WCW Clash of The Champions XXXI Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that brings you down more than a worked shoot promo from AEW’s finest! It’s time for Clash of The Champions XXXI, one of the last Clashes I will be covering as part of this series and we have some big tag team matches on this one with Sting and Hawk reuniting while we also have Harlem Heat & Sister Sherri taking on Dirty Dick Slater & Bunkhouse Buck & Colonel Robert Parker. The big main event is a handicap match as Vader takes on Ric Flair & Arn Anderson. Will this be a good show? Possibly, let’s see how things play out!

 

Sting & Road Warrior Hawk vs Kurazawa & Meng W/ Colonel Robert Parker

Sting & Hawk have been a team of sorts in WCW, teaming together once on PPV in 1993 which I refer to as Sting’s tag crisis year as he teamed with Davey Boy and Hawk instead of going after singles championships while opposite the duo we have Manabu Nakanishi on his American excursion and Meng. The heels jump the babyfaces and Hawk shoulder blocks Kurazawa, Kurazawa has been dumped to the floor. Kuruzawa and Hawk are trading kicks, Hawk trips up Kurazawa and headbutts him low. In comes Sting, inverted atomic drop and Kurazawa meets the buckle. Kurazawa fights back with chops in the corner, Kurazawa misses a knee in the corner and Sting chops Kurazawa. Suplex for two, tag to Hawk. Double elbow, Irish whip and Hawk lowers his head and eats a kick followed by a clothesline.

 

Tag to Meng who kicks Hawk and lands a clothesline, neither man move. Lock-up, clean break by Hawk. Chops by Meng, clothesline by Meng but Hawk doesn’t go down. Tag to Kurazawa, diving chop to the arm. Chops and Hawk is thrown to the floor. Massive firemen’s carry like slam on the floor, Hawk has been rattled. Sting is brawling with Kurazawa, Hawk fires back in the ring with a clothesline and a fist drop. Dragon sleeper form Hawk, Meng makes the save. Kurazawa grabs a front chancery, tag to Meng. Hawk lands his neck-breaker on Meng but Meng makes the tag to Kurazawa. Hawk lands a scoop slam, Hawk climbs high. Splash connects for Hawk, Hawk lands a powerbomb with Meng making the save. Sting lands a diving clothesline on Meng, back body-drop by Meng. Sting DDTs Meng, Kurazawa and Hawk have fallen apart. Stinger Splash and bulldog on Meng, double clothesline on Kurazawa. Doomsday Device and Hawk picks up the win! Kurazawa breaks the arm of Hawk after the bell! Taking the arm of a Road Warrior, what a way to get your heat back!

 

Perfectly fine for what it was, crowd is loving it which I am all for considering the last show was awful due to lack of energy and enthusiasm from the crowd. Sting and Hawk bust out some fun moves like a powerbomb and diving clothesline and while the sloppy finish definitely is not ideal, it was a fun match at the end of the day and a good way to kick off the broadcast.

 

Winners: Sting & Hawk over Kurazawa & Meng via Doomsday Device!

 

DDP W/ The Diamond Doll vs Alex Wright

Lower card fun here hopefully, DDP will always be over with me for pulling Kimberly when he looks like a complete joke. Lock-up with DDP giving a clean break. DDP shoves down Wright, DDP talks trash is rolled-up twice for two. DDP is furious, claiming that Wright pulled the tights. Dropkicks by Wright, DDP is talking to the Diamond Doll before Wright lands a massive plancha. DDP hot-shots Wright with the top rope, DDP begins working the arm. Elbow to the face behind the referee’s back, Wright uses his ability and flexibility to escape the hold and apply an arm-bar. DDP pulls the hair to bring Wright to the corner, shot to the ribs. Wright moonsaults out of an Irish whip and dropkicks DDP, DDP sends Wright to the floor before Wright lands a shot to the ribs and a slingshot splash for two. Fujiwara arm-bar from Wright, DDP escapes but meets a flying crossbody for two. DDP rocks Wright with a right-hand to stop that attack, DDP kicks Wright in the ribs.

 

Argentine back-breaker into an inverted back-breaker, swinging neck-breaker for two. Backslide from Wright for two, DDP lands some forearms. Shots to the ribs, DDP charges and misses a corner spear, spearing the ring-post. DDP tries a kick but Wright moves and DDP slips, right hands by Wright. Forearms, whip to the buckle and an elbow by Wright. Spinning Wheel Kick by Wright, jumping knee by Wright for two. Wright climbs high, diving missile dropkick for two! DDP is in the corner, Wright lands ten punches in the corner before DDP flapjacks Wright into the buckle. 1…2 Wright kicks out! Wright counters a belly to back for a German Suplex for a close two, flying forearm knocks DDP to the floor. Wright misses a plancha over the top rope and DDP rolls Wright into the ring and covers him.

 

Well that finish does make Wright look like a geek, DDP could have at least used some sort of a move to put him away but nope, Wright’s dive leads to his loss and it seems that push is but  a distant memory at this stage. DDP covering up his physique with a singlet makes me laugh considering the shape DDP is in now and in a year’s time. Not much of a good match but I wasn’t bored so fair play to these two on this night.

 

Winner: DDP over Alex Wright via Missed Dive!

 

(WCW World Television Championship Match) The Renegade © W/ Jimmy Hart vs Paul Orndorff

Bash At The Beach rematch time! Mr. Wonderful who was hugely over with the crowd at that PPV against the Warrior rip-off Renegade where things are going from bad to worse for our cheap imitation. Orndorff jumps Renegade, Renegade comes back with a powerslam and Orndorff powders. Renegade celebrates on the buckle, Orndorff nails a belly to back suplex for two. Renegade is stomped repeatedly by the challenger, beautiful elbow by Orndorff. Orndorff nails knees against the ropes, left to the head. Renegade meets the buckle, Irish whip and a clothesline by Orndorff. Renegade is dumped to the floor but lands on his feet and rocks out I suppose before Orndorff nails Renegade with knees and leaves him laying. Jimmy Hart is trying to motivate Renegade but Orndorff will not let the big monster back in the ring. Hot-shot by Orndorff, Renegade lands a slingshot crossbody for the win just like that.

 

So Renegade gets battered the whole match only to land a fluke slingshot crossbody to win? Well I suppose I should give WCW credit no? They took something that didn’t work at all and said well we are going to push him in a way that doesn’t make him look like shite in the ring.

 

Winner: Renegade over Paul Orndorff via Slingshot Crossbody!

 

Harlem Heat & Colonel Robert Parker vs Harlem Heat & Sister Sherri

Stevie Ray and Slater start, Stevie Ray slams Slater into the buckle. Eye-rake and scoop slam by Stevie Ray, Stevie Ray pushes Slater to the corner. Buck comes in now, Booker will come in too. Lock-up, Booker nails Buck with right hands and clubbing blows. Eye rake by Buck, Buck clubs back. Buck kicks back at Booker, Buck climbs high but Booker is too fast and dropkicks Buck to the apron. Sherri lands a right hand on Buck, scoop slam by Booker. Booker misses an elbow drop but spinaroonies up and lands a flying forearm. Slater comes in as does Stevie Ray, eye-rake by Slater. Headbutt by Slater, Stevie Ray lands a thrust kick. Sherri lands a right too, we have a commercial break and we come back with Booker & Buck. Slater kicks Booker in the spine and Buck lands a Stun-Gun.

 

Slater tags in and stops on the head of Booker, jabs from Slater and Booker is down. Knee-drop to the head, Buck comes in and lands a dropkick. Bearhug from Buck, Slater and Buck continue to beat up Booker. Parker comes in and nails Booker before being rocked with a right hand and in comes Stevie Ray. Double suplex on Parker, the fans want Sherri and in comes Sherri. Diving Crossbody for two, Sherri kicks the ass and elbow drops Parker. Leg-drop to the groin from Sherri, Sherri climbs high again. Sherri misses a top-rope dive, Parker does not want to hit Sherri as Sherri seems out-cold. Parker is hesitating, Sherri jumps on Parker and kisses him to get the win.

 

Good comedic fun, nothing wrong with it. A slow babyface turn for Harlem Heat, they needed it for sure with this division losing team with each passing pay per view. How badly do they need The Steiners or LOD or Sting & Luger at this time, I cannot wait to see how things change with the beginning of Nitro, we are going to get even more people jumping ship and I am hoping for a serious restart of the tag team division.

 

Winners: Team Sherri over Team Parker via Kiss!

 

Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs Vader

They kept them apart for a while but there was simply no way they could keep Anderson and Flair from one another, they were meant for one another. Flair’s alliance with Vader didn’t work out for The Nature Boy so here we have Vader going after Flair and his buddy Anderson. This is an interesting time for me because I know soon Vader will be going to the WWF so will Flair be picking up a big win on PPV before that day comes? The first time Vader is a babyface in WCW too so would the crowd buy into the big man as a babyface?

 

Vader and Anderson to start, stalemate between the two before Flair distracts Vader. Anderson tries to go toe to toe with Vader, big mistake and Vader rightly murders Anderson in the corner. Anderson scrambles to the ropes, inverted atomic drop and clothesline to the floor by Vader. Anderson is back in the ring and Vader clubs and headbutts Anderson. Clothesline floors Anderson, Irish whip and Anderson lands his spinebuster on Vader. Tag to Flair and Flair is smiling, Flair is stomping on Vader’s head. Vader gets back up and military presses Flair, make it double. Irish whip and Flair flip to the buckle, clothesline off the apron. Anderson chop-blocks Vader, Flair zeroes in on the leg. Vader is limping, the duo attack Vader. Knees by Anderson, DDT by Anderson. Tag to Flair, Figure Four Leg-Lock by Flair! Vader reaches the ropes, Flair attacks the knees. Chops by Flair, Flair climbs high.

 

Bad idea Flair! Vader yanks Flair to the canvas. Irish whip and back body-drop into a splash, Anderson makes the save. Snap-mare and Flair is trying to stop Vader climbing high, Vader lands a top rope splash. Anderson makes the save again, Vader clubs both down with clotheslines after a tag to Anderson. Vader calls for The Powerbomb. Anderson is drilled and Vader wins the match! Flair and Anderson have words after the match, the duo have words and get heated, could Anderson and Flair be doing battle?

 

Not a bad match, brief and action-packed. Vader does what Vader does best and beat the shit out of people, Anderson and Flair are in fine form jumping all around the ring for Vader and the big man picks up the win. Fine main event for a Clash.

 

Winner: Vader over Flair & Anderson via Powerbomb!

 

WCW Clash of The Champions XXXI was a quite good WCW show, some of the recent PPVs have been a slog to get through with the action not hitting anywhere near good territory but the quicker matches here made this show fly-by and showed that even in 1995, WCW could be watchable but I dread covering the next few PPVs because they are going to be so different to this but WCW is setting up some major angles here with The Dungeon of Doom going up against Hogan, Flair vs Anderson and more. Good show overall, thanks for checking it out and remember: there’s always another night!

 

 

WCW Bash At The Beach 1995 Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that is Ucey every night of the week! It’s WCW Bash At The Beach 1995! Hulk Hogan vs Vader inside the steel cage, the second steel cage match for the world championship involving Hogan in a matter of 7/8 months. Not sure how this is going to go considering their last encounter but a cage match with no blood is low on my list of fun times. We also have a rematch as Meng battles against Sting for the WCW United States Championship while Renegade is going to defend his Television Championship against Paul Orndorff. We are also going to have Kamala vs Jim Duggan? What? Dave Sullivan continues his feud against DDP which should be a good laugh hopefully and this PPV takes place on a beach so it’s not exactly WCW’s usual audience (Think Road Wild with the bikers except everyone is in swimming gear) so we shall see unfold, let’s get it on!

 

(WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Match) Sting © vs Meng W/ Colonel Robert Parker

Meng gets a rematch and a video package showing how much of a badass he is which is great, Meng corners Sting to begin. Sting sells the educated feet of Meng, Sting is hesitant to close the distance. Meng locks up with Sting, sends him to the corner and lands chops and forearms, Sting is fighting back though with right hands and chops. Another lock-up, clean break from Meng does not happen as Meng lands shoulder blocks and shoulder chops. Meng chokes Sting in the corner, the referee cannot stop Meng. The challenger has Sting on his knees, Meng wants a suplex but Sting blocks and we have a clean break. Sting clotheslines Meng but Meng holds his position. Meng poses and Sting considers a different strategy, lock-up and Meng rakes the eyes. Tomahawk chops and a scoop slam, Meng misses a middle rope headbutt. Sting goes for the Scorpion Death-Lock, Colonel Parker is on the apron distracting Sting.

 

Sting is kicked in the spine by Meng who throws Sting to the floor, Sting is bounced off the buckle. Suplex into the ring for a close two, triple back-breaker from Meng for two. Meng continues to dish out punishment to Sting, Sting is thrown to the buckle and caught in an abdominal stretch. Sting fights back and tries a sunset flip but Meng is in the ropes. Sunset flip attempt by Meng but Sting blocks and drops his ass onto Meng’s head. Both men are on their hands and knees and Meng headbutts Sting. Sting is dragged to the middle of the ring, Texas cloverleaf from Meng. Sting makes it to the ropes, Meng stomps Sting.

 

Running elbow drop misses Sting, Sting lands a belly to back suplex. Sting begins his comebacks with massive clotheslines, back body drop and a chop block from Sting. Flying Lou Thesz Press for two, Sting lands a hurricanrana with a cover for two, Sting is all fired up now. Sting is sent to the buckle, Meng is caught with a diving crossbody. Sting wants the splash, Stinger Splash is blocked with a massive boot in the face. Meng covers Sting but Sting places his foot on the ropes. Meng slams Sting and climbs high, Meng wants a splash. Meng connects with the splash for a close two, Parker is irate at ringside. Irish whip by Meng, Meng goes for a boot but misses as Sting rolls him up for the win. Meng gets his heat back after the match with an attack on Sting.

 

I like Sting and I like Meng too but this was not great, some big moments and cool things going on at times but not enough to keep me entertained. Happy for Sting’s continued push, not sure what to do with Parker at this stage, his Stud Stable never dominated WCW and Parker has feuded with everyone at this stage so probably best to wrap up that angle but we shall see, you never know with WCW. Happy to see where Sting goes next, Meng will do fine by breaking people up.

 

Winner: Sting over Meng via Roll-Up!

 

(WCW World Television Championship Match) The Renegade © W/ Jimmy Hart vs Paul Orndorff

Arn Anderson was having some fun matches with the championship before running into Renegade who WCW want to push to the top. His opponent is Paul Orndorff who has been mostly out of the picture since the end of Pretty Wonderful, this match starts with Orndorff taking down Renegade with a shot to the gut and pulling him down by his hair. Orndorff is taking the piss out of the crowd but runs into the boot of Renegade. Shoulder block and clothesline, Orndorff is clotheslined to the floor into the sand, that looked a little rough for the challenger. Back in the ring, Renegade squeezes the head of Orndorff. Orndorff seems to be calling the whole match to Renegade, shoulder block and dropkick by Renegade. Orndorff picks up some sand, luring in Renegade and throwing the sand into his eyes. Belly to back suplex by Orndorff, Orndorff continues to smash Renegade in the face. Renegade rallies but Orndorff cuts off Renegade with a dropkick. Fans are cheering for Orndorff, piledriver time. Renegade blocks and back drops Orndorff, terrible looking dropkicks by Renegade. Renegade is jumping vertically it looks bizarre, powerslam to no reaction for Renegade.

 

Renegade stalks Orndorff, Orndorff begs for mercy before throwing Renegade to the floor. Knees to the head by Orndorff, Orndorff wants a suplex but Renegade slips out and lands a belly to back suplex with a pin, Orndorff had his shoulder up and there is controversy, is that the legit ending? Well Orndorff gets his heat back but kicking the shit out of Renegade. Crowd is going nuts for the piledriver and well, your babyface shakes it off but nobody wants to see Renegade take down Orndorff. Talk about completely mis-reading the situation.

 

Mercifully short, I feel like Renegade might possibly be able to do some things right in the ring but the gimmick holds him back significantly. Crowd have turned on him which tells you all you need to know. In the times where 90% of the crowd is happy to cheer the babyfaces and boo the heels, this is a really bad sign for Renegade.

 

Winner: The Renegade over Paul Orndorff via Belly To Back Suplex!

 

Kamala W/ The Taskmaster vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Oh good lord, this might pass in the WWF in the late 80s but in 1995, you really going to make me sit through this? They lock-up and slug it out, Duggan is winning the war and almost knocks down Kamala. Clothesline by Duggan, Kamala is still on his feet. Third clothesline knocks down Kamala, Kamala is begging for mercy or a hug, no idea what is going on here to be honest. Eye rake by Kamala, chops to the head of Duggan. Multiple headbutt by Kamala and a superkick, choke across the top rope. Bearhug from Kamala, Duggan attempts to fight his way out of the hold. Headbutt from Duggan, Kamala regains control. Kamala works the armpit? Duggan bites the head and ear of Kamala, Duggan tees off on Kamala. Clothesline by Duggan, scoop slam by Duggan. Three-Point Stance Clothesline by Duggan, Taskmaster is on the apron. Zodiac nails Duggan with an object to the back of the head and covers for the win.

 

Mercifully short again, I like Duggan and he’s on the spot he needs to be in on the card but the cheese-fest of Duggan vs Kamala is something I don’t need to see in WCW. It goes exactly how you think it would and depending on your level of patience, this is either agonizing or inoffensive at best.

 

Winner: Kamala over Hacksaw Jim Duggan via Shenanigans!

 

DDP W/ The Diamond Doll vs Dave Sullivan

Evad is here, DDP is grabbed by the head and that is one ugly attire on Page. Dave shoves roses down the throat of DDP, DDP meets the buckle. Suplex into the ring. Clothesline by Dave, Dave lands a shoulder block. Snap suplex, Dave calls for the finish. Diamond Doll is talking to Dave, Dave is distracted and DDP takes control stomping the fingers of Dave. Foot choke in the corner, DDP tries a running clothesline but gets caught in a bearhug. DDP rakes the eyes, Dave is whipped to the buckle. DDP tries an attack and crotches himself, Dave is fighting back but the fans do not care about the match, I believe someone is getting naked in the crowd or fighting. Dave stomps on DDP’s fingers, DDP is rammed off the buckle. Eye poke by Dave and a hangman’s neckbreaker. Here it comes, Inverted Bearhug but Maxx Muscle is taken down off the apron and DDP lands The Diamond Cutter for the win.

 

So many thankfully short matches, I am truly thankful for that but yes, WCW continues to deliver a very middle of the road card so while its not boring me to tears, it is also not interesting at all.

 

 

Winner: DDP over Dave Sullivan via Diamond Cutter!

 

(WCW World Tag Team Championship Match) Harlem Heat © W/ Sister Sherri vs The Nasty Boys vs The Blue-Bloods

Booker to start with Knobbs, Booker goes to get heat from the get-go. Nasty Boys beat-up everyone, Regal takes a trip to Pity-City. Same for Eaton, Knobbs and Booker start the match properly. Knobbs runs into a boot before landing a clothesline, Regal tags in off of Knobbs. Judo hip-throw and uppercuts by Regal, Booker trips Regal and lands a massive side Harlem kick. In comes Stevie Ray who smashes up Regal, Eaton and Stevie Ray are legal now. Powerslam by Stevie Ray but Sags tagged in off Eaton. Nasty Boys beat down Stevie Ray, headbutt to the groin. Tag to Sags, wishbone-split. Leg-drop to the balls, Regal is in the ring but Stevie jokes Regal to the corner. In comes Booker who waffles Regal, in comes Eaton. Eaton lands his trademark right, in comes Knobbs who runs into another boot. Clothesline and splash by Knobbs, Stevie Ray saves Booker.

 

Sags is legal, double clothesline on Booker for one. In comes Regal, uppercuts and throw with a knee to the head. Knees and uppercuts by Regal, Sags is tagged in by Regal. Nasty Boys and Blue-Bloods begin brawling before Booker wipes out Sags. In comes Stevie Ray, Knobbs lands elbows and a splash. Regal makes the save, Knobbs decks Regal. Harlem Sidekick from Booker for two, Sags made the save on that occasion. Stevie Ray is in, elbow to the face. Regal tags into the match, forearms and uppercuts all around. Snap-mare and a tag to Eaton, sweet right hand from Eaton. Eaton lands a top rope fist-drop, tag to Regal who looks for his Regal Stretch but Sags makes that save. Regal tags in Stevie Ray who stomps and chokes Knobbs, Knobbs is trying to brawl back into it but it’s not super effective.

 

Tag to Booker, Booker wants his scissors kick but Regal tags in and screws that up for Booker. Knobbs slaps down Regal but Eaton and Regal combine to beat down Knobbs. Knobbs is caught with a sunset flip before sitting down on the chest of Regal, in comes Sags. Sags decks Eaton & Regal with right hands, Harlem Heat are brawling with Knobbs. Match is breaking down now, Knobbs back-drops Regal. Sags back-drops Booker onto Regal, Knobbs splashes Booker & Regal. Sags sits on Booker and Regal but Booker is on top of Regal so Harlem Heat retain their championships.

 

WCW’s tag division has always been a difficult subject for me to navigate with the quality of the matches and the division varying constantly. Here we have a three-way match that doesn’t capture the drama or excitement of a straight up normal tag team match. Nasty Boys look like fools following the finish while Harlem Heat have nobody to work with because they have beaten them many times at this point and boy I am sick of this Nasty Boys feud. Would love a hard reset on the division, maybe something interesting will happen soon.

 

Winners: Harlem Heat over Everyone Else!

 

(Lifeguard Match) Ric Flair vs Macho Man Randy Savage

A lumberjack match between two men who despise one another, Ric Flair had taken out Savage’s father Angelo Poffo and defeated Savage at the prior pay per view so this is a huge match for Savage who is looking for revenge. The lifeguards surround the ring in terrible looking beach attire, Savage slaps down Flair. They lock-up, shoulder block and right hands by Savage. Corner clothesline and back-drop by Savage, Flair is knocked down by two clotheslines and a clothesline to the floor. The Lifeguards protect Flair as it is the heel guards that have Flair. Savage stomps Flair on the ring apron, Savage looks for the ten punches in the corner but an inverted atomic drop cuts off Savage. Chops and right hands in the corner by The Nature Boy, Savage is dumped to the floor. Babyface guards protect Savage, Savage lands an elbow on Flair and sends him into the buckle.

 

Flair chops and punches Savage but Savage continues to dish out jabs. Elbow takes down Flair, Flair wants an apron suplex but Savage suplexes Flair to the floor. Flair is begging for mercy, Savage stomps on Flair. Back-drop again, Flair begs for mercy before eye-poking Savage. Sleeper from Flair, Savage uses elbows to escape and lands a shoulder block before running into a another sleeper. Savage uses his wits to ram Flair into the turnbuckle, Savage throws punches from his knees. Chop by Flair, three in a row. Clothesline by Flair, Savage is dumped over the top rope to the floor. We have a brawl between the lifeguards as they throw Savage back into the ring, Flair is on the top rope. Savage crotches Flair but Flair jumps off onto Savage’s head so it looks rough. Flair is whipped to the buckle, Flair uses a knee to stop Savage. Savage reverses an Irish whip and applies a sleeper before Flair counters with a shin-breaker.

 

Flair slaps on The Figure Four Leg-Lock, the crowd comes alive for Savage. Angelo Poffo is here with shades on, Savage is rallying and turns the pressure onto Flair. Flair has to break the hold, vertical suplex by Flair. Savage fights back and Flair tries to leave but that’s not going to work. Back-drop by Savage, Savage climbs high and lands a diving axe handle. Arn Anderson is on the apron and in the ring, Knobbs is on the apron. Savage decks Anderson but Flair lands the thumb to the eyes. Savage back-drops Flair onto The Nasty Boys while Anderson nails Savage with the DDT. 1…2.. Savage kicks out! Backslide from Savage for two, Savage lands right hands. Whip to the buckle, elbow counter from Flair. Savage yanks Flair off the top rope, diving axe handle by Savage. Diving Elbow Drop by Savage and Savage wins!

 

Thought they would have the lifeguards play more into the finish but they were more of a non-factor at the end of the day. Shame that this stipulation rarely results in a fun match, they also immediately cut away from Savage for some reason where this is meant to be Savage’s revenge for what happened to his father but you know it is what it is with WCW. Being outside and being away from that normal wrestling audience hurts what would have been an even better match had it taken place in a normal arena. Savage is a fantastic seller and works so well with Flair, they always do deliver inside that ring so I am hoping they could continue this feud but with Flair’s constant losses, it will be hard to get me invested in the feud once more.

 

Winner: Randy Savage over Ric Flair via Diving Elbow Drop!

 

(WCW World Heavyweight Championship Cage Match) Hulk Hogan © W/ Jimmy Hart vs Vader

These two were destined to do battle since Vader became number one contender for the championship, the match was postponed as Hogan feuded with The Three Faces of Fear but Vader and Hogan did have their match with Hogan coming out on top in the leather strap match. However, now we are in the cage and there is no escape, Hogan starts hot with punches and sending Vader into the cage. Bandana down the throat and ten punches followed by stomps on the head of Vader. Axe bomber by Hogan, chops yet Vader is still standing. Vader blocks the cage and works the ribs, they are trading blows. Vader wins that war and bashes Hogan with rights and lefts. Dennis Rodman is here in full Hogan gear, Jimmy Hart screams words of encouragement. Vader doesn’t care, rights and lefts followed by headbutts. Hogan sends Vader into his helmet and Hogan is wearing the helmet. Hogan hits the most phony-looking headbutts on the planet with the helmet and takes it off.

 

Vader squishes Hogan with a corner splash, Vader Bomb squishes Hogan. Second Vader Bomb and Hogan kicks out at two, Vader picks up Hogan and rams him into the cage. Vader suplexes Hogan, Vader calls for the finish. Vader is ripping at something in the corner, Hogan sends Vader into the cage. Hogan wants a slam but Vader has none of it, sending Hogan crashing to the mat. Headbutts and a snap-mare by Vader, Vader is on the top rope. Vader misses the senton! Hogan tries a slam but Vader falls on him, reverse chin-lock by Vader. Hogan escapes and calls for the slam, the crowd eats that shit up. Hogan pulls it off, Hogan’s back is killing him. Vader goes right back on the offensive, blistering Hogan with fists and a short-arm clothesline. Middle rope splash by Vader for two, Hogan is Hulking Up!

 

Hogan lands right hands, Vader meets the cage over and over. Irish whip and a big boot, Vader is still on his feet. Hogan kicks Vader in the dick but here comes Sullivan and Zodiac, Dennis Rodman is fighting off these two heels with a chair. Zodiac and Sullivan have been thwarted by Dennis Rodman, Atomic Leg Drop on Vader. Second Atomic Leg Drop! Hogan is going to climb out of the cage, Vader is on his feet though. The scramble is at the corner on the top rope, chops and punches galore. Vader is crotched very slowly and Hogan climbs out of the cage and wins the match.

 

What I can appreciate it is Hogan did not pin Vader, Vader is somewhat protected while being in there with The Hulkster but as for the match itself, I never felt that Hogan was truly in danger. Such a shame considering the size of Vader and how Vader could tear apart Hogan but it just never takes off really, it is like most matches that we have seen with Hogan by this point, it is Hogan going through the motions and the quality of the main events are suffering because of it, Hogan has beaten Flair and Vader now so who else is truly left on the heel side to thwart Hogan? The goofs ran off by Dennis Rodman? God help us all in WCW.

 

Winner: Hulk Hogan over Vader via Escaping The Cage!

 

That was WCW’s Bash At The Beach 1995, an inoffensive pay per view from WCW. We have matches that aren’t horrifyingly bad or super boring but they seem to just be there and exist like this was some throw-away show that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things like a Christmas RAW but this was a PPV, people paid money to see this. Sting vs Meng starts out interesting enough and they is a strong effort to protect Meng here and made him look like a credible threat and I appreciate that and I am all for a bigger push for Sting because lord knows I have been suffering long enough with Sting taking the backseat to others, Orndorff vs Renegade demonstrates the failure of The Renegade project, crowd turns on him immediately and are not happy campers when Renegade wins. Late 80s WWF cheese doesn’t work in 1995 so Kamala and Duggan is horrific as you would imagine while DDP vs Dave Sullivan is another safe and standard affair, nothing memorable whatsoever. The three team tag team match is really bad, none of it gels together and the finish makes Nasty Boys look like fools which is definitely not a great look for your number one babyface team. Flair vs Savage is a decent match, the gimmick doesn’t really play a part in the finish while Anderson’s DDT isn’t exactly treated like a false-finish as Savage kicks out pretty early on that two count but at least it was better than anything else on the card while the main event cage match sucks, no real drama or excitement, Hogan no-selling Vader’s crushing attacks and a sloppy ending as Vader can’t even crotch himself on the rope and Hogan anti-climatically climbs out. Bad stuff from WCW, the bad hits keep coming. Thanks for checking this out and remember: there’s always another night!

 

 

WCW The Great American Bash 1995 Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet with a smaller viewership than AEW Dark! It’s time for WCW The Great American Bash 1995 with matches featuring The Blue Bloods vs The Nasty Boys for the WCW World Tag Team Championships, Renegade challenging for WCW Television Championship against Arn Anderson. Sting vs Meng to decide who is The WCW United States Champion and Randy Savage taking on Ric Flair as Flair took out Angelo Poffo! No Hogan? Interesting maybe I will enjoy this PPV! Let’s get it on!

 

Alex Wright vs Flyin’ Brian Pillman

It’s been a long time since I have seen Brian Pillman, poor Pillman was left high and dry as The Hollywood Blondes dissolved and Austin rose up the card and I am guessing Pillman was dealing with some sort of injury that took him out of most of 1994. His opponent is Alex Wright who kicked all sorts of ass in his match with Arn Anderson but can Pillman make Wright look as good in this match?

 

Wright and Pillman trade wrist-locks, some nice sequences here with both men showing off their agility. Crowd is on PIllman’s side, not looking good for Wright. Corner head-scissors and dropkick from Pillman, snap-mare into a Fujiwara arm-bar. Dropkick and head-scissors from Wright, Wright continues to catch Pillman with his quickness before Pillman avoids the enzuigiri and applies a bow & arrow, side headlock takedown. Wright counters and looks fo a Romero special but Pillman wriggles free, sunset flip for two by Wright. Schoolboy for two, small package for two. Massive chop by Pillman, hammerlock but Wright counters. Elbow by Pillman, Fujiwara arm-bar from Pillman. Wright survives and they begin to trade chops and uppercuts, Pillman is driven into the mat head-first.

 

Wright tries a dive, Pillman blocks with his knees. Wright is on the apron and suplexes Pillman to the floor, plancha by Wright. Uppercuts by Wright, Wright climbs high as Pillman is dazed. Beautiful missile dropkick for two, Pillman pulls Wright to the floor. Pillman lands a suicide dive, fired up by the crowd. Pillman tries a middle rope dive but Wright dodges! Both men try dropkicks and miss, Pillman is up first and looks for a superplex. Wright counters with the front suplex, diving crossbody for two. Pillman collapses to the mat off an Irish whip, Wright goes again but Pillman goes down once more. Wright tries another crossbody but Pillman lands the dropkick, Pillman climbs high and is thrown onto the top rope by Wright. Wright wants the German, Pillman gets caught and Wright gets a close two. Wright counters a crucifix attempt and gets a big win over Pillman.

 

Started off slow but this was great as it went on, showing some fantastic wrestling from both men, Pillman does a great job of making Wright look good. It was a tough task due to the match being in Pilllman’s hometown but they pull it off, some great near-falls throughout the match and some good false-finishes. Really happy with how this turned out, let’s see how the PPV continues!

 

 (Arm-Wrestling Match) DDP W/ Diamond Doll & Max Muscle vs Dave Sullivan W/ Ralph The Rabbit

If DDP wins, DDP wins the rabbit but if Dave wins, Dave wins a date with The Diamond Doll. DDP stalls and stalls, Dave and DDP try to win with the crowd getting into the contest. Dave pushes and pushes, Muscle tries to help DDP but the referee sees it so Dave Sullivan wins the date with The Diamond Doll! Luckiest man in the world, DDP is irate! Harmless fun!

 

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Sgt. Craig Pittman

Pittman is massive and angry, Duggan don’t give a shit. Pittman takes the back, Duggan cannot behead Pittman with an elbow so Duggan is frustrated. Pittman does some push-ups because why not am I right? Duggan’s stalling somehow doesn’t drive me insane maybe because he’s slid down the card to where I want him to be, imagine they had Duggan as United States Champion in there with Vader and Austin crazy right? Pittman works the arm, Pittman turns his intentions to the knee of Duggan, Duggan is rammed into the ring-post twice. This is quite vicious actually from Pittman, Duggan manages to fight back with a massive right hand. One knee Duggan gets swept by Pittman who applies a single leg Boston crab, spinning toe-hold by Pittman. Duggan kicks off Pittman, rights and lefts by Duggan. Duggan lands a scoop-slam and lands a clothesline too, Three-Point Stance is absorbed by Pittman. Did he really no-sell Duggan’s finish? Pittman applies Code Red, his cross-arm-breaker finish and Duggan wins by DQ.

 

Shite but passable shite as I like Duggan and Duggan makes things interesting enough in this one, kind of surprised they worked the leg for so long considering well you know his finish is an arm-bar. How utterly ridiculous like why bother working the leg?

 

Winner: Hacksaw Jim Duggan over Craig Pittman via DQ!

 

Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater vs Harlem Heat

Colonel Parker is continuing to manage Buck? I see very interesting well Buck teamed with Anderson and Terry Funk but Anderson is more with Flair now and Funk is gone so we have Dick Slater who many people would think of Terry Funk-lite although Slater had some great performances in him for sure that made him stand out. Anyways, not sure if there are babyfaces in this one but we are starting with a brawl as expected. Booker stomps Buck to the floor, Slater is looking to powder which he does eventually.

 

Booker and Stevie Ray take turns wiping out Buck, Stevie is wearing a shirt under his singlet, not sure what the deal is there maybe he’s hurt. Stevie sits in a front chancery with Buck, tag to Booker. Booker lands a dropkick, Buck tags in Slater. Slater drop toe-holds Booker, Booker scrambles out into a hammerlock. Stevie and Slater slug it out, Slater loses that war. Snap-mare into a reverse chin-lock from Stevie, tag to Booker. Slater drags Booker to the corner, Buck comes in and loses control as Booker lands a scoop slam. Slater tags in, Slater chops and chops Stevie. Tag to Buck, Buck has his eyes poked. Side headlock by Stevie, Slater lands a shot from the apron. Buck lands a boot and down goes Stevie, Stevie is beaten down on the floor before Booker lands a dropkick and flying forearm. Small package on Buck, Colonel Robert Parker rolls over the small package. Sherri rolls over the small package again and Harlem Heat win the match.

 

Well the crowd don’t really like either team which makes it awkward and then the match itself ain’t very good either so it is very on-point for WCW at this point.

 

Winners: Harlem Heat over Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater via Small Package!

 

(WCW World Television Championship Match) The Renegade vs Arn Anderson ©

The Warrior rip-off lives! Renegade is here to take on the man who was a pain at ringside during the main event of the Slamboree. Jimmy Hart is here with Renegade so maybe Anderson will get some heat on Hart?

 

Anderson jumps Renegade, rights and lefts to the ribs. Renegade whips Anderson to the opposite buckle, clothesline by the rookie powerhouse. Anderson lands a corner clothesline, Renegade takes down Anderson with two clotheslines and one clothesline to the floor. Renegade jumps to the floor, Anderson is running from the big man. Anderson wants the DQ win but no dice, side headlock by Renegade. Anderson tries a hip-toss but Renegade tosses off Anderson. Another side headlock by Renegade, Anderson shoves off Renegade and applies the abdominal stretch. Renegade reverses the hold, Anderson shoves Renegade to the corner. Shoulder thrusts by Anderson, Renegade whips Anderson to the opposite buckle but Anderson counters with an elbow. Sleeper by Anderson, sleeper by Renegade. Belly to back suplex by Anderson, Anderson uses the top rope to choke Renegade.

 

Reverse chin-lock by Anderson, Renegade escapes but gets caught by the spinebuster for a close two. Anderson wants to pin the shoulders of Renegade to the mat but Renegade is up. Whip to the buckle, Renegade lands an atomic drop but both men bang heads. Corner Samoan drop by Renegade, Renegade climbs high. Diving Top Rope Splash and we have a winner!

 

Wow was not expecting that, I just praised Anderson for all the great work he was doing as Television Champion and now they have given Renegade the championship and you can see from the beginning how limited Renegade seems to be at this time of his career. Anderson does his best but even the crowd wants to see Anderson pick up the win for the most part, nice splash by Renegade though I will give him that.

 

Winner: Renegade over Arn Anderson via Top Rope Diving Splash!

 

(WCW World Tag Team Championship Match) The Nasty Boys © vs The Blue Bloods

Bobby Eaton is back on my TV! I am so happy I don’t even care that it is The Nasty Boys in a non-brawling environment I will sit through it for Eaton. Everyone loves Eaton and talks about how good Eaton is so how is it that this man has gone almost 2 years without being on my screen?

 

We start brawling, Sags attacks Regal with his jacket while Eaton and Knobbs brawl up the ramp. Here I was thinking that they would not brawl but Eaton & Regal are playing to their strengths in this one. Regal has a horrified look on his face as Sags drills him into the guardrail and ring-post. Sags and Knobbs continue to batter the challengers, double shoulder block for Eaton and a corner beatdown for Regal. Back body drop and Regal is sent to a pit-stop. Corner splash on Eaton, Eaton takes a trip to pity city also. Eaton and Regal are thrown around by Knobbs, big clotheslines and such before Knobbs misses a crossbody and lands on the floor.

 

Regal lands a diving elbow drop to the head, Regal is legal now and uses forearms to batter Knobbs, Eaton gets involved from the apron as Sags comes in and decks Regal. Elbow drop by Regal for one, Sags fights back and sends Eaton to the apron after a slam. Regal behind the referee’s back comes in and tosses Sags to the floor. Sags is plodding around, I think Knobbs forgot his cue to distract the referee. Eventually, Sags is rammed into the apron. Sags is left on the apron, knee-drop by Eaton. Eaton is legal now and applies a camel clutch, crowd comes alive for Knobbs. Sags comes alive but Eaton cuts that off, Regal comes in and misses a senton so Knobbs gets the hot-tag and its surprisingly lukewarm. Knobbs slams Regal, Eaton makes the save. Knobbs and Regal bang heads, here comes Stevie Ray and Sherri. Booker T is here, Harlem Hangover but when Booker hopes over the rope, Eaton falls balls-first on the turnbuckle and Sags lands his elbow on Eaton with Knobbs to cover for the win.

 

Well it’s a bit comical really, I am happy to see Regal and Eaton back on my screen, both men had been forgotten really as the years went on, shockingly with Regal considering how good 1993 and the start of 1994 was for Regal. The Nasty Boys continue to suck outside of hardcore brawl matches, not hard to figure out that it’s the only style of match they can do on PPV yet they don’t want to do it. So, tag team wrestling in WCW ain’t my thing at all.

 

Winners: The Nasty Boys over The Blue-Bloods via Diving Elbow!

 

(WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals) Sting vs Meng W/ Colonel Robert Parker

What is interesting about the recap for this is the competitors in the tournament, many a forgotten relic of Flair’s reign as booker as we see Austin is still alive and kicking, Johnny B. Badd, Paul Orndorff and Pillman there too. All men who had done well throughout 1993 yet when 1994 and Hogan came around, things came crashing down quite quickly. Meng has been well protected a loss would not hurt him while Sting is too popular not to be pushed, I expect this to deliver.

 

Meng uses his martial arts to push Sting back to the corner, Sting has to think about it. They go nose to nose, throat chop from Meng. Meng unloads on Sting, rights and lefts plus headbutts of the vicious variety. Sting is down, Meng tortures Sting with more body-shots and a choke in the corner. Meng has Sting on his knees, not looking good for The Stinger. Sting blocks and kicks back at Meng, right hands stagger Meng. Dropkick doesn’t knock Meng, Parker talks advice with Meng. Meng takes the eyes and clubs Sting, kicks to the neck and ribs. Chop in the corner, brutal chops from Meng. Forearm shot, Sting rakes the eyes and lands a dropkick. Sting misses a crossbody and is on the apron, elbow from Meng. Sit-out powerbomb from Meng for two, Meng has a shoulder claw on Sting. Meng throws Sting to the floor, Colonel Parker lands some shots before Sting is back in the ring. Sunset flip attempt by Sting but Meng counters with a massive throat thrust.

 

Another shoulder claw, Sting escapes and goes toe to toe with him. Backslide attempt but Meng is too strong, Sting uses the buckle to flip and lands a middle rope ass to the face basically. Meng is up first, maybe they banged heads? Middle rope headbutt by Meng, two for Meng. Sting lands clotheslines, Meng wants more. Flying clothesline by Sting, face-buster by Sting. Inverted atomic drop and Sting clotheslines himself and Meng to the floor. Sting decks Colonel Parker and Meng misses a splash and smacks his head off the ring-post. Scorpion Death-Lock! Middle of the ring! Can Meng survive? Meng is powering up and shoves off Sting, Sting looks on in shock. Meng has his legs chopped by Sting, Sting climbs high. Diving clothesline by Sting, diving splash for a close two. Sting lands a jumping DDT and Meng has been beaten!

 

Solid stuff from these two, Sting finally is being built up again and not just as a background player, very happy for The Stinger. Sting controls the crowd well and keeps them engaged as Meng does what Meng does best: whoop ass and look mean while doing it. Crowd was into it, lots of energy and Sting had to work for the win, good way to make Meng look like a tough son of a bitch to keep down.

 

Winner: Sting over Meng via Jumping DDT!

 

Ric Flair vs Randy Macho Man Savage

Flair retired after his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1994, WCW had no intention of having Flair retire so they went back on that stipulation mere months later by having Flair be so annoying that Savage & Hogan wished for Flair to be a member of the roster once more just so they can kick his ass. To give this angle a bit of steam, Flair put the figure four on the father of Randy Savage. Savage and Hogan had already beaten Flair and Vader on PPV so yeah, that kind of takes away the appeal of Flair coming back but this company hadn’t a clue for quite some time now so this is nothing new for me.

 

Savage is all business here coming up against Flair, Flair chops Savage but Savage lands an elbow and tees off on Flair. Running corner elbow and back body drop by Savage, clothesline by Savage. Flair is clotheslined to the floor, Savage looks to fly. Diving axe handle to the floor, Flair manages to send Savage into the ring-post. Flair goes to work now, snap-mare into the knee-drop. Savage is hurt badly, his father is giving advice. Savage goes after Flair but Flair chops Savage, Savage lands right hands. Savage chokes Flair in the corner, Savage works the ribs and face. Right hand floors Flair, Flair is begging for mercy. Savage ground-pounds Flair and continues choking The Nature Boy, Flair is holding his face on the floor. Savage lands an axe handle to the back and sends Flair into the guardrail. Flair manages to regain control, Flair climbs high but Savage catches Flair and yanks off Flair.

 

Flair scrambles to the ropes to avoid a piledriver, Irish whip and Flair flip to the floor. Flair attacks Angelo Poffo, Savage saves his dad but Flair clips the knee. Shin-breaker using the guardrail, Flair chop-blocks Savage again in the ring. Flair stretches the leg, Savage hurls Flair to the apron. Like a wild beast, Savage throws everything at Flair. Figure Four Leg-Lock! Flair is in trouble though as Savage reverses the hold, Flair has to let go of the hold. Flair misses a top rope elbow drop, Flair chops Savage in the corner. Savage is fighting back and out-firing Flair. Flair Flip to the apron, clothesline by Savage. Two for Savage, scoop slam by Savage. Savage Diving Elbow Drop! 1…2.. Savage wants to deliver more punishment. Savage has a ring-bell, the referee is irate. The referee takes away the bell, Savage decides to climb high once more. Flair is on the floor, Savage dives but meets the guardrail. Flair lands shots to the eyes of Savage and chokes out Savage. Angelo Poffo attacks Flair with the cane, Flair knocks out Savage’s father. Flair has the cane in the ring, Savage is waffled with the cane in the face. Flair covers and Flair wins the match!

 

Intense and plenty of heat for this one and shockingly, right man wins this match. Flair had been on quite the losing streak against the big WWF guys so to have Flair go over Savage is big here, they can continue to build the feud between the two. Quite ballsy with Angelo Poffo at ringside too to have Savage not go over, good stuff from WCW in the main event. Savage is one of my favourite sellers from this era and possibly of all-time, Savage looks like he has been through hell and sells everything like death.

 

Winner: Ric Flair over Randy Savage via Cane To The Head!

 

That was WCW’s Great American Bash 1995, another poor performance from WCW. WCW are trying things for sure but I am not sure if any of those things are truly paying off for the company, Alex Wright vs Pillman is solid but the fans do not want to cheer for the young babyface that WCW is so desperately trying to build in Wright, there is not light heavyweight championship so Wright and Pillman don’t have that much direction in the company, Pillman seems to be coming back off an extended absence and the beloved high-flyer has to be built again from nothing to get back to where he was years prior and I have no faith in WCW to pull that off. The arm-wrestling contest is harmless fun, no real complaints there. Duggan vs Pittman is bad, very bad and just not entertaining in any way. I am glad Duggan has slotted into a role that allows him to do what he does best but Pittman is not bringing the best out of Duggan even on his best day if a best day Pittman actually exists. Buck & Slater vs Harlem Heat is two heel teams beating one another up, fans don’t know who to cheer for so it’s awkward, shame considering how much I like Buck & Slater but I don’t see a future for this team. The tag team championship match is not much better, I don’t need to see Nasty Boys without their brawling and the finish was rather comical when this could have been a chance to showcase the legitimate threat of Regal & Eaton. Renegade vs Anderson was solid, Anderson takes care of Renegade and makes him look as good as he can but the booking of the television championship has been baffling even during Regal’s reign, Johnny B. Badd should have been elevated and I don’t think Renegade is going to escape the same fate as Badd. Sting vs Meng is entertaining due to the crowd’s love of Sting, Sting is their guy and Sting gets big reactions and after years of pointless tags and being a backup to whoever it may be, Flair Hogan or Savage, Sting gets some shine finally by winning the United States Championship and Meng takes his first loss but looks like an animal in the process, not a bad day in the office. Finally, the main event between Savage and Flair two men who had good chemistry dating back to their Wrestlemania match. Savage is great here while Flair puts on a typical main event performance and the finish is a shock to me as Flair gets some steam put behind him which is shocking considering how he’s been treated the last year and a half so I am happy to see it and there is some fire added to this feud now. However, don’t be so sure that Flair and Savage won’t get wrapped up into whatever Hogan wants to do next. A year into the Hogan Era and it’s proving a tough watch, how WCW went from this to the NWO looks more like a miracle each day but I am interested to see the transition so let’s keep watching right? Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!

 

 

WCW Slamboree 1995 Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that never gets it wrong like those silly old dirtsheets! It’s time for WCW Slamboree 1995: A Legend’s Reunion! Headlined by The Monster Maniacs vs Vader & Ric Flair who has been reinstated after retiring in late 94 thanks to Hulk Hogan. We also have Harlem Heat vs The Nasty Boys, Road Warrior Hawk vs Meng and Sting taking on Big Bubba Rogers. We also have Dick Murdoch vs Wahoo McDaniel, Alex Wright vs Arn Anderson and Kevin Sullivan vs The Man With No Name. So I have no idea how this is going to go down but if the last PPV is any indication of how this company is going, we are in for a horrific night.

 

(WCW World Tag Team Championship Match) Harlem Heat © W/ Sister Sherri vs The Nasty Boys

Well we have Jerry Sags but no Brian Knobbs who was attacked earlier in the night, Harlem Heat need some serious new blood in this division. We also don’t have Schiavone here so we have Eric Bischoff which is a downgrade. Sags is going to go it alone against two men, massive clothesline by Sags to Booker. Corner clothesline, Booker is rocked. Stevie Ray eats some right hands, double DDT by Sags. Sherri is on the apron, pity city again for Sherri? No Sags punches her in the face? What the fuck? Sags looks for a pump-handle slam, it connects for two! Sags continues fighting, top rope elbow but Booker and Stevie Ray have one another’s backs. Sherri can get involved too, Sags is distracted and chases Sherri which allows Stevie Ray to stomp all over Sags. Sags fights back but cannot overtake Booker and Stevie Ray. Dropkick by Stevie Ray, Sags is being destroyed by Harlem Heat.

 

Booker slowly covers for two, too confident was young Booker. Stevie Ray lands a leg drop from the bottom rope, forearm to the head. Tag to Booker, Sag lands a piledriver out of nowhere. Here comes a taped-up Knobbs, Knobbs receives the tag. Clothesline for Stevie Ray, slam for Booker. Elbows and rights all around, bulldog by Knobbs. Stevie Ray is dumped to the floor, Sherri tries a diving crossbody but Knobbs spinebusters her and throws her onto Stevie Ray. Knobbs picks up Booker for a powerslam, Sags is the legal man and delivers his Diving Elbow Drop and we have new champions!

 

Well looks like they finally paid that off, a match where I see Nasty Boys gets destroyed for 90% of it is a good day at the office. Should they be tag team champions? Well, the division is in the shitter. Harlem Heat look good in defeat while Sherri continues to take insane bumps, Sherri might have been the best part of the match. A punch and a spinebuster as well as being thrown to the floor, incredible bump by her who has turned these two into a championship calibre team.

 

Winners: The Nasty Boys over Harlem Heat via Diving Elbow Drop!

 

Kevin Sullivan vs The Man With No Name

Formerly Butcher but Butcher has lost his mind and now has no name, Sullivan’s feud with brother Dave followed by The Three Faces of Fear and a comedy match against Mr. T is back to being in a serious feud but I am not sure how many people buy into Sullivan in WCW. Sullivan is jumped in the ring, Man With No Name chops and thrusts all around. Sullivan is bounced off the buckle before a Sleeper attempt by Man With No Name, Sullivan counters with a jaw-breaker and tosses Man With No Name to the floor. In the ring, Man with No Name takes control and splashes and kicks Sullivan, Sullivan starts brawling his way back into the match though. Chops by Butcher, at least 10 knock down Sullivan. Two count for Man with No Name, piledriver from Man with No Name.

 

Man with No Name covers but Sullivan places a foot on the ropes, Man with No Name is furious. Sullivan pokes the eyes, we spill to the floor. Man with No Name tastes an eye rake and is sent into the ring-post. Back in the ring, Man with No Name chops back and delivers a shitty looking clothesline. Man with No Name misses a splash, cracking his head off the ring-post. Sullivan places Man with No Name in the tree of woe, running knee to the ribs. Double Stomp by Sullivan and Sullivan picks up the win.

 

Awful like 99% of what I have to suffer through involving Sullivan and this era of WCW, don’t get me wrong Sullivan can became engaging and interesting in that ring, his work in Florida as a Devil Worshipper was amazing but matches with Butch, Dave Sullivan and Mr. T are doing nothing for me.

 

Winner: Kevin Sullivan over The Man With No Name via Double Stomp!

 

Dick Murdoch vs Wahoo McDaniel

Slamboree: A Legend’s Reunion has to have legends matches you see, the concept was not all that interesting but WCW stuck to it just like the Battle Bowl. Banner year for Dick Murdoch as Murdoch would not only appear on WCW PPV but would appear in The Royal Rumble as WWF’s roster was more limited than ever.

 

Have they used a tint for this match? Is this displaying in black & white? Am I losing my mind? We have a lock-up and a clean break, Murdoch shoves Wahoo. Wahoo arm-drags Murdoch, Murdoch takes control with elbows to the head of Wahoo. Murdoch lands shoulder thrusts and elbows in the corner, Murdoch stretches the arm of Wahoo. Massive chop in the corner from Wahoo, Murdoch is down on the mat. Murdoch is irate, they lock-up again with Murdoch gaining control with knees. They trade blows, Wahoo lands a chop to the head. Right hands in the corner, Wahoo fights back with chops and down goes Murdoch. Murdoch regains control and peppers Wahoo with more elbows, whip to the buckle. Murdoch climbs high and drives his knee into the back of Wahoo and drives him to the mat. Back elbow and elbow drop by Murdoch, Murdoch dishes out more punishment on the ropes before Wahoo chops down Murdoch off an Irish whip for the win.

 

What you would expect, can’t say I am too shocked but it is what it is. That’s the gimmick of the pay per view, at least they got a pay-day out of it. Murdoch’s nose is all kinds of messed up by the end, shocking stuff.

 

Winner: Wahoo McDaniel over Dick Murdoch via Chop!

 

The Great Muta vs Paul Orndorff

Muta in WCW will always be an interesting experience for me from his initial run where Muta was a powerhouse until being destroyed at Starrcade by that awful tournament to the appearances during the Bill Watts Era where Muta and Chono would stink up the ring to here we are in 1995 with Muta being the IWGP Heavyweight Champion taking on Paul Orndorff who has been a mainstay of WCW for like 5 years at this point, I think Pretty Wonderful are done at this point so not sure if Orndorff is dusting off the boots for this or was still working.

 

Some lovely stalling before we have the two trading wrist-locks, Orndorff trips up Muta but Muta slides out, Orndorff scrambles to the ropes. Muta gives Orndorff the throat slit signalling death, Orndorff tells Muta to kiss his ass. Hammerlock by Orndorff, Muta flips out and stretches the leg. Side headlock by Muta, Orndorff eats a shoulder block and a spinning sole-butt. Orndorff is out on the floor, Orndorff takes control and works the arm in the ring. Orndorff misses an elbow drop, dropkick by Muta. Snap-mare into the Flashing Elbow, another snap-mare into a reverse chin-lock. Orndorff escapes but eats a kick to the head, side headlock is countered by Orndorff for a high and tight belly to back suplex. Stomps to the head and Muta is tossed to the guardrail, Orndorff uses the camera cable on Muta.

 

Reverse chin-lock from Orndorff, Muta escapes and tees off with shots to the face. Down goes Orndorff, Irish whip but Orndorff holds onto the ropes and Muta cracks his head off the mat. Front face-lock from Orndorff, Muta picks up Orndorff and counters for an inverted atomic drop. Clothesline and middle rope elbow drop, Orndorff is up first though and lands forearms to the face and slams Muta into the mat. Vicious kicks to the ribs by Orndorff, snap-mare into a fist drop for two. Orndorff wants his piledriver but Muta counters, Muta chops and lands a spinning sole butt. Handspring elbow and bulldog combination for two, shoulder block looks more like a mis-communication. Back-breaker and Muta climbs high, Diving Moonsault and it’s over.

 

Not great to be honest, quite slow and we were only waiting for those final moments with the handspring elbow and moonsault, Muta takes it easy as he should in WCW but it does nothing for the fans in the attendance who seemed dead for the majority of the contest.

 

Winner: The Great Muta over Paul Orndorff via Moonsault!

 

(WCW World Television Championship Match) Arn Anderson © vs Alex Wright

Arn Anderson working with young talent continues, far away from the main event or in a prominent position on the card, Anderson continues to put in solid work. His opponent is the high-flying Alex Wright who is young and a pure babyface. The perfect antagonist for Anderson who should know exactly what to do to get this young kid over, shame for Johnny B. Badd who has been absolutely shafted by this era of booking.

 

Side headlock by Wright, Anderson struggles to escape and uses the tights to escape. Wright out-smarts Anderson by not jumping over the champion, good shit seconds into the match. Anderson struggles in the headlock, showing that this is a fight. Tights grabbed again and Anderson loses Wright and eats a dropkick, side headlock takedown. Anderson pushes Wright to the ropes and starts nailing some serious shoulder blocks, Wright reverses the Irish whip but his kick is caught by Anderson. Anderson eats an enzuigiri to the head, side headlock takedown by Wright. Anderson tries again but Wright continues to use his agility and dropkicks the shit out of Anderson. Another side headlock takedown, Anderson is on the floor for a breather but Wright lands a baseball dropkick and planchas to the floor, showing a fire that has been lacking in some of his performances. Anderson lands a knee but misses a clothesline off the ring-post, Wright has Anderson in the ring.

 

Nice arm-wrenching from Wright, we are down on the mat. Anderson backs Wright. Anderson tries an inverted atomic drop but Wright blocks, Anderson goes for the spinebuster and drills Wright. Anderson chokes Wright by the bottom rope, first with his hand and after with his boot. Anderson works the arm now, strikes to the arm. Anderson sweeps the legs and attempts a figure four, Wright shoves off Anderson into the buckle. Anderson is on the middle rope, Wright counters the axe handle with a shot to the ribs, spinning heel kick by Wright. Snap suplex and Wright is climbing high, missile dropkick finds the mark for two. Both men trade small packages, Wright is whipped to the buckle but fights back. Anderson comes out of the corner and fakes the left hand, Wright instinctively ducks which leads to a devastating DDT for the win.

 

Anderson is solid as forever in this one, Wright is made to look great in the opening shine, showing fire and resilience throughout the match, Anderson knows exactly what he needs to do to keep the crowd interested and on the side of Wright, probably my favourite Wright performance of his career so far and the finish is darn good too, what a snap on that DDT. Good for Anderson who continues to deliver away from Ric Flair.

 

Winner: Arn Anderson over Alex Wright via DDT!

 

Meng vs Road Warrior Hawk

So obviously these are two tough bastards who are going to knock the shit out of one another so I will enjoy it from that standpoint, this might be the third time I have seen Hawk compete without Animal in WCW since leaving the WWF. Two appearances in 1993 and Hawk continued to work with Power Warrior while Animal was out.

 

Match starts with Meng kicking and clotheslining Hawk around the ring, stalling piledriver but Hawk no sells that shit and lands a neck-breaker, Meng no-sells back. Hawk spears the ring-post as Meng moves out of the way, Hawk regains control and lands his fist-drop. Chop by Hawk, corner clothesline. Scoop slam and Hawk calls for the finish, diving splash misses and Hawk rolls to the floor. Meng has Hawk by the head, Hawk meets the ring apron. They chop one another, are we going to have a double count-out? We do!

 

Disappointing that’s Hawk return to WCW what an absolute waste of a Hawk PPV appearance. I will say it is wild to see Meng still being protected so well in the aftermath of the Stud Stable.

 

Double Countout!

 

Big Bubba Rogers vs Sting (Lights Out Match)

Lots of stalling to begin, Rogers turned on Sting a few PPVs back because why not his face run wasn’t doing anyone any favours. Bubba wrenches the arm but Sting elbows and dropkicks Bubba to the floor, Bubba rakes the eyes and lands punches plus a corner clothesline. Sting is down, Rogers takes out his tie and chokes The Stinger. Sting breaks free and dropkicks the big man, Sting is asking Bubba “Is that all you got”? Bubba drags Sting to the floor, bouncing Sting’s head off the steel steps. Bubba grabs a table, Sting blocks and sends Bubba into the table. Bubba throws powder in the eyes of Sting before sending Sting into the table. The table is thrown in the ring, Bubba puts it in the corner. Sting meets the table again, Sting reverses the piledriver but misses the Stinger Splash on the table. Bubba takes off his belt and whips Sting, Bubba climbs to the top rope but Sting yanks off Bubba. Scoop slam and Sting climbs high, Sting lands a devastating splash for two. Clothesline by Sting, right hands by Stinger. Sting places the table on Bubba, Sting double stomps the table. Scorpion Death-Lock in the middle of the ring and Bubba quits!

 

Vengeance for Sting who had to do the job for Bubba at a prior PPV, not a great match at all. Not very interesting either I thought someone was going through the table but once more, it was me giving WCW far too much credit. Sting is still over huge so can we get this man near a world championship? Please?

 

Winner: Sting over Big Bubba Rogers via Scorpion DeathLock!

 

The Monster-Maniacs vs Ric Flair & Vader

The same way WCW rushed into Hogan vs Flair, we now have Hogan and Savage reuniting as The Mega-Powers but they are The Monster-Maniacs brother to avoid copyright, Hogan has beaten not only Flair but also Vader so I have no idea what they will do with the world championship going forward.

 

Anderson is in the corner of Flair & Vader while The Renegade is here for Hogan & Savage. Vader and Hogan to start, clean break from both. Vader backs Hogan to the corner and works the ribs and head. Hogan blocks and thumbs the eyes, right hands from Hogan. Hogan clotheslines Vader to the floor, Savage lands a diving axe handle to the back. Savage tags in and is sent to the floor, Flair sends Savage into the crowd. In the ring, Flair chops Savage. Right hands from Flair, Savage blocks and lands rights of his own. Flair is rocked and sent into the apron and into a boot from Hogan. In the ring, Flair pokes the eye of Savage. Right hand in the corner, Savage fights back and lands rights and lefts. Tag to Hogan, Flair backs away wanting no part of Hogan. Flair chops Hogan and Hogan no-sells it, Hogan uses his strength to send Flair to the buckle and lands a back body drop. Clothesline by Hogan, Flair stabs Hogan in the eye. Snap-mare and a stomp to the head, Savage rallies the crowd behind The Hulkster.

 

Flair gets caught in a Figure Four while Vader distracts the referee, Hogan gets caught up with Anderson and Flair nails a chop-block. Snap-mare into a knee-drop, tag to Vader. Single leg Boston crab from Vader, Hogan escapes and tries a back body drop. Vader runs through poor Hogan, Savage is with the referee as Flair chokes Hogan. Vader decks the referee with a right hand, no DQ? Vader just decked him, how is he awake? How is this not a DQ? Vader whips Hogan to the buckle, corner splash by Vader. Vader Bomb time, it connects! Vader goes up top, Vader Bomb from the top misses! Savage gets the hot-tag, Flair is in and gets rocked by The Macho Man. Axe handle to Vader, Flair manages to elbow Savage. Savage lands his Diving Elbow to Flair, Anderson pulls out Savage.

 

Anderson begs for mercy, Vader takes out Savage while Renegade takes out Anderson. Flair lands a massive knee to the face of Savage, tag to Vader. Vader decides it’s time to crush Savage. Vadersault crushes Savage! Hogan pulls off Vader, Vader tosses Savage to the corner. Flair lands chops and right hands, Savage begins fighting back. Hogan gets the tag, right hands by Hogan. Corner clothesline, right hands to Vader & Flair. Scoop slam for Flair, scoop slam on Vader. Anderson eats a right hand, Flair eats a boot. Anderson trips up Hogan, Renegade gives chase. Vader splashes Hogan, Savage is brawling with Vader. Hogan Hulks Up after the splash, Flair chops but it’s no use! Anderson axe handles Flair by mistake, Atomic Leg Drop and it’s over!

 

Once again Flair comes up short against Hogan who continues to dominate against everyone he is up against with no signs of slowing down. I have to make note here of Bischoff on commentary, he’s not the worst I have ever heard but he definitely makes a hot-tag seem like nothing and his commentary throughout left this match feeling flat because he never makes it feel like a huge big deal. Vader looks like he is phoning it in but that moonsault looked deadly and I would love to see Vader vs Savage but everyone is a side character here to the Hogan show and now Hogan has beaten all his foes in WCW, I am not sure what they can do here to make things interesting because I am very flat on the whole Hogan WCW run.

 

Winners: Team Monster-Maniacs over Team Flair via Atomic Leg Drop!

 

That was WCW’s Slamboree 1995, another rather disappointing show from WCW. I never liked the legends’ aspect of the Slamboree PPV, I don’t want to see people past their prime wrestling in long draws because nobody wants to do the job but in the past, there might be a match or two on the card that makes me think well that wasn’t so bad but that doesn’t come on this show. This is just there for so many matches, Sting vs Bubba is so safe for a supposed no DQ match, the big tag team main event would look right at home on a TV taping, there’s no drama or excitement to the matches. Bringing in Hawk for a draw does nothing for me, Sullivan vs Butcher does nothing for me. The only match I really liked was Wright vs Anderson, it’s just so middle of the road with no real urgency to it and that’s why I think WCW is just miserable during this period. Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!