WWF 305 Live: Vader vs. Henry!

Vader vs. Mark Henry WWF Sunday Night Heat 8/9/98 - VERY GOOD

ER: This was the 4th and final taped Vader/Henry bout, coming after their match at Fully Loaded. I thought what was most notable about it was how damn good Mark Henry looked, and how sad and sluggish Vader looked. I'm always hesitant to say someone is checked out, but Vader actually looked good in early '98 and this wasn't that. The most joy Vader brought here was during his entrance, which had so much wonderful hand dancing and shoulder shrugging, shimmying down the ramp while shoulder shrugging his way over to ringside fans. Vader had the kind of movement that would make him a consummate dancer and entertainer during literally any wedding. If Vader was just an uncle at a wedding and not one of the greatest wrestlers of my lifetime, I don't think I would be able to concentrate on anything else in the room once he took the dance floor. You're a beautiful dancer, Vader. 

But all of that pep he showed during his entrance kind of vanished during the match. There were some shockingly lazy moments that I wouldn't associate with someone as high end as Vader, and now I'm wondering if there are other late run WWF matches where he coasts been more. This was Vader just a couple months before returning to All Japan, so honestly why not coast down the stretch, but it's still surprising to see him do things like slowly walk far too long backwards to get into position to be Irish whipped. He doesn't cut corners like that. Vader is someone you can always rely on to punch someone in the ear to get him into position, so seeing a few moments where he just casually walked into position for offense looked bad. 

And yet, Mark Henry looked like the wrestler many of us would catch fire for heavily praising 5 years later. While Vader looked like he was holding back on his ear cupping punches and heavy clotheslines, Henry went full force. Vader doesn't budge Henry on a couple of shoulderblocks, and early in the match Henry actually pulls off a press slam on Vader. It's quick, and Vader lands it on his feet, falling to his stomach and rolling to the floor. There's a sad Vader stair bump in here, where Henry throws Vader into the ring steps and Vader just kind of gently pops into them, but Mark Henry responds with what had to have been his best punches of 1998, right to the side of Vader's head. Vader looked listless, but got great height and impact on his standing splash and even busted Henry's mouth open. Henry looked incredible with a blood red mouth. They should have found the best shot of him with a bloody mouth and used it on every Titantron video and t-shirt for the man. I thought the DQ finish was really great: Henry hitting his own standing splash once, twice, a three times, JR getting excited talking about Vader's potential internal injuries by the second splash.  

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE WWF 305 LIVE

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2002 Big Boss Man Runs Into Bradshaw

Big Boss Man/Mr. Perfect vs. Bradshaw/Faarooq WWF Metal 3/23/02

ER: Okay well this is the match right here. This is the kind of match that makes me want a series, and  makes me mad that most of the Boss Man/Perfect team's existence happened on house shows. Everyone came off tough, a real hardscrabble match that was cooperatively stiff in the best way. Perfect really works heavyweight here, and while he takes the most bumps of anyone they aren't athletic stooge heel bumps, they're hard back bumps off a shoulderblock or powerslam. Perfect and Boss Man cut Bradshaw off from Faarooq, which wasn't the direction I thought this was going, and I liked it. Boss Man is great on the apron, doing his "gotten to" expression to the crowd the first time he's tagged in, stalking up the apron, letting them chant Boss Man Sucks. His feeding into the chant is always so good, because he shuts them up quick by going right in and always punching a guy. Those chants never continue on into the match, he makes sure to quiet them quick, and having a big punch out with Bradshaw is a really cool way to guarantee they stop.

Boss Man and Perfect hit Bradshaw with a hard double shoulderblock, and Perfect is the one that Bradshaw throws around, but not in any kind of dominant way. I dug how Perfect got up quick after taking the fallaway slam, as it actually makes sense that a rolling bump like that wouldn't be as impactful as a suplex bump, and there's a killer tangle where Perfect kind of stops short but Bradshaw snags him and turns it into a hardway suplex. I'm not sure if it was a miscommunication, but I don't think it was, and it just made the spot look way cooler. Faarooq was the big hot tag while Perfect was getting run into the ringside steps, and I like that Faarooq couldn't fully lift Boss Man. He hit a spinebuster but it wasn't clean, but still enough to put a big man down. The most intense moment of the match came right after, when it looked like Faarooq was actually going to hit the freaking DOMINATOR on BOSS MAN! He hits a powerbomb instead - which is great - but my mind was racing at how both of these men just might injure themselves doing a move that I am still stunned was allowed to be used at all. Knowing this match exists should excite you, and it delivered on its potential.

Big Boss Man vs. Bradshaw WWF Heat 4/14/02

ER: First things first, this match is 30 seconds long. Second, it's the greatest 30 second match in wrestling history. I love 4 minute Wire songs, but I also love 45 second Wire songs. I love 2 minute Minutemen songs, but I also love 30 second Minutemen songs. I would certainly love a 5 minute bruise filled good ol boy fight, but Boss Man will also put the same effort and story progression into 30 seconds. It's got everything: Stiff work, loud crowd heat with immediate Boss Man Sucks chants, 8 great punches, a sternum breaking chest bump in the corner, and one highlight reel worthy Clothesline from Hell. It's as much heat and fight and payoff as a 3 minute match. Greatest Hits Played Faster. Boss Man has phenomenal timing, and it makes spots like Bradshaw's missed elbow look that much better. Boss Man hangs into spots like that until the last possible second, Bradshaw committing all of his weight, and before long Boss Man is throwing punches like he's trying to bust Bradshaw's eyebrow. Boss Man got incredible steam on a missed corner charge while everyone in the arena let him know how enthusiastically he siphons, and he turned around just in time to be obliterated by the Clothesline. Big Boss Man: Ultimate Tik Tok Wrestler. 

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