WCW SuperBrawl V

RATING LEVELS:

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

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

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

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

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

SuperBrawl V - February 1995

Baltimore, Maryland

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Champion, Vader holds the United States Championship, Arn Anderson is the TV Champion, and Harlem Heat are the recognized WCW World Tag Team Champions.

Despite the show starting off mid-match on the WWE Network, Alex Wright vs. Paul Roma still seems 4-5 minutes too long, which has been my knock on pretty much every Alex Wright match I’ve watched. There are distinct moments here when Wright and Roma show a bit of chemistry, but overall, I just don’t care about either guy enough to get pulled into this match – and the live crowd doesn’t seem to either. There’s not even a “Paula” chant when Roma’s tag partner, Mr. Wonderful, shows up. (1/5)

Following this, we get “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan taking on Bunkhouse Buck. This is mostly a straight-up brawl, but Duggan does apply at least a couple arm-bars to give the viewers a little variety. Like the opener, this one longer than it needs to be, with the crowd mostly silent and Duggan doing everything he can to shout them into caring. The finish is decent and the post-match beatdown is effective, though, one does wonder why longtime rival Dustin Rhodes doesn’t make the save considering how much hatred he had towards Colonel Parker’s faction for the majority of 94'. (1/5)

After some words from the Nasty Boys, it is time for a Brother vs. Brother grudge match between Kevin Sullivan and Dave “Evad” Sullivan. Unlike the first two matches on tonight’s show, this one serves storyline purpose as Kevin and Dave had been feuding for months. The Butcher is heavily involved on the outside, which adds some drama to the proceedings, but its not as if the crowd is really coming alive for anything here. What Dave Sullivan lacks are the “little things” that would’ve made his character nuanced and believable, the types of comedy notes that Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore infused in his character (offensive as it was) that made him somewhat tolerable. Dave Sullivan is just a bad wrestler in a bad gimmick. Fortunately, this match doesn’t run too long, though the Butcher milks his role in the finish to a ridiculous degree. (1.5/5)

The WCW World Tag Team Championships are on the line next – Harlem Heat vs. The Nasty Boys. The Nasties have the advantage early on, putting a hurting on the heels, but what is most noticeable about this match compared to their previous bouts is the confidence that Booker and Stevie have in their roles. Having been in the company for awhile now, their work is sharper, more physical, and less apprehensive, particularly for Stevie Ray. Personally, I’ve always felt the Nasties worked far better as heels, and this match doesn’t change my mind, but the Heat do a nice job with their villainy, aided in no small part by their manager, Sister Sherri. When Booker applies a headlock at the midpoint, there is a noticeable lull in the crowd’s excitement, but it’s a well-earned and properly positioned resthold – one that helps build tension and get over how competitive this title match has been rather than bore the audience to tears. Meanwhile, as Sags plays face-in-peril, Knobbs works on the apron to get the crowd to root on, a little thing that makes a big difference in building up to the eventual hot tag. With a contested finish that demands a rematch, this was the match of the night so far. (2.5/5)

The Blacktop Bully vs. Dustin Rhodes is next, the latest continuation of Rhodes’ feud with Colonel Parker. After some postponing by the heels, the match kicks off and it is a considerably more even (and longer) affair than I predicted it would be. There are some noticeable miscommunications, but the crowd is ngaged throughout and Rhodes shows some pep in his offense and selling, enough so that this match slips below average due more to length than performance. To his credit, the Bully keeps up with the youngster as best he could – by this point in his career, Barry Darsow was years removed from his Demolition days and, as Repo Man, was rarely asked to produce 10+ minute matches on TV or PPV. This match doesn't make it seem like a lost opportunity for the WWE. (2/5)

After some promos by Vader and Ric Flair, we get to tonight’s special tag team match – Big Bubba Rogers and the Avalanche vs. Sting and Randy Savage. A match like this is important to watch in context as, on paper, to modern eyes, it would seem like a real bore. At the time, though, this was a fairly hot match, with Savage making his WCW PPV debut and the crowd thoroughly excited about each major spot. In particular, Sting’s Scorpion Death Lock and Stinger Splashes elicit huge responses, but there are also some nice moments when Flair, in the audience, riles up the crowd by taunting the Macho Man. What hurts this match most is that, while the crowd pops at the right moments, the story told is thin and the heels do not come out of it looking very impressive. The imperfect finish and by-the-numbers action keeps this one from leaving a lasting impression. (2/5)

After a series of promos and video clips, it is finally time for our main event – Vader vs. Hulk Hogan for Hogan’s WCW World Championship. Michael Buffer does the intros and the Hulkster gets a pretty sizeable pop from the Baltimore crowd. As Vader no sells him, though, the crowd almost seems to turn on him a bit, marveling and applauding for Vader’s ability to withstand Hogan’s initial offense. Seeing Hogan apply an arm lock is odd, but helps sell the story that Vader is an opponent more dangerous and different than any Hogan has faced before. Unfortunately, this story, sold strongly on commentary by Heenan, is dropped entirely after 4-5 minutes, with Hogan not pulling out any sort of credible offense and Vader working a way less physical, less impressive style than he proved capable of in his matches with Sting and the Big Bossman a year prior. The few stretches where Vader does get to dominate Hogan are the match's high points – a devastating Vader Bomb, a flurry of rights and lefts in the corner, a chokeslam off the ropes all look great. While the finish is inconclusive and anti-climactic, it makes sense and is well executed. Contrary to popular belief, Vader was not “buried” in this match, kicking out of Hogan’s trademark leg drop at 1 and cleanly pinning the Hulkster when the referee was knocked out. Not a great match, but it did have certain moments that were fun. (2.5/5)

With a terrible average match rating of 1.78-out-of-5, SuperBrawl V is the lowest rated show I have reviewed in the dozens and dozens of shows I've watched. To put it in perspective, I enjoyed this show less than Starrcade 94’, which at least a featured a decent Sting/Avalanche match and a show-saving opener between Vader and Jim Duggan. While I wouldn’t call any of the matches on this show as bad as the main event of Starrcade 94’, the majority of this one is dull and instantly forgettable.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville