[1992-01-21-WCW-Clash of the Champions XVIII] Jesse Ventura and Sting

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Hot segment that would have me feeling optimistic about WCW's future. Jesse Ventura debuts and puts over WCW big. K. Allen Frey is announced as the new guy running the company. Sting vs Luger is announced for SuperBrawl, a match on paper that you'd think would have money drawing appeal and for whatever reason never did. Frey didn't last long, but he's obviously a guy who knew WCW needed to rebuild after a really lackluster 1991, and that's what he tried to do in the short amount of time he was in charge.

 

I should also mention that Tony is really good in settings like this, and that it's weird to see Jim Crockett standing in the background.

[Tim Evans]

It's a shame that Frey didn't last so long cause he seemed to get the guys motivated. Crowd was going wild for Sting and I guess this was the final days for Luger in WCW. Did he ever show up in person before Superbrawl?

[shoe]

He never did show up in person before Superbrawl. Getting Ventura was a big deal. Yet they still didn't know how to use a Jessie Ventura. Jessie is a heel as he called the main event of this show. Yet when Sting comes out they are high fiving and the such.

[El-P]

yes ! Ventura is in the place ! The announcing has been pretty dry since Heyman was removed from the position, so Ventura will spice it up. Plus Herd is gone, so WCW looked indeed better all of a sudden. That being said, Luger's promo was as dull and unengaging as he could be at times. I guess since he already was planning to leave he didn't give a shit anymore.

[MikeCampbell]

Landing Jesse had to be considered quite a coup for WCW. Indeed, the idea of Jesse being the man in the booth does make Superbrawl immediately seem like a big deal. I think Sting/Luger would have gotten over better had Lex beaten some real contenders during his run with the strap. Ron Simmons? Rick Steiner? Not exactly huge threats to the title.

[WingedEagle]

Frey's promo was only slightly worse than Luger's. Ventura was definitely put over as a star.

 

If I recall, Luger's contract called for a fixed number of dates and WCW had exhausted those late in '91, and thus didn't have a single match in '92 other than Superbrawl.

[PeteF3]

Cheesy announcement of the World title match for SuperBrawl, with Schiavone gushing over the match before Luger's opponent is even announced. But Frey responds with a bombshell--out to announce SuperBrawl II is JESSE VENTURA. I know there's been debate over Jesse's performance in WCW, but a.) the TV announcing has suffered greatly with Ross and Schiavone calling most of the shows by themselves, and b.) Ventura was showing no signs of slowing down when we last saw him in August of 1990. WCW made a lot of empty moves that wasted money but this definitely comes off as a big deal. Still, I'm not a fan of Jesse and Sting high-fiving. Luger cuts a pre-taped promo remarking on his seclusion--or his "champion's prerogative." Or, in another more accurate way, his contractually limited number of dates has run out due to him being forced onto more live shows with Flair's departure. Luger even with a shirt on has noticeably ballooned to ridiculous, WBF levels.

 

I don't know if Frey was the long-term answer at the top or not, but from a pure artistic standpoint WCW continues to revitalize itself.

[BruiserBrody]

No idea if true or not, but the RSPW boards say Ventura was only signed for the Superbrawl show at this point.

[garretta]

Nice little segment here, though not having Luger as an active part of it certainly hurts. The promo he cuts is rather generic; even though they're best friends outside the ring, surely Luger could have had some sharp words for Sting here. Sting certainly has some for Luger, as he wishes that he could grab him off the street and drag him into the ring right then. You'd think they'd have paid Luger extra to show up for this in person, but at this point that would be like giving Vince and the WBF free publicity, even if Luger going there hadn't been formally announced yet.

 

Jesse gets a pretty good ovation here. The high-fiving with Sting didn't bother me; he's always liked certain babyfaces, and it would figure that he'd like a bleached-blonde surfer dude from California. Plus, maybe they were still trying to figure out just how heelish he would be on commentary for a one-time guest appearance, especially since JR doesn't work well with heel partners not named Cornette.

 

Frey's a decent promo for a suit It'll be interesting to see just how much we hear from him on-camera during his tenure. He's better than Herd, and he's certainly better than Jack Tunney. He's got a ways to go to get to Eddie Marlin, but Eddie's a former wrestler who used to cut promos for a living, so being second best to him after one appearance isn't a bad place to be.

 

No voiceover comments from JR. We usually get some stuff from him while wrestlers or matchmakers are heading to the interview area. Was he just out on a break, or could he have been protesting Jesse's presence already?

[soup23]

This was a good segment overall. Jesse coming out feels like a big coup and he had been off tv for a while. Sting feels like a legit ace here for one of the few moments of his career and the enthusiasm he exudes is fed off of the crowd. Him signing the contract and then Jesse gives the title match at SuperBrawl the hard sell.

[dawho5]

I thought Sting came across as a bigger deal than he has since 1990 started. He was certainly happy to be there and that never hurts. Jesse showing up makes you think things are moving the right direction.