WCW SuperBrawl IV

While SuperBrawl had usurped Starrcade as WCW’s flagship show, the 1993 edition of Starrcade – the tenth anniversary of the show – had prompted a brief change back to using that as the promotions most prestigious card. With SuperBrawl airing only two months later, it was mostly used to catch the fallout from Starrcade, more than promoted as the biggest show of the year.

More interestingly was the goings on backstage, as WCW was experiencing yet another shakeup. After 1993, Dusty Rhodes – who had had played roles of varying degree in WCW’s booking under Jim Herd, Bill Watts, and Eric Bischoff – was ousted, and replaced by a committee headed by Ric Flair, and including Greg Gagne, Mike Graham, and Robert Fuller – with Bischoff still in charge of the overall direction. This led to yet another change in the products direction – a habit that made WCW often difficult to follow.

From Albany, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.


Opening Match: Harlem Heat v Thunder and Lightning: Booker T starts with Lightning ('Thunder and Lightning' was just a combination of their actual names, as opposed to, say, 'Power and Glory' - who weren't actually named 'Power' or 'Glory'), a man with the unbelievable luck of not only finding a guy named Thunder to team with, but that that guy happened to be a wrestler, too. Small world. Anyway, they trade armbars. Both tag, more armbars. Both tag again, more armbars. Thunder finally gets suckered into the wrong part of town (Harlem is rough), and double-teamed, as the Heat cut the ring in half. Thunder eventually dodges Booker to make the tag, and Lightning hits the house, setting it on fire. Four-way brawl, and Booker pins Lightning in the chaos at 9:47. This. Is. Pay Per View! DUD

The Equalizer v Jungle Jim Steele: Yep, a guy whose name is the literal equivalent of metal playground equipment - though, thankfully, he prefers adults climbing his monkey bars. Steele tries to dodge him, but Equalizer pops him on the chin (not to be confused with popping on his chin), and they fight over an armbar. Steele with a pair of dropkicks, but gets tossed off on a monkey flip attempt, and Equalizer hits a backbreaker for two. Bearhug, but Steele escapes, and hits a crucifix for two. Blind charge misses, however, and Equalizer grabs a chinlock. Steele comes back with an atomic drop and a dropkick, and a Thesz Press finishes at 6:31. This belonged on TV. DUD

Diamond Dallas Page v Terry Taylor: Page tries to jump him, but Taylor returns fire, and hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Armbar into an armbreaker, so Page bails, but Taylor drags him back in for another armbar. He will not be denied the chance to rest, fucker! Page finds a backelbow to break free, and grabs an armbar of his own, but Taylor gets offended, and forces a break. Page suplexes him for two, and hits a version of a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster for two. Side suplex gets two, and he hooks a cobra clutch. Taylor won't give, so Page switches to a chinlock. Still nothing, and Taylor catches him with a bodypress during his escape routine for two. Page tries to bully him into the corner, but Taylor sneaks off a schoolboy for the pin at 11:45. Though Taylor was far more experienced, he was probably at the low point of his in-ring career here (even when he was the Red Rooster, he was young, and a part of the most exciting promotion of the Golden Age), and Page actually carried this. Not well, but he did the best he could considering his level of experience at that point. ½*

Johnny B. Badd v Jimmy Garvin: This was scheduled as Badd/Michael Hayes in the opener, but Hayes came out in a wheelchair, so WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel replaced him with Garvin, and moved it to later on the card. In truth, Hayes' contract had expired, and he couldn't reach a new deal, so he appeared (but did not wrestle) on the show, before leaving the company. They scuffle a bit to start, until Badd gets him on the mat in a side-headlock. Garvin gets uppity, so Badd switches to a hammerlock, and works the arm for a long while, until Garvin bails to consult Hayes. Apparently his advice involved ending right back in a hammerlock, 'cause that's exactly what happens. Badd finally misses a blind charge to turn the tide, and Garvin capitalizes with a chinlock. Reverse version, but Badd backdrops free, and hits a headscissors takedown. Golden Gloves routine, and a flying sunset flip finish at 10:48. This should have been a quick squash for Badd - Garvin was done as a wrestler by the end of the year anyway. He had even already trimmed his hair short by this point, which is pretty much the death knell for a Freebird. It didn't help that the match itself was SuperDull, and played like a resthold tutorial. DUD

WCW Television Title Match: Steven Regal v Arn Anderson: Long battle in the initial lockup, ending in a stalemate. Regal complains that Anderson boxed his ears, and does works a long stall session over it - bitching to the referee, the crowd, manager Sir William, the ring ropes, the turnbuckle pads, a fly, the announcers, the cameras - couple other people, too, but they weren't as important. Test-of-strength goes Anderson's way (first time for everything), and he hooks an armbar, but Regal reverses, so Anderson slams him. That last sentence covered a good five minutes of action. Both guys cautiously circle each other, until Anderson takes him to the mat in a bow-and-arrow. Arn posts his arm for good measure, and after Regal gets done bitching to everyone again (he added the cameraman in this time around), he takes Anderson to the mat in a headvice. Arn tries to counter into a hammerlock, but Regal uses a headscissors to stop the effort, and hooks and chinlock. They keep trading holds (Anderson focusing on the arm, Regal on the neck), with even Sir William making sure to jam his umbrella (his British!) into Anderson's neck. Regal unloads forearms in the corner, and decides to leave the neck alone for a while, hooking a half-crab. Okay. He keeps after the leg, but Anderson returns the favor with an anklelock. Regal finally goes back to a headvice (not any more exciting, but, hey, at least it's the neck again), but loses a slugfest, and ends up in another test-of-strength - with a nice twist, as Regal takes Anderson's usual 'dive on the other man, get nailed' bump. Arn starts throwing cradles, and a spinebuster (that's not the arm OR the leg) gets Sir William involved again, and Regal retains at 27:32. Man, they were really foggy on TV Title time limits from week to week depending on who was booking. I love a good, slow wrestling match anytime, but both guys phoning it in with faux-psychology (they worked distinct parts, but it never went anywhere), mostly spending a half hour SuperStalling. Sad when the manager is the only one who bothered to keep after the right parts when he fired off cheap shots. Just disappointing, since hearing Regal and Anderson got a half hour on pay per view sounds intriguing. ¼*

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Nasty Boys v Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne: Brian Knobs starts with Maxx Payne, and Payne catches him with a well executed German suplex seconds in. Knobs bails to regroup, and decides to tag Jerry Sags in if that's the way Payne's gonna be. Sags goes right to the eyes, but ends up getting caught with a belly-to-belly suplex, and he bails. They decide to try and double-team, but Payne throws them both around, and tags Cactus Jack. He keeps the momentum going, and a double-team elbowdrop gets two on Knobs. The Nasties bail again, and the dust settles on Knobs and Jack (which should absolutely be a cocktail), and the Nasties try double-teaming again, but Jack shrugs them off. More double-teaming finally takes Payne off of his feet, and they work the leg, but a 2^nd rope flying legdrop from Knobs hits mat - allowing the tag. Cactus clothesline buts Knobs on the floor, but Sags helps him out, and they send Cactus flying off the apron - bouncing the back of his head on the exposed concrete like a basketball. The Nasties follow up with another vicious, unprotected bump - throwing Jack head first into the rail, crashing it back a good two feet. Inside, the Nasties cut the ring in half - targeting the injured back. Jack comes back with a fluke DDT on both guys, and gets the tag off to Maxx. He's a house of arson, and gets Knobs in an armbreaker, so Sags runs in and breaks a guitar over his head at 12:37 for the disqualification loss - but wisely saving the tag titles. Really fun tag match, with Cactus bumping like a psycho, the Nasties actually working a psychologically sound match, and Payne putting in tons of effort. *** ¼  They would meet again in a Street Fight at Spring Stampede.

Thundercage Six-Man Tag Team Match: Rick Rude, Steve Austin, and Paul Orndorff v Sting, Brian Pillman, and Dustin Rhodes: A 'Thundercage' is a steel cage that covers all of ringside, with square bars (as opposed to mesh), and an sloped semi-roof to keep the competitors in, and everyone else out. It also has the least visually impressive lock on the door I've ever seen, as they don't even bother to throw in an oversized chain for effect - just a tiny padlock. The whole thing is set up to settle a few different issues here - the main one being the breakup of the Hollywood Blondes. Rude starts with Sting, and gets quickly backdropped so high he nearly flies out of the cage. Series of clotheslines leaves him cowering in the corner, and he tags to Orndorff. He gets Sting in a quick armbar, and the heels try to cut the ring in half, but Austin bangs up his knee during a criss cross, and Sting looks to finish fast with the Scorpion Deathlock. Rude saves, and they spill to the outside for the faces to ram Austin into the cage a bit. Tag to Pillman, and he gets right into it with his former tag partner - only to get overzealous, and launched into the cage. They take turns destroying Pillman, and Rude hits a flying kneedrop for two. Sting tries to get involved, but the heels just dig their heels in deeper, and keep unloading. Austin with a flying axehandle, but Pillman gets off a desperation dropkick, and tags to Sting. He takes everyone out, and gives Dustin a turn. He Unloads Bionic Elbowsmashes, and a bulldog for Rick - but Rude holds on, and crotches him on the turnbuckle. Side-superplex off, and Rude hugs him like a bear. Rhodes catches Austin with a nice springboard backelbow, and gets the tag off to Pillman. Dropkicks all around triggers a six-way brawl, and in the chaos, Sting press slams Pillman onto Austin for the pin at 14:36. Fun tag match, with everyone keeping the pace going throughout - especially during the usually restholdy heat segments these things suffer from. ***

Main Event: WCW World Title Thundercage Match: Ric Flair v Vader: The Boss is the special referee. Simple angle: Flair ends Vader's Reign of Terror at Starrcade, and wins the WCW Title. Vader wants revenge. Interesting pre-match interview with Flair, as Gene Okerlund mentions Hulk Hogan by name – saying he is watching at home, and interested in having a match with the winner. Flair is understandably nervous about getting in - not eased by the fact that Vader is already wielding a chair. Vader goes right for him, but Flair dodges, and gives Vader a taste of his own medicine - unloading in the corner. Backelbow puts Vader on the floor, and Flair gives him some really weak shots with the chair. Inside, Flair with chops, and Vader actually pulls out a Flair Flip. Perplexed, Flair runs over to follow-up, but Vader nails him with a forearm shot, and slams him. Vaderbomb hits, and a short-clothesline levels the champ. Flying moonsault misses, but Vader lands on his feet, and crushes Flair in the corner for his troubles. To the floor, Vader with the forearm shots, and even manager Harley Race reaches through the cage to get his licks in. Slugfest goes Vader's way, but Flair won't stay down, and keeps coming, bless his foolish heart. Vader responds with a blast to knock him all the way to the floor, where Race is gladly waiting with a headbutt through the bars. Inside, Vader with a super-duperplex, but an elbowdrop misses, and Flair (unable to capitalize) bails to the floor once more. Race tries to get involved again, so Boss runs out to handcuff him to the cage - but Vader stops it, and handcuffs Boss to the bars. He steals the key to the door (allowing Race in), and the nightstick - and now the fun starts. They double-team, but Flair dodges a flying bodypress, and goes ballistic on them both. Chair shots for Vader, as Ricky Steamboat and Arn Anderson try to bust the cell door open. Boss finally frees himself, and whacks Vader with the nightstick, allowing Flair the Figure Four to retain at 11:32, and setting up a year long program between Vader and Boss. Short, and somewhat underwhelming given the build (it lacked the emotional intensity or narrative of Starrcade), but fun stuff otherwise. ***

BUExperience: Some fun stuff towards the end, but man is there some shit to sit through to get to it – particularly the TV Title match, which is an absolute chore. Unfortunately, even the good stuff had no historical significance (not a single title change on the card), so it doesn’t go a long way in saving the show.

Flair’s runs as booker of WCW always resulted in good in-ring action, and logical storytelling/angle development – but that would be better embodied at Spring Stampede (WCW’s next pay per view) once he had properly settled into his new position. *