WCW Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl (September 1991)

Original Airdate: September 5, 1991

From Augusta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.


Opening 15-Man Battle Royal: We've got El Gigante, Tom Zenk, Thomas Rich, Bobby Eaton, Ranger Ross, Tracey Smothers, Oz, P.N. News, Buddy Lee Parker, Steve Austin, Dustin Rhodes, Terrance Taylor, Big Josh, Barry Windham, and One Man Gang. Typical punch-kick battle royal with nothing of note happening until the field narrows down to Oz, Gang, Rhodes, and Gigante. Dustin is first to go (being the bookers offspring doesn't help against fatties, unfortunately), but Gigante avenges him by clotheslining both Oz and Gang out at 9:32. Pretty much only worth fast forwarding through to see Kevin Nash dwarfed - something you certainly don't see every day. DUD

WCW Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Final Match: Brian Pillman v Badstreet: Brad Armstrong had clearly been spending too much time with the Freebirds at this point, as Badstreet gets right into stall tactics. Pillman responds with a headscissors takedown, and a quick victory roll steals a two count. Brian with an armbar, but Badstreet forces it up to a vertical base, and breaks. He tries to backdrop Brian over the top, but Pillman counters with a springboard sunset flip for two, and a dropkick knocks Badstreet onto the apron. Pillman with a suplex to bring him back in, but Badstreet reverses - suplexing Pillman out to the floor. Badstreet keeps him there by tossing him off of the apron into the guardrail when he tries to get back in, and then adds a shot into the post for good measure. Pillman still manages to catch him with a slingshot shoulderblock on the way back in, but Badstreet responds with a neckbreaker for two. Bodyslam sets up a flying bodypress, but Brian dropkicks him off of the turnbuckles, and out to the floor. Pillman dives out after him with a tope, and tries a missile dropkick on the way back in, but Badstreet counters with a dropkick of his own - a dropkick stalemate. Badstreet is up first, but Brian counters a backdrop with a faceslam and a spinheel kick follows for two. Backdrop, but now Badstreet counters with a DDT for two. Another neckbreaker, but Pillman counters into a backslide for two. Crucifix, but Badstreet counters by dropping him like a Samoan. He tries a superplex to kill the pesky Pillman, but Brian counters with a flying bodypress for the pin at 6:52. Way, way, way too short - but completely awesome stuff here. Just insane pace and bumps from both men, as well as loads of spots that were super innovative for American wrestling in 1991. The final minutes with the counter to counters to counters sequences was brilliant. ***

Sting v Johnny B. Badd: Badd wants to trade jabs to start, but Sting sticks with wrestling, and whips him into the ropes out of the initial lockup - winning a criss cross with a backdrop. Bodyslam sets up a Vaderbomb, but Badd blocks with the knees, so Sting regroups with a 2^nd rope elbowdrop - which misses. Johnny capitalizes with a flying sunset flip for two, so Sting hits his own non-flying version for two. Both guys back off to regroup, and Badd wants to turn it into a boxing match again. Sting would still rather wrestle, so he grabs a wristlock, but Badd reverses - taking Sting down to his knees with the hold. Sting fires back with a snap suplex, but Badd dodges the Stinger Splash, and finally has a chance to do his Golden Gloves routine. Meanwhile, a big white gift box is delivered to ringside, and the distraction proves enough to stop both men in their tracks - especially since the last gift box Sting got contained Abdullah the Butcher in it. After standing and pointing for a while, Sting cradles Badd out of nowhere for the pin at 6:12 - just as Cactus Jack pops out of the box (making his return to WCW - and effectively his debut, since his first run was un-notable) and beats the shit out of Sting, including his crazy Cactus Elbow from the 2^nd rope to the floor. The match was just background for the angle. ¼*

WCW Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Final Match: Richard Morton v Mike Graham: Graham controls in the early going with a headlock, but Morton wins a criss cross by hooking on a Boston crab. A three alarm pinfall reversal sequence ends in Morton taking a breather with manager Alexandra York on the outside, and Mike hooks on a headscissors on the way back in. A bridging reversal sequence ends in a Graham backslide for two, and again Morton stalls to kill the momentum. Graham hits a German suplex for two, but gets frustrated as Morton calls for a timeout, allowing Richard to punch him in the face. Morton controls with his shitty punch-kick fueled heel offense, but gets caught in a random figure four from Mike - Morton quickly grabbing the ropes to break. Graham switches to working the arm now, but gets sick of it, and goes back to the leg. Morton - who might have whiplash at this point, I'm not sure - fires back with an inverted atomic drop, and schoolboys Graham (with a handful of tights) for the pin at 7:40. Really dull stuff (especially when compared to Pillman/Badstreet earlier), Graham all over the place with his psychology, and Morton doing his stupid heel routine. DUD

The Fabulous Freebirds v The Patriots: The Freebirds are technically the US Tag Champions here, but they've already been filmed losing them to the Patriots weeks before - which would air a few days after this... which makes this non-title, since no one in this match is champion at this point. This match sort of takes place in title purgatory, or something. Wherever LOST was, that's where this match is taking place. Either way, Michael Hayes (Sawyer) starts with Firebreaker Chip (Jack), but gets destroyed and passes to Jimmy Garvin (Kate). Chip casually clips both Freebirds' wings, but a cheap shot from Hayes allows them to turn the tide. He still manages to pass to Todd Champion (Claire), and he's a house of fire. Firebreaker Chip doesn't appreciate arson though, and triggers a four-way brawl - Garvin pinning Chip after another cheap shot from Hayes at 5:44. Uh... DUD

Ron Simmons v Diamond Studd: This match is billed as 'the All-American tackling the Studd' which is... one way to put it. Studd tries to jump Ron at the bell, and manages a chokeslam before Simmons shrugs him off and kills him with a spinebuster and a shoulderblock at 2:23. Simmons was getting the super-duper-rocket-in-the-pooper push at this point - this was just a predictable squash. DUD

Terrance Taylor v Van Hammer: This is Hammer's debut, and he's already in full RAM-JAM!!! mode. Taylor tries to welcome him to WCW with a cheap shot at the bell, but Hammer shrugs him off with a series of running clotheslines, and Ultimate Warrior-style rope shaking before finishing with a flying kneedrop at 1:09. This was basically just Hammer doing his best impression of Warrior... with a guitar. DUD

WCW Television Title Match: Steve Austin v Tom Zenk: I refuse to call him 'Z-Man' anymore, dammit. That's Tom Zenk. The sexiest wrestler in WCW - ranked! Austin seems less impressed, and goes for a hammerlock early on, but Zenk reverses, and takes it to the mat to really wrench it on. Steve makes the ropes to break, but is too busy checking out valet Lady Blossom's rack to follow-up, and Zenk gets him in a standing side-headlock. A criss cross ends with Austin planting his foot in Zenk's gut, but a pinfall reversal sequence ends in a stalemate, and both back off to regroup. Austin manages to take him to the mat with a side-headlock, but Zenk takes it up to a vertical base with a superkick. A backdrop sends Austin scurrying to the floor after a near fall, but Zenk is right on him with a plancha onto the elevated ramp. Tom with a flying bodypress on the way back in, but Steve sidesteps him, and hooks a chinlock so they can call some spots and work out the finish. And here it comes, as Austin hits a stungun but gets cradled by Zenk for two, so he blasts Tom with a pair of knux to retain at 9:11. This was the longest match of the night, but it didn't really go anywhere with the time. Austin still had a long way to go - his timing off, and his psychology lacking. DUD

Main Event: WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Enforcers v Rick Steiner and Bill Kazmaier: This is for the vacant titles - vacated when Scott Steiner was injured a few months back. Rick and Bill attack the Enforcers right at the bell, and Steiner nails Arn Anderson with a powerslam for two. Bill can't do much (reeling from an attack by the Enforcers earlier in the show), and Steiner gets quickly overwhelmed - Anderson and Larry Zbyszko cutting the ring in half. Steiner manages to unload a lariat to allow the tag to Kazmaier, but he can't overcome the injury, and Zbyszko pins him to win the titles at 5:34. Super rushed, and anticlimactic. DUD

BUExperience: Well, if you really love Ron Simmons then this is certainly the show for you, as Ron appears about every five minutes in some capacity (Ron plays football! Ron signs a contract! Ron helps kids in the community! Ron squashes Razor Ramon!), but outside of The Ron Simmons Happy Fun Time Hour, there’s nothing to see here. Pillman/Badstreet is a lot of fun, but far too short to carry a show filled with dull matches and a lousy atmosphere. DUD