‘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 SATURDAY NIGHT’ 01.02.1993 Recap + Review – U.S. Title Tournament Quarterfinals, Hollywood Blondes Form

AIRDATE: January 2, 1993
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko

Saturday Night this week focuses on the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Title/U.S. Title #1 Contender’s Tournament, with Ricky Steamboat taking on Dan Spivey in the main event and Johnny B. Badd battling Barry Windham in a match whose closing moments has been burned into my brain since I first watched the show live. Also Brian Pillman & Steve Austin start their tag team journey this week but that probably won’t lead anywhere, definitely not to the best tag team of the year or anything, and we get a rundown of the Clash of the Champions card that is very subject to change. 

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

  • Z-Man & Tommy Gunn vs. Cactus Jack & The Barbarian (*3/4)
  • Erik Watts vs. Mustafa Saied (COMPETITIVE SQUASH)
  • U.S. TITLE #1 CONTENDER’S TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS: Dustin Rhodes vs. Vinnie Vegas (**1/4)
  • Brian Pillman & Steve Austin vs. Ricky Nelson & Larry Santo (**)
  • U.S. TITLE #1 CONTENDER’S TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS: Van Hammer vs. Tony Atlas (*)
  • U.S. TITLE #1 CONTENDER’S TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS: Johnny B. Badd vs. Barry Windham (**3/4)
  • U.S. TITLE #1 CONTENDER’S TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS: Ricky Steamboat vs. Dan Spivey (**3/4)

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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 CHI-TOWN RUMBLE 1989’ Recap + Review – Flair vs. Steamboat, Luger vs. Windham, Loser Leaves NWA

DATE: February 20, 1989
VENUE: UIC Pavilion (Chicago, IL)
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & Magnum T.A.
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

Chi-Town Rumble 1989 features a legendary World Championship match as Ric Flair defends against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in the main event. Also on the show The Road Warriors defend the World Tag Team Championship against The Varsity Club, Lex Luger defends the U.S. Championship against Barry Windham, and Jim Cornette teams with his Midnight Express to take on Paul E. Dangerously and the Original Midnight Express in a Loser Leaves the NWA Match.

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‘MLW FUSION 140’ Recap + Review – Von Erichs vs. Mortons, Reed vs. TJP, Ricky Steamboat

COMMENTATORS: Rich Bocchini & Joe Dombrowski

MLW makes its way to the historic Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC for Fusion this week, bringing a surprising new matchmaker in the form of Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. The World Middleweight Championship is also on the line as Myron Reed defends against TJP, and generations collide as The Von Erichs tangle with Ricky & Kerry Morton.

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WWF SUMMERSLAM 1991 Recap + Review – Match Made in Heaven, Match Made in Hell, Virgil’s Shining Moment, Hart vs. Perfect

DATE: August 21, 1991
VENUE: Madison Square Garden (Manhattan, NY)
COMMENTATORS: Gorilla Monsoon, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
VIEWING METHOD: Peacock

WWF SummerSlam 1991 features a Match Made in Heaven (the wedding between Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth) and a Match Made in Hell (Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Gen. Adnan, & Col. Mustafa with Sid Justice as the special guest referee), a legendary Intercontinental Championship match, a JAILHOUSE MATCH, and arguably the biggest moment in Virgil’s career that isn’t related to meat sauce at the Olive Garden. This is the first PPV I ever watched live so the nostalgia for me is STRONG, let’s see how it holds up.

CHAMPIONS

  • WWF CHAMPION: Hulk Hogan
  • WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: Mr. Perfect
  • WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)

LINEUP

  • The Dragon, The Texas Tornado, & The British Bulldog vs. The Warlord and Power & Glory (**1/2)
  • Bret Hart [c] vs. Mr. Perfect for the WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (****1/4)
  • The Bushwhackers vs. The Natural Disasters (*)
  • Ted DiBiase [c] vs. Virgil for the MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIP (****)
  • JAILHOUSE MATCH: The Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie (*1/2)
  • STREET FIGHT: The Nasty Boys [c] vs. The Legion of Doom for the WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (**)
  • Greg Valentine vs. Irwin R. Schyster (*1/2)
  • THE MATCH IN MADE IN HELL: Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Gen. Adnan, & Col. Mustafa [w/ Sid Justice as the Special Guest Referee (*1/4)
  • THE MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: The Wedding of Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth (NR)

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MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING 09.12.1981 Recap + Review – Sgt. Slaughter Debuts, New TV Champ in Tag Team Action

Peacock finally put up episodes of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling so I’m going to watch and recap them until I don’t. This episode features the new NWA TV Champ Ron Bass in tag team action, a look at the bloody feud between Roddy Piper and Wahoo McDaniel, and the territory debut of one Sgt. Slaughter. No ratings for the matches as they’re all squashes for the most part.

LINEUP

  • Rick Steamboat & Jake Roberts vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller
  • Ivan Koloff vs. Terry Lathan
  • The Grappler & The Super Destroyer vs. Scott McGhee & Don Kernodle
  • Sgt. Slaughter vs. Mike Davis
  • Abdullah The Butcher vs. Ron Ritchie
  • Ron Bass & Jay Youngblood vs. Ricky Harris & Ali Bey

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‘WCW BEACH BLAST 1992’ Recap + Review – Steiners vs. MVC, Sting vs. Cactus, Steamboat vs. Rude

DATE: June 20, 1992
VENUE: Mobile Civic Center (Mobile, AL)
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

Just four days removed from Clash of the Champions XIX, WCW presents its first-annual Beach Blast live from the summer capital of the world: Mobile, Alabama! This show features one of the greatest World Championship matches in WCW history, the Tag Team Championship main-eventing a PPV for I think the first time ever, and a 30 minute Iron Man match. Let’s see how it holds up.

CHAMPIONS

  • WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Sting
  • WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: “Stunning” Steve Austin
  • WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Flyin” Brian Pillman
  • WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner)
  • WCW UNITED STATES TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael “P.S.” Hayes & Jimmy “Jam” Garvin)

LINEUP

  • Brian Pillman [c] vs. Scotty Flamingo for the WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (**1/4)
  • Ron Simmons vs. The Taylor Made Man (*1/2)
  • Marcus Bagwell vs. Greg Valentine (*1/4)
  • FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE: Sting [c] vs. Cactus Jack for the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (****1/4)
  • IRON MAN CHALLENGE: Ricky Steamboat vs. Rick Rude (****1/2)
  • Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, & Nikita Koloff vs. The Dangerous Alliance (**3/4)
  • The Steiner Brothers [c] vs. The Miracle Violence Connection for the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (***1/2)

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

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

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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