WCW Clash of The Champions XV: Knocksville USA Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that continues to sing the praises of Inokism! It’s time for WCW Clash of The Champions XV: Knocksville USA! We have IWGP tag team championships on the line as The Steiners battle Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono, we also have a lot of debuts for me on the WCW card like The Diamond Studd and Stunning Steve Austin. The main event though is Bobby Eaton vs Ric Flair in a two out of three falls match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship!

 

The Fabulous Freebirds W/ DDP & Big Daddy Dink vs The Young Pistols & The Z-Man

Zenk and Garvin to start, clean break from the buckle. Side headlock from Zenk and shoulder block, Garvin takes the hip-toss and we have dropkicks and stereo diving crossbodies. Big Daddy Dink wants to talk strategy, Smothers and Hayes to reset the action. Boot and chops by Hayes Smothers leaps over the ropes and lands a slingshot kick on Hayes, Armstrong yanks Garvin off the top rope and Zenk lands a slingshot clothesline. Smothers eats a left-hand from Hayes and Badstreet clotheslines Smothers to the ground. Badstreet wipes out Zenk and Armstrong, Smothers is dropped throat-first onto the guardrail. We have a brawl in the ring with the babyfaces being sent to the floor, eye-rakes by the heels and they throw them out again. Triple slingshot sunset flip for the win.

 

Are these two destined to battle forever? That might be the most cheesy finish I have ever seen in my life, sure did get a pop from me though as I simply though there was no way this was going to happen inside of the ring.

 

Winners: Team Zenk over Team Hayes via Triple Sunset Flip!

 

Oz vs Johnny Rich

Oz takes Rich to the corner, big knees and hip-toss from Oz. Flying shoulder tackle by Oz, massive clothesline but Oz says no, Oz is going to torture Rich. Big boot from Oz, clubbing blow to the back of the head and neck. Sidewalk slam into the spinning toss for the win. SQUASH!

 

Winner: Oz over Johnny Rich via Spinning Toss Slam!

 

Dangerous Danny Spivey vs Big Josh

To the ropes and clubbing blows by both men, cheap-shot from Spivey. Spivey lands a corner clothesline, kicks and left hands before Big Josh takes down Spivey with right hands. Massive stomp, Japanese arm-drag from Spivey. Boot by Spivey, clothesline from Spivey. To the corner we go, whip to the opposite buckle but Big Josh dodges the splash and lands a belly to back suplex. Who is here? Kevin Sullivan is here. Big Josh runs the ropes and is cracked with a crutch, Spivey clothelines Josh and lands a German Suplex for the win. GARBAGE!

 

Winner: Dan Spivey over Big Josh via German Suplex!

 

Dustin Rhodes vs Terrence Taylor W/ Alexandra York

Rematch city, Taylor shoves Rhodes who fires up but the referee saves Taylor. Corner clothesline from Rhodes for two, Taylor slides to the floor. Inverted atomic drop and atomic drop by Rhodes, Rhodes misses a corner spear and rams his shoulder into the ring-post. Taylor assumes control and Rhodes meets the guardrail, suplex into the ring by Taylor. Knee-drop to the head for two, jaw-breaker from Taylor. Dr. Bomb by Taylor for a close two, Rhodes lands a sunset flip for two. Taylor wants the neck-breaker but Rhodes applies the backslide for two. Rhodes boots Taylor down, right hands from Rhodes. Bionic Elbow from Rhodes, ten punches from Rhodes. Running Bulldog on Taylor but Mr. Hughes is on the apron, Ricky Morton is in the ring and Ricky Morton is the newest member of The York Foundation. Big Josh makes the save for Rhodes, what a bizarre twist this has taken.

 

Taylor is an acceptable heel that I can get into as long as there is someone to hide behind, chicken-shit Taylor might be exciting for me. Ricky Morton being the new member is a shock because I cannot see it working nor do I know the worth of a Ricky Morton without a Robert Gibson. We shall see how Morton tries to make it work.

 

Winner: Dustin Rhodes over Terrence Taylor via DQ!

 

Sting vs Nikita Koloff

We really doing this already? Thought this would be a PPV match, Koloff smashes Sting early, elbows to the face and a scoop slam from Koloff. Irish whip and flying shoulder tackle from Koloff, Sting is sent into the guardrail from Koloff. Sting lands a big knee, piledriver but Koloff powers right back up and Sting is battered right back down to the mat. Koloff lands a tombstone piledriver in the middle of the ring, Sting survives barely. Kick after kick in the ribs, Sting is in a bad way. Irish whip and sunset flip from Sting but Koloff does not go down. Massive right stops Sting, Sting tries again and succeeds for two.

 

Back-breaker from Koloff, two for Koloff. Koloff kicks the ribs of Sting over and over again, Sting is putting over Koloff as an unstoppable force in this match. Koloff works the ribs with punches, Sting lands a massive punch though. Elbows from The Stinger, Koloff puts down Sting with a knee to the head. On the floor, Sting sends Koloff into the guardrail. Sting reverses Koloff and piledrives Koloff, kicks and chops from Sting. Whip to the buckle, Stinger Splash misses and Koloff wants the sickle. Sting ducks the sickle and schoolboys Koloff for the win.

 

One mistake and it cost Koloff the match, love the way that Koloff was put over here, absolutely dominant when wrestling inside of that ring. Sting survived this match, Koloff should be just fine heading into his match with Luger, little to no momentum lost here in my eyes. Thought they would have saved the match for a bigger show though, I suppose they can always revisit it though.

 

Winner: Sting over Nikita Koloff via Schoolboy!

 

(Loser Leaves Town Match) Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs Flyin’ Brian Pillman & El Gigante

Pillman and Anderson to start, chops from Pillman but Anderson lands a knee, backslide from Pillman for two. Scoop slam does not work for Anderson, Pillman stuns Anderson. In comes Windham, chops from Pillman. Irish whip reversal and spinning heel kick from Pillman for two, side headlock takedown from Windham who lands a big right to take control on Pillman. DDT from Windham for two, Anderson comes in and rakes the face of Pillman off the rope. Whip to the buckle and knee from Anderson, Anderson is dropkicked off the top rope onto the floor. Windham is not happy, springboard splash from Pillman. Gigante chokes Anderson, Windham tries to make the save. Powerslam by Pillman, Pillman and Gigante combine for a Diving Crossbody. Anderson makes the save with Gigante chasing Windham, powerslam by Pillman. Windham trips up Pillman who attempted a splash and a boot to the head for the win. Pillman must leave WCW.

 

Very quick match, liked a lot of what I saw and nice how they kept Gigante out of the match, shocked they cut away so fast considering it would be the end of Pillman’s time in WCW if the stipulation is to be believed but screw that right? Good stuff here, I imagine it would be even better if Pillman had Luger or Sting there.

 

Winners: Windham & Anderson over Gigante & Pillman via Boot to The Head!

 

(IWGP Tag Team Championship Match) The Steiner Brothers © vs Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono

Scott and Hase to start, Hase and Scott try to out-wrestle one another but Hase makes it to the ropes. Hase takes the leg, Scott rolls through and kicks Hase in the face. Scott takes the leg but Hase enzuigiris Scott to the floor, chops from Hase. Scott stun-guns Hase, two for Scott Steiner. Hook kick to the face from Hase, exploder like suplex from Scott. Rick Steiner is in, in comes Chono. Rick clubs Chono, Chono lands a massive Yakuza Kick to the head. Ick after kick to the head, Steinerline from Rick. Tag to Scott, tag to Rick for an elbow drop/powerbomb combination. Chono goes low on Rick, Hase comes into the match.

 

Rick German suplexes Hase, Hase reverses an Irish whip and slams Rick down with a beautiful slam. Chono climbs high, assisted flying shoulder block. Chono Samoan drops Rick while Hase lands a diving knee drop, Chono clamps on the STF. Scott Steiner suplexes Hase on the floor, Scott dives onto Chono to save his brother. Rick reverses the Irish whip and we have a double knock-down, Scott comes in with a Steinerline on Hase, tilt-a-whirl side-slam from Scott Steiner. Hase ducks on an Irish whip, Tiger-Driver from Scott. Belly to belly superplex as Chono makes the save, Hase slips out of the suplex for a Dragon suplex. Chono enzuigiris Rick Steiner, double clothesline on Scott. Rick trips up Chono while Scott lands the Frankensteiner on Hase for the win. Afterwards, Dick Murdoch and Dick Slate knock out Scott and destroy the arm of Rick.

 

Stiff stuff here, they beat the piss out of one another but some really good stuff in here, Hase and Mutoh would have some classics with The Steiners over the years and I just love how explosive Scott Steiner is inside of that ring, good to see new blood injected into the tag scene in WCW.

 

Winners: The Steiner Brothers over Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono via Frankensteiner!

 

The Diamond Studd vs Tommy Wildfire Rich

Studd jumps Rich, Rich fights back but Studd lands a knee and chokeslams Rich. Rich is bounced off the buckle hard, Studd kicks and sidewalk slams Rich. Studd tries a middle rope splash but Rich blocks with his kness. Studd is bounced off the buckle, Studd avoids a middle rope crossbody and lands his Diamond Death Drop! Game-over, impressive for The Diamond Studd.

 

Winner: The Diamond Studd over Tommy Rich via Diamond Death Drop!

 

(Number 1 Contender’s Match for WCW World Heavyweight Championship) The Great Muta vs Lex Luger

Unbelievable how they have such fond memories of Muta in WCW when his booking at times has been shocking at times, I can’t look past that Starrcade 1989 disaster and now, Luger vs Muta for the number one contender’s place. Muta tells Luger that he is going down, Luger shoves Muta to the corner. Lock-up, clean break from Luger. Arm-drag from Luger, side headlock from Luger. Shoulder block from Luger, chop from Muta has no effect. Muta misses a kick, belly to back suplex from Luger for two. Scoop slam and elbow drop misses, back body-drop from Muta. Military press slam by Luger, whip to the buckle but Muta dodges and lands his spinning sole butt. Handspring elbow but Luger dodges, Muta lands on the floor. Muta slides out of the suplex, Muta tries the mists but Luger uses his arm to dodge and lands a powerslam for the win.

 

Well Luger is your number one contender after beating the number two in less than 4 minutes, how could NJPW be happy with this kind of booking for one of their hottest prospects? They would collaborate for many years throughout the 90s but this would be a rocky start in my eyes but hey, that’s just me taking a look at it. Not much of a match, over before it gets going.

 

Winner: Lex Luger over The Great Muta via Powerslam!

 

Stunning Steve Austin vs Joey Maggs

Another new star in Stunning Steve Austin, Stunning Steve has some of the worst trunk choices in wrestling without a doubt. Two right-hands and a knee before we see a Stun-Gun for the win. SQUASH!

 

Winner: Steve Austin over Joey Maggs via Stun-Gun!

 

(Two out of Three Falls WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Ric Flair © vs Beautiful Bobby Eaton

Eaton dethroned Television Champion Arn Anderson with WCW looking to push Eaton as a serious contender in the company, we now see Flair defending his World Championship against Beautiful Bobby Eaton. To the buckle and clean break from Flair, slaps with Eaton winning that exchange. Shock across the face of Flair, how dare Eaton slap the champion! Lock-up into the side headlock, Flair drags Eaton to the corner for a chop. Right hand from Eaton and a shoulder block and elbow drop, Flair is clotheslined to the floor. Lock-up and forearms from Flair, chops in the corner. Right hand from Flair, Eaton fires back with his right hand that leads to a Flair flop. Whip to the buckle and a back body drop for two, Flair begs for mercy. Flair is in the corner, Eaton cuts off the ring. Stomp to the knee from Flair, hip-toss into a short-arm scissors from Eaton. Flair tries to roll around but Eaton continues to counter with excellent hold of the short-arm scissors. Flair makes it to the ropes but the damage is done, shots to the arm and a hammerlock from Eaton.

 

Drop toehold from Flair, chop but Eaton lands a massive right to deck Flair. Flair rolls to the floor and is on the run, Eaton is lured in and gets smacked in the head twice with a boot from the champion. Massive chop from Flair, Eaton is tossed into the ring-post. Stomps from Flair, massive chop from the champion. Snap-mare into the knee-drop, two for Flair. Double-arm suplex from Flair for two, Eaton and Flair are slugging it out with Eaton winning that exchange. Flair goes to the knee and elbows the head of Eaton, Flair climbs high but Eaton yanks Flair to the mat. Whip to the buckle, Flair flip to the apron and a right hand knocks Flair to the floor. Irish whip into the back-breaker from Eaton, Eaton lands his swinging neck-breaker. Scoop slam and Eaton climbs high, Alabama Jam and Eaton wins the first fall!

 

Flair and Eaton are exchanging right hands and chops, Eaton wins the exchange again before Flair goes low. Hip-toss is countered into a backslide by Eaton, two for Eaton. Flair tries a scoop slam but Eaton lands on top for a close two, another neck-breaker. Eaton climbs high, looking for the finish. Flair stops that so Eaton drills Flair with a right hand. Flair manages to shake the ropes and Eaton falls to the floor, twisting his knee. Flair wins the second fall by count-out as Eaton is unable to beat the ten-count!

 

We have the final fall and Eaton is clutching is knee, can the challenger continue? Eaton wants a superplex, Eaton drills Flair with a superplex. Flair screams about his neck, Eaton clutches his knee and is slow to cover. Two for Eaton, Flair applies the belly to back suplex and clamps on The Figure Four Leg-lock with ropes for leverage, referee Nick Patrick catches Flair using the ropes so the hold is broken. Flair tries again, small package by Eaton for two. Shoulder block to the knee from Flair, third time the charm from Flair as The Figure Four Leg-Lock is clamped onto Eaton. Flair manages to win with the use of ropes for leverage as Eaton could not rise his shoulders off the mat.

 

Good stuff here, Eaton looks like a star in there with The Nature Boy. Eaton has slimmed down and cut the mullet to a degree, Eaton looks more serious and the fans want to be behind Eaton. They do not have much time in this match but boy do they make it interesting, Eaton’s right-hand has become such a serious part of his matches. Eaton can throw that right and garner big reactions every time, love to see Eaton scoring the fall over Flair. The neck-breaker into The Alabama Jam is perfect every time. Flair is Flair, you get the begging for mercy, the leg-work and all the flips and flops, crowd loves it and they get behind the babyface and these two take the fans on a ride which they are loving every second of it. Would have been nicer to have more time, I think Eaton could have come out even better in this but a good main event when all was finished.

 

Winner: Ric Flair over Beautiful Bobby Eaton via Figure Four Leg-Lock!

 

That was WCW’s Clash of The Champions XV: Knocksville USA, an above average Clash in my opinion, you have a very good main event here between Eaton and Flair and the match/angle between Nikita Koloff and Sting is really good stuff. Of course, you have your squash matches and your nothing matches here summed up perfectly by Brian Pillman having to leave WCW and a quick cutaway because that cannot be a sad/emotional moment at all. The Steiners vs Hase/Chono is a fun little stiff contest too so more good than bad here which is more than I can say for a lot of the Clashes I had to sit through recently. A Thumbs up for this show, nothing to particularly seek out unless you are a big fan of Beautiful Bobby! Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!