Superstar Sleeze Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 So my current plan is to turn through the following 8 WCW mid-carders in the early 90s: Brian Pillman, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Cactus Jack, Steve Austin, Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat. I was pretty excited at the start of the WWF Tag Project and now I am dragging my heels to finish it. So I hope this does not kill my love for WCW. Giving a preliminary look through the booking sheets through 1992 for Cactus Jack uncovered something that I really did not recognize he was near the top of the card from his introduction with Abby against Sting in late '91 through his managing a stable of wrestlers against WCW World Champion Ron Simmons. In between, he had a strong run against Abby, Sting and Steamboat in '92 that was usually well-positioned on the card. This status level seems pretty consistent right through his feud with Vader. It was not until after Havoc '93, when he settles into the tag scene that he sort of relegated to a more mid-card role. I was under impression that he had a one-off against Sting and was pushed out of relative obscurity to face Vader, had the fuckin dumb amnesia angle and then was shunted to the tag scene. I knew he managed Barbarian against Simmons in late '92, but I guess I never really connected the dots that Cactus was a pretty big deal from late '91 through early '93. He feels like he has his fingers in a lot of different angles helping Vader and Rude (top two heels) a lot against Sting and Steamboat. Then later he and Jake The Snake are best pals during Jake's main event run in the Fall of '92. The following match though does not show him in the same light though. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons vs Cactus Jack - Clash of the Champions XX 9/92 They may have busted out Bruno and Andre for this show, but holding it at Center Stage made WCW feel like small potatoes. This match does not have a World Title vibe at a big show at all. It feels like a aimless mid-card match that they would randomly throw out on Saturday Night that would feel like it would make a nice novelty for a wrestling fan. This is not the atmosphere you want to aspire for your World Championship match on the 20th anniversary of your big free TV show. I will say the crowd was digging Ron and were behind him with "Go Ron Go!" chants. I thought Simmons was better than Cactus in this. I liked his shoulderblocks out of the three point stance, they looked particularly good and his spinebuster was impactful. Cactus seemingly had no idea how to structure a match at this point. They build the Cactus Elbow early by having Simmons close in on the apron before Cactus could hit it. Then Cactus hits some surprisingly weak looking offense especially a shitty cross-body that Pat Tanaka is way better at. Then JR and The Body are marveling at his technical acumen while he has a chinlock on Simmons. Simmons makes his comeback, which is the best part of the match. Cactus gets him on the outside and hist the dreaded Cactus Elbow. Simmons pops up, they do an Irish Whip Exchange off the ropes and Simmons hits the Spinebuster for the victory. Literally less than a minute after he had been hit with the Cactus Elbow, Simmons won. What the fuck was that? This match was pretty below average. This just reeked of a mid-card match between two wrestlers trying to find themselves. Cactus was all about sick bumps and he did not bump really big for Ron. They put the belt on Ron way too early given this match. The belt needed to be on Sting or Vader because they were the true stars. I am not a huge fan of using the belt to create a star. I think it can work like with The Rock or Savage, but they were really on the cusp. Simmons felt more like a hotshot. I have an open mind so I will definitely be looking to re-evaluate going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrickHithouse Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Cactus suffered an injury not too far into the match. It was a rib or chest muscle injury, something like that. That might be the reason for the relatively lackluster Cactus performance. And I totally agree that having such a big show at Center Stage made them look bush league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 It was Watts way of creating a black superstar. One of the main problems is Simmons wasn't positioned strong enough yet, and they were feeding him other wrestlers on Clashes and ppv that weren't super over yet. I believe his next program is against Barbarian. He should have been positioned against Vader or Rude were your top 2 heels. Either way though I don't think Simmons could have become a top guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Wasn't the NWA title still lingering around at this point? Always struck me that Simmons or the WCW champ in general never headlined big shows in 92. On reflection, it's treated a bit like "the world title" today. In 93, this would flip around, but in 92 the WCW title in general is kinda buried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 After looking this up, the NWA title is gone in this period, but Watts does weird shit like putting his boys Doc and Gordy on top. So WCW feels like a secondary title even when there's no other top title, it's really weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrickHithouse Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 They ran a NWA title tournament in Japan in August. For the life of me I'm blanking on who won that (Rude? Chono? Muta?). It eventually makes its way to WCW in Sept or October. Yeah if you don't have confidence in your top champ, or don't view him as a headline guy, which they obviously didn't with Simmons, then he should not have the belt to begin with. Simmons definitely would have benefit getting a build over the summer then winning the title in a surprise sometime in the fall. I still think it would have failed but at least he would have had a better shot at being seen as a top guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 G-1 Climax '92 doubled as the NWA World Title Tournament I believe and the belt was mainly a Japanese staple in New Japan until Windham won it at SuperBrawl III (I have been meaning to watch Chono/Rude at G1 Climax forever. I thought Mutoh/Chono at Dome '93 was pretty good. Not as good as their G1 Climax '91 match, but still high level for NJPW). I am pretty sure Chono/Rude and Chono/Mutoh had PPV matches over here that were universally panned. It was weird also because Doc & Gordy are AJPW and the NWA Title was firmly in the NJPW camp. Thanks for the Cactus Injury update. I didn't know when it happened, but knew it must have happened for him to be used as a manager for so long. I am surprised Watts liked him so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Here are the big shows under Watts in 92: Clash of the Champions XIX - Charleston, SC - McAlister Fieldhouse - June 16, 1992 (4,600) Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA) defeated Joe & Dean Malenko (Europe) at 9:53 when Koloff pinned Dean with the Russian Sickle WCW US Champion Rick Rude (w/ Madusa) & WCW TV Champion Steve Austin (USA) defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell & Tom Zenk (USA) at 7:55 when Rude pinned Bagwell with one hand on his chest after avoiding a dropkick and hitting the Rude Awakening Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (Japan) defeated Larry & Jeff O'Day (Australia) at 2:35 when Williams pinned Larry with the Oklahoma Stampede Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes (USA) defeated Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (w/ Paul E. Dangerously) (USA) at 11:23 when Rhodes pinned Eaton with the bulldog after avoiding the Alabama Jam WCW US Tag Team Champions Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (USA) defeated El Texano & Silver King (Mexico) at 6:27 when Hayes pinned Silver King with an inside cradle after King came off the top and accidentally hit his partner on the floor WCW Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner (USA) defeated Miguel Perez Jr. & Ricky Santana (Puerto Rico) via forfeit after Perez & Santana were assaulted backstage Brian Pillman & Jushin Liger (USA) defeated Chris Benoit & Beef Wellington (Canada) at 11:31 when Liger pinned Wellington with a bodyslam and the moonsault after Wellington and Benoit collided in the ring Akria Nogami & Hiroshi Hase (Japan) defeated the Headhunters (Joe Cruz & Bob Cook under masks) (Dominican Republic) with simultaneous pinfalls at 5:12 when Hase scored the pin with a northern lights suplex as Nogami used a German suplex NWA Tag Team Tournament Quarter-Finals: Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (Japan) defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner (USA) in a non-title match at 15:01 when Williams pinned Scott when, as Scott attempted a belly to belly suplex, Gordy clipped Scott in his bad knee behind the referee's back with Williams falling on top for the win; after the bout, several officials and wrestlers came out to check on Scott's injury - The mega-push from hell for Doc and Gordy already underway. - WCW title not defended Beach Blast 92 - Mobile, AL - Civic Center - June 20, 1992 (5,000) The Junkyard Dog, Tom Zenk, & Big Josh defeated Tracy Smothers, Richard Morton, & Diamond Dallas Page Pay-per-view bouts - featured an opening segment in which Tony Schiavone & Eric Bischoff spoke with Bill Watts on the podium stage in which Watts said Paul E. Dangerously & Madusa would be banned from ringside during the Ricky Steamboat vs. Rick Rude Ironman match; included Jim Ross & Jesse Ventura on commentary; Ventura was escorted ringside before the opening contest by four women in bikinis; featured Tony Schiavone & Eric Bischoff hosting the event from the interview platform; included a beauty contest throughout the show between Missy Hyatt and Madusa and hosted by Johnny B. Badd in which the women competed in an evening gown, bathing suit, and bikini competition; Ventura co-hosted the final competition in which Missy complained her bikini was stolen so she used Ventura's head scarves instead (she didn't really; the pattern was just the same); after Badd announced Missy as the winner, Madusa confronted him and the two went into one of the dressing tents on the stage, with Badd coming out moments later with Madusa's top: Scotty Flamingo pinned WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman to win the title at 17:28 with a knee from the middle turnbuckle after the champion failed a crossbody over the top and hit his head on the rampway Ron Simmons pinned Terry Taylor with the powerslam at 7:10; prior to the bout, Tony Schiavone mentioned Simmons received the key to the city of Tallahassee, FL earlier in the day; after the contest, Jim Ross conducted a ringside interview with Simmons in which Simmons said his goal was to be world champion and he was living proof that it doesn't matter where you come from or what your poverty level is - you can still be a success Greg Valentine defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell via submission with the figure-4 leglock at 6:16 after dropping Bagwell onto his injured knee WCW World Champion Sting pinned Cactus Jack in a non-title falls count anywhere match at 11:23 with a clothesline from the top rope onto the rampway (Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and other Out of Control Matches) Ricky Steamboat defeated WCW US Champion Rick Rude in a non-title 30-minute Ironman match at 29:59, 4-3; prior to the bout, Steamboat came to the ring with his wife and young son; fall #1: Rude pinned Steamboat with a knee to the jaw and grabbing the tights for leverage at 7:42; fall #2: Rude pinned Steamboat with the Rude Awakening at 8:39; fall #3: Rude was disqualified for coming off the top with a kneedrop at 9:40; fall #4: Rude pinned Steamboat with an inside cradle at 10:11; fall #5: Steamboat pinned Rude after reversing a tombstone piledriver into one of his own at 17:38; fall #6: Steamboat pinned Rude with a backslide at 20:21; fall #7: Steamboat pinned Rude by kicking off the turnbuckle as he was caught in a sleeper at 29:24 (Ricky Steamboat: The Life of the Dragon) Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & Nikita Koloff defeated WCW TV Champion Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, & Bobby Eaton (w/ Paul E. Dangerously) via disqualification when referee Ole Anderson stopped the bout when Arn came off the top with a double axehandle onto Windham after Windham hit the superplex on Austin WCW Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner fought Steve Williams & Terry Gordy to a 30-minute time-limit draw just as Scott hit the Frankensteiner on Gordy - More Doc and Gordy in last match - WCW champ lost in the middle of the card - WCW title not defended Great American Bash 92 - Albany, GA - Civic Center - July 12, 1992 (8,000; 4,000 paid) The Super Invader defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell Pay-per-view bouts - featured Jim Ross & Jesse Ventura on commentary, with Tony Schiavone & Magnum TA hosting the event; included Schiavone conducting an interview with Bill Watts, alongside Hiro Matsuda, in which Watts held the NWA World Championship belt and announced a tournament would be held Aug. 6 in Tokyo, Japan; during the segment, Watts announced he had taken off the name of the last champion, Ric Flair, to make room for the new title holder's name; Watts then said he had plans to sign a match between the NWA World Champion and the WCW World Champion to consolidate the belts; featured Eric Bischoff conducting a backstage interview with IWGP Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner in which they cut a promo on WCW Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy & Steve Williams and being forced out of the tournament; included Schiavone & Magnum conducting an interview with Ron Simmons regarding the upcoming WCW World Title match; featured Bischoff conducting a backstage interview with Big Van Vader & Harley Race regarding Vader's match against WCW World Champion Sting later in the night: NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA) defeated Brian Pillman & Jushin Liger (USA) at 19:25 when Steamboat pinned Pillman when the momentum of a crossbody off the top by Pillman put Steamboat on top for the win NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Hiroshi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto (sub. for Akira Nogami) (Japan) defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (USA) at 9:16 when Hase pinned Garvin with a northern lights suplex after Hashimoto kicked Garvin in the face behind the referee's back NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) defeated WCW US Champion Rick Rude & WCW TV Champion Steve Austin (USA) at 19:16 when Rhodes pinned Austin with a clothesline off the top as Austin attempted a piledriver on Windham NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi Finals: WCW Tag Team Champions Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Japan) defeated Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA) at 21:39 when Williams pinned Steamboat with a running powerslam after ramming Steamboat into the corner NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi Finals: Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) defeated Hirhosi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto (Japan) at 14:55 when Windham pinned Hase with a lariat Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) pinned WCW World Champion Sting to win the title at 17:17 with the powerbomb after Sting struck his head on the steel ringpost while attempting a Stinger splash in the corner; during the bout, Ron Simmons was shown in the crowd watching the match with Tony Schiavone NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: WCW Tag Team Champions Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Japan) defeated Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) to win the titles at 21:01 when Williams pinned Rhodes with a clothesline; prior to the bout, Rick & Scott Steiner came out to confront Williams & Gordy but were sent backstage by Ole Anderson and Doug Dillinger - The insane mega-push of Doc and Gordy continues - WCW title SWITCH relegated to semi-main Clash of the Champions XX "20 Years of Wrestling on TBS" - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theatre - September 2, 1992 (500) Ricky Steamboat pinned WCW TV Champion Steve Austin (w/ Paul E. Dangerously) in a No DQ match to win the title at 10:46 with a crossbody off the top after crawling under the ring and coming out the opposite end; after the introductions, 11 year-old Megan Cean of Tulsa, OK was accompanied to the ring by Johnny B. Badd to sing the National Anthem; during the bout, Dangerously was suspended above the ring in a cage; Steamboat wrestled the match with taped ribs after sustaining broken ribs in the NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament (Ricky Steamboat: The Life of the Dragon) Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (w/ Michael Hayes) defeated Greg Valentine & Dick Slater (w/ Larry Zbyzsko, his arm in a sling after it was broken at the hands of Anderson & Eaton) at 5:44 when Anderson pinned Valentine after Zbyzsko accidentally hit Valentine with his arm cast and Eaton followed with the Alabama Jam; prior to the bout, Jesse Ventura conducted an interview with Hayes, Anderson & Eaton on their new partnership, during which Hayes said they were the combination of the best teams of the 80s - the Freebirds, the Midnight Express, and the Four Horsemen; initial stipulations for the match called for Paul E. Dangerously, in Anderson & Eaton's corner, to be suspended above the ring in a cage WCW World Champion Ron Simmons pinned Cactus Jack with a powerslam at 8:51; Ole Anderson was the referee for the bout The Barbarian & Butch Reed (sub. for Dan Spivey) defeated Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham at 8:15 when the Barbarian pinned Windham with a boot to the face after Rhodes & Windham knocked Reed to the floor with a double dropkick; prior to the bout, Ross conducted an interview with Cactus Jack, with the Barbarian, in which he said he told Spivey to stay home because he had found someone to take out WCW World Champion Ron Simmons and this person knew Simmons better than anyone and then introduced Reed; Cactus joined the commentary team for the bout; after the match, Ross conducted an interview with Cactus, Reed & Barbarian about their challenging Simmons (Reed's surprise return after a year absence) WCW US Champion Rick Rude (w/ Madusa), Jake Roberts, Big Van Vader, & the Super Invader (w/ Harley Race) defeated Sting, Nikita Koloff, Rick & Scott Steiner in an elimination match at 15:17; Roberts pinned Koloff with a roll up at 7:26 after Rude hit Koloff from behind as Koloff ran the ropes, attempting the Russian Sickle; Sting pinned Invader at 8:03 with a facebuster; Scott was disqualified at 11:18 for hitting a clothesline off the top to Vader; Rick was counted-out at 12:28 when, after Rick backdropped Vader on the floor, Rude hit the Rude Awakening on Rick behind the referee's back; Vader was disqualified at 14:20 for hitting a splash off the top onto Sting; Roberts pinned Sting with the DDT - WCW title defended in the middle of the card - Big guns all in final match of the night, WCW champ not one of them Halloween Havoc 92 - Philadelphia, PA - Civic Center - October 25, 1992 (7,000; 4,800 paid) Brian Heffron (the Blue Meanie) and David Lagana were in attendance for the show Erik Watts & Van Hammer defeated Diamond Dallas Page & Vinnie Vegas Tom Zenk, Johnny Gunn, & Shane Douglas defeated Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, & Michael Hayes at 11:03 when Gunn pinned Hayes with the Thesz Press after Zenk hit a superkick; Zenk, Gunn, & Douglas were heavily booed in the match while Anderson, Eaton, & Hayes were cheered Ricky Steamboat pinned Brian Pillman at 10:34 by reversing a roll up after Pillman reversed Steamboat's sunset flip off the top (Wrestling's Highest Flyers) Big Van Vader (sub. for WCW US Champion Rick Rude) pinned Nikita Koloff in a No DQ match at 11:54 with the powerbomb, moments after Koloff missed a Russian Sickle attempt on the floor and struck the ringpost; Vader defended Rude's US title during the bout; stipulations stated Madusa was barred from ringside for the match; following the entrance of Vader, Rude, & Harley Race, Ole Anderson ruled that both Rude and Race were also barred from ringside WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes fought Steve Williams & Steve Austin (sub. for Terry Gordy) to a 30-minute time-limit draw at 30:28; Williams & Austin initially won the match and titles at 28:31 when Austin pinned Windham after a clothesline from Williams but Windham was not the legal man in the match and initial referee Randy Anderson changed the call by replacement referee Nick Patrick WCW US Champion Rick Rude (w/ Madusa) defeated NWA World Champion Masahiro Chono via disqualification at 22:34; prior to the bout, Seiji Sakaguchi and Manabu Nakanishi were introduced in the crowd; following the introductions, Ole Anderson held a coin toss to determine which referee -- Harley Race (Rude's selection) or Kensuke Sasaki (Chono's selection) -- would be the inside and outside referee; Race won the toss to become the inside referee; during the contest, there were chants of "We want Flair" and repeated "Woooo"s; the match ended as Chono had Rude in the STF, with Sasaki asking Rude if he submitted as Race stopped the match for Chono tossing Rude over the top rope moments earlier, onto both Sasaki and Race; after the match, Sasaki fought off Race, knocked Rude to the floor, and then dropped Race with a suplex (Rude's first appearance without a mustache) WCW World Champion Ron Simmons pinned the Barbarian (w/ Cactus Jack) at 12:43 with the powerslam as the challenger attempted the boot to the face; prior to the bout, Simmons came to the ring with Teddy Long and a dozen or more security guards Sting pinned Jake Roberts in a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal Coal Miner's Glove Match at 10:35 by punching Roberts with the glove, causing Roberts' snake to bite Roberts in the face; Roberts' snake bag was brought out moments earlier by Cactus Jack; after the bout, Cactus yelled for someone to help Roberts as Roberts crawled and staggered his way backstage (Jake 'The Snake' Roberts: Pick Your Poison) - WCW title defense relegated to semi-amin - Top heel Rude going after Chono's title, not Simmons's - Other top heel Vader more concerned with defending Rude's US title than going after WCW title - Other top heel Jake more concerned with Sting and coal-mining than going after WCW title Clash of the Champions XXI - Macon, GA - Coliseum - November 18, 1992 (7,500; 700 paid; 14,000 freebies were made available in the city) Shown live on TBS - featured Jim Ross & Jesse Ventura on commentary; included footage from earlier in the day of the weigh-in for the Paul E. Dangerously / Madusa match, in which Dangerously came in at 188 lbs. with Madusa then attempting to attack Dangerously but was held back; featured Tony Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with Bill Watts regarding the night's card; included Teddy Long conducting a backstage interview with Michael Hayes regarding the night's card and the bounty on Erik Watts' head; featured a video package highlighting the Dangerously / Madusa feud; included Hayes conducting a backstage interview with Dangerously regarding his upcoming match and the fact his arm would be tied behind his back, during which Mike Thor appeared and asked to be paid for the public workout he did with Dangerously on WCW Saturday Night; featured Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with Johnny B. Badd & Teddy Long regarding the upcoming boxing fight against Scotty Flamingo; included Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with Vinnie Vegas, Diamond Dallas Page, & Scotty Flamingo regarding the boxing fight - during which Flamingo was given a pep talk by someone who from behind appeared to be Don King; featured highlights of the Sting & Abdullah the Butcher vs. Bobby Eaton & Brian Pillman match from Starrcade 91: Battlebowl to hype the upcoming 92 event; included an in-ring segment with Ventura & Missy Hyatt in which they drew Cactus Jack & Johnny B. Badd vs. Dan Spivey & Van Hammer to be the first Lethal Lottery bout at Starrcade; featured a musical vignette on the new tag team of Tom Zenk & Johnny Gunn, set to music very similar to ZZ Top's "Legs;" included Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with WCW US Champion Rick Rude regarding his match later in the night against Sting; featured an update on the Ventura Invitational Strongest Arm competition, exclusive to Worldwide; included Hayes conducting a backstage interview with Dangerously regarding the upcoming match with Madusa; featured highlights of the King of Cable tournament matches held to date; included Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with Big Van Vader & Harley Race regarding his participation in the King of Cable: Brian Pillman pinned Brad Armstrong with a clip to the knee at the 28-second mark; prior to the bout, Jesse Ventura conducted a ringside interview with Pillman, on crutches, regarding a recent knee injury that would force him out of the ring; moments later, Armstrong came ringside with Pillman then apologizing to him for his previous actions; moments later, Pillman attacked Armstrong from behind, repeatedly hitting him with the crutch and revealing the injury was fake; Armstrong, after pulling himself to his feet, demanded the match go on as scheduled Erik Watts & Kensuke Sasaki defeated Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (w/ Michael Hayes) at 6:07 when Eaton submitted to Watts' STF after Watts punched Eaton in the face as he came off the top Scotty Flamingo (w/ Vinnie Vegas & Diamond Dallas Page) defeated Johnny B. Badd (w/ Teddy Long) in a boxing match via KO at the 1:05 mark of Round 2 after DDP filled Flamingo's glove with water WCW World Champion Ron Simmons & 2 Cold Scorpio (mystery partner) (sub. for Robbie Walker) defeated Tony Atlas, the Barbarian, & Cactus Jack in a handicap match at 5:57 when Scorpio pinned Atlas with the 450 splash after Barbarian accidentally kicked Atlas in the face; after the bout, Ventura conducted a ringside interview with the winners with Simmons revealing the name of his partner to be 2 Cold Scorpio (Scorpio's surprise debut) Madusa fought Paul E. Dangerously (w/ Michael Hayes) to a no contest in a 5-minute exhibition match when she chased Dangerously backstage just as the bell rang to end the time-limit; pre-match stipulations stated Dangerously would have one arm tied behind his back but it never was; prior to the bout, a person wearing a protective helmet ran in the ring with Dangerously knocking the person out with his phone, believing it to be Madusa; moments later, he went to give her a kiss and realized it was Mike Thor wearing a wig, with Madusa then sliding in the ring behind Dangerously to begin the match King of Cable Semi-Finals: Sting defeated WCW US Champion Rick Rude in a non-title match via judge's decision after the 20-minute time-limit expired; judges for the bout included Ole Anderson, Hiro Matsuda, & Larry Zbyzsko; Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock just as the bell rang to signal the time-limit; Matsuda gave the match to Sting, Zbyzsko gave the match to Rude, and Anderson gave it to Sting; after the decision, Rude attempted to attack Sting from behind but Sting cleared him from the ring Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas defeated WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham to win the titles at 15:54 when Douglas pinned Windham with the belly to belly suplex after the champions began arguing and traded punches; after the bout, Rhodes returned to the ring to apologize to Windham, with Windham attacking Rhodes, hitting a DDT and superplex before he was pulled away by referees; after the commercial break, Ventura conducted a backstage interview with the new champions, during which Windham appeared and laid out both with repeated shots with a steel chair - WCW title not defended - WCW champ in middle of the card with midcarders - Tag belts again headline Starrcade 92 - Atlanta, GA - Omni - December 28, 1992 (8,000; 6,500 paid) Brad Armstrong pinned Shanghai Pierce at 7:30 with the Russian legsweep Pay-per-view bouts - included Jim Ross & Jesse Ventura on commentary; featured Missy Hyatt & Larry Zbyzsko drawing the names for the Lethal Lottery; included the announcement that WCW US Champion Rick Rude was sidelined with a neck injury, could not compete in his scheduled match against WCW World Champion Ron Simmons, and that Steve Williams would face Simmons in Rude's place; featured Rude appearing ringside in street clothes and cutting a promo regarding WCW threatening to strip him of the US title if he can't defend it against the #1 contender in January and argued that policy wasn't enforced when Sting, then the world champion, was put out of action with broken ribs; included a pre-taped interview between Tony Schiavone and NFL Hall of Famer Paul Hornung about the significance of his SuperBowl ring and tying that into the importance of the ring which would be presented to the Battlebowl winner: Lethal Lottery: Van Hammer & Dan Spivey defeated Cactus Jack & Johnny B. Badd at 6:51 when Hammer pinned Cactus with a roll up after Badd punched his partner when Cactus argued with Badd over accidentally hitting an elbow drop on him Lethal Lottery: Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) & Dustin Rhodes defeated the Barbarian & Kensuke Sasaki at 6:56 when Rhodes pinned Barbarian with a roll up after Barbarian accidentally hit a clothesline on Sasaki on the apron; after the bout, Vader congratulated Rhodes on the win before dropping him with a clothesline Lethal Lottery: Barry Windham & the Great Muta defeated Brian Pillman & 2 Cold Scorpio at 6:59 when Muta pinned Scorpio with the moonsault after Windham dropped Scorpio with the DDT Lethal Lottery: Sting & Steve Williams defeated Erik Watts & Jushin Liger at 9:08 when Williams pinned Watts after dropping him throat-first across the top rope NWA World Champion Masahiro Chono defeated IWGP Champion the Great Muta via submission with the STF at 14:32 after avoiding a dropkick; only the NWA title was at stake WCW World Champion Ron Simmons defeated Steve Williams (sub. for WCW US Champion Rick Rude) via reverse decision at 15:16; the two men originally fought to a double count-out but referee Nick Patrick changed the call when Williams assaulted the champion after the match, drove a knee into his back from the top rope, and had to be pulled off Simmons by referees WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas defeated Barry Windham & Brian Pillman at 20:03 when Douglas pinned Pillman with the belly to belly suplex as Steamboat and Windham fought on the ramp (Starrcade: The Essential Collection) King of Cable Tournament Finals: Sting pinned Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) at 17:39 by catching Vader coming off the top and hitting a powerslam; after the bout, Jesse Ventura presented Sting with the King of Cable trophy in the ring, with Sting then cutting a promo on his participation in Battlebowl just minutes away (Starrcade: The Essential Collection) IWGP Champion the Great Muta won the 8-man Battlebowl battle royal at 13:55 by last eliminating Barry Windham; order of elimination: Van Hammer by Steve Williams (5:48); Dan Spivey by Sting via a backdrop onto the ramp (6:24); Sting and Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) both were eliminated following a running clothesline by Vader (7:44); Williams & Dustin Rhodes were eliminated as Williams attempted to eliminate Rhodes & Windham (11:14); Windham by Muta via two dropkicks after Windham thought he had won but Muta skinned the cat back inside the ring - WCW title match AGAIN relegated to middle of the card - At least Rude is going for it this time, but hit with injury - Tag titles again above world title on card - Everything takes a backseat to Battlebowl ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expect a rant on WTBBP down the line from me about Watts's booking in WCW around this period. I still have no idea what the hell he was trying to achieve with all this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Also, sorry for taking your thread off-topic Superstar. Always seems to happen in your threads, but you always bring up interesting stuff. Back to Cactus, Bang! Bang! I love the angle where he's sending Harley Race little gifts. Race is such an awesomely grumpy sod during it and it's a super-fun angle that they slow burned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted October 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 No worries, brutha. I will try to discuss Watts booking when I get a chance. Cactus Jack vs Dustin Rhodes - WCW Worldwide 9/5/92 This was taped before the Clash and judging based on this match, it lends credence to the injury slowing him down in the Clash match. This match shows a Cactus that looks great as he just keeps coming no matter how much Dustin dishes out. I forget who said this (Eadie or Sullivan), "The difference between a face and a heel is that face is always moving forward and a heel has it in reverse." However, I think there is a lot to be said for a heel that is always moving forward because it is so menacing. What can I hero do to vanquish the best? In this match, there are a lot of momentum shifts, but in a really good way because it is a gritty struggle not a my turn, your turn. Cactus earn his offense with short elbows as much as Dustin earns his with his backhand jabs to Cactus' face. The Cactus crossbody that looked like shit in the Simmons match looks great here. Dustin's punches look friggin' sweet here and it is only weapon against the onslaught of Cactus. They crack heads off a turnbuckle shot gone awry and both end up on the outside. Dustin gets in a nice uppercut until Cactus gets a leverage move that sends Dustin face first into the apron in an excellent spot (someone needs to pilfer that). Cactus hits the Cactus Elbow for the countout victory, which is an excellent finish. Dustin is really milking the ribs after this match and here comes Cactus's new buddy, Jake The Snake to deliver a gutbuster to Dustin. This is a near perfect 5 minute TV match that gets over both wrestler's characters by delivering a good, gritty contest. ------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 When I was watching tons of WCW for the SC poll years back, the one thing that really struck me about Foley was how hard he worked in every fucking match. The tv feud with Dustin (three matches IIRC) is one good example of this, but it's pretty much universal. It's one of the reasons I continue to rate Foley relatively highly, even though in some respects the bloom is off the rose - he almost never phoned it in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Looking forward to this project like all of yours Superstar. Cool first match to pick it out too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 5566700[/url]'] Also, sorry for taking your thread off-topic Superstar. Always seems to happen in your threads, but you always bring up interesting stuff. You can always create a new topic instead of side tracking current ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 I've watched some Cactus Jack from 89 in WCW recently and echo what Dylan says in him working so hard. The hard bumps he was taking were sick. His bumps at times made some pretty average matches into something interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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