Wrestle War
February 24, 1991
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The State Patrol and Big Cat vs The Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich (c) - WCW 6 Man Championship Match
Big Cat is better known as Mr. Hughes, while the State Patrol are Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker (Future WCW Jobber and head trainer of WCW Power Plant) and Lt. James Earl Wright. The face side features a Gibson-less Rock 'n' Roll Express Morton, an very out of shape JYD and Mr. "I'll suck your dick if you give me the NWA Title" Rich. I'll put my money on the faces. The faces had just won the 6 man titles a week before. They would be the first champions since the NWA did away with the titles in 1989. JYD and Big Cat starts off trading some of the single worst punches I've ever seen. Luckily, the faces keep JYD out for most of the match. Lt. James Earl Wright looks a lot like Bushwacker Butch. HA. The State Patrol even performs the Bushwacker battering ram. Morton falls back into place with being the face-in-peril, which should really just be renamed the Morton role seeing how he made a career out of it. The State Patrol hits a few nice tag moves before Morton gets a tag into JYD. Several more poor punches and headbutts to the State Patrol and JYD nails his Thump Slam (Just a normal bodyslam) to Wright. Big Cat breaks up the pin attempt so while JYD punches Cat out of the ring, Morton falls on Wright and gets the pin. WTF?
I suppose I need a copy of the WCW 6 Man Tag rule book for 1991, but I assume only the legal man can make a cover. I suppose it was better to end this before JYD fucks up any more though. Thanks in part to The State Patrol and Ricky Morton, the match had it's moments here and there. Even Big Cat and Tommy Rich weren't too bad. It appears as if WCW realized that the 6 Man Titles wasn't going to work as this would be the only PPV it would be featured on in 1991. The titles wouldn't even survive to see the end of 1991. Decent enough opener though. 10 Minutes. 2 Stars. Brad Armstrong vs 'Beautiful' Bobby Eaton
This should be good. During Armstrong's entrance, Jim Ross mentions how Armstrong has a brother fighting in Operation Desert Storm. The brother would end up being Road Dogg. After a dispute with Jim Herd, both Stan Lane and Jim Cornette left WCW in late 1990. So for the first time in more than a decade, Eaton was all on his own. Long sequence of Armstrong working on Eaton's arm with an Armbar and Wrist Lock. Camera shot to 'Wonder Years' star Jason Hervey. Hervey would end up being Eric Bischoff's business partner. I seem to recall Hervey being at several old NWA/WCW shows. Things finally pick up as Armstrong gets out of a test of strength by walking over Eaton. Let me repeat...he walked up the body of Eaton, who was standing, and jumped back down behind Eaton. My jaw dropped at how easy Armstrong made that look. Another camera shot to The Great Muta. Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes plugs the upcoming NWA/Japan Supershow next month. Eaton remains on offense while he taunts some fans. Eaton attempts a Slingshot Suplex, but Armstrong reverses it into a Vertical Suplex. Beautiful Bobby gets some revenge by hitting a nasty looking Slingshot Backbreaker. Armstrong gets a two after a Side Russian Legsweep. Eaton fires back with a Neckbreaker and finishes off Armstrong with the Alabama Jam.
It had it's moments, but outside of a few spots, it was fairly boring. Had they not relied so heavily on wear down holds, they could of made the match more exciting. There weren't any major flaws outside of that though. 13 Minutes. 2 1/2 Stars.
Missy Hyatt goes off on a rant about how women have never been treated equally in wrestling. So tonight she promises to force her way in the locker rooms of World Championship Wrestling. When Tony Schiavone asks who Missy would like to interview, Missy's reply is "Um...I don't know. I want to interview a babe." And thanks to that segment, women have been sent back another 20 years.
'Nature Boy' Buddy Landell vs 'The Natural' Dustin Rhodes
Rhodes had just came to WCW along with Dusty after the Royal Rumble. This would be Dustin's first WCW PPV. Landell was a veteran who's entire gimmick was being yet another Nature Boy. Nothing much happens in the match though. Landell resorts to punches, kicks and eye rakes. To spice things up he does some more punches, kicks and eye rakes. Landell hits most of Ric Flair's trademark moves (The Flair bump, being thrown off of the top rope and begging for mercy.) Dustin wins with a running Bulldog.
This is the thing about carbon copy wrestlers, if I wanted to see a Ric Flair match, I would watch Ric Flair, not Buddy Landell. With Landell being several notches below Ric in talent and Dustin being extremely green at the time, this never had a chance to be good. But Dustin gets his win and it accomplishes the goal of pushing Dustin. Fun trivia - Dustin Rhodes now holds the record for most wins on PPV in 1991. It would not be until Wrestlemania that the Rockers would be tied up with Dustin at 2-0 on PPV in the year. Dustin Rhodes is also the first man ever to win on a WWE and WCW PPV in the same year. AND Dustin is the first singles wrestler ever to appear on a WWE and WCW PPV in the same year (The Brainbusters did it first in 1988 though). 7 Minutes. 1 Star.
Backstage, Missy Hyatt is excited to be the first woman ever in the men's locker room. *Oh yeah, I bet she's never been in there before
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* She once again wonders what babe she will. As soon as she gets in the locker room, a Stan Hansen with chewing tobacco over his mouth stands up yelling at Missy to get out of there. Hansen calls Hyatt a "Heffer". Even Tony Schiavone couldn't help but laugh at what we saw. Hansen just became my favorite person of all time.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Stan 'The Lariat' Hansen vs Big Van Vader
Vader still has the bad ass Mastodon shoulder pads thing that blows smoke. Hansen attacks Vader before he gets in the ring. Ross so accurately points out that we won't see any wrestling holds in this one. Hansen hits a Lariat to send Vader in the ring. A lot of punches. Hansen hits a suplex on Vader. The pair brawls on the outside hitting each other with chairs and anything else. Ross sounds terrified while Dusty Rhodes is having the time of his life.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Back in the ring, the trade punches on their knees. Referee, Randy Anderson, tries to break it up, but Vader shoves him back. Anderson, apparently not realizing the huge size difference between himself and the two big men tries to break it up again. Hansen just grabs and throws him out of the ring. Anderson has had enough and calls for a Double DQ. The fans boo at the call, but Vader and Hansen continues to fight. Vader nails a top rope closeline while Hansen grabs his bullrope and chokes out Vader. Hansen starts dragging Vader out of the arena by the rope, but Vader turns it around and chokes Hansen out. They continue to brawl as they leave ring side.
If you tend to not enjoy brawls, this isn't for you. The match may not have too many actual moves, but it's extremely fun. As long as you have talented big men brawlers (Like Vader and Hansen), big man vs big man matches can be great. As JR would say years later, this was a slobberknocker. 6 Minutes. 3 Stars. Lex Luger (c) vs 'Dangerous' Dan Spivey - US Championship Match
Dan Spivey is known for taking Barry Windham's place in the US Express (With Mike Rotunda) and later on forming the Skyscrapers with Sid Vicious and later on, the future Undertaker. However, after briefly leaving WCW the previous year, Spivey returned to a company where Taker had left for bigger and better things while Sid was doing his thing with the Four Horseman. So thus, we have the singles push. Even though he did a fairly large amount of work in the late 80's, Spivey is probably best known for his short lived Waylon Mercy character in 1995. For as short amount of time he was there, Spivey has garnered quite the cult following for Mercy. In case you're wondering, Luger is a face at this point in his career. Luger has to come close to the record of most turns. Spivey gains control of the match early on by sending Luger into the second ring. Suplex back into the main ring and it sets up a long period of Spivey hitting big move after big move. I have to question whether it was coincidence or not that Spivey used so many WWE superstar finishers only to have Luger kick out to make them seem weak. The Tombstone (Taker), DDT (Roberts), Big Boot (Hogan) and the Piledriver (Hart). Even with the questionable moves not being able to put away Luger and the spotcalling, Spivey is keeping this exciting. Luger finally comes back with a middle rope closeline that gets the fans on their feet. Spivey fights back and catches Luger on the top rope. Spivey tries the Flair press slam from the top rope, but Luger hangs on and they roll through with Luger getting the surprise pin on Spivey.
A surprisingly good match. Spivey proved that he was one of the more talented wrestlers who seemed to never be able to get that one big chance. Sadly, the home stretch lost me some as they were doing complete copies from previous matches on the show. Had they just fixed the ending sequence and had Spivey work on his spot calling, this could of been a nice little forgotten gem. Fun fact - Lex Luger has now defeated all three members of the Skyscrapers on PPV or at a Clash in the past year. 13 Minutes. 3 1/2 Stars.
Meanwhile, Tony Schiavone is with Nikita Koloff as they present Lex Luger with the new WCW US Title replacing the NWA one. Koloff congratulates Luger on his match and presents Luger with his new title by smashing it in Luger's face. HEEL TURN~!!!!1! Koloff cuts his first promo by saying how the WCW Championship Committee felt he didn't deserve a WCW World Title shot until he proved himself worthy. So he felt the best way to do that was to take out Luger. Koloff promises that the US title will once again be around his waist. Not that I would want to make a big Russian mad at me, but if it was me, I would of went after the World Champion. The only thing beating Luger will get you is the US title, if you want the World Title, you're going about it the wrong way, Nikita.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Still, a nice heel turn. Incase you're wondering, the new US title would be the title that would be around until it was merged with the WWE IC title at Survivor Series 2001.
Doom (c) w/Teddy Long The Fabulous Freebirds w/DDP and the Diamond Dolls - WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Before the match, DDP (Annoyingly) introduces the new manager for the Freebirds, Big Daddy Dink (Sir Oliver Humperdink). The Freebirds (WCW version) was Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin. As for Doom, Ross mentions the personal issues between Simmons and Reed. Ross feels as if Doom has finally mended the fence and will be fine tonight. For some reason, I have my doubts.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. It's all Doom in the early going with Simmons hitting many of his trademark moves. While Hayes is the legal man, Garvin splashes Simmons and gets a two count. So let me get this right, anyone's allowed to cover the opponent, but if you try wrestling (While you're not the legal man) THEN the ref has an issue? Garvin hits a DDT on Reed, but isn't able to capitalize on it. Simmons hits a big Powerslam on Garvin. Dink climbs on the apron and Hayes interferes distracting the ref. In all of the madness, Simmons holds Hayes while Long throws Butch Reed an "International Object". Hayes ducks and Reed nails his own partner. Dink pushes Garvin on a down Simmons. NEW CHAMPIONS! After the match, Simmons pushes Long down after Long was yelling at Simmons. Reed attacks his partner and uses the brass knuckles (AKA the international object) to further hurt his now-ex partner.
Doom looked good out there. Of course, it ends up being their final match together. The match was just kinda...there, as a way to split up Doom. I really don't understand the logic of putting two heel teams in a match together. While Simmons does take the fall, he's about to start the biggest push of his career. 7 Minutes. 2 1/4 Stars.
Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes is with some kid who won a sweepstakes. Ross asks the kid a fairly simple question, "What's your favorite team in War Games?" The kid's response, "Doom." Ross has to think for a moment trying to make sense out of the reply. Hey kid, you just got a chance to be on PPV and future home video release. Yet, when you're asked a question, you reply with a team that is A) Not in War Games and B) Are no longer a team. Congrats, you're today's douchebag of the day.
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Once the dumbass kid leaves, Ross and Rhodes hypes the War Games match. We're showed a clip from last night of Brian Pillman being injured at the hands of the Horseman. While he will be in the match, he won't be at 100%. They also remind us that Arn Anderson is injured and will be replaced with Larry Zbyszko. Dusty doesn't understand why the Horseman would even choose Larry. Wow, way to bury Zbyszko, Dream.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. The Four Horseman vs Sting, Flyin' Brian and the Steiner Brothers - War Games
The Horseman are made up of Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious and of course Larry Zbyszko. While discussing strategy, Pillman sneaks in the ring to start for his team. Barry Windman for the Horseman. Pillman uses the cage to hit kicks and headscissors on Windham. Windham is busted open early on. Pillman throws Windham all the way over to the other ring. Pillman is a man possessed. Once the five minutes are up, the coin toss is in favor of the Horseman. Ric Flair comes in and goes after Pillman. Pillman and Flair trades chops. Windham attacks Pillman from behind and the Horseman takes over with their 2-on-one advantage. The Horseman works over the injured shoulder of Pillman. Sting enters next and takes out both heels. Once Flair and Sting pairs off, Windham continues the assault on Pillman. With a few seconds left before the next man, Sting and Pillman takes over control. Stinger Splash to Flair. Pillman has the Figure Four Leglock on Windham. Zbyszko comes in, but Sting quickly takes him down with a flying closeline over BOTH set of ropes! Larry and Flair double teams Sting before Flair breaks up the Figure Four. Sting chokes Larry out in the corner while Pillman takes more abuse. Crowd is going crazy with the Steiner bark. Windham and Flair head into the second ring to meet Ric headon. Rick closelines both members of the Horseman. Everyone heads back to ring 1 (Horseman one). Rick with a belly-to-belly to Flair. Steiner is abusing Flair on the cage. Flair is now busted open. Larry stomps away at Pillman while he's in the tree of woe. Sid Vicious comes in ramming Steiner in the cage. Sid holds Steiner as Flair low blows him. Pillman rams Flair's head over and over against the cage. Sid is beating down Side. Steiner throws Larry against the cage. More Flair scraping against the cage. Rick and Sid trades blows. 30 seconds until Steiner comes in. Double noggin knocker to Pillman and Steiner by Windham. Low blow to Sting. 10 seconds. The ref is holding Scott back until it's time. Times up...Scott is in and the Match Beyond begins. Double closeline to Windham and Flair by Scott. Sitdown Powerbomb to Larry by Scott. Sid right into the camera asks Rick if Scott is ready for the next spot. Scott hits a top rope closeline to Sid. Sid is rammed against the cage. Stinger Splash to Flair. Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock to Flair. Larry breaks up the hold though. Sid continues to work on Pillman's shoulder. Vicious rips off the tape from Pillman's shoulder. Scott rams Larry's face into the cage. ALL FOUR FACES LOCK IN THE FIGURE FOUR ON THE HORSEMAN~! The heels get out and goes on the offense. Sting presses Flair into the top of the cage. Double closeline by Sid and Barry to Rick. Larry is being choked out by Pillman's boot. Larry is refusing to give up. The Horseman breaks up Pillman's choking. More chop trading between Pillman and Flair. Sid presses Pillman into the top of the cage. POWERBOMB TO Pillman. Pillman landed on his shoulder. AGAIN Sid Powebombs Pillman hitting the cage top before hitting the mat. El Gigante runs from the back. He rips the door off and checks on Pillman. Pillman is out cold...well if you don't pay attention to his lips moving. The referee orders the match to end due to Pillman unable to continue. El Gigante carries a downed Pillman to the back. We get replays of the first Powerbomb that had Pillman land on his neck/shoulders. Horseman wins War Games.
When done right, War Games is perhaps the best stipulation match of all time. When done wrong, it's disastrous. Luckily, unlike in later years, this is the first one. Not only did you have the typical great action, blood and drama, but the entire Pillman story made this an even more memorable War Games than usual. With the exception of Sid, everyone brought their A game to the match. The first MOTYC for 1991. 22 Minutes. 4 1/2 Stars.
Jim Ross talks to referee, Nick Patrick. Patrick claims he ended the match in the safety of Pillman. In the rules, it does say it's up to the ref to decide when to end it. Dusty agrees with Patrick's calling.
We have a recap of Nikita Koloff attacking Lex Luger. Ross plugs the next PPV, Superbrawl. So long folks.
Overall
Well, WCW started 1991 off on a high note. While I had my doubts early on in the show, once the meaningless matches were over, the show picked up. There's a few good matches with only one bad match. Meanwhile, you also get a MOTYC. For 1991, I would give WCW the first PPV win over the WWE's Royal Rumble. Could WCW keep 1991 going strong and maintain their lead over the WWE?
Best Match: War Games
Worst Match: Dustin Rhodes vs Buddy Landell
Overall Grade: B+
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