Paul Orndorff

‘WCW BASH AT THE BEACH 1995’ Recap + Review – Hogan vs. Vader, Lifeguard Match, Coolest Wrestling Venue of All-Time

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DATE: July 16, 1995
VENUE: Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, CA)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

Bash at the Beach 1995 brings the action of World Championship Wrestling to an honest to god beach, the only place that contain a main event as big as Hulk Hogan vs. Vader in a Steel Cage. Since we’re on a beach and Baywatch is a thing we’ve also got a Lifeguard match as Ric Flair and Randy Savage continue their year-long feud, The Renegade defends the Television Championship against “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, and…Jim Duggan takes on Kamala? We sure this is a WCW show?

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

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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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‘WWF WRESTLEMANIA 2’ Recap + Review – Hogan vs. Bundy, Dream Team vs. Bulldogs, 3 Venues in 3 Cities

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DATE: April 7, 1986 VENUE 1: Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, NY) VENUE 2: Rosemont Horizon (Rosemont, IL) VENUE 3: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, CA) COMMENTATORS: Various After taking a big gamble with their first WrestleMania the year before, the WWF decided to ride their wave of popularity and one-up what they had done … Read more

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

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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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[TV Recap] ‘WCW Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush’ – Flair vs. JYD, Orndorff vs. Anderson

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DATE: June 13, 1990
VENUE: McAlister Field House (Charleston, SC)
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & Bob Caudle

The 11th edition of Clash of the Champions features the World Title on the line as Ric Flair defends against…The Junkyard Dog?!? That’s a match I’d never thought I’d see. Also on the show Doom defends the World Tag Team Titles against The Steiner Brothers in a Capital Combat rematch, Lex Luger collides with Sid Vicious, and…Paul Orndorff battles Arn Anderson? Are we sure this is  a real show?

CHAMPIONS
  • NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair
  • NWA UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Total Package” Lex Luger
  • NWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson
  • NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Doom (Ron Simmons & “Hacksaw” Butch Reed)
  • NWA UNITED STATES TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Midnight Express (“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton & “Sweet” Stan Lane)
LINEUP
  • The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (***)
  • Tommy Rich vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (*3/4)
  • Tom Zenk & Mike Rotunda vs. The Samoan SWAT Team (**1/4)
  • Brian PIllman vs. Mean Mark (***)
  • The Midnight Express [c] vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express for the NWA UNITED STATES TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (***)
  • Doug Furnas vs. Barry Windham (**3/4)
  • Lex Luger vs. Sid Vicious (NR)
  • Doom [c] vs. The Steiner Brothers for the NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (***)
  • Paul Orndorff vs. Arn Anderson (***)
  • Ric Flair [c] vs. The Junkyard Dog for the NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (**)

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‘SMOKY MOUNTAIN WRESTLING’ 02.15.1992 Recap + Thoughts – Fantastics vs. Koloffs, Orndorff vs. Rogers

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VENUE: Memorial Auditorium (Greenville, SC)
COMMENTATORS: Bob Caudle & Jim Cornette

This week on Smoky Mountain Wrestling we’ve got a tag team main event as The Fantastics (Bobby & Jackie Fulton) take on The Russians (Ivan & Vladimir Koloff). Also on the show Paul Orndorff takes on Rip Rogers, Scott Armstrong takes on Dutch Mantell, and much more.

‘LINEUP
  • Bob Holly vs. Tim Frye
  • Paul Orndorff vs. Rip Rogers
  • Scott Armstrong vs. Dutch Mantell
  • The Fantastics vs. Ivan & Vladimir Koloff

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[PPV Recap] ‘WCW Great American Bash 1990: New Revolution’ – Flair vs. Sting, Luger vs. Callous, Doom vs. RNR

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Date: July 7, 1990
Venue: Baltimore Arena (Baltimore, MD)
Commentators: Jim Ross & Bob Caudle

The 1990 edition of The Great American Bash is best remembered for the official crowning of Sting as the top dog in WCW, months after it was initially planned due to a knee injury suffered in January. Have I watched this show a bunch? Yup. Have I recapped this at least twice before? Yup. Is it going to stop me now? Nope.

CHAMPION ROLL-CALL

  • NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair
  • NWA UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The Total Package” Lex Luger
  • NWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson
  • NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Doom (Ron Simmons & “Hacksaw” Butch Reed)
  • NWA UNITED STATES TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Midnight Express (“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton & “Sweet” Stan Lane)

THE LINEUP

  • Brian Pillman vs. Buddy Landell (**1/2)
  • Mike Rotunda vs. The Iron Sheik (1/4*)
  • Doug Furnas vs. Dutch Mantell (**)
  • Tommy Rich vs. Harley Race (**1/2)
  • The Midnight Express [c] vs. The Southern Boys for the NWA UNITED STATES TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (****1/2)
  • Tom Zenk vs. Big Van Vader (SQUASH)
  • The Steiner Brothers vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (**3/4)
  • El Gigante, Paul Orndorff, & The Junkyard Dog vs. Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, & Sid Vicious (**)
  • Lex Luger [c] vs. Mark Callous for the NWA UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (**3/4)
  • Doom [c] vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express for the NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (***)
  • Ric Flair [c] vs. Sting for the NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (***1/2)

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[#everyNITROever] ‘WCW Monday Nitro’ 9.18.95 – Flair vs. Pillman, First-Ever Nitro Title Change

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Venue: Freedom Hall (Johnson City, TN)
Commentators: Eric Bischoff, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, & Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael

Coming off the heels of Fall Brawl the night before, this episode of Monday Nitro features footage of what happened to Hulk Hogan at the end of War Games, new Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat making their first defense, and an angry Ric Flair looks to get revenge on Brian Pillman in the main event.

Champion Roll-Call

  • WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan
  • WCW United States Champion: Sting
  • WCW World Television Champion: Diamond Dallas Page
  • WCW World Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray)

The Lineup

  • Harlem Heat [c] vs. ??? for the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (*1/2)
  • Johnny B. Badd vs. Paul Orndorff (**)
  • Ric Flair vs. Brian Pillman (**1/4)

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[PPV Recap] ‘WWF WrestleMania’ – The First One, Numero Uno, The Original

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Date: March 31, 1985
Venue: Madison Square Garden (Manhattan, NY)
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura

Every wrestling fan worth their weight in salt (or have watched any WWE Network doc about it) already know the story so I’ll just keep it brief: this event was a make it or break situation for the WWF at the time, with Vince McMahon leveraging his entire business on the success of this show. Luckily he already had a winning formula at the time with then-World Champion Hulk Hogan and their partnership with MTV so even though there was a chance for failure I don’t think it was as big of a deal as they make it out to be. I could be wrong though, I’m one of them there internet nerds writing compendium books. Whatever. Also if you can’t tell I’m stalling for time because oh boy has this show not aged well but I’ll shut up now and get to it.

CHAMPIONS
  • WWF CHAMPION: Hulk Hogan
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo)
LINEUP
  • Tito Santana vs. The Executioner (*3/4)
  • Special Delivery Jones vs. King Kong Bundy (SQUASH)
  • Ricky Steamboat vs. Matt Borne (**)
  • David Sammartino vs. Brutus Beefcake (*)
  • Greg Valentine [c] vs. The Junkyard Dog for the WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (*)
  • The U.S. Express [c] vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff for the WWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (**1/2)
  • $15,000 Body Slam Challenge: Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd (DUD)
  • Leilani Kai [c] vs. Wendi Richter for the WWF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP (**1/4)
  • Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (***)

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

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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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