WCW Slamboree 1994 (Version II)

Original Airdate: May 22, 1994

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

Opening WCW United States Title Match: Steve Austin v Johnny B. Badd: Feeling out process to start, as we spot Sensuous Sherri out in the crowd taking notes. The crowd is filled with ECW regulars tonight (it's like a super fan convention here, with Vlad, Vito, Faith No More Guy, Hawaiian Shirt Guy, etc all sitting up front), and they are not shy about voicing their opinions throughout. They trade armbars for an extended period, before Badd throws a bodypress for two, but runs into a knee when coming off the ropes. He manages a small package for two to shake Austin off, and a drop-toehold puts the US Champion back in an armbar. Criss cross goes Austin's way with a clothesline, and that's enough to turn the tide. Steve stomps Johnny in the corner, and a ropechoke includes some illegal abuse from Colonel Robert Parker. You know what would have been an awesome thing to see happens just once? When the heel manager cheats in full view of the camera, how amazing would it have been if the cameraman ratted him out to the referee? Austin with a vertical suplex to set up a kneedrop for two, and he grounds his challenger in a crossface. Snapmare and a kneedrop set up a 2^nd rope flying kneedrop, but Badd blocks by lifting his own knees. Austin tries to keep control with a gutwrench suplex, but Badd reverses, so Steve tries an elbowdrop, but Badd dodges! Austin hammers away in the corner, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Johnny backdrops him. Badd mounts his comeback with a clothesline and a bodyslam, followed by a dropkick. Kneelift connects, so Parker hops onto the apron, and the referee is distracted - missing Johnny hooking Austin in an Oklahoma roll. Austin tries to capitalize, but accidentally hits his manager, and Johnny schoolboys for two. Flying sunset flip gets a close two, so Johnny tries a side suplex, but Austin is able to land on top of him to retain at 16:14. Finish looked a little botched, and the match took forever to get going, but it was certainly competent. * (Original rating: ¾*)

Legends Match: Terry Funk v Tully Blanchard: Gordon Solie takes over for Schiavone on commentary for this one. Kind of hilarious that this is being presented as an old timers match, when Tully was John Cena's current age, and Funk still had a world title run ahead of him, not to mention multiple runs in both WCW and the WWF. Hell, Vader is only a year younger than Tully, and he's main eventing tonight! And let's not even get started on Flair. Both guys are super popular with this crowd, especially Funk. Hawaiian Guy nearly cums his pants at the mere sight of Funk. They brawl on the outside to start, and in, Tully hits a vertical suplex. Back to the outside, where Funk steals a pair of crutches from a ringside fan - leaving the poor referee scrambling to return them, while Terry hits Tully with an atomic drop on the outside. Awesome! Back in, Funk delivers a neckbreaker, then right back out - this time onto the ramp, where Funk controls with chops. He grabs a board to use as a weapon, then takes Tully back into the ring - piledriving him through the wooden board in the corner! Back out to the ramp, Funk drops Blanchard with a DDT, then back into the ring for another piledriver. The ECW fans are just loving this. Terry goes up with a flying moonsault, but Blanchard rolls out of the way, and gets a two count out of it. He hammers Funk in the corner, but a reversed cross corner whip takes out the referee. That allows Terry the freedom to bring a chair into play, and he decides to piledrive Tully off the top rope onto it, but they mess it up, and both just kind of collapse to the mat. Well, it's the thought that counts, I suppose? They brawl onto the ramp again, where Terry uses his branding iron, and the referee has had enough - calling for a double disqualification at 7:22. This was straight out of ECW - wild, crazy, and action packed. A perfect fit for this crowd, though it made the WCW guys in the opener look lame in comparison. *** (Original rating: * ¼)

Lord Steven Regal v Larry Zbyszko: Regal is the WCW Television Champion at this point, but this is non-title. Now, I know this is going to come as a complete surprise to many of you, but there's a big stall session to start here. I know, I was shocked too. Larry dominates the early going, and is quick to slap on an abdominal stretch, as we see Sherri taking notes from the audience again. Regal escapes with a hiptoss, so Zbyszko tries an armbar, but Steven is in the ropes. He manages to take Larry down to the mat for a bit, but Zbyszko is in the ropes himself, so Regal starts throwing uppercuts. Backelbow gets two, so Regal tries half-nelson crossface, then pops Zbyszko with a forearm to knock him out of the ring. Back in, Regal starts throwing uppercuts, so Larry tries to counter into a backslide, but Regal counters back to a modified surfboard. He shifts it down into the Regal Stretch, but Zbyszko isn't playing along, so Steven beats on him with more uppercuts. Larry gets pissed, and starts slugging back, then grabs a sleeper. Regal quickly escapes with a stunner, but a butterfly suplex is countered with a backdrop into a cradle for the pin at 11:36 - drawing a huge pop from the crowd! A little too stall heavy in the early going, but decent. * (Original rating: *)

Gordon Solie hosts the WCW Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, with Lou Thesz at his side to hand out plaques. He brings out inductees Harley Race, Assassin, Ole Anderson, Ernie Ladd, Crusher, and Dick the Bruiser (posthumously, represented by his family). Very different than the WWE's fun pre-WrestleMania versions we see today, as kayfabe was still in effect so we don't get funny road stories – basically just Solie reading off a career retrospective for each, and then each guy coming out to accept a plaque. The segment ran a bit long, but wasn't pointless.

Bullrope Match: Dustin Rhodes v Bunkhouse Buck: This is pinfall/submission rules, not four corners. Rhodes doesn't even let him get the rope on, attacking as soon as Buck hits the ring. He knocks Bunkhouse to the outside, then decides to use the rope as a noose to pull Buck up from the floor, and over the top. He continues to choke Buck with the rope on the inside, then ties it to Bunkhouse's wrist good and proper. Rhodes dominates a slugfest, and an elbowsmash puts Buck down for a stomp right to the groin. Dustin with a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for two, and he uses the ropes to crotch Buck, then beats on his leg with the attached cowbell. Atomic drop and a clothesline connect, but Buck is in the ropes to prevent a cover, so Dustin punishes him by working the leg again. He bashes it against the post a few times, then chokes Buck with the ropes some more. Man, this match has been all Dustin so far. He works a leglock, so Buck pulls Rhodes' t-shirt over his head to blind him, then beats on him with the cowbell. Buck grabs a belt and lashes Rhodes next, then pulls him to the outside for a shot against the post. Buck uses the ropes to tie Dustin to the post out there, and he goes to town on him, but Dustin slugs back - going low on Bunkhouse! Buck looks just like Eric Clapton while selling a low blow. Dustin gets himself untied, and they head back in, where Buck finds a bodyslam. He goes up, but Rhodes crotches him on the top turnbuckle to stop the effort, and there's Eric again. Dustin follows him up for a series of elbowsmashes, then slams Bunkhouse down for two. Rhodes whips him from corner to corner, but the referee gets bumped in the process, and Colonel Robert Parker is heading in as Dustin hits a vertical suplex. Parker's presence allows Buck a sneak attack, but an attempt at a double team backfires, and Rhodes bashes Buck with the bell for the pin at 12:46. Afterwards, Terry Funk runs down with the branding iron to attack Rhodes, though with this crowd, that hardly makes him a heel. Not quite as balls to the wall as the Spring Stampede match, but still a pretty solid brawl. ** (Original rating: ½*)

WCW World Title Match: Ric Flair v Barry Windham: Windham is a hyped mystery opponent, making his return for the first time since losing to Flair at Beach Blast ten months prior. Jesse Ventura takes over for Heenan on commentary for this one. Barry pounds Ric in the corner right away, so Flair responds with some chops, but Windham is carrying a lot of extra... uh... padding here, and powers through. Bodyslam hits, so Flair bails to the outside to break the momentum, and he's able to take a few shots at the leg on the way back in. That rattles the challenger, and Flair tries a cross corner whip, but it backfires when Windham barrels out of the corner with a clothesline. Another clothesline sends the Nature Boy over the top, and Windham follows to ram the champion's face into the rail out there. Windham vertical suplexes him in from the apron to set up a legdrop, and a snapmare leads to a chinlock. Barry isn't shy about using the ropes for leverage, and a corner whip flips Flair to the floor - where Colonel Robert Parker gets his licks in. Busy night for him tonight. Barry with an atomic drop out there, and another vertical suplex brings Ric in from the apron again. Windham corners him for a ten-punch, so Flair uses an inverted atomic drop to escape, but a trip to the top ends in the champion crotched. Windham vertical superplexes him down for two, so Flair starts lobbing chops to buy time, and he actually manages to flop the challenger! Ric with an impressive hanging vertical suplex on the much larger challenger, and he sweeps Barry down for the Figure Four! Windham escapes, so Flair tries again, but Barry blocks this time. Undeterred, Flair gets it on after another try, but he's too close to the ropes, and has to release. He comes off the top with a flying axehandle to set up a kneedrop for two, so Ric hits another kneedrop. Slugfest goes Windham's way, but a criss cross ends in Flair throwing a bodypress that sends both combatants over the top. Back in, Flair hammers his challenger with right hands, and a somersault cradle is worth two, so Windham goes low. He dumps Ric to the outside to allow Parker to work him over while the challenger recovers, but Flair fights him off and tries a slingshot sunset flip, but Windham counters with a cradle - only to get caught using Parker for leverage. He still manages a schoolboy for two, and another corner whip flips Flair to the apron, but Ric runs the apron to the top rope for a flying bodypress to retain at 13:22. Well paced action here, with Flair working hard to get something out of a largely unmotivated Windham. Despite the big return, this would mark Barry's only match for 1994, and his last appearance for WCW until late 1998. ** ¾ (Original rating: **)

WCW World Tag Team Title Broad Street Bully Match: The Nasty Boys v Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan: Dave Schultz is the special guest referee for this one, and the stipulations are basically just another street fight, like last month. Ventura is still sitting in for Heenan here. Big brawl to start, duh. It doesn't take long to spill to the outside, and into the crowd, where Sullivan uses that crutch from earlier on Brian Knobbs, and Cactus uses a chair on Jerry Sags. The ECW faithful are eating it up with a spoon, while little kids who came to see Sting are terrified out of their minds. Sags goes wild with a chair and some electrical cable on Cactus, then grabs a fire extinguisher to beat him with. Jack responds by using a trashcan, as Kevin gives Knobbs a piledriver on the ramp, followed by a double stomp. At ringside, Jack tries a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop onto Knobbs, but Brian dodges, and Jack crash lands on a trashcan. Knobbs punctuates it by throwing a chair at him, full force, then beating on him with the can for a bit. Sags decides to steal a camera from a fan, which he uses to whip Cactus with (Remember, this is 1994, cameras were fucking big. Also, expensive. Poor fan), and Knobbs tees off on Jack's head with a chair! Sullivan saves with his own chair shot, and he whips Brian into a clothesline from Jack, but Sags comes over wildly swinging the trash can to save. That allows Jack to clothesline Knobbs over the top from the ramp to the ring, and he hits a legdrop in there. Knobbs bails, so Sullivan dives off the apron with a flying axehandle, as Jack decides to head out to fight Sags on the ramp. That backfires when Jerry tosses his ass off the ramp and through a table, then beats on him with a lighting stand. Back at ringside, Sullivan is using anything he can find in the crowd to pound on Brian, as Jack suplexes a table onto Sags over by the entrance set. Everyone ends up over by the entrance set, where a fire extinguisher goes off. Back to the ring, where Knobbs chokes Sullivan with some tape on the outside, as Sags comes off the top with a flying elbowdrop on Cactus. He neglects covering, instead deciding to grab the referee's hockey stick, but big Dave pulls it away from him. Sags gives him some lip over it, so Schultz kicks the crap out of him, and Jack whacks Jerry with the stick for the pin at 9:34! The Spring Stampede match didn't hold up for me, with shit like the obviously fake merchandise stand annoying me, but this was the opposite. Totally wild, stiff, crazy action here - and just what the Philly crowd wanted to see. I'd have preferred to see Jack and Sullivan get the job done on their own, but the Schultz finish popped the crowd big, and fit in with the general chaos of this one. A tremendous brawl, and one of the few times WCW really hit it out of the park in terms of paying off an angle. **** ¼ (Original rating: ***)

Main Event: WCW International World Title Match: Sting v Vader: This is for the vacant title, vacated when Rick Rude suffered a legit career ending injury while winning the title in a match against Sting over the title in Japan. They size each other up a bit to start, and despite the crowds assurances earlier, they are very hostile towards the Stinger here. Sting tries to keep his distance, but gets trapped in the corner, and walloped by the mastodon. Nobody does that like Vader! Sting holds his own, and manages to beat the mask off of the big man, and Vader bails to regroup on the outside. Back in, Sting is ready with an impressive hanging vertical suplex, but he makes the mistake of getting into a pissing contest with Vader over a shoulderblock, and you can guess how that one goes. Vader with an elbowdrop and the Vaderbomb for two, and in a nice touch, the referee even bounces off the mat to sell the impact of the move! Another Vaderbomb, but Sting is in the ropes, so the mastodon shoulderblocks him down, then works a step over-toehold. He shifts it into an arm-trap version, and he offers Sting the opportunity to quit. Sting refuses, so Vader makes him suffer with some brutal mounted punches, and he stays on the leg with a few kicks to set up a leglock. Sting gets out of it, and starts throwing a wild flurry of punches to put Vader down, then dives onto him with an elbowdrop. Vader recovers first anyway, and he ties Sting up on the mat again, but can't get the pin. He works a knucklelock, but Sting slugs free - only for a jumping clothesline to end up taking out the referee, and Vader to hit him with a chokeslam. No referee to count, so Harley Race grabs a chair, but ends up hitting his man - in a weak shot. That allows Sting a DDT, but Vader is out at a dramatic two count. Clothesline knocks Vader over the top, a vertical suplex brings him back in, and another clothesline sends him right back out! Back in for the Stinger Splash, but Vader catches him in a slam, and he goes up for the Vadersault, but Sting moves! Cover, so Race comes off the top with a flying headbutt - only to land on Vader again, allowing Sting a flying splash for the belt at 13:54! Not as good as some of their earlier efforts, but they have enough chemistry that even the lesser works are still good. *** (Original rating: *** ¼)

BUExperience: Along with the superior Spring Stampede, this was quite the one-two punch for WCW, especially coming off of a weak 1993 on pay per view. A truly fun ‘send the fans home happy’ show (something WCW was often clumsy at pulling off), in front of a divergent crowd that made for an interesting atmosphere. Especially because the bookers knew their audience, and booked stuff that they’d actually want to see, instead of doing the opposite just to spite them, and then grumbling about ‘Bizzaro World.’ This was like an ECW show, only with better production values.

The entire direction of the promotion was about to radically change in the coming months with the signings of Hulk Hogan and his parade of pals, but if this was the farewell card to WCW’s first chapter, it makes for a good one.

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