WCW Saturday Night (February 5, 1994)

 

Original Airdate: February 5, 1994 (taped January 11)

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

WCW Television Champion Lord Steven Regal is excited to defeat the ‘painted buffoon’ Sting, because then people might call him the ‘franchise of WCW’

Ricky Steamboat v Tom Burton: Heenan notes that Ricky has ‘that Hawaiian temper,’ which even Schiavone has to wonder about. Steamboat looks to finish with a flying bodypress, but Harley Race runs in for the DQ at 2:34. Steamboat defends himself, but Big Van Vader is quickly there to beat the shit out of him - complete with his always epic sweatpants/leather jacket combo look! A bunch of jobbers run in to make the save, but Vader easily dispatches them, and then goes back to absolutely murdering Steamboat. Good segment, monster Vader is the best. And I liked that they didn’t just have him come out and crush some expendable jobber, but instead a big name star. It makes it more serious and impactful. DUD

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Gene Okerlund is in the studio for the SuperBrawl IV Control Center

Nick Bockwinkel is out, and he issues another fine to Vader for the attack on Steamboat earlier. As he does so, WCW World Champion Ric Flair phones in, and demands that Bockwinkel allow him to wrestle Vader at SuperBrawl. He doesn’t care what he has to do, he wants the spot, because Vader must be stopped. Nick doesn’t make any promises, but agrees to make the case in front of the board, and we’ll see what happens. I always liked the business like manner in which Bockwinkel played his role, and this was a good segment

Pretty Wonderful v Shockmaster and Mark Starr: Ho ho, fuck you, Shockmaster. Full on jobber now. What happened to the dude’s eyebrows, though? And he even takes the heat segment, like a real fucking jobber. Starr eats the pin from Paul Orndorff at 8:05. Way too long. Afterwards, Gene catches up to the winners, who are looking for tag team gold. And, to hurt Dustin Rhodes. DUD

Arn Anderson v Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker: Anderson dominates on the mat early, but Parker manages to get a shot to his face, and he unloads. Arn fights back with a kneelift, and the rotating spinebuster finishes at 1:59. DUD

Bockwinkel is back out for an update, and he’s still trying to get everyone together for the meeting, so no decision yet. The world must have been such a pain in the ass before mobile phones became commonplace 

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Thunder & Lightning v Bill Payne and Ricky Tango: Thunder & Lightning had a good look for a babyface team going on, like a British Bulldogs type deal. This finish Payne at 2:20 to send this one home. DUD

Okerlund brings WCW International World Champion Rick Rude out, and I never liked the way Rude would fold that belt up like it was a loose main plate. But, at least he made it his own. He wants respect, and he’s going to beat Sting to get it. He should consider teaming with Lord Regal

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Steve Austin v Terry Taylor: The WCW United States title is not on the line for this. Tony notes that “one thing about Taylor, he will not back down from a fight.” They should have sent him out to deal with Vader earlier. Posturing to start, with Taylor in control, and Austin complaining of various nonexistent cheating. Steve takes control and unloads, but Taylor manages a chincrusher to shake him off, and a backdrop follows. Taylor with a dropkick, and an atomic drop shifts into a side suplex for two. That was a nice combo, and I’ve never really seen it before. Taylor with a sunset flip for two, but Steve cuts him off with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two. Backelbow, but Taylor ducks, and rebounds with a jumping forearm. Cover, count, but Colonel Robert Parker puts the foot on the ropes at two. Taylor goes after Parker, allowing Austin to recover with a cheap shot, but now Taylor has a foot in the ropes at two. Steve responds by unloading in the corner, but Taylor fights out into a rollup - only for Austin to reverse at 5:07. Good action here. * ½

Okerlund is in the control center, hyping the Hotline. Call now, and hear about Sting and Hulk Hogan potentially teaming up. Hulk Hogan in WCW?! Gosh, they were making up just anything to get people to dial in

Boss v Equalizer: I always enjoy how Heenan’s hatred of Boss knows no limits, or promotional lines. Boss dominates early, and schoolboys for two, so Equalizer throws a headbutt to the gut. He gets a couple of shots in, but misses an avalanche, and Boss hiptosses him. Scrapbuster, and good night at 1:15. DUD

Bockwinkel is back out, and here’s the verdict: if Flair can provide a medical release, he can have the match with Vader. But, WCW doesn’t want any responsibility for it, and it will have to be non-sanctioned 

Okerlund brings Van Vader out, and he can’t wait to squeeze the life out of Flair at SuperBrawl

Lord Steven Regal v Sting: This one was taped January 10, also in Atlanta, and the WCW Television title is not on the line. Posturing to start, and Sting hooks a sunset flip for two, after Regal dominates on the mat for a short bit. Sting holds a wristlock, but Regal slugs free, so Sting takes it to the mat in a hammerlock. Regal fights to a vertical base and drops Sting into the turnbuckle to escape, and that allows Steven to hook a cravat. Sting fights, so Regal puts the boots to him, and hooks a guillotine. Sting keeps fighting, so Regal switches to a modified chinlock, then a cobra clutch. Sting fights free, and this time lands a clothesline before Regal can grab another hold. He goes in for a cover, but Regal catches him in a headvice on the way. Regal with fists, but Sting responds in kind, and we have a slugfest. Sting wins with a backdrop, and a jumping clothesline follows. Sting with a dropkick, but a second one is met with the same from Regal, and both guys wipe out. Sting is up first, and hooks a backslide for the pin at 8:18. Good psychology and storytelling, if a little dull. *

BUExperience: They did a great job with the show-long Flair/Vader angle, and it was great stuff every time they went back to it. The rest was pretty forgettable, but the Flair/Vader stuff was enough to carry the episode.