WCW SuperBrawl VI (Version II)

Original Airdate: February 11, 1996

From St. Petersburg, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan

Opening Street Fight: The Nasty Boys v The Public Enemy: Am I the only one who always figured the Enemy were about the same age? Am I alone in being shocked that Rocco Rock was well into his forties at this point, while Johnny Grunge was still in his twenties? Big brawl to start, duh. The Enemy quickly dump them to the outside, where Brian Knobbs is able to take control from Grunge using a beverage, while Rock runs up the aisle to grab a table, but gets it swatted away from him by a chair wielding Jerry Sags. When wrestling promotions started storing stacks of tables underneath the rings at every show, it must have been a total game changer for hardcore wrestlers. Grunge grabs a chair to go after Sags with, allowing Rock to keep dragging the table down the aisle to ringside, where he's able to put Knobbs on it. Not very well, however, and Brian slides off and slams Rocco through the table for two. Sags goes up the aisle to retrieve more weapons, returning with a trashcan to beat on Grunge with. Sags plants him with a piledriver onto the can for two, but Grunge gets hold of the flattened weapon, and beats on Jerry with it. Meanwhile, Knobbs and Rock have brawled over to the fake merchandise stand near the entrance area, where Rocco vertical suplexes Brian through a table. Those fake stands are a pet peeve of mine. Sags and Grunge make their way over to the stand area as well, and everyone trades weapon shots like there's no tomorrow. Sags manages to suplex a table onto Rock, but Grunge attacks with a chair, then starts beating on Knobbs with it like he's got a personal problem with him. The Enemy get control, and put Knobbs onto a table, allowing Rock to dive off of a barricade with a flying somersault senton splash, but Brian moves! Rock took a pretty painful looking bump there, right on the concrete. And it's enough to finish him off at 7:50. A pretty entertaining brawl. * ¾ (Original rating: **)

WCW Television Title v $6,600,000 Match: Johnny B. Badd v Diamond Dallas Page: What kind of idiot puts up 6.6 million bucks against a wrestling belt? And the least prestigious singles belt in the promotion, at that. DDP tries to give Kimberly flowers before the bell, but she wants no part of it, and Badd jumps him on the outside. Johnny controls a brawl out there, and hits a slingshot legdrop for two on the way inside. Page stalls, and gets dominated in a reversal sequence, ending in Johnny hooking a backslide for two. Dallas tries a cheap shot, but Badd counters the resulting suplex with a small package for two, and he traps Page in an armbar. Dallas uses a hotshot to escape, and he drops an elbow downstairs to turn the tide. Page with a gutwrench stomachbreaker, but he gets cocky, and Badd sunset cradles him for two. That earns Johnny a stomping, and Dallas DDTs the champion - stopping to hit on Kimberly between moves. She's unimpressed, allowing Badd a schoolboy for two, but Page pounds him back down before Johnny can follow up. Page grabs a chinlock, but Johnny escapes, and manages a double-underhook rollup for two before getting pounded down again. Badd is really getting good at timing his hope spots. Johnny starts throwing punches to mount a comeback, and this time is able to keep it going with a flying axehandle, followed by a little payback via an elbowdrop below deck. Flying sunset flip gets him two, and a sitout powerbomb is worth two. Schoolboy for two, so Page goes to the eyes to buy time, and tries a leveraged pin, but only gets two. Tilt-a-whirl tombstone also gets two, so Dallas tries a sleeper, but Johnny uses a stunner to escape before the arm drops for the third time. Badd slaps on a sleeper of his own, but Page makes the ropes to escape. He tries another tombstone, but Badd reverses this time, and that's enough for the pin at 14:56! And, of course, he gives the check to Kimberly afterwards. Sucker. Solid stuff, right on par with their other matches from this period. ** ½ (Original rating: * ½)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Lex Luger v Harlem Heat: Winners defend against the Road Warriors later on. Both teams feel each other out, until Sting manages to hit Booker T with a one-handed bulldog, and Luger tags in to keep things going with some abuse in the corner. Lex with a swinging kneelift for two, and a side suplex for two, but an elbowdrop misses. That allows Booker a sidewalk slam and the Harlem sidekick before passing to Stevie Ray to bodyslam the Total Package. Stevie gives him a second one before putting Lex in a chokehold, and he passes back to Booker, since apparently that's all the moves Stevie Ray knows. The Heat dominate Luger, including Stevie hitting an ugly powerbomb at one point, thus proving that I was right about him simply being out of moves after already running through 'bodyslam' and 'choke.' The Heat were a pretty terrible team in general, but I can't even imagine how bad they'd be without Booker there to carry things. Oh wait, actually yes I can. Let’s not ever forget the suck that was Harlem Heat 2000. Anyway, the Heat continue cutting the ring in half, until Sting just decides to ignore the referee, and come in without a tag. He unloads, and Roseanne Barr the door! Booker eats a Stinger Splash, but Stevie pulls the top rope down as Sting runs them, and the champion takes a spill. That allows Stevie to try another butt ugly powerbomb on Luger, but Road Warrior Animal runs in and nails Stevie, allowing Lex to score the pin at 11:47. See, because the Warriors want Sting and Luger later. Pretty weak stuff, though all the surrounding storylines were interesting, and the promotion did a good job of making the belts seem highly important. ¾* (Original rating: ¾*)

WCW United States Title Match: Konnan v One Man Gang: This whole period is really one of the low points for that title. Gang attacks from behind, and lays into Konnan with some of the weakest shots you'll ever see. Clearly Gang was still working like a man who wasn't expecting a TV camera to be zooming in on him. Konnan fights him off, and spears his challenger to the outside, where Konnan dives off the apron with a somersault senton. Gang manages to snap the champ's throat across the top rope on the way back in, and he hits a legdrop, followed by a blatant chokehold. Stevie Ray and One Man Gang: Harlem Heat 2018! Book it! Gang with a sidewalk slam, and he works Konnan over in the most boring fashion imaginable, as we spot some dude out in the crowd who apparently drives for WCW Motorsports. Poor guy looks like he's embarrassed to be there, and given how terrible this match is, I can't say I blame him. How would you feel if you'd just found out that the company you represented featured shit wrestlers like these two? Anyway, Konnan starts making a super sloppy comeback, but misses a dropkick (a dropkick so sloppy that Gang didn't even have to move away for it to miss), allowing Gang the 747 Splash, but the challenger stupidly stops the count at two. He decides to go up to the middle rope for a flying 747, but Konnan moves, and hits a flying somersault senton to retain at 7:25. Worth noting that Konnan rolled out of the way before Gang even jumped... but then Gang jumped anyway. Really weak match, as their styles clashed, and Gang was a puddle of shit on offense. Konnan was at least trying, but his poor execution throughout wasn't helping matters, and the crowd didn't connect with this at all. A legitimately terrible match, I was way too generous with my rating the first time around. -** (Original rating: -½*)

I Quit Strap Match: Brian Pillman v Kevin Sullivan: In order to quit, you must tell your opponent that you respect them. Pillman charges right in, and they scuffle on the mat until he can unload a couple of shots with the strap. The referee struggles to try to get them to tie it onto their wrists, but they just keep slugging away, until Pillman pulls back, grabs the microphone, and ends it with 'I respect you... booker man' before hightailing it out of there after 0:56. Very infamous angle here, as Sullivan (a booker for WCW at the time) worked out this 'shoot' angle with Pillman in secret to stir up the smartened up portion of the crowd (one of WCW's many such references around this period), but they kept it so secret (pretty much only between themselves) that everyone (the other bookers, the wrestlers, the announcers, the referee) thought it was an actual shoot from Pillman. As part of the angle he worked out with Sullivan, Pillman then asked for a release from his contract (to stir up rumors that it was real), but since the higher-ups weren't aware it was an angle, they gave it to him, and he bolted to ECW for a bit, before winding up in the WWF for the rest of his life. Eric Bischoff later claimed he was in on it, and sent Pillman to ECW as a mole, but I think he was just trying to save face, and they worked everybody with this bit. This marked Pillman's last WCW appearance, and last match of any kind for over a year due to a major car accident he was involved in a couple of months later. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

I Quit Strap Match: Kevin Sullivan v Arn Anderson: This is a legitimate impromptu match, as Anderson (Pillman's fellow Horsemen, and not in on it) runs out (looking like he works for a cruise line, sporting a dress shirt/shorts combo) to try and improvise something with Sullivan to fill time. He pounds Kevin down, and starts unloading with the strap, then starts stomping in his hiking boots. Even for a pro-wrestler, Arn Anderson has some weird style choices. Sullivan crotches him with the strap to take control, and he starts whipping, but Arn follows suit by going low as well. He tries to hang Sullivan with the strap, but ends up getting pulled over the top, where Kevin sends him into the post. They keep brawling, until Ric Flair runs out, and tells them to both quit it, and unite their efforts against Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage later on. So the whole thing is ruled a no-contest at 3:30. This whole thing was fascinating, but certainly not good wrestling. It's lost a lot of its impact in the post Attitude Era world, though. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Lex Luger v The Road Warriors: Luger decides he doesn't want to defend (using the Warriors' spiked shoulder pads as his excuse), and marches back up the aisle before even getting into the ring, but Sting talks him off the ledge. I think he's just feeling insecure because he's the only guy in the match without face paint. I've said it a few times in the Nitro reviews, but it's worth mentioning again: this version of Luger is the absolute greatest. I don't know the man personally, but I'm going to guess that it works so well because it's the closest to what he was like in real life. Things finally kick off with Sting and Hawk, with Hawk dominating, and knocking Sting to outside following a dropkick. Back in, Hawk botches a swinging neckbreaker, but they do their best to cover it up on the mat. Quick thinking by Sting there. Hawk slaps on an STF, but Sting makes the ropes, so Hawk decides to tag out. Thank God, Hawk was looking laughably bad in there. Animal works the arm, but Sting gets away long enough to pass to Lex. Luger is not exactly eager to mix it up with Animal though, spiked pads or not. Lex suckers him into a cheap shot, but Animal reverses a turnbuckle smash, and hits a big boot. Powerslam gets two, and he grounds the champion in an armbar. Over to Hawk for a pair of corner clotheslines, the Road Warrior again looking terrible out there. He's working like he's hung over. Luger gets dumped for Animal to whip into the rail, but Sting helps him beat the count back in, and Lex goes to the eyes. That allows him to drop Hawk with a clothesline for two, and Sting comes in with a vertical suplex for two. Animal gets the tag, so Luger delivers an inverted atomic drop, and Sting one-handed bulldogs him. Flying splash, but Animal lifts his knees to block, and tags back out to Hawk. Unfortunately, he's moving so slowly that Sting is able to tag out as well, before Hawk can get in there. No matter, Hawk goes to town on Luger in his place, but gets winded doing some fistdrops, and has to work a chinlock. Lex escapes, and both guys tag again, with Sting hitting the Stinger Splash. Scorpion Deathlock, but Hawk clotheslines him to save, and grabs Sting in a chinlock/bodyscissors combo. Sting escapes and tries a sunset flip, but Hawk is in no mood, and clotheslines him again. This match can't pick a direction. Back to Animal to work his own chinlock, but Luger runs in to break it up, allowing Sting a vertical suplex. Animal no-sells, and hits Sting with one of his own, but Sting no-sells. Animal responds with a dropkick, leading the partners to come in, and Roseanne Barr the door! It all spills to the outside, and if you're thinking "there's no way they'd do a double countout finish in a major pay per view title match," well, you'd be wrong at 13:53. Back in late '88, these four had a really fun match on TV that made you think, "man, wouldn't it be awesome if they had a proper pay per view match someday?" This match answers that question with a resounding 'no.' ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

Main Event: WCW World Title Cage Match: Randy Savage v Ric Flair: Heenan is in his own world tonight, noting that there's a top on the cage... which there is not. WCW Heenan was such a disappointment. After an initial settling in period where it seemed like he was trying too hard, he was pretty good for a while, and then just became a caricature. Flair pulls a Luger, not wanting to get into the cage, and stalling. But, of course, he still talks shit, and makes advances on Elizabeth. Ric's really the type of guy you love to hate. Savage is also an idiot, as every time Flair inches towards the cage, he charges, and Ric hops out again. Just let him get inside, asshole! He finally does, and Macho immediately blitzes him. Flair tries turning the tide in the corner with some chops, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop. Flair tosses him into the cage (with Savage doing a great job of selling it), but the referee protests, so Flair simply decks him! Awesome! Macho tries a backslide, but the referee is still down, so that goes nowhere. Randy with a backdrop and a pair of clotheslines for two, but a toss into the cage gets reversed, and Flair whacks him with a backelbow for two. Ric goes to work with chops in the corner, and he wedges the champion between the ropes and the cage to do some bashing. Snapmare sets up a dive off the top rope, but Randy slams him off to block, and puts his challenger in a figure four! Flair gets the ropes, but the referee flat out refuses to call for a break. Maybe next time you shouldn't punch the guy? Savage lets off and punches Flair for two, and a bodyslam gives Macho time to get to the top of the cage, but Flair manages to block a flying axehandle with a punch to the midsection. Randy always went all out in cage matches, I'm actually surprised the WWF never really booked him in any high profile ones. Ric adds a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he throws Randy into the cage to set up an elbowdrop. Figure Four time, but Savage makes the ropes, and this time the referee does force a break. And I mean FORCE - literally pulling Flair off of him. Hey, like I said, what do you expect when you slugged the guy? That's like walking into a restaurant, slugging the waitress, and then expecting her to get your order right. Or something. Flair tries another Figure Four, but Macho counters with a cradle for two, so the Nature Boy tries tossing him into the cage again, but this time gets reversed. Randy tosses him a second time, then grates his face across the mesh to draw blood. I'm honestly surprised it took him this long to start bleeding. Ten-punch count, so Ric counters with an inverted atomic drop, and he tries to climb out, but Macho tugs his tights down to stop the effort. Far too aggressively, too. I mean, we're about a quarter inch away from seeing little naitch here. And speaking of him, Ric ends up getting crotched across the top rope, so he pops Savage with his own low blow as payback. That allows Flair to climb again, and Savage's save again nearly results in full frontal nudity. If they had to steal from the WWF, you’d think there were much better things to lift than the worst part of Shawn Michaels' act. I mean, I know it was a weak period for the WWF, but still. Flair gets tossed into the cage several times, and the repeated impacts knock the door of the cage loose, as WCW goes to a super wide camera angle, probably because of the blood. Sure, but nearly seeing Ric Flair's cock dangling fifteen feet in the air warrants a close-up? What a weird time. Woman decides to try and throw powder in Savage's eyes through the mesh, but misses, so Liz passes Flair her shoe through the loose door. Randy doesn't notice, and schoolboys Flair for two, but gets popped with the shoe for the pin at 18:54! Hulk Hogan is shocked, and decides to run out with a chair in hand, so he can threaten the women like the hero he is, but the heels escape - laughing their way up the aisle with the title belt. Like all of their WCW matches, they keep chasing that elusive WrestleMania VIII high, but they just can't catch it. ** ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

Main Event: Cage Match: Hulk Hogan v Giant: Unlike the last match, this one is escape rules. Hulk goes right at him, raking Giant in the eyes, and tossing him into the cage a few times. Hogan then starts either biting or kissing him, the camera angle makes it hard to determine. I'm going to guess biting. Or maybe it was the latter, because it's immediately followed up by Hulk shoving his cock right in Giant's face during a ten-punch. And then more biting/kissing. Do we need to bring Flair back out to get naked and present? Hulk goes for a bodyslam (or tries to stroke Giant's cock, not sure), but that's the line, and Giant starts pounding him back. Giant works a double knucklelock, followed by a bearhug, but Hulk bites his way out. That was clearly a bite that time. A toss into the cage gets reversed, however, and Giant chokes him down with Hulk's own discarded t-shirt. Giant with a corner whip and a kick to the gut, before swiping at Hulk's taped up eye (the result of another high heeled shoe on Nitro). Giant with an earringer, followed by a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses. That allows Hogan to throw some rights, but he goes for the bodyslam again like an idiot, and gets toppled. Giant puts the boots to him, and Hulk takes a few trips into the cage before taking a vertical suplex. Giant has improved tremendously since making his debut only a few months back. He goes for the door, but Hogan stops him, so Giant hits a backbreaker, and holds onto it into a submission hold. Jimmy Hart's jackets got much lazier in WCW. Back in the day, he would switch into customized ones throughout the show for each guy he managed, but tonight he's wearing the same jacket (with his own face airbrushed on it) for the whole show. Bearhug wears Hulk down for the Chokeslam, but Hogan pops up, and starts making a comeback! He tosses Giant into the cage a few times, and the structure seriously looks like it's on the verge of falling apart. Big boot sets up the bodyslam, followed by a series of three Legdrops, and that's enough for Hogan to climb. Unfortunately for him, Giant recovers, and they meet at the top rope to trade chops. Hulk gets the better of it, knocking Giant back down to the canvas, and allowing Hogan to escape at 15:04 - only to be met with a chair shot from Kevin Sullivan the moment he hits the ground. The rest of the Dungeon of Doom runs out to corner Hogan in the cage, but Hulk has his trusty chair, and fights them all off. Yes, all eight of them by himself. Where was this guy in Syracuse? Hulk cleans house, until Loch Ness comes out to back the Dungeon up, but he's so fat that I'm not sure he'll fit through the cage door. Doesn't matter anyway, as the rest of the crew holds him back. Well, at least it didn't end in them humping him like at Halloween Havoc. And speaking of Havoc, this was much better than the Hogan/Giant match that headlined that show, as Giant improved tremendously in the short period between. * (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: I was actually really looking forward to revisiting this one, since the Nitro’s building up to it were interesting, but it was pretty disappointing. A couple of memorable moments, and a couple of decent matches, but a lot of crap too, especially in the middle.

DUD