WCW SuperBrawl III

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

SUPERBRAWL 3 – February 1993

Civic Center, Asheville, North Carolina

CHAMPIONSHIP BACKGROUNDS: Heading into tonight’s show, Vader is the WCW World Heavyweight Champion while The Great Muta holds the NWA World Championship. The WCW/NWA Unified Tag Team Champions are Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Having suffered an injury that kept him from defending the US Championship at Starrcade in December 92’, Rick Rude was stripped of the belt and the title was put up in a tournament that Dustin Rhodes won. At this point, the Television Championship had been vacated when champion Scott Steiner left with his brother Rick for the WWE.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Jesse “The Body” Ventura

Maxx Payne kicks things off with an absolutely killer version of the National Anthem on his electric guitar. This is one of those visuals that just screams ridiculousness. Amazing way to start the show. (4/5)

Our opening contest is Brian Pillman and Steve Austin (not yet utilizing the Hollywood Blondes name) taking on Erik Watts and Marcus Alexander Bagwell. Watts is his usual self here – awkward, sloppy, goofy, etc. – while Pillman and Austin do their best to make (and somehow succeed at making) this match better than it has any right to be. Bagwell would improve as a worker over the years, but never really go beyond serviceable, though, at the time, it was easy to see why some viewed him as a future main event star (marketable look, impressive physique, decent grasp of the basics). Austin and Pillman bump like hell, maybe even too much considering the level of their opponents, and keep this one interesting with their character work and crisp offense. (3/5)

From here, we get Missy Hyatt waiting backstage for an interview with the returning “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who arrives in a limousine. Flair’s return was a massive deal for WCW, with the crowd chanting “We Want Flair!” when we cut back into the arena. 1992 had been a rough year without his presence.

Match numero dos is Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio in Benoit’s pay-per-view debut. Scorpio was on a pretty hot streak coming into this match, which adds real intrigue as to who will come out with their arm raised. After a few minutes of fast-paced action, Scorpio applies a unique hammerlock with his foot, a spot I must admit was new to me. As I stated in my review of Clash of the Champions XXI, Scorpio’s hang time is breathtaking, but in this match he also gets to show his respectable mat wrestling skills too. There’s an excellent test of strength-into-bridges-into-rolls sequence that is unbelievable, with things slowing down again when Benoit takes control, essentially utilizing the same offense he did aa month earlier in his bout against Brad Armstrong. While I’m sure there are plenty of folks who would rate this match a lost classic, I wasn’t as ecstatic about it. In my eyes, it is a match where the first third is riveting, the second third is good-not-great, and the last third is a bit confounding as the final minute is worked completely different than the ones before it. Again, worth seeking out for its historical significance. (3/5)

Maxx Payne cuts a promo about his match tonight against Dustin Rhodes. I’m not sure if I should give it a 0 or a 5 because it is both the worst promo ever AND the weirdest thing I’ve seen in wrestling in a long, long time. As it is such a head scratcher, I’m going with just not rating it.

The British Bulldog vs. “Wild” Bill Irwin is next. This is Bulldog’s WCW debut and while I expected it to be a straight-up squash, Irwin does get a little bit of offense. Unfortunately, I’m not positive that he should have, as Bulldog doesn’t come off as any more of a main event player here than he was in WWE and really needed to be. Granted, he doesn’t have the size of a Sid or Vader, but Irwin is a job guy and I wouldn’t have seen a problem in Davey Boy “no selling” his offense and just destroying the guy. (1.5/5)

This match is, unfortunately, followed up by a marble-mouthed promo that makes Davey Boy look even less like a potential World Champion. Bulldog was never a great promo guy, but this is, sadly, a few steps below even “not great” - at times, it is indecipherably awful. (.5/5)

The next match is a heartbreaker in that it may be one of the best falls count anywhere matches I’ve seen but has such a horrible, rushed finish that what is accomplished here was probably forgotten by half the audience minutes after the show let out. Cactus Jack bumps like a madman, obviously trying to steal the show (and arguably doing it) while Paul Orndorff looks more like a bad ass here that at any other time in his WCW run (maybe his whole career). There are several spots that would’ve garnered “Holy Shit!” chants had this match been performed a decade later – nasty looking back bumps onto the floor, Jack flying over and into guardrails, and several grimace-inducing chair shots to the legs of Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy. As enjoyable as it is to watch 95% of the match (even the way the match starts is special), the out-of-nowhere finish belies what came before it (though, the actual weapon used does bring the match full circle). Still, while I wanted to give this match a much higher rating, I can’t in good conscience recommend it so highly when, instead of giving the viewer a satisfying closing sequence that leaves them with the idea that this was a hard fought battle of vicious back-and-forth brutality, it short changes you with something cheap. (3.5/5)

The Heavenly Bodies vs. The Rock n’ Roll Express is the next match and, as countless other critics have noted, this match seems to have come in through a time warp. The live audience absolutely adores the “throwback” nature of the match, though, and the chemistry between these four is ridiculous. There are a ton of classic spots thrown in, but I’m not sure it is possible to tire of them when they are executed as masterfully as the Bodies and the Rollers do here. Unlike the previous match, the finish in this one is well-timed, well-executed, and is consistent with what led up to it, specifically the on-going double-teaming and Cornette trickery. What you get in this match is the kind of spots that a singles contest could never give you, a highly recommended example of what can be so great and special about tag team wrestling. (4/5)

Following this is the United States Championship match, Dustin Rhodes defending against Maxx Payne, replacing an injured Ron Simmons. Surprisingly, this match is pretty scientific, with both men working their opponent’s limbs early by trading arm bars and building from there. My biggest gripe with this contest isn’t necessarily the finish, with is indecisive, but Payne’s work, which stays stuck in first gear. Rhodes is impressive, as usual, but Payne takes the idea of “lumbering big man” to an extreme that saps the crowd’s energy. (2.5/5)

In the words of good ol’ Jim Ross, business is about to pick up in Asheville as Ric Flair makes his long-awaited return to WCW. Unfortunately, Flair’s comeback interview is kept surprisingly short, though, he does mention that Barry Windham and The Great Muta will be competing for the title he never lost, the NWA Heavyweight Championship.

Muta vs. Windham is next with Flair providing commentary. Windham gets a mixed reaction, as does Muta (who was booked as a bit of a babyface at Starrcade 92’), as a “We Want Flair” chant breaks out as Randy Anderson gives the competitors a run down of the rules. Lots of headlocks and sleepers for the first 2/3rds of this 20+ minute match, though the action does pick up a little bit in the closing stretch. Ric Flair’s commentary helps, as does his post-match stare-down with the victor, but the match itself seems to me like a good example of how just because a match goes long, doesn’t mean it’s going to be suspenseful. I’m not alone on my criticisms either as this match is often regarded as an unfortunate low point on a card that had featured some fairly good matches. (2/5)

It’s main event time – Sting vs. Vader in a strap match. Coming into this one, these two had put on some absolutely stellar matches together in 92’ so expectations were certainly high. As brutal as this match is and, to be sure, it may be the best strap match I have ever seen, the finish lowers the score a little bit – it just ended a little too clean for me and, from the sound of the live audience, too clean for them too. Still, the chemistry these two had is off the charts and there is so much to enjoy in watching this bout that it is impossible not to recommend. (4/5)

With an average match/segment rating of 2.8-out-of-5, this show falls in that weird medium space between “High Risk Maneuver” and “Watch It…With Remote in Hand.” On one hand, the main event is terrific, the Rock n’ Roll Express/Heavenly Bodies match is really fun, and both Scorpio/Benoit and Cactus/Orndorff are a hair away from being classics in their own right. On the other hand, Muta/Windham is a chore to get through, Ric Flair is underutilized, and the British Bulldog’s debut (and accompanying promo) is a misfire, in my view, because Irwin is allowed offense and Bulldog is handed a live mic. As much as I want to hoist this show into “Watch It…With Remote in Hand” status, where it would stand alongside WrestleWar 92’ and SummerSlam 88’ as comparatively low-scoring shows that had enough charm to carry me through them, this show was missing one more great match and suffered from one too many letdowns. With that unfortunate summation, I award SuperBrawl III a…

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver