WCW Slamboree 95'

Slamboree 95' – May 1995

St. Petersburg, Florida

COMMENTATORS – Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan, with Gordon Solie

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN – While the United States Championship was vacant heading into the show, Hulk Hogan was the World Champion, Arn Anderson was in the midst of his second Television Championship reign, and the team of Harlem Heat were the proud holders of the WCW World Tag Team Championships.

Here we go with another edition of WCW's signature "Legends Reunion" show. Kicking things off is the WCW World Tag Team Championship match, as reigning champions Harlem Heat defend the gold against The Nasty Boys. This match is hyped as the Nasties last shot at the titles. The Nasties start off at a major disadvantage as Knobbs is injured in the locker room and Sags must compete in what is essentially a handicap match. In terms of in-ring work, though, this may be the best showing out of Sags I've ever seen - he seems to relish in the opportunity to work on his own, showing lots of spirit and playing to the crowd more than I've ever seen him do. Sister Sherri steals the show on the heel side of things, taking a number of great bumps, including a devastating bodyslam from Knobbs when he returns. Fans of Booker T will also enjoy his efforts, including a spinnerooni-into-a-jumping-heel-kick that makes Eric Bischoff mark out on commentary. Best of all, the match doesn't overstay its welcome and we even get a glimpse at the new number one contenders for the titles, the Blue Bloods. All in all, an excellent opener that really surpassed my expectations. (3.5/5)

Kevin Sullivan is in the back for a quick word before his next match and it is a loony one. His opponent tonight is none other than his former (and future) stablemate, the wrestler formerly known as the Butcher and now known as The Man With No Name. Watching the match, it seems like The Man With No Offense would've been a more fitting description. At one point, The Man hits a terrible-looking jumping chop before applying the worst piledriver I've ever seen. Sullivan tries hard - but it doesn't help. The finish is as absurd and weak as Ed Leslie's ring name. (0/5)

Fortunately, there is a bright side to this match -  the onscreen debut of The Master, aka King Curtis, who rambles on about something or other and calls for Sullivan to come find him. This segment, of course, led to the formation of Dungeon of Doom. Sweet golden Network nugget! (4/5)

Our next contest is a Legends' Match, which is signaled by the show going into black-and-white and Gordon Solie replacing Eric Bischoff on commentary. Slightly less noticeable is Bobby Heenan's shift from over-the-top joke-slinger to a slightly more serious, analytic style. Squaring off are Wahoo McDaniel and Dirty Dick Slater, who wrestle a very old school (read: No Big Spots) match with plenty of eye-pokes and chest chops. While I wouldn't call this a great match, the novelty of it, as well as the commentary, worked for me. (2/5)

The IWGP Championship is on the line in our next bout - Paul Orndorff challenging The Great Muta. A nice exchange of scientific wrestling holds starts this one off, putting Orndorff at an advantage according to Bischoff. As the match continues, and slows down, both men pull the crowd by utilizing some tried-and-true tricks of the trade (Orndorff chokes Muta on the outside with a camera cable, Muta turns a simple toss to the outside into a grandiose bump into the barricade). Still, the crowd is mostly indifferent for anything but the biggest spots. A sloppy finish hurts this one even further as the match just goes a bit too long, with a few too many stretches of generic action, to be considered good. (1.5/5)

Arn Anderson and Ric Flair are in the back with "Mean" Gene Okerlund and are quickly joined by Vader. Anderson speaks for a second about his match with Alex Wright before Ric Flair gets a chance to hype the main event later on.

The WCW Television Championship match is next up - Arn Anderson defending the strap against "Das Wunderkind" Alex Wright. After a string of subpar matches, I'm heading into this one expecting to see something good out of Wright as he takes on one of the company's most consistent performers. The first couple of minutes are all based on Wright maintaining a headlock on Anderson, which doesn't make for very engaging action, but at least a story is developed. Each time Anderson looks to take control of the match, Wright has his reversal scouted and comes up with a counter to the Enforcer's counter, effectively establishing Wright as a smart, determined competitor who did his homework. Anderson, meanwhile, plays the role of the veteran who underestimated his opponent and moves around in a half-beaten daze for a good portion of this match, his reputation of toughness being the only reason the fans recognize that, at any point, he could get the upper hand. As we get to the finish, Anderson gets some offense in, but it is Wright who really gets the spotlight in this match. The final seconds are well-executed and easily the best ending to a match on the show yet. (2.5/5)

Gary Michael Capetta announces the next match as a bonus match - Meng vs. Road Warrior Hawk. Hawk had a tendency to pop up in WCW in singles matches every now and then, so it is not too surprising to see him in action here. Tossed to the outside, the Road Warrior sells for a lengthy spell of time, leading to some interference by Colonel Parker. The rest of the match is fairly even sided and highly physical. The ending is nothing special, just an obvious attempt to keep both guys strong. Overall, a match thoroughly undeserving of a PPV spotlight and one whose best positive aspect is its brevity. (1/5)

Gordon Solie takes the stage for the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Compared to the WWE's current version, this is a very stripped down affair. We hear a little from the inductees (including the son of Big John Studd, who had passed away from cancer that year). The crowd is respectful, but you can tell that there is some audible indifference to the proceedings, even when Angelo Poffo tries his best to hype tonight's main event. Dusty Rhodes is the headliner, which is a high honor considering that he is joined by Wahoo McDaniel and Antonio Inoki, not to mention the Funker. What is extra cool is that Cody Rhodes joins him on stage for the ceremony and he also name-checks his new granddaughter, Dakota, the progeny of Dustin Rhodes and Terri "Marlena" Runnels. Dusty's speech is a bit short in my view - the fact is, the crowd wants to be revved up and Rhodes offers a somewhat somber, low-key speech. Fortunately, Dusty does save the day with the shocking announcement that Gordon Solie is also being inducted. Solie's speech is fun, though part of that comes the fact he's almost obviously feigning surprise - his speech is bit too well-timed and well-delivered to be off the cuff. Not the most interesting 15 minutes of this show, but certainly more watchable than some of the matches. (3/5)

Cody has kept the same haircut for 20 years.

Big Bubba vs. Sting in a "Lights Out" Match is next and while it does not get nearly as hardcore as it could've and probably should've, there are some heavy hits in this match, most involving a table. A few more minutes of action would've helped make this one seem more epic, as one really gets the sense that Sting and Bubba had another 4-6 minutes in them and that the fans were pretty hot, but not yet "peaking." This match is yet another example of how good Big Bubba could be when motivated. (3/5)

Main event time - Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair and Vader. As Hulk and Randy Savage come down the aisle, we get our first glimpse of the Giant as he is seen standing by the curtain. At this point, all Bischoff can ask is "Who is that?" and "Did you see the size of that man?" but the seeds are planted that Hulk Hogan has someone on his tail. The Renegade also makes an appearance, charging down the ring and helping to clear the ring of the heels' henchmen. It takes several minutes for the action to start, but once it does, it's pretty good, with Ric Flair showing the most energy - this being his return to action after several months of pseudo-retirement. When Vader applies a resthold onto Hulk's knee, we get another look at the Giant, who shows back up at the entrance. In the ring, Vader and Flair begin dominating the Hulkster, at one point connecting with a big splash in the corner, followed by a powerful Vader Bomb. Soon after, Savage gets the hot tag and mixes it up with Flair, showing off their tremendous chemistry. The high spot of the match is Vader's moonsault on a prone Savage. While I would've preferred a different finish, one where the heels actually got a one-up on the heroes for once, to criticize that is a bit much. Like any match featuring Hogan in WCW in 94'-95', you know what you're getting and, minute for minute, this match delivers loads of action and several very good sequences. The post-match involvement of Angelo Poffo allows Flair to get some heat back too. This is likely the best match these 4 could've had, which isn't to say that it's an all-time classic, but it sure beats Savage and Hogan's matches against the Faces of Fear. (4/5)

With an average score of 2.45-out-of-5, Slamboree 95' is a mixed bag. Bookended by two very good matches, the rest of the show has its ups and downs. Sting/Bubba and Anderson/Wright are decent affairs, while Butcher/Sullivan and Meng/Hawk are significantly less than that. As a time capsule, this show contains several interesting moments, most importantly the on-screen debuts of both The Master and The Giant, but also the Hall of Fame acceptance speeches of Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes. Thanks to these nuggets of Network goodness, Slamboree 95' is not a complete bore.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver