WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI (January 1994)

Original Airdate: January 27, 1994

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan – making his WCW debut.


Opening #1 Contender's Match: Pretty Wonderful v 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell: Paul Orndorff starts with good old 2 Cold, and they trade wristlocks until Orndorff decides to railroad him into the corner for some closed fist action. Orndorff with a suplex, but Scorpio slips free and hits a headbutt before both men tag. Paul Roma controls Bagwell with a stungun, but misses a charge into the corner and gets caught in a sunset flip for two. Tag back to Scorpio to take Roma down with a hiptoss, but a superplex attempt is blocked by Orndorff, and Roma hits a pair of flying axehandles before tagging. Pretty Wonderful cut the ring in half pretty wonderfully, but can't put Scorpio away, and he shoves his boot into Orndorff's face during a flying splash attempt before tagging Marcus. Bagwell is a house of arson to trigger a four-way brawl, and a miscommunication between the heels allows him to pin Roma at 12:30 - popping the crowd huge! Scorpio didn't really have a chance to get loose and properly funky with his bad self, so the match was pretty much just standard formula stuff - though the crowd was into it, and it was energetic enough. ½*

Ron Simmons v Ice Train: Train dominates with fists of fury in the early going, and hits a powerslam before shoulderblocking Ron out of the ring. Train follows him out for a slam on the floor, but another shoulderblock misses, and Train runs into the ringpost. Simmons gives him another shot into the post to make sure he's had his fill, and then suplexes him back into the ring. The match slows down dramatically as Simmons hammers him with headbutts and forearms, and then goes back after the injured shoulder - only to get caught in a sunset flip for two. Train dodges a flying shoulderblock to set up another powerslam, but a 3-point stance misses, and Simmons schoolboys him for the pin at 4:00. Just going through the motions here. ¼*

WCW Television Title Match: Steven Regal v Dustin Rhodes: Rhodes is ready to go, but Regal stalls him in the early going until Rhodes flips out and starts firing off closed fists, and dropkicks the Television champion to the outside. Back inside, Regal tries to stall some more, but Dustin gets his ass into gear the hardway: hiptossing him clear across the ring. A fight over a wristlock doesn't really go anywhere, and a shoulderblock from Rhodes sends him back to the outside - Regal now actively trying to run the time limit out. Inside, Rhodes with a bodyslam for two, and he takes the champ to the mat with a side-headlock. Regal fights up to a vertical base to break the hold with a series of uppercuts (European uppercuts!), and turns the tables on Dustin by taking him to the mat with an overhead wristlock. Rhodes breaks with a snapmare and quickly follows with a clothesline for two - Regal breaking the count by getting his foot onto the ropes. He frustrates Rhodes by rolling to the floor to stall, but a sunset flip on the way back in gets him pounded with mounted punches. Dustin with a jumping clothesline for two, but Regal is on the floor stalling again before he can follow-up. Inside, Rhodes with a dropkick for two, and a backdrop sets up a splash for two - Regal bailing to the floor yet again. Dustin drags him in for a flying elbowsmash and a bulldog, but the fifteen minutes time limit expires at 14:55. I liked the psychology of Regal running down the time limit to save his title, but unfortunately it translated into a really slow, stall-filled match. ¼*

The Nasty Boys v Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne: The Nasties are the WCW World Tag Champions at this point, but this is non-title. Jack and Payne (which would make a great name for a drink, by the way) come out of the crowd to jump the Nasties, and it's a four-way brawl right off the bat. Jack and Payne control by slamming around both guys inside and outside of the ring until the dust finally settles on Brian Knobs and Payne. Maxx dominates, but an eye rake allows the tag to Jerry Sags - who promptly misses a flying axehandle. He tags back to Knobs, but Payne starts no-selling (Payne feels no pain!), so Sags gives him a chair shot to get his attention. The Nasties cut the ring in half, but Payne manages to catch them both with a clothesline coming out of the ropes, and he makes the tag! Jack is a house of arson to trigger another four-way brawl, and Jack nails Knobs with the Double-Arm DDT and scores the pinfall at 6:49. Aaaannnnnndd DUD

Loser-Wears-A-Chicken-Suit Match: Brian Pillman v Colonel Robert Parker: In an awesome bit, since his manager is the one wrestling, Steve Austin accompanies Parker to ringside - dressed as him, and doing his best impression. Pillman is less impressed as he unloads on Parker with right hands and dropkicks, and the Colonel bails. Brian makes the stupid decision to follow, and gets clobbered by Austin on the floor, and Parker brings him in for some abuse. Pillman quickly shrugs him off with an atomic drop for two, so this time Parker decides to bail for real - heading up the aisle with Austin. Pillman chases them both, but this time he's ready for Austin with a backdrop on the elevated ramp way before dragging Parker back in. Austin responds by running in with a Stungun to subdue Brian, but Parker still can't sway the momentum, and Brian blasts him with a jumping clothesline. Another dropkick sets up a series of turnbuckle smashes, but Austin breaks up a flying bodypress by shoving Brian off the top rope - Parker getting a two count off of it. That triggers The Boss down to chase Austin away, but that distracts Parker, and Pillman schoolboys him for the pinfall at 5:43. Not a great wrestling match or anything, but totally fun, and well booked - Pillman in over his head two-on-one, and having to outsmart his former partner and manager. ¼*

Main Event: Elimination Match: Ric Flair and Sting v Vader and Rick Rude: Sting starts with Rude, and they play mind games with each other - each taking a turn taunting the other man after overpowering him into the corner. Sting ends up taking Rude to the mat in an overhead wristlock, but Rick quickly fights up to a vertical base - though is unable to break the hold. Sting takes him back to the mat with a standard wristlock, but Rude powers into the corner, and breaks the hold with a series of kneelifts. Tag to Vader to casually press slam the Stinger across the top rope, and he follows with a powerslam, but a 2^nd rope sunset flip is blocked with a buttsplash by Sting. Rick runs in before Sting back follow-up, however, and Vader takes the opportunity to swat at Sting with forearms to the head and body. A wild haymaker misses to allow Sting a German suplex, and he reaches Flair for a tag. Ric comes in hot with a series of chops for the big man, but Sting can't keep it going, and gets clobbered when Flair prematurely tags him back in. Rude cuts the ring in half with a bearhug, but Sting hits a sloppy flapjack, and gets back to the corner. Flair with an inverted atomic drop, but Rude blocks him coming into the corner, and Vader tags to hit an avalanche. Vader with a slam to set up the Vaderbomb, but he's still not satisfied, and adds a superplex. He still doesn't even bother to make a token pinfall attempt, and takes Flair to the top turnbuckle again - this time for a super-duperplex. Still not satisfied, Vader drags Flair to the corner (kicking and screaming) for a flying splash, but Sting finally steps in and pulls Flair out of the way. That triggers a four-way brawl, and Flair and Vader both end up getting countout out at 15:30. Sting goes right to business on Rude with a flying clothesline, and a beautiful backdrop, but an attempt at an inverted atomic drop is countered with an eye rake, and Rude capitalizes with a flying forearm. He works Sting over with a clothesline and a fistdrop for two, and hooks a reverse chinlock at center ring. Sting powers up with an electric chair to break, and both guys are dazed as they collide in a double clothesline. Rick up first for the Rude Awakening, but Sting blocks by holding the top rope, and hitting his own version for two. Rude with an inverted atomic drop, but a tombstone piledriver gets reversed, and Sting hits a flying splash for the win at 21:00. A fun, well paced, and hard hitting main event – especially Vader and his stiff, casual brutality. The bout slowed down significantly towards the end (after the double elimination), but still good stuff from everyone involved. * ½

BUExperience:  Nothing to worth seeking out of you haven’t seen it, and certainly not worth a rewatch if you have. DUD