World Championship Wrestling
Date: July 14, 1984
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Tony Garea, Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund
Host: Vince McMahon

Now THIS is a famous one, as (in the very condensed version) Vince McMahon bought the World Championship Wrestling (the TV show, not the company) time slot from Georgia Championship Wrestling and brought his product to the south. This basically sent the company’s fan base into open rebellion, which ultimately resulted in Ted Turner getting the time slot and (in part) setting off the WWF vs. WCW war. This is how a lot of it started though, so let’s get to it.

We’re officially introduced to Vince McMahon, who stands in front of a World Championship Wrestling backdrop to completely melt my mind. He runs down who is coming and you can already feel how off this is compared to the NWA style.

House show ads.

Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs. SD Jones/Nick Decarlo

Non-title and the ring announcer pronounces it as A-Done-Is. Murdoch grabs a headlock on Jones to start and brings in Adonis, with Jones being smart enough to back away in a hurry. A backdrop puts Adonis down so it’s back to Murdoch, who is headbutted down. Decarlo comes in to work on the arm and it’s an armdrag into an armbar.

Murdoch gets his arm cranked as well but a whip into the corner takes Decarlo down. An Adonis elbow gets two and Murdoch wrestles Decarlo down again. Decarlo slips over for the hot tag to Jones to pick up the pace but Murdoch takes him down as well. It’s quickly back to Decarlo, who is caught in a belly to back suplex/top rope clothesline combination for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. And that’s probably the high point of this show. Adonis and Murdoch are kind of a forgotten great team and that finisher looked rather good. The problem is that this was just a step above a squash with a bunch of people the fans didn’t want to see. That is going to be the problem for the entire show, and I’m not sure if it is going to get much better than this.

Gene Okerlund talks to Mr. Fuji, who brings in George Steele. Okerlund desperately tries to make him talk and eventually gets Steele to say STEELE. Oh it’s going to be a long show.

More house show ads.

Jesse Ventura vs. Chris Curtis

From Minneapolis and Jesse makes sure to yell at a Minnesota Viking to start. Jesse goes at his usual pace to knock Curtis into the corner. A slam sets up a missed legdrop but a shot to the throat cuts Curtis off again. Ventura cranks on the arm before grabbing the over the shoulder backbreaker for the submission at 3:40.

Rating: D. Yep it was downhill from the opener as this was a boring squash. I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to put Ventura in the ring for a show like this because he was never exactly known for what he could do in the ring. This was slow and boring, like so many other Ventura matches.

B. Brian Blair loves the competition around here and is looking for the Tag Team Titles. He still needs a partner though.

Alexis Smirnoff wants competition too. He should settle for finding a better accent.

The WWF Magazine is on sale, complete with photos of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant! Now they can’t actually be on this show, but at least you can find out where you can go to pay money to read about them doing cool things!

Iron Sheik vs. Ron Hutchison

Sheik knocks him around with ease to start as the fans want Sgt. Slaughter. Some kicks to the ribs set up the camel clutch to finish Hutchison at 2:08.

More house show ads, including ones we have already heard.

Vince McMahon talks about Bobo Brazil possibly being the best black wrestler of all time.

Big John Studd vs. Bobo Brazil

From Philadelphia and Vince talks about Bobo being on the comeback trail. Given that he turned 60 four days before this aired, I wouldn’t bet on that being a success. Studd knocks him around to start and we hit the bearhug in a hurry. Bobo reverses into a bearhug of his own and headbutt Studd down as we look at the fans instead of the ring. Studd bails to the floor for a bit but comes back in to take Bobo into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Bobo headbutts away but gets knocked down with a single shot. Studd drops an elbow for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: D-. I’m surprised they made it through the end of the show at this point as this was another awful squash. How hard can it be to make a BIG JOHN STUDD squash effective??? He hits you, he bearhugs you, he finishes with some power move. They managed to make that look bad, but Brazil being presented here as some kind of a star in these circumstances was weird enough.

Paul Orndorff explains why he’s handsome and has great hair. He’s the reason the divorce rate is so high, because every time he looks in that camera, more women leave their husbands for him. Orndorff is someone who continues to impress me more every single time.

Same WWF Magazine ad from earlier.

House show ads.

Vince promises more in the future, including Hulk Hogan next week! Host Freddie Miller comes in to close the show.

In a minor but telling sign of how messed up things were: Gene promised us another match but we just got ads and Vince instead. How slapped together was this show?

Overall Rating: F. This was the definition of WWF arrogance/not getting it, as they had no idea what the fans wanted to see and then threw out a completely pathetic collection of squashes with no particular rhyme or reason. I’m stunned the show was as well received as it was (and it was completely rejected) because this would have been bad in front of any audience. Your first show featured Studd, a nothing Murdoch/Adonis squash and the combined efforts of the Iron Sheik and Jesse Ventura? This was completely horrible and is only there for historic reasons (and it was huge to put it mildly). Total failure here.

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Mid-South House Show
Date: November 11, 1985
Location: Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana

This is part of a house show, which is certainly a lot more than you can get most of the time. Mid-South has an awesome reputation for some fired up crowds and while this is past their peak as a promotion, they still have quite a few stars and a rabid fan base so this could be good. I’m not sure what to expect here and the lack of commentary could make things confusing. Let’s get to it.

Bruise Brothers vs. El Corsario/Steve Williams

The Brothers are Mad Dog Boyd/Pork Chop Cash and Corsario is a 21 year old Savio Vega in a mask. It’s a brawl to start with the Brothers starting very fast and knocking Williams outside. Corsario is sent into the corner and a splash finishes him off at 49 seconds. Well that woke the fans up.

Lord Humongous vs. Jake Roberts

Humongous is a masked man (and not played by Sid Vicious this time) with Oliver Humperdink (Jake’s big annoyance at the moment) in his corner. Humongous shoves him into the corner to start and Jake isn’t sure what to do here. Jake hammers away but gets slammed down, only to avoid an elbow. The threat of mask removal sends Humongous bailing out to the floor and then they do the same thing again.

Back in again and Jake hammers away but a reversed whip lets Humongous hit a hard clothesline. Posing ensues and Jake gets caught in a bearhug to keep him in trouble. With that broken up, Humongous goes after Jake’s back with some knee drops and headbutts before cranking on both arms at once.

We hit the bearhug again but Humongous lets it go and misses a legdrop. Jake’s atomic drop gives us a double knockdown and a VERY big crowd reaction), followed by a hard running clothesline to drop Humongous. Humperdink breaks up the count though and the chase is on, allowing Humongous to grab a cobra clutch to knock Jake out at 10:50.

Rating: C. This felt like another step in a long story between Jake and Humperdink and that is going to work well enough. Humongous felt like a mercenary and he did well enough in the role, as he felt like a combination of a slasher movie monster and a decent power wrestler. Also, the ending was a good win for Humperdink over Jake, as there is something about seeing someone get choked out.

Post match Jake is out so Humperdink drops an elbow on him and counts his own three.

Tag Team Titles: Eddie Gilbert/Nightmare vs. Al Perez/Wendell Cooley

Gilbert and the Nightmare (Moondog Rex/the original Demolition Smash) are challenging and have Oliver Humperdink in their corner. Perez and Nightmare start off to limited avail so it’s time to stare at each other for a bit. Perez’s top wristlock doesn’t work either so the staredown is on again. This time they’re a little hesitant about a test of strength so it’s off to Gilbert to shoulder Perez down. A dropkick sets up an armbar on Gilbert though and Perez adds in some knees to the shoulder.

Cooley comes in for an armbar, an armdrag and another armbar (make your own Chris Jericho joke) before handing it back to Perez to stay on the arm. Perez and Cooley draw Nightmare in and change without a tag, much to the fans’ delight. It works so well that they do it again, followed by Cooley dropping a leg on the arm. An armdrag lets Perez come back in for a kneedrop onto the arm and the cranking continues. To mix it up a bit, Perez and Cooley crank on both arms at the same time.

Gilbert finally gets up and brings in Nightmare, who misses an elbow and gets sunset flipped for two. It’s already back to Gilbert, who misses a charge into the post to make the arm even worse. That means another armbar and then some hiptosses to both Gilbert and Nightmare. The villains finally get it together as Nightmare grabs Gilbert to avoid a dropkick, meaning it’s time to beat on Cooley. Gilbert’s arm is fine enough for some elbows and a stomach claw.

Nightmare grabs a reverse chinlock and it’s right back to Gilbert for a middle rope ax handle. Another chinlock, this time with a knee in the back, keeps Cooley in trouble and a clothesline cuts him down again. Gilberto chokes on the rope and Nightmare hits a belly to back suplex for two. Back up and the classic double collision evens things out all over again, proving that Cooley’s head is far harder than Nightmare’s.

The hot tag brings in Perez to clean house as everything breaks down, with Cooley being knocked to the floor. Perez immediately goes to check on him as Cooley is holding his head and not getting up. For some reason Perez throws him back in and Gilbert is right there with the strutting. Perez comes in to break up a double suplex but Gilbert hits a hot shot to finish Cooley for the titles at 25:59.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and wound up working rather well as they went with the formula, which a Mid-South crowd is always going to eat up. Perez and Cooley worked well enough for a face team (the matching tights always help) and Humperdink seems to be enough of an evil force to make a middle of the road team into more of a threat. Good match here, and it doesn’t feel anywhere close to almost half an hour.

North American Title: Butch Reed vs. Dick Slater

Slater, with Dark Journey, is challenging for the promotion’s top title. We’re joined in progress with Slater hitting a belly to back suplex and cranking on the leg. Reed fights up and slugs away but can’t follow up because of the knee. More slugging away puts Slater down but he’s right back up with a sleeper. Reed gets close to the rope so Slater slams him down before he can make it (that’s rather clever). The Figure Goes onto Reed’s bad leg until he manages to turn it over, as you might have expected.

The referee gets bumped, though Slater puts on a spinning toehold anyway. That’s reversed into a small package for no count but here’s another referee to count Slater’s cover on Reed, even with his feet on the ropes. Hold on though as some unnamed wrestler comes up to say what happened and it seems we’re continuing. Reed gives chase and hammers away back inside before taking Slater outside for a whip into the barricade. The referee throws it out in there somewhere, with Reed retaining via DQ at about 9:30 shown.

Rating: C+. It was certainly energetic while it lasted and Reed is someone who impresses me more and more every time I see him on his own. Reed was a heck of a power guy and he was showing a lot of fire and charisma here. I know he is best remembered as a tag guy with Ron Simmons in Doom but this was working well.

Jim Duggan vs. Buzz Sawyer

No DQ and Duggan jumps him before the bell to start. Sawyer is knocked to the floor in a hurry but comes back in to quickly lose a slugout (Who brawls with Duggan?). This time he is knocked outside, where Duggan hammers away even more. Duggan sends him face first (and hard) into the barricade, then swears at Sawyer and does it again.

Sawyer is busted open (shocking) and Duggan hammers away in the corner. The time out request is denied and Duggan throws him over the top but Sawyer comes back in with a low blow. A ram into the barricade sends Duggan over and Sawyer sends him into the steel a second time. Duggan avoids having a table dropped on him but gets sent into the barricade for a third time in a row.

Back in and Duggan swears some more before blasting Sawyer with a clothesline. Sawyer hits his own clothesline though and they’re both down for a needed breather. Duggan returns the low blow and a three point shoulder puts Sawyer out on the floor….where he takes the countout at 11:48, because now we have countouts.

Rating: B. This was a red hot brawl and a great example of everything that Duggan could do in this place. Duggan is best known as being the goofy patriot and that worked out well, but he was AWESOME as the bar fighting brawler, which he got to showcase far better in Mid-South. Sawyer was kind of a horrible human but he could do this kind of thing very well. Heck of a match and I could have gone for a lot more.

Post match Sawyer charges back in to choke away but a piledriver is countered with a backdrop. The bell ringer loses his mind as the brawl continues, drawing out a bunch of other wrestlers to pull them apart. They’re finally separated but Sawyer smacks Duggan in the face to set it off again. The wrestlers get them apart and we see Sawyer having to be held in the back.

Cue Duggan and the brawl starts again backstage, with Duggan swearing rather loudly and Sawyer screaming at him but not being able to stand. This was a GREAT angle and I want to see these two tear each other apart. That’s where Mid-South shined and it was on full display here.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a lot and while it would have been a good bit better with the rest of the show included, this was another fun show and makes me wonder how great Mid-South could have been had they not fallen apart due to circumstances outside of their control. This had a great mixture of styles and an awesome main event on top of everything else. Good stuff here and it makes me want to see a lot more from Mid-South, especially in their better days.

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With one of the best teams ever.

Terry Funk/Dory Funk Jr. vs. Brian Pillman/Bruce Hart

Date: December 15, 1995
Location: Stampede Corral, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Attendance: 4,600
Commentator: Ed Whalen

This is from the Stu Hart Tribute Show: Showdown at the Corral. Dory shoves Pillman around to start as commentary talks about Dory’s history as NWA Champion, including “turning into a heel” at the end of his reign. Some uppercuts rock Pillman and it’s off to Terry for the required left hands. Pillman is sent outside as as commentary yells at the Fukn’s rather large manager. Back in and a neckbreaker gives Terry two but Pillman chops away, giving us the awesome Terry stagger.

Everything breaks down for a bit and Pillman knocks Terry into the corner for the tag off to Bruce. Terry gets caught in the ropes and some elbows to the face bounce him back and forth. Back up and Terry gets in a low blow to put Pillman down, followed by a toss to the floor. Terry hits Pillman with the table (Whalen: “Terry Funk is a wing-a-ding dong!”) and it’s back to Dory for two off a butterfly suplex. Terry comes in for a double suplex for two on Pillman with Bruce having to make a save.

Dory hammers Pillman down into the corner and Terry comes back in to slap Pillman around (that sounds like an honor). They go outside and everything breaks down with a camera case being swung. Back in and the manager gets in a cheap shot from the floor, allowing Dory to hit an elbow for two. The choking goes on as Bruce goes to the floor to hammer on the manager. Terry finally gets caught using the wrist tape to choke and an exchange of headbutts gives Pillman a breather.

Pillman ducks a right hand and falls into the corner to bring Bruce (Mr. Explosion according to Whalen) as everything breaks down again. Terry is busted open and gets sent back inside so Pillman can rain down right hands in the corner. There’s a piledriver but Dory makes the fast save. Terry grabs a belly to back suplex though and they’re both down again. Bruce comes back in and suplexes Dory for two but Terry comes in with the chair for the DQ at 18:45.

Rating: C+. This got the time to make it work and you had some rather talented people involved. The Funks are going to be great no matter what they are doing or when they are doing it so there was no way that this wasn’t going to work. You know they are going to be on their game for something special like a tribute show and I could go for watching Pillman and the Funks every day.

The brawl continues post match with Bruce being busted open and the Funks being chased off. We see Terry in the back and he hits an official in the head with a chair, which is completely no sold in an unintentionally funny bit.

WCW All Nighter
Date: January 20, 1995
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Larry Zbyszko, Dusty Rhodes, Gordon Solie

WOW. So this was the greatest thing an old wrestling fan could have imagined at the time: a six hour marathon, counting down the Top Ten Clash Of Champions matches (to date at least), which aired one night as a one night only special. I remember this thing from when I was six years old but I never actually saw the ending as I believe my mom taped over it for some reason. I’m curious to see how this holds up, and to see how it ends. Let’s get to it.

Since this is over four and a half hours and the Hidden Gems part is the stuff in the middle, I’ll be copying and pasting the most recent versions I have of the actual matches. As usual, these are the full versions in case something is clipped.

Dig that awesome Clash highlight reel opening.

The hosts are in the Omni Hotel in Atlanta and it looks like a party, which is quite the different kind of feeling. The amount of Hogan merchandise on display is a bit nauseating.

#10. US Title: Steve Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat

From Clash #28. Ricky is challenging and wins the title if Austin gets disqualified. We see Hogan being loaded into the ambulance during the entrances. Ricky takes him down with an armdrag as Heenan gets confused by what the DQ rule being waived means. The match is ignored while a stage hand tells the announcers what happened to Hogan. Austin rolls through a cross body for two but Steamboat fires back with chops.

A pair of dropkicks have Austin in trouble and a powerslam gets two. We go split screen to see the ambulance driving towards the hospital. The Dragon hooks an armbar and gets a pair of twos off a rollup and sunset flip. Back to the armbar as we get a shot of Austin’s trunks with the words “Dragon Slayer” emblazoned on them. Austin sends him to the outside but Ricky pulls him down as well for a series of chops.

Back in and we get word that Sting has chartered a plane in Chicago to get to the show and replace Hogan if need be. A cameraman is knocked off the apron and Austin misses a charge into the post. Steamboat stays on the arm by grabbing the wrist, jumping from the apron to the ropes and dropping down to the floor, snapping the arm over the top rope. The Blacktop Bully is still yelling from the front row as Austin takes over with a kick to the side of the head.

A thumb to the eye has Steamboat in trouble and Austin stays on him with punches and chops. We hit the chinlock for a bit before both guys escape belly to back suplexes. Steamboat’s middle rope splash hits knees and Austin takes over again. A middle rope elbow (with a pair of middle fingers) gets two for Austin but Steamboat comes back with chops and breaks up a superplex attempt.

Austin knocks him off the middle rope and Steamboat lands on his tailbone, which would be the injury that would force him into retirement soon after this. He’s still able to fight up and crotch Austin on the top rope but Steve counters a superplex with a top rope front suplex. Ricky catches him with a fist to the ribs on the way down and you can see him grimace with each move.

Austin sidesteps the cross body and slaps Steamboat in the back of the head for fun. It fires Ricky up though and a series of double chops puts Austin down. An Arn Anderson spinebuster gets two on Steve and an electric chair drop gets the save. The fans are way into these near falls. They trade rollups for two each with Ricky getting two off a backslide. A hard clothesline stops Steamboat dead and Austin tries to throw him to the floor but Ricky skins the cat. In traditional Steamboat fashion, Austin tries a slam and Ricky counters with a small package for a pin and the title.

Tony talks about matches #9 and #8, the latter of which features Dustin Rhodes. Therefore, Dusty gets the chance to talk about how proud he is about Dustin….and something about the Dallas Cowboys.

#9. WCW World Title: Vader vs. British Bulldog

From Clash #24. Vader is defending and loses the title if he’s disqualified. The match starts after a break with Bulldog hammering Vader on the ramp. Vader doesn’t even have his mask on for this so you know he means business. The delayed vertical suplex drops Vader onto the ramp in a great power display. Bulldog clotheslines him over the top and back into the ring but Vader blocks a splash with raised knees.

The champion hammers away in the corner with the big heavy rights and lefts. They head outside again and Vader misses a splash against the barricade. You would think he would know better after wrestling Sting so many times. Vader gets crotched across the barricade and Bulldog is in full control. Back in and Bulldog lifts him into a fireman’s carry for a fall away slam and two. Vader comes back with a HARD clothesline to take over before dropping a huge elbow down onto the leg.

Bulldog gets caught in a fall away slam as well followed by a top rope splash….for one. Jesse is shocked but the fans don’t seem all that interested. Bulldog is whipped upside down in the corner and Vader drops another big splash. Vader hooks a chinlock before trying another fall away slam but getting countered into a crucifix for a close two. Bulldog fires off some right hands but avoids a running charge in the corner, sending Vader down to the mat.

The challenger stomps him down into the corner and Harley Race is begging for a disqualification. Vader gets a boot up and hits the Vader Bomb for two and the crowd is into this now. Bulldog catches Vader coming off the middle rope in a powerslam but the referee gets bumped and there’s no count. He lifts Vader up again but Race trips him up, allowing Vader to fall on top for the pin.

Gordon Solie shows us a clip from 1987 with long time losers the Mulkey Brothers accidentally beating some masked guys.

We’re getting a bonus match from Halloween Havoc 1994….as apparently we’re just skipping match #8, which was Dustin Rhodes vs. Vader from Clash #29. Eh here’s a bonus.

#8. Vader vs. Dustin Rhodes

From Clash #29. Dustin is a solid midcard guy and Vader is the #1 contender so this should be interesting. The feeling out process doesn’t last long as Vader shoves him into the corner and hits a hard shot to the chest before spitting at Rhodes. Dustin just charges at him and takes Vader down to hammer away. Vader covers up and Dustin rips his mask off before getting a VERY close two off a cross body. A clothesline puts Vader on the floor and another shot to the face knocks him up to the barricade. Dustin lays out Harley Race and waits for Vader inside.

Back inside and Dustin hammers Vader down in the corner before suplexing the big man like it’s nothing. Vader has had enough of being on defense and just runs Dustin over. He hammers away in the corner but Dustin avoids a splash and gets another close two off a rollup. Another body attack puts Rhodes down but he comes right back with a powerslam of all things. Vader tries to counter a sunset flip but Rhodes gets away and drives in more right hands. The referee gets a shot in the face so Vader throws Rhodes over the top and to the floor.

Vader brings him back in and runs Dustin over with a clothesline. Two Vader Bombs get two each and Vader is getting even more angry. The referee starts a ten count on Dustin but him getting close to his feet just makes Vader even madder. He goes to the middle rope but jumps into a powerslam to put both guys down. Rhodes nails a string of clotheslines and a Bionic Elbow before a top rope lariat gets two. A middle rope DDT gets another near fall on Vader and there’s the bulldog but Harley comes in for a distraction. Vader lays Dustin out and just ends him with a wheelbarrow slam for the pin.

And now the actual bonus match. From Halloween Havoc 1994.

WCW World Title: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan is defending in a cage with both careers on the line and Mr. T. as guest referee. Sherri and Jimmy Hart are here as well and Flair is in the awesome black and white robe (always my favorite). Flair is in red trunks, which almost guarantees a big loss (one of those things that I read once and can never unnotice it). Hogan starts fast by sending him into the corner, followed by the ten right hands. He even goes up top for some choking, which is enough for T. to yell at him.

The chop has no effect and Flair is sent into the cage a few times. Flair gets smart by going after the bad knee and we cut to Sting, with the reflection of the match being seen in his sunglasses for a cool shot. Hogan gets sent into the cage and there’s a knee drop to the head. Back up and Hogan sends him into the cage three times in a row, only to have T. yell at Hogan again.

Flair uses the breather to hit a top rope ax handle as Heenan loses it even more. A chop off goes to Hogan and they wind up on the top rope with Hogan choking on the cage some more. Flair goes to the knee again and chops away….with Hogan not having any of it. Hogan rakes the face over the cage and gets two off a belly to back suplex. It’s back to the top with Flair going into the cage again but he grabs a quick shinbreaker. Heenan: “OH BABY! Are we going to school???”

Flair starts in with his usual assortment of knee work as Heenan gets more and more excited. The Figure Four goes on in the middle of the ring (Heenan: “COUNT HIS SHOULDERS D*** IT!!!”) so Hogan gets fired up (not Hulking up just yet). The hold is turned over for the break but T. gets bumped. Flair hits a belly to back suplex and pulls T. over but there’s still no count.

Jimmy pulls Sherri off the cage (getting her skirt off in the process) so she sends him into the steps. Sting pulls Sherri down as well but here’s the masked man from underneath the ring to beat Sting up with a pipe. Sherri comes off the top of the cage with an ax handle to Hogan (that was a wild woman), who doesn’t seem to mind. Flair gets in a shot to the knee and Sherri handcuffs T. to the ropes.

With the Masked Man on the side of the cage, Hogan is rammed into the pipe and suplexed again. NOW it’s time to Hulk Up and it’s a double clothesline to Flair and Sherri. Hogan clotheslines both of them again as Sting, Hart and the Masked Man are all gone. A big boot puts Sherri down (!) and Hogan does the real Hulk Up (he didn’t really need it here), setting up the big boot to Flair. Heenan: “NOT THE LEG!!!” Hogan pulls Flair over towards T., drops the leg and retains at 19:25 to send Heenan into tears.

Rating: B+. I was expecting more of the same old Hogan/Flair stuff but they hit another level at the end there and it was rocking in the last five minutes or so. Hogan was trying hard here and it was one of the best matches I’ve seen him have in years. What matters is it felt big and that’s what they were going for. I liked this WAY better than I was expecting to and that’s always a nice feeling.

Post match Ali gets to hand Hogan the title before Hogan gets back inside for the celebration. Cue the Masked Man but Hogan catches the pipe shot and hammers away. Heenan thinks it’s Arn Anderson but it’s…..the Big Brother and the fans actually go silent. Brother begs off as Hogan is shocked, allowing Kevin Sullivan and the former Earthquake (I believe making his debut) comes in to beat Hogan down. Heenan dubs Brother the Butcher as Earthquake hits the Earthquake. Cue Sting for the save to chase everyone off.

If this had been ANYONE but Beefcake, they would have been set as this was a very hot angle to end the show. The fans were into it and Hogan sold it as well as I’ve seen him sell anything not involving Andre. Having Sting under the mask would have made it one of the best angles WCW had done in the pre-Nitro days but as it was, it was just rather good, especially after a pretty awesome main event.

The hosts are happy because Tony has ordered pizza. Now we’re moving on to #6, as I guess COUNTING isn’t WCW’s strong suit either. No other match is mentioned

#6. Brian Pillman vs. Steve Austin

From Clash #25. Colonel Parker got in Austin’s ear and split up the Blonds to set this up. Both guys still have their Hollywood Blond trunks. Brian is already in the ring and jumps Austin to start but both guys are quickly on the floor. Parker’s distraction lets Austin take over with a clothesline but Pillman sends him into the barricade to put Austin down. Back inside and Brian throws chops in the corner before taking Austin down with a headscissors. They head onto the ramp with Austin taking a backdrop but being able to block a top rope splash by raising a boot.

Pillman is thrown off the ramp and face first into the barricade. Austin puts him down on the floor again but Pillman comes back in with a slingshot cross body for two. Steve is almost in trouble but lifts Pillman up in a near gorilla press and drops him throat first across the ropes. Pillman hits a chop hard enough to drop Austin to the mat but Steve comes right back with a half crab. Back up and Brian comes out of the corner with a middle rope elbow to the jaw.

Both guys slowly get to their feet and Austin goes up, only to get crotched down onto the ropes. Austin is still able to block a superplex but his top rope cross body is dropkicked out of the air for two. Brian’s slingshot clothesline is caught in a powerslam for two. Steve counters a crucifix with a fall away slam but misses his top rope splash. Pillman slips over the top rope to avoid the Stun Gun but Parker breaks up Air Pillman to send Brian face first into the mat, giving Austin the pin.

Larry isn’t happy with the next pick, though the reveal is one of my all time favorites (though it’s omitted her because WCW).

#5. World Tag Team Titles: Enforcers vs. Dustin Rhodes/???

From Clash #17. Anderson and Zbyszko are defending. Dustin comes out with Barry but Windham is in street clothes. Barry says he can’t wrestle tonight (that was announced earlier) but introduces the partner. The partner comes out in a black robe and a huge dragon mask over his face. Dustin goes over and pulls the mask off to reveal……RICKY STEAMBOAT. The Enforcers go insane and refuse to hand the belts over to the referee. Anderson to Zbyszko: “HE’S JUST A MAN!”

Steamboat and Anderson get things going but everything quickly breaks down with all four guys heading outside. Zbyzsko is sent into the barricade and the Enforcers go back inside, only to be dropkicked right back to the floor as the challengers stand tall. Things settle down with Ricky grabbing a headlock before dragging it over to the corner for a tag to Rhodes. The challengers start some fast tagging to work on Larry’s arm with Dustin cranking on an armbar.

Arn finally fights back and takes Rhodes into the corner and stomping away to take over. Dustin charges into a knee in the corner and Arn is actually able to hit his top rope forearm to the back (which usually has as good of a track record as Flair coming off the top). Rhodes gets a boot up in the corner and drops Anderson to the floor with an elbow to the head. Back in and it’s off to Larry who talks a lot of trash and wants the Dragon.

Steamboat is just fine with that and scores with some martial arts but Larry slaps him in the face and gets Ricky to chase him around. The chase allows the Enforcers to catch Steamboat coming in with some double teaming and the champions take over. Ricky fights back with some chops to Anderson but Larry comes in to break up a sunset flip. The champions cheat on an abdominal stretch before dropping Steamboat with a belly to back suplex for two.

Anderson ducks his head for a backdrop but gets planted into the mat but Larry prevents a hot tag attempt. Steamboat can’t slam him due to the work on his back so Anderson slaps on a bearhug. He takes Ricky down to the mat with the hold for some two counts but Steamboat counters with a bodyscissors. Anderson switches up to a Boston crab and keeps walking it over to his corner. Larry does the same and Steamboat slaps the mat but we’re a few years away from that meaning anything in wrestling.

Rhodes gets the tag but the referee is with Anderson to further fire up the crowd. Steamboat comes back with an atomic drop to Arn and they ram heads to put both guys down. Ricky finally crawls over and makes the tag to Dustin and blow the roof off the place. Dustin cleans house with slams all around and a bulldog to Anderson. Rhodes gets knocked into the corner but Steamboat tags himself in and hits the high cross body for the pin and the titles.

Rating: A. Great old school style tag team match here with the Enforcers cutting the ring off and using classic tag team strategy. They did all the tag team spots that have worked for years and they worked here too. Dustin was getting better every single day around this time and putting him in there with Ricky Steamboat was going to make him even stronger.

Larry, Gordon and Gene have wandered off. We go back to 1989 when Ricky Steamboat returned as Mr. X to pin Ric Flair in a tag match, setting off their legendary series.

Another bonus match: from Main Event, July 24, 1994.

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat

As Tony put it, we have seen their match from Clash #6 so many times that we might as well try something else. Flair lost the World Title to Hulk Hogan a week earlier and has Sherri in his corner. Steamboat takes him down early and immediately complains about a hair pull, as you probably saw coming. They go with the wrestling and take it to the mat as commentary compares Hogan and Flair.

A Sherri distraction lets Flair toss Steamboat over the top so Steamboat goes to yell at her, allowing Flair to get in a knee from behind. Flair hits him in the face a few times and chokes on the apron but Steamboat is back up for the chop off. Steamboat chops away and Flair Flops, setting up a big chop over the top to the floor. There’s the backdrop into a dropkick but Flair grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for a few near falls.

Back up and Steamboat gets in a gorilla press, setting up a chop to the floor and another Flair Flop. Flair hides behind Sherri but gets chopped anyway, only to knock Steamboat out of the air. The referee gets bumped and Steamboat grabs an O’Connor roll, with Sherri getting knocked off the apron. Steamboat slams him off the top and grabs the Figure Four but Sherri comes in. That earns her an atomic drop to the floor (with a great bump) but Steve Austin runs in to jump Steamboat for the DQ.

Rating: B. These two have some all time chemistry so it isn’t like they could do anything but great. This was just playing the hits and it was still a match worth seeing, because that is the kind of thing that you can just do. Very good stuff here and the ending was fine as you want to keep both of them strong. Nice job.

Bobby Eaton and Brad Armstrong of all people come in for the save as Austin and Flair run.

David Crockett joins the hosts and reminisces a bit, sending us to some Four Horsemen interviews from 1986. It turns out that they have a lot of titles and know how to talk like the best of them. Flair losing his mind over anyone, Nikita Koloff in this case, is always worth seeing.

Again, because of counting, we’re skipping #4 and moving on to #3. Dusty is excited about this one because he gets to beat up the Horsemen. Somehow Heenan has managed to get some Hogan merchandise censored, which is a rather Heenan thing to do.

#3. World Tag Team Titles: Sting/Dusty Rhodes vs. Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard

Sting and Rhodes are challenging of course and Dusty is nearing the end of his run with the promotion. Sting starts with Anderson and counters the wristlock in the same way he did to Flair at the first Clash. Arn bails to the floor for a breather and the fans are WAY into Sting here. Back in and Anderson throws Sting to the floor, only to miss a charge into the post. Sting wraps Arn’s arm around the post and cranks on it back inside for good measure.

The champions tag to bring in Tully but Sting slams him down twice in a row and tags in Dusty to an even bigger ovation from the crowd. Rhodes cleans house with punches to the face and Blanchard is in trouble in the corner. A big elbow to the head puts him down and Dusty puts on his pretty bad looking Figure Four. The hold is short lived though as a JJ Dillon distraction lets Anderson make the save and send Dusty to the floor.

Sting immediately comes over for the save and Dusty gets back inside, only to take a beating from Tully. Rhodes scores with a shoulder block and a dropkick without much air under it. Back to Sting to take over with a Stinger Splash to Blanchard but Anderson breaks up the Deathlock attempt. The Horsemen drop Sting onto the barricade to stop his momentum and Anderson drives an elbow into his back for two.

A middle rope splash hits Sting’s knees but more Horsemen double teaming stops the hot tag to Rhodes. Tully can’t get a sunset flip but Arn clotheslines Sting down to the mat for two. Blanchard sends Sting back to the floor and Anderson gets in a quick DDT on the concrete to knock Sting out cold. Dillon throws Sting back in but the referee is with Dusty, allowing Sting to kick out at two.

A backslide gets the same on Arn but he’s able to tag out while still being counted. It’s amazing how efficient the Horsemen were at teaming and that’s a great example of their skill. Sting catches Tully in a hot shot and now Dusty comes in off the tag. The fans suddenly believe the championships are in trouble and everything breaks down. The referee gets bumped and Barry Windham and Ric Flair run in for the disqualification.

Barry puts Rhodes in the Claw to knock him out and Sting is beaten down three on one.

The pizza guy arrives and explains the idea of pepperoni and sausage. Heenan is asleep and we get a bonus match from Starrcade 1989.

Steiner Brothers vs. Road Warriors

This is the ONLY meeting (that mattered) between two of the biggest tag teams of all time. Why it was wasted on a show like this in an inconsequential tag match is beyond me. These teams are friends at this point. Scott and Hawk get things going with Cornette considering this a battle of idiots. Ross says the fans are in awe as an excuse for them being bored so far. Both guys get big boots to the face in succession so it’s off to Rick for a chance at Hawk.

Hawk hits a BIG clothesline to take Rick down for two before Animal comes in for a double back elbow. Rick comes back with a Steiner Line to stagger Animal and we’re at a standoff. Animal tries a bearhug but gets caught in a belly to belly suplex for no cover. Back to Scott to meet Hawk with the bird enthusiast gorilla pressing him down to the mat with ease. Rick has to make the save this time and Hawk is annoyed at his actions. Animal comes back in and gets caught in a few belly to belly suplexes. This is pure power the entire way so far.

Animal comes out of the corner with a hard clothesline so Hawk comes in for an over the shoulder kneeling backbreaker. A release tilt-a-whirl slam gets two on Scott but he comes back with what was supposed to be a middle rope suplex. Instead it was more like Hawk fell flat on Scott’s chest and was driven face first into the mat. Back to Animal for a bearhug on Scott followed by a BIG powerslam from Hawk. Everything breaks down and Animal picks up Scott for a belly to back suplex with Hawk adding a top rope clothesline. Animal bridges Scott back but Scott raises his arm to get the pin as Animal’s shoulders were down.

Gene knows that everyone is talking about WCW, including in Troy, New York. Let’s go there for #2 and an all time classic.

#2. Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk

The only way to win is to make the other man say he quits. Funk offers Flair a chance to leave right now but Ric is ready to go. A quick chop sends Terry out to the floor and Ric is right out after him with more chops before heading back inside. Back in and they just start choking each other with Funk getting the better of it. A headbutt knocks Flair down onto the apron and they head to the aisle where Funk hammers away even more.

Terry asks Flair if he quits so Flair takes the skin off Funk’s chest with a chop. Back in and Terry pounds away at Flair’s head and asks him again to no avail. A swinging neckbreaker drops Flair but he grabs Terry’s throat and chops away. They head outside again with Ric in control and shoving Gary Hart out of the way. Inside again and Flair demands that Funk quit but he has to watch out for Hart, allowing Funk to get in a cheap shot.

Funk yells at Flair about the broken neck before nailing him with the piledriver. Flair still refuses to quit so Funk piledrives him on the floor as well. Ric won’t quit yet and Funk is getting frustrated. He throws Flair back through the ropes and sets up a table, only to have Flair ram him face first into the wood to change momentum. Flair gives up on the wrestling and just dives on Funk before throwing him across the table. Terry gets dropped throat first across the barricade and Ric is starting to take his time.

Back inside and Ric starts in on the leg as only he can but makes sure to throw in some chops for good measure. A suplex puts Terry down but he goes to the eyes to prevent the Figure Four. Flair suplexes him over the top and down onto the apron before finally getting the Figure Four. Funk screams never before finally quitting to end the feud.

Terry shakes Flair’s hand like he promised he would and Flair accepts it. Gary Hart is livid and lays out Funk with a cheap shot so here are Great Muta and Dragonmaster (another Hart guy) until Sting comes in for the save. Luger runs in to lay out Sting, setting up the Iron Man tournament at Starrcade. He breaks Sting and Flair’s trophies for good measure.

Back in 1985, Dusty Rhodes brought in a gorilla (or someone in a gorilla suit) to deal with the Russians. Dusty’s promo about going to Kenya to find the gorilla is great and Tony can barely hold it together. We see Dusty bringing in the gorilla and he has named it Baby Doll #2. Then he brought it back the next week and fed it a banana. Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, he has brought in the gorilla’s mama (it has a hat and a purse).

Tony and Gene mess with the sleeping Heenan before sending us to another bonus match. From SuperBrawl II (I apologize for the quality as this is really old).

WCW World Title: Lex Luger vs. Sting

Luger is defending and this was just a formality at this point as Luger was ready to go elsewhere and Sting was ready to be the guy. Also, there was this guy named Vader that had just started working full time. With Luger gone, Sting needed someone to feud with, so he got the biggest feud of his career. Sting doesn’t even have music here which is rather odd. This is Luger’s first match in about two months other than a match that was taped and won’t air until next month at the Japan show.

They have the staredown which is awesome if nothing else. They stand there and stare at each other for about a minute or so. I wonder what they’re talking about. FREAKING DO SOMETHING! Hey a minute and a half in we get a shove and then more talking! There’s a second shove at two minutes! Ooo a lockup. Ok there’s building tension and then there’s STUPIDITY.

Sting hits the Splash and of course Luger no sells it because Luger doesn’t care about making Sting look credible or anything stupid like that. To be fair though, did he really need to? Just because he can, Sting puts Luger in the rack. I don’t think anyone ever did that to him so that was kind of cool. They point out that Sting’s cardio is far better and he almost gets the Scorpion but not quite. Luger takes over and they try to cover up his completely not caring at all by saying he’s arrogant.

In reality it was that he was just walking through the match without the slightest bit of effort at all. You know, because being world champion in WCW is nowhere near as great as being a midcard joke in the WWF. It turned out he got out at the right time though as Watts took over and ran the company into the ground.

They eventually can’t cover it up anymore and say how odd it is that he’s just walking around with his hands on his hips. Luger hits his finishing move, the Piledriver, and Sting kicks out to seal how awesome he is. It gets NO pop though as Luger has managed to kill one of the best crowds in company history.

Sting begins his comeback with that odd striking style that he had. Seriously, do you remember anyone having the method of striking that Sting did? Watch one of his matches and notice how he hits and kicks. It’s just different looking and I don’t remember anyone else ever did it that way. We hit the floor and Luger continues to move very slowly. Coming back in, Sting hits a crossbody to get the pin and the title and a great pop.

Tony and David throw us back to 1985, where Ric Flair gave Magnum TA a new suit. Well first we need to see the end of Starrcade 1984 with Flair beating Dusty Rhodes and then beating up Magnum in May 1985. Now Flair has a suit for Magnum so he can look like the World Champion, because he’ll never BE World Champion. Flair runs to the ring and we have a match.

Ric Flair vs. George South

Non-title and Flair snapmares him down, only to get backdropped out of the corner. Flair backs into the corner but pulls South in and hammers away. They head outside with Flair hammering away even more and a butterfly suplex connects back inside. An elbow gets two and it’s time to crank on both arms. Cue Magnum TA to look at the suit as Flair slaps on an abdominal stretch. The Figure Four is good for the fast submission.

Rating: C. Just a squash here but the important stuff is coming in a few seconds. South is an interesting case as Flair was sure he could have a heck of a match with him if given the chance but it never came to pass outside of some quick TV matches like this. Magnum felt like a star though and the showdown seemed imminent.

Post match Magnum takes the suit into the ring and rips it up. Ric charges into the belly to belly and is left laying.

Gene has turned Heenan into a weasel and it’s time for the grand finale. There was only one option for this and you should know what it is.

#1. NWA World Title: Sting vs. Ric Flair

Flair is defending and this is Sting’s first big match in the main event. Ric is the leader of the Horsemen and has JJ Dillon with him, though JJ will be locked in a small cage above the ring. The much stronger Sting takes the champion into the corner to start as Hervey is flirting with Mullen at ringside. Flair grabs a wristlock on Sting but he easily nips up to scare Ric back to the ropes. Sting fights out of a top wristlock and Ric bails again.

Ric gets nowhere on a test of strength and chops get him just as far before Sting dropkicks him out to the floor. Back in and Flair tries a headlock but Sting reverses into an armbar as they’re still feeling each other out. Ric gets free and runs the ropes but Sting leapfrogs him twice and gorilla presses the champion down. A headlock takeover puts Flair down again as it’s been all Sting in the first five minutes.

Flair fights up again but gets put right back into the same headlock. They’re clearly taking their time here due to the longer time limit and to conserve energy. The champion gets to his feet for a third time and tries chops in the corner but Sting punches him in the face and hiptosses Flair down. Sting seemed to get poked in the eye so Flair throws him to the floor, only to run right back inside and hammer away in the corner even more.

Back to the headlock and we hit the ten minute mark. Ric gets up and hits a chop that actually takes something out of Sting. It takes so much out that the next gorilla press only lasts for about five seconds. Off to another gorilla press on the champion and Sting actually takes him to the mat for a few two counts. Sting lets him up and tries the Stinger Splash in the corner but only hits the buckles, giving Flair his first opening.

Sting tries to come back with more right hands in the corner but gets countered into an atomic drop to put him on the mat for the first time. Flair takes him to the floor and whips Sting into the barricade before chopping and clotheslining him down in the ring. Some knee drops get a two count on the challenger and Flair throws him back to the floor where referee Tommy Young has to take a chair away from the champion. Sting is sent into the barricade again and the fans are getting scared.

Back in and Sting starts feeling the energy, making him impervious to the chops before hitting a hard right hand to send Flair over the top. Sting misses a charge into the post and injures his arm to really give Flair a chance. Ric takes over back inside and now the wristlock works far better. Well at least it does for a few seconds until Sting nips up again and takes Flair into the corner for more right hands. A clothesline gets two on the champion and a suplex looks to set up Sting’s Scorpion Deathlock but Flair is in the ropes at the twenty five minute mark.

Sting is getting winded now but the chops fire him up yet again and a right hand gets two. Ric is barely hanging on and he collapses down, sending Sting flying over the top on a missed charge. He’s still on his feet first and back on the apron but Ric snaps his neck across the top rope. Sting pops up AGAIN and hits a top rope cross body for two. It’s back to the headlock but Ric picks him up and hits a knee crusher out of nowhere to go for his primary target. Flair sends him to the floor and this time Sting isn’t popping back to his feet.

Back in again and Flair goes for the leg even more, picking it apart like the master he is. A belly to back suplex sets up the Figure Four as we’ve got fifteen minutes left in the time limit. Sting is in big trouble with Flair pulling on the ropes for extra leverage. After several minutes in the hold, Sting is finally able to turn it over and send Flair into the ropes. Flair is up first and tries to suplex Sting to the floor but referee Tommy Young won’t let it happen, allowing Sting to suplex Flair back in.

A quick splash hits Flair’s knees but Sting is able to come back with an abdominal stretch. Flair hiptosses out with ten minutes left but misses an elbow drop. Ric goes up top but as you can guess if you’re a Flair fan, Sting is able to slam him down for another near fall. Sting crotches him against the post and puts Flair in the Figure Four for a change of pace. Ric screams for mercy but FINALLY makes the rope as the crowd’s hopes are dashed again. Sting pounds in more right hands and hooks another hiptoss as he’s on pure adrenaline.

More stomping on Flair’s leg has the champion reeling so he tries to get himself disqualified, only to have the referee shove him down. Sting sends Flair over the corner and onto the judges’ table as JR goes nuts again. We’ve got five minutes to go as Sting blocks a sunset flip and hammers at Flair’s head. Four minutes to go. A big clothesline gets two as Flair gets his foot on the ropes for the break. The Stinger Splash totally misses and Sting crashes to the floor in a heap. Three minutes to go and Sting is back inside.

We go to the judges’ scorecards and only three are shown. The first two are split, leaving it up to Sandy Scott. Sandy gives it to…..no one as it’s a draw, meaning Flair keeps the belt.

Tony and Gene laugh at Heenan for being painted like a weasel and he has no idea what is going on. Tony signs us off.

Overall Rating: A. It’s kind of sad that WCW is only remembered for the later years of the company because they had some outstanding stuff going on in their earlier years. That was on display here in an awesome mostly complete countdown (seriously, how do you mess up a COUNTDOWN) and all kinds of classic matches. I liked them throwing in some bonuses as well, as you have to fill out that six hours somehow. It was also very nice to see the announcers in a much more laid back environment and just having a good time. I really liked this thing and it’s a good example of WCW doing something right.

It works for a reason.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. HHH
Date: April 13, 2008
Location: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England

Orton is defending and this is from a Raw house show about two weeks after Wrestlemania XXIV. HHH gets a monster pop and it makes sense that he would come out second. It’s another handheld camera match, which is still weird to see in WWE. Orton drives him into the corner to start and we actually get a clean break. The dueling chants are on too as this is a red hot crowd. HHH runs Orton over and tells someone in the crowd to suck it before hitting a clothesline. The armbar goes on but Orton fights up and hammers away in the corner.

That just earns him a shoulder into the post and then HHH does it again for a bonus. We’re clipped to HHH working on an armbar and throwing a charging Orton over the top. HHH gives chase but Orton catches him with a boot to the face on the way back in. The hanging DDT gives Orton two and he punches HHH around the ring in a nice visual. The camera shoots the ceiling for a bit and comes back to Orton getting two and HHH holding his ribs. Orton starts the circle stomp but misses a knee drop to give HHH a breather.

The camera goes nuts again and we come back to a rather aggressive chinlock. HHH fights up and is dropkicked right back down, meaning the knee drop can connects this time. We go to the chinlock again but HHH gets in a shot to escape. Orton is up first and tries the RKO but HHH shoves him off. Since this is wrestling, that means they’re back to even and HHH makes the comeback. The facebuster gets two and they head outside with HHH whipping him into the barricade.

Back in and the Pedigree is broken up and the referee gets bumped. Now the RKO connects but Orton can’t follow up. A very delayed cover gets two and the fans are VERY happy with the kickout. The Punt is countered into a spinebuster so Orton rolls outside….where he grabs the belt for the DQ shot at 17:55 shown.

Rating: C+. The chinlock in the middle hurt things a bit but this was one of the better HHH vs. Orton matches that I’ve seen in a long time. They were moving out there and the crowd was digging the whole thing. You don’t get to see that very often and the ending was fine enough as a way to keep them both strong. Good match here and I’m rather surprised by that one.

Post match HHH is right back up with a belt shot of his own, plus a Pedigree.

I guess this will do if you’re in for a dream match for the NWA World Title.

NWA World Title: Harley Race vs. Jack Brisco
Date: August 12, 1978
Location: Bayfront Center, St. Petersburg, Florida

Well if you insist. Race is defending and this is from Championship Wrestling From Florida. We’re going to have a lot of clipping here and don’t actually hear the opening bell. Race bails into the corner but Brisco hammers away and throws him over the top, which is usually a DQ in the NWA but doesn’t seem to be the case here. The ring announcer reminds us that this is No DQ so there’s your answer.

Back in and Race hits a headbutt to set up a front facelock to slow things down. We’re clipped to Brisco fighting up but Race drives him down again. We’re clipped again to Race still working on the same hold and even hanging on as Brisco grabs a fireman’s carry. The camera stays on the referee for some reason until Brisco punches the leg to escape.

Race is down and we’re clipped to Brisco yelling at the referee and hammering away at Race in the corner. The Figure Four goes on and we get the four minute call (it’s a 60 minute time limit and we’ve barely seen six minutes so that is some serious clipping) but Race turns it over. Brisco turns over (with Race still facing down) and kicks him in the ribs with three minutes left.

A belly to back suplex drops Race for a second, followed by a collision for a double knockdown (with Race doing the slow motion fall). Race goes up top with two minutes left but gets slammed down. Brisco hits a dropkick and grabs the Figure Four with a minute left but Race is in the ropes in a hurry. A backbreaker gives Brisco two and he grabs a rollup as time expires at about 10:00 shown of 60:00. Way too much clipping to rate but there is a reason that these people are as revered as they are. You could see the great match in there and the ending had some drama. Watch as much of these two as you can find.

It was a special event (and a good one too).

From January 31, 2001 in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Jim Ross brings out Steve Austin, fresh off winning the Royal Rumble, for a chat. The place (the Louisville Gardens as this is a special show) goes coconuts of course and Austin hits all four buckles as only he can. JR thinks Austin is going to beat whoever is the WWF Champion at Wrestlemania and Austin talks about the Mexican food he has been having today. Austin wants to know if the fans are ready to see him at Wrestlemania and that would be an affirmative.

Beer is consumed and Austin badmouths Vince McMahon a bit. Cue Kenny Bolin and Rico Constantino (his ace) with Austin telling them to get out. Rico gets in Austin’s face and Austin isn’t impressed. Rico says he’s coming to the WWF to go after Austin because he’s a role model here in Louisville. Austin thinks that’s a threat and goes to have more beer but Rico says “don’t you turn your back on me son.” Stunning and drinking ensue. I still want to see what Rico could have done with a serious gimmick.

I love little surprises like this one.

Starla Sexton vs. Malia Hosaka
Date: December 21 , 1998
Location: Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Lee Marshall, Mike Tenay

This is from WCW Worldwide, which is about as low as it got on the WCW ladder (though it ran uninterrupted from 1975 until 2001 and was the final WCW show to ever air). Sexton is better known as Molly Holly and has barely been wrestling a year at this point. Hosaka gets the ever present standard Japanese music and apparently just had a kid a few months ago.

Sexton flips out of a top wristlock and slaps on a quickly broken armbar. Hosaka chokes with the knee and then the boot before stopping to kick at the leg. The legdrop between the legs (ala Jeff Hardy) lets Hosaka choke even more but she misses a crossbody. A gutwrench suplex gives Sexton one but she gets caught in a reverse DDT. Back up and Sexton grabs a quick victory roll for the fast pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. You could see the talent in both of them and my eyebrows popped up at the surprise finish. I would not have bet on Sexton pulling it off but it was so strange to see women having a normal, even good at times, match in WCW. You don’t see that very often and it worked well here. Not a great match, but compared to what women usually did in WCW, this was a masterpiece.

You might have heard of these two.

NWA World Title Ric Flair vs. Jack Brisco
Date: April 7, 1984
Location: Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland

Flair is defending and this is from Georgia Championship Wrestling. Before the match we hear from some fans who love the show and want to see some matches. We also see Ole Anderson talking to promoter Gary Jester, though at first he messes up and asks “what the f*** is his name”. With that out of the way, we’re joined in progress with Flair not being able to power out of a headlock. Brisco shoulders him down and grabs the headlock again but this time Flair takes him into the corner.

That doesn’t exactly work well as Brisco snapmares him down and puts on a chinlock. More headlock grinding ensues before Briso flips him over by the wrist to start in on the arm. Some armdrags into a short armscissors have Flair n more trouble and Brisco rolls him around the ring for an impressive spot. The hold stays on a bit until Flair finally makes the rope for the break. Brisco’s sunset flip gets two and Flair bails out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Brisco pounds away with right hands but Flair knocks him away. There’s the knee drop for two and Flair dumps him out to the floor. Back in and Flair’s atomic drop gets two more but Brisco counters the suplex into a sleeper. That’s good for two arm drops but Flair gets back to his feet and belly to back suplexes his way to freedom. Brisco gets in his own suplex and tries his own Figure Four, sending Flair to the rope before it can go on in full. Back up and Brisco blocks a headlock takeover so Flair sticks with the standing version.

A snapmare gives Flair two with his foot on the rope but Brisco is back up with right hands to the face. The Figure Four goes on but Flair is way too close to the rope. Flair is back with the shinbreaker and the Figure Four goes on, only to have Brisco turn it over. That’s escapes as well so Flair heads up top and gets slammed right back down. Brisco loads up a hiptoss but Flair reverses into a cradle (that was sweet) for the pin to retain at 21:14 shown.

Rating: B. The star power alone is enough to make this good but what matters here is how good both of them really are. Brisco may have been way past his prime here but you can believe the possibility that he could pull it off here because it’s Jack Brisco going after the title. Flair could have a classic with anyone at this point and when you put him in there with someone who was also great, the result shouldn’t be a surprise.

Summerslam Spectacular 1993
Date: August 22, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon

This is a special used to hype up Summerslam and since the 1993 edition is the kind of show that needs all the help it can get. The big match here is the Steiner Brothers defending the Tag Team Titles against Money Inc. inside a cage, which has a good bit of potential. Let’s get to it.

Jim Ross welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Yokozuna vs. Jim Duggan

Yokozuna’s WWF Title isn’t on the line and Jim Cornette is not in his corner for some reason. Instead it’s just Mr. Fuji, which is quite the downgrade. Duggan is in his weird singlet phase here and it never looks right. We see a quick shot of Duggan holding his newborn daughter as commentary is already talking about Lex Luger. Duggan jumps him from behind to start and hammers away but the referee takes the 2×4 away, allowing Yokozuna to superkick him down.

Yokozuna chokes away and sends Duggan outside, meaning Duggan’s eyes bug out as they had a tendency to do. That doesn’t seem to bother Yokozuna as he knocks Duggan down and drops the huge leg. Duggan gets caught in a bearhug and we take a break. Back with Duggan biting his way out of the bearhug so Yokozuna chokes away in the corner again. Yokozuna misses a charge though and Duggan slugs away before finally dropping the monster with a clothesline. The three point clothesline is loaded up but Fuji grabs the leg, allowing Yokozuna to get in a shot from behind. The Banzai Drop finishes Duggan at 12:01.

Rating: D+. This was mostly a squash until the ending, when it was almost literally a squash. Yokozuna was on an absolutely amazing roll at this point and having him destroy Duggan was a great way to go. Duggan is someone who can be sacrificed for America because it is a story that works so well. This was Duggan’s last match with the company for over ten years, but

Post match Yokozuna is a bit tired so Cornette pops up to yell about how Luger is going to beg Cornette and Fuji to call Yokozuna off at Summerslam. Cornette was bringing the fire as only he can here.

Video on Ted DiBiase trying to humiliate Razor Ramon with money, causing some bad results. DiBiase wanted to beat up 1-2-3 Kid to make things better but got pinned in a major upset.

Razor Ramon vs. Blake Beverly

Blake talks trash and gets a toothpick in the face so Blake slaps him in the face. The threat of a right hand sends Blake outside before coming back in for a headlock. Blake pulls the hair but Ramon pulls his a lot harder to escape. The punches into the discus punch rock Blake but he gets in a shot of his own to put Ramon on the floor.

Blake takes off the turnbuckle pad and whips Ramon hard into the steel as this is WAY more competitive than I would have bet on/it should be. A powerslam gives Blake two and he clotheslines Ramon right back down. Ramon whips him into the exposed buckle though and finishes with the Razor’s Edge at 6:17.

Rating: D+. Am I missing something or was this more about Blake than Ramon? I’m not sure why you would want to push half of a low level TV guy but this was a rather strange time for the company. I don’t know what they were going for here but it really did not do much good for Ramon, who is a bit of a bigger star than Blake Beverly (now Beau would have made sense but not Blake).

We look at Lex Luger getting off of the Lex Express and meeting some fans.

Jerry Lawler is in a pink Cadillac with an Elvis impersonator who insists that he is the real one. He was having dinner with JFK the other day and talking about how bad things were, which Lawler says is the same as people like Bret Hart taking a shortcut. It’s time to go for a drive.

Bret Hart is sick of Lawler talking about his family and he doesn’t even want his parents at Summerslam to see this beating.

Smoking Gunns/Tatanka vs. Reno Riggins/Barry Horowitz/Brooklyn Brawler

Billy knees Riggins down to start and Bart comes in to crank on Brawler’s arm. Tatanka comes in to crank on the arm as well but Billy comes back in to suplex Riggins down for two. Horowitz gets his own turn and snapmares Billy into a knee drop as we actually have a face in peril here. Riggins and Horowitz take turns on Billy in the corner before Brawler rakes the eyes over the top rope. Billy forearms his way to freedom and brings Tatanka back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a high crossbody finishes Riggins at 5:03.

Rating: C. Another nothing to see match here which has been the case all show long so far. The Gunns and Tatanka are warming up for a six man against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers but I’m not sure how much of a success this really was. It didn’t go as long, but Billy was beaten down for a good chunk of the match and that isn’t the most inspiring match.

More of Luger and the fans.

Undertaker comes out to talk about how Giant Gonzalez’s day of reckoning is at hand. He may have no Paul Bearer or Urn but he has the Creatures Of The Night. As for what a Rest In Peace match is, it involves him pulling out Gonzalez’s organs to take his soul. I’ll let you get your mind around that as Giant Gonzalez and Harvey Wippleman come out, tell Undertaker he’ll lose, and then leave.

Luger, fans, again.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Bob Backlund

Shawn is defending and commentary continues their eternal hype of Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect at Summerslam (that went on FOREVER and there was no way they could have lived up to the hype). Shawn takes him down to start and gets in a slam before chilling on the top rope. Backlund is back up with a rather delayed slam into a backslide for two and Shawn needs a breather on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shawn hammering away on Backlund for two and grabbing a front facelock. The comeback is on and there’s the big atomic drop but Diesel grabs the referee. Shawn uses the distraction to grab a small package with trunks for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C-. Backlund was still in his aww shucks period here and Shawn was still on his way to greatness so they weren’t ready for a really good one yet. Also, this was hardly even a competitive match as Shawn dominated for the most part before cheating to win. These two could do something good under better circumstances, but they didn’t have those here.

We get a sitdown interview with Lex Luger, who talks about being an athletic kid growing up but then he started seriously training and learning and here he is today. The lesson is to keep working at things and eventually you can get to your goals. He wants to be an inspiration to everyone so don’t believe you can’t do something. Lex Luger is telling you to believe you can do anything. They really just had him say that.

Ludvig Borga is ready to destroy Marty Jannetty at Summerslam and wants to destroy everyone here.

Marty Jannetty vs. Duane Gill

Jannetty starts fast by cranking on the arm and takes him down into an armbar. A superkick sets up a backdrop and we hit the chinlock. Gill fights up and catches him on the top, only to get caught in a front flip faceplant (reverse Blockbuster). The top rope fist drop finishes Gill at 3:21.

Rating: D+. Now this felt like a bit of a warmup match and that is not something we have seen much of tonight. I’m not sure how much value there is in having Borga beat Jannetty but he is going to need something in there. Jannetty was still warm from winning the Intercontinental Title earlier in the year so Borga gets something out of it, but this wasn’t a great one.

We go to the Summerslam Control Center where Gene Okerlund runs down the card. I miss this kind of thing and it could still work today.

Tag Team Titles: Steiner Brothers vs. Money Inc.

The Steiners are defending in a cage with escape only. The Steiners go after DiBiase to start but IRS’s quick escape attempt is broken up without much effort. Money Inc. cuts off the champs as well so DiBiase goes up, only to get pulled down by the tights (I think you know what happens as a result). With the Steiners down, IRS goes up but Scott catches him and goes over the top, only to have DiBiase suplex him back in. Scott gets knocked down again and Rick’s escape attempt is cut off as well. The Steiners are right back with some shots to the face and go up, only to get pulled back in a hurry.

We take a break and come back with Rick suplexing IRS off of the cage and Scott sending DiBiase face first into the cage. DiBiase and Scott fight on the top but they switch places with DiBiase pulling Rick down, turning him upside down in the process for a cool visual. IRS gets whipped hard into the corner but Scott has to pull him down into an electric chair.

Some rams into the cage allow IRS and Scott to climb out at the same time but IRS comes back in to jump Rick. Scott isn’t about to be one upped and comes off the top of the cage with an ax handle to IRS’s head. DiBiase pulls Rick back down by the headgear and we take another back. Back again with Scott on the floor, leaving Rick down 2-1. Scott comes back in for the second time and watches IRS climb out again as Rick catches DiBiase on top again.

DiBiase winds up hanging by his feet from the cage but Rick isn’t smart enough to take the win. Even Gorilla isn’t sure why they would do something so stupid so both Steiners go up at once. That brings IRS back in (this cage isn’t much of a deterrent) for another save but Rick gets up over the top…..and comes back in to help Scott AGAIN. Rick gets out again and IRS tries to escape as well but Rick catches him on his shoulders. DiBiase escapes and hammers away but Scott gets out to retain at 25:00.

Rating: B. There were some weird moments in the thinking there but they didn’t stop with the violence and brawling, which is the idea of a cage match like this. Above all else, this was definitely different and I like that quite a bit. This would be it for Money Inc., making me wonder why this wasn’t on the pay per view instead, because it would have been better than almost anything else on the show.

Men on a Mission and Rapping Randy (Savage) sing some Lex Luger praises to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event more than carries this and while the show felt like a glorified Raw (which it pretty much was), it felt like something special. It didn’t exactly make me want to see the pay per view, but it had a great main event and covered every match on the show. That’s a lot better than most commercials and I’ll take that every single time.

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