WCW Clash of the Champions XV (Version II)

Original Airdate: June 12, 1991

From Knoxville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone

Opening Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v Tom Zenk and The Young Pistols: That's quite an entourage for the Freebirds. I'm sure that poor girl on their arms was looking across the ring at the pretty boys, and wondering what she did wrong to deserve getting paired with this crew. Jimmy Garvin starts with Zenk, and it quickly breaks down, with the Pistols coming in with stereo flying bodypresses to ward off a triple team. The dust settles on Michael Hayes and Tracy Smothers, but it quickly turns into a brawl again, and Zenk takes both Garvin and Hayes out with a slingshot double-clothesline. Dust settles again on Smothers walking into a triple team, and the Freebirds cut the ring in half on him. That quickly turns into yet another brawl, and the babyfaces put them away with three simultaneous slingshot sunset flips at 4:43. Entertaining enough, but it never really settled into a proper match. * ½ (Original rating: ½*)

Flash and Bash Sweepstakes promo. Apparently, one lucky winner will receive a trip for four to the Great American Bash pay per view, where they will be Ric Flair's personal guests! Boy, I sure hope they tucked some fine print into the official rules on that one

Oz v Johnny Rich: We're treated to the full form entrance again, though luckily the diaper wearing monkey stayed home. Oz destroys him in the corner, and hits a hiptoss, then adds a jumping shoulderblock. Clothesline crumbles poor Rich up, and a big boot leads to a sidewalk slam before the helicopter powerbomb ends it at 1:29. That's a cute choice for a finisher, given the tornado's role in the Wizard of Oz. Somebody had their thinking cap on that day. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

PN News vignette. No wonder their house show business was in the toilet. Would YOU buy a ticket if this goof was promised as "coming to an arena near you"?

Dan Spivey v Big Josh: Sadly, Josh doesn't have the bears with him tonight. They slug it out after a collar-and-elbow goes bad, and Spivey rakes the eyes to stagger him for a headbutt. Cross corner clothesline follows, but Josh manages a spinebuster, and he stays on him with mounted punches. Spivey cuts him off with a Japanese armdrag, however, and a big boot follows. Vertical suplex, but Josh reverses, so Spivey cuts him off again with a clothesline. Another cross corner charge misses, however, and Josh side suplexes him. That draws out Kevin Sullivan, and he whacks Josh with a crutch to allow Spivey to sneak up with a bridging German suplex at 2:49. This was kind of a mess. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

The Danger Zone with special guest Jason Hervey. This dude was seriously banging in-her-prime Missy Hyatt? Seriously? Paul gets a great line here, after noting that Hervey has a new house and a new car, he wonders aloud why his girlfriend is "used merchandise." Wow

Dustin Rhodes v Terrance Taylor: Taylor tries to get cunty early on, so Rhodes quickly gives him a cross corner clothesline for two, and Terrance bails. Back in, Rhodes gives him both versions of the atomic drop, but another cross corner charge misses, and Dustin takes a nice bump to the outside off of it. Taylor follows to ram him into the guardrail, and he vertical suplexes him back in to setup a kneedrop for two. Jawbreaker and a gutwrench sitout powerbomb get two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Dustin manages a sunset flip for two. Rhodes reverses a backslide for two, and a big elbowsmash sends Terrance into the corner for a ten-punch. Rhodes with another inverted atomic drop to setup the Bulldog, but Mr. Hughes is distracting the referee to prevent the count! That brings Ricky Morton in, and the referee disqualifies Taylor at 4:26 - before Ricky even attacks Dustin to turn heel. Nice. The match was actually pretty good before the cheap finish, a lot more focused and direct than the SuperBrawl outing. Plus, that finish is a lot more excusable on TV. ** (Original rating: *)

Johnny B. Badd vignette

Sting v Nikita Koloff: Sting charges right in, but Koloff has the high ground, and quickly pounds him down. Bodyslam and a jumping shoulderblock follow, and Nikita dumps him to the outside for a whip into the rail. Back in, Sting manages a piledriver, but Koloff no-sells, and pounds him down again. Ever since returning, Koloff's matches have been brutal (in the wrong way) as all he seems to bring to the table is punch-kick offense. He redeems himself a bit with a nasty tombstone for two, but takes too long showboating, and gets caught with a sunset cradle for two. Koloff cuts him off with more dull pounding, and a backbreaker is worth two. Koloff then proceeds to throw about three hundred punches and forearms before Sting finally starts mounting a comeback effort by reversing another tombstone, then dodging the Russian Sickle and schoolboying Nikita at 9:33. Painfully boring, especially during the heat segment. * (Original rating: DUD)

PN News comes out to do a rap, accompanied by Salt-n-Pepa. They do said rap, but out comes Johnny B. Badd to protest, probably offended that News is trying to get over by playing such a blatant stereotype

Diamond Studd vignette

Loser Leaves WCW Match: Arn Anderson and Barry Windham v Brian Pillman and El Gigante: To be clear, only the person losing the actual fall must leave. Expect many finger pokes of doom here. Arn starts with Brian, and Pillman quickly backslides him for two, then topples him during a bodyslam attempt for two. Tag to Barry, but Pillman keeps coming with a spinheel kick for two. Reversal sequence doesn't go his way, however, and Barry plants him with a DDT for two. Back to Anderson, but he gets dropkicked to the floor while climbing the ropes, and Pillman dives after him with a springboard bodypress. Brawl breaks out on the way back in, and Brian looks to finish Windham off with a flying bodypress off of Gigante's shoulders, but Anderson saves. Brian powerslams Arn then, but gets shoved off the top rope while climbing by Windham, and pinned at 3:08. Yes, a three minute career match. Only in WCW. Too short to go anywhere as a match, but a lot of fun while it lasted. ** ¼ (Original rating: *)

Great American Bash promo

IWGP Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Masahiro Chono and Hiroshi Hase: The Steiner's are also the WCW World Tag Team Champions, but that isn't on the line here. Oddly, they don't even bring the IWGP belts with them, so the referee just holds up the WCW version - which is technically still the NWA belts that they never replaced since the split. Nice. Scott Steiner starts with Hase, and the challenger immediately tries to shoot for the leg, but that ends badly for him. Scott tries a corkscrew legwhip, but Hase sends him to the outside with an enzuigiri, so Scott delivers a hotshot for two on the way back in. Hase fires back with a savate kick, but gets caught with a northern lights suplex, and Rick Steiner gets the tag. Hase is all 'fuck that,' and passes to Chono. Rick tries a backdrop, but Chono blocks with a nasty big boot, then adds three more - cracking Steiner so hard that his headgear shatters! Brutal! Still, Rick refuses to go down, and he levels Chono with a Steinerline, then passes back to Scott for a powerbomb/flying elbowdrop combination. Rick slugs it out with Chono, but walks into a spinning backfist, and Hase tags in - only to have a German suplex reversed on him. Hase comes back with a wicked backdrop driver, and he tags Chono for a bearhug/flying shoulderblock combo! Chono adds a fallaway slam to setup a flying kneedrop from Hase, and Chono goes for the kill with an STF, but the referee is busy moderating a brawl between Scott and Hase. Scott gets the better of that before saving Rick, and we have a double-knockout. Both men get tags, and Scott blitzes Hase with a clothesline and a tilt-a-whirl slam. Double-underhook powerbomb leads to an overhead superplex, but Chono saves at two. Scott keeps coming with a vertical suplex, but Hase counters with a well executed bridging dragon suplex - only for Rick to save at two! That triggers a brawl, and Roseanne Barr the door! The challengers go for the kill on Scotty, but Hase walks into the Frankensteiner at 8:14. That's a lot of stuff packed into eight minutes. Could have used more in the way of a heat segment or psychology (not to mention about five more minutes), but still awesome. Just brutally stiff action here. **** (Original rating: *** ¼)

Tommy Rich v Diamond Studd: Studd attacks before the bell, and abuses him in the corner. Chokeslam and a few turnbuckle smashes setup a sidewalk slam, but Rich manages to lift his knees to block a 2^nd rope pump-splash, and he unloads some turnbuckle smashes of his own. 2^nd rope flying bodypress misses, however, and Studd hits the Diamond Death Drop at 1:59. Man, guys named Rich are not having a good night against the Outsiders here tonight. Just a squash. What a stupid way to get someone over. Whatever happened to some old fashioned rapping and C-list celebrity association? That's the ticket! ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Jim Ross interviews the winner of a Sting lookalike contest, and Sting joins them at ringside to make the kids day. Unfortunately for them, Nikita Koloff shows up, and lays Sting out with a chain, then threatens to beat the kid as well, until his mother jumps the rail to stand in front of him. That's fucking awesome! If they tried that today, the kid would be in therapy, and the promotion would be forced to pay for it

WCW Bruise Cruise promo

#1 Contender's Match: Lex Luger v Great Muta: Luger is the WCW United States Champion here, but that isn't on the line. And unlike all the other guys still carrying around the old NWA belts, Luger actually has the new WCW version of his belt, which would last right up until the three-plate version replaced it in early 1996. Feeling out process to start, until Muta throws a roundhouse kick, but Luger ducks, and side suplexes him for two. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Muta dodges, and hits a backdrop. Luger responds with a press-slam, but a cross corner charge misses, and Muta lands a spinkick. Handspring elbow misses, however, and Muta bumps to the outside off of it. Lex tries to vertical suplex him back in, so Muta blocks with the mist, but Luger manages to avoid it, and hit a quick powerslam for the pin at 3:44. Not much here. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

Steve Austin vignette. In a pretty major gaffe, Austin is shown wearing the TV Title in his video, though the match where he won it hadn't aired yet, and he wasn't acknowledged as the champion at this point. Whoopsie doodle

Steve Austin v Joey Maggs: What a set on Lady Blossom. And apparently Maggs is too busy admiring them, as he walks right into the Stungun at 0:25. They must be running long here. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Black Blood vignette

The York Foundation comes out to formally introduce their newest member, Richard Morton. He could have at least cut off the damned mullet first. Robert Gibson comes out to protest it, but gets beat down until Dustin Rhodes makes the save

Main Event: WCW World Title Two-out-of-Three Falls Match: Ric Flair v Bobby Eaton: Bobby is the WCW Television Champion here, but that isn't on the line. Also, he's already kinda dropped it to Steve Austin, but as noted earlier, that match hasn't aired yet. So he both is and isn't the champion, anyway. They note that Eaton has transitioned into singles competition 'after winning every tag title available in WCW.' All two of them. They slug it out early, with Eaton getting the better of the champion, and clotheslining him over the top. Flair stalls to kill the momentum, then unloads on Bobby with chops as he heads back in, but Eaton doesn't back down, and flops Flair with rights. Cross corner whip sets up a backdrop for two, and Ric stalls to again break the momentum. He tries a cheap shot, but Bobby fights him off with a hiptoss, and grounds the champion with a short-armscissors. Ric gets the ropes and bails, but Eaton gets annoyed at having his momentum stalled again and chases, only to get clobbered when Flair takes the high ground. Inside, Flair tosses Bobby into the turnbuckles, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. Butterfly suplex gets two when Ric gets caught using the ropes, so he goes up, but Eaton slams him off, and a cross corner whip flips Flair to the outside. Right back in for a side slam backbreaker, and a swinging neckbreaker follows. Bodyslam sets up the Alabama Jam, and the challenger scores the first fall at 9:45. Eaton keeps coming with a hiptoss, and a backslide is worth two. Flair tries a bodyslam, but Bobby topples him for two, and hits another swinging neckbreaker to setup the Jam, but Flair is stirring. Eaton comes down to wallop him again to make sure, but Ric recovers in time, and knocks him to the floor from the top as he climbs for a countout at 11:42. That fucks up Bobby's knee, and Flair zeroes right in on it, but Eaton manages a second wind, and vertical superplexes the champion for two. Flair quickly cuts him off with a leg-hook side suplex, and he goes right into the Figure Four - blatantly using the ropes. That forces a break, but also does major damage to the knee, as planned. Back to the hold, but Eaton counters with an inside cradle for two, so Flair clips the knee. Back to the Figure Four, and poor Bobby is done - getting pinned in the hold at 14:26. Good stuff. *** (Original rating: ** ¾)

BUExperience: This is an episode that would have benefitted tremendously from a ‘less is more’ approach. There were a few interesting bouts, but with eleven matches booked, as well as an abundance of extracurricular activities, there was just way too much going on, and nothing had time to properly breath. I mean, career and top contenders matches wrapped up in three minutes bell-to-bell? Get real