WCW On Pay Per View in the 90's - Every event Reviewed

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Keith

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Partly inspired by the excellent Power Slam article covering the complete history of Wrestling on Pay Per View, and partly because I can't think of another promotion who had so many ups and downs during that ten years than WCW, and it is fair to say that on PPV you really saw the best and worse of the company, with some of the very best and worse matches of the decade, and some of best, worse, and out right strange concerpts.

So in short I will be watching, and reviewing every WCW PPV of the 1990's (there are a number I need to catch up with). So please give your thoughts as we move along, the first review is coming up, enjoy the read!:drum:


Wrestlewar 1990: Wild Thing

Date: 25th February 1990

Setting Greensboro, North Carolina

Attendance: 9,894

Commentary Team: Jim Ross and Terry Funk

Best Match: The Rock'N'Roll Express VS. Midnight Express (W/Jim Cornette)

Worse Match: The Road Warriors (W/Paul Ellering) VS. The Skyscrapers (W/Teddy Long)

Event Rating: 8/10

Comments: "We've Herd Enough" read a sign at ringside directed at WCW head Jim Head, signling the growing unrest of the NWA/WCW fan base at the more cartoonish direction the promotion was starting to take. Luckily on this night the fans got a steller night of action, with the companies top names delivering the goods.

In the headliner NWA Champion Ric Flair (still at the peak of his powers) delivered an fantastic performance producing a lively and super heated match against the limited Lex Luger. The count out finish featured top baby face hopeful Sting, which nicely kept his riverly with Flair building. Elsewhere there was an enjoyable US Tag Title bout with Champs The Z-Man and Flyin Brian retaining against the Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin), a decent World Tag Team Title scrap between The Steiner Brothers and Ole and Arn Anderson (not real brothers), as well as another cracking match in the famous series involving The Rock'N'Roll and Midnight Express, during which manager Jim Cornette was on fine form at Ringside, his attics included a brilliant shadow boxing spot with the referee, which whipped the crowd into a frenzy!

The next review which will be up tomorrow, will be Capital Combat.
 
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Keith

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Capital Combat 1990:Return of Robocop

Date: May 19 1990

Setting: Washington, DC

Attendance: 7,500

Commentary Team: Jim Ross and Bob Caudle

Best Match: NWA World Title Steel Cage Match, Ric Flair (W/Woman) VS. Lex Luger

Worse Match: Hair VS. Hair, Theodore R. Long VS. Paul Ellering

Event Rating: 7/10

Comments: So three years after the very sucessful action/thriller Robocop had been released, some genuis in WCW's creative department decided that the lead character should enter the world of Pro Wrestling(kind of like breaking Pro Wrestling logic in 1990), and come to Sting's aid in his war against the Four Horsemen, what resulted was one of the strangest and most poorly excacuted angles of the 1990's. This along with a pointless Hair VS. Hair match between managers Teddy Long and Paul Ellering, took away from what other wise was a pretty decent card of action. The upset of the night came when the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) dropped the NWA Tag Belts to Doom (Butch Reed and Ron Simmons), it was a polished display from Rick and Scott, he put Doom over like a million bucks. In more tag war, The Rock'N'Roll Express took on the Freebirds in an exciting strap match.
 

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WrestleWar 90


Best Match: The Rock'N'Roll Express VS. Midnight Express (W/Jim Cornette). Agree here very solid tag match close to perfect tag formula.

Worse Match: The Road Warriors (W/Paul Ellering) VS. The Skyscrapers (W/Teddy Long). Also could agree here, really weak street fight more for angle purposes.

Event Rating: 6/10 (average of match ratings/matches).

Comments: This was a solid show thanks to three good tag matches and a very solid main event.

Pillman and Zenk's win was a very nice upset and a very solid match. Steiner's-Anderson's was also a very good tag match with an after match attack that that added to Horseman heel heat. I have always hated no ref pins because they are kinda pointless unless followed upon. Luger had enough believability of winning this match they didn't need it. The face dynamic with Luger and Sting made countout work. Other three matches below average but not completely awful.


Capitol Combat

Best Match: Midnight Express vs Pillman and Zenk. I will disagree here this was a great tag match with a title change for the US belts. Not ecen mentioned in the above and not sure why.

Worse Match: Hair VS. Hair, Theodore R. Long VS. Paul Ellering. Atrocious enough said.

Event Rating: 6/10

Comments: This was another decent show but Robocop really killed it. It didn't help his armor kept falling apart. Once again 3 very good tag matches which WCW was known for at the time. Corporal Punishment Strap match was good but finish was kinda weak. Doom and Steiners was a great heel upset and a really good match. Simmons and Reed were a really good team that has been kinda forgotten over time. Horrible ending didn't kill but affected solid Flair-Luger match.
 

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Thanks for the feedback on my first couple of reviews Scott.

Think you are being a bit harsh only to give WrestleWar 6/10 for me that was a very strong line up. CC was more inconsistant.

You are quite right for pointing out that I should have mentioned the US Tag Titles match in my review, it was superb, but still for me the cage match just pips it for match of the night.

Right next review!

The Great American Bash 1990 New Revolution

Date July 7 1990

Setting Baltimore, Maryland

Attendance 10,000

Best Match NWA World Title Ric Flair VS. Sting and US Tag Team Title The Midnight Express VS. The Southern Boys.

Worse Match The Junkyard Dog, Paul Orndorff and El Gigante VS. Sid Vicious, Barry Windham and Arn Anderson.

Event Rating 6.5/10

Comments In the eighties and early ninties the Bash was one of the most see events of the wrestling year, and certainly on this night, the Atlanta based group achieved most of what it set out to. The north American debut of Big Van Vader which saw him hammer the Z-Man was impressive [as was his entrance], I have a soft spot for the full on comedy bout featuring The Steiners against The Freebirds [the crowd heat was phenomenal "Michael is a bitch!":lol:] and of course Sting's elevation to the top tier was completed with a dramatic 16 minute NWA Title win via small packenge over than six time world champion Ric Flair [it is worth pointing out that the nature boy was very much the man to beat again come early 91]. Almost matching the headliner for match of the night honors was the superb opening US Tag Title scrap with the Midnight Express retaining against the Southern Boys. This stiff effort proved just what a consistant and versatile act the Express were. However to counter this were a clunkers too, including the sloppy US Title match [Mean Mark and Lex Luger], and the lame six man involving giant El Gigante, who is surely one of the worse wrestlers of all time.

Halloween Havoc will either be up over the weekend or early next week.
 

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No problem on the feedback, I have seen all but 5 WCW shows ever I think, and every one from 1990-1998. So I like this idea a lot and will share my thoughts on each one.
The Great American Bash 1990 New Revolution

Best Match US Tag Team Title The Midnight Express VS. The Southern Boys. Can't argue Sting-Flair ever really but the tag match Had everything you look for in a tag match and was very entertaining from bell to bell. One of my all time favorite matches.

Worse Match Big Van Vader vs Tom Zenk. Not bad at all really, just thought this was a really good card. Got Vader over, it was just a very simple squash

Event Rating 7/10

Comments Well El Gigante was awful and the finish was pretty bad, I didn't think the six man was too bad of a match overall. Vader squash was simple but effective. Doom-Rock N'Roll Express was a good match but finish was a bit weak. Steiner's-Freebirds was pretty solid but I have never been a fan of faces using heel tactics. Luger-Callous was pretty solid for those two but nothing special, a bit sloppy. Sting-Flair was an excellent rivalry and I think they have had better matches but this was very good and Sting Won the Gold!
 
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Keith

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No problem on the feedback, I have seen all but 5 WCW shows ever I think, and every one from 1990-1998. So I like this idea a lot and will share my thoughts on each one.
The Great American Bash 1990 New Revolution

Best Match US Tag Team Title The Midnight Express VS. The Southern Boys. Can't argue Sting-Flair ever really but the tag match Had everything you look for in a tag match and was very entertaining from bell to bell. One of my all time favorite matches.

Worse Match Big Van Vader vs Tom Zenk. Not bad at all really, just thought this was a really good card. Got Vader over, it was just a very simple squash

Event Rating 7/10

Comments Well El Gigante was awful and the finish was pretty bad, I didn't think the six man was too bad of a match overall. Vader squash was simple but effective. Doom-Rock N'Roll Express was a good match but finish was a bit weak. Steiner's-Freebirds was pretty solid but I have never been a fan of faces using heel tactics. Luger-Callous was pretty solid for those two but nothing special, a bit sloppy. Sting-Flair was an excellent rivalry and I think they have had better matches but this was very good and Sting Won the Gold!

Yeah a lot of people actually quite like that match, I just think at the time Callous was still green, and Luger against another limited big guy normally didn't make for a good mix. I don't see the Vader match as being bad, it was a very effective squash match, and key to begining the big man's push, the Six Man for me was awful, so the easilly the worse match on the card.
 

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Halloween Havoc 1990 Terror Rules the Ring

Date October 27 1990

Setting Chicago, Illinois

Attendance 8,000

Commentary Team Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously

Best Match US Tag Team Title The Steiner Brothers VS. The Nasty Boys

Worse Match NWA World Title Sting VS. Sid Vicious

Event Rating 4.5/10

Comments Maybe this shows tagline could partly describe some of the action in the ring, as well as the activites for example the terrible Sting/Black Scorpion angle. The only place to start is with the naff Sting V Sid Vicious main event [Sid who even with Vince Mcmahon and Shawn Michael's best efforts has never looked like he belongs in main events], the finish of which has to go down as one of the worse of any PPV main event in history. To keep it brief Sting started fighting with Vicious into the crowd, when Ric Flair and Arn Anderson showed up and destracted the ref, moments later Sting and Sid returned to the ring, and the champion was pinned, but as it turned out it was not the real Sting, but Barry Windham in Sting get up, and so when the real Sting returned to the ring, the ref restarted the match, and following a belt shot [now even if you understand the offical restarting the match, why did he not DQ Sting after he used the Belt as a weapon] and a stinger splash the champion retained his title, the whole thing was a mess.

There were a glut of poor midcard offerings including the boring tag match involving the Freebirds and Renegade Warriors, which the Birds won with a Michael Hayes DDT [this was when that move really meant something]. On the up side The US Tag Title match pitting The Steiners against The Nasty Boys was an phyiscally intense, full on and wild brawl with some great Tag Team wrestling thrown in also, this was maybe the Nasty's greatest ever match. Lex Luger's suprise US Title defeat to Stan Hansen and The Midnight Express against Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich [this was the Midnight's last PPV match in WCW before Cornette and Stan Lane left, and Bobby Eaton was repackenged as a singles wrestler] both provided exciting action, however The Doom V Flair and Arn Anderson match didn't meet expections IMO. Adding Paul E. Dangerously to the annonce team was a master stroke, he and Jim Ross who don't get on off air played off one another beautifully.

Starrcade will be up tomorrow.
 

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You used stroke and Jim Ross in the same sentence, you're mean.
 

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Keith I just wanted to say Thank you. I unfortunately never got into WCW and really never got to watch it. (I wasn't allowed to watch wrestling as a kid because it was the "attitude era".) And from your reviews I've been able to look up these matches on Youtube and I am quite enjoying them. So thank you very much for this good sir.
 
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Keith

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My pleasure, thanks for adding to thread, and do give your thoughts as you see more and we move along. Because of living in the UK I had to catch up with theses events on Video. And deezy good one!:frog:

Next review

Starrcade 1990 Collision Course

Date December 16 1990

Location St Louis, Missouri

Attendance 7,200

Best Match NWA World Tag Team Title Street Fight Doom VS. Arn Anderson and Barry Windham

Worse Match NWA World Title Cage Match Sting VS. The Black Scorpion

Event Rating 4/10

Comments WCW did not adhere to the less is more philosophy on this night, and as a result the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag Team Tournament just got lost in the suffle of another over packed supercard, and most of the matches just felt rushed and unimportant. In the end it was only The Steiner's predictable final win over The Great Muta and Mr. Saito which produced any real drama. Elsewhere Champion Sting was involved in his striaght dreadful main event this time defeating the Black Scorpion via submission in a cage bout, afterwards the Scorpion was revealed to be none other than Ric Flair! The highlights of the show were the gripping street fight between Doom and The Horsemen, and Lex Luger's excellent US Title win over Stan Hansen in a bullrope match.

The opening WCW PPV of 1991 Wrestlewar will be reviewed later in the week.
 

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Wrestle War 1991

Date February 24 1991

Phoenix, Arizona

Attendance 6,800

Commentary Team Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes

Best Match The War Games Sting, Brian Pillman and The Steiner Brothers VS. Ric Flair, Sid Vicious, Barry Windham and Larry Zbyszko

Worse Match Six Man Tag Team Championship The Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich VS. The State Patrol [Lt.James Earl Wright and Sgt Buddy Lee Parker], and Big Cat

Event Rating 7.5/10

Comments Although it got off to a slow start Wrestle War 91 was a very lively and exciting card of action, with some key feud and character advancements also. The tradional War Games cage bout [two teams of four or five men compete in double caged rings, two men start, and five minutes later a coin toss decides which side will gain the one man advantege, then guys enter at two minute intervels, the match can not be won until all the wrestlers have entered, and then only by submission or surrender], saw Ric Flair's Horseman team defeat Sting's team via stoppage when the already injured Brian Pillman was knocked completely cold by Sid's botched Powerbombs. With the exception of Vicious' terrible performance, this was a very gripping and hard hitting headliner, and the booking of Pillman thoughout nicely set the ball rolling for his singles push in the coming months. Lex Luger retained the US Title against Dan Spivey in a great match, after which he was presented with a new Championship belt, and then nailed with it by Nikita Koloff leading to a feud between the pair. Vader and Stan Hansen battled to a draw in a very edgy contest, and in a slight suprise The Freebirds beat Doom for the Tag Team Titles, Simmons and Reed had a bust up post-match. Dusty Rhodes made his PPV debut as a commentor, he wasn't very good.
 

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Halloween Havoc 1990 Terror Rules the Ring

Best Match US Tag Team Title The Steiner Brothers VS. The Nasty Boys. I always hated the Nasty Boys but this was a great match. A really good tag team brawl that suited both teams styles. Only Nasty's match I like more was the WM match vs Hart Foundation.

Worse Match NWA World Title Sting VS. Sid Vicious. Match was average until one of the worst finishes of all time.

Event Rating 7/10 on match quality (minus the main event I thought each match was above average). 5/10 overall because the main event stunk.

Comments I enjoyed the Rich and Morton vs Midnight Express match immensely as the Rock N' Roll express and Midnight Express always clicked and I though Rich added a solid albeit different twist filling in for Gibson. Freebirds-Renegade Warriors match wasn't that boring because the Freebirds heel tactics were entertaining. Steiner's-Nasty was really good, Doom vs Flair-Anderson was pretty good but disappointed because the crowd was dead. Hansen's win over Luger was a big upset and made the PPV in my opinion plus it was a decent match. Sting-Vicious finish killed all the momentum the PPV had.



Starrcade 1990 Collision Course

Best Match Pat O Connor Tournament Final Steiners vs Mr Saito and Great Muta This was a good tag match, very predictable who was going to win but still very solid.

Worse Match Skyscrapers vs Big Cat and Motor City Madman. A Squash match that wasn't all that effective.

Event Rating 5/10

Comments. Nothing on this card was special but most of it was average. The O'connor tournament gave us at least 5 decent matches but only the final was memorable and that's even a stretch. Eaton-Z-Man was a solid opener. Wallstreet and Taylor was a solid midcard match from two underrated performers. Streetfight was solid and the main event wasn't awful from a match perspective but from an angle perspective it makes me want to cry. Average PPV overall and the shittiest feud of all time finally ended.

Wrestle War 1991

Best Match The War Games Sting, Brian Pillman and The Steiner Brothers VS. Ric Flair, Sid Vicious, Barry Windham and Larry Zbyszko (Wargames was still a newer concepts, we had seen it a few times in the NWA but it still felt fresh.)

Worse Match Dustin Rhodes vs Buddy Landel (this just was not good)

Event Rating 6/10

Comments The first few matches of this show sucked but then it picked up big time. Hansen-Vader match was average and didn't hurt either man. Luger and Spivey was fantastic and I to this day still have no idea why. Freebirds-Doom was a solid contest. Finish was kinda crappy but was good for a Reed heel turn and Simmons face turn. Wargames was very solid and had nice storytelling around the Pillman injury. Vicious really F'ed up the Powerbomb though and could have crippled Pillman for life. This to my knowledge was the first PPV under the WCW name only.
 
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Keith

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1. Boy me and you are disagreeing a lot tonight, you were much too kind to Starrcade 90, as well as to The Freebird match from HH, and how a squash match can be worse than that awful Sting/Scopion bout is beyond me, and the thing is I don't know how a Flair-Sting match from that era can be poor, thats the baffling thing about it!

2. Yeah that Hart Foundation match is my other favourite Nasty's match, and would run this one close as their best, both different, but great matches. I was actually a fan of theirs, but maybe more for the gimmick.

3. No, no Vader/Hensan was awesome!

4. I agree that the first few matches of WW were poor, but I guess why I rate it so highly, is because of just how great the good matches were, and because of some big moments, which made it feel like special and important show. It may well be my PPV of 1991.
 

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I remember Halloween Havoc 90.

The Sting/Vicious match wasn't very good, even for the time it wasn't. Even as a 6 year old I knew that was stupid. Windham and Sting had totally different body types and if a 6 year old could pick up on that, I don't know why anyone else wouldn't. Insulting if anything.

Also remember it being the debut of Vader and his awesome elephant mask, dude came out to Metallica or something like that and was crushing some Smothers brother? idk.

I believe this was the first show I ever seen of WCW since I didn't get TBS living in northern British Columbia and watched it on tape(remember those?). First time I seen a Ric Flair promo and now that I see it again, it wasn't one of his better promos but I was hooked. I thought this guy was cool and I was immediately doing the symbol of the elite.

I didn't like the ME/RnR sans Gibson match, since it didn't have the selling of Robert Gibson. I remember distinctly not liking Luger and thought that tobacco spitting redneck was badass and wanted him to win.

Missy Hyatt was really hot, Heyman was a douchebag and Jim Ross wore a phantom of the opera mask. The irony of J.R wearing half a face doesn't get by me.

Edit: Realized I was mistaken about Jim Ross wearing a Phantom of The Opera costume, that was Schiavone, guess my memory isn't as good as I thought it was. Kind of wish it was J.R since it would've been comedic gold.
 
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Correct me or not...

But I swear Tsuruta vs Misawa had a very similar finish but noone ever questions it; and it looked even worse.. Oh wait... WHAT THE HELL... AHAHAHA THAT FINISH LOOKS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING LOL.

I didn't realize it was a fake Sting... Absolute nonsense lol.
 
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