WCW Clash of the Champions XXIII (June 1993)

Original Airdate: June 17, 1993

From Norfolk, Virginia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: Ron Simmons v Dick Slater: Slater tries to overpower Simmons in the early going, but you DON'T STEP TO RON, and Simmons fires back with an atomic drop and a shoulderblock to but Dirty Dick on the floor. Back inside, Slater challenges Ron to a test-of-strength - which Dick promptly loses, since apparently he was paying zero attention during the previous sequence. Slater tries a cheap shot to turn the tide, but Simmons no-sells that, so Paul Orndorff (TV Champion, and Simmons' original opponent before an injury) trips him up to allow Slater to turn the tide. Dick with a swinging neckbreaker for two, but Simmons is done selling for the evening, and finishes him with a slam at 3:58. Aaaaannnnndddd DUD

Steven Regal v Marcus Bagwell: Regal quickly outwrestles Bagwell into a wristlock out of the initial lockup, and a snapmare takes Marcus into a chinlock. Wristlock reversal sequence goes Bagwell's way, but Regal is quick to fire a backelbow off to break free, and fire off a series of kicks at the leg to ground Bagwell. Regal keeps after the leg on the mat with an anklelock, but Bagwell powers out at a modified enzuigiri. The leg is still hurt, however, and Regal takes him back to school with a droptoe-hold into another anklelock. Bagwell tries a running forearm and a backdrop to set up a backslide for two. Bagwell with a cradle for two, but Regal reverses - hooks the tights - and scores the pinfall at 6:29. Not a bad match, but I was digging the psychology before it ended up going nowhere, and Bagwell started no-selling the leg completely as he made his comeback. * ¼

Johnny B. Badd v Maxx Payne: Well, not really, as Payne pulls a play out of the Homo Offense Handbook and blasts Badd in the face with his own confetti gun, and wins by forfeit. 

NWA World Title Match: Barry Windham v 2 Cold Scorpio: Scorpio uses his speed to evade and frustrate Windham in the early going, but Barry manages to get him in a hammerlock to try and slow Scorpio down. Scorpio responds with a scoop slam, and tries a half-crab, but Barry bails into the ropes, and out to the floor to break the challengers momentum. Inside, Windham takes control with a boot to the face to daze Scorpio, and a flying clothesline to leave his looking at the lights. Windham with a bodyslam and a kneedrop, followed by a hanging vertical suplex for two. A DDT gets two, but another slam is countered with a small package from Scorpio for two. He can't capitalize before Windham nails him though, and Barry hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Scorpio fires a dropkick to try and turn the tide again, but again Windham is on him with a clothesline before he can capitalize. Windham dumps him to the outside, but it backfires when Scorpio hits a slingshot bodyblock on the way back in. Barry dropkicks him in the face to... shut his face... and then hits a well executed fallaway slam for two. Windham with a pair of right hands and a side suplex for two, but another fallaway slam is countered with a sunset flip from Scorpio for two. Scorpio finally manages to follow-up with a side suplex of his own, and he blocks a superplex with a twisting splash for two. Rana and a superkick daze Windham for a victory roll for two, and a bodyslam sets up a slingshot somersault headbutt for two. To the top, Scorpio hits a missile dropkick for two, but a slingshot shoulderblock is countered with a fist to the face from Windham, and Barry hits a jumping DDT to retain at 12:53. Fun match, as the story of the veteran Windham stopping all of Scorpio's comebacks worked well, and then when Scorpio made his real comeback, and started throwing his innovative (for 1993) offense for a series of hot near falls, the crowd was appropriately worked up. ** ¼

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Sting, Davey Boy Smith, and Dustin Rhodes v Vader, Sid, and Rick Rude: After much debate, Sting starts with Rude, and gets Rick in a standing side-headlock - immediately cooling the superhot crowd. Rude fights out, so Sting tries a hammerlock instead, but Rude blasts him with a backelbow. Sting responds with a backdrop and a press slam before cradling Rude for two. Tag to Rhodes to unload elbowsmashes, so Vader runs in to break it up - only to miss a splash, and land on Rude. Both men tag (Smith and Sid), and Davey gets Sid in the face corner for some pinball action. Tag back to Rhodes, but Sid drags him to the heel corner and tags Van Vader. Dustin actually manages to win a slugfest with the monster, and a visually impressive suplex sets up a series of elbowdrops. Rhodes with a flying elbowdrop, but Rude shakes the ropes, and Dustin crashes to the mat to allow Vader to Vaderbomb him for two. Tag to Rude with a forward falling suplex for two, but another one is reversed by Rhodes, so Rude tags Sid. Sid pounds on young Rhodes with forearms and clotheslines, then brings Vader back in to unload a series of body shots in the corner. 2^nd rope bodypress is countered with a powerslam by Rhodes, but he can't get the tag, and the heels continue to cut the ring in half until Sting and Smith get sick of it and run in for a six-way brawl - Rude scoring the fall on Rhodes in the chaos when Vader wallops Dustin with a briefcase at 11:02. Fun, well paced match, though making the heels look like weak, bumbling morons didn't really feel appropriate for monsters like Sid and Vader. Still, fun stuff. ** ¼  

Main Event: NWA & WCW World Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match: The Hollywood Blonds v Ric Flair and Arn Anderson: Brian Pillman starts with Anderson, but Pillman's even more excited about mocking and taunting Flair than locking up. Arn takes him to school once they do, casually countering a headlock, and dropping Brian across the ropes. Pillman wisely bails to Austin, and Steve one-ups Pillman by mocking Anderson's physic as well as Flair's. Tag to Ric nearly blows the roof off of the Scope, and Flair pleases them by destroying Austin with chops - even throwing a couple Pillman's way for good measure. Flair gets vicious on Austin by fish hooking his nose and mouth, so Steve desperately throws a thumb to the eye to allow him to bail. Tag to Anderson to allow the Enforcer to have his share of fun, and he goes after Steve's arm - hitting a hammerlock-slam. Flair with a snapmare to set up a shindrop - the challengers working quick tags as they pound Austin. Pillman manages to fire off a cheap shot from the apron to take Anderson down, and Austin is like a shark - wasting no time pouncing. Anderson manages to dodge a charge into the ropes to allow him a DDT, and he tags Flair - Ric diving in with a flying axehandle to take both Blonds out. A four-way brawl breaks out, and Flair clobbers Pillman as Anderson takes Austin out on the floor - the challengers scoring the first fall at 9:41. The dust settles back on Pillman and Flair, and Brian tries his own set of knife edge chops to set up a Flair Flip. Ric charges down the apron to chop at Austin, but the champs double-team, and Steve suplexes Ric on the floor. The Blonds cut the ring in half, but a double knockout spot with Pillman allows Flair the tag. Anderson comes in hot, and nails Austin with a spinebuster for two - drawing Pillman in to clip his knee, and allow Austin a two count. The Blonds start targeting Anderson's knee as they cut the ring in half again - Pillman holding him in a half-crab as Austin aids with illegal leverage, and Flair helplessly watching someone else get away with that is a thing of beauty on its own. Arn manages to block a 2^nd rope axehandle from Pillman to get the tag to Ric, and Flair is a house of arson! The Blonds eat chops, and Austin ends up in the Figure Four, but Barry Windham runs in to break it up, giving Flair and Anderson the second fall by disqualification at 21:00 - but not the titles. Somewhat disappointing, but this was a fun main event, and the superhot crowd certainly made everything click. ** ½

BUExperience:  A fun, filler-less undercard ahead of a good main event make this an easy thumbs up – though not essential viewing material, or anything. ***