DEAN MALENKO vs. EDDY GUERRERO
I recently reviewed the Axl Rotten vs. Ian Rotten feud. In that review, I begin with the following: "A bloodlover's dream and a technical guru's nightmare..." Now, if you want to see a technical guru's dream, you've come to the right place. The Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero feud continued throughout all of the big three promotions: ECW, WCW, and the WWF, in that order. This is scientific mat-wrestling at it's absolute greatest.
So, without further ado, I proudly presesnt the Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero Spotlight Feud...
- The year: 1995. The promotion: Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). At April 8's Three Way Dance, Eddy Guerrero defeated champion 2 Cold Scorpio to win the ECW Television Title. One week later (4/15), the ECW Arena hosted Hostile City Showdown. The night's fifth match saw Eddy defend his title against another mat wrestling specialist, that being "The Shooter," Dean Malenko. Soon in, there's a spectacular sequence featuring some cradles, rollups, and other pinning combos. They exchange some headscissors takeovers and submission holds before Eddy hits a slingshot somersault senton splash (KO). Dean starts focusing on Eddy's knee, applying various submissions, but Eddy eventually catches him with a sunset flip and hits several nice moves, including a (bridgeless) fisherman suplex, powerbomb (KO), Tornado DDT (KO), and top-rope Frankensteiner. Dean takes back control and hits a superplex before once again going back to the knee.
Dean's missed pescado allows Eddy to hit a plancha. Both exchange brainbusters, before Eddy hits his Frogsplash (KO). Dean hits a northern lights suplex (KO), but Eddy twice wiggles out of the Texas Cloverleaf. Eddy grabs Dean's wrist and hits a springboard hurricanrana off the ropes (KO), followed by a pumphandle backbreaker (KO). Dean escapes a Gory Special, leading to another excellent sequence of pinning combos. Eddy hits a Top-Rope (avalanche-style) Powerbomb (KO), and the referee soon signals for a draw, due to the 30:00 time limit expiring. The crowd, who had earlier in the match been chanting "We want blood," began a "Five more minutes" chant, proving just how classic the bout was, a bout that had no decisive winner, nonetheless. Eddy Guerrero retains his ECW Television Title via a no decision (time limit draw).
POST-MATCH THOUGHTS: The 30:00 that these two went at it was filled with great selling and psychology, somethign that was a rare vision in XPW. The fans clearly were not too thrilled at the early stages, but as the match progressed, most were inevitably sucked in to the scientific clinic that was being displayed. Stuart of Strong Style Spirit (PuroresuFan.com) rated the match **** (star)'s, a considerable rarity.
- At Enter Sandman, which occurred on May 13 of '95, Eddy again defended his TV Title against Malenko. Taz does special guest commentary alongside Joey Styles for the match. Some submissions begin the bout, but they soon take the bout to the outside ring area after Eddy headscissors Dean out. Back in the ring, Dean hits a Tiger-Driver (double underhook powerbomb), backdrop suplex, and Tombstone Piledriver. He soon reverses Eddy's attempted Frankensteiner off the top into an avalanche-style powerbomb. A fantastic mat wrestling sequence follows (including Eddy hitting a tope and brainbuster), ending with both grounding eachother courtesy of a double clothesline. Dean tries to mount an offense after an unsuccesful Frogsplash, but is soon dropped with a SuperPlex and, eventually, a rope-assisted 'rana.
His landing didn't serve him much good, though, as he begins juicing hardaway from the back of his head. Dean plays up his heel status by driving an elbow into the cut (KO), but when he attempts the Cloverleaf, it's reversed into a rollup (KO). Both take awhile to rise back up, but once they do, Eddy takes Dean off the top-rope with a Frankensteiner. Eddy goes back to his Japanese routes for a moment and drops Dean with his Black Tiger Bomb (Sitdown Crucifix Powerbomb), but soon succumbs to moreabuse to his already severed head wound. After getting 2 off of both a kneelift and 3/4 full nelson rollup, Eddy locks on a Figure Four Leglock, but the bell sounds, signaling another 30:00 time limit draw. Once agian, there'd be no decisive winner, allowing Eddy to retain his TV Title.
POST-MATCH THOUGHTS: The commercial tape airs only 12:38 of the match (which was 30:00 in all), but Scott Keith of Rantsylvania.com / TheSmarks.com sees what would most likely be a damn near perfect bout, rating it ****3/4, almost unseen. Stuart of Strong Style Spirit (PuroresuFan.com) didn't give the match a rating in his review because such a small percentage of it was aired, but says the following about the match: "...Graceful chain wrestling, fluid matwork, rich psychology, subtle heel tactics; all of which go right over the heads of the Rocky-lovin', wrestling-hatin' ignorant dorks that often attend WWF cards and show more interest in the "puppies" on offer than the guys working hard in the ring to entertain the crowd." I'll that stand for itself. This was probably Dean and Eddy's best match against eachother (at least in the U.S.).
- At HeatWave, which was on July 15, 2 Cold Scorpio and Dean Malenko went up against Taz and the TV champ, Eddy Guerrero. The commercial tape features a highly-clipped match, which begins with Dean targeting Taz's injured knee. Eddy soon gets the dramatic tag and comes in, but the clipping forces the picture to skip around into 10 sec. soundbytes. Eventually, Scorpio accidently knocks out ECW Owner Paul Heyman on the outside and 911's theme hits, distracting Scorpio and allowing Taz to roll him up for the pinfall win.
After the match, heel referee Bill Alfonso comes out and declares the match to continue. Malenko and Scorpio (the heels) begin assaulting their opponents, eventually gaining the pinfall win (courtesy of Alfonsos's refereeing). RFVideo Founder and Owner Rob Feinstein comes out and assists Alfonso in attacking Heyman, but 911's theme again hits and he comes out, eventually chokeslamming Fenstein.
- At an ECW house show, which occurred on August 26 of '95, a blockbuster match (on paper) scheduled a title defense for Guerrero. Once again, it'd be agaisnt Malenko, but the gimmick fo the match was that it'd be Best Two Out of Three Falls. There'd be two or three falls (depending on who wins which), and the grappler with the most falls won at the end of the match would win the ECW TV Title. This was both Dean and Eddy's "Farewell Match" in ECW, as they'd never wrestle for the promotion again due to them going to Atlanta (WCW) soon after and, a few years later, New York (WWF). Their usual mat wrestling sequence starts it off, and Eddy quickly gets 2 with a pinning combo. Some armbars are exchanged before Dean flips Eddy over with a hiptoss, only to get thrown across the ring with a monkey-flip. Eddy locks on a rear chinlock, and then hits a flying wristlock. He hits two suplexes(a sambo and floatover) for 2, but Dean soon locks on a modified Indian Deathlock and quickly transitions into a bow-and-arrow submission. 2.
After an STF, they go to the outside for a short brawl, but quickly re-enter the ring, where Eddy's belly-to-belly suplex, enziguri, and superplex each get two counts. His attempted pumphandle backbreaker, though, is countered into a backslide by Dean, getting 2. Eddy doesn't lose quickly rolling him up and gets three, winning the first fall. Eddy hits a german suplex, but is quick to succumb (tap out) to the agony of the Texas Cloverleaf. Dean wins the second fall, and we're all tied up at one fall apiece. The winner of this fall wins their feud. Eddy rests on the outside before re-entering. Dean hits a brainbuster for 2, and then a short brawl outside. Back in, Dean hits a Tiger-Driver, but Eddy takes control back wtih a Tornado DDT, brainbuster, and Frogsplash, getting 2 after the DDT and 'splash. His 'rana and sunset-flip each get two, but Dean escapes another Tornado DDT and hits an Exploding Gutbuster Suplex. Guerrero rolls him up and gets 2, but after escaping, Dean doesn't hesitate to use his own rollup. 1......2......3!!!!!
Dean's won the farewell match between him and Eddy...or...wait a second...the referee's insisting that the shoulders of both competitors were down, causing a draw. That's exactly what he rules, once again causing there to be no decisive winner in a match between the two. After the match, the two break kayfabe and embrace, seemingly ending their feud. It would, of course, continue in the other "big two" promotions. Their combined ECW series ended like this:
Eddy: 0 wins
Dean: 2 wins (in tag bouts)
No Decisions: 2 time limit draws, 1 draw
One-On-One Match Results:
Tag Team Match Results:
Other Match Results: