WCW World War 3 1995 Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that is more untrustworthy than a Twitter account without a blue checkmark! It’s time for WCW World War 3! Sixty men inside of three rings competing for the honour of being WCW World Heavyweight Champion! Randy Savage will also go up against Lex Luger and Sting will get his hands on Ric Flair, a lot of big matches here on this night, this could be a very good night for WCW but it all depends on how the rest of this card plays out, let’ see how WCW does on this night!

 

(WCW World Television Championship Match) DDP W/ The Diamond Doll vs Johnny B. Badd ©

DDP has brought out some horrible gear for this big match, DDP has also stolen Badd’s blaster on this night. Great entrance from Badd, fantastic ring gear too. DDP is in tremendous shape though which is good for him considering how bad his physique looked at times in his singlet. They are fighting for the championship and also the services of The Diamond Doll. DDP shoves Badd to the corner, slap from DDP and they brawl and roll to the floor. Right hand by Badd, DDP pokes the eye and grabs a headlock before Badd sends DDP into the ring-post. Elbow from DDP, Badd lands a crossbody with DDP rolling through for two. Shoulder block by DDP, Badd leapfrogs and lands a Samoan drop for two. Side headlock takedown from Badd, DDP is back on his feet and rolls-up Badd for two.

 

Top wristlock exchange with DDP using the hair to gain advantage, Badd rolls through and works the arm before DDP pulls the hair and locks back on an arm-bar. DDP has the arm-bar and drops his weight on the arm, Badd rolls through again but DDP uses the hair again. Badd returns the favour, DDP tries a clothesline and lands on the floor. Badd calls for a big move, plancha from Badd. DDP is on his knees begging for mercy, DDP hides behind Diamond Doll and throws Diamond Doll into Badd. DDP lands a right hand, Badd is tossed into the guardrail. DDP steps on the hand of Badd,  Badd is whipped to the buckle sternum first. Belly to back suplex by DDP, DDP begins to stomp the leg. Tilt-a-whirl pancake from DDP, DDP gloats at his greatness. Diamond Doll doesn’t have the numbers, no ten for DDP. DDP is irate, clothesline from the challenger for two. DDP lands a massive spear in the corner, DDP wants a ten but the Diamond Doll says no. DDP whips Badd to the opposite buckle, DDP charges for the spear and Badd dodges! DDP hurts his shoulder bad, DDP misses a kick and lands on his neck.

 

DDP lands a right hand to shake off Badd, DDP lowers his head on an Irish whip and Badd connects with a massive boot to the head. Badd kicks away DDP, inverted atomic drop. Left jabs and a clothesline by Badd, Badd is all fired up now. Diamond Doll gives Badd a ten! Badd nails a massive sit-out powerbomb for two! DDP is whipped to the buckle but hits an elbow, cover with the ropes for leverage for two. Sidewalk slam by DDP, head-scissors by Badd. Badd Mood misses as DDP uses his knees to block, DDP is calling for a Diamond Cutter. DDP’s unique gut-buster connects for a close two, DDP tries again but Badd reverses and looks for a German but DDP lands a massive elbow to rock Badd. Tombstone time, Badd reverses and spikes DDP with the tombstone for two.

 

Badd lands a massive left, DDP is on the floor. Bad Mood connects, Badd is feeling it now. DDP is tossed in the ring, Badd lands the slingshot leg drop for the win! Simple as that, Diamond Doll now belongs to Badd. She cannot believe that it is over. Diamond Doll is free!

 

Thought the finish was a little came out of nowhere but I love how these two work with one another and the simplicity of the gimmick is just great, Diamond Doll raising the ten card for Badd gets a huge reaction it is just good old wrestling fun there. DDP has lost everything now, interesting to see how DDP comes back from this loss.

 

Winner: Johnny B. Badd over DDP via Slingshot Leg-Drop!

 

 (Taped-Fist Match) Big Bubba Rogers vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Duggan jumps Rogers from behind and pummels him on the floor, Bubba has fallen far from his feuds with Sting. Bubba suckers in Duggan with a big right, Duggan ducks a right hand and lands a clothesline. Make it two, Duggan clotheslines Bubba to the floor. Duggan bumps Bubba into one of the other rings, Bubba has his head stuck between the ring-posts. Bubba is walloped to the floor with a right hand, Bubba catches Duggan and nails him with a right hand. Bubba begins working the ribs of Duggan, Bubba punches Duggan in the head again and again. Bubba chokes Duggan with his boot, Bubba runs around the ring and lands another shot to the ribs. Duggan begins to battle back though, enzuigiri by Bubba.

 

Bubba begins to re-wrap his knuckles for more venom on those punches, Duggan has his ribs cracked by Bubba. Duggan manages to shoulder block Bubba to the floor, Bubba is staggering around the floor. Bubba suckers in Duggan and lands a massive shot to the ribs. Bubba tapes up Duggan to the ropes, Duggan cannot break free as Bubba lands shot after shot. Duggan punches Bubba right between the eyes, the referee is helping Duggan break free. Duggan back-drops Bubba to the floor, Bubba hits the ring apron hard. Duggan lands a scoop slam in the ring, Three-Point Stance Clothesline. Wallstreet is here, Duggan smashes Wallstreet with his 2X4 but Bubba has a chain or brass-knuckles and Duggan has been cracked. Big Bubba is on his feet while Duggan cannot make the count, Big Bubba has stole this one!

 

I do have a soft spot for big wrestlers lumbering around and beating the piss out of one another but even I have to admit it was quite dull, these two feuding would be fine about 7 years earlier but in 1995, I am not sure who was clamouring to see these two wrestle. However, these two put on a solid slugfest and the finish leaves it open to another match.

 

Winner: Big Bubba Rogers over Jim Duggan via Knock-out!

 

Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki vs Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuto

This should be good, I wonder what Schiavone and Heenan will say but they bring out Mike Tenay so I assume all will be fine. Nakano’s hairstyle is tremendous, lots of volume there. We have a bit of inter-promotional warfare here as we have two companies going at it on this night. Nakano and Hokuto jump Suzuki and Ozaki. Ozaki and Nakano to start off, Nakano tosses Ozaki by her hair. Nakano does it twice, Nakano tags in Hokuto. Elbow to the shoulder and a hair toss from Hokuto, Hokuto stretches Ozaki in front of Suzuki. Nakano bites the arm of Ozaki, Nakano is now legal and does the same thing. Suzuki is dying to get into the ring, Nakano is too powerful for Suzuki & Ozaki. Throat toss from Nakano, Hokuto helps with a neck-breaker but Suzuki makes the save. Ozaki fights and fights, Nakano lands a clothesline.

 

Hokuto uses the top rope to choke Ozaki, Irish whip and Ozaki lands a springboard clothesline and DDT, in comes Suzuki. Dropkick by Suzuki for two, single leg Boston crab by Suzuki. Ozaki has a Boston crab on Nakano, duel submissions and the crowd goes nuts. Suzuki stomps Hokuto again and again, Ozaki and Suzuki drop all their weight on the leg of Hokuto. Single leg Boston crab by Suzuki, Nakano breaks it up allowing Hokuto to tag Nakano. Nakano dodges a dropkick as Suzuki nails Ozaki by mistake. Powerbomb by Nakano, Nakano misses a giant moonsault. Ozaki with a double stomp, Suzuki does it too. They do it four times in total, two on Nakano. Nakano suplexes both women, tag to Hokuto who misses a crossbody. Hokuto is in the corner, double superplex but nope, Nakano stops that and a double crossbody connects.

 

Double Irish whip, double hurricanrana for two. Suzuki & Ozaki are on the top rope, double diving clotheslines for two. Ozaki is in the ring, dragon suplex on Hokuto for two. Ozaki gets planted with a German by Hokuto, Nakano lands a vicious lariat for two as Suzuki makes the save. Nakano misses a clothesline but Hokuto lands a double dropkick before Hokuto dives onto Ozaki & Suzuki on the floor with a senton. Nakano has Ozaki in the ring, doomsday device by Nakano & Hokuto but Suzuki makes the save. Hokoto lands the scoop slam, Nakano lands her Guillotine Leg Drop for the win.

 

Great showcase for the women involved, it’s a shame that WCW could never get the division firing on all cylinders because the amount of talent that had access to was ridiculous. Anyways, the quality of this match blows away anything else on the card I am sure and all these women are fantastic.

 

Winners: Akira Hokuto & Bull Nakano via Diving Guillotine Leg Drop!

 

(WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Match) Kensuke Sasaki © W/ Sonny Onoo vs Chris Benoit

Benoit had been in WCW before in late 1992 and early 1993 feuding with 2 Cold Scorpio before going on to dominate the NJPW junior division as Wild Pegasus and terrorizing your ECW favourites as part of the Triple Threat with Dean Malenko and Shane Douglas. Benoit is now in WCW as a member of The Four Horsemen and this is a big test against the protégé of Riki Choshu. Sasaki was starting to really put things together in NJPW but obviously, Sasaki could not match charisma with Hashimoto, Chono or Mutoh at this time but being US Champ is not a bad thing.

 

Lock-up with Benoit chopping Sasaki, stomps and kicks to the head. Benoit is going to bring the pain in this one. Sasaki chops back at Benoit, kick to the head. Sasaki has returned the favour, drop toehold by Benoit who works the arm in a hammerlock. Front chancery from Benoit, Sasaki tosses Benoit over his head. Benoit goes for the test of strength, not the wisest choice but both men test one another. Sasaki has the power advantage, hammerlock takedown from The Crippler. Sasaki easily scoops up Benoit and slams him into oblivion for two, reverse chin-lock from the champion. Shoulder block by Sasaki, Benoit uses his speed to confuse Sasaki before Sasaki picks up Benoit for a military press slam. Benoit avoids the Boston crab, Sasaki is on the floor. Suicide dive by Benoit, snap suplex by Benoit for two.

 

Benoit slips out of a suplex and lands three German suplexes before Sasaki counters with a vicious lariat. Benoit counters a tombstone and spikes Sasaki, Benoit is climbing high and lands a vicious diving headbutt. 1…2.. Sasaki manages to power out! Benoit is on his feet, diving hurricanrana for two. Sasaki counters a kick with a massive powerbomb and then Sasaki goes for his signature submission hold but Benoit hangs on before Sasaki lariats the shite out of Benoit and lands his Northern Lights Bomb for the win!

 

Solid match, Sasaki without a beard and that hairstyle is ridiculous but he is a big meaty bastard and Benoit is all too happy to trade stiff bombs with him and they beat the piss out of one another before Sasaki puts away Benoit with a beautiful Northern Lights Bomb, very solid hard-hitting match but obviously the mix of NJPW talent is going to lift the match quality especially when Benoit is quite familiar with that style.

 

 

Winner: Kensuke Sasaki over Chris Benoit via Northern Lights Bomb!

 

Macho Man Randy Savage vs Lex Luger W/ Jimmy Hart

Randy Savage defeated Luger at the prior pay per view thanks to Jimmy Hart. However, in the main event Luger would turn his back on Savage & Hogan and apply The Torture Rack to both men! Savage looks for a measure of revenge tonight against The Total Package. Savage goes right after Luger, Luger is bounced off the buckles and sent into the ropes, choking galore from Savage. Savage sends Luger to the buckle, right hand in the corner. Luger blocks Savage with a boot but is smashed with a clothesline, Savage pulls Luger to the middle of the ring and applies the Boston crab. On the floor, both men brawl before Savage is sent into the guardrail and Luger cripples Savage with a long Torture Rack. Arguably the longest rack I have ever seen, Luger slaps on an arm-bar on the injured and taped arm, Savage was already unconscious from the rack. Luger wins and Sting makes Luger release the hold.

 

These two have had two matches now and both have been more angles than anything else, Savage sells the shit out of that Rack. Luger has been put over strong here taking out Savage while we have the intrigue of Sting vs Luger and what’s going on between those two. What could it be? We will have to wait and see!

 

Winner: Lex Luger over Randy Savage via TKO!

 

Sting vs Ric Flair

Flair wanted Sting as his partner, Sting refused before eventually trusting Flair. This was a bad move by Sting as Flair would double-cross The Stinger and The Four Horsemen were reunited. The history between the two goes back to 1988, arguably the feud that everyone thinks of when they think of WCW. They have been kept apart, only being occasional partners in 1993 so this should be a great match and it’s not worn out or overplayed.

 

Flair and Sting talk trash to one another, Sting stares down Flair. Sting lands a massive right, Flair is in ring two and begins strutting begging Sting to come over to ring two. Flair is drilled again, gorilla press slam and Flair screams out in pain. Eye-poke by Flair, right hand to the jaw. Vicious chop from Flair, make it two. Sting is whipped to the buckle and explodes out with a clothesline, ten punches to the head of Flair. Massive hip-toss and a dropkick, Flair rolls all the way to ring three. Colonel Parker is here with Sister Sherri, what is going on here? Flair chops Sting but Stinger is unfazed, right hands by Sting. Flair has been knocked down, Flair has been clotheslined to the floor. Flair is taking a walk, we have a test of strength tease with Flair attacking Sting with a shoulder block and pulling the hair but Sting breezes past all that offense and Flair is slammed again.

 

Flair lures in Sting to ring one, Sting misses a Stinger Splash onto the guardrail. Nick Patrick stops Flair using the chair, Flair chops and rakes the eyes of Sting. Sting is dazed on the floor, Sting grabs Flair by the throat but Flair uses a low-blow. Not sure how the referee has missed that but Flair talks his way out of this one, Flair whips Sting hard against the buckle. Flair delivers a massive knee-drop to the head of Sting, Flair stalks Sting and works the hamstring and calves. Sting is hobbling it now, another shot to the leg floors Stinger. Flair tosses Sting over the top rope, Flair rakes Sting’s face across the ring apron. Chop block from Flair, Flair rakes the face of Sting. Belly to back suplex and now, it’s time to go to school. Figure Four Leg-Lock from Flair, Flair slaps and strikes the knee of Sting but Sting is firing up and begins to turn with the pressure being applied to Flair. Flair has to let go, Flair is limping now.

 

Sting avoids a hip-toss, looking for a backslide for two. Flair is irate and shoves the referee, the referee shoves down Flair. The chops do not work on Sting, Flair is changing ring again. Military press slam and clotheslines from Sting, eye-poke by Flair. Flair climbs high, Sting yanks Flair off the top rope. Flair flip into apron clothesline, ten punches from Sting. Sting wants a superplex, it connects and we have a Scorpion Death-Lock! Flair taps!

 

Very good match as always between the two, Sting and Flair do their usual stuff and it works because we are deep in WCW country ladies and gentlemen. Flair pulls out all his tricks and it’s not enough as Sting fires through Flair like only The Stinger can do, would have liked to have seen the leg sold considering how much Flair did to the leg but Sting slaps on the Scorpion Death-Lock and that’s all she wrote. Could watch them work every week, they don’t know how to have a bad match with one another.

 

Winner: Sting over Ric Flair via Scorpion Death-Lock!

 

(WCW World Heavyweight Championship Sixty-Man Battle Royal)

3 rings and sixty men, Giant is world champion actually because Jimmy Hart inserted a clause in the match contract that states if Hogan lost by DQ, the championship would change hands. However, the WCW Championship Committee decided to say fuck you Giant, it will be vacated and only the winner of this sixty man battle royal will hold the championship.

 

A battle royal of this magnitude will be impossible to call so I will do my best to give you my thoughts on the entrants and their careers to this point before getting down to the big moments of the match and of course, the final minutes will be covered in detail. We have Arn Anderson who is flying high after the Stud Stable never took off but old buddy Ric Flair has picked him up to be near that main event level once more, we have Alex Wright who has disappeared from PPV surprising considering he seemed like a perfect TV champion, we have Brian Knobbs who has not been on my TV for a while which I am thankful for. Dave Taylor really who I can assume is with Regal & Eaton despite their absence from TV, Scott Armstrong with a haircut only a mother could love. We have Sting, two more jobbers in Maggs and Whatley. The Disco Inferno is here which is interesting, Meng looking to have some momentum. Luger is here as well as more jobbers, Eddy Guerrero is here too. Paul Orndorff is still working? Bobby Walker and Chris Kanyon! Marcus Bagwell and The Yeti. Kurasawa and Hugh Morrus followed by Zodiac and Mr. Wallstreet. DDP and Scott Norton, Pillman is here. The One Man Gang is here in WCW? Shark? Steve Armstrong and Dave Sullivan is still there? Super Assassin 1? More tag team guys, Flair and Hulk Hogan. As you can see I ran out of steam for making comments on everyone but a few interesting faces in there who would go onto bigger things in the coming years.

 

So lots of bumbling around and shuffling and 3 commentary teams for an extended period of time, jobbers are thrown out left right and centre until we get down to the final 10! We are down to Sting, Giant, Hogan, Orndorff, One Man Gang, Arn Anderson, Eddy Guerrero, Lex Luger and Randy Macho Man Savage. Sting wants to splash The Giant but nails Eddy by mistake, Orndorff tries to piledrive Hogan but Hogan back-drops Orndorff to the floor. Flair & Anderson attack Eddy, beautiful missile dropkick by Eddy. Giant is choking Sting, Savage tries to slam The Giant. Giant slams Savage, Anderson spinebusters Guerrero. Hogan is battering Luger & Giant, Sting is battering Flair. Guerrero is thrown out but nobody could see it, nice one WCW. Sting begins to splash everything in sight, Giant atomic drops Sting. Flair and Anderson are working well with Giant.

 

Hogan is being double-teamed while Giant Chokeslams Savage, Sting is in serious trouble. Sting catapults Anderson into Flair, Flair is knocked to the floor while Hogan clotheslines Anderson to the floor. We have six men left, Luger and Sting are working together. Giant is being staggered by Luger and Sting, three clotheslines in a row and Hogan decides he’s going to dump out Giant, Luger & Sting. Savage has dumped out One Man Gang and the referee believes Hogan went over the top rope, Hogan is disgusted by this. Hogan explains to the referee that Hogan was thrown out underneath, Savage is like what is this about? Savage is declared the winner and we will have to live to fight another day!

 

Winner: Randy Savage!

 

That was WCW’s World War 3 1995, a solid pay per view from WCW. We kick things off with Badd vs DDP, I said it last time and I will say it again: They are two individuals who work well together, the crowd is invested and even with a flat finish, this was a great opening match for the crowd. Duggan vs Big Bubba is slow and plodding, the feud will continue but I am not sure I care when they couldn’t get me invested in a gimmick match. The women’s tag is very good, the four shine and beat the piss out of one another, I am all for that as it makes for a great watch while Sasaki vs Benoit is also hard-hitting despite the weird dynamic of heel Benoit as our babyface because boo, foreigners are always bad. Flair vs Sting is typical Flair vs Sting goodness, not of their finest matches but a collection of all those spots you know and love ending up with a satisfying finish of Nature Boy submitting to the Scorpion Death-Lock. The battle royal is horribly long with the only upside being the belt is off Hogan so no more bad championship matches but overall, I would say a PPV that you could watch and not want to hurl your monitor to TV through the screen when it is over which is rare for this company for sure. Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!