The SmarK Retro Rant for Clash of the Champions XX (September 2 / 92)
- Well, this was a special show for WCW, because it was the 20th Clash special, and the 20th anniversary of being on TBS. Thus, the whole show has a “legends reunited” thing going, including the final TV appearance of Andre the Giant before his death in 1993. It was also deep into the tenure of Bill Watts, who is a noted traditionalist to begin with. The introduction of this show also marks a rare chance to see beancounters Bob Dhue and Bill Shaw on camera.
- Live from Atlanta, GA.
- Your hosts are Jim Ross & Governor Ventura.
- Opening match, World TV title: Steve Austin v. Ricky Steamboat.
This match marked the end of Austin’s second and final reign as TV champion, as he had been champion since June ’91 (his WCW debut) with only a month off for Barry Windham’s quickie run as champ. It was clearly time to move Austin up to bigger things, although HOW big he would become was of course never suspected at that point. Paul Heyman is in a cage at ringside to keep him from interfering, and his chequebook is locked into a tiny cage above that one. Okay, I made the second bit up. Steamboat has bad ribs, so Austin goes right for them, and Steamboat fires back with chops. Hiptoss out of the corner and Steamboat grabs a headlock, and they criss-cross off that, allowing Steamboat to grab another one. Ventura makes jokes about Bruno, which JR no-sells in classy fashion. Austin hiptosses out of the headlock and drops a corkscrew elbow, but stalls and gets kicked down by Ricky. Back to the headlock. Austin turns it into a pair of near-falls, but Steamboat won’t release. Austin suplexes out, but Steamboat keeps grabbing the move. So Austin uses the hair, to Ventura’s delight. Steamboat goes to the second rope, and gets thrown off by Austin, as they do their best version of a superplex without actually going up to the top. Man that top-rope rule was stupid. (Plus the match was no-DQ so they could have done it anyway.) They slug it out, won by Austin, and a pair of backbreakers get two. They slug it out again in the corner, but Steamboat goes for a slam and it backfires on him due to bad ribs. Austin clotheslines him down and goes to the abdominal stretch. Ventura immediately offers cheating advice. Steamboat makes the ropes and hiptosses out, then makes the comeback with chops. Austin whips him into the corner, and Steamboat comes out with a high cross, reversed by Austin for two. Steamboat dodges a dropkick and catapults Austin into the turnbuckle for two. Austin comes back with a pin attempt in the corner for two. Steamboat tries a tombstone, but Austin counters, and Steamboat counters again and gets two. Austin sends him into the corner and rolls him up with the tights for two. They head up to the top, but Steamboat sends him down and comes off the second rope, only to get caught in the ribs. Austin cradles for two. Steamboat shoulderblocks him for two. Another one gets two. Austin tosses him, but Steamboat skins the cat back in, only to get caught with an elbow back out by a goldbricking Austin. Steamboat is even smarter, sneaking under the ring and over to the other side, where he heads up to the top and finishes at 10:42 with a high cross to win the title. The match, as pointed out by Ventura, is no-DQ, so that’s legal. Good match that used the ribs for the story, but didn’t really hit the levels a more experienced Austin was able to get to with Steamboat in 1994. ***
- We take a look back at tag team wrestling over the years. The Brisco Brothers, the Road Warriors (with HAIR), the Freebirds and the Rock N Roll are shown.
- Greg Valentine & Dick Slater v. Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson.
This is the debut of Michael Hayes as the manager of Eaton & Anderson, a short-lived idea that actually had tremendous upside. Hammer gets cheapshotted by Eaton from the outside right away, leading to a brawl that sends everyone running. Back in, Slater cheapshots Anderson and another brawl erupts. Things calm down as Eaton starts with Valentine and gets caught in the heel (?) corner and Slater gets a neckbreaker and Russian legsweep for two. His use of the ropes is rather obvious. Now Slater gets caught in the other heel corner and double-teamed, and Arn works the arm. Valentine hammers away in the corner and a suplex gets two, but Arn brings him back to his corner and they work Valentine over. This match is all heel psychology and it’s really weird to watch. Eaton & Anderson work over the arm, but Valentine comes back with chops and now Anderson gets worked over in the corner. Slater goes after the knee, allowing Hammer to get the figure-four, but Eaton drops an elbow to break. Arn gets the spinebuster for two. It’s BONZO GONZO as Arn is left 2-on-1, but the ref interrupts the double-team and Larry Zbyszko hits Valentine with his cast by mistake, allowing the Alabama Jam to finish at 5:42. This was a strange, heatless match with no one for the fans to cheer and both sides cheating like nuts. Not BAD as such, but bizarre. **
- Bill Watts strips Brad Armstrong of the Lightweight title due to injury and promises a tournament to fill the vacancy. The title would be officially retired without ever crowning a new champion. Armstrong gives an interview lamenting the loss, but Brian Pillman interrupts, disappointed over not getting his shot tonight. He calls Armstrong a crybaby and a coward who’s ducking him, and then slaps him and storms off. This would mark the heel turn that changed Pillman’s career forever and set the stage for the Hollywood Blonds. Sadly this particular feud was never paid off.
- We take a look at some singles stars over the years. Big Dust, Stan Hansen, Ron Garvin, Tony Atlas, Magnum TA, Buzz Sawyer, Mr. Wrestling II, the Great Kabuki, Ted Dibiase, Bill Watts, Wahoo MacDaniel, Masked Superstar, Jimmy Valiant, King Kong Bundy, The Spoiler (Oh, sorry, did I wreck the suspense for you?), Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Tommy Rich, Roddy Piper.
- WCW World title: Ron Simmons v. Cactus Jack.
Boy, would THIS match have a different dynamic today. (“Today” meaning somewhere around 99-2000) Ole Anderson was “senior referee” at this point, although I hear he needed cue cards to remember what comes after “two”. (High five! Anyone?) Simmons chases Jack into the corner and grabs a headlock to start, but Jack reverses for two. Jack headbutts him down and tosses him, but Simmons stares him down to prevents Jack from dropping an elbow off the apron. Back in, Cactus tries biting and slugs away, but Ole pulls him off, allowing Simmons to power him into the corner. Jack slugs away, but Ron fires back, then runs into an elbow. Jack dumps him with a Cactus Clothesline, and a neckbreaker on the concrete, and they slug it out again back in. Jack gets a clothesline out of the corner, and then two more for fun, which gets two. He hits the chinlock, but Simmons slugs back and headbutts him down. Ron goes to the second rope with a bulldog for two. Jack kicks the knee to slow him up, but Simmons forearms him out of a three-point stance for two. A kind of northern-lights suplex gets two. Jack dumps him to buy time and drops the big elbow off the apron, but it has no real effect. Back in, Simmons gets a spinebuster and slugs away, and the POWERSLAM OF DEATH finishes at 8:48. Simmons no-selling Jack’s big elbow was weird, and someone wasn’t feeling it here tonight. *1/2
- We take a look at Masa Chono beating Rick Rude to win the NWA World title in Japan. This was probably Rude’s best match ever, too.
- The Barbarian & Butch Reed v. Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham.
Reed & Barbarian were part of Cactus Jack’s master plan to get back at Ron Simmons. Rhodes hammers on Barbarian to start, but can’t overpower him. Windham comes in with a lariat to knock him over, and a double-dropkick dumps both heels. Barbarian presses Windham, but he escapes and rolls him up for two. Reed comes in and pounds on Dustin, but he runs into a boot and Rhodes slugs back. Dustin misses a charge and goes flying to the floor. Back in, Dustin is YOUR face in peril, as Reed & Barbarian clothesline him and Reed drops a fist. Barbarian with a backbreaker, and he chokes away on the ropes. They switch off and keep hammering on Dustin’s back, and Reed gets a neckbreaker for two. Clothesline, but Rhodes comes back, only to get pounded down again. Barbarian spears him into the corner and slugs him down, and an elbow gets two. Jack’s color commentary is bizarrely hilarious. (Probably because he didn’t have Vince yelling in his ear.) Reed goes to the chinlock, but Dustin fights out and reverses a piledriver, and they clothesline each other. Hot tag Windham, and he cleans house. Dropkick for Barbarian and a lariat follows, as they head up to the top. Superplex, but he stops to deal with Reed and gets booted by Barbarian for the pin at 8:04. Good formula stuff. **3/4 The disappointment of the loss would be assuaged when Windham & Rhodes would win the WCW tag titles from Gordy & Williams two weeks after this.
- Elimination tag match: Jake Roberts, Big Van Vader, Rick Rude & Super Invader v. Sting, Nikita Koloff & The Steiner Brothers.
Super Invader is Hercules with pantyhose on his head, juiced to the gills. Rick Steiner starts with Vader and exchanges punches with him, but runs into a boot. They continue slugging it out, and Vader clotheslines him and hits him with a corner splash and another clothesline. Steiner fires right back with a belly-to-belly suplex, sending Vader flying out of the ring. Back in, Super Invader goes with Koloff and it’s a stalemate. Invader grabs a headlock and they can’t knock each other over, but Koloff takes over with a bodyblock for two. Rude comes in and Koloff immediately goes for the arm, which Scott Steiner carries on. Scott hangs onto the arms to block a tag, but Rude powers out and brings in the Super Invader. Scott hits him with a butterfly bomb and an overhead suplex, but Invader makes a blind tag to Rude, who breaks up the Frankensteiner attempt and drops an elbow for two. Snake comes in and slugs away, and Vader adds his own forearms in the corner. Man he used to be scary. Clothesline and he kicks Steiner while he’s down, bringing in Rude for some swiveling. Scott comes back with a tilt-a-whirl and makes the hot tag to Koloff, who pounds Roberts and elbows him out of the corner. He nails all the heels and shoulderblocks Roberts down, but gets rolled up and pinned at 7:22. Things continue as Sting makes his debut in the match, killing Invader with a slam and the big elbow, and a bulldog for the pin at 7:59. That was pretty decisive. Now Rick comes in and gets a CRAZY german suplex on Vader and goes up, but gets caught and slammed. Chokeslam and splash get two. They work Rick over in the heel corner and Rude grabs a facelock, and the ref misses a tag to Sting, allowing some shenanigans in the corner. Vader goes up and gets slammed off by Rick, which gets two. Rick insanely sets up for a Doomsday Device with Scott, and Vader nearly kills Rick falling on top of him. However, since Scott came off the top, he’s DQ’d at 11:22. Everyone brawls out and Rude gets the Rude Awakening on Rick on the floor and Vader beats the count back in at 12:25, leaving Sting alone. Vader misses a butt splash and Sting goes after Roberts, hitting a quick Stinger Splash and Scorpion Deathlock, but Rude casually clotheslines him from the apron and tags in. Sting makes the comeback with a bulldog for two. Atomic drop and slingshot suplex, but Vader splashes both guys inadvertently from the top and gets DQ’d at 14:26. Jake pulls Rude back into his own corner, tags himself in, and finishes Sting with a DDT at 15:11. Big disappointment with goofy eliminations and sloppy work. **1/4
The Bottom Line:
I get a lot of requests for this one, but the show doesn’t really hold up today. Nothing bad here, but the show pretty much peaked with the first match and it was the start of a really bad era for the promotion, as Bill Watts’ days wound down and the promotion fell apart under his watch. It’s worth seeing, but prepare to be disappointed.
Mildly recommended
Can't wait for Scott to get to the Clash where Windham & Rhodes lose the tag titles to Steamboat and Douglas because Dustin became a sentimental dumbass over Steamboat hurting his nuts on a leapfrog. I was so glad that Windham destroyed him over that.
ReplyDeleteI know Watts was penny-pinching to the extreme by this point but watching a Clash show from that tiny studio really robs it of some of the usual special feel.
ReplyDeleteRemember Foley talking of the match with Simmons in his book, joking over a new champ being crowned and Ole says "Jack, I don't care if the SOB has a heart attack and dies, you roll him on top of you for the pin."
Still, pretty hard to hate a show that opens with Steamboat/Austin.
I was cheering Barry, too. Especially when he destroyed Steamer and Douglas afterwards.
ReplyDeleteThis show would get RUINED today - the World champ defending on the THIRD match of the night? Even the goons that were hired to beat him up wrestled later! At least have them wrestle beforehand to establish them being in the building or some junk like that.
ReplyDeleteHired goons?
ReplyDeletePillman/Armstrong payoff is at Clash 21. Pillman - DTA.
ReplyDeleteMissed how Bruno Sammartino shows up, talking of how he's glad to be in a company that's not a circus and cares about real wrestling...and then we get the "Spin the Wheel/Make the Deal" mini-movie with Jake, Sting and Cheatum the one-eyed midget and lasers out of eyes to cause an explosion.
ReplyDeleteReed and Barbie.
ReplyDeleteUgh...Super Invader.
ReplyDeleteWould you rather have that or the "White Castle of Fear"?
ReplyDeleteAlways interesting to see young Steve Austin, as five years later he'd be the biggest star in the business.
ReplyDeleteI like how Bruno insulted WWF on this show and said WCW had "real" wrestling, then at the end the mini movie for Sting/Jake aired with special guest star Cheetum the evil midget.
ReplyDeleteHow about neither?
ReplyDelete"Ole Anderson was “senior referee” at this point, although I hear he needed cue cards to remember what comes after “two”. (High five! Anyone?)"
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm pretty sure it's three.
(I'm here all week, folks. Be sure and try the veal.)
Hired goons?
ReplyDeleteI say neither and a mountain of White Castle burgers.
ReplyDeleteCrusher and Low Blow?
ReplyDeleteBoth leave you in pain and wondering why you bothered.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the personal touch you only get with hired goons.
ReplyDeleteThreadjack: Big Announcement for ROH Best in the World
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK_MGvHrWNM&feature=youtu.be&a=&noredirect=1
Has that Rude/Chono match ever been released?
ReplyDeleteYeah! Super Invader!
ReplyDeleteFTFY
Are they bringing fanny packs back too?
ReplyDeleteImagine that really happened? During the action, Ron clutches his chest and keels over. And then wide-eyed Cactus is like, "What do I do?! What do I do?!". And knowing how Foley always does the right thing when it comes to putting dudes over, he actually takes Ron's prone body and rolls him on top for the pin.
ReplyDeleteSince Styles and Hero can't make the show they might as well bring them in to load up the star power.
ReplyDeleteIf only.
ReplyDeleteIn Japan. Not officially in America.
ReplyDeletethey showed that to the live crowd after the last ippv
ReplyDeleteOh yes, we've talked that match over before. GREAT throwback to Windham/Dr. Death at StarrCade 87 (that probably less than 100 people not on this board recognized), and one hell of a heel turn.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to WWE's title problem has been found. Put it on the Flying Aussie.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th1AxmmaeKM
Didn't watch it, but I'm guessing it's CM & AJ Punk coming in to feud with Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett?
ReplyDeleteBetween that, and Arn once telling Cactus "If I did that to someone, and they got up... I'd run." IIRC, it was Sting hiptossing Cactus off the ramp to the floor
ReplyDeletenot even
ReplyDelete... they even fuck up the censoring at the end. Beautiful.
ReplyDeletehow?
ReplyDeletenot really, but ok
ReplyDeleteyou can see the "mania" but i'm guessing that was intentional
Get ready for a tongue lashing from parallax.
ReplyDeleteIt still trips me up when I see him clean shaven with the blond hair. I can't reconcile that as the same head of Stone Cold.
ReplyDeleteShould have shortened it to Super Vader. More chantable, and comes with a built in feud or tag team partner.
ReplyDeleteStill one of my favorite matches ever.
ReplyDeleteThat would be funny. Tragic for the live crowd, but I'd laugh.
ReplyDeleteHe still sells tickets for them though.
ReplyDeleteThat is something wrestling needs to do. Vader is destroying people left and right? Here comes Super Vader! Undertaker can't be stopped? He comes Super Undertaker! John Cena is losing a match! Here comes Super Cena fifteen minutes later to win it for him!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever had 2 heel turns as good as Barry's?
ReplyDeleteThat 8 man sounds fun on paper. Shame it sucks.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts too.
ReplyDeleteStill don't understand why the Barbarian got the Halloween Havoc World title match when he's just a random tag-team guy here a month before the show. Why him & Butch are beating Barry & Dustin clean is a mystery in itself.
ReplyDeleteI always forget about the Hammer's return down south since it was so brief, according to Wiki he quit when he refused to put Sting over! The 8 man meanwhile should have been a lot better but it was booked terribly with all those godawful top rope DQ's.
I always imagine Vince watching this show and seeing Andre on WCW television with a single tear dripping down his cheek.
He was also happy to be in a company like 1992 WCW, where surely nobody was abusing steroids.
ReplyDeleteOh god. Still weird to see Coach in a legit job too.
ReplyDeleteDon't threaten me with a good time!
ReplyDeleteSteamboat loved that "unintentional headbutt to the nuts on a leapfrog" spot. He used the same bit against Flair on WCWSN in 94, only Flair took advantage rather than helping him.
ReplyDeleteThat's what solidified Barry as my favorite WCW guy back in those days. His screaming of "DUSTIN!!!!" after the match was one of those goosebump moments. That's how you become the most hated heel out of a single match.
ReplyDeleteBest story I've heard all day. I can just imagine Foley throwing a lifeless body on top of himself.
ReplyDeleteWhite Castle Of Fear hands down. Even Sting was excited to get the party invitation!
ReplyDeleteANOTHER PARTY! LETS GO!
TJ: the Smackdown episodes that airs tomorrow in the US is already available online (I guess it was broadcast live in the UK and that's why it's up since Wednesday?!)
ReplyDeleteVery good point, and ROH has the same problem. Or maybe not, even if ROH was just syndicated by Sinclair but owned by someone else I'd imagine ROH wouldn't get a cut, just because trying to work out the numbers among 200 or so affiliates would probably cost more than the money being brought in.
ReplyDeleteThis really drives home the fact that the nWo angle ended up going WAY too long. At some point, suspension of disbelief fails and you ask yourself "why don't the 100 WCW guys backstage just gang up and stomp the fuck out of these guys?"
ReplyDelete"Oklahoma then threw BBQ sauce in Madusa's eyes to set up Madusa vs. Oklahama in a feud over the cruiserweight title" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 10, 2000.
ReplyDeleteWCW 2000 in twenty-one words. I'll add twenty-two, twenty-three, and twenty-four: FUCK THIS COMPANY.
You just gave them Cena's next hot seller:
ReplyDeleteSuper Duper Cena: 50% more butt kickings per minute.
Holy crap is that main event disappointing, with all the talent in the ring, that should've been **** minimum.
ReplyDelete100% more poop jokes!
ReplyDeleteI think he was just excited that it was better than the multi-man match from the previous year
ReplyDeleteAnd good ones. I think it would be funny if someone, say RVD, tested my theory and it totally backfired. Like, have RVD hit Rolling Thunder and the guy just sells it like he's fucking dead, even have the ref go check on him. RVD starts to go for the ***** frog splash, looks back and sees the guy's toast to the point where the ref is making sure he can continue. RVD goes for the pin and the other guy reverses it for the win. That would be a cool finish, right?
ReplyDeleteGeneral Hugh G. Rection would like a word
ReplyDeleteThat's no way to talk about his marital relations!
ReplyDeleteI'll do you one better:
ReplyDelete"When they made the stip where Flair got five minutes with Russo, Russo didn't sell it, and then said 'this is where I'm supposed to play chicken **** heel' to zero pop" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: May 08, 2000
In fact, most of these are gold.
I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteIf WCW was still alive, I'm sure the nWo would be around still.
ReplyDeleteFoley's a pro. He'd probably catch himself in a small package to make it look good.
ReplyDelete*shudder*
ReplyDeleteBenoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Mysterio, Booker T, Lance Storm, Kidman, Juventud. Granted the Radicals left in the middle of that time, but WCW had a few good ones
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just picked the first good one I saw. The 21 words was luck.
ReplyDelete"Anybody wanna play 21?"
ReplyDeleteOne of the great missed opportunities of 1999: Fall Brawl of that year had no WarGames, when they had Flair, DDP, Bigelow, Kanyon vs. Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, Douglas RIGHT THERE
ReplyDeleteI didn't have the heart to crowbar Drunk Jake Roberts in there.
ReplyDelete"Russo wanted to be dragged behind the (monster) truck through the desert by Goldberg but the higher ups nixed the angle. Russo was very upset about this" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: September 11, 2000
ReplyDelete-Jim Cornette, upon hearing the news, was heard to remark "I'd have let Goldberg impregnate me if he'd been able to go through with that, and actually killed Russo in the process."
Also, I just found Abeyance's new least favorite wrestler:
ReplyDelete"In a meet and greet in Sydney, Australia, Chae (Nitro girl) was asked if she was dating Kevin Nash. She said that she was. Kevin Nash a few weeks back on TV said he was going out after the show to 'eat a little Korean' so I guess that publicly puts one and one together" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: October 16, 2000
Reading these after a while. Just insane how much bullshit went on at the time.
ReplyDeleteHere's a fun one:
"In a TV commercial in the Nashville market for the 2/18 PPV, the voiceover really says 'expect a night of run-ins'." - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: February 12, 2001
I've wondered that before too. If they had gone with Hogan vs. Sting at like Bash at the Beach '97 instead of Starrcade, would it have done better? Sort of wraps up the initial 'nWo dominance' phase. Someone like Hall or Nash can step up at 'Road Wild' as first challenger. WCW vs. nWo at WarGames in September. Then Sting vs. Savage at Halloween Havoc as a dream match. Maybe Nash wins WW3 and you do Sting-Nash at Starrcade?
ReplyDeleteOh, keep going. We gotta go to a bar or something sometime, you sound like you'd be hilarious to hang out with. I forget if you're part of the Cleveland clique or the Florida clique. Or are you one of the Toronto guys?
ReplyDeleteNew Orleans, so none of the above.
ReplyDelete"Tank Abbot has been asked by management to take singing lessons" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: September 11, 2000
-Fans to future events have been asked to BYOE. Bring Your Own Earplugs.
I know Cena is Super Cena, that is the fucking joke.
ReplyDeleteThis list is GOLD
ReplyDelete"WCW Legal Affairs sent a letter to Chuck Black of Lethal Records complaining about a CD called 'hWo Harlem World Order'. Lethal Records then claimed that investigating trademarks for New World Order uncovered nothing having to do with WCW, but a registration for clothing by a gay clothing line (Brawn of California) that has been used since 1992" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: March 29, 1999
ReplyDelete-L fucking OL
"I could fucking kill you right n... PLEASE STAND BY!
ReplyDeleteStill, I just think it's funny that most of the top posters either live near Lake Eire or Lake Ontario (cult is from Pittsburgh, close enough), or Florida. You and jobber are like the outliers
"Chris Jericho's final WCW match was 7/21 in Peoria, IL in a tag match teaming with Eddie against Kidman and Mysterio. Before the match, Jericho said that if he got pinned he'd leave WCW. Misterio than said everyone already knew it was his last night in WCW. (After the match) all four hugged in the ring. There were fans in near tears, as was Jericho. Kidman started a Jericho chant. Jericho said that he was overwhelmed by the response, but he still thinks that Peoria sucks" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: August 02, 1999
ReplyDeleteMy new gimmick is just quoting from this list.
I love Jericho.
ReplyDelete"Backstage, Savage threatened Torrie, and even gave her a slap. She noticeably laughed, ruining the scene. Even worse was Savage confronting Gorgeous George, ripping her Nash t-shirt off and literally throwing her across the room" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: July 12, 1999
ReplyDelete-Corpsing? SEND FOR THE MAN!
ROH has the advantage that a lot of their guys are people neither company will touch with a ten-foot stick. I'm talking Steen, the Briscoes, and Roddy.
ReplyDeleteOh, and keep going with the jokes. And that's so fucking stupid, he was their bodyguard.
ReplyDelete"The Giant was accused by a hotel clerk of coming up to her and saying 'Do you know why they call me The Giant?' and she responded 'Because you're so tall' and he responded by allegedly whipping it out and rubbing it on her. Because of The Giant's size, the police were scared to death and sent 24 officers to the Mid South Coliseum to pick him up" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 1998
ReplyDelete-Andre The Giant: Ladies Man. The Giant: NOT a Ladies Man.
I just love the complete randomness of the teams Dubbya would throw together. I mean, Valentine and Dirty Dick vs Double A and Beautiful Bobby. That's pretty badass. For the most part the throw-together teams worked. Even Dustin and Windham. Barry was always kick ass no matter what though, best as the U.S. champion as a Horsemen.
ReplyDeleteAnd that Dragon-Austin feud had some serious legs, never had a bad match. If you sit down and really think about today, it's a tremendous match-up......Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It's almost like a forgotten dream match-up.
And holy shit, Herc was juiced to the brim, my god he was huge. But why not come in as Hercules? A too loaded WWF squad with The Snake, Rude, and Hercules?
Damn throw in Butch Reed, Barbarian, and Valentine, and you do have a stack of recently ex-WWF players with Dragon, Snake, Steamer and Hercules.
Valentine worked one of the WCW internet-PPVs in '98 as well!
ReplyDeleteTank's response to the request: "My voice sucks, it's gonna suck no matter what." Smart man, that Tank.
ReplyDeletePeople say Vader was hurt and that's why they moved the belt to Ron Simmons, but if that's the case why is Vader still working during that timeframe? He faced Koloff at Halloween Havoc, he was working this Clash. Weird. Why not just keep the belt on Vader and do Vader vs. Nikita for the belt at Havoc? It wasn't the main event anyway.
ReplyDeleteEVERYTHING is bigger in Texas!
ReplyDelete-Shawn Michaels, after setting the Guinness Book record for longest golden shower in one take.
I'm not really good at these, but at least I tried. I don't see anyone else getting up on stage...
Andre the Giant on WCW TV is just too weird
ReplyDelete"A fan hit Goldberg with a cardboard Star of David" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: October 16, 2000
ReplyDelete-"You're doing it wrong" was heard from Raven in response.
I don't think that anyone has ever said to themselves "Well, I can be a singer or a MMA fighter, time to make up my mind..."
ReplyDelete"Flair is about to be dropped from the Time Magazine Man of the Century INTARNET balloting where he is currently in second place behind Jesus Christ. More than 20 million people have voted, making it the biggest web poll in history, with Flair getting more than 310,000 votes as of 3/31. Flair is being dropped because Janice Castro, the editor of Time.com, said his showing is due to unfair lobbying from wrestling web sites. Jesus is about to go down as well, as religious organizations have gotten members to flood the ballot box too. Time.com is planning an exit strategy, however with the God of wrestling and the Son of God removed, the big winner in the poll appears to be Adolf Hitler, who would become the front runner" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: April 12, 1999
ReplyDelete-Time: No Wrestling, No Religion, HEIL HITLER!
"You want a ride?"
ReplyDelete"Um, no, I'm good"
OK, you can see where I'm going with this, and I'll just stop.
I wonder if the other top guys were refusing to job to an unproven new Champ, so they just tossed in a big guy with no issues.
ReplyDeleteMy question is what did the clerk think he was getting at?
ReplyDeleteAs much as we hate on him around here, I'd like to think Triple H had at least 2 good ones, maybe even 3.
ReplyDeleteWMXV on X-Pac
Raw 2002 on Shawn
Summerslam 2013 on Bryan
Thoughts?
Okay, last one:
ReplyDelete"Asya, under her real name Christi Wolf, was on the Jenny Jones show playing the role of someone who was a geek in high school and look at her now. Now she's no longer a geek. She's just a woman who looks like a guy on steroids with giant implants"- The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: June 7, 1999
-WWF: Would get Chyna on Jerry Springer, and multiple articles on the appearance.
-WCW: Second-rate Chyna (shudder) on second-rate Springer (shudder) with no outside mentions.
More terrible name than Super Invader, is all.
ReplyDeleteThey mention the Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis)... so it's not like intelligence is common in that area.
ReplyDeleteChick was probably like 15 or some shit and didn't know any better. Plus when you see someone who's hip is bigger than your ribcage you kind of go into shock.
ReplyDeleteHer REAL name is Christi Wolf? That pretty fucking awesome.
ReplyDeleteBring back Super Duper Mario from IWCCW to feud with him.
ReplyDelete:laughs:
ReplyDeleteThey also had a good match on the WCWSN where Dustin & Barry win the tag titles.
ReplyDeleteLends more credibility to the racism claim. Hey look we got a black champion...no racism over here.
ReplyDeleteDid I miss a troll, or a real heated discussion?
ReplyDeleteWe also have: Hogan beats Vader in a Strap Match by dragging RIC FLAIR to all four corners. No Vader in sight at the time.
ReplyDeleteMaking fun of 1999-2000 WCW
ReplyDeleteEver read the Andre the Giant "biography" WWE put out? (Actually a book of transcripts of segments and blow-by-blow match descriptions with comments and maybe a paragraph here and there sprinkled in there) The end part talks about how Vince called Andre the other day or so and said that he hurt his feelings and etc.
ReplyDeleteAt $60M? No doubt he would have matched that.
ReplyDeleteThe burgers taste good enough to justify the explosive diarrhea that follows.
ReplyDeleteGood, always fun to see WCW getting crapped on for all of the stupid things they did.
ReplyDeleteNWA/WCW: We Wrestle! Right after we go to a segment with Jim Ross explaining to Rick Steiner what to do on a date.
ReplyDeleteNeither. Nothing to see here really.
ReplyDeleteCan we get a heated discussion going? I'm bored.
By the way, there's one post down there you need to respond to.
ReplyDeleteWorthy thread, laughed out loud several times so far. Can WCW somehow be made to go out of business again? What a shit show the last few years were
ReplyDeleteTJ: http://veedio.info/dailymotion.php?url=k1K9GWpJ6ZukW67IjUF
ReplyDeletehttp://veedio.info/dailymotion.php?url=k73bgooZ9gyz787IjUb
http://veedio.info/dailymotion.php?url=k2vLjLVHS4V4h97IjUt
Someone leaked the pre-edited version of this week's Smackdown full of botches, no
crowd edits, and Cole talking to Vince on the mic during the show. Funny
shit.
Best part was Cole saying to Vince "Do you want me to say that
everytime, because I've said it a shitload of times tonight" then he
gets shouted at by McMahon and says "Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir"
YOU'RE ALL DELUSIONAL
ReplyDelete"But in an alternative universe where WCW was a successful company, anyone that didn't give WCW a deal would've been retarded."
ReplyDeleteWell, in an alternate universe where I become rich and powerful, any girl who ever turned me down would have been retarded.
No, I mean a real heated discussion.
ReplyDeleteOh. I got nothin', sorry.
ReplyDelete"The 12/18 Nitro was supposed to practically be built around Rick Steiner as the surprise guy, but he wasn't there because they forgot to tell him" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 01, 2001
ReplyDelete-WCW succeeded at something? HOLY SHIT. They were so good at making Rick the surprise that even HE was surprised at the concept.
betting they know who leaked it. Probably someone that's out the door anyway
ReplyDeleteI'll keep going down, thanks.
ReplyDeleteMe neither...
ReplyDeleteFuck it, here's one that appropriate for this thread: for whatever reason, Hall and Nash stay with Vince in 96. If you're Bischoff, what do you do?
Stew on that one for a while...
"Wrestlers are making bets backstage over who will be the first to trip on the new set" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: April 12, 1999
ReplyDelete-I wonder who won that bet... I seriously don't remember who the first casualty was.
"Ray wasn't thrilled with Madden calling Jindrak & O'Haire the
ReplyDelete'White Harlem Heat'." - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: November 06,
2000 .............the fuck that one even mean? Madden doesn't get near enough credit for being a talentless asshole that should have been nowhere near a mic nor position of influence.
If Hall and Nash stay, there's no chance Shawn or Waltman leave. Bret? The Harts as a group? More oldies?
ReplyDeleteI think he's talking about Stevie Ray, who would have been... unhappy... with such a comparison.
ReplyDeleteDare I say they're still in business? Hall and Nash were Bischoff's Icarus. Fucker got to the sun with them and melted
ReplyDeleteOh, no, I get that. I mean Madden's comparison. "White Harlem Heat" is just weirdly idiotic
ReplyDeleteSee what I mean? The possibles are endless!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Madden getting a spot on Nitro was so...weird. I guess he knew the right people or whatever, but I wonder if 80% of the audience had any idea who he was.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, Madden was straight idiotic. That's par for that fat fucking turd.
ReplyDeleteThey say that Watts liked to build a company around a strong black babyface but the follow-through to make Ron a good champ was pretty crappy. Still, the match where he won is one of the best things WCW ever did.
ReplyDelete... They might not lose $60 million in 12 months, but would they have had the white-hot run that made such a loss bearable? Or would they have kept right on losing "pocket change" each year, and eventually going out the same way.
ReplyDeleteTurner's still gonna sell out to AOL/Time Warner, and the same execs will hold WCW's fate in their hands.
Maybe he didn't use Hercules because he was a JTTS in WWF?
ReplyDeleteIt could be one of those misreported "facts" online, but I remember getting that info somewhere.
ReplyDeleteDoubt it. Bischoff was always flying too close to the sun, Hall and Nash finally gave him the wingspan to finally do it.
ReplyDeleteHere's one: would WCW have been better off if they never brought Hogan in? In the long term you gotta say "yes", right?
Go back to selling meat out of a truck in Minneapolis!
ReplyDeleteJokes on you, I already hate Nash.
ReplyDelete"They are going to send DJ Ran to house shows thinking it will help
ReplyDeleteattendance" - The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: June 7, 1999.....my god, I forgot DJ Ran was a thing
Because I'm lazy...at what point does that conversation occur?
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Bret's book said that Vince was starting to put Andre out to pasture, not wanting to shell out for the transportation and accommodations needed for a giant. Andre said that Vince Sr. never broke a promise to him but Vince Jr. didn't feel as obligated.
ReplyDeleteHey man, money is money.
ReplyDeleteAnd he's good at it, too!
ReplyDeleteWhen I watched that earlier, I imagined Vince being so impressed that he wanted his talent to go be trained Broadway-style like Jackman.
ReplyDeleteDid you steal that joke from an old issue of PWI? I swear it sounds eerily familiar...
ReplyDeleteSaw the Bo Dallas debut.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is going to be huge I tell you.
I knew it was Daniels and Kaz...I was still hoping to see Punk, though.
ReplyDeleteHa ha.
ReplyDeleteHow DARE you besmirch Black Machismo!
ReplyDelete... My heart says YES!, but my mind can't accept it. Hogan did "legitimize" WCW in a way they'd never been before.
ReplyDeleteDoes Eric get those fateful two hours on Monday Night without Hogan? Hell, does Eric still have a job by the time Nitro would have debuted? I can't see him changing his asshole ways, and burying the up-and-coming talent for Hogan's cronies, just in the desperate hope he COULD get Hogan on board somehow?
... but without Hogan, all he manages to do is gut the future for a different set of hanger-ons. Like Ole once did, like Watts once did... same shit, different names.
Plus his wrestling style was a lot more technical, which is so weird from fists of fury Austin.
ReplyDeleteHE'S UP IN YOUR AREA!
ReplyDelete(goes searching for a flamethrower to remove him from said area, at ANY cost.)
Great. Now I'm hungry...
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of Part 3. After the last match.
ReplyDeleteIt worked for JYD because it was a regional promotion and Ritter had bucket loads of charisma.
ReplyDeleteAnd Hogan's refusal to job and his creative control is what killed the company. Let's be honest, every major shitty booking decision they made after he got signed involves him in some way.
ReplyDeleteI mean let's face it, Andre was pretty useless as a wrestler by the late 80's.
ReplyDeleteThey've already got Aiden English to do it.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely wish they would cancel Smackdown. Too many hours of TV is what's hurt the product for years. Of course they make money but apparently that's not the case anymore.
ReplyDeleteWCW proved it could make PLENTY of shitty booking decisions, with or without Hogan's involvement.
ReplyDeleteIf it was really costing them that much money they would have dropped it during the TV deal they just made.
ReplyDeleteI usually just watch all or parts of Raw and NXT. Maybe ME on occasion.
I wasn't buying HHHH as a face in 2002.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like it when I first watched this show a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Smackdown costs them money, but it's hurt them creatively by being way overexposed.
ReplyDeleteI was just about to post something about this. Pretty interesting watch.
ReplyDeleteVader wasn't hurt. He was just meant to transition the title to Ron.
ReplyDeletei remember that they specifically removed that from the re-broadcast later in the evening
ReplyDeletethe original bit was at the very end of the show and it faded to black as savage started to get rough. i still have it on tape somewhere
You know I had a cable descrambler at the time and I didn't even watch this shot for free.
ReplyDeletenot sure if anyone's mentioned this, but it's a perfect "b/c wcw" (even if it was more turner higher ups):
ReplyDeletere-airing nitro later in the evening, killing any incentive to watch it live over raw when you can just record the replay and watch it the next day
It is one of my favorite moments. Only thing I didn't care for was Vader popping right back up after the 3.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed like spur of the moment cause they had no plan in place.
i seem to remember a thunder where they aired segments out of order, spoiling whatever the twist was supposed to be later in the show
ReplyDeleteDid TNT have a separate East/West feed though?
ReplyDeleteno clue. i mean, there was no tnt-east and tnt-west like you have with some channels these days
ReplyDelete"Simmons no-selling Jack’s big elbow was weird, and someone wasn’t feeling it here tonight. *1/2"
ReplyDeleteThat would be Cactus, who tore his abdominal muscle near the end of the match, which was the most pain he had ever felt up to that point, according to his book.
Exactly, so the second airing was to put it in primetime on the west coast.
ReplyDeleteUSA had two separate feeds even then I think, thus obviating the second airing.
Could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that was what the deal was.
The best way to make Adam Rose work would be if he's like the original Doink; a goof before the bell and a beast after.
ReplyDeleteHe actually hurt himself in this match. Look at the way he landed on his wrist after the top rope splash.
ReplyDeleteshe was with earnest miller
ReplyDeleteWhat about when Tank Abbott pulled a knife on Big Al?
ReplyDeleteO...k thanks but what does that have to do with Vader/Simmons?
ReplyDeleteThis is the most Smackdown I've seen in many years.
ReplyDeletehow about when goldberg refused to take nash's powerbomb and just walked off and the announcers (for the umpteenth time) tried to explain "shoot"
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the Thunder that had a severe thunderstorm DESTROY the feed, to the point where pretty much the whole show was no more than a radio presentation with a picture of the full arena on the screen.
ReplyDeleteTo someone (Scott?), it was the best Thunder had looked in a long time.
That's awesome. I loved Cole when he said, speaking of JBL, "One day, he's going to take that bump coming down the ramp." That's great.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shoot, brother.
ReplyDeleteTony Schiavone's best known line of putting butts in seats when they told the fans basically to turn on WWF to watch a World title change.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm on the (in)famous "Sleaze List".
ReplyDeleteIt never gets old, imagine if even 25% of that is true.
ReplyDelete""Sting and Vampiro fought in a graveyard. Vampiro broke a tombstone over
ReplyDeleteSting's head and he fell into a grave. Offically, because Sting may
have died, this match was ruled a no contest" - The Wrestling Observer
Newsletter: May 08, 2000."