-2/6/90
-From Corpus Christi, TX
-Hosts are Jim Ross & Jim Cornette
-Amusing opening video has carboard cutouts of many wrestlers getting "shot". Best is the last, Ron Simmons, fliiping through the air with a WACKY sound effect.
-"Tuxedo" Terry Funk tells the fans to aim their firearms at their TV in preparation for this show. I'm not sure he meant to imply what he did.
-Gordon Solie is backstage, and The Road Warriors come in to say their usual piece.
-Match 1: The Samoan Savage (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) VS Steve Williams
-Goofy entrance videos for both guys. Savage has the Halloween theme and fire dancers, while Williams, despite being nicknamed "Dr. Death" is portrayed as an EMT trying to save people. Great line by Cornette about Savage: "When he wakes up in the morning, he has to ambush breakfast".
Williams jumps Savage at the bell, and has all the momentum with two football tackles, but he tries a third, and eats a clothesline as a result. Woman makes her way down to ringside. Ross & Cornette note the absence of Nitron. Cornette, ever the politically correct gentleman, says that they'd have more Spanish fans in attendance, but the border patrol added more people this week. How, with WCW being so PC-concious as they were, did he get away with THAT?
Savage slows the match to a hault with a nerve hold. Williams turns the table by no-selling a chop to the head, but misses an elbowdrop. Savage misses a crossbody from the top, and Williams hits a very impressive military press slam. Williams ends up getting the pin with a backslide. Pretty good opener.
-The Tough Guys, the official band of the NWA/WCW perform.
-Terry Funk calls out the 4 Horsemen, at this time consisting of Flair, Ole, Arn, & Sting. Ole lets Sting know that he's out of the Horsemen. They hadn't jumped him before because Sting had helped Flair. When Sting was a Horseman, he was a great one (for a whole two months), but he commited the biggest sin he could: signing to face Flair for the World title. The Horsemen will let Sting walk away, but only if he calls off the title match. Sting says "no chance". Flair blindsides Sting, and tells him to get out of the business. JR is mortified while Cornette loves it.
-A hype video for Wrestle War '90 airs, set to a really cheesy rap song.
-Match 2: The Mod Squad VS Flyin' Brian & The Z Man
-I have no idea who the Mod Squad are, except they would have looked right at home in the leather bar scene in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE. JR identifies the Mod Squad as Spike and Basher. Pillman dominates Spike, then both teams tag. Nice combination as Pillman hits a bicycle kick on Basher, and Zenk follows up with an enziguiri. That gets two as Spike makes the save.
Mod Squad take control with jobber offense as Pillman plays the face-in-peril. Basher misses a flying elbow, allowing Pillman to make the hot tag. Zenk finishes Basher with a flying cross-body. Match went waaaaay too long. Should have ended with the kick combination.
-Match 3: Cactus Jack Manson VS Mil Mascaras
-It sounds like Gary Michael Cappetta introduces Foley as "Captain" Jack Manson. Foley is positively svelt here. Mascaras has the Great Khali's physique. Cactus gets dropkicked to the outside, and in a cute spot, chases Cappetta away, but then doesn't see a chair as he backs up, and stumbles over it. Mascaras locks in a Liontamer, but Cactus makes it to the ropes. JR goes on about how stupid Cactus is, while Cornette thinks he just needs a manager. Cactus gets Mascaras in position for the elbow off the apron, but doesn't see Mascaras move. That allows Mascaras to dropkick Foley, and he gets his Nestea Plunge in, prompting Cornette to yell "CACTUS JACK IS DEAD!". Crossbody from the top finishes for Mascaras. Match wasn't as bad as Foley wrote in his book.
-Missy Hyatte stumbles through a video promoting her as the new co-host of Main Event wrestling.
-Back from break, Cactus is still in the ring. He doesn't like the band, and gets in a fight with the drummer, Wolf. They go at it as JR sends it TO THE BACK with Gordon Solie.
-Gordon is with Norman the Lunatic, who doesn't quite understand the concept of a "Falls Count Anywhere" match.
-Match 4: Falls Count Anywhere: Kevin Sullivan VS Norman The Lunatic
-Norman's video is set to "Shout" and sees him visit a petting zoo. He finds a boar that reminds him of Sullivan. Cornette accusses Norman of child molestation as he passes out Valentine's Day candy. Sullivan immediately throws Norman through the ropes and kicks him in the head. Norman counters a sunset flip with a sit-out dick to the face. Sullivan takes Norman's shirt off, prompting fat jokes from Cornette. They have a pretty meandering brawl.
They eventually go backstage and into the women's restroom. Normal is reluctant to go in, but he does so, and apparently (since the door is closed) beats Sullivan inside. Not good, and I don't like the idea of not showing the finish for the sake of trying to be funny.
-Terry Funks is pissed about something or other and starts insulting the crowd before bringout the United States Champion Lex Luger. Luger wants Sting to give up his World title match so Luger can get it. He says Sting is not worthy of facing Flair, and that Sting should be happy in his place. Luger & Funk have a mutual admiration society as Luger reiterates that he's better than Sting and will be the World champion.
-Match 5: The Skyscrapers (w/Teddy Long) VS The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
-The Skyscrapers are now Spivey and "Mean" Mark Callous a.k.a. The Undertaker. Road Warriors' video sees them demolishing a car before saying they'll beat the Skyscrapers. This is my first look at Callous outside the Undertaker gimmick. Animal sends Spivey flying, so he tags in Callous. It's so weird seeing UT A.) with a mullet, and B.) begging Animal not to punch him in the face. Hawk chops Spivey, but misses a charge in the corner and hits the ringpost. I don't think I've ever seen Hawk hit that charge. Callous does go OLD SCHOOL on Hawk, which impresses JR. Roadies hit the Doomsday Device on Spivey, but Callous comes off the top with a chair on Animal, triggering a six man brawl including the two managers. Skyscrapers lay the Road Warriors out with chairshots before heading off. Post-match beatdown was more intense and entertaining than the match itself.
-Back from break, JR & Cornette replay the ending of the last match, and JR notes that the Road Warriors won by DQ.
-Gordon Solie still cannot get a word with Sting, but Brian Pillman rushes in, and says he's worried because Sting still wants to wrestle with the Horsemen in the main event, and that he needs more help talking Sting out of it.
-Match 6: NWA Tag Team Championship Masks VS Titles: The Steiner Brothers [c] VS Doom
-JR all but admits that everyone knows who Doom are already. Simmons offers Scott a chance to leave, but he doesn't take it. Neither team gets much of an advantage early as Cornette reads off his copy of "Jokes About Stupid People" written by Jerry Lawler. Rick jumps around all excited like a little kid. Scott becomes the face-in-peril. Simmons gets good air on a legdrop. Scott turns the match around with a Frankensteiner on Reed, which allows him to tag in Rick. Rick rips the mask off Reed, puts it on as Reed freaks out, then shoves Reed into Simmons before rolling him up for the pin. Match was nothing special, but the finish was good.
Simmons is threatened with suspension not just from the NWA, but from wrestling itself, so he unmasks.
-The Horsemen promise to find and destroy Sting no matter where he is if he doesn't turn down the title match.
-Match 7: Six Man Tag Team Cage Match: The Great Muta, The Dragon Master, & Buzz Sawyer VS The Four Horsemen
-Ole takes Sting's place in the match. In a nice touch, they don't edit the pre-match video to take Sting out like WWE would. The Horsemen, who were the faces before the night started, are now the heels, and the other team are now getting the cheers. Big "We Want Sting!" chant after the introductions. Sawyer starts with Arn, and misses a charge, sending him flying into the cage. Sawyer comes back and starts to batter Arn, and the fans cheers mystify JR & Cornette. AA rams Sawyer's head into a support beam before tagging Flair.
Flair works over Dragon Master (who I don't recognize), but Master turns it around on Ole when he gets in. Muta gets tagged in to face Arn, and the place EXPLODES. Sting rushes out to climb the cage, but gets held back by officials, Zenk, and Pillman. AA backdrops Sawyer into the ropes in a stupidly dangerous move. Sting breaks free from everyone and rushes the ring again before he's held back again. Sawyer misses a diving headbut. Flair focuses on taunting Sting as the match goes on behind him.
Match breaks down, and AA pins Dragon Master with a DDT. The match was almost inconsequential once Sting came out, but I don't think I've ever seen a crowd reaction flipped by one simple segment before the match like that.
-After the pin, Flair stupidly rushes into the crowd holding Sting as WCW rushes to go off the air on time.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: Not a bad show, but nothing particularly special from an in-ring standpoint. This show was all about the Horsemen turn on Sting, and rendered almost everything else moot. It was nice to see UT before he was UT, and the Foley/Mascaras match after reading about it in Foley's first book.
I like the idea of the pre-match video for the big shows, but the execution here wasn't that good.
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