Clash of the Champions XI

Legacy Review

Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush

June 13, 1990 from McAlister Field House on the campus of The Citadel in Charleston, SC

Commentary: Jim Ross and Bob Caudle

We're on the road to the Great American Bash and Sting finally winning the big one after his very badly timed knee injury. The famous raised ramp makes its Clash debut here. I loved seeing that again on the recent NXT Takeover. A lot of terrible ideas came out of this period of WCW, but the raised entrance ramp was not one of them.

The Southern Boys def The Fabulous Freebirds in 7:29- The Southern Boys are getting the new boy push after arriving in the company in the spring. Hayes really went to town with the eyeliner. He's also got Fantasia on his tights, a bit of foreshadowing for the group's coming expansion. The Freebirds pull the Suzuki-Gun ambush. The Boys avoid getting whipped into each other, hit double backdrops and shoulderblocks to send the Freebirds outside. Reset with Garvin and Smothers. Garvin gets a knee up in the corner and covers for 2. Hayes is whiffing pretty bad on some of his corner punches. The Freebirds try to double team but get blindsided by a HUGE Armstrong crossbody off the top. Hayes tags in and does the usual stalling and strutting. Armstrong blocks a rollup attempt. He hits a clothesline, looks lost for a second, then goes up top. Garvin punches him off the top rope from behind before he can do anything. The heels gets some near falls on Armstrong. Armstrong tries to come back but Hayes gives him a clubbing blow in the back of the head on a backdrop attempt. Hayes slowly goes up top. Armstrong throws him some punches and slams him off. Tags on both sides. Smothers rolls through the hot tag sequence and we're donnybrooking. Smothers rolls Garvin up. Hayes nails him with a clothesline to break it up. Garvin gets a knee to the face but the ref is distracted. Armstrong hits him with a headbutt off the top and Smothers covers for the upset win! Perfectly acceptable. **1/2

"Wildfire" Tommy Rich def Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Oliver Humperdink) by DQ in 3:46- Bigelow's sporting the rare sleeveless look tonight. The first half of the match is Bigelow tossing Rich around, Rich uses his quickness to get away and get some shots in that do little but piss Bigelow off, rinse and repeat. Rich tries a headbutt, but a minute later Bigelow shows him how to do that. Rich dodges an avalanche and rolls Bigelow up for barely a 1 count. After some mounted punches Bigelow picks Rich up, carries him around a bit, and hits an inverted atomic drop. Press slam. Bigelow chokes Rich, and won't break even when the ref tries to pull him off. Bigelow gets DQ'd. Humperdink eventually has to drag him off. The hell was that? Bigelow comes in, squashes Rich in 30 seconds, looks like a monster and we all move on with our lives. It's not hard, Ole. I guess maybe they were worried that might get people cheering Bigelow when they wanted him as a heel, so this was the solution? Maybe? 1/2*

We get a video package of the soon to debut Big Van Vader, using New Japan footage since he'd primarily worked in Japan to that point. After that, Gary Capetta brings out another new signee: El Gigante. He's tall. He's very very tall. Capetta tells us how tall he is with lots of numbers and fun Gigante facts to know and learn. Gigante waves to the crowd and looks tall. Capetta chats with him in Spanish for a bit and provides translation. The crowd is more polite than others might be *coughPhiladelphiacough*, but still doesn't seem to care very much.

"The Z Man" Tom Zenk and "Captain" Mike Rotunda def The Samoan SWAT Team in 5:25- This is a three quarters rematch from the last PPV, Capitol Combat (the one with Robocop, I'm legally required to mention that), with Zenk replacing Tommy Rich. This is the 2.0 version of the Samoans with the Samoan Savage replacing Samu. They do their usual ritual at the start, with the usual crowd booing stalling shenanigans. Once they finally get done Fatu dives right in with Rotunda. Good back and forth start. Savage tries to come in without tagging but the ref stops him. A Zenk slam and dropkick sends Savage to the floor and the heels regroup. Rotunda hits a crossbody on Savage. All four guys get in and Fatu hits him in the back of the head behind the ref's back. The heels pound Rotunda around a bit with some near falls. Rotunda tries to reverse a hiptoss but eats clothesline instead. He get thrown to the floor and slammed outside. Zenk gets suckered in and the SST try another double team, but Rotunda takes them both out with a double clothesline and tags. Dropkick party. Zenk makes the cardinal mistake of trying to headbutt Samoans. Why does no one ever learn? Fatu Samoan drop on Zenk. While the ref is getting Savage out Rotunda and Zenk swap without tagging and Rotunda rolls Fatu up in a super ugly small package to win. How the hell did the ref get the face legal man confused, they look nothing alike! Sadly, very badly executed finishes, especially in tag matches, is a staple of Ole Anderson's reign as head booker. Also, the randomly thrown together team not going anywhere beat the established tag team. You'd think Vince McMahon was booking this. All that aside though, the majority of the match was OK. **1/4

Mean Mark Callous (w/Paul E Dangerously) def "Flyin" Brian Pillman in 5:40- Paul E distracts Pillman and Callous takes him out from behind. Pillman leapfrogs over Callous in the corner and hits a dropkick. Callous shrugs it off and goes right back on offense. A big boot sends Pillman flying off the apron and into the guardrail! Pillman flips out of a side suplex attempt and tries a crucifix. Callous backs him into the corner. Chinlock city. Another Pillman comeback is killed with a clothesline for 2. Big Pillman chops. Callous stops that with a throat punch. A side suplex gets 2. Pillman dodges a flying elbow in the corner and hits more chops. Still not happening. Callous hits a powerslam but Pillman dodges the follow up legdrop. Callous tries to throw him out but Pillman skins the cat, goes up top and hits a missile dropkick! Paul E takes a shot. They have a miscommunication and have to redo a spot because it's the finish. Pillman tries a springboard crossbody but Callous catches him, gives him a hot shot, and the ref counts 3 even though Pillman clearly kicks out at 2. Another terribly executed finish, but the stuff before that was mostly fine. It's too bad Pillman's already doing enhancement stuff after a hot start to his WCW career, but Callous looked like a monster going into his US title match with Luger at GAB and flashed the potential that would convince Vince to pluck him away soon after. *3/4

Sting pops in for a quick word with Tony, saying the Dudes with Attitudes are keeping an eye on Flair.

NWA United States Tag Team Championship: The Rock N Roll Express def The Midnight Express (c) (w/Jim Cornette) by DQ in 12:08- Not even Ole Anderson's booking could make this suck. The Midnights were in the middle of an insane stretch where they were putting on 4+ star matches every damn PPV with whoever they were paired with. Eaton and Gibson start. Eaton does some heel ducking in the ropes and complaining about phantom rule violations to Nick Patrick. After a bit Patrick pulls Eaton aside for a word to get him to stop moaning. They go speed and Gibson hits a hiptoss and flying headscisscors. He keeps the headscissors locked in on the mat. Eaton maneuvers him into the heel corner but Gibson just squeaks out. Lane comes in firing karate kicks. Gibson counters with an enzuguri. Morton comes in and continues to be a step ahead of Lane. Morton slides under Eaton's legs and hits a dropkick and a hurricanrana! Now it's Morton's turn to barely escape the heel corner. Gibson atomic drops Lane into the heel corner and he butts heads with Eaton! More RNR running rings around the Midnights. Morton gets a rollup for 2. He tries another armdrag, but Eaton was ready this time and pokes him in the eye. He sits Morton on the top turnbuckle and sets up a superplex, but Morton slips out and gets another roll up. Lane runs in, grabs Morton by the hair and runs him into the middle turnbuckle. He gives Gibson a kick for good measure. Donnybrook! Express double backdrop on Gibson. The Express turn around and do a double rollup! The ref doesn't seem to know what to do and everyone settles down and resets. The Express hit a decapitation device like double team on Morton. Big Eaton suplex. Express neck snap/elbow drop combo. Morton dodges a charge and Eaton runs into the ringpost. Tags. Donnybrook II! Morton cactus clotheslines Eaton! Gibson puts a sleeper on Lane. Eaton recovers and hits Gibson in the back off the top rope and Lane covers. Gibson kicks out! Hell of a near fall there. The RNR double dropkick Eaton! Lane grabs the ref to stop the count. After a bit more confusion the bell rings and the match is awarded to the RNR by DQ. The end sequence was a mess yet again, but even a lower tier RNR/Midnight match is a damn good match. ***1/2

Barry Windham def Doug Furnas in 5:40- Windham had just rejoined the company to help fill the Horsemen back out after his '89 WWF run was cut short by off-field issues. Furnas is one of the long line of powerlifters turned wrestlers, but unlike others he had some spotty flippydo in his game. After some jawing Furnas runs Windham over with a shoulderblock, shocking Windham. Leapfrog, leapfrog, leapfrog, finally Windham catches him. Furnas turns it into a sunset flip for 2. Another rough shoulderblock sends Windham to the floor. Windham comes back with slaps and punches in the corner. After a corner whip Furnas jumps up to the top rope and backflips over Windham. Furnas press slam. Windham tries an inverted atomic drop off mounted punches but Furnas blocks it and hits a stiff clothesline for 2. Windham gets a knee up the the corner and gloats over finally getting Furnas down. Furnas turns a slam attempt into a powerslam for 2. Belly to belly suplex for 2. A (whiffed) dropkick sends Windham 360 over the top rope. Furnas tries to suplex him back in. Windham slips out, hits a back suplex with a bridge and puts his feet on the ropes for the cheat leverage pin. Eh. Furnas is sloppy but watchable in an amusing way (including the giant wedgie he has all match from the junior trunks he's wearing), and Windham ring generaled him to a fairly tolerable match. *3/4

NWA United States Heavyweight Champion "The Total Package" Lex Luger def Sid Vicious (w/Ole Anderson) in :26- Vicious joined the Horsemen about the same time that Windham came back, letting Ole get out of the ring and into JJ Dillon's old manager role. Luger didn't bother to bring the belt since it's a non-title match. Luger goes for Ole and Sid hits him from behind and gives him the ol' back rake. Sid goes to check on Ole, who's still in the ring, and when he turns around Luger wallops him with a clothesline and pins him. Da fuq? Is the show running long or did Sid piss in someone's cornflakes? NR

NWA World Tag Team Championship: Doom (c) (w/Teddy Long) def The Steiner Brothers in 11:19- This is the Steiners' Contractually Obligated Rematch after dropping the belts to Doom at Capitol Combat. Scott and Simmons start and go nose to nose. Scott hits the fallaway slam! Fallaway slam for Reed! Simmons Bret bumps in the corner and Scott nails him in the back of the head with a stff Steinerline. Scott/Reed shoulderblock standoff. Simmons lulls Rick in and punches him literally behind the ref. He tries a belly to belly, but Rick blocks it and hits it. Rick & Reed block each other's hiptosses. Rick ends the stalemate with a Steinerline. Rick gets a rollup for 2, then has to fight out of the heel corner. He cocks for another Steinerline, but Reed sees it and bails. Rick chases and Doom double teams him on the floor. Back in Rick 360 sells a clothesline. Reed double ax handle off the top. They sucker Scott in and throw Rick over the top and out again. Rick gets posted. Reed hits a double underhook suplex. Rick dodges a charge and Reed knees the top turnbuckle. Rick takes a chance with a double ax handle off the second rope, but it works and both sides tag. Scott hits dropkicks. Powerslam on Simmons. DONNYBROOK! Long tosses Reed an international object (called that unironically by JR because we're in that period). Scott props Simmons up and gives him a superplex! Reed pops Scott with the foreign object. Simmons covers Scott, and for some reason at the same time Rick pins Reed even though neither are legal. The ref ignores them and counts Scott down for the Doom win. Another solid match from two teams that worked well together, and didn't mind if things got a bit snug. ***1/4

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff def NWA World Television Champion Arn Anderson in 11:39- Orndorff debuted in WCW as a face in May after having taken a couple of years off to heal longstanding injuries (Including, apparently, death, at least according to some media reports. He got better.) and quickly joined up with Sting's anti-Horsemen Dudes With Attitudes group. Before the bell Orndroff poses with the TV belt, a title he would actually end up winning in 1993. Orndroff cranks a headlock and catches Arn trying a monkey flip, raking his face with his boots. Arn tries a hiptoss but Orndorff counters into a backslide for 2. Things get heated with some shoving and punching. Orndorff gets a sleeper. Arn reverses it. Orndorff runs him into the corner to break it and covers for 2. Orndorff figure four! Arn gets to the ropes. Orndorff stays on the knee, posting it. Arn desperation World's Greatest Spinebuster outta nowhere! He works on Orndorff's back a little. Orndorff does a sunset flip and digs into his old heel playbook, pulling Arn's tights down to try and get him over. Arn punches out. The whole section opposite hard camera got the full AA there. Arn puts on an abdominal stretch and plays the rope leverage game with the ref. Orndorff ducks a punch and hits an atomic drop that sends Arn into the turnbuckles, but in the ricochet off that he and Orndorff collide and both guys are down. When they get back up Orndorff wobblelegs Arn with punches while Arn swings wildly at the air. Orndorff forearm, elbow drops and kneelift. He tries coming off the second rope but Arn gets his knees up. Arn wraps up a small package, but Orndorff reverses it and gets the win! Your usual solid but unspectacular Orndorff match. **3/4

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: The Junkyard Dog def "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (c) (w/Ole Anderson) by DQ in 6:37- They bring back the old belt and lightning graphic for Flair's introduction! Nice. To say JYD is past his prime is an understatement. I'm really not trying to be cruel here, but I'm not sure if he's going to wrestle Flair or eat him. They exchange slaps, with JYD winning. Multiple JYD pushes out of lockups. JR calls JYD "thick". Unintentional shoot comments FTW. Flair continues his mad Flair bumping. A punch sends Flair 360 over and onto the ramp, followed by the most random Flair Flop of all time. Back in JYD no sells chops and gives Flair the pillar to post beating. Flair gets an eye poke and the chops start to have some effect. JYD no sells the kneedrop. More punches and Flair Flop 2. Flair snaps JYD's throat over the top rope and steals Bob Caudle's chair from right under him. JYD no sells a chair shot to the head. Were Jim Herd and Ole Anderson watching videos of Zeus in WWF and thinking that was a fun idea to try? Flair Flip! He runs across and gets off the top rope but JYD punches him as he comes down. Ole sacrifices himself to allow Flair to get a knee in the back. Flair goes up top and gets slammed off. Finally Ole runs in for the cheap DQ. Woof. Talk about Flair wrestling himself for six minutes. And the match was so short he barely had time to get warmed up. Easily the worst major show Flair match of his peak years. *

After the bell the Horsemen run in for the beatdown. The Dudes come out and everyone does the big brawl. Sting tries to chase down Flair but Flair bails. After commercial everything's calmed down and Sting officially challenges Flair to a title match at Great American Bash. Flair runs back in as the show closes and Sting and Flair work a mini-match as the credits roll. "Call the Hotline to find out what happens folks, we're out of time!"

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Like most first half of '90 WCW shows the tag division does the heavy lifting, but there's no good to great Flair main event to salvage the rest of it on this one. The top two tag matches are worth a look, but both pairings have better ones on other shows as well.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+