–WCW Prime for May 15 featured one new bout, taped at an old WCW Pro taping. It was commentated by Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes.
Prime “MOO” Match of the Week: Bunkhouse Buck (w/Colonel Robert Parker) (3-6) pins Joey Maggs after a right hand at 3:25:
Schiavone says that the purpose of this contest is to showcase “a young talent” like Maggs, even though Maggs has been wrestling for WCW since 1991. Jumpin’ Joey does not jump too high on a couple of dropkicks, with Dusty openly calling that out. Buck goes through his usual methodical offense and finally wins this squash with a right hand. Schiavone and Dusty did their best to sell this as a credible feature bout but it is hard to see anyone buying that.
–And now onto the May 20 episode of WCW Pro with Gordon Solie, Dusty Rhodes, and Larry Zbyszko doing commentary.
–Opening Contest: Alex Wright (33-0-1) pins Rick Thames after a reverse flying body press at 5:16:
Solie likes the British pronunciation of Thames’ last name so he sticks with that throughout the encounter. Wright has a big match for the Television Championship at Slamboree so his push continues in an unnecessarily long squash where Wright trades near-falls with Thames. This includes a sloppy German suplex just prior to the finish where Wright cannot do the bridge properly. German suplex. Why is that not Wright’s finisher? Hmmm…
–Gene Okerlund does the Slamboree Control Center. WCW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat and Sister Sherri say that they are going to have a “Slamboree time,” whatever that means, while the Nasty Boys pledge to knock Harlem Heat out of professional wrestling. Terry Funk is also announced as the last inductee into this year’s Hall of Fame.
–Kevin Sullivan (5-2) beats Ian Weston after a double stomp at 2:32:
Solie’s battle with the English language continues here as he is not sure how to pronounce Ian’s name, debating whether it is “Ion” or “E-an.” Sullivan screams a lot as he beats on the young jobber, swallowing up his comebacks before winning with the double stomp.
–Zbyszko says that if the Great Muta does not defeat Paul Orndorff at Slamboreethat Muta will commit hara-kiri. Talk about a tasteless way to sell an appearance. A Muta video package is aired where the narrator highlights his moves. “Chops!” “Kicks!” “Flying Moonsault!” “Mist!”
–Events in the United States Championship Tournament are recapped, including the recent victories of Alex Wright and Ric Flair, who will face each other in the quarter-finals.
–Sergeant Craig Pittman (14-0) beats Larry Santo via submission with the Code Red at 3:45:
Santo is decked out in red and green tights, making him look like the third member of a Christmas stable opposite the USWA’s Christmas Creature and the WWF’s Xanta Claus. And Christmas is not coming early for him on today’s broadcast, probably because he does not take advantage when Pittman does some pushups in the center of the ring. Somewhere in the WWF Barry Horowitz was watching this and taking notes. Pittman works what feels like a zillion facelocks before hitting the mid-section headbutt and ordering the Code Red.
–Call 1-900-909-9900 to hear about the recent dismissals in WCW! And hear who might be coming in to take their place!
–Johnny B. Badd & Brian Pillman (1-0) defeat Dick Slater & Bunkhouse Buck (w/Colonel Robert Parker) (6-3) when Pillman pins Buck after a backslide at 14:29:
In the absurdity of the WCW budget cuts guys like Steve Austin are on the chopping block and catching heat backstage while others like Dick Slater, who cannot go over a fireman’s carry from Badd properly, are employed and getting feature matches. Badd and Pillman are not very motivated, opting for a more mat based style rather than employing their flashier offense, and the heels have very little to offer in the workrate department. Ring rust could be a factor because Slater and Buck have not teamed since the April 15 episode of Pro. Solie gets so bored he starts talking about bulls and making an analogy about the participants and Paul Orndorff, who is facing Sting in the quarter-finals of the United States Championship Tournament on WCW Saturday Night. Badd breaks up covers after Slater and Buck give Pillman their double fist finisher and he also saves his partner after Buck’s right hand, culminating in a sequence where Badd knocks Slater into Buck, allowing Pillman to win with a backslide. Sadly, Buck cannot fully go over for the move like he needs to, so referee Randy Anderson waits until Buck conveniently slides himself into position to get pinned. Yikes. Rating: ½*
–The announce crew does a hard sell for Slamboree before signing off.
The Last Word: The crowd at this television taping should be given a medal for having to sit through the matches put on this broadcast. Boring squashes all through the card and a feature bout where everyone was just zoning it in. Hopefully Worldwide will give this week of WCW programming a shot in the arm.
Up Next: WCW Worldwide for May 20!