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Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 19, 2021 15:13:09 GMT -5
CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXX (June 23, 1994) WCW celebrates it’s landmark 30th edition of the Clash of the Champions with an explosive card. In a throwback to the very first Clash, Ric Flair and Sting will meet tonight for the WCW World title. However, casting a shadow over that match and the night itself is the ongoing rumors of negotiations between WCW and Hulk Hogan. Flair has tried, to no avail, to unite WCW against Hogan. Sting chiefly, has rebuffed Flair’s offers. In counter, Flair says he has no other choice but to reform the Four Horsemen. Johnny B. Badd pinned Jean-Paul Levesque with the Tutti Frutti in 12:43. Rating: ****
Steven Regal promised Johnny B. Badd a United States title shot if he could beat Regal's new protege Jean-Paul Levesque. It wasn’t easy, but Badd took care of that end of the deal despite suffering an arm injury when Levesque sent Badd shoulder first into the ring post. But while Badd’s hand was still being raised in victory, Regal came out saying he was a man of his word. However, that title match was going to happen, right now. Lord Steven Regal made Johnny B. Badd submit to the Regal Stretch in 3:09. Rating: *** (Lord Steven Regal retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Regal took advantage of Badd’s fatigue and his arm injury, quickly making him submit to the Regal stretch. Arn Anderson pinned Ice Train with the DDT in 0:07:18. Rating: ** ¼Ric Flair has stated he's aiming to reform the Four Horsemen to help defend WCW against the impending arrival of Hulk Hogan. He previously tried to get Sting to join his efforts but was turned down. Flair's longtime friend Arn Anderson is obviously along for the ride, and Anderson's partner Bobby Eaton thought he was too. But after Anderson's match tonight, he gave a ringside interview telling Eaton flat out he wasn't going to be a Horseman. He used Eaton for his help to fight Roma and Orndorff but Anderson claimed he had to do most of the work himself. Those matches showed Anderson that Eaton didn't have what it takes to be a Horseman. Eaton looked ready to go after Anderson when running in and attacking from behind was Stunning Steve Austin. Anderson pointed at Austin saying "That's a Horseman." Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when Orndorff defeated S. Ray by disqualification in 4:10. Rating: * 3/4 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.) [Brian Knobbs interfered against Paul Orndorff.]Pretty Wonderful took their turn at Harlem Heat in a world title match, but Brian Knobbs obviously hasn't forgotten Pretty Wonderful attacking him last month. Knobbs ran down causing a DQ not long into the title match, and then issued a challenge saying while Jerry Sags is still hurt, he's found a new partner and asked Pretty Wonderful to meet them next month at Bash at the Beach. Brian Pillman defeated Ron Simmons by countout in 7:59. Rating: ** ¾(Brian Pillman retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.) Cactus Jack hasn't been seen much lately, but when he's been around he's scared the heck out of Ron Simmons. Just like at Slamboree, Jack ran down during Simmons' match, this time his TV title shot against Brian Pillman. Jack chased Simmons to the back getting him counted out. Davey Boy Smith pinned Dustin Rhodes with the Running Powerslam in 14:59. Rating: *** ¾Dustin Rhodes, still reeling from a loss to Davey Boy at Starrcade, asked for a rematch to try to fully put his losing streak behind him. But when Smith said no due to having his focus elsewhere, Rhodes couldn’t accept that. After a blindside attack last month, Smith finally agreed to face Rhodes, and much like their first match, Smith came out on top. Rhodes wasn’t letting this one go though, as he and his manager Terry Funk attacked Smith after the match. Rick Rude defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell in 16:29. Rating: ** Bagwell tried to make a huge jump up the ladder in a match against former world champ Rick Rude. Bagwell gave Rude quite a match but just couldn't top the former world champ. After the match, while Rude and his valet Woman were celebrating, Barry Windham came out and said he's not done with Rude yet. At Bash at the Beach, he has a big surprise in store for him. Ric Flair pinned Sting after a roll up in 19:08. Rating: *** (Ric Flair retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)
Old rivals met again with Sting challenging for Ric Flair's world title. Flair was a bit distracted running around ringside ripping up any signs for Hulk Hogan he could find. While Flair was engaged with the match, Anderson and Austin came out to patrol around ringside. When it looked like Sting was ready to put Flair away in the scorpion, Anderson started yelling at a young fan with a Sting shirt and a sign saying "Sting and Hogan, the dream team." Anderson ripped the sign up and drew Sting's attention. Flair took advantage of the distraction, rolling Sting up from behind, grabbing the tights and getting the pin. After the match, Anderson and Austin joined Flair in a 3-on-1 attack on Sting, until the music began to play and Hulk Hogan made his way to the ring to make the save! Sting and Hogan fought off the Horsemen, and then in a sight many never thought they’d see, Sting and Hogan stood face to face in a WCW ring and shook hands.
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 22, 2021 17:20:26 GMT -5
BASH AT THE BEACH (July 17, 1994)
Marcus Alexander Bagwell pinned Brian Pillman after a kneedrop in 9:43. Rating: *** 1/2 (Marcus Alexander Bagwell won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Everyone in WCW knows Ric Flair is out to form an updated version of the Four Horsemen. Arn Anderson and Steve Austin have already been revealed as members. But the fourth Horseman was still a mystery. Late in a very good TV title match, Anderson and Austin began walking down the aisle toward ringside. Bagwell and Pillman began pointing at each other, accusing the other of being the mystery man. While the ref went over to the ring’s edge to try to and tell Anderson and Austin to leave ringside, behind his back Bagwell low blowed Pillman and once the referee turned his attention back, Bagwell pinned Pillman to become the new TV champion. Afterwards, Anderson and Austin came into the ring and all three began stomping away at Pillman. Bagwell flashed four fingers making it official, he was the Fourth Horsemen. Dustin Rhodes pinned Davey Boy Smith with the Bulldog in 12:53. Rating: *** 1/2Dustin Rhodes finally got one back over Davey Boy Smith with Terry Funk providing the edge, hitting Smith a branding iron, knocking him out making him easy pickings for Rhodes to pick up and hit with a Bulldog. Big Van Vader pinned Ricky Steamboat with the Vader Bomb in 6:20. Rating: *** 3/4
Vader was out to make a point that he was still the most dominant force in WCW and unfortunately for Ricky Steamboat, he was the unlucky one selected for Vader to make an example out of. Arn Anderson pinned Bobby Eaton with the DDT in 8:12. Rating: ** 1/2Marcus Bagwell solidified his new standing as a member of the Horsemen by showing up during the match and smacking Eaton with his newly won TV title belt while Anderson had the ref distracted. Brian Knobbs and The Boss defeated Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) when Knobbs pinned Roma with the Running Powerslam in 13:39. Rating: ** 1/2Brian Knobbs has revealed a new partner to go after Pretty Wonderful. To the delight of the crowd, it was revealed as The Boss. It was an interesting choice but one that worked well for Knobbs as the duo was able to overpower Pretty Wonderful. Lord Steven Regal pinned Johnny B. Badd after a back suplex in 15:02. Rating: **** (Lord Steven Regal retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.) Badd finally got a clean chance to fight Regal for the US title and gave the champion everything he had. But unfortunately for Badd and the legions of fans he had in the arena, it wasn’t enough. Regal hit Badd with an object handed to him by his friend Jean-Paul Levesque, and then pinned him after a suplex and a handful of tights. No-Time-Limit-No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: Cactus Jack pinned Ron Simmons with the Double Arm DDT in 18:28. Rating: *** 1/4
There was nowhere for Ron Simmons to hide this time. After spending the last couple months running away from Cactus, Simmons had to face him head on tonight. The match was every bit of the brawl one would expect. Cactus threw everything he could think of at Simmons, chairs, trash cans, TV cameras, everything. Simmons withstood Cactus’ wild barrage early and turned the match in his favor with his own onslaught. But Jack wouldn’t stay down and got back on the offensive, eventually hitting Simmons with several trash can shots followed by a DDT to get the win. Barry Windham pinned Rick Rude after a lariat in 14:01. Rating: ***Windham alluded to having a surprise in store for Rude for their meeting tonight but it didn’t seem to phase Rude for most of the match. However, late in the contest Rude set up for a Rude Awakening, only to have his valet, Woman, spray hairspray in Rude’s eyes. This allowed Windham to score the win. After the match, Woman jumped in Windham’s arms in celebration. Sting defeated Steve Austin by disqualification in 15:59. Rating: *** ½[Arn Anderson and Marcus Alexander Bagwell interfered against Sting] In one of his first tests as a member of the Horsemen, Austin had the challenge to face off against Sting. But Austin had the Horsemen in his corner, an added boost that gives one the edge against almost any opponent. Austin gave Sting a heck of a challenge, but once it looked like Sting was about to lock Austin in the Scorpion Death Lock, Anderson and Bagwell ran to cause the disqualification. Before the Horsemen could fully engaged in a 3-on-1 beatdown of Sting, Brian Pillman ran in to help Sting fight them off. Hulk Hogan pinned Ric Flair with the Big Leg Drop in 23:13. Rating: *** 3/4 (Hulk Hogan won the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)
The Horsemen are at full strength numberwise, but in the process of uniting Flair, Arn Anderson, Steve Austin and Marcus Bagwell as the new group, they’ve also formed a lot of enemies. A number of those enemies made their presence felt tonight, namely Sting and Brian Pillman, helping keep interference out of the way allowing for a 1-on-1 Hogan-Flair match. Without his backup, Flair couldn’t match Hogan’s strength in a straight up match and in his first WCW match, Hulk Hogan became world champion.
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 25, 2021 15:23:47 GMT -5
CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXI (August 24, 1994)
Johnny B. Badd and Ricky Steamboat defeated Lord Steven Regal and Jean-Paul Levesque when Badd pinned Regal with the Tutti Frutti in 10:47. Rating: *** 1/4
Johnny B. Badd recruited an old friend to even the odds against Regal and Levesque, bringing in Ricky Steamboat as his partner. It was just like old times for the two as the were impressive in the win, especially Badd, who knocked out and pinned the US Champ. INTERVIEW WITH HULK HOGANWCW World Champion Hulk Hogan came out for an interview before his world title rematch tonight against Ric Flair, only to get blindsided by the Horsemen who took out Hogan's knee. By the time reinforcements came to Hogan's aid, the damage was done. Hogan was taken by ambulance to a hospital, leaving the status of tonight's world title match in doubt. Marcus Alexander Bagwell pinned 2 Cold Scorpio with the Fisherman Suplex in 8:57. Rating: *** 1/4 (Marcus Alexander Bagwell retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Marcus Bagwell was challenged by his old partner 2 Cold Scorpio for the TV title. Bagwell claimed he was the one that carried their team and they would've been champions long ago if he would've picked a better partner. His words almost came back to haunt him and Scorpio looked on the verge of beating Bagwell, but a Horseman always has a trick up their sleeve. Bagwell stuck a foreign object in his kneepad while no one was looking. Scorpio came off the top rope for his splash but Bagwell got his knee up and whatever was in there knocked out Scorpio. INTERVIEW WITH THE STEINER BROTHERSMene Gene Okerlund caught up with one of WCW’s most decorated tag teams of all time, The Steiner Brothers, as Rick and Scott were sitting ringside for the event. It’s been a few years since the Steiners were seen in WCW, but they said they were looking forward to getting back in the mix. This brought out current world champions, Harlem Heat. They said a lot has changed since the Steiners were away and Harlem Heat runs things now. The Steiners seemed ready to take this altercation to a physical level, but Harlem Heat just laughed and walked away, saying they were too busy with a title match to get ready for, but they’ll deal with those suckas another day. Davey Boy Smith pinned Terry Funk with the Running Powerslam in 8:27. Rating: ** 1/2Davey Boy Smith scored a victory over Funk, who's been a thorn in his side during his rivalry with Dustin Rhodes. But Funk and Rhodes got the last laugh as Rhodes ran down after the man and the two got a double team assault on Davey Boy. COMMENTS FROM THE WCW CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEEWCW championship committee member Nick Bockwinkel came out to address the world title match situation. He gave the bad news that due to the contracts, if Hogan is stripped of the title for not being able to defend it tonight. Flair came out and expected to be handed the belt, but instead, Bockwinkle informed him that there will be a title match tonight. For the now vacant belt, it will be Flair vs. Big Van Vader. Loser-Leaves-Town Match: Ron Simmons pinned Cactus Jack with the Powerslam in 16:28. Rating: ** 1/2Harley Race could be on his way to a great night. With a world title match coming up for Vader, Race also got one of his biggest problems solved when Ron Simmons, with Race's aid of course, defeated Cactus Jack in a loser leaves town match. Jack was setting up to put Simmons away with a DDT when Race popped up on the apron. Jack charged Race, knocking him down, but giving Simmons time to recover and hit a powerslam on a distracted Cactus that brought an end to Cactus Jack's WCW career. INTERVIEW WITH DIAMOND DALLAS PAGEDiamond Dallas Page gave an interview. He's been appearing on recent Saturday Night broadcasts saying he's been working out, training hard and ready to become a serious wrestling threat. During his speeches he's been taking verbal shots at several WCW stars including Bobby Eaton, with Page saying Eaton's been nothing but a crybaby since the Horsemen turned him down. Eaton came out to confront Page and for his troubles, Page hit Eaton with his new move he calls the Diamond Cutter. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated Brian Knobbs and Big Boss Man when Booker pinned Boss Man with the Axe Kick in 13:34. Rating: * 3/4 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Harlem Heat successfully defended their world titles taking advantage of a wild scene where Pretty Wonderful came to try to attack the Nasty Boys only to get beaten back. But the distraction allowed Harlem Heat to win the match. After the match, Pretty Wonderful came back down to jump on a now down Knobbs and Boss Man as Harlem Heat went to the back, showcasing their titles to the Steiners sitting ringside. Pretty Wonderful kept up the attack until running down for the save was Jerry Sags, seemingly healed from his knee injury. Sting and Brian Pillman defeated Arn Anderson and Steve Austin when Sting defeated A. Anderson by disqualification in 14:05. Rating: ** 1/4Sting and Brian Pillman have been two victims of the Horsemen’s reformation. Tonight they teamed up to go after a bit of revenge. Facing Arn Anderson and Steve Austin, Sting and Pillman took control of the match, only to have Marcus Bagwell run in leading to a 3-on-2 attack. Ric Flair pinned Big Van Vader in 13:01. Rating: * 3/4 (Ric Flair won the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE).Flair used the Horsemen advantage to take down Vader, much to Harley Race's chagrin. Race threw his hands up in disgust and left ringside while Vader was getting attacked by the Horsemen. However, running in for the save for Vader was an unlikely source, none other than Sting and Brian Pillman. Together, the three fought off the Horsemen, then had an interesting staredown in the middle of the ring. Card rating: ** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 28, 2021 13:20:14 GMT -5
FALL BRAWL (Sept. 18, 1994) [STREET FIGHT WITH TERRY FUNK BARRED FROM THE ARENA]: Dustin Rhodes pinned Davey Boy Smith with the Bulldog in 11:45. Rating: ** 3/4Davey Boy Smith looked like he finally got his 1 on 1 match with Dustin Rhodes and tried to make the most of it. Smith figured he’d have nothing to worry about with Terry Funk barred from the Arena. But while Smith was outside, a woman in the front row pulled what appeared to be mace out of her purse and sprayed it in Smith's eyes. This helped Rhodes pick up the win via a bulldog on to a trash can. After the match, Rhodes pulled the "woman" over the guardrail, who revealed herself to be Terry Funk in drag. The two then proceeded to beat down Smith once again. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and The Boss defeated Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) and Greg Valentine when Sags defeated Valentine by disqualification in 18:02. Rating: ** 1/2Jerry Sags is still working his way to 100 percent after a knee injury, but whatever limitations he may have had were well compensated by his two partners, Brian Knobbs and The Boss. Pretty Wonderful has been relying on sneak attacks lately to try to get an upperhand, but face-to-face in the ring, they had a hard time matching up with the three powerhouses. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Bobby Eaton with the Diamond Cutter in 7:47. Rating: ** 1/2
Diamond Dallas Page has let it be known to anyone who would listen that he’s been training hard to become one of top wrestlers the company has ever seen. In the process, he’s also been taking shots at those who he feels has been embarrassing themselves, naming Eaton in that group. Bobby Eaton wanted a chance to shut DDP up, but DDP made quick work of him. Ron Simmons pinned Ice Train after a spinebuster slam in 0:07:36. Rating: DUDLeading up to the event, Ice Train has been giving interviews on Saturday Night broadcasts criticizing Ron Simmons saying he used to be someone he looked up to, but Simmons' recent actions have let him and a bunch of young kids just like him, down. Train got his chance to face his former idol who didn't seem to pay any attention to the criticism. Simmons has been on a hot streak lately and not even Ice Train could cool him down. Johnny B. Badd pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Tutti Frutti in 23:48. Rating: **** 1/4 (Johnny B. Badd won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Johnny B. Badd finally got his 1 on 1 title shot against Steven Regal and made the most of it. Badd has come so close so many times to wearing singles gold in WCW, only to have it slip through his fingers. Tonight, in an epic match, Badd finally got over the hump, becoming United States champion. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when Booker defeated R. Steiner by disqualification in 0:16:08. Rating: * 3/4 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)
The Steiner Brothers worked their way to a title match with wins on Saturday Night and other broadcasts, even though Harlem Heat said they didn't deserve a title match. The Steiners looked like they were poised to win the titles when Booker T brought a chair into the ring while Stevie Ray distracted the ref. But instead of using it, Rick Steiner wrestled it away from him, and used the chair on Booker. He then went over and used the chair on Stevie, very easy for the ref to see. The ref had no choice but to disqualify the Steiner Brothers. War Games No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: Sting, Hulk Hogan, Brian Pillman and Big Van Vader defeated The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Ric Flair), Steve Austin and Marcus Alexander Bagwell when Sting made Austin submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 41:51. Rating: *** 1/4Leading up to War Games, Hulk Hogan wasn't sure about trusting Big Van Vader on his team, but sadly, Vader never got a chance to prove what he could do. Vader was the last one set to enter the match, but before he could, Ron Simmons ran down and took him out. Undermanned, Hulk's team was easy pickings for the Horsemen, until someone came to save the day. Hulk had an old friend on standby in case he was needed. The Horsemen were in total control until over the speakers the familiar voice yelling "Ohhhh Yeahhhhhh .... " could be heard. It was the Macho Man Randy Savage rushing in, getting into the cage, and joining Hogan's team. Savage's arrival turned the tide of the match. Sting locked Austin in the Scorpion Death Lock while Hogan dropped a Leg and Savage a flying elbow. Card rating: ** 1/2
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 1, 2021 16:45:25 GMT -5
HALLOWEEN HAVOC (October 23, 1994) The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) when R. Steiner pinned Orndorff after the Top Rope Bulldog in 10:42. Rating: *** 3/4
The Steiners have claimed they’re due a rematch against Harlem Heat for the world tag titles after the way their match at Fall Brawl ended. Pretty Wonderful said all one needs to do is look at the record book and see the Steiners lost that match, so they need to go to the back of the line. This led to a war of words and finally tonight’s match. If the Steiners were at the back of the line, they just jumped back ahead of Pretty Wonderful with tonight’s win. Brian Pillman defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell by disqualification in 14:41. Rating: ** (Marcus Alexander Bagwell retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.) [Steve Austin interfered against Brian Pillman.]Brian Pillman finally got his shot at regaining the TV title he lost months ago to Bagwell. It looked like the was on his way to winning the belt back before his old rival and Bagwell’s fellow Horseman Steve Austin rushed in and attacked Pillman causing a DQ. Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ricky Steamboat by countout in 0:12:55. Rating: * 1/4Diamond Dallas Page has said he wants to be the best, and to get there, he has to go through the toughest competition he can find. That led him to challenge WCW Triple Crown winner Ricky Steamboat tonight. Page got the win when Steamboat attempted a flying splash outside, only for Page to move and Steamboat crash into the guardrail. Steamboat was counted out and Page given the win, although he didn't seem too pleased about it. Lord Steven Regal made Johnny B. Badd submit to the Regal Stretch in 11:01. Rating: **** 1/4 (Lord Steven Regal won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)
Johnny B. Badd has been riding high since winning the US title from Steve Regal, his first WCW title win. However, Regal said that win was a fluke, and he was going to take his title back, and crush Badd’s dreams. Things took a bad turn (pardon the pun) during the match when Regal rammed Badd’s shoulder into the ring post. The former champ then meticulously worked on Badd’s arm throughout the match. He finally made Badd submit to the Regal stretch, and as Regal celebrated with the title, you could see the dejection on Badd’s face. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Booker pinned Knobbs after a missile dropkick in 12:18. Rating: * 1/2 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Jerry Sags is back from injury and the Nasty Boys are back together, though whether Sags is 100% is up for debate. Harlem Heat targeted the injured knee, weakening him and causing Brian Knobbs to try to carry a greater percentage of the load to make up for it. Harlem Heat’s strategy worked as they were able to catch Knobbs with a flying dropkick to win the match. Davey Boy Smith and Sting defeated Dustin Rhodes and Terry Funk when Sting pinned Funk after a Stinger Splash in 14:56. Rating: ** ½Davey Boy knew he needed some backup to match up with Rhodes and Funk, so he called upon his good friend Sting to join the fight. Sting more than willingly teamed back up with his old friend and the pairing proved successful as they scored the tag team win. Ron Simmons pinned Big Van Vader with the Powerslam in 14:50. Rating: *** 1/4
Ron Simmons, with Harley Race by his side, gave his manager a big gift by beating his former client Big Van Vader. Although Race was instrumental in helping him get the win. At several spots, Race distracted the ref allowing Simmons the opportunity for cheap shots. But at one point Vader had enough and rushed over to Race, hitting him and knocking him down. But that allowed Simmons to attack Vader from behind and catch him in a powerslam that Vader couldn’t get up from. STEEL CAGE MATCH Barry Windham pinned Rick Rude after a superplex in 21:31. Rating: ****
These two have quickly developed a fierce and intense rivalry, thanks in part to Windham stealing away the services of Woman from Rude, who was shocked that any woman would rather be by Windham’s side than his. This helped lead to a brutal steel cage match tonight that left both men bloody. But maybe it was Woman’s encouragement from the outside that gave Windham that little extra to overcome everything to beat Rude. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage defeated The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Ric Flair) when Hogan pinned A. Anderson with the Big Leg Drop in 23:48. Rating: *** 1/2After his arrival at War Games, Randy Savage had his first official WCW match teaming with friend Hulk Hogan to battle Horsemen. Things looked just like old times for the once-labeled Mega Powers. But the Horsemen tried to employ the strength in numbers tactic that has been successful for the various incarnations of the group for years. Sting and Brian Pillman, However, came to provide a hand for Hogan and Savage, keeping it mostly a 2-on-2 match in the ring. With the outside interference neutralized, Hogan and Savage carried through to victory. Card rating: ** 3/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 3, 2021 16:25:56 GMT -5
CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXII (November 16, 1994) Alex Wright pinned Jean-Paul Levesque with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 10:31. Rating: *** ¾“Das Wunderkid” Alex Wright has been tearing things up on Saturday Night, becoming one of the hottest rookies WCW has seen in quite some time. Wright made the most of his first time on a major event, picking up a win over another impressive rookie in his own right, Jean-Paul Levesque. Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin defeated Bobby Eaton and Brian Pillman when Austin pinned B. Eaton with the Stun Gun in 12:55. Rating: ***Bobby Eaton, still upset by his offer to join the Horsemen being turned down a few months ago, offered to team up with Brian Pillman to battle the Horsemen. Eaton gave everything he had, but it wasn't enough to help Pillman get revenge. Davey Boy Smith pinned Dustin Rhodes with the Running Powerslam in 13:21. Rating: *** ¾Davey Boy Smith might've finally got past his arch rival Dustin Rhodes, thanks to Sting being at ringside to negate Rhodes' advantage of having Terry Funk around. With it being a true 1-on-1 match, Smith picked up a win. Afterwards, Rhodes made a quick comment to Gene Okerlund that Sting needed to mind his own business. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner), The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and The Boss defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T), Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) and Greg Valentine when Knobbs pinned Stevie Ray in 16:51. Rating: **Pretty much the entire tag team scene in WCW came together in a wild 10-man tag. The ref lost control of the match at various times throughout with a lot of brawling sprawled out around ringside. A lot of illegal moves went on behind the ref’s back as he couldn’t keep an eye on everyone. Stevie Ray took advantage of a distracted ref and knocked out Brian Knobbs by hitting him with a motorcycle helmet the Nastys actually wore to the ring. But the ref didn’t turn around fast enough to count the pin, enabling Jerry Sags to pick up the helmet and hit Stevie with it, then rolling Knobbs on top. This time the ref did turn around to count the pin. INTERVIEW WITH THE HORSEMEN AND BARRY WINDHAMAll four horsemen, including world champ Ric Flair were in the ring giving an interview about the upcoming rematch between Flair and Hulk Hogan, inside a steel cage set for Starrcade. Flair said WCW’s future is at stake in this one and any self-respecting member of the roster should be invested in Flair’s success. In such, he called out Barry Windham who came to the ring with Woman draped by his side. Flair told Windham they’ve had a lot of success working together and asked for Windham’s support at Starrcade. Windham countered saying the years serving Flair got him absolutely nothing. Windham admitted he was no fan of Hogan but the only person he cares about helping be world champion is himself. And said whether it was Flair or Hogan coming out of Starrcade with the belt, he was coming for them. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Brad Armstrong with the Diamond Cutter in 5:48. Rating: ** ¼Diamond Dallas Page beat Brad Armstrong tonight but wasn't satisfied. He spoke after the match saying he deserves to be in the ring with a much higher caliber of wrestler. He mentioned his countout win over Ricky Steamboat but said he wanted more. He wants to pin Ricky Steamboat, not get a fluke win cause Steamboat threw himself into a barricade. He laid down a challenge for Starrcade. Iron Man Match: Johnny B. Badd beat Lord Steven Regal 3 falls to 1: x Badd beat Regal via the Tutti Frutti in 20:09 x Regal beat Regal via an inside cradle in 26:41 x Badd beat Regal via a flying sunset flip in 28:11 x Badd beat Regal via the Tutti Frutti in 29:55 Rating: **** 1/2 (Johnny B. Badd won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)In what was billed as the final battle in this ongoing feud, the other way to give proper closure and to truly find out who was the better man was a 30-minute Iron Man Match. Most falls in the time limit wins the match and the U.S. title. It took a while for the first fall to even transpire, but two-thirds of the way through the match, Badd finally caught Regal with his vicious left hook out of nowhere for the first fall. But only a few minutes later, Regal evened the match, rolling up Badd and grabbing a handful of tights. As the clock kept ticking, everyone wondered if this would even settle things or if a draw was in the fates. Regal placed Badd on the top turnbuckle in an attempt at a superplex, only to have Badd fight him off. Regal dropped back to the canvas then tried to come back to the corner, only to have Badd catch him with a sunset flip for a 2-1 lead. Less than two minutes were left at this point and Regal was desperate to do anything that would get him back in the match. But in his frustrations, he dropped his guard and got caught with another Tutti Frutti as Badd iced the match. Card rating: *** 1/4 ------------------- STARRCADE '94 CARD WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE STEEL CAGE MATCH Ric Flair (c) vs. Hulk Hogan WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES Harlem Heat (c) vs. The Nasty Boys WCW UNITED STATES TITLE Johnny B. Badd (c) vs. Ron Simmons WCW TELEVISION TITLE Marcus Bagwell (c) vs. Randy Savage Sting vs. Dustin Rhodes Davey Boy Smith vs. Lord Steven Regal Barry Windham vs. Brian Pillman Pretty Wonderful vs. The Steiner Brothers Ricky Steamboat vs. Diamond Dallas Page Alex Wright vs. Brad Armstrong
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 10, 2021 15:24:52 GMT -5
STARRCADE '94 (December 27, 1994) Alex Wright pinned Brad Armstrong with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 6:47. Rating: ** ½Das Wunderkid closed out a successful 1994 with a victory on WCW’s flagship PPV event. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma) when R. Steiner pinned Orndorff after a belly-to-back suplex in 10:39. Rating: *** ¼The Steiners made a huge jump up the tag team ladder with a decisive win over pretty wonderful. They let it be known after the match, whether it will be Harlem Heat or the Nasty Boys as champions, the Steiners were coming for the belts. Davey Boy Smith pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Running Powerslam in 14:30. Rating: *** ¾Smith has been saying it’s taken a long time to get rid of Dustin Rhodes, but he’s anxious now to move on to bigger and better things. He owes Steven Regal some payback after Regal took his US title earlier in the year and Smith got that tonight scoring an impressive win. Randy Savage and Marcus Alexander Bagwell battled to a draw in 20:00. Rating: *** 1/4 (Marcus Alexander Bagwell retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Not too long after emerging on the scene in WCW, Randy Savage got his first opportunity to win a WCW Title, challenging Marcus Bagwell of the Horsemen for the TV Title. Savage left without the gold, but it was mostly due to Horsemen chicanery. Savage was able to hit his patented flying elbow drop on Bagwell, but Arn Anderson, who was at ringside in Bagwell’s corner, grabbed his legs and pulled him outside before Savage could go for the pin. In response, the referee kicked Anderson out from ringside. Bagwell, though, held his own from there, even taking the advantage at various points. But when Savage got back in control as the time limit was ticking away, Bagwell did everything he could to avoid Savage, settling for the draw. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Ricky Steamboat after a Victory Roll in 11:49. Rating: **DDP wasn’t happy getting a countout win over Steamboat a while back, claiming he wanted Steamboat to know DDP was truly the better man. He got his shot tonight but it's questionable if he really did accomplish his claimed mention, relying on a roll up and a handful of tights to get the win. Barry Windham pinned Brian Pillman with the Superplex in 11:18. Rating: *** 1/4After Barry Windham was asked to side with the Horsemen in their fight against Hulk Hogan, Windham kept saying the only side he was on was his own. This didn’t sit well with Brian Pillman, a Horsemen enemy, who said Windham needed to stand against them if he wasn’t joining them. Instead, Windham further emphasized he was his own man and was going to kick Pillman’s butt just for him. Pillman’s athleticism and high-flying moves caught Windham off guard numerous times. But the big man’s strength was too much. Johnny B. Badd pinned Ron Simmons with the Tutti Frutti in 12:44. Rating: *** 3/4 (Johnny B. Badd retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Ron Simmons has been building a ton of momentum lately and tried to parlay that into winning the United States title off Johnny B. Badd. But as Harley Race tried to get involved, giving Simmons an added boost, Vader made his first appearance since Fall Brawl, coming in, pulling Race off the apron and knocking him out on the floor. This all distracted Simmons, who was then knocked out himself by Badd's vicious Tutti Frutti left hook. But as Badd was celebrating with the fans, Diamond Dallas Page emerged out of nowhere to hit Badd with a Diamond Cutter on the entrance way. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when Knobbs pinned S. Ray after a side suplex in 17:40. Rating: * 3/4 (The Nasty Boys won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Harlem Heat has had a fantastic reign as world tag champs, but that is all over now as the Nasty Boys reclaimed the gold. This match quickly devolved into a brawl, which played right into the Nasty Boys’ hands. They withstood everything Harlem Heat threw at them and dished it right back at them plus more. That added up to The Nasty Boys starting their second world title reign. Sting pinned Dustin Rhodes after the Stinger Splash in 16:04. Rating: ** 1/2Dustin Rhodes, once a close ally of the Stinger, put the blame on him for turning the tide of his recent feud with Davey Boy Smith. He also added that he’s learned more in the last six months working with Terry Funk than he did being a friend of Sting’s, and he was going to prove it. But Sting countered saying every problem Dustin Rhodes has had he’s brought on himself and was going to shut him up once and for all tonight. Terry Funk tried to give Rhodes an edge, but Sting had enough of Funk’s attempted interference, bring him in the ring and locking him in the Scorpion. However, this let Rhodes come from behind and hit Sting with a bulldog. Rhodes thought he had the match won at that point, and couldn’t believe it when Sting kicked out. Sting took back control of the frustrated Rhodes and put him away with a Stinger Splash. Cage Match: Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair when Hogan pinned Flair after the Big Leg Drop in 24:12. Rating: *** 1/4 (Hulk Hogan won the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)The only true way to neutralize the Horsemen was to put this match inside a steel cage and let Hogan and Flair settle it 1 on 1. This of course didn’t stop them from trying to interfere, but the cage itself, plus Sting and Pillman coming to Hulk’s side, kept it fair. Barry Windham even came down with Woman on his side, each holding a chair. While the match raged inside the cage, everyone outside paused to see what Windham was going to do. However, he and Woman merely set up the chairs, sat down and watched the match. What they saw was Flair unable to rely on the Horsemen’s help, and Hogan get the win hitting the big leg drop on a bloody Flair. Sting and Pillman went in to congratulate Hogan after the match. By then, Hogan eyed Windham who simply picked up his chair and walked to the back. Card rating: ***
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 13, 2021 15:39:27 GMT -5
CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXIII (Jan. 25, 1995) Paul Roma pinned Alex Wright after a flying fistdrop in 9:58. Rating: ** ½In what could be considered an upset, Alex Wright suffered his first WCW loss, losing to Paul Roma who only recently entered singles competition. Roma had been jealous of the attention Wright was getting from females in the audience claiming that “Pretty” Paul Roma was the biggest heartthrob in WCW. Roma put his more years of overall ring experience to work in helping him get the win. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Ice Train with the Diamond Cutter in 2:45. Rating: 1/2*Diamond Dallas Page picked up another win, but once again wasn't satisfied with his level of competition. He was particularly upset that Johnny B. Badd was defending his US title tonight against Ricky Steamboat, whom DDP beat at Starrcade. Badd justified the match saying he'd rather give a title shot to someone whom he considered a friend and mentor like Ricky Steamboat rather than a "scum" like Diamond Dallas Page. This, of course, didn't sit well with Page. Later in the night when Steamboat came out for the match, Page ran up and hit him with a Diamond Cutter on the stage. Badd came down and chased Page off, but once his back was turned when he went to go check on Steamboat, DDP came back and hit Badd with a Diamond Cutter, too. Page then took the US title belt and left with it. The Boss pinned Marcus Alexander Bagwell with the Boss Man Slam in 7:52. Rating: ** 1/2 (The Boss won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Marcus Bagwell was supposed to fight Brian Pillman for the TV title, but Bagwell came out laughing, announcing that Pillman was too chicken to step in the ring with him and "ran home to mommy." WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkle came out and said while it was true Brian Pillman was not here, Bagwell would have to defend his TV title as he had found a replacement. Bagwell refused, but that didn't stop Bockwinkle from calling out the replacement, that being The Boss, and ordering the match to start. Bagwell, obviously caught off guard by the change, fell victim to The Boss, losing his title. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) and The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) battled to a double countout in 20:57. Rating: *3/4 (The Nasty Boys retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Harlem Heat got their return match against the Nasty Boys for the world tag titles, but nothing was settled. Both teams kept brawling in and out of the ring until both were counted out. Davey Boy Smith and Sting defeated Terry Funk and Dustin Rhodes when D.B. Smith pinned D. Rhodes with the Running Powerslam in 18:20. Rating: *** ½Davey Boy Smith further put closure to his feud with Dustin Rhodes by teaming again with Sting to defeat Rhodes and Funk. After the match, Nick Bockwinkle came back out and told Smith his recent efforts in the ring haven’t gone unnoticed. Bockwinkle then declared Smith the No. 1 contender for the world title, and will get a match against the winner of tonight’s title match, at Superbrawl. Steve Austin pinned Randy Savage after the Stun Gun in 15:17. Rating: ** 3/4One of the bigger surprises came when Steve Austin pinned Randy Savage. Of course it came with a little help from the Horsemen. Austin distracted the ref, giving Marcus Bagwell an opportunity to throw powder in Savage's eyes. With Savage blinded, Austin hit a stun gun and got the win. Handicap-Match: Big Van Vader defeated Shanghai Pierce and Tex Slazenger when Vader pinned Pierce with the Vader Bomb in 9:20. Rating: ** ¼Vader is ready for an upcoming clash with Ron Simmons scheduled for Superbrawl. Vader said he was ready to deal with both Simmons AND Harley Race, and to prove it, he would fight two men tonight. The big man backed up his words, dominating Slazenger and Pierce. Hulk Hogan pinned Barry Windham with the Big Leg Drop in 17:26. Rating: *** 1/4Barry Windham had definitely grown his confidence level in recent months ever since picking up the services of Woman by his side. His recent winning streak earned him a world title match against Hulk Hogan. Former champion Ric Flair, who’s had issues with both men, took a page from Windham’s book at Starrcade, grabbing a chair and watching the match from ringside. Windham’s confidence grew even more after he hit Hogan with a superplex, thinking he was once again going to be world champion. But that confidence was soon shaken when Hogan popped up. Hogan proceeded to shake off Windham’s strikes, hit a big boot and leg drop and get the pin. Card rating: ** 3/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 17, 2021 13:25:15 GMT -5
SUPERBRAWL V (Feb. 19, 1995) Arn Anderson and Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when A. Anderson pinned S. Steiner with the DDT in 12:01. Rating: *** 3/4In the weeks leading up to Superbrawl, Arn Anderson called out the Steiner Brothers saying the last time they were around, they had a tendency to stick their nose in Horsemen business. He warned them to learn from past mistakes and stay far away. The Steiners countered saying they didn’t care about the Horsemen, their goal coming back to WCW was to once again become champions and prove they are the best team in the world, and if they have to go through the Horsemen to do it, so be it. The war of words escalated into tonight’s match with Anderson and Bagwell representing the Horsemen. The match itself with a pretty nice back-and-forth affair, but the Horsemen’s tendency to always look for a cheap shot or an illegal edge pushed the match into their favor. Big Boss Man pinned Paul Roma with the Boss Man Slam in 7:36. Rating: *** (Big Boss Man retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Fresh off winning the TV title last month, The Boss had a successful first defense, fighting off Paul Roma who was starting to put together a winning streak as a singles wrestler. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Ricky Steamboat with the Diamond Cutter in 0:11:13. Rating: ** 3/4
Johnny B. Badd pinned Diamond Dallas Page with the Tutti Frutti in 0:01:03. Rating: ** (Johnny B. Badd retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)DDP made a claim that he could go through both Steamboat and Badd in one night, so the WCW championship committee gave him that chance. Page cleanly beat Steamboat, but got caught in an argument with his Diamond Doll that accompanies him to ringside that let Badd knock him out quickly. Page came to and insisted that shouldn't have counted and then attacked Badd, hitting him with a Diamond Cutter when he wasn’t looking. Steamboat had to come back down to chase off Page. But Page grabbed Johnny B. Badd’s Badd Blaster lying in the corner of the ring, and knocked out Steamboat with it. He left with both the Badd Blaster and the US Title belt. Ron Simmons pinned Big Van Vader with the powerslam in 11:45. Rating: *** 1/4Vader had spent almost as much time attacking Harley Race as he has Ron Simmons during their recent feud. This led to Race bringing in a new bodyguard, Meng. Already the new addition paid instant benefits. When Vader set up for his Vader Bomb, Meng jumped on the apron and delivered a kick to Vader’s head that knocked him off the ropes and led to Simmons hitting a powerslam. After getting the win, Simmons called out the winner of tonight’s world title match. Sting made Dustin Rhodes submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 16:01. Rating: *** 1/4Dustin Rhodes likes to pass on the blame for his faults. He blamed Sting for coming up on the short end of his long standing feud with Davey Boy Smith, to which Sting settled that with a convincing win. Rhodes then put the blame for his loss to Sting on his manager Terry Funk. After the match, Rhodes attacked the veteran, leaving him laying. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Booker pinned Sags after a Soviet suplex in 15:34. Rating: ** (Harlem Heat won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Harlem Heat won back the world tag titles from the Nasty Boys. As has typically been the case when these two teams face off, the match became an all-out brawl that the referee lost control of. In his efforts to control things, the referee was tied up with Brian Knobbs to try to get it 1 on 1 in the ring. Meanwhile, Stevie Ray hit Jerry Sags with a chair and Booker T pinned him after a suplex. Randy Savage pinned Steve Austin with the Flying Elbowdrop in 18:10. Rating: *** 3/4 [Paul E. Dangerously interfered against Randy Savage.]Stunning Steve Austin picked up a huge win, pinning Savage at the recent Clash of Champions, but the Horsemen were a big reason why. This time around, their help wasn’t enough as Savage fought them off. Then hit a flying elbow to get his revenge. However, after the match, the Horsemen converged with Anderson and Bagwell rushing the ring and joining Austin in a 3-on-1 beatdown of Savage. Finally, the Steiners came down to help chase off the Horsemen. Ric Flair made Barry Windham submit to the Figure Four Leglock in 14:39. Rating: *** ½While wrestlers like the Steiners and Savage have friends that will help them fight off the Horsemen, Windham’s recently Lone Wolf mentality has driven away any friends who may have helped him out. The result is Windham being left on his own to fight Flair, knowing wherever he is, the Horsemen are as well. The numbers game was a big factor in Flair getting the win. Hulk Hogan pinned Davey Boy Smith with the Big Leg Drop in 16:22. Rating: **
Davey Boy Smith has been talking leading up to the event how this was going to be the most important night of his life, fighting Hulk Hogan for the world title. He's also been saying he's worked harder than he ever has before to make the most of this chance. However, it still wasn't good enough to best the world champion. Despite hitting a powerslam, Smith had the look on his face like he was finally going to do it. But before he could go for the pin, Hogan sat up and began his "hulk up" routine. Soon after, Hogan hit the big boot, then the leg drop and pinned Davey Boy. Smith couldn't hide his disappointment in the ring. Hogan offered his hand to Davey Boy, but instead Smith clotheslined Hulk then jumped on him and began hitting away. Sting, good friends of both men, ran down and pulled Davey Boy off. Smith just kept repeating, "Sorry, Sorry, that wasn't me." Card rating: ** 3/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2021 16:18:51 GMT -5
UNCENSORED (March 19, 1995) Alex Wright pinned Paul Roma with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 8:25. Rating: ** ½Alex Wright was eager to get back to his winning ways after suffering his first pro loss to Paul Roma a couple months back. Wright was seeking revenge and got it tonight with a convincing win over Roma. Taped Fist Match: Lord Steven Regal pinned The Boss in 11:40. Rating: ** 3/4 (Lord Steven Regal won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Lord Steven Regal took exception to The Boss holding the TV title, saying when he was champion, he brought class to the belt, and now it's on a "redneck neanderthal." Regal also boasted that The Boss was a fake tough guy that could never go toe-to-toe with a real fighter and that he had more power in his punch than the Boss could ever dream of having. That led to tonight’s taped fist stipulation. The Boss, though, showed Regal’s claims false, knocking the former champion around for most of the early portion of the match. But with the help of brass knuckles that Regal used to knock out The Boss, Regal once again became TV champion. Last Man Standing Match: Dustin Rhodes defeated Terry Funk after the Bulldog in 15:18. Rating: **Despite being helped out by Funk on numerous occasions in recent months, Rhodes has blamed him for his own recent failures. The two agreed to the Last Man Standing stipulation to settle their score and Rhodes found out quickly how hard it was to keep the wily veteran down. It took a bulldog, with a trash can over Funk’s head, onto a pile of chairs before Funk finally stayed down for a 10 count. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Booker pinned Sags after a belly-to-belly suplex in 25:14. Rating: ** 1/2 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The way these two teams have fought in recent months, this was expected to get wild, and it lived to the billing and then some. It started when The Nasty Boys were announced but never came out for their entrance. There was some confusion at first, only to have cameras catch the fight already starting back in the locker room. It eventually spilled out to ringside, and for a brief moment in the ring. It ended up going through the crown and into the arena concourse. Finally, the brutal affair ended when Booker T had Jerry Sags on top of a concession stand counter and suplexed him to the concrete ground below. Johnny B. Badd pinned Diamond Dallas Page with the Tutti Frutti in 19:46. Rating: *** 1/2 (Johnny B. Badd retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Diamond Dallas Page finally got what he wanted, a one-on-one shot at Badd and his US title. The match went back and forth for most of it with the two exchanging near falls. Late in the match, the referee took a bump in the corner when Page whipped Badd into him. With both down, Page went to grab a chair to use on Badd. But Ricky Steamboat ran down, pulling the chair away from Page. This distracted Page, giving Badd enough time to recover and hit Page with his Tutti Frutti left hook. The ref was also coming to at the moment and was able to count the pin. The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner), Sting and Randy Savage when Flair pinned Sting after a Roll up in 19:07. Rating: *** 1/4There’s nothing that unites people more than hatred for the Four Horsemen. But even though the group may all be friends, it’s hard to compete with the chemistry the Horsemen have put together, and of course the willingness to break as many rules or take as many cheapshots as possible. The weathered the storm of the attack against them and found a way to pull out the win. No-Countout-No-DQ-Handicap-Match: Hulk Hogan defeated Ron Simmons and Davey Boy Smith when Hogan pinned D.B. Smith with the Big Leg Drop in 18:40. Rating: ** 1/2Davey Boy Smith had been lying low since he snapped on Hulk Hogan at the end of Superbrawl. In the meantime, Harley Race has let it be known he wants to manage a world champion client again and is coming for Hogan. Hogan made the mistake of saying it doesn't matter who Race brought to the ring, he'd go through everyone he had to. This boast enabled Race to sign a handicap match with Ron Simmons AND his newest client facing Hogan. He shocked the wrestling world by revealing his new client to be Davey Boy. Things looked bleak for Hogan in the match, contested under the rules that whoever pinned Hogan became new champion. But Hogan got an unexpected assist when Vader came down to even the score going after Race. Simmons left the ring to help out his manager, leaving Hogan the chance to Hulk up and pin Davey Boy. Card rating: ** 3/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 3, 2021 15:59:00 GMT -5
SLAMBOREE '95 (May 21, 1995) Johnny B. Badd and Ricky Steamboat defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Paul Roma when Badd pinned Roma with the Tutti Frutti in 0:14:23. Rating: *** 1/2In the weeks leading up to the event, a young rookie named Chris Candido had been coming up to Diamond Dallas Page saying Page needed a partner to help fight against the unified Badd and Steamboat, and to watch his back. Page said he didn't have the time to worry about some punk kid tagging along, but he did like the idea of having a partner. So, Page enlisted the services of Paul Roma, who also had been looking for a new partner. However, this didn't stop Candido. After Roma was pinned tonight, in a match that featured a lot of miscommunication between DDP and Roma, Candido ran down and attacked Roma. Page left ringside looking impressed. Lord Steven Regal pinned Alex Wright after a dragon suplex in 7:55. Rating: *** (Lord Steven Regal retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)
Regal scored the victory, denying the youngster Wright his first taste of gold. Regal made some comments after the match saying he’s out to right all the wrongs of his past. Big Van Vader defeated Davey Boy Smith by disqualification in 11:46. Rating: *** [Meng interfered against Big Van Vader.]
Harley Race tasked his newest client Davey Boy Smith with taking care of Vader. At the same time, Race also had his new bodyguard Meng standing by ready to jump in when needed. He was needed. Vader seized control of the match and was getting ready to put Davey Boy away when Meng rushed in and delivered a vicious kick to Vader’s head. It caused a DQ and then Smith and Meng doubled teamed Vader until they were satisfied with their beatdown. Sting made Arn Anderson submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 14:09. Rating: **** The more things change, the more things stay the same. Sting has found himself once again tangling with long-time enemies, the Horsemen. Sting went 1-on-1 with Arn Anderson tonight and got a fantastic match with The Enforcer. In the end, Sting was a bit too much, making Anderson submit to the Scorpion. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when Booker pinned R. Steiner after a Soviet suplex in 10:59. Rating: *** 1/4 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Harlem Heat retained the world tag titles against the Steiner Brothers, but not without the help of Horsemen Bagwell & Austin who kept sneak attacking the Steiners. After the match, the two then went into the ring and laid out everybody. Ric Flair made Randy Savage submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 13:22. Rating: *** 3/4Flair and Savage were getting set to face off as Savage made his way to the ring first. But he was shocked when instead of Ric Flair coming out next, his music started back up and out from the back came Miss Elizabeth!! Savage was in pure shock as Elizabeth came up to him and held his hand. But this left Savage’s back turned, and Arn Anderson snuck back and smacked Savage in the knee with a chair. Savage was in clear pain, but despite the urgings of Elizabeth and ringside doctors, Savage wanted to go on with the match and told Flair to come down and fight. Savage was clearly hurting but kept fighting on with Elizabeth in his corner. He even turned the match in his favor and readied to put Flair away with his flying elbow drop. But Elizabeth showed her true colors, shoving Savage off the top rope! Flair took advantage, hooking in the Figure Four to which there was no escape. The rest of the Horsemen came to the ring to celebrate, with Miss Elizabeth joining them. Hulk Hogan pinned Ron Simmons with the Big Leg Drop in 21:34. Rating: * 1/2 (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)Harley Race sent Ron Simmons into tonight’s main event to try to bring back the world title for his organization. Simmons was a tough enough challenge in his own right, but add to that the presence of Race and Meng at ringside, and it was nearly insurmountable for Hogan. … Nearly. Hogan did what Hogan does, fighting through the adversity and put away his foe. Card rating: ***
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 11, 2021 17:22:17 GMT -5
THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH (June 18, 1995) Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when Austin pinned S. Ray with the Stun Gun in 12:45. Rating: ** 1/2 (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Horsemen Bagwell and Austin took their shot the world tag team titles, and made the most of it. Harlem Heat is used to being able to bend the rules to their advantage, but this was the first time they went up against a team willing to do match that ability, and then some. Bagwell and Booker were brawling, spilling over the ropes and to the floor. As the ref turned to check on them, Austin hit Stevie Ray with a low blow, and then a Stun Gun, which led to the pin and new champs. Match with Special Referee Diamond Dallas Page: Chris Candido pinned Paul Roma after a German suplex in 8:46. Rating: ** 1/2Chris Candido kept up his recent campaign for DDP to take him on as a protege, but Page said he picked Roma and was sticking with him. But he did offer Candido a match against Roma, and Page even volunteered to be the ref. Page called the match mostly down the middle, until the final moments. Roma was gaining momentum, but Page came out of nowhere and leveled Roma was a clothesline. Candido then finished off the match. Afterwards, Page shook Candido’s hand, raised it in victory, and the two left the ring together. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Knobbs pinned Enos in 10:01. Rating: ***Former US tag champs, the Destruction Crew, returned to WCW and were hoping to pick up right where they left off, as a major threat in the tag division. They opted to attempt to prove they were still a team to beat by challenging the Nasty Boys, but that didn’t work out too well for them. INTERVIEW WITH THE STEINER BROTHERSRick and Scott Steiner gave an interview where they called out the new tag team champs, Bagwell & Austin, saying they intended to be the first challengers for the new champs. This all occurred as the Nasty Boys walked past fresh off their win. They begged to differ, saying they were going to be the ones to challenge and take the belts off the Horsemen. Not to be outdone, former champs Harlem Heat came out from the back, saying the first shot goes to them and there’s not a damn thing anyone else could do about it. The war of words quickly escalated and before too long, all six men were brawling over the interview area. The Boss pinned Barry Windham after a spinebuster slam in 15:05. Rating: *** ¼Windham has laid low in recent months after an unsuccessful run at the world title. He reemerged with a vengeance, brutally attacking The Boss after a match on Saturday Night including beating him with his own nightstick. Windham gave the reasoning that The Boss claims to bring law and order to WCW, but he was nowhere to be found when he was getting screwed out of the World title. Windham said The Boss is a joke and a fraud. The Boss got his revenge then took things, maybe a bit too far. The Boss handcuffed Windham and then attacked him with the very same nightstick. Windham was able to slide out of the ring and run to the back with his hands still behind him in cuffs. Johnny B. Badd pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Tutti Frutti in 13:39. Rating: **** (Johnny B. Badd retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.) (Johnny B. Badd won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Badd and Regal had a legendary feud in 1994 that produced a series of fantastic matches. This one is just another to add to the list. Regal had said he’s on a mission to right the wrongs of the past, and that includes losing the US title to Badd. He offered to put his TV title on the line to get another shot. But despite Regal’s mission, he couldn’t gain the revenge he was looking for. Badd’s hot streak continues on. Randy Savage beat Ric Flair by disqualification in 16:56. Rating: ** 1/2 [Arn Anderson interfered against Randy Savage.]Randy Savage tried to recruit Sting to team with him to fight the Horsemen, but Sting already promised to team with Hulk Hogan in tonight’s main event, leaving Savage to go it alone against Flair. Savage did all he could, though was clearly bothered by the presence of his ex-wife Miss Elizabeth in Flair’s corner. But Savage tried to block out all distractions and readied to go up to for perhaps a flying elbow. But also at ringside was Arn Anderson, who tried to prevent Savage from climbing the ropes, only to get kicked off. Savage then came down with a flying ax-handle on Anderson. But all this did was anger the Enforcer, who ran into the ring and attacked Savage leading to a DQ. Bagwell and Austin ran down creating a 4-on-1 beatdown of Savage. By the time the Horsemen were finished, Savage was lying unconscious in the ring. Hulk Hogan and Sting defeated Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons when Hogan pinned D.B. Smith with the Big Leg Drop in 20:42. Rating: ***Sting and Hogan faced off with Harley Race’s duo of Simmons and Smith, but also had to deal with Race and his bodyguard, Meng, at ringside. Hogan had been on his own going up against the group, so having Sting by his side was a welcome addition. The two fought off, at times, all four men in the opposing corner before eventually coming away victorious. After the match though, Meng jumped in the ring creating a 4-on-2 attack as the group used the numbers advantage to beat down Sting and Hogan. It went on until, of all people, Big Van Vader ran down to come to the aid of Sting and Hogan. After clearing the ring, all three just stared at each other until Vader left the ring without saying a word. Sting and Hogan celebrated as the show closed out. Card rating: ***
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 13, 2021 20:02:22 GMT -5
BASH AT THE BEACH '95 (July 16, 1995) Triangle Match: The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when S. Steiner pinned Booker with the Frankensteiner in 28:00. Rating: *** 3/4The Steiners, The Nasty Boys and Harlem Heat all had claims that they should be the No. 1 contenders for the world tag titles. The only way to settle this was in a unique, three-way triangle match. It turned out to be quite a match with all three teams trading the momentum back and forth before Scott Steiner finally won it for his team. Match for the vacant WCW TELEVISION TITLE: Alex Wright pinned Chris Candido with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 9:05. Rating: *** 1/2 (Alex Wright won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)With Johnny B. Badd holding both the US and TV titles after beating Steven Regal last month, Badd vacated the TV title and a tournament was held to crown a new champion with the finals coming tonight. Chris Candido, The Diamond in the Rough as he's now being known as since aligning with Diamond Dallas Page, was the surprise of the tournament making it all the way to the finals. However, Alex Wright was hungry for his first WCW gold, edging out Candido and winning the TV title. After the match, Regal, who was not in the tournament, jumped in the ring and attacked Wright. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Ricky Steamboat with the Diamond Cutter in 13:01. Rating: ***DDP recently came up short in his quest to win the US title off Johnny B. Badd, and not one to admit his faults, placed the blame for the loss on Badd’s friend Ricky Steamboat. While Page didn’t have the best of luck against Badd, he was able to get the job done against Steamboat. Steamboat was on the top rope, Page, seeing what was about to happen, shoved the referee into the ropes causing Steamboat to lose his balance and fall on the top turnbuckle. Page then went up to Steamboat and brought him off the top with a Diamond Cutter. Arn Anderson pinned Johnny B. Badd with the DDT in 14:33. Rating: *** 1/2 (Arn Anderson won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)While Badd has survived a lot of challenges during his reign as US champion, the Horsemen were a challenge he could not get past tonight. When you wrestle a Horseman, you’re never just wrestling him. In this case, Ric Flair was hanging around to lend a hand, or some brass knucks, to help Anderson knock Badd nearly out, leaving him vulnerable to a DDT. Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin defeated Sting and Johnny B. Badd when Austin pinned Sting after a faceslam in 0:22:08. Rating: *** 3/4 (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)After aligning with Hulk Hogan last month at the Great American Bash, Sting told Randy Savage he would team with him tonight to take on the Horsemen and try to win the world tag team titles. However, Savage was nowhere to be found all night. But Sting got a last minute partner, recruiting Johnny B. Badd who was fresh off losing his US title to the Horsemen. Sting and Badd made a good team, but were unable to fend off the numbers advantage that the Horsemen have in all their matches. Barry Windham defeated The Boss via disqualification in 14:12. Rating: *** ¾Windham has been making quite a few sneak attacks on The Boss in recent months and it seems that it’s bringing The Boss more and more on the edge of snapping. Windham tonight tried to use The Boss’ own nightstick against him, only to have The Boss turn the tables, take the nightstick away from Windham and use it on him instead. This caused The Boss to get disqualified, but he didn’t seem to care, as he kept striking Windham with the nightstick after the bell. Officials had to come down to pull The Boss off Windham. Cage Match: Big Van Vader pinned Davey Boy Smith after a splash from the second rope in 17:29. Rating: *** ½
Locked in the cage, Davey Boy had to face the fact that his friends and manager weren’t going to be able to help him and he was stuck going 1-on-1 with Vader. He took the challenge head on but Vader is a man on a mission to destroy Harley Race’s entire organization. He took a big step toward that goal dismantling Davey Boy Smith. Hulk Hogan pinned Ron Simmons with the Big Leg Drop in 18:44. Rating: * 1/2 (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)
Hulk Hogan may have finally put to rest his feud with Harley Race’s group, thwarting the challenge of Ron Simmons. With Davey Boy still recovering from his cage match loss, it was one less body Hogan had to worry about. Though he still had Race and Meng at ringside, Hogan worked through all the distractions and cheap shots, eventually knocking both Race and Meng off the apron with strong right hands, then putting Simmons away with the big boot and the leg drop. Card rating: ** ¾
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 17, 2021 19:33:44 GMT -5
C LASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXXIV (Aug. 6, 1995) Alex Wright pinned Lord Steven Regal after a German suplex in 7:14. Rating: ** 3/4 (Alex Wright retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Regal refused to participate in the tournament to crown a new TV champion after he lost the belt to then US Champ Johnny B. Badd in a title vs. title match. He insisted the belt simply be returned to him. Instead, the tournament was held and Regal attacked new champion Alex Wright shortly after Wright won the title. Regal got the chance to win the title back from Wright tonight and had control for most of the match until Wright caught him with a suplex and got the pin, retaining his title. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Paul Roma with the Diamond Cutter in 8:23. Rating: ** 1/2Paul Roma wanted a match with Diamond Dallas Page after Page rejected him as a partner a while back. He got his match but not the payback he was looking for. Page took control of the match early with a low blow behind the ref’s back and eventually put it away with a Diamond Cutter. Arn Anderson, Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) and Johnny B. Badd when Bagwell made S. Steiner submit to an armbar submission in 15:27. Rating: ***The Horsemen presented a united front that carried them well in this match and is poised to do the same in the upcoming battle royal tonight. A big turning point came when the action spilled outside and Bagwell slammed Scott Steiner’s arm into the ringpost. The injury hampered him and his team the remainder of the match and eventually he had to give it up when locked in a submission move. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when S. Ray pinned Knobbs after a kick to the head in 13:29. Rating: **Old rivals met again, this time with no titles on the line, just to see who will start making a move back up the ladder. This match was every bit as physical as their past title encounters, but just like in several of those, Harlem Heat had one extra trick up their sleeve. Behind the ref’s back, Booker T was outside the ring as Knobbs tried to bring him back in, only to have Booker hit him with a chair. Knobbs stumbled right into a kick from Stevie Ray that led to the pin. Ricky Steamboat defeated Chris Candido by disqualification in 3:37. Rating: ** 3/4This match barely was underway when Steamboat tried to confront Diamond Dallas Page who was hanging around ringside. DDP however is one not to get testy with, as Page wasted little time in hitting Steamboat with a Diamond Cutter on the floor. 15-Man Battle Royal: Steve Austin won a 15-man Battle Royal against Sting, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Marcus Bagwell, Ron Simmons, Davey Boy Smith, Vader, Johnny B. Badd, Diamond Dallas Page, Lord Steven Regal, Barry Windham, The Boss and Terry Funk.As was likely expected when you put 15 of wrestling’s top stars in the same ring with a world title shot at stake, things got pretty crazy. Ricky Steamboat was not even in the match, but he came down to the ring to try to get a piece of Diamond Dallas Page. Instead, officials had to come hold him back, which only set him up for Chris Candido to run in and attack Steamboat while he was being held by officials. However, DDP was distracted waving good-bye to Steamboat, he didn’t notice Johnny B. Badd coming from behind and dumping him out of the ring. Barry Windham and The Boss, who have developed a pretty intense rivalry, eliminated each other. Boss had Windham against the ropes and tried to clothesline Windham over, only to have the momentum take him out as well. Vader made a statement ahead of next month’s War Games, despite being double teamed, he dumped out Harley Race’s two entries, Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons in the span of 10 seconds from each other. This brought up a final six of Vader, Sting and Randy Savage against three Horsemen members, Flair, Austin and Anderson. Savage had already disposed of Bagwell earlier. You’d think this would’ve set up a classic 3 on 3, but none of the non-Horsemen seemed to trust each other enough to team up. But eventually, they did all decide to go after the Horsemen. Vader almost had Austin out, but got interrupted by someone not even in the match, Harley Race’s bodyguard Meng, who came in the ring and delivered several stiff kicks to Vader. Austin and Anderson then teamed up and double clotheslined the wobbly Vader out of the match. Sting nearly had Flair eliminated when Savage came over and tried to dump out both Sting and Flair, but Flair snuck away and Sting landed on the apron, staying in the match. This came as a bit as a surprise to Sting that Savage tried to get him out. They argued for a brief second before turning their attention to their 3-on-2 disadvantage to the Horsemen. The Horsemen rushed in on the attack, but Sting and Savage fought them off the best they could, with Sting even being able to throw Anderson out of the ring. Sting and Flair started battling while Savage and Austin did the same. Austin hit Savage with a lowblow, then went to help Flair doubleteam Sting. Savage recovered and ran over to the pile again trying to dump everyone, only this time he succeeded in getting Sting and Flair over the top rope to the floor. Austin was able to slip away and was able, after Savage tossed the other two, pick up Savage and hit him with a Stun Gun, then as Savage leaned up against the rope, clothesline Savage over for the win. Anderson and Bagwell rushed in and congratulated Austin. Flair was a bit slower, looking a tad shocked that Austin won the match, but eventually came in and hugged his fellow Horseman. Card rating: ** 3/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Aug 25, 2021 16:46:12 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 4, 1995) WCW has entered a new era with the premier of WCW Monday Nitro, an hourlong live broadcast every Monday night. Tonight’s landmark broadcast comes from the Mall of America in Minneapolis with a commentary team of Erich Bischoff, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and former NFL All-Pro with the Chicago Bears, Steve McMichael. The first Monday Nitro takes place less than two weeks before Fall Brawl. World champion Hulk Hogan is scheduled to put his title on the line against Four Horseman member, Stunning Steve Austin. Also, War Games will feature Harley Race’s group of Ron Simmons, Davey Boy Smith and Meng against Big Van Vader and the Nasty Boys. Each team still has one more member to announce. Alex Wright pinned Chris Candido with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 8:11. Rating: *** (Alex Wright retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)The show opened with Alex Wright successfully defending his TV title against “The Diamond in the Rough” Chris Candido. In the process, Wright had to fight off the interference of Diamond Dallas Page, Candido’s mentor, to secure the win. Sting made Ric Flair submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 11:02. Rating: *** 1/4With WCW entering a new era, it's only appropriate to match up two WCW stalwarts who were there at the very beginning. Sting and Ric Flair renewed their old rivalry tonight. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the match came outside the ring midway through. To everyone’s surprise, former World Champion Lex Luger appeared in the aisleway, spent a few minutes simply watching the match then walked off, likely without Sting or Flair even noticing he was there. Sting got the win, making Flair submit to the Scorpion Death Lock, but nearly immediately after, Horsemen Marcus Bagwell and Arn Anderson rushed to the ring to attack Sting. Sting got aid from The Steiner Brothers and Johnny B. Badd who fought off the Horsemen. Conspicuous by their absence during all this was Horseman Steve Austin, and sworn Horsemen enemy Randy Savage, who also left Sting hanging back at Bash at the Beach. Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when D.B. Smith pinned Knobbs with the Running Powerslam in 9:43. Rating: ** 1/2Three men have been revealed for each team for the upcoming Wargames. Harley Race will send Davey Boy Smith, Ron Simmons and Meng into the double cage. Big Van Vader will lead the opposing team and has recruited The Nasty Boys to join him. Smith & Simmons fought the Nastys tonight with Race's two coming on top after Meng gave them an added assist. Hulk Hogan pinned Meng with the Big Leg Drop in 10:32. Rating: -* 3/4 (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)In the night's main event, Hogan scored a win over Meng. Smith and Simmons attempted to run in after but were fought off. However, this gave Steve Austin an opportunity to come in and blindside Hogan. Austin didn't get any help from his fellow Horsemen but did get back up from Race's group. Vader, however, ran down to fight against Race's group. Following him into the ring was Lex Luger. Race, Luger's former manager when he was last in WCW, thought Luger was back to join his side, but he soon joined Vader in helping fight off. Hogan went to thank both but Vader simply left the ring. Luger however remained as Hogan confronted him to ask what his deal is. Luger said he was back in WCW to be where the Big Boys Play, tired of fighting against kids. He also threw out a warning to Hogan that was out to regain the world title. The two continued to exchange words until Luger offered a challenge for next week, to which Hogan accepted. ------------------------------- on WCW Saturday night, Sting confronted Randy Savage, asking him where he's been lately. Savage never showed up for their tag match at Bash at the Beach, and last week Savage was nowhere to be found when the Horsemen attacked Sting on Nitro. Savage referred back to a few months ago when Sting elected not to team with Savage against the Horsemen and instead joined Hogan. He said he left Sting on his own so he now knows what that feels like, but if he wanted to know where Savage is, he said he'll be in the ring at Nitro. Also on Saturday night, the other three Horsemen confronted Steve Austin asking him where he was when they went against Sting. Austin said he was busy preparing for the biggest match of his life, challenging Hulk Hogan for the world title. So excuse him if he wasn't around every time Flair needed him to fight a battle for him. Flair said since their inception, the mission of the Horsemen was to control the world title, but that was Flair's job, not Austin's. Flair then asked Austin to surrender his title match to Flair. Austin refused and Flair said if that's the case, then Austin is on his own at Fall Brawl. Austin's partner, Marcus Bagwell, said they were still tag champs and he'll have Austin's back when they defend their titles against The Steiners on Monday Nitro. ------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 11, 1995) Sabu pinned Paul Roma with the Triple Jump Moonsault in 7:11. Rating: ** 3/4The second edition of WCW Monday Nitro opened with the WCW debut of Sabu. Sabu scored an impressive victory, beating Paul Roma in pretty quick fashion. After the match, Sabu wasn't done, splashing Roma through a table. Randy Savage and Sting battled to a double countout in 8:54. Rating: ** 1/4In what had to be a disappointing sight to Hulk Hogan and many within WCW, Sting and Savage aimed to settle their differences. The two had a brutal brawl with no real resolution as they fought outside the ring for a double countout. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin when S. Steiner pinned Austin with the Frankensteiner in 12:21. Rating: ** 3/4 (The Steiner Brothers won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)With Horsemen Bagwell & Austin putting their world tag titles up against the Steiners, Ric Flair seemed to keep his word about leaving Austin on his own. When Austin got in trouble, at a time when you'd normally see the Horsemen rush in, Flair and Anderson were nowhere to be found. And as a result, the Steiners won the titles off the Horsemen. Lex Luger defeated Hulk Hogan by disqualification in 12:21. Rating: ** (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.) [Ron Simmons interfered against Lex Luger.]Luger, who has agreed to join Vader's team at War Games, had the world title match against Hulk Hogan that they agreed to last week, but Harley Race's group, also now including a fourth man, Scott Norton, ran in and attacked everyone. Vader and the Nasty Boys came down to fight off their War Games opponents and all eight men who will be locked in the cage in less than a week, fought to the back. Meanwhile, Austin tried to sneak up on Hogan, but Hogan caught him. He hit him with a big boot and was prepared to finish him off with a leg drop but Bagwell came back and pulled Austin to the outside to safety. Card rating: ** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Sept 7, 2021 16:35:54 GMT -5
FALL BRAWL (Sept. 17, 1995) Lord Steven Regal pinned Alex Wright after a headlock takedown in 11:21. Rating: ** 3/4 (Lord Steven Regal won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Regal is near the top of the list when it comes to the best TV champions in WCW history. His victory tonight over Alex Wright, a revenge win from last month’s Clash of Champions, began his record 4th TV title reign. Chris Candido and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ricky Steamboat and Ice Train when Candido pinned Steamboat after a sitout power bomb in 13:36. Rating: ***Chris Candido has shown himself to be a worthy protege for Diamond Dallas Page, again showing his worth helping Page dispose of his old rival Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat got a boost from taking on the powerful Ice Train as his partner, but the newly formed pair didn’t quite have the same chemistry Page and Candido had. Big Boss Man pinned Barry Windham after a spinebuster slam in 13:22. Rating: *** ½This rivalry has been quite brutal so far, with each taking turns using The Boss’ nightstick on the other. The nightstick didn’t come into play this time, but the match was still very hard-hitting and very physical. At the end, it was The Boss standing tall. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) and Johnny B. Badd defeated The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Marcus Alexander Bagwell) when Badd pinned A. Anderson with the Tutti Frutti in 21:23. Rating: *** 3/4Johnny B. Badd joined forces with the Steiners to go after a mutual enemy in the Four Horsemen. Even though a lot of gold has traded hands between the 6 in the match Badd made a statement scoring the pin on the man who took the US title from him a couple months ago, knocking out and pinning Arn Anderson. Randy Savage pinned Sting after a small package in 19:31. Rating: *** 1/2Former friends and two of the top allies of World Champion Hulk Hogan faced off in an effort to settle their differences. But Nothing seemed to get settled between Sting and Savage tonight. Savage got the win, but it was thanks to hitting Sting with a steel chair the ref couldn't see, then getting a pin out of a small package and a handful of tights. Hulk Hogan pinned Steve Austin with the Big Leg Drop in 15:22. Rating: ** 1/2 (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)Stunning Steve Austin had the biggest match of his young career, battling Hulk Hogan for the world title. Despite being a member of the Four Horsemen, Austin was left alone with no other Horsemen interfering on his behalf. Hogan had the size and strength advantage over Austin, who attempted to counter that with every dirty trick he could think of. But in the end, Hogan was too much, and eventually put Austin away with a big boot and leg drop. War Games No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags), Big Van Vader and Lex Luger defeated Davey Boy Smith, Meng, Scott Norton and Ron Simmons when Luger made Norton submit to the Torture Rack in 44:24. Rating: *** 1/2War Games was already a highly anticipated showdown between two sides with a lot of hate for each other, but got amped up a bit higher when it was announced that the captain of the winning team would receive a world title shot at Halloween Havoc. Vader was highly eager to get revenge on Harley Race’s group that has made the past year hell for him. He recruited a strong group to team with him, which was quickly evident with the brutality they unleashed. Each side took turns with momentum in the match, but once all eight men were inside the double cage, it was Vader’s group that seized control with Lex Luger eventually getting Scott Norton to submit to the Torture Rack. After War Games was over and the cage raised, everyone cleared out except for Vader, who was joined in the ring by world champion Hulk Hogan. Hogan said even though they've never been on the same page, he's ready to put his title on the line against the man who earned it without taking any shortcuts. But when Hogan stuck his hand out for Vader to shake it, Vader instead clotheslined Hogan. Vader followed up by continuing to attack the champ with a powerbomb and a Vader bomb. Card rating: *** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Sept 17, 2021 13:58:29 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 18, 1995) Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Booker defeated Sags via pinfall in 13:30. Rating: * ¾There’s a lot of jockeying for positioning going around with teams trying to climb up the ladder to earn a shot at new tag champions the Steiner Brothers. Harlem Heat are not above taking any advantage they can, demanding a match with the Nasty Boys, one day after the Nastys competed in War Games. Sags and Knobbs were obviously not at 100% which led to Harlem Heat getting a clean victory. INTERVIEW WITH HULK HOGANWorld champion Hulk Hogan was livid with Vader attacking him last night after War Games. He said he doesn’t want to wait to Halloween Havoc to fight the big man, he wants him next week on Nitro. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Alex Wright with the Diamond Cutter in 10:42. Rating: ** 3/4Diamond Dallas Page got a victory over Alex Wright to put himself in line for a shot at Steven Regal’s TV title. But it didn’t come without controversy. Page hit his Diamond Cutter on Wright and went for the pin, but it was close enough to the ropes, Wright was able to put his foot on the bottom rope. However, the ref never saw, nor did it see Chris Candido come knock his foot off, and Page was declared the winner. INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUR HORSEMENThe Horsemen had a conference in the ring. Ric Flair went up to Steve Austin and told him he hoped Fall Brawl taught him a lesson, that he can't do things alone. The Horsemen work best as a team. The two camed what appeared to be a tenuous truce. BACKSTAGEJohnny B. Badd was supposed to have a return match against Arn Anderson tonight for the US title, but Badd was found knocked out in the back. As officials checked on him, Randy Savage showed up saying this was classic Horsemen and he wasn’t going to let them get away with it. He was going to take Badd’s place in the match and challenge Anderson. Eddie Guerrero pinned Disco Inferno with the Frog Splash in 7:35. Rating: ** 1/2Two of the top young talent to come into to WCW met tonight as Eddie Guerrero scored a victory over the Disco Inferno. But his celebration was short lived as another top young wrestler, Chris Candido attacked Guerrero after the match. Candido spoke saying it's no secret WCW is the best place to be for the world's best young wrestlers, but Candido was here first, and everyone else that comes in has to go through him. Randy Savage pinned Arn Anderson after The Flying Elbowdrop in 10:18. Rating: ** (RANDY SAVAGE the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Taking Badd’s place, Savage made the most of his opportunity for his first WCW title. Things looked to be alright between the Horsemen as Austin and Bagwell tried to come to Anderson’s aid, but Savage fought them off and scored the win. Card rating: ** 1/4 -------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 25, 1995) Triangle Match: Diamond Dallas Page defeated Alex Wright and Lord Steven Regal when Page pinned Regal with the Diamond Cutter in 8:52. Rating: *** 1/2 (Diamond Dallas Page won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)After the controversial ending to last week’s match between Page and Wright, WCW’s championship committee decided both men will fight Regal for the title in a triangle match. This obviously didn’t set well with Regal but he had little choice. Wright looked like he was set to get the win after a superplex on Regal, as he went for the pin, Chris Candido grabbed his feet and pulled him out of the ring. Wright in turn clocked Candido, but in the meantime, Page snuck in the ring, hit a reviving Regal with a Diamond Cutter and got the win and the TV title. Lex Luger made Scott Norton submit to the Torture Rack in 6:00. Rating: 1/2*Norton came to the ring without manager Harley Race, who still hadn’t gotten over his War Games loss. Norton though was out for revenge, but he wouldn’t find it on this night as Luger again made him submit to the Rack. Randy Savage pinned Steve Austin with the Flying Elbowdrop in 13:07. Rating: *** 1/4 [Paul E. Dangerously interfered against Randy Savage.]Steve Austin tried to make amends with the Horsemen by trying to win back the US title for the group. However, he was unable to beat new champion Randy Savage. Savage celebrated his win but was soon approached by Johnny B. Badd. Badd said Savage claimed the Horsemen were responsible for attacking Badd last week. But then pointed out, the Horsemen were all in the ring talking right before the attack took place. Savage told Badd if he's accusing him of something, he better be careful before throwing out wild accusations. If Badd wanted the belt, he could try taking it off Savage next week. Big Van Vader defeated Hulk Hogan by countout in 11:20. Rating: ** (Hulk Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)Hulk Hogan was anxious to get his hands on Vader after the attack at Fall Brawl, saying he didn't want to wait until Halloween Havoc. He wanted the match on Nitro. Hogan may be rethinking that decision. He is still world champion, but was defeated in the match. Vader powerbombed Hogan on the floor and the champ was unable to get back into the ring. The title can not change hands on a countout, but that didn't stop Vader from raising the title bet in victory and taking it with him when he left the ring. Card rating: ** 1/4 ----------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 2, 1995) Alex Wright and Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Candido when A. Wright defeated Candido by disqualification in 10:35. Rating: *** 1/4Alex Wright got a measure of revenge on DDP and his "Diamond in the Rough" as he scored a pin on Chris Candido to win tonight's tag team match. Wright enlisted the help of rookie Eddie Guerrero who was also looking to get revenge on Candido for an attack a few weeks back. Sabu pinned Brad Armstrong with the Triple Jump Moonsault in 6:06. Rating: * 3/4
The wildman Sabu scored another quick win, this time defeating veteran Brad Armstrong, but again he wasn't satisfied with just getting the pin. After the match, Sabu again brought a table into the ring, set Armstrong up on it, then splashed down through it INTERVIEW WITH BIG VAN VADERVader is claiming to be the uncrowned WCW champion after winning his match last week over Hogan by countout. While Vader, left the ring with the title belt last week, WCW officials quickly confiscated it off him in the locker room. Vader said if Hogan's not man enough to face him and turnover the belt, he could send his runt manager Jimmy Hart, or his best friend Sting out to do it. Vader demanded he turnover the belt next week on Nitro. Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when D.B. Smith pinned Knobbs with the Running Powerslam in 9:09. Rating: * 3/4Smith and Simmons have made it clear they want to make a run at the tag titles and wanted to make a statement against the Nasty Boys, as there is still some hard feelings there coming out of War Games. With Harley Race providing his typical distractions and interference, Smith and Simmons got the win. But the Nastys didn't like the way it went down, and attacked the winning team after the match forcing them to run away. Johnny B. Badd defeated Randy Savage by disqualification in 11:57. Rating: ** 1/2 (Randy Savage retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Savage claimed to be upset at Badd claiming it was Savage that attacked him in the back a few weeks ago, so he attacked Badd tonight. Savage got DQed from the title match for bringing in a chair and attacking Badd with it. Fortunaltey, Sting ran down to make the save, chasing off Savage. Sting then issued a challenge to Savage for the upcoming Halloween Havoc PPV. Savage said he beat Sting once, he'll do it again. Card rating: ** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Sept 19, 2021 9:05:37 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 9, 1995) Diamond Dallas Page pinned Big Boss Man with the Diamond Cutter in 7:30. Rating: *** 1/4 (Diamond Dallas Page retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Diamond Dallas Page retained his TV title with an impressive win over former champion, The Boss. At ringside was wrestling legend The Great Muta, considered one of the greatest TV champs of all time. Page brought Muta into the ring and said he hoped he could go on to be even half of the champion Muta was. DDP went to shake Muta's hand, but then hit the legend with a Diamond Cutter. Lord Steven Regal made Alex Wright submit to the Regal Stretch in 11:27. Rating: ****Two other former TV champs faced off with Steven Regal making Alex Wright submit to the Regal stretch. Regal, however, refused to let go of the hold as he kept screaming "You cost me my title!." INTERVIEW WITH JOHNNY B. BADDJohnny B. Badd wants another shot at the United States title. He wanted to make a challenge to whomever comes out of Halloween Havoc champion, Sting or Savage. But Badd was quickly interrupted by Lex Luger. Luger said Badd had his time, he had his chances. It's time for him to step aside since he couldn't get the job done. This ended with the two agreeing to a match next week. Sting pinned Meng with the Scorpion Death Drop in 0:07:31. Rating: * 3/4Sting scored a win over Meng, afterwards, he addressed current United States champion Randy Savage. Issues still exist between the two and Sting said come Halloween Havoc, he's looking forward to taking the title off Savage. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Ric Flair) when R. Steiner defeated Flair by disqualification in 0:15:59. Rating: *** (The Steiner Brothers retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.) [Steve Austin and Marcus Bagwell interfered against Rick Steiner.]Flair and Anderson tried to win back the world tag title for the Horsemen, but the Steiners held strong and appeared on the cusp of victory when the other two Horsemen, Bagwell and Austin, ran in and jumped them causing the DQ. It appears, at least for now, the Horsemen are back united. INTERVIEW WITH BIG VAN VADERBig Van Vader came out to close the show, once again demanding Hulk Hogan turn over the WCW title to him. The World Champ came out and said the only way Vader is getting the title belt is if he pries it from Hogan's cold dead hands. Vader said that's alright by him as nothing would make him happier than to destroy Hogan once and for all. But he wanted to make sure, as he put it, Hogan didn't take the cowards way out again and get counted out. Vader wanted a match where if Hogan would get counted out or disqualified, the title WOULD change hands and Vader would rightfully be the new champion. Hogan eventually agreed to the match. Card rating: ** 3/4 ---------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 16, 1995) INTERVIEW WITH HULK HOGANTo open the show, Hulk Hogan came to the ring and called out his two best friends in WCW, Sting and Randy Savage to join him. Hogan said he needs his friends now more than ever. With Vader ready to attack him at every turn and the threat of the Horsemen always lingering, Hogan needs his allies all on the same page. Hogan said Sting and Savage can have their match at Halloween Havoc, settle whatever issues they have, then squash it. It was also announced that the three would team up to face Vader and Harlem Heat in tonight's match. Johnny B. Badd and Lex Luger battled to a double countout in 7:11. Rating: **Luger and Badd settled nothing in their match. Their fight spilled out to the floor where the two kept exchanging punches until the ref counted both men out. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) defeated Chris Candido and Diamond Dallas Page when Knobbs pinned Page after a back suplex in 10:32. Rating: ***Page has previously said he attacked The Great Muta because he’s calling his shots. He wants to become the greatest TV champion of all time, and to do that he needs to bring the best into the ring and beat them. But DDP might have made a huge mistake hitting Great Muta with a Diamond Cutter last week. Muta ran down to the ring during the tag match and sprayed mist into Page's eyes. This led to the Nasty Boys getting the win. After the match, Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons ran down to attack the Nasty Boys, who've been claiming their win a few weeks back was a fluke and they could never beat a 100% Nasty Boys. Security had to break up their fight. All the while, Chris Candido was walking to the back when Eddie Guerrero ran out and blindsided Candido. Gene Okerlund eventually caught up with Guerrero who said he wasn't letting Candido get away with attacking him a few weeks back. Candido might have gotten to WCW first, but Guerrero would be damned if he let Candido stay above him on the WCW ladder. Sabu pinned Paul Roma with the Triple Jump Moonsault in 5:30. Rating: ** 1/4Sabu has been making a habit of beating his opponents, then driving them through a table after the match. That trend continued tonight with another win then another table breakage. Hulk Hogan, Sting and Randy Savage defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) and Big Van Vader when Sting defeated Vader by disqualification in 0:17:22. Rating: ** 3/4Sting, Savage and Hogan all seemingly worked well together during the 6-man match. Sting was about to get the win for his team locking Booker T in the Scorpion Death Lock. However, Vader ran in and smacked Sting with a chair to get DQed. Vader was ready to keep up the attack when Savage pulled the chair out of Vader's hands then chased the big man out of the ring with it. Sting saw what happened and then shook hands with Savage after and Hogan raised everyone's hands in victory. Card rating: ** 1/2 --------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 23, 1995) Alex Wright pinned Disco Inferno with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 6:47. Rating: ** 3/4Alex Wright picked up a solid win, but his victory celebration didn't last long as Steven Regal came out to attack Wright and lock him in the Regal stretch. Much like in their own match, Regal kept screaming "You Cost me my title!" Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when D.B. Smith pinned W. Bloom with the Running Powerslam in 7:49. Rating: *** 1/2Smith and Simmons looked impressive again with a complete domination of the Destruction Crew. They wanted to make a statement to the Nasty Boys ahead of their scheduled match for Halloween Havoc and seemed to do so. Steve Austin defeated Scott Steiner by countout in 7:35. Rating: ** 1/2The Steiners will defend their world tag titles against former champs Bagwell and Austin at Halloween Havoc. In a preview, Scott Steiner went 1-on-1 with Steve Austin. Midway through the match, Steiner spotted the other Horsemen, Flair and Anderson, walking down to ringside and left the ring to go fight them. Austin stayed and got the countout win, then ran down and joined his fellow Horsemen in a beat down of both Steiners. Big Van Vader pinned Randy Savage with the Vader Bomb in 16:13. Rating: *** 3/4Vader wanted a match with Randy Savage after last week and got a non-title fight against the US champ. Vader, too, wanted to send a message to Hulk Hogan by decimating his close friend. Vader got the win but wasn't satisfied and wanted to keep attacking Savage. However, Sting ran down to make the save. Much like last week, the two rivals ended up shaking hands. Card rating: *** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Sept 24, 2021 18:22:10 GMT -5
HALLOWEEN HAVOC (October 29, 1995) Chris Candido pinned Eddie Guerrero after a Victory Roll in 11:19. Rating: *** 3/4Candido and Guerrero were in the midst of a classic opener to tonight’s huge Halloween Havoc show. Guerrero looked like he was ready to go for the win, signalling to the crowd he was ready to climb up top to hit his patented frog splash. However, he stopped before going to the top, evidently spotting someone familiar in the crowd. He pointed and shouted “What are you doing here?” Meanwhile, Candido took advantage of the distracted Guerrero, recovering and rolling him up for a pin. The fan that distracted Guerrero was revealed to be a rival from his past, Dean Malenko. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Great Muta with the Diamond Cutter in 16:58. Rating: **** 1/4 (Diamond Dallas Page retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)
Following Candido’s win, his mentor Diamond Dallas Page made it a fantastic night for the pair. He handpicked Great Muta to be his challenger and while it looked for a bit he might regret the choice, DDP came up with a Diamond Cutter out of nowhere to pick up the win. Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when R. Simmons pinned Sags with the Powerslam in 11:34. Rating: ** 1/4Smith and Simmons have come together as a finely tuned machine and are now at the top of the list of contenders for the world tag titles. Though the win wasn’t totally on the up-and-up, Smith smacked Sags with a chair the referee couldn’t see, setting him up for Ron Simmons’ powerslam. Lord Steven Regal made Alex Wright submit to the Regal Stretch in 13:05. Rating: *** 1/4Regal has been blaming Wright for costing him the TV title with several weeks of attacks. Wright finally got a chance to face him in the ring to settle things, but even in a straight up setting, Wright still couldn’t get any revenge and Regal again made him submit to the Regal Stretch. Johnny B. Badd defeated Lex Luger by countout in 9:32. Rating: *** 1/4Badd was hoping to make a statement against Lex Luger and get himself back into contention for a title. He got the win, but not the win he was hoping for. As the fight spilled to the floor, Badd caught Luger with a sharp punch that knocked him out. Badd got back into the ring and was awarded the countout win, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy about it. Sting pinned Randy Savage after a flying cross body press in 19:09. Rating: *** 1/2 (Sting won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)While these two have had severe issues over the past months, it seemed like things are calming down despite them meeting for high states such as the US title. Hulk Hogan’s mediation can definitely be thanked for that. They even shook hands before the match. The crowd was mostly split for the match as each wrestler had a solid following behind him. Savage thrilled his following when he went up top looking to hit his famous elbow drop, but the other side of the crowd was thrilled when Sting rolled out of the way and Savage crashed to the mat. Sting followed up hitting Savage with a Stinger Splash, then climbed up top and hit a flying cross body that got him the pin and the title! After the match, Savage handed the belt over to Sting and raised his hand. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin when S. Steiner pinned Bagwell with the Frankensteiner in 17:50. Rating: *** 1/2 (The Steiner Brothers retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)While it’s appeared as if the Horsemen have been back on the same page, it didn’t translate into a victory in tonight’s world tag title match, despite Flair and Anderson patrolling ringside during the match. The Steiners got the win as Anderson was attempting to interfere, coming on the apron and clubbing Scott Steiner behind the ref’s back. Bagwell went up top for a move, but Rick Steiner came over and hit Anderson, sending him into the ropes and causing Bagwell to lose his balance. Scott Steiner hit a top rope frankensteiner and got the pin. After, the Horsemen had a brief argument in the ring before eventually all walking to the back together. Match where the title can change hands via DQ or countout: Big Van Vader defeated Hulk Hogan by disqualification in 16:22. Rating: ** 1/4 (Big Van Vader won the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.) [Randy Savage interfered against Big Van Vader.]An unbelievable turn of events at the end of tonight’s main event led to Big Van Vader becoming the new world heavyweight champion. And it all stemmed from the stipulation Vader demanded be in the contract where if Hogan got disqualified the title would change hands. Hogan surged ahead at the beginning of the match, but Vader’s size and raw strength allowed him to take over midway through. Vader thought he had Hogan in position to put him away as he went up top for a moonsault, but Hogan was able to move out of the way. This led to Hogan “Hulking up” with a series of punches then hitting Vader for the big boot. But before Hogan could go for his leg drop, Vader rolled out of the ring. An incensed Vader grabbed a chair, brought it into the ring and threatened to fight Hogan with it. Hogan was ready to waive him in, but before Vader could, Randy Savage ran down to stop Vader. He grabbed the title belt from the timekeepers table, came in and smacked Vader with it. With it being in plain sight of the referee, it was an immediate disqualification, which meant Vader became new champion. Hogan was distraught, asking Savage what he did that for. Savage insisted he was just trying to help out. But as Hogan turned around, Savage grabbed the belt again and smacked Hogan in the back of the head with it. Vader came back in the ring and joined Savage in a double team assault on Hogan. Sting ran down to try to make the save, but the united Savage and Vader overpowered him as well. The show ended with Vader holding up the title and Savage raising his hand with Hogan and Sting down in the ring.
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Sept 28, 2021 16:25:16 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 30, 1995) Sabu pinned Disco Inferno after the springboard DDT in 9:41. Rating: *** 1/2Sabu continued his unbeaten streak to start his WCW career, but he failed to keep his streak alive of putting his opponent through a table. He tried to set up Disco for a splash through a table after their match, but Disco was able to fight it off and run away to the back. Lex Luger made Johnny B. Badd submit to the Torture Rack in 10:51. Rating: **** 1/4A countout victory for Johnny B. Badd last night satisfied no one, so he and Lex Luger had a rematch tonight. Luger got the win, but an assist went to Diamond Dallas Page. Chris Candido came down to the ring and confused everyone. He started yelling at the referee and Luger was just as puzzled about what he was doing here. But with everyone distracted, DDP ran down and hit Badd with a Diamond Cutter on the floor. Luger had no idea what happened but took advantage and closed out the match. Eddie Guerrero pinned Scott Norton with the Frog Splash in 07:42. Rating: * 1/2Eddie Guerrero defeated Scott Norton and after the match, he once again spotted an old rival, Dean Malenko, in the crowd. Guerrero and Malenko had words which ended up with Malenko jumping the guardrail and coming after Guerrero. Security came to take him away The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons when S. Steiner pinned D.B. Smith with the Frankensteiner in 12:52. Rating: *** (The Steiner Brothers retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The Steiners held on to their tag belts beating Smith and Simmons, but after the match they were confronted by Harlem Heat. Heat said the Steiners aren't going to be able to duck them forever and put the champs on notice their days as champs were numbered. This confrontation led to a brawl security had to break up. INTERVIEW WITH BIG VAN VADER AND RANDY SAVAGENew world champion Vader came out for an interview with Gene Okerlund with Randy Savage by his side. The two said their plan worked perfectly. Savage said he shared the feeling with Vader that Hulkamania had run its course and it was time for a change. Everything was always about Hogan, but not anymore. Their celebration was interrupted by WCW commissioner Nick Bockwinkle. He said while the contract did state that the title would change hands by a disqualification, the championship committee took a close look into the nature of that DQ and decided that they were not awarding the title to Vader. Instead, the belt will be vacated and awarded to the winner of the upcoming 60-man battle royal, dubbed World War 3. Card rating: ** 3/4 ---------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 6, 1995) Chris Candido pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Blonde Bombshell in 10:00. Rating: *** 1/4
After last week, Johnny B. Badd wanted a match with DDP, but instead, DDP decided he can have a match with Chris Candido. Badd said that's fine, he'll go through Candido to get to Page, but Page's interference in the match helped Candido get the win. Page was asked after the match about why he attacked Badd, he said he's calling his shot one more time. Badd was a thorn in his side when he couldn't take the US title off him. So to exercise old demons in his quest to become the best TV champ of all time, he wants to beat Badd in the ring. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Booker defeated Sags by countout in 13:55. Rating: 3/4*Harlem Heat put themselves in position to challenge the Steiners for the world tag titles by defeating their old rivals the Nasty Boys. A win like that is sure to make Harlem Heat No. 1 contenders. Dean Malenko made Bobby Eaton submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 7:49. Rating: ***Dean Malenko made his in-ring debut in WCW defeating veteran Bobby Eaton. During the match, Eddie Guerrero came to watch from the top of the rampway. Malenko spoke after the match, saying the real reason Guerrero came to WCW was to run away from him. But the joke's on Eddie, cause he followed him here and is ready to take care of old business. Sting made Ron Simmons submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 11:05. Rating: *** 1/4 (Sting retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Sting successfully defended his US title against Ron Simmons. Interviewed after the match, Sting said he's proud to be US champion, but he's going to put everything he has into winning World War 3 to once again become World Champion. Randy Savage stepped out from the back and interrupted Sting from the top of the aisle. He said Sting can have the US belt cause he has bigger fish to fry, and Sting better not get in his way of becoming world champion. Card rating: *** 1/4
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Oct 2, 2021 10:56:51 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 13, 1995) Lord Steven Regal made Sabu submit to the Regal Stretch in 10:56. Rating: ****Regal was eager to get a shot at Sabu, whom he referred to as "a lunatic and not a person that should be in a wrestling ring." Regal had more than he could handle though with the wildman, but ended up pulling out the win after knocking out Sabu with a pair of brass knucks that set up a Regal Stretch. As Regal was celebrting, Disco Inferno's music came on and caught everyone by surprise. Disco applauded Regal for the win, then asked to have his turn at Sabu. Disco said Sabu has been trying to put everyone through a table, he should get a taste of his own medicine. Regal said he doesn't care what happens to that "neanderthal" and told Disco to have at it. But Disco took his sweet time setting up a table, enough time that Sab recovered and hit Disco from behind while he was dancing. He shoved Disco on the table and then hit a moonsault driving him through it. Lex Luger defeated Scott Norton by disqualification in 8:54. Rating: -* [Davey Boy Smith interfered against Lex Luger.]Luger and Scott Norton traded words about who is WCW's strongest ahead of World War 3. They had a match, but another man who wants to lay claim to being WCW's strong man interfered, Davey Boy Smith left everyone laying. The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Steve Austin) defeated Ricky Steamboat, Alex Wright, Eddie Guerrero and Johnny B. Badd when Flair made Steamboat submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 13:23. Rating: ****Ric Flair wanted to show the world the Horsemen were unified ahead of World War 3, so he asked for tonight's 8-man match. Their opponents ended up down a man when Chris Candido showed up, lurring Johnny B. Badd to the back where DDP was waiting to hit him with a Diamond Cutter. Flair ended up making Steamboat submit to the Figure Four to get the win. Interesting to note, although he did run in at several points to help his team, Steve Austin was never actually tagged into the match. Hulk Hogan defeated Big Van Vader by disqualification in 8:56. Rating: ** [Randy Savage interfered against Hulk Hogan.]Hogan looked to gain the upperhand on Vader in the night's main event, but Randy Savage came into attack Hogan. Savage and Vader went for a 2-on-1 attack, until Sting came in for the save. Hogan said he didn't want to wait for WW3 and wanted a match with Savage next week. Savage said no way that would happen. But WCW commissioner Nick Bockwinkle had other ideas. He scheduled a tag match, Sting and Hogan vs. Savage and Vader. Card rating: ** 1/4 ------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 20, 1995) Steve Austin pinned Paul Roma with the Stun Gun in 5:55. Rating: * 1/2Steve Austin opened the show with an impressive win over Paul Roma. After, Gene Okerlund interviewed the Horseman and asked about the alleged instability in the group, specifically the Battle Royal a few months ago that Austin won. Gene asked Austin would he again go after the win, or fall in line with Ric Flair's plan to allow Flair to win. All Austin said was that if he was put in the same situation as last time, he'd do the right thing. Johnny B. Badd and Ricky Steamboat defeated Chris Candido and Diamond Dallas Page when Steamboat pinned Candido with the Flying Cross Body Press in 10:41. Rating: *** 1/2Johnny B. Badd will challenge Diamond Dallas Page for Page’s TV title at World War 3, but tonight they faced off in tag action with Badd recruiting old friend Ricky Steamboat to fight Page and his protege Chris Candido. Badd will go into Sunday’s title match with momentum after his team picked up the win. Greg Valentine and Bobby Walker battled to a double countout in 9:07. Rating: DUD
Bobby Walker made his Nitro debut against Veteran Greg Valentine, a man notoriously tough on rookies. But the match never got too far in when out of nowhere, a man known as The Shark entered and attacked both. The big man said he's come from the Deep Blue Sea to become the next WCW world champion, and no one in WCW will be able to throw him over the top rope. No sooner did he make these claims as The Ugandan Giant Kamala walked down the aisle and joined Shark in the ring. As the two stared at each other. Music hit and now coming down the aisle was none other than Abdullah the Butcher!! He joined the two other big men in the ring. Then more music hit, this time it was King Kong Bundy!?! Bundy joined the face off of all rather large men. Right when they were getting ready to all go at it, one more made his appearance, Former TV Champ The Boss! When the Boss hit the ring, all heck broke loose. Soon, each big man ended up going over the top rope until only the Boss was left standing. But as he was admitrining his work and the carnage on the floor, From behind with a steel chair was The Iron Sheik A chair shot sent Boss over the top rope as well, as the Sheik stood tall! Sting and Hulk Hogan defeated Big Van Vader and Randy Savage when Sting pinned Vader with the Scorpion Death Drop in 14:28. Rating: ***Four of the biggest favorites in World War 3 collided in this explosive tag match. Hogan and Sting were ready to go all out against their rivals, while Savage was more willing to send Vader in front to do the dirty work. Sting ended up getting the win for his team, as Savage and Hogan fought on the floor, Vader and Sting were in the ring. Vader went to charge at Sting in the corner, only to have Sting move and Vader splash the turnbuckle. Sting followed with a Scorpion Death Drop and get the pin. But as soon as the three count was made, Savage low-blowed Hogan then grabbed a chair. He came in the ring and smacked Sting in the back with it. Savage and Vader then assaulted both Hogan and Sting as the show closed out.
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Oct 4, 2021 12:39:01 GMT -5
WORLD WAR 3 (Nov. 26, 1995) Diamond Dallas Page pinned Johnny B. Badd after a Diamond Cutter in 14:32. Rating: *** 1/4 (Diamond Dallas Page retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Diamond Dallas Page has said he’s “calling his shots,” picking top challengers to defend his TV against to prove he’s the best of all time. An admirable quality, but then, Page wants to take every shortcut he can to retain the belt in the actual match. Badd took momentum and looked like he was ready to put Page away when the Diamond in the Rough, Page’s protege Chris Candido jumped on the ring apron with a Badd Blaster and fired it towards Badd. It didn’t cause any harm, but distracted the challenger enough Page hit him with a Diamond Cutter and picked up the pin. Sabu pinned Mr. J.L. with the Triple Jump Moonsault in 10:54. Rating: ** 1/4Disco Inferno hasn’t taken kindly to Sabu putting him through a table recently, so he’s offering a reward for anyone that can put Sabu through one instead. Disco recruited Mr. J.L. to take his shot. Sabu won the match but Disco ran in after and attacked Sabu. He and J.L. tried to set a table up but Sabu instead recovered and Disco ran away as Sabu splashed J.L. through it. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when S. Steiner defeated Booker by disqualification in 10:52. Rating: ** 1/2 (The Steiner Brothers retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Two of the top teams in WCW’s history faced off with the titles on the line, but sadly we didn’t get any definitive result in their battle. Once the Steiners appeared to be taking over the match, Booker T brought a steel chair into the rin and began attacking both Steiner Brothers with it causing the disqualification. Alex Wright pinned Barry Windham with the Reverse Neckbreaker in 14:04. Rating: ***Alex Wright was getting interviewed by Gene Okerlund about his chances in World War 3 when he was interrupted by a returning Barry Windham. Windham said Gene shouldn’t be wasting his time with the “nobodies that have no shot at winning” and instead interview the odds on favorite, Windham himself. This led to a war of words between Windham and Wright and the two decided to head right to the ring for a warm-up match. Despite Windham attacking Wright early, Das Wunderkid shocked the former world champ pulling off the upset. This of course didn’t set well with Windham who viciously attacked Wright after the match. Shark pinned Bobby Walker with the Shark Attack in 5:53. Rating: -**Rookie Bobby Walker issued a challenge to WCW newcomer Shark after he showed up during his match last Nitro. The kid has guts, but maybe this should’ve been one battle he let go as Shark dominated him. Davey Boy Smith pinned Lex Luger after the Running Powerslam in 16:45. Rating: *** 3/4Right before the main event battle royal, Davey Boy Smith made a huge statement and picked up a ton of momentum getting a win over Lex Luger, though interference from his partner Ron Simmons was a big factor in the match. WORLD WAR 3 60-Man Battle Royal for the vacant WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: Randy Savage won a 60-man Battle Royal in 33:50 Rating: *** 3/4 (Randy Savage won the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)From Europe, Japan, Mexico and all around the world, wrestling’s best came to WCW for a shot at winning the World Heavyweight title in World War 3. The match featured many twists and turns with old rivalries coming to a head, and new ones seemingly forming. Davey Boy Smith got the edge on Lex Luger in their singles match, but Luger got one up on him in WW3. Smith and Ron Simmons tried to double team Luger, but the Total Package was able to knock out Simmons, then press slam Davey Boy over the top onto Simmons on the floor. Sabu and Disco were in opposite rings, but Saby saw Disco get eliminated from his. Sabu caught Disco's eye as he was walking to the back, then jumped over the top rope himself to chase him. The Nasty Boys got into it with Meng and the Barbarian, who have been tagging together recently on Saturday night broadcasts. Knobbs and Meng were in a separate ring from Saggs and Barbarian, but it seemed like in only a matter of seconds, mirror images happened as all four men eliminated each other. They all met in the aisle way walking to the back and the brawl recommenced with as they fought all the way to the back. Johnny B. Badd wasn't ready to let go of the fact he lost the TV title match to Diamond Dallas Page earlier, and kept going after DDP in the match, only to be dumped out by the TV champ. Barry Windham tried to go after a weakened Alex Wright, still upset from Wright beating him in a earlier spontaneous match. Windham seemed to enjoy toying with a beaten down Wright, but Das Wunderkid summoned a last bit of strength to backdrop Windham out of the match. Vader eliminated Sting late in the match. Sting nearly had Vader gone, but went for one Stinger splash too many. Vader caught him and dumped him over the top. The finish, however, included a bit of controversy. Five men were left in the match. Horsemen Rick Flair and Steve Austin were trying to eliminate Randy Savage, when Austin took the opportunity to try and dump both out. Savage held on to the ropes and hit the mat while Flair went to the floor and was eliminated. This infuriated Flair and Austin just threw his hands up in the air. When Austin tried to go to the other side of the ring, Flair held Austin's foot and Savage came back to knock out Austin. Flair and Austin began having words arguing on the floor, this led to Arn Anderson and Marcus Bagwell running down to try to separate Flair and Austin. Officials from all sides had to run down to break up the potential brawl. That also meant that no official was able to see Hulk Hogan throw Vader over the top rope. It looked like we were set for the Savage/Hogan showdown, but Vader ran back into the ring, clotheslined Hogan over the top rope, going out himself for a second time. The refs were back attentive to the match at this point and were unaware Vader was already eliminated. Savage was awarded the win and the World Title.
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Oct 7, 2021 15:12:25 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 27, 1995) INTERVIEW WITH RANDY SAVAGENew World Champ Randy Savage came out to gloat about winning the world title at World War 3. He then said, he never got his return match for his US Title, but didn't need it anymore. He was turning it over to Vader, the man who eliminated current champion Sting from WW3. Hulk Hogan then came out and said he should never have been eliminated from the match. He tossed Vader over the top rope and he never should've been allowed to come back in to eliminate Hogan. Savage basically told Hogan tough crap. WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkle, however, agreed with Hogan, saying Hogan was not truly eliminated since Vader should've been gone from the match. He can't change the outcome, but can grant Hogan a world title shot. At Starrcade, for the World Title, it will be Randy Savage against Hulk Hogan. Dean Malenko made Alex Wright submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 7:04. Rating: *** 1/4Dean Malenko made a statement to Eddie Guerrero against Alex Wright. Malenko said he wanted to make a friend of Guerrero's suffer. He won the match with his Texas Cloverleaf, but then refused to break the hold. He only let go when Guerrero ran in. Malenko wanted nothing to do with him and broke the hold and slid out of the ring. Mr. J.L. pinned Bobby Walker with the Moonsault in 6:11. Rating: * 3/4In a clash of two of the top young superstars who recently came to WCW, J.L. scored the win. INTERVIEW WITH JOHNNY B. BADDAlso tonight, Johnny B. Badd was still enraged at losing to DDP. He demanded another shot. Instead of DDP, Chris Candido came out. He said Badd had no grounds to ask for a rematch. Page beat him clean in the center of the ring. Candido told Badd he had to move on. Badd then attacked Candido ruthlessly. Badd's close friend Ricky Steamboat had to come try to talk Badd out of the attack. Lex Luger pinned Ron Simmons after a back suplex in 11:48. Rating: * 1/2Lex Luger took advantage of miscommunication between Simmons and Davey Boy Smith to pick up the win. Smith was at ringside attempting to interfere, except Luger countered and threw Simmons into Smith, then hitting Simmons with a suplex that led to the pin. After the match, Simmons and Davey Boy argued about what went wrong with Simmonsnot happy it cost him the match. Steve Austin and Marcus Alexander Bagwell and The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Ric Flair) battled to no contest Rating: ** 3/4The main event tonight was scheduled to be World Tag Champions the Steiner Brothers defending against the team they beat for the belts back at Halloween Havoc, Horsemen Bagwell & Austin. When the match was getting ready to begin, Ric Flair's music came on and he came to the ring with Arn Anderson. Flair said that this match wasn't happening. The Steiners began to protest, but Flair said there is business between us four to take care of and you're not involved in it, and then told them to please leave the ring. The Steiners still protested and Flair said if you won't leave, I know two guys who can make you leave. Harlem Heat then rushed the ring and took out the Steiners. The two teams fought all the way to the back. Flair then went on saying that he was never going to let that match happen because as far as he's concerned, Steve Austin is no longer a Horsemen. He gave Austin more opportunities than he deserved and still Austin refused to fall in line. Austin said that was okay with him cause he's sick and tired of Flair's ego getting in the way of everything. Austin called Flair Old Yeller and said he just might be the guy to take him out back and shoot him. Flair turned his attention then to Bagwell, asking where he stood. Bagwell said Steve Austin is his partner and will gladly stand by him through thick and thin. Bagwell said there was supposed to be a match tonight, while everyone was in the ring, why don't they give the fans their match. Bagwell & Austin against Flair & Anderson. Bagwell & Anderson started off with a bit of chain wrestling, then Anderson quickly tagged into Flair. Bagwell responded to the roar of the crowd and tagged in Austin. Flair though was going to have nothing to do with Austin, and tagged back out. Austin & Anderson wrestled for a bit, then Austin tagged back to Bagwell, and then everything hit the fan. Bagwell jumped in the ring and immediately clotheslined Austin. It was a set up all along, and Flair and Anderson joined in a 3 on 1 beatdown. Card rating: ** 1/4 ------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 4, 1995) Chris Candido pinned Johnny B. Badd after a side suplex in 9:28. Rating: *** ¼Badd has been upset with his inability to take the TV title off Diamond Dallas Page and has been calling for another shot. Instead, Page has sent Chris Candido to do the dirty work for him. Candido picked up the win over Badd thanks in part to a handful of tights. Badd was throwing a fit after the match saying the only way Page and Candido can beat him is through cheating. While he was busy complaining, DDP ran in from behind him and hit him with a Diamond Cutter. Booker T pinned Rick Steiner with the Axe Kick in 8:17. Rating: ** 1/2In a one-on-one match, Booker T made a statement for Harlem Heat, getting the win over Rick Steiner. By getting the win, Booker earned a shot for Harlem Heat at the Steiners for the world tag titles at Starrcade. Sabu defeated Shark by disqualification in 7:23. Rating: * 1/4 [Disco Inferno interfered against Sabu.]Disco Inferno got another recruit to try to put Sabu through the table in the massive Shark. It looked like it was going to work when Disco and JL ran down and started triple teaming Sabu. They set up a table while Disco and JL held him down while Shark climbed to the second rope, but took time to pose to the crowd. Sabu meanwhile kicked free and was able to drag JL on to the table. Shark had his back turned posing, then flipped back around and leapt off, unaware it was really J.L. on the table. Sting and Lex Luger defeated Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons when Luger defeated D.B. Smith when D.B. Smith passed out in the Torture Rack in 9:26. Rating: *** 1/2Lex Luger recruited his best friend Sting to team with him against the challenge of a seemingly united Davey Boy and Ron Simmons. But Smith and Simmons engaged in quite a bit of bickering. After Luger made Smith submit to the Torture Rack, Simmons admonished Smith for losing the match for them. Card rating: ** 1/2
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Oct 13, 2021 18:51:55 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 11, 1995) Steve Austin pinned Marcus Alexander Bagwell with the Stun Gun in 9:11. Rating: ** 3/4After being kicked out of the Four Horsemen, Steve Austin has asked for a match with Ric Flair. WCW officials have granted his request and scheduled the match for Starrcade. However, Flair says before that can happen, Austin needs to work his way through the rest of the group. Austin took out his frustrations on his former partner Marcus Bagwell, decimating Bagwell as Flair looked on. Meng and The Barbarian defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Barbarian pinned Sags with the Flying Clothesline in 10:33. Rating: 3/4*Two teams that have quickly become fierce rivals met tonight in a hard-hitting affair. At the end, it was the Faces of Fear standing tall. Eddie Guerrero pinned Scott Norton with the Frog Splash in 11:10. Rating: **Dean Malenko got a sneak attack in on Eddie Guerrero. After Guerrero won his match, he was giving a post match interview with Gene Okerlund when Malenko ran down from behind and clipped Guerrero's knee. Malenko then locked in the Texas Cloverleaf until security broke it up. Sting made Davey Boy Smith submit to The Scorpion Death Lock in 10:51 Rating: *** 1/4 (Sting retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)A few weeks before a scheduled title defense against Big Van Vader, Sting put his US title on the line against Davey Boy Smith. Ron Simmons was in Smith’s corner and backed him up throughout the match. However, once Sting was victorious, Simmons couldn’t hide his disgust at his partner submitting. Card rating: ** 3/4 ----------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 18, 1995) Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ricky Steamboat by disqualification in 6:02. Rating: ** (Diamond Dallas Page retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.) [Johnny B. Badd interfered against Diamond Dallas Page.]Page defended his TV title against Ricky Steamboat, a close friend of Johnny B. Badd who’s been getting more and more upset with Page’s sneak attacks. So Badd decided to run in and attack Page in the middle of the match. This came as a surprise to Steamboat who wasn’t expecting Badd’s appearance. Steve Austin pinned Arn Anderson with the Stun Gun in 9:36. Rating: ** 1/2Austin is continuing on his road to Ric Flair with a win over Arn Anderson, the second Horsemen in as many weeks Austin has gotten the better of. Austin commented into the camera that there’s no one left, Flair’s time is coming. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated Meng and The Barbarian when S. Ray pinned Barbarian with the Slapjack in 8:15. Rating: * 1/4
In a tune-up before their world title match at Starrcade, Harlem Heat survived a hard-hitting affair against the powerful Faces of Fear. The win was sure to send a message to the champion Steiner Brothers. Randy Savage and Big Van Vader and Lex Luger and Sting battled to a double disqualification. Rating: *** 1/4
All heck broke loose in this one. Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons ran down to assault Lex Luger when he was on the outside of the match. Sting tried to go help his friend and partner, but he was stopped by a 2-on-1 attack in the ring from Savage and Vader. Hulk Hogan came to join the party, helping Sting fight off Savage and Vader. The ref had no choice but to throw the whole match out. But that didn’t stop the wild brawl from raging all over the place. Card rating: ** 1/2 ---------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 25, 1995) Dean Malenko made Bobby Walker submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 6:37. Rating: *** 1/2Malenko wanted to send another message to Eddie Guerrero ahead of a match between the two at Starrcade. Malenko forced Bobby Walker to submit, but as he has done in his past few matches, refused to break the hold. Security even had trouble getting him to let go, but then Guerrero ran down and Malenko let go only to charge after Guerrero. Security struggled but was able to keep the two apart. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Arn Anderson and Marcus Alexander Bagwell when R. Steiner pinned Bagwell after a back suplex in 13:47. Rating: *** 1/4 (The Steiner Brothers retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)In much the same fashion Harlem Heat impressed in a tune-up match last week, the Steiners impressed in one this week. As soon as the match ended, Steve Austin entered the ring with a chair. He looked briefly at the Steiners who looked back at him. The Steiners quietly exited the ring while Austin went after Bagwell and Anderson with the chair. Austin called out Ric Flair but Flair wouldn’t show, so Austin kept smacking Anderson and Bagwell until officials pulled the chair away from him. Lord Steven Regal made Mr. J.L. submit to the Regal Stretch in 2:38. Rating: ***
Regal hasn’t been seen on TV much lately but said he wanted to drop back in to make sure no one forgets about him. Handicap-Match: Sting, Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan defeated Big Van Vader, Davey Boy Smith, Randy Savage and Ron Simmons when Hogan pinned Simmons after the Leg Drop. Rating: ** 1/2After last week’s brawl, all seven combatants were thrown in a handicap match together. Despite having the numbers advantage, Smith and Simmons were once again unable to get along, hindering their team. Smith at one point decided he had enough of Simmons and clotheslined him before walking out of the match. Savage and Vader seemed like they didn’t want any part of the other in a fair fight and stayed outside the ring as Hogan won the match. Savage walked out with his world title belt held high as Hogan signaled that the belt was going to be back his this time next week. Card rating: ** 3/4 ---------------------------------- STARRCADE'95 CARD
WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP Sting vs. Big Van Vader WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat WCW TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP Diamond Dallas Page vs. Johnny B. Badd TRIANGLE MATCH Davey Boy Smith vs. Lex Luger vs. Ron Simmons TABLE MATCH Disco Inferno vs. Sabu Steve Austin vs. Ric Flair Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero The Nasty Boys vs. The Faces of Fear
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Post by cardsflyinhigh on Oct 25, 2021 11:03:55 GMT -5
STARRCADE '95 (Dec. 30, 1995) Eddie Guerrero pinned Dean Malenko with the Frog Splash in 17:38. Rating: **** 1/2What better way to start WCW’s final show of 1995 than with two young superstars who made big impacts in WCW as rookies this year. And they put on an instant classic. Guerrero and Malenko went back and forth trading innovative moves and holds. In the end, both men were fighting on the top turnbuckle only to have Guerrero fight Malenko off and having him fall to the mat. Guerrero followed up with his frog splash and picked up the win. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) when Barbarian pinned Sags with the Flying Clothesline in 12:20. Rating: *These two teams have been having nothing but fights since they all eliminated each other from World War 3. In a stiff, physical affair, the recently formed team of Meng and the Barbarian picked up a huge win that definitely made a statement to the WCW tag team division. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Diamond Cutter in 11:34. Rating: ** (Diamond Dallas Page retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Page scored another win over Johnny B. Badd, further strengthening the case he’s trying to make becoming the greatest TV champ ever. Badd had Page on his shoulders aiming to finish him off, but Page slipped off and hit him with the Diamond Cutter. After the match, Badd was visibly upset and frustrated as he walked to the back. Table Match: Sabu defeated Disco Inferno by putting him through a table in 8:07. Rating: *** 3/4Sabu made an instant impact in the match, attacking Disco before he was even done with his pre-match dancing. Disco was able to briefly turn the tide and get in some offense. He even had time to go get a table and bring it into the ring. But the mechanics of where to place the table and trying to set it up seemed to baffle Disco, and at the same time gave Sabu enough time to recover. Sabu tossed a chair into Disco nearly knocking him out. He then put Disco on the table and an Arabian Facebuster off the top rope to send Disco through it. Triangle Match: Lex Luger defeated Davey Boy Smith and Ron Simmons when Luger made R. Simmons submit to the Torture Rack in 13:43. Rating: ***Three of WCW’s strongest collided. Any thought of Smith and Simmons turning it into a handicap match against Luger went away quickly as it was clear their partnership had completely dissolved. In fact, once the bell rang, Luger just sat in the corner a minute while Smith and Simmons went after each other. This became another physical, heavy hitting match. Each man had turns in control of the battle. Late in the match, with Luger down, Smith tried going to the top rope perhaps for a splash. But Simmons instead came in and knocked Smith off, sending him crashing into the guardrail down below and outside the ring. Luger, however, recovered and hit Simmons with a series of clotheslines, then put him in the rack and got a submission. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when Booker pinned S. Steiner with the Axe Kick in 14:21. Rating: *** 1/2 (Harlem Heat won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Two of the greatest tag teams in WCW history collided not just for the titles, but trying to prove who was the best. Their previous meeting was marred when Harlem Heat got disqualified for attacking the Steiners with chairs. It looked like it might be a repeat when Stevie Ray brought in a chair to go after Scott Steiner with, but the referee grabbed it away during his backswing. With Stevie distracted, Scott hit him with a dropkick knocking him out of the ring. But meanwhile, Booker T lowblowed Rick that no one saw since they were busy with the chair. Booker, who happened to be the legal man, then came over to Scott and hit him with a vicious axe kick that won the match and the titles for Harlem Heat. Ric Flair made Steve Austin pass out to the Figure-Four Leglock in 21:57. Rating: *** 1/4Austin has been waiting for his chance to get his hands on Ric Flair ever since he was kicked out of the Horsemen, and perhaps before. Knowing full well all the Horsemen tricks, he was ready for everything. Austin not only fought Flair in the ring, he fought Anderson and Bagwell outside of it. After a long, hard-fought match, Austin was in control. He was trying to go for his Stun Gun, only to have Flair deliver a low-blow kick then back drop Austin over the top rope. While the ref was amonishing Flair, Bagwell smacked Austin in the head with a chair, busting him open. Austin crawled back into the ring, but the damage was done. Flair went to work on Austin’s leg, eventually locking in the Figure Four Leg Lock. Blood pouring down his face, Austin refused to submit, but the pain took its toll and after a bit, Austin eventually stopped responding. The ref had no choice but to call the match. Sting pinned Big Van Vader after a flying splash in 13:15. Rating: *** 3/4 (Sting retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Old rivals faced off again, this time for the US title. As it’s happened in the past, Vader’s strength helped him control big portions of the match, but Sting’s speed and athleticism helped him avoid any potential knockout blows. Sting gradually gained the edge as Vader apparently wore himself down by keep trying to put Sting away to no avail. In the end, Sting hit a big splash that kept the big man down. Randy Savage pinned Hulk Hogan with the Flying Elbow drop in 19:37. Rating: *** 1/4 (Randy Savage retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)These two have quite a history together with another chapter being written tonight in the Grand Daddy of them All. Fueled by the betrayal of someone he thought was his best friend, Hogan came out a house on fire, eager to get revenge on Savage and win his belt back. Savage, not above to dirty play, slowly turned the match in his favor with several cheap shots. Savage’s ally Big Van Vader came down to back Savage up at ringside, only to have Sting counter but coming down and standing in Hogan’s corner. While Sting kept Vader in check, there were enough little incidents that helped Savage take firm control. The champ even was able to go up top and hit his patented elbow drop, only to have Hogan kick out at 2. Hogan began to “Hulk up” and take control. Hogan hit the big boot and was set to deliver his leg drop, but Vader pulled Savage out of the ring as Hogan only crashed to the mat. Sting ran over to fight Vader and the two began brawling. With the referee’s attention on breaking up Sting and Vader, Savage snuck back into the ring with the title belt and smacked Hogan in the head with it. The ref got back in the ring in time to see Savage go and hit a second elbow drop, this one got the 1-2-3. Card rating: *** 1/4
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