
- VADER VS RICKY STEAMBOAT (10/16/93 WCWSN; HUMAN CAGE; 24:06)
- VADER VS THE BOSS (SPRING STAMPEDE 1994)
- VADER VS STING VS GUARDIAN ANGEL (FALL BRAWL 1994, TRIANGLE ELIMINATION MATCH)
- RIC FLAIR & ARN ANDERSON VS VADER (CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXI)
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In a fresh episode of With This Ring, Ryan and Cindy look at the WCW career of the one and only Cactus Jack. They look at his uninspiring early WCW run, his return as a monster heel, his birthday cake eating skill and his feud with Sting. The duo also talk about Cactus turning face and his brutal feud with Vader, as well as his back to back classic matches with the Nasty Boys and of course, getting lost in Cleveland. The couple wrap up with wondering if being a one-match type of worker hurts him and if being Santa gives him any intangible points, plus their actual rankings of Cactus. Enjoy!
Matches:
- ROAD WARRIORS & NORMAN VS. CACTUS JACK, BAM BAM BIGELOW & KEVIN SULLIVAN (CAPITAL COMBAT 1990)
- STING VS.. CACTUS JACK (11/23/91 POWER HOUR; SUBMIT OR SURRENDER; 14:21)
- CACTUS JACK VS PAUL ORNDORFF (SUPERBRAWL III, FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE)
- VADER VS. CACTUS JACK (04/17/93 WCWSN; 11:25)
- NASTY BOYS VS. CACTUS JACK & MAXX PAYNE (SPRING STAMPEDE 1994, CHICAGO STREET FIGHT MATCH)
- CACTUS JACK VS. VADER (04/30/94 WORLDWIDE, TEXAS TORNADO MATCH)
- NASTY BOYS VS. CACTUS JACK & KEVIN SULLIVAN (SLAMBOREE 1994, TAG TEAM TITLE BROAD STREET BULLY MATCH)
In this episode of With This Ring Ryan and Cindy look at the WCW career of Brian Pillman. They run down everything from Flyin’ Brian to the Loose Cannon. Along the way they talk about the Hollywood Blondes, the Disney tapings, the 4 Horsemen in 1995, the evolution of the Loose Cannon and how Pillman’s life tragically ended. Which NFL team did Brian Pillman play on, because they never mention it in any of his matches? Enjoy!
- LEX LUGER VS BRIAN PILLMAN (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1989, UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH)
- RIC FLAIR VS BRIAN PILLMAN (02/17/90 WCWSN)
- BRIAN PILLMAN VS JUSHIN LIGER (SUPERBRAWL II)
- STEVE AUSTIN & BRIAN PILLMAN VS RICKY STEAMBOAT & SHANE DOUGLAS (03/28/93 MAIN EVENT)
- HOLLYWOOD BLONDES VS RIC FLAIR & ARN ANDERSON (CLASH XXIII, TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
- BRIAN PILLMAN VS JOHNNY B BADD (FALL BRAWL 1995)
- BRIAN PILLMAN VS EDDIE GUERRERO (CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXII)
With This RIng #19: Dusty Rhodes
Ryan and Cindy start there journey into the GWCW wrestler project with the one and only American Dream. During the watch discussion topics include his character, his feud with Ric Flair, his 1994 return and his final WCW match in 2001. They also talk about the GWCW Wrestler project and how some lack of categories may hurt Dusty overall. Sit back and enjoy the "hard times"!
Matches:
- RIC FLAIR VS DUSTY RHODES (STARRCADE 1985, WORLD TITLE MATCH)
- TULLY BLANCHARD VS DUSTY RHODES (06/13/87 PRO; 24:39)
- TERRY FUNK & BUNKHOUSE BUCK VS DUSTIN & DUSTY RHODES (CLASH XXVIII)
- NASTY BOYS, DUSTY & DUSTIN RHODES VS ROBERT PARKER, TERRY FUNK, BUNKHOUSE BUCK & ARN ANDERSON (FALL BRAWL 1994, WAR GAMES MATCH)
- DUSTIN & DUSTY RHODES VS JEFF JARRETT & RIC FLAIR (GREED 2001)
To wrap a bow on the GWCW matches list, Ryan and Cindy watch some of the more memorable and quintessential WCW moments. Topics include: Mini-movies, drugged out bears, matches on the back country roads of Tupelo, Mississippi and more! They also talk about how WCW it is to have Nitro at Spring Break and what exactly is Cheatum the evil midget’s employment status?? The pair discuss the WWE Network move to Peacock and what it might mean for WCW history and the podcast in general. WELCOME TO OZ!
Matches:
- OZ VS. TIM HORNER (SUPERBRAWL I)
- BIG JOSH VS. BLACK BART (SUPERBRAWL I)
- STING VS. VADER (SUPERBRAWL III, WHITE CASTLE OF FEAR MATCH)
- STING & DAVEY BOY SMITH VS. VADER & SID (BEACH BLAST 1993)
- BLACKTOP BULLY VS. DUSTIN RHODES (KING OF THE ROAD MATCH, UNCENSORED 1995)
- RIC FLAIR VS. REY MYSTERIO JR (WCW WORLD TITLE MATCH, 03/22/99, NITRO)
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In this edition of With This Ring, Ryan and Cindy wrap up Ryan’s GWCW list, looking at the remaining matches that made his top 20 list. They talk about how a match can be too long, the Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat feud of 1989, the poison mist glands that most Japanese wrestlers use and how logical it would be for Muta and Terry Funk to be connected, then the duo delve into War Games and look at the safeness of a structure that has a roof about 2 feet above the competitors. Also War Games means blood, so lots of blood in this match, with Barry Windham leading the way and Sid hitting the worst looking powerbomb ever on Brian Pillman. They talk about a hoss battle tag team match between the Steiners and Luger and Sting and finally, a look at War Games 92, Sting’s Squadron against the Dangerous Alliance. After looking at these five matches, Ryan and Cindy also check out Ryan’s top 20 matches and finally Ryan’s top 10 overall. Enjoy!
Matches:
- RICKY STEAMBOAT VS. RIC FLAIR (05/07/89 WRESTLEWAR WORLD TITLE MATCH)
- RIC FLAIR VS TERRY FUNK (07/23/89 GREAT AMERICAN BASH WORLD TITLE MATCH)
- FOUR HORSEMEN VS. STING, BRIAN PILLMAN & STEINER BROTHERS (WRESTLEWAR 1991, WARGAMES MATCH)
- STEINER BROTHERS VS. LEX LUGER & STING (SUPERBRAWL, TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
- STING'S SQUADRON VS. DANGEROUS ALLIANCE (WRESTLEWAR 1992, WAR GAMES MATCH)
In this edition of With This Ring, Ryan and Cindy look back at their previous deep dives for the GWCW lists and the matches that Cindy picked as her #1 for each show. Then the pair discuss how the lists turned out and the uniqueness of WCW. Plus, the GWCW wrestler poll and how it is an exercise to find out who is the second greatest WCW wrestler. Enjoy!
- RIC FLAIR VS. RANDY SAVAGE (GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1995)
- RIC FLAIR VS. RICKY STEAMBOAT (CHI-TOWN RUMBLE 1989)
- REY MYSTERIO JR & JUVENTUD GUERRERA VS. PSYCHOSIS & LA PARKA (12/08/97, NITRO)
- EDDIE GUERRERO VS. REY MYSTERIO (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1997, MASK VS TITLE)
- RICKY STEAMBOAT & SHANE DOUGLAS VS. STEVE AUSTIN & BRIAN PILLMAN (CLASH XXII, TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
- SHINJIRO OTANI VS. EDDY GUERRERO (STARRCADE 1995)
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In this episode of With This Ring, Ryan and Cindy look at the NWA/WCW Granddaddy of them all, Starrcade! They concentrate on 1988, when it became the Christmas time tradition. Also the duo talk about Ric Flair’s deceptive age, Lex Luger’s booby dance, the Lethal Lottery, the King of Cable tournament being decided not on cable, Charlotte Flair’s PPV debut, WCW Cruiserweights, and the Latino World Order. There is also a discussion on WCW card structure becoming very front-loaded with good matches early, and then the matches with focused storylines tending to suffer. Plus the fun Sid/Arn Anderson stabbing incident! So hang your stockings, draw the names for the Lethal Lottery and enjoy the podcast!
- RIC FLAIR VS. LEX LUGER (STARRCADE 1988, NWA WORLD TITLE MATCH)
- BATTLEBOWL BATTLE ROYAL 1991 (STARRCADE 1991)
- STING VS. VADER (STARRCADE 1992, KING OF CABLE FINAL)
- VADER VS. RIC FLAIR (STARRCADE 1993, WCW WORLD TITLE MATCH)
- SHINJIRO OTANI VS. EDDY GUERRERO (STARRCADE 1995)
- JUSHIN LIGER VS. REY MYSTERIO JR. (STARRCADE 1996)
- KIDMAN VS. JUVENTUD GUERRERA VS. REY MYSTERIO JR (CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH, STARRCADE 1998)
- KIDMAN VS. EDDY GUERRERO (CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH, STARRCADE 1998)
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In this episode, Ryan and Cindy continue assembling their GWCW list, looking at some classic matches from Clash of the Champions over the years. After a brief discussion of origins of Clash of the Champions, Cindy is unimpressed by the Midnight Express and has an interesting viewpoint on Terry Funk. They have a lengthy discussion on Ricky Steamboat as he has three matches in a row, not even counting Clash VI! The pair veer into a brief discussion of wrestler’s rights and Andrew Yang’s thoughts on the issue, plus a tangent into the Hollywood Blondes and the debacle that was the Disney Tapings. They then talk about how Ryan’s favorite WCW wrestler might just be Vader and his great little gem of a match with Dustin Rhodes. Finally, the duo then talk TBS’s Dinner and Movie and how a vignette that cooked during movies on TBS turned heel and joined the nWo. So enjoy some Macho Nachos and WCW cream puffs and listen to With This Ring!
- MIDNIGHT EXPRESS VS. RIC FLAIR & BARRY WINDHAM (CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS IV)
- RIC FLAIR VS. TERRY FUNK (CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS IX I QUIT MATCH)
- ENFORCERS VS. RICKY STEAMBOAT & DUSTIN RHODES (CLASH XVII, TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
- RICKY STEAMBOAT & SHANE DOUGLAS VS. STEVE AUSTIN & BRIAN PILLMAN (CLASH XXII, TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
- STEVE AUSTIN VS. RICKY STEAMBOAT (CLASH XXVIII, UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH)
- VADER VS. DUSTIN RHODES (CLASH XXIX)
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In this special Halloween episode, Ryan and Cindy look at WCW’s spookiest Pay-Per-View of the year, Halloween Havoc! They check out some tricks and treats of matches, some that will make the GWCW list and some that should be nowhere near it. The couple talk how WCW’s operations were always off just a bit, was the Chamber of Horrors really that bad, how Ryan just loves seeing Vader and Cactus Jack throw bombs at each other, how Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair’s chemistry continued after their first match, what exactly is a Monster Truck Sumo Match but more importantly, what should a YET-AY look like anyway?? Then they get into the WCW/nWo era and look at a possible #1 WCW match and another fun chapter in the DDP/Macho Man feud. And finally, a discussion of possibly the worst WCW match ever plus a great Goldberg/DDP match. Do the monster mash, trick or treat candy from the Candy Man and enjoy!
STEINER BROTHERS VS. NASTY BOYS (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1990, UNITED STATES TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH)
STING, STEINER BROTHERS & EL GIGANTE VS CACTUS JACK, ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER, VADER & DIAMOND STUDD (HALLOWEEN HAVOC, CHAMBER OF HORRORS)
VADER VS. CACTUS JACK (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1993, TEXAS DEATH WCW WORLD TITLE MATCH)
HULK HOGAN VS. RIC FLAIR (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1994, WCW WORLD TITLE RETIREMENT CAGE MATCH)
HULK HOGAN VS. THE GIANT (WCW WORLD TITLE MATCH, HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1995)
REY MYSTERIO JR VS. EDDY GUERREO (CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE VS MASK MATCH, HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1997)
DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE VS. RANDY SAVAGE (NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH, HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1997)
HOLLYWOOD HOGAN VS. WARRIOR (HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1998)
GOLDBERG VS. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE (WCW WORLD TITLE MATCH, HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1998)
