wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Clash of The Champions XIV
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Our first WCW show of 1991 and really, the first true, WCW Clash of The Champions as they were no longer part of the NWA. We last left with Sting beating The Black Scorpion, who turned out to be Ric Flair. Sting would then lose the World Title to Flair on Jan 11, 1991 in The Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey. So we are back with Ric Flair on top and someone else is back in town after a stint with the WWF. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes
-Jan 30, 1991
-Georgia Mountains Center, Gainesville, GA
-Attendance: 2200
-TBS Rating: 3.9
-Yep, Dusty Rhodes is back down South after just wrestling with his son at The Royal Rumble only 11 days ago.
WCW World Tag Team Titles: Doom (c) vs. Sting and Lex Luger
-Reed starts with Sting and the small crowd, it pretty pumped up for this. Lockup to start and they jockey around the ring for position. Reed lands a clubbing blow to the back as we get a “Go Sting Go,” chant. He’s pretty popular, so maybe he should be World Champion. Sting back with a hip-toss and then tag to Luger who comes off the middle ropes with a shot to Reed’s elbow. Reed backs Luger to the ropes, but sets too early on a backdrop and Luger gets a neck breaker and then some posing. Simmons in and they collide several times with neither man budging. Ross runs through the football backgrounds as expected as Luger lands a clothesline and then a running shoulder and another. Simmons misses on a punch and gets caught with an atomic drop sending him into a right hand from Sting. Luger gets a two count, but then gets caught with a Stun-gun! We head to a break at 3:56.
-60 seconds of Peacock commercials!
-Back at 4:58 with Simmons working over Luger. Simmons sets too early on a backdrop and Luger hammers him on the back. Ron shakes it off and gets a power slam for two. Simmons goes for the backdrop again, and again, Luger counters with a boot to the chest. Tag to Reed and Luger starts to fire off right hands. Weak ones! Reed cuts off the run with a dropkick. Reed hooks a reverse chinlock as Ross lets us know he played for the Kansas City Chiefs! Boo! Sorry, bitter 49er fan here! Simmons back in and HE SETS TOO EARLY ON A BACKDROP FOR A THIRD TIME. Luger slams him down on his face. Reed off the top with a shoulder that sends Luger to his corner where the hot tag is made to Sting. He runs wild as Dan Spivey attacks Luger on the floor (they have a US Title Match at the next PPV). Sting with a double clothesline in the ring as Spivey leaves through the crowd. Reed accidentally decks Simmons with a shoulder, which knocks the ref to the floor. Sting dives at Reed, who backdrops him to the floor where the ref is and that draws a DQ at 8:49.
Winners: Sting and Lex Luger via DQ at 8:49
-Not a fan of this one as they repeated a lot of spots and the ending was pretty deflating. Doom was kind of hosed too as Reed just ducked and Sting went over the top basically by himself. *1/2
-So we are getting the results of WCW’s Sexiest Wrestler Contest up next. Okay then!
-Missy Hyatt is in the studio and has the results of our Sexiest Wrestler Contest and it’s The Z-Man. Yeah, that won’t get him booed!
WCW Television Title: The Z-Man (c) vs. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
-Z-Man won The TV Title from Arn Anderson a month ago. Eaton plays mind games to start as he shoves Z-Man in the corner, trying to get him off his game. He then slows things down and hooks a side headlock. To the mat, but Z-Man transitions to a head scissors and Eaton gets his legs on the ropes to break. Z goes to work on the arm. Eaton shoots him off, but gets knocked down with a shoulder and then gets caught with a hip-toss. Eaton with a slam and heads up top, but Z dropkicks him off the top to the floor. Nice! Eaton slows things down some more as he takes his time getting back into the ring. Z goes back to the arm, but Eaton backs him into the ropes and lands a right hand. Z responds with his own and Eaton backs off in the corner. This is a very deliberate start to this one which is weird as I assume they aren’t getting that much time. Test of Strength, but this isn’t Hogan/Warrior at Mania! Eaton gets to the ropes to force a break and then lands a right hand. Things pick up now as he runs Z into the top buckle and then a straight right hand. Whip to the corner and Eaton lands a back elbow. He heads up top, but Z punches and slams Eaton down. Eaton sent to the corner and Z-Man gets a backdrop for two. Another whip and Z-Man charges into a back elbow. Eaton up top again and he drops a knee to the chest. Z-Man with a small package for two. Reversal and Z-Man sets too early on a backdrop leading to Eaton getting a neck breaker for two. Z-Man escapes a suplex and gets a roll-up for two. Backslide gets the flash pin at 7:08.
Winner and Still WCW World Television Champion: The Z-Man via pin at 7:08
-Things picked up the last few minutes, but not too much to this one. Replay shows Eaton got his shoulder up before three, so no clue if that was planned or someone messed up.**1/2
Tommy Rich and Allen Iron Eagle vs. The Fabulous Freebirds
-So, the show is called Dixie Dynamite and this is the time the Birds don’t wear The Stars and Bars? We are getting close to The Birds run ending which is fine as I have seen a lot of Freebird matches in the last few years. I will miss Bad Street though. Rich controls both Birds early as he fights off a blind tag attack. Eagle in and he pounds away with right hands in the corner on Garvin. Hayes distracts which lets Garvin go to the eyes. Blind Tag to Hayes and he hits a bulldog and then celebrates on the ropes. Ross calls out Hayes for his bumping and grinding. So, JR sees something wrong with it? Hayes hooks a chinlock as the pace was a bit too fast for them. Hayes seems annoyed with Eagle as he decks him with a right hand and beats on him on the floor. Wonder if he messed something up? Garvin in and he knocks Eagle off the apron. Hayes with another heavy forearm to the back of Eagle. Garvin gets a running knee in the corner and then yells at the ref. Garvin misses a charge in the ring and gets stuck in the Tree of Woe. Eagle stomps away and brings Hayes into the ring with a spin-shot that looked sad. All four men in the ring. Eagle gets a sunset flip, but Hayes kicks him in the back of the head. Eagle blocks a suplex and gets his own. Tag made to Rich, but the ref was with Hayes. Double DDT finishes Eagle at 5:53.
Winner: The Fabulous Freebirds via pin at 5:53
-Not much to this one but at least it was short. *
-Wrestle War 91 commercial! War Games!
-Ross and Dusty throw to Tony Schiavone and Paul E Dangerously. Dusty makes veiled gay jokes towards Paul and asks if he will let a woman beat him in an arm wrestling contest. Dangerously quotes Martin Luther King Jr.
Sid Vicious vs. Joey Maggs
-Well, you know how this one is going to go. Best of luck Joey! Sid tosses him across the ring to break a side headlock and then lifts Maggs off the mat with a choke. Clothesline! Sid with some weak forearms to the back, but hits a heavy clothesline to the back of the head. Powerbomb gets the pin at 1:11.
Winner: Sid Vicious via pin at 1:11
-Yep! SQUASH
-Sid brings out his own EMTs to carry Maggs out on a stretcher, but Sid knocks him off it anyway.
-Wrestling Hotline commercial! That number is burned into my brain! Never called it, but knew the number.
-Tony Schiavone is with Sid and his goal for 1991 is to show he rules the world!
Ricky Morton vs. Terry Taylor
-Taylor is introduced as the Computerized Man of The 90s and that’s a thing that hasn’t happened yet. Handshake to start! Lockup as they jockey for position and we get a clean break. Another go and Morton gets an arm-drag. Lockup and Taylor with a headlock, but Morton with a head scissors and then an escape. We go again and Taylor works the arm, but Morton reverses and gets a hammerlock. Standing switch and then another one. Taylor with an wrist lock, but Morton rolls to break and it’s a stalemate. Another lockup and Taylor with a standing side headlock. Morton shoots him off, but Taylor is the one that gets the hip-toss this time. He tries another and Morton counters with an arm-drag and then another and then a Japanese arm-drag. Taylor seems annoyed, but calms down as we go again. Morton with a side headlock and Taylor rolls to a pin a few times, but only gets two. Now Morton gets a two count with the headlock. Dusty thinks the Flair/Steiner World Title Match later will be the greatest World Title Match ever on TV. No pressure! We take a break at 3:42.
-60 seconds of Peacock commercials!
-Back at 4:42 with Taylor in control with a hammerlock. Morton counters with a jawbreaker! Taylor throws the first punch, but Morton is on the ropes, so no pin. Morton slides out of a slam. He ducks a clothesline and gets an arm-drag into an armbar. Alexandra York is here which causes Morton and Taylor to blame each other. Taylor then decks Morton from behind to show who York is worth with here. We get insert comments from York and she says Taylor is the newest member of The York Foundation. Taylor drops a knee for a two count. Morton with a small package for two, but Taylor goes to the eyes. Kind of a weird way to execute a heel turn. Bulldog gets two for Taylor. Taylor with a slam and he goes for a Vader Bomb, but Morton blocks with his knees. They start trading right hands as the crowd kind of starts to get into this one. Well, the women are cheering for Morton at least. Backdrop from Morton! He lands right hands in the corner and gets a suplex for two. Dropkick from Morton, but he misses another one and crashes into the ropes. Taylor covers for the pin at 9:30.
Winner: Terry Taylor via pin at 9:30
-Technically solid, but the crowd was not into this and the mid match heel turn was kind of weird. **1/2
-Bill Apter presents Sting with PWI Wrestler of The Year! Pity vote for having to put up with The Black Scorpion angle.
-Dusty cuts a promo telling people to quit talking bad about our President.
Ranger Ross vs. El Cubano
-Patriotism was running rampant across the country, so Ross gets a payday here to play off that. At least WCW didn’t pit him against someone representing Iraq. Instead it’s the mysterious masked El Cuban! Ross controls early after we hear pre-recorded comments from him. Cubano back with a headbutt and then a suplex. Cubano heads up, but misses a splash. Ross lands some kicks and sends Cubano to the floor. He leaps over the top, but just to land on his feet. Cubano fights back as they kind of stumble around. Ross gets a sunset flip for the pin at 3:05.
Winner: Ranger Ross via pin at 3:05
-Not good! The crowd wasn’t even into it. 1/2*
-Wrestle War 91 commercial! Michael Hayes dressed as Uncle Sam!
Arn Anderson and Barry Windham vs. The Renegade Warriors (Chris and Mark Youngblood)
-The Warriors attack from behind which is kind of a dick move. I mean, it’s The Horsemen and they would have done it as well, but still. The Warriors double team which sends The Horsemen to the floor to regroup. Barry starts and eats a series of right hands and chops from both Warriors. Arn in and he locks up with Mark. Arn misses a punch, but Mark doesn’t as he lands a few rights and Arn bails to his corner. Chris gets the tag and we get a lock-up. Arn throws a punch, but it’s blocked and Arn eats a series of right hands again. Slow start for The Horsemen here and the crowd is enjoying it. Arn gets a drop toehold and starts to work on the knee, but Chris kicks him into the corner and gets a roll-up for two. Tag to Barry as Arn is frustrated! Chris with a dropkick as the Horsemen can’t get out of first gear here. Mark back in and Barry goes to the eyes. There we go! Tag to Arn, but Mark punches him back to his corner and tags Chris. Double Chop and Barry gets decked off the apron. Arn with a spinebuster as he has had enough. Barry in with a right hand and then a snap suplex for two. DDT gets two as Mark gets his foot on the ropes. Back to Arn who cuts off the ring with a front facelock. Arn decks Chris off the apron to be safe and goes back to the front face lock. Dusty wants us to put this hold on our wife to see how it can affect someone. I never did that, but I did DDT my ex-girlfriend and cracked my sternum causing me to go to the hospital! True story! Hot Tag to Mark and he runs wild on both Horsemen! Everyone in the ring. Brogue Kick to Arn from Chris! Mark gets tossed to the floor. Barry hits a lariat and then a superplex! Arn gets the pin at 7:30 as Barry holds Mark on the floor. Classic!
Winners: The Horsemen via pin at 7:30
-This was solid and match of the night so far. Just a fun tag match with The Horsemen overcoming the slow start and finding their groove to get the win. ***
-Tony throws to footage from Tokyo where Vader (with mask) and Hansen have a hard hitting match. The rematch is at Wrestle War and Hansen promises it a HOSS FIGHT without saying it.
Buddy Lee Parker vs. Brian Pillman
-Lockup to start and Pillman offers a clean break. Dusty mentions he told Pillman he is going to be the smallest man in War Games. I’m sure he will be fine! Pillman with a dropkick and then an arm-drag into an armbar. Crucifix gets two as Ross goes over Pillman’s football background. Take a drink! Parker lands some shoulders in the corner, but Pillman sends him to the floor with a head scissors. Pillman slings him back into the ring and goes to work on the arm. Parker lands a right hand and kicks Pillman to the apron. Pillman slings back in with a flip, but Parker punches him in the face. Parker walks to the ramp and just stands there. We see why as Pillman springs to the top and leaps over the corner onto Parker. Probably could have set that up a little better, but still cool! Pillman off the top with a crossbody for the pin at 3:18.
Winner: Brian Pillman via pin at 3:18
-Pillman looked good and got an easy win. *1/2
Arm Wrestling Contest: Paul E. Dangerously vs. Missy Hyatt
-Paul E flexing like Hogan during his intro is pretty funny! They can call her the first lady of wrestling as much as they want, but it will always be Miss Elizabeth. No offense to Missy. They milk this for a bit as Heyman yells at her and calls her a stupid broad. Heyman makes the mistake of keeping his head down as Missy takes her jacket off and reveals her cleavage. That gets a pop from the crowd and Dusty and JR on commentary. It’s silly, but effective as this is the only memory I have of this show as a kid. Heyman is stunned and gets beat in record time. Funny stuff!
-Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Rotunda, and Kevin Sullivan are shown partying with Lawrence Taylor at his restaurant. Funny enough, LT is the one that ending up closing the show at a WrestleMania.
WCW World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair (c) vs. Scott Steiner (w/ Rick Steiner)
-This is Steiner’s first big time match and there has long been reports and rumors that Flair was ready to hand the World Title to Steiner on a silver platter here, but Scott didn’t want to break up the team with his brother and leave him out in the cold. Hiro Matsuda is here as the winner faces Fujinami for the World Title in March at The Tokyo Dome. El Gigante is in the front row and gets an introduction as well. Gigante comes in to shake heads, but Flair turns his back after laying the bad mouth. Flair’s win over Sting a few weeks earlier made him a 7 Time World Champion. Flair poses to start, so Steiner flexes as well to pop the crowd. Steiner grabs a side headlock and then runs Flair down with a shoulder after being shoved down. Flair gives him a WOO as he tries to play mind games. Steiner gets a fireman carry, so Ric backs up and retreats in the corner. Steiner shoots in for a single leg, but Flair is easily to the ropes. Flair with an wrist lock and tries to break Scott down, but he is too strong and takes Ric to the mat. Ric bails to the apron so Rick Steiner laughs in his face. Ross notes that both of these men will be on opposite sides of War Games next month. Flair lands a kick and tries a whip to the corner, but Steiner reverses and gets a backdrop. Sidewalk slam from Scott for two. It kind of looked like he wanted a tilt-a-whirl slam, but Flair didn’t go with him, so he went with the sidewalk slam. Flair bails to the floor to regroup. He keeps a foot in the corner and turns Steiner around to start laying in some chops. Side headlock, but Ric gets shoved off and Steiner gets a hip-toss and then hooks an armbar. Flair gets to the corner and Scott offers a clean break. Another go and Ric gets a side headlock, but Scott counters to a hammerlock. Ric counters and Scott counters back to a hammerlock, so Flair bails to the floor. Scott gets too close in the corner and Flair stomps the knee. He gives a Woo and Steiner greets that with a clothesline. Flair to the outside again. Scott finally goes after Ric and brings him back in with a suplex for two. Knuckle lock from Scott as Flair starts screaming. He backs Flair into the corner and gets mounted punches in the corner. Flair breaks with an inverted atomic drop. Flair with another inverted atomic drop and he pitches Scott to the floor. Scott back with a sunset flip attempt, but Ric blocks with a straight right hand. Steiner reverses a whip, but Flair gets up a boot and uses the ropes to get a two count. We head to a break at 9:44.
-90 seconds of Peacock commercials!
-Back at 11:20 with Scott hooking a figure four to a good pop. It gets a two count as Flair has to raise off his back. Flair forces a break but misses a chop. Steiner misses a clothesline, so Flair jumps for a cross-body and they are both supposed to go over the top, but only Flair goes, so Scott has to cover and it looks silly as he jumps over to follow Flair down. Flair looks annoyed as we are told we have 10 minutes of TV time remaining. Back in the ring Flair goes after the knee with strikes and a knee breaker. He hooks the figure four and makes sure to grabs the ropes as well, but Rick runs over to stop that. Flair messes with Rick by releasing every time he comes around. That gets the ref to force Rick back and that lets Flair cheat some more. The ref eventually catches Flair and forces a break. Belly to back suplex and back to the figure four. Scott rolls over to reverse the pressure, but Flair is able to escape. Flair goes to the knee to cut Steiner off and then a rake of the eyes. Scott with a Rude Awakening and it looked kind of weak. Whip to the corner and Flair flops over the top and to the floor. Steiner follows out and hits a Steiner-line. Flair Flop! Rick puts Flair back in the ring as we have 5 minutes of TV time left. Steiner works Flair over in the corner, but the ref keeps him from throwing a right which gives Flair an opening. Figure Four is countered with a small package for two. Four minutes remaining! Steiner hooks a sleeper which probably isn’t the best move when time is running out. Scott releases and goes to a front facelock. Steiner-line sends Flair over the top and to the floor. This match is just kind of there and they seem off together for some reason. Rick sends Flair back into the ring with 3 minutes remaining. Straight right hand from Flair! Snapmare and he drops a knee for two with his foot on the ropes. Rick pushes them off as Flair keeps going for the cover. Two minutes to go as Flair gets another two count and then another as he tries to win with a side headlock. They go through pin reversals and Scott bridges up and gets a butterfly suplex. Flair sells it by flopping all over the place and ends up on the floor. Scott just stands in the ring as we have 1 minute to go. Rick sends Flair back into the ring and the crowd is finally getting into this one. Flair misses a chop and we get another Steiner-line. 30 seconds to go! Mounted punches in the corner and another flip in the corner. Flair off the top, but Scott catches him on the way down. Belly to Belly suplex, but the time runs out at 23:13 as the ref counts two.
Time Limit Draw at 23:13
-This definitely wasn’t the all time classic everyone expected. It was kind of slow and meandering with them not having much chemistry. Things looked clunky at times and by the time it started to pick up the time limit was nearly out. Talent alone made it a solid match, but way below expectations. ***
-Ross and Dusty rush off the air to close this one out.
-Thanks for reading!
