WCW Clash of the Champions XXXII (January 1996)

Original Airdate: January 23, 1996

From Las Vegas, Nevada; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.


Opening Match: The Nasty Boys v The Public Enemy: This is right after Public Enemies WCW debut, and the ECW influence is obvious right away, as both teams turn it into a brawl inside and outside of the ring. Rocco Rock takes a nasty balls first bump onto the rail, and Jerry Sags gets a table, but Rock blocks him going into it, and hits Brian Knobs with a flying moonsault. Sags manages to piledrive Johnny Grunge to let the Nasties get back to the table, but the referee has had ENOUGH and throws the whole thing out at 4:00. Afterwards, Rock tries to moonsault Sags through a table, but the parade of idiots running WCW buy the wrong kind of table - which doesn't break, and ends up hurting Rock. This was just a chaotic brawl to set up their Street Fight at SuperBrawl the next month - punch-kick stuff, with very little finesse. ¼*

Dean Malenko v Alex Wright: Malenko takes it to the mat with a headscissors right away, but Wright bridges and kips up, so Dean tries a mat-based side-headlock. A reversal sequence ends in a stalemate, so Wright tries a standing side-headlock, and another reversal sequence ends in Malenko on the floor after Wright catches him with a dropkick and a headscissors takedown. Back inside, Wright tries a snapmare, but Dean ducks an enzuigiri, and drops an elbow to the lower back. Malenko starts targeting the knee, and hits a brutal legwhip (shit ain't meant to twist that way, yo) into a grapevine. Wright makes the ropes, and catches Malenko with a springboard bodypress, but Dean keeps coming. Wright tries a series of European uppercuts and a dropkick, but Malenko blocks a German suplex with a side suplex, and heads to the top rope - only for Wright to crotch him with a dropkick, and super-duperplex him down. Dean dazed, Wright manages the German suplex for two, but another dropkick misses, and Malenko clobbers him with a clothesline. Wright tries to springboard, but Dean fires off a dropkick at the bad knee, and cradles him for the pin at 5:29. Damn. Short, but they packed a lot in there - with a great, psychologically sound ending, to boot. ***

Kevin Sullivan v Disco Inferno: Well, that's the plan anyway. Unfortunately (fortunately?) an Elvis impersonator comes out in Disco's place, and announces that Disco is busy singing at Colonel Robert Parker's wedding to Sherri (planned for later in the show), and therefore Sullivan wins by forfeit. Sullivan kicks his ass, naturally. I'm sure shit like this looked hilarious on paper the day before the show, but it came off as a stupid waste of time. It also serves no purpose, as saying Disco didn't show up because he's afraid of Sullivan is one thing (gets Sullivan over as a badass, at least), but essentially saying he's too busy performing at a wedding make Sullivan seem more like a waste of time than anything else.

Brian Pillman v Eddie Guerrero: Pillman is too busy fucking with the crowd to engage Eddie (still deep into his 'nice boy' phase), but a shovefest ends with Eddie putting Pillman on the floor. He takes his time coming back in, and Eddie hooks a headlock on, but a criss cross ends with Guerrero dropkicking him to the outside again. Out there, he grabs commentator Bobby Heenan from behind - legitimately scarring Bobby, and causing him to yell 'what the fuck are you doing?!?!' on camera. This wasn't an angle, and Heenan (who has a history of neck problems) has since said he thought it was a fan attacking him - though watching it several times, it seems clear that he's just pissed at Pillman for messing with him and worried about his neck. Either way, Heenan throws his headset down and walks away (quite visibly upset) as Pillman tries to stay in character and deal with Guerrero. Inside, Pillman is clearly thinking of Heenan (who is now walking around the ring in frustration) as he and Eddie stall. They finally get back to it with Eddie chopping Pillman and hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but Brian returns fire with a pair of his own chops, and he takes Eddie to the mat in a chokehold. Back up, Eddie hits a pair of dropkicks and a tornado DDT gets two. They trade a few cradles, and a criss cross ends in Pillman hitting a bodypress for the pin at 5:59 - then rolling to the floor in front of the commentary position, and having poor Bobby spring to his feet in terror again. This is a dream match that should have been remembered as a classic between two guys who left us too soon, but unfortunately will forever be remembered for the Heenan incident more than anything else. Pillman was well past his prime at this point anyway, and after the incident, his mind was very clearly elsewhere. ¼*

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Lex Luger v The Blue Bloods: Sting starts off with Steven Regal (Regal looking exactly like a thinner Jonah Hill with his hilarious facial expressions), and they trade wristlocks. A criss cross ends in a Sting dropkick, and he and Luger pinball Regal in the corner a bit before he tags Bobby Eaton in. Luger tags as well, and it quickly spills to the floor - where Lex backdrops Bobby in the aisle. Back inside, Lex flexes at him to trigger a tag back to Regal, and he practically starts crying as Luger overpowers him. An eye rake takes the pep out of Lex's step, and a series of European uppercuts follow ahead of another tag to Eaton. The Blue Bloods work to cut the ring in half until Eaton and Luger collide for a double knockout, and Lex gets the tag to Sting. He's a house of arson to trigger a four-way brawl, and Eaton submits to the Scorpion Deathlock at 7:47. Just going through the motions here, but all four are experienced enough to know what they're doing out there, and keep it going. It's almost worth checking out just for Regal's facial expressions alone, though. DUD

Konnan v Psychosis: This is effectively the WCW debut of both men. They get into a big chase sequence at the bell, but it goes nowhere as both guys end up springboarding off the ropes into a stalemate. Collar-and-elbow tie-up ends in Konnan trying to take it to the mat, but Psychosis wants up, so Konnan gives him a two-alarm rolling German suplex for his trouble. He tries to take it back to the mat, but Psychosis grabs the ropes, and they're back to square one again. Psychosis with a spinheel kick, but a wristlock is countered into a modified half-crab, before Psychosis tries a series of chops. Konnan counters with an armdrag and a headscissors takedown, and a dropkick to the knees sets up a nice DDT. Backdrop puts Psychosis on the top rope to blast Konnan with a missile dropkick, and out to the floor, both men end up down after Psychosis dives. Back in, Konnan hits a super-German suplex, and hooks on a standing figure four for the submission at 5:26. Very, very strange match - the booking and pacing coming off more like an undercard ECW match than WCW. The match also suffered from essentially being a string of spots, with very little flow. ¼*

Hitch the Bitch: Meanwhile, over at the Little White Wedding Chapel (where we've been seeing preparations for a wedding all night) Colonel Robert Parker is with his bride to be. They're about to do the deed, but Madusa shows up to attack Sherri, and the whole thing ends in a brawl.

Main Event: Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage v Ric Flair and The Giant: The Not Mega Powers bring Kevin Greene and a group of women with them to ringside (though Greene looks pretty womanly himself, with that particular haircut) - including Miss Elizabeth, in her WCW debut. Savage and Flair start us off, but Flair wants Greene instead - and he obliges, getting into the ring and challenging Flair to a showdown. Ric bails, of course, and finally the dust settles back onto Savage and Flair. Ric unloads chops in the corner, but walks into a backdrop, and takes a pair of clotheslines. Flair flip puts him onto the apron for Hogan to big boot onto the floor, and Savage brings him back in - slapping Ric across the face. Into the corner, Flair tries chops again, but a hiptoss is countered with a backslide for two. Savage with a series of jabs, but Flair begs off, and tags the big man. He wants Hogan, so Savage makes the tag, and the Hulkster goes eye-to-eye with the 'son of Andre.' Giant overpowers him out of the first few lockups, so Hulk stupidly tries a bodyslam, and gets swatted. Giant with his own bodyslam, and he works Hogan over - cutting the ring in half. A missed elbowdrop allows Hogan to hit the bodyslam instead of tagging Savage, but his back gives out after completing the spot, and Giant tags Flair in to hit Hulk with an impressive hanging vertical suplex. Hogan no-sells though (you must be over this tall for Hulk Hogan to sell for you), so Giant pulls him out to the floor in a bearhug to help the heel cause. Inside, Flair tries chops, but he's still not tall enough, so Hulk no-sells. To the top rope, but Hogan is right there to slam him off, and he gets the tag to Randy. Savage is a house of arson as a four-way brawl breaks out, and Flair bops Savage with the brass knux for the pin at 9:52. Just paint-by-numbers stuff here to set up the two cage matches for SuperBrawl VI - though at least Liz looked smoking hot in red. DUD

BUExperience: Into the Nitro era now, this show was becoming increasingly irrelevant by the minute, and coming off more like an episode of Nitro than pay per view on free TV. Wrestling wise it’s pretty much a total pass, though a few notable debuts, and the Heenan incident make it at least somewhat historically significant. *