WCW WrestleWar 92'

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig Level – A “GOAT” show, from top to bottom

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

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 2-3 great matches, but lots of filler

High Risk Manuever – All filler, one thriller

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities

WRESTLEWAR 92’ – May 1992

Jacksonville, Florida 

CHAMPIONSHIP BACKGROUNDS: The team of Terry Taylor and Greg Valentine were holding the US Tag Team Championship going into this, while the Steiner Brothers were the World Tag Team Champions. On the singles sides of things, Barry Windham was the TV Champion (but not for long), Rick Rude was the United States Champion, and Sting was in the midst of his second NWA/WCW World Championship reign.

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Jesse “The Body” Ventura

Our opening contest is the Fabulous Freebirds taking on the United States Tag Team Champions, “The Taylor Made Man” Terry Taylor and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. I thought the Freebirds had retired by now, but not only is that not the case, they actually looked pretty good here. With a strong finish that the fans were clamoring for, this is a fine, if unremarkable, opener. (3/5)

“Young Pistol” Tracy Smothers is up next, taking on Johnny B. Badd, who began as a heel, but is by this point a babyface. Smothers plays against type a little here, not exactly a heel, but certainly letting Badd fight from underneath. There’s nothing too special to see in this match unless you’re a Tracy Smothers fanatic (as I kind of am). (1.5/5)

Marcus Bagwell (not yet “Buff”) takes on Scotty Flamingo (not yet “Raven”) next. The commentators play up how important this match is in determining who will challenge for the Light Heavyweight Championship. Critics give neither man much credit these days for their in-ring ability and there are definitely some awkward moments where the action slows down when it should be speeding up, but it still makes for an interesting match in terms of looking where these two guys were in 1992 and where they'd end up a years down the road. (2/5)

Junkyard Dog and Ron Simmons go up against Cactus Jack and Mr. Hughes in our fourth contest. Before things get started, we get a recap of Abdullah the Butcher and Jack attacking Ron Simmons at SuperBrawl II. Jack attacks JYD on the walkway before the bell, connecting with an elbow to the floor that the Thumper sells like a gunshot. Strong character work from Cactus in the ring as JYD is carried out of the match. Simmons does come back to fight and, for whatever reason, it becomes a 1-on-1 contest between him and Hughes. Quick thought about Hughes – how did he keep those sunglasses on? Also, what of Hughes’ weight loss 7 years later? When the 375-pound Hughes came back to WWE in 99’, he was comparatively svelte, and while this hurt his aura, it could only have lengthened his lifespan. I wouldn’t mind seeing him next time the WWE runs an Old School RAW. (2/5)

The Super Invader, with Harley Race, is up against Todd Champion next. Uh-oh. I can see the logic in putting the former “Hercules” Hernandez under a mask as, by this time, we’d seen Hercules lose in every major feud he’d been in and had zero credibility but, giving the 270-pound Floridian the gimmick of a pseudo-ninja from Bangkok was an awful idea. He also looks way less impressive as a powerhouse with most of his physique, his major selling point in the WWE, covered in a garish costume. To make matters worse, instead of him destroying a good bumper, he’s put in the ring with a very vanilla, awkward, green worker like Champion. Awful, awful stuff here. (0/5)

Big Josh vs. Ricky Morton is interesting, only because it reminded me that Morton was a heel at the end of this WCW run. He still dresses like the babyface Rock n’ Roll Expresser, though, and despite this match being quite good in terms of workrate and technicality, the fans just don’t care at all. Who can blame them, though, with these two gimmicks? The former Matt Borne deserved better. (1.5/5)

Brian Pillman vs. “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk is next and it does not disappoint. While both guys are faces going in, Zenk almost teases a heel turn and, while he never sinks to the point of cheating, he does try to take a few “shortcuts” to defeat his former tag partner. From a storytelling perspective, it is pretty masterful. This is also one of those matches that really shows just how good Pillman was, even back then, and how Zenk, in the right gimmick or if he hadn’t burned bridges with the WWE, could’ve had a much bigger career. I’ve read in others' reviews that this Zenk’s greatest match and I wouldn’t doubt it. Certainly recommended viewing. (4/5)

From here we go to one of the stiffest and most controversial matches of that year, The Steiner Brothers taking on Tatsumi Fujinami and Takayuki Iizuka. I say “controversial” because there are differing opinions on the merit of this contest – with famed wrestling reporter Keith Mitchell once taking the Steiners to task for the unprofessionalism on display from almost the first minute. Basically, the Steiners absolutely destroy Iizuka and fail to protect him even after it is obvious he has been knocked loopy. Similarly, Fujinami takes his fair share of shots that look brutal, to the point that he may have suffered a concussion. At the time, the Steiners were famous for their reckless in-ring behavior during squash matches, but some took their “performances” as overstepping the line and, in this match, showing blatant disrespect for their Japanese opponents. If you like em’ stiff, this match is for you, but this is also the type of match that a guy like Bret Hart, whose career was ended because of pointlessly stiff work, could justifiably criticize. Definitely worth viewing, regardless of which side of the fence you sit on. Recommended, but only if you can stomach legit brutality. (4/5)

And now we come to our main event – War Games. This match was given a perfect 5-star rating by Dave Meltzer when it happened and, re-watching it years later, you can see why. It almost seems impossible that you WOULDN’T get a masterpiece when you look at the talents in this match: Steve Austin, Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, Bobby Eaton, Dustin Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Sting, Larry Zybysko, and Nikita Koloff, with Paul Dangerously and Madusa on the outside. This match delivers several great moments and big spots while also showcasing the kind of psychology and booking that never veers into “clusterfuck” territory. Justifiably considered as the best War Games match of all time by many, this is an outright classic that could serve as Exhibit A for why a WWE Network subscription is the best money a wrestling fan could ever spend. (5/5)

Looking at the average match rating, we get a near-solid 2.55-out-of-5, but maybe more than any other show I've reviewed, this one is a clear case of an average not telling the whole story. The fact is, not  everything in wrestling is easily quantifiable. While WrestleWar 92’ isn’t worth a full viewing, as the first half of the card is uneven and largely unimpressive, the last three matches are star-studded, must-see classics that pull the whole show up enormously.

FINAL RATING: Watch It All…With Remote In Hand