JT's Replay: Fall Brawl 1993

Image result for fall brawl 1993

Fall Brawl 1993

- We open with a black and white video of family outings, lamenting the end of summer and onset of fall…oh and the WCW invasion of Houston, TX for Fall Brawl…the card is set up for us and then we head inside the Astro Arena for the first ever edition of Fall Brawl…Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura welcome us to the show and run down the big matches for us…Tony’s gelled coif is something to truly admire…Eric Bischoff is our other host and we go to him just so he can quickly take us back to the ring, where Michael Buffer awaits

- Lord Steven Regal vs. Ricky Steamboat…Regal is joined by Sir William and is looking to challenge for TV gold…we are not even five minutes in and Jesse has mocked “Texicans” a handful of times…Regal’s music is as good as it gets…this should be a good one…Regal has a great presence…Steamboat gets a warm welcome as Tony tells us 2,000 people will be turned away today because the arena is sold out…that seems like an arbitrary number…Steamboat has the TV belt strapped around his waist and his swank white tights as well…we get the usual Buffer intros, including Regal’s lofty resume…I always loved how Regal’s weight came in stones…Buffer notes that he is “very dapper” and I agree…Steamboat goes right at Regal and we see that his ribs are taped up…Tony tells us that Regal assaulted those ribs with an umbrella last night…Regal goes to the ribs to slow Dragon down, but Steamboat chops right back…Regal keeps going for the ribs until Steamboat dumps him out on to the ramp…he hammers away and tosses him back in as Jesse points out a giant logic flaw in the over the top DQ rule, in that if the guy lands on the ramp, the match continues…Steamboat comes off the top with a chop but Regal drills the ribs with some stiff knees…Steamboat keeps relying on his chops to stay alive before kicking Regal down to the mat…he chokes away, which disappoints Jesse, who was hoping for classic wrestling…I like the color diversity in tights as Regal’s royal blue looks quite crisp off Steamboat’s white…Ricky takes Regal down and starts to work the arm with a hammerlock, but he is constantly in pain from the ribs…Steamboat’s selling is top notch as always…I love how Regal just keeps taking quick shots at the ribs whenever he has a slight opening…Steamboat plays possum to sucker Regal in, which pisses Jesse off because when guys like Brian Pillman do it, they get ripped…Steamboat slams Regal down onto his arm and continues to target the damaged wing…Steamboat flies off the ropes and into a cross body for two…more Texas jokes from Jesse…Steamboat has reigned as TV champ since defeating Paul Orndorff back in August at the Clash…Jesse & Tony debate what went down last night, where Regal jumped Steamboat thanks to an assist from Orndorff…Regal catches Steamboat with a backdrop, racking the ribs of Steamboat…and from there, Regal went to school, thrashing the ribs with fists, elbow and even a great running senton…Steamboat takes Regal down with an electric chair but he catches Lord’s knees in his lower back on a splash attempt…Regal immediately takes Steamboat down and drops a knee on the ribs…Regal busts out a sweet over the shoulder backbreaker, making Jesse proud…he follows that with a modified surfboard…this is great stuff…Steamboat blocks a butterfly suplex, so Regal just pounds the ribs and then tears off the tape instead…what a heel…and after that, Regal connects on the butterfly for a near fall…Steamboat kicks Regal off into the turnbuckle, but he collapses on a bodyslam attempt, his ribs too weak to hold the Lord up for that long…Jesse notes Ricky’s arsenal is severely cut down now and Tony agrees, stating he will now have to wrestle defensively…good analysis…Jesse advocates Steamboat getting himself DQ’d to save the title, but thinks he is too dumb to do it…Steamboat reverses a tombstone piledriver and drops Regal with one of his own, but he can’t follow up and by the time he does, it is too late…Steamboat gets a burst with a roll up, chops and inside cradle, but he can’t steal the win…Regal drops his head on a whip, giving Ricky an opening for a vertical suplex, but the ribs again slow the Dragon down…Steamboat comes off the top with a flying press but Regal just shoves him to block a pin attempt…Regal survives a shoulderblock but Regal tosses him into the top rope and then starts jawing with Nick Patrick…Steamboat catches himself and skins the cat, but as he flips back in, William decks him in the head with his umbrella…Regal catches Steamboat with a German suplex and bridges to win the match and the title…what a fantastic opener…it was simple, effective and told a perfect story…Steamboat’s selling was perfect and Regal’s focused offense was great to watch…I loved the finish too, a perfect capper to give the dastardly heel the belt…if you haven’t seen this one, go check it out…masteful wrestling by two of the best

- Up on the stage, Bischoff is talking to the Nasty Boys…they have a big secret that will be revealed here tonight and they will take out the Horsemen in their match…Knobbs calls the finish, claiming they will win with a bulldog off the top…interesting promo

- Big Sky vs. Charlie Norris…Big Sky is a big dude and Charlie Norris is terrible…Jesse tells us that Norris owns stock in a casino and is quite rich…he can’t buy looks or dance lessons…Tony notes that Norris has been around three weeks and is already making a big impact…at the buffet table, maybe…Sky is the more impressive looking wrestler, plus he has an NCAA conference named after him…Sky goes right at the arm, snapping it down and hammering it with elbows…Norris looks like the really ugly lovechild of Gene Simmons and El Dandy… the fans are chanting for Flair, not quite getting into this budding epic…Norris hooks an armbar as Tony lauds his game plan…Sky just kicks Norris in his ugly mug to bust up the armbar party…Norris runs into a big boot in the corner…Tatanka owns this clown…Sky misses a wild back elbow but then slams Charlie down with a chokeslam…whoa…Sky slams Norris down and then comes off the middle rope but comes up empty on a kneedrop…Norris chops back like the good stereotypical Indian wrestler that he is…Sky backs off but kicks Norris on another charge…Norris whips Sky into the corner and then kicks him in the face for the win…terrible finish, Sky should have squashed this jabrone…I am not lying when I say I have seen backyard wrestling matches better than this…these two were in over their heads here and Norris and his stupid dancing didn’t help

- Back down to Jesse & Tony, who reset things for us, recap what we have seen so far and tell us the next match was just added to the card…he then sends us to newer member of the broadcast team, Scott Dunlap…Scott is a special needs representative and does a damn good job, I will say…he is interviewing British Bulldog and he does Bulldog things…that is that

- Orndorff & Equalizer vs. Scorpio & Bagwell…Bagwell is still reigning Rookie of the Year here, a title it seems that he holds for a decade…Scorp and MAB do have some sweet dance moves…Jesse calls out MAB for his dancing, but let’s see Jesse do any better…he name drops Wesley Snipes and then plugs Demolition Man, coming out in October…Scorp wants the tag titles, but I reckon they need to win this bout here to earn a shot…Bagwell ducks and dodges Equalizer to start, frustrating the wildman…Jesse thinks he offsets Orndorff nicely, making them a solid team…he nails MAB with some forearms and then slugs him down with a clotheslines as MAB tries to charge him…MAB misses an enziguri but avoids an elbow drop and takes Equalizer down with a shoulderblock…Scorp tags in and they send Equalizer to the floor with a double dropkick…Scorp tries to break Equalizer down, but he blocks it nicely and hammers away before tagging Orndorff in…and he brings the energy, just kicking and striking away at Scorp…I always loved Orndorff’s motor and pacing, always moving and always crisp….Scorp battles back with a flurry and hits a top rope moonsault that Orndorff reverses for a one count…Scorp pops right back up and grabs an armbar before tagging in MAB…Nick Patrick gets caught up with Scorp, allowing Equalizer to yank the top rope down so MAB crashed to the floor…outside, Equalizer slams MAB on the mat…I will say, Equalizer has been kind of impressive here…back inside, Orndorff blocks a sunset flip attempt with a big right hand and some stomps…Equalizer is back in and he and Orndorff are able to double team as Scorp keeps trying to get into the ring to help, tying up Patrick as a result…he grabs MAB with a reverse chinlock, but MAB escapes and gets a crucifix for two…however, as MAB pops up, he gets planted with a clothesline for a near fall that is broken up by Scorp…Orndorff tags back in and grabs a bear hug as Tony talks about what is still to come here tonight…Bagwell slugs free and takes Orndorff down with a belly-to-back suplex…both men are able to tag and Scorp is all over Equalizer…he drops him with a leg lariat and then wipes out a charging Orndorff with a dropkick…he heads up top and gets a near fall with a cross body press…Orndorff clotheslines Scorp as all four men start to brawl in the ring…he gets dumped to the floor as MAB is worked over with some double teams…some miscommunication leads to Orndorff catching Equalizer with a high knee…MAB knocks Orndorff to the floor and Scorp his the 450 splash for the big win…the celebration is short lived as Orndorff and Equalizer stomp the piss out of MAB & Scorp…fine match all around but Scorp was presented as the biggest star in there…Equalizer was better than I expected and Orndorff worked hard as always

- We head over to Bischoff, who is chatting with Regal & William about their big win from earlier in the night…they will be heading to England tomorrow for a celebration with the Queen…Regal promises to defend the title with honor and pride…Bischoff calls him out for using the umbrella, but Regal shrugs it off and says he is a gentleman and is trustworthy

- Shanghai Pierce vs. Ice Train…Pierce is joined by his tag partner Tex Slazenger…Jesse informs us that there are plenty of goat ropers in the crowd to identify with these two…Train is a fucking brick shithouse, my lord…Pierce and Slazenger shake hands in a nice moment…the match starts and Train shows off his power early…Tony tells us that Pierce is not intimidated by Train’s power…Jesse thinks Train is just too strong for Pierce…Train tosses him back off a lockup…Jesse must really hate Texas…Train grabs a side headlock and then plants Pierce with a shoulderblock…Train’s legs are thicker than Tony’s body…we get a test of strength, but it is just a chance for Pierce to sucker in Train…Tex hooks Train’s leg as he hits the ropes and momentum has swung…Pierce clubs Train in the head, trying to keep him grounded…Train blocks a suplex and gets one of his own…he hammers on Pierce’s chest and then sends him flying with a back body drop…Pierce won’t go down easy, though…Tex hops on the apron and tosses Pierce their bullrope, they each grab an end and try to clothesline Train with it, but Train just chugs right through the rope, causing Tex and Pierce to collide…Train grabs Pierce and snaps him over with a powerbomb for the win to remain undefeated…this was nothing special, but I am glad it was short and to the point

- Tony plus Halloween Havoc and Jesse taunts Tony about having to spend Halloween with him in New Orleans…that was kind of creepy…they talk about the tag tiles and Jesse is adamant that the Hollywood Blondes were robbed the Horsemen, and I agree…back to the ring for the tag title bout and the surprise promised by the Nasty Boys

- Nasty Boys vs. Roma & Anderson…the surprise materializes right away as Missy Hyatt leads the Nasties down to the ring…Jesse says he recognizes Missy by her pecs, which makes me chuckle…Missy is slutted up as usual as Jesse makes more tit jokes…the Horsemen are out, titles around their waists and I vow to be fair to Roma here, I am going to give him a chance to win me over in the match…the crowd is behind them and Arn is fired up…Buffer is back for this one…he is sure to let us know that Knobbs & Sags are downright nasty…all four men jaw a bit as the bell rings and it looks like we will start with Roma and Knobbs…Tony wonders if the Nasties will fulfil their promise of how they will win the bout…lots of stalling here and Knobbs also gets an F bomb in…we finally get a lock up and Knobbs cracks Roma in the grill with a series of forearms…Tony rips up Missy, calling her a social climber, amongst other things…Jesse thinks Tony wants her to social climb him one time…Roma comes back with a powerslam and then is able to knock both Nasties down to the floor…the match resets with Sags and Arn squaring off…Jesse gets a nice dig in at Roma, saying he would rather face him than Arn…Arn goes to work on the leg, slamming it into the ring post before stomping away at it…Roma tags back in and they double team the leg a bit…Knobbs makes his way in but the focus remains the same with him…Roma keeps the pressure on the leg as the fans ask Missy to take her top off…the Horsemen tag off, slowly beating on the leg of Knobbs…after a quick flurry from Knobbs, he eats a Roma boot on a charge to the corner, but thanks to a Sags diversion, Knobbs drills Roma from behind to finally slow up the momentum…Sags tags in and takes Roma over with a gutwrench suplex while Tony ponders what Missy actually brings to the equation…Knobbs is back in and he is working over Roma’s back…after a few minutes of work on the back, Roma is able to drop Knobbs with an electric chair…that bought him enough time to crawl over and tag in Arn, who starts cleaning house…Arn hooks Sags in a sleeper and then leaps to the middle rope, but catches the knees of Sags in his gut on the way down…Missy distracts Randy Anderson, allowing Knobbs to clothesline Arn over the rope to the floor…back inside, Sags works Arn over before dumping him back to the floor…Sags follows him out and cracks Arn in the back with a chair while Randy was again tied up, this time with Roma…after a near fall, Sags just keeps hammering away…this match has been pretty solid in the formulaic way, but not very exciting…the Nasties maintain control, working Arn over with an abdominal stretch…I will say this, Knobbs & Sags are awesome at diverting the ref and building heat through double teams…Sags grabs a front chancery as Jesse notes the crowd has been taken out of the match…Roma is an idiot as he keeps trying to come in, tying up Randy and allowing Arn to get beaten down by both challengers…Knobbs grabs a bear hug as the punishment continues to be doled out…Sags is back in, blocks a suplex and takes Arn over with one of his own before going back to the bear hug…Arn lands a stiff elbow on the back of Knobbs, but can’t quite make that tag…both Nasties are in, but Arn ducks a clothesline and spikes both men to the mat…Arn finally makes the tag and Roma comes in a house of fire…he slams Knobbs and then cracks their heads together…Roma heads up top and drills Knobbs with a missile dropkick but Sags busts up the pin…Arn decides to go after Missy, allowing Knobbs to hoist Roma up on his shoulders…Sags heads up top, but Arn shoves him off and Roma rolls through for a near fall…Arn dumps Sags outside and then drops Knobbs with a spinebuster…Roma comes off the top with a splash, but the referee is tied up with Arn…that allows Sags to crash in off the top, cracking Roma in the head and draping Knobbs on top for the win…the Nasties are the new champs and I wonder why they did the bit with predicting the finish if they weren’t going to follow through on it…either way, it was probably best to get the straps off the Horsemen as Roma just wasn’t clicking in this role…this match was classically fine and there isn’t much to complain about, but it was just kind of bland until the closing moments

- Jesse interviews Missy and the champs at ringside and Missy says she did this to get Ric Flair and the Horsemen back for some misdeed we aren’t told about…the Nasties gloat, as they should…after that, we get a video package detailing the brutal feud between Cactus Jack and Vader & Harley Race…we get clips of the mission to find a missing Jack…the intrepid reporter finally tracked him down in Cleveland, where he suffered from amnesia…back in the world of WCW, Race revealed that he had stoled Jack’s prized bag…Jack finally returned, attacking Vader on TV during a title defense…Race put a bounty on Jack’s head and employed Yoshi Kwan to attempt to cash in…Jack cuts a promo and admits that his amnesia and the ensuing antics were all made up mind games to fuck with Race & Vader…solid promo work from Cactus…pretty good and in depth video package despite the poor source material

- Cactus Jack vs. Yoshi Kwan…Race leads Yoshi out and Mr. Kwan has a hella creepy smile on his face as he looks at the fans…the bounty is out there to be collected, so we will see if Yoshi can cash in…of course, Yoshi has some generic oriental themed music and hails from Hong Kong…there is a sign in the crowd referencing Mean Gene and Jesse randomly mentions that Okerlund is on his way to WCW…this is Jack’s first match back since Vader fucked his back up…he attacks Race and then beats down Kwan as the bell sounds…Kwan is quite odd, with weird movements in his attempt to sell…Cactus charges with a clothesline and both men tumble to the floor…Jack keeps going for Race and Yoshi takes advantage, kneeing Jack in the upper back…Yoshi tosses him onto the ramp, whips hm into the ropes and meets him with a nice jump kick to the face…Kwan keeps kicking Jack around as they make it back to the second ring, where the match is taking place…Kwan’s fake eyebrows are ridiculous, as are all of his movements and taunts…Jack fires back and chokes away at Yoshi as Tony talks about Jack’s feud with Vader…he states that Jack can get hit over and over but keep coming back…Kawan is shaken by an inverted atomic drop, but Race trips Jack up from the floor…Race hops on the apron and hoosk Jack, but he slips free and Yoshi collides into Harley…Cactus grabs Kwan on the rebound and drops him with a double arm DDT for the quick win…after the bell, Jack suplexes Race into the ring and retrieves his bag…he also issues a challenge to Vader for Halloween Havoc…decent bout here but Yoshi is a really goofy gimmick with his over the top mannerisms…this really just felt like a way to quickly wrap up the stupid stolen bag angle and give Jack a win to build to his Vader challenge

- Tony & Jesse recap the night’s events and then takes us to some clips to recap Ric Flair’s feud with Rick Rude…Rude thought they were on Celebrity Wife Swap and decided to steal a kiss from Fifi…she smacks Rude as a result, but we are unclear if she was offended by the kiss, the fanny pack or the brutal MC Hammer outfit Rude was rocking…Flair and Fifi mug for the crowd, but Rude cracks Flair with the title belt, snaps him down with a Rude Awakening and yells at Fifi…and with that, it is time for the match

- Ric Flair vs. Rick Rude…the World Title is on the line and the challenger, Rick Rude, struts out to the ring first…love this song so much…Flair & Fifi are out next and I must say Fifi looks pretty good here as she is all dolled up…Buffer sets the stage for us and Rude cuts a promo, promising to take the title and the woman…he then reveals that he has tights with Fifi’s visage painted on them…Tony wonders if Flair’s neck has healed from the attack by Rude…Rude cranks on a side headlock, really tightening it up…Flair turns it into an overhead wrist lock, but Rude regains control…he sends Flair to the mat with a shoulderblock, and follows with some forearms but misses a kneedrop off the top rope…Flair goes right to the leg and actually hooks on the figure four to a huge pop…that doesn’t last long as Rude reaches the ropes…Rude regains his senses and clotheslines Flair to the floor…Flair gets back in the ring and is able to take advantage by working the wrist and arm…that lasts a while as Jesse makes some disparaging comments about Fifi and the audio tech, Sara Lee as he has issues with his mic…Tony talks about an upcoming WCW tour of the UK and Germany…Flair runs Rude into the buckle shoulder first and then continues to wrench away on the right wing of Rude…Rude tries to slam Flair, but he can’t because his arm is busted up so bad…Flair continues the precision assault, not giving Rude an inch as he punishes him…this has been a good opening segment, with lots of basic work that is all quite logical…Jesse thinks Fifi is a goldigger that will jump in Rude’s arms if he wins…both men end up battling near the ropes and tumble to the floor as Jesse hopes we won’t get a double countout…Rude plants Flair with a clothesline and then rams him back first into the apron…Rude takes Flair in with a suplex for a near fall…Rude’s selling of the arm has been top notch…Rude grabs a rear chinlock while sitting on Flair’s back…that hold lasts a while until Rude releases and tries to slam down on Flair, but Flair avoids it and Rude cashes to the mat…Flair slugs away but Rude presses him off a whip and snaps him across the top rope with a stun gun to cut that comeback off…Flair gets tossed outside and as soon as he makes it back in, Rude grabs a bear hug…Rude rides Flair down, keeping the hold on while picking up near falls…Flair turns it over and hammers Rude across the face…both men stagger to their feet and Flair charges, but Rude catches him and rocks him with another stun gun…Rude ascends to the top rope and comes off with a chop to Flair’s head…Flair is basically out on his feet as Rude heads back up again…this time, Flair catches him with a right hand to the gut as he comes off…Flair follows with a belly to back suplex and a knee to the face…he is clearly hurting, but is able to take Rude over with a butterfly suplex for two…Flair peppers Rude in the corner and Rude looks like he has nothing left, but he meets a Flair charge with a knee to the face…Rude snaps off a DDT for a near fall as Jesse calls for a Rude Awakening…Rude goes for it, but Flair bites his arm to block it…Flair gains control and hits Rude with his own version of a Rude Awakening…he covers and gets two before Rude gets his foot on the bottom rope…Rude grabs a sleeper, but Flair turns into a shinbreaker…he takes Rude down, holds the leg, goes to the second rope and flips over, snapping Rude’s leg in the process…Flair tosses Rude outside, follows out and drops Rude across the guard rail throat first…Rude is just dead weight as Flair chops away…Flair goes up top and comes off with a chop to the head…Natch is all fired up and so is the crowd…Rude slowly gets back inside, but he is met by a series of chops and fists…Rude reverses a whip and sends Flair flying into the corner…he flips to his feet and heads up top, but Rude meets him with a clothesline on the way down…now Rude goes up top and flies off with a kneedrop for two…Rude chucks Flair to the floor and then grinds for Fifi…she slaps Rude, so he kisses her and then lifts her into the ring…Flair is back in with a right hand and back body drop…Fifi is still in the ring as Flair drops Rude with a flapjack…he hooks in the figure four but Rude goes into his trunks and decks Flair with a foreign object as Nick Patrick is tied up with Fifi…Rude climbs over and covers to win the match and the World title…wow, that was a great match…it was 30 minutes, but despite the more methodical pace, it felt shorter…both men worked hard with logical pacing and well timed comebacks and heat segments…this was a huge win for Rude, but I must say this show is a downer at this point as the heels have all reigned supreme, mainly through underhanded means

- Vader, Sid & Harlem Heat vs. Sting, Bulldog, Rhodes & Shockmaster…Col. Robert Parker leads out Kane, Kole and Sid followed by Harley Race escorting World Champion Vader to ringside…cool alliance of managers here…Animal is out first, as he is the adviser of the next team…in order, we have Dustin, Bulldog, Shockmaster and Sting…fans are hot for Sting’s team…Hawk was supposed to be on this team, but he is being replaced by Shockmaster…Jesse can’t believe Dustin is going to compete tonight, but Tony notes that his family is here tonight so there is no way he will sit it out…Animal determines that Shockmaster is the best choice to start the match, and I wonder if Animal is a mole planted by Harley or if he is blind…thankfully Dustin decides otherwise and jumps into the cage to kick the match off against Vader…Tony thinks he is nuts, but here we go…Dustin’s ribs are taped but that doesn’t stop him from diving off the top with a clothesline as the war begins…he hammers away with a lot of fire as the first five minute period starts to tick away…Vader is rocked as Dustin beats on him with his boot…Jesse is still questioning why Dustin went in first instead of last…Vader finally slows Dustin down with a shoulderblock…and now the punches start flying as Dustin coils in the corner…Dustin tries to punch his way back in as we pass the two minute mark…he knocks Vader to the mat as he continues to wrestle with just one boot on…Vader cracks him in the dome and slams him hard to the mat…he heads to the middle rope and crashes down with a Vader Bomb as Tony reminds us that Vader can’t eliminate Dustin at this point…Dustin recovers and starts pelting Vader with his boot again as we are inside the last minute…Nick Patrick flips the coin and Vader’s team wins the flip, so they will have the advantage…GMC counts us down as Dustin powerslams Vader…Kane is in next but he is met by Dustin as he comes in the door…that advantage is short lived as Vader comes to help out…they take turns stomping on Dustin as we are under a minute until the next entrant…Vader and Kane leave Dustin in the back ring and head over to meet Sting, who is coming in next…that plan doesn’t work as Sting rocks both with a double clothesline…he slugs away at both, rams Kane into the cage and then splashes Vader in the corner…Sting hoists Vader up in an impressive fireman’s carry and then rams him into the mesh…Dustin is back and starts fighting off Kane as Sting dominates the champ…we see that Dustin is busted open good as he keeps pounding away with that boot…taking that off his foot may have been the best strategy he could have come up with…Sting runs Vader into the cage followed by Vader clearly blading and then glancing back at the camera…Sid is in now and he crunches Sting with a chokeslam…actually, I was wrong as Vader isn’t bleeding…not sure what the hell he was doing then…now Vader has the boot and he cracks Sting with it…this heel team is actually pretty impressive…Sid works over Sting as Vader and Kane just abuse Dustin…Sting gets a desperation strike in on Sid but can’t take advantage… Sid kicks Dustin in his bloody face as Jesse keeps chiding Rhodes for coming in first…Bulldog is in next, so I guess Animal’s great strategy has changed along the way…Sid meets Bulldog at the door and hammers at him but Bulldog shakes it off and drops Sid with a clothesline…Vader comes off the middle rope but Bulldog catches him with a powerslam as the crowd pops big…everyone pairs off now and all the battles are fairly even…Bulldog and Sting press Sid into the air and slam him into the cage roof…Dustin sends Sid careening into the cage as GMC counts us down and Kole enters as the last member of his team…the heels are in control thanks to this advantage…Kole slams Bulldog off the with some nice force…he then charges wildly and flies out of the front ring but Sting ducks and he crashes hard into the back ring…Dustin locks Sid in the figure four as Shockmaster is in…he grabs Kole and whips into the steel…same for Kane…then he goes right at Vader and slugs him across the head with some stiff forearms…Kole takes another trip into the steel as Shockmaster is dominating the action…Dustin uses the boot on Sid as Shockmaster splashes Kole…he hoists him up and locks him into a bear hug…Kole is fading as nobody else is paying attention…Shockmaster wrenches the hold in but Kole won’t give…Bulldog cuts off Kane from the save and Kole finally says uncle to end the match…well, that was a fun little brawl despite the anticlimactic finish…Dustin’s selling and blood were the highlights and the heels looked pretty badass for most of this…not the greatest War Games bout, but a fun one

- Tony & Jesse wrap things up and Tony even brings up how Jesse was laughing during Shockmaster’s debut on Flair for the Gold, which seems counter productive after they put him over so strong a few minutes before…Tony also announces that Cactus Jack will face Vader in Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal at Halloween Havoc…roll the credits, hit the funky Viewer's Choice music and we are out

- This was always one of my favorite shows to watch growing up, and I think it has held up nicely…and in fact, I probably have a better appreciation for some of the matches today, specifically Rude/Flair…that may not be a match for everyone’s tastes, but I really dug the methodical pacing and story woven throughout it…the rest of the card was solid with only a couple dogs mixed in…there is also very little wasted time, as the show hums right along…I would recommend this if you want a taste of the onset of the Bischoff Era in WCW

Review Date: March 2013

Comments