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