NWA (WCW) Power Hour (April 13, 1990)

 

Original Airdate: April 13, 1990 (taped April 2)

From Gainesville, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Gordon Solie

The Samoan Swat Team v Pat Rose and Rick Ryder: These two jobbers look especially pitiful. The Swat Team put this away at 4:33. DUD

Gordon is in the studio for Wrestling News Network, and… honestly, he doesn’t have much. Just some basic hype for Capital Combat 

Tommy Rich v Mark Callous: The big talk here is about how Mark has learned the heart punch. Callous works a wristlock to start, so Rich tries to criss cross, but eats a short-clothesline. Mark with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but Rich dodges, and uses an armdrag into an armbar. The announcers put Callous over as a ‘future world champion’ here, which kind of takes the air out of the narrative that no one saw anything in him until Vince McMahon. Mark with a ropewalk forearm and a snapmare for two, so Rich throws a dropkick to buy time. He tries a Thesz press, but gets caught in a hotshot for two. Mark responds by nailing him with the heart punch at 3:04. ½*

Sting and Ole Anderson face off via split screen, and Ole is leaning on Sting to announce his retirement, but Sting refuses. Ole thinks maybe Sting can’t hear him right, so maybe the Horsemen need to break his other leg. Good stuff here, Ole has been terrific in this role

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Doom: Scott Steiner starts with Ron Simmons, and Ron pounds him down. Cross corner whip, but Scott reverses, and delivers a German suplex to clear the ring. Back in, Ron goes to the eyes to slow Scott down, and he hammers. Scott catches him with a (sloppy) rana for two, and a snapmare gets another two. Scott grabs an armbar, but Ron powers into his home corner right away, and tags Butch Reed. Scott slips through the double team, but Butch bodyslams him as they engage one-on-one. Scott returns the favor, so Ron runs in, but Scott slams him as well! A dropkick sends Butch to the outside, and Rick Steiner tags in. Butch pounds him on the ropes, but gets reversed on a whip, and Rick throws a clothesline. That draws Ron in to eat one as well, and Doom bail again. Teddy Long tries to interfere with the referee’s count, so the Brothers drag him away, and the dust settles back on Rick and Butch. Reed is able to nail him as they go for a lockup, and he tries a vertical suplex, but Rick reverses. Tag to Scott for a clothesline, and a snapmare allows Steiner a front-facelock. Butch powers to a vertical base, which allows Ron a cheap shot from the apron, and Reed throws a clothesline of his own. Butch adds a swinging neckbreaker, and Doom take control of things. They go to work on Scott, and Doom do a great job of cutting the ring in half, and hitting Scott with dangerous combos to up the drama. And Scott does a great job of timing his hope spots, with the crowd totally invested in it all. Ron finally misses a 2nd rope shoulderblock to allow the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! The champs control, so Long passes Ron a weapon, and poor Ross can’t correct himself fast enough after calling it a ‘foreign’ object. Unfortunately for Doom, the referee sees Simmons use it, and calls the DQ at 14:57. There was a lot of posturing in the early part of the match, but it was great once they got to the slobberknocker stuff. ** ½ 

Norman is the Wrestler of the Week

BUExperience: Steiners/Doom was reliably fun, and it was great seeing a young Mark Callous. This was a solid episode.