WCW Main Event (August 16, 1992)

Original Airdate: August 16, 1992

Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long. Long is excited because ‘all the homies in the hood’ want to see the footage of Ron Simmons’ big title win

Barry Windham v Tracy Smothers: For those of you unfamiliar, this isn't like RAW or Nitro where the matches are all taking place live in the arena, but rather more like Mania or Action Zone, with the hosts in a studio presenting matches taped from various locations. Barry controls through the initial lockup, and snaps off an armdrag, then takes Tracy down in a headlock - as Erik Watts observes the action from the crowd. Smothers manages to turn it into a fall attempt, but Windham reverses a corner whip, and takes him back down in the headlock again. Tracy escapes, but quickly gets cradled for two, but Barry misses a corner charge, and Smothers levels him with a lariat. Windham tries a sunset flip for two, but walks into an uppercut, and Tracy hits an ugly dropkick, then snapmares him for two. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope axehandle, but Windham blocks with a gutpunch, and backdrops him. Gutwrench suplex gets two, vertical suplex for two, and a lariat gets the pin at 4:37. Sorry if I missed anything here, but the referees insane pornstache was distracting. ¾*

Jimmy Garvin v Jushin Liger: The announcers make a point of how Garvin is used to wrestling in tag team competition, and how this is a whole different animal. So simple, but bits like that are what I miss in wrestling announcing these days. Garvin uses his size advantage to overpower Liger in the early going, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Liger snaps off a pair of dropkicks. Bodyslam gets two, so Garvin sweeps the leg, and goes to work on the knee to try and ground him. Bodyslam of his own gets two, but Liger blocks a backdrop with the Abisegeri, and hits a quick springboard moonsault for the pin at 3:10. Real style clash here, to the surprise of absolutely no one. ¼*

WCW Magazine Update, as we take a look back at a recent episode of Saturday Night, where Ricky Steamboat pinned Steve Austin to win the Television Title, but had the decision reversed

Miracle Violence Connection v Big Josh and Marcus Bagwell: The MVC are the unified NWA/WCW World Tag Team Champions at this point, but this is non-title. Steve Williams starts with Bagwell, and dominates with power (if only Bagwell were buff!), but Marcus uses his speed to escape, and tag. Unfortunately, Josh doesn't really have any speed, and just gets overpowered. He puts up a fight through a slugfest, but runs into a cheapshot from Terry Gordy, and Steve side suplexes him, then adds a clothesline for two. Tag to Gordy, and Terry executes a nice vertical suplex for two, as the MVC cut the ring in half. Gordy hits boot on a charge to allow the tag back to Bagwell, but his nightclub of fire routine gets quickly stomped out, and the champs finish him with a powerslam off the middle rope at 5:44. Fun competitive squash - the Connection were a lot of fun to watch during this period. * ¼

On Saturday Night, the Miracle Violence Connection hired Paul E. Dangerously to have his guys take out the Steiner Brothers for them - which Dangerously charges Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton vow to do. Great promo from Anderson here, as he explains that their motivation is not the money (well, not JUST the money), but wanting revenge on the Steiners for taking the tag titles from them earlier on in the year. Good stuff here

WCW World Title Match: Vader v Ron Simmons: Simmons is a sub for Sting here, who had been injured at the hands of Jake Roberts. Vader throws the belt at Simmons' feet, but Ron shows no fear as the bell sounds, and ties up with the big man. Ron matches him for power well, but Vader takes a forearm shot at him, and unloads a bunch more in the corner. Ron fires right back, and actually manages to get the champ off of his feet, then side suplexes him. Jumping shoulderblock puts Vader on the floor, and he regroups with Harley Race out there. Back in, Simmons surprises him with a spinebuster for two, but a 3-point stance misses, and Vader kicks him out of the ring. Simmons rushes back in ahead of the count, but gets a short-clothesline as a welcome present, then more forearm abuse in the corner. Well executed avalanche sets up a clothesline, and Vader adds a splash for two. Simmons tries to slug back, but Vader absorbs the shots, and vertical suplexes him. Chokeslam sets up a 2^nd rope splash for two, and he stiff him with a clothesline. Another vertical suplex, so Ron reverses, but by the time he can pick himself up, Vader is ready with a bodyblock. Ron keeps fighting with a backslide for two, and a schoolboy is worth two. Sunset flip, but Vader sit-down splashes him to block, and goes for the kill with the powerbomb, but Ron manages to slip free, and counter with a powerslam out of nowhere for the pin at 9:48. And, holy shit, does the crowd lose their minds for the surprise change. Vader had just won the title less than month before at the Great American Bash, so this was totally unexpected - and only booked because Vader had injured his knee. But, man, it went over big! Fun, hard hitting stuff here - and certainly historically significant, as Simmons becomes the first black world champion in history. ** ¼

Fans, the WCW Magazine Poster Book is on newsstands now! Cactus Jack poster? I'm there!

Van Hammer v Eric Davison: Oh fuck, this goofy asshole. Luckily, we don't have to suffer him for long, as he RAM JAMS up, and finishes Davison with a slingshot suplex at 0:50. DUD

Johnny B. Badd vignette, which seems designed solely to make fun of Johnny's effeminate nature

BUExperience: Great episode, with one very important title change as the highlight, and some other fun matches and segments throughout. We like to make fun of how bad WCW was in the early 90s, but this hour was better than any episode of RAW I’ve seen in quite a while.

I would totally review more of these, should the Network ever add them, though I think this is a one-off deal as part of Black History Month, so don’t hold your breath.