Squash Matches

[Gillberg: 0-175]

Do you like these? Normally I'm not a fan, as I feel screwed out of quality card time and insulted because it's ever-so-obvious who the winner is going to be (and in a fake sport I believe protecting an outcome should be number 1 priority so it seems credible), but I've been watching old Taz matches and I'm in love with his squahses. I don't know what it is about them, but I don't mind that I'm watching someone get annihilated and I don't mind that I know in 2 minutes they will be tapping out to the Kazamazahari (I know that's wrong).

I think it's all the Tazzplexes that keep me interested. Your thoughts?

[britishbulldog]

I liked squash matches, They got people over. Fans would learn all their sig. moves and finisher. they also made PPV's more important as you didn't see top teir matches on tv often

[Rick Mad]

Depends. Goldberg pretty much built his legacy on them but those were different times. The guy has to have really exciting moves and do those moves well to make squash matches work. Just throwing some random big guy out there to destroy some small guys doesn't do much for anything longer than two or three shows. Let them establish their moves and everything, that's fine, but after that it isn't going to get anyone over. Snitsky, I'm looking at you.

[leemir]

Damn this thread reminds me that we'll get a boring 1 minute Snitsky squash tonight

["Nature Boy" Ric Moranis]

As much as they bore me as a viewer, every show should have at least one or two. It's so easy to get the right guy over. Seems like WWECW only gives squashes to "monsters" like Snitsky, Boogey, Big Daddy Vis, Mark Henry, Khali, Umaga, etc. But you could get a regular guy super over as a threat with weekly squashes against jobbers.

The perfect example (no pun intended) to me is Curt Hennig's run in the WWE. If Mr. Perfect came around nowadays, he'd have to trade doing jobs with every other midcarder, and it would take him so much longer to rise to the upper portion of the card...and he might never make it.

But send him out every week and have him beat a jobber with good, quick offense and the Perfectplex, and you've got a new star/upper card threat in a few months. WWE should've been doing this with guys like Shelton Benjamin, TNA should be doing this with guys like Daniels and MCMG. It would work for these companies better than having them lose 75% of their matches on TV, then wondering why they aren't bigger draws.

Hire real jobbers for weekly spots, you won't kill the heat of anybody on the roster (or kill interest in PPV matchups), and the guys can showcase their cool moves.

Pretty simple way to do business and create new stars. Doesn't make for must-see TV, but it could help the PPVs.

[Lenny: Smooth like Keith Stone]

rickmad said:

Just throwing some random big guy out there to destroy some small guys doesn't do much for anything longer than two or three shows. Let them establish their moves and everything, that's fine, but after that it isn't going to get anyone over. Snitsky, I'm looking at you.

I agree with this. I'm as big a Snitsky fan as there are, but I gotta admit that the fact that he can squash Highlander Robbie in 20 seconds does not make me think he's any more impressive. Snitsky should be taking on significant guys now.

[mysterydriver]

leemir said:

Damn this thread reminds me that we'll get a boring 1 minute Snitsky squash tonight

Since he beat Rory two weeks ago and Robbie last week, his squash will probably be a handicap match this week.

Maybe that'll liven up that minute of action.

[Joekishi]

aaaaaaaaa said:

As much as they bore me as a viewer, every show should have at least one or two. It's so easy to get the right guy over. Seems like WWECW only gives squashes to "monsters" like Snitsky, Boogey, Big Daddy Vis, Mark Henry, Khali, Umaga, etc. But you could get a regular guy super over as a threat with weekly squashes against jobbers.

They did that with CM Punk.

Really the biggest problem of not giving wrestlers squash matches is that they don't show off their movesets and they don't get to establish a finisher.

As opposed to Cody Runnells and Santino Marella. CM Punk and Kevin Thorne actually showcase moves with which the audience can identify with them. Without an actual move that signify's the end of your match, your chances of getting over actually shrink.

Santino ending matches with Roll-ups just doesn't work.

boogeyman ending matches with a chokebomb and that SPLASH that goes 3/4 across the ring. Awesome.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

They should go back to them. This would give at least a couple more of the 870 yearly WWE PPVs feel special.

Besides, then at least people could get over again without it being at the expense of someone else. Most heels back in the day would lose push come to shove in a star vs star match, but at least going in, they'd look strong because they mowed down the rest of the compeition (jobbers.)

[Agent P]

Well, Val Venis, who has one of the best records in the company mind you, pretty much wrestles squash matches every week on Heat. And he's not much more over then he was 2 years ago.

Since we have had our obligatory TNA complaint, here is the obligatory TNA defense. Anyone else remember how ungodly boring Impact was when it was 3 or 4 squash matches and maybe a semi-competitve main event on FSN?

[repomanfan]

squash matches should still be around. it gets the wrestler over by letting him display his best moves, and gives that aura of invincibility(or whatever he's looking for), therefore making his more important matches look all the more important. BIG matches dont mean squat anymore. after being exposed to squash matches my whole life, i would absolutely go nuts just to see warrior take on skinner.

[Twinkies Rule! (so does Tacos)]

Some squash matches are just damn entertaining. Watch Big Daddy V's squashesand you'll be entertained as he just flattens everyone around him.

[Deleted]

I'll use the NWA for an example of how things used to be on TV, before PPV was a major step. (Around 1992.)

You're a new good guy wrestler, like Marcus Alexander Bagwell. You face a few scrubs to get your style and move-set over. A few of the other faces watch you wrestle and offer their help. (Like a Dustin Rhodes, a Brian Pillman, etc.)

Then you wrestle someone like an Eddie Gilbert or an Iron Shiek. A lower mid-card guy who can put on a good 10 minute match, to prove that you can go longer than 3 minutes. The first match will end in a heel DQ because he can't stand the thought of losing to a new guy. The second match, you win.

Then you get your shot at the TV champion, like Arn Anderson. Your first loss could come here, but you won't get pinned; a good double DQ would work. (The heel will use all sorts of dastardly tactics like choke you with the tag rope or use his henchmen to give you a cheap shot here and there while the ref is distracted.) He might try to put you out of action by working over your shoulder. The good guys you've befriended will come out to help you.

You get bumped back down to scrub matches, but only to show that you've bounced back from the beating you got in the TV title match. You learn a couple of new moves.

It goes from there...

[krzykraka]

Squash matches were good in the 80's and helped build up a wrestler. They were even fun to watch win a jobber face would get some offense in and the announcers would act as if the guy was really going to beat the heel. (See old match between George South/Ric Flair)

Now the squah matches are not that great and are done with the same type match. Big monter heel vs small local jobber with no chance.

[Palatial Regalia]

Personally I couldnt give a f*** about PPVs, not paying $40 for a scripted event. Squash matches are shit.

["Nature Boy" Ric Moranis]

protoroc said:

Personally I couldnt give a smurf about PPVs, not paying $40 for a scripted event. Squash matches are crap.

Russo?

[Maxnificent]

Weekly TV consisting mostly of squash matches made the whole roster look strong, which made it a real big deal when all the stars faced off at PPVs and SNME. Also made house shows a bigger deal.

[Matt Rogers]

Most of Joe's early TNA matches were squashes, and they made him look absolutely awesome.

I mean, he is, but it helped people see that.

[JMA]

Taz's squash matches were different because he had an MMA gimmick and in MMA fights ends quickly and unexpectedly all the time. He once beat Shane Douglas (a main event star in ECW) in under three minutes. This would normally make Douglas look weak, but because of Taz's gimmick it didn't.

[Ultimo Chocula]

If they brought back the squash matches then they'd need to get their jobbers over like they did in the 80's. Lanny Poffo had poems and frisbees, Mike Sharpe had his forearm brace and he growled a lot, Barry Horowitz had suspenders and he patted himself on the back. You knew who those guys were and you cared back then, not to mention Jesse Ventura put over a lot of these guys on commentary.

Nowadays the squash matches are just some indy clown with no look or anything except Jim Ross telling us where he played football. If it's some random loser, who cares?