–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan handle studio duties for today’s show.
–Okerlund talks about a “dark cloud” that lingers over Randy Savage’s world title win at World War 3. Since the company is not building to a Savage-Hulk Hogan match, continually casting Savage’s title win in this fashion is not doing him any favors.
–Okerlund and Heenan liken the World Cup at Starrcade to the World Series. Heenan refutes charges that he is on the take from New Japan.
–Heenan says that Ric Flair has a major advantage in the Starrcadetriangle match because he does not have to wrestle in the World Cup while Sting and Lex Luger do.
–Joey Maggs defeats Diamond Dallas Page (w/Maxx Muscle) (25-5-2) via count out at 6:00:
Muscle was fired by Page after he lost the Television Championship to Johnny B. Badd at Halloween Havoc, but his services have been retained again now that Page has lost the Diamond Doll. His scoring scale is more generous than the Doll, giving Page tens for a bevy of offensive moves. Maggs dazes Page with an enzuigiri and a flying bulldog, triggering Muscle to interfere. Heel miscommunication nearly causes Page to lose via a schoolboy roll up, but he kicks out. Muscle then tries to hold down the top rope so Maggs will crash to the floor, but a reversed Irish whip sends Page over the top instead and he gets counted out. Rating: *
–After the match, Maggs celebrates with Teddy Long while Page argues with Muscle and then attacks him, giving his former sidekick a Diamond Cutter on the arena floor.
–Heenan complains about having to go to Nashville for Starrcade.
The Last Word: The finish to the feature match was surprising. Feuding with Maxx Muscle is a downgrade for Diamond Dallas Page, but it is a feud he should win to reverse his three-match losing streak.
WCW held its first house show since September in Denver, Colorado on December 2. Here were the results of that show (courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com):
Denver, Colorado – December 2, 1995 (3,000; 1,000 paid): Alex Wright beat the Disco Inferno…The Blue Bloods defeated Dick Slater & Bunkhouse Buck…Television Champion Johnny B. Badd defeated Diamond Dallas Page…Lex Luger beat Mr. J.L…WCW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat beat the American Males…Sting beat Kurasawa…The Giant defeated Scott Norton…The Giant won a battle royal.
Backstage News*: WCW turned away more than 1,000 fans from its World War 3 event in Norfolk, Virginia and collected a gate of $113,000 for the pay-per-view. Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer took Hulk Hogan’s insults about his publication in the opening promo of the show as a compliment. Terry Taylor was in charge of the three-ring battle royal and knew of the match’s first fifty eliminations. Hulk Hogan called the final ones in the ring because WCW feared a leak of the final results.
*Bull Nakano suffered an ACL injury in the women’s tag team match on Monday Nitro when Akira Hokuto crashed onto her with a flip dive.
*Hogan’s use of a chair against the Giant on Nitro went against longstanding company policy about using chairs as weapons, but it appears that Hogan is the exception to that rule.
*The team matches booked for Starrcade will be Alex Wright versus Koji Kanemoto,, Jushin Liger against Chris Benoit, Johnny B. Badd against Masa Saito, Eddie Guerrero against Shinjiro Otani, Lex Luger versus Masahiro Chono, Randy Savage against Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Kensuke Sasaki defending the United States Championship against Sting. WCW initially wanted the World Cup to be a rematch of a similar competition in Japan last month, with a WCW heel turning on the promotion and aligning with Sonny Onoo but New Japan did not like that storyline idea.
*WCW’s house show in Denver was said to be a disaster because wrestlers did not want to work hard on a flimsy ring provided by Dennis Condrey.
*According to reports, Ric Flair is going to work through a torn rotator cuff. Flair worked through the injury against Sting at World War 3 and this might explain why he is not booked to be part of the World Cup competition.
*The Diamond Doll is in the Muscle Mag International swimsuit section, listed under the name Kimberly Page. No mention is made of her ties to the wrestling business.
*In talent relations news, Rob Kellum receives a tryout match at the Monday Nitro taping in Salem, Virginia, beating Cobra. Kellum is wrestling under a Gorgeous George gimmick that he is also using in the USWA. Public Enemy appears to be heading to WCW next year.
*Backstage news is sourced from the December 4 and 11 editions of Dave Meltzer’s The Wrestling Observer.
Up Next: WCW Monday Nitro for December 4!
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