wrestling
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Starrcade ’91: Battlebowl – The Lethal Lottery
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-We bring 1991 to a close with another gimmick for WCW’s Grandaddy of Them All! I will have my Retro Rankings of every PPV match up before getting to 1992. Then it’s the start of a year I have been looking forward to for some time, but we can’t get ahead. One more time for 1991, let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone
-Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA
-Dec. 29, 1991
-Attendance: 9000
-PPV Buys: 155000
-Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone welcome us to the show and throw it to Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, and Magnum TA. They bring the curtain up on the stage where all 40 competitors for tonight’s event are present.
-Our trio pick the teams for the first match: Michael Hayes and Tracy Smothers vs. Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Jimmy Garvin.
Michael Hayes and Tracy Smothers vs. Jimmy Garvin and Marcus Bagwell
-Winners of the 10 tag matches advance to a double ring Battle Royal later in the evening. Kind of cruel to give me a Birds match and not have Bad Street play. This arena is lit up like Christmas which is nice to see. Bagwell starts with Smothers and the offset camera due to there being 2 rings is messing with me. Thankfully, they do have a camera set up in the middle but don’t use it enough. Lots of stalling to start and neither Bird is in the ring. We also get the cameras cutting to the crowd every time Bagwell and Smothers lock up and then when it’s back on the ring, whatever happened I missed and they are back to stalling. Smothers hits a back elbow and gets a shoulder tackle, but then runs into an arm-drag. Dropkick by Bagwell and then he hits his own arm-drag. More stalling from Smothers as he wants Bagwell to bring Garvin into the match. Tag is made and Smothers mocks Garvin. They start a dance off and Smothers thankfully attacks as nothing has really happened in this one. Garvin wins an exchange and lands a boot that knocks Smothers off the apron. Oh man, more stalling! We finally go and Garvin sends Smothers to the floor with an atomic drop. So more stalling you say! Bagwell back in and he comes off the top with a double ax to the arm and shoulder. He starts to work on the arm, but gets caught with a knee-lift and Hayes finally gets tagged in as we approach 7 minutes. Hayes lands an elbow and struts. They do some reversals as they each want to work the arm. Smothers back in as 60 seconds was too much for Hayes I guess. Bagwell with a shot arm-scissors. Smothers backs him into the corner and lands some strikes. Bagwell back to the arm and Smothers slows things down again. This is killing me as there had to be something better to start this show. Bagwell with a slam and he tags in Garvin. Smothers dives to tag Hayes and now the crowd is awake as it is a battle of The Birds. They shake hands and we get a lock-up. Nothing doing! Another go and nothing. One more time and Hayes offers a clean break on the ropes. Hayes with an arm-drag and then a strut. I am truly amazed at a match going this long with nothing happening! Garvin gets one now and has to strut as well. Hayes with a roll-up for two and he dances. I appreciate they are having fun, but man, Another stalemate between the two and the strut to their corners to tag out. The crowd popped for that. Smothers with a super kick and gets a slam. He misses an elbow and Bagwell scurries to tag to Garvin. Backdrop and a running forearm. Back to Bagwell who comes off the top with a crossbody. Bagwell decks Hayes on the apron. That draws Hayes into the match to deck Bagwell and then he accidentally punches Garvin as well. They argue in the corner while the match continues. Bagwell gets the knees up to block a top rope splash and hits a Fisherman’s Suplex for the pin at 12:43.
Winners: Marcus Bagwell and Jimmy Garvin
-I did not like this at all. Just nothing happening until the final 30 seconds or so. The stuff with the Birds was kind of fun and the crowd popped for it, but I was nearly falling asleep with this one. 1/2*
-Back to Eric and company to draw the next four names!
”Stunning” Steve Austin and “Ravishing” Rick Rude (w/ Paul E Dangerously) vs. Van Hammer and Big Josh
-The Dangerous Alliance just happen to be on the same team and this should be a SQUASH as Hammer and Josh have no chance. Rude is the US Champion and Austin is the TV Champion as again this is like a 16 seed facing a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Hammer/Josh aren’t UMBC or FDU. Austin starts with Hammer and Austin sets too early on a backdrop and gets hit with a boot. He tries a suplex, but Hammer blocks and gets one of his own for two. Austin with a trip, but Hammer counters into a hammerlock. Makes sense! Austin with a series of snap mares and he traps Hammer in the corner. He brings in Rude to many boos from the crowd. Clothesline from Rude and he swivels the hips to get more heat. Hammer and Rude start trading blows, so Rude goes to the eyes and then buries a knee to the gut. Tag to Austin and he hits a short arm clothesline. Gut-wrench suplex and Austin tags back to Rude. Front facelock, but Hammer powers to his corner and gets a tag. Josh with a scoop slam and then a log roll, but Rude no sells as he has ABS OF STEEL! He dares Josh to punch him in the abs and then just smiles at him. Josh goes high with a clothesline and then catches Austin coming in as well and The Dangerous Alliance need to regroup on the floor. That sequence there was better than anything in the previous match. Austin rushes back in and gets caught with an armbar. Austin slugs his way out and gets a shoulder tackle. Josh catches him and drops Austin throat first on the top rope. Clothesline gets two! The lights look great on the crowd, but the mic work is awful as they are muffled. Hammer and Josh take tuns working the arm. Austin sucks Josh into charging to his side of the ring and Rude lands a cheap shot from the apron. Rude back in and he hits a punch from the top rope for two. Tag back to Austin and he stomps away in the corner but wasn’t in position to walk it dry yet. Rude goes to the eyes and hooks a chinlock and the crowd seems to be getting into it, but again, it’s hard to tell thanks to the crappy mic work. Paul distracts the ref so the DA can cheat and that’s always fun. Austin back in and gets a two count as Paul yells, “oh damn it.” Funny! Austin with a chinlock as this has gone longer than needed considering the difference in talent and card positioning. Josh breaks the hold and catches Austin with a slam, but is stupid and doesn’t tag out. Instead he goes for an elbow and misses. Paul E cheats from the apron, but accidentally gets hit by Austin. Now the hot tag to Hammer and he hits a power slam. Belly-to-back suplex and then a shoulder block for two. Rude makes the save as everyone is in the ring. Hammer doesn’t see Rude make a blind tag and it costs him as Rude sneaks in from behind and Rude Awakening finishes at 12:56.
Winners: Rick Rude and Steve Austin via pin at 12:56
-Better than the first match and there was at least some work and effort put into this one. Austin and Rude should have smoked these two, but the result was right in the end. **
-I am skipping the Eric segments where the announce the teams now.
Dustin Rhodes and Richard Morton vs. Larry Zbyszko (w/ Madusa) and El Gigante
-Larry is not pleased with teaming with Gigante. Seeing Larry stand next to him in pretty funny and doesn’t look real. Larry stands on the bottom rope to get even close to eye level to talk to his partner. Dustin runs Larry over with a shoulder and then gets a side headlock. They do a criss-cross and Rhodes ends up catching Larry with a knee. Tag to Morton and he quickly tags out as Gigante gets the tag. That was funny! Dustin tries a dropkick and nothing doing. He tries a drop toe-hold and who is he kidding? Gigante with a slam and he works the arm before tagging to Larry. He gets a slam and hits a swinging neckbreaker for two as Morton makes the save. Larry with a front face lock but gets caught with a small package for two. Spinning kick from Larry as he keeps yelling got Gigante to put his knee up. Gigante just decides to yell at Madusa which pops the crowd. Elbows from Dustin and he hits a clothesline in the corner. Bulldog is countered as Larry shoves off and then tags in Gigante. Larry is tired of him not listening and slaps Gigante. That’s pretty stupid! I guess that counts as a tag, so Gigante brings Larry in by his head and feeds him to a double dropkick that gets the pin at 5:53.
Winners: Dustin Rhodes and Richard Morton via pin at 5:53
-It was short and the crowd popped for the ending. Good enough! *
Bill Kazmaier and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Diamond Dallas Page and Mile Graham
-Mike Graham getting a PPV payday. Wild times! We have a very green DDP and Bill in this one, so Graham and Liger need to carry this one. Liger starts flipping to counter Graham’s offense which is a good start. Graham with a hip-toss and we start again. Graham lands a punch in the corner, but gets sent to the floor with a head scissors. Well, kind of as Graham took an awkward bump. Back in Graham holds the top rope to avoid a dropkick and Liger crashes. That’s enough for him to bring in Bill and Liger on the apron isn’t what this match needs. Kazmaer throws Graham across the ring and he takes another awkward bump. DPP in and he at least throws some punches before getting stupid and trying a slam. He then tries to run Bill over and that doesn’t go well. Slam from Bill and then he shows off a bit as he skins the cat and catches Page with a clothesline. Slam form Kaz, but he misses a splash from the middle ropes. Page hooks a Camel Clutch and then goes to stomping at the back. Kind of wild we are looking at a future WCW World Champion. Liger back in and Page gets a Side Russian Leg Sweep for two. Spinning kick from Liger which wakes up the comatose crowd. Graham in and the pace picks up. Liger to the apron and he comes back in with a slingshot splash for two. Tag back to Kaz and Graham shoots in for a single leg, but Kaz is too strong. Kaz works the arm, but too close to the corner and the tag is made to Page. Whip reversed (as Page loudly called) and Kaz hits a clothesline. Page is done with that and tags back out. Liger also in and he gets a drop toe-hold and gets the Bow and Arrow to pop the crowd. Graham counters to a Boston Crab and they end up trading pint attempts before shaking hands as a sign of respect. Credit to Graham and Liger do what they can to give us something here and covering for the inexperience of their two partners. Page and Kaz back in and the crowd is back to sleeping. They run into each other and it looks awkward so they smartly tag out to let competent pros handle things. Rolling heel kick from Liger and he pops the crowd with lightning kicks. Kaz back in and gets a Gorilla Press Slam for two. Page back in and he lands a punch and is right back out. Kaz carries Graham to the corner and brings Liger back in. Well, at least DDP and Kaz know who can carry this one. Liger with a somersault dive to the floor. Cool! He lets Graham get back to the apron and gets a suplex back in for two. Backbreaker and moonsault from the middle ropes gets two. Everyone in the ring and Page and Graham get run together. Kaz press slams Liger onto Page for the pin at 13:09.
Winners: Bill Kaizmaier and Jushin Thunder Liger via pin at 13:09
-The Graham/Liger parts were solid and Liger was the best thing about the match. DDP and Kaz were still learning and were smart enough to stay out of the way as much as possible. **
-SuperBrawl II commercial! Leap Year Day!
Lex Luger (w/ Harley Race) and Arn Anderson vs. Terrence Taylor and The Z-Man
-Well, we have four professionals here, so this won’t suck. Horsemen Reunion for good measure too. Anderson shakes Race’s hand which is cool. Anderson starts with Z-Man and thinks he is smart bailing to the floor, but Taylor is there to deck him. Back in the ring, Z-Man gets an enziguiri for two. Everyone in the ring and The Z-AM Roosters clear the ring. This is already better than anything we have seen so far. Luger and Z-Man have a go and again, it’s a fun sequence between two pros. Taylor in for the first time and he works the arm. Fun stuff as Taylor keeps cranking on the arm each time Luger punches him in the face. Gorilla Press Slam and Luger poses. Ross notes he is an awesome physical specimen. I bet he could have a career in a World Body Building Federation or something like that. Taylor back and gets a two count before going to a hammerlock. Luger lands an elbow to break, but Taylor delivers a shoulder. Sunset flip attempt and Luger keeps fighting it off and by the time he completes the move, he is close enough to tag out to Arn. Taylor charges and gets caught with an elbow. Backslide from Taylor gets two and then he hits a sweet clothesline for two. Arn gets caught with an elbow in the corner and Taylor hits a Vader Bomb. Z-Man off the top with a cross-body for two! He fires away in the corner, and gets kind of messed up as he is running the ropes. Race gets a trip and that lets Arn hit a DDT. Pin is broken up by Taylor! Luger back in and he hits a vertical suplex for two. Knee-lift from Luger! Arn back in and he takes the face with his boot laces. Z-Man counters a backdrop as he plants Arn face first into the mat. Luger in to cut off the tag and he fires off right hands. Powerslam gets two! Arn back in and he runs into a knee in the corner and then another. Z-Man off the ropes, but gets caught with a shot to the gut. Arn off the ropes and Z-Man gets the boots up. Hot Tag to Taylor and he runs wild as he knows how to work this match. Roll-up on Luger for two and then another. Backslide gets two, but Luger goes to the eyes. Luger sets too early on a backdrop and Taylor hits a gut-wrench powerbomb! Sweet! Taylor with another small package, but the ref is getting Z-Man back in the corner. Race trips Taylor and Luger stuffs him with a piledriver for the pin at 10:25.
Lex Luger and Arn Anderson via pin at 10:25
-Best match of the night so far as these four knew how to work a basic tag match and build to a fun ending. Taylor knows how to work as a face and that was the best way to go with this one. Luger and Arn winning was a foregone conclusion, but the match was fun getting there. ***
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Todd Champion vs. Cactus Jack and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
-Abdullah beats the piss out of Parker in the back as he wants to be Cactus’ partner. I appreciate the effort of adding something to the match and the beating by Abdullah was pretty strong. Jack wants to know where his partner is and Abdullah heads down, but the refs force him to the back. So, it’s a handicap match for now which kind of sucks for Cactus. Parker drags himself to the ramp and Abdullah is there to cane him in impressive fashion. Some of those shots looked pretty sick. Steamboat and Champion aren’t sure what to do as Cactus walks around the ring. Steamer and Jack start and they trade blows. Squealing from Jack as he goes to the eyes. He bites the head of The Dragon and drops him with a clothesline for two. Dragon skins the cat and dumps Cactus to the floor. Suicide Dive by Dragon and he sends Jack into the railing. Back in the ring, Steamboat gets a spin kick and then an enziguiri. Champion in and he gets a slam and then a led drop. The crowd starts a “Buddy” chant as he continues to crawl his way to the ring. That’s admirable! Jack dumps Champion to the floor and comes off the middle ropes with the elbow. BANG BANG! Parker is to the empty ring as I applaud this running gag. Jack hooks a chinlock which kind of puts a damper on things. Champion fights out and gets a power slam for two. Champion misses a second leg drop and Jack heads up top. Champion catches him on the way down, well, kind of and then they collide in an ugly spot. Jack tags Parker and brings him into the ring. Powerslam by The Dragon and he ends it with a top rope cross-body at 7:49.
Winners: Todd Champion and Ricky Steamboat via pin at 7:49
-Would have worked better if Champion was Jack’s partner and The Butcher attacked him. Heel Parker was able to get sympathy, so give it to someone that needed it, but I guess Champion wasn’t in the same room with Abdullah. Nothing to the match really other than a few cool spots from Jack. *1/2
Abdullah The Butcher and Sting vs. Brian Pillman and Bobby Eaton
-Abdulah is smiling as he gets to team with Sting and shows why as he immediately attacks him as he makes his entrance. That smile before decking Sting was funny. He beats on Sting with a kendo stick and Pillman attacks him to save Sting. Pillman beats on The Butcher with the kendo stick and this has more heat than anything on this show. Eaton attacks his partner as they have a fun brawl on the ramp and at ringside. I have no clue if we had a bell yet, so I will just go with whatever time wikipedia has. We get to the ring for a second as Sting backdrops Eaton to the ramp and then dives over the top with a clothesline. Standing dropkick as we pan the crowd and miss Sting kicking ass. He fires Eaton back into the ring, who starts begging off. Eaton goes to the eyes and makes the aggressive tag to Pillman. Well, I guess not as they are just counting it as a shove. Seemed like a tag to me! Butcher decks Sting from behind and Eaton gets a reverse chinlock. Abdullah steals a pencil from Ross and I am sure they will go well. Eaton gets another two count and sends Sting to his corner, where his partner, The Butcher, stabs him in the throat with the pencil. Pillman stops that by hitting The Butcher with a dropkick in the corner. Sting slings Eaton to the floor and they brawl out there. Back in the ring, Pillman apparently gets a body slam on The Butcher but we never saw it. Pillman off the top with a splash. Eaton and Sting are still legal as Pillman won’t tag back in. Abdullah tries to tag Eaton to come in, but that’s not his partner. Abdominal Stretch from Eaton, but thankfully, Sting escapes and hits a really ugly Tombstone. That was awful! Pillman and The Butcher brawl in the corner as Sting gets a backdrop. Here’s Cactus and he accidentally hits Abdullah with a kendo shot and that lets Sting hit a crossbody off the top for the pin at 5:55 with Brian Pillman celebrating (his loss) on the apron.
Winners: Sting and Abdullah The Butcher via pin at 5:55
-This had more heat than anything else because of the Sting/Butcher dynamic and Pillman trying to help his friend (even if it cost him the match). That Tombstone was really bad though. **1/4
Cactus and Abdullah start fighting to the back because why not? Security geeks get beat up as collateral damage.
Rick Steiner and The Night Stalker vs. Big Van Vader and Mr. Hughes
-Night Stalker (Adam Bomb/Bryan Clark) is subbing for an injured Diamond Studd, Vader without the mask here and it looks weird. Rick and Vader start and this can be fun. Lockup and nothing happening. Who go again and Vader starts firing off right hands. Clothesline drops Rick! Vader knocks Rick down and flexes. Ross goes over the collegiate backgrounds of each man. Rick with a Steiner-line out of the corner and then wakes the crowd up with a belly to belly suplex. A clothesline sends Vader to the floor and Rick dives on him from the apron. Vader punches him and Rick smiles, so Vader picks him up and runs him into the post. Cool! Vader wants a suplex from the apron to the floor, but Rick blocks and struggles but is able to power Vader up and bring him back in with a suplex. Mr. Hughes in and he pounds away in the corner. Slam from Hughes and he drops an elbow for two. Backdrop from Steiner gets two as he is doing all he can to keep Stalker out of the match. Hughes misses a charge in the corner and Rick gets a belly to back suplex for two. They collide in the ring and Hughes stumbles before falling. Stalker tags himself into the match and hits a clothesline from the top rope. Things completely fall apart from here as Stalker seems confused on what to do. Rick won’t leave the ring so he throws Hughes onto the top buckle. Vader made a tag by the way and he runs over Stalker. Steiner with a top rope bulldog and he goes for the pin, but that’s not how this works. Vader decks Stalker again and sets got a splash, but Stalker won’t lay flat so Vader just splashes him on the head for the pin at 5:04.
Winners. Vader and Mr. Hughes via pin at 5:04
-The first four minutes were fine and then it was a train wreck the final 60 seconds. *1/2
Scott Steiner and Firebreaker Chip vs. Johnny B. Badd and Arachnaman
-All four men are faces now as I believe Badd turned when he decked Teddy Long at our last show. Chip and Badd start and Chip gets a series of Japanese arm-drags and Badd slows things down. Champion is an idiot and tries to box Badd and that goes badly for him. Badd drops an elbow for two and then goes back to body blows. Whip to the corner and Chip runs up the ropes and comes off with a cross-body for two. Knock off Spidey in and so is Scott, which gets the crowd going. Man gets caught with a power slam and then a backdrop sends him flying. Steiner with a clothesline that sends Arachnaman to the floor. He brings Badd back into the match and he catches Steiner with a right hand. Scott back with clubbing blows, but gets caught with another right hand. Steiner goes to what he knows and gets a double leg into a spinebuster. He runs Badd upside down into the corner and follows up with a pump handle suplex. Chip back in which kind of sucks as Scott is awesome! Sure enough Chip goes to a chinlock as we hear a kid in the crowd yell for Chip. Well, we all have our favorites! Purple and Gold Spidey back in and he goes to work on the arm. Chip tags back to Scott and the crowd cheers for that. I don’t blame them. Scott with a heavy Steiner-line to Badd and then a double under hook powerbomb. Back to Chip and again, why? Chip just lets Badd make a tag. What is he doing? JR is even confused and Tony tries to cover that he isn’t used to tagging with Scott. Sure, but he should still know you don’t let someone up to make a tag. Man, this crowd just dies when Scott isn’t in the ring. Arachnaman with a chinlock, but Chip escapes and gets a Boston Crab. They trade roll-ups and Badd gets the tag. The crowd chants for Scott but you will get Chip and like it. Badd works a chinlock to kill more time. Back to the masked man and we get our second criss-cross spot of the night. Blind tag by Scott and he is dumb with this shit. He wrecks both men and catches Arachnaman coming off the top and hits a belly to belly for the pin at 11:16.
Winner: Scott Steiner and Firebreaker Chip via pin at 11:16
-Real simple here, Scott being in was fun. Everything else was not. Since Scott wasn’t in that much, this was pretty bad. *
Ron Simmons and Thomas Rich vs. PN News and Steve Armstrong
-PN News seems stunned his name was called, but I mean, he was the last man. I understand what it’s like to be picked last PN. Amazingly, one side was a former World Champion, and a soon to be World Champion. Steve turns his back on Ron Simmons, which seems rather dumb, but Ron is a good guy here and won’t hit a man with his back turned. He taps Steve on the back and gets a Gorilla Press Slam. Armstrong misses a clothesline and Ron gets a shoulder tackle as Ross makes sure to go over Ron’s college football background. Rich in and Steve sends him into the corner. Tag to News and he doesn’t want to cheat so he has Steve release Rich. Man, people are dumb tonight. News with a slam as the crowd chants, “we want Ron.” You don’t have to tell Rich to take it easy as he tags out. Ron and PN slap hands and then Ron offers a clean break in the corner. News doesn’t do the same as he throws right hands and hits a splash in the corner. Good for News! Though he has seemingly angered Ron. Bulldog followed by a shoulder tackle for two. Ron charges and runs into a clothesline. News with a cross-body for a two count. Tag to Armstrong and the match grinds to a stop as we tease Rich tagging in to face Steve. It takes a second, but we get there and Rich uses his wrist tape to choke. Armstrong takes the tape off Rich and he uses it to choke to let us know both men are heels. Rich wants back out and tags Ron as this match continues to start and stop. Armstrong wants a time-out and then attacks Ron from behind as he yells at Rich. Man, what is this match? Simmons with a clothesline for two and tag back to Rich. He hits a belly to back suplex and drops a first from the middle ropes. Rich seemingly tags Ron, but it gets ignored and even JR and Tony are confused. News gets a tag and hits a leaping clothesline for two. “We Want Ron!” Armstrong with a weak splash in the corner and then misses a second try. News back in with a slam and then he tags back to Armstrong. A splash is blocked as Rich gets up the knees. He opts to keep fighting though and eats right hands in the corner. JR starts speaking code as he notes every match has had issues developing cohesion due to the mixed teams. Yeah, they’ve sucked is what he is saying. Rich hits a Stunner of all things and I like to think somewhere in JR’s soul he felt something big was on the way with that move. Rich with the tag to Simmons and there’s a powerslam for Steve and then a slam on News. Spinebuster finishes Armstrong at 12:03.
Winners: Ron Simmons and Thomas Rich via pin at 12:03
-This wasn’t any good either as there was constant stopping and starting. I like the heels tried to out cheat other and News tried to trick Ron, who wrecked him for being stupid. Not enough to make me enjoy it though. *
20 Man Battlebowl Two Ring Battle Royal
-So the 20 men who won their tag match are back for this two ring battle royal, According to the rules, you are eliminated by being thrown into ring two and then to the floor. Once we have 1 man left in ring one and 1 man left in ring two, they go at it to decide the winner.
-Participants: Vader, Bagwell, Garvin, Dustin Rhodes, Kazmaier, Liger, Austin, Morton, Champion, Abdullah, Chip, Rich, Simmons, Steamboat, Hughes, Scott Steiner, Luger, Rude, Anderson, and Sting
-Ross is rolling with a big man like Vader, Huges, or Abdullah. Dustin and Abdullah battler each other and I am shocked nobody is bleeding yet. Steamboat and Anderson are fighting on the ramp. So if you are thrown to the floor, you still okay? You have to be thrown into the other ring? I guess so as Vader and Hughes dump Kaz, but he just gets back in the ring. This is stupid! Vader and Steamboat fight on the ramp now and that would be pretty awesome. I think they had a match somewhere against each other. I looked it up and apparently they did have a match in 1993 on Worldwide, It was probably fantastic! Funny thing happened as my Peacock account threw me out less than fives minutes into the match. Rich is the first one to get tossed into Ring 2 and really, he can just rest now. I mean, I guess there could be some strategy with that, but they aren’t smart enough to factor that into this match. Bagwell goes over and now he and Rich can face off which is easy enough to follow but the camera goes back to the mess in Ring 1. Dangerously interrupts Ross and Schiavone and they run him off which is a shame as Paul on commentary would make this better. Vader with an atomic drop on Sting as I nod my head knowing what is coming between them. Liger tossed and Morton just walks over as I guess he doesn’t want to mess around in Ring 1 anymore. Again, that could be strategy but it doesn’t’ get played off like that. I assume Morton just walked over so someone could work with Liger. The camera focuses on their mini-match and it’s the best thing to happen in the first 10 minutes of this one. Sadly, they both spill over the top and are eliminated. Rich is dumped to the floor. Steamboat and Anderson end up in Ring Two for no explained reason as Tony and JR are confused. I feel bad for them trying to make sense of this. I am cool with battle royals, but over the top and to the floor is the only rule you need. Don’t complicate things. The crowd comes to life as Rude and Sting start beating the snot out of each other and end up fighting over the top and to Ring Two. That wasn’t convoluted at all. Vader and Luger are left in Ring One and Vader gets a splash. Clothesline from Vader as it’s weird seeing Harley try to rally someone AGAINST Vader. Luger clotheslines Vader to Ring Two and wins Ring One, so he can rest. I am cool with that as Luger is the World Champion. Makes sense for him to get that “win.” At least we can focus on one ring again. Dustin dropkicks Anderson to the floor , but then Dustin gets dumped. Hughes and Simmons get dumped as well. Bagwell is gone. Vader gets sent out by Steamboat and Steiner. We are down to Austin, Sting, Rude and Steamboat. That is some good star power when you add in Luger. For some reason we get a split screen of four guys fighting in one ring while also having the wide shot of the ring on the screen. That’s awful production. Rude accidentally clothesline Austin out. Steamboat skins the cat and pulls Rude out with a head scissors. Rude pulls a Hogan and brings Steamboat to the floor. Rude rushes in and drops Sting with The Rude Awakening and JR is pissed. Not, HHH levels but pretty close.
-Sting vs. Lex Luger: Lex with a running clothesline as the action is back in Ring One. Lex mocks Sting’s yelling and hits an inverted atomic drop. Luger runs Sting’s face across the ropes and fires away with right hands. Luger sends Sting through the ropes and holds the ref so Race can attack, but Sting gets a slam on the ramp. Luger lands a right hand and pushes Sting so he falls off the ramp and to the railing. Sting fights back as he runs Luger into the railing and then takes him all the way around the ring and back into Ring One. Props to the kid in the front row rocking a 49ers’ Hat! BANG BANG NINER GANG! Race back in and Sting sends him packing with a suplex. He beats on Luger in the corner, but misses a Stinger Splash and gets caught on the top rope. Luger can’t capitalize though as he sells the fatigue. Luger thinks he tossed Sting, but he holds onto the ropes and then goes crazy with strikes. He drops Luger on his face as we cut away to the crowd again. Clothesline and Luger is nearly out, but he holds on, so Sting just pushes him out at 25:10.
Winner and Battlebowl Champion: Sting at 25:10
-The rules were all kinds of wonky, but I can’t blame the wrestlers for that. The match was your standard Battle Royal for the first 18 or so minutes, but like most, got solid once it was down to five people. The crowd was into Sting vs. Luger and Sting winning made sense as it set up SuperBrawl. I am kind of a sucker for Battle Royals as they can be a fun spectacle and never drag or anything as there is always something happening. This was better than nearly everything else on the show which doesn’t really say much. **
-That’s it for 1991. Thanks for reading!
