WCW Uncensored 1997 (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: March 16, 1997

From North Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan

Opening WCW United States Title No Disqualification Match: Eddie Guerrero v Dean Malenko: Dean tries shoving him around at the bell, but Eddie comes right at him with closed fists, and he grinds on a standing headlock. Dean reverses, so Eddie whips him into the ropes, but Malenko barrels into the champ with a shoulderblock to send him to the outside. Guerrero regroups, but Malenko still stomps the shit out of him on the way back in, and he drills him with a vertical suplex. Eddie manages to turn the tables with some stomps of his own in the corner, which Dusty clarifies is 'stomping a mud hole' in a guy. That might catch on. Malenko fights him off with a side suplex, as we cut to the back, where Rick Steiner is unconscious, with Syxx and The Outsiders standing over him. Gee, wonder what happened there. Malenko works a half-crab to wear Eddie down for two, and he dumps the champion over the top. Malenko follows to the outside to grab the title belt, and he rolls Eddie in to beat on with it a few times. Clothesline gets two, but Eddie fights the follow-up off with a uranage, and he bootrakes his challenger. Eddie starts going after the leg with a dropkick to the knee, and he works the part. I like how both guys are heeling it up here, it's fun. Eddie with a flying axehandle to the knee, and a slingshot somersault senton splash to the knee, before going to the mat in a grapevine. Eddie shifts to an STF when Malenko starts to escape, as we split screen to watch Rick Steiner get carried off by EMTs backstage. Malenko makes the ropes and bails, so Eddie dives from the apron with another axehandle to the knee, and he sends Dean into the guardrail out there. Man, this split screen is annoying. Not just because of the tiny picture, but the flashing graphics all around it are going to give someone a seizure. Eddie with another whip into the rail, but Malenko reverses him this time, only for the bad knee to prevent him from following up. That allows Eddie to dropkick the leg into the post, and he adds a slingshot kneedrop on the way back inside. Figure four (complete with blatant use of the ropes since it's no DQ), as Dean sells it like he's getting a blowjob. Malenko goes to the eyes to escape, but the leg is still a mess, so Eddie pounds him with uppercuts. Jumping backelbow sets up a slingshot somersault senton splash, but Malenko dodges. He bails to the outside to regroup, but Guerrero baseball slides into him, then dives off the top - only for Dean to dodge, and Eddie to eat steel! That finally gives Dean enough of a breather to capitalize, and he drops the champ across the rail. Back in, Malenko pounds him into the corner, and he works an armbar. Makes sense since he needs to stay off the knee, but man, how dull. Like, you finally get control after getting cut off a dozen times, and you... work an armbar. Luckily, Guerrero quickly escapes, and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by a powerbomb into a somersault cradle for two. Reversal sequence ends in Dean hitting a mulekick, but Eddie pops him in the balls as well on the way down, and hooks a small package for two. Fitting. Dean snaps off a powerslam, and he goes upstairs with a flying frogsplash, but he pulls the champ up at two. Even Heenan is chewing him out about that one. Malenko wants a powerbomb, but Eddie counters with a headscissors. He charges, but Malenko is ready with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two, and another reversal sequence sees Eddie hook an Oklahoma roll for two. Victory cradle, but Dean counters with a German suplex for two. He tries a corner charge, but Eddie blocks, and absolutely plants his challenger with a tornado DDT. That allows Guerrero to put Dean in his own Texas cloverleaf, as Eddie tries to reference every state in the union, I guess. Of course, this draws out WCW Cruiserweight Champion Syxx to steal the belt, since I guess a clean finish would kill them. Eddie pulls it away, but a swing at Dean misses, and Malenko pops him with Syxx's camcorder for the pin at 19:12. This was a damn good match that absolutely did not need a cheap finish to it. *** ¾ (Original rating: *** ½)


Ultimo Dragon v Psychosis: Mike Tenay joins us for commentary on this one. Feeling out process to start, and a criss cross ends in Dragon taking control with a series of strikes. He takes it to the mat for a grapevine, but Psychosis forces another criss cross, and throws a dropkick for two. Into the corner, but Dragon fights him off with his headstand theatrics, and then delivers a leg-feed enzuigiri. Back to the mat for a camel clutch, as Dragon tries to appeal to every continent possible, I guess. Psychosis reverses, then uses a bodyslam to set up a flying legdrop for two. Psychosis was always awesome at that move, and it really should have been his finisher. 2nd rope elbowdrop gets him another two, so he works a chinlock to wear Dragon down. Irish whip, but Dragon reverses, and uses a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then grabs a sleeper. Psychosis escapes via jawbreaker, so Dragon goes to a headlock, but Psychosis whips him into the ropes to grab a sleeper of his own. Dragon quickly escapes with a side suplex, and the crowd is dead silent here. Psychosis blocks a corner charge and knocks Dragon to the outside with a 2nd rope spinheel kick, then dives after him with a suicida! Psychosis goes back in to dive again with a slingshot legdrop on the floor, then up to the apron, but Dragon monkeyflips him off. He whips Psychosis into the rail for a handspring backelbow, and a springboard moonsault press into the aisle follows. At least he could actually, you know, CONNECT with that move, unlike 90% of the guys today. Sonny Onoo adds some shots to try and prevent Psychosis from beating the count back in, and Dragon meets him with a slam when he does anyway. Flying moonsault gets two, but Dragon telegraphs a backdrop, and Psychosis goes for a powerbomb - Dragon countering with a rana into a cradle, and Psychosis reversing the cradle for two. Dragon pops off a magistral cradle for two, so Psychosis tries a corner splash, but hits the buckles. Dragon takes him up for a rana off the top, but Psychosis blocks, and we get a gourdbuster off the top where I'm honestly not sure who was doing and who was taking the move. Both guys stagger up and try spinheel kicks, both missing. Dragon gets vertical first, and uses a bodyslam to set up another dive, but Psychosis is after him with a rana off the top for two before he can dive - Dragon reversing the cradle for two. Psychosis tries another rana, but Dragon counters with a running sitout powerbomb, and he takes Psychosis up for a nasty DDT off the top. Looked like he was going for a rana there, but it didn't work out. No matter, Dragon grabs a bridging tiger suplex to finish at 13:17. The work was generally good, but the lack of storyline resulted in a dead crowd, which made it all kind of fall flat. ** ¾ (Original rating: ** ¾)


Gene Okerlund brings Diamond Dallas Page out for an interview, but he's interrupted by Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, who have a copy of Page's wife's (Kimberly) Playboy issue. Savage plays a great bully here. This leads to Kimberly coming out looking beat up and covered in spray-paint, which distracts Page enough for Macho to attack, and it's beat down time in North Charleston. Good segment


Martial Arts Match: Glacier v Mortis: This is Mortis' debut. Tony literally says that they don't really know what the rules for this are, which is honest, at least. They trade strikes to start, and Glacier overhead suplexes him, then uses a backdrop. As seen in local Karate tournaments everywhere! Mortis goes to the eyes and kicks him down, and the crowd is dead, since they have no idea who Mortis is. At least the WWF would build a guy up before throwing him out on pay per view. Like, do a vignette, or something. Glacier with kicks to send him to the outside for a plancha, and Glacier follows with a hanging vertical suplex on the floor. Back in, that gets two when James Vandenberg breaks up the pin, and Glacier stupidly chases him around ringside, allowing Mortis to blast him with a baseball slide. Mortis tosses him into the rail out there, and he press-drops him across the apron for good measure. Mortis with a slingshot rolling clothesline for two on the way back in, but a springboard legdrop misses, and James needs to learn to manage. Like, he's rhythmically slapping the mat to try and get the crowd to respond by doing the same for Glacier, but he's not doing it during a hold or anything. He needs Jim Cornette school, stat. Mortis with a rocker dropper, but Glacier counters a second one with a powerbomb, and a rolling backelbow follows. Glacier with a tilt-a-whirl stomachbreaker, and a kick gets two. Mortis fires off a kick of his own for two, as James still tries to figure managing out. Mortis with a dive, but Glacier falls into the ropes to crotch him in dramatic fashion, and he follows to bring Mortis down with a vertical superplex for two. Glacier with a flying tomahawk chop, but Mortis catches him in a bridging northern lights suplex for two, and Dusty is just way too happy here. Glacier with a chincrusher to buy time, but another flying tomahawk misses, so he uses a springboard bodypress for two. Superkick, but the referee gets in the way, and Mortis hits a superkick of his own for two. That draws James up onto the apron for interference, but it backfires when Glacier superkicks Mortis for three at 9:01. They were trying, but the match had no flow or storyline for people to get behind. I'm also still not sure what qualified this as a 'martial arts match,' but whatever. Afterwards, we get another debut when James calls Wrath runs in to attack Glacier, and at least now we have a storyline. Funny bit where Tony shouts "who is this man?!?" and Heenan responds "I don't know, never seen him before in my life." Yeah, well, makes sense. No one was watching WWF TV at that point, anyway. * ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)


Strap Match: Scotty Riggs v Buff Bagwell: Because I guess people weren't making enough jokes about these two already. Riggs tries to corner him at the bell, but Buff quickly fights him off, and uses the strap to put him down. Buff chokes away, and a bodyslam sets up a dive off the top, but Riggs uses the strap to crotch him up there. Scotty whips his chest before bringing him down with a vertical superplex, and more shots with the strap send Bagwell to the outside. Riggs follows to send his former partner into the post, and he rolls him in to choke down with the leather. Buff fights him off with a kneeling facebuster, and he chokes Scotty down again before unloading with the strap again. Riggs goes downstairs to turn the tide, and he adds a dropkick before tying Buff up with the strap to try for the corners. He makes two before Bagwell breaks the momentum, so Riggs unloads a ten-punch count in the corner, but Buff shakes him off with a hotshot. Buff beats on him a bit before trying for the corners, but Riggs fights him off at two. Buff responds with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline, and it's more choking with the strap. They need to get to the finish because they're just covering the same ground over and over, and they've lost the crowd. Buff decides he wants a pinfall, but obviously the referee won't count it, so Bagwell gets in his face, leading to a scuffle that at least wakes the crowd up from the boredom of their work. Buff Blockbuster misses, allowing Riggs to make a comeback, and he uses a powerbomb. To the top for a missile dropkick, and Scotty goes for the corners, but Buff stops him at three. Riggs keeps coming with the strap, but Buff backdrops him over the top, and tries to hang him with the strap. And then Buff just kind of casually walks to all four corners for the win at 12:24. This wasn't bad in the general sense, but they didn't have enough gas to go over twelve minutes, and it suffered for it. It would have been perfectly fine at about five or six minutes, without becoming super repetitive like it did at this length. The finish was also super anticlimactic. ½* (Original rating: ¼*)


Texas Tornado Match: Harlem Heat v Public Enemy: They waste no time grabbing weapons, and of course, right to the annoying seizure screen. Johnny Grunge somehow manages to get busted open less than a minute into the match, which may be a record of some kind. The Heat have Sister Sherri to basically make this into a handicap match, and it's just lots of weapon shots and aimless brawling here. The Enemy put Stevie Ray through a table, but here come Jeff Jarrett and Steve McMichael, and Mongo whacks Rocco Rock with the briefcase - allowing Booker T to put him away with the Harlem Hangover at 13:17. This did not need to be over ten minutes long. I was over this style of match by 1997, and then we got years and years more of it with the various 'hardcore' divisions, to the point where I actively dislike it at this point. Dusty calling this sort of thing is fun, though, no denying that. ½* (Original rating: DUD)


WCW Television Title Match: Prince Iaukea v Rey Mysterio Jr: Tenay is back for more commentary here. They do a criss cross right away, ending in Iaukea hitting a Samoan drop, but a springboard flying splash hits the knees. Rey snaps his throat across the top rope and dives with a springboard flying somersault senton for two, so Iaukea tries a splash mountain to win a reversal sequence, but Rey counters with a rana for two. Headscissors sends the champion to the outside, and Rey dives after him with a somersault plancha. Rey with another springboard on the way back in, but Iaukea dodges, and drills his challenger with a slingshot powerbomb. Baseball slide knocks Mysterio to the outside, where Iaukea dives after him with a springboard flying bodypress into the aisle. Iaukea tries a side suplex on the floor, but Rey keeps blocking him, so Prince sends him into the rail instead. Iaukea dives with a twisting bodypress off of the rail, but Rey dodges, and takes him in for a springboard slingshot moonsault for two. Rey with a weird looking corner splash and a 2nd rope bulldog for two, and he grounds Iaukea in a headscissors. That wears Iaukea down for a springboard moonsault for two, with Rey taking a surprising amount of time to showboat here. Iaukea capitalizes by throwing chops, but Rey uses a sunsetbomb off the middle for two, and he adds a dropkick to set up a flying senton splash, only for Iaukea to dodge. Prince with a legdrop and a bridging northern lights suplex for two, followed by a powerbomb for two. Springboard dive, but Rey blocks with a dropkick, so Iaukea gives him a headbutt drop downstairs to buy time. Rey wisely rolls to the outside, forcing Iaukea to muscle him back in, and the champ delivers another legdrop for two. Criss cross ends in both guys trying dropkicks for a stalemate, and the referee puts the count to both men. They stagger to their feet, and Rey uses a headscissors takedown, followed by a victory roll for two - reversed by Iaukea for two. They fight over a suplex, ending in Iaukea hooking a rollup for two, but Rey fights off a corner whip with a flying somersault senton for two - just as time expires at 11:58. So Iaukea retains, but he doesn't want it that way, and when Rey challenges him to keep going, he's keen to accept. So we re-start, and Rey cracks him with chops. Criss cross ends in Mysterio hitting a hiptoss, and a springboard enzuigiri sets up a springboard flying legdrop for two. Rey with a headscissors takedown off the middle, but Iaukea reverses the cradle on the springboard flying rana to retain at 13:42. Well, that was abrupt. As is almost always the case, the stop/start stuff really hurt the flow of the match, and it felt especially pointless since the real finish came less than two minutes later anyway. Iaukea would have looked much stronger just beating him straight. *** ¼ (Original rating: ** ¼)


Main Event: Triangle Elimination Match: Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Outsiders v Giant, Lex Luger, and The Steiner Brothers v Roddy Piper, Jeff Jarrett, Chris Benoit, and Steve McMichael: If WCW wins, the nWo returns all their title belts and can't wrestle for 3 years; if the nWo wins, they can wrestle for any WCW belt anytime; if Piper's team wins, Piper faces Hogan in a cage match. The rules are, there ARE NO RULES! Well… actually... lots of rules. Namely: one man from each team starts, another participant then added after 5 minutes, and another every 2 minutes thereafter; eliminations come by being thrown over the top (battle royal style), pinfall, or submission. Oh, and Rick Steiner doesn't get to play, since he's still selling the attack from earlier. Surprisingly, we don't get full entrances before the match, instead just the first three guys, and everyone else will join later. Maybe Hogan wanted extra to stand around ringside for ten minutes? We get Scott Hall, Giant, and Benoit to start, with Scott and Chris having a quick little match before Giant just destroys them both. Unfortunately for them, Hall and Benoit can't put their differences aside long enough to try double teaming, so the abuse just goes on and on from the big man. He hits the Chokeslam on Benoit, but Hall breaks the cover at two, so Giant goes to squash him with a corner splash, but Scott dodges, and the big man goes over the top at 5:01. Just in time for Savage, Luger, and Jarrett to enter the match, and it's kind of a fun little team battle royal going on. Everyone kind of trades off until the next group comes in, this time Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, and McMichael. Steiner has fun suplexing everything in sight, as Jarrett keeps slipping away from an Outsider's Edge attempt from Hall, so Nash just clotheslines his country ass over the top at 9:20. Meanwhile, Steve tries to piledrive Hall, but also dumped over the top at 9:49. Wow, I'm sure Piper is really glad Ric Flair talked him into teaming with the Horsemen for this thing. Nash big boots Steiner out at 10:18, as Piper comes in. Alone. I guess they're staggering the entrances now all of a sudden. Hogan is next, accompanied by Dennis Rodman. Piper chokes Savage out with a chain as Hulk makes his entrance... and Hollywood is taking his time with it, posing for pictures, and not even bothering to get into the ring for forever. He finally comes in to choke Piper with his t-shirt, but they quickly spill to the outside for a brawl into the aisle, where Savage helps Hogan get control. Back in, Hulk whips Roddy into the ropes, where Rodman is waiting to pull the top down, and Piper spills over the top at 14:56. Man, the nWo is just killing them here. Like, it's not even a close fight. Hulk, Randy, and Dennis keep beating on Piper even after the elimination, and what the hell is wrong with Hall tonight? He's been having with looks like legitimate trouble getting guys up for the Edge throughout the match. He manages to hit it on Benoit with an assist from Nash, and they dump Chris at 16:32. Okay, so that leaves Luger as the lone man against the entire nWo team, and they just take their time beating on him, even stopping to pose for pictures with Rodman instead of finishing Lex off. Nash goes for the Powerbomb to end it, but Lex backdrops out of it, and starts firing off clotheslines like mad - finishing Savage with the Torture Rack at 18:27. WCW getting Randy Anderson in there as the referee for this one is kind a low-key great strategical move. He barely even checked for the submission, just called for the elimination. Lex then blasts Nash with a clothesline over the top to eliminate him at 18:35, and suddenly the nWo is not looking so hot. Rack finishes Hall at 18:49, and Lex is down to the final boss! Rack is applied, but Savage sneaks back in to blind him with the spray-paint, and Hogan falls on top for the pin at 19:26. Since it was basically a battle royal the work rate wasn't going to be great, but the uniqueness of it actually made it fun. Afterwards, the nWo commence with the usual beat down (with Rodman joining in), until Sting rappels from the rafters and cleans house - officially showing that he's not a part of the nWo after weeks of teases. * (Original rating: ¾*) 

BUExperience: A pretty fun show, actually. Not all the matches stuck the landing, but it was generally entertaining and actually had a happy ending, after months of every show (PPV or Nitro) ending in the nWo standing tall.

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