10 Matches That Made Chicago The Hottest Wrestling City In The World

4. The Nasty Boys Vs Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne (Spring Stampede 1994)

Cm Punk Stars
WWE

Mick Foley spoke at length about his frustrations working for WCW in his 1999 New York Times bestseller 'Have A Nice Day', but also paid considerable lip service to the occasional moments he was allowed to let loose with his innovative brawling style.

Outside of his brutal wars with Vader, there was probably no greater example of his intense efforts than the chaotic Chicago Street Fight between Jack, Maxx Payne and The Nasty Boys at 1994's Spring Stampede pay-per-view.

Suited more to weapons brawls than they were tepid WCW action, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags were in their element in the tussle, barely needing to exhibit technique or artistic flair as they destroyed each other with chairs, tables and pool cues.

It was an ugly, uncompromising struggle that paid little attention to the conventions of a pro wrestling match and was subsequently more credible for it. With the exception of the requisite WCW silliness in which the quartet brawled through a patently pretend concession stand, the match never attempted to present a traditional arc lest it look less like a real life bar fight between four thugs.

The finish followed the same pattern. After Payne threw Knobbs through a merchandise table, Sags aggressively shoved Cactus Jack off the high ramp straight onto the concrete floor (in a vile bump the cameras nearly missed), then finished him off with a shovel for the academic win.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett