This Clash of the Champions event is celebrating 20 years on TBS including the Georgia Championship Wrestling days, Tony Schiovane and Missy Hyatt introduce us outside the arena. They have a red carpet rolled out for the special occasion as they talk to Gordon Solie. Sole calls tonight a chance for the younger fans to get associated with the history of wrestling and older fans a chance to get nostalgic. He's stood with Andre the Giant who says it's great to be here. At this point, Andre wasn't in a good way, so it was nice to see him about. Ron Simmons arrives in a limo with his wife, he says he'll take care of business against Cactus Jack tonight. A second limo arrives with “Cowboy” Bill Watts, his wife, and Hank Aaron. They're all excited to be here tonight. Bill Shaw also gives us a moment to call tonight a big night. A third and final limo appears with more executives, but interestingly with them is BRUNO SAMMARTINO! He takes a shot at the then-WWF calling WCW his kind of wrestling whilst telling us all how excited he is to be at this event. Missy Hyatt looks like a complete goof here. Sting arrives on a Harley Davidson just before we enter the arena and he looks pumped up for his match tonight.
We are finally inside as Teddy Long is stood with “Cowboy” Bill Watts and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. An Atlanta City Councilman is there to announce today World Championship Wrestling Day in the city of Atlanta. Bill Watts thanks the Councilman as Dusty Rhodes rushes through some catch phrases before Long takes us to Jim Ross and Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Jim Ross mentions that he was a freshman in college back in 1972, where as Ventura was serving in the US Navy. There seems to be a problem with the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship match, but Ventura is going to personally find out the deal with that for us. Ricky Steamboat enters the match first to a good ovation (it may not be as good on the Network version, Steamboat's music sounds post-production.) Austin follows Steamboat out to the ring accompanied by Paul Heyman before an 11-year old sings the National Anthem, she enters with Johnny B. Badd. Ricky Steamboat has come close to winning the championship lately. Paul E. Dangerously is put in the cage and suspended above the ring area as pre-match stipulations require and we can start the match.
“STUNNING” STEVE AUSTIN © VS. RICKY STEAMBOAT
No Disqualification match for the WCW Television Championship
WCW Clash of the Champions XX (2nd September 1992)
The bell rings and they circle, Ricky Steamboat has taped up ribs, Ventura says that's from a recent tag team tournament. Austin gets Steamboat in the corner, aiming for the midsection right away with lefts and rights. Steamboat creates some distance and comes back at Austin with chops around the ring. Austin ducks a right hand, getting Steamboat back in the corner and firing off more body shots, Steamboat avoids a right to the head and sends Austin out of the corner with a hip toss. Steamboat takes Austin down with a headlock as JR reminds us Simmons is on the Wrestling Hotline until 35 past the hour, and fans get to vote if they think the off the top rope rule should be overruled. No word on if it will change anything though. We see Dangerously hanging above the ring before Austin works his way to his feet, still in the headlock. Austin uses Steamboat's hair to bring him back and sends him off the ropes. Austin goes prone, then leapfrogs Steamboat, Steamboat slides under a right hand, drop toe hold brings Austin to the mat. Ricky Steamboat floats over for another side headlock on the mat.
Ventura says Steamboat's slowing the match down to his pace (Reviewer's Note: It will also help his ribs not having to breathe too heavy and keep his heart rate down.) The fans get behind Steamboat as Ross and Ventura gush over Bruno Sammartino. Steamboat adjusts his grip for a front facelock on the mat and brings Austin to his feet, moving back to a tight side headlock. Steamboat applies more pressure re-clasping his hands, but Austin sends him off the ropes, Steamboat ducks a chop, but Austin is able to send him into the ropes again, hitting him with a hip toss and dropping an elbow to Steamboat's ribs. Austin motions to his manager but it costs him, Steamboat kicks him off. Steamboat softens Austin before bringing him back to the mat with a headlock takedown. Austin rolls Steamboat up for a pair of nearfalls, but Steamboat keeps the headlock applied. Steamboat shouts to Paul E. Dangerously, giving Austin time to lift him for a back suplex, but Steamboat lands on his feet, going straight back to the headlock. Austin brings Steamboat up again but Steamboat lands on his feet again, grabbing a third consecutive headlock. A frustrated Austin brings Steamboat to the mat by his hair.
Ricky Steamboat avoids going into the top turnbuckle, but Austin doesn't. Steamboat climbs to the second rope, Austin catches him with right hands before throwing him overhead across the ring. Steamboat's ribs took some of the impact there as he holds on to them. Austin drives his knee into Steamboat's ribs and takes off the protective tape. Austin hits Steamboat with the point of his elbow, and Steamboat hits a chop but it isn't enough as he takes another elbow to the head. Austin hits a pair of backbreakers (the side of the ribs lands on Austin's knee) for three consecutive nearfalls. Steamboat gets to his feet in the corner and is able to fight back with chops and right hands as the crowd cheer him on. Steamboat lifts Austin but his ribs won't let him do it. Steamboat turns around into a clothesline before Austin sends him across the ring. Austin catches Steamboat in an abdominal stretch, and Steamboat sells it like acid's pouring on his ribs. Steve Austin gets more pressure using the point of his elbow on the ribs and a claw to the ribs makes the referee have to check Steamboat's arm. The arm only drops once before Steamboat shows life and he gets to the ropes.
Steve Austin goes back to the abdominal stretch but Steamboat reverses with a hip toss before it's locked in. Austin sends Steamboat across the ring, ducking too early so Steamboat slams his head into the canvas. Austin goes over on his head, and Steamboat shouts more at Paul E, firing at Austin with chops in the corner. Austin reverses an irish whip but Steamboat springs back off the second rope with a cross body! Austin rolls through, 1, 2, no! Steamboat avoids a dropkick from Austin. Wait... Yeah..... Yeah, that was right. The future Stone Cold attempted a dropkick on one of the innovators of high flying... Steamboat catapults Austin into the top turnbuckle (oh, now it makes sense..) and rolls him up for a nearfall. Steamboat sends Austin into the corner but he's having more issues with his ribs as time goes on. A double leg takedown from Austin puts him in a pinning position, he uses the ropes for leverage but it's still a nearfall. Steamboat slips out the back on a scoop slam. He hits a right hand and sets Austin up for a Tombstone, Austin kicks away and flips it over, but Steamboat is able to reverse back and drops Austin with it! Steamboat's slow to cover, 1, 2, NO!
Steve Austin grabs Steamboat's tights, sending him into the turnbuckles, he rolls Steamboat up with a handful of tights but Steamboat kicks out last second! Austin lifts Steamboat and perches him on the top turnbuckle. He hits a shot to the ribs but Steamboat holds on to the top rope to avoid a superplex. Steamboat lifts Austin, dropping him face first to the mat. Steamboat gets himself on the second rope so he's not disqualified (in a no DQ match?) and jumps into another shot to the ribs. A small package by Steamboat is countered and Austin gets a nearfall before he sends Steamboat across the ring. Steamboat ducks a chop and hits Austin with a flying shoulder tackle. Steamboat gets a nearfall and the crowd is ready to explode for Steamboat right now. Ventura mentions the no disqualification rule as Austin is knocked down on another shoulder tackle for another nearfall. Austin sends Steamboat over the top rope but he SKINS THE CAT! Austin charges into Steamboat, knocking him over the top to the concrete floor anyway. Jesse Ventura mentions that would normally be a disqualification because it was intentional as Steamboat crawls under the ring. He reappears the other side and hits a cross body from the top rope to win the Television Championship.
WINNER: RICKY STEAMBOAT (NEW WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION)
If you need evidence of how much of a workhorse one “Stone Cold” Steve Austin used to be, look no further than his matches with Ricky Steamboat. It may seem cheap using a Steamboat match to prove this point but Austin more than held up his end of the bargain. He worked the already injured ribs throughout the match, whether for offense or defense, in order to swing momentum back his way. The story seemed to be that Paul E. Dangerously stopped Steamboat winning in previous matches, leading up to his big moment here. I forgot what “no disqualification” was like during this era WCW (although in my defense they did have Cactus Jack on the roster) but they used the rules well near the end. Steamboat even having to go to the top rope (silly but technical DQ) to win the championship after being screwed time after time by cheap Dangerous Alliance tactics.– WORKRATE: 4/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 3/5 OVERALL 7/10
Tomorrow I move on to 1993, ECW had Ultraclash 3, which whilst I looked through nothing remotely interested or jumped out at me. This means I shall be using one of my two skips for ECW early. WCW held a Pay-Per-View event called Fall Brawl. It is tempting to pick a second consecutive Ricky Steamboat match for that event. Instead, I'm going to use a more obscure match. One where I have no idea what to expect (or even who one of the competitors is.) Cactus Jack vs. Yoshi Kwan,
No comments:
Post a Comment