OK folks, it's that time! We're wrapping up the WCW 1994 project. There's some really interesting matches ahead so buckle up and let's get going!

TAGS

Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma) vs. Stars and Stripes (Bagwell & Patriot) - (10/23/1994 - Halloween Havoc) - I liked how they did a very exciting, all action few minutes before going into the Buff in peril match that they have been doing. We actually got to see Patriot wrestling! Also not sure if it's out there but a Buff vs Roma singles match or two would be pretty entertaining. They are both super athletic at the time. His elbow drop off the top here is phenomenal! Paul Orndorff's YouTube page has it so I'll share it below:

The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) vs. The Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk) (w/Col. Robert Parker & Meng) WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 23-10-1994 - Um wait... that was the match? Was Bunkhouse Buck even tagged in? I'm all for a Terry Funk does everything match but did his team even get offense in? What the actual fuck was this? This was 2nd from the top of the PPV? Is this Hoganomics showing its true colors? This had potential to be wild as heck but it's basically Terry jobbing to the Fatty Boys. He does  an awesome job of making himself look like a crazy bastard. Good for him! The Stink Twins have wore out their welcome from having great matches with Mick & Kevin Sullivan months ago. Back to your cages Boys!

Fantastics vs Mark Starr & Frankie Lancaster (Saturday Night 11/19/94) - Yes! yes, that is how you do it! A return to form for the tag division. The Fantastics and Lancaster & Starr show you how to do a keep it simple tag match that gets everyone pumped up. It's the classic three act tag match but WCW tags have been lacking that to be honest. This was very good stuff!

Fantastics vs Pretty Wonderful Worldwide Dec 10th, 1994 - Oh shit! This was a hoot! No offense to Stars n Stripes but their how you do a TV face-heel match. Orndorff & Roma have been the absolute GLUE of the tag scene and for a bit there it felt stale. It wasn't them. Fantastics come in and Pretty Wonderful tear the shack down. It's action packed but clever and bets all of those lil moments in there that make you cheer or boo. Great stuff... watch that Roma elbow drop! Again, Paul Orndorff legacy YouTube page has it:

Harlem Heat (w/ Sensational Sherri) vs. The Fantastics (12 10 1994 WCW Saturday Night) -A really clever match where both teams played up the size difference. The Fantastics needed to be quick and use team maneuvers to get the better of Booker & Stevie. You know Sherri factors into this too. Really fun match, glad to see Harlem Heat again and Fantastics have been a joy to watch!

REGAL

Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Lord Steven Regal (10 01 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Top shelf Larry Z levels of stalling from Regal. Stalling crowd work is underappreciated. It pisses everyone off - the casual fans, the marks, the smarks, the other wrestler (kayfabe)...it's great. Eventually, it irritates me which is great too 😄 This is a good match. I thought it was going to Duggan cartoon wrestling (WWF wrecked him) but Regal got nasty. Unfortunately we don't get a clean finish but it's a set up for the tag below.

Johnny B. Badd and Jim Duggan vs. Steve Austin and Lord Steven Regal (10 08 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Thank goodness that the baby faces came to wrestle! This was a lot of fun and a very good match as a result. Regal vs Mero/Badd was the best pairing as they really had fantastic chemistry at this point. Duggan actually was on defense for some time and they worked a proper tag team match here. This is the final Steven Regal match for the project I think. He had a fantastic 1994 with the Flair & Zbyszko series of matches being the pinnacle of not just his year but WCW, in my humble opinion. The honor of wrestling Inoki is something he definitely earned even if Hulkamania over shadowed it. 
 

VADER

Big Van Vader vs. Sting (10 15 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Oh yes, this was sweet! Sting & Vader are putting on a PPV level match but we don't get a clean finish BUT a great post match, great vibes & amazing out of control Vader post match. That leads to the match below 🙂 Tons to enjoy here! Also I believe this is the final Sting vs Vader match. I don't love all of their matches but he might be my favorite US opponent for Vader. When they are really cooking, there's great stuff to be had.

Vader vs. The Guardian Angel (Halloween Havoc 1994 23-10-1994) - Vader is shit talking Sting & Muhammad Ali, Guardian Angel beats the ass out of Harley Race. Harley is not in great shape at this point and Angel gives no fucks. Vader is like, " WTF dude? Harley wasn't crumpled in a ball when I left him." This sets the tone. They beat the crap out of each other and I loved it. Plus a clean finish that was smart too!! Definitely RECOMMEND this one. I felt this could have taken place in New Japan.

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Vader vs Dustin Rhodes (Clash of the Champions XXIX 11/16): Oh boy, this was a slobber knocker. Vader was pummeling Dustin but he wouldn't let the big man beat him. Rhodes used everything in his arsenal to try to take out the monster. This had a great intensity and pace and some excellent action. This was a great match! Again, I could see this in '94 NJPW. RECOMMENDED viewing!

WWF vault has this match along with the 04/30 Cactus Jack match below:

Big Van Vader vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (12/10  WCW Saturday Night) - This totally could have taken place in Mid South 😄. This was really good stuff and like or dislike it, Duggan was absolutely competitive with the big man. Duggan could still go and his clothesline on Vader & Race on the floor were awesome! They are giving Vader excellent opponents and he's bringing out the best in them.

Big Van Vader vs. Dustin Rhodes (12 17 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Really good stuff! Brain himself thinks Dustin is as good an opponent as Sting...and I do too. He and Vader work so well together. Dustin is able to do more junior oriented offense since Vader is so big plus Rhodes Jr. is willing to take a beating to put on a quality bout. Obviously their Clash match is better than this but, absolutely worth checking it out!

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Vader vs "Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (12/27 Starrcade) - This was the curtain jerker for Starrcade...which seems odd. Your " triple threat " main event is Mr. T vs Kevin Sullivan, John Tenta vs Sting & Hogan vs Brutus the Barber Beefcake...I mean The Butcher. It's not 1988...I guess I should say the same for Duggan vs Vader but like Sting vs Tenta, it is potentially an interesting match. Harlem Heat vs Nasty Boys is on the card too. The Hogan era is in full motherfucking effect. Also, I know Duggan's gimmick is Mr. USA working class hero but it's really been distilled into a 2x4 and U-S-A chants. Vader is from the USA too. So people never really chant "Duggan" like in Mid South...they chant for their country which seems like he's not as popular as it would seem, you know? Kind of a cheap pop type of gimmick he's got going. Anyhow...This was a good match...maybe 3 stars or 3.25 stars. There's a lot to like but I do get that they were wrestling in the opener too so I think they did their job. Good action, everyone in the stands was pumped up..and good finish too 😋 I prefer their TV match though.

Vader definitely finished 1994 strong and certainly feels like he's going forward somewhat. Most of the other guys that I looked at left the company or their push got stalled out (probably due to the WWF influx). Regal definitely should have been going forward past the TV title and onto US Champion contention after this year. Hell - put him up against Vader!

Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable experience. Although I focused on the tag division, Ricky Steamboat, Steven Regal & Vader, I think I got an excellent taste of the best of what WCW had to offer in 1994. The three singles wrestlers all had an excellent year and worthwhile matches. I felt the tag division was strong all year with Buff & Scorpio feuding with Harlem Heat then Cactus & Kevin fighting the Nasty Boys along with the Stud Stable mixing things up with Dustin, Sting, Ricky & others. Orndorff & Roma definitely were the glue in the middle & end of the year as Stars & Stripes just didn't deliver in my eyes. Bad Attitude should have had more of a role but they were used as enhancement/support rather than players. Anyhow, I would recommend checking some of these matches out from 1994. There's a lot to like with this year of WCW - exciting tags, technical battles, wild brawls, dramatic title matches and an entertaining commentary team. 

Thanks for reading!