NWA (WCW) Power Hour (January 5, 1990)

 

Original Airdate: January 5, 1990 (taped December 14, 1989)

From Peoria, Illinois; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette, though Cornette immediately bows out because this town is so crappy that the hotel stole his towels

Tom Zenk v Galaxian II: This episode was taped one night after the ill-fated Starrcade '89. You know, that line Cornette got in about the hotel is even funnier if you’ve heard Bruce Prichard’s stories about being on the road with Jim. Posturing to start, as Ross sounds bored and checked out. Galaxian tries a corner whip, but Zenk lands on the middle rope, and rebounds with a bodypress for two. Tom goes to a standing side-headlock from there, so Galaxian forces a criss cross, but loses it when Zenk uses an armdrag. Galaxian gets a standing headlock of his own, and Tom wins the resulting cross cross with a hiptoss. Galaxian tries suckering him with a handshake, but Zenk is wise to him, and counters a dropkick with a catapult out of the ring. Galaxian finally manages the cheap shot he’d been trying for a million times, and he puts the hurt on Zenk with punches and kicks. A corner whip gets reversed on him, however, and Zenk uses an inverted atomic drop. Galaxian bails to the apron, so Zenk brings him in hardway, and Galaxian begs off. Galaxian tries a charge, but gets caught with a hiptoss, and he hides out in the ropes for a bit. Galaxian suckers him into the corner, and dumps Zenk to the outside, then brings him back in to hit with a high knee. Galaxian with a kneedrop from there, but Tom fights him off, and unloads a series of turnbuckle smashes for two. Zenk with a snapmare into a headscissors, but Galaxian makes the ropes. Zenk leads him through another criss cross, and head fakes him in the corner, allowing Tom a 2nd rope dropkick at 10:12. Good psychology, though very basic overall. ¾*

Gordon Solie is in the studio for Wrestling News Network, and he’s got his crystal ball out for 1990. He thinks we’ll see the world title change this year, as well as a resurgence of the Four Horsemen. He also predicts a lot of international flavor in the tag scene in 1990. The dude pretty much laid out the next twelve months of booking here, to some extent 

Brian Pillman v Cactus Jack Manson: From World Wide Wrestling on December 30 1989 (taped December 11) in Raleigh North Carolina. A criss cross goes Brian’s way with a hiptoss, and a dropkick follows, so Jack dumps him to the outside to buy time. Jack follows to whip Pillman into the guardrail out there, but Brian comes back in with a slingshot shoulderblock for two. Pillman wins a slugfest, and a hiptoss leads to an armdrag into an armbar. Jack escapes, but misses a corner charge, and hits the post. Jack manages to recover with a clothesline that sends both men tumbling over the top, and Cactus snaps his throat across the top rope for two on the way back in. Jack with a swinging neckbreaker for two, and a facebuster follows. Jack with a Russian legsweep for two, and he dumps Brian to the outside to up the ante, but it backfires when Pillman delivers a side suplex on the floor. Both guys scramble to get back inside, and Brian throws a few chops. A criss cross ends in Brian landing a jumping backelbow, and a backdrop follows. Pillman with a cross corner whip, but Cactus reverses, and follows in with a clothesline. Cactus with another cross corner whip, but Brian blocks, and hooks a crucifix at 5:47. Fun action here. **

Terry Funk hosts Funk’s Grill, with guest Norman the Lunatic. Norman is going to present a painting he made to Woman, and Terry is really trying to be a good wingman here, even offering to dress Norman up like a cowboy if it’ll help his chances. But Woman, while initially polite, wants nothing to do with Norman when it comes to romance, so Funk flips out on her, and threatens to hit her. And he’s a babyface! This was certainly a very different time

Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson v Jack Victory and Rip Morgan: Ole and Jack start, as Ross makes a funny joke about manager Lord Littlebrook being the ‘master of the short-armscissors.’ Ole gets control, and takes Victory into the corner for a tag to Arn, who goes right to an armbar. Victory gets away long enough to tag, and Rip manages to pound Arn into the corner, but a charge misses, and Arn takes him down to work a hammerlock. The Anderson’s take turns working Rip’s arm, but Rip bodyslams Ole to escape a hold, and delivers an elbowdrop for one. Tag to Victory, and he manages to get Arn down, and the heels go to work, double teaming. They cut the ring in half on Arn, but Ole gets a tag… and promptly gets worked over as well. Ole dumps Victory out of the ring to shake it off, and Arn tags in with a rotating spinebuster as Jack gets back inside. Victory goes to the eyes to furnish a tag, but Arn quickly takes Rip down for another hammerlock. Oh come on now, just get to the finish already, stop messing about. The heels actually get control again before the babyfaces finally make the big comeback, and a heel miscommunication allows Arn to take Victory out at 13:23. Pretty dull, and way too long. I wasn’t really feeling the Anderson’s as babyfaces. ½*

Tom Zenk wins Wrestler of the Week

BUExperience: The tag match really stunk up the joint here, but the rest was fine, and the episode went down easy for the most part.