WCW Saturday Night (February 12, 1994)

 

Original Airdate: February 12, 1994 (taped February 1)

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

Nick Bockwinkel is out right away to share that WCW World Champion Ric Flair has filed the appropriate paperwork, and so his match in the cage with Big Van Vader is back on for SuperBrawl. But, Bockwinkel is still concerned, so he’s putting Boss in there as the special guest referee to make sure things don’t get out of hand

The Nasty Boys v Matt Shepard and Scott D'Amore: The WCW World Tag Team title is not on the line for this. Jerry Sags puts this one away at 2:57. DUD

Johnny B. Badd wants to kick 1994 off by taking some gold off of Rick Rude

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Gene Okerlund catches up with WCW World Champion Ric Flair, who is ready for what he knows is going to be a major challenge in Van Vader

Jungle Jim Steele v Fred Avery: Ted Turner and Jane Fonda are shown in the crowd, and I’m dying to know how Jane Fonda felt about taking in a pro-wrestling show. Dying. Steele with a Thesz press at 0:47. DUD

Okerlund goes into the crowd to chat with Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, and Gene saying the phrase ‘keep on keeping on’ seems to somehow offend Jane. Her whole posture changed the moment he said it. Maybe it was the code word from some hypnosis thing she went through?

Okerlund is in the studio for the SuperBrawl IV Control Center

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WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Patriot: Bobby does the schtick he used to do with Doink the Clown in the WWF, where he talks about how Patriot ‘looks familiar,’ but he just can’t place him. Patriot dominates early, so Regal gets a cravat on, and holds Patriot to slow things down, and run the clock. Regal pops him with a few uppercuts before switching to a side-headlock, but Patriot forces a criss cross, and lands a bodypress for two. That allows Patriot to take Steven to the mat in a headlock of his own, but Regal escapes, and hits a somersault senton splash for two. Regal grounds him in a keylock, but Patriot escapes, and hooks a sunset flip for two. A bodyslam gets another two, and Patriot tries a backslide, but Regal blocks. Patriot responds with an inside cradle for two, and then gets the backslide for two. Patriot keeps coming with a side suplex for two, but time expires before he can try anything else, and Regal retains at 10:01. Like many of Regal’s matches from this period, this was psychologically sound, if a little dull. ¾*

Okerlund catches up with WCW United States Champion Steve Austin and Colonel Robert Parker, and Parker was so embarrassed over the chicken suit deal that he didn’t want to show his face on TV ever again, but luckily Steve was able to talk him off the proverbial ledge. But Brian Pillman still has to pay, so Parker introduces his latest find: Mongolian Mauler. I don’t remember him at all, so I’m guessing he doesn’t last too long

Terra Ryzing v Keith Cole: This is Ryzing’s TV debut, after a successful tryout in a non-televised effort earlier in the evening. Terra with an Indian deathlock at 3:52. That is an objectively terrible finisher. It just looks so unimpressive, and you can barely tell who is executing the move versus who is taking it. Watching this, you could say that Ryzing was fine, but nothing here would make you think you were watching a future big star and world champion. DUD

Pretty Wonderful v Arn Anderson and Erik Watts: Paul Roma starts with Erik, and immediately maneuvers him into the heel corner, but Watts is able to fight off the attempted double team. Tag to Paul Orndorff, and Watts wins a criss cross with a pair of bodyslams. He tags to Arn to work a wristlock on Orndorff, and Anderson decides to post the arm for good measure. The babyfaces take turns working the arm, but Orndorff goes to the eyes to shake Watts off, and he’s able to tag out. Roma hits Erik with a knee, and the heels take control, working Watts over. Arn gets the hot tag, and runs wild, but gets overzealous, and dumps Orndorff over the top for the DQ at 6:24. ½*

Okerlund catches up with Big Van Vader, who is more than excited to be the man to permanently silence Ric Flair’s ‘whoo’

Big Van Vader v Sonny Rogers: Vader absolutely eats this guy alive in 0:53. Afterwards, Vader keeps hitting, so Ricky Steamboat comes in to make the save. He gets overwhelmed against Vader and Harley Race, but Boss is out to back him up before Vader can really do any damage. DUD

Ricky Steamboat v Fidel Sierra: Steamboat with a flying bodypress at 1:48. DUD

SuperBrawl IV ad. They did such a good job of building up the main event for this, and then never released it on home video for some weird reason. I mean, they released every other turd of a show from some of their worst periods, why not this one?

Boss v Rip Rogers: Bobby goes on a rant about how Boss is a ‘bully,’ just as Rogers pokes him in the eyes. “Obviously, the bully has eyes,” notes Heenan, without missing a beat. Boss with a scrapbuster at 1:12. Okerlund catches up with Boss after the match, who clarifies that Vader may be big, but no one is bigger than the law. Something of a ‘big’ Boss man, you could say. DUD

Okerlund catches up with Dustin Rhodes and Brian Pillman to talk about the other Thundercage match scheduled for SuperBrawl

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WCW International World Title Match: Rick Rude v Johnny B. Badd: Posturing to start, and Rude gets control on the mat. He holds a chinlock, but Badd escapes, and hooks a headscissors for two. Badd keeps coming with a bodypress for two, and a backslide is worth two. Badd with a DDT for two, and he slows things down with a reverse chinlock, as Bobby almost calls the promotion ‘WWF’ before catching himself. Badd with a bodyslam, but Rude blocks a splash by lifting his knees. That allows Rick to dive with a flying axehandle, and a backbreaker follows. Rude works a reverse chinlock of his own, and then corner whips the challenger to keep the hurt on the lower back. Into the ropes, but Badd reverses, and jumps onto him with a sleeper. Rude drops down into a jawbreaker to shake him off, and Rude locks on a sleeper of his own. Badd uses his own jawbreaker to escape, but Rude is able to deliver a bodyslam before Badd can mount a comeback. Rude goes up for a dive, but Johnny gets his boot up to block, and he adds an atomic drop. Badd goes on the comeback trail, and a DDT gets him two. Badd with a big knockout punch, but Rick is in the ropes at two. Badd drags him to center ring and goes to the top for a flying sunset flip, but Rick dodges. That allows Rude to deliver a neckbreaker at 15:47. This was fine when it was going, but Badd held that reverse chinlock forever. *

Okerlund catches up with Vader for more barking at Flair to close things out. Bark away, old friend. Bark away

BUExperience: A solid episode, though not as eventful as the last few weeks.