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!
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