WCW Slamboree 94'

RATING LEVELS:

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

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

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

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

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

SLAMBOREE 94’ – May 1994

Philadelphia, PA

CHAMPIONSHIP BACKGROUNDS: Ric Flair is the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion heading into tonight’s show, while Rick Rude has recently recaptured the WCW International Championship. The Nasty Boys are the WCW Tag Team Titles, Steve Austin holds the US Championship, and Lord Steven Regal is the recognized TV Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby Heenan

Kicking things off, we have the arrival of various legends of the past (a tradition for Slamboree events), including a couple Horsemen, Killer Kowalski, Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Ernie Ladd, and Terry Funk. 

In the second segment, WCW Commish Nick Bockwinkel (a legend in his own right) announces that “Ravishing” Rick Rude has been stripped of his WCW International Championship due to the fact that he illegally used the title (and came off the top rope) in his victory over former champion Sting in Japan. The crowd gives a bit of a mixed reaction to the announcement, which Sting salvages by refusing to accept the title and stating that he would rather win the title fair and square – from Vader!

In the opening contest, "Stunning" Steve Austin defends his US Championship against Johnny B. Badd, whose match at last month's Spring Stampede, was my favorite match of his yet. This time around he has an even better dance partner in Austin. Within the first few minutes, the camera shows us that Sensational Sherri is in attendance (she would go on to have a fairly lengthy program with Austin's manager, Colonel Parker). As for the in-ring action, it is "classic" without being "a classic" - not quite boring, but not revolutionary, the two trading holds and keeping things on the mat for the most part, only heating up for short spurts. After Austin nails a double-forearm, you get some of the future Rattlesnake's best heel work, laying in some of his trademark stomps and distracting the ref so Parker can get involved. At this point, the match becomes noticeably more engaging as Austin takes control, though, the Phillie crowd doesn't seem to care too much, chanting "We're Not Hostile!" at one point (maybe a reference to the next month's ECW super card "Hostile City Showdown"?). Badd's comeback leaves a bit to be desired, but the crowd goes bonkers for the finishing stretch, which gets the exact right reaction that it should. (3.5/5)

After some words from Wahoo McDaniel and Dusty Rhodes, we get our first Legends Match - Tully Blanchard vs. Terry Funk. Obviously this would not be Funk's final hurrah in Philly, though I did have to look up how much longer Blanchard competed. The crowd chants "ECW" when Funk shows up and the way this one is worked, it wouldn't be out of place at ECW Arena one bit as they brawl their way around and inside the ring. Though the two work hard, the crowd chants "We Want Blood!" and each time Funk drags in another weapon that could give them what they want, the weapon is used in such a bizarre fashion it is baffling. While some would point to the ridiculousness and sloppier moments of this match as reasons why this match (and the maybe whole Legends concept) was terrible, I actually think this is the kind of train wreck that can be pretty fun to watch. A better finish would have elevated it to an even higher score from me, though I admit this match would not be everyone's cup of tea. (3/5)

Larry Zybysko vs. Steven Regal is next and it does not disappoint. These two are perfect together, possibly because their in-ring characters almost mirror each other in certain regards. The match begins with Regal stalling, but when things get going, it does not let up. Zybysko's taunting is excellent and really helps tell the story of the cocky, young heel getting a tough lesson from the wise, wily veteran. I would've preferred this one being for Regal's TV title, but fully understand why the belt wasn't on the line. Overall, a great bout that not only shows how good Regal was, but how much Zybysko could still go in the ring. (4/5)

Bogging down the show is our next segment - the Hall of Fame ceremony. Nothing worth noting happens here and the audience is generally disinterested, not really popping for any of the legends that are featured. As the biggest name is Harley Race, who comes out first, you don't even get the satisfaction of building towards a big "name" as the headliner of class.

Bunkhouse Buck takes on Dustin Rhodes in a Bullrope Match next. After some good brawling to start things off, the audience breaks out into yet another "We Want Blood!" chant. I don't mind a vocal, borderline "hostile" crowd - but what does bother me is the demand for hardcore spots in the first 3 minutes of a match. If they saw what these two did at Spring Stampede, it makes sense to expect it, but what the fans might've missed in that match (and this one) was pretty damn excellent storytelling. Heenan's commentary is surprisingly awful in this match. The finish and the post-match shenanigans take this feud to a new level, one as violent and sickening as the ECW fans in attendance could ever want. (4/5)

Colonel Parker is back out for his 3rd match (and second in a row) to announce Ric Flair's mystery challenger - Barry Windham. I have seen this match get torn to shreds by other reviewers, but only because Windham and Flair had had much better matches in the past. This one isn't too terrible considering Windham had come back (most likely prematurely) from a knee injury and didn't look to be in the best physical shape. Fortunately, chemistry carries them to a match that is no worse than average and, at times, better than that. Unfortunately, on a a show that featured so many matches where Colonel Parker would get involved (and get knocked out), the finish just seems a bit like a repeat of similar endings earlier in the night (not to mention Starrcade 93'). (3/5)

Following this is our Tag Team Championship Match, a Broadstreet Brawl between the defending Nasty Boys and Cactus Jack with his new partner, Kevin Sullivan. If the previous month's Nasty Boys/Jack & Maxx Payne was a 10 on the scale of wildest brawls in WCW history, this one ranks at around an 11. Now, that doesn't mean it's a better match - the fact is, the Nasty Boys/Jack & Maxx Payne feud had been built up over several shows, so, when they do finally tear into each other at Spring Stampede, the ridiculous bumps and weapon usage serves a purpose. This time around, you have hardcore brawling for the sake of hardcore brawling with a crowd-pleasing finish that *should* seem cathartic, but doesn't due to the lack of history between all four men. When Jack's former teammate Maxx Payne does finally show up, you get the "feel good" moment you want, but it does leave you wondering if the finishing sequence really utilized all the bit players that are involved, including guest referee, ex-Flyer Dave Schultz. (4.5/5)

It is main event time as WCW's International Championship is on the line between the monster Vader and longtime rival Sting. Two years earlier, these two put on some of my favorite matches ever, though, I must admit I wasn't as excited for this simply because I wasn't sure they could top their previous matches. As usual, the action here is spirited and the chemistry is off the charts. Sting connects with an awesome-looking vertical suplex early on, while Vader changes things up with a rare submission hold on the mat at one point. While the Flair/Vader match at Starrcade 93' is so often heralded as one of WCW's best matches ever, I'm not sure any of the Flair/Vader showdowns were as good as even the worst Sting/Vader bout. Credit must also go to these two for the various false finishes that occur in the last few minutes, all of which effectively fooled me as a first-time viewer and really helped cap off what was a very good match. My only gripes are Race's rather "soft" chairshot (surely Vader could've taken a much stiffer hit) and that this one didn't go an extra 5 minutes to really give it that "epic" feel. (4/5)

For some reason, Dave Meltzer gave the matches on this show an average rating of 2.85, bashing the Rhodes/Buck match as significantly below average and not giving too much credit to Regal/Zybykso. Oddly, these are matches I found to be absolutely great. By my count, the average match rating for this show is a very high 3.71-out-of-5, pushing it very close to the previous month's masterpeice, Spring Stampede.

What might be most interesting, though, is just how incredible these shows are in comparison to what WWE was presenting at the time and what WCW would present in the following months. In WWE, the Bret/Owen feud was riveting, but nothing on their roster compared to the violence that WCW was offering in the Nastys/Cactus Jack or Dustin Rhodes/Buck feuds. In terms of strong young heels, Regal and Austin were inarguably hotter than Irwin R. Shyster and Jeff Jarrett. Slamboree 94' may have featured legends, but they didn't main event the show...like Jerry Lawler and Roddy Piper did at the 94' King of the Ring.

WCW's streak of remarkably violent and well-rounded pay-per-views was not to last as, within a matter of weeks, the Hulk Hogan Era begun and the company revamped their entire image around his kid-friendly persona. Financially, this wasn't a bad idea as WCW would get some of its best buy rates ever with Hulkster on top...but this doesn't mean one can't reminisce about what might've been had the red-and-yellow never run wild over this version of WCW.

FINAL RATING – Curt Hennig Level