WCW Beach Blast 1992 Review!

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that is more despised than Ryback on Twitter! It’s WCW Beach Blast 1992! This is considered a quality show from WCW like WrestleWar 1992, we have Flyin’ Brian Pillman taking on Scotty Flamingo for the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, we have Cactus Jack having the biggest match of his career by taking on Sting in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The Miracle Violence Connection challenging The Steiners for the WCW Tag Team Championships and Rick Rude vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat in an Iron Man Match. This is a very exciting card based on what I can see so high hopes for this one and WrestleWar did deliver.

 

(WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Match) Flyin’ Brian Pillman © vs Scotty Flamingo

Scotty Flamingo had risen the ranks of the rather small WCW Light Heavyweight Division and is taking on the Ace in Flyin’ Brian Pillman. Pillman desperately needs people to work with or a change in gimmick so Flamingo should fit nicely in the role. Absolutely jarring to see Flamingo when being so accustomed to Raven but I do like the Flamingo gimmick and Raven is a natural as a heel. Flamingo is undefeated going into this one, Flamingo takes down Pillman and posing for the fans. Flamingo is countered by Pillman, they trade reversals with Pillman getting the better of the challenger. Elbow counter by Flamingo but Pillman lands a drop toehold into a hammerlock with knees for good measure.

 

Flamingo reaches the ropes to survive, Flamingo pushes Pillman to the ropes and lands two rights. Crucifix into the victory roll for two, Flamingo is petrified of the champion. Hammerlock from Pillman, we go to the corner and Flamingo lands a low elbow. Irish whip to the opposite buckle but Pillman leaps over and lands a hip-toss into a short-arm scissors. Despite Flamingo’s best efforts, Pillman continues working the arm with arm-breakers etc. Flamingo sells the arm well, eye-rake from Flamingo. Irish whip and a tilt-a-whirl head-scissors, dropkick too. Flamingo is dumped to the floor after being caught in the ropes, Flamingo avoids the dive. However, Pillman doesn’t dive and lands an apron axe handle to Flamingo.

 

Vicious chop on the floor, Pillman climbs high. Flamingo throws Pillman off the top rope, stomps from Flamingo for a close two. Flamingo dumps Pillman to the floor, plancha to the floor. In the ring, Pillman mounts a brief comeback but Flamingo swats him down. Clubbing blows and stomps from Flamingo, forearm across the chest from Flamingo. Make it two, Flamingo wanted a running right hand but Pillman slingshots in with a crossbody for two. Flamingo is up first and lands a clothesline for two, Flamingo rakes the eyes. Snap-mare into the reverse chin-lock, Pillman escapes and lands a shoulder block before Flamingo lands a knee to the ribs. Flamingo tries a corner splash but Pillman dodges, can the champion make a move?

 

Flamingo rakes the eyes again, snap-mare into the reverse chin-lock.  Pillman sends Flamingo to the ropes, sleeper from the champion. Flamingo rams Pillman into the buckle to stay alive, both men clock one another with right hands and they are down. They trade blows on their knees until Flamingo again rakes the eyes, Flamingo is on the middle rope and tries an axe handle but Pillman lands a massive dropkick. More blows traded before Pillman lands a spinning heel kick, Flamingo meets the buckle. Chops and Pillman lands ten punches to the head. Flamingo counters the Irish whip but eats a boot, Pillman runs into the powerslam and Flamingo gets two with a handful of tights.

 

Flamingo slaps the shit out of Pillman and boots him in the head, Flamingo celebrates prematurely and eats a belly to back superplex for two as Flamingo places a foot on the ropes. Massive chop by Pillman, Flamingo reverses an Irish whip but lowers his head, Pillman lands a face-buster. Flamingo eats a clothesline to the back of the head and is clotheslined onto the ramp. Pillman wants a plancha to the ramp but Flamingo dodges, Pillman smashes his head off the ramp and as Pillman crawls back into the ring, Flamingo lands a middle rope knee-drop to the head for the win.

 

Solid opening match from these two, Pillman makes Flamingo work for it here showcasing that Flamingo is much more than a pretty boy and the real deal which is what you need if a new champion is going to be crowned. Love that Flamingo heels it up as much as possible here, multiple eye-rakes and handfuls of tights. It is not Liger vs Pillman levels of good but it is far better than I thought it would be and I think these two could continue to feud and we could have even more fun matches, Pillman dropping the title here though could lead to bigger things for Pillman, no denying that Pillman deserves to be in that United States Heavyweight Championship scene.

 

Winner: Scotty Flamingo over Flyin’ Brian Pillman via Diving Knee-Drop!

 

Ron Simmons vs The Taylor Made Man

Terrence Taylor my favourite jobber to the stars taking on powerhouse Ron Simmons, I can just see how this one is going to go and I am going to enjoy it regardless of length. Taylor immediately dismisses Simmons before being tossed across the ring, Taylor talks about Simmons pulling his hair. Taylor shoves Simmons and then backs off like a coward, another lock-up. Taylor tries a hip-toss but Simmons blocks and throws Taylor. Taylor backs Simmons to the corner, knees and a right-hand from Taylor. Irish whip to the opposite buckle but Taylor does not see that Simmons did not hit the buckle. Two chop-blocks before Taylor pulls Simmons to the ramp. Simmons avoids the clothesline and atomic drops Taylor followed by a military press slam into the ring and then a clothesline to the floor.

 

Scoop slam and clubbing blows from Simmons, Simmons applies a bearhug in the middle of the ring. Taylor pokes the eyes, headbutt from Taylor. Simmons lands a hip-toss, Simmons tries a chop-block but Taylor ducks and Simmons lands on the ramp. Taylor slams the head of Simmons off the mat, jaw-breaker from Taylor. Eye-rake from Taylor, snap-mare into the snap-over neck-breaker for two. Taylor snaps on a reverse chin-lock, back-breaker from Taylor before Simmons fires back with a sidewalk slam. Simmons grabs Taylor by the throat, two-handed choke toss from Simmons. Big right hands from Simmons, back body-drop from Simmons. Shoulder block and a Powerslam from Simmons for the win.

 

The right kind of match for Simmons, Simmons needs people like Taylor who can make him look good and not expose his weaknesses, this match was good length for Simmons and it does a lot more for Simmons than a failed feud with Abdullah The Butcher and Cactus Jack. Big plans in Simmons’ future but can Simmons rise to the occasion?

 

Winner: Ron Simmons over The Taylor Made Man via Powerslam!

 

Marcus Alexander vs Greg The Hammer Valentine

So we have bland Bagwell taking on Greg The Hammer Valentine, this might be a rough one ladies and gentlemen. Bagwell is not bad just no flavour to him while Valentine post-WWF does not sound like something I am going to enjoy. Valentine pushes Bagwell to the ropes, clean break from Valentine. Hip-toss and arm-drag from Bagwell, scoop slam and Valentine reassesses the situation. To the corner we go, Valentine lands a massive knee. Irish whip that Bagwell reverses, Bagwell lowers his head though. Elbow by Valentine, Bagwell blocks the piledriver. Valentine begs for mercy but the act does not fool Valentine, atomic drop by Bagwell followed by two dropkicks. Bagwell tries a hip-toss but Valentine lands a clothesline.

 

Chop by Valentine, make it two. Elbow to the back of the head, back-breaker by Valentine. Valentine calls for a middle rope elbow, Bagwell dodges the elbow drop. Scoop slam but Bagwell misses the knee-drop, Valentine works the leg and wrenches it, Bagwell is in dire straits. Valentine slaps the rookie and Valentine calls for the figure four. Bagwell kicks off Valentine, and tries a small package for two. Valentine goes after the leg but misses dropping all his weight on the leg. Bagwell escapes the scoop slam and schoolboys Valentine for two, backslide for two.

 

Chop by Valentine, Bagwell blocks the suplex and suplexes Valentine for two. Valentine begs for mercy, eye poke by Valentine. Irish whip and back body drop by Bagwell, two for Bagwell. Bagwell leaps over Valentine and tweaks his knee, right hands by Bagwell but Bagwell lands a shin-breaker and slaps on The Figure Four Leg-Lock. Valentine walks away with the fan!

 

Didn’t expect Valentine going over to be honest but there seems to be a resistance to Bagwell already, the crowd being against the squeaky clean babyfaces of WCW. The match was alright, nothing offensive and maybe they have some sort of plans for Valentine but we will see how it goes. Not as bad as I thought it would be and that is a big compliment considering who is involved.

 

Winner: Greg The Hammer Valentine over Marcus Alexander via Figure Four Leg-Lock!

 

(Falls Count Anywhere Match) Cactus Jack vs Sting

This is an interesting one for a variety of reasons, the origins of this feud stretch back to when Luger was champion back in 1991, Cactus Jack was not the main enemy of Sting also at this time considering Vader had almost broke the ribs of Sting so this seems misplaced but I am all for these two fighting one another. This starts on the ramp, Sting back body-drops Cactus on the ramp and lands a face-buster for two. Sting misses a splash and ends up on the floor, Cactus wants to take control and lands his Cactus Jack Elbow Drop to the floor. Cactus is on the apron again, a diving sunset flip on the concrete for two. Why do that to yourself? Sting blocks the guardrail and sends Cactus into the guardrail.

 

Cactus bounces Sting off the guardrail, Sting back-drops Cactus into the crowd. Sting wants a suplex on the floor, that looks painful for a two count. Cactus is whipped back ringside, we are back in the ring. Sting catches the foot of Cactus Jack but Cactus lands a clothesline and lands a headbutt.

 

Sting has his face raked by Cactus, Irish whip to the buckle and a splash in the corner. Snap-mare into a body-scissors, Sting elbows his way out and smashes Cactus with right hands. Cactus rakes the eyes and lands his Cactus Jack clothesline, Cactus lands chairshots to Sting over and over at ringside. Sting counters with a suplex, Sting tries a Stinger splash but Cactus flapjacks Sting onto the guardrail. Cactus cannot nail the piledriver, Cactus tries his elbow drop but Sting smacks away Cactus. Sting lands rights and chops, scoop slam on the ramp. Sting grabs the chair, chair-shot across the back and head from Sting. Sting goes after the leg of Cactus, Scorpion Death-Lock is avoided as both men tumble to the floor. On the ramp, Cactus lands a Double Arm DDT for a close two. Sting lands a clothesline and goes to the top rope, Diving Clothesline for the win!

 

I am sorry what? After being drilled with the DDT, Sting pops up and lands the diving clothesline for the win? Well I loved the brawling that the two did during the match, they work the stipulation well with lots of crowd-brawling and chair-shots, very different from every other match on the card and I am happy for Cactus Jack to be showcased instead of doing almost comedic style brawling with Abdullah The Butcher. I am curious why this is around the feud of Sting vs Vader but this company is bizarre to me at times so best to just see where this heads but a very different style of match that had some great moments in there and Sting continues to build momentum for his showdown with Vader.

 

Winner: Sting over Cactus Jack via Diving Clothesline!

 

(Iron Man Contest) Ravishing Rick Rude vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat

Steamboat starts out hot chopping and landing a gut-buster, Rude is in trouble. These two have been at one another’s throats since Starrcade 1991, they had an ok match last time so I am wondering how this will turn out. Non-title which is also interesting, Steamboat continues working the ribs with massive kicks to the ribs. Irish whip and Rude gets caught and eats more gut shots, bearhug from Steamboat. Rude manages to knee Steamboat in the face, forearm to the head from Rude. Steamboat dodges a right-hand and clamps on a modified bow & arrow. Steamboat is kicked off but rolls into a Boston crab, Rude’s back and ribs are not doing well in this match.

 

Rude escapes the hold but the splash and knees keep coming from The Dragon, Rude begs for mercy. Measured kick to the ribs, Steamboat suplexes Rude face-first. Thrust to the head for two, Steamboat sends Rude to the corner. Rude blocks with a massive knee, Steamboat is rocked and Rude grabs a handful of tights and gets the three! Rick Rude is up 1:0 and Rude begins to land big knees to the ribs of Steamboat. Rude drills Steamboat with The Rude Awakening and Rude is up 2:0! The Dragon is in real trouble now, Rude has shown his toughness here. Back-breaker from Rude and Rude climbs high, diving knee-drop and since it is illegal to come off the top rope, Steamboat takes the fall. The score is 2:1 in Rude’s favour. Small package from Rude though and now it’s 3:1!

 

Rude maintains his two fall lead, Steamboat hammers the ribs and head of Rude. Steamboat lowers his head off the Irish whip, face-buster from Rude. Rude clamps on a camel clutch, Rude releases the hold as Steamboat reaches the ropes. Knees to the spine from Rude, Steamboat counters the camel clutch with an electric chair drop. Steamboat tries a splash but Rude counters with knees to the ribs, Steamboat is clubbed down and trapped in the reverse chin-lock. Steamboat escapes but eats a knee to the ribs, Steamboat is bounced off the buckle. Rude drills Steamboat with the piledriver, Rude crawls into the cover for a close two. Rude is not a happy man, Rude wants a tombstone but Steamboat is countering and drills Rude to make the score 3:2! Rude is on the top rope, Steamboat is looking for a big manoeuvre. Superplex with both men feeling the effects of that one, Steamboat eventually falls into the cover but Rude kicks out at two. Steamboat misses a right hand and both men drill one another with right hands. Steamboat bridges up out of a cover and counters with a backslide to even the score at 3:3! Small package by Steamboat for two, Steamboat jacknife covers for two. Flying crossbody for two, Rude lands a jaw-breaker. Scoop slam and fist-drop from Rude, Steamboat is up and chopping back at Rude. Throat thrust from Rude, clubbing blows from The Ravishing One.

 

Rude lands a massive clothesline and poses, throat thrust and Steamboat collapses to the mat. Rude chokes Steamboat with the middle rope, forearms stagger The Dragon. Rude fights hard for The Rude Awakening, Steamboat counters and covers for his own neck-breaker for a close two. Steamboat is irate, massive knees to the head of Rude. Suplex with a float-over for two, Steamboat will have to try harder than that to take that seventh fall. Belly to back suplex from Steamboat for a close two, sleeper from Rude. Steamboat bounces the head of Rude off the buckle, then the opposite buckle but Rude has Steamboat mounted, Steamboat fades but does not fall. Steamboat walks with Rude on his back, what is The Dragon looking to do?

 

Rude kicks away the arm reaching out for the ropes, a little thing but a fantastic touch. They are working the crowd with this one, they continue to sit in this sleeper but can Steamboat reach the ropes. Steamboat starts to climb the turnbuckle and kicks back, falling on top of Rude and securing the pin-fall! 4:3 to Steamboat, clothesline by Rude and a shoulder block but Steamboat continues to kick out! Rude is panicking, small package for two. Scoop slam for two, Steamboat escapes with the 4:3 win!

 

Great wrestling clinic from these two, it is amazing how great this match is considered to what they did at Superbrawl, fantastic wrestling all around. Steamboat with his trademark selling is tremendous here, Steamboat would have you believe that one knee was the most lethal blow of all-time and the sleeper spot was excellent, crowd was in a fever pitch for this one. Rude was great in this one, selling his ribs throughout the contest and showing his frustration throughout the match, Rude and Steamboat are two masters of their craft and on this night, they absolutely deliver. I want to see Steamboat go for the gold now, I am ready to have it happen.

 

Winner: Ricky The Dragon Steamboat over Ravishing Rick Rude via 4:3!

 

The Dangerous Alliance vs Barry Windham/Dustin Rhodes/Nikita Koloff

Ole Anderson is your special referee, possibly the only man who could control all these combustible elements, no more Larry Zbyszko but it looks like we still have The Dangerous Alliance which I am a fan of, Barry Windham looks to have aged a lot in the last few months, not sure what is going on there but I love when Windham and Rhodes are together. Windham and Austin to start, arm-drag and arm-bar by Windham. Austin rolls through but Windham continues to out-work Austin before Austin lands a massive forearm. Austin goes to the top rope, middle rope Japanese arm-drag from Windham. Windham tags in Rhodes, shoulder block by Austin but Rhodes lands two dropkicks to rock Austin. Fujiwara arm-bar from Rhodes, Austin tags in Eaton.

 

Side headlock by Rhodes, shoulder block by Rhodes. Eaton lands a knee to the ribs, Eaton misses a corner splash. Schoolboy by Rhodes for two, tag to Anderson. Anderson tags in and slaps Nikita, Nikita is enraged but Anderson wants to fight Nikita in the corner. Anderson lands a knee-drop off a snap-mare, Anderson almost gets disqualified for coming off the top, they lock-up. We go to the ropes, Anderson lands shoulder thrusts and a big left, Nikita ducks the forearm and tries the O’Connor roll before landing a clothesline and sending Anderson to the floor. Eaton comes in, they lock-up and Eaton lands an elbow and clubbing blows. Irish whip and Nikita lands a bearhug, Anderson gets in a knee to the back but Nikita atomic drops Eaton into Anderson and Austin is slammed down too. Team Windham stands tall as The Dangerous Alliance talk strategy on the floor. In comes Anderson and Windham, right hand by Windham. Anderson lands a headbutt and a left to the head, Windham sends Anderson to the buckle. Atomic drop from Windham but Anderson smashes heads with Windham, Dangerously tries rallying Anderson.

 

Windham tries yanking Anderson off the top rope but Anderson rakes the eyes, corner shoulder block and left hands. Windham lands a knee and an elbow to the head, Anderson is whipped to the buckle and caught in the sleeper. Anderson counters with a belly to back suplex, in comes Rhodes with right hands and bionic elbows. Rhodes is sent to the buckle but Anderson sacrifices Eaton by sending Rhodes into Eaton. Rhodes is bleeding now, Austin goes to work on Rhodes. Anderson lands cheap shots from the apron, Rhodes is being decimated now by The Dangerous Alliance in their corner. Anderson stomps all over the head of Rhodes, Rhodes is dragged to the ring-post and Eaton hammers away at Rhodes.

 

Clothesline from Eaton for two, arm-bar from Eaton. Austin and Anderson continue to punish Rhodes, Anderson is raking the eyes. Rhodes blocks the left and lands a Bionic Elbow, drop toehold from Anderson to stop the tag. Eaton comes in with a beautiful single arm DDT with a hammerlock for good measure, Rhodes catches Austin with an O’Connor roll but Austin is too fresh. In comes Anderson who slaps on the arm-bar, Rhodes fights back and Anderson smashes heads with Eaton. In comes Austin, Stun-Gun! Rhodes tags in Windham though, right hands all around, hip-tosses all around. Back body-drop on Austin, right hand to a diving Anderson. Windham wants the Superplex, Anderson comes off the top rope and Ole Anderson catches Arn Anderson in the act. Team Windham get the win!

 

Good tag team wrestling here, finish is a little lacklustre. Thought they would have done more here with Nikita Koloff considering how they are building up Nikita since his return, Rhodes does a great job in this one selling his ass off for The Dangerous Alliance, a simple performance from Eaton and Anderson but effective as always, I would like to see more involving the tag team titles but as long as these continue to wage war, I am a happy man for sure. However, this seemed like just a setup for Austin vs Windham for the TV title.

 

Winners: Team Windham over The Dangerous Alliance via DQ!

 

(WCW World Tag Team Championship Match) The Steiner Brothers © vs The Miracle Violence Connection

At the previous Clash, Williams and Gordy defeated The Steiners with a chop-block, can the challengers capture the championships? Gordy and Scott to start, we kick things off like the Clash match with both men showing their amateur wrestling skills, Scott takes down Gordy and looks for a full-nelson, after all the wrestling, we have the two brawling with Scott winning that war. In comes Williams who wrestles with Scott also, they continue to wrestle around before Williams lands an elbow to the head of Scott. Scott avoids a corner attack and has a sunset flip for two, side headlock takedown from Scott. Scott brings Williams to the corner and we have Rick Steiner in, Williams talks strategy with Gordy.

 

They grapple but Williams blocks the hip-toss, both men go to the corner. They continue to grapple before Rick suplexes Williams with a belly to belly, Williams has to recover on the floor. Williams re-enters the ring and lands a scoop slam and two chop-blocks, Williams wants more but Rick answers with a Steinerline. Two for Rick, Williams brings Rick to his corner. In comes Gordy who lands a kick to the face before missing a corner splash. Belly to back suplex from Gordy for two, Rick is smashed around by Williams before a sunset flip with an assist from Scott for two. Gordy comes in though and slaps on the single leg Boston crab, Gordy works the leg with a spinning toe hold. Rick kicks off Gordy with a boot to the face, belly to belly suplex on Gordy.

 

Tag to Scott, Scott kicks at Gordy. Exploder suplex for one, Scott ties up Gordy. Williams is in now and both men trade being sent into the buckle. More suplex counters, Williams jumps Scott who was lured to the corner by Gordy. Reverse chin-lock from Williams, tag to Gordy. Scott dodges the clothesline and lands a flying crossbody for two, Gordy rakes the eyes. Williams comes in and chops Scott, massive kick to the knee and we have a bit of continuity from the last match on the Clash.

 

Gordy stretches the knee, Gordy lands a clothesline and tags in Williams. Williams stomps the knee, Williams continues to stretch the ankle. Scott is double-teamed behind the referee’s back, Rick saves Scott from being pinned. Gordy lands a snap suplex for two, Gordy wrenches the leg once more. Williams is in, Scott fights back but gets caught in a Boston crab. Gordy comes in and works the leg with a single leg Boston crab, Williams comes in with the crab. Eventually, in comes Rick as Scott makes the tag. Powerslam on Williams for two, Middle Rope Diving Bulldog from Rick. Gordy stops the diving attack from Scott, Scott is on the floor. Williams clotheslines Rick and it looks like it is double team time. Elevated middle rope powerslam from Gordy, Williams covers for a close two.

 

Gordy and Williams are shocked by this, Gordy is looking for a big move. Massive dropkick from Gordy for two, tag to Williams. Double shoulder block on Rick for two, Williams back-breakers Rick twice for two. Tag to Gordy who lands a massive forearm, belly to back suplex for two. In comes Williams, Rick fights back but Williams stomps down Rick. Camel clutch from Williams, Dr. Bomb for two! Front chancery from Williams, Rick avoids The Oklahoma Stampede and clocks Williams with a Steinerline. Gordy lands a corner clothesline but Rick fires out of the opposite corner with a Steinerline, the announcer screams there is one minute left. In comes Scott, back body-drops for both Gordy and Williams. Scoop slams, clotheslines all around. Tiger Driver from Scott, Frankensteiner but we are out of time.

 

Oh boy WCW why would you do that to me? I would not mind as much if it had opened the PPV but this was your main event? This match copies the formula of their previous Clash match but this is a lot less interesting, the heat segment on Scott is brutal, they just keep locking in single leg Boston crabs time after time after time, I was waiting for the time limit draw as the match continued, really disappointing considering the level of talent in that ring, not sure why they thought a draw would be the best way to end the PPV.

 

Time Limit Draw!

 

That was WCW’s Beach Blast 1992, a good PPV from WCW. Does it reach the heights of Superbrawl II? No I don’t think so but still a very good effort from WCW. Flamingo vs Pillman is a great way to establish Flamingo as a serious competitor in the division and Pillman delivers 99% of the time inside of that ring, the wrestling is good between the two and Pillman makes Flamingo look like the man, we have a new champion at the head of the division and I am curious to see how we continue the booking of the division. Taylor bs Simmons is solid, Taylor is a veteran and makes Simmons look good, we need that now in WCW because they have big plans for Simmons that were made clear when they were willing to have Simmons challenge Luger for the championship at Halloween Havoc so as long as Simmons is in there with people who can get him over the right way, things are good for WCW and Simmons. Bagwell vs Valentine was much better than I thought, I am still curious to see what value Valentine can bring to the company but they put him over so they must have some ideas for him.

 

Cactus Jack vs Sting is a good match, a big moment for Jack who gets to work with the world champion and they make this match feel very different with the hardcore brawling compared to the rest of the card and the scuffles in the crowd. The finish was anti-climatic considering how it came about but Cactus showed he was reliable and Sting has another solid match under his belt the second time around as champion, things are going much better than the first reign. Steamboat vs Rude is a classic, a fantastic iron man match with both men showcasing how good they are inside of that ring. Search it out for sure, from Steamboat’s selling to Rude’s strategy during the match, it is a thousand times better than the Superbrawl II match, it is almost hard to believe it is the same two men wrestling. The six-man tag is solid, I expected more considering who was involved and how much I have fallen for all their work against one another but this was more disappointing as the DQ finish does nothing for me. And one way to definitely setup for disaster is have a DQ finish followed by a time-limit draw, I am not sure what WCW was thinking putting these two on last but it hurt the show in my eyes and this time around, the main event did not have the buzz that the Clash match had which is a shame. Overall, this is a good WCW PPV, 1992 might be my favourite year to review as so many good things are going on in the company, the problem is the booking and how light the talent is outside of that main event scene. Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!

WCW Clash of The Champions XIX Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that has weirder beliefs than Brian Kendrick, we are officially in the Bill Watts’ Era of WCW so strap in for this tag team addition of The Clash. Not thrilled about it to be honest as I feel they could have done a lot of things better than a tag team tournament but we shall see how things go on this night, some big names in this tournament.

 

The Malenkos vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat & Nikita Koloff

Joe Malenko and Steamboat trade holds, both men showcasing their abilities. Test of strength between Joe and Steamboat, Steamboat bridges up before Joe lands a knee and a monkey flip and they trade pin-falls and head-scissors counter before Steamboat arm-drags and clamps on an arm-bar. Both men try hip-tosses, hip-toss from Steamboat. Lock-up into a wristlock from Steamboat, blind tag from Dean Malenko but Steamboat is too quick for Dean. Two arm-drags and  a wristlock with a kick to the face. Tag to Nikita, wristlock and kicks. Irish whip to the buckle and a bearhug, Dean is on the top rope and flips out of an arm-drag. Nikita shoulder thrusts Dean over and over but Dean slides out of the corner splash. Diving crossbody from Dean, Joe lands a dropkick to aid Dean but only gets a two. Nikita presses Dean to the floor with the pin attempt, Dean kicks low and lands a massive dropkick.

 

Snap suplex from Dean, Nikita is right back on his feet. Dean backs off, clubbing blows by Nikita. Dean avoids the O’Connor roll, flapjack by Nikita and tag to Steamboat. Wristlock and hammerlock from Steamboat, an elbow drops Steamboat but the tag to Joe does not work as Steamboat takes out Joe with a drop toehold into an arm-bar. Joe brings Steamboat to the corner, knees and European uppercuts from Joe. Side headlock from Steamboat, shoulder block by The Dragon. Dean and Nikita are having words, Joe counters a head-scissors and Steamboat is in the Malenko corner. Belly to back suplex and bulldog combination for two, tag to Dean. Roll-up for two,  Bow & arrow like hold from Dean, Joe is in now and lands a short-arm clothesline for two.

 

Steamboat walks into a scoop slam for two, Nikita gets the hot-tag and clubs everything in sight, not a great hot-tag but there are some meaty elbows in there. Flying shoulder block, Joe gets caught in an inverted atomic drop. Russian Sickles and it’s over!

 

Well when Steamboat was in there doing technical stuff with The Malenkos, it was interesting as all of those three are great at that style of wrestling, The Malenkos and Steamboat are no stranger to Japan also, I believe they all worked in AJPW for periods of time so it comes off crisp here and they know what they are doing, Nikita does fine clubbing everything and I am happy to have more starpower in the company but I need explosive short matches from Koloff, not so sure about watching him in tags.

 

Marcus Bagwell & The Z-Man vs Ravishing Rick Rude & Stunning Steve Austin W/ Medusa

God how beautiful Medusa was during this era, Austin and Rude are still together which is nice, the dominance of the faction may be over but they still hold their championships and they still team together so it is not all doom and gloom at this point. Rude lands knees and clotheslines, in comes Austin. Bagwell meets the buckle, rights and lefts from Austin before Bagwell lands a middle rope axe handle and in comes Z-Man. Austin wants a test of strength, the crowd warns Z-Man of this manoeuvre. Austin brings Zenk to the buckle, here comes Rude. Forearms to the face, dropkick from Rude. Vertical suplex from Rude for two, tag to Austin. Stomps in the corner and elbows to the back of the head, small package counter by Zenk for two.

 

We have a clean break on a lock-up, we have Bagwell coming into the ring now. Austin lands a knee and clubs Bagwell who fires back with forearms and chops, Bagwell whips Austin to the buckle and Bagwell meets the boot of Austin. Tag to Rude, throat thrusts from Rude. Clubbing blows from Rude, belly to back suplex and Rude ducks his head on an Irish whip. Boot by Bagwell and tag to Zenk, Zenk eats a face-buster and a pile-driver for a close two. Austin comes in and decks Bagwell, Zenk is dropped across the top rope for two. Bagwell argues with the referee while Rude and Austin double clothesline Zenk, Rude works the spine of Zenk. Zenk escapes a scoop slam and lands a superkick, tag to Bagwell who kicks everything in sight. Back body-drop on Austin, Austin eats a flying crossbody for two.

 

Austin rakes the eyes, back-breaker by Austin for two. Tag to Rude who lands forearms and clubbing blows, sunset flip from Bagwell but the referee is with Medusa, Bagwell misses the dropkick while Austin and Zenk brawl so Rude lands The Rude Awakening for the win.

 

Alright, I am not sure what to do with Zenk at this stage, I think it would be best for him to continue his feud with Brian Pillman while Bagwell needs some sort of gimmick or partner change because he is just a babyface with no sizzle to his steak while Rude and Austin work well together, Rude is fantastic as a character inside of that ring while Austin is working tremendously inside of that ring.

 

Winners: The Dangerous Alliance over The Z-Man & Marcus Bagwell via Rude Awakening!

 

The Miracle Violence Connection vs The O’Days

Larry and Gordy to start, side headlock by Larry. Gordy shoves off Larry, drop toehold into a single leg Boston crab, in comes Jeff to battle Williams who lands a Backdrop Driver on Jeff. In comes Gordy, corner clothesline from Gordy. Sunset flip from Jeff for two, Gordy is pushed to the O’Day corner. In comes Larry who tries right hands before Gordy lands a Backdrop Driver. In comes Williams, double shoulder block to Larry. Oklahoma Stampede and it is over. Squash city!

 

Winner: Steve Williams & Terry Gordy over The O’Days via Oklahoma Stampede!

 

Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham vs Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson

Windham to start with Anderson, lock-up and clean break from Windham. Anderson pushes Windham to the ropes, left hand shots into a side headlock takedown but Windham has a counter every time. Anderson runs into a right hand that staggers the life out of Anderson, forearms and a whip to the buckle. Anderson blocks with a knee, Windham dropkicks Anderson who was on the top rope to the floor. In comes Rhodes and Eaton, Eaton lands an elbow. Rhodes meets the buckle, Eaton lands a massive right to the ribs and a knee to the head. Bionic Elbows from Rhodes and a boot to the floor, Eaton drags Rhodes to his corner and in comes Anderson.

 

Atomic drop from Rhodes, right hand by Windham and a right from Rhodes. Anderson is brought to the babyface corner, in comes Windham with a massive right. Anderson whips Windham and Eaton lands a knee to the back from the apron, Eaton goes to work on Windham. Back body drop for two, Anderson and Eaton work the ribs of Windham. Irish whip but Anderson lowers his head, Windham kicks off the head of Anderson and tags in Rhodes. Right hands, elbows and a flying clothesline, Paul E. Dangerously is on the apron. Anderson wants the DDT, Rhodes blocks but Eaton lands that lethal right hand. Massive right on Rhodes, Rhodes tries a flying crossbody but misses and spills to the floor. Paul E. Dangerously lands a telephone shot to the back of Rhodes, Eaton lands a snap-mare and climbs high, diving knee drop for two.

 

Anderson comes in looking for a sleeper, jaw-breaker counter from Rhodes. Eaton lands a running bulldog for two,  Eaton tries it again but Rhodes sends Eaton to the buckle. Eaton cannot stop the tag but Anderson distracted the referee, Windham snaps and batters Eaton on the floor. Anderson lands the spinebuster on Rhodes in the ring, Eaton crawls back in and gets a close two. Eaton climbs high, Alabama Jam misses and Rhodes plants Eaton with his Running Bulldog for the win!

 

Despite it being brief, this was another great showcase for all involved, I love the team of Windham and Rhodes while you know that I adore The Dangerous Alliance and no matter which members of the alliance are in the ring, the matches are good. Very happy with this match and I cannot wait to see Windham vs Austin for the Television Title.

 

Winners: Team Windham & Rhodes over The Dangerous Alliance via Running Bulldog!

 

The Silver Kings vs The Fabulous Freebirds

The match starts with Freebirds trying to attack The Silver Kings, Silver King 1 dropkicks Hayes. Silver King 2 missile dropkicks Silver King 1 by mistake, tag to Garvin. Silver King 1 reverses the hold and tags in Silver King 2, Garvin runs away from that and misses the dropkick. Silver King 2 lands a right hand to the face of Garvin, scoop slam and Silver King 2 climbs high. Diving senton misses from the top rope, Garvin covers for two. Garvin brings Silver King 2 to the corner, Hayes tags in and batters Silver King 2. Tag to Silver King 1 after an eye-rake, slingshot splashes, snap suplex into a diving elbow drop for two. More quick tags, double chops and spinning heel kicks, Silver King 1 eats a chop and a back body-drop. Hayes takes down Silver King 1 and tags in Garvin, snap-mare into the reverse chin-lock.

 

Silver King 2 comes in and kicks Garvin in the back of the head, we reset with Hayes and Silver King 2, Silver King 2 works the hamstring and lands a dropkick. Irish whip and a missile dropkick off a blind tag, Garvin eats a spinning heel kick for saving Hayes. Garvin lands a knee from the apron, left-hand from Hayes. The match breaks down, The Freebirds run into one another. Double dropkick to the floor, plancha by Silver King 1. Hayes knocks out Garvin by mistake, Silver King 2 wipes out Silver King 1 with a missile dropkick and Hayes rolls one of them into the ring for a small package win.

 

Some rough moments and mis-communications, not like I expected The Freebirds to give me a clinic, they seem less mobile with each map I see them in when they are in the ring, can we end the team of The Freebirds yet?

 

Winners: The Fabulous Freebirds over Team Silver King via Small Package!

 

Flyin’ Brian Pillman & Jushin Liger vs Chris Benoit & Biff Wellington

Two rivals team up while we have the first WCW appearance of Chris Benoit, Benoit would be heavily pushed as The Pegasus Kid and Wild Pegasus in NJPW before eventually signing with WCW after a stint in ECW. Liger and Benoit to start, wristlock from Benoit but Liger counters for his own. Underhook slam from Benoit, test of strength. Underhook slam from Liger, side headlock from Benoit. Shoulder block but an arm-drag from Liger, make it two. Liger avoids dropkicks but so does Benoit, in comes Pillman and Wellington. Shoulder block by Wellington, monkey flip and dropkick to the floor from Pillman. Wellington is sent to the floor, Pillman is met with a springboard clothesline by Wellington. Snap suplex from Wellington, Pillman suplexes Wellington to the floor.

 

Tag to Liger who kicks at Wellington before Wellington works the leg, drag to the corner and tag to Benoit. Wishbone-split, Benoit lands a massive lariat on Liger. Side headlock and shoulder block from Benoit, enzuigiri from Benoit. Tag to Wellington, Liger is dumped over the top rope. Pillman rightly complains but the referee missed it, Wellington tries a plancha but Liger dodges. Whip to the buckle, monkey flip from Liger and a tag to Pillman. Side headlock from Pillman, Benoit is brought in as Pillman is in the Canadian corner. Shoulder block by Benoit, Benoit is side-stepped and ends up on the floor. Benoit is on the top rope, Pillman brings down Benoit with a belly to back superplex. Missile dropkick from Pillman, Benoit is on the floor and gats caught with an apron diving crossbody.

 

Wellington and Liger are legal now, Wellington misses a corner clothesline and spills to the floor, diving crossbody from Liger to the floor. Wellington counters Liger and this allows Benoit to come in, Benoit wants the belly to back superplex but Liger makes the adjustment in mid-air and lands on Benoit. Spinning heel kick from Liger and an Asai Moonsault to the floor from the NJPW Junior Heavyweight Ace. Benoit rolls back in, forearm shot to Pillman. Pillman wants an O’Connor roll but Wellington lands a boot to the head from the apron, scoop slam and Wellington climbs high. Missile dropkick misses big time, tag to Liger. German suplex on Wellington, Pillman and Benoit brawl.

 

Wellington attacks Liger in the corner, Pillman and Benoit brawl on the ramp. Wellington chokes Liger in the corner, in comes Pillman and Benoit. Benoit and Wellington collide, Pillman dropkicks Benoit to the floor while Liger lands a back-breaker and Diving Moonsault for the win.

 

Just a little glimpse of the talent of these men, Liger and Benoit have great chemistry which is no surprise considering their feud in NJPW and Pillman continues to be great in his role as the Ace of The Light Heavyweight Division. Fans go from cold going into the match to loving it by the time the referee counts the three so I would be very happy if I was involved in this match.

 

Winners: Team Liger over Team Benoit via Diving Moonsault!

 

Hiroshi Hase & Akira Nogami vs The Headhunters

A team of Jobbers against Hiroshi Hase and AKIRA, two NJPW talents. Hase would be a legendary competitor in NJPW winning tag team championships with the likes of Keiji Mutoh and Kensuke Sasaki while having wars with all your favourites while AKIRA was a constant presence on the Junior Heavyweight roster. AKIRA lands dropkicks on Headhunter 2 before Headhunter 1 comes in and lands a stun-gun. Back-breaker for two, Hase comes in and roughs up The Headhunters before missing a diving knee drop. Sidewalk slam by Headhunter 2 for two, it eventually leads to a German suplex and a Northern Lights suplex for the win for Team NJPW. Quite boring!

 

Winners: Team NJPW over Headhunters via German Suplex!

 

The Miracle Violence Connection vs The Steiner Brothers

The match that could not wait! Big meaty bastards hitting one another can’t you just see this going that way? Rick Steiner and Gordy to start, Rick blocks the single leg takedown. Gordy continues to try and take down Rick but Rick is too strong, Scott comes in and Gordy continues to be difficult to move. They try a bridge spot and it just does not come together before Scott lands a massive Exploder Suplex. In comes Williams, they try to out-wrestle one another with Williams taking down Scott before Scott rolls out and Williams goes to the ropes. They continue to hold one another, Williams pulls down Scott Steiner but Scott takes down Williams. Very interesting wrestling battle here between these two big bears.

 

Scott headlocks Williams to the corner, in comes Rick Steiner. Belly to belly suplex from Rick, Williams powders to the floor. We go again with more grappling, to the ropes we go with Williams looking for a hold. Neither man gains control, Rick is on the ropes and Williams shoves The Dog-faced Gremlin. Rick Steiner takes down Williams, they begin to wrestle with Rick landing some big shots but Williams is up and slaps Rick Steiner, Rick snaps and takes down Williams and pummels him with right hands. Williams had a plan though, Williams out-manoeuvres Rick and lands a forearm before a massive lariat. Tag to Gordy, massive lariat for two.

 

Gordy lands a corner clothesline but Rick lands a belly to belly suplex, tag to Scott. Scott Steiner lands a back body drop and a clothesline, tiger-driver. Clothesline for Williams, Gordy avoids the frankensteiner and Gordy clamps on the STF. Scott reaches the ropes but Williams comes in with big elbows, back-breakers from Williams for a close two. Scott fires back with kicks before a trip from Williams, tag to Gordy who lands a running powerslam. Heel hook from Gordy, Scott begins to crawl to Rick. Gordy yanks back Scott, tag to Williams. Irish whip and a double shoulder block, two for Williams. Williams grabs the leg but gets kicked in the face from Scott Steiner, can Scott make the tag? Scott pulls and pulls towards the corner, tag to Rick.

 

Right hands and a Steinerline to the floor, Gordy and Rick are brawling. Rick is winning that war, Williams attacks from behind. Knees and kicks to the head, Gordy goes after Scott Steiner on the floor. Rick powerslams Williams but apparently Scott Steiner is the legal man. Everyone is on the floor, Williams measures and chop-blocks Scott Steiner who crumbles in a heap. Rick and Gordy continue brawling but Rick is not legal as established already, they continue to brawl as Scott tries to re-enter the ring. Military press slam on Scott for two, Williams is irate. Scott blocks a clothesline and wants a belly to belly suplex but Gordy clips the knee and Williams covers for the win.

 

Good way to establish Gordy and Williams if they are going to continue as a team in WCW, interesting way to kick things off with all four men showcasing their wrestling credentials, I was a fan when I use to watch Angle and Benoit do it years later and I am a fan here also as it’s a little different from everything else that I have seen on the card. What I also like about this match is they are just throwing massive bombs at one another, no spot goes by without someone looking like they have destroyed their opponent, big fan of all four men and looking forward to seeing how this develops!

 

Winners: The Miracle Violence Connection over The Steiner Brothers via Chop-Block!

 

That was Clash of The Champions XIX and it was rather poor, a tag team tournament means no variety on the card and the teams are rather dull like the O’Days etc, it reminds me of the tag team tournament they ran previously with random teams representing various nations, it is just not for me. I am not a major fan of the classic Survivor Series cards due to the very same reason, tag team match after tag team match just wears me down. This is the beginning of The Bill Watts era though as they emphasize the no-mats and he makes an appearance on this night so we will see how it goes but I am not holding my breath thus far, thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!

 

WCW Clash of The Champions VII: Guts and Glory Review!

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that continues to be more bizarre than a Billy Jack Haynes shoot interview! It’s time for Clash of The Champions VII: Guts and Glory! Headlined by a tournament for the vacant tag team championships following the controversy between The Varsity Club and The Road Warriors following the actions of crooked referee Teddy Long. We also have Terry Funk who is red-hot following his brutal assault of Ric Flair taking on Ricky The Dragon Steamboat and a bunch of other random shit because WCW in 1989 is all over the place! Let’s get it on!

 

(Tag Tournament Semi-Finals Match) The Dynamic Dudes vs The Fabulous Freebirds

Jimmy Garvin is now a freebird after being absent following his feud with The Varsity Club, The Dudes nail stereo belly to back suplexes on the Freebirds. Terry Gordy is at ringside and this crowd is rampant by the way. This will be a tremendous aid to everyone involved, Hayes and Ace to begin officially. Hayes misses a kick and is peppered by both Dudes. Eye-rake from Hayes, in comes Garvin who eats an arm-drag. Douglas and Ace work the arm, diving axe handle from Ace. Double hip-toss and elbow drop, Garvin is in serious trouble before Garvin double-legs Douglas. Tag to Hayes who kicks and struts all over Douglas, right hands from Hayes.

 

Sunset flip from Douglas for two, tag to Ace. We reset as Hayes backs off, boot and chop from Hayes. Tag to Garvin, Hayes drills Garvin by mistake. Ace lands a right for a close two, Irish whip with Ace missing a flying crossbody. Garvin comes in with a massive stomp, Ace is dropped across the top rope. Big slam from Garvin for two, Ace is dumped to the floor. Hayes chops Ace down on the floor, Ace meets the guardrail. Ace fights out of the headlock and they bang heads, tag to Douglas who comes in with big right hands. Back body-drop and one for Garvin too, noggin-knocker. Garvin whips Douglas, Douglas slides through the legs for the sunset flip but Hayes makes the save.

 

The match breaks down, double dropkick to Hayes who is down. Double back body-drop to Garvin, the match is still a lot of brawling. Ace throws Hayes to the floor, Garvin tries a scoop slam but Douglas counters for an O’Connor roll. The referee is with Ace as Hayes sneaks in and plants Douglas with a vicious DDT, allowing Garvin to steal the win for his team.

 

Solid match made even better by a fantastic crowd, they are white-hot for the in-ring action and I do not have a problem with that at all, this could be a great show if the crowd continues to be as hot as this!

 

Winners: Fabulous Freebirds over The Dynamic Dudes via DDT!

 

Ranger Ross vs The Terrorist

Could you get anymore on the nose? The Terrorist attacks Ross from behind and chokes him with his jacket before Ross lands a flying forearm. Dropkick too, scoop slam for good measure. Elbow drop for two, shot to the ribs and the back of the head. Irish whip and leapfrogs before The Combat Kick for the win. Why bother when it is so brief?

 

Winner: Ranger Ross over The Terrorist via Combat Kick!

 

The Ding-Dongs vs George South & Cougar Jay

They ring the bell and they power up because they are ding-dongs motherfucker. Ding in the ring, shoulder block by Ding. Ear-smack from Ding, Jay lands elbows but Ding counters for an ugly-looking sunset flip which the fans shit on, the bell ringing is constant which is beyond trash. Tag to South who eats a slingshot leg-drop to his arm. Side headlock by South, Ding Dong 2 continues to land head-scissors to counter.  Shove-off and criss-cross, double hip-tosses by The Ding-Dongs. South lands big right hands before eating a Lou-Thesz Press for two. Scoop slam by Ding Dong 1, tag to Ding Dong 2 who lands a splash. Arm-drag into the arm-bar, South fights out but misses a headbutt. Belly to belly suplex into an elbow drop and knee-drop combination and it’s over. Infamous gimmick, say no more as it looks horrific.

 

Winners: The Ding-Dongs over Cougar Jay & George South via Elbow-Drop/Knee-Drop Combination!

 

(Tag Tournament Semi-Finals Match) The Midnight Express W/ Jim Cornette vs The Samoan Swat-Team W/ Paul E. Dangerously

We start hot with attacks, Lane and Eaton gain control quickly. Lane and Fatu start officially, right hands to the ribs from Lane. Tag to Eaton, drop toehold into the elbow drop. Tag to Lane who lands a karate kick to the ribs and an elbow to the head, double elbow as Eaton comes into the ring. Samu is cracked too, Eaton lands a gut shot and a neck-breaker. Shot to Samu, another tag to Lane. Leapfrog splash from Lane, tag to Eaton. Running bulldog from Eaton, Samu enters illegally and cracks Eaton. Samu and Fatu land a double military press on Eaton. Fatu lands a clothesline on Eaton, tag to Samu and they land a double strike on Eaton. Eaton is chopped to the floor, Fatu roughs up Eaton on the floor with a devastating suplex.

 

Lane checks on his partner, Samu continues to dish out the punishment with a massive leg-drop. Fatu and Samu batter Eaton, Lane continues to watch on with Cornette. Whip to the buckle, Eaton dodges the corner spear and Fatu cracks his head hard. Tag to Lane who lands his kicks, flying forearm and more kicks. Russian leg-sweep on Fatu with Samu coming in, it is breaking down again. Fatu kicks Lane in the face, the referee is down. The Road Warriors are here and they take down Fatu with a double clothesline, the crowd pops massively as Lane pins Fatu for the win.

 

Lots of brief matches here tonight, happy that The Midnight Express won as they are just so good inside of that ring, looks like we are having The Road Warriors vs The Samoan Swat Team which will be good. Crowd has a lot of energy so keep it up boys!

 

Winners: The Midnight Express over The Samoan Swat-Team via Double Clothesline!

 

Terry Gordy vs Dr. Death Steve Williams

Fucking meaty! Terry Gordy and Steve Williams were tag team partners in AJPW, a very dominant team but that does not matter for much here in The States. They start hot, they brawl before introductions and Williams takes out the leg of Gordy. Massive shoulder block, Williams wants something big. Gordy catches Williams coming in with a vicious lariat. Whip to the buckle and corner clothesline from Gordy, knees to the head from Gordy. More brawling between these two big bastards, crowds are going insane for this war. Jabs from Williams, headbutt from Williams. Gordy hugs the waist to stop the onslaught, Gordy transitions to a dirty belly to back suplex.

 

Reverse chin-lock from Gordy, Williams slips out and lands a scoop slam. Make it two, Gordy rolls out to the floor. They are slugging it out on the floor, big massive rights from both. Gordy jumps Williams who was trying to re-enter the ring, flying crossbody from Williams for two. Right jabs from Williams and a massive dropkick, Gordy rolls to the floor and takes a breather. Eye-rake from Gordy, Irish whip is reversed and Williams elbows Gordy to the floor. Gordy is thinking about leaving, they continue to brawl before the referee calls a double count-out.

 

Disappointing as the start to this match is as close to perfection as possible, it’s everything I wanted to see because for months I had to suffer and not see Williams be a big monster who bulldozes everything but here, we have what I want. Two people killing on another, everything that I want to see from a wrestling match. Shame we did not have a finish!

 

Double Count-Out!

 

Norman The Lunatic W/ Teddy Long vs Mike Justice

A mental patient who is going to wrestle for us, what fun! Norman clubs Justice down, massive clothesline takes down Justice. Headbutt from Norman, Irish whip to the buckle. Corner shoulder block and a pin for the win. Big debut for The Lunatic!

 

Winner: Norman The Lunatic over Mike Justice via Corner Shoulder Block!

 

The Varsity Club vs The Steiner Brothers W/ Missy Hyatt

Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan continue their feud with Rick Steiner but now Rick is backed up by his brother Scott and we are seeing the early version of one of the most iconic tag teams of the 90s. Scott does not have his singlet just yet but we are getting closer to what we want to see and what we love.

 

Sullivan and Scott to start, Sullivan clubs down Scott but Scott fights back and bounces Sullivan off the turnbuckles. Clothesline and right hands from Scott, Rick batters Rotunda with right hands and the crowd is into Rick Steiner. Sullivan eats a powerslam from Scott, Sullivan tags in Rotunda. Rotunda wants Rick, shoulder block from Rotunda and Rick lands a hip-toss and a clothesline. Sullivan gets rocked by a clothesline from Scott, Rick knocks down Sullivan with a huge clothesline. Sullivan is flustered by Rick, they lock-up. Rick is in the heels’ corner but fights right out of that corner, Sullivan tags in Rotunda.

 

Side headlock from Rick, tag to Scott. Rotunda sends Scott to the buckle, Scott lands a flying crossbody for two. Scott wants the suplex but Rotunda blocks before Sullivan and Rotunda suplex Scott to the floor, nasty looking spot right there. Sullivan comes in and boots Scott down, Rick is with the referee. Rotunda comes in and lands a dropkick, double underhook suplex for two. Scott is showing great heart here, Rotunda lands a massive clothesline. Front chancery from Rotunda, Rick is tagged in but Sullivan had the referee distracted. Rotunda misses the dropkick though, big moment here. Rick comes in with right hands to both Varsity Club members.

 

Irish whip and double clothesline to Rotunda, there is a chair in the ring. Scott slams Rotunda but Rotunda puts up the knees to block a splash. Rotunda suplexes Scott onto the chair and the referee does not see Rotunda use the chair, we have our winners!

 

Another solid tag team match, The Steiners are explosive with their clotheslines and suplexes, they are so much fun to watch. And I must say in small bites, Rotunda is not too bad. Shows great viciousness here so I think the man was meant to be a tag team guy, I am not sure what made them think he was meant to be a singles star.

 

Winners: The Varsity Club over The Steiner Brothers via Suplex onto The Chair!

 

(NWA Television Championship Match) Sting © vs Bill Irwin

The Stinger is here to kick all sort of ass, Wild Bill has a leather bull whip which does not allow Sting to enter the ring, the referee is trying very hard to get the whip away from Irwin. Sting manages to get in and lands a massive face-buster, dropkick in the corner. Irwin and Sting start brawling, corner knee from Irwin. Drop onto the rope, Sting is tossed throat-first into the top rope. Elbow to the face, Sting begins to shake off the attacks of Irwin. Sting kicks the head of Irwin, right hands and kicks from Sting. Back-rake from Sting, suplex from Sting for two. Irwin and Sting trade blows, right hands by Sting. Stinger Splash misses, Irwin slams Sting down with a spine-buster. Irwin is looking at the top rope, Irwin is thinking of using the whip but Sting lands The Stinger Splash and rolls-up Irwin for the win.

 

Lots of quick matches on this night, really difficult to rate it all. The fans are with the matches and the stars but there is a serious lack of substance and urgency to this show, all that matters is that main event to be honest.

 

Winner: Sting over Bill Irwin via Roll-Up!

 

(NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament Final Match) The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Midnight Express

The Freebirds reunited when Hayes defeated Luger for the United States Championship at WrestleWar 1989, Gordy was the deciding factor in that match, shoving Hayes on top of Luger. That reign lasted two weeks, Cornette is knocked out before the match begins as Paul E. Dangerously nails Cornett with a racket to the back of the head. Hayes and Lane to begin the match, hip-toss and scoop slam from Lane. Arm-drags before Hayes tags out of the match, drop toehold into the elbow drop for two. Eaton corners Garvin who cowers in fear, Garvin meets the knee of Eaton. Double elbow for two, Garvin backs into the corner again. Crowd is still hot, Hayes thinks about going into the crowd with Gordy coming around and you know shit is going to get real if Gordy is involved.

 

Garvin and Hayes lure in Eaton and put the boots to Beautiful Bobby, Hayes takes down Eaton and chokes the life out of Eaton. Eaton is sent through the ropes and into the guardrail, Lane stands over his partner protecting him from attacks. Elbow into the nose from Hayes, Eaton sells it really well. Garvin rakes the face of Eaton, Hayes distracts the referee. Eaton meets the guardrail again, Lane continues to protect his partner. Double elbow from The Freebirds, snap-mare into a reverse-chin-lock. Eaton fights his way out and Lane comes in with massive kicks to the ribs, Lane misses a corner elbow though. In comes Hayes, Lane cracks Hayes with a DDT. Tag to Eaton who lands kicks and punches on The Freebirds, noggin-knocker as Lane dropkicks Hayes to the floor.

 

Double back body-drop to Hayes, forearm to Hayes who is on the floor. Garvin is yanked into the ring, double flapjack from The Express. Lane and Hayes are brawling, Gordy comes in and Powerbombs Eaton with Garvin covering with a handful of tights just to make sure.

 

Again, decent action inside of the ring. Not sure of putting the championships on The Freebirds but when you look at the division, I don’t know if you can do much better than Garvin and Hayes. I do think The Midnight Express deserved the championships but let’s hope the matches between these two continue to deliver.

 

Winners: The Fabulous Freebirds over The Midnight Express via Powerbomb!

 

Terry Funk vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat

A top ten list of contenders for the championship held by Ric Flair, Ric Flair was brutally assaulted by Funk following the conclusion of his trilogy with The Dragon, a piledriver on the table almost broke the neck of The Nature Boy. Funk’s actions were so vile and disgusting that Steamboat decided he would take on Funk despite Funk’s status as number 10 on the list and Steamboat being the number one contender.

 

Funk and Steamboat go to the ropes, the referee is trying to separate these two competitors. They lock-up again, massive chops from Funk. Steamboat chops back, Funk is pissed. Lock-up, Funk slaps Steamboat but Steamboat slaps back and rocks The Funker. Funk re-evaluates before stepping back in the ring,  shoulder block by Funk. Make it two, double chop from Steamboat. Dropkick from Steamboat, Funk is on the floor once more. Funk comes in with lefts, Steamboat is dumped to the floor. Elbow to the back of the neck from Funk, Steamboat chops back at the deranged Funk. Funk meets the guardrail hard, Funk tackles Steamboat and starts nailing right hands to the eye of Steamboat. Funk steps on the face of Steamboat, neck-breaker from Funk who continues to work the neck and shoulders.

 

Steamboat comes up with chops, Irish whip but Funk counters and lands a big left-hand. Steamboat fires up again with chops, Funk flips to the floor. Steamboat lands a diving chop to the head of Funk, Funk is slammed hard on the floor. Steamboat whips Funk to the buckle, boot counter from Funk. Left hands and chops from Funk, elbow to the face. Texas Piledriver from Funk for two, Steamboat staggers to his feet and chops back. Funk sends Steamboat into the referee, Funk whips Steamboat over the top rope. Funk piledrives Steamboat on the floor, suplex into the ring from Funk. 1…2… Steamboat squeezes out at the last second. Left fists to the face, Steamboat is knocked loopy at this point. Funk climbs high, Steamboat dodges the splash with his knees. Irish whip and a gut punch, gut-buster from Steamboat.

 

Steamboat is on the top rope, diving chop from Steamboat and an enzuigiri from Steamboat. Funk is on the announce table, Funk cracks Steamboat with his microphone and we get a DQ. Lex Luger comes down to the ring for the first time tonight, Funk does not want to fight Luger. Luger wants the microphone, Luger has something to say. Luger talks about recent events, people saying that Luger has a big Ego and a selfish motherfucker but that cannot be true. Luger clotheslines Steamboat, Steamboat is barely able to stand as Luger smashes Steamboat. Steamboat begs off who cannot stand, Luger cracks Steamboat in the back with the chair. The Torture Rack from the ruthless Luger, Sting comes out after the vicious assault and that’s a wrap.

 

Good stuff from Funk and Steamboat, quite heated exchanges between the two and Funk keeps up with a very game Steamboat who has done nothing but have stellar matches since coming to WCW. The finish feels a little flat, I guess Flair is going to be so enraged by the actions of Funk that they will simply have to have a match which is fine, would have been interesting to have Funk topple Steamboat to give Funk more credibility heading into his matches from Flair but what a heel turn, I felt they had messed up Luger since his babyface turn and match with Flair at the Clash. A meaningless US Championship run did him no favours either so a heel Luger with Steamboat will be fun because Steamboat like Flair knows how to get the best out of The Total Package.

 

Winner: Ricky Steamboat over Terry Funk via DQ!

 

That was WCW’s Clash of The Champions VII: Guts and Glory, one of the easiest watches I have ever done for the review series, there is not a whole lot in terms of substance apart from the main event featuring Lex Luger turning heel but I can’t really fault the show. They are making moves in WCW, we have a new heel top tag team in The Freebirds, The Steiner Brothers are going to be massive in the future, Sting is picking up wins and becoming increasingly over. Luger and Steamboat should be good while Terry Funk has sparked life into a company that was looking stale and weak with the loss of The Horsemen. There is hope yet for WCW but will all the pieces fall into place? We shall see, final thoughts of this show are an easy watch but don’t expect anything special. Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!