Hello and welcome to another edition
of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the
internet that kills the good times quicker than a HHH promo! It’s time for WCW
Clash of The Champions XVIII: Tag Team Action! All about big tag team matches
as we have The Dangerous Alliance taking on the likes of Sting, Ricky The Dragon
Steamboat, Barry Windham and Ron Simmons. Some fun tag team matches in there
that I cannot wait to see while there are some new gimmicks and you know what,
this might not be a bad Clash so let’s see!
The Steiner
Brothers vs Mr. Hughes & Vader W/ Harley Race
Scott Steiner is back in the ring, Scott
takes down Hughes twice with wrestling before Hughes lands a massive right hand
and a headbutt. Side headlock by Hughes, shoulder block before Scott leapfrogs
and belly to belly suplexes Hughes. Hughes is irate, Hughes backs Scott to the
corner and the heels get some heat by roughing up Scott Steiner before tossing
them to the floor. Steiners fire back with diving Steinerlines and the heels
are on the floor again. We reset with Vader and Rick Steiner, side headlock
from Rick but Vader belly to back suplexes Rick hard. Suplex from Vader, Vader
hammers all around. Military press slam from Vader, whip to the buckle. Corner
splash from Vader, Rick is whipped to the opposite buckle and Rick explodes out
with a Steinerline, belly to belly suplex and a Steinerline to the floor.
Rick dives onto Vader but Vader sends
Rick Steiner into the ring-post, massive clothesline from Vader. Vader climbs
high, Scott shakes the ropes and up comes Rick. Belly to belly superplex from
the top rope, Rick crawls and tags in Scott. Clothesline from Scott for two,
Scott wants a German suplex. Vader grabs the ropes but Rick clobbers Vader and
Scott lands the German suplex. Scott goes high, diving crossbody is countered by
Vader with a powerslam. Scott ducks a clothesline and tries a sunset flip but
Vader sits down and crushes the ribs of Scott. In comes Hughes, powerslam from
Hughes for two. Hughes misses a corner clothesline, Scott scrambles to the
corner and tags in Rick.
Hip-toss from Rick, back body-drop
from Rick. Right hands from Rick, Vader and Scott come in now, we have a
pier-six brawl. Rick is sent to the floor, Vader clotheslines Hughes by mistake
and Rick decks Harley Race. Scott and Vader brawl on the floor while Rick
Steiner lands his Diving Bulldog on Hughes for the win.
This was better than it had any right
to be, these four just beat the piss out of one another and I am a sucker for
hard-hitting matches and this is just perfect for that, Rick and Scott will
suplex you whether you want to or not while Vader and Hughes can throw down
when necessary. Finish looks great too, very fun opening tag team match.
Winners: The
Steiner Brothers over Vader & Mr. Hughes via Diving Bulldog!
Young Pistol
Tracy Smothers & The Taylor-Made Man vs Flyin’ Brian Pillman and Marcus
Bagwell
Well this seems like a mish-mash of
things here, we have Tracy Smothers without Armstrong and Terry Taylor is under
another gimmick no longer Terrence Taylor while Pillman is teaming with rookie
Bagwell. Pillman and Taylor to start, slap and chops by Taylor before Pillman
fires back with a corner head-scissors and an atomic drop, Taylor is bounced
between the two babyfaces and Smothers is chopped too for good measure. Side
headlock from Pillman, leapfrogs before Taylor lands a back-breaker for two. Jaw-breaker
from Taylor, fist to the face from Taylor. Tilt-a-whirl head-scissors by
Pillman for two, Bagwell comes in and lands dropkicks and hip-tosses,
noggin-knocker and double dropkicks by Team Pillman.
Stereo planchas from Team Pillman, Bagwell
gets caught going after Taylor, Smothers lands a dropkick and a flying elbow.
Short-arm clothesline for two, tag to Taylor. Corner clothesline by Taylor,
snap-over neck-breaker for two. Tag to Smothers who lands a sling-shot knee.
Scoop slam into a splash which does not connect, Bagwell blocks with the knees
and tags in Pillman. Back body drop to Smothers, dropkick to Taylor. Spinning
heel kick to Smothers, Taylor breaks it up. Pillman is attacked by Team Taylor,
Smothers and Taylor rough up Pillman before Taylor suplexes Pillman to the
floor. Diving axe handle from the apron by Smothers and Pillman is tossed back
into the ring. Two for Smothers, Pillman is backed into the corner.
Taylor lands another fist to the face,
Taylor lands that Dr. Bomb for two. Taylor punishes Pillman with rights in the
corner. Smothers batters Pillman before elbowing Pillman off the apron into the
guardrail. Smothers winds up Bagwell but gets knocked down with Air Pillman,
tag to Bagwell. Right hands from Bagwell, back body drop to Smothers. Taylor
sends Pillman to the floor, Bagwell wants a sunset flip on Smothers, Taylor
holds onto Smothers arm before Pillman dropkicks Taylor into Smothers and
Bagwell scores the win with the sunset flip.
Very fun tag team match, Pillman
continues to be so exciting inside of that ring, a ball of energy and the
perfect Ace for that Light Heavyweight Division while Bagwell is holding his
own in there when working with the right partner. Taylor and Smothers do a
great job making the babyfaces look like stars, Taylor is growing on me but his
gimmicks are so cheesy it is unbelievable at times, truly a site to behold at
times. But another really good match, this Clash is doing well!
Winners: Team
Pillman over Team Taylor via Sunset Flip!
Johnny B. Badd vs
Richard Morton
The prettiest man in WCW vs the miscast
heel Richard Morton, side headlocks do not work for Badd as Morton pulls Badd
down by the hair, Morton backs to the corner not wanting to engage in a
straight-up slug-fest. Knee by Morton, Badd blocks the buckle and bounces
Morton off the buckle, diving axe handle by Badd. Right hand and kicks by
Morton, Badd is tossed to the floor. Badd comes back in with a schoolboy for
two, clothesline by Morton for two. Inverted atomic drop by Morton, Badd is
tossed to the floor once more. Badd jumps in from the apron for a slingshot
sunset flip for two, suplex by Morton for two. Morton tries to box with Badd,
does not work as Badd comes in and we have a tremendously shit finish as Morton
tries a crossbody but Badd rolls through for the win.
That finish was atrocious but the
right call here, I have been asking for Morton to move on from the company for
a while now, they are finally jobbing him out in convincing fashion, I have all
the respect in the world for Morton and his body work but his York Foundation heel
work is just such a bad call.
Winner: Johnny B.
Badd over Richard Morton via Crossbody!
DDP vs PN News
DDP is no longer just the manager of
The Studd or The Freebirds, right hands and side headlock by DDP. Criss-cross, ass
attack by News and a dropkick. News whips DDP to the buckle, corner splash.
Roll attacks from News, DDP is yanked out of the corner by his feet. News
misses an elbow and corner splash, DDP lands a clothesline and elbows drops of
his own. Russian leg-sweep for two, DDP tries a slam and News squishes DDP for
two. DDP lands a slingshot crossbody for two, clubbing blows by DDP. News whips
DDP to the buckle, belly to belly suplex and you know what is next, Diving Top
Rope Splash for the win.
Another squash but fine all the same,
DDP was not lighting the world on fire in his transition to a manager, DDP is a
rookie and gets what he deserves in this match, that splash must be a nightmare
to take.
Winner: PN News
over DDP via Rap-Master Splash!
(Falls Count
Anywhere Match) Cactus Jack vs Van Hammer
I find it a little odd that Cactus was
able to attack Sting in a very interesting angle and the be stuck with Van
Hammer for the next several months, does not seem like a natural progression in
my eyes but hey Cactus is getting recognition and a chance this time around,
Hammer rocks his way to the ring and I am not sure Hammer is too concerned by a
Falls Count Anywhere match with Cactus Jack. Cactus says fuck this we will
fight on the ramp and Hammer blinds Cactus with something from his guitar,
diving crossbody for two. Diving clothesline to the back of the head and leg
drop for two, Hammer is flying again but Cactus counters with a clothesline
this time.
Cactus Jack clothesline to the floor,
Hammer is slammed face-first onto the concrete. Diving sunset flip to the floor
by Cactus, why? Looks brutal, Hammer fights back and sends Cactus to the
barricade. Eye-rake by Cactus, they are on the ramp, jaw-breaker counter by
Hammer. Powerslam on the ramp for two, they brawl up the ramp. Small package by
Hammer for two, Cactus lands a clothesline. Cactus wants a hip-toss to the
floor, Hammer sends Cactus to the floor with a hip-toss. Diving clothesline off
the ramp by Hammer for two, Cactus and Hammer brawl to the back, Cactus is
smacking Hammer with construction equipment. Cactus chokes Hammer on hay, Hammer
chokes Cactus with a rope.
Cactus is in a holding pen, Hammer
continues choking the life out of the deranged Cactus. Abdullah is here in
cowboy attire, Hammer is cracked with a massive shovel over the head and Cactus
picks up the win.
Different, Hammer continues to come up
on the short-end of his battles with Cactus Jack. I see Abdullah and Cactus
continues to have problems, their segment ends with Missy Hyatt being thrown
into the water trough. Not sure why that happened but we like to look at Missy
right? Anyways, this was not that bad.
Winner: Cactus
Jack over Hammer via Shovel To The Head!
The Fabulous
Freebirds vs Brad Armstrong & Big Josh
No more Badstreet, Armstrong and Hayes
trade some nice wrestling before Garvin comes in and lands a diving crossbody,
Big Josh comes in with a scoop slam and a log-roll before Hayes eats a log-roll
too. Sunset flip from Hayes, two for Hayes while Big Josh goes into an arm-drag
into the arm-bar. Garvin is back in the ring, Josh clubs the shit out of Garvin
before Garvin lands a kick. The duo bang heads off an Irish whip, in comes Armstrong.
Back body-drop and dropkicks to both Freebirds, noggin-knocker is stopped and
Armstrong is dumped to the ramp. Big Josh lands a double clothesline, Armstrong
wants a suplex but Garvin boots Armstrong and we have a Double DDT for the win.
The Freebirds look fed-up and rough, maybe it’s time to pack it in?
Winners: The
Freebirds over Team Armstrong via Double DDT!
Vinnie Vegas vs
Thomas Rich
Thomas Rich is still here like Richard
Morton but here comes Oz, Master Blaster man Vinnie Vegas. Nash sells the shit
out of this by walking around like an absolute douchebag. How many gimmicks has
this been? Vegas knees and lands a face-buster on Rich, middle rope choke from
Vegas. Short-arm clothesline from Vegas, Snake Eyes from Vegas for the win.
Winner: Vinnie
Vegas over Thomas Rich via Snake Eyes!
Barry
Windham/Dustin Rhodes/Ron Simmons vs The Dangerous Alliance (Larry Zbyszko/Arn
Anderson/Bobby Eaton)
This is going to be a fun one, look at
the workers in this match. Eaton, Anderson, Windham and explosive talent like
Rhodes and Simmons? Sweet Jesus I am excited, Windham and Eaton to start.
Neck-breaker from Eaton, Eaton wants a superplex. Eaton connects but Windham
fires up, flying clothesline from Windham. Make it double, Windham wants the
superplex. We have a breakdown of the match as Anderson comes in to break up
the pin-fall, triple figure-four spot! Simmons and Zbyszko are in now, Anderson
comes in for the double team but Simmons counters with a Japanese arm-drag,
help from Rhodes and Windham with elbows and a double clothesline. Eaton dives
into a bearhug, Anderson helps Eaton but gets caught with a military press
slam.
Wristlock from Simmons, tag to Rhodes
who kicks the arm hard. Rhodes spits on Eaton, eye-rake from Eaton. Massive
rights from the best right-hand, Rhodes fires back at Eaton and tosses Eaton to
the floor. Diving clothesline to the ramp, tag to Zbyszko. Windham comes in
too, clubbing blows from Windham. Zbyszko avoids the lariat, Zbyszko wants a
piledriver but Windham back-drops Zbyszko who rolls to the apron. Eaton is on
the top rope, Windham dropkicks Eaton to the floor. Anderson comes in, face-buster
for Anderson. Zbyszko dodges Windham but Rhodes is blind-tagged into the match.
Zbyszko gets rocked before dodging a diving crossbody, Rhodes lands on the
floor. Dangerously nails Rhodes with his telephone, Windham is furious!
Neck-breaker by Zbyszko, tag to
Anderson. Spinebuster from Anderson for two, Anderson lands his DDT and plants
Rhodes. 1…2… Rhodes kicks out! Tag to Eaton, Eaton lands a scoop slam. Diving
elbow drop from Eaton, slap from Eaton for two. Eaton sends Rhodes to the
buckle, Eaton misses the monkey flip and is down. Tag to Anderson who prevents
the tag, scoop slam from Anderson. Anderson misses a middle rope attack as
Rhodes blocks with his boot. Rhodes tags in Windham, diving clothesline from
Windham. Flying clothesline for two, back-body drop but in comes Zbyszko.
Anderson knees Windham who was
preparing to run the ropes, the match breaks down once more but Eaton is
looking for a diving axe handle but Windham uses that massive cast and knocks
the stuffing out of Beautiful Bobby and we have winners, the babyfaces walk
away with the win.
Fantastic six-man tag match, Windham
is on fire in this one. Love me this feud, The Dangerous Alliance taking on the
top babyfaces is looking like such a great angle, love Eaton and Anderson and
Zbyszko was tremendous too. Surprised that Simmons was involved so little in
this one but hats off to everyone involved, I could watch these six kick all
sort of ass every night of the week, so many great combinations, so many great potential
match-ups and I am thrilled to be covering it all.
Winners: Team Windham
over Team Dangerous Alliance via Cast To The Head!
Sting & Ricky
Steamboat vs Rick Rude & Stunning Steve Austin
If you thought that was good, I can
only imagine how much Rude and Austin are going to do in this match. Steamboat
and Austin to start out, we have a clean break from Austin. Lock-up and side
headlock by Steamboat, Austin says that Steamboat pulled the hair. Austin sends
Steamboat to the buckle, right hands by Austin. Steamboat begins to chop back
and Austin is rocked, throat thrusts and Austin scrambles to the apron. Side headlock
by Steamboat, Austin tries a hip-toss but Steamboat counters with a backslide,
series of pins by Steamboat for two. Austin lands a right hand, leapfrog by
Steamboat who lands chops and has the two heels down. Rude looks massively
frustrated, side headlock by Austin and a tag to Rude. Rude talks massive trash
to the face of Sting and slaps The Stinger.
Sting comes in and Rude backs off, Rude
talks strategy with his team. Rude is backing off, knee from Rude. Throat
thrust and right hands, Irish whip but Sting reverses and lands an atomic drop
and an inverted atomic drop before a clothesline on Rude. Make it two and a
right hand on Austin, back-rakes from Sting. Whip to the buckle, Rude eats a
gut-wrench and gets locked in the camel clutch. Steamboat comes in and locks in
the camel clutch, Sting and Steamboat continue swapping places with Rude in the
camel clutch before Rude counters with the knees and Sting is down. Rude lands
a massive knee and in comes Austin, Austin works the back.
Sting blocks the buckle, Austin meets
the buckle. Austin lands a knee to the ribs, elbow from Austin for two. Tag to
Rude, Rude clamps on a front chancery. Steamboat is close to receiving the tag,
Rude decks Steamboat and Sting for a two count. Tag to Austin, belly to back
suplex on Sting. Sting counters with a sunset flip, Austin misses the right
hand and Steamboat comes in with right hands and chops. Noggin-knocker and shoulder
block to Austin for two, forearm to the spine and a victory roll but
Dangerously has Sting distracted so Rude can nail Steamboat in the back of the
head. Elbow to the back of the head and elbow to the face from Austin, Rude
comes in and scoop slams Steamboat.
Tag to Austin, Steamboat fires back
with chops. Irish whip but Austin blocks the O’Connor roll but Steamboat has
the small package for two, the match breaks down. Austin lands a back-breaker
on Steamboat, Rude is with the referee. Sting pulls Austin to the ramp, Austin
throws Sting to the guardrail. Austin lands another back-breaker on Steamboat
but Sting lands a diving shoulder block, knocking Steamboat on top of Austin
for the win. Austin and Rude continue to attack the babyfaces, Rude lands The
Rude Awakening multiple times on Steamboat while Austin continues to keep Sting
out of the ring. Rude whips Steamboat, Sting dives on top of Steamboat to
protect him, Austin and Dangerously keep away the referees and security. Despicable
actions from The Dangerous Alliance!
Fantastic match here, Rude and Austin
are great here as is Steamboat, the crowd is loving this match and I am too,
great in-ring work from everyone, everyone is in the right place at the right
time, great pacing and a hot finish too with the heels getting their heat back,
The Dangerous Alliance continue to look dominant and I am just all in when it
comes to this angle. Curious about Luger’s non-involvement here, it is like WCW
is preparing for life without Luger with everything going forward. Timeline
wise, I imagine that makes sense considering Luger will do the body-building
thing before joining the WWF but is this really going to be it following
Superbrawl?
Winners: Sting
& Ricky Steamboat over Rick Rude & Stunning Steve Austin via Assisted
Diving Shoulder Block!
That was WCW’s Clash of The Champions
XVIII: Tag Team Action and this is a good Clash compared to so many of the abysmal
ones that I have seen recently, the card is starting to round out in terms of
talent especially when you have The Dangerous Alliance holding three
championships which means we can have at least 3 matches on the PPV consisting
of Austin, Rude and Anderson/Eaton, that’s going to be a good day at the office.
On top of that, we have a white-hot Windham and Sting, a returning Steamboat
and young hungry babyfaces in Rhodes and Simmons who can learn from their
matches with The Dangerous Alliance. WCW seems to be shifting away from the
talent who should be long gone like Rich and Morton and we are going to more
focus on Pillman, Badd and Cactus so there are a lot of positives for WCW heading
into 1992, I am optimistic for the company for the first time in a long time,
thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!
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