WCW Clash of the Champions XV

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A perfect show, all killer no filler

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

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – Multiple above-average ratings but a few clunkers

High Risk Maneuver – Inessential, maybe 1-2 good matches, but could have its own charm

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

WCW Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville, USA

Knoxville, TN - June 1991

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Ric Flair was the reigning WCW World Champion, Lex Luger held the United States Championship, and the Television Title was held by Bobby Eaton (though "Stunning" Steve Austin had actually won the title prior to this show at a round of tapings that would air after this show). The Fabulous Freebirds held the United States Tag Team Titles, while The Steiner Brothers were the World Tag Team Champions. 

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone

Clash of the Champions XV is a show I probably watched a dozen times growing up. I remember my brother taping it off TBS using our VCR and I watched and re-watched it countless times as I played with my wrestling action figures from ages 7 to...I don't want to say. Anyway, this nostalgic lens will probably affect some scores, but who cares?

The show begins with a sub-5 minute match pitting the feuding Fabulous Freebirds and Baddstreet against The Young Pistols and their good buddy Z-Man. With such little time to waste, this match barely starts before its an absolute melee and its the better for it. This match is all about the finish, as after getting sent to the outside, the babyfaces manage to sunset flip all three of the heels and get the easy win. It doesn't make much sense and the ref doesn't even bother to try to figure out who the legal man is, but I always liked it as a kid. That's enough for a point. (1.5/5)

Oz squashes Johnny Rich in under 2 minutes next. Oz doesn't get as elaborate an entrance as he did at SuperBrawl, which I feel like was a really lost opportunity to hook in all the Wizard of Oz fans that might've accidentally caught this match. Kevin Nash's spinning release powerbomb is absolutely devastating looking, but also probably considerably more dangerous of a bump to take than the classic Jackknife he would eventually make his trademark. The commentators spend considerable time talking about Oz's mysterious background, but I'm kind of more interested in where Johnny Rich came from. (1/5)

After a commercial break, its time for Big Josh vs. "Dangerous" Dan Spivey. Not much to talk about here as this is supposed to set up a feud between Josh and Kevin Sullivan, who comes in and strikes him with a crutch (allowing Spivey to snag the victory). Maybe this made sense in 91' - when Spivey seemed like a guy that needed to be booked somewhat strong and Josh could afford a loss by interference as long as it led to a big showdown with Sullivan. In 2018, though, knowing that the Big Josh character wouldn't last more than a year or so and Spivey had basically peaked already, this match did nothing for no one. Less entertaining than the Oz squash. (0.5/5)

After one of my favorite WCW gimmicks (the weekly Top Ten), Paul Dangerously welcomes Jason Hervey (of "The Wonder Years") to the Danger Zone. I must've watched this angle a hundred times growing up, not only on my dubbed copy of this show but also in the weeks after on various WCW programs. Dangerously won't let Hervey speak and then takes a not-so-nice dig at Hervey's girlfriend Missy Hyatt before "Arnold" grabs him by the necktie and tells him off. Hervey turns to leave the ring and Dangerously decks him in the back of the head with his signature cell phone in one of the best angles WCW produced that year (or maybe any). I loved this as a kid and it still holds up. (+1)

Dustin Rhodes takes on Terry "Terrence" Taylor of the York Foundation next. I didn't love their SuperBrawl match and this one was even less meaningful. Again, the point of this match seems to be more about progressing a storyline (Ricky Morton turning heel, joining the Foundation, and becoming "Richard" Morton) than it is about delivering a good TV bout. Not offensive, but not worth watching either and while Morton was pretty cold as a babyface by 91', turning him heel didn't instantly solve the problem of what to do with a guy that just screamed "80s." (1.5/5)

Nikita Koloff vs. Sting is next in a bit of a "sleeper" favorite of mine. Koloff is one-dimensional and Sting is no super worker, but this match is worked smart, the characters and feud were over, and Sting's selling and pacing is pitch perfect. At no point does Koloff really do anything that impressive or devastating to Sting, but Sting sells everything just right to make it clear that, while he's never down for the count, Koloff's targeted attack is preventing him from turning the corner. This all leads brilliantly to the finish, which comes off as non-definitive while still being relatively definitive, popping the crowd, and keeping Sting over (which was a necessity at this point as his title run in 90' had not been great). For a sub-10 minute match, this is a wonderfully executed old school one. Not "must see," but maybe deserving of more acclaim as a "hidden gem" from Sting's lengthy career. (3.5/5)

PN News makes his way down the aisle with Salt-N-Pepa (actually Pepa and DJ Spinderella, though I'll admit to not knowing that till I did some research), who were fairly big stars in 91' but would achieve even greater commercial success a few years later with their Very Necessary album. Spin-N-Pepa don't do any rapping or anything, which is a bit of a waste of their talent, but maybe WCW didn't want them to totally upstage News? Johnny B. Badd shows up and the two music-based characters trade insults. Of all the in-ring segments on this show, this one might be the least entertaining and it pains me to say it because I'm a PN News mark.

El Gigante and Brian Pillman took on Barry Windham and Arn Anderson in a Loser Leaves Town Match next where the man who suffers a pinfall has to leave WCW. In a meritocracy, there is only one reasonable option for which guy should never be allowed anywhere near a wrestling ring again (his name rhymes with Smell Picante), but because this is pro-wrestling and the purpose was to put sympathy on the babyface that the fans actually cared about (even if it hurt his already damaged credibility), the finish is really never in question. Pillman and Windham had a super brawl at SuperBrawl (so that name isn't just a clever Super Bowl pun!), though they could've used more time. This match gets like a third of even that so there's basically no time for this to really achieve what it could've even with Gigante unable to do much of anything. Pillman has so much energy that he holds his own in what is essentially a handicap match and, again, the booking, while it doesn't help Pillman, does make at least a little bit of sense in the story they're trying to tell. Cool spot where Pillman comes flying off Gigante's shoulders. Uncool spot where the camera man misses the finish. Whoops. This match lacks the time needed to really build drama and suspense and, as we'd come to find out, the Yellow Dog angle wouldn't push Pillman to the main event like it could've. (2/5)

Before I go on, I should mention that there's a Robin Leach-narrated advertisement on this show for the Great American Bash Sweepstakes and, as a kid, even on my hundredth view, I could not solve the puzzle. At age 34, I finally did and I feel like I total dummy for not getting it sooner. No excuses, I was/am an idiot.

Okay, back to the action - The Steiner Brothers defending the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Hiroshi Hase and Masahiro Chono. Like many of the Steiners' matches from the early 90s, this one is stiff and built around power spots and straight-to-the-mush clotheslines. Hase and Chono hold their own too, though, taking the majority of the damage but dishing out a fair amount of their own too. The Steiners are over enough for the crowd to be invested and interested, but I'm not sure how familiar the average 91' WCW fan was with New Japan's roster. Unlike some of the other matches on this card, this one gives us a solid finish and progresses a future storyline without giving short shrift to either as Dick Murdoch and Dick Slater (The Hardliners) run out and destroy everybody after the bell. Some cursory research reveals that Scott Steiner suffered a bicep injury either before this match or during it (which is somewhat ironic considering its Rick Steiner who sells an arm injury), which prevented The Hardliners/Steiners feud from really taking off. These two teams at perfect health would've been the definition of a slobberknocker, so I'm excited to see if they do end up working together later in 91' on a big show. Good match, good post-match, but not must see. (3/5)

The Diamond Studd (Scott Hall) squashes Tommy Rich in under 2 minutes in the next match. I'm tempted to give this 5 stars just because finally, finally, finally someone at the top of WCW realized that Tommy Rich sucked at this point. I'm not even sure Tommy Rich was any good 10 years earlier, but I'll admit to not seeing much of his work, so I could be wrong. He had a tag match with Ricky Morton that I liked in 89' or 90' maybe? Regardless, nothing to this aside from DDP's intro, Hall  wrestling in a straight-outta-the-80s gimmick, and Rich getting buried. (1/5)

Much like the Jason Hervey/Dangerously segment from earlier, this Clash is the gift that keeps on giving with segments and angles. Jim Ross interviews the winner of a Sting Look-a-Like contest, a kid who doesn't really look anything like Sting aside from having face paint on. Sting comes out to congratulate him, but forgets he's involved in a blood feud with Nikita Koloff, who is still pissed about getting rolled up earlier. Koloff attacks him and scares the hell out of the kid and his mother. Old School Awesomeness. I wish WWE would do angles like this again. (+1)

Back inside the ring we go for a number one contender's match pitting the US Champion, Lex Luger, against The Great Muta with the winner going on to face Ric Flair for his WCW World Championship at The Great American Bash. Considering the stakes, this match should be a total barnburner, but because this is a TV special and booker Dusty Rhodes absolutely needed to get Oz and Diamond Studd and Johnny B. Badd and PN News and Big Josh and "Stunning" Steve on the show, this match runs about 4 minutes. To their credit, JR and Schiavone do a good job of talking up the idea that Luger has scouted Muta's offense and is well prepared for this match, but this is still too brief to accomplish the goal of making Luger seem like a worthy number one contender. I mean, if all you need to do is squash a guy that used to be a big deal, shouldn't Diamond Studd be the number contender? There is an absolutely insane bump in this match that Muta takes and if he wasn't in such a rush to get back into the ring, it would've been an excellent turning point in a well-developed story. Instead, Muta has to brush it off so he can lose by a simple powerslam. Just not good. (1/5)

We get a third or fourth "Coming Soon" vignette, this time for "Stunning" Steve Austin. I forgot how thick (maybe steroid bloat?) Austin looked at this point. He may have still been on some juice in the late 90s, but he definitely had a better look overall as he just looks like a total meathead in 91'. The vignette also shows him with the TV Title which is interesting because, coming into the show, Eaton was actually the champion.

Steve Austin destroys "Jumpin" Joey Maggs in the next bout. Austin hits his Stun Gun finisher but doesn't make the cover immediately, which makes no sense. I am a massive Austin fan, but this might be his worst televised performance ever as he just looks goose shit green out there not making the cover after hitting his finisher. Like, what was he waiting for? (0/5)

Before the next segment, if I'm not mistaken (could be after the segment), we get a vignette for Black Blood, aka Billy Jack Haynes, one of the more bizarre figures in modern wrestling history. Haynes had a tremendous physique (or at least he did before 91' as he looks less impressive here) and, from the few videos I saw, could actually work a lick - or at least well enough to be employed - but was reportedly such a headcase that both WWF and WCW cut ties with him rather abruptly. That's really saying something when you consider that in 91', the WWE would bring back the Ultimate Warrior and WCW was, well, kinda desperate for workers - sane or not. Anywho, this a great vignette. (+1)

Shit gets even crazier next with Ricky, now "Richard," Morton joining the York Foundation. So, he goes corporate but maintains the mullet? You have to know that Morton was approached about trimming the haircut as that would've been such a huge symbolic gesture towards his heel turn, but he opted to KEEP it because, well, its 91', and why shouldn't you look like a pro hockey player from 1987? Again, the angles on this show are everything that the matches aren't. Robert Gibson comes out to find out whats going on with his former teammate and Morton prevents Terry Taylor and Mr. Hughes from attacking him only to attack him himself! Yes! Old school wrestling angle in all its corntastic beauty! (+1)

Main event time - Ric Flair defending the World Title against "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton in a 2-out-of-3 falls match. Some unpacking is necessary here: First, at this point, Ric Flair was already in a contract dispute with WCW and basically had a foot out of the door. Second, that this match was intended to propel Eaton into being an upper midcard face. Third, because Dusty Rhodes had filled this show with so much nonsense, this match was cut to under 20 minutes and so Point #2 didn't happen. As could be expected, the 18 or so minutes of action they do get to deliver is excellent. Eaton targets Flair's arm in the first fall, but then wisely transitions to his shoulder/neck and delivers a succession of big moves, including the Alabama Jam, to score the first pinfall. Unfortunately, the fact that this all happens in about 10 minutes is just hard to believe, even if one wants to assume that Flair willfully dropped the first fall as some sort of strategy (which is never mentioned on commentary and, again, wouldn't make much sense after just 10 minutes). Flair bounces back by knocking Eaton off the top rope and onto the arena floor and while the camera captures the fall, it doesn't adequately capture the landing so the damage to Eaton's knee isn't as apparent as it should be. Flair takes the countout victory and then, a few minutes later, wraps it up with the Figure Four in a somewhat rare clean victory. This match not only needed more time, but the whole show should've been built around Eaton if they were going to try to push him even with a loss. Backstage segments of him warming up, video vignettes of his training or the wins he collected on his way to this match, etc. would've all made this match feel bigger and establish Eaton's credibility. A good, not great match. (3/5)


Clash of the Champions XV may not have earned a high Kwang score (2.00-out-of-5), but in terms of watchability, its got plenty of entertainment value packed into its 2-hour runtime. And the word packed doesn't even it do the show justice - its more crammed. How many separate angles occur on this show? And most of em' are actually kinda cool! Dangerously attacking Hervey? Sting getting jumped by Koloff in front of his biggest fan? Ricky Morton going corporate and betraying his long-running tag partner and best friend? Flyin' Brian Pilman being forced into retirement? All entertaining and interesting segments. Sadly, between all these tremendous moments WCW decided to also try to showcase new talent and deliver important matches and they simply didn't have enough time to do both. Cut the opener and the "spotlight" matches of Oz, Studd, and Austin and maybe the Horsemen tag, Number One Contender's match, and main event could've got the time they needed and made this one of WCW's all-time greatest shows. Instead, this is wrestling as splatter paint, good and bad tossed together on screen with no semblance of control or design and there's something to be said for the effort to fill every inch of the canvas. If you're like me, you might dig it.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE WrestleMania XXXIV

Full disclosure: I gamed the WrestleMania system. And I cheated last year too. And I will next year and probably every year for the foreseeable future because no human being is supposed to watch 7 hours of pro-wrestling in one setting. So show mercy on yourself, wrestling fans. Break it up. Give your eyes a rest. You don't need to watch a 7-hour PPV in one sitting. Actually, you don't need to watch a 7-hour PPV at all. The first two hours were predictably non-mandatory viewing. In an age when there are good-to-great matches on TV every week, missing a "great match" on a pre-show is like driving past a McDonalds on the highway. Don't worry, they'll be more.

I watched WrestleMania XXXIV in chunks. I caught the first two matches on Sunday evening, the next before work on Monday, the next match during my lunch break, and the rest of the show at the gym and then making dinner. By 7:30, I'd finished it, spoiler-free. And, unlike the live crowd, I never tired of what I was seeing. I strongly recommend the experience.

Onto the review...

WWE WrestleMania XXXIV

New Orleans, LA - April 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Brock Lesnar is the reigning WWE Universal Champion, while AJ Styles holds the WWE World Championship. The SmackDown Tag Team Championships were held by The Usos, while The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) were RAW's Tag Team Champions. On the women's side of things, Charlotte was the reigning SmackDown Women's Champion while Alexa Bliss held the RAW Women's Championship. The Intercontinental Champion was The Miz and Randy Orton was in the midst of his first ever United States Championship run. The Cruiserweight Championship was vacant at the time.

COMMENTARY: Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton & Tom Phillips

WrestleMania (or at least the 5 hours of it I watched) began with the Intercontinental Championship on the line - The Miz defending against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor in a triple threat match. Extra half-point for the introductions and presentation as this WrestleMania really upped the ante with the laser effects and "extras" (for example, Finn Balor arriving with reps from the LGBTQ community). They weren't given a tremendous amount of time, but they also didn't waste a moment of it. I'm not usually a fan of "sprints" like this, but the breakneck pace helped make it feel like each guy was working to score a pinfall, not necessarily get "all their shit in." Because of the energy level and urgency, I liked this more than the highly-regarded Rollins/Balor match from RAW the week prior.(3/5)

Next up was Charlotte defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka. Again, the entrances were terrific, particularly Charlotte's, and helped give the match a "big fight feel." Unlike the opener, which was super smooth and maybe overly choreographed at times, this was more physical, less predictable, and included higher risk/bigger reward moments (the suplex from the apron to the floor, Charlotte's Spanish Fly off the top, Asuka countering a Flair moonsault into triangle). Not everything was perfectly executed, but I also never got the feeling that Asuka and Charlotte were working together to make this match happen. It wasn't ballet. Going into this, I was firmly behind Asuka (as I've not been a fan of Charlotte's face run), but due to her selling, emotion, and relentless effort to take the fight to Asuka, Charlotte won me over. The finish was a controversial one, but I liked it. Charlotte won with her finisher, clean in the middle of the ring on the biggest stage of the year (all the while still selling limb damage, mind you), and it felt fully earned. If there was a time and way for Asuka to lose her streak, this was the best way possible - after an awesome match against a strong opponent. A likely Top 10 WWE Matches of the Year. (4/5)

As Charlotte celebrated on the ramp, a referee grabbed John Cena (who was enjoying the show from the front row), clearly telling him that the Undertaker had arrived...

The first "piss break" match of the night was next - Randy Orton defending his US Title against Rusev, Jinder Mahal, and Bobby Roode. Not much to say about this beyond Rusev being the only guy that got any response for anything. Orton has come a long way in not letting his disappointment/unhappiness show in his matches as there was a time when he would've let the crowd's indifference affect his performance. Now he just looks like a high school senior in May, all smiles, coasting in a match he knew was inconsequential and designed to give the live audience a chance to use the facilities. While I give Orton credit for hamming it up to try to get the crowd to care, it was a lost cause with even the crowd's love for Rusev seemed to dip as the match went on. (2/5)

In a bit of a surprise, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey came on next. While many expected this bout to occur later in the show, I found its placement (and the pacing of the show overall) to be quite smart. The crowd was guaranteed to be hot this early in the night, but if the match tanked, they left themselves enough time (and high-interest matches) to win them back. In the end, this match may have actually peaked the crowd. After some quality pre-match schtick from the heels, things started rather slowly with Triple H and the noticeably aged Angle trading blows. Once Rousey got in the ring, this match went from 0-to-10 and then to 12 and then to 15. So many great little moments were jammed into this, from Stephanie attacking Rousey's eyes to Rousey stepping up and going toe-to-toe to Triple H to the countless false finishes. They may have gone overkill with the aforementioned false finishes and having Steph successfully block multiple arm bars was unbelievable, but this was easily the best "celebrity match" that's been featured on a WrestleMania since the Big Show/Mayweather match and was as good a debut for Rousey as they could've ever hoped for. (4/5)

The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match followed with The Usos defendng against The New Day and The Bludgeon Brothers. Despite its brevity, I thought this was one of the more subtly brilliant matches of the night. First, The New Day got their elaborate entrance, which was always going to be "their moment" rather than anything they did between bells. Then, we got a real showcase for the Bludgeon Brothers, but by keeping it brief and placing it after the Rousey match, the company was able to get the titles off of the Usos without tarnishing their amazing run on SmackDown. This match was designed to be a bathroom break and it provided that, but instead of being just filler, all 8 guys worked hard, didn't half-ass it, and gave the fans who were still paying attention something to see. This is how a "bathroom break" match could and should be worked. (3/5)

John Cena hit the ring next and got a huge (albeit characteristically mixed) response from the New Orleans crowd. The lights went out and 78 thousand fans got trolled as Elias showed up with a guitar in his hands. Cena, disappointed, went back to his seat as Elias serenaded the crowd. Eventually Elias' fan-bashing inspired Cena to get back in the ring and run him off. The crowd, again, cheered and chanted for the Undertaker, but he did not show and Cena started up the ramp. Why did that ref grab Cena and tell him Undertaker was there? Did he just come to say hi and ghost after the Rousey match? As Cena made his way back up the entranceway, the lights went out again but this time we also heard the Deadman's trademark bell. In the center of the ring, The Undertaker's gear got struck by lightning in a cool moment and had the segment ended there, I think this would've earned a bonus point for the show. Unfortunately, though, it did not. Instead, The Undertaker finally arrived and proceeded to spend the better part of 10 minutes making his way down the aisle. Once the match began, the fans were hyped, the announcers were hyped, and both competitors looked ready to go...but Cena got squashed in 3 minutes and that was it. The best thing in this match was Cena's reactions to the Undertaker's sit-up. The worst thing was Undertaker missing a big boot by a country mile. There wasn't really anthing else to speak of. Even Elias' cameo at the start felt too much like what he does on RAW every week rather than something special for the biggest show of the year. This whole 20-30 minute chunk of the show was poorly planned, which is kind of a shame as the build-up featured some of Cena's best promos in years. (1/5)

The next match saw the return of Daniel Bryan, teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. After a tremendous entrance, Bryan got sidelined early in a nod to his last New Orleans WrestleMania match which forced Shane McMahon to try to carry the first half of this match. Unfortunately, he's not a sympathetic enough character or a good enough worker to achieve what this match could've, though Owens and Zayn did work hard to keep the crowd invested for the payoff. McMahon made sure to get his Coast-to-Coast spot in, but the fact that he does it every match, even in matches where he's outnumbered by two top heels, took me out of the match even more. Daniel Bryan righted the ship through his (awesome) save and everything he did from that moment to the end was excellent and got big reactions. Bryan's spirit and energy, his kip-up, his dropkicks, his running knee - it boosted this match from middling to really good. Great emotional tag at the end too with Bryan sharing a kiss with his wife. (3/5)

Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss was one of the sleeper hits of this show. Going into the event, there was widespread expectation that this would be a short squash. For whatever reason, many fans not only expected this, but wanted it. I had a different outlook. I tend to enjoy what I call "brother matches," where you know two workers have spent considerable time (maybe their childhood, hence my nickname) imagining what they could do together and get the opportunity to perform that dream match they've talked about for miles on the road. Also, Alexa Bliss had an excellent 2017 in-ring and deserved a spotlight match just as much as Charlotte and Asuka. While the crowd may have been burned out by this point, I wasn't, and found this to be fantastic with a fun opening stretch that saw Mickie James get taken out and a strong emotion-driven story. Bliss's facial expressions were on-point throughout and some of the punishment she took was nasty. While not as good as the SmackDown Women's Championship match, this was criminally overlooked and underrated by many critics and fans. (3.5/5)

AJ Styles defended his WWE Championship against Nakamura in the next contest. This was another one that seemed to split fans based more on expectations than what was executed in the ring. Two years ago, Nakamura seemed like a revelation. He was Mick Jagger cool, had the otherworldliness of Michael Jackson, and he kicked the crap out of people. Over time, though, it became clear that Nakamura, as charismatic as he is, wasn't a miracle worker. Boneheaded booking set him up to wrestle 50/50 matches against Dolph Ziggler that damaged his aura. He couldn't win "the big one" against Jinder Mahal (who, despite his push, is still regarded by most as a jobber) which hurt his kayfabe credibility too. His detractors said he was phoning it in, while his supporters cried "Just wait till he gets to face AJ." This match showed there's some truth to both statements. Nakamura put on his best, most aggressive performance since his debut and I like that he didn't spam all of his trademark gestures into the first 5 minutes of the match (a nasty tendency that probably comes from being overproduced for his TV matches). AJ Styles, meanwhile, once again proved his versatility, flying all over the ring, throwing stiff strikes, and taking his opponent to the mat with smooth counters too. If the first half wasn't more than just good, the last 10 minutes saw them go to that "second gear" as they built to a stunning Styles Clash finish On its own, I'd probably have this match as 3.5 stars, but the post-match angle nudged it into "Should Watch / Must Watch" territory. In a brilliant, twisted reprise of the end of Charlotte/Asuka match, Nakamura turned on Styles after feigning his respect, striking him with a low blow and then stomping him in the head repeatedly (all the while mocking him in his native tongue). And just like that, Nakamura is back to being in the conversation as the most important character in the WWE today. (4/5)

The next "match" was more a blowoff angle than a real contest as The Bar defended the RAW Tag Team Titles against Braun Strowman and his unselected opponent. Before the match started, The Bar came out in a Mardi Gras float with a full jazz band. Strowman then arrived, shoved the float off the stage, and went searching the crowd for a partner (eventually landing on a 10 year old kid named Nicholas). Again, I think breaking up this show into manageable viewing chunks was the difference-maker in how enjoyable the segment was. If you were now in Hour #6, I can totally understand feeling impatient as you watched Strowman and a preteen take on Cesaro and Sheamus in a filler comedy match. To me, this was an effective palate cleanser between the two major championship matches, a segment designed to put a smile on the crowd's face more than wow them with feats of strength or physicality. Unlike the other tag title match on this show, I don't think The Bar escaped this one with their reputation as intact as The Usos did, but nobody expected them to leave with the gold either. For what this was and what it was intended to be, I found it entertaining enough. (2/5)

Main event time - Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Unlike most of the other matches on this show, we didn't get elaborate entrances for either guy, though Lesnar did at least get a rousing introduction from Paul Heyman. The crowd was pro-Lesnar to start, as expected, but neither guy received ovations as big as Rousey or Taker or Cena or... The match started off with incredibly stiff, imperfect suplexes from Lesnar before Reigns retaliated with some Superman Punches. To the outside they went where Lesnar changed things up from germans to overhead belly-to-bellies. At one point, he sent Reigns into a table with absolutely no elevation, which looked like a botch, but was arguably more painful-looking than if he had actually lifted him off his feet. At this point, even if the live crowd wasn't fully behind this match (which it wasn't), I was invested. Back into the ring they went where Lesnar, again, stuck to the Suplex City offense. According to live reports, this was roughly when the beach balls came out. After rolling back out to the floor, Reign got a second wind, sent Lesnar head-first into the post (I'm assuming he was meant to blade here but, for whatever reason, didn't) and then speared him onto the announce table in his best offensive strike of the match. At this point, I believed (live crowd indifference or not) that this would be the Match of the Night as it looked like the brutality was only going to increase in the second half. Unfortunately, after failing to win off of a series of Superman Punches, Lesnar hit Reigns with a sharp high knee and a series of F5s. This is where the match went completely off the rails and seemingly all the fans really turned on it. It was an absolute slaughtering, the likes of which we haven't seen since SummerSlam 2014. That match, however, was fresh. I'd have to rewatch it, but I also don't recall Lesnar attempting multiple pinfalls that Cena kicked out of. Here, Reigns' kickouts only trolled the audience and a "This Is Awful" chant broke out. By teasing that Reigns could've still won the match, that the booking would be so favorable towards him that they'd make him withstand a barrage of silver bullets straight to the heart and head and somehow win, McMahon galvanized Roman's haters even more while also highlighting how repetitive and rote Lesnar's performances have become. It was incredible in the worst way. I'm not sure I've ever seen a match designed to play entirely to both men's weaknesses. After a number of F5s, the match still didn't end, though, as before that could happen (and put this match and these fans out of their misery) Lesnar elbowed Reigns in the face to cut him hardway in a wholly unnecessary callback to the equally ill-received Orton/Lesnar match from last year's SummerSlam. After listening to Steve Austin and Bret Hart talk about the blood in their WrestleMania XIII classic, it makes this sort of stunt even harder to stomach. As gruesome as it may seem, there was an art and delicacy to "blading" that the old timers took pride in. Elbowing guys in the head until they legitimately bleed is just stupidly dangerous. The first half of this match was so good, it wouldn't be right to give this a full 0 score, but once the F5s started coming out, this match rapidly declined to total disappointment territory. (2/5)

With the benefit of breaks, WrestleMania XXXIV was one of the best shows I've seen from the WWE in quite some time. Its Kwang Score of 2.81-out-of-5 may not seem that impressive, but on a card with 11 matches, its tough to end up with an average match rating above average. Had the main event delivered, this could easily stand as a Top 5 WrestleMania, but even without it, this show might be in the running as a Top 10 edition. Asuka/Charlotte and the Rousey Tag were the clear high points of the show, but Jax/Bliss and Nakamura/Styles were also terrific and, while they weren't standout contests, the SmackDown Tag Championship match was highly effective in delivering new champs without tarnishing the division's two biggest duos. Daniel Bryan's return provided the "feel good" moment it needed to and the opener over-delivered. Numerically, it may not seem like this show was a monumental success, but the pacing and production kept me entertained throughout. Even the main and the Undertaker/Cena segment, while not good matches, could still be recommended based on their car crash quality.

FINAL RATING - Watch It

NXT Takeover: New Orleans

NXT Takeover: New Orleans

New Orleans, LA - April 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the NXT Championship is held by Andres Almas, the NXT Women's Champion is Ember Moon, and the NXT Tag Team Titles are held by the Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish.

COMMENTATORS: Byron Saxton, Mauro Ranallo, and Nigel McGuiness

After some shit metal band played, it was time for our opening contest - a 6-way Ladder Match for the brand new NXT North American Championship: EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Killian Dane vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet. This was EC3 and Ricochet's in-ring debut for  NXT, so they got fairly prominent positions in the entrance line-up. Before the match could even start, a "This is Awesome" chant started. Ricochet hit a springboard shooting star early to pop the crowd. An uncooperative ladder nearly derailed the first major in-ring exchange between the Dream and Ricochet, but Ricochet is smooth and energetic, there was no way his first showcase could be denied. Killian Dane got some showcase moments next, taking out Cole and EC3 with some power moves before hitting a suicide dive on Sullivan to the outside. With everyone in the ring, Sullivan showed his viciousness by tossing a ladder into the fray in a cool spot. He followed it up with another cool moment, guerilla pressing the Dream and dropping him chest first onto a ladder. Ricochet, EC3, and Cole combined their efforts to sunset flip powerbomb Lars off the ladder, but before Cole could grab the gold, Dane pulled him off. Great back body drop onto a ladder from Dane to Ricochet. Cool partnership spots out of EC3 and Cole as they worked to take the monsters out of this match. As most predicted, we got Adam Cole superkicking the taste out of 4 guys mouth before exclaiming his catchprhase in a crowd-pleasing moment. Velveteen Dream, who had been fairly quiet in this match, hit a series of big elbows, but doing a really nice job of selling the damage of the match the whole time - maybe better than anyone else, including some of the guys with considerably more experience. The Dream hit a HUGE elbow drop from the top of the ladder, drawing loud "Velveteen!" chants in the process. Before he could grab the ladder, though, EC3 powerbombed him off the ladder into another ladder. EC3 and Cole did some fighting on the ladder, both eventually hitting the mat after an EC3 fireman's carry neckbreaker. Again EC3 went for the gold, only to get ripped down by Dane. Dane hit a nasty, ladder-assisted senton on EC3 but before he could do it again off the ropes, Cole came along and jumped on his back. Dane got out of this one, though, with a Vader Bomb onto the ladder-covered EC3! That had to hurt. Absolutely awesome sequence between Lars and Dane where they both tossed Ricochet across the ring. Lars Sullivan somehow caught Dane when he attempted to hit him with a running crossbody in a very impressive show of strength. Sullivan went for the title, but Ricochet caught him with a superkick. Ricochet went up ladder himself, but Dane started to tilt the ladder. Instead of going down with it, though, Ricochet hit an insane moonsault to the outside. Back in the ring he went to hit a shooting star press onto EC3 (who was on a ladder) in the next big spot of the match. Before he could grab the gold, the Dream caught him with a huge right hand. Dream then assembled a ladder catwalk in the corner, setting up a super risky spot in which the Dream hit a Rolling Death Valley Driver on the ladder. Just a minute or so later we got another "holy shit" moment as Dane sidewalk-slammd EC3 off the apron onto Velveteen Dream, who was laid across a ladder held up by the apron and the announce table. Dane then put Ricochet on another ladder and in another great mirror spot, brought Adam Cole through it too with a leg drop onto Ricochet. Having tired of chanting "This is Awesome," the crowd then started chanting "Fight Forever" before booing as Lars Sullivan made his way to the championship. Dane followed him up, though, and then EC3 and Cole also made their way into the ring, all 4 men climbing their way towards the gold. The Dream came in next, with a third ladder in tow. Really great sequence with all 6 guys fighting for the gold. Cole took EC3 out wih a russian leg sweep off the ladder and then Ricochet pulled The Dream off with a neckbreaker. Sullivan slammed Dane off the middle ladder too with a chokeslam, but before he could grab the gold for himself, Ricochet made yet another save! Then it was Cole's turn to play spoiler, shoving the ladder over and sending Ricochet to the mat before grabbing the title for himself. Personally, I would've put Cole in the bottom half of the list of guys I would've liked to see win this match, but I understand why his versatility as a performer makes him a good guy to put the title on. This match was a ton of a fun and featured great spotlight moments for everyone, including EC3, who may not be as flashy a performer as some of the other guys in this bout, but has a strong ability to put his obnoxious heel character into his matches. I'm not sure I've ever seen a multi-man match where, afterwards, I wanted desperately to see so many 1-on-1 contests involving the same guys. Honestly, if there was any worry about the direction of NXT in 2018 or 2019, this match proved they have more than enough guys on their roster to carry this brand even higher than its arguable peaks in 2015 or 2016 or 2017. Tremendous ladder match. (4/5)

I really liked the video package before the NXT Women's Championship match. As others have pointed out, the irony of the WWE signing Rousey to a huge deal while Shayna Baszler is tearing it up as the MMA badass on NXT and excelling in the role isn't lost on me. The reigning champ, Ember Moon, got an extra special entrance featuring live guitar-shredding by the band Halestorm, while Baszler got a "no frills" intro. Rousey and Jessamyn Duke were shown in the audience, cheering on Baszler. It was going to be somewhat tough to keep the crowd's involvement up after the ladder match, but these two came out poised and ready to tell a story. After hitting a great-looking big knee in the corner, Baszler struggled a bit with a gutwrench suplex before slowing things down a touch with a bow-and-arrow. Moon got out of it an equally not-so-hot head scissors, but eventually fell prey to a beautiful knee strike to the face. After a really nice start to the match, imprecise spacing and pacing quieted the crowd down and both performers seemed a bit exposed (Ember Moon's kip-up, for example, just didn't have the energy that it needed to have to establish as a "revitalization" moment). Baszler went to break Moon's arm, but Moon escaped and ending up putting Baszler in the same precarious position, dropping her foot down with nasty force. Moon then went for her finish, but Baszler crotched her on the top turnbuckle (all the while selling serious arm damage). Baszler's selling was really strong, but using the ring post to pop her shoulder back into place may have just been a hair overdramatic (especially when it was clear that her shoulder wasn't really dislocated). Moon then hit her frontflip neckbreaker finisher to the outside in a huge spot that put both women on the floor for 6. Back into the ring they climbed, but as Ember attempted to do some more damage, Baszler locked in a submission. Great sequence leading to Ember Moon lifting her up from a triangle choke position to a powerbomb. At this point, the crowd was alive again, going crazy for Baszler reversing the Eclipse into a clutch. Baszler then modified the move by pulling her own hair so she wouldn't have to use her damaged arm. Moon fought and fought but Baszler rolled back into the center of the ring. They worked the closing moment as best they could, but the crowd wanted something more definitive it seemed, booing at the finish. This match had too many ups-and-downs for me, with some really good sequences and some that were far from perfect. Baszler is really, really good already. (3/5)

Eww, god. Paige does not look good...and either does this movie if that is a real scene from it. I want to believe that Stephen Merchant wouldn't be involved in such a stinker, but I might be way wrong with this one.

Next up, a Tag Match for a whole bunch of marbles, with The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole, subbing in for an injury Bobby Fish) defending the titles against the finalists of the Dusty Classic Tournament, The Authors of Pain and the team of Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne. Before the match began, Dustin Rhodes and recent Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett were shown in the crowd. In a sense, these three teams had an even tougher job than Baszler and Moon as this match had just as many moving parts as the opener. The AOP hit a double sidewalk slam on Adam Cole through a table to effectively neutralize him early, leaving O'Reilly to basically fight on his own for awhile. Like the ladder match, this one also seemed to be wrestled with "tornado tag" rules - no legal man, no real structure, just 6 guys delivering signature offense and trying to score a win. Cool spot with O'Reilly locking Strong in a triangle choke and then grabbing one of the AOP's foot and applying an ankle lock before the other AOP powerbombed Dunne onto them to break up the move. At this point, the match did finally transition into an actual tag team match, though it remained rather loose, with Kyle O'Reilly coming in and out at will. Speaking of O'Reilly, he did a great update of the Flair flop at one point, eating a german suplex, popping back up and flexing, only to fall back down through the ropes. Building up Dunne for a hot tag seemed a bit odd in the context of a match where it seemed like tags were non-required. O'Reilly and Dunne traded nasty, stiff shots to eachother before one of the AOP delivered a dual clothesline to take out both men. They hit their Power Collider but didn't make the cover for some reason, allowing Strong the opportunity he needed to make the save. Strong and Dunne combined their efforts to take out O'Reilly on the apron before going after Rezar. Dunne hit his finisher, but just as he was about to win the match, Roderick Strong stopped the count and turned on his partner! I'm not sure this made 100% sense, but it did give us a very dramatic finish and definitely helps further cement the Undisputed Era as a legitimately dominant stable (maybe the NXT version of Bullet Club?). While not up to the caliber of matches that the AOP had with #DIY and The Revival, this was still an above-average match for sure, hurt a bit by the fact that the 6-man match set an impossibly high bar for this to follow without throwing in even more weapon-based carnage (table spots, chairs, etc.). (3/5)

The NXT Championship was on the line next with Andres "Cien" Almas defending the gold against Aleister Black. If I'm not mistaken, this was one of the lengthier Aleister Black matches we've had, at least on a Takeover special, as this one went close to 20 minutes. Black didn't do as much "schtick" (there was no "Sitting Indian Style" moment) and, unlike against Adam Cole or Velveteen Dream, where Black's intimidation factor was woven into the match consistently, Almas showed no fear. This did Black no favors as he did not come across nearly as strong a character as he had in those prior bouts. Almas, and his manager Zelina Vega, outshined him considerably, with even Almas' offense looking more sadistic and impactful than Black's respectable striking. At one point, Almas hit Black with double-knees into the ringpost on the apron and it looked like it just about murdered the guy. I loved all the old school interference by Vega throughout the match - this is what wrestling writers and critics mean when they say how a good manager works just as hard as the performers in the ring. The finishing stretch saw Black and Almas really shift it into a higher gear, building towards an excellent finish that saw Vega's interference finally backfire. Personally, I would've extended the feud a little bit as Almas has been absolute fire as the NXT Champion and could've held that title for months to come, but who knows? Maybe Vince is ready to call him up and give him the push that Alberto Del Rio didn't do much with? I'd support it. Another really strong match out of Almas, but just not quite a "must see" match. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned Match. Expectations were super high for this match and I'm not sure they met them, though, that wouldn't be due to a lack of effort, storytelling, or crowd enthusiasm. As has become an unfortunate characteristic of so many of these "unsanctioned" matches, the footing always feels a touch off. Things started out tremendously, with Ciampa coming out to no music and just basking in the mega-heat. But then Gargano got a full entrance? The match started off hot enough, with Gargano and Ciampa just mercilessly going at it and brawling in and out of the ring. The intensity of the match really picked up with the first major table spot, Gargano clearing out the announcers by sending Ciampa hard into their table. The crowd was fully with them as the match continued and Ciampa regained the momentum, stomping on Gargano's head off the apron at one point. Ciampa got even more heat by grabbing crutches from an injured fan, the symbolism of his usage of them being a nice touch. To be sure, there were all sorts of call backs sprinkled into this match - from finisher stealing, to Ciampa using #DIY trademarks to insult his former teammate, to Gargano targeting Ciampa's damaged knee. Unfortunately, despite Gargano and Ciampa giving us everything they had, there were elements missing from what many expected - specifically blood and, as the fans pointed out at one point, more furniture damage. While its unfair to criticize competitors for what they didn't do rather than strictly speak about what was accomplished, the expectation for this match was that it would be one of the most brutal matches of all time. It just didn't hit that mark. While it was certainly an emotional, intense, and highly physical bout (any match that features a powerbomb from the apron to an exposed concrete floor can't be considered "soft"), this could never be mistaken for the rasslin' grudge matches of the past. The final 10 minutes were some of the most dramatic minutes in wrestling I've ever seen, Ciampa and Gargano both delivering some of their sharpest, stiffest offense yet and each telling their own emotional story through brilliant facial expressions and pacing. For Ciampa, this meant showing the crowd that, in the end, his hatred and rage was not enough to make him the better man. For Gargano, it was all about recognizing that enacting "eye for an eye" revenge, stabbing Ciampa with half a crutch to end his career the way Ciampa wanted to end Gargano's, would mean becoming that which he hated. Still, as good as this match was during its best moments, I'm not sure I have much desire to watch it again or gush over it the way I did the #DIY matches or even the Gargano/Almas match from earlier this year. This was a great match and a "must watch" for modern wrestling fans,  especially those that have been attentive for this bout's incredible build, but it might've needed a little bit of editing (it ran over 35 minutes) and, I daresay, some "color" and a table spot or two to have made it live up to the incredible hype. (4/5)


Once again, NXT delivered a show that will be almost impossible to top by the main rosters stars and producers. Every match was given ample time (maybe too ample, honestly) and there was not a single match that didn't have the crowd's attention by its conclusion. Speaking of the crowd, their boisterous chants made everyone featured seem like a huge star, a very important factor in helping make the brand a sustainable touring act. With a Kwang Score of 3.5-out-of-5, this show was about as consistently great as any wrestling show I've ever seen, all killer-no filler, and ridiculously easy to get through. That being said, it was imperfect at times and lacked the variety that made previous installments unique and broad, if not as good match-for-match. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WCW UnCenSored 2000

WCW UnCenSored 2000

Miami, FL - March 2000

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Sid Vicious is the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion, the United States Championship is held by Jeff Jarrett, Jim Duggan is the TV Champion, and the Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea is the Cruiserweight Champion. The Tag Team Champions are The Mamalukes and the Hardcore Champion is/are 3 Count. 

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Mark Madden

UnCenSoRed 2000 begins with a video package detailing tonight's triple main event. I wrote about this in my review of the previous month's SuperBrawl, but this is another show where, if you just looked at the card, you would think the nWo storyline hadn't happened, that Goldberg had never existed, that WCW had basically pressed pause in 94' or 95' and then, 5 years later, hit play again as your main eventers are all the same as they were back then - Hogan, Sting, Luger...the "freshest faces" are Jarrett and Sid and neither one was any more over than they were back then either.

To the ring we go for our opening contest - The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iaukea defending the strap against the maskless Psychosis (with his right hand man, Juventud Guerrera, beside him). Psychosis wasn't an ugly dude or anything, but taking the mask off of him was still the wrong move to make. Iaukea is wrestling in a dress shirt and slacks because that's what Prince was known for wearing...? Before the match can begin, Chris Candido shows up and joins the commentary table. At least a few fans in the audience recognize him, throwing up Triple Threat signs. Candido notes that he's a second generation wrestler, which I didn't know he was (I looked it up - his grandfather was a job guy in the WWWF), just like Iaukea. The in-ring action takes a backseat, but its not like they're doing too much worthy of comment either. Things get better when Psychosis takes control, delivering the type of offense the Cruiserweight division used to deliver with far more consistency. Guerrera and Paisley get into it on the outside as Psychosis delivers a guillotine leg drop. Before he can make the cover, though, Paisley slaps him in the face, allowing Iaukea to hit his jumping DDT. Darn. WCW had a chance to put the title back on someone who could put on exciting matches but opted instead to keep the strap around the waste of an average worker with an ill-fitting, one-note gimmick. (1.5/5)

Backstage, "Mean" Gene talks to Bam Bam Bigelow about how Bigelow brought in The Wall (I thought that was Berlyn who did that) but now The Wall needs to be stopped before he ends any more careers. While The Wall being Bigelow's protege might be true, its just inconsistent with The Wall's whole backstory.

Anyway, the team of XS (aka Lenny and Lodi) make their way down the aisle to take on the unlikely duo of The Demon and Norman Smiley. Before "The Screamin' Demons" enter, though, Stacy Keibler (as Ms. Hancock here) makes her way down the aisle to join in on commentary. Unlike at SuperBrawl, where The Demon came out to generic blues rock, here its some sort of weird KISS-like song. The Demon's casket opens, but instead of the Demon emerging, its Smiley who comes out sporting the make-up. That's actually kind of cool. This match, which I'd categorize as a "comedy bout," wouldn't be so bad if anyone other than Smiley could execute. Lodi's skills are rudimentary at best and Lane, at least here, is even worse, botching two spots noticeably. The crowd doesn't care at all about The Demon, but Smiley is seriously over. Keibler adds nothing on commentary to the point that I forgot she was even out there until the end. Smiley wins with the Norman Conquest. Lenny and Lodi blame Keibler and try to bring her to the back, but the Screamin' Demons rescue her and bring her back to the ring to dance with them. They all do the Big Wiggle together, including referee Billy Silverman. Bad match, corny ending. The only point being awarded is for Smiley. (1/5)

After some brief backstage segments with Booker T and Kidman and then David Flair and his posse of weirdos, we're back in the ring for Bam Bam Bigelow vs. The Wall. The first few minutes of this match are surprisingly good as Bigelow and The Wall trade big strikes and keep things even. As far as "hoss matches" go, its probably the best Wall match I've seen yet, which is admittedly faint praise but still should count for something. Unfortunately, it flies off the rails once they head to the outside where The Wall attempts to put Bigelow through a table but doesn't get the elevation he needs to make the move look cool. The bell sounds - Was this a double countout? DQ? Was this a Tables Match all along? - and Flair and Crowbar show up to exact revenge on the guy that injured them. The Wall stalks them to the back as Bigelow as placed on a stretcher. Before we can see what has happened to Bigelow, the camera pans up to where Crowbar and The Wall are fighting on the scaffolding above the entrance way. The Wall chokeslams Crowbar through the stage in a HUGE spot! Wow! You can provide all the padding you want, but that looked stupendous! The match was nothing special really but that chokeslam from the scaffolding through the stage was so terrific, I'm going to nudge this one to above-average status. (3/5)

The show continues with Brian Knobbs talking to Gene Okerlund. Knobbs dedicates his match, the next match, to Crowbar and Bigelow, as he heads to the ring to take on the reigning WCW Hardcore Champion, the team of 3 Count. Yup, a team was the reigning Hardcore Champ. 3 Count come out first and want to do their dance routine, but get interrupted by Knobbs, who, to his credit, looks to be in the best shape he's been in for several years. Before entering the ring, Knobbs runs to the parking lot to grab a cart full of weapons, including a trash can and a ladder. He unwisely starts tossing weapons into the ring, basically handing them to his opponents. Tenay notes that to win this match, Knobbs will need to defeat all three members of the team. After withstanding an initial flurry of weapon shots, Knobbs goes to work with his tools, adding some insult to injury by rubbing his armpit in his opponents' faces. The numbers game catches up to him and before long 3 Count start using the ladder to their advantage. Knobbs is able to roll out of the way of Shannon Moore's senton and grab a fire extinguisher, hosing them off when they try to perform their dance routine. Knobbs places a chair over Helms' face (he was sporting a face protection mask) and smashes it with a kendo stick to eliminate his first man. Out of the ring we go where Knobbs pulls out a table. Knobbs follows Karagias back into the ring and powerbombs him through the table on the outside! That looked great. Helms comes back for more, but Knobbs tosses him over the guardrail. He nails Moore with a chair and then brings out yet another tabl, sliding this one into the ring. Knobbs looks to bodyslam Moore through the table, but Helms comes off the top rope and Knobbs slides over the table. Moore makes the cover and gets a 3, but Nick Patrick reverses the decision when he realizes Knobbs' foot was on the rope. The match continues and Knobbs tosses a ladder all the way to the arena floor onto Karagias in a very rough move. In the ring, Shannon Moore tries to hand Knobbs the title, but Knobbs wants to win it the right way. He grabs a trash can and smashes it onto Helms in the center of the ring to regain the WCW Hardcore Championship. This was everything it needed to be and much more fun than any of the other recent Hardcore Championship matches have been. I'm not necessarily excited to see Knobbs back with the title, but hopefully they did this so they could move 3 Count onto bigger and better things. (3/5)

The New Harlem Heat are backstage with "Mean" Gene to talk about their upcoming bout against Booker T and Kidman. We then cut to the mysterious black limo parked outside of the arena. Schiavone wonders aloud whether the person inside the limo is Jeff Jarrett's "insurance policy." Cut to Vampiro hanging out in a dark room under a ladder talking to himself like a lunatic. Cool.

Booker (still no "T") and Billy Kidman vs. The New Harlem Heat is next. Man. Not only is Booker saddled with having to carry the New Harlem Heat, Kidman has now been pulled into this mess too. Stevie Ray and Booker start things out, but his match doesn't really start to stink up the joint until Big T comes in. I didn't notice it earlier by directly behind the ring are 5 bright yellow empty seats and now that's all I can focus my gaze on. Ahmed Johnson attempts to leap over the guard rail and hit Kidman with a tackle and barely touches him, his belly getting caught on the way. What the hell was he even thinking with that spot? I'm not sure he could've hit that at his athletic peak, let alone 30 pounds later. You can hear a kid laugh at him after the move, which is sad. Kidman plays the face in peril, but its the audience who is in desperate need of rescue. After Kidman hits a bulldog, Booker gets the hot tag and hits Big T with the Book End and then nails Stevie Ray with one also. Booker's momentum is ruined by a double sidewalk slam, though. Big T makes the cover but only gets two after Kidman makes the save. In theory, the finish is a cool idea that combines Kidman's agility with a signature Booker kick, but Kidman isn't the legal man, so why would his pinfall count? This was more palatable than I thought it'd be as they at least cut a decent pace and its kind of fun to see how fall Ahmed Johnson has fallen. (2/5)

We get another replay of The Wall chokeslamming Crowbar off the scaffolding through the stage.

Pinfalls count anywhere in the next match - Fit Finlay vs. Vampiro.  Vampiro comes to the ring with his left hand in a cast, while Finlay's right hand is in a cast. Thankfully, most of the empty seats from the previous match have been filled now. Its nice to see Finlay back in action against a guy that isn't Brian Knobbs or Norman Smiley-in-comedy mode. From what I've seen of him, Vampiro is generally sloppy and imprecise in the ring, but he brings energy to the ring, throws himself into his bumps, and has an undeniable charm. Finlay and Vampiro end up brawling through the crowd a bit, Finlay maintaining control all the while. I wish they would've come up with more creative spots or transitions, as there's too much walking around with no pay-off. Finlay accidentally drags him into the women's bathroom before turning around and shoving him into the men's room. Finlay takes Vampiro into one of the stalls, which Vampiro then climbs onto. Vampiro tries to come off the top of the stall, but Finlay catches him with the trash can. Out of the bathroom they go, but they are swarmed by fans because WCW security couldn't do its job. Out to the balcony they go where Finlay tries to toss Vampiro off, but Vampiro escapes and then they just sort of walk back inside. Finlay ends up dropping Vampiro onto the floor, but Vampiro won't stay down. Vampiro hits a bodyslam on the floor (which Schiavone describes as the Nail in the Coffin) and gets the 3. I'll give WCW credit for delivering some anarchy at the end of this match, but overall, this was pretty weak aside from the cool "feel" of the match. There were ways to get to that end result, with the crowd cheering behind Vampiro, that required more planning and more creativity and, for whatever reason, they didn't put enough thought into this match. (1/5)

The nWo's Harris Brothers make their way down the aisle for a match against the reigning WCW World Tag Team Champions, The Mamalukes, Big Vito and Johnny The Bull (with their manager Disco Inferno). I looked up WCW's roster to see if they had any better options for the tag scene at this point, but honestly, they didn't. Their roster was seriously fucked at this point, which is somewhat ironic as, through 98', one could argue that WCW's roster was, from an in-ring standpoint, much better than WWE's. By this point, though, the Radicals were gone, much of the foreign talent had skipped town (was La Parka still around even?), and injuries had thinned out the main event scene. Hence, The Harris Brothers challenging for the tag titles in a heatless match against The Mamalukes. Vito and Johnny aren't world class workers, but by comparison, they are far more interesting and energetic than the former DOA/Blue Brothers/Creative Control/White Supremacists. Vito and The Bull work their asses off to make this match acceptable, but they'd have to be supermen to do that. Disco gets involved because this is a no DQ match, but even after hitting one of the Harris Twins with a belt shot, they kick out (which is stupid). The Harris Brothers hit a second H-Bomb onto Vito (after hitting him with the belt too) for the win. If this was no DQ, why didn't Disco get involved more? Why didn't anyone grab a chair? Dumb match where the wrong team won as The Mamalukes were actually getting somewhat over and were at least decent in the ring. (0.5/5)

Finlay cuts a weird promo backstage, basically saying that he achieved his goal of beating respect into Vampiro despite losing the match. Okay. Then its over to "Mean" Gene where Luger and Flair cut promos about their matches tonight.

A video package airs reviewing the feud leading to our next match - Dustin Rhodes vs. Terry Funk in an unofficla cowbell match (its actually a No DQ match, but the cowbell is prominently featured). Funk had been serving as Rhodes' mentor for awhile, but then Rhodes turned on him for a vague reason that had something to do with Dustin Rhodes blaming his messed-up life on Funk. Funk, meanwhile, had started sporting an uncooked chicken on his hand to mock him. Before the match begins, Funk brings out Dustin's "baby brother," a guy in a chicken suit. Is this match supposed to be a bloody brawl between two serious rivals or something to make us giggle? The comedy portion of the match ends early as Funk grabs the cowbell and just starts whipping Dustin with it. They do some basic brawling before the cowbell and rope really get put to use. In one particular vicious spot, Rhodes ties the rope around Funk and then sends him to the ropes, pulling him back with a whiplash-causing jerk. He does it again on the floor and it is equally ugly. Back into the ring they go, where Dustin hits a DDT for 2. Dustin puts the cowbell on Funk's forehead and delivers a bulldog. The Chicken comes back into the ring - I guess the comedy portion wasn't finished. The crowd does not give any sort of shit about this match, even when Funk gets some offense in by crotching Rhodes on the top rope when he goes to climb into the ring. And, once again, we have a bunch of empty seats right in the camera's view. Funk grabs a microphone and changes the rules, turning it into an "I Quit" match. The ref tells him he can't do that so Funk clocks him with the mic. Funk starts to pound on Rhodes with the cowbell, eventually forcing him to say "I Quit." The announcers explain that simply quitting is not enough to lose the match and the referee refuses to raise Funk's arm. Rhodes gets back up and nails Funk with the cowbell for the dozenth time at least. I'm genuinely surprised neither guy has been busted open as it really seems that is what they were going for. Rhodes delivers a piledriver on the cowbell to finally end this match. I was expecting this to be much better, but neither Funk or Rhodes have any connection to the crowd so the match is just totally cold. Plus, while they worked hard, neither guy was in the best shape of their life or performing with the charisma and confidence they once had. (1.5/5)

A video package recaps the Sting/Luger feud before their Lumberjack Match. All of Sting's lumberjacks, including Curt Hennig, have damaged wrists from Luger "Pillmanizing" their arms on TV over the past few weeks. Lex Luger shows some good character-work/psychology before the match, looking over his shoulder constantly as he does his pre-match posedown. Luger grabs a mic and after gloating a bit about his physique and intelligence, he welcomes his lumberjacks - Hugh Morrus, the New Harlem Heat, and the Harris Brothers (all of whom wearing casts to balance out Sting's crew of injured wrestlers). This match hasn't started and it already is showing more thought and consideration than the previous 90 minutes of booking combined. Sadly, all that great prep leads to an uneventful, nothing special match. The biggest pop of the match happens when Luger gets beaten up on the outside by Doug Dillinger and then we get a mini-swerve with Tank Abbott showing up and taking Dillinger out with a single blow. The lumberjacks end up brawling in the back and then we get an overbooked finish involving Miss Elizabeth, Vampiro, and Sting's famous bat. When the ball rang, this match just died. Points awarded for the pre-match stuff, seeing Tank Abbott deck someone, and the Vampiro and Sting partnership starting up. They should've just been given the tag titles instantly because they're now the only babyface team anyone could or should care about in WCW. (1.5/5)

In what I believe was a nod to the return of Vince Russo, the show's line-up was changed and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship match came on next - the United States Champion, Jeff Jarrett, challenging Sid. Before the match begins we get another view of the ominous limo in the back. Last month it was Roddy Piper who emerged. Who will it be this month? In the ring, Jarrett cuts a promo and promises that if he wins, the nWo girls will strip. Way to not get heel heat, Jeff - now everyone wants to see you win, including the commentators. Sid comes out and despite getting beaten up by the Harris Brothers early (which the referee doesn't as much "miss" as just blatantly ignore) gets control and looks like he's poised for victory. Of course, this being WCW, the World Championship match can't end without as much shenanigans as possible. Honestly, I just watched the match a little over an hour ago and I've forgotten the sequence of events, but needless to say, a Harris Brother, Slick Johnson, Hulk Hogan, and Scott Steiner all play a role (Steiner being the mystery man in the limo, I believe). Sid retains the title in the midst of all the chaos. The actual in-ring portion between Jarrett and Sid wasn't all that bad as Jarrett was capable enough to bump for the big man and Sid was spotlighted the right way. Sadly, everything else surrounding this match was very dumb and the fans responded by throwing garbage in the ring - either because Hogan blew the false finish spot (it at least sounds like Johnson makes the full 3 count before Hogan pulls him out of the ring) or because they just don't like Hogan. (1/5)

With Hogan selling the damage from a guitar shot by Steiner, Ric Flair shows up and our Indian Strap Match has begun. Main event time! Hogan, despite starting the match on his back, ends up taking control within the first 60 seconds and then just dominates the match for the next several minutes. Hogan and Flair stick to the tried-and-true: brawling around the ring, choking each other with the strap, Flair going up top only to be sent crashing down with a press slam, there is absolutely nothing new, innovative, or creative in this match. That being said, Flair and Hogan put forth a strong effort to get the brutality over, both ending up bloodied by the end of it. As this is WCW in 2000 and there seems to be nobody steering the ship, there are some serious eyeroll moments too. Lex Luger hits Hogan with a chair, but no DQ is called because...? Later, Flair extracts a foreign object out of his boot, but why hide a weapon if the match is no DQ? As this is a strap match, the competitors are trying to slap all 4 corners of the ring before their opponent can get to their feet and "break the succession," but both Hogan and Flair go for pins in the last minute (in fact, Hogan wins via pinfall before symbolically tagging the fourth corner). A better match than the one that came before it only because Hogan and Flair, even on their worst days (and these days might be them) could still put enough personality and charisma to make a match like this decent. (1.5/5)


With a Kwang Score of 1.59-out-of-5, UnCenSored 2000 was another disastrous PPV for WCW. Watching it close to 20 years after the fact, it is hard to believe that WCW would survive for months after this as the main event scene doesn't feature a single guy that is over even half as much as Goldberg or Sting or DDP were in 97' or 98'. Despite not featuring any must-see matches, the show is still an oddly interesting watch, especially if you (like me) had stopped paying any attention to WCW at this point and didn't witness its crash at the time. The booking is as inept as advertised. The production and presentation feels cheap and unprofessional all around (Mark Madden is particularly terrible at his job). And yet all of these imperfections and mistakes and head-scratching decisions playing out all at once make for something that somehow managed to hold my attention for far longer than I expected going in. For a very particular fan, this might be watchable, but for most it won't be.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

WCW SuperBrawl I

WCW SuperBrawl

St. Petersburg, FL - May 1991

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, WCW recognized Ric Flair as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, but there was some controversy (see below). The United States Championship was held by Lex Luger, while Arn Anderson was the TV Champion. The World Tag Team Titles were held by The Steiner Brothers, who had vacated the United States Championship. 

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes

In March of 1991, WCW put together a joint supershow with New Japan that saw Ric Flair take on Tatsumi Fujinami in the main event. Controversy arose, however, as the finish was presented differently depending on what country you were in. In Japan, Fujinami was declared the winner (and new NWA/WCW World Heavyweight Champion), having pinned Flair. In the states, though, Fujinami tossing Flair over the top rope was an instant disqualification, thus making the subsequent pin moot (contradicted what the referee decided in Japan). Tonight, all the controversy would be answered, though...

Randy Brown, sporting some serious Hammer pants, starts the show off by singing "America The Beautiful." The video from this show was damaged so on the Network we get some weird scrambling that makes it come off like a Tim and Eric spoof. That earns a point. (+1)

The United States Tag Team Championships are on the line next with Diamond Dallas Page and Big Daddy Dink presenting the The Fabulous Freebirds for their match against the Steve and Tracy, The Young Pistols. DDP's pre-match schtick is awesomely cheesy, by the way. The story coming in was that the Steiners had to relinquish the US Tag Titles when they won the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Hayes and Steve Armstrong start things off, Hayes doing lots of strutting but almost getting rolled up in the process. Big Daddy Dink gets involved early so Brad Armstrong comes running down to try to even things up a little bit. The referee ejects Dink much to the delight of the crowd. Garvin and Smothers get to work now, but Hayes comes in for the double team. Things get a little bit sloppy at this point, but the energy level is high so it doesn't come off as badly as it could. Every time it seems like this match is going to get started and we're going to get some real action, the Freebirds go back to schtick, which just gets annoying after awhile. Smothers gets dropped neck-first on the guardrail but the Freebirds barely capitalize, milking the move for a good minute. A "Badstreet" chant starts up in one corner of the arena as JR notes that even the Freebirds have their respective fans. After hitting Garvin with a superkick, Smothers makes the hot tag and Armstrong takes out both Freebirds with scoop slams. The Pistols go for double dropkicks but miss and the Freebirds regain control. The crowd wants a DDT, but instead, they just toss Armstrong out of the ring. Smothers hits them with a double clothesline to send the Birds out of the ring and then Armstrong lands a crossbody on both men from the top rope to the floor! That's actually a fairly big spot for 91'. The Pistols deliver two double-team moves but inadvertently knock out the ref in the process. Enter the Pistols' mystery man, Fantasia, who makes his on-screen debut here, delivering DDTs to both of the Pistols. I believe "Fantasia" would get renamed Badstreet (and was played by Brad Armstrong?), though I'm not 100% sure on that. Hayes makes the pin and the Freebirds are now the United States Tag Team Champions. I didn't find this to be very good, mostly because the Freebirds kind of bore me at this point and couldn't do much of anything aside from get cheap heat and throw right hands. The Young Pistols were somewhat underrated though. (2/5)

"Dangerous" Dan Spivey squashes Ricky Morton in our next match. God bless Morton for trying to make this a real fight as he really throws himself into this match and gets 100% of the credit for telling a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end in under 5 minutes. While this match certainly looks like your average match from Saturday Night, its important to remember that even as late as 91', the average WCW or WWE show featured mostly matches between a "name" wrestler and a jobber. That doesn't make this a PPV caliber bout or anything, but it certainly helps explain why it isn't as out-of-place as it might seem in 2018. (1.5/5)

The next match should've been much more like the previous match as Nikita Koloff takes on Tommy Rich. Unlike Morton, who worked extra hard to make Spivey look good, Rich opts to actually go back-and-forth with Koloff, which might help him keep some credibility but really makes for an uneventful, very forgettable match. Koloff was poised for a push so he really should've dominated more. The best thing about this match is probably its brevity. (1/5)

Johnny B. Badd makes his debut via promo next. Not much to this beyond Badd and his manager, Teddy Long, getting in their catchphrases and promising to take out PN News.

Terry "Terrence" Taylor takes on Dustin Rhodes next. The storyline coming into this match is that the York Foundation had been recruiting Rhodes, but he refused to sign with them, uninterested in their computer-based BS. The match starts out scientific enough, but Dustin still had some work to do on his selling. The finish is classic "old school" but drags on too long, with Mr. Hughes' timing in getting on the apron and getting involved noticeably off. This was about as good as could be expected out of Rhodes, who was still fresh on the scene, and Taylor, who has never really clicked with me in any character he had in WWE or WCW despite his sound skills. (2/5)

Journeyman Black Bart comes out next to take on Big Josh, who arrives with two bears in tow. I'm a Big Josh fan but the two bears he has with him just look completely miserable. I'm going to have to deduct a point just for animal cruelty. Bart gets more offense in than I thought he would, which was none. Josh nearly dislocates Bart's shoulder with two vicious arm drag takedowns before hitting his finisher, which was just sitting on a guy's chest. Not a good match. (0/5)

Paul E. Dangerously makes his way out for a special edition of The Danger Zone. Heyman's get-up is so 90s. Stan Hansen comes out and cuts a promo challenging Dustin Rhodes to step up and face him before leaving the ring. Heyman tries to finish the segment, but a technical glitch cuts the mic off. This was a mess.

Oz (Kevin Nash) is up next in what I believe was his debut. Before he comes out, we get a bizarre scene in which Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion are led down the aisle by The Great Wizard as the announcer repeats "Welcome to Oz." This shit is legit scary actually. On commentary, Dusty and JR hype the size of Oz as he walks down the aisle with The Great Wizard. He unmasks and immediately gets to work throwing his opponent, Tim Parker, around. Nash hits an impressive spinning powerbomb and stares off as the crowd sits in silence. I'm going full bore on this being an incredible must-see debut. Insane. (4/5)

Missy Hyatt heads to the men's locker room to get an interview. This was a recurring bit (or rather it happened on the previous PPV) and once again, she runs into Stan Hansen, who throws her out. 

One of the feature bouts of the broadcast is next - Flyin' Brian vs. Barry Windham in a Taped Fist Showdown. These two had been feuding for awhile with Pillman famously losing the War Games match for his team at WrestleWar. Windham has the height advantage so Pillman's strategy is to get close and just wail on the guy. Windham goes to the top rope, but Pillman catches him with a dropkick that sends him to the outside. Pillman then takes to the air himself, hitting a double axe handle. Windham and Pillman both get some color early, which really helps sell the stipulation. Windham takes Pillman off the ramp onto the guardrail as a portion of the crowd chants "Barry" in approval. Pillman comes back with a spinning heel kick, though, and soon enough they're trading chops. The selling from both guys is really strong as every blow looks like it is taking another ounce of strength out of them. Pillman counters a standing suplex into one of his own and tries to go to the top, but Windham strikes him with a low blow and then finishes him with his superplex. Too short to be considered a great match, but it was very good for the minutes it ran. What was WCW thinking not letting these guys go another 5 minutes? (2.5/5)

Diamond Dallas Page, flanked by two Diamond Dolls, host an episode of his Diamond Mine segment next. Instead of bringing out a guest, he cues up a brief, rather quiet story from Luger and Sting. Page then welcomes his actual guest - the Diamond Studd (aka Scott Hall). In the words of John Oliver, "cool."

Sid Vicious vs. El Gigante is next. As usual, Sid gets face pops. El Gigante gets his share of cheers too, but he has no idea how to play to the crowd so they die down quickly. For the first and maybe last time in his career, Sid is in the ring with a guy with even less natural wrestling skill than himself. El Gigante's selling is maybe the worst-looking selling I've ever seen, which make Sid's usually over-the-top facial expressions seem understated in comparison. Sid essentially slips on a banana peel running into Sid's outstretched foot and gets pinned soon after. Kevin Sullivan and the One Man Gang run out but get beaten up too until Sullivan throws a handful of powder into his face and they gain the upperhand, hitting the giant Argentinian with parts of a stretcher and a steel chain. If the last match was too short to be considered great, this was too short to call truly awful. It wasn't good by any means, but its not like they stunk up the joint by overstaying their welcome. (1/5)

A Thunderdome Cage grudge match is next - Butch Reed taking on his former DOOM partner, Ron Simmons. Teddy Long is locked in a cage hanging outside of the ring before the match begins to ensure that he won't get involved. Simmons gets a decent response from the live crowd as Dusty and JR talk up his credentials on commentary. Simmons and Reed go right at eachother with Simmons controlling early. Reed bumps into the cage with gusto and its worth noting that there is nothing "Thunderdome-ish" about this cage. It doesn't even have a roof. Anyway, Simmons gets busted open and Reed capitalizes by sending him face first into the cage repeatedly. This match really doesn't have the heat one might expect considering the intensity of the feud or the work in the ring, which is physical and generally well-executed. I mean, compared to some of the other crap on the rest of this card, the crowd really should be thankful to get a match like this, even if it is a bit basic. Reed looks winded after about 5 minutes but still manages to hit Simmons with a piledriver for two. The crowd stirs a little bit behind Simmons, but Reed continues to cut him off, ramming him into the cage at every chance. Reed applies a rear headlock and Simmons crumbles to the mat as a "Go Ron Go!" chant starts up. Simmons finally gets a touch of offense in, but again, Reed cuts him off. Reed hits a huge shoulderblock from the top rope and makes the cover for 2...though, instead of kicking out, Simmons puts his foot on the rope, which is kind of a weak way to stop a pin in a cage match. Simmons blocks a splash and then hits a series of right hands on his former teammate. He follows it up with a back body drop, but Reed reverses an irish whip and hits him with a knee. A double clothesline spot puts both men on the mat as Teddy Long drops a chain into the ring. Reed grabs the chain and takes a swing, but Simmons ducks and hits his Spinebuster for 3. I think it would've been a bigger moment if Simmons had taken hold of the chain, but at least the right guy won. I wish they would've shaved off 1-2 minutes of this match and given them to Pillman and Windham. Not a bad cage match, but not a great one either. (2.5/5)

After a video package airs hyping the importance of the next match, it is time for The Steiner Brothers vs. Sting and Lex Luger, a clash of two mega-over babyface teams. Rick Steiner and Luger start things off and match each other move for move with big clotheslines and impressive feats of strength. Sting comes in and hits an awesome splash over the top rope! He follows it with a bulldog, but Rick Steiner no-sells it. Sting steals one of Steiner's moves by bringing him up in a backbreaker but then running him into the corner chest-first. Sting misses a Steiner Splash and Scott Steiner comes in and hits his double-underhook powerbomb! He follows it up with a tilt-a-whirl to the mat and this match is just all hits, no filler. Sting hits a stun gun before tagging in Lex Luger, who keeps the pressure on with a vertical suplex. Luger tags Sting back in, but Steiner has time to recoup and hits an inverted atomic drop. Scott Steiner nails a belly-to-belly off the top rope for 2. This might be one of the most action-packed matches I've ever seen, just non-stop action from both teams. Luger is back in and he hits a powerslam before calling for the Torture Rack. Before he can be hoisted up, though, Scott Steiner counters it into a russian leg sweep and both men are down. Rick Steiner comes in with a NASTY bulldog off the top on the unsuspecting Luger! At this point, the friendly rivalry is no longer so friendly as everyone is fighting to win. Luger and Rick Steiner knock heads and crumble to the mat, both reaching for a hot tag. Sting and Scotty come in and Sting hits a sloppy-but-effective back suplex. Scott Steiner attempts a tombstone piledriver, but Sting counters it into one of his own. The crowd is probably 60-40 in favor of the Stinger, but they're loud for both. Sting hits his Stinger Splash on Scott Steiner in the corner, while Luger and Rick Steiner brawl on the outside. Nikita Koloff comes down the aisle and looks to hurt Luger, but Sting pushes him out of the way and eats the brunt of Koloff's Russian Chain! Goddamn it. Scott Steiner makes the pinfall and this one is over. Goddamn. This is a really, really good match, but the dirty ending really prevents it from being an all-time great match in my eyes. Sting runs to the back and immediately goes after Koloff, the two fighting all the way outside of the building into the parking lot. From a storytelling perspective, this hit every note it needed to, kept everyone strong, and even points to a future rivalry for the company's biggest babyface star, but I still wish it had gone 4-5 more minutes and ended with a conclusive finish. (4/5)

"Beautiful" Bobby Eaton challenges for his first major singles championship by going after Arn Anderson and Double A's Television Championship next. As had become a recurring theme on this show, the crowd wasn't as hype for this as it probably deserved, popping for the big moments but not really getting fully behind the match from beginning to end. Eaton and Anderson are two smooth-as-silk workers and they get plenty of time (maybe too much) but the problem is that, after the last bout, the audience just isn't super interested in a technical wrestling match built around a damaged leg and Eaton's newfound fighting spirit. Other reviewers have also noted that this match didn't happen at the right time on the card either, that it would've been more over had it happened earlier in the show, while a match like the Oz debut or the Big Josh/Black Bart match would've fit in better in the "death slot" between the Steiners sprint and the main event. I agree. The finish is a bit cheap (again, it doesn't help that there's interference in several of the other matches on the show) and the audience seems to pop more for Pillman showing up than for Eaton getting his moment. A better than average match, but only by a hair. (3/5)

Main event time - Ric Flair vs. Tatsumi Fujinami for all the marbles. In a vacuum, I think this match would have a stronger reputation, but there were just too many obstacles to overcome for this to leave much of an impression. For starters, while Dusty and JR try to get Fujinami over via commentary, the audience doesn't seem to have any reaction towards the guy beyond some middling "USA" chants. Unfortunately, he's not supposed to be the heel. Flair comes out and instead of being the cocky, arrogant rascal, he shows respect to his opponent and starts things out with some straight-up wrestling. Flair eventually "plays the hits," but unlike against Steamboat or Sting, who could match Flair's over-the-top mannerisms with their own emotional tools, Fujinami can't rely on any sort of audience connection to raise the drama. Sensing this, both guys seem to raise the physicality bar and bust their asses. At no point does this not feel like a legitimate fight for a legitimate championship. Even if the audience doesn't seem to care, the finish is one of the best I've seen - its half-dirty/half-legit, the kind of ending that doesn't paint Flair as "dirty" as much as have incredible instincts to exploit a moment. The lack of crowd investment prevents this from reaching "must see" status while a match with far less psychology, namely the tag match, earns that badge solely because the audience was hooked from bell to bell. (3.5/5)


Earning a Kwang Rating of 2.33-out-of-5, the first ever SuperBrawl is a mixed bag that never really finds it footing with the crowd, who don't seem to know what they want. The Freebirds/Young Pistols match, for example, gets the same sort of response that they'd been getting in their previous matches, but then the crowd seems to have no interest at all in the Doom match (which was built up for weeks) or the main event, where one would at least expect the audience to be solidly behind Flair (rather than just sitting on their hands for most of the match). The other problems on this show can't be as easily placed at the feet of an unattentive audience, though. Pillman/Windham could've been an absolute classic, but they don't give it enough time to get there. While not to the same extent, the Steiners/Luger & Sting match would've benefitted from an extra minute or two as well, especially considering that it was the match that the majority of fans seem to have bought their tickets for. The Oz debut is entertaining WrestleCrap. The Johnny B. Badd and Diamond Studd debuts not so much. Seing Big Josh and two muzzled bears is not a good time, but Sid/Gigante has an odd charm that keeps it from being a total dud. A hotter crowd, a better main event (specifically one that was built around a personal issue and featured a challenger for Flair that the audience supported), more time given to the matches that needed it would have made this a much more enjoyable viewing, but as it is, I'm still not going to say its a total flop.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver