NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions XII (Version II)

Original Airdate: September 5, 1990

From Asheville, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle

Opening Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Southern Boys: I count no less than a staggering fourteen Confederate flags between the two teams. Michael Hayes starts with Tracy Smothers, and gets knocked around until he passes to Jimmy Garvin. Smothers knocks him to the outside in short order with a superkick, so Garvin railroads Tracy into the heel corner for a double-team - only for Steve Armstrong to come flying in with a gorgeous bodypress onto both heels! They try that trick a second time, but the Freebirds are wise to it, so the Southern Boys shift gears and send them to the outside with stereo dropkicks. Tracy ends up getting clobbered on the outside to turn the tide, and the Freebirds cut the ring in half until Smothers manages to slam Garvin off the top, and reach Armstrong for the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Buddy Roberts tries to get involved, but that brings Bob Armstrong into things, and the Freebirds eat stereo sunset flips at 8:34. Watchable, with very little stalling, thankfully. * ¾ (Original rating: ½*)

Mike Rotunda v Buddy Landel: Rotunda is accompanied to the ring by the winner of some Burger King contest. If I won a contest and the grand prize was walking Captain Mike to the ring to fight Buddy Landel, I'd probably sue them for false advertising. It then gets even better, as the announcers clarify that the contest in question was a WCW themed poetry writing contest, though they don't run the winning piece. OH COME ON! Landel works a side-headlock to start, but he runs into a clothesline as they criss cross, and Mike works a headlock of his own. They trade hammerlocks next, and Mike bodyslams him for two. Hiptoss, but Buddy counters with a short-clothesline, and a fistdrop gets added for two. Abdominal stretch wears Rotunda down, but Mike hiptosses free, so Landel vertical suplexes him instead. 2^nd rope axehandle, but Mike blocks with a punch, and he backelbows Buddy down. Legdrop gets two, so Buddy tries going to the eyes, but Rotunda hooks a backslide for the pin at 5:39. Just enough mojo to not be totally worthless. ½* I'd have went a star if we got to hear the poem. Two-stars if the poem factored into the finish somehow. (Original rating: DUD)

The Fabulous Freebirds are from Badstreet USA, you know. They have a music video saying so, and everything

The Master Blasters v Brad Armstrong and Tim Horner: This is the Blasters debut, which also serves as the pro-debut of Kevin Nash (Steel). Kind of unbelievable to think that he'd be WWF Champion within just over four years, though not unprecedented. Ultimate Warrior debuted as a pro in 1985, and was WWF Champion by 1990. The Blasters toss Horner around the start, but Steel misses a charge. Tim tries to capitalize, but misses a dropkick, and Steel drops an elbow. Iron 'hits' a falling headbutt (it missed by about half a foot), and Brad gets the tag, but runs into a jumping shoulderblock from Iron. The Blasters destroy him with a tandem-clothesline for two, and a powerslam gets two. Steel misses another elbowdrop to allow Armstrong a pair of dropkicks, but a cross corner charge hits boot. Horner tags back in for one last ditch effort, but runs into a tandem-jumping shoulderblock at 4:52. It was energetic, but the Blasters were both really green, and it showed. Iron was especially bad, and not surprisingly was replaced not long after this. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Brian Pillman wants to run the gauntlet... to your heart

Missy Hyatt introduces the 'greatest world champion of ever' Ric Flair, who may also be the only person with hair as big as hers

The Nasty Boys v Terry Taylor and Jackie Fulton: Wow, Taylor wasted no time setting the world on fire after leaving the WWF, did he? A bunch of the crowd on the TV side has either bailed or all simultaneously needed to take a shit, because there are suddenly dozens of empty seats all in one section. I guess the Master Blasters do that to you. Brian Knobs actually gets bounced around by both faces, and even a tag to Jerry Sags doesn't turn things around. To the outside, Sags tries to use the post, but Taylor reverses, and works the arm on the way back in. Bodypress gets two, and Fulton tags in to work the arm as well. The Boys try to turn things around with a double-team on Fulton in the heel corner, but Taylor tags in with a side suplex on Knobs, and Jackie adds a missile dropkick for two. They works Knobs' arm, but Brian manages to catch Terry with a clothesline during a criss cross, and the Boys take over. They cut the ring in half on Terry, but a miscommunication allows the tag to Fulton, and he comes in hot with dropkicks. Bridging German suplex on Knobs is broken up by Sags, however, and Brian powerslams him for Jerry to finish with a flying elbowdrop at 7:11. Much more competitive than I expected it to be, or than it needed to be, really. ** (Original rating: ½*)

Sid Vicious comes out looking like he just got back from auditioning for James Spader's role in a Pretty in Pink remake

Tommy Rich v Bill Irwin: Rich attacks before the bell, but runs into a high knee, and Irwin starts throwing shoulderblocks, but gets hiptossed over the top. Tommy brings him back in hardway, but a fistdrop misses, and Irwin works a wristlock, but Rich side suplexes out for two. Side-headlock wears Bill down, but he manages a sidewalk slam to escape, and he knocks Tommy to the outside. Irwin follows with a forearm off the apron before bringing it back in, but Rich counters a powerslam with a sleeper - Irwin falling into the corner to break. He tries a charge, but Tommy dodges, and a Thesz-press finishes at 3:55. That was energetic as all fuck! * ¾ (Original rating: DUD)

Stan Hansen comes out to make every woman in the audience wet... because they're covered in his chaw

LPWA Title Match: Susan Sexton v Bambi: Feeling out process to start, dominated by Sexton with a toehold. She looks kind of what I'd imagine Charlotte will look like in fifteen years. They trade wristlocks, and Sexton bodyslams her for one. Bambi tries a headlock, and a schoolgirl gets two. Susan blocks a whip into the corner with a 2^nd rope clothesline for two, and a backdrop follows. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop for two, but another backdrop is blocked with an inside cradle - only for Susan to reverse to retain at 4:10. I liked this a lot more the first time around, but that was pre-Divas Revolution. Now, it just looked sloppy and amateurish. DUD (Original rating: * ½)

The Steiner Brothers v Maximum Overdrive: Not just any overdrive - MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE! And this is their debut. The Steiner's are the NWA United States Tag Team Champions (having recently won them from the Midnight Express at a house show), but this is non-title. Scott Steiner starts with Hunter, and destroys him on the mat. The announcers aren't even sure which of them is which, which shows you how much anyone gave a shit about this team. They try to double-team, but the Steiner's easily clean house, so Silencer takes a cheap shot at Rick Steiner. Oh, that's not going to end well, pup. And, indeed, the Brothers quickly finish with Scott DDTing poor Hunter off of Rick's shoulders at 6:25. Way too long. Despite this being their debut, this was pretty much the end of the line for Maximum Overdrive as a team, as Silencer was repackaged as JTTS guy 'JW Storm' a few weeks later. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

Stan Hansen v Tom Zenk: Get ready, ladies! Interesting aisle setup here, as it's the elevated ramp way, but instead of connecting to the side of the ring like it normally does, it connects to the corner. Hansen attacks before the bell, but Zenk lures him into a chase, and tries taking the high ground, but Stan ignores that, and pulls him back out to take his beating. Hansen uses the rail and a chair before bringing Tom back in for a vertical suplex, and an elbowdrop gets two. Zenk tries slugging back, but gets nailed with a headbutt, as Lex Luger appears on the split screen to observe. Stan with a side suplex, so Zenk tries a 2^nd rope bodypress and a pair of dropkicks for two. Charge in the corner misses, however, and the Lariat ends things at 3:18. ½* (Original rating: DUD)

NWA United States Title Match: Lex Luger v Ric Flair: Welcome to the midcard, Ric! Feeling out process to start, with Flair getting dominated, and resorting to cheap shots galore. Lex shrugs them all off and press-slams him, so Flair bails to catch a breather on the outside. Back to business, Flair tries chops, but Luger no-sells and press-slams him again, then SENDS him to the outside with a clothesline over the top! He follows this time for a running clothesline on the floor, so Ric tries going to the eyes, but Luger ignores it, and press-slams him yet again. Lariat leaves Flair begging off, and he pops Luger with a cheap shot, then quickly dumps him to the floor for a whip to the rail before the champ can slam him again. Back in, Flair takes him to school with chops in the corner, and he starts working the leg. Luger hooks a backslide for two as he starts no-selling again, and he turns the tables on Ric in the corner for a ten-punch. Flair tries an inverted atomic drop to escape, but Luger lunges back at him with a lariat for two. Ric tries keeping control with a snapmare for two, but he gets slammed off the top, and Luger hits another press-slam. Powerslam sets up the Torture Rack, so Flair goes to the eyes again, but Lex fights him off with a vertical superplex for two. Ric makes a last ditch effort with a bodypress that sends them both tumbling over the top, but Lex no-sells, so Stan Hansen runs in and attacks for the DQ at 14:26. Kind of half-assed, but even a half-assed Luger/Flair match is better than anything else we've seen tonight. ** ¼ (Original rating: ***)

Main Event: NWA World Title Match: Sting v Black Scorpion: They've really started phasing out the 'NWA' name by this point, as the ring announcer simply refers to it as the 'world heavyweight championship' - not NWA, WCW or otherwise. Scorpion plays mind games and attacks at the bell, hammering Sting in the corner. He chokes the champion down, and they spill to the outside for a quick brawl - Sting dropping him across the rail, but getting nailed low on the way back in. Scorpion keeps pounding him in super dull fashion, but Sting manages a bodyslam, and he goes for the mask - Scorpion raking the eyes to block. More choking in the corner leads to a brawl on the ramp, where Scorpion bodyslams him to setup even MORE choking. Sting tries for the mask again on the way back in, and this time hits a standing dropkick before getting choked down again. Sting with a press-slam and a flying bodypress for two, but Scorpion snapmares him over to setup a kneedrop for two. And more choking, of course. Stinger Splash out of nowhere finishes at 7:45. Thank God. So then, Sting goes for the mask, but Scorpion is wearing another mask underneath, but it doesn't matter anyway, since he's not the real Scorpion - the real one appearing in the aisle. Confused? You're not alone! A really dull, plodding match, with bad transitions, and no resolution to boot. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Jim Ross joins Sting in the ring to discuss the Scorpion, but Sid Vicious shows up to let Sting know that HE'S who he should be worrying about. Sting blows him off, and gets laid out on the ramp to close the show

BUExperience: A terrible show, as WCW really settles into one of their worst periods