WCW Saturday Night (January 1, 1994)

 

Original Airdate: January 1, 1994 (taped December 7, 1993)

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura

We take a look at Ric Flair winning the WCW World title from Vader at Starrcade

WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Terry Taylor: They feel each other out at the onset, with Regal generally in control. Regal tries to wrestle it to a pin, but Taylor counters to a bodyscissors, and wrenches him with that for a bit. Regal leverages into a cradle for two, but Taylor keeps the hold well applied. Regal manages to break, and tries an elbowdrop, but gets caught back in the bodyscissors, and Terry turns it into a cradle for two. Regal tries a toehold, but Taylor quickly escapes, and grabs a wristlock instead. Regal muscles into a fireman carry, but Taylor goes back to the wrist, so Regal uses a drop-toehold into an STF. Taylor escapes, and hooks a sunset flip for two, so Regal puts him in a double-underhook, but Terry reverses, and holds it into a butterfly suplex for two. Regal throws an uppercut into a snapmare for two, but a backslide gets reversed for two. Taylor with a cross corner whip, so Regal rebounds with a sunset flip - triggering a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Regal cradling at 12:02. This was good, solid, old school, psychological action. **

Backstage, Steven Austin celebrates his new WCW United States title

Pretty Wonderful v Scott Studd and Brady Boone: They were papering full houses here, but where were they finding these people? Some of them are dressed so nicely, they look completely out of place at a wrestling show, let alone as freebies. Paul Orndorff with a piledriver on Stuff for Paul Roma to pin at 4:47. I’m a sucker for this team. ¼*

Gene Okerlund is in the studio with the Starrcade Control Center, which focuses on the two title changes at the show

Johnny B. Badd v Tony Zane: Badd with a flying sunset flip at 2:29. Johnny was getting great reactions here. Afterwards, Okerlund catches up with him at ringside, and Badd reveals that Michael Hayes will be returning shortly to be his tag partner. That draws Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce out to give their thoughts on that, so Johnny calls them ugly. Well, you can’t really dispute it. DUD

Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne v Robbie Eagle and Mark Kyle: Tony claims he’s been to Cleveland ‘twice,’ which is kind of a lowkey way of admitting that WCW isn’t a world class organization. Todd Pettengill was probably there 42 times. Payne with the fujiwara armbar at 3:27. Afterwards, Gene catches up with them, and they’ve been losing so much weight that they need a couple of belts. Maybe the ones the Nasty Boys are carrying around will do. DUD

The Colossal Kongs v Ben Jordan and Scott D'Amore: Harley Race split screens in here, promising that Vader will get the title back from Flair. The Kongs put this away at 0:50, before even getting their entrance gear off. DUD

Shockmaster v JL Sullivan: Shockmaster with a bearhug driver at 1:38. I’m appreciating the brevity of the squashes from the poor workers. DUD

Brian Pillman v Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker: Posturing to start, controlled by Pillman. Parker tries throwing forearms, but Pillman dropkicks him, and uses an armdrag into an armbar. On to a hammerlock, but Parker counters to a waistlock, so Brian reverses. Parker gets the ropes, and Brian breaks, but then gets him in a wristlock once they re-engage. Parker throws a knee to escape, but Brian keeps coming with a slingshot bodypress for two. A drop-toehold allows him an armbar, so Parker starts slugging to break. Pillman dumps him to the outside with a headscissors, and Brian is on him with a baseball slide. He tries bringing Parker back in, but gets poked in the eyes, and Buddy puts the boots to him. Parker grounds him in a leglock, and a kneebreaker cuts an escape attempt off. Buddy uses a toehold to keep the pain coming, but Pillman manages a leg-feed enzuigiri. That allows Brian to go on the comeback trail, and a 2nd rope clothesline finds the mark. Into the corner for a ten-punch count, followed by a backdrop, and a missile dropkick finishes at 7:08. This was fun! Afterwards, Pillman shows off a chicken suit he’s obtained in honor of Colonel Robert Parker. Guys, I actually think he might have bought it to mock Parker. * ¼ 

2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell v Pat Rose and JD Wolfe: Jesse tries to understand why the girls boo when Rick Rude swivels his hips, but cheer when Bagwell does it. Scorpio with the flying 450 splash at 4:43. Afterwards, Gene gets a word, and they don’t appreciate Pretty Wonderful ruining their Christmas at Starrcade. Starrcade took place two days after Christmas was over with, stop gaslighting. Anyway, they challenge for a rematch on next week’s show. DUD

Steve Austin v Sting: Austin’s new WCW United States title is not on the line here. To be fair, he hadn’t even won it when this was taped, though. Posturing to start, and they feel each other out, with Sting having a slight edge. Sting with a backslide for two, so Steve bails. Back in, Steve manages to pound him into the corner, and he takes over. Suplex, but Sting reverses for two, and grounds Austin in a headlock. Steve tries turning it into a cradle, but Sting holds on, and grinds. Austin manages to set Sting on the top rope to force a break, and Steve hammers him with punches. That rattles Sting to set up a vertical superplex for two, and Steve grounds him in a wristlock. Steve tries a bodyslam, but Sting topples him for two, and starts throwing rights. Sting manages a backdrop as he goes on the comeback trail, so Parker tries a distraction. That draws Pillman out to chase Parker off, but he gets overzealous, and hits Austin for the DQ at 11:56. This is interesting in hindsight, because of the names, but it wasn’t a high level match. It was solid, though. Afterwards, Austin swings by, upset that he was about to become the first man to reverse the Scorpion Deathlock before Pillman had to come out and ruin everything. *

BUExperience: I enjoyed the hell out of this! It’s so much better, and more polished, than the dull 1986 episodes that everyone romanticizes because of the Horsemen.