WCW Beach Blast 1992

For 1992, WCW introduced a new event to their pay per view calendar: Beach Blast. The show was the first pay per view to take place under Bill Watts’ run as head booker (previous pay per view WrestleWar still involved a lot of transition from Kip Frey) – the promotion for the event confusing: two major champions (World Champion Sting and United States Champion Rick Rude) booked in marquee matches made non-title, and a mildly anticipated (outside of Japan) main event between the Steiner Brothers and the Miracle Violence Connection for the tag titles.

With Watts now firmly in control, the focus of the promotion was shifted back to 1970s-style mat wrestling – off the top rope moves were quickly made illegal, and the floor mats around the ring removed to discourage crazy bumps. These ideas were not embraced by the roster, the fans, or really anyone outside of the misguided Watts – but it certainly succeeded in making the product wildly different than the WWF’s.

From Mobile, Alabama; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff, with Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura on commentary. Schiavone and Bischoff interview Bill Watts before we get started, allowing him to make a fool of himself by saying ‘rules’ about three hundred times in two minutes, and make a point that WCW has many more rules than their competitors.


Opening WCW Light Heavyweight Title Match: Brian Pillman v Scotty Flamingo: The first lockup goes to a stalemate, and they fight over a waistlock out of the second - Pillman getting him in a hammerlock on the mat. Flamingo bridges up, and tries a crucifix, but Pillman turns it into a sunset flip for two. Back to the hammerlock, so Scotty forces a criss cross - only to get hiptossed, and hooked in an armbar on the mat. Flamingo into the ropes to break, and he desperately tries to get it off the mat - so Pillman obliges with a headscissors to dump him to the floor. He considers diving after him, but the lack of floor mats don't look encouraging, so he settles for an axehandle off of the apron. He tries a flying bodypress on the way back in, but the referee stops him (coming off the top is illegal in Watts-world), and Flamingo slams him off for two. Scotty dumps him to the outside, and he has no qualms following with a plancha. Pillman rips at the bad arm to try and sway the momentum back in his favor, but Scotty stomps him, and hits a 2^nd rope fistdrop for two. Rope-assisted chinlock, but Pillman breaks out, and dodges a blind charge. He can't capitalize, however, and Flamingo takes him back to the mat in the chinlock. Frustrated, he turns it into a blatant choke, and when Pillman keeps coming, and they work a double knockout. Scotty tries coming off the 2^nd rope again, but Pillman meets him with a dropkick this time, and a spinheel kick follows. Ten-punch count, but Flamingo catches him with a powerslam out of a cross corner whip for two. He makes the mistake of playing to the crowd from the ropes, however, and Pillman side suplexes him off for two. Facebuster, and a clothesline sends Scotty out onto the elevated ramp - but a tope brutally misses. Back inside, Scotty gets the easy pin after that - adding a 2^nd rope kneedrop first for good measure at 17:28. Solid match, though the 'rules' hurt this quite a bit – just begging for some flying around, and forcing both guys to actively to work around it. * ½

Ron Simmons v Terry Taylor: Ron easily overpowers him in the early going, and Taylor gets right into complaining of a hairpull. Simmons with a series of 3-point stances to send them to the outside, and Ron press slams him back in from the ramp. Another clothesline sends Taylor over the top, and Ron drags him back in for a bodyslam. He whips Taylor into a bearhug, but Terry rakes the eyes to break, and dumps Simmons onto the ramp. Faceslam out there, and a chincrusher on the way back in sets up a Hennig-necksnap for two. Chinlock, but Simmons won't stay down, so Taylor gives him a backbreaker for two. Ron apparently didn't get the message, 'cause he drops him with a spinebuster, and a backdrop. Shoulderblock, and a whip into the ropes allows him a powerslam to finish at 7:10. Energetic, and it served to put Simmons over - which was the point. ¾*

Marcus Bagwell v Greg Valentine: The veteran Valentine shoves rookie Bagwell around, but gets caught in a hiptoss, and bodyslammed. Bagwell shows his inexperience by putting his head down to soon on a backdrop, and takes a forearm to the back of the head. He recovers nicely with an atomic drop, and a pair of dropkicks to send Greg to the floor to regroup. Inside, Valentine tries to slow it down with a short-clothesline, and a backbreaker, before starting to go after the knee. Figure Four, but Bagwell counters into a cradle for two. He can't turn the tide, however, and Valentine goes right back after the knee. Marcus keeps fighting with low impact rollups and backslides, before managing a more high impact suplex for two. Backdrop, but he reinjures the knee trying a leapfrog, and Valentine takes him to the mat with a kneebreaker. Figure Four, and Bagwell has nowhere left at go at 6:16. Well worked, psychologically sound match - getting the rookie versus veteran story over nicely. * ¼   

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Sting v Cactus Jack: Sting is the WCW World Champion, but this is non-title. Cactus doesn't even bother getting into the ring - instead waiting for Sting on the ramp way as he comes through the curtain. They slug it out on the ramp, and Sting gets a quick backslide for two. Backdrop on the ramp, and a bulldog for two. Blind charge ends up crotching Sting on the ropes, however, and he rolls to the floor to clutch his nuts. Jack doesn't allow him much time to play with himself out there, however, and blasts him with a Cactus elbow for two on the floor. Swinging neckbreaker on the floor gets two, and a crazy sunset flip off of the apron gets two. He tries the rail next, but Sting reverses (with the great visual of a little boy on his dads lap in the first row flipping out), and a backdrop puts Cactus in the first row. Sting with a suplex out there for two, and a whip into the rail sends Jack back to ringside. Into the ring, Sting tries to sweep the leg, but gets clotheslined, and Jack drops an elbow. He ties the Stinger up on the mat in a bodyscissors, but a series of backelbows breaks the hold - only for Jack to catch him with a Cactus Clothesline to send them back out onto the floor. Jack unloads with a chair, but gets side suplexed as he goes to ram Sting into the timekeepers table. That gets two, but a Stinger Splash against the rail ends up getting him stungunned onto it, and Jack piledrives him on the concrete. Cactus Elbow from the 2^nd rope, but Sting gut-punches him on the way down, and they head back to the elevated ramp way. Sting with a bodyslam out there, and he returns the favor with a couple of chair shots - but gets shoved off as he tries the Scorpion Deathlock. Cactus with the double-arm DDT for two, but he gets caught with a lariat on ramp, and Sting finishes with a flying clothesline onto the ramp at 11:23. Fun, wild match - filled with great bumps (particularly from the always reliable Cactus Jack - who was fearless on the exposed floors), and non-stop action. This still holds up today, but in 1992, it was completely different than anything either the WWF or WCW were presenting, and the crowd reacted with appropriate shock. *** ¼  

Iron Man Match: Rick Rude v Ricky Steamboat: Rude is the WCW United States Champion, but this is also non-title. Steamboat wastes no time going at Rude with chops, and he starts punting field goals on Rude's ribs. Rude tries a backslide, but Steamboat fires off another shot at the ribs, and hooks a bearhug, then shifts into a bow-and-arrow when Rude starts fighting free. Boston crab next, but Rude fights all the way across the ring to make the ropes. Steamboat splashes the ribs, and starts driving knees into it, before hitting a forward falling suplex for two. All for naught, however, as he misses a blind charge, and Rude cradles him for the first fall at 7:42. Rick keeps after him with a pair of kneedrops, and the Rude Awakening picks him up another fall at 8:39. Backbreaker, and Rude goes to the top rope with a beautiful flying kneedrop - intentionally getting himself disqualified at 9:40 in order to weaken Steamboat. It works, too, as he gets an easy fall with an inside cradle at 10:11 after that. Steamboat starts firing at the ribs again, but Rude with a facebuster and an eye rake to slow him down. Reverse chinlock wears Steamboat down, but Rude can't even do a proper hip swivel to celebrate because of the injured ribs! Back to the reverse chinlock, but this time Steamboat powers up into an electric chair. Splash follow-up hits the knees, however, and Rude gives him a swinging neckbreaker for a series of hard fought two counts. Ricky tries a series of chops in desperation, but gets taken back to the mat in a chinlock - as we're halfway home, and Rude is up three falls to one. Rude spikes his head into the mat with a piledriver for two, and tries a tombstone version next, but Steamboat reverses for the fall at 17:38. He can't capitalize, however, and Rude rams him into the buckle. He tries to go to the top rope again, but Steamboat meets him there this time, and super-duperplexes him off for two. Double clothesline leaves both men on their backs, and Steamboat turns it into a bridge - tying the ballgame with a backslide at 20:21. Pinfall reversal sequence sends with a Steamboat bodypress for two, so Rude rakes the eyes to take the pep out of his step. Rude with a slam for two, and Rude has to settle for swivel-less posing before trying to choke the life out of the Dragon. Rude Awakening, but Steamboat reverses into his own for two - Rude meekly putting a foot on the ropes to break the count. Steamboat with a suplex for two, and a side suplex gets two - but he gets caught in a sleeper out of the ropes. He bashes Rude into the buckles to break, but he's hanging on for dear life - literally riding Steamboat with it, and forcing him to carry his weight. It's nearly enough (both guys really selling the gravity of the spot wonderfully), until Steamboat runs the ropes in desperation, and falls back on top of Rude at 29:24. And now it's a race against the clock for Rude - and he knows it! Lariat for two. Shoulderblock for two. Inside cradle gets two. Bodyslam for two... and time expires at 30:00. Absolutely brilliant  match - both guys working so hard I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had to bring out a mop to soak up the buckets of sweat they were pouring. The match had impeccable timing, great psychology (not just in the sense of working a part, but in the psychology of an Iron Man match - like sacrificing a disqualification to weaken the other man), and genuine drama between falls. I've seen matches between these two that were fairly boring (both in the WWF and WCW), but this is a classic. **** 

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, and Bobby Eaton v Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, and Nikita Koloff: Austin starts with Windham, and they trade armbars before Barry tags Rhodes. He tries to keep after the arm, but gets his eyes raked, so he tries a dropkick instead. He fails to cut the ring in half, however, and Austin passes to Bobby Eaton. Eaton controls on the mat, but also fails to cut the ring in half as he tags Anderson - which is just silly, considering it's BOBBY EATON. Rhodes tags Koloff, and Arn goes to the top... but the referee forces him off, and into a clothesline from Koloff. Tag back to Eaton, and he tries a more direct approach: slapping Koloff in the face. That gets him hugged like a bear, and atomic dropped to the outside. They tease a six-way brawl from there, but the dust settles on Dustin Rhodes getting worked over. They cut the ring in half on him, and Austin stunguns him - but he manages to tag Windham. Six-way brawl immediately breaks out, and Anderson makes the mistake of coming off the top (twice, since the referee managed to miss the first try) for a disqualification at 15:30. Bad ending to a disappointing match, considering the participants and the fact that they were given adequate time. This felt like fifteen minutes of posturing. ½* 

Main Event: WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v The Miracle Violence Connection: Scott Steiner starts with Terry Gordy, and Scott gets him on the mat first - in a waistlock. Gordy makes the ropes to break, so Scott sweeps the leg into a half-nelson - Gordy again making the ropes. Terry tries to turn it into a slugfest to get off the mat, but Steiner can trade closed fists with the best of them, and Gordy tags Steve Williams. Williams has a bit of a better go, but still ends up facedown on the mat, so he forces into the corner, and holds onto the ropes to block a German suplex. Scott with a sunset flip for two, and he goes to a mat-based side-headlock next, and passes to Rick Steiner when Williams gets uppity. Rick and Steve size each other up, and Steiner with a belly-to-belly suplex to send Williams out to regroup. Inside, Steve with a pair of forearms to set up a bodyslam, and a pair of 3-point stances. Third runs him right into a lariat from Steiner, and he tags Gordy - Terry countering a German suplex into a side suplex for two. Headlock, but Steiner counters with his own side suplex - but can't capitalize before Gordy passes to Williams. He dumps Rick onto the ramp, but Steiner sunset flips back in for two. He still can't follow-up, however, and Gordy hooks a half-crab, but Steiner forces him to shift into a spinning toe-hold, and kicks him in the face to break from there. Overhead suplex allows the tag to Scott, and he hits a quick head-and-arm suplex for two. He tries a surfboard, but Gordy struggles, so Scott hooks it into a front-facelock - beautifully holding Gordy back from tagging. He manages to roll onto his back to put him in reach - but Williams ends up in a front-facelock as well. A cheap shot from Gordy turns the tide, and the Connection cut the ring in half - doing a phenomenal job of targeting Scott's knee in a series of visually impressive crabs, locks, bars, and just general stomping. Scott manages to reach Rick's extended hand while in a Boston crab from Williams, and Rick with a 2^nd rope bulldog to trigger a four-way brawl. Williams levels Rick with a lariat in the chaos, and Gordy gives him a 2^nd rope powerslam for two. Dropkick gets two, and a double-team shoulderblock for two - and Scott can't help after getting thrown to the floor by Gordy. Williams with a powerslam for two, and Gordy with a side suplex for two - but Rick escapes Williams' Stampede, and gets the tag to Scott. He's a house of arson, and Gordy gets a Frankensteiner - but the time limit expires at 30:00. Terrible ending for a pay per view main event (especially considering that the MVC would beat the Steiner's for the titles on TV a few weeks later anyway), this was well worked (it had some fantastic, collegiate-style exchanges) and psychologically sound, but not particularly exciting. Compare it to the Iron Man earlier: both the same length, both very mat oriented matches - this lacked the finesse and drama that Steamboat and Rude had to keep a casual fan on the edge of their seat for thirty minutes. ***

BUExperience: Not that there’s a shortage of reasons, but this is why people hate Bill Watts’ booking style. Time limit draws in pay per view main events, hot matches shunted down the card (and made non-title), and rules, rules, rules. Steamboat/Rude is a hell of a match that has unfortunately been forgotten by history, and Cactus/Sting still holds up as a wild brawl today, but the show falls flat – especially with a time limit draw in an already less than thrilling pay per view main event.

There’s certainly enough good stuff on here to make it worth checking out, but it’s inherently flawed. **