WCW Main Event – March 21st, 1993

A variation this week, as I’ve switched for the WWF Sunday show to the WCW Sunday show for a look. Let’s see what we see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5WVVG3xo7o

Hosted by Michael Hayes on location from West Palm Beach for baseball spring training, Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko on commentary for the arena matches.

Michael starts off with Terry Pendleton, trying to generate enough charisma for the two of them because Terry’s very quiet and of the “Yeah, you’re right!” variety of answers.

Z-Man and Johnny Gunn vs. Bob Cook and Rip Rogers

Didn’t catch the ring announcer’s name, but he’s very much like wrestler/ring announcer Billy Anderson as far as cadence. For a babyface team, Zenk and Gunn don’t even have matching black jackets or neon trunks, showing how invested each was in this run. Match barely starts before we’re mentioning Cook’s awesome right hand, which he fires off as soon as possible on Gunn. Float over on a charge and Gunn is armdragging and hip tossing both him and Rogers, who stays in without a tag before being exited. Zenk and Rogers in properly. Gunn dropkick sets up a Zenk bodyblock for two. The heels catch Zenk in the corner with kicks and punches, but Cook misses an elbow. Gunn in, but he gets kicked himself. Cook gets a kneedrop on him and a double back body drop that Gunn just about gets up for. Floatover suplex from Cook. I’m sure if he didn’t look so normal that he would’ve gotten a more sustained push. Rogers and Gunn smack heads, allowing Zenk in. He and Gunn try something and are run into one another, with a really confusing-looking finishing sequence that sees Zenk small package Rogers for the win at the same time as Gunn hitting a Thesz press on Cook and looking over as if to ask “What about me?”. “I have no idea what’s going on here… it’s over.”, says Tony, burying it. Match was palatable, but they tried to do something they didn’t have mastered at the end.

Commercials!

Miracle-Ear has made a difference for dog trainer Richard Simmet! He can now hear the judges giving instructions. I wonder what they had to do to point out to him that his Doberman was shitting before!

Baby-Ruth! If it didn’t look so funky then it wouldn’t taste so fine! With all the nuts in it, it’s going to come out looking like that anyway!

McDonald’s! Get an NBA Fantasy Pack with an extra value meal or for 59 cents with any other meal! This is quite interesting to me, because it wasn’t until years later that I realised you could buy the toy separately!

Bridget Fonda says “That was my last job! I’m through, I’m out!”. That could summarise her career as the lead of a movie, but this is a trailer for Point of No Return! Came second in the week of release to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III!

This is unbelievable! In the WCW Magazine, April edition, Rick Rude talks candidly about SEX, jealousy and desire! Needless to say, his fellow cover star, Madusa, is no longer with the company, so her side may not be given!

Erik Watts vs. Rob Morgan

I should add that this match and the opener both started with both guys in the ring, no music, just to show how dry the approach was. Morgan gets a quick shot in, so Erik kneelifts him out of action. Watts works over the arm, which makes no sense when your finisher is the STF, to the point you’ve got those letters down your leg. The revolt over Erik’s push under the auspices of his dad being in control when he debuted is obvious, but he needed something else as well. Maybe if he’d been more of a specimen, instead of a lanky guy, might’ve helped. STF gets the submission after a flying forearm.

Maxx Payne vs. The Italian Stallion

I always thought Payne had something and he looked like he should be on the cover of a Sandman comic, but nobody REALLY got behind him other than a few pushes such as in 1994 against the Nasty Boys. By the time he was done in the WWF he’d burned his bridges taping the boys all pilled up out of their minds. It was established he was a tremendous amateur, so it’s pretty clean to start, although Stallion fires off more shots to spruce it up. Payne responds with an elbow and belly-to-belly for two each. Stallion comes out of a rear chinlock and hits two clotheslines, then ducks under a Payne one and folds over Payne with a belly-to-back for his own two. Try at a German, reversed by Payne for two. Payne goes for a swing, Stallion blocks it, then goes for a left and gets taken down with the Payne Killer (armbar) for the submission. Really sweet sequence towards the end, with Stallion getting a nice volley going. After the match, Payne targets Ric Flair as a future opponent. Aim high, settle for less.

Commercials!

T-Plus! Load Hugger! The Flintstones Trading Cards!

1993 Fleer All Star Game! I’m told that even in 2023 trading cards are still a thing, which you think would be defunct in this digital age!

Castrol GTX! Inside your car is a torture chamber!

McDonald’s! A showdown between you and Michael Jordan!

The WCW Wrestling Hotline! Pin the champ! You’re one ring away from the ring!

X-Men! On the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive if you’re from where I’m from)! Who knew you could fly on the back of Sauron?!

WELCO
METOT
HENEX
TLEVEL

Mentos! The Freshmaker! Sounds like an X-Men character!

Colt 45! The ladies get it! No doubt!

7:05pm on Monday ET! The Wackiest Ship in the Army! Because who wouldn’t want to watch a crappy old movie on a Monday night?!

Michael Hayes is with Ron Gant of the Braves, who contributed to wrestling history by meeting his buddy Raven in a bar and introducing his then-girlfriend to him, who would become Beulah McGillicutty in WCW.

Vinnie Vegas and Big Sky vs. J.B. Stryker and Terry Travis

Larry: “If I didn’t know any better and they’d blown up the Twin Towers, I’d swear they’d just walked in here!” Yeah, about that… Vinnie is just killing time at this point, waiting for a call to go to the WWF for the push of his career as Diesel. Sky is Tyler Mane, who links us back to X-Men as he was Sabretooth. Double chokeslam from the giants, but it’s not that impressive as the chokeslam wasn’t even really a named move at this point. Sky does a unique atomic drop on Stryker, not putting his knee out and just letting him land on his arse. For some reason he’s got what looks like a chameleon on his tights. Vegas with a neck vice. It’s interesting to see him using some of what he took with him to the WWF before the likes of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon schooled him on what to do and when. Sky comes in and finishes Stryker with a Samoan drop.

Steve Regal vs. Johnny B. Badd

This is a quarter final match in the Mr. Wrestling II Conference of the TV title championship, meaning that it took fifteen matches to decide a new champion (Paul Orndorff) after Scott Steiner vacated the title four or five months prior after leaving the promotion after a blowup with Bill Watts. Not that the belt had totally lost its lustre at this point, but it’s almost a case of wondering why wait so long to revive something that had become dormant. These two would actually battle for it and exchange it a year or so later, when Regal had been reinvented for his career as Lord Steven Regal. Here, he’s just a bland British babyface. Handshake to start. Regal’s healthy enough to be able to kip up out of a armbar and takes his own. Johnny tries to headscissor out of it, but it’s the old THQ reversal of just standing straight and slamming out of it. Really soft European uppercut from Regal, then he walks himself into a backslide for two. A few scowls between the two to heat it up a bit as some girl just starts screaming and even Larry comments on it and gets annoyed with her. A slightly stiffer uppercut sends Johnny spinning for two. Johnny gets a dropkick as screamer keeps it up. Irish whip with Johnny assuming the monkey flip position. Regal squats down to pin him there, but Badd rolls him forward into a cradle for the win. Regal slaps the match in frustration, but no heel turn… yet.

Commercials!

Pepto Diarrhoea Control! So you don’t have to leave the cinema during a movie with a smelly arse!

Dave Johnson! Pert Plus! Be an athlete with great hair! Never really heard pert used as an adjective to describe hair, more arses and tits!

Fleer! A game in every pack!

Alka Seltzer! Feel better faster!

1-800-FLOWERS! It’s a bad advert and they’re aware of it!

Tonight on TBS! The White Buffalo and The Danube Rediscovered! And you wonder why Ted Turner put his loyalty into wrestling?!

One Lube! Murine Ear Wax Removal System! T2: The Arcade Game!

P.S. one more time with the Braves promotes that the show will be from London next week, then throws us to the final segment…

Eric Bischoff sits down to speak to Ric Flair. Five years later this would be a very different conversation. Flair came back as a babyface this time, so he’s using his sincere “Yes, sir” voice. He reflects on trying to strap the belt around Barry Windham’s waist at Superbrawl, which pissed Barry off. Barry as NWA champion at this point was far too late, same as when Lex Luger eventually won the WCW title too. Ric talks up the competition and promises Missy Hyatt, who’s been pursuing him for an interview, will get her turn eventually. I think she might be one of the few who had to wait to jump on Space Mountain.

And that’s the show!

“The Greatest…” and “Because WCW…”: When I’ve previously reviewed WCW from this era I’ve used a scale that goes from “The Greatest…”, matching Tony’s regular hyperbole to represent the best part of the show, and “Because WCW…”, to represent the part they fucked up. I’ll go with the surprisingly good Maxx Payne match, with Stallion more than keeping up his end of the bargain, as the best part and the end of the opening tag team match, which became a Chinese fire drill and fell flat.