2 days Ago By RobertLeightyJr
-We continue along with 1991 and this run of WCW shows as the WWF was quiet with major shows until SummerSlam in August. Let’s get to it! -Announce Team: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone -June 12, 1991 -Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, TN -Attendance: 5000 -TBS Rating: 3.9 The Fabulous Freebirds and Badstreet (w/ Diamond Dallas Page, and Big Daddy Dink) vs.
The Young Pistols and Z-Man -More with The Birds and Pistols. Sure, why not? Z starts with Jimmy and this crowd is hot to start with a “Freebirds suck,” chant. Side headlock by Z gets shoved off.
Things break loose as we get everyone in the ring. Double cross-bodies from The Pistols to The Birds and they clear the ring as the crowd pops. Hayes in and he wants Tracy.
Hayes lands a kick to the gut and fires off chops. Tracy avoids a charge in the corner and we get all six men going at it again. Once again The Birds and Z-Man clear the ring.
Garvin back in but he makes a blind tag to Bradstreet. Hayes lands a left hand to drop Tracy and Bradstreet with a clothesline to send him to the floor. Everyone hits the floor as The Birds hit a double team stun-gun on Tracy on the railing.
Cool! Tracy gets to the apron, but Garvin runs into him and he crashes into the railing. Bradstreet in which brings everyone else in. The Birds clear the one once and then do it again.
We get triple sunset flips for the pin at 4:34. Cute! Winner: The Z-Man and The Young Pistols -Weird mix as The Birds wanted to stall and play to the crowd, but they had less than five minutes. There was no heat segment, though I give them credit for the finish.
*1/2 -Ric Flair promotes a giveaway promotion for Great American Bash 91. -Peacock commercials! Oz (w/ The Great Wizard) vs. Johnny Rich -As mentioned during the first appearance of Oz, wrestling can be funny as nearly five years to the day after this match, Oz powerbombs Bischoff through a table and wrestling history is changed.
-Johnny is already in the ring and I don’t like his chances here. Lockup and Oz buries a knee to the gut. He fires off more knees in the corner and then a hip-toss.
Jumping shoulder block followed by a clothesline. Oz picks up at two which gets a positive reaction. Big Boot from Oz! Sidewalk slam and helicopter powerbomb finishes at 1:28.
Winner: Oz via pin at 1:28 -I will say Oz got a better reaction here than his debut the previous month. SQUASH -PN News hype video! You Baby, yo baby, yo! -Peacock commercials! Dan Spivey vs. Big Josh -No bears for Josh this time! Lockup and Spivey forces Josh against the ropes.
The start trading blows so Spivey goes to the eyes. Head-butt from Spivey! He hits a running clothesline in the corner and lays some boots to Josh’s head. Josh has had enough and gets a take down and goes ground and pound.
Cool! Japanese armdrag from Spivey to turn the tide. He hits a big boot and tries a suplex, but Josh blocks and hits one of his own. Spivey up first and hits a clothesline.
Spivey misses a charge in the corner and Josh gets a bell to back suplex. Kevin Sullivan is out and he hits Josh with a crutch, but doesn’t do much. It’s enough to get Josh’s attention and Spivey takes advantage with a belly to back suplex into a bridge for the pin at 2:49.
It should be noted Sullivan was out too early and Josh had to pretend to not see him and run to the ropes on that side to take the shot. Winner: Dan Spivey via pin at 2:49 -It was an okay HOSS fight for a bit before the weird ending. * -WCW Top 10 for Ric Flair’s World Title: 10.
Stunning Steve Austin 09. One Man Gang 08. Barry Windham 07.
Arn Anderson 06. Sting 05. Nikita Koloff 04.
Beautiful Bobby Eaton 03. El Gigante 02. Great Muta 01.
Lex Luger (US Champion) -Paul E Dangerously is out for a special edition of The Danger Zone with Jason Hervey (Wonder Years) as his guest. Hervey as we know, ended up being great friends and business partners with Eric Bischoff. Heyman badgers the kid about Missy Hyatt and refers to her as used merchandise.
Hervey cancels the interview and goes to leave, so Paul breaks his phone over Jason’s head. Cool visual! Missy sprints down to the ring to check on her boyfriend. Slow-mo and that was a heck of a phone shot.
Dustin Rhodes vs. Terrance Taylor (w/ Alexandra York and Mr. Hughes) -This is a rematch from SuperBrawl the previous month.
The York Foundation will announce a new member later tonight. Taylor pushes Dustin in the corner and slaps him around to get his head, but Dustin hits a running clothesline for a two count. Taylor bails to the floor to chat with Dustin’s future ex-wife.
Back in Dustin gets an inverted atomic drop and then the standard one. He misses a charge in the corner and goes into the post and to the floor. Cool bump from someone Dustin’s size! Taylor sends Dustin into the railing and then brings him back into the ring with a suplex.
Taylor drops a knee for a two count. Suplex gets two. Dustin back with a sunset flip and then a backslide for two.
Taylor cuts him off with a right hand, but runs into a boot in the corner. Dustin starts with the flip, flop, and fly. He pounds away in the corner and beats Taylor from one buckle down to the last one in a fun spot.
Inverted atomic drop! Bulldog, but Mr. Hughes has the ref’s attention. Dustin decks Hughes and Ricky Morton is out and the match gets throw out at 4:27.
Morton kicks Rhodes and we have our new member of The York Foundation. Winner: Dustin Rhodes via DQ at 4:27 -Fun little match but ending was all kinds of screwy as again it looked like someone came out too early. ** -Big Josh with his ax handle is down to make the save.
Sting vs. Nikita Koloff -Sting sprints to the ring and Koloff is eating for him. On sight! Koloff drops Sting and then hits a leaping shoulder block.
Sting gets pitched to the floor and Koloff doesn’t have time for the ref, so he moves him out of the way. Sting gets sent into the railing to damage the ribs. Koloff yells at the crowd so Sting gets a rush of life and hits a piledriver, but no effect as Koloff pops right back up.
Awesome! He pushes Sting around the ring with a foot to the head and the crowd is not happy. Koloff hits an ugly Tombstone, but that made it look vicious. We see a flag waving grandma in the front row.
Sting with another rush of life as he gets a sunset flip for two. That only angers Koloff so he starts laying in the boots to the back. Backbreaker from Koloff as Sting is getting the snot beaten out of him and he’s great at it.
Sting fights to his feet, but heres a few more right hands to the ribs. Koloff chokes Sting on the ropes and then blows a kiss to the flag waving granny! Cool! Sting starts fighting back which gets the crowd going, but Koloff cuts him off again. Koloff drops an elbow as Sting seems to be getting pissed with every shot he is taking to the ribs.
They head to the floor and Sting reverses a whip and that sends Koloff into the railing. Back in the ring Sting reverses a Tombstone and hits one of his own and Koloff is in trouble now. He keeps coming though so Sting starts unloading with kicks and right hands.
Stinger Splash misses, but Koloff misses the sickle and Sting gets a roll-up to escape with his life at 9:32. Winner: Sting via pin at 9:32 -Good stuff here as Sting would use this formula to even greater success against Vader a year later. Sting was getting smoked and was lucky to get away with a win thanks to one big mistake by Koloff.
***1/4 Tony brings out PN News who is escorted to the ring by Pepa and Spinderalla from Salt N Pepa. He “raps” and then is interrupted by Johnny B. Badd and Teddy Long.
Rap vs. Soul! Smell the money! -Diamond Studd hype video! Loser Leaves WCW: Arn Anderson and Barry Windham vs. El Gigante and Brian Pillman -Pillman and Arn start, but that doesn’t go well for Arn, so he tags in Barry.
He misses a clothesline and Pillman gets a spin wheel kick for two. Barry lands a heavy right hand that even got the crowd wincing. DDT gets two! Back to Arn who runs Pillman’s face over the ropes.
He catches Pillman charging in with a knee. Arn tries to go up top and Pillman dropkicks him to the floor. Slingshot plancha! Arn gets too close to Gigante and gets choked.
Powerslam from Pillman to Barry! He goes on top of Gigante’s shoulder and comes off with a cross-body for two on Barry, but Arn makes the save. Back in the ring Pillman gets a power slam as the ref gets Gigante out of the ring. Pillman heads up to, but Barry knocks him off from the apron and delivers a kick to the face for the pin at 3:08.
Winners: Arn Anderson and Barry Windham via pin at 3:08 -Per the rules of the match, Pillman must leave WCW. Match was too short to be anything, but Pillman looked good before taking the loss. *1/2 -Great American Bash report with Paul E Dangerously.
July 14! Can’t wait for that Ric Flair Title defense. -We see highlights of The Steiners winning The IWGP Tag Titles in Japan! IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers (c) vs. Masahiro Chono and Hiroshi Hase -THE FORBIDDEN DOOR IS OPEN! Hase starts with Scott and Hase immediately shoots in for a leg.
Scott turns it around, so Hase gets to the ropes to break. Another go and Scott counters another leg dive and gets a kick to the face. Hase back with an enziguiri that sends Scott to the floor.
Heavy and loud chop! Another one from Hase! Scott back with a stun-gun for two. He tries to keep Hase on the mat as he gets multiple two counts. Hase powers up and hits a sweet back kick to the face! Scott back with an overhead suplex.
Tag to Rick and tag to Chono! Rick hammers away with right hands but sets too early and eats a kick to the face. Cool! Another kick to the face and here’s another. How about one more, but this time Rick bounces back and hits a Steiner-line.
Awesome! Scott back in and he puts Chono on his shoulders and Rick comes back in with an elbow off the top. Chono fires off a spinning back fist and makes the tag to Hase. They fight over a suplex and Rick ends up hitting a German Suplex.
Hase carries Rick around the ring and hits a backdrop suplex. Chono gets the tag and heads up top. He comes off with a shoulder block as Hase had Rick held up in the air.
Samoan Drop from Chono and Hase comes off the top with a knee. Chono hooks the STF as Rick’s head gear is coming off. Hase and Scott fight on the floor and Scott hits a suplex out there.
He comes back in off the top, but slips and completely misses Chono. Even the crowd groaned on that one, but they cover as well as they can. Scott and Hase get the tag and there’s a HEAVY Steiner-line.
Tilt-a-whirl slam! This is wonderful! Hase sets too early on a backdrop and Scott gets a double under-hook into a powerbomb. Belly to Belly suplex off the top gets two as Chono breaks up the count. Hase avoids a suplex and hits a Dragon Suplex for two as Rick makes the save.
He gets pitched to the floor, so Chono and Hase look to double team, but Rick pulls Chono out and Scott hits The Frankensteiner for the pin at 8:14. Winners and Still IWGP Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers via pin at 8:14 -This fantastic as they just kept hitting each other harder and harder until the match ended. The Steiners ruled at this point and it was great when they had opponents that would stand up to them and match their physicality.
**** -Dick Murdoch and Dick Slater (The Hardliners) hit the ring and beat on both teams, but focus their attention on The Steiners. They hit a neckbreaker on Scott and then destroy Rick’s arm with a cowboy boot. The ref gets decked as well and we head to a break as Murdoch was heading to the top rope.
The Diamond Studd (w/ Diamond Dallas Page) vs. Tommy Rich -So we got The Outsiders vs. The Rich Boys tonight! Page brings a woman into the crowd and she gets the honors of pulling off Studd’s overalls.
JR lets us know The Hardliners have been fined $5000 for hitting the ref. Again, Studd is early version of Razor Ramon without the accent. Stuff hits a choke slam which was cool to see back then.
Hall was a lot bigger here as he slimmed down when he became Razor. He hits a side suplex and then a Vader Bomb, but Rich gets the knees up to block. Rich sends Studd into the corner and then things gets wonky.
Diamond Death Drop (Razor’s Edge) finishes at 1:58. Winner: The Diamond Studd via pin at 1:58 -Basically a SQUASH, which is fine as Rich was there to let young talent get a win over a former World Champion. SQUSAH -Jim Ross meets with a fan who won a Sting look-a-like contest.
The kid nearly hyperventilates when Sting comes out to meet him. Koloff is here and fuck them kids as he lays Sting out. He smears the face paint and turns his attention to the young kid.
The mom protects the kid as officials pull Koloff away. The kid checks on Sting as we go to a commercial for The Bruise Cruise. WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger (c) vs.
The Great Muta -There’s Luger’s theme again! SLAPS! Since he is Hall of Fame bound, can we get a Luger WWE documentary on Peacock, Netflix, or YouTube? Poor Muta hasn’t really recovered the aura in the US since he was jobbed out three times in one night at Starrcade 89. Muta sprays some mist to start and throws a spin kick, but Luger just backs away. Lockup and nothing happening.
Luger with a side headlock, but Muta counters to a head scissors and then a break. We start again and Luger hits a shoulder tackle. Muta tries a chop and Lex flexes at him to pop the crowd.
Belly to back suplex gets two and they get a little crossed up as Lex wanted to drop an elbow, but Muta sat up. They try it later and Luger misses the elbow drop. Backdrop from Muta! Luger back with a Gorilla Press Slam as JR notes the winner of this match faces The World Champion at The Great American Bash next month.
Muta misses the hand spring elbow in the corner and takes a crazy bump all the way to the floor. Wow! Luger tries to suplex Muta back in the ring, but Muta floats over. He gots for the mist but Luger blocks it and hits a power slam for the pin at 3:43.
Winner and Still US Heavyweight Champion: Lex Luger via pin at 3:43 -A number 1 contender’s match for a PPV World Title Match and it gets less than 4 minutes. Poor Muta! * ”Stunning” Steve Austin (w/ Lady Blossom) vs. Joey Maggs -This Austin fella makes his Clash debut here and quickly hits a stun-gun and gets the pin at 26 seconds.
Those are some weird looking tights Austin is rocking here. Winner: “Stunning” Steve Austin via pin at 0:26 -This went how it should have. SQUASH -Richard Morton is introduced as the newest member of The York Foundation and is sporting a suit.
Robert Gibson is here and wants to know what’s happening, and Morton blasts him in the face and sticks him with a piledriver. Dustin Rhodes is out to make the save. This needed a plate glass window! WCW World Heavyweight Championship: 2 Out of 3 Falls: Ric Flair (c) vs.
Bobby Eaton -First Fall: That’s some awful music for Flair. Lockup to start and Flair gives a Wooo. Another go and Eaton slaps Flair in the face which knocks him on his ass.
Lockup again and Flair gets a side headlock. Eaton drops down, but Flair just stops and picks him up. They start trading chops and punches.
Eaton catches Flair with an elbow to the back and then a clothesline sends him over the top and to the floor. Back in and Flair fires off more chops in the corner. Eaton responds with a right hand and then a few more leads to a Flair Flop! Whip to the corner and Eaton catches Flair on the way back out with a backdrop.
Flair begs off and we start fresh again. Flair gets in a kick to the knee and tries another side headlock, but Eaton shoves off, gets a hip-toss and transitions into a short arm scissors. He also gets a few two counts off it as Flair’s shoulders are on the mat while Eaton maintains the hold.
Flair gets to the ropes as he keeps screaming out for God. Eaton goes to work on the arm and shoulder in the corner. Hammerlock, but Flair counters with a drop toe-hold and goes back to a chop.
Eaton just punches him square in the face to pop the crowd. Flair bails to the floor and has Eaton chasing which is a mistake by Eaton. Flair catches him on the way in with a boot as JR rightly points out that Eaton should have just let Flair stay outside since it is Best of 3 Falls.
Flair with another chop and he sends Eaton into the corner where his head hits the post. Flair shows some aggression as he stomps Eaton in the corner and goes to a choke. Ross notes again that the winner gets Luger at Great American Bash.
Funny enough, no! Flair drops a knee from a two count and then gets another just to make sure. Flair uses the ropes to get another two count, but the ref (Nick Patrick) catches him. CHOPS in the corner! Eaton fights back with punches and wins the exchange.
Flair lands a kick and heads up top, but Eaton meets him there and slams him off. JR: “This move is well scouted.” Yep, even in 1991! To the corner and Flair flips over and runs the apron only to get knocked down.
Backbreaker from Eaton followed by a neckbreaker. He gets a slam and heads up top! Alabama Jam hits and Eaton wins the first fall at 9:45. -Fall Two: We do get a 30 second rest period! Flair begs off in the corner and Eaton just switches between rights and lefts.
Flair gets in another kick and then a CHOP! Right hand from Eaton and another Flair Flop! Eaton gets a backslide for two. Flair tries a slam and Eaton falls back on him for another two count. Neckbreaker from Eaton and he is heading up top again.
Flair stirs, so Eaton punches him in the face and goes up again. Flair falls into the ropes and Eaton crashes to the floor and is favoring his knee. Uh oh! Eaton is counted out at 12:30.
-Third fall: 30 second rest period! Flair goes out to get Eaton and fires off some chops. They head back in the ring and there’s another right hand from Eaton. He puts Flair up top and lands another right hand.
Superplex! Flair is screaming in pain while Eaton sells the knee. He drags himself over for a cover and gets a two count. Flair hits a belly to back suplex and then a figure four.
He uses the ropes which the ref catches. Another try and Eaton gets a small package for two. Flair back to the knee and this time the figure-four is dead center in the ring.
Eaton fights it off, so Flair slides to the ropes and cheats to win as Eaton is out and the ref counts the pin at 15:52. Winner and Still WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair via pin and 2 Falls to 1 at 15:52 -This was just some well worked pro-wrestling. Two pros going out there and wrestling for nearly sixteen minutes.
Eaton never really had a chance, but he put up a heck of a fight and had this been a regular match, he did get the first pin. Good stuff here. ***1/4 -Thanks for reading! 6.
0 The final score: review Average The 411 A couple good matches and a great Tag Match carry this show. WCW was in a weird phase where they were pushing gimmicks while still keeping the talent that carried them in the 80s in the Main Event. Definitely check out the tag match and long time fans of the NWA should see Eaton's one big chance at the World Title.
legend 0 - 0.9 Torture 1 - 1.9 Extremely Horrendous 2 - 2.
9 Very Bad 3 - 3.9 Bad 4 - 4.9 Poor 5 - 5.
9 Not So Good 6 - 6.9 Average 7 - 7.9 Good 8 - 8.
9 Very Good 9 - 9.9 Amazing 10 Virtually Perfect.
