–Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are in the booth and they are taped from Atlanta, Georgia. These tapings were done on July 26 according to thehistoryofwwe.com.
–Opening Contest: Sergeant Craig Pittman (28-3) beats Steve Storm via submission to the Code Red at 4:30:
The crowd quickly tires of Pittman’s arm work, booing for all the wrong reasons. And to spite them the match lasts nearly five minutes with Storm only managing a few token punches of resistance.
–Schiavone and Heenan talk about the Cobra controversy that surrounds Pittman. Heenan says that it would be best not to bring it up.
–A new Cobra video warns Pittman that he cannot hide from his past. He says he was kept alive by the burning desire to get revenge.
–Schiavone interviews Pittman, who stares Heenan down and says that Cobra cannot be in WCW and that his issues with him are classified.
–The Nasty Boys (39-5-2) defeat Mark Kyle & Sledgehammer McGill when Jerry Sags pins McGill after the Trip to Nastyville at 4:31:
The Nasties rush the jobbers before the bell but do not finish their opponents quickly, forcing poor Jerry Sags to do the body avalanche in the corner spot twice for the sake of having something to do. Let us just hope that another Nasty Boys-Harlem Heat feud is not in our future.
–Gene Okerlund interviews the Nasty Boys, who are tired of following the rules, so they are going back to their old ways of destruction. They warn the tag team division to watch their backs.
–Marcus Bagwell (2-5) pins Tim Horner (0-10) after a fisherman’s suplex at 7:51:
During the match Heenan promises to find a way into Monday Nitro, a pitch to older viewers that he might do the same angle as he did on the first Monday Night RAW when he underwent multiple disguises to get into the Manhattan Center. Both men wrestle a clean match because they are both babyfaces, but the crowd gets bored by technical wrestling and constant arm drags. Some of that reaction is probably because Horner has lost all his singles matches and the crowd does not understand why Bagwell cannot put him away. A series of reversals leads to Bagwell hitting his finisher, winning an atypical kind of match. Rating: **
–In the Dungeon of Doom, the Master says that the balance of power is about to shift to the Dungeon’s side and unveils the faction’s newest warrior: Meng. No explanation is given as to how the Dungeon got Meng away from Colonel Robert Parker but evidently Meng is now a cannibal, wears a big dragon head, and breathes like Darth Vader. Oh, and he is also supposed to be the man to defeat Hulkamania when he could not beat Sting on the last two pay-per-views.
–Kurasawa (w/Colonel Robert Parker) (1-0) beats Mike Davis via submission to the Fujiwara armbar at 3:1
Schiavone gets all xenophobic on commentary, wondering how a man like Kurasawa was ever able to set foot on U.S. soil. A devastating release German suplex makes Davis dead to rights and after that the Fujiwara armbar is academic. Kurasawa has a fun moveset but his gimmick of “evil Japanese guy” who wrestles in black trunks is not exciting.
–Kurasawa has not left the ring from the last match, continuing to meditate despite WCW officials and Colonel Robert Parker trying to get him to leave. Eventually Kurasawa leaves the ring on his own accord just before the next match.
–Hacksaw Jim Duggan (30-4-1) beats Red Tyler after a three-point stance clothesline at 2:33:
Duggan spams the clotheslines before hitting the big one to finish. Fans turn toward the entrance to see if Kurasawa is going to run out and attack Duggan but that does not happen.
–A video package hypes Fall Brawl, saying that Kamala, the Shark, the Zodiac, and Meng will be the Dungeon of Doom’s team for the WarGames match. Hulk Hogan’s team is shown in army paint and running away from a supposed explosion that never happens.
–Harlem Heat (38-6-2) defeat Larry Santo & John Taylor when Stevie Ray pins Taylor after the Big Apple Bomb at 4:39:
The Heat seem to be unsure about where Sister Sherri is and eventually Sherri makes her way to the ring, preoccupied with a new ring. This gives Heenan a stroke as he is beside himself in a jealous rage, wondering aloud how Sherri could do this to him. Sherri regains enough of her wits to slap Taylor but Booker T yells at her for not being focused. This was a boring squash, but it only existed to progress the Sherri-Colonel Robert Parker sub-story within the Heat-Dick Slater & Bunkhouse Buck feud.
–Okerlund interviews Slater, Buck, and Parker. Parker says that his Elvis ring is missing. Slater adds that the Heat are going to catch a few boots, while Buck says he is so excited he is about to pop. That is borne out by his facial expressions in recent weeks as Buck is having a great time being a tag team champion, showcasing the belt around his waist at every opportunity and smiling big for the cameras.
–Brian Pillman (24-4) defeats Sonny Trout after a falling clothesline at 4:20:
Heenan illustrates some ignorance of the WCW product by saying that Pillman would be a great tag team wrestler. Schiavone quickly steps in and tells him that Pillman already held the tag team titles in the past. The match has a weird spot where Trout becomes confused about where Pillman is in the corner and drops to the canvas. The idea is Pillman is too quick for Trout but Pillman no longer has the speed to pull that spot off convincingly. Pillman rolls off a few more strikes, opting to use a more grounded style to win today’s encounter.
–Okerlund interviews Pillman, who says that he is good friends with Johnny B. Badd but once they wrestle at Fall Brawl tempers are going to flare. The fact that Pillman did not yell or smile in this promo was a subtle sign that he was headed toward a heel turn.
–Okerlund interviews Diamond Dallas Page, the Diamond Doll, and Maxx Muscle. Page says that he is not wrestling the Renegade tonight because he pulled a groin muscle coming up the steps.
–Television Championship Match: The Renegade (Champion w/Jimmy Hart) (16-0) beats Maxx Muscle after a Renegade Splash in 12 seconds:
Muscle was a former bodybuilder who became a professional wrestler in 1992. He wrestled for Global Wrestling Federation under the name Big Bad John and was signed to a WCW contract in 1993, appearing on a few shows before going to the Power Plant for more training. He passed away on June 27, 2019 at the age of fifty-six. Muscle wastes time posing in front of Hart, blindsided by a Renegade clothesline and quickly finished, which is the best booking choice since both men were incredibly limited.
–Schiavone announces that Dave Sullivan will face Big Bubba Rogers tomorrow night on WCW Main Event.
–Ric Flair (w/Arn Anderson) (6-1) pins Alex Wright (42-5-1) with the figure-four leg lock at 14:06:
Wright shows some fire in slapping Flair and taking the fight to him in the corner after Flair tries to toy with him in the early moments of the match. The big story of this match is that Anderson refuses to provide interference on Flair’s behalf, refusing to attack Wright out of the ring or help Flair with a figure-four. This leads to a lot of fun false finishes for Wright, with a half nelson bridge cradle being the closest that the young German comes to defeating the former WCW champion. However, he goes to the top rope one too many times and Flair crotches him and applies the figure-four, winning with the help of the ropes. Wright has now lost three straight matches, a clear sign that his rocket push is over. Rating: ***½
–After the bell, Anderson claps for Flair and they argue in front of Okerlund. Anderson says that he wants to see Flair as a killer and someone who gets his respect. Flair gives Anderson two choices to either talk about their differences backstage or go into the ring where he can give Double A a wrestling lesson. Anderson walks off after telling Flair that he is in position to give him a wrestling lesson because he beat Wright quicker than what Flair accomplished on today’s show. Flair just laughs it off and says he will talk to Anderson later.
The Last Word: The Ric Flair-Arn Anderson interaction was a great way to end the show, paving new ground in the storied history of both men. That is the best story WCW has going, not that the Dungeon of Doom or the Colonel Robert Parker-Sister Sherri love angle provide much competition. WCW seems to have given up on the Alex Wright for now as well, which might be for the best as the crowds were revolting against his push earlier in the year. That is really a shame as Wright seems to have finally clicked in the ring and has wrestled the two best matches of the month so far.
Up Next: WCW Main Eventfor August 20!