WCW Presents: The Crockett Cup

[LowBlowPodcast]

WCW Presents: The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup - Night 1
Memorial Auditorium - Greenville, South Carolina
4/22/88

-So this event isn’t “televised” but is given production from Jim Ross and Bob Caudle. It is simply the matches with some interviews but not necessarily a PPV style event. 

Crockett Cup Round 1
Arn & Tully receive a bye
 

The Hart Foundation vs Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotundo
-A great opening match and the Hart Foundation have got some real hype behind them. This one goes about 13 of the 15 minutes. The finish sees Mike Rotundo go for a flying shoulder block in the corner but Bret Hart leaps up and Rotundo NAILS the ringpost… Hart rolls over the top for a 3-count and the Harts move on! After the match Rotundo is given some medical attention. His shoulder appears to be in a seriously bad way. 

Tim Horner & Brad Armstrong vs Rick Rude & King Kong Bundy w/ Jimmy Hart
-This one has a little pop and flare but it is quickly squelched when Bundy gets in the ring. His power is unmatched and he destroys Tim Horner with an Avalanche. This leads to a Rude Awakening and 3-count with Rude and Bundy looking very strong as they move on!

The Road Warriors vs Big Bubba & The One Man Gang w/ Jim Cornette
-A complete brawl from the opening bell. None of the 4 men seem to be wanting to sell and this is fists and fire the entire time. We see two officials try to get involved but both get knocked out by competitors. Finally Tommy Young comes out and calls for the bell. This one is a double DQ and it appears as though Jim Cornette’s plan has worked but will the Midnights be the ones to capitalize? 

FOOTBALL BRAWL MATCH
Ron Simmons v Dr. Death Steve Williams w/ Kevin Sullivan
-Simmons and Williams come out in their FSU and Oklahoma gear respectively. We hear Jim Ross put over the two Orange bowl games with OU being the victors. He says he knows Simmons and knows he wasn’t a dirty player even though Sullivan is telling that lie. These guys go into a 10-minute brawl with both men juicing. They hit some big shots but in the end it is Sullivan getting involved which leads to Williams nailing Simmons with the OU helmet and then a big Oklahoma Stampede for the 3-count. Lots of heat here but Simmons has got more to prove to get through these guys. 

 

The Midnight Express receive a bye

The Rockers vs Ron Bass & Black Bart
-A really fun match with a good pace. The power of Bass and Bart is countered by the speed of the Rockers. The finish sees Mart Jannetty duck out of a big Lariat from Ron Bass only for Shawn Michaels to come off the top rope with a dropkick and then Marty rolls him up for the 3-count! The Rockers move on!
 

Tommy Rich & Dick Murdoch vs Rick Steiner & Dan Spivey w/ Kevin Sullivan
-A pretty even brawl here. Rick Steiner and Spivey seem to have some good teamwork while Murdoch and Rich just can’t seem to get it together. The finish sees Sullivan arguing with Murdoch outside the ring. Rich goes for the Thesz press but Spivey catches him and hot shots him off the top rope and then slams him down for the 3-count! The Varsity Club moves on!
 

Sting & Barry Windham vs Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov
-The final match of the first round pits the favorites in Sting and Windham against the Russians. We see Boris and Nikolai get in some offense and some heat but Sting and Windham have some serious momentum and come back with a fire. A top rope cross body from Sting on Boris is the finish with the 3-count and they move on!
 

MAIN EVENT
Roddy Piper vs Jimmy Snuka w/ JJ Dillon
-Big fight feel here with Piper and Snuka who come out of the gate ready for a brawl. JJ Dillon makes his presence known but Piper is quick to stop him with a big right hand. We see both men get some juice and Piper sells big for Snuka. Piper comes back with a vengeance and then nails Jimmy with some rights and lefts. JJ is once again getting involved and he holds Piper before Snuka runs for a headbutt but Piper moves and Dillon is nailed… Piper then rolls up Snuka for the 3-count and the crowd pops huge! Piper celebrates and in the shadows we see Ric Flair being held back by the Horsemen… when will those two meet?

[LowBlowPodcast]

Go check out

For the recap of night one and some huge developments on the set of Saturday Night!

[LowBlowPodcast]

WCW Presents: The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Night 2
The Coliseum - Greensboro, North Carolina
4/23/88

Crockett Cup Round 2
The Hart Foundation vs Arn & Tully w/ JJ Dillon
-What an opener. These matches have a 20-minute time limit and these two teams go right to the 18-minute mark and with limited time remaining things break loose. Throughout the match we see the strength of the Anvil play a pivotal role. It is unmatched by Arn and Tully and JJ looks to be in shock. Anderson and Blanchard are able to slow the pace down but the momentum of the Harts builds back up and the crowd is behind them. With less than two minutes remaining; we see a crazy flurry. Arn Anderson nails a spinebuster on Bret and looks for a pin but the Anvil breaks it up. 90-seconds remain! Tully comes in and he sends Bret to the ropes and he makes a blind tag to the Anvil. Anderson pulls the ropes and Bret goes flying out of the ring to the floor. Anderson attacks him down there while Tully watches. 60-seconds… and Tully doesn’t see that the Anvil is on the middle rope and he turns around to a huge shoulder block that sends Tully right into Arn who is back up on the apron and they crash heads! Tully goes back into the Anvil who nails a huge POWERSLAM for the 1...2….3! The Harts have done it! The Harts move on with 30-seconds remaining! The crowd is in shock! 

Rick Rude & King Kong Bundy w/ Jimmy Hart receive a bye due to the DDQ between the Road Warriors vs One Man Gang & Big Bubba match

Barry Windham & Sting vs Rick Steiner & Dan Spivey w/ Kevin Sullivan
-These guys try to build up from that first one but it just doesn’t have the tag team juice… however Sting and Windham have got the crowd behind them and some good heat on Sullivan helps matters. These guys go about 13-mintues and the highlight is seeing Spivey and Windham go toe to toe and the crowd is loving it. The finish sees Sullivan trying to get involved but out of the back comes Ron Simmons and the crowd pops. He pulls him down and they are brawling outside the ring. Inside the ring Windham flies with a big Lariat on Spivey that sends him to the floor. Sting throws Steiner to the corner and nails a STINGER SPLASH and Rick stumbles out and Windham with a flying Lariat and the 3-count as Sting and Windham move on! 

The Midnight Express w/ Jim Cornette vs The Rockers
-Another big time match to finish off the 2nd round and these guys go 17-minutes with some real great fast paced action. The Rockers bring some big time action and lots of double team moves but so do the MXE. They bring a lot of backdoor cheating and some slick maneuvers. Jim Cornette is sweating bullets outside of the ring. The final moments see the Rockers building some serious momentum but it is Jim Cornette who plays the role. We see Stan Lane go for a crescent kick on Shawn Michaels who ducks and then comes back with one of his own! He turns around and Bobby Eaton is there with a short left hand and then a DDT on Michaels! As he goes for the 3-count Cornette grabs Janetty and holds him while the MXE get the win and move on! The Rockers are not happy and neither are the fans!
 

Exhibition Match
Jim Duggan vs Butch Reed
-A pretty solid exhibition here from two men looking to make a name for themselves. This one goes about 12-minutes with both men getting some offense before all hell breaks loose and we see some big time brawling. The finish sees Butch Reed outside the ring with Duggan and unbeknownst to the referee, Reed nails Duggan in the gut with the 2x4 and then jumps back in the ring. Duggan gets up and brings the 2x4 in and he swings and NAILS Reed in the back! Butch Reed with the DQ victory but Duggan is letting him have it. The crowd pops for Duggan but he has lost the battle to a war that could be far, far from over. 

Crockett Cup Round 3
The Hart Foundation vs vs Rick Rude & King Kong Bundy w/ Jimmy Hart
-Semifinal contest here with a million dollars on the line. The Harts have proved their worth already and have to do it again here against their former manager, Jimmy Hart. This one is a 30-minute time limit and these guys go about 16-minutes. The Harts are definitely feeling the effects of their earlier contest. Rude and Bret show off some great stuff inside the ring but it is one again, King Kong Bundy who is the difference maker. The Harts do get some momentum but Jimmy Hart spells trouble. The finish sees Jimmy Hart get up on the apron. He tosses the megaphone to Rick Rude who goes up and nails Bret from behind. Meanwhile, Jimmy is holding the Anvil and here comes Bundy with the Avalanche! Neidhart falls backwards and here comes the big splash for the 3-count and Rude and Bundy are in the finals! 

Barry Windham & Sting vs Midnight Express w/ Jim Cornette
-Another solid semifinal contest. Sting and Windham are really starting to gel while the Midnights look great. We get a lot of double-teaming on the Stinger which causes some good heat before we see a big time comeback from Barry Windham. He nails some big lariats and they have complete control. The finish sees the Midnights struggling with this big momentum shift and Jimmy Cornette is trying to get involved but Sting comes through with a baseball slide dropkick that sends him Flying into the guardrail! The Midnights pull Sting up and send him to the ropes for a double clothesline but he ducks and out of nowhere Barry Windham off the top rope with a Lariat on Stan Lane! Sting then dropkicks Bobby Eaton out of the ring to the floor! Windham covers Lane for the 1...2….3! The Finals are set with Sting and Windham taking on Rude and Bundy!

WCW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Lex Luger vs Ric Flair © w/ JJ Dillon
-Big time feel for our World Championship Match. Both men come out to a lot of pomp and circumstance. Flair… he is the world’s champion and has defended it against everyone in his path. Luger is the up and comer. He has been the US Champion but is looking at his first shot at the World Title and he’s going to try and make the most of this opportunity. These guys go 22-minutes. We see Flair get some juice for a ring post shot outside the ring. Luger’s power is the name of the game but the technique of Flair keeps him in the match. The turning point is a nasty knee chop on Luger that takes him all but out. He may have some serious damage and Flair goes to work. Around the 18-minute mark, Luger finds a way to build back up and he comes with some big shots and it appears as though the adrenaline has taken over for the Total Package! He is looking for a huge POWERSLAM but you can tell the knee is shot! Luger is in a bad way! JJ Dillion is outside the ring going nuts. Luger sends Flair to the ropes and big time back body drop! Flair makes the sign for the rack! Luger picks up Flair but stumbles… he then goes for it again and appears to have it but he falls backwards and Luger and Flair both go over the top to the floor! Tommy Young is making the count and it is getting high...7….8… Flair sneaks in and Luger is looking to get in but JJ Dillon kicks him in the kidneys and Young doesn’t see it and he says 9….10! Flair has won it via count out and the crowd isn’t happy! Flair holds the title up. He is a mess but he is the champion! Luger is in a bad way. The Horsemen run down to celebrate with Flair but here comes Sting and Windham to the aide of Luger. This one could break loose at any moment!

Crockett Cup Finals
Barry Windham & Sting vs Rick Rude & King Kong Bundy w/ Jimmy Hart
-Jim Ross is quick to point out how Sting and Windham have to be thinking about Luger but they have so much on the line right now. Rude and Bundy are fresh. They’ve only wrestled twice to the three times of Sting and Windham. These guys have no time limit and there must be a winner. They go about 25-minutes and the crowd goes in and out. This time we see Windham get the heat and Rude and Bundy beat the living hell out of him. It builds and builds to a false tag to Sting and then they get more heat. Finally the moment happens and Sting gets the tag and he comes in like a house of fire. Some big time shots and dropkicks and all hell is breaking loose. We see Sting hit a big dropkick on Bundy that sends him out to the floor. Rude is stirring but Windham is back! Sting FLIES OVER THE TOP ROPE AND SPLASHES BUNDY! Inside the ring Windham ducks a clothesline and then comes back with a big lariat. Rude is stumbling to get up to his feet and out of nowhere Sting off the top rope with a splash for the 1….2….3! STING AND WINDHAM HAVE WON IT! Jimmy Hart is irate outside the ring. He collects his men but doesn’t collect any money! 

We go to a special ceremony with Elizabeth Crockett, Jim Crockett Jr, and David Crockett. Jackie Crockett is doing the camera work. They had the big $1,000,000 check to Sting and Windham and the crowd pops! Jim Ross and Bob Caudle put this over in a big way as we sign off! 

[SirEdger]

Man, I command you for taking that bold step in having the Road Warriors not moving past the first round. But I thought overall, it made for a very nice story to be told as to how the tournament seemingly was the Midnights to win until they met Barry Windham & Sting in the finals. Windham & Sting pretty much being low key throughout the tournament, making their way to beat Rude & Bundy in the finals. Very well done!

[icemandave]

Great couple of shows there for the Crockett Cup.  A little disappointed that the Hart's didn't win, but Sting and Windham can use this to build further momentum for their battle with the Horsemen.  Speaking of Horsemen, Flair keeps the title when Luger gets distracted by JJ.  The list of Horsemen enemies is growing, but it is clear Piper and Flair are headed for a big showdown.  Can't wait.  Great work here mate.

[spaldoni]

You haven't lost your touch my friend. Two nights of action packed wrestling that defiantly gave the fans more than their money's worth.

The story telling was amazing especially with the Road Warriors getting double DQed out of the tournament in round 1. Cornette just might be a genius. 

Hart Foundation, Midnight Express, Varsity Club and Rockers came out looking strong. The Hart's win over Tully and Arn was a highlight. 

Rude and Bundy looked tremendous and make it to the finals. However, Sting and Windham were on fire and just couldn't be stopped. They were in total synch. They get the million and both of them are on an entire new level now. Congratulations to Sting and Windham!!

Awesome job! 

All this and we also get some great single's matches. Loved that Piper/Snuka match, this time the roles being reversed. Snuka gives Piper quite a beating but Piper comes out the winner.

Reed and Duggan will be a fun powerhouse feud. Cant wait for more.

Flair gets the classic c.o. win over Luger. Luger gave him quite a scare but Flair just seems to always find a way. Cant wait for Flair/Piper! 

[LowBlowPodcast]

I sincerely appreciate all the feedback here. The biggest problem with 1988 WCW/NWA is that I really didn't mind what they did on paper for these big shows like Crockett Cup... so I want to keep some of that authenticity but also give it my own obviously with Rude/Bundy/Piper and so on. It is definitely a fun time to write for and the change in dynamics really makes the creative process a little big more exciting. Thanks everyone!