wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Clash of The Champions XXX
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written: 7.3.26
-Run Time: 1:31:42
-If you enjoy these Retro Reviews, please consider picking up my book covering 1996 WCW/WWF on Amazon. Available in paperback and Kindle.
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Jan. 25, 1995
-Caesar’s Palace, Paradise, NV
-Attendance: 3500
WCW World Television Championship: Arn Anderson (c) (w/ Colonel Parker and Meng) vs. Johnny B. Badd
-This is a rematch from Saturday Night apparently. The fans voted for Badd to get another shot here. Arn with forearms to the back to start, but gets a punch blocked. Badd will win a punching contest every time, so Arn backs into a corner to slow down the pace. Arn heads up top, but Badd hits a dropkick that knocks Arn to the floor. Heenan wants that to be a DQ. Badd with a dive to the outside and he takes out Parker as well as AA. Badd off the top with a double axe handle. He grabs an armbar and AA sends him into the corner. Badd flips over and gets a series of armdrags and back to the armbar. Enziguiri from Badd as Arn got a bit too cocky and starts slapping Badd in the face. Now Arn tries an enziguiri, but Badd ducks and gets a jackknife cover for two. Badd tries to float over in the corner, but Arn is ready this time and hits a version of Snake Eyes. Badd gets dumped to the floor and Parker gets in a few kicks, which is fair as Badd hit him first. Tony also makes a reference to this Sunday’s Super Bowl. 49ers 49 Chargers 26! 14 year old me was so happy! Arn buries a knee to the gut and gets a two count. Another two count. Badd throws jabs and body blows. He gets caught with an elbow in the corner. Arn up, and avoids Badd trying to catch him with a boot and drops an elbow. Badd kicks Arn away into the corner and goes back to the body blows. Backdrop followed by a clothesline and another. Head scissors from Brad and he lands The Kiss that Don’t Miss, but it knocks Arn to the floor. Parker dumps ice water on Arn while Meng has the ref. Meng rolls Arn back into the ring as Badd charges Parker and he walks right into a DDT for the pin at 7:39.
Winner and Still WCW World Television Champion: Arn Anderson via pin at 7:39
-Good match and I loved the ending. Hot crowd helped as well. **3/4
-Gene interviews Kevin Sullivan, and Butcher. The Butcher/Hogan feud is running on fumes and they know it as they hype Vader being at ringside. Of note, Hogan and Savage are being called The Monster Maniacs. The following year they would get the Mega Powers name back.
-Alex Wright dance video! I hope some bitter veteran doesn’t try to make him look bad on PPV.
Beautiful Bobby Eaton vs. Alex Wright
-Wright is 18 years old and undefeated at this point. I checked, and he was 19 at this point and would turn 20 in May. Heenan takes credit for teaching Michael Jackson the moonwalk. Wright gets an armdrag to start and then works the arm after a lockup. He takes Eaton down and applies more pressure to the arm. Wright with a shoulder tackle and a slam. Torpedo head-butt and back to the armbar. Eaton punches his way out and lands a sweet looking uppercut. Eaton’s punches were always great! Wright leaps to the top and floats over and back to the armdrag into an armbar. Eaton with a knee and then begs off. Wright drops to a knee and delivers an European Uppercut. Whip is reversed and White goes for a dive, but Eaton drops low and Wright goes throat first on the top rope. Eaton chokes and gets a two count. Reverse chinlock from Eaton and he is positioned so Wright is far away from the ropes. The crowd rallies Wright, so he elbows his way out and then gets a snap suplex. Both men down! Wright lands a shot to the gut and rattles off more Euro Uppercuts. Backdrop sends Eaton flying. Wright follows with a spin-wheel kick and then a top rope missile dropkick for two. Eaton begs off in the corner and uses a thumb in the eye to gain the advantage. Wright counters a whip to the corner by leaping off with a cross-body for two. Wright sets too early on a backdrop and Eaton hits a neckbreaker. Alabama Jam follows, but only gets two. BOO! We all know Bobby will do whatever is asked, but I can be mad for him. Wright counters another whip with a cross-body and this time it gets the pin at 7:28.
Winner: Alex Wright via pin at 7:28
-Solid match but I would expect nothing less from Eaton against a rookie. **1/4
-Gene brings out Big Van Vader, and he has a ticket for himself and for Mr. Race, who may show up at anytime. Not sure why he needed to buy a ticket. Vader says Hogan hasn’t been at autograph sessions, his room, or gym. He has been dodging the demon. I was so pumped for Vader/Hogan.
-Vader makes his way to his ringside seat before our next match.
WCW World Tag Team Championship: Harlem Heat (c) (w/ Sister Sherri) vs. Stars and Stripes
-As noted in the Starrcade review, Harlem Heat took the Tag Titles from Star Stripes at a TV taping and it finally aired. Before Stars and Stripes can make their way out, Ric Flair is out with two women. This is the first we have seen of him since losing to Hogan at Halloween Havoc. It seems Flair and the women have tickets and take a seat in a different place from Vader. Heenan goes over to give Flair a hug and they agree to party later. Flair: “Look what I brought you.” That made me laugh. Bobby invites Tony to drive the car for him, Flair and the ladies later. Bagwell and Booker start us out and all week on social media I have seen videos of their infamous WCW RAW match. Go back to this date and try to explain that whole ordeal to everyone in this building. Dropkick sends Booker to the floor and a double dropkick sends Stevie out as well. Back in Bagwell catches Booker with a backdrop and brings in The Patriot. Double hip-toss gets a two count. Patriot goes to the arm as Sherri screams from the floor. Patriot maintains arm control and we get a USA chant. Booker backs Patriot into the corner and tags Stevie, who stomps a mud hole. Patriot ducks a clothesline and gets a forearm to the jaw. Bagwell in off the top with a shot to the arm. He takes arm control, but gets punched in the face. Bagwell tries a cross-body, but gets caught and Stevie hits a World’s Strongest Slam. He misses an elbow, but lands a knee to the jaw and brings Booker back into the match. Forearms from Booker in the corner. Bagwell avoids a charge in the corner and gets a roll-up for two. Patriot back in and he drops a leg on the arm. Booker lands on his feet to avoid a suplex. Patriot catches him with a belly-to-belly and back to Bagwell. He goes for a monkey flip in the corner but Stevie blocks and Booker ends up hitting a Harlem Sidekick. Stevie back in and the Heat cheat behind the ref’s back. Good! Clothesline gets two. Back to Booker who hits a flying forearm for two. Reverse chinlock as we get another USA chant. Bagwell uses the support to elbow his way out and we gets a double cross-body to leave both men down. Stevie just walks in, which causes Patrick to miss the other tag. Everyone in the ring as they start trading punches. Sherri goes to use her spiked heel and something gets messed up with the timing so Sherri starts screaming. They go through it again and Booker gets sent into the heel. Bagwell with a roll-up, but Stevie kicks him back and Booker rolls through with his own roll-up for the pin at 9:22.
Winners and Still WCW World Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat via pin at 9:22
-This was rather boring and I just couldn’t get into it. The ending got wonky as well, but at least they resisted the urge to change the titles again just to be able to do. *1/2
-Gene is backstage with The Monster Maniacs. Hogan sounds hoarse so he must be getting over something. Again, I don’t remember them using the Monster Maniacs name, so this is new to me. Hogan spends more time talking about Vader because that’s where the real money is.
-Hulk Hogan hotline. I assume WCW lost money on that thing.
-WCW Control Center. I loved when WWF and WCW did Control Centers. If the WWE wants to selll more ESPN Unlimited subscriptions of their PPV, they need to bring back Control Centers. Let Joe T do them! Gene notes Vader paid $350 a piece for his tickets tonight. Man, you thought TKO was price gouging.
Avalanche vs. Sting
-Rematch from Starrcade with The Guardian Angel as the special ref. Avalanche engulfs Sting in the corner, but Angel pulls him off. Heenan calls Angel an idiot which makes me smile considering their history. Sting with a dropkick that sends Avalanche over the top and to the floor. He nearly landed on Tony and Bobby, but naturally, Heenan bails at the mere chance he might be touched. Just don’t drop an F bomb Brain! Sting goes for a slam which draws a gasp from the crowd, but Avalanche falls back on him for a two count. Avalanche drops an elbow and then a leg. The crowd groaning with each move is pretty great actually and then they boo Avalanche out of the building as he flexes. Big Monsters doing power moves that look like they can kill will always work. Powerslam get two. Sting is able to drop Avalanche and does his spot where he falls back against the ropes and then falls forward with an accidental headbutt to Avalanche’s little quakes. Avalanche up first and he misses an elbow. Stinger Splash to the back and one to the front. A third one connects and why not a fourth one. Avalanche is wobbly and now Sting gets the slam to a big pop. Heenan notes he has never seen any man slam Avalanche. Really Bobby? Scorpion and Avalanche gives it up, but Angel won’t call for the bell. Patrick rushes in and calls for the bell at 5:22.
Winner: Sting via submission at 5:22
-I enjoyed this as it was short and Sting is great at firing up. The crowd was into it and I am sucker for the Giant vs. fired up babyface formula. **1/2
-Angel shoves Patrick and then gets in Sting’s face and shoves him. Sting lands a right hand, and Angel drops him with a clothesline. Patrick gets dumped over the top as Avalanche and Angel double team Sting. Stars and Stripes and Wright are out to save Sting. Heenan notes Sting and Angel have had issues since The Triangle Match last Fall. Good point!
-Gene is there to interview an enraged Angel who claims he called the match and kicked ass. Gene accuses him of siding with Avalanche and brings up Big Bubba. Angel says he is going back to his roots and he is Bug Bubba Rogers again. Good!
The Three Faces of Fear (Butcher and Kevin Sullivan) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Monster Maniacs (Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage
-The crowd is alive for Hogan and Savage. Hogan keeps looking over his shoulder at Vader, who lays the bad mouth on him. “You’re scared.” Hogan and Butcher and Hogan sends him into the corner. Butcher charges and Hogan sends him into the opposite corner and starts pounding away with right hands. Running clothesline in the corner and Butcher falls flat on his face. Savage off the top with a double axe to the face. Heenan makes sure to bring up Butcher’s rebuilt face. Savage slapping Butcher in the back of the head from the apron is pretty funny. I’m sure Savage is pumped to be back in the ring after being stuck at the announcer’s table. Butcher gets The Sleeper and Hogan is out, so Butcher and Sullivan celebrate like morons. Savage off the top with The Flying Elbow to wake up Hogan. I know people hate it, but watching back it made all the sense because I watched WrestleMania V a hundred times. The crowd was very confused though. Double Boot to Butcher and the crowd still seems very confused. Savage takes a monster bump off a backdrop to the floor. Again, Savage is probably so happy! Butcher sends Savage into the railing and then into the post. Sulivan hits the floor and runs Savage into the post a second time. Back in the ring he beats on Savage in the corner with right hands and chops. Straight stomp to the face! Macho chant from the crowd. Savage taking the beating for the Hogan hot tag is the only way this match needed to go. I mean, unless you want The Mega Powers to SQUASH Sullivan and Butcher, which would be fine as well. Sullivan takes Savage’s eyes on the floor and Savage starts throwing punches at air. His selling is fantastic! Hogan complains to the ref and all that does is let Sullivan send Savage back into the post. Savage crawls back into the ring and gets hung in The Tree of Woe. Running knee from Sullivan and another one. Heenan giving Sullivan a thumbs up is a great character touch. Hogan keeps rushing into the ring and it’s costing Savage. Hogan probably deserves another slap to the face. Sleeper, but Savage drops down and hits a jawbreaker. HOT TAG TO HOGAN! He runs Sullivan and Butcher into each other and beats both by himself. Big Boot to Butcher. Savage off the top with The Flying Elbow and Hogan drops the leg for the pin at 12:10.
Winners: The Monster Maniacs via pin at 12:10
-This is actually better than you remember because Savage took a great beating and it settled into a formulaic tag match. Build heat and hot tag to Hogan works! People hate on the reviving elbow and I can understand why, but again, it didn’t bother me as in the internal logic of Hogan and Savage it made sense. I will admit it confused the crowd though. Sullivan and Butcher were just place holders here to get us to the real reason everyone was watching. **1/2
-Vader hits the ring and knocks Savage to the floor. The crowd goes crazy as Hogan and Vader circle each other. Hogan lands a series of punches and nothing. Good! One shot from Vader drops Hogan. Also good! Powerbomb and Hogan does the quiver sell and is down for a few seconds, but then pops up and that’s not good. Hogan knows better and knows how to sell a fight against a monster and this was not that. Take a page from what worked with Bundy, Bossman, Andre, and Earthquake. He needed to be left laying by Vader here and then have Savage save with a chair.
-Hogan and Savage pose and celebrate to close the show. I assume they wanted a happy ending because this was part of whatever TV convention was happening.
-Thanks for reading!
