WCW Fall Brawl 1996 (Version II)

Original Airdate: September 15, 1996

From Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Chavo is all fired up, and charges in, knocking Page to the outside with a pair of dropkicks, and then diving after him with a somersault plancha. Guerrero whips DDP into the guardrail next, then a trip into the steps follows, before Chavo whips him with a belt as payback for Nitro. Back in with a slingshot splash for two, and a bodypress is worth two. Armdrag sets up a wristlock, then into an armbar, as Chavo works the part. Page slugs free, but an attempt at a tilt-a-whirl is countered with an armdrag, and Chavo dropkicks him into the ropes. Guerrero tries another one, but Page dodges, and Chavo ends up taking a spill to the outside as a result. Dallas immediately capitalizes with some stomps on the floor, and he uses a flying clothesline on the way back in. The crowd is pretty hot for DDP here. Not too hot for their assigned seats though, as everyone seems to be walking around, and just kind of taking up space wherever. Page works a front-facelock, but Guerrero tries countering a suplex with a small package for two, so Dallas stomps him back down. Page keeps working him over, so Chavo swipes at the arm again to try and turn things around. That causes Page to get desperate, and Guerrero is able to capitalize with a kneelift, followed by a springboard clothesline. Missile dropkick gets Chavo two, and a flying headscissors is worth two, but a charge in the corner hits elbow, and Page tries a leveraged pin for two. Dallas chucks him over the top into the adjacent ring, and follows him over there with a sidewalk slam for two. Good job by the commentators here, as they cover up what looked like a botched tilt-a-whirl by noting that Page had to change it up since Chavo countered it earlier. Tilt-a-whirl, but Chavo counters with a headscissors takedown, and uses a schoolboy for two. Page responds with a spinning sitout powerbomb for two (and a big pop), but Guerrero blocks the Diamond Cutter. He tries for a backslide, but Page counters back to the Cutter - hitting it this time for the pin at 12:07. They weren't reinventing the wheel here, but a good way to open. ** ½ (Original rating: * ½)

Submission Match: Scott Norton v Ice Train: Train dominates the opening exchange, but Norton just kind of laughs at him as he's trying various holds, and shrugs them off. Train responds with a clothesline and a frogsplash to get Scott's attention, and a slam sets up another frogsplash, but Norton dodges that one. He uses a DDT and a side suplex to take control, and a short-clothesline follows. Train fires back with a powerslam, and tries to work a reverse chinlock, but Norton just kind of slumps to the mat to escape. Train responds with a snap suplex and an avalanche, but a second avalanche runs into a clothesline, and Norton grabs a cross-armbreaker. Train won't quit, so Scott uses a neckbreaker to soften him up some more, but a corner whip gets reversed. That allows Train a bodyslam and a fujiwara armbar, but Scott won't give up. Train uses a jumping clothesline and a senton splash, but a regular splash hits knees, and Norton drops him with a spinebuster. Boston crab, but Train won't quit, so Norton goes to his own fujiwara, but Teddy Long distracts him to save. Norton scares him off and goes to another hold, but Long is on the apron again, and Scott attacks him this time. That allows Train to grab a full-nelson, and Norton taps at 7:17. Wow, I'm actually surprised Norton would agree to that finish, considering how little he ever sold for ANYONE to 'protect his spot on Japan.' Boring, clunky match, but Train was trying hard. * (Original rating: ¾*)

AAA Americas Title Match: Konnan v Juventud Guerrera: Mike Tenay sits in for commentary on this one. Konnan is technically the champion, though I'm not sure if this is an officially sanctioned title defense. WCW is simply calling it the 'Mexican Heavyweight Championship' anyway. Juvi badly trips on the steps on his way into the ring, in a pretty funny blooper. Konnan pounds him at the bell, so Juvi tries using his speed through a criss cross, but gets dropped on his head with a German suplex. Juvi tries to get the better of a second criss cross, but gets dumped over the top this time, so he decides to go to the top rope over in the adjacent ring, and hits Konnan with a neat triple springboard somersault senton for two! That allows Juvi to unload in the corner until Konnan bails, and Guerrera is on him with a tope, but he crashes into the rail in the process. Konnan tries whipping him into said rail, so Juvi tries springboarding back at him, but Konnan catches him with a powerbomb on the floor instead. Konnan celebrates that like he just won the World Series, and he pulls Juvi away from the arms of a loving fan, going back in with a rolling clothesline. Seated dropkick gets two, so Konnan ties him up on the mat for a bit. Another criss cross ends badly, as Juvi tries a springboard, but misses his mark, and ends up crashing into the space between the two rings in the process. Not a good night for Juvi versus balance. Juvi saves by going into the next ring, so Konnan follows, but Guerrera uses a springboard headscissors over the top and back into the original ring. Konnan bails, but Guerrera is on him with a dive, and he uses a springboard dropkick on the way back in. Konnan responds by chucking him from one ring to another, and he uses a powerbomb to send him back to the original ring, before tying Guerrera up in a kneebar. Juvi is just bumping all over the place tonight. He escapes the hold and tries a springboard moonsault press, but doesn't really find his mark, so Konnan just kinda ignores it. I prefer that over when guys sell moves that clearly don't connect - like most moonsault press spots you see in WWE today. Konnan decides to drop his ass with a powerbomb, and then adds a dropkick to the midsection, followed by a two-alarm rolling German suplex. Juvi wisely bails before Konnan can cover, and he stalls out there for a while, until he's able to find an in with a springboard missile dropkick to turn the tide. Guerrera with a legdrop for two, and they fight out to the apron, where Juvi tries a sunset bomb, but gets blocked. That allows Konnan a missile dropkick off of the apron, and he goes to the top on the way back in, but Guerrera crotches him before he can do anything. Juvi takes too long setting up his move, however, and Konnan is able to throw a flying dropkick for two. Monkeyflip, but Guerrera counters with a cradle for two, trigger a pinfall reversal sequence. Konnan tries a suplex, but Guerrera bails to the apron to escape, and dives back at him with a springboard spinheel kick for two. He tries a victory cradle, but Konnan counters with a nasty wheelbarrow suplex, though it's in the ropes, so no pin. Konnan goes to the apron, but Juvi is on him with dropkicks, and he uses a 2^nd rope somersault legdrop, but now Konnan is in the ropes to prevent a cover. Guerrera rallies with a flying somersault splash for two, and then back up with a flying corkscrew splash, but still only for two. Into the corner, but Konnan is ready with a whiplash into a somersault cradle for two, and a muscle buster is worth two. He takes Juvi up for splash mountain off the first rope, and that's enough to kill him at 13:46. Lots of sloppiness, plenty of botches, but they were throwing everything at the wall, and I generally prefer this kind of effort over a match filled with perfectly executed side-headlocks. *** ½ (Original rating: ***)

Chris Jericho v Chris Benoit: Let the Chris on Chris violence begin! Benoit quickly whips him into the corner to get things going, then into the ropes to set up a backdrop. He DRILLS poor Jericho with a side suplex for two, then plants him with a spinebuster to set up an elevated crab hold. Jericho shifts his weight to force an escape, so Benoit decides to powerbomb him, but Jericho is ready with a sunset flip. Benoit immediately kicks out, so Jericho tries a spinheel kick for two, but that just pisses Benoit off. He starts unloading kicks, so Jericho uses a corkscrew legwhip, and cradles for two. Dropkick to the back of the head sends Benoit bailing to the apron, but Jericho is on him with a springboard dropkick, followed by a springboard bodypress on the floor. Looked like he messed up the landing there though, and might have hurt himself a bit. He rallies, and hits Benoit with a missile dropkick for two on the way back in, followed by a powerbomb for two. Tiger suplex, but it's in the ropes, and Benoit capitalizes on that by starting a slugfest. Jericho manages to get the better of it with a spinkick, but an attempt to suplex Benoit over the top is reversed, and Jericho takes a nice bump to the floor. Benoit sends him into the post before taking things back inside, where the Crippler blasts him with a knee, then drops Jericho front-first across the top rope. Knife-edge chop gets two, and they trade more chops, with Jericho holding his own until Benoit goes to the eyes to calm him down. He grabs an abdominal stretch, and uses a bodyslam to set up the flying headbutt, but it knocks him silly as well, allowing Jericho the time to recover enough to kick out at two. Benoit tosses him to the outside to abuse a bit, but Jericho surprises him with a cradle for two as they head back inside. Jericho adds a backslide for two, so Benoit kicks him in the face to cut that shit off, and a snapmare sets up a bow-and-arrow. He goes for a crab, but Jericho is ready with a cradle for two, so Benoit tries to punish him with a German suplex, but Chris hides in the ropes. Benoit pulls him off, but Jericho counters with a northern lights suplex for two, and they slug it out again. Benoit tries for a tombstone, but Jericho reverses. Lionsault, but Benoit dodges, so Jericho throws a lariat instead, for two. Rana off the top gets two, so Jericho tries going back up, but ends up getting crotched, and Benoit brings him down with a side superplex at 14:34. They didn't go as balls-to-the-walls as Konnan/Guerrera, but they executed their spots better, and used them to tell a better story. *** ¾ (Original rating: *** ½)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio Jr v Super Calo: Tenay is back for commentary on this one as well. Calo was pretty much unknown to WCW fans at this point, having only debuted for the promotion a week or two before. Feeling out process to start, with Calo whipping Rey HARD into the corner, and giving him a running powerslam to take control. A 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop gets him two, so he works a wristlock to wear the champion down, but Mysterio sends him to the outside with a springboard rana once he escapes. Calo stalls for a bit, but he manages to catch Rey with a dropkick as he heads back in. Rey responds with another rana attempt, but this time Calo is ready with a powerbomb for two, and he goes up with a flying headbutt, followed by a clothesline over the top. That puts Mysterio in the aisle, and Calo dives after him with a missile dropkick out there! It's so weird watching these spot filled matches without the instant replays. Calo adds a bodyslam on the floor, then dives on the champ with a somersault senton splash plancha. Calo rolls him in to get a two count off of that, and a tilt-a-whirl slam is worth two. He gets pissed, and tosses Rey into the adjacent ring, where he takes him to the top for a headscissors down to the mat for two. He throws him shoulder-first into the turnbuckles next, and starts wrenching on the arm. I'd try taking the legs away from him, personally. Calo works a short-arm scissors into a pin attempt for two, and a dropkick rattles the champion. Calo snapmares him into a mat-based abdominal stretch, then on to a surfboard, but he can't coax a submission out of Mysterio. He shifts the hold back into a cradle for two, so Rey bails to buy himself time, but Calo is right on him as soon as he limps back into the ring. Rey manages to slip away from him long enough to throw a dropkick, and a bodypress sends them both over the top (almost didn't, leading to a funny bit where Rey has a tug-of-war with the referee for the spot), and Mysterio dives with a somersault suicida. Rey tries a springboard on the way back in, but Calo is ready with a well placed dropkick for two, and he cranks on the arm again. Seriously, go for the legs, bud. He doesn't springboard with his wrists. They spill to the outside, where Calo knocks him into the rail, and poor Mysterio is trying to get as far away from him as possible, but the challenger is hot on his tail at every turn. That leads to they fighting on the apron, and Rey gets the better of it with a rana to the floor, followed by a baseball slide to set up a springboard somersault senton! Springboard sunset flip gets two on the way back in, and a springboard corkscrew senton is worth two. Rana, but Calo counters with an electric chair for two. Pop-up, but Mysterio counters with a rana into a cradle for two, and manages a spinheel kick. He dodges a dropkick attempt from Calo next, and a double springboard rana retains at 15:48! Another really good match, as WCW basically totally revamps its undercard, and gets its audience used to watching an entirely new style than what they were presenting even just a few months before this. *** ¾ (Original rating: *** ½)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Harlem Heat v The Nasty Boys: Stevie Ray starts with Jerry Sags, and immediately dominates him in the corner. A charge doesn't go well though, and everyone ends up in a standoff outside of the ring. The dust settles on the challengers pounding Stevie in their corner, and Brian Knobbs hits a backelbow for one. Tag to Booker T allows the Heat to do their own double teaming, but Knobbs fights him off with a clothesline for two, and he tags back to Sags for a drop-toehold/kneedrop combo. Jerry adds a neckbreaker for two, and boy, Sherri is not looking good tonight. She usually goes all out when she manages the Heat, but tonight she looks like she's working the late shift bussing tables at a truck stop diner. That's apparently Brian's type though, because she manages to distract him enough to let the Heat take over, and the champs cut the ring in half on Knobbs. Booker misses the Harlem sidekick to allow the tag to Sags, and he comes in hot on the Heat, and the crowd is actually really into this. Sags with a piledriver on Booker for two, but a trip to the top rope ends badly when Colonel Robert Parker trips him up, and Sags ends up down on the outside as a result. Is that Pam from the Office in an nWo shirt a few rows back? Probably not, but let's pretend. Parker and Sherri abuse poor Sags before 'helping' him back inside, where Booker is ready to put the boots to him. The Heat cut the ring in half, but mess up a double team, and Knobbs gets the hot tag. Splash on Booker gets two, and Roseanne is back! The challengers dump Stevie and isolate Booker for a pumphandle-slam/2^nd rope splash combo, but Sherri comes in with a cane to break up the pin attempt, and Booker steals the fall at 15:30. It felt really flat to me after the last three matches, but it wasn't terrible, and they used tons of overbooking to pump up the excitement. ¾* (Original rating: DUD)

Giant v Randy Savage: Macho is sporting the hat he wore at WrestleMania IX tonight, but sadly not the rest of the outfit. He uses the high ground to attack during the entrances, but stupidly tries a bodyslam in the aisle, and gets toppled. That's right up there with that time he covered Yokozuna in a Royal Rumble match. Inside, Giant starts unloading in the corner, and a cross corner whip sets up a clothesline. Giant takes him for a ride with a backbreaker, and he holds it into a submission hold, as the crowd gets distracted by something going on in the stands. Giant with a headbutt drop to the groin, but referee Nick Patrick is sure it hit the stomach, so he's not calling for a DQ. Giant with a Boston crab next, which makes for a funny visual. Almost looks more uncomfortable for him than for Macho, really. Randy gets the ropes anyway, so Giant works a bearhug next, so Savage goes to the eyes to get out. That allows him to go upstairs with a flying axehandle, but Giant catches him in a bodyslam. Kneedrop, but Macho dodges, and he starts targeting the leg. Flying two-handed bulldog puts Giant down for two, and he actually manages the bodyslam on the second try (to a HUGE pop), and the Flying Elbowdrop connects! That draws Hollywood Hulk Hogan out before he can cover, and he suckers Savage into chasing him up the aisle, where the Outsiders are hiding with a chair! The nWo beat him down (with Nick Patrick conveniently missing it all), and then roll him back in for Giant to finish at 7:31. Hey, at least it ended in a pinfall, though. I was sure we were getting a countout there. ½* (Original rating: ½*)

Main Event: WarGames Match: Team WCW (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and Sting) v The nWo (Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and 'Sting'): Both teams are promising Sting here. In a nice touch, Luger doesn't look as poised and polished as he normally does in the pre-match interview, where Sting (the real one) shows up, and tries to tell his teammates that it wasn't him on Monday night, but none of them believe him. In another nice touch, the full teams aren't hanging out at ringside like they normally do (rather each entrant only coming out once it's their turn), thus avoiding giving anything away with the Sting angle. Anderson and Hall start, with Hall trying to snag control by making Arn come into his ring, but unable to keep it once the Enforcer does. Scott is able to reverse Arn into the cage, and they slug it out over into the next ring, where Arn grabs a sleeper. Scott manages a side suplex to escape, but Arn fires back with a rotating spinebuster, and he puts Hall in a half-crab until the period runs down, and Kevin Nash joins the fray. Arn manages to hold his ground, but Hall anchors him, allowing Nash to shoot off a big boot to turn the tide. They chuck Arn into the cage next, and Nash uses a snake-eyes to set up a clothesline from Hall. They keep pounding him until Luger's turn (fourteen seconds ahead of schedule, even by WCWs on-screen clock), and he nails the Outsiders with a double clothesline. More clotheslines, and a pair of jumping forearm smashes follow, but Lex gets overwhelmed fighting a two-front war. Arn comes back to life to even the score, and both sides trade off until Hollywood Hulk Hogan comes in (also ahead of the clock). Arn and Lex actually fight him off, and Luger corners him for a ten-punch, but the Outsiders are able to quickly save, and turn things back in their favor. Hogan takes Anderson into the other ring while the Outsiders work Luger over, and the Enforcer eats the Legdrop. In comes Ric Flair, and he grabs a ring solo, and calls Hogan out. Hollywood actually agrees to go, and starts slugging, but Flair returns fire with a pair of brass knux! The Outsiders run over to help, but Ric is ready with mulekicks down low, and this crowd loves them some Nature Boy! Flair puts Hogan in the Figure Four as the period runs down, and 'Sting' enters the match! The announcers sell it like it's the real Sting - and he's passable enough from a distance. They're smart enough to only shoot him from behind or from wide angles, which helps. Anyway, with 'Sting' now in, the nWo runs wild, as the announcers lose their shit over it, and wonder who the hell is going to be WCWs fourth man now. Well, we won't have to wait long to find out, and in fact, it's none other than Sting! The real Sting runs in and destroys the imposter (along with the rest of the nWo), but instead of finishing them off, he decides to walk out on the match, angry that his teammates couldn't trust him. That allows the nWo to take control again, and 'Sting' gets Luger in the Scorpion Deathlock (with Hogan latching on with a front-facelock, since you can't have a finish without Hogan, God forbid) at 18:16. Solid enough WarGames, that did a good job of building drama around the Sting angle throughout. Afterwards, Randy Savage runs out to go after Hogan, but Giant returns as well, and the nWo quickly beat him down - along with the rest of the WCW guys. That leads Miss Elizabeth to run out to beg Hogan for mercy, even going as far as to dive over Macho's body to try and protect him, but Hulk responds by spray-painting the nWo logo on her, and the heels cut victory promos to end the show. ** (Original rating: ** ¼)

BUExperience: If you ever need proof that Hulk Hogan is the smartest man in wrestling, just look at it this way: even after switching from babyface to heel, all the shows are still ending with him standing victorious and looking dominant every month. Who else could get away with that?

I barely remembered this one going in, but it’s actually one of WCWs better PPV efforts from the period. The undercard, buoyed by the influx of new talent in recent months, is great, and then they pile the big angles on at the top to mask the in-ring limitations.

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