WELCOME TO ROCK STAR GARY REFLECTIONS!

WCW Clash of the Champions XXV

Live from St. Petersburg, FL

Airdate: November 10, 1993

Attendance: 6,000 (1,700 paid)

WCW newcomer “Mean” Gene Okerlund welcomes us to the show. Call the hotline to vote for the manager of year:

  1. Sir William (Lord Steven Regal)
  2. Missy Hyatt (Nasty Boys)
  3. Harley Race (Vader)
  4. Teddy Long (Marcus Alexander Bagwell & Too Cold Scorpio)

Gene throws it over to our hosts Tony Schiavone and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Match 1 for the WCW International World title: “Ravishing” Rick Rude (champion) versus Road Warrior Hawk

Highlights:

Rating: *

Summary: Obviously Rude retains his title. What was the point of that match? Since Hawk had no credibility as a singles wrestler it was obvious he wasn’t going to take this one, but the DCOR finish is just obnoxiously terrible. Let’s hope the next match has a better outcome.

Match 2: The Equalizer versus the Shockmaster

Highlights:

Rating: DUD

Summary: Friends of Dusty, or in the case family, get a slot on the big shows. In spite of Jesse’s making fun of him on commentary the Shockmaster continues to win. Thus far this show isn’t looking good.

Okerlund interviews Colonel Rob Parker. Parker states that he dropped Sid Vicious as a client and obtained the services of…”Stunning” Steve Austin. Meanwhile he claims that he also has a restraining order against Sid so he won’t be here tonight. Considering Sid may have still been recovering from the stab wounds and under suspension from WCW he wouldn’t be able to make even a token appearance. More later on this situation.

Match 3 for the World Television title: Lord Steven Regal (champion w/ Sir William) versus Johnny B. Badd

Highlights:

Rating: ***

Summary: Since this match went at Badd’s pace rather than Regal’s I enjoyed this match much more than I expected. I can only hope that this match is the only one with a distraction finish.

Match 4: “Flyin’” Brian Pillman versus “Stunning” Steve Austin (w/ Colonel Rob Parker)

Highlights:

Rating: ****1/2

Summary: Wow! I could watch these guys wrestle each other all night. Had the match been longer (7:44) it could have reached five stars. These two should have had a rematch at Starrcade.

After the match Pillman knocks Austin to the floor and corners Parker. Much to his chagrin Parker escaped without a scratch.

Okerlund is in the WCW Battlebowl Control Center. Forty names of the top WCW competitors are thrown into a “hopper.” Thirty-two names are selected at random for eight tag team matches. Afterwards each winning team competes singularly in an over-the-top-rope battle royal to determine the winner. To entice our desire to buy the PPV Paul Orndorff cuts a promo followed by 1991 Battlebowl winner Sting.

Match 5 for the US title: “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes (champion w/ “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes) versus “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (w/ the Assassin)

Highlights:

Rating: **

Summary: Very pedestrian match between these two wrestlers. The “seconds” didn’t even get involved in the match.

After the match Orndorff clotheslines Rhodes to the floor. Then the Assassin rams Dustin into the ring post. To retaliate, Dusty gives the Assassin a bionic elbow much to the crowd’s delight. He then tosses the Assassin into the ring, hits two more bionic elbows, and threatens to unmask him. Unfortunately for Dusty, Orndorff nails him preventing said unmasking. As Orndorff held Dusty the Assassin wallops Rhodes with the US title belt. Orndorff attempts to piledrive Dusty, but Dustin comes off the ropes with a clothesline scattering the ruthless duo to the floor. The post-match stuff was 10x better than the match!

Okerlund promises us an update on the “British Bulldog’s” challenge for Rude’s title. Call the hotline! Starrcade is scheduled for Monday, December 27.

Match 6 for the World tag team titles: The Nasty Boys (champions w/ Missy Hyatt) versus Sting and “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith

Highlights:

Rating: **1/2

Summary: Typical Nasty Boys match with a pair of quality opponents. Almost all of the excitement in the match happened after the hot tag. Although a match between DBS and Rude was filmed on 11/30 for WCW Saturday Night for the 12/18/93 airing the match would not be shown. In turn DBS was also scheduled to face Rude at Starrcade but he was fired beforehand.

Match 7 for the WCW World title: Vader (champion w/ Harley Race) versus “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (w/ Fifi)

Highlights:

Rating: ****

Summary: Incredible match with a horrible ending. Flair got robbed! Thanks Dusty for that god-awful finish. Hopefully a rematch will be signed. The good news is the crowd was eager or better yet thirsty for a title change.

After the match Colonel Parker and “Stunning” Steve Austin hit the ring to ambush Flair. Vader and Austin try to double-team Flair, but Dustin Rhodes and the Shockmaster come to Flair’s rescue. As the crowd chants “Whoomp, there it is” Okerlund enters the ring. Flair interrupts and challenges Vader and Austin to a tag match with him and Sid on WCW Saturday Night(taped 10/11/93). This match marked the last Sid appearance in WCW until the Great American Bash in 1999.

Conclusion: The Blonds’ match and the main event make this show a must-see. WCW may have been drawing flies at this point in wrestling history, but their product wasn’t the reason behind it. If there was only one thing I would have changed I’d have gotten rid of these finishes.

See you at Battlebowl!

Comments? Suggestions? Send them to me atrsg@rockstargary.com and follow me on Twitter (@rockstargary202).

Custom Search

 

web counter
web counter