Eric Bischoff, Magnum TA, and Missy Hyatt somehow make
teamwork out of drawing the teams in the Lethal Lottery BattleBowl.
Stunning Steve Austin and Rick Rude will represent the Dangerous
Alliance in this match. It is the first time Big Josh and Van Hammer
have teamed up and I believe my first review for each man also. Paul
E Dangerously comes out with his clients for the match. Jim Ross and
Tony Schiovane are on commentary.
Dangerous
Alliance VS. Van Hammer & Big Josh
WCW
Starrcade 1991 (29th December 1991)
The bell rings and we start with Van Hammer and “Stunning" Steve Austin, who is the
current Television champion. They lock up but Van Hammer shoves
Austin away. Austin backs Van Hammer into the corner and breaks
clean. Jim Ross loves saying “Heavy Metal” Van Hammer and it's
showing. Van Hammer slams Austin, who goes back to his corner for
advice, but not a tag. He cuts off Van Hammer with a kick to the gut
and a right hand. A clubbing blow drops Van Hammer as we see the
match over Paul E's shoulder. He sends Van Hammer off the ropes but
ducks too early, getting kicked by Van Hammer. Austin kicks back and
attempts a suplex, but it's blocked. Van Hammer suplexes Austin over
for a nearfall. Steve Austin trips him with a drop toe hold, into a
front facelock. Van Hammer counters into a hammerlock and drives his
knee into Austin's arm. Austin gets to his feet and snapmares Van
Hammer over, beginning a chain of three. Van Hammer gets to his feet
in the corner and reverses an irish whip, sending Austin across the
ring. Austin avoids the charge and brings Van Hammer over to the
Dangerous Alliance corner to tag in Rude.
Rick Rude sends
Van Hammer into the ropes and drops him with a clothesline before
taunting the crowd. A knee to the gut drops Van Hammer. Rick Rude
continues with strikes but Van Hammer tries to fight back. Rude rakes
Hammer's eyes and sends him into the ropes, following with a knee to
the midsection. He tags Steve Austin back in, who comes in with a
short-arm clothesline and a gutwrench suplex before the United States
champion is back in. He has Van Hammer in a front facelock, but he
overpowers Rude to make the tag. Big Josh
comes in hot, with right hands to Rick Rude. He slams Rude down and
stomps on his midsection, but Rude no-sells it with his abs of steel.
Big Josh tries right hands, but they have no effect so he
clotheslines Rude down for a pair of nearfalls. Austin comes in the
ring but is caught with a clothesline, Dangerous Alliance knock heads
and they regroup on the floor. Rick Rude is caught in the ring as
Paul E is on the phone to someone. Rude counters a headlock into a
hammerlock but is taken down with an arm drag. He gets to his feet
and tags Austin as Big Josh still has control of his arm.
Steve Austin runs into an arm drag and struggles to
his feet. He fights out of the armbar with rights and is sent across
the ring. Big Josh goes prone then gets knocked down with a shoulder
tackle. Austin runs the ropes again but his crossbody gets caught.
Big Josh drops him across the top rope and knocks him down with a
clothesline for a nearfall. Big Josh takes control of the arm again
and tags back to Van Hammer who continues wrenching and brings Austin
down to the mat. Van Hammer again uses his knee into Austin's arm.
Steve Austin makes it to his feet but Big Josh gets the tag. Austin
fights out of the arm wrench with rights but is sent into the ropes,
Austin grabs the top rope to stop his momentum but can't slam Big
Josh who lands on his feet, Austin runs to the ropes in a waistlock,
ducking through them so Rude can clothesline Big Josh from the apron
and tag himself in. A double ax handle from the top rope gets Rude a
nearfall. Rick Rude backs Big Josh into the ropes and tags Austin
back in, he kicks at Big Josh in the corner and it's not quite the
stomping a mudhole we all know and love quite yet.
Austin brings Van
Hammer into the ring to distract the referee as Rude chokes Big Josh
over the middle rope from the outside. Steve Austin cannonballs onto
Josh's back for a nearfall and gets the tag. Rick Rude comes in with
strikes. He takes Josh over with a snapmare and locks in a reverse
chinlock with his forearms. Big Josh gets to his feet but Paul E
distracts the referee, getting on the apron and allowing Austin to
cut off Big Josh with a cheap shot. They fake a tag and Austin sends
Big Josh off the ropes into a clothesline, then sends him through the
ropes. Rick Rude sends him into the guard rail then helps him in the
ring. Austin covers but Big Josh gets his foot on the bottom rope. We
see the other participants in the locker room and it's really
distracting. Austin snapmares Big Josh over into a reverse chinlock
as we reach the halfway point of this match, which has a 20minute
time limit. Big Josh gets to his feet and breaks Austin's grip and
uses his elbow to break free of the hold. Steve Austin jumps into a
slam but avoids the jumping elbow drop. He sets Big Josh up against
the middle rope, with some assistance from Paul E. Rick Rude keeps
the referee distracted but Big Josh is able to pull Paul E
Dangerously into Austin's path! He gets the tag to Van Hammer.
Van Hammer sends Austin off the ropes into a
powerslam. Followed by a back suplex and running shoulder tackle. Van
Hammer covers but Rude breaks it up, bringing in Big Josh. Rude
slides under the bottom rope when he gets knocked down and the
referee brings Josh back to his corner. Austin is sent into the ropes
but Rick Rude gets a blind tag. Van Hammer slams Austin but doesn't
hear the referee tell him about the tag, turning around into the Rude
Awakening. Rick Rude covers and sends himself and Austin into the
Battle Bowl.
WINNERS: RICK RUDE & STEVE AUSTIN
I think this was the match of the night, personally.
Austin and Rude worked well together and Paul E was involved enough
to be significant but not disruptive to the match. Van Hammer and Big
Josh look like serviceable enough wrestlers, but I'm not hunting down
bootleg `best of' sets for them.– [**½ ] match but personally 3/10
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