Clash of the Champions XXVI

Legacy Review

Clash of the Champions XXVI

January 27, 1994 from the Riverside Complex in Baton Rouge, LA

 

Commentary: Tony Schiavone and a surprise guest

 

Mean Gene opens up the show, and can't believe it when he's told to introduce, in his WCW debut, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan! Less than two months before Heenan, and his belongings, were being physically tossed out of the arena on Raw by Gorilla Monsoon and now here he is. He and Okerlund have a fun bit. "Heenan won't you leave me alone, you follow me everywhere!" "I work here!" Heenan is replacing Jesse Ventura as the top color commentator, though Ventura would hang on doing regular TV through the summer before leaving.

 

Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio (w/Teddy Long) def Pretty Wonderful (w/The Assassin) in 12:29- This is a rematch from Starrcade. In fact it's the latest in a series of rematches. The winner is getting a tag title shot on Saturday Night. Heenan is on form early, calling TBS "The Brain Station" and having fun exchanges with Tony about the Assassin. Too bad he'd stop caring after about 6 months in Bischoffland. Orndorff and Scorpio start. Scorpio does some arm work and Orndorff lays in forearms. Orndorff gets a badly timed boot up in the corner. Scorpio flips out of a suplex attempt. Commercial. Back with Roma in control over Scorpio, hitting a hot shot. They show a replay of the faces getting a double tackle during commercial for a near fall. Bagwell gets on the second rope and rolls Roma up for 2. Scorpio sets up a superplex but Orndorff blocks it from the apron. Roma hits ax handles off the top. A long and fairly dull Scorpio face in peril segment follows. Assassin gets a punch in. The heels hit a double backdrop. Orndorff comes off the top but Scorpio gets a boot up. Great wobblelegged sell from Orndorff as he goes to tag. Hot tag to Bagwell. A high knee in the back sends Orndorff to the floor. Crossbody on Roma for 2. Missile dropkick. Orndorff comes in....Bagwell's still covering Roma but the ref is arguing with Orndorff....finally the ref turns around and Bagwell kicks out. The way that reads it seems straightforward, but watching it that was a bit of a cluster. Not sure what they were doing there. Orndorff ducks a Scorpio crossbody and Scorpio slides outside. It looks like Assassin loads something in Orndorff's kneepad. Roma goes to run Bagwell into it but Bagwell runs Roma into it instead, then covers him for 3. Decentish. The more exposure Scorpio got the more obvious it was he really didn't know what to do in between his (very good) high spots. **

 

Ron Simmons def Ice Train in 3:32- This is billed as "student vs mentor" as Simmons had been training Train on camera. Simmons is continuing to show the same heelish attitude he had at Starrcade. As soon as the show comes back from commercial the bell rings. Simmons slaps. Train slaps harder. Train powerslam. A football tackle sends Simmons to the floor. Slam on the floor. Simmons dodges another tackle and Train runs into the post. He suplexes Train back in. Falling headbutts from pissed off intense Simmons. In other words, the best Simmons. Train dodges a Simmons tackle and gets a sunset flip. Another ugly Train powerslam. Simmons dodges a tackle in the corner and rolls Train up for the win. Not nearly as horrible as it could have been. They kept it moving the whole time, but they were also running through the same handful of moves over and over. *

Mean Gene is joined by Steve Austin and Col. Robert Parker. Since Parker's wrestling tonight Austin has Parker's suit on, and does a pretty passable Parker impression. Not as good as his Bischoff impression in ECW but still good. After that Okerlund announces the long teased brand new commissioner of WCW: former AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel! Zero crowd reaction for him. Bockwinkel promises no immediate changes, he's going to watch closely and settle any issues that need to be addressed. Hope he's learned how not to do things from AWA's Stanley Blackburn, mister hold up every title at the slightest opportunity.

 

WCW World Television Championship: Lord Steven Regal (c) (w/Sir William) and "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes go to a 15:00 time limit draw- Gordon Solie replaces Tony on commentary for this one. Everyone wanted to work with Heenan. Can't blame them. Usual Regal disgust at having to lock up with some common plebe at the start. Regal slaps on a corner break. Dustin responds with punches and a dropkick. Regal powders. Back in Dustin gets an arm wringer and flips Regal by the arm. After a hard Dustin shoulderblock Regal rolls out again and checks William's watch for the time limit. We get a few minutes of Dustin holding onto a headlock no matter what Regal does to try to get out of it. Finally Regal does escape and lays in the European uppercuts. Gut wrench suplay. Regal does some ground work for a bit. 5 minutes left. Standing leverage battle. Regal headbutts and puts Dustin in a straitjacket. 4 minutes left. Dustin flips Regal and hits a lariat. He covers but Regal has a foot on the rope. Regal rolls out and checks the watch again. 3 minutes left. Regal's still stalling and Dustin's more or less letting him. Finally Regal gets on the apron and sunset flips but Dustin blocks it with punches. Diving lariat for 2. Regal goes outside again. 2 minutes. This time Dustin chases. He flips out of a suplay and dropkicks Regal for 2. And Regal goes out again. One minute. Fight on the ramp. Dustin backdrops Regal back in the ring. Slingshot crossbody for 2. To the outside again. Dustin gives the heels a double noggin knocker. Elbow off the top rope. He hits the bulldog as time expires. Not a horrible draw. They worked pretty well together. All of Regal's stalling was perfectly logical in character too. **1/2

 

Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne def WCW World Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys (w/Missy Hyatt) in 6:46- This is a non-title match. Solie stays on commentary. After no showing their entrance before commercial the faces attack from behind through the crowd after coming back from break. Cactus Clothesline on Knobbs! Elbow off the apron! Payne and Sags are doing stuff in the ring but who cares. Swap and Sags gets slammed on the floor by Jack. And he takes an elbow off the apron! Jack hits the ropes like a crazy man and elbows Knobbs. Payne posts Sags. Double faceplant by the faces in the ring. Knobbs eye pokes Payne and tags. Payne counters Sags off the top rope for 2 then no sells a buckle shot. Knobs boot up in the corner. Payne grabs the Paynekiller, triggering another mini-donnybrook. Sags trips Payne from the floor. Payne gets tossed out. Sags gives him a chairshot on the floor! The Nastys with a double tackle. Payne double clotheslines the Nastys and tag. Jack cleans house as everyone gets in again. DOUBLE Cactus Clothesline to both Nastys! Bang bang! Double underhook DDT on Knobbs! But wait, the ref is distracted. Here comes Nasty Boys finish 1A. Yup, Saggs elbows Jack in the back but Knobbs covers. But wait again! The ref is still distracted. Payne elbows Knobbs! Jack covers for the pin! The Nasty Boys finish is turned on its head! Another match that was better than expected, mainly thanks to Jack being Jack, but still had too much Payne to be more than borderline decent. This set up Jack and Payne being long term challengers for the tag titles. Payne would end up being replaced by Kevin Sullivan for reasons I'll get into in a later review, but Jack would carry everyone involved to some groundbreaking hardcore matches on PPV in the spring. *3/4

Call the Hotline to find out what the Nasty Boys and Missy Hyatt are getting up to backstage! For some people that's what 900 numbers were invented for.

 

"Flyin'" Brian Pillman def Col. Robert Parker (w/Steve Austin) in 5:41- Tony's back. The loser of this match has to wear a chicken suit on the next Saturday Night. Austin is still doing his full Parker impression, voice, mannerisms, everything. Pillman comes out with a box of KFC with Parker's face taped to it. Zero reaction from the crowd for Parker, and Pillman gets a mild pop at best. Parker immediately does the coward runaway. Pillman catches and slams him for 2, then gives Austin some shots on the floor. Parker takes advantage to hit Pillman but soon Pillman's back in control with an atomic drop. Great sell from Parker there. Even during the match Austin remains locked in to his Parker impression. That's commitment. Parker tries to walk. Pillman chases on the ramp and backdrops Austin. The Boss (former Big Boss Man) comes out and stops Parker. While Boss is dragging Parker back to the ring Austin gives Pillman a Stun Gun. Heenan calls him Boss Man. Dollar in the jar! Pillman goes up top but Austin pushes him off. Parker covers for 2. Austin and Boss fight on the ramp, distracting Parker and allowing Pillman to get Generic Raw Finish 1A, the distraction rollup, for the win. Not much of a match as you would expect, but the overbooking made it somewhat fun. It was hurt by the fact the crowd didn't give a damn. *1/4

Ad for Superbrawl IV, again advertised as "Double Thundercage".

 

Elimination Tag Team Match: WCW World Heavyweight Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Sting def Big Van Vader and WCW International World Heavyweight Champion "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/Harley Race) in 22:07- Commissioner Bockwinkel joins commentary. Lots of new and old rivalries intersecting here, everyone in this match has had a title match with everyone else in this match at some point. Well, except Vader and Rude. Flair and Vader already have a rematch scheduled as one of the Thundercage matches at Superbrawl. Sting and Rude start. Rude hip swivels and Sting mocks it. Basic start. Vader tackles Sting, then presses him and drops him on the top rope. Vader sunset flip off the second rope! He got some serious air time on that. Sting counters with a butt splash. Rude runs in to double team but Flair's hesitant to join. Vader's mask is off. He lays in the potato shots on Sting. Sting ducks one and gives Vader a German suplex! Stuff like that never gets old or less impressive no matter how many times you see it. Tag to Flair, who immediately lets loose with a flurry on Vader. Chop and strut. Commercial (boooo). Back with Rude holding a bear hug on Sting. Nothing worth replaying happened during commercial apparently. Sting bell rings out. Tag to Flair, who jumps up top and comes down with an ax handle on Rude. Inverted atomic drop with Rude only doing about .6 of his usual sell. Vader avalanches Flair. Vader bomb! No cover. He places Flair up top. Superplex! Still no cover. Flair's selling to the cheap seats. Up top and another superplex! Vader goes up top to finish Flair off. Sting drags Flair out of danger. The heels double team Sting and Rude hits a DDT. Vader grabs a chair but Bockwinkel stops him. While they argue Vader is counted out, as is Flair, who's too hurt to get up. Neither guy takes a fall to protect them for their main event on the next PPV. Sting and Rude are left. Sting clotheslines Rude 360 to the floor as Flair is helped out by officials. Sting clothesline off the top. Huge backdrop. Rude blocks an inverted atomic drop because he's already taken one of those tonight. Ax handle off the top and fist drop for 2. Double chinlock. After a few tries Sting electric chair and drops Rude. He goes for a splash but Rude gets his knees up. Double clothesline. Sting grabs the top rope to block the Rude Awakening. Sting hits a Rude Awakening! Cover, but Rude gets a foot on the rope. Rude hits an inverted atomic drop. Tombstone reversal and Sting hits it. Splash off the top, and that gets the pin and the win for Sting! Good, but also about the "worst" or floor match you'd expect from these guys. ***1/2

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS: Pretty middle of the road as a whole. Nothing really sucked, good main event, some light story progression. Heenan was a blast on commentary, meshing well right off the bat with Tony (and Solie), giving WCW a fresh but familiar and respected voice as they move further into a whole new era.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+, the plus for Heenan