‘WCW MAIN EVENT’ 01.03.1993 Recap + Review – Steamboat & Douglas vs. Vader & Rude, Starrcade ’92 Highlights

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & Michael “P.S.” Hayes

Main Event this week features a non-title match as Unified Tag Team Champs Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas battle Big Van Vader & Rick Rude. 2 Cold Scorpio and Dustin Rhodes are also in action and if you missed out on Starrcade ‘92 they’ve got some highlights for you.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Scott Steiner
  • WCW/NWA UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Shane Douglas

LINEUP

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‘WCW WORLDWIDE’ 01.02.1993 Recap + Review – Rhodes vs. Spivey, Steamboat & Douglas vs. Windham & Pillman

AIRDATE: January 2, 1993
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

The inaugural Worldwide of 1993 features a Unified Tag Team Championship main event as Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas defend against Barry Windham & Brian Pillman. Also on the show Erik Watts takes on Bobby Eaton in a Bounty Match and Dustin Rhodes wrestles not once, not twice, but THREE times.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Scott Steiner
  • WCW/NWA UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Shane Douglas

LINEUP

  • Dan Spivey vs. Scott Allen (SQUASH)
  • Dustin Rhodes vs. Danny Deese (SQUASH)
  • 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Chris Sullivan (SQUASH)
  • BOUNTY MATCH: Erik Watts vs. Bobby Eaton (*1/2)
  • Dustin Rhodes vs. Dan Spivey (*3/4)
  • Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas [c] vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman for the WCW/NWA UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (**1/2)

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‘WCW POWER HOUR’ 01.02.1993 Recap + Review – Armstrong & Bagwell vs. Pillman & Windham, New World Champion Announced

AIRDATE: January 2, 1993
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko

WCW begins their New Year with Power Hour, featuring a tag team main event pitting Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell against Barry Windham & Brian Pillman, plus some big news as a new World Champion has been crowned…at a house show in Baltimore during the week.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Scott Steiner
  • WCW/NWA UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Shane Douglas

LINEUP

  • 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Joe Cruz (SQUASH)
  • Scotty Flamingo vs. Keith Cole (*)
  • Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman (**1/2)

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‘WCW BEACH BLAST 1993’ Recap + Thoughts – Superpowers vs. Masters of the Powerbomb, Flair vs. Windham

DATE: July 18, 1993
VENUE: Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Biloxi, MS)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

WCW Beach Blast 1993 features a tag team main event as Sting & Davey Boy Smith join forces against Big Van Vader & Sid Vicious aka The Masters of the Powerbomb. The NWA World Heavyweight Championship is also on the line as Barry Windham defends against “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes defends the United States Heavyweight Championship against “Ravishing” Rick Rude in an Iron Man Match. 

BUT FIRST, a movie:

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[Show Recap] ‘DGUSA OPEN THE HISTORIC GATE/ENTER THE DRAGON 2009’ – Shingo vs. Doi, Young Bucks vs. CIMA & Yokosuka

DATE: July 25, 2009 (PPV Airdate: September 4, 2009)
VENUE: The Arena (Philadelphia, PA)
COMMENTATORS: Lenny Leonard & Leonard Chikarason

Although I’ve been a wrestling fan for almost thirty (!!!) years I’ve never truly caught the indie bug except for when it comes to Dragon Gate USA. Just something about it hooked me in and I’ve been dying to go back and revisit it all to see if it holds up and to catch all the shows I missed (which is a lot because I didn’t jump on board until 2013). I’m starting right from the top with Open the Historic Gate, Dragon Gate USA’s inaugural show which aired on PPV under the title Enter The Dragon. I am PSYCHED. Let’s get to it.

LINEUP

  • BxB Hulk vs. YAMATO (****)
  • Too Cold Scorpio vs. Kenn Doane (***)
  • Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, & The Colony vs. Amasis, Hallowicked, and F.I.S.T. (***3/4)
  • Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino [w/ Naruki Doi] (***1/2)
  • The Young Bucks vs. CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka (****1/4)
  • Shingo vs. Naruki Doi (****1/2)

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[PPV Review] ‘WCW HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1993’ – Spin the Wheel Make The Deal 2, Flair vs. Rude, Rhodes vs. Austin

DATE: October 24, 1993
VENUE: Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, LA)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

The 1993 edition of Halloween Havoc tries its hand at Spin the Wheel, Make The Deal as Cactus Jack takes on Big Van Vader in a match to be decided in the main event. Also on the show Rick Rude defends his Big Gold Belt that’s also a World Title now against Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat trades up from his scheduled opponent to take on “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, and Sting and Sid Vicious have a Halloween Havoc ‘90 rematch to decide who the franchise of WCW is.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: “Lord” Steven Regal
  • BIG GOLD BELT CHAMPION GUY: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Marcus Alexander Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio

LINEUP

  • The Shockmaster, Charlie Norris, & Ice Train vs. The Equalizer & Harlem Heat (*1/2)
  • Ricky Steamboat vs. Paul Orndorff (***)
  • Lord Steven Regal [c] vs. Davey Boy Smith for the WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (***1/4)
  • Dustin Rhodes [c] vs. Steve Austin for the WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (***1/2)
  • Marcus Alexander Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio [c] vs. The Nasty Boys for the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (**3/4)
  • Sting vs. Sid Vicious (**1/2)
  • Rick Rude [c] vs. Ric Flair for the BIG GOLD BELT (**)
  • SPIN THE WHEEL, MAKE THE DEAL: Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader (**1/2)

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[PPV Recap] ‘WCW SuperBrawl III’ – The White Castle of Fear

Date: February 21, 1993
Venue: Asheville Civic Center (Asheville, NC)
Commentators: Tony Schiavone & Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura

The war between Sting and Big Van Vader continues into 1993 as the two headline WCW’s first PPV of 1993. It’s not just any match, however, it’s a ‘White Castle of Fear’ match. What does that mean exactly? Strap match. It’s a strap match. Also on the show The British Bulldog makes his debut, Ric Flair makes his PPV, and Maxx Payne of all people gets a shot at the United States Championship.

CHAMPIONS
  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Vacant
  • WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat & Shane Douglas
  • NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: The Great Muta
LINEUP
  • Erik Watts & Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. The Hollywood Blondes (*3/4)
  • 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Chris Benoit (***3/4)
  • Davey Boy Smith vs. Bill Irwin (**)
  • Falls Count Anywhere: Cactus Jack vs. Paul Orndorff (**1/2)
  • The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Heavenly Bodies (***1/4)
  • Dustin Rhodes [c] vs. Maxx Payne for the WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP (DUD)
  • The Great Muta [c] vs. Barry Windham for the NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (***)
  • White Castle of Fear: Sting vs. Big Van Vader (****)

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