Clash of the Champions XV 6/14/91
-6/14/91
-From Knoxville, TN
-Hosts are JR & Tony Schiavone
-Missy Hyatt opens the show, welcoming us to Knoxville, USA. Paul E. Dangerously interrupts, asking why no one told him we were live. Paul throws it to JR & Tony.
-Match 1: WCW United States Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Freebirds & Badstreet (w/DDP, a Diamond Doll, & Big Daddy Dink) VS The Young Pistols & The Z Man
-As usual with the Freebirds, the face team dominates the opening couple minutes. The 'Birds manages to cross Tracy up, and send him over the top. Freebirds whip Badstreet into the face team's corner, and he knocks Armstrong & Zenk off the apron. Twice the Freebirds send all three babyfaces outside, but they take time to celebrate, and get caught with three simultaneous sunset flips for a triple pin. Short and sweet, and the finish was cute.
-Great American Bash sweepstakes commercial featuring Ric Flair. Man, things must be going great for Ric in WCW. I don't see anything bad happening in the near future. Nope, nothing at all.
-Match 2: Oz [Kevin Nash] (w/The Great Wizard) VS Johnny Rich
-Oz's entrance is interesting, and his pre-match attire is...something. Rich falls right on his head and neck off a clothesline. Nash finishes the squash with a helicopter slam.
-Hype video for PN News.
-Match 3: Dan Spivey VS Big Josh
-They trade punches and no-selling of those punches, until Spivey goes to the eyes. Josh gets a double-leg takedown, and pounds on Spivey. Spivey gets an arm drag, but Josh counters a suplex with one of his own. Spivey misses an avalanche, and Josh hits a nice belly-to-back suplex. Kevin Sullivan walks out, and breaks a crutch over the back of Josh (which Nick Patrick clearly sees). Spivey catches the distracted Josh with a German suplex for the pin. This was not good.
-WCW TOP TEN:
10. Stunning Steve Austin
9. One Man Gang
8. Barry Windham
7. Arn Anderson
6. Sting
5. Nikita Koloff
4. Bobby Eaton
3. El Gigante
2. The Great Muta
1. Lex Luger
-Paul E. is in the Danger Zone with Jason Hervey. Paul does the old gimmick of asking questions, and not giving time for Hervey to answer them. Hervey says he's dating Missy Hyatt. Paul says his dad is a lawyer and good at pre-nuptual agreements. Paul asks Hervey if he and Missy are in love. Hervey doesn't answer, instead he wants to ask Paul how it felt to get his butt kicked by a woman. Paul asks Hervey if everything in his life is new (like his car and his house), then why is his girlfriend "used merchandise". Hervey gets upset and ends the interview, and Paul responds by KO'ing Hervey with the cell phone.
-Match 4: Dustin Rhodes VS Terrance Taylor (w/Alexandra York & Mr. Hughes)
-JR & Tony note that the York Foundation has signed a new member, to be announced later tonight. Shoving match leads to a Rhodes near-fall. Dustin hits both a regular and inverted atomic drop, but misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the ring post. Taylor hits a knee drop for two. Taylor hits a sit-out gutwrench powerbomb for two. Dustin gets a sunset flip for two. Dustin gets a backslide for two. Dustin flips, flops, and flies. Dustin hits an elbow drop for two.
Dustin hits the bulldog, but Hughes has the ref distracted. Ricky Morton rushes out. Hughes hits Dustin in the back, for the DQ, and Morton stomps on him, showing himself to be the newest member of the York Foundation. Big Josh makes the save with his axe handle.
-Johnny B. Badd hype video. It makes him look irritating as hell, so I guess it was effective.
-Video recaps Nikita Koloff interfering in the tag title match at SuperBrawl, and Sting going after Nikita backstage.
-Match 5: Nikita Koloff VS Sting
-Sting sprints to the ring, but Nikita catches him as Sting gets caught up in the ropes. Nikita works Sting over, but stops to talk trash. Sting hits a piledriver, which Nikita no-sells, and goes back on offense. Nikita hits a tombstone...for two. Nikita completely overwhelms Sting, hitting a back breaker for two. Koloff slowly works Sting over. Sting gets a couple shots in, but Koloff shuts him down. Sting starts to slowly Hulk up, and eventually counters a whip into the guardrail with one of his own.
Sting counters a tombstone with one of his own. Sting fires up, but misses a Stinger splash. Koloff misses the Russian Sickle, and Sting school boys him for the pin. Pretty disappointing match, actually. Koloff's slow offense didn't do much for the match, and the Sting comeback could have gone longer, or been his first comeback out of two or three.
-Tony brings out PN News (w/Salt 'N' Peppa). Before the interview can really start, Johnny B. Badd comes out with Teddy Long. Teddy tells SnP that both can't be next, but one can be first. Badd calls News ugly. News gives Badd a shove, and Teddy hold Badd back.
-Hype video for The Diamond Studd (Scott Hall).
-Match 6: Arn Anderson & Barry Windham VS El Gigante & Brian Pillman
-The man that loses the fall must leave WCW. Pillman gets a couple near-falls right off the bat on AA. Windham gets in, and spikes Pillman with a DDT for two. AA goes up, but Pillman dropkicks him down to the floor. AA tries to cheap shot Gigante, and almost gets choked out for his troubles. Pillman hits a cross body off Gigante's shoulders onto Windham, but AA makes the save at two. Pillman stupidly goes up from the Horsemen's corner, and AA trips him. Gigante locks the claw on AA outside the ring, but Windham kicks Pillman in the face for the pin. Probably a good thing Gigante never got in, but that was inexcusably short for a Loser Leaves Town match.
-Paul E. previews the Great American Bash tour, with the PPV on 7/14 from Baltimore. Some footage from last year's PPV airs, specifically the finish to Steiners/Freebirds.
-JR & Tony present a video of the Steiners winning the IWGP tag titles at the Japan Supershow.
-Match 7 for the IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers [c] VS Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono
-Scott and Hase start. Hase catches Scott with an enziguiri to the face. Scott hot shots Hase (say that three times fast) for two. Hase hits Scott with a swank kick to the face, but takes time to gloat, and gets taken down. Chono kicks Rick so hard it breaks Rick's head gear. Steiners try to murder Chono with an overhead back breaker drop/flying elbow combo. Rick casually tosses Hase with a release German suplex. Hase catches Rick with a slam, then holds Rick for a flying shoulder block from Chono.
Chono hits a Samoan drop on Rick, and locks in the STF. Scott suplexes Hase on the floor, then misses when he tries to fly off the top to break up the STF. Scott basically dives on Chono to break the STF. Scott & Hase tag in, and Scott takes Hase over with a tilt-a-whirl slam, then follows up with a Tiger Driver. Scott hits Hase with a belly-to-belly throw off the top, but Chono makes the save at two. Hase hits Scott with a full-nelson suplex, but Rick makes the save at two.
Hase & Chono try to double team the Steiners, but Rick trips up Chono, and Scott catches Hase with the Frankensteiner for the pin. Pretty action-packed match, even if the psychology was pretty non-existant.
-The Hardliners (Dick Murdoch & Dick Slater) run out and destroy everyone, focusing on Rick's arm.
-Match 8: The Diamond Studd (w/DDP) VS Tommy Rich
-Rich doesn't even get an entrance, so he must be pretty low on the totem pole at this point. DDP calls a plant in to disrobe Hall, stating that there's a nationwide search for a "Studette". Studd hits a chokeslam to take control. Studd splash hits knees, but he avoids a cross body, a quickly finishes with the DDD (Diamond Death Drop), a.k.a. the Razor's Edge. Match was nothing.
-JR interviews Ben, the winner of the "Sting Look-Alike Contest", who just so happens to be from Knoxville. Sting comes out to see him, but then is ambushed by Nikita Koloff. Koloff makes moves towards the kid, but is held back by WCW officials.
-The BRUISE CRUISE is coming!
-Match 9: The Great Muta VS WCW United States Champion Lex Luger [Winner gets a World title shot at the Great American Bash]
-Lex no-sells a chop, and hits a belly-to-back suplex for two. Luger hits a slam, but misses an elbow drop. Luger hits a military press slam. Muta hits a kick to the throat, but misses the hand spring elbow, and flies outside over the top. Luger blocks the green mist, and hits a powerslam for the pin. Criminally short.
-Steve Austin hype video.
-Match 10: Stunning Steve Austin (w/Lady Blossom) VS Jumpin' Joey Maggs
-The crack WCW team puts up Maggs' graphic while Austin is on the screen. Austin wins in seconds with the Stun Gun. Well that was brisk.
-Black Blood hype video. Anyone know who that is?
-Richard Morton is officially introduced as the newest member of the York Foundation. Morton says it's the greatest night of his life, because signing the contract means he never has to sign another autograph. Robert Gibson comes out to find out what's going on, and Morton sucker-punches him before hitting a piledriver. Dustin Rhodes rushes out to make sure no further damage is done to Gibson.
-Match 11 for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair [c] VS Bobby Eaton [2 out of 3 Falls]
-Flair tries to intimidate Eaton, but it doesn't work. Eaton hits an elbow drop, and Flair bails. Eaton wins a chop/punch exchange, and hits a backdrop for two. Eaton almost gets a pin with a short-arm scissors. Eaton keeps the pressure on Flair's arm. Eaton takes a chop, and responds with a huge right hand. Flair bails, and suckers Eaton into following him outside, then gains the advantage when Eaton rolls back in. Big "Bobby" chant. Flair launches Eaton into the corner, and Eaton's head smacks the ring post. Flair keeps the pressure on, and drops a knee for two.
Flair drops Bobby on his ass with a butterfly suplex. Flair uses the ropes to try to score the pin, but Nick Patrick notices. Eaton wins a slug fest. Eaton slams Flair off the top. Eaton hits a back breaker, and follows up with a neck breaker. Eaton hits the Alabama Jam for the pin to go up 1-0.
Eaton counters a hip toss with a backslide for two. Eaton hits a swinging neck breaker and goes up, but Flair falls into the ropes, and Eaton falls to the floor, hurting his knee. Eaton is counted out to tie the match at 1.
Flair rolls Eaton back in, but Eaton fights back, and hits a superplex for two. Flair hits a teardrop suplex, and apllies a ropes-assisted figure 4. Patrick makes Flair break the hold. Figure 4 attempt is countered with a small package for two. Third figure 4 attempt is successful. Flair uses the ropes for leverage, and Eaton leaves his shoulders down for the pin, and Flair retains 2-1. Really good main event. I reminds me that WWE today is largely missing these types of TV world title defenses these days.
-Flair walks away with the belt, and barring injury or someone getting fired, Flair will defend the title against Lex Luger at the Great American Bash. That should be huge, and I sure hope nothing happens to rob WCW fans of it...
-FINAL THOUGHTS: This show could have been a lot better with some trimming. Eleven matches is just way too many, and some good matches on paper fell way short of their potential because of the lack of time. The main event was really good, but also suffered the same fate.
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