wrestling / Video Reviews
The Chrononaut Chronicles: Clash of the Champions XV
Thanks to the infinitely talented Kyle Morton for the logo. Check out his Etsy account, where he does custom artwork and commissions… you’ll be glad you did!
WCW Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville, USA – June 12, 1991
– LIVE from the Civic Auditorium in Knoxville, Tennessee! Missy Hyatt welcomes us to the Clash, and Paul E. Dangerously shows up as her co-host and complains that nobody told him they were on the air. She sticks him with the microphone and walks off, but before Paul E. can say much more, we go to Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone at ringside. Before each match, helpful graphics called “Knocksville Notes” appear on the screen, including each competitor’s weight and a little blurb giving some backstory. That’s a good idea to hook casual viewers.
– The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael “PS” Hayes & Jimmy “Jam” Garvin & Badstreet w/Diamond Dallas Page & Diamond Doll & Big Daddy Dink) vs. The Young Pistols (Steve Armstrong & Tracy Smothers) & The Z-Man
Big changes in the camp of the Fabulous Freebirds, as their entourage had grown to include newcomer Diamond Dallas Page (along with his Diamond Doll, not yet portrayed by Kimberly) as their business manager, and Sir Oliver Humperdink assuming a new identity as the “road boss” Big Daddy Dink in a role that he apparently hated. They had also introduced a new third Freebird in the form of a masked man called Badstreet, portrayed by Brad Armstrong, which spawned the cute nickname of “Bradstreet” amongst smarks and those in the know. The Southern Boys have been renamed The Young Pistols and are now billed from Wyoming in an effort to shake their regional stigma, and they also lost their last names as they are simply called Steve & Tracy now. Badstreet made his first appearance at SuperBrawl ’91 and helped Jimmy Garvin & Michael Hayes beat the Pistols for the United States Tag Team Championship, so the Pistols are looking for revenge in this six-man tag team match. The Z-Man unloads on both Hayes & Garvin with hiptosses and dropkicks to get the crowd going before Steve & Tracy dive in with crossbodies off opposite turnbuckles. The Freebirds bail out and regroup with Big Daddy Dink, but they fare no better as Garvin gets slammed off the top turnbuckle and the Pistols slingshot the Z-Man in with a nice double-clothesline on Garvin & Hayes. It’s all action as Smothers gets caught up in the Freebird corner, and his partners get knocked off the apron when the ‘Birds whip Badstreet at them when they are distracted by Dink. All three Freebirds abuse Tracy at ringside and slug away on him in the ring until Steve and Z-Man intervene. The Freebirds dump the babyfaces out to the floor a couple of times, but they slingshot back in with a trio of sunset flips and referee Bill Alfonso counts all three pins at 4:54 as Armstrong pins Garvin, Zenk pins Hayes, and Smothers pins Badstreet. **¼ A quick six-man opener featuring some hot moves and constant action to warm up the crowd.
– Oz (w/The Great Wizard) vs. Johnny Rich
Now let’s follow the yellow brick road to WCW’s second unsuccessful attempt to cash in on the superstar potential of Kevin Nash, following a failed tag team push as Master Blaster Blade and an aborted singles run as simply The Master Blaster. Hailing from The Emerald City, the character of Oz was devised as a way to capitalize on WCW’s connection with Ted Turner and his library of films. Nash looks like he stepped straight out of a Wizard of Oz-induced acid trip, entering in a full-length cape and old man mask that he removes to reveal bright green tights and silver hair. The Great Wizard is Kevin Sullivan wearing a creepy old man mask and wig, and carrying a real live monkey on his shoulder as he hops around Oz like a demented ape. As ridiculous as the gimmick is, the production values are top-notch and the concept is endearingly bizarre. Schiavone rationalizes the absurdity of Oz by categorizing his appearance and presentation as a psych-out job. This is a total squash for Oz and he looks impressive delivering a sideslam, a shoulderblock off the ropes, and a clothesline that turns Johnny Rich inside-out before finishing him off with the helicopter slam in 1:28. *
Unlike Diesel, Oz is a gimmick that Nash could bring back and not have to dye his hair.
– “Dangerous” Dan Spivey vs. Big Josh
In another example of WCW copying the WWF’s strategy of hiring a veteran wrestler and giving him a whole new identity, the character of Big Josh — a burly lumberjack from the Pacific Northwoods who had never stepped in the ring before he came out of the crowd to rescue Tommy Rich — was portrayed by Matt Borne, a second-generation regional star who wrestled at the first WrestleMania and would go on to originate the role of the sinister clown, Doink, in the WWF. Dan Spivey outhosses Big Josh with punches, a headbutt, and a clothesline, but Josh employs a ground-and-pound strategy as he double-legs Spivey and hammers away on top of him. When they get up and run the ropes, Dangerous Dan pulls out a Japanese armdrag and Ross segues nicely into putting over Spivey’s main-event reputation in the Orient. Spivey levels Josh with a big boot and Josh reverses a suplex, but Spivey responds with a clothesline. Josh avoids a charge in the corner and plants Spivey with a vicious belly-to-back suplex as a wild-looking Kevin Sullivan wanders down the runway wielding a crutch. Ross identifies Sullivan as the manager of Blackblood. Ah yes, Blackblood, another case like Big Josh of WCW using a veteran star to play a new character, as Billy Jack Haynes was hired to wear an executioner’s mask and carry the same prop axe Night Stalker had at Clash XIII. Anyway, Josh stupidly runs into the ropes right where Sullivan is standing and, of course, Sullivan snaps the crutch across the back of his head. Spivey snares Josh in a German suplex with bridge to make it academic in 2:48. ** Quick, hard-hitting matchup.
– The WCW Top Ten is back in effect! The top ten contenders for Ric Flair’s World Heavyweight Championship at this point in time are US Champion Lex Luger, Great Muta, El Gigante, Beautiful Bobby, Nikita Koloff, STING, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, One Man Gang, and Stunning Steve. That’s a pretty good mix of guys, although Gigante at #3 is crazy. He CLEARLY should have been #1!
– Paul E. Dangerously hosts a LIVE edition of The Danger Zone and introduces Jason Hervey of TV’s The Wonder Years as his guest. After doing the bit where he keeps pulling the microphone away so that Hervey can’t answer his questions, Paul E. asks Jason if he is dating Missy Hyatt and offers to help him out with a prenuptial agreement because his dad is a lawyer. Paul gets in a good line when he asks Jason if he has a new car and a new house since becoming a TV star and wonders, if everything else he owns is new, “Why is your girlfriend used merchandise?” BURN. Hervey grabs the mic and ends the interview, but as he’s walking away, Dangerously cracks him in the back of the head with his phone. Selling better than most of the wrestlers hired by WCW, Jason drops like a rock and lays motionless on the mat as Missy bounces out to tend to him and screech at Paul. Ross and Schiavone are concerned that Dangerously has gone too far this time and may feel repercussions from WCW.
Using a cell phone as a weapon just wouldn’t have the same effect these days.
– “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. Terrence Taylor (w/Alexandra York & Mr. Hughes)
When Dusty Rhodes returned to WCW, he brought his son, Dustin Rhodes, with him and gave him the undefeated-streak push. The story behind this match is that Alexandra York had been scouting the junior Rhodes for weeks because he was such a hot prospect, being the booker’s son and all, but Dustin turned her down cold when she offered him an invitation to join the York Foundation. The Natural went on to defeat Terrence Taylor at SuperBrawl, and this is the rematch. Ross notes that Ms. York will introduce her newest acquisition later tonight (subtle foreshadowing, JR) as Taylor and Rhodes engage in a spirited matchup with some good fire shown by Dustin, although the fans just aren’t reacting to him at the level Dusty intended. Dustin scores a two-count after a clothesline in the corner and rattles Terrence with consecutive atomic drops, first reverse style and then the more traditional fashion. The tide turns when Taylor avoids a charge in the corner and Rhodes crashes out to the floor, where Taylor rams Dustin’s head against the guardrail. The Computerized Man of the 1990s suplexes the Natural back in and drops a knee for two, then hits a jawbreaker and a gutwrench powerbomb for another two. Dustin surprises Taylor with a sunset flip and a backslide for a pair of near-falls before mounting a full-fledged comeback culminating in the ol’ FlipFlop’n’Fly. Rhodes pounds on Taylor and hits the bulldog, but the referee is distracted by Mr. Hughes (formerly known as The Big Cat, now “Head of Security” for the York Foundation) so he doesn’t see the pin. Since his last name is Rhodes, Dustin drops Hughes to his knees with a bionic elbow and turns around to discover Ricky Morton in the ring. Hughes strikes from behind with a shot to the kidney and the ref calls for the bell at 4:27 as Morton joins in the three-on-one assault, turning heel and joining the York Foundation. Hughes holds Rhodes on the mat while Taylor and Morton stomp away until Big Josh makes the save and whallops Terrence in the gut with his trusty axehandle. **½ Good match in the ongoing effort to get Dustin over.
– “Russian Nightmare” Nikita Koloff vs. Sting
To set up this match, we see footage from SuperBrawl of Nikita Koloff interfering in the match between the Steiner Brothers and Sting & Lex Luger; Nikita tried to clobber Lex with his Russian chain, but Sting pushed his partner out of the way and took the bullet himself. Koloff’s explanation to Schiavone in the locker room afterward was that Sting was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and just as he said that, Sting jumped him and they had to be pulled apart. Good way to start an angle and re-establish Koloff as an upper-card killer heel. Sting charges into the ring to start, but Koloff is all over him as he hammers away and tosses the Stinger out to the floor. The Russian Nightmare whips Sting ribs-first into the railing and looks poised to continue his dominance back in the squared circle, but Sting rallies back and hits a piledriver. However, Nikita pops right back up and resumes pounding on Sting’s abdomen while Ross credits Koloff’s incredible neck muscles for his ability to no-sell the piledriver. Little explanations like that are what make JR such a phenomenal announcer. Nikita drills Sting with a deadly-looking tombstone piledriver for a near-fall and kicks away at his ribs before Sting attempts a sunset flip. Koloff blocks it and punches Sting, but he celebrates too soon and Sting hooks his shoulders down for a near-fall. Going back to work on the midsection with kicks and punches, Koloff crunches Sting with a sidebreaker for a two-count and chokes him on the ropes. Sting tries to fight back, but Nikita cuts him off and batters his ribs (mmmm, battered ribs) before dumping him to the floor. As a callback to spots earlier in the match, Sting reverses a whip into the guardrail and then reverses a tombstone in the ring. The Stinger unloads on the Russian Nightmare, but Nikita avoids the Stinger Splash and prepares the Russian Sickle. Sting has enough presence of mind to dodge the Sickle and roll Koloff up for the three-count at 9:32. ***½ This was a really good match in terms of psychology with two of the bigger WCW stars doing what they do best: Nikita Koloff dishing out the punishment and Sting taking it like a champ.
– The whitest man in WCW, Tony Schiavone, introduces “The Rapmaster” PN News, who comes out with Pepa and Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa and performs a terrible rap while they shake their groove thangs approvingly. YO BABY, YO BABY, YO, indeed. The ensuing interview is interrupted by Theodore R. Long and his newest protege, the ambiguously gay Johnny B. Badd. Badd and News exchange heated words like “big ol’ ugly bear” and Johnny retreats after PN shoves him down.
Sadly, this rap supergroup never got off the ground.
– Loser Leaves WCW: Barry Windham & “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson vs. Flyin’ Brian Pillman & El Gigante
The stipulation specifies that the individual loser of the fall must leave WCW, as the pre-match Knocksville Note indicates that Arn Anderson & Barry Windham are better suited for such a high-stakes matchup due to their superior tag team experience. Flyin’ Brian chops away at the Enforcer and counters a hiptoss with a backslide for two. Anderson scoops Pillman up for a bodyslam, but Brian knocks him off-balance and lands on top for another two. Windham tags in and misses a lariat as Brian responds with a spinning heel kick and they briefly engage in some chain-wrestling on the mat. Barry snaps off a right hand to put an end to any sort of technical display and plants Brian with a leaping DDT for two. Arn tags in and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Brian fires off a dropkick and Double A crashes all the way down to the floor. When Anderson staggers to his feet, Pillman wipes him out with a springboard bodypress and throws him back in. The Enforcer finds himself in the wrong part of town and throws a punch at El Gigante on the apron, but Gigante no-sells it and grips Anderson by the throat while Pillman chops and powerslams Windham. Finally discovering what he was born to do, Gigante steps in and stands in the corner as Brian climbs up on the Argentinian giant’s shoulders and leaps off with a huge bodypress on Windham. Ok, that was pretty cool. Anderson stops the pin and Brian takes him down with a powerslam while Gigante chases Windham at ringside. While the referee is busy admonishing Gigante, Brian goes to the top turnbuckle and Windham pushes him off down to the canvas. Gigante slaps the clawhold on Anderson at ringside, but in the ring Windham punts Pillman in the head and pins him in 3:07. ** It was kept short and sweet, but it didn’t have the gravitas that a match with a stipulation like this needs, probably because nobody actually believed any of these guys would be leaving WCW. As it turned out, shortly after the Clash, a masked wrestler called The Yellow Dog arrived in WCW, sporting a similar build and style as Pillman.
– IWGP Tag Team Championship: Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono vs. The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner) ©
Before the match, Ross notes that this is the first time Japan’s IWGP Tag Team Championship has ever been defended in the United States, and we see footage of the Steiner Brothers beating Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki for the belts at the New Japan Supershow in March. Scott Steiner starts with Hase and takes him down with a single-leg, but when he tries it again, Hase counters with an enzuigiri and Scotty tumbles out to the floor. Back inside, Scott catches Hiroshi with a hotshot and muscles his shoulders to the mat for a series of two-counts. Hase snaps off a crescent kick, but Scott comes back with a weak overhead suplex and they both tag out. Proving his badassery, Masahiro Chono proceeds to stiffly kick Rick Steiner in the head until Rick’s headgear breaks apart. Rick finally responds with a Steinerline and the Steiners double-team Chono using a powerbomb/flying elbowdrop combination. Chono manages to tag out, but Hase doesn’t have much better luck as Rick reverses a waistlock and plants him with a German suplex. Hase takes control with a fireman’s carry slam and tags out, lifting Rick in the air as Chono dives in off the top with a flying shoulderblock. Samoan drop by Chono sets up a rolling senton from Hase, and Chono locks Rick in the STF while referee Nick Patrick is busy watching Scott suplex Hase on the floor. Scotty dives in off the top turnbuckle to save his brother, but he botches and totally misses, so he crawls over and punches Chono to break the STF. Rick and Chono run the ropes and collide with simultaneous clotheslines, knocking them both down as they each crawl to their respective corners and make the tag. It’s the Scott Steiner show as Scotty unleashes a Steinerline, a tilt-a-whirl slam, and a double-underhook powerbomb on Hase, capping it off with a belly-to-belly superplex. Scott covers Hase after that impressive run of offense and Chono has to rescue his partner. Taking advantage of an opening after flipping out of a suplex, Hase grabs Scott in a full nelson and executes a bridging dragon suplex for a near-fall as Rick breaks up the pin. Chono knocks Rick out of the ring with an enzuigiri and the Japanese duo double-team Scott, but when they run into the ropes, Rick grabs Chono by the leg and holds him at bay. Meanwhile, Scott snares Hase in the Frankensteiner to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship in 8:14. Although it’s not even mentioned, the Steiners are also WCW’s World Tag Team Champions. Afterward, the Steiners are assaulted by Dirty Dick Murdoch & Dirty Dick Slater in their role as the Hardline Collection Agency. The Hardliners dump Scott out of the ring and try to injure Rick’s arm as they bash it with Slater’s boot. Slater pins Rick’s arm to the mat while Murdoch climbs to the top turnbuckle, but we cut to commercial before anything happens. ***¾ Great action-packed match, although it felt rushed due to time constraints. Even though the Dirty Dicks focused on Rick for some reason, the post-match angle was used to write Scott Steiner out when he suffered a bicep tear. It also established Murdoch & Slater as a force in the tag team division under the Hardline Collection Agency gimmick, which was like a prototype version of the Acolyte Protection Agency featuring two veteran shitkickers out to break bones for cash.
– The Diamond Studd (w/Diamond Dallas Page) vs. “Wildfire” Tommy Rich
Scott Hall finally makes his Clash of the Champions debut under the gimmick of The Diamond Studd, basically a jacked-up Razor Ramon without the accent, right down to the toothpick. After the Studd is introduced, Diamond Dallas Page announces that they are embarking upon a nation-wide search for a “Studdette” and he brings in a blonde from the audience to rip Studd’s entrance pants off. She does it well, but DDP tells her to hit the bricks anyway. The Studd dominates Tommy Rich with his raw size and power, but he goes for a pump splash and Wildfire gets the knees up. Tommy tries to rally back, but Studd ducks a high crossbody out of the corner and puts Rich away with the Diamond Death Drop (later made famous as the Razor’s Edge) at 1:59. *
– At ringside, Jim Ross interviews a facepainted boy named Ben (apparently Kevin Sullivan’s son, although not acknowledged as such) who won a fictitious “Sting Lookalike Contest” and he brings out Sting to meet the young man. While Sting is interacting with the youngster, Nikita Koloff sneaks down to ringside with his chain wrapped around his arm and levels the Stinger with a clothesline. The Russian Nightmare smears Sting’s facepaint and glares at young Ben menacingly as Ben’s mom hops the railing to protect her son, but Doug Dellinger and his crack security team intervene and Koloff leaves. In a touching scene, Ben tends to his fallen hero as we go to commercial.
Let’s just say that Nancy was a step up for Kevin.
– The Great Muta vs. “Total Package” Lex Luger
Even though Lex Luger is the WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, this is a non-title bout for the right to challenge for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at the Great American Bash. Why not just make this a title match since the US Champion is automatically the #1 Contender? Bill Kazmaier, wearing a Lex Luger t-shirt, is shown in the audience and Schiavone makes a big deal about him being “legitimately” the World’s Strongest Man. The match starts slow and steady until they run the ropes and Luger no-sells a knife-edge chop. The Great Muta throws a roundhouse headkick, but the Total Package ducks and slams Muta with a back suplex for a two-count. Luger misses an elbowdrop and Muta takes over with chops and a back-bodydrop, but Lex comes back with a big military press slam. Muta dodges a charge in the corner and hits a spinkick to the jaw, but Luger avoids the handspring elbow and the Pearl of the Orient soars over the turnbuckles out to the floor. The US Champion attempts to suplex Muta back in and Muta lands on his feet behind him, preparing to spew the green mist. However, Luger is smart enough to cover his eyes and he catches Muta in a powerslam to earn the World Title shot in a scant 3:43. *¾ The match never really got going and was worked at half-speed, aside from the memorable sight of the Great Muta sailing over the top rope when he missed the handspring elbow.
Lex suddenly remembered why he stuck to posing and press slams.
– “Stunning” Steve Austin (w/Lady Blossom) vs. Jumpin’ Joey Maggs
Knocksville USA is a veritable treasure trove of megastars of the ’90s before they became famous. Although he had only been in WCW for a matter of weeks, Steve Austin had already captured the World Television Championship from Bobby Eaton, but since the match hadn’t aired on TV yet, he didn’t have the belt nor was he acknowledged as champion. Just a quickie squash to put Stunning Steve over as he finishes off Jumpin’ Joey with the Stun Gun in 25 seconds. *
– Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Alexandra York, Terrence Taylor, and Mr. Hughes and they introduce the York Foundation’s newest member, Richard Morton, to make it officially official. Dressed in a suit and tie, Richard says it’s the greatest day of his life because signing the contract meant he wouldn’t have to sign any more autographs. His longtime tag team partner, Robert Gibson, comes out and says he was ready to return from his knee injury and reform the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, but Morton informs him that it’s all about the money. Hughes and Taylor make a move toward Gibson, but Morton stops them and explains that wasn’t in the contract. Instead, Morton says he’s been “waiting ten years to do this” and suckerpunches Gibson before planting him with a piledriver. Dustin Rhodes races out and the York Foundation retreats despite having a major numbers advantage. This was a good angle to break up the Rock ‘n’ Rolls and have them feud for the first time, but unfortunately it came a few years too late and their subsequent match at the Great American Bash was a disappointment.
– WCW World Heavyweight Championship – Two out of Three Falls: “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton vs. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair ©
Ross and Schiavone do a great job of talking up this main event, as Tony states that they’ve both been waiting six years to see Bobby Eaton wrestle Ric Flair one-on-one. There was a lot of pressure on this match being best-out-of-three and Eaton trained extensively beforehand so that he would be prepared to go 30+ minutes with the World Heavyweight Champion in the biggest match of his career. Slick Ric backs Beautiful Bobby into the corner and shoves him, but Bobby shows he won’t be intimidated by responding with a slap across the face. They trade shots before running the ropes and Eaton drops a pair of elbows when Flair drops down. Eaton clotheslines Flair over the top rope and the Nature Boy stalls at ringside to break Bobby’s momentum, and it works as Flair unleashes chops when he climbs back in. The Beautiful One fires off a series of right hands and we get the face-first Flair Flop, and Eaton adds a back-bodydrop for a two-count. Wonky psychology as Flair kicks Eaton in the knee and grabs a headlock, but Eaton takes the World Champion down and tortures him with a rolling short-arm scissors. The Nature Boy grabs the rope to break and Eaton pounds away at the shoulder, but Flair reverses a hammerlock into a drop-toehold and throws a chop as he stops selling the arm. Bobby answers with a straight right hand and Flair bails out, begging off as Eaton stalks him on the floor. Of course, it’s all a mindgame as Flair gets back in first and attacks Eaton with knees when he tries to climb in. Showing a more aggressive side, Flair hurls Eaton over the turnbuckles so that he hits the ringpost, then chokes him on the mat and chops away. Kneedrop gets a pair of near-falls for Flair and he covers Eaton using the ropes for leverage after a double-underhook suplex, but referee Nick Patrick detects the rulebreaking and stops the count. Bobby rallies back as he slams Flair off the turnbuckles and flings him into the corner and over the top rope. Backbreaker, spinning neckbreaker, and a bodyslam set up the Alabama Jam and Eaton wins the first fall in 9:46.
During the 30-second rest period between falls, Flair sells the neck and the commentators bring up the old chestnut about the airplane crash in 1975 that broke his back. Bobby peppers Ric with lefts and rights, but Flair sneaks in a kick to the gut and throws chops. Eaton replies with a stiff punch and Flair flops again before Bobby counters a hiptoss with a backslide for a close near-fall. Flair scoops up Eaton for a bodyslam and his back gives out, so Eaton lands on top for another close count. Eaton puts Flair down with a spinning neckbreaker and climbs to the top turnbuckle, but the Nature Boy pushes him off and Bobby crashes down to the floor. Ross points out that Bobby landed on his knee, and Eaton clutches his leg in pain as the referee counts him out and awards the second fall to Flair at 11:42. Flair brings Eaton back in, but Eaton fights back with right hands and crushes Flair with a superplex. The World’s Champion screams in agony and sells his neck and back as Bobby crawls over and covers him for a close near-fall. Bobby sells the knee as Flair lifts him up for what looks like a kneebreaker, but drops him with a back suplex instead and locks on the figure-four. The ref catches the Dirtiest Player in the Game using the ropes and breaks the hold, so Flair drags Eaton to the middle of the ring and goes for another figure-four. However, Eaton counters with an inside cradle for two, and Slick Ric immediately clips Beautiful Bobby’s knee when he gets up. Flair hooks on the figure-four one more time using the ropes for leverage, and the referee doesn’t see it as he counts Eaton’s shoulders down to give the deciding fall to Ric Flair in 14:25. **** A great match, but the crowd wasn’t buying Bobby Eaton as a World Title contender and didn’t react to his near-falls, even after he pinned Flair to win the first fall. Ross puts over Eaton’s courageous performance and pushes Ric Flair’s World Title defense against Lex Luger at the Great American Bash. JR and Tony quickly recap the major happenings of the evening before signing off.
The 411:Â As the first full Clash of the Champions under the booking tenure of Dusty Rhodes, Knocksville USA almost felt like a precursor to the "Crash Television" style of the Attitude era with a number of different characters and storylines thrown at the viewer without a chance to let anything really sink in. Brian Pillman lost a Loser Leaves WCW match and it was completely glossed over. The Rock 'n' Roll Express officially broke up, and the Steiners were attacked, and Paul E. Dangerously blindsided Jason Hervey, and Sting was laid out by Nikita Koloff. All of the matches were shortened, the most egregious being the #1 Contender's match that lasted less than four minutes and the World Title main event that was all but promised to go 30 minutes in the buildup to the show. Japan's prestigious IWGP Tag Team Championship was defended for the first time in the USA and the match, while it was great, didn't even get 10 minutes. On the plus side, it made for an entertaining program because it seemed like there was never a dull moment and some major storyline developments took place. Unbeknownst to everyone at the time, this was Ric Flair's last Clash for a couple of years as he would leave WCW shortly after the show and take with him the Big Gold Belt signifying the company's World Heavyweight Championship. |
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Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]  legend |