Spring Stampede '97

Legacy Review

Spring Stampede '97

April 6, 1997 from the Tupelo Coliseum in Tupelo, MS

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Dusty Rhodes

To fill the final remaining gap in the monthly PPV schedule WCW is bringing back the Spring Stampede name, which had its first and to date only appearance in '94. The stage is a big western town set, with pyro all over it. Yup, every entrance they blow up the town. The big story from commentary at the top of the show is that Scott Hall has been absent for THREE WEEKS. I want to say it was some kind of drug or other suspension, but the thought of WCW suspending any of their top guys for anything is just plain comical. Inmates running the asylum. More likely it was a minor injury. Kevin Nash has been ordered by the championship committee to defend the tag titles by himself against the Steiners. Nash is supposed to get some TV time before his match to state his case or make demands or something, it's not very clear.

Rey Mysterio Jr def Ultimo Dragon in 14:55- Syxx isn't much interested in defending the Cruiserweight title so we're getting non-title cruiserweight openers instead. Commentary wonders why Sonny Oono isn't with Dragon like usual. They speculate it's because of the women's title match later but never get a definitive answer. Mike Tenay joins the booth for this one. Dragon flat tosses Mysterio down like he weighed nothing out of a waistlock, then mostly dominates the mat wrestling opening thanks to his size advantage. After a stalemate reset Dragon hits a kick combo. Big dropkick and Dragon works into some arm work. He tiltawhirls Mysterio, spins him on his shoulders, then drops him in a crucifix backbreaker. Powerbomb into a hot shot. Dragon hooks on a sleeper. HUGE Liger bomb from Dragon! Leaping tombstone. Mysterio doesn't know what continent he's on at this point. Dragon pulls him up out of a pin! Bold strategery, Cotton. Another sleeper from Dragon. Mysterio gets free, hits the ropes, and hits a spinning heel kick. Dragon responds with a clothesline and some stiff kicks to Mysterio's back. Heenan even shuts commentary up to hear the pop. After a front suplex Dragon hooks on a Mutalock, then a surfboard. They go to the floor and Dragon gets whipped into the barricade. Back in he gets the sleeper on again. Mysterio counters with his own sleeper. Dragon tries to back suplex out but Mysterio flips out of it, hits a shotgun dropkick and a spinning heel kick that sends Dragon to the floor. When Mysterio does his 619 dive tease he accidentally kicks the camera that's on the apron level platform. That's expensive equipment. Mysterio springboard somersault plancha to the floor! We cut to Lee Marshall at the NWO locker room because this absolutely, positively couldn't wait until after the match. He knocks and asks for Nash, Syxx opens the door, tells him to piss off, and slams it back shut. Yeah, that was really worth it. Mysterio hits a springboard legdrop for 2. Both guys dodge crossbodys. Mysterio goes up top. Dragon dropkicks him down to the floor! Plancha from Dragon. Back in Mysterio goes for a springboard moonsault. Dragon dropkicks him in midair! Giant swing from Dragon! That makes him loopy and both guys are down. Both go for leaping kicks and flop down again. Mysterio gets a hurricanrana with a cradle for 2. Dragon reverses the cradle for 2. Dragon enzuguri for 2. Corner clothesline. Hurricanrana off the top. Cover but Mysterio gets a foot on the rope. Dragon goes for the tiger suplex. Mysterio knows what's coming and quickly ties himself in the ropes. More cradle counters for near falls. Mysterio hits a springboard hurricanrana, cradles again, and gets the pin! Really good closing stretch there, but not quite enough to hit the upper echelon. ***3/4

We go once again to Marshall in the back. He knocks on the NWO locker room door again, and again Syxx answers. I have the strangest feeling of deja vu. The Steiners show up in the hallway, held back by a bevy of security. Nash pokes his head out of the door and says he wants Nick Patrick. I assume to ref his match, but hey, if he's demanding Patrick be delivered to the locker room I'm not going to ask what they're doing in there. Then he spits on Scott. Scott goes nuts and security maces him! The police get him down and start handcuffing him. Not going to lie, that was pretty funny.

 

WCW Women's Championship: Akira Hokuto (c) (w/Sonny Oono) def Madusa in 5:13- Hey, the women's title still exists! This is its first appearance on a major show since Hokuto won it at Starrcade. And no surprise the only two full time women on the roster are wrestling for it. Hokuto gets riled up by USA chants from the crowd, then quickly grabs Medusa's hair for the Women's Hair Toss of Death. Medusa dodges in the corner and hits a flurry of jabs. Clothesline from Hokuto. She chokes Medusa and ignores the ref, then hangs Medusa in the corner with a chinlock. Slam and Medusa does her bridge up escape. Slingblades. She flips Hokuto off the top rope. All the usual Medusa spots. Hokuto bites Medusa's leg! Well that's one way. Oono gets some shots in with Medusa kicking him away. Hokuto does a fireman's carry. Medusa rolls her up out of that for 2. Shotgun dropkicks off the second rope. German suplex for a questionable 2. I think the ref was supposed to stop counting for Oono on the apron but didn't. Medusa kicks Oono in the head. While the ref is messing with him Luna Vachon (hey, there is another woman in the roster!) runs in, kicks Medusa's leg out of her leg, and Hokato pins her. 1/2*

 

WCW World Television Championship: Prince Iaukea (c) def Lord Steven Regal in 10:01- Three straight PPVs with Iaukea as champion. Can't say they haven't given him a fair shot. This is Regal finally getting his rematch after losing the title to Iaukea. Regal messes with the crowd a while before eventually locking up. Eye poke from Regal in the corner. Iaukea chops him and Regal backs off. He stalls some more, going all the way out to the floor to jaw with the crowd. Tony gets a note- Scott Steiner has been arrested! Apparently he hit one of the cops in the melee. There is now officially going to be a singles match for the tag titles later tonight. Regal does some arm work. Iaukea drops an elbow in Regal's back with a crazy sell from Regal. Now commentary's plugging Dennis Rodman's new movie. And they're talking about Scott and the tag titles again. Iaukea crossbody for 2. More Regal stalling. They lock up a test of strength with a Regal bridge. Kip up, he kicks his hand free and eye pokes Iaukea again. Clubbing blows from Regal into a full nelson. Iaukea takes two tries at a sunset flip. Huge nasty looking European uppercuts from Regal. Starting to wonder if there's not some stiffing lessons for the kid going on here. Iaukea chops back and Regal begs off. Regal does an absolutely awesome casual FU step away from an Iaukea crossbody, then pounds away with some more stiff looking forearms. Iaukea comes back with a backdrop, dropkick and superkick. They do a crazy run of counter and counter counters ending with Iaukea getting a cradle for the pin. After the bell a pissed Regal attacks and puts on the Regal stretch. Regal did the best he could to carry the kid. Commentary spent 15% of the time of this match actually calling the match, and the other 85% talking about other things. **

Thankfully the Iaukea experiment would end the next night on Nitro, when Ultimo Dragon defeated him for the TV title.

Mean Gene is out for tonight's hotline shill, the "emergence of a new clique backstage". Or is that Kliq? I can't think of what he might be talking about. After that he brings out Ric Flair, freshly returned from injury, to a huge pop. Flair announces that his first match back will be May 1, verbally backs up the struggling and infighting Horsemen, and announces that Kevin Greene has been given permission by the Panthers to wrestle in WCW, which he will in Charlotte on May 18 with the Horsemen against the NWO (which is the next PPV, Slamboree). In closing Flair also mentions he wants a piece of Bischoff before he's done.

 

Public Enemy def Jeff Jarrett & Steve "Mongo" McMichael (w/Debra) in 10:42- Mongo and Jarrett are still having issues over Debra but are trying to work through them now Jarrett is a full Horseman. Rock and Mongo start with some piefacing, shoving, and stalling. Jarrett hits Rock from the apron, Mongo hits chop blocks and PE take a powder. Mongo struts with Jarrett. Both sides swap. Jarrett gets an abdominal stretch on Grunge, with assistance from Mongo. Part of the problem with all this is neither team knows if their the faces or heels, and worse seem to switch more than once midmatch. Grunge hits a shoulderblock and pops Jarrett as he's midair in a leapfrog. Mongo does some very obvious positioning and Jarrett gets atomic dropped into him. A frustrated Jarrett takes a bit of a walk, then decides to come back. The Horsemen hit a double back elbow on Rock, flashing some teamwork. Side suplex from Mongo. He back elbows Grunge on the apron, causing the ref to hold him back from getting in, then covers Rock and wonders why there's no ref. After a tiltawhirl slam Grunge breaks a pin up, Jarrett launches himself into him and we go split screen (AKA Double Trouble Bash at the Beach Bubble copyright Dusty Rhodes) for the donniest of donnybrooks on the floor. Mongo and Rock go up the aisle into the western town stage, taking a shot on a covered wagon and tipping a couple of fake cows. Grunge goes after Debra, leaving himself open for a Jarrett chairshot. Jarrett gets set up on the table, but dodges and Grunge goes through it. Everyone wanders back in and Jarrett hits a crossbody for 2. Debra trips Rock and Mongo pounds away on PE. Blind tag to Jarrett and he goes through a hot tag like run. While that's going on Rock gets the Halliburton of Instant Death +4 from where Debra left in unattended. Jarrett goes for the figure four on Grunge. Rock whacks him with the briefcase and Grunge gets the pin. Fugly. 3/4*

Booker T cuts the famous "Hulk Hogan, we comin' for you ni**a!" promo. Sherri thinks it's hilarious.

 

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Dean Malenko (c) and Chris Benoit (w/Woman) no contest in 17:53- Now this has potential. Cautious start into a very rough lockup. Headlock/headscissors exchanges into an armdrag exchange into Benoit tossing Malenko out, following, both guys back in and nose to nose staredown. Completely nonstop. Malenko does some leg work. Big shoulderblock from Benoit and Malenko rolls out. Back in they swap arm wringers. Benoit maneuvers around into a top wristlock. Malenko slams free. Test of strength. Benoit holds his bridge no matter how much Malenko tries to knock him down. Benoit works free into some butterfly like holds. Malenko counters with a back suplex. Flash small package for 2. HUGE chops from Benoit. Crowd gasping loud. Malenko responds with forearms. After some more caution Malenko gets a drop toe hold into a crossface, then camel clutch. Speed run and Malenko hits a hiptoss into a short arm scissors. Benoit deadlifts and drops him, British Bulldog style. Back suplex for 2. Short clothesline for 2. Benoit hooks on an abdominal stretch. It goes all the way to arm drops before Malenko hiptosses out. Benoit stays on the attack. Neckbreaker for 2. Snap release suplex. Slugfest in the corner. Malenko hits a short clothesline. Benoit flips out of a suplex and hits a reverse suplex! Jacqueline makes her way down. She immediately attacks Woman without breaking stride. Now Jimmy Hart is out. Benoit hits the headbutt off the top rope but we're barely being shown any of the match anymore. Hart has the US belt. Now Eddie Guerrero is out in a sling. Malenko suplexes Benoit out of the ring to the floor! That's about the only thing that's going to get TV's attention now. Arn Anderson joins the party and takes Malenko out. Now it's Kevin Sullivan's turn. Arn seems to let him by, then he whacks Benoit in the head with a kendo stick. The ref's had enough and throws the whole match out. Sullivan and his crew grab Guerrero, put the US belt on him, and leave. Oh great, another "the title belt is stolen" angle. That hasn't been run into the ground the last few months. Malenko and Benoit call a truce with Malenko questioning an unknown someone's being there and commentary is rife with conspiracy theories. Which, I think, were all quickly forgotten. There's no way these two could have a bad match, but with all the overbooking that was probably their floor. ***

 

Singles Match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship: Kevin Nash (c) (w/Syxx and Ted DiBiase) def Rick Steiner in 10:20- Nash gets his wish as Nick Patrick comes out with the NWO crew to ref this match. Slugfest start with Nash quickly getting in control, hitting his corner elbows and knees. Rick gets a boot up in the corner and hits a Steinerline. Belly to belly suplex with Nash almost falling onto the bottom rope. Powerslam for 2. Syxx pulls the top rope down and Rick tumbles to the floor. Syxx gets some shots in. Side suplex from Nash for 2. Now DiBiase punches Rick. Nash hits a big boot, calls for the jackknife, and hits it. Rick kicks out! Nash is annoyed with Patrick but Patrick can't do anything. Rick hits a low blow! Patrick lets it go even though he clearly saw it. The bulldog off the top hits. Rick takes his time on the cover and Nash kicks out. Commentary swears up and down that was a 3 count and it's all Patrick's fault, but Nash clearly kicked out in time. After a trio of Steinerlines Syxx kicks Rick from the apron. Rick knock him back down. Nash comes in with a clothesline. Syxx starts working to get a top turnbuckle pad taken off. This is a bit more of a job in WCW. They're not just tied on, they're ziptied. He's cutting away but not making very much progress as the whole match stops to wait for him. Finally DiBiase hops up to help out and they finally get the job done. That was like watching a high school freshman trying to take off a bra. Nash drops Rick on the exposed buckle with snake eyes. Twice. DiBiase gets on the apron. Nash gets annoyed and says "I'll tell you when it's enough". Clearly DiBiase says pin him and be done with it. A third snake eyes. DiBiase gets in the ring, then walks out and keeps going all the way out of the arena. Fourth snake eyes. Nash poses for a bit, hits another jackknife because why not he's already dead, and finally gets the pin. Patrick hesitated on the count and needed encouragement from Nash to finish, then Patrick also walks off disgusted. I get what they were going for with creating some more dissension in the NWO, but the match was little more than an extended squash, and a very lazily worked one at that. I hope Nash's ego was sufficiently stroked because it didn't accomplish much else. DUD

 

Four Corners Match to be #1 Contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: "The Total Package" Lex Luger def The Giant, Stevie Ray and Booker T in 18:18- This is a weird one. In what I think is a first for WCW it's a one fall four way match rather than elimination, but it's presented more as team vs team than 4 individuals wrestling. It's also two men legal and you have to tag in and out rules. Having Harlem Heat in doesn't help much as no one takes them as a serious threat for a world title shot. Luger and Booker start with some basics. Luger ducks a hook kick, hits a clothesline and a press slam. Heat do some double teaming on Luger. Giant helps Luger with a shot on Ray from the apron, then tags in. Ray pounds away on Giant and gets some traction. Giant reverses a whip and hits a corner clothesline. After another clothesline Ray powders. Booker runs in, gets press slammed, and also rolls out. The brothers start arguing with each other on the floor, with Sherri in the middle trying to make peace. Ray gets in the ring and tags Luger in. Giant and Luger think for a minute but lock up with little hesitation. Luger tries for a slam and fails. Both guys tag Heat in! The crowd loves it. Heat less so. They do some light shoving, then lock up. Hammerlock exchange. Booker ducks a clothesline, Ray loses his place and they stop for a second, then they have a speed run stalemate and give each other paw (watch Spaceballs for that reference). Booker tags Luger in. He and Ray slug it out back and forth. Booker hits a side suplex on Luger. Luger tags out to Giant. Clothesline on Booker. Big chop as the voice of future Michael Cole echoes back in time saying something about frying pans. Booker dodges an elbow drop and Heat swap without a tag. They give Giant some CHAOS style war drums in the corner. Ray gets in the general vicinity of Giant's head with a bicycle kick. Booker does a bit of work on Giant's knee, which is a smart move but it barely lasts 30 seconds. Giant dodges a Ray legdrop. Big boot and tag to Luger. Luger works Ray over until Ray tights pulls him into the corner. Luger back suplexes Booker. He calls for the Torture Rack. Ray comes in and suplexes him. Booker covers for 2. Heel kick for 2. Luger gets double team beat down in the corner and Ray hits a clothesline for 2. Luger fights out of a chinlock and back suplexes Ray. Booker cuts the tag off as this has pretty much become a straight tag match. Scissors kick. Giant breaks the pin up. Luger dodges the rocket launcher and tags. Giant powerslam on Ray. He kicks Booker over the top to the floor. The strap is down! Choke slam time!......No! Giant tells Luger to tag him! "Rack him!" Luger does and gets the win! What a good friend Giant is. It'd take a while but Luger would cash in his title shot in August and make it worthwhile. The match, again, was weird on so many levels. If it's possible for a match to have an identity crisis, this would be the one. It's getting increasingly clear who the superior wrestler is in Harlem Heat. Booker's still not close to the level he'd be at in a few years when he quietly became one of the best workers in the business in dying WCW, but you can see the potential. Ray, on the other hand, was constantly mistiming and out of position throughout this match. **1/4

Savage and Elizabeth get a walk and talk through the back before his entrance. Savage says he's going to invite "14 or 22" women to the victory party. DDP gets some promo time before his entrance. Sadly so does Kimberly, who can barely get through two words without stumbling over herself.

 

No DQ: Diamond Dallas Page (w/Kimberly) def "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) in 15:38- DDP was the hottest thing in the company not named Sting thanks to his anti-NWO face turn. Savage and Elizabeth also became red hot once they reunited as heels in the NWO (imagine a Savage led NWO and how great that could have been, but no Hogan always had to be the focal point). The two were thrown together and it instantly became WCW's hottest active feud. I stress active because Hogan/Sting wasn't really *active* yet, more percolating. Everyone's clearly raring to go but Buffer has to stop everything to get his shtick in. Best ring announcer ever at getting himself over. Savage takes his sweet time getting in the ring. When he does DDP charges and Savage bails. DDP chases him down and it's on in the aisle. Savage tries to escape through the ring but DDP drags him back in. He does some kind of ugly drop that I don't know what it was supposed to be. He goes for the Diamond Cutter early. Savage grabs a rope to block it. DDP gets snapped over the top rope. Kimberly tries to help but Savage charges past her and knocks DDP over the barricade. Crowd brawl! Well it is the late '90s. They go all the way back to the exit. Savage gets a trash can, with legit trash leaking on the floor. DDP blocks it and nails Savage with it. Back through the crowd. Savage hides behind Kimberly! Elizabeth back rakes DDP, giving Savage an opening to waffle him. Rail shots for DDP. Savage double ax handle off the top against the guardrail. DDP takes stair shots. Back in Savage tries a leverage pin for 2. When that doesn't work it's chair time. Move it, Buffer. Heenan says "Nail Buffer!". I'm not opposed. Savage gives DDP a chairshot to the back. The ref takes the chair away. Well, time to get another one. This time he wants Penzer's. Penzer won't get up, so Savage drags him up and slaps him! And stomps him on the way by! Fantastic. DDP gets the chair and nails Savage with it! Slugfest in the corner with DDP starting to get the upper hand. HUGE Savage clothesline for 2. He grabs a DDP kick. DDP spins around to hit a clothesline. Savage's physical limitations start to show as he can't do much more than hit a trio of bodyslams. He hops out again and takes a ring bell. The "spare" bell according to Tony, the one they always have at ringside. I'm not buying it. He goes up top. Kimberly takes the bell away! Savage says what the hell, stays on top and goes for the elbow. DDP gets his boots up! He goes for the Cutter. Savage counters into a backslide position, and gives DDP a low blow. Cover for 2. Savage slaps the ref! Piledriver on the ref! He rips the ref's shirt off, pulls off his belt, whips him and tosses him out of the ring. He goes up top again and the elbow hits! No ref. Here comes Nick Patrick. Nash is also up at the stage area watching. Savage goes for another slam. DDP twists into the Cutter! Patrick counts 3 and it's over! A good start, and it'll get better. Savage is clearly much more limited in the ring than his peak years but working with DDP, who's improved immensely in the ring, has him as motivated as he's been his whole WCW run. ***1/4

Nash comes into the ring, pissed at Patrick. Savage is also none too pleased. The whole NWO in attendance (no Hogan, he doesn't show up for B PPVs) led by Bischoff come out. Patrick gets his ceremonial dismissal from the NWO. Savage grabs Kimberly! He goes to slap her but Bischoff stops him! Even for him that's one step too far. Savage and Bischoff get into it! The whole NWO charges in to break it up as we go to commentary to vamp for the last few minutes. Guess they were running short.

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Given the show's western theme it's very appropriate to call this The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as it ran the whole gamut. Even if it's not the best match on the card Savage/DDP is worth watching if you're going through all the steps of WCW's last great feud.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-