Glass Hand Dissolving: Brian Pillman & The Z-Man

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vs Minnesota Wrecking Crew II (WCW 4/15/1990)

This is pretty basic get the face team over stuff. Pillman sells for a great big chunk of this; Zenk tags in and is just perfunctory. Pillman can sell well enough to keep up his end, and Zenk can do a little hot tag offense, but it doesn't really rise above tepid. Pillman tags back in and gets the win. It is what it is. 

vs The Galaxians (WCW 4/21/1990)

The Galaxians don't offer much here other than to bump around and showcase Pillman and Zenk. Pillman really shines, his offense looks good, and he is convincing as a fan favorite. Zenk, on the other hand, well, it seems like he's going through the motions and doing all of the stuff he was supposed to do, and not in a way that is at all convincing. 

vs Samu & Outlaw Deaton (5/4/1990)

Jim Cornette hired Samu and Deaton to injure Pillman or Zenk in advance of a match with the Midnight Express. For most of this, Samu and Deaton don't really wrestle like that; they just sort of wrestle. At points, it gets to be a little violent, but nothing rising above what you'd expect in a match where a manager hasn't offered a small fortune to maim the other team. Most of this is built are Zenk selling, and he just isn't really up to that challenge, in my mind. The Pillman hot tag is good, but Zenk can't carry the bulk of the match from the bottom. 

vs Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (WCW 9/22/1990)

This is a different type of match than everything else in this set of matches. Flair and Arn are on an entirely different level than the WCW B show teams. Zenk is really just a passenger. A lot of this is about Flair and Pillman, and Arn can fit in that picture, but Zenk really can't hang in that picture, in terms of stature, anyway. It's a lot like a Flair/Pillman singles match where Arn gets involved more than a tag match, and that may be for the better. This ends in a DQ, for reasons that aren't clear or explained, and seconds later Doom hit the ring and we move on with our lives. 

vs Young Pistols (WCW 1/25/1992)

Young Pistols are U.S. Tag Champions. You wouldn't get that from this match. First, Pillman takes them one by himself, then he tags in Zenk and he takes it to Tracy Smothers, then Smothers and Travis go outside and gloat, for no reason, only to get blindsided by a Zenk dive. Pillman gets tossed to the outside, attempting ten punches in the corner, and the Young Pistols are able to take control. Pillman plays possum and is able to seemingly get the hot tag, but Travis distracts the ref, except the ref doesn't care that he didn't see the tag, and lets Zenk in anyway. Zenk eats a belt shot for his trouple and the Young Pistols retain. 

Verdict

I don't think this is a very good team. Brian Pillman is very good, and I don't want to blame it all on Tom Zenk, but he just isn't very good here as a hot tag or selling for prolonged stretches; he just isn't at all believable. 

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