WCW Clash of the Champions XXIV (Version II)

Original Airdate: August 18, 1993

From Daytona Beach, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura

Opening NWA & WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Steve Austin and Lord Steven Regal v Arn Anderson and Paul Roma: Regal is subbing for a legit injured Brian Pillman here, and since WCW already had pre-taped footage of the Horsemen as champions due to air, they couldn't postpone the switch. Oh, whoops, SPOILERS. Jesse, of course, has a field day with this. Austin starts with Anderson, and a big criss cross ends in Steve hitting a clothesline and delivering a pointed elbowdrop for two. Arn sweeps him down for a catapult over the top, but Steve hangs on to the ropes, so Anderson backdrops him over the top instead when Austin charges! Austin stalls, so Anderson follows out to force his ass back in, but that allows Steve to evade and tag. Anderson immediately grabs a wristlock, then passes to Paul to pound Regal in the corner. Bodyslam and a dropkick hit, but a cheap shot from Austin stops that effort flat, and Regal delivers a few knees. Tag to Steve for a flying axehandle, and a backelbow follows. Snap suplex gets two, and the London Blonds cut the ring in half on Roma, with even Pillman lending a hand from the floor! Austin runs into a hotshot as they criss cross, but Regal distracts the referee, and he misses the tag to Anderson. The crowd is eating all this up with a spoon. Steven tags in, but Roma fights off a takedown with a leg-feed enzuigiri, and Arn gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! DDT for Austin, but Regal saves before he can execute it. That brings Sir William up onto the apron with Pillman's crutch, but it backfires on Austin, and Anderson schoolboys him at 9:51 - to a huge pop! What a lackluster way to end their reign, but the match itself was good. *** ¼ (Original rating: ** ¼)

2 Cold Scorpio v Bobby Eaton: Eaton is subbing for Regal here, and thank God too, because what a style clash that would have been. Eaton dominates him early on, and dumps him to the outside, but Scorpio flies back in with a slingshot rollup for two. Cool in theory, but the execution was poor. Bobby cuts him off with a clothesline, but misses a cross corner charge, and Scorpio throws a flying bodypress for two. Dropkick and an armdrag leave Bobby down in an armbar, and Scorpio drops a leg across the arm. Bodypress, but Bobby hits the deck this time, and Scorpio wipes out, allowing Eaton to take over. He chokes Scorpio on the ropes before taking him down in a hammerlock, but Scorpio elbows his way out. He lifts Bobby up onto the top turnbuckle for a neat standing dropkick on the top rope to send Eaton to the outside, and Scorpio follows with a plancha! That standing dropkick on the top spot would still be pretty crazy, even today! Of course, it would have helped had the move actually, you know, connected. Inside, Eaton manages a swinging neckbreaker (on the second try, as the botch the first attempt), and he adds a flying elbowdrop for two. Scorpio fights him off with a flurry of kicks, however, and the flying 450 splash quickly finishes at 5:26. I'm honestly surprised Scorpio didn't botch his dance moves, too. Both guys were game, but this was riddled with botches. * ½ (Original rating: ¼*)

Mask v Guitar Match: Johnny B. Badd v Maxx Payne: Added stipulation: loser gives up the superfluous letter in his name! Payne attacks during the entrances, and a sidewalk slam connects. He goes for the mask, but Badd is wearing another one underneath, and he takes Maxx down with a headscissors. Payne cuts him off with a clothesline, and a hammerlock-slam sets up the Payne Killer, but Johnny counters with an inside cradle for two. Payne cuts him off with a clothesline again, and adds a pair of elbowdrops for two. 2^nd rope flying splash misses, however, and Badd actually gets the pin off of it at 2:41. Pretty shitty. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)

A Flair for the Gold: Ric Flair has special guests Sting and Davey Boy Smith out to discuss glittery robes and hair tips, but Sid and Harlem Heat interrupt - Harlem Heat apparently upset at Davey for his bootleg cornrow tips. Davey and Sting tell them to fuck off, or face their new partner for Fall Brawl - The Shockmaster! A flash of fire hits the stage, and Shockmaster bursts through the set in a glittery storm trooper helmet... only he trips, and face plants as he makes his entrance, losing the helmet in the process. It turns out Shockmaster is Fred Ottman (the WWF's Typhoon/Tugboat), and he has the Black Scorpion's voice distortion box to say mean things to the heels about their hair. This is a pretty infamous segment, as Shockmaster's debut has been mocked by everyone from WrestleCrap to the very people involved, and is easily one of the more embarrassing debuts ever - not only to watch as a fan, but for the promotion. It's like that episode of The Office where Michael promises a bunch of kids that he'll pay for their college education, and then has to admit to them that he has nothing. Like that episode, this is so cringe worthy and awkward that it's almost hard to watch. Almost

WCW Television Title Match: Paul Orndorff v Ricky Steamboat: It's probably taking everything in Jesse's being to avoid spending the entire match making fun of the last segment. Poor guy must have been in physical pain there, like that episode of Friends where Chandler makes a New Years resolution to stop making fun of the others. Good to see Steamboat back on a major show again. Feeling out process to start, and Steamboat takes a bump over the top onto the ramp when he misses a jumping shoulderblock during a criss cross. Paul tosses him back in for a flying elbowsmash for two, and he grounds the Dragon in a chinlock. There's some weird lighting going on here. Did Shockmaster blow a fuse, or something? Bodyslam gets two and a hiptoss gets two, both complete with multiple hooked leg cover attempts. Love that! Orndorff with a facebuster for two (and two, and two, and two), so he tosses Ricky to the outside to try for the countout. Steamboat is up quickly, so Paul tries a turnbuckle smash on the way back in, but Steamboat reverses, and delivers a flying tomahawk chop for two. Side suplex gets two, and a series of chops sends the champion over the top. Steamboat dives after him with a plancha, but Orndorff clobbers him on the way back in, and hits a slingshot splash for two. He tries to use the ropes for leverage, but gets busted, and Steamboat hooks a rollup for two. Totally thought that was the finish. Orndorff tries the Piledriver, but Ricky counters with a backslide for two. Flying bodypress, but Paul rolls through for two. He tries a bodyslam, but Ricky counters with an inside cradle for the title at 8:32! Hot finishing segment there. Poor Ricky must have felt great winning the title while knowing that they were already taping Lord Steven Regal with it anyway. ** ½ (Original rating: * ¼)

Backstage, Harley Race promises to punish Ric Flair and Sting by siccing two fat guys dressed in leather and fur on them. Sounds 'bout right

Ric Flair and Sting v The Colossal Kongs: The Kongs look like bootleg Vader's - right down to having Harley Race in their corner. Is that David Flair in the crowd? And, if so, who is that hot blonde beside him? I'm assuming that was Ric's then-current wife? If so, DAMN! Why are they wasting Michael Buffer on a squash match featuring the fucking Kongs? The Kongs charge, but they're such jobbers that Flair doesn't even bother staying in the ring - casually hanging out on the apron as Sting cleans house by himself. Some of the signs in the crowd here are just glorious - like 'Stinger' written so largely that the 'r' ends up on a different line as the rest of the word, or another sign from a couple of 'Rick Flare' fans. Oh, WCW. Both Kongs come back in, so Flair helps Sting clean house this time, and a flying splash finishes at 2:14. The ring introductions took longer than the match. Don't no one tell Wikipedia that though, since they apparently think it lasted over fifteen minutes. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Rick Rude and Equalizer v Dustin Rhodes and Road Warrior Hawk: Hawk (along with Animal) is a hyped mystery partner, as the Road Warriors return to WCW after a three year absence. They've still got their WWF gear on, too. Rude starts with Hawk, and they spend time sizing each other up. Over to Equalizer, but he can't get much in on Hawk, and eats a bunch of clotheslines. He manages to lift his boot to block a corner charge, however, and Rude tags back in to apply a reverse chinlock. Hawk escapes with an electric chair, but instead of doing the drop, he tags to Rhodes to come off the top with a flying clothesline to knock Rude to the mat! Nice! Dustin goes to work, but a monkeyflip is blocked, and Rick clotheslines him. Rude with a flying forearm smash, and he passes to Equalizer to mathematically challenge the Natural. Equalizer with a sloppy backelbow for two (seeing a guy mistime a basic move like that makes you appreciate the difference between a good and bad worker all the more), but he ends up hitting Rude while trying a clothesline, and Hawk gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Hawk press-slams Rude into Equalizer, and he takes both down with a double-clothesline, followed by double-facebusters! Suplex-slam for Rude, and Hawk comes off the top with a flying shoulderblock to knock Dustin on top of Equalizer for the pin at 7:42. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

WCW is giving away the Camaro Road Warrior Animal drove down to the ring tonight, as part of their 'Z to Win' sweepstakes. I guess beggars can't be choosers, but I don't know how much I'd want a car that a half naked sweaty dude covered in sharp spikes drove around. Though, to be fair, that would be true of just about any used Z/28. Poor Tom Zenk probably got screwed out of that gig when the Warriors signed back on

Main Event: WCW World Title Match: Big Van Vader v Davey Boy Smith: If Vader is DQ'd, he loses the belt. Vader wants to start out on the ramp, but Davey shows no fear, charging, and tackling him down. Bulldog delivers a wild hanging vertical suplex on the ramp, then adds a clothesline and a dropkick before clotheslining Vader over the top into the ring. Smith follows in with a slingshot splash, but Vader lifts his knees to block, and starts unloading on his challenger in the corner. Nobody does that quite like Vader! He dumps Davey to the outside, but an avalanche against the rail misses, and Smith drops him front-first across it for good measure - with some redneck fan then deciding to 'help' Vader off the rail by pushing him! The nicest people in Daytona. Smith with a Samoan drop for two on the way back in, but a charge ends badly, and Vader absolutely FLATTENS him with an elbowdrop. I feel like Jim Ross would have had a ball calling this one. Vader with a shoulderblock, and he delivers his own Samoan drop to setup a flying splash for two! Seated senton splash misses, however, and Bulldog hooks the leg for two. Cross corner whip, but Vader reverses him, and adds a splash. I think Smith might be legit loopy, because Vader suddenly goes to a chinlock after unsuccessfully trying to pull him to his feet. Smith escapes and hooks a crucifix for two, so Vader blasts him with a forearm, and goes to town in the corner again. Vader goes up, but Bulldog dropkicks him down off the top, and stomps a mud hole in the corner. Charge hits boot, however, and the Vaderbomb connects for two! The champ decides to go up again with a 2^nd rope flying bodyblock, but Smith counters with a powerslam on the way down - only for the referee to get bumped in the process! Serves them right for having such small rings. Davey keeps coming with a vertical suplex, but Harley Race hustles in to clip the knee, and Vader topples him to retain at 11:00. What is with this building and throwing trash in the ring? Good reflection of Daytona though, from what I remember. Afterwards, Cactus Jack runs out - making his big return to brawl with Vader. Good match, which I found to be much better than the psychologically unsound Slamboree bout. Oddly, in the v1 review, I thought the Slamboree match was better, so who knows. *** ¼ (Original rating: * ¾)

BUExperience: Sure, Shockmaster is one of the most embarrassingly awful things in the history of... well... history, but the rest actually isn’t too bad! Two title changes, a few good matches, the surprise return of the Road Warriors – all good stuff. And, honestly, if you can’t find a way to enjoy the Shockmaster stuff, I can’t help you.