Hello and welcome to another edition
of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the
internet that carries more hatred than The IWC’s attacks on Tay Conti! It’s
Clash of The Champions III with a main event that has immediately captured my attention:
that being Sting vs Barry Windham for the NWA United States Heavyweight
Championship! Two rising stars in the company in a main event vying for the
championship should be great fun! Meanwhile we also have Brad Armstrong
challenging Mike Rotunda for the NWA Television Championship and some odd matches
to round out the card. Where are Arn & Tully? Where is Ron Garvin for his
feud with Dusty? Well, there’s some news there that we will get to later.
(NWA Television
Championship Match) Mike Rotunda © W/ Kevin Sullivan vs Brad Armstrong
So Rotunda continues his reign that
does not interest me in the slightest but Rotunda and The Varsity Club do have
some heat to them, Rotunda lands a belly to back suplex and a fireman’s carry
before Armstrong almost steals the win reversing a diving crossbody. Rotunda is
very cautious, crowd seems hot on this night. Rotunda works the ribs, uppercuts
for good measure. Armstrong lands a hip-toss and a dropkick for two, Rotunda
powders for the second time. Side headlock takedown by Armstrong, Rotunda uses
the tights to reverse the hold and uses the ropes too but Armstrong continues
to maintain the hold. Shove-off, Armstrong lands a flying crossbody for a close
two. Rotunda stalls, Armstrong holds onto the headlock. Rotunda tries running
away but nope not going to work as Armstrong works the arm.
Rotunda looks to take the back, they are
in the corner. Rotunda’s attacks backfire with Armstrong working the arm once
more, Rotunda grabs the hair. Right hand by Armstrong, shove-off again. Knee to
the ribs from Rotunda, Rotunda drops Armstrong on the top rope. Sullivan
smashes Armstrong into the guardrail. Rotunda distracts the referee, Sullivan
continues to attack Armstrong. Suplex from the apron into the ring from Rotunda,
delayed cover for two. Rotunda is not happy but it’s his own fault for
stalling, rear chin-lock from Rotunda. Rotunda works Armstrong with kicks to
the back, another chin-lock before Rotunda pulls the hair to get him into
position. Armstrong fight out before Rotunda lands The Write-Off! Elbow drop
from Rotunda for two, crowd wants Armstrong to capture the gold. Rotunda rakes
the eyes and lands a back-breaker for two.
Armstrong is tossed to the floor
again, Sullivan gets his attacks in behind the referee’s back. Sunset flip from
Armstrong for two, Tommy Young argues with Sullivan. Elbow and leg-drop from Rotunda,
Dr. Death Steve Williams is here at ringside for Armstrong. Crowd is going
bananas, small package for two. Rotunda slaps on the chin-lock again, fuck me
if he keeps going back to this I am going to cry. Armstrong shoves Rotunda to
the corner, rights and lefts. Rotunda whips Armstrong, airplane spin on
Armstrong. Cover for two, gut-wrench suplex for two. Small package by Rotunda
for two again, right hand floors Armstrong for two. Rotunda tries cradling
Armstrong with the ropes for leverage. Clothesline by Rotunda for two, Rotunda
tries getting the pins but he cannot pin Armstrong.
Rotunda continues to bore me inside of
that ring, the chin-lock master ladies and gentlemen. Moral victory my ass,
Rotunda has failed to impress me every time inside of that ring and having
watched The New Generation Era, things ae not going to get any better. Armstrong
is a great hand in that ring, can have exciting matches and make people look
good but a twenty-minute draw ain’t my cup of tea when it’s with Mike Rotunda.
Time-Limit Draw!
Nikita Koloff
& Dr. Death Steve Williams vs The Sheepherders W/ Rip Morgan
Well this is going to be snug I can
tell you that much, the makeshift babyface tag team might struggle against the
tag team veterans. Williams and Luke start, eye-rake from Luke. The
Sheepherders try to batter Williams who comes out swinging, Sheepherders don’t
want that fair fight against their opponents. Side headlock from Williams,
shoulder block floors Luke. Luke fights his way out with punches and a shoulder
block before Williams tackles everyone down. Butch and Koloff are going to
throw down now, maybe I am not sure as Koloff poses and scares The
Sheepherders. Eye rake from Butch, rights and lefts from Butch but Nikita
counters and slams both Sheepherders. Noggin-knockers, Butch regroups and goes
low, Nikita is double-teamed now. Nikita starts firing up on Luke, tag to
Williams.
Middle rope axe handle, arm-bar. Luke
uses the tights to shove off Williams but Williams clotheslines Luke and
suplexes Luke into the ring. Diving crossbody from Williams for two, tag to
Nikita who smashes the arm of Luke. Luke brawls back into it but Nikita works
the arm more and more, in comes Williams. Arm-drag into an arm-bar, tag to
Nikita. Arm-bar from Nikita, eye-rake from Luke. Nikita turns the tide and drops
down, dropkick and arm-drag from Nikita. Tag to Williams and whip to the
corner, Williams spears the corner shoulder-first as Luke dodges. Butch comes
in and clubs down Williams, Sheepherders beat down Williams who begins to shake
off the attacks. Butch lands a blow to the back of the head, Butch lands a knee
to the gut for two.
Butch smashes Luke with a knee by
mistake, in comes Nikita. Elbow from Nikita, ten punches in the corner. Rip
Morgan attacks Nikita behind the referee’s back, Luke lands a scoop slam and a
middle rope headbutt. Two for Luke, Butch chokes Nikita from the apron. Snap-mare
with a knee-drop, Butch cuts off Nikita who cannot make it to Williams. Double
clothesline by The Sheepherders, two for Butch. Nikita looks to fight back but
Luke chokes the life out of Nikita. Sleeper from Luke, Williams fires up the
crowd. Luke continues the attacks, Nikita ducks the clothesline and lands a right
hand to stop Luke. Morgan distracts Williams, Nikita goes to tag but nobody is
there. Luke lands a scoop slam on Nikita, top rope splash misses.
Nikita tags in Williams, rights and
lefts. Morgan is taking down too, military press slam is blocked as Butch
chop-blocks Williams. Tag to Nikita who lands The Russian Sickle and this match
is over!
So, Nikita gets worked over for an
eternity and makes the hot-tag to Williams who gets one chop-block and decides
fuck it let me tag in Nikita who has taken quite the ass-kicking and remarkably,
Nikita lands The Russian Sickle to end the match. What the fuck? Apart from
that, decent tag match that isn’t up to the high standards of Express, Fantastics
and Horsemen but until the ending it is quite fun.
Winners: Nikita
Koloff & Steve Williams over The Sheepherders via Russian Sickle!
Dusty Rhodes vs
Kevin Sullivan W/ Gary Hart
These two had a great feud in the early
80s but this is 1988 and they are feuding because who knows why? Sullivan is
tossed to the floor and brutalized by Rhodes, Gary Hart suffers too before they
step back into the ring. Elbows by Rhodes before Sullivans shakes off Rhodes.
Gary Hart stabs Rhodes with his show, there is no DQ so why be discreet? Sullivan
stabs Rhodes with an object and slaps on a sleeper. Low blow from Rhodes, Rhodes
floats and stings before knocking down Sullivan. Sullivan thumbs the eye, Gary
Hart is on the apron. Rhodes stabs Sullivan with the spike, Gary Hart decides
to fight. Rhodes stalks Gary Hart, Al Perez is here with a chain. Rhodes dives
on the chain and Sullivan collides with Perez before Rhodes small packages Gary
Hart for the win.
You thought I was making that up
right? Nope, Rhodes pinned Gary Hart to win. As if this card wasn’t already a
bizarre one, we have finishes like this.
Winner: Dusty
Rhodes over Kevin Sullivan via Small Package!
(Russian Chain
Match) Ivan Koloff W/ Paul Jones vs Ricky Morton
What is this match? Where did it come from?
Why? You have to touch all four corners to win so it is more like an Indian
Strap match. Where is Robert Gibson? Fired apparently, Koloff clubs down
Morton. Irish whip and a throat thrust, Morton is down. Ivan chokes Morton with
the chain. It’s plodding along nicely with Morton stopping Ivan from touching
the corners by going to the floor, using his quickness etc. Ivan kicks Morton
and chokes with the chain some more! Morton gets in some attacks before Ivan
lands a middle rope axe handle. Ivan climbs to the top, Morton yanks Ivan off
the top rope. Ivan chokes Morton on his back with the chain, Morton flips over
and lands a right hand. Snap-mare and whips with the chain, Morton is in serious
trouble. Ivan starts touching the corners, Ivan reaches 3 corners. Morton grabs
onto the leg of Ivan who falls to the mat.
Morton tees off with right hands,
right hand after right hand and a choke with the chain. Whips with the chains,
Ivan comes back before Morton lands more attacks. Boot by Ivan, Ivan decides to
come off the top rope and gets caught with the chain in the face. They struggle
and struggle before Morton finally touches the buckle. Paul Jones is irate at
Ivan Koloff, The Russian Assassin attacks Morton as Paul Jones berates Ivan
Koloff. Ivan smashes Paul Jones before The Assassins save Jones.
Awful match, nobody needed that to go
nine minutes, at least 8 minutes too long!
Winner: Ricky
Morton over Ivan Koloff!
(NWA United States
Championship Match) Barry Windham © W/ JJ Dillon vs Sting
I thought this would be a possible
match at Starrcade considering how both men were on the rise and the matches
would deliver but I am wrong on that one as here we have these two meeting in
the main event. Crowd has been hot all night, can they continue to be at this
level for the main event? Windham and Sting circle one another, Windham has no
time for Sting’s scream. Arm-drags by Sting, Windham is not happy. Windham is
in the face of Sting, lots of trash-talking. Clean break from Sting before
Windham lands a massive right, side headlock from the champion. Shoulder block,
drop-downs and leap-frogs from Sting before a shoulder block and a dropkick
from the challenger. Windham is on the floor, Windham tries again and ends up
on the floor again after two dropkicks.
Test of strength with Windham going
low with kicks and a right hand to the jaw, right hands from Windham. Sting
counters with an inverted atomic drop, Irish whip and a back body-drop. Windham
begs for mercy, they brawl on the floor after Sting misses an elbow. Windham
rakes the eyes, apron axe handle and scoop slam on the floor. Suplex into the
ring from Windham, Sting fires back but Windham rakes the eyes. Sunset flip
from Sting before Windham cracks him with his legs, knee to the face from Windham.
Irish whip and powerslam from Windham, knee-drop for two. Small package from
Sting for two, Windham goes back to take control. Windham misses a corner
splash, Sting sends Windham to the floor. Sting sends Windham into the
ring-post, Sting bites the head of the champion.
Back-rake from Sting, dropkick from
the challenger. Cover but the ropes save Windham, Irish whip and a sleeper from
Sting. Windham fights furiously to escape but Sting holds on, it takes a
shin-breaker to break the hold. Windham starts attacking the knee of Sting, Sting’s
leg is taken out multiple times. Windham stomps all over Sting, figure four
from Windham. Windham uses the ropes and Dillon for leverage, Windham isn’t happy
to break the hold after being caught by Tommy Young. Belly to back suplex from
Windham, right hands from Sting. Windham is rocked, Sting wants a suplex and it
connects but Sting’s leg gives away with Windham looking for The Claw. Looks more
like a titty twister with Windham not using the claw on the head of Sting.
Getting Indiana Jones’ vibes here with
Windham attempting to rip out the heart of Sting, Sting begins firing up. Windham
is sent to the floor, back body-drop and elbow drops from Sting. Hip-toss
across the ring, Irish whip is reversed by Windham who knocks down the referee
with a clothesline, Sting comes in and lands right hands. Whip to the buckle,
Stinger Splash and The Scorpion Death-lock! Dillon has a chair but Sting sees
that coming and knocks down Dillon, Windham has the chair and waffles Sting.
The famous football player declares Sting the winner by DQ with Dillon losing
his mind before John Ayers saves the day.
What a disappointing finish but hey,
that’s the company at the time. Windham and Sting have solid chemistry with one
another, Sting’s rise is certainly a fun watch with each and every match, the crowd
reaction continues growing but Luger is possible too, we don’t know what way
things are going to go but that finish is just so flat, I felt I have seen it
so much over the course of 1988. Sting needs a championship or something around
his waist to keep him hot, Windham needs that big match too. Maybe it could be
with one another but I need a definitive winner!
Winner: Sting
over Barry Windham via DQ!
That was WCW’s Clash of The Champions
III: Fall Brawl, a largely disappointing show from Jim Crockett Promotions, I
don’t know how to feel about the direction of the company at this point. So I
said earlier in the piece about The Horsemen, Ron Garvin etc. Well they are
either gone or in the process of leaving, pay disputes and bad booking have
seen a core member of roster members leave the company. The Powers of Pain and
Terry Taylor are in the WWF, seeing that they weren’t going to be booked well
and didn’t want to have to have Scaffold matches while a pay dispute will see
Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard leave three days after this event after
dropping the titles to The Midnight Express. The dusty-finishes are taking their
toll, I don’t know if I can stomach another card where either Luger, Sting or
Steve Williams don’t pull off the big win. How many more times can you make me
invest and put down my money without a pay-off? It feels like groundhog day and
I just don’t know if I can commit to that without losing my mind. 1988 is a
rough year for the promotion but we have 2 more shows to get through so let’s
see what they have in store. Final thought: not worth watching at the end of
the day, two matches on the card feel like placeholders because plans have
fallen apart, the opening match with Rotunda = No thanks Tom Hanks! And the
main event is fun if you can suffer through another non-finish but I think I am
losing my will to live here so not for me! Thanks for reading and remember:
there’s always another night!
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