We now get 15 minutes of interviews on the show. Seriously.So unfortunately, this will feel like 15 minutes to you, if I have to do it, you can! I know it’s a special Anniversary show to celebrate wrestling on Turner Networks but still. Anyway, we start off with Jim Ross interviewing Bruno Sammartino. Jim puts over Bruno’s 200 main events and 187 sellouts in Madison Square Garden. Bruno says he’s looking forward to the WCW Championship match and says WCW is wrestling at it’s best again. I wouldn’t know Mr. Sammartino, I have this to sit through. They plug Bruno’s appearance next monh at Teddy Long is in the VIP room, he points to Andre the Giant speaking with Gordon Solie although we can clearly see them on the camera. He then interviews “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brad Armstrong’s father. Bullet Bob says he wrestled on TBS 20 years ago and he loves seeing his sons on TBS. Thunderbolt Patterson makes his way over and thanks God for having the opportunity to be here tonight. He’s proud to be at the 20th Anniversary. Teddy Long then sends us to a video message.
Mr. Wrestling II who congratulates them on 2 Decades on TBS, calling WCW proper wrestling. Mr. Wrestling II says he wishes he could be here but didn’t want the occasion going unmarked. Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura get a second to segueway to a message from Ted Turner, who says they have a great history with great wrestling and thanks WCW for that. He hopes WCW will be here in 20 more years. After all of this we get a commercial break. As we return Jim Ross says there’s been some controversy surrounding Brad Armstrong’s WCW Light Heavyweight Championship. Does his dad know? Couldn’t you have had him and Brad make the announcement with Bill Watts to save time. Anyway, Tony Schiavone kindly clears up that Brad Armstrong was injured in a match in Japan against The Great Muta. Brad Armstrong has tried to get into shape but couldn’t get cleared by the doctors to face Flyin’ Brian Pillman tonight. Bill Watts says that WCW has made the decision to strip him of the Championship as he has not been able to defend it for 5 weeks, they are reluctant to do so, but will be holding a tournament to crown a new champion.
Jesse Ventura is backstage with Brad, he asks if Armstrong’s disappointed because Ventura doesn’t mince words. Brad Armstrong says he’s very disappointed and he feels like he’s let his family down. Brian Pillman walks into shot and says he’s disappointed to not get his title shot tonight. He calls the situation a disgrace and says his fans were waiting for his victory, instead the former champion hobbles out crying. He says Armstrong’s father is hanging his head in shame in the VIP room. Brad Armstrong tries to plead his case but Pillman’s having none of it, slapping Brad before walking off so we can go to another commercial break. Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are backstage still and throw us to a highlight package of just some of the best to have wrestled on TBS, but Ross does remind us that since it’s been 20 years there are plenty of people that couldn’t make it. I wonder how many work up North? I’m not going to give a list of the names mentioned but know that there’s 6 minutes before the timestamp for the match shows up. 2 minutes left and we get a commercial for Halloween Havoc 1992 – Spin he Wheel, Make the Deal. A quick look at Ron Simmons from his Football days to becoming the first black WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
Ron Simmons beat Vader in a match taped 2nd August, but airing 16th August episode of WCW Main Event. You can see a group of fans in the crowd getting emotional, and it’s difficult to get that in modern wrestling. We see his wife in the crowd before Jim and Jesse talk about the challenge Simmons faces with someone as unpredictable to put it lightly, as Cactus Jack. We go to another commercial break as I remind myself that good things come to those who wait through gritted teeth. We see a clip of Ernie Chambers being made the referee for a Ric Flair match, but I’m too late to Google the guy and find anything productive. We see some final side by side shots of champion and challenger as we finally see a wrestling ring. Cactus Jackmakes his way out first and Ross talks about his “high risk offense” which I would call throwing yourself around like you’re invincible for (sometimes ungrateful) peoples’ entertainment, but I guess that doesn’t have the same ring to it. Ron Simmons makes his way out and I notice that Ole Anderson is our referee.
Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are on commentary for this match.
RON SIMMONS © VS.
CACTUS JACK
(WCW World
Heavyweight Championship)
WCW Clash of the Champions XX (2nd September 1992)
They lock up and I have to fight the urge to chant “this is awesome!” in my own front room like I’m in the Impact Zone. Ron Simmons puts Cactus in a headlock and wrenches it before getting sent off the ropes.
Ron Simmons drops Cactus Jack with a shoulder tackle and covers but Ole Anderson can’t get down to count anything before Cactus Jack kicks out. Cactus Jack is backed into the corner and then they reset. Ron Simmons goes back to the headlock, Cactus Jack tries to use Simmons’ momentum from wrenching to slip out of the hold but gets taken down to the mat. Cactus Jack tries to roll Simmons over so his shoulders are pinned down, but Simmons didn’t become WCW Champ by falling for rookie shit like that. Ron Simmons keeps control of Cactus Jack, bringing them both back to their feet. Cactus Jack connects with forearms to Simmons’ exposed ribs, he sends Ron Simmons off the ropes and decides to go for a jog himself, knocking the champion down with a running headbutt. Jack boots Ron Simmons in the head and sends him through the ropes, but Simmons is back to his feet before Cactus Jack gets to the apron. Cactus Jack calls for the elbow but decides against it. They lock up as Simmons gets back in the ring and Cactus Jack rakes Simmons face, then his back to drop the champion to his knees. Cactus Jack stands over Simmons and starts biting the forehead. Ole Anderson tells Cactus Jack to please stop, so Cactus bites at Simmons’ arm instead.
Cactus Jack starts pulling on Simmons’ face as Anderson watches on, interjecting before Cactus Jack gouges an eye or decides to try that thing he saw on Scooby-Doo last weekend. Ron Simmons lifts Cactus on his back and forces him back into the corner. Cactus Jack is able to get his boot up in the corner and punches Ron Simmons most of the way across the ring. Simmons wakes up and throws Cactus Jack to the nearest corner, powdering him with rights and lefts, with some boots mixed in for good measure. Cactus Jack catches Simmons low as Anderson’s view was obstructed and knocks him into the ropes with a right hand before the Cactus Clothesline sends them both over the top to the concrete. Cactus Jack hits a spinning neckbreaker, then breaks the count but Ron Simmons wants back in the ring anyway, so off they go. Cactus Jack hits Simmons with right hands, but Ron Simmons’ receipts have a bit more behind them. The crowd chants “Go Ron, Go!” as he blocks a Double-Arm DDT, forcing Cactus Jack back into the corner. Ron Simmons runs into Cactus’ boot again, taking one to the jaw before catching a kick to the midsection. Simmons brings a one-legged Cactus Jack out of the corner, spinning him around. Cactus Jack quickly gets his bearings (kind of) before almost tripping over Simmons with a clothesline. The challenger connects with 2 more clotheslines and it might just be how Foley did them at this point in his career. Anyway, he covers and Simmons kicks out at 2 so Cactus Jack puts him in a chinlock to think about what he’s done. Jim Ross notes that Simmons is carrying his weight and Cactus’ weight in the chinlock before Simmons starts wrenching at Cactus Jack’s grip.
Ron Simmons powers out of the hold and gets to his feet, getting a couple of shots in before getting cut off with a mule kick. Cactus Jack sends Simmons’ head into the top turnbuckle and decides to trade headbutts with the champ but Cactus is the one knocked on his arse at the end of it. Ron Simmons hits Cactus Jack with right hands, he hits a facebuster from the middle rope and covers but Cactus Jack still kicks out at 2. Ron Simmons sends Cactus off the ropes but ducks early and is caught with a knee to the midsection. Ron Simmons gets into his Three Point Stance in the corner, he knocks Cactus Jack over with a shoulder tackle that hits him right in the face. If I remember correctly Foley said in his book that it legitimately injured him, but he couldn’t tell Simmons because his mouth was bleeding too badly. Ron Simmons hits a chop block on Cactus Jack’s knee and covers, but Cactus Jack is up at 1! He has to use the ropes to get back to his feet, Ron Simmons sends him off the ropes again. Cactus Jack tries a sunset flip but Ron Simmons falls back, slamming Cactus Jack into the mat. Ron Simmons irish whips Cactus Jack into a clothesline, Cactus Jack crawls back to the ropes and tries to pull himself up, but as Simmons closes in Cactus Jack decides to send Simmons to the floor in desperation. Cactus follows and slams Simmons on the concrete, just in case he was able to break his fall a bit on the way out. It also positions the WCW Champion nicely for a Cactus Elbow from the apron. Ole Anderson comes out to the floor, telling Cactus that he's counting. Cactus Jack gets back in the ring and Ron Simmons is somehow able to follow.
Ron Simmons is able to reverse an irish whip and sends Cactus off the ropes for a standing Spinebuster, Cactus Jack’s head bounced off the mat too many times for me to be comfortable there. Ron Simmons sends Cactus Jack across the ring into the Powerslam for the win.
WINNER: RON SIMMONS (STILL WCW World Heavyweight Champion)
This was a good match between two people I wasn’t sure would mesh well when I saw it on paper, although I reviewed their Superbrawl match (Here) I wasn’t sure they would click. In hindsight it’s an obvious pairing. Ron Simmons likes to hurt people and Cactus Jack isn’t impervious to pain but he seems to be able to forget it a lot better than 99% of the population. It was a good match though, with Cactus taking it outside if he felt too overwhelmed so he would be comfortable and Ron Simmons using the football background Bill Watts and Jim Ross gush over to help get himself more over with the television audi
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