WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI

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

CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS XXVI – January 1994

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CHAMPIONSHIP BACKGROUNDS: Ric Flair is the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion heading into tonight’s show, while Rick Rude holds WCW International Championship. The Nasty Boys are the WCW Tag Team Titles, Steve Austin won the US Championship at Starrcade in December 93’, and Lord Steven Regal holds the TV Championship.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby Heenan

Tonight’s show kicks off with the debut of none other than Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who had left the WWE in December. Heenan’s ousting from WWE was a rather unforgettable moment in itself, with storyline President Gorilla Monsoon making the move on the December 6^th episode of Monday Night Raw. According to Heenan’s autobiography, he decided to leave the company due to a better deal on the table from WCW as well as an opportunity to work closer to home and spend more time with his family. His tenure there is not nearly as well-regarded as his work in the WWE, but at the time, he was still a big "get" for Turner and, at least initially, he seemed to come in prepared to do his best work. Unfortunately, the chemistry he had with Vince McMahon Gorilla Monsoon just never materialized with Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, or Mike Tenay. 

The opening contest of tonight's show is a rematch from Starrcade, Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff vs. 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell. Having Heenan on commentary adds some freshness to WCW’s product, but his unfamiliarity with Scorpio and Bagwell is noticeable. He seems genuinely surprised by the aerial maneuvers of the future Flash Funk, which one can either regard as cute or unprofessional. I rated their Starrcade bout a solid 3-out-of-5 but won’t do the same here as I’m not sure they really “upped the ante” at all, something I look for when watching a series of contests involving the same combatants. (2.5/5)

We join Ron Simmons vs. Ice Train after a quick commercial break. At this point, the teacher, Ron Simmons, had turned heel on his student, Ice Train. The best thing to say about this match is that its short and the right man wins. (1/5)

“Mean” Gene Okerlund welcomes us back from a commercial break, plugging the hotline like only he could. He is joined by Steve Austin, dressed as Colonel Parker, and Colonel Parker, dressed in wrestling gear for his match with Brian Pillman. Austin says some funny sounding lines, Parker talks some gibberish, and they leave. Instead of cutting back to in-ring action, Gene presents WCW’s new Commissioner…Nick Bockwinkel.

Gordon Solie is at the desk for our next bout – a Television Championship bout between Dustin Rhodes and Steven Regal. Hearing Solie and Heenan with each other is interesting enough to help this match's score, but Rhodes and Regal also do nice work. Regal, in particular, is very fun to watch at this point in his career – his selling features just the right amount of exaggeration to be engaging without being comical and his offense is as crisp as ever. While both men work hard to put a twist into the final minutes, it is an unfortunate, repetitive finish that had been used multiple times in similar bouts over th previous few year. (3/5)

The Nasty Boys vs. Maxx Payne and Cactus Jack is next. It surprises me how long Missy Hyatt has served as the Nastys’ valet – I really thought she was out of WCW by now. Thankfully, Gordon Solie stays on commentary for what is a “Pier 6 brawl” from the very start. Payne sloppily reverses a Jerry Sags cross-body early on, but the real “oh my god” moment is when Sags retaliates by leveling the big man with a nasty looking chairshot to the back of the head. It is gruesome and probably should’ve ended the match, but the brawl continues for several minutes more, both sides leveling eachother with clotheslines and forearms. While not a masterpiece by any means, the fact that Payne was able to finish the match at all is worth serious respect. (3.5/5)

Brian Pillman takes on Colonel Robert Parker (with Stunning Steve) next, the stipulation being that the loser will have to wear a chicken costume later on…that week…instead of on the actual show. Oh, WCW. Parker actually looks perfectly capable as a wrestler here, which works against the idea that he is afraid of facing Pillman at all (Parker actually outsizes him considerably). The Boss makes an appearance to even the sides and things get a little predictable, though there is an excellent false finish that is so well-executed it will briefly make you wonder if WCW would bungle the tried-and-true narrative. Not a complete travesty of a match, but certainly nothing to go out of your way to see. (2/5)

It is main event time – Rick Rude and Vader vs. Ric Flair and Sting in an Elimination Rules match. I spent lots of time reviewing Rick Rude’s fall from grace in 1993, but by the end of the year, I still believed he could hold up his end in multi-man match. This match proves I was right. The Vader/Flair and Vader/Sting segments are excellent and Rude, aside from a lengthy and boring chinlock stretch, looks better here than he has in months. He bumps big for the Stinger and does enough character work that he looks like his old self at times. The finishing sequence is cut at a brisk pace and worked for me too. Overall, a really enjoyable match-up that delivered what it was designed to deliver, specifically concerning SuperBrawl’s main event. (4/5)

6 matches with an average score of 2.67-out-of-5 means this card can be summed up in one word – inessential. The main event is fun and the fact that this show feature's the debut of Bobby Heenan makes it somewhat historical, but the matches themselves are mostly fluff. The low point is Simmons/Ice Train, but it is kept mercifully short. The Nasty Boys/Jack & Payne match isn’t too noteworthy outside of the heinous chairshot that Sags delivers to Payne and only serves as a teaser to what these two teams would do to eachother later this year. Similarly, the main event is an “amouse bouche” of sorts for Flair vs. Vader at SuperBrawl the next month. Taken as a whole, the show isn’t too much of a chore to get through, especially compared to some of the shows in 93’, but it also wouldn’t (and shouldn't) make anyone’s list of “required viewing.” 

FINAL RATING – High Risk Maneuver