NWA (CWA / SMW) NWA World Heavyweight Title Tournament (November 1994)

 

Original Airdate: November 19, 1994

From Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Opening NWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Tracy Smothers v Devon Storm: This looks like it’s taking place in a literal garage, which is kind of sad in terms of how fast the NWA title had fallen from grace. Some posturing to start, with Smothers dominating. Tracy dumps him to the outside, then hits a flying axehandle for two on the way back in, but Storm nails him to turn the tide. Storm dumps him to the outside for an axehandle from the apron, and a springboard moonsault press follows, but Devon wipes out. That looked dangerous. Inside, Storm reverses him into the ropes, and delivers a powerslam on the rebound. Storm goes up with another flying moonsault, but it misses, and Smothers dives with a flying backelbow to advance at 4:54. This was mostly posturing, though it wasn’t bad. ½*

NWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Eddie Gilbert v Johnny Gunn: Gilbert mouths off, so Gunn decks him, and clears the ring. Gunn chases him to the outside, and they brawl through the crowd. For a long time. They eventually make it back to the ring, where Gilbert hooks a leveraged pin at 7:13. Yawn. DUD

NWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Al Snow v Chris Candido: They feel each other out to start, and Candido takes him down into a toehold. Snow fights to a vertical base for a side-headlock, but Candido forces a criss cross, and a reversal sequence ends in a stalemate. They trade shots, and Snow suckers him into getting angry, then hooks a drop-toehold when Candido charges. Snow holds a headlock on the mat, so Chris forces another criss cross, and another reversal sequence sees Snow uses a bridging German suplex for two. Candido with his own German suplex for two, but Snow wins a slugfest, and delivers a backbreaker for two. That allows Al to work a rocking chair, but Candido escapes, and wins a criss cross with a German suplex. Candido uses a bodyslam to set up a lightning legdrop, and he cradles for two. Chris with a vertical suplex to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, and a cross corner whip sends Al over the buckles, and he’s down on the outside. Candido brings him back in for a reverse chinlock, but a legdrop misses, and Snow takes some shots, as the garage door starts to open. This is so shit. Candido with a gutwrench suplex to set up a chinlock, as the camera man keeps cutting to extended shots of Tammy Fytch on the outside. Snow escapes, and delivers a uranage, but Candido gets to the top anyway for a flying headbutt drop - which misses. That allows Snow to go to the top, but Chris crotches him. Superplex, but Snow blocks, and dives with a flying dropkick. A reversal sequence ends in Al delivering (yet another) German suplex, and a clothesline follows. Candido begs off, but Snow keeps coming, and a sitout spinebuster gets him two. Snow tries for a powerbomb to polish it off, but Candido topples him at 12:40. It had some issues with the flow, but this was solid overall, and much better than the two earlier matches. * ½ 

NWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Jerry Lawler v Dirty White Boy: Lawler cuts a promo on the entire crowd before the match, and then Jim Cornette comes out to cut his own promo, where he offers to stand in Lawler’s corner. Lots of stalling by the King to start. Lots. He manages to grab a standing side-headlock, but Boy escapes, so we get more hijinks from Lawler in the form of an extended session teaching the referee how to properly count pinfalls. There’s just nothing happening here. It’s no wonder Lawler had such a long career, I have trips to the grocery store more physical than some of his matches. Finally, Cornette gets involved, and Boy wins by DQ at 18:48. This was horrible. -¼*

NWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Lou Perez v Osamu Nishimura: Perez is the NWA Florida champion here, and his ass comes out to Also sprach Zarathustra. The balls. Nishimura has the distinction of being in both versions of the NWA title tournament in 1994, which they even bring up here, which is something. Posturing to start, and Nishimura gets control. Nishimura slaps on a figure four, and works on the leg extensively. Nothing of note really, just laying around in holds. Nishimura with a nasty powerbomb for two, so Lou tries a somersault cradle for two. Nishimura with a small package for two, and they trade shots, won by Perez. Backdrop, but Nishimura counters with a sunset flip for two, as time expires at 12:36. Forget the time limits, I don’t get the brackets of this tournament. This went to a draw, but if it hadn’t, where would the winner of this even advance to? ¼*

Inferno Kid v Mr. Motion: Kid pounds him into the ropes at the bell, but Motion manages a hiptoss to win a criss cross. Motion tries monkey flip, but gets blocked, and Kid snap suplexes him. Motion fires back with a standing dropkick, but Kid wrestles him to the mat in a side-headlock. Kid misses a dropkick, allowing Motion an elbowdrop, followed by a cradle for two. Kid bails to break the momentum, and he hooks a schoolboy for two on the way back in. A spinheel kick misses, allowing Motion another dropkick, and a cross corner whip allows him to try for another monkey flip, but it gets blocked again. That allows Kid a bridging overhead belly-to-belly suplex for the pin at 2:57. This was a total sprint, and it was really fun compared to the two slogs that it followed. *

Doink the Clown v Scotty Flamingo: This is Ace Darling as Doink, not any of the WWF guys. Kind of crazy that we’re doing this bootleg Doink gimmick on the same show as Lawler was working, considering they were blowing off their WWF feud at Survivor Series a few days later. Flamingo is back to his complete WCW gimmick for this, with no trace of Johnny Polo. Though, the ring announcer notes that he’s “formerly known as Johnny Polo,” and even calls this a “WWF challenge match,” whatever that means. Posturing to start, with Doink doing comedy spots. He drops Flamingo with a DDT, but Destiny distracts him, and Flamingo attacks. A DDT puts it away for him at 4:06. DUD

NWA World Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Tracy Smothers v Eddie Gilbert: Gilbert runs in so furiously to kickstart things, that the poor ring announcer has to finish reading off his name as they’re already brawling. It spills to the outside for a brawl into the crowd, and back to the ring with Gilbert in control. He knocks Smothers around with jabs, and he grabs a trashbag, trying to suffocate Tracy with it. That, somehow, does not constitute a DQ. Smothers manages an atomic drop, but the referee gets bumped in the process, and everyone ends up down. That allows Gilbert to pop Smothers with a loaded fist, but there’s no referee to make the count. Another referee runs out as Gilbert uses a bridging side suplex, and two officials count - with Smothers getting the pin since Gilbert forgets to lift his shoulder at 8:08. This night was not a good showing for Gilbert. DUD

NWA World Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Chris Candido v Dirty White Boy: A showdown between the guys behind the best and worst matches of the previous round. Candido keeps trying to shoot for the bad leg, but Boy blocks his attempts. Chris finally manages to take him down, and he works the leg. Boy fights him off long enough to throw a few fists, so Candido goes to the top to try a dive. Boy looks to slam him off, but Candido topples him at 4:15. ¼*

SMW Tag Team Title Match: The Gangstas v The Rock 'n' Roll Express: New Jack starts with Robert Gibson, but it goes nowhere. Tag to Ricky Morton for some posturing with Jack, as they measure each other. The champs get control and work Ricky over, until things break down, and Roseanne Barr the door! In the chaos, the champs toss Ricky over the top, and that’s a DQ at 6:58. This was dull. DUD

Main Event: NWA World Title Match: Tracy Smothers v Chris Candido: The fans are all over Tammy here, mercilessly antagonizing her. They feel each other out a bit to start, and Smothers gets control by winning a criss cross, sending Candido to the outside. Smothers is on him with a baseball slide, and he follows to the outside, but Chris reverses a smash into the guardrail. Inside, Smothers manages to tag him with a superkick for two, and a corner whip sets up a corner splash, but Candido dodges. That allows Chris a swinging neckbreaker for two, and he tries a double knucklelock, but Smothers escapes with an enzuigiri. Candido cuts him off with a snap suplex for two, but a second one gets countered with a belly-to-belly suplex. Smothers tries to add a splash, but Candido gets his knees up to block, and uses a baseball slide to send Tracy to the outside. Chris is on him with a plancha, and he tries suplexing Smothers back in from the apron, but Tracy reverses him out of the ring. That allows Smothers a baseball slide, and he whips Chris into the rail out there. Inside, that gets Smothers a two count, so Chris goes to the eyes to buy time, and he chokes Smothers into the corner. Candido with a cross corner whip, but Smothers blocks the impact, and forces a criss cross - ending in Candido countering a rana with a powerbomb for two. That was a nice criss cross. Candido stays on him with a pointed elbowdrop for two, and he grounds Smothers in a chinlock from there. Chris gets busted using the ropes, allowing Smothers a schoolboy for two after the break, but Candido cuts him off. Chris with a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, but a criss cross allows Smothers a clothesline. Smothers goes upstairs, but Candido crotches him before he can dive. That allows Chris a rana off the top for two, but a 2nd rope legdrop misses. That allows Smothers to throw another clothesline, and he follows with a jumping backelbow this time. Into the corner for a ten-punch count, and a reverse enzuigiri finds the mark. Smothers goes up with a flying backelbow, but Tammy distracts the referee, so no count. That allows Candido to pull a chain out, but Smothers blocks the shot. Cue another distraction from Tammy, and this time Candido is able to pop Smothers with the chain for the title at 13:13. This was a strong final, and the best match of the night, but not nearly enough to save the overall show. ** ½ 

BUExperience: This was neat to see from a historical perspective, but it was not a good show by any means.

 

DUD