Hey True Believers!!!  I got this tape awhile ago and have been wanting to watch it for a few months, but something always got in my way and prevented me from doing so.  But I have a relatively clear weekend here, so I figured that not only would I watch it, I'd do a little review for it as well, since it was only about 90 minutes long.

The opening montage plays off the fact that Steve Austin is the biggest star in wrestling while throwing out little characters traits (He was "stone cold serious", he "didn't trust anybody" in the USWA) and carefully avoiding calling him anything that's trademarked by the WWF.  This tape is a commercial tape produced in 1998 probably, although there's no date on the box or the tape itself.  The opening bills this as the first in the IPW Ultimate Fan Series, although I'm struggling to remember any other tapes this company ever made.  Maybe my Abdullah the Butcher tape.....

This is all footage from Austin's rookie year (1990) in the USWA, concentrating heavily on his fued with Chris Adams, a really hot fued and definately the major drawing card in that year for USWA.  All of these matches are from the Dallas Sportatorium, which the announcers mention, but if you've watched enough wrestling you can tell the Sportatorium by sight.  So without further ado, let's get to the matchlist and the tape, soldier......

Steve Austin vs. Chris Adams                  Come As You Are Match
Austin/Jeff Gaylord  vs.  Chito Torres/Frogman LeBlanc
Austin/Eric Embry  vs.  Gary Young/Bill Dundee
Austin/Jeff Gaylord/Shiek Braddock  vs.  Eric Embry/Matt Borne/Chris Adams
Austin/Jeannie Clark  vs.  Chris and Toni Adams           Mixed Tag Match
Austin/Jeannie Clark  vs.  Chris and Toni Adams           Mixed Tag Match
 
 

Stunning Steve Austin vs. Chris Adams       Come As You Are Match

For those of you unaware of the rules of a Come As You Are match, it's just no DQ and you can bring or wear anything you want for the match.  Austin comes to the ring with his North Texas Mean Green football uniform, complete with pads and helmet.  Adams comes out wearing a judo gi and carrying a kendo stick, playing off his background of being a legitimate judo champ before he started wrestling.  Oh yeah, that familiar looking guy with Austin and the blond hair is none other than Percy Pringle, better known as Paul Bearer.  It's just incredibly weird seeing him with blond hair though.

Adams goes to work right away with the kendo stick in the upper body and head of Austin, but to no effect as Austin has his pads on.  He switches gears and goes to the legs instead and chops Austin down.  Some pretty stiff shots with the cane, too.  Austin manages to dodge and hit a shoulderblock that sends Adams just flying to the outside.  Smart Sportatorium crowd easily picks up that psychology and cranks up the heat.  Austin uses the 3 point stance and destroys Adams again with a shoulderblock.  Austin slams Adams on the floor, then chokes him with the cable, yelling the whole time.  Austin tries a splash from the apron but misses, allowing Adams to come back with some kicks and few chops into the unprotected throat of Austin.  Austin chops back, and nails Adams with a slightly broken chair, which the announcer mentioned that those two guys broke the week before.  We finally head back into the ring and Austin hits a flying shoulder tackle.   Austin tries a sequel, but Adams counters this time and sends Austin outsdie.  Adams follows him out, but Austin hits a low blow to stun Adams.  Austin charges, but Adams dodges and Austin crunches the post.  Not surprisingly, that's the absolute hardest I've ever seen anybody run into an inanimate object on purpose.  Austin is stunned and Adams takes advantage by ripping the helmet off and using it as a weapon, then he pulls the jersey and pads off.  Crowd goes nuts for that.  Austin tries to escape into the ring, but Adams follows him in and works Austin over with the helmet.  Adams puts Austin in the Tree of Woe, then nails just a sick nutshot with the elbow.  Ok, that is SO not cool.  Ouch.   Adams starts looking for the kendo stick.  Pringle tries to hide the stick behind his back (hilarious, perfect camera angle here catches right on), but Adams catches him and kicks his ass. Adams comes back inside and works Austin over again, and Pringle gets nailed trying to run interference, but it's just enough as Austin recovers and they both destroy Adams to draw the really lame DQ. ***1/4.  Good, intense match there.
 

Stunning Steve Austin/Missouri Tiger Jeff Gaylord   vs.  Chito Torres/Frogman LeBlanc

And we go from the previous match to this piece of shit.  Frogman looks about 80 years old, what the hell is he doing in the ring?  I'm looking at Austin, then looking at the other 3 guys, and I'm not getting a good feeling.  Skandor Akbar is in the heels corner, since he was the major heel manager FOR YEARS in the USWA and just about anywhere he worked back then.  I don't recall ever hearing Chito's name before, ever, so I think we can safely assume that at least in the U.S. he didn't do anything major.  Gaylord, for any who care, can be summed up by a JR's patented Official Football Blowjob.  "He's a stud, a real hoss, a 6'3" 255 lb. All-American from Missouri."  Well, he WAS an All-American at Missouri.

Anyway.....lockup goes nowhere with Austin and Torres to start, but Torres eventually gets a hiptoss and dropkick.  Austin misses a couple clotheslines, but catches Terres with a powerslam.  Confusing part next, as Austin actually HITS an elbow, but sells like it missed.  Torres returns the favor, and both guys tag out.    Anyway, shoulder by Gaylord, and bad wrestling follows as both guys call spots in clear view of the camera and then mess them up.  Just ugly.  Gaylord tries a suplex and BARELY gets Frog over, despite a huge size advantage and being stacked as all hell.  Frog is no bigger than Spike Dudley, I swear to God, which shows how pathetic that suplex was.  Austin back in (mercifully), and works the arm as Akbar works some interference for him.  Frog tries a weak reversal, but Austin reverses again and hits a fireman's carry, looking smoother than all hell doing so.  Austin slaps Frog around and slams him.  Austin asks for some competititon.  He should probably ask for better workers, these guys suck.  Austin tags Gaylord, then gets a whip and powerslam, which Frog completely messes up, but Austin recovers enough to save it.  Gaylord goes up top and hits a flying shoulderblock and gets the 3.  Austin is the only thing that saved this from negative stars.  1/4*  Just horrible.
 

Stunning Steve Austin/Eric Embry  vs.  Gorgeous Gary Young/Bill Dundee

First off, I just want to point out that I've seen Bill Dundee on numerous occasions and on numerous tapes, and I am at a loss to explain how he ever got over....at all.  Yet in the 80s he was, in multiple places and territories no less, despite not having a single redeeming quality as a wrestler that I can identify.  That should tell you right there that I have very low hopes for this match.  Foley's first book talks a bit about Embry, who was unquestionably the most over wrestler in the USWA during the late 80s-early 90s.  He was just insane over as a face.  He had legendary fueds with the whole Von Erich family for years.  He's working heel here, although it's easy to tell the crowd wants to cheer him.  Gary Young was pretty big in Memphis and had lots of big matches with Lawler, if I remember correctly.  But then again, who DIDN'T have big matches with Lawler in Memphis?

Tojo Yamamoto is with the heels for this one on the outside.  Brawl to start, and Dundee uses an unidentified belt on the heels.  The heels bail for a moment and we cooldown.  Austin and Young start and stall for a bit.  They trade armbars and Embry tags in.    Young takes control of Embry and drags him to the face corner and holds Embry for Dundee, but Embry dodges the right.  Dundee stops short of accidentally hitting Young though.  The faces have a staredown for a moment (they had a trust issue going here, which the announcers point out.  Young reluctantly tags out to Dundee and holds Embry again, but Dundee actually hits Young this time Young holds Embry again and Embry moves again, but this time Dundee actually hits Young and they have a major staredown as the heels egg them on.  I think there's some clippage here, and we return with  Embry climbing back in the ring, and the faces work over Embry in the corner, eventually getting 1.  More double team stuff, and Young comes in....you like armbars?  We got armbars.  Embry audibly calls a spot on camera to Austin for a knee, and sure enough Austin cheats and hits Young with a knee as he's getting whipped into the ropes.  Embry and Tojo cheat to win, and Tojo hits Young with briefcase a few times.  Austin tags in and stomps a mudhole in Young.  COOL MOMENT ALERT--  Dr. Tom Pritchard is on guest commentary here, and guarantees that Austin will be huge one day.  You have no idea, Tom.  Austin chokes Young in the ropes, then distracts the ref which allows Embry and Tojo to cheat to win again.  BIG clothesline by Austin, but Young comes back with a sunset flip for 2.  This only annoys Austin, and he kicks Young around some more and chokes him out.  Embry gets in another shot with the briefcase and gets 1 before Dundee breaks it up.  Austin dominates Young before a fluke backslide gets 1 .  Powerslam by Austin, but Dundee again breaks it up.  Austin is pissed, so he charges the face corner and CRUSHES Dundee with a right, which actually draws a small face pop for Austin.  That might be the only time Austin got cheered on this whole tape.  Austin tags to Embry, Young tries to hulk up, but Embry shuts him up with a DDT.  Dundee AGAIN break it up at just 1.  Austin causes a false tag, and Embry hits a piledriver.  It gets 1 AGAIN before Dundee break it up.  WHAT THE FUCK!!!! STOP THAT!!!!  Dundee is annoying the piss outta me right now.  If you're a face, ALLOW YOUR GUY TO KICK OUT AND STOP BREAKING IT UP!!!!   Anyway....Embry misses...something, then tags Austin.  Austin with some rights, but misses a clothesline, allowing Young to get the hot tag.  All 4 guys in as Young miraculously recovers from the shitkicking he's been taking, and Dundee gets crossbody from the middle for the pin on Embry, after doing JACK SHIT the whole match.   What...in...the...fuck...is....that?  Ugh.  *1/4.  Pretty hot crowd, but it moved REALLY slow for most of the match.

Postmatch, Austin and Embry handcuff the "faces" to the ropes and beat the hell out of them (to a small spatter of face pops too!).  Then, in another awesome moment, Pritchard decides that this beatdown is looking so good that he simply can't stay on commentary and decides to join in the beatdown, simply because he doesn't want to be left out.  Hilarious.
 
 

Austin/Jeff Gaylord/Sheik Braddock  vs.  Eric Embry/ Matt Borne/Chris Adams

Akbar is with the heels again.  Braddock was just another USWA worker and didn't do anything that would gather national attention as far as I know.  Matt Borne was the original Doink the Clown in the WWF and a great worker.  Borne and Gaylord start, and Borne gets a monkey flip.   Gaylord tags to Austin, only to get back body dropped.  Borne tags in Adams, so Austin bails and stalls.  Austin finally slides back in long enough to tag Braddock in.  We get the "hold em accidental punch" spot from the faces again as the heels urge them on, but the faces turn and wipe out the heels and send them outside.  Gaylord comes in and poses, and we get definite clipping here (thank God).  We pick up with Adams hitting an enziguiri on Braddock.  Clothesline, and Borne comes in and works Braddock over.  Atomic drop, but Braddock gets the mid-air tag to Austin.  Austin goes to work on Borne, who doesn't realize the tag was made.   Austin nails Borne with rights, and just for fun nails Adams with a right when Adams isn't paying attention.   BIG boos for that, and that wakes Adams up and draws him in, allowing for some heel shenanigans.  The heels take turns kicking Borne's ass in the corner, and Gaylord eventually gets 2.    Borne ducks a clothesline, but then Gaylord completely fucks up a double-clothesline spot and they end up bumping chests pathetically.  Gaylord tries again but fucks up another clothesline and mercifully hits the chinlock.  Borne looks HIGHLY annoyed.  Gaylord tags to Austin, but Borne hits an enziguiri and tags to Adams, who just UNLOADS on Austin with everything he's got and everybody comes in.  Adams and Austin are left inside as the other four brawl outside.  Adams looks for the Superkick (his finisher, LONG before HBK thought of it) and hits, but the ref is distracted for God only knows what reasons, since the two legal guys are in the ring, numbnuts.  Akbar takes advantage and cheats, and puts Austin on top for the pin.  **1/4.  Good match as long as Sheik or Gaylord wasnt in there.
 

Steve Austin/Chris Adams Fued Highlights

We get some very good clips of the extremely hot Austin/Adams fued.  For those that don't know, Jeannie Clark was married to Adams, but Austin came along and stole her (both in the ring and in real life, setting up fueds between them in and out of the ring, actually similar to Sullivan/Benoit).   Austin and Jeannie would then kick Adams' ass every week.  Eventually Adams went out and got a new girlfriend (Toni) and married her, and together the four had an EXTREMELY heated fued.  The Adams/Austin fued was actually 3rd Runner up for 1990 as hottest fued in PWI magazine, ahead of some rather big WWF and WCW fueds.  And that was before PWI whored out their rankings to the highest bidder ***coughtedturnerandericbischoffcough***.  Sorry, must have a little cold today.  We start off with a match finish, with Adams trying to suplex Austin back inside, but Jeannie holds onto Adams' leg and Austin falls on top for the win.  Adams is PISSED.  Austin works Adams over, and holds him so that Jeannie can hairspray Adams in the eyes and slap him around.  More clips, with Adams wearing a neckbrace, but he's still destorying Austin.    They brawl outside, breaking the chair mentioned in the first match.  In the ring, Adams continues to work over Austin.  Austin fires back and rips off the neckbrace and concentrates on the neck.  He ties Adams in the ropes and Jeannie slaps him some more.  Toni runs out as Adams is asking for more. Catfight between the ladies, before Austin tosses Toni around.  BIG heel heat there.   More clips, picking up right after Adams getting a win over Austin.  Jeannie throws a chair into Austin and he goes to work on Adams.  Toni comes out with a kendo stick and takes it to Jeannie, but Austin saves Jeannie and holds Toni so that Jeannie can get some shots into the ribs with the kendo stick.   Great selection of clips here, and massive heat all around.
 

Steve Austin/Jeannie Clark  vs.  Chris and Toni Adams

I just gotta say, Chris Adams was the FUCKING MAN!!!!  He was married to both Jeannie and Toni, and they are BOTH incredibly fucking hot.  Jeannie and Toni put the current WWE Divas to fucking shame.  BTW, if Jeannie looks familiar, she was Lady Blossom in WCW and Austin's first wife and thought up the name "Stone Cold".  Also I feel compelled to point out Jeannie's presence....she ALWAYS knows where the camera is and is ready for that "slutty bitchy I'm-better-than-you-and-we-both-know-it" smirk for the camera.  But she doesn't throw herself at the camera, which is important.  She knows the guys are the show, not her.  As for Toni, I don't think she ever did anything in wrestling after this, but it's obvious with her looks that she could have.

Anyway.....WILD brawl to start as all four go nuts as soon as Chris and Toni are announced.  Holy shit.  Crowd is just screaming their fucking heads off here.  The ref finally manages to separate Jeannie and Toni and demands order be restored because this will be a real tag match and not a brawl.  Austin and Adams start fast with Adams controlling Austin, while talking shit to Jeannie at the same time.  Bad move as Jeannie runs in, distracting Adams long enough for Austin to gain control.  Sleeper, and Adams repeatedly tries to power out, but Austin repeatedly uses the hair to keep control.  Have I mentioned the heat here?  Adams finally does elbow out, but Austin clotheslines him right back down again.  Austin tags to Jeannie briefly to allow her to slap Adams around.  Adams teases a comeback, but Austin smartly jumps back in to keep control.  Austin works Adams over enough to tag Jeannie again, but Adams was just playing possum and drags Jeannie over to the face corner for the tag.  Break out the claws, we have a catfight.  Jeannie goes after the rib mentioned in the clip package previously, allowing her to control.  The guys are back in, but Adams dominates this time with a clothesline and right, sending Austin outside.  Adams give Austin the double axe from the apron, then throws him back inside and hits another one from the top.  Adams pounds away whileJeannie and Toni catfight some more.  Austin and Adams brawl outside, and Adams gets sent to the post. Piledriver on the floor by Austin (and like Memphis, a piledriver was DEATH in Dallas at the time).  Adams is out, so Austin goes back in and holds Toni for Jeannie to dish out some punishment.  The ref tries to help out Toni, but Austin just knocks him out for sticking his nose where it doesnt belong to draw the DQ.  Austin ties Toni in the ropes which allows Jeannie to administer suitable chastisement at her leisure.  Austin goes out and retrieves Adams, tosses him back in, then piledrives him again.  Crowd is just stunned here, huge heel heat for Austin and Jeannie.  Toni finally unties herself from the ring and tosses Jeannie to a big pop as Austin drags Adams into the middle.  Austin goes up top(!) to hit a splash, but Toni dives on top of Chris to protect.....but Austin's like "What the fuck you doin, bitch?" and flies off anyway and crushes them both.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  That's exactly why Austin rules it.  The Sportatorium is just about ready to stone Austin and Jeannie to death.  **1/4 for the actual wrestling, but several hundred thousand for booking and post-match drama.
 

Steve Austin/Jeannie Clark  vs. The Adamses

This is the rematch, obviously.  Toni is in a solid black piece, while Jeannie is in a HOT black and yellow thing. Wild brawl again before the bell to start, as the ladies meet in the middle of the ring like two opposite magnets and catfight, while Adams just murders Austin on the outside.  Ref tries to get control again like in the previous match, but nobody pays attention to him this time and keep brawling.  Just wild, crowd is going nuts.  Adams tosses outside and into the rail, allowing the ref to get SOME order in the match.  Toni wants to start with Jeannie, but Jeannie lets Austin have the honors with Adams.  Austin starts quick with rights, but misses a clothesline.  Adams capitalizes quickly by choking Austin in the ropes, then slingshots him into the corner.  Crowd just pops like its the end of the world every time the faces even move.  Rights and a clothesline by Adams have Austin reeling, and Adams takes a moment to talk shit to Jeannie.  You would think he'd learn from last match that was a mistake, and indeed the brief rest allows Austin to block a piledriver and fire back.  Gutwrench for Austin gets 2, and we hit the chinlock.  Adams powers out, and Austin goes for the hair.  HOWEVER, this time Adams does in fact learn something, cause he blocks it and take AUSTIN down by the hair.  Crowd picks up that psychology right away and loves it.  Pringle is on color and he goes on a rant about Adams and Chris Von Erich, which would be big later.

Adams controls Austin with the sleeper, but Jeannie runs interference again to let Austin come back.  Toni chases Jeannie off and around the ring, allowing Adams to elbow out.  Shoulderblock by Adams, but Austin hits a clothesline.  Jeannie comes in to slap Adams, but Adams just picks her up and tosses her to the corner where Toni is waiting, then takes out Austin right after.  Adams comes back and ties JEANNIE in the ropes, building on the situation from the last match.  That's the one major advantage of promotions like USWA, Memphis, Stampede and others....you know if somethign happens one week, it will be used the next week, and the crowd immediately picks up on it.  It's those little touches of psychology that the Big Two sometimes missed out on.  Austin tries to save but Adams holds him off so that Toni can slap Jeannie around, but Jeannie kicks Toni in the....well, yeah....to break.  Remind me never to cross Jeannie.....she'll not only kick ya in the balls, but then she'll take out your woman too.  Jeannie finally untangles herself, but Toni is PISSED now and gets the better of the catfighting.  They tag out to the guys again, and Adams immediately nails Austin with the Superkick to send him flying outside.  Adams follows him out to administer more punishment.  Back inside, Adams goes to a Boston crab.  Jeannie tries to break it up but Toni cuts her off.  The ladies just go nuts on each other as the crowd gets twice as loud as they were, which I didn't think was possible.  The women roll right onto the announcing table (it was right beside the ring).  Toni is slapping the shit outta Jeannie, then she slaps Pringle....a BIG no-no there (especially since Percy didn't actually interfere or anything and was staying neutral).  Pringle doesn't take too kindly to being slapped, so he grabs Toni and hold her for Jeannie and they both kick Toni's ass as Austin prevents Adams from going to help.  But Chris Von Erich runs down and CRUSHES Pringle, drawing a mega-pop.  Austin dumps Adams out of the way and beats down Von Erich, but then Jeff Jarrett draws an even bigger pop (if that's possible) by going after Austin. Adams recovers to swing the momentum to the faces, so Iceman Parsons comes out to help Austin.  A HUGE wild brawl erupts outside as bodies are flying all over ringside, chairs are wielded and fists are flying.  Somewhere in all the mess somebody is DQed, although I didn't see who got the decision.  "Wild" is really the only words to describe that finish.  I couldn't really tell where the match ended and the post-match brawl began, but with the amped crowd and everything going on, I'll go **** for the whole thing.  Just awesome.
 

Official Grade--  B.  I was definately pleasantly surprised, and although the tape is supposed to be about Austin's entire rookie year, the company who made the tape was VERY smart to concentrate almost exclusively with Austin and Adams, an extremely hot fued and highly entertaining.  Aside from the two tag matches Adams wasn't involved in, all the wrestling was very good.  The first match, the clip recaps, and the last two matches are all well worth the effort to track down.  The crowd being so into the storyline really pumps up the value of watching this tape.  The tape was only about an hour and a half, and I know that there were more Austin/Adams matches than what was shown, and I was really hoping for more when the tape was over.  On another note, this tape was actually very well produced, MUCH more so than other similar tapes by other companies that are out there, which definately appreciate.