WCW Clash of the Champions XX: 20 Years of Wrestling on TBS (September 1992)

Original Airdate: September 2, 1992

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura.


Opening No Disqualification WCW Television Title Match: Steve Austin v Ricky Steamboat: To make sure Austin manager Paul E. Dangerously stays out of things, WCW has him locked in a shark cage at ringside for the duration of the match. Dangerously locked away doesn't help Ricky's taped ribs though, and the not-quite rattlesnake tries to stomp a mud hole in the corner, but ends up in a mat-based side-headlock. That would never happen to Stone Cold, I can at least tell you that much. It lasts a while too, until they go through a reversal sequence off of a side suplex, and end up with Steamboat blocking a superplex - only to land on his bad ribs. Austin rips the tape off for a few unobstructed shots to the ribs, and hits a modified backbreaker - dropping Ricky right on his ribs for a series of two counts. Steamboat tries to recover with chops, but the ribs act up as he tries a slam, and Austin blasts him with a clothesline before hooking an abdominal stretch. Steamboat tries a 2^nd rope bodypress, but Austin rolls through for two. Steve with a dropkick, but Steamboat counters into a slingshot and rolls him up for two. Austin with a rope-assisted cradle for two, and a tombstone reversal sequence ends in Ricky hitting one for two. Austin tries another superplex, but Steamboat blocks again, so Steve jabs him in the ribs. Into the ropes, Steamboat hits a shoulderblock for two, but gets dumped over the top by an angry Austin. Steve is too upset to notice Ricky crawl under the ring though, and Steamboat surprises him with a flying bodypress to win the title at 10:46. The last few minutes with the near fall exchanges was fantastic, and the ending was creative (especially as top rope moves would have resulted in a disqualification under late 1992 WCW rules), but the first few minutes were rather dull. Not bad (Steamboat holding a headlock to keep Austin away from his bad ribs is sound psychology), just dull. * ¼

Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton v Greg Valentine and Dick Slater: Anderson starts with Valentine, and it quickly turns into a brawl between all four - Valentine and Slater taking control. Both tag, and Slater hits a quick swinging neckbreaker and a Russian legsweep sets up a rope-assisted cradle for two. Tag back to Arn, but his attempts at a wristlock get him chopped by Slater, and Valentine tags back in with a suplex for two. Eaton throws a cheap shot from the apron to slow the Hammer down, and then tags in to hook an ironic hammerlock. They can't cut the ring in half properly though, and Anderson ends up taking a series of chops before Slater tags back in. That triggers another four-way brawl, and Eaton hits Valentine with the Alabama Jam in the chaos at 5:44. Ugh. Super disjointed - this badly lacked flow and heat. Really bad showing from all four, and hilariously this took place right after a special video package highlighting great tag team wrestling over twenty years on TBS. Whoops. DUD

WCW World Title Match: Ron Simmons v Cactus Jack: Simmons takes a page out of Ricky Steamboat's book earlier, and decides to try and slow the madman down with a side-headlock at the bell. Jack tries to counter with a sleeper, but Ron blocks, so Jack Cactus Clothesline's him to the floor for a swinging neckbreaker. Well, that'll learn 'im. Inside, Jack hammers away in the corner, but Simmons blocks the Double-arm DDT - only to talk into a clothesline. Jack with a pair of clotheslines for two, and he hooks a chinlock, but Ron isn't in the mood and powers up. Jack tries headbutts, but Ron blocks by being black, and hits a 2^nd rope sorta-bulldog for two. 3-Point Stance hits, but Jack keeps coming, so Ron fires off another one for two. Backdrop, but Cactus counters with a sunset flip, countered by Simmons with a backdrop driver for two. To the floor, Cactus hits a slam on the concrete to set up the Cactus Elbow off of the apron, but Simmons shrugs it off, and hits a powerslam on the way back in to finish at 8:51. Ron apparently forgot how to sell here, which really hurt an otherwise already rather dull match. ½*

Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes v The Barbarian and Butch Reed: This is Reed's WCW return, brought in by Cactus Jack as a weapon against Ron Simmons. Unfortunately, for all his devious planning, Cactus failed to unveil that weapon during, I dunno, the LAST MATCH against Simmons FOR THE TITLE, instead opting to use the Reed for this pointless tag team match. Rhodes starts with Barbarian, and quickly dodges a charge, but loses a power-showdown and tags Windham in to nail Barbarian with a clothesline. Barbarian tries a powerslam, but Barry counters with a cradle for two, so Barbarian tags Reed (who looks hilariously tiny next to all three other guys). He misses a blind charge in the corner, but dodges one from Rhodes, and Dustin goes flying out to the floor off of it. The heels cut the ring in half on Rhodes, but a double-clothesline spot with Reed allows the tag to Windham, and he's a house of arson! The four-way brawl doesn't take long to break out from there, but the heels overwhelm Windham as he hits the Superplex on Barbarian, and Dustin can't stop the pinfall at 8:15. This match was like taking a really nasty shit. It may not be fun, but if it's gotta happen, be glad it didn't take more than ten minutes. ¼*

Main Event: Elimination Match: Sting, Nikita Koloff, and The Steiner Brothers v Rick Rude, Jake Roberts, Vader, and Super Invader: Well, seeing as most of the heels are Survivor Series veterans, I'd say they certainly have the advantage here. Rick Steiner starts with Vader, and they quickly get into a hard hitting slugfest - Vader taking control with a short-clothesline. Avalanche follows, but Steiner fires back with an impressive belly-to-belly suplex, and Vader bails to the floor. Tag to Super Invader (the WWF's Hercules, under a mask), but Rick doesn't want to sink to that level and opts to tag Koloff. They get into a power-stalemate before Koloff hits a bodypress for two, and Invader tags out to Rude. Rick goes right after Koloff with closed fists, and he's quick to pass to Scott Steiner - who has no problem tossing Rude to the mat and hooking an armbar. Tag back to Invader to take a double-underhook powerbomb and a side suplex before bailing back to Rude for a swinging neckbreaker for two. Tag to Roberts for a series of jabs, and Vader tags to absolutely murder poor Scott with a series of body shots in the corner. Rude in again, but he walks into a tilt-a-whirl, and both guys tag (Koloff and Roberts). Nikita is a house of arson with clotheslines and shoulderblocks, but he walks into cheap shot from Rude, and Roberts schoolboys him at 7:26. The dust settles on Sting and Invader, and Sting unloads a pair of bodyslams and a bulldog at 8:03. Vader comes in to fuck him up proper, but Sting passes to the fresh Rick Steiner to hit a beautiful German suplex. 2^nd rope bodypress, but Vader counters with a powerslam, and hits a sloppy uranage. 2^nd rope splash gets two, and Rude tags in to unload right hands on the dazed Steiner. Front-facelock looks to cut the ring in half, but Steiner manages to powerslam Vader for two. He tries a Doomsday Device with brother Scott, but he can't get Vader up onto his shoulders (no shit!), and Scott coming off the top is a disqualification at 11:18 anyway. That triggers a brawl between the remaining guys, and Rude hitting Steiner with a Rude Awakening out on the floor ends with him getting counted out at 12:28 - leaving Sting alone with three heels. He goes right for Vader with a sunset flip, but Vader blocks, and tags Roberts. Sting bulldogs him to set up the Stinger Splash, but Rude breaks up the Scorpion Deathlock and tags in. He sets up a double-team with Vader, but Sting manages to dodge and bulldog Rude for two. Inverted atomic drop sets up a slingshot suplex, but the heels triple team, and Vader comes off the top with a crazy flying splash to get himself disqualified at 14:20. The plan works though, as Vader taking one for the team allows Roberts to finish the squashed Sting with the DDT at 15:17 - setting up Halloween Havoc. Sue me, I liked it. Sure, it was sloppy at points. Sure, there were blown spots. Sure, a lot of the eliminations were bullshit. But, it was fun, and fast paced. **

BUExperience:  Not too much in the way of wrestling, but the focus of this show was less the in-ring stuff, and more on video tribute packages and legends stuff – in the days before that was an everyday thing. While celebrating twenty years on TBS felt really, really wrong without Ric Flair (who was shown in clips many times), it’s still a fun atmosphere, and is also somewhat historically notable for featuring the last television appearance of Andre the Giant before his death less than six months later.

Overall, recommended for wrestling fans, but not for the wrestling. **