WCW Saturday Night (January 8, 1994)

 

Original Airdate: January 8, 1994 (taped December 13, 1993)

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

Thunder & Lightning v Bob Starr and Bob Cook: I do not remember this team at all, but apparently they actually made a pay per view appearance at SuperBrawl IV (which I’ve covered several times), so I guess they’re just not very memorable. Or, you know, I’m getting old. Thunder & Lightning with a combo at 2:55. DUD

Sting and Brian Pillman are excited to jump on Rick Rude and Steve Austin’s faces later. But, will they dance on their boobies?!

Dustin Rhodes v Bill Payne: Payne is dressed like he’s trying to be the third Steiner brother. Rhodes with a bulldog at 1:56. DUD

Pretty Wonderful v 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell: This one was taped December 7 in Atlanta. So, this is a rematch from Starrcade… that was taped before the Starrcade match. Big brawl to start, with the babyfaces cleaning house. Boy, Assassin is just such a poor fit as a manager for this team (and in this era in general). The dust settles on Paul Roma with 2 Cold Scorpio, and the crowd is chanting like crazy. A criss cross ends in Scorpio delivering a trip of clotheslines, leaving Roma begging off. Scorpio adds a jumping shoulderblock, and the babyfaces pinball Roma in their corner. Roma tags out, and Scorpio gets Paul Orndorff in a hammerlock right away. Tag to Marcus Alexander Bagwell, and he keeps it going on Orndorff with a wristlock. Bagwell hooks a crucifix for two, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop. Back to the wristlock, so Orndorff decks him, and passes to Roma - who promptly walks into a hiptoss. Tag to Scorpio to pound Roma with fists, and a bodyslam sets up a somersault legdrop for two. Scorpio grabs an armbar from there, but Orndorff catches a tag, and the heels double team on the switch. Orndorff with a corner whip, but Scorpio blocks the impact, and uses some speed to disorient Orndorff. Bodypress, but Orndorff dodges, and Roma tags in with a big clothesline. That leaves Scorpio in trouble, and the heels go to work, cutting the ring in half. Bagwell gets the hot tag, and he runs wild. A flying shoulderblock on Orndorff gets two when Roma saves, so Scorpio comes back in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Assassin loads up his mask and headbutts Bagwell amid the chaos, and Orndorff hooks the leg at 10:20. Fun stuff. ** ¼ 

Shockmaster v Otis Apollo: Jesse gets a good chuckle out of this jobber’s name. And, of course, gets several chuckles at Shockmaster’s expense, talking about his ‘smashing debut.’ Shockmaster with a slam at 1:13. Afterwards, Shockmaster swings by to chat with Gene Okerlund, and they introduce a vignette of his nephew, Super Shockmaster, who thanks ‘Uncle Fred’ for bringing him in to WCW. Apparently, this masked character was also portrayed by Fred Ottman. What the fuck? This is another one I have zero recollection of, as I thought they just scrapped the whole masked gimmick after the failed debut/pivot to  the construction worker gimmick. DUD

1994 Missy Hyatt Calendar ad 

Ice Train v Johnny Stevens: Train makes short work of the jobber with a powerslam at 1:16. DUD

Okerlund is in the control center with the Clash of the Champions report

Harlem Heat v Bobby Walker and Jason Johnson: Heat are making the most of their time and opportunity here, and put this away at 4:19. Afterwards, the Heat swing by for a chat with Gene. DUD

WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Larry Santo: I always liked the TV title gimmick, when the champ would defend on a weekly basis, even against no-name guys. It was just begging for a Barry Horowitz-beats-Skip type of angle to come out of nowhere and introduce a new player, though. Regal with a cradle at 3:39. ¼*

Okerlund brings Pretty Wonderful out, and they’ll beat Scorpio and Bagwell another 200 times, if that’s what it takes to get a title shot

Rick Rude and Steve Austin v Sting and Brian Pillman: Austin starts with Sting, but he wants Pillman instead... only to immediately bail when Sting obliges. Steve sweeps Brian to the outside, and steals the high ground to pound him on the way back in, but misses a charge. That allows Pillman a 2nd rope clothesline for two, so Steve bails to regroup for a moment. Tag to Rude on the way back in, and a distraction from Austin allows Rick to unload in the corner. Clothesline, but Pillman counters with a sunset cradle for two, so Rick goes back to simply pounding on him in the corner again. Hey, KISS. Backdrop, but Pillman leapfrogs his way into a tag to Sting, and Rude eats a pop-up flapjack. Atomic drop knows Rick right into a right from Brian, but Austin breaks Sting's cover at two. Undeterred, Sting grabs an armbar, but Rude powers into his home corner, and tags. Sting fights them both off, so Austin tries to slow things down with an overhead wristlock, then a headlock. Sting forces a criss cross to escape, and he hits a press-slam, leaving Austin begging off in the wrong corner - trying to tag Pillman! Brian obliges, though it isn't quite the 'tag' Austin was hoping for, and Stunning Steve ends up down on the outside. He manages to catch Sting with an elbow on the way back in before passing to Rick, and Rude comes in with a kneedrop. Rude with a backbreaker and a bearhug as the heels cut the ring in half on Sting, but a tombstone gets reversed for two, and Austin fails to cut off the tag! Pillman comes in hot, and Roseanne Barr the door! Missile dropkick on Austin looks to finish, but the referee is distracted, allowing Colonel Robert Parker to sneak in with a cheap shot - Austin hooking the leg to steal the pin at 11:35. This was okay, but nothing special. Rude seemed off his game here, though that was pretty par for the course with him around this time. **

BUExperience: Good stuff this week. A breeze to watch.