WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI (Version III)

 

Original Airdate: January 27, 1994

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan – in Heenan’s surprise WCW debut

Opening #1 Contender’s Match: Pretty Wonderful v 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell: The winners earn a WCW World Tag Team title shot on the next episode of Saturday Night. Paul Orndorff starts with Scorpio, and he grabs a standing headlock right away. Scorpio tries fighting out, but Orndorff counters to a hammerlock, and they trade wristlocks from there. Orndorff throws a punch to shake him off, and he pounds Scorpio into the corner from there. Cross corner whip, but Scorpio reverses, only to run into a boot as he follows in. Orndorff tries a suplex, but Scorpio blocks, and they criss cross - won by Orndorff with a drop-toehold. Tag to Paul Roma, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Marcus gets a tag in. Roma clips him with a hotshot, but loses an exchange in the corner, and Bagwell hooks a sunset cradle for two. Roma throws a clothesline to cut him off, but an elbowdrop misses, and Scorpio tags in, working wristlocks. Scorpio takes him up for a superplex, but Orndorff helps his partner block, and Roma dives with a flying axehandle. Roma with a second one ahead of the tag to Orndorff, who puts on a reverse chinlock. The heels go to work on Scorpio, until Orndorff lands on a boot while trying a dive, and Bagwell gets the hot tag. He runs wild, and a bodypress on Roma gets two. Bagwell goes up for a missile dropkick, but Orndorff breaks the cover at two. Another cover gets two, so Orndorff takes a cheap shot, and Roseanne Barr the door! Scorpio misses a bodypress and goes crashing out of the ring, allowing the heels to get control on Bagwell again. They work him over, but a miscommunication ends in Roma down, and Bagwell hooks the leg at 10:16. This was very solid, but not as good as some of their other outings. * ¼ (½*; * ½) (Three review average rating: 1.08)

Ron Simmons v Ice Train: Ron tries schooling him, but Train isn’t having it, and knocks Simmons out of the ring. Train follows for a bodyslam on the floor, but a charge misses, and Ice hits the post. Ron suplexes him back into the ring, and he uses a snapmare once inside. Ron with a bodyslam to set up a headbutt drop, and another snapmare follows. Ron with a clothesline, but a flying shoulderblock misses, and Train powerslams him. Train with a corner whip, but an avalanche misses, and Simmons schoolboys at 3:32. I really enjoyed the angle that set this up, but the match was flat. DUD (¼*; -¼*) (Three review average rating: 0.00)

Gene Okerlund brings Colonel Robert Parker out for a podium interview to discuss his match with Brian Pillman later, and we get a funny bit here with Steve Austin dressed up like Parker usually does, and playing manager

Okerlund brings Nick Bockwinkel out to the podium, introducing him as the new Commissioner of WCW. I always thought that Bockwinkel was a perfect fit for this role 

WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Dustin Rhodes: Gordon Solie replaces Schiavone on commentary for this one, and it’s so incredibly odd to listen to Solie and Heenan together. Tony and Bobby less so, probably because they were in the WWF together (plus all the years we had of them in the late 90s), but Solie and Heenan feel like they should not exist in the same place at the same time. Regal does some stalling early, so Rhodes dropkicks him, and Regal ends up on the outside. Back in, Rhodes gets a wristlock, so Regal tries a whip into the corner, but Dustin flips him by the wrist into a slam. Regal goes back to stalling, but Rhodes takes him to the mat in a headlock, then uses a bodyslam for two. Back to the mat-based headlock, until Regal counters to an overhead wristlock, and he holds that for a while. Rhodes fights free, but Regal takes him down into a crossface, then into a chinlock - hammering with forearms all the while. Solie has no clue what to do with Heenan’s one-liners and wisecracks. Rhodes fights to a vertical base, so Regal shifts to a straightjacket to wear his challenger back down. Rhodes escapes, and lands a jumping clothesline this time, but Steven is in the ropes at one. Regal bails after the break, and he stalls, with three minutes left in the time limit. Regal comes back in with a slingshot sunset flip, but Rhodes blocks with mounted punches, and another jumping clothesline gets him two. Regal bails again, but Rhodes chases this time, which allows Regal to steal the high ground. Regal tries a suplex back in, but Rhodes blocks, and dropkicks him for two. Regal with a schoolboy, but Rhodes is in the ropes, so Regal bails again, running the clock. Rhodes chases, and backdrops him back in, then splashes for two. Regal immediately rolls back to the outside, so Rhodes chases. Inside, Dustin manages to deliver the bulldog, but time craps out at 14:53. This was psychologically sound, but all the stalling wasn’t the most exciting action. * ¼ (¼*; ½*) (Three review average rating: 0.67)

Okerlund brings Aaron Neville out for a podium interview, mostly to remind us that he’s from Louisiana, and nothing more

The Nasty Boys v Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne: Solie is still here, and the WCW World Tag Team title is not on the line. Jack and Payne sneaks in through the crowd to sneak attack, and we have a big brawl to start. The dust settles on Brian Knobbs in, and he gets double teamed. Knobbs manages to rake the eyes on Payne to allow the tag to Jerry Sags, and Sags manages to pound Payne into the corner. Sags goes up for a flying axehandle, but Payne dodges, and gets a two count. That looked really bad, and I think that Sags was actually trying a flying bodypress that Payne was supposed to turn into a powerslam, but neither guy was on the mark. Tag to Knobbs, so Payne puts him in the fujiwara armbar, but Sags saves. The Boys work Payne over, until he manages to double clothesline them, and Jack gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Jack hits Knobbs with the double-arm DDT, but Sags saves. Knobbs covers, but know Payne saves, and Jack covers Knobbs at 6:57. ½* (DUD; *) (Three review average rating: 0.50)

Brian Pillman v Colonel Robert Parker: The loser has to wear a chicken suit on Saturday Night. Parker runs scared, but Pillman catches up with him, and delivers a bodyslam for two. A dropkick gets another two, before Parker is able to bail. Pillman gives chase, and beats up Steve Austin on the outside, but that allows Parker to nail him. Parker tries a cross corner whip, but Brian reverses, and delivers an atomic drop. A punch gets him two, so Parker bails again, and Austin is there to fan him with a handkerchief. I’m loving this impression bit. Parker decides to bail, so Pillman gives chase onto the ramp. Parker runs, but Boss stands in his way, and Austin ends up getting backdropped on the ramp by Brian. Back inside, but Parker keeps running. He tries bailing into the crowd, but Boss stops him, only for Austin to use the time to clobber Pillman! That allows Parker to take control, as Bobby accidentally calls Boss ‘Boss Man.’ Pillman makes a comeback with dropkicks and turnbuckle smashes, but an attempt at a dive ends badly when Steve shoves him off the top. That gets Parker two, as Boss chases Austin to the back. That gets Parker’s attention, and Pillman schoolboys at 5:44. This was mostly gaga and angle, and that’s fine. It was entertaining for what it was, and no one was expecting a clinic. ¼* (¼*; *) (Three review average rating: 0.50)

Main Event: Elimination Match: Ric Flair and Sting v Rick Rude and Vader: Bockwinkel joins Tony and Bobby for commentary here. Sting and Rude start, and they posture. Rude hammers him, and tries a whip into the ropes, but Sting hangs on, and takes him down for an armbar. Rude manages to throw some knees in the corner to allow the tag to Vader, and he barrels into Sting with a bodyblock. Vader press-drops Sting across the top rope, and a slam leads to a 2nd rope sunset flip, but Sting blocks. Rude runs in to make sure Sting can’t tag, and Vader starts teeing off with forearms. Sting manages a side suplex to buy time for a tag, and Flair comes in hot. He cracks Vader with a big chop, and he pounds on Vader with punches. Back to Sting, but he gets into trouble with Rude, and locked in a bearhug. Sting escapes and tags, allowing Flair a flying axehandle on Rude. Flair keeps coming with an inverted atomic drop, but Ric gets blocked in the corner, and Vader tags in to avalanche him. Vader with a slam to set up the pump-splash, and he takes Flair up for a vertical superplex. Vader decides to take him up for another one, and the crowd is surprisingly quiet through these insane highspots. Still no cover, but instead Vader goes to the top for a dive, so Sting comes in to pull Flair out of harm’s way. That draws Rude in to DDT Sting, and Vader grabs a chair to finish the job on Flair. Bockwinkel cuts him off, and while they argue, both Flair and Vader are counted out at 14:03 - Vader reacting by yelling “shit” at the top of his voice, right into the camera. Sting is on Rude with a clothesline over the top, as Flair gets carried out to sell the beating from Vader. Sting throws Rude back in, and a flying clothesline finds the mark. Sting keeps coming with a backdrop, but an awkward inverted atomic drop ends in Sting down. That looked weird, and it looked like Rude’s fault. He’s had a few uncharacteristic mistimes here. Rude gives him some time before diving with a flying axehandle, and Sting looks like he’s loopy. Rude works him over in dull fashion, until Sting escapes a reverses chinlock with an electric chair. Splash, but Rude gets his knees up to block. That allows him to set up the neckbreaker, but Sting holds the top rope to block, then delivers a neckbreaker of his own for two. Rude fires back with an inverted atomic drop, but a corner high knee misses. Sting tries fighting, but Rude cuts him off again. He goes for a tombstone, but Sting reverses, and a flying splash finishes at 20:41. Four great workers, who’ve had great matches with each other… having a rather boring match. There were hotspots (like the Flair/Vader elimination sequence), but right when it needed to really boil over, Sting seemed to get hurt on that atomic drop spot, and it slowed down to a crawl. * (* ½; * ½) (Three review average rating: 1.33)

BUExperience: Nothing in the way of must-see wrestling, but an entertaining episode for the most part, with Heenan making a great addition to the cast.