NWA (WCW) Power Hour (April 20, 1990)

 

Original Airdate: April 20, 1990 (taped April 9)

From Greenwood, Mississippi; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Gordon Solie

Capital Combat ad. Sting now has RoboCop as backup against the Horsemen. This was just before the release of RoboCop 2, which they toned way down in an aim to market to kids, so I get the desire for a crossover

Handicap Match: Mark Callous v Rockin' Rebel and Terry Bronson: According to Cagematch this is the same Rebel we’d come to know in ECW, but he looks like a completely different guy to me. Mark with the heart punch at a brisk 0:34. Afterwards, Mark continues the attack, so several jobbers run out to back up their fellow man, but Mark dispatches them all with heart punches. Fuck RoboCop, Sting should have gotten Mark in his corner, damn. DUD

Gordon Solie is in the studio for Wrestling News Network, and he’s very excited about RoboCop. But, he clarifies, RoboCop will not actually be competing, he’ll just be there to make sure the Horsemen don’t hurt Sting, or the fans. They’re also pushing Terry Funk as the guest referee for the Ric Flair/Lex Luger cage match main event, which didn’t end up happening

Rick Steiner v Butch Reed: Reed stalls early on, but manages to hammer on Rick once they engage. They match power, and Rick throws a clothesline to send Reed to the outside. Rick forces in back in, and hammers away with mounted punches, so Teddy Long distracts him, and Butch capitalizes. Reed tries a powerslam, but Rick counters to a German suplex for two, and Reed bails. Back in, Steiner with a powerslam for two, and he uses more mounted punches, but Reed dumps him to the outside for Long to kick. Reed follows to feed Rick the guardrail out there, and he adds a bodyslam on the floor. Rick beats the count, so Long distracts the referee, as Reed tosses Rick over the top. Rick beats the count back to the apron, so Reed snaps his throat across the top rope, but Rick fights back with a slingshot sunset flip for two. Reed cuts him off, and a big clothesline sends Steiner spiraling. Reed adds a fistdrop, and a swinging neckbreaker gets him two. Rick tries a cross corner whip, but hits a knee on the charge in, and Reed dives with a 2nd rope axehandle. Reed uses a bodyslam to set up a 2nd rope elbowdrop for two, and he grounds Steiner in a chinlock from there. Rick uses a jawbreaker is escape, and both guys stagger for a slugfest on their knees. Reed wins it by raking the eyes, and he delivers a piledriver for two. Another, but Rick hooks a small package for two, and wins a criss cross with a jumping clothesline. Rick keeps it going with a powerslam, but a clothesline sends both men tumbling over the top. They keep slugging it out on the floor, but the referee is counting, and both men are out at 11:51. Their tag matches were usually a lot of fun, this less so. Not bad, though. Afterwards, Ron Simmons is out to help beat up on Rick, but Scott Steiner makes the save. * ¼ 

Jim Cornette hosts the Louisville Slugger, with guests Bam Bam Bigelow and Oliver Humperdink. Hard for me to believe that Oliver was only 41 years old at this point, he looks like such an old man. They’re building toward Bigelow taking on Abdullah the Butcher, which feels like it could be awesome or a complete trainwreck, with absolutely no inbetween 

Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk v The Midnight Express: The NWA United States Tag Team title is not on the line here. Pillman and Bobby Eaton start, and Bobby nails him with a cheap shot to get control. He hammers Pillman in the corner, but Brian blocks a cross corner whip, and dives at him from the middle rope. Pillman with a headscissor takedown, and a dropkick puts Eaton on the outside. Tag to Tom, and he tries to corner Bobby, but gets nailed. Eaton goes to town in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Zenk uses a monkey flip. That draws Stan Lane in, but Tom hiptosses him, and uses a slingshot to bring Brian in - the babyfaces cleaning house! The dust settles on Tom and Stan, and Zenk wins the first exchange, so Lane stalls on the outside. Back in, Stan manages to nail him, but passing to Bobby proves to be a mistake, as Tom bodyslams him. Tag to Pillman, and Bobby gets him in an overhead wristlock. A criss cross goes Pillman’s way with a hiptoss, however, and Brian dives with a flying bodypress for one. Tag to Zenk for a tandem backdrop, so Lane tries to interfere, but Tom backdrops Eaton over the top, before forcing Lane in to eat a combo from he and Pillman. The heels regroup on the outside, and things settle on Tom and Stan. Zenk wins a criss cross with a hiptoss, and he gets a sleeper on, but Bobby comes in to break it up. Zenk with a shoulderblock, but he gets nailed by Bobby while running the ropes, and Lane uses a high knee to send Tom to the outside. Bobby is waiting out there with a drop across the rail, and just like that, the tide, she has’a turned. The Express go to work, but Lane misses a big charge in the corner, and Pillman gets the hot tag! Pillman dives at Lane with a missile dropkick for two when Bobby saves, and Roseanne Barr the door! Cornette passes Lane the tennis racket during the brawl, and he cracks Pillman with it for the pin at 12:10. This was fun, and well paced. ** ¼ 

BUExperience: Good stuff this week, as they continue to do a strong job of building toward Capital Combat.