Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack (No Holds Barred) (WWE Intercontinental Championship) (WWE Backlash 2004) Review

Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack (No Holds Barred) (WWE Intercontinental Championship) (WWE Backlash 2004)

Well, here it is, Randy Orton's 'coming out party'. It's been years since I have watched this match and I have been wanting to watch a Foley match recent;y, so I chose this one. This match had a pretty big build too, with Orton constantly putting Mick down, figuratively and literally. I think he pushed him down some stairs once, called him out for being 'an old timer', spat in his face. Then they met in the Royal Rumble, with them eliminating each other and brawling afterwards, Then they had that mixed Evolution tag at Mania with Orton pinning Foley, a performance that Mick has always said he wasn't happy with. He's also called this his favourite match too, I think.

First I'll post the promo video for this match (if Vince hasn't took it down yet)

Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack - Backlash 2004 Video

Of course this is going to be a No Holds Barred/Hardcore match, for Orton's Intercontinental Championship. So, here we go. Mick is down to around 272 here btw, his best weight since '89 or so? I'm expecting a war, so I hope you're all ready for this. Orton is the 'pretty boy' going into this, so lets see how pretty he is coming out of it. He's the Legend Killer after all.................

“I'm going to tear you apart.............and I'm going to love it” - Foley :mark:

Orton is out first as I carrying a bin full of toys, yeah Randy, you're going to need them. Foley, no CACTUS FUCKING JACK, is out next as is carrying a proper BARBED WIRE BASEBALL BAT and he's got those crazy eyes directed straight towards Orton. Randy has his own barb wire bat, but the wire comes loose as Jack enters the ring, so he picks up the bin to try and protect himself as Jack comes towards him with the real BARBIE. Jack just starts whacking the bit with the bat as Orton is already shitting himself trying to defend himself.

Yeah Randy, this is Cactus Jack's yard and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Orton quickly bails to the outside as Jack follows him out with the bat liked a crazed horror character. Orton just legs it as Jack furiously swings away at Orton. Randy knocks over a cameraman in his attempts to get away and he manages to drop toe hold Jack face first onto the steel steps. Randy picks up Barbie and they have a battle over it to try and grab it. Foley wins this battle, but gets a smack in the head from the bin, not once, not twice, but THRICE

He tries again, but Jack gets his foot up to block and and Orton gets the bin shoved in his face. Jack picks up the bin and hits Orton with some ferocity with it, just wrapping it around his skull. Both back in the ring and Jack in control as he starts kicking Orton in the face. He gives Orton a big knee lift off the ropes and a leg drop off his face and gets a 2 count. Jack just continues to punish Orton with rights to the head before running off the ropes and baseball sliding him unceremoniously out the ring.

Foley does looks great here btw.

Jack again, runs off the rope for a baseball slide to the outside and hits Orton with a spinning neckbreaker. Orton is flat dead on the outside now as Jack goes to the top turnbuckle and signals the 'big elbow'. Orton senses this and scurries away on his hands and knees up the isle. Jack goes right after him and puts him in the claw, but Randy quickly reverses this and backdrops him on the damn steel

THIS CAUSED A MASSIVE THUD SOUND

Naturally, Orton goes for a pin, but Jack kicks out at 2. Orton gets Jack down with a backslide for another 2 count. Randy in control now and he lands some rights on Jack, before slamming his head down back onto the steel. Aspirin for Jack, I think. Another 2 count follows. Orton just pounds away at Jack with punches and an uppercut, before slamming his face off the steel steps. He shoves Jack back into the ring and picks up Barbie

He tries to wrap it around Jack's head, but Jack does his best to block it. He struggles to power out of it so he thinks 'fuck this' and low blows poor Randy.

“Don't rub 'em son, count 'em”

Jack nearly knocks Orton's head off with a big running clothesline before reaching into his shirt and pulling out SOCKO. He starts swinging his arm around in preparation to put it on Orton, but then starts talking to it and pointing at Barbie. GO ON JACK, USE IT.

It's Socko or Barbie and the crowd naturally react to Barbie.

He runs at Orton with the bat and hits him plum in the head with it.

'Oooh, that's gotta hurt' ORTON IS BUSTED THE FUCK OPEN!!!!!!

Jack doesn;t give a fuck though as he runs at Orton again with the bat and drops it straight down back onto his head. Randy is bleeding like a stuffed pig now as Jack just clubs him with big right hands.

See Randy, you really didn't want this, did you?

Orton is just trying to survive now as Jack continues to pound away at him in the corner.

'BANG, BANG'

Jack is in full on sadistic mode now as he runs at Orton with a vicious knee strike, before picking up Barbie again. He goes straight for Orton;s face and rubs the barbed wire right in the open wound. Randy drastically tries to get the fuck out of dodge on his hands and knees and finds Mr.Socko and tries to pick it up, but he's so fucked that he doesn't know what fucking planet he is on

So Jack comes over and reintroduces him to the barbed wire. He rips Orton's shirt off his back, places the barbed wire bat BETWEEN HIS LEGS, and legdrops the fuck out of it

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

I want to feel sorry for Randy, but he deserves all the shit he's getting.

Jack then goes out to the outside, looks under the ring, and pulls out a PETROL (GAS) CAN. He fucking douses Barbie in gas and fires up a lighter ready. Just as he does this, Eric Bischoff comes out and tells Jack that if he lights that bat up, he will lose the match and the whole PPV will be shit down.

Fucking spoil sport.

Jack complies and throws both the lighter and the bat to the outside. He instead picks a steel plate and clubs Orton over the head with it. Forget going for a cover here, Jack is really out to maim Orton. He reaches under the ring and pulls out A BIG ASS BOARD FILLED WITH BARBED WIRE

HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT

He picks Randy up off the mat and starts potatoing him with right hands as Orton hovers over the barb wire. He goes for one big swing punch, but Orton throws POWDER IN HIS FACE AND SLAMS JACK ONTO THE BARB WIRE

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

Orton goes straight for the cover but Jack kicks out, much to the annoyance of Randy, who goes right back at Jack with clubs to the back. Orton picks up the barbed wire board and places it upright in the corner of the ring. You better be sure of this, Randy. He tries to throws Jack into it, Who at this point is bleeding all his arm and God knows where else, but Jack tries in vein to black it, so Orton just starts pounding away at him. Orton finally manages to throw Jack towards the wire, but is reversed

I have to say, as someone who hasn't seen this match in years, this got me

But that is also reversed and it is indeed Jack that 

GOES FLYING INTO THE BARBED WIRE BOARD...............FUCKING TWICE

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Orton then dumps the board right on Jack's arm, which as I said, is bleeding all over at this stage. Jack is fucking practically blind here as Orton goes over to a box in the corner, pulls out a satchel........what could it be...........and throws out a zillion THUMBTACKS onto the ring.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

Jack struggles to get to his feet as Orton gets him up and hits him with some right hands. He goes for the RKO ONTO THE THUMBTACKS, but Jack reverses it and sends Orton crashing into them

Revenge is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Orton is trembling here as he;s got these thumbtacks all over his back. Jack seizes this moment and goes for a pinfall, but gets a very close 2.9. Orton very delicately crawls to the outside and tries to pick some of the tacks off of him and starts to walk up the ramp. But Jack hasn't nearly finished with him yet and follows him and they both go through the curtain to the back area, but the camera doesn't follow. They both quickly emerge and Jack

THROWS ORTON OVER THE RAMP AND ONTO SOME TABLES LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH

Get the fuck down

EMT's come out to check on Randy. Don't worry guys, he's already dead at this stage. Two refs come over to Jack and back him to the back area, and at first Jack looks like he's complying, but then he just decks the two officials and points at Orton in a 'I'm not finished with you yet, boy'. He fucking runs and hits Orton with a FLYING ELBOW OFF THE STAGE

No point in saying holy shit by now, this whole match is holy shit.

Jack goes for the pin on a seemingly dead Randy Orton and it's 1,2.........................2.9. Orton damn kicks fucking out. Blood all over both their bodies as Jack picks Orton up and starts kicking the shit out of him on the ramp. He dumps Orton back in the ring, yeah where there's still a shit load of tacks. He hits a DDT on Orton and goes for another pinfall. 1,2.........................2.9 AGAIN!!! Orton is showing some fucking balls here kicking out, I guess the bat left something intact down there. Orton manages to climb out the ring as Jack sets up the barbed board again in the corner. Jack goes over and tries to pull him back in, but Orton whacks Jack over the head with Barbie.

Orton picks up Barbie and starts hitting Jack all over with it. Jack though has secretly picked up Mr.Socko and puts Orton in the MANDABLE CLAW just as Orton tries to hit him again with the bat. Orton can't breath as he;s slowly fades down to his knees. He gets out of it by uppercutting Jack and giving him a LOW BLOW.

“Don't rub 'em son, count 'em'.

This hardly affects Jack though as he goes right back and reapplies the MANDABLE CLAW, but Orton quickly reverses this into an RKO

This has to be it for Jack, now. Orton cover for the 1,2..............................2.9

JACK KICKS OUT DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They both stagger to their feet and Orton suddenly hits ANOTHER RKO, this time straight onto BARBIE

He goes for the cover and gets a 1,2................3. Randy Orton is your winner. Flair/Batista come down and help Orton out the ring. Ric must be very proud of all that blood.

Great visual with Jack holding Barbie

Where the fuck do I even start here? This is one of the most hated, heated, nastiest brawls the fucking federation has ever seen. This is how you do one of these matches and this is how you put over a younger, up and coming talent. Orton came out of this, bloodies and fucked up, but looking like a made man. Foley did everything he could to give him everything he had, and then some. Foley looked fantastic here, in great shape. The bumps both he, and Orton, took were just FUUUUUCK. One after another. They both bled like stuffed pigs and went through hell.

You want hate? It was all here.

You want someone coming of age and showing his metal? It was all here.

You want a man's quest for revenge and doing anything to get it? It was all here.

One of the greatest matches in the company's history and I want everyone reading this to go and watch this shit now. We all know Foley is a legend and this just further cements that. Orton though deserves massive credit here too. He took as much shit as Foley and still got through it and came out of looking like a tough S.O.B that can survive something like this.

HIGHLY Recommended.  

Sting vs. Cactus Jack (Submit or Surrender) (WCW Power Hour 11/23/91) Review

Sting vs. Cactus Jack (Submit or Surrender) (WCW Power Hour 11/23/91)

So everyone knows about their Beach Blast 1992 match and how good that is, but I don't remember much from this match TBH, and as it's a precursor of sorts, thought I'd check it out.

So, the 'Submit or Surrender' concept was basically a hybrid between I quit/last man standing/submit. Just gloss over the fact that 'Submit' and Surrender' are basically the same thing.

Jack is out first carrying a plastic garbage bin. Bit of him already trying to psych Sting out as Jack here is wearing a 'Sting' T-Shirt.

'BANG, BANG'

Sting comes out and I forgot he's the U.S Champion at this point. Great spot with a young disabled fan, where Sting takes the time to show him the belt and have a moment with him. The bell rings just as Sting gets in the ring and Jack goes straight for him. He starts BITING at Sting's head!!!

OUCH

Jack taking the early advantage here as he clubs Sting with right hands. He pounds Sting's head into the turnbuckle, before setting him up on the ropes. Jack runs at Sting, but Sting moves and Jack takes his first (of many I presume) bump of the match to the outside. Sting follows him out and rams Jack's head into the guardrail. Sting not messing around here, as he does it again, not once but twice. He puts that bin that Jack bought with him into position to suplex Jack onto, but Jack blocks it and rams Sting, back first into the guardrail.

Jack picks up the bin and wallops it over the back of Sting. He does it again, before setting up Sting for a suplex of his own, but Sting blocks and reverses this and plants Jack through the bin.

Sting throws Jack back into the ring, straightens the bin out, and throws that in, too. He then picks it up and starts wailing Jack over the head with it. He then STICKS THE BIN OVER JACK'S head, plants him on the mat, and delivers an elbow onto the bin/Jack.

Sting makes sure that bin is still on tight, as he climbs up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a BIG SPLASH onto Jack whilst he's wearing the bin. Jack is dazed and probably wonders where he is as Sting gets him in the corner for the old ten bell salute punches. Jack blocks one of these and tries to give Sting an Atomic Drop, but Sting blocks it and gives him a short clothesline. Sting whips Jack into the ropes, and tries to leapfrog over him, but Jack stands his ground and Sting ends up going nuts first into Jack. Not sure if this was meant to come off as it looked TBH;

'DON'T RUB 'EM SON, COUNT' EM'

Safe to say, this is Jack's opportunity to take over proceedings. Jack goes straight for the abdomen area and drops a leg onto Sting. He gives starts kicking Sting's head repeatedly, before shoving him on the ropes and choking him. He then runs off the ropes and plants his full body onto Sting's back, who's still draped over the ropes. Sting is on empty here as Jack continues to pound away at him with stiff forearms, before running off the ropes and delivering a running bulldog. Jack tries for a pin, but has to reminded by the ref that PINFALL'S MEAN NOTHING HERE. Sting in real trouble here, as Jack drops a big knee onto the throat before choking him with his boot.

Crowd start up a 'Sting, Sting, Sting chant to try and will him on. He tries a mini comeback with some strikes and chops, but gets cut off quick by a Jack thumb in the eye. Jack starts kicking the shit out of him, before dumping him through the middle rope and onto the outside. Jack follows him out and throws Sting into the guardrail. Jack then picks up a chair from the crowd, although one chap did his best to stop this from happening, bless him

But obviously loses as Jack picks the chair up and whacks it right over Sting's back. Sting is just dead at this point on the mat outside. Ref is asking Sting if he wants to give up, and Sting is just shaking his head; he's tougher than that. Jack goes for him again with the choking. He sends Sting onto the apron and gives him a neckbreaker off the top rope. OUCH INDEED. Jack is just punishing Sting at the moment and he carries it on with kicks and big headbutt. Sting is rocking on his feet and can barely stand as Jack knocks him right back down with a forearm and applies a chinlock.

COME ON STINGER

Crowd are willing Sting on as he's doing his best to try and power out and mount some sort of retaliation. He manages to get up and hits Jack with some strikes, before running off the ropes, but Jack moves out the way and sends Sting crashing right back to the mat with another big forearm smash. Jack follows this up with one hell of a leg drop onto Sting's throat, before going back to the reverse chinlock. Sting needs to do something here, and he does as he staggers up and grabs Jack's hair and yanks his head down onto the top of his own, thus using it as a sort of bettering ram to try and get out of this mess.

He reverses a whip into the ropes and tries a dropkick onto Jack, but Jack is smart and just holds onto the ropes, so Sting falls flat on his ars........................back. Jack follow up on this with a double arm DDT.

MAN, WHAT HAS STING GOTTA DO??!!

Sting gets up as Jack comes over to him and dumps him over the top rope to the outside. Finally, this could be the opening Sting has been waiting for. He flies over the ropes and via a crossbody right onto Jack.

Sting is fired up now as he just starts pounding on Jack with some big ass punches to the head. All the shit Sting has taken, looks like it's payback time. He suplexes Jack on the outside, before dumping him back into the ring. He whips Jack into the corner and attempts a STINGER SPLASH, but Jack moves so Sting...........no he doesn't, Sting was smart and put the brakes on just before his head bounces off the post. But don;t speak too soon, as he flies off the turnbuckle, straight onto Jack, who catches him and flings him throat first onto the top rope. This sends Sting back to the outside.

Jack puts Sting into a headlock and marches around the outside with him, before dumping him onto the mat with a backbreaker. Jack gets on the apron and flies right off it onto Sting with a big flying elbow

Sting is showing some balls and resilience here as he's trying to get some energy from somewhere and make his way back up. Jack picks up a mic and shouts “TELL THEM, YOU DON'T WANT ANY MORE' and clubs on Sting's back. He tells Sting to say “I QUIT” and shoves the mic in Sting's mouth.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO STING

“NOT A CHANCE”, cries Sting, as the crowd erupts.

He makes it back onto his feet at last and Jack throws him back into the ring. Jack goes and grabs the chair again as the ref tries to get it off him, Jack just gives him a shove, sending him onto the mat. Well ref, it is a No-DQ. At this point, Sting is so fucked, he can't really stand, as he's got his head draped over the middle rope. PERFECT TARGET PRACTICE FOR JACK.

Jack goes to whack Sting with the chair, but Sting moves and the chair bounces hard off Jack's head

SURELY THIS IS STING'S BIG CHANCE, NOW!!!

Jack recovers and climbs onto the apron, but Sting has finally got the energy to get up and hits a big dropkick onto Jack, sending him crashing to the outside, nearly whacking his head off the rail in the process.

Jack is fucked now, as Sting staggers to the outside, and applies the SCORPION DEATHLOCK onto Jack. The ref, now seemingly recovered, runs over to check on Jack, but he is KKOCKED THE FUCK OUT, and can't respond to anything. Sting is declared the WINNER.

Well this was fucking excellent. Not sure how it compares to the Beach Blast match, but this is such a great brawl on it's own TBH. Jack is fantastic here; Menacing, punishing, just doesn't care one bit. Sting is equally wonderful as the full on babyface in complete peril. These two work so well together, and Jack was the perfect opponent for Sting to demonstrate why he could be so good in this sort of setting. The finish was brutal in showing what it took to finally get and keep Jack down. A full on chair shot to the head, followed by a nasty bump on the outside. Jack looks great here but so does Sting. Jack is spot on with how ruthless he his and makes all his offense work here, and Sting is perfect to play off it all.

Just wonderful.

Recommended.