wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Clash of The Champions XXIII
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written 10.14.25
-Ric Flair made his return to WCW in February and for whatever reason, they waited until this show to have him step back in the ring. Let’s get to it as WCW has a run of shows before the next WWF PPV.
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
-June 17, 1993
-Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA
-Attendance: 6000
Ron Simmons vs. Dick Slater (w/ Paul Orndorff)
-DON’T STEP TO RON! This was to be Simmons vs. Wonderful for Wonderful’s TV Title, but he has a groin injury. Dick Slater is taking Paul’s place. The crowd is hot to start which is a good sign. I always liked the look of The Scope. Loud “Paula” chant aimed at Mr. Wonderful. Slater gets a leg trip and works a ankle-lock. Simmons kicks off and gets a monkey-flip. He follows with a slam and shoulder tackle, so Slater bails to the floor. Test of Strength leads to Ron trying a sunset flip. Slater blocks and SLAPS Ron in the face. That’s a choice! Ron fires up and sets for the shoulder tackle, but Wonderful grabs the foot. That lets Slater attack from behind and he gets a pin, but Ron gets his foot on the ropes. Slater and Wonderful celebrate like they won and then Ron ends up hitting a powerslam for the pin at 3:57.
Winner: Ron Simmons via pin at 3:57
-The injury screwed up their plans, so we get this 4 minute match. Ron winning was a no brainer and he probably should have dominated even more. The ending kind of came out of nowhere as well. 3/4*
-Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko talk NWA Title Match and then bring in Michael Buffer. That was a really good signing for WCW as he made the Main Events seem like even bigger deals.
Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William)
-Jesse is a fan of Regal! This is Regal’s first live TV appearance for WCW. Lockup to start and Regal shoots in for a leg. He gets wrist control, but Bagwell counters. Regal rolls to get his own reversal and switches to a hammerlock. Bagwell tries to match Regal and does a solid job of keeping up. Regal gets a toe hold into a hammerlock, but Bagwell reverses to one of his own and drives a knee into the arm and back. Cool! Bagwell sends Regal across the ring by the arm and then goes back to the armbar. Regal pushes back to the ropes and lands a heavy forearm. European Uppercut! He takes out the knee with a clip and starts laying in kicks. Snap-mare and in a nice touch, Bagwell’s bad knee bangs off the ropes. Regal does it again and that’s pretty cool. We don’t see that move anymore. Regal drives the knee into the canvas and gets a standing heel hook. He transitions to an ankle lock as Jesse and Tony talk about the missing Cactus Jack. Jesse asks who would willingly go to Cleveland. I’ve done it plenty of times and plan to go again in November to watch my injured 49ers play. Get better Fred Warner! Regal continues to work the leg, but Bagwell kicks out. He hobbles around the ring as he makes his comeback. He sends Regal flying with a backdrop and then a sweet armdrag into a pin for two. Backslide by Bagwell gets two. He hits a nice looking running clothesline. Regal begs off, but Bagwell gets a roll-up which Regal reverses to a rather ugly looking one. He hooks the tights for good measure and gets the pin at 6:18.
Winner: Lord Steven Regal via pin at 6:18
-Good match but I wasn’t a fan of the ending. They ended it just as they were rolling into another gear. **1/2
-Eric interview Maxx Payne and he has Johnny B. Badd’s Badd Blaster. He wants Johnny out so he can give him The Blaster before their match tonight. Badd comes out and Payne shoots him in the face with The Blaster. Eric freaks out as Payne hits a line that sounds like it came from a 80s action film: “consider it returned.”
Maxx Payne vs. Johnny B. Badd
-Maxx gets announced as the winner by forfeit.
Winner: Maxx Payne via forfeit
-Tom Zenk comes out and calls Payne a sick man who nearly took Badd’s head off. They get into a brawl. Zenk connects with two dropkicks, but Payne catches him with The Payne Killer. Refs are out and they are able to get Payne off Zenk. Good segment as the crowd is pissed at Payne. I don’t remember any of this for Payne as I only recall him after the face turn and awesome tag match against The Nasty Boys.
NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Barry Windham (c) vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
-Michael Buffer does the super, special in ring introductions. Yep, 2 Cold Scorpio got The Buffer treatment. Windham pushes Scorpio back in the corner and laughs at him. Another go and this time Scorpio uses his speed and lands a dropkick. Barry seems a little more serious now. They battle over wrist control and Scorpio gets a slam. Again, the smile is gone from Barry’s face. Barry let The Horsemen know he is no longer part of the group and now has the Lone Wold nickname. Scorpio shoots in to grab a leg, but Barry gets to the bottom rope and bails to the floor. Another go and Windham goes to the eyes and lands a right hand. Barry misses a clothesline but suckers Scorpio with a fake punch which lets him land a kick to the stomach. Barry off the top with a clothesline which draws a big pop. I am loving this crowd so far! Slam from Barry as the crowd starts a “We Want Flair,” chant. Barry drops a knee and tells the ref to asks 2 Cold if he quits. Vertical suplex into a pin gets two. Barry rakes the eyes as Jesse makes Michael Jordan gambling jokes. DDT gets two! Windham gets a small package for two. He can’t follow up though and Barry gets a gut wrench suplex for two. Barry argues with the ref which lets 2 Cold land a dropkick, but again, he can’t follow up and Barry lands a shot to the gut. He drops Scorpio throat first on the top rope and Barry is feeling it. He drives a forearm into the chest as Tony and Jesse wonder if Scorpio is suffering from jet lag after trading to Japan. Scorpio gets a sling shot tackle for two, but as has been the story of the match, he can’t follow up. Barry with a dropkick and Samoan Drop for two. Barry starts boxing before landing a belly-to-back suplex for two. Barry keeps going with sloppy covers which Tony and Jesse have been calling out. He slaps Scorpio around and tries for another Samoan Drop, but Scorpio gets a sunset flip for two. Again, no follow up as Barry lands a clothesline. Scorpio flips out of a suplex and gets a desperation belly-to-back. Barry still the first one to land the next blow. He sets Scorpio up top and the place comes alive, but Scorpio drops Barry face first to block the superplex. Twisting splash gets two! Victory Roll, but no cover. Nice super kick! Another roll-up gets two. Scorpio with a slam and gets a sling shot 360 splash for two. Damn! The crowd is going crazy for all of this! Scorpio off the top with a dropkick for two. This place is ready to explode if Scorpio pulls this off. He tries one high risk move too many as Barry punches him in the face off a sling shot back into the ring. Leaping DDT finishes at 12:52.
Winner and Still NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Barry Windham via pin at 12:52
-This was fantastic! Super hot crowd that was buying into Scorpio having a chance to win. I dug the story with the cocky Windham being sloppy and not concerned with Scorpio but learning quick he was in trouble. I knew Scorpio had no chance, but they sucked me in at the end. Best NWA Title Match I have reviewed in this run where they brought the Title back. ****
-They show a graphic of a number to call to order a VHS copy of this show and they don’t put up a warning that the number is no longer in use. Apparently they don’t think anyone out there is watching and if they are, would want to order a copy of the show.
Sid Vicious(w/ Colonel Rob Parker), Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) and “Ravishing” Rick Rude vs. Sting, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes, and “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
-This is a preview of Beach Blast as Sting/Smith are set to take on Vader/Sid and Dustin and Rude are battling over The US Title. Sting and Rude start thing and again, this crowd is red hot for this. I love this crowd! Sting controls with a side headlock and Rude tries to muscle himself out, but Sting maintains. Rude reverses to a hammerlock, which Sting reverses back. Rude backs Sting into the corner and lands a back elbow. Forearms from Rude, but Sting reverses a whip into backdrop. Sting press slams Rude onto Vader and Sid. Sting throws blows at them and then gets a small package on Rude for two. Dustin in and he goes crazy with right hands. Vader tries a splash, but Dustin moves and Rude eats the splash. Crowd loved that! Sid and Bulldog are next and Sid gets punched from Bulldog to Dustin to Sting. He tries to leave through the ropes, but Sting lifts up for a unique ball shot. Bulldog with a shoulder tackle and brings Dustin back into the match. Vader in and Dustin beats the piss out of his with strikes in the corner. That was awesome! Dustin gets a suplex in a nice display of power. He delivers a basement clothesline as they are rocking here. They can feel it with this crowd. He misses coming off the top and Vader hits a forearm that spins Dustin inside out. Vader Bomb connects for two. Rude back in with forearms to the small of the back. Gourdbuster gets two as Rude gets too cocky with the cover. Dustin blocks a suplex and lands his own Gourdbuster. Sid quickly gets the tag and cuts Dustin off. He rakes the eyes and tells the ref to shut up. He throws Dustin into the corner and then mocks the crowd as he soaks in the boos (and some cheers). Dustin runs into a boot to the gut. Sid with a running clothesline for two. Vader back in and he boxes Dustin’s ears in the corner. Vader up, but Dustin catches him with a powerslam on the way down. Vader loves that spot! Rude in as Dustin can’t get the tag. Rude sets for a Tombstone, but Dustin reverses and plants Rude with one. Tag made to Sting, but the ref didn’t see it. As he puts Sting out, Dustin gets triple teamed. Everyone in the ring as Tony and Jesse have no clue who is legal. Sting misses a Stinger Splash on the floor and crashes into the railing. During the chaos Vader blasts Dustin with a briefcase (that has the US Title in it) and Rude falls on for the cover at 11:00.
Winners: Rick Rude, Sid Vicious, and Big Van Vader via pin at 11:00
-Oh man, they cut that off before we got the hot tag and the crowd going crazy. What we got though as wonderful as they knew the crowd was popping for everything. Seems weird to only give these six men 11 minutes. Could have scraped the first match and let these men go a bit longer, but they no such luck. ***1/2
-Sid powerbombs Bulldog after the match, but Sting gets his hands on the briefcase and chases Vader and company out of the ring.
WCW World Tag Team Championship: 2 Out of 3 Falls: The Hollywood Blondes (c) vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson
-First Fall: Michael Buffer wants us to get ready to rumble! This is Flair’s first match since losing to Perfect on RAW back in January. Pillman and Arn start and all I can think of is Pillman ends up being a Horsemen just a few years after this match. Pillman plays mind games as he rolls camera on Arn. He doesn’t take that well and shoves Pillman on his back. Pillman lands a knee and slaps Arn in the face. Austin in and he clowns Arn about having a beer belly. Kevin Nash was watching and taking notes somewhere. Flair gets the tag and the place explodes! Flair with chops in the corner and this crowd is just going crazy. Backdrop to Austin and Pillman gets decked as well. Flair grabs Austin by the mouth and throws more chops. Everyone in the ring and Pillman catches a back elbow from Flair. Austin is sent back in the ring and Flair fish hooks him, so Austin goes to the eyes. Hot start to this one! Austin gets a take down and goes ground and pound. Flair up and forces Austin to a corner for more chops. Arn back in and I can hear some boos as this crowd wants all Flair all the time. Arn works the arm and stomps away. Hammerlock Slam! Move always looks so painful. Flair back in and he drops a knee. Back to Arn who continues to work on the arm. Pillman chokes Arn with a towel behind the ref’s back. Arn drops south and Pillman gets dropped throat first on the rope, but the damage has been done. Austin decks Arn and pulls the ref away so we get more choking. Pillman gets the tag and goes to the eyes. Back to Austin who drops a forearm to the back of the head. Another one followed by a knee. Pillman back in and he rakes Arn’s face across the mat. The crowd would really like Flair to get back in the ring. Arn fights back in the corner and avoids Austin trying to drop a leg across the ropes. DDT from Arn and the hot tag is made to Flair. He comes off the top with a right hand and decks Austin as well. Inverted Atomic Drop to Pillman. Elbow sends Austin to the floor as Arn sells the knee on the floor. Flair pounds away in the corner on Pillman. The Blondes try a double clothesline, but Arn trips Austin which lets Flair hit a cross-body on Pillman for the first fall at 9:44. We take a break at 10:04 as Buffer screws up and announces The Horsemen as the new Tag Champions.
-60 seconds Peacock commercials!
-Second Fall: Horsemen up 1-0: Back at 11:06 as the bell sounds to start the fall. Flair struts as the Blondes are more serious as they are one fall away from losing. Pillman and Flair trade chops in the corner and they are laying them in. Flair flips over to the apron off a charge and ends up taking about both Pillman and Austin. Pillman does send Flair to the floor, where Austin is waiting for a slam. Pillman out to the floor with chops and he rakes the eyes. Pillman sends Flair head first into the railing which I have been told is a DQ in WCW, but not in this case I guess. The Blondes just the piss out of Flair in the corner and choke with a towel some more. To be fair, The Horsemen did stuff like this for years, so they are only getting a taste of their medicine. Austin gets a superplex and as always, Flair sells it like death because he is great at this wrestling thing. Flair fires up in the corner and goes to a straight choke, but Austin goes to the eyes. He stomps a mud hole, but we aren’t in the walking it dry stage of his career yet. Flair with chops, but his legs give out as he crawls for the tag. Pillman in and there’s a chop and another. Flair brings his own chops and then they run into each other for a double down. Austin in first, but hot tag to Arn. Backdrop to Austin and then a boot to the head. Pillman in and eats a right hand. Spinebuster from Arn, but Pillman breaks up the pin attempt. Everyone in the ring again and Pillman gets a clip on Arn behind the ref’s back. Arn kicks out, but his knee is toast. Pillman gets the tag and goes to work on the knee. Arn tries to fight out of the corner, but Pillman goes right back to the knee. Pillman gets a two count as Arn’s knee collapses on him. Austin back in and he goes to a standing knee-bar. Arn tries to break by kicking, but Pillman is in to make sure no tag. Half Crab from Pillman and Austin pushes on the head for extra leverage. Again, just using the tricks The Horsemen would do against them. Arn gets an enziguiri but again, can’t get to Flair and Austin gets the tag. He takes the ref while Pillman rams the leg off the apron. Pillman back in and comes off the ropes, but Arn gets a boot up to block. The crowd is begging to see a HOT TAG FLAIR and he gets it. Chops for everyone! Pillman gets pitched over the top without the ref seeing it. Flair with a belly-to-back suplex on Austin and he hooks the figure-four. Barry Windham is out and comes off the top for the DQ at 22:15.
Winners: Ric Flair and Arn Anderson 2 Falls to 0 @ 22:15
-You would think new Champs, but in this case the belts can’t change hands via DQ. Dumb ending to a wonderful match. The Blondes cheating like crazy against The Horsemen was poetic. I wanted more before the crap ending. ***3/4
-Windham beats the crap out of Flair, which brings out Paul Roman to save his fellow Horseman.
-Barry cuts an interview with Tony, but Flair tackles him and we are out of time as they brawl. Thanks for reading!
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