THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE # 65
FEBRUARY 28, 2003
WCW Best of 1992
After looking at the best of 2002 over the past three articles I decided to go back ten years and look at some of the best WCW matches of 1992. Despite all the obvious flaws, not even Bill Watts, dwindling attendance or continued disorganization behind the scenes prevent WCW from delivering some pretty fun material. The bad matches and angles were really bad, but what was good was generally great and ages pretty well. Sting was still in his prime, and still a very good worker, while Vader began to emerge as one of the truly special workers of the 1990s. Mix in a very solid supporting cast of workers and you get some great matches that hold up well by today's standards.
2/29/92 WCW Light Heavyweight Title: Jushin Liger (c) vs Brian Pillman
Pillman started with an armringer, and Liger flipped out of it. Liger took down Pillman with an armringer and applied a wristlock. Pillman tackled Liger and they had a criss cross, ending when both men threw simultaneous dropkicks. Pillman took Liger down with a drop toehold and applied an armbar. Pillman applied a hammerlock on the mat. Liger landed a couple forearms and whipped Pillman into the corner. Liger charged but Pillman caught him and gave him a headscissors takedown. Pillman dropkicked Liger out of the ring and gave him somewhat of a dropkick through the ropes (Pillman held onto the ropes, kinda like a cross between a dropkick and a baseball slide). Pillman teased a plancha but Liger moved away from him. Liger took Pillman down and worked on his left leg. Pillman countered by hitting Liger across the neck with his leg. Pillman chopped Liger, whipped him into the corner and they had a diagonal criss cross (huh?). Liger jumped off the top rope with a moonsault bodyblock on Pillman for a near fall. Liger dropkicked Pillman out of the ring and faked a dive as Pillman moved. Pillman caught Liger with a kneelift and snapmared him. Pillman applied a kneeling abdominal stretch on the mat and then a headscissors. Liger turned Pillman over and went for a Romero special but Pillman grabbed the ropes. Liger gave Pillman a drop toehold and went for the Romero special but again Pillman reached the ropes. Liger gave Pillman some shoulderblocks in the corner, whipped him into the opposite corner and scored with a running dropkick. Pillman surprised Liger with a crucifix for a near fall. Liger then caught Pillman with a sunset flip for his own near fall. Pillman dropped Liger on his head with a back suplex for a near fall. Pillman chopped Liger and whipped him into the corner but missed a jumping knee and hit the turnbuckle knee-first. Liger kicked Pillman's leg and gave him a kneebreaker. Liger applied a figure 4 leglock. Pillman turned the hold over after a lengthy struggle but both men reached the ropes seconds later. Pillman elbowed Liger but Liger kicked his leg. Liger stomped Pillman's leg and applied a modified half crab with his knee atop Pillman's back. Pillman countered with an enzuguiri with his bad leg. Liger kicked Pillman's leg again. Pillman fought back with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Pillman charged but Liger backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Liger then hit a somersault plancha for a pop. Liger tried to suplex Pillman back into the ring but Pillman blocked it. Pillman rammed Liger's head into the turnbuckle and hit a springboard clothesline. Pillman then suplexed Liger over the top rope to the floor and hit a plancha of his own. Pillman chopped Liger at ringside. Pillman dove off the apron but crashed into the barricade when Liger moved. Liger jumped off the top rope but Pillman dropkicked him in mid-air. Pillman went for a top rope dropkick but Liger dropkicked him in mid-air as well. Both men threw simultaneous spin kicks. Liger chopped Pillman but Pillman caught him in a powerslam for a near fall. Pillman went for a German suplex but Liger countered with a German suplex of his own for a heated near fall. Liger went for a top rope superplex but Pillman countered and dropped Liger to the mat. Pillman hit a flying bodypress for a near fall. Pillman telegraphed a backdrop and Liger powerbombed him for a near fall. Liger went for a powerbomb but Pillman countered with a huracanrana (although the spot was shaky) for a near fall. Liger telegraphed a backdrop and Pillman DDTd him for a near fall. Pillman chopped Liger and missed a clothesline but both men collided with each other on a criss cross. Liger crotched Pillman on the top rope and gave him a top rope superplex for a great near fall. Liger missed a top rope headbutt and Pillman used a rolling bridge cradle for the pin at 17:00 to win the title. The first PPV match for WCW in 1992 was their best, and still impresses the heck out of me 11 years later. Standards for great offense have been raised so much since then, but in 1992 U.S. fans had never seen anything like the incredible work of Jushin Liger, who was probably the top worker in wrestling. They had seen a glimpse of the spectacular work in this match before with Pillman, but Pillman himself stepped up his game here for easily one of the best performances of his career. In other words, while Liger was clearly the better worker, Pillman kept up with him the entire match and didn't need to be carried. Solid work with Liger attacking Pillman's leg during the body. They timed the dives right for a red hot sequence to get the crowd into the match (actually more into it than before as the crowd ate up the earlier work too). By U.S. standards, the last few minutes were off the charts for 1992 with several dramatic near falls. Fans responded to Liger during his entrance like they knew him and what he could do, but popped for his spots in such a way that suggested they couldn't believe some of the things he could do. This was also one of the first times I could recall fans cheering the match itself as much as the participants (USA chants for Pillman, and a pop for his win, but that's the extent of the bias for the most part). Pillman and Liger reached their potential here. ****3/4
2/29/92: Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes vs Steve Austin & Larry Zbyszco (w/Madusa)
I've heard some people praise this match quite a bit, and I remember this as being very good, so I'll look at it here. All 4 men fought at the start. Windham backdropped Zbyszco and threw him out of the ring and onto the ramp. Windham rammed Zbyszco into the barricade with both jumping off the ramp. Rhodes knocked Austin out of the ring with a series of punches. Windham kinda clotheslined Austin back into the ring and flattened Zbyszco on the ramp with a punch. Rhodes gave Austin a backslide for an early near fall. Rhodes gave Austin a bionic elbow and whipped him into the corner but Austin blocked a monkey flip. Austin jumped off the top rope but Rhodes clotheslined him in mid-air. Austin rolled out of the ring but Rhodes threw him back in. Windham jumped off the top rope with a forearm on Austin and dropkicked him. Windham shoved Austin into the heel corner and challenged Zbyszco. Larry gave Windham a savate kick that knocked him to the ramp. Zbyszco went for a piledriver on the ramp but Windham countered with a backdrop. Windham clotheslined Zbyszco on the ramp and gave him another clothesline in the ring for a near fall. Windham gave Zbyszco a series of punches and DDTd him. Windham and Rhodes backdropped Zbyszco. Rhodes rammed Zbyszco's arm into the turnbuckle and landed some punches. Rhodes took down Zbyszco with an armringer and repeatedly kneedropped and punched his arm. Zbyszco punched Rhodes but Rhodes kneed him and rammed him into the turnbuckle. Rhodes whipped Larry into a punch from Windham. Windham gut wrench suplexed Zbyszco for a near fall. Zbyszco blocked a piledriver and Austin clotheslined Windham. Zbyszco threw Windham over the top rope behind the ref's back and Austin jumped off the apron with an axhandle. Austin rammed Windham into the barricade and Zbyszco atomic dropped him on the barricade. Back in the ring Austin clotheslined Windham and suplexed him for a near fall. Windham landed some punches on Austin but missed a clothesline and sailed over the top rope. Zbyszco rammed Windham into the barricade and punched him. Zbyszco gave Windham a boot scrape and a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Zbyszco slammed Windham and rammed him into Austin's knee. Austin back suplexed Windham for a near fall. Austin snapmared Windham and applied a chinlock. Windham countered with a back suplex. Zbyszco kicked Windham and applied a sleeper. Windham gave Zbyszco a jawbreaker to counter and punched him. Zbyszco kicked Windham but Windham punched him again. They had a criss cross and collided with each other. Rhodes made the hot tag attacking both opponents with punches. Rhodes atomic dropped Austin and dropkicked him. Rhodes snapmared Austin and elbowsmashed him for a near fall. Rhodes clotheslined Austin for a near fall. Zbyszco intervened but Windham attacked him. Rhodes blocked a rollup but Austin knocked him for a loop with a clothesline. Austin whipped Rhodes hard into the corner. Zbyszco snapmared Rhodes and gave him a boot scrape. Zbyszco gave Rhodes a neckbreaker for a near fall and rammed him into the corner. Rhodes fought back with some chops and punches but telegraphed a backdrop and Zbyszco DDTd him for a near fall. Zbyszco then telegraphed a backdrop and Rhodes kicked him. Rhodes confronted Madusa on the ramp but Austin took him out with a clothesline. Austin threw Rhodes back into the ring and choked him in the ropes. Austin pounced on Rhodes in the ropes and gained a near fall. Austin applied a chinlock on Rhodes. Rhodes escaped with elbows but Austin raked his eyes. Austin twice missed clotheslines and Rhodes gave him a cross bodyblock for a near fall. Austin knocked Rhodes for a loop again with a clothesline. Zbyszco stomped Rhodes and gave him a backbreaker for a near fall. Zbyszco went for a suplex but Rhodes countered with a suplex of his own. Rhodes landed some punches but Zbyszco gave him a drop toehold and tagged Austin. Austin punched Windham and Windham entered the ring, distracting the ref. Rhodes rolled up Austin for a delayed near fall as the ref was distracted. Austin applied a chinlock on Rhodes and used the ropes for leverage. Rhodes ducked a clothesline and gave Austin his own stun gun (although Austin barely hit the top rope). Windham tagged in and attacked Zbyszco with punches. Windham punched Austin and clotheslined Zbyszco for a near fall. Rhodes fought with Austin outside the ring. Windham went for a superplex but Zbyszco pushed him to the mat. Rhodes knocked Zbyszco off the top rope to the mat. Windham gave Zbyszco a top rope clothesline for the pin at 18:22. I haven't watched this match in probably at least 8 years, but it's even better than I remembered. Super work for the most part, with all 4 men working hard. Zbyszco did virtually no stalling and showed he could have a good match when he wanted to. Windham continued to prove he was an outstanding worker while Rhodes was quite the hot young worker at the time. Actually, Rhodes in 1991-1992 was a far better worker than at any time he's been Goldust in WWF/WWE. Austin was his usual very good self. This match was so great because except for the then-obligatory chinlock spots to set up the hot tags, the match kept moving at a very solid pace. Also, I dug the two hot tags instead of using one (see my review of Edge/Rey-Benoit/Angle No Mercy), thus adding a few more twists and turns to an already strong match. Envision these 4 circa 1992, with Zbyszco past his prime but still capable of solid work, and the other three being at or near their working peak, and think of the match they would be capable of having. This was that match. Old school work with a modern work ethic. A high-end ****1/4
5/17/92 War Games: Sting, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes vs Rick Rude,
Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszco & Bobby Eaton (w/Paul E Dangerously & Madusa)
Windham and Austin began the match. Windham dominated an early slugfest and tackled Austin on a criss cross. In another criss cross Austin tried to send Windham via his momentum into the cage but Windham held his hands up to stop himself. Windham pounded and slammed Austin but missed an elbowsmash. Austin punched Windham and rammed him into the turnbuckle, then gave him shoulderblocks in the corner. Windham raked Austin's eyes and went for a piledriver but Austin backdropped him. Austin missed an elbowsmash. Windham dumped Austin over the top rope in between rings, entered the other ring and rammed Austin into the cage. Windham DDTd Austin. Austin prevented his face from being grinded into the cage but Windham continued to pound him. Austin clotheslined Windham over the top rope between rings. In a neat spot, Austin did kinda a running Cactus clothesline sending both men into the opposite ring. Austin hung onto the cage roof and tried to kick Windham but missed. Windham dumped Austin to the mat, punched him and rammed him into the cage twice on opposite sides of the ring. Windham grinded Austin's face into the cage and punched him as Austin began to bleed. Windham bit Austin's bleeding head. Austin fought back but telegraphed a backdrop and Windham kicked him. Windham kneelifted Austin as the first period came to an end at 5:00. The Dangerous Alliance (heels) won and sent in Rude. Rude attacked Windham with punches and kneelifts while showing great intensity. Windham responded with punches but Rude raked his eyes. Windham landed more punches but Rude repeatedly shoulderblocked him in the corner. Rude couldn't ram Windham into the cage but Austin attacked Windham from behind. Austin gave Windham a second rope clothesline and both heels rammed Windham into the cage twice. Both heels pounded Windham as the second period ended. Steamboat entered next and unleashed an intense attack on both heels. Steamboat attacked Rude and Austin with chops and punches and rammed both into the cage. Steamboat gave both heels DDTs. He chopped Austin and repeatedly rammed Rude into the turnbuckle. Austin attacked Steamboat but Steamboat avoided a corner splash. Steamboat grabbed the top of the cage and kicked Austin. Steamboat then mounted Rude's shoulders and gave him a frankensteiner before landing punches. Windham finally recovered and attacked Austin. Rude fought back against Steamboat but both faces then pounded him. Windham attacked Austin with punches as Rude got the better of Steamboat. Anderson entered the cage next. He gave Windham a kneelift and DDTd him. Anderson raced to the other ring and attacked Steamboat. He gave Steamboat a spinebuster and applied a Boston crab. Rude then grabbed one leg to make it a double crab. Windham intervened with punches on Rude and Anderson but fell victim to double teaming. Steamboat gave Austin a couple chops but Rude attacked him. Rude piledrove Steamboat and threw him over both top ropes clear into the second ring. Rude missed a clothesline and he and Steamboat clotheslined each other. Rhodes entered next and went after Anderson. Anderson whipped Rhodes into the corner but ran into a knee. Rhodes kicked Anderson and gave him a couple bionic elbows. Rhodes punched Austin, lifted and rammed him head first into the top of the cage (this I don't think was intentional but it worked!) and gave him an atomic drop. Rhodes clothesined Austin and Anderson. Steamboat applied a Boston crab on Rude. Rhodes and Windham dominated Austin and Anderson. Rhodes caught Austin on the middle rope and gave him an electric chair slam. Windham held Anderson upside down with his head caught in between the rings in another cool spot. Steamboat held a figure 4 leglock on Rude as the faces continued to dominate the match. Zbyszco entered next but Rhodes attacked him with great intensity. Madusa climbed to the cage roof and dropped Paul E's phone into the ring. Sting climbed the cage to confront Madusa, and she backed off quickly. Anderson attacked Steamboat with the phone. Rude raked Steamboat's face as Austin slammed Windham in the other ring. Rude applied a chinlock on Steamboat. Zbyszco rammed Rhodes into the cage and Anderson rammed Windham into the cage. Rude applied a sleeper on Steamboat. Sting entered to a big pop and attacked Anderson with kicks. Sting bulldogged Anderson and gave Rude a jawbreaker. Sting repeatedly press slammed Rude into the top of the cage. Sting rammed Anderson into the cage and sorta backdropped Austin into the cage with Austin taking a spectacular bump. I think it was supposed to be a stun gun type move but there was enough momentum for Austin to fall between the ropes and the cage while hitting the cage in the process. Sting rammed a bloody Anderson into the cage and grinded his face into the mesh. Steamboat threw Rude over the top rope between the rings. Rhodes missed a clothesline and Austin knocked him for a loop with a clothesline of his own. Zbyszco and Windham hit simultaneous punches as Sting and Steamboat hung Rude upside down with his head between the rings. Zbyszco rammed Windham into the cage. Eaton entered the cage and rammed Steamboat into the cage. Rhodes booted Austin. Eaton attacked Steamboat and Windham and rammed Windham into the cage. Rude held a chinlock on Sting but Steamboat intervened with a clothesline. Zbyszco began to loosen the turnbuckle, which would factor into the finish later on. Sting went after Rude. Windham applied a figure 4 leglock on Anderson. Zbyszco kinda rammed Steamboat into the cage but Steamboat responded with a chop. Steamboat pounded Zbyszco as the pace seemed to slow down a bit. Anderson stomped and choked Sting as Windham rammed Austin into the turnbuckle. Koloff entered the match to begin the "match beyond" period. Koloff rammed Anderson into the cage, then pulled Sting up in a gesture of friendship. Koloff shoved Sting out of the way as Austin and Anderson attacked him. Sting and Koloff clotheslines Austin and Anderson, then embraced. Sting attacked Austin while Koloff attacked Anderson. Rhodes gave Zbyszco a high kick. Sting gave Anderson a stinger splash and applied a scorpion deathlock. Eaton intervened and hit Sting. Eaton grabbed the turnbuckle bolt that had come loose. Rhodes applied a figure 4 leglock on Zbyszco. Koloff repeatedly rammed Austin into the turnbuckle and went after Rude. Rhodes slammed Austin but missed a top rope elbowsmash. Steamboat applied a sleeper on Rude. Zbyszco grabbed the turnbuckle bolt and went to hit Sting but Sting moved and Zbyszco hit Eaton with it. Sting then applied an armbar on Eaton and made him submit at 23:27. It's a crying shame the Dangerous Alliance lost much of its value after this match, because they had turned into a fantastic heel group in the six months leading to this match. Not Four Horsemen material, but not far off. The faces weren't as solid a team unit, but all shared a common foe and complemented each other well. The beauty of this match was that several storylines were leading into it. First, this was to be the Dangerous Alliance's defining moment. Of course it was in a sense, and not the way they had intended it. Sting was returning from a layoff after being "injured" by Vader (see later matches in this article!). Steamboat sought revenge for Rude breaking his nose. Windham still hated Zbyszco. Rhodes and especially Windham by this point had some great matches with Austin. And there was Koloff, who was making his return: could he be trusted, and would he be effective? Those questions were answered, and the match accomplished quite a bit as a blowoff to the feuds. The match itself has to rate as the best war games match ever, and technically better than the original 7/4/87 classic. Windham and Austin proved to be the right choices to start with as they had an intensity-filled, yet well-paced opening period. Most of the entrances, with the exception of Zbyszco, were quite dramatic and intense with the fresh workers attacking their foes out of the gate. In particular, the face entrances and comebacks had great heat. The use of the two-ring setup was near-perfect. They knew exactly how to spread the action into both rings, when to concentrate on one ring, and how to use the two ring setup for some creative spots. Action-wise this match was great and given the cage setup, this match was probably nearly as action-packed as a similar match you might see today with an equally-strong cast of workers. I'd say the only flaw, perhaps, was the finish, as something about it seemed anti-climactic. I'd say had Rude or Eaton, or maybe Anderson screwed up instead of Zbyszco, it would have been more effective and interesting. That said, it was a fairly minor flaw in a match with such significant strengths. Sometimes you'll hear people say it's a shame WWE doesn't do something like a war games match, but even with the likes of Angle, Benoit, Guerrero etc I don't think they could duplicate the magic of this match. This is one of those matches that doesn't age at all with repeated viewings. ****1/2
6/20/92 WCW Title Falls Count Anywhere: Sting (c) vs Cactus Jack
Sting met Cactus on the entrance ramp where they fought at the bell. Sting countered a hiptoss and gave Cactus a backslide on the ramp for a near fall. Sting landed some kicks and a punch. Sting whipped Cactus into the ropes and backdropped him on the ramp. Sting bulldogged Cactus on the ramp for a near fall. Sting ran down the ramp but missed a stinger splash and crashed into the ramp. Cactus jumped off the apron and elbowsmashed Sting on the floor for a near fall. Cactus gave Sting a neckbreaker on the floor for a near fall. He then sunset flipped Sting from the apron to the floor (!) for a near fall. Sting fought back and rammed Cactus into the barricade three times. Cactus fought back and whipped Sting into the barricade. Cactus charged but Sting backdropped him over the barricade into the crowd. Sting rammed Cactus into the barricade and suplexed him in the crowd for a near fall. Sting whipped Cactus into the barricade and Cactus flew back to ringside. Back in the ring Sting caught Cactus by the leg and spun him around but Cactus clotheslined him. Cactus elbowsmashed Sting and stomped him. Cactus whipped Sting into the corner and corner splashed him. Cactus snapmared Sting and applied a bodyscissors/chinlock combo on the mat. Sting escaped with some elbows and landed some punches but Cactus raked his eyes. Cactus gave Sting his trademark Cactus clothesline with both men crashing to the floor. Cactus whipped Sting into the barricade but ran into a couple kicks. Sting clotheslined Cactus but Cactus hit him with some chairshots. Cactus dragged Sting by his face around the ring but Sting back suplexed him on the floor for a near fall. Cactus punched Sting and fell on top of him for a near fall, but Sting then grabbed his arms and cradled him for a near fall of his own. Sting kicked Cactus and charged but Cactus dumped Sting across the barricade like a stun gun in the corner. Cactus piledrove Sting on the floor but the damage wasn't as great because Cactus's knee gave way. Cactus went for a second rope elbowsmash but missed and crashed onto the floor. Sting landed some punches and slammed Cactus on the ramp. Sting then hit Cactus with some chairshots, including one to his weakened knee. Sting went for a scorpion deathlock on the ramp but Cactus countered and they both tumbled off the ramp to the floor. Cactus gave Sting a double arm DDT on the ramp for a near fall. Sting clotheslined Cactus on the ramp, then gave him a flying clothesline from the top rope to the ramp for the pin at 11:25 to retain the title. This was when Sting was still a damn good worker, maybe even great. He worked hard as usual and kept a hot pace in this match, but it was Cactus who carried the action. Cactus took crazy bump after crazy bump in what he himself considers one of the best performances of his career. Cactus showed why he's considered one of the greatest brawlers in wrestling history. Content-wise, this was great enough to produce a masterpiece, but the match didn't quite reach that level. It seemed to lack one or two dramatic spots or near falls to enhance the closing stretch. Also, the first 6-7 minutes were white hot, and the match actually seemed to lose momentum late, although it was still quite good. Still, this was an excellent match and a must-see for all fans of Cactus Jack as well as for those who haven't seen him before (probably very few of you who read this). ****1/4
7/12/92 WCW Title: Sting (c) vs Big Van Vader (w/Harley Race)
Vader scored early with his trademark clubbing blows in the corner. Vader gave Sting a short clothesline and Sting rolled out of the ring. Vader missed a clothesline, Sting clotheslined him but Vader no-sold it. Sting went for a cross bodyblock but Vader caught him and threw him down to the mat. Vader landed some punches but missed a corner splash. Sting then back suplexed Vader for a pop and clotheslined him. Sting then clotheslined Vader over the top rope to the floor. After a lengthy tease of a test of strength, they locked up. Vader overpowered Sting but Sting quickly escaped and landed some punches. Sting stomped Vader's foot and knocked him down with a punch. Sting dropkicked Vader and gave him an enzuguiri on the apron. Sting then suplexed Vader back into the ring for a near fall. Sting charged but Vader knocked him down. Sting fought back with some high kicks and small packaged Vader for a near fall. Sting went for a sunset flip but Vader countered with a sitdown splash. Vader elbowsmashed Sting twice and gave him a big splash for a near fall. Vader kicked Sting and lifted him by the neck. Vader applied a toehold and then turned it into his own scorpion deathlock. Sting escaped after a lengthy struggle. Vader recovered and floored Sting with a punch. Vader clotheslined Sting and powerslammed him for a near fall. Vader headbutted Sting and raked his eyes. Sting fought back with some punches, ducked a clothesline and gave Vader a koppo kick! Sting gave Vader a great spike DDT. Sting tackled Vader and knocked him through the ropes, but hurt himself as well. Sting caught Vader on the top rope with a kick and Vader collapsed onto the top rope in the corner. Sting punted his gut a few times and gave him an amazing Samoan drop given how long he held Vader on his shoulders (at least 20 seconds) for a pop and a delayed near fall. Vader countered a German suplex with an elbow. Sting applied a headlock, Vader went for a back suplex but Sting flipped out of it. In the process, Sting accidentally kicked the ref. Sting then German suplexed Vader for a near fall. Sting dropkicked Vader and gave him a stinger splash. Sting then hit a stinger splash in the opposite corner but hit his head on the ringpost. After both men sold the damage and Sting began to bleed, Vader gained a dramatic near fall. Sting missed a couple punches and Vader powerbombed him for the pin at 17:21 to win the title. I remember watching this match when it happened and being in absolute shock over the result. I mean, Vader winning wasn't too shocking, just how cleanly and relatively easily he won the title. At the time, I thought he wasn't a deserving champ because he hadn't been a top star in WCW for long, but eventually he grew on me and his great work was undeniable. Vader proved he deserved the push with his work in this match and showed what made him perhaps the greatest superheavyweight worker in wrestling history. Not only could he dish out punishment that looked convincing and brutal, but he could also make his opponents look good by taking a remarkable array of bumps for someone of his size. I might have written before that normally someone like him would lose credibility by taking so many bumps, but he could so quickly reassert his credibility with his offense. As for the match itself, Vader and Sting had stronger chemistry than most people expected and proved to be a worthy feud to go with. Sting provided good work and great intensity, something he was particularly effective at in his prime. As a whole this wasn't their best match because it did contain a couple stretches of stalling or slow action that added nothing to the match itself. However, much of this was fairly early, and once the match got going the work was outstanding. As I watched this match for the first time in years, Sting suplexing and slamming Vader all over the place was just as amazing to me, if not moreso because I now have a greater appreciation of workers like Vader. Excellent match, and a great was to officially kick off what some consider to be the best WCW feud of the 1990s. ****
12/28/92 WCW Tag Team Title: Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs Barry Windham & Brian Pillman
Pillman applied a waistlock but Douglas pushed him off. Pillman backed Douglas into a corner, then chopped and punched him. Pillman hiptossed Douglas but missed a chop and Douglas punched him. Pillman went for a sunset flip but Douglas countered with some punches. Pillman and Douglas traded armringers. Douglas applied a hammerlock but Pillman elbowed him. Pillman chopped Douglas and choked him in the ropes. Pillman missed a clothesline and Douglas dropkicked him (although it looked like little or no connection was made. Pillman rolled to the ramp as Douglas dropkicked Windham. The champs gave Windham a double dropkick and simultaneous punches to the gut. The champs backdropped Windham, who rolled out of the ring. Windham called out Steamboat and Steamboat tagged in. They exchanged blows but Steamboat won out with his punches and chops. Windham ran into a chop and Steamboat suplexed him. Steamboat applied a front facelock and punched Windham. Steamboat snapmared Windham and Douglas gave him a top rope axhandle. Douglas snapmared Windham and applied a chinlock. Windham escaped with a back suplex on Douglas but Douglas fought back with a couple punches. Steamboat kicked, chopped and snapmared Windham. Steamboat gave Windham a rolling neck snap and punched Pillman on the apron. Steamboat punched and chopped Windham, then clotheslined him over the top rope. Steamboat slammed Windham on the floor and Douglas then slammed Windham on the entrance ramp. Steamboat threw Windham over the top rope back into the ring and gave him a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Douglas snapmared Windham and applied a chinlock. Windham countered with a jawbreaker. Pillman gave Douglas a jawbreaker and rammed his face into the mat. Pillman choked Douglas and rammed him into the turnbuckle. Pillman chopped Douglas and whipped him into the corner right into Windham's elbow. Douglas dumped Pillman to the apron and punched him. He dropkicked Pillman and Pillman crashed neck first onto the barricade in quite a bump. Windham distracted Douglas long enough for Pillman to knock him off the top rope to the floor with a dropkick. Douglas took a pretty big bump himself in that spot. Douglas sold his knee and Windham clotheslined him on the floor. Pillman brought Douglas's neck down across the top rope and choked him in the ropes. Windham gave Douglas a top rope forearm to the back and Pillman stomped him. Windham headbutted Douglas and punched him. Douglas landed some punches but Windham kicked him. Windham distracted the ref as Pillman attacked Douglas across the apron. Windham kinda catapulted Douglas neck first into the bottom rope (from underneath the rope, not much room to "catapult"). Pillman landed some chops but Douglas fought back with punches. Pillman gave Douglas a drop toehold and Windham elbowsmashed him. Windham threw Douglas out of the ring and attacked him with punches but Steamboat hit him from behind with a chair. Great hope spot with Douglas inches away from the hot tag but Pillman cut him off with a back suplex for a near fall. Pillman rammed Douglas into Windham's boot twice. Windham came off the top rope and punched Douglas. Windham back suplexed Douglas for a near fall. He elbowed Douglas, who collapsed through the ropes near the ramp. Windham punched Douglas and Pillman caught him with an elbow. Pillman suplexed Douglas and gave him a big splash for a near fall. Pillman hit Steamboat on the apron and Steamboat entered the ring, distracting the ref. The heels double teamed Douglas in their corner and Pillman gained a near fall. Windham kicked Douglas and went for a suplex but Douglas countered with a suplex of his own. Douglas punched Windham and made the hot tag to Steamboat. Steamboat gave both heels dropkicks, chops and slams. Steamboat chopped Windham but Windham caught him with a powerslam. Windham back suplexed Steamboat. Pillman hit Douglas, Douglas came in and the ref was distracted. Pillman threw Steamboat over the top rope behind the ref's back and Windham rammed him into the ringpost. Steamboat fought back and gave Pillman a top rope chop for a near fall. Pillman and Steamboat traded chops. Pillman gave Steamboat a weird tilt-a-whirl headscissors as Steamboat didn't seem to grab him right on the criss cross, but it worked well enough and Pillman gained a near fall. Windham gave Steamboat a top rope forearm smash and kicked him. Windham landed some punches but Steamboat hulked up (pointed the finger!) and fought back with blows of his own. Windham kicked Steamboat but missed a top rope forearm and ran into a superkick. Steamboat gave Windham a facedrop. Pillman tagged in but so did Douglas. Douglas kicked and elbowed Pillman, then slammed both heels. Douglas backdropped Pillman as Steamboat attacked Windham with chops. Steamboat gave Windham a cross bodyblock and both men tumbled over the top rope onto the entrance ramp. Pillman chopped Douglas, Douglas whipped Pillman into the corner but ran into a boot. Douglas caught Pillman running the ropes and belly to belly suplexed him for the pin at 20:05 to retain the title. This match was an example of how great structuring can enhance very good work. Had this same match happened earlier in 1992, I would have expected a hotter match from everyone except Douglas (who of course didn't join WCW until later in the year). Windham still seemed very good but not quite as athletic and slightly heavier than he did in May. Pillman was still a great worker but seemed to lose some of his workrate as a heel. Steamboat was still his usual great self in this match. Douglas was clearly the weakest worker in this match, twice slowing the match down with chinlocks much earlier than necessary. He wasn't bad, but Douglas was definitely blander than I remember. While individual performances contributed to this match, this was one of the clear cases where the sum of the parts was greater than the whole. That sum can be found in the pacing and structure of the match. This match took its time to build to the hot tags and near falls, yet it never seemed to drag. The body of the match contained many spots just as memorable as the closing stretch if not moreso, yet never seemed to detract from the impact the final few minutes had (unlike Cactus vs Sting). Instead of being in your face with great action, while this match had its share it was more of a "sit back, relax and enjoy" kind of match. Perhaps the greatest strength was the use of the tag team concept, in terms of cutting off the ring, double teaming to draw heat, and the use of hope spots and hot tags. Windham in particular was great at cutting off the ring and giving someone a back suplex or something else while they were mere inches away from making a tag. In that regard, this was a better plotted tag team match than most of the fare we see today, with only the No Mercy tag team title classic standing out as being in a similar league in terms of structure. Where you rate this match depends on how much value the structure carries with you. Personally I enjoyed this match the least out of the matches in this article because it was the least spectacular, but the little things and tag team concept were done to well to be denied. ****1/4
12/28/92 King of Cable Tournament Final: Sting vs Big Van Vader (w/Harley Race)
Vader overpowered Sting early. Sting landed some punches but Vader shrugged them off. Vader caught Sting and slammed him twice. Sting charged but Vader steamrolled through him. Vader press slammed Sting neck first across the top rope. He then press slammed Sting across the top rope on the other side of the ring. Vader landed his clubbing punches but missed a short clothesline and Sting gave him a koppo kick. Sting dropkicked Vader and gave him a released German suplex for a pop. Sting clotheslined Vader and gave him a Cactus clothesline over the top rope to the floor. Sting took out both Vader and Race with a tope. Vader caught Sting with a punch and headbutted him. Vader landed some punches in the corner and whipped Sting into the opposite corner but missed a corner splash. Sting armdragged (!!) Vader and went for a stinger splash but ran into a boot. Vader telegraphed a clothesline and Sting gave him a couple high kicks. Sting DDTd Vader and lifted him onto the top rope. Sting then gave Vader a second rope DDT for a near fall. Sting applied a scorpion deathlock but Vader quickly grabbed the ropes and rolled out of the ring. Sting went for a stinger splash on the floor but Vader moved and Sting crashed hard into the barricade. Vader gave Sting a short clothesline and a corner splash. Vader clotheslined Sting and gained a near fall. Vader landed a couple punches and back suplexed Sting. Vader gave Sting a big splash for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Vader applied an abdominal stretch on the mat and wrenched his neck. Vader gave Sting a short clothesline for a near fall. Sting blocked a second short clothesline and gave Vader a backslide for a near fall. Vader kicked Sting. Sting went for a sunset flip, Vader went to counter with a sitdown splash but Sting moved. Vader landed a couple punches and kicked Sting. He applied a headlock but Sting countered with a back suplex. Vader still gained a near fall and applied a sleeper on Sting. Vader landed some clubbing shots in the corner and kicked Sting. He gave Sting more punches and placed Sting on the top rope. Vader went for a superplex but Sting countered by poking his eyes and punched him down to the mat. Sting then collapsed to the mat himself. Vader continued to pound Sting but Sting told him to bring it on. Sting then began to no-sell Vader's shots and fought back with punches of his own. Sting gave Vader a Samoan drop and a top rope splash for a near fall. Race distracted Sting and Vader corner splashed him. Vader chokeslammed Sting and gave him a second rope splash. Vader jumped off the top rope but Sting powerslammed him in mid-air for the pin at 17:41 to win the tournament. A perfect finish, much more effective that a scorpion deathlock would have been. Sting stole the show within the storyline context by being able to throw Vader around as well as he did, making it appropriate for such a spot to be the finish. A better match than their earlier match, largely building upon that effort. By this time, they had better chemistry with each other. Vader seemed to be particularly sharp this time with his strikes, while other than the late comeback (which was a little overdone in no-selling) Sting's selling of the blows was top-notch. They took their time in getting going, but worked a smarter match early on than their July match. Vader overpowered Sting early with basic moves, but each move had meaning because of the deliberate pace. They also knew exactly when to quicken the pace and bust out the big spots, and did so in such a way to build the match well. Not much more can be said about the greatness of Vader that hasn't already been said. Great work ethic, sharp offense, remarkable mobility for his size, and being a master of both popping the crowd and getting the crowd behind his opponent. This was on a very similar level to their strap match two months later, with the strap match getting a slightly better rating because of how well they worked around that match's limitations. This was just an outstanding match by any standard and another 1992 WCW match that holds up well today. ****1/4
Next Article: Ring of Honor: More Prime Cuts
BACK TO THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA MENU
HOME