WCW Clash of the Champions XVII (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 19, 1991

From Savannah, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone

Opening Lumberjack Match: Big Josh v Thomas Rich: Rich attacks as Josh climbs into the ring, and goes right to work with right hands as Josh gets tangled up in his own jacket. Josh starts no-selling and hits an atomic drop, but Rich can't bail due to the lumberjacks, and eats a belly-to-belly suplex to setup the logroll. Mounted punches batter Thomas, and he bails, but quickly gets forced back in, and takes a backdrop for two. Rich manages to dump him to the outside for some abuse by the heel lumberjacks, and Thomas hits a clothesline on the way back in. Rich with a backelbow and a pointed elbowdrop for two, but Josh starts slugging at him, so Thomas uses his wrist tape to choke, along with some help from the heel lumberjacks. Apparently the Young Pistols have turned heel? That's an interesting decision. Rich goes up, but Josh slams him down off the top, and delivers a snap suplex for two. Big criss cross then sees Terrance Taylor trip his fellow York Foundation member Rich, and Josh hits the Northern Exposure at 6:03. Mostly punch-kick stuff here, but there was no resting. * (Original rating: ¼*)

Bobby Eaton v Firebreaker Chip: Bobby controls in the early going, and Chip blows a bunch of stuff before hitting a sloppy 2^nd rope flying bodypress for two. Guy bit off more than he could chew there, repeatedly. Chip works a side-headlock, and adds a flying clothesline for two, but Bobby wrestles him down in a hammerlock. Chip manages to reverse and shift into a cradle for two, but runs right into a nice clothesline as he tries a corner charge, and Bobby adds a backbreaker for two. Bodypress follows, but Chip rolls through for two, and hooks a backslide for two. Rollup gets two, but Chip hits his head on the turnbuckle, and Eaton hits a side suplex for the pin at 4:51. Chip is a conundrum from my perspective. On the one hand, he was atrociously bad, and was constantly blowing moves that he had no business attempting in the first place, but on the other, he always tried really hard, which makes it difficult to hate on him too much. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Starrcade promo

Tony Schiavone brings Sting out for an interview on the ramp, as the Stinger prepares to receive his third (and final) mystery box, with the idea being that tonight he'd finally learn who has been behind these boxes. The box is carried out by what appears to be a bunch of WBF rejects, and Madusa ends up coming out of it. She takes a page out of Sensational Sherri's book and basically offers to blow the Stinger on live TV, but it turns out to be a ruse, as Lex Luger pops out, and attacks - revealing himself as the final boss. Well, at least now we know why he ended up in the WBF a few months later. It was a covert-op!

WCW Television Title Match: Steve Austin v PN News: Oddly, the Network version of this skips over Sting getting taken out of the building in an ambulance, along with the quickie Diamond Studd/Tom Zenk match that aired alongside of it in split screen. Austin attacks at the bell, but gets slammed by an angry News, and beat down in the corner. News with a clothesline, so Steve tries bailing, but gets pulled back in for a bodyslam, and News adds an elbowdrop. They spill to the outside, where Steve tries whipping him into the guardrail, but gets reversed, then back in as Austin tries a bodyslam, but gets toppled for two. News with a poorly executed dropkick and a sloppy vertical suplex, but he manages to do a good job with a snapmare for two. Steve dumps him onto the ramp before News can fuck up any more spots, but ends up getting backdropped back in by the challenger, and caught in a bearhug. News quickly turns it into a belly-to-belly suplex for two, but gets distracted by Lady Blossom on the outside, and Austin dives onto him with a plancha. He sends him into the rail for good measure, then back in for a leveraged cradle to retain at 4:21. News looked terrible, but this was all action, and Austin did his best to carry him by bumping around for the whole match. ¾* (Original rating: ½*)

Cactus Jack v Van Hammer: Hammer gets a special music video as he makes his entrance, which definitely falls firmly into the 'so bad, it's good' category. One woman in the crowd seems to dig it, at least. And, hey, if you can reach even one person, you've done your job. And Van Hammer can certainly do a job. Jack attacks him from behind, but walks into a side suplex, and Hammer sends him to the outside with a dropkick, then dives after him with a plancha. Back in, Hammer throws a big boot, then bodyslams Cactus to setup a legdrop for two. They should have known right then and there that he wouldn't be the next Hulk Hogan. Jack fires back with a one-handed bulldog and a Cactus-clothesline sends them over the top - Jack adding a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop out there! Slugfest goes Jack's way, but a cross corner whip doesn't, and Hammer delivers a flying kneedrop for two. Shoulderblock sends Cactus back to the outside, but he whacks Hammer with his own guitar when Van tries to go after him, then covers for the pin at 4:06. Jack keeps attacking him even after the bell, but ends up taking a slingshot suplex onto the elevated ramp, and they brawl back to the dressing rooms. Very energetic stuff here, with tons of effort from the usually terrible Hammer, and a reliably strong performance from Cactus. ** ½ (Original rating: DUD)

Eric Bischoff calls in from the local medical center with an update on Sting

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Enforcers v Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat: They've finally replaced the NWA tag belts with new WCW logo ones. Steamboat is, of course, a hyped mystery partner to replace the injured Barry Windham, in one of the more legendary reveals. Arn Anderson starts with the Dragon, and gets blitzed with chops, so the champ throws a cheap shot and tries to double team in the corner, but Steamboat fights both Enforcers off! That quickly turns into a brawl on the outside between all four men, with the challengers controlling, and taking the high ground. The dust settles on Larry Zbyszko and Steamboat, with Steamboat working a headlock before passing out to Dustin. The challengers utilize quick tags to work Zbyszko over, targeting the champions arm as they control the match. Arn manages to get the tag and takes over on the young Rhodes, and isn't afraid to cheat on his way to delivering a flying axehandle. Cross corner charge hits boot, however, and Dustin knocks him to the outside - Rhodes celebrating as if he just won the world title, or something. Like, chill, dude. Dust settles on Larry and Ricky, and the Dragon controls with a savate kick, but gets suckered into a chase, and clobbered by Anderson. The Enforcers quickly follow-up with a tandem move, and Zbyszko hits a vertical suplex for two. The champs cut the ring in half on Steamboat, and Ricky is opening tapping out during a Boston crab, but since this is 1991, it doesn't mean shit yet. A double-knockout spot with Anderson ends in Ricky dodging the dazed Enforcer coming off the top rope, and he gets the hot tag to Dustin! He's a barn of fire, and he catches Arn with the Bulldog, but the Enforcers fail to notice a blind tag to Ricky in the process - the Dragon diving onto Anderson with a flying bodypress to win the title at 14:48! Nice finish there, to a good formula tag match. I know a lot of people consider this to be one of the all time great tag matches, but I just don't quite see it. It's good, and certainly an excellent example of how the formula should be applied, but I just don't get a whole lot else out of it. *** ¼ (Original rating: ***)

Jushin Thunder Liger vignette

Jim Ross brings Paul E. Dangerously out for a ringside interview, where Paul notes that both he and Rick Rude are ashamed that they ever even met Lex Luger. Also, according to the contract, if Sting doesn't make it to the ring by bell time, he will forfeit the United States Title to Rude

Eric Bischoff checks in from the hospital again, where he informs Sting that he's in danger of forfeiting the title tonight

WCW Light Heavyweight Title Match: Brian Pillman v Johnny B. Badd: Badd works the champ over with his Golden Gloves routine early on, but runs into a backdrop, and gets dropkicked over the top onto the ramp. Brian quickly follows with Air Pillman, but Johnny counters a piledriver with a backdrop out there, then sends Pillman flying off the ramp into the rail. Hey, he wanted Air Pillman, Johnny gave Pillman air. Brian manages a slingshot shoulderblock for two on the way back in, however, and a powerslam sets up a flying splash - only for Badd to lift his knees to block! Johnny with a backelbow for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying axehandle - only for Pillman to knock him out of the sky with a dropkick! Jumping clothesline follows, and Brian wins a criss cross with a spinheel kick for two. Badd returns fires with his own jumping clothesline, and a flying sunset flip looks to finish, but the referee is distracted by Badd's own manager, Teddy Long! That allows Brian to recover, and a sloppy schoolboy retains at 4:20. Afterwards, Badd knocks Long on his ass with a left hook to turn face. Not as good as their later match at Fall Brawl in '95, but leaps and bounds ahead of their shitty Great American Bash effort a few months before this. *** (Original rating: ** ¾)

WCW United States Title Match: Sting v Rick Rude: Rude and Dangerously come out to formally accept their forfeit title win, but not so fast - Sting has stolen an ambulance, and is hightailing it into the building! Rude meets him on the ramp to brawl, but Sting fights him off with a press-slam out there - aggravating his knee in the process. The leg slows him down as he sends Rick into the ring, and Rude is able to rake the eyes, but Sting still manages to gutpunch him out of the air as the challenger attempts a flying axehandle. Sting adds a backdrop and some turnbuckles smashes, then clotheslines Rude over the top. Rick sweeps him off his feet and wraps the bad knee around the post before Sting can follow-up though, and he hits the flying axehandle on the way back in. Rude Awakening looks to finish, but Sting counters with a short-clothesline, so Rude counters back with a thumb to the eye. Sting responds with a series of rights, but Rude clips the knee as he flops to the mat, and Dangerously bashes Sting over the head with his cell phone to give Rick two. Sting manages a DDT, so Paul hops up onto the apron again - the distraction allowing Rude to clip the knee again, and that's enough to crown a new champion at 4:53. It would have been funny if cops then immediately hit the ring and arrested Sting for grand theft auto. The match was too short to be much, but it still managed to be dramatic and entertaining, and was a great angle. ** ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

Starrcade promo

Tony Schiavone catches up with Rude, Dangerously, and Madusa backstage, where they gloat over their big coup

Starrcade promo

Jim Ross brings an injured Ron Simmons down for a ringside interview regarding his hopes of one day becoming the first black world champion

Main Event: WCW World Title Match: Lex Luger v Rick Steiner: Feeling out process to start, with Steiner dominating on the mat, and Lex stalling. Criss cross ends in Rick hitting a powerslam for two, and he Steinerlines Luger out of the ring for more stalling. What happened to this guy? It's like the moment they finally put the belt on him, he became ridiculously lazy. And it wasn't even a slow descent (like, say, Scott Steiner), he was an amazing performer at the start of '91. Steiner backdrops the champ and hits a German suplex for two, so Lex goes to the eyes, and crotches him on he top rope. A pair of running clotheslines leave Rick down, and Lex works him over. Bodyslam and a pointed elbowdrop get two, so Lex dumps him to the floor for Harley Race to abuse, then follows out to send Rick into the rail. Back in, that's all only worth two, and Steiner starts no-selling before coming back with another powerslam for two. Flying bulldog is worth two, and an overhead superplex follows, so Mr. Hughes runs in. Scott Steiner takes him out with a Frankensteiner, so Race gets involved again, and Luger manages to snag the title belt in the chaos - whacking Rick with it to retain at 11:31. Terrible finish to an already lackluster main event, with Luger brazenly phoning his performance in. * ¾ (Original rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: The best Clash in a long while. Like, literally years. With two big title changes, and a strong, show long angle with Sting, this was easily the most entertaining WCW has been since before Ric Flair split over the summer. A lot of this (especially the two title changes, and the angles surrounding them) felt like they would have normally been part of the upcoming Starrcade, but with that show being dedicated to the gimmicky Lethal Lottery concept, we got it on free TV.

I should also note that the Network version of this cuts out one match, as well as some angles. I’m not sure why.