Note: Since some of these broadcasts, such as Main Event, provide a lot of replays of past action, I will avoid recapping those segments and just provide a description of the new content that aired as part of the telecast.
–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan are handling studio duties for today’s broadcast. They quickly recap the existing storylines surrounding Ric Flair and the Nasty Boys-Harlem Heat feud.
–Lord Steven Regal and Bobby Eaton go to Buckingham Palace. This is where “Queen Elizabeth” knights Eaton as Sir Robert, Earl of Eaton. Regal cries during this.
–WCW Tag Team Championship Match: Harlem Heat (Champions w/Sister Sherri) (17-1-1) wrestle the Nasty Boys (16-1) to a double disqualification at 8:04:
This bout took place on March 22 as part of the Saturday Night tapings in Atlanta. The storyline is that this is the last title shot that the Nasties are going to receive. After some basic brawling back and forth, the Nasties appear to have the titles won when Brian Knobbs gives Booker T a powerslam. However, Sherri breaks up the pinfall and then Knobbs tosses Booker T over the top rope. Somehow this produces a double disqualification despite the fact that Sherri’s interference took place first. This was nothing spectacular, but it was miles better than their Uncensored encounter. Rating: **
The Last Word: The Blue Blood team of Regal and Eaton appears to be complete now that Eaton has been knighted. They should begin appearing in tag team action soon. Harlem Heat and the Nasty Boys put on their best bout to his point, although the average nature of the encounter did not make it “must see TV.” The next step in that feud will likely be attempts by the Nasties to get another title shot, arguing that the disputed nature of the double disqualification means that they are still the number one contenders.
WCW ran a couple of house shows in late March and early April through the West Virginia-Pennsylvania corridor. Here was the result of one of those shows (courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com):
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – April 1, 1995 (900): Alex Wright beat Diamond Dallas Page…Television Champion Arn Anderson defeated Johnny B. Badd via disqualification…The Nasty Boys beat WCW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat in a non-title match…Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated Steve Austin…Randy Savage & Sting beat Avalanche & Big Bubba Rogers.
Backstage News*: Uncensored drew a 0.96 buy rate, grossing the most money for a pay-per-view in company history. Hulk Hogan’s reported share of the show is about $750,000. There has been some significant cost cutting in the WCW front office as the company released senior advisor Jim Barnett, president Bob Dhue, and building promoter Don Sandifer. WCW is under pressure to cut costs because it no longer qualifies as a tax write off for Ted Turner since he has owned it for more than five years. Talent cutbacks might be on the horizon because the company needs to shed an addition $600,000 to $800,000 in salaries. This will cause some locker room politics between Hogan’s cartoonish style and Ric Flair’s more wrestling-centric product in determining who gets cut, with Hogan’s style likely to prevail. There are some whispers that Yokozuna and the Headshrinkers are showing some interest in going to WCW. Yokozuna facing Hogan would allow Hogan to get his win back from the 1993 King of the Ring, but the budget cutbacks referred to earlier will probably prevent any of those talents from getting WCW offers. USWA owner Jerry Jarrett has been brought in as a consultant, thereby allowing WCW the opportunity to send some of its younger talent to the USWA. WCW is also getting syndication in the USWA’s markets relative to the WWF. Another interesting twist to the Jarrett-WCW deal is that some WWF talent are being groomed in the USWA, so WWF and WCW talents will be wrestling alongside each other. Slamboree might feature an IWGP title match as the winner of the Shinya Hashimoto-Keiji Muto bout on May 3 at the Fukuoka Dome could be booked against Johnny B. Badd. Vader was stripped of the U.S. title because WCW wants to transition it to another talent without having to make Vader job. The televised tournament to crown the new champion will bump the cruiserweight tournament back to later in the year. Despite the controversial firing of his son, Dusty Rhodes will remain with WCW. There is some talk of inducting Ricky Steamboat into the WCW Hall of Fame along with Rhodes at Slamboree. WCW has now issued a policy that no foreign objects except movie stunt chairs can be used in matches. Finally, Craig Pittman will be competing in a Vale Tudo tournament in Japan on April 20, facing UFC competitor Joe Charles in the first round.
Up Next: WCW Pro for April 8 (along with an exclusive match from WCW Prime)!