Happy Saturday Everyone!
We’ve got some Bill Watts Era WCW for you all today with Beach Blast 1992. Bill Watts’ stint running WCW is controversial due to him banning moves off the top rope and forcing the wrestlers to fight outside the ring with no mats to fall on, as well as an absolute gutting of the company’s production values.
However, as Beach Blast 1992 shows, WCW could still put on some fun matches during this time period, even if Watts seemed intent on kneecapping some of the more exciting wrestlers in order to push the kind of wrestling that he personally preferred.
This show has Rick Rude against Ricky Steamboat and Cactus Jack against Sting, so we’ve got two matches that are almost certain to be good before we even start. Let’s see how the rest of Beach Blast 1992 holds up.
You can view the card by clicking below;
https://www.cagematch.net//?id=1&nr=1560&page=3
The event is emanating from Mobile, Alabama on the 20th of June 1992
Calling the action are Jim Ross and Jesse The Body Ventura
Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff open us up by hyping the show, before bringing in Bill Watts, who talks about enforcing the rules. Because if we didn’t have rules then where would we be?
Jesse Ventura gets his own entrance, although he seems more interested in hanging out with the bikini babes. They eventually manage to coax him down to ringside though.
Opening Match
WCW World Light Heavyweight Title
Champ: Flyin’ Brian Vs Scotty Flamingo
Brian had been tearing it up with Jushin Liger in great matches for the belt, but Liger is about as useful in a promotion where top rope moves are banned as a coffee cup made out of chocolate, so Brian is instead wrestling Flamingo, who will work a more conservative style that the man from Japan. Flamingo would eventually get into grunge and become a future ECW Champion, but at this point he’s still a wacky cocky Heel.
Both of these guys are jacked to the gills here, even though they’re fighting for the lighter weight Title in the promotion. I don’t think there’d be any question of having these guys wrestle in the Heavyweight division these days, which just shows how attitudes have changed in the past 30+ years when it comes to how big you have to be to be taken seriously. They wrestle well in the early going, with Brian targeting the arm of Flamingo with holds like hammerlocks.
Flamingo displays how he is the villain of the piece, as he’s the first to start throwing punches and kicks after the early stages were based around wrestling, highlighting how he’s happy to take a shortcut to win like all good baddies are willing to do. It’s a very traditional opening match in a lot of ways, as they build it gradually so as to get the crowd warmed up for later matches in the night, with Flamingo selling and stooging in order to make his babyface opponent look good .
The cut off comes as a direct result of the new rules, as Brian heads up for a top rope move but the referee stops him, which gives Flamingo a window to attack Brian before getting a flying press to the floor. I guess jumping out of the ring is fine whilst jumping into the ring isn’t? Doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me, but then this stupid rule is an all-time bad idea so it’s no surprise that the internal logic of it has some inconsistencies.
Brian sells well during the heat and Flamingo looks good on offence, with Brian getting the odd hope spot in order to show that he’s still in the contest. The only critique I could give is that Flamingo kind of forgets all of the work done to his arm in the early stages, which wouldn’t bother me too much if they hadn’t dedicated so much time to Brian targeting it with the early technical wrestling portion of the bout. If you’re going to spend that much time working holds on a specific part of the body, then I’d like you to be selling it for the entirety of the bout after that.
Brian eventually catches Flamingo when a dropkick when Flamingo tries an attack from the second rope, leading to the comeback, which the crowd appreciates. The crowd has been into this for the most part, with the ladies in the crowd vocally being behind Brian especially. Flamingo catches Brian with a Powerslam for two, and then gets cocky by taunting the crowd, which allows Brian to give Flamingo a back suplex from the top for a two of his own. Brian has things in hand following that, but he misses a dive to the outside and lands on the entrance ramp (which is going right up to the ring on this show) which allows Flamingo to win it back inside.
WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: SCOTTY FLAMINGO
RATING: ***
Thoughts: Watts coming in was basically the death of this belt, but there were still some good matches over it until he killed it off, with this being an example. The story they were trying to tell was how dangerous the high risk moves were, as Brian missed one and lost because of it, which I guess was supposed to be the justification for banning the top rope moves. They built this one well and there was some solid wrestling throughout. A decent way to start off the show.
Johnny B. Badd joins us to host a bikini contest between Madusa and Missy Hyatt. If you’d indulge me on a tangent, it always annoys me when people spell it “Medusa”, because the whole point of her name is that it’s a shortened way of saying “Made In USA”, so spelling it the other way completely defeats the point. So this is a three round contest, where the ladies will be wearing an evening gown, a bathing suit and then finally a bikini, with the woman who looks the best picking up the win. Missy was apparently dieting so hard for this one that she passed out a couple of days prior to this event. The live crowd seems to enjoy it, although it kind of goes against Bill Watts’ whole “back to the 70’s” vibe that he was going for at the time. Madusa’s evening gown looks a bit like a wedding dress, and I’d probably say that she won that round as a result, as at least she tried something interesting with it as opposed to just wearing a standard evening gown.
Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff hype up the next match, noting that Ron Simmons recently got the key to the City of Tallahassee.
Match Two
The Taylor Made Man (Terry Taylor) Vs Ron Simmons
Taylor had been a member of The York Foundation and a tag team partner for Greg Valentine during his time in WCW since leaving the WWF, whilst Simmons had previously been in a tag team with Butch Reed and was now getting the rocket strapped to him as Watts was trying to recreate the success he had with The Junkyard Dog in his Mid-South territory. Simmons wasn’t as charismatic as JYD, but he was a super athlete and the fans seemed to like him, so it was worth trying to elevate him to see if it would stick.
Bill Alfonso is the referee here, and I’m sure he’ll call it right down the middle baby! Taylor was kind of doing a discount Ted Dibiase gimmick here, complete with tear away suit for his entrance. Taylor bumps around a bit for Simmons in the early going, leading to the two fighting on the entrance way, where Simmons throws Taylor into the ring. I think throwing guys over the top rope to the floor was illegal at the time within WCW, but clotheslines over the top were allowed because the idea was that it was just the momentum carrying the wrestler over so it wasn’t the clothesline deliverers fault.
At least, I hope that was the rule at the time, otherwise Fonzie looks daft for allowing Simmons to get away with clotheslining Taylor to the floor at one stage. Simmons tries a bear hug inside the ring following that, as Taylor can’t really get anywhere with him. Taylor eventually manages to dodge a Simmons tackle, which causes Simmons to tumble onto the ramp, which allows Taylor to work some heat. The work is fine and the crowd cares enough to boo Taylor, so it works as a heat segment, although it’s not the most thrilling one you’ll ever see.
Simmons does do a decent job selling in the heat actually, getting the mix right between being a big scary powerhouse but still being someone on the defensive who is trying to stay in the match. It’s not an easy balance to get when you’re such a muscular and impressive looking guy like Simmons is here, but he manages it well enough and Taylor knows how to be a jerk and play to the crowd, so the heat segment hits the beats it needs to without overextending the crowd’s excitement. They don’t really doing a comeback, as Simmons gets a Powerslam OUTTA NOWHERE and that’s enough for three.
WINNER: RON SIMMONS
RATING: **
Thoughts: This was fine, although a proper comeback for Simmons would have been appreciated.
Jim Ross interviews Simmons after that, and Simmons says his ultimate goal is to become the World Champion, which he would eventually do later in the year. That was a decent promo from Simmons actually and the crowd seemed to like it.
Match Three
Greg The Hammer Valentine Vs Marcus Alexander Bagwell
Valentine had jumped over from the WWF earlier in the year and was getting pushed as a grizzled veteran in the mid-card who could give young whippersnappers like Bagwell a good kicking. Bagwell was a way off from being “The Stuff” here, as he was mostly a fresh faced young babyface who slapped hands and did basic stuff, although he looked to have some potential. Valentine has his share of supporters in the crowd, as Bagwell was kind of getting the John Cena treatment at the time where the women and kids liked him, but the cynical dudes in the crowd weren’t buying in.
Bagwell looks decent on offence during the opening exchanges, getting your standard babyface shine with the likes of arm drags and basic moves. You could tell that Bagwell needed seasoning and some polish at this stage in his career, but he certainly had something about him and he ended up being pretty over by the time he joined the nWo later in the decade. Valentine soon fires back with some of his trademark chops, which Bagwell sells really well, jolting back and forth like he’s been zapped by an electric current.
Bagwell tries firing back with a knee drop, but Valentine dodges it and then targets the now injured knee, which is straightforward psychology and makes sense as Valentine’s finisher is the Figure Four. Bagwell continues to sell well, as this match is kind of resembling a Veteran Vs Young Lion match from Japan in some ways, which is the sort of thing Bagwell was going to benefit from at the time. Basic matches that are worked well so that he can learn to sell and time his comebacks, which were going to be useful skills seeing as he was going to be a babyface for quite a while yet.
Bagwell ends up making the comeback, including a big back body drop at one stage, but he continues to sell his leg during it in a nice nod to all the work that has been done on the appendage. Valentine manages to get the Figure Four applied when Bagwell hurts his knee on a leapfrog attempt, and Bagwell eventually taps out following a struggle. That was an effective way of getting Valentine over as a feared submission specialist whilst also making Bagwell look like a gutsy youngster who had a future in the sport.
WINNER: GREG VALENTINE
RATING: **1/2
Thoughts: Solid undercard action there, as both wrestlers did what they had to do and they managed to mostly keep the crowd invested
We see clips of Cactus Jack defeating Heavy Metal Van Hammer in a Falls Count Anywhere match in an effort to show that Cactus is dangerous in that sort of contest.
Match Four
Falls Count Anywhere On The Gulf Coast
Cactus Jack Vs WCW World Champion The Man Called Sting
This is a Non-Title match, as Cactus was more focused on just hurting Sting at this stage rather than winning the belt from him. Cactus had returned to WCW in 1991 and he was figured in now that Watts was booking due to his penchant for working hard and making the stars look good, which were qualities that Watts appreciated. Sting was set for a feud with Vader, and indeed Vader had already beaten Sting up in The Omni to heat that issue up and a match was scheduled between the two for the next pay per view with the belt on the line.
Cactus waits on the ramp for Sting in a cool visual, which leads to Sting throwing down his entrance robe and Title belt in order to get stuck into it with the crazed madman. This feud did an effective job of making Sting look tough, as he regularly had to throw down with the psychotic Cactus, and he often gave just as good as he got. Sting gets the better of things in the early going, with Cactus taking a number of his trademark big bumps, but Sting misses a Stinger Splash (yes, I’m as shocked as you are) and that leads to Cactus getting some offence of his own, including the Cactus Elbow off the apron for two.
We head out into the crowd following that, as Cactus continues to take some big bumps onto the concrete, including a suplex at one stage for a two count. Cactus gets a period of control back inside the ring, including a full body scissors at one stage, but Sting fights out of that, only to then take a wild bump to the floor off a Cactus Clothesline. That spot looked incredible, with both wrestlers tumbling to the floor in impressive fashion. It’s not just Cactus bumping around here, Sting is carrying his end of things as well.
Cactus introduces a chair into things outside the ring, delivering some safe looking ones to Sting’s back, but Sting continues to fight and gets a back suplex onto the concrete for a two count. Sting goes for a Stinger Splash out on the floor and ends up colliding with the guardrails, which I think is roughly the 2387th time that has happened in a Sting match. Cactus ends up leaping to the concrete floor from the second rope at one stage, only to miss, as I ponder just how Mick Foley was still wrestling a regular schedule all the way up to 1999 before finally winding down.
We head to entrance ramp following that, with Sting trying the Scorpion Deathlock but Cactus rolling off the stage to the floor to break it, in a clever (if unhinged) counter to a submission move. Cactus gets the Double Arm DDT on the ramp following that for a near fall, but Sting fights back and comes off the tope rope onto the ramp with a Flying Clothesline, and that’s enough for the three count and a monster pop from the crowd.
WINNER: STING
RATING: ****
Thoughts: Watts supposedly loved this, telling both wrestlers “it just doesn’t get any better than that”, which was a surprising display of enthusiasm from the usually gruff Cowboy. It is a fantastic match, as these guys had great chemistry and Cactus was happy to almost kill himself in an effort to get the match over, whilst Sting took some reasonably big bumps of his own and hung in there with the madman. The result was an exciting brawl that elevated both wrestlers when all was said and done, as Sting looked tough for slaying the beast, whilst Cactus looked tough for both surviving and dishing out so much punishment before finally being defeated. They should have closed the show with this one. I know why they didn’t because of what happens later, but still, save that for TV and close the show with this
Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff put the match over and then hype up the Iron Man match.
Match Five
30 Minute Iron Man Challenge
WCW United States Champion Ravishing Rick Rude Vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
This is another Non-Title bout, as I think Steamboat was out of Title shots at this stage following some failed attempts to win the belt. Rude does an excellent match long sell job here, as Steamboat clocks him in the ribs in the opening minute and Rude has to sell them throughout the rest of the bout as a result. It’s a truly sensational example of selling and it’s something every aspiring wrestler should watch, as not only does Rude do a good job of getting across how much pain he’s in, but the injury actually affects his performance as the match wears on.
Steamboat controls the majority of the bout in the early going due to Rude’s bad ribs, and his wrestling looks great as you’d expect. Steamboat mostly focuses on submission holds that work over the injured mid-section of Rude, including a Bow and Arrow Hold, as well as THE DREADED YOUNG LION BOSTON CRAB. Rude ends up managing to catch Steamboat with a knee to the face OUTTA NOWHERE though and then gets a tights assisted pin in order to pick up a flash pinfall in order to go ahead in the contest.
Rick Rude 1-0 Ricky Steamboat – Pin with tights for Rude
Rude quickly pounces on the stunned Steamboat with a Rude Awakening, and that’s another three count in order to put Steamboat two behind after dominating the early portion of the bout.
Rick Rude 2-0 Ricky Steambot – Rude Awakening for Rude
Rude heads to the top rope with a knee drop following that, which gives Steamboat a fall, but it also dishes out even more punishment to Steamboat, allowing Rude to quickly roll Steamboat up for another pin. I’m always a sucker for that spot.
Rick Rude 2-1 Ricky Steamboat – DQ for Steamboat
Rick Rude 3-1 Ricky Steamboat – Inside Cradle for Rude
So Rude now has a 3-1 lead over Steamboat and he has significantly weakened him as well thanks to coming off the top with that illegal move, so it looks like all Rude has to do now is run out the clock, which he attempts to do with a Camel Clutch. In a great spot, Rude tries to do his usual hip gyrating and he can’t due to his ribs hurting too much, which of course gives Ventura a chance to gush about how brave and gutsy Rude is for still trying to thrill the women in the crowd. That was a fantastic bit of business there.
Rude gets a piledriver soon after that, but he delays in making the cover and that gives Steamboat just enough time to kick out. Steamboat then clambers his way out of a Tombstone attempt and delivers one of his own in order to pick up his pin of the match.
Rick Rude 3-2 Ricky Steamboat – Tombstone Piledriver for Steamboat
Rude tries going up again, but Steamboat cuts him off with a Superplex, but he can’t make the pin right away due to being so dazed and beaten up, which allows Rude to kick out at two. I like how they’ve tried to protect the bigger moves in this one by delaying in making covers. It’s a little thing, but it really helps with making the big moves in the match appear more impactful. Steamboat manages to catch Rude with a backslide soon after though, and that one does get a three.
Rick Rude 3-3 Ricky Steamboat – Backslide for Steamboat
So we’ve got about 10 minutes left at this stage and we’re tied at three apiece, which leads to Rude getting a chin breaker for a double down and some respite. The bout is gradually slowing down, as both wrestlers are trying to get across how tired and beaten down they are, with the selling continuing to be great from both competitors. Rude still can’t pose correctly due to his mid-section being so damaged, which is wonderful commitment to the bit.
Rude tries the Rude Awakening again with about 5 minutes left, but Steamboat attacks the ribs in order to fight it off and then delivers his own version of the move for two when Rude gets his foot on the ropes. That was a wonderful little sequence, as the ribs are still playing their part in the match and they gave Steamboat a great near fall whilst still protecting Rude’s finisher by having the ropes rescue Rude when Steamboat made the pin.
Rude tries a sleeper hold with about 4 minutes left and Steamboat fights it for nearly three minutes as he desperately tries to break free and make it to the ropes, only for Rude to keep kicking his arms away when he tries it. Steamboat looks to be done for, but he manages to kick off the ropes and lands on Rude’s ribs in the process, leading to a flash three count with about 40 seconds left. Rude quickly tries to grab an equalising fall, but he is unable to and Steamboat hangs on to win the bout.
Rick Rude 3-4 Ricky Steamboat – Pin counter to Sleeper Hold for Steamboat
Final Score: Rick Rude 3-4 Ricky Steamboat
WINNER: RICKY STEAMBOAT
RATING: ****1/4
Thoughts: One of the best Iron Man matches you can find in my opinion. Great wrestling, consistent selling and fun ways to decide falls. The 30 minute run time probably helped a bit as well, as it allowed them to work at a quicker clip than they might have done if they were going for 60. Rude’s selling was top notch here and Steamboat almost always delivers the goods once the bell rings. The rib injury ultimately deciding it when all was said and done was a great way to pay off the match long storyline. This one is a match that’s worth seeking out if you’ve never seen it
We head back to the contest with the ladies, as it’s time for the bathing suit round. Johnny B. Badd has also had a wardrobe change. Madusa is wearing a black number and is giving off biker chick vibes, which makes sense as she was a biker in real life. Missy is wearing a very nice looking blue number that’s far more revealing than what Madusa was wearing. I think we’ll go with Missy for that round, although I like how Madusa is actually trying to theme her outfits in some manner. You can tell she’s thought about it, whilst Missy seems more focused on just looking hot. And yeah, she does look hot, but she’d look hot regardless, whereas Madusa seems to be more invested in the contest aspect of this.
Match Six
The Dangerous Alliance (WCW World Television Champ Stunning Steve Austin, Beautiful Bobby Eaton and The Enforcer Arn Anderson) w/ Paul E. Dangerously Vs Barry Windham, The Natural Dustin Rhodes and The Russian Terror Nikita Koloff
The Dangerous Alliance had been feuding with the babyfaces for a while; although their days were numbered due to Watts having no love for Paul E and vice versa. The DA is probably one of my all-time favourite Heel stables, so I’m kind of bitter how they just kind of faded away due to the booking team losing interest in them. Ole Anderson is your troubleshooting referee here, although he’s in there with Armed Anderson and so imagine he’ll be doing most of the shooting.
The wrestling here is fine for the most part, although the match never really feels like it gets properly going. It feels more like a match you’d see earlier in the card, but we’re in the semi-main slot now and this one feels a bit out of place as a result. It feels in some ways like the match is there to get over the rules, as Koloff clotheslines Anderson in the back to send him over the top rope at one stage, but Ole Anderson judges that Arn’s momentum took him over so it’s not a DQ, which leads to Ross then defending the top rope rule.
The defence basically comes down to “those who are against it just don’t understand” but I vehemently disagree. You can understand the rationale for doing something and still think said rationale is dumb. Anyway, the babyface trio shines on the Heels to start, but eventually Rhodes gets cut off and worked over in the Heel corner. Rhodes sells that well, as apparently Madusa is leading the phone vote, although I’m not sure how legit that is. I’m tempted to call this one a “Cool-Down” match actually, because it’s been fought at that kind of pace.
Austin ends up managing to catch Dustin with a Stun Gun (the move, not the item) but the force of the move sends Rhodes flying over to his own corner, which allows Windham to get the hot tag and make a comeback. They take it home pretty quickly after that, as Windham looks to have Austin beat, but then Arn comes off the top rope for a DQ.
WINNERS: WINDHAM, RHODES & KOLOFF BY DQ
RATING: **
Thoughts: The work was fine, but this match felt like it meandered and then the finish was a really lame way to end it
Eric Bischoff brings Ricky Steamboat over to the interview podium to talk about his previous bout. Steamboat thanks the fans for their support and says he’s going to be coming for more US Title shots. Paul E. Dangerously interrupts though to say that Steamboat won’t be getting anymore Title shots, and then introduces Cactus Jack as Steamboat’s next dancing partner, although that feud didn’t really go anywhere due to both guys moving onto other things before it could really kick into a higher gear. It’s a shame as I bet it would have been oodles of fun. OODLES I say!
It’s the bikini round of the competition, with Jesse Ventura now joining Johnny B. Badd on the ramp. Madusa has chaps and a USA themed bikini, which looks hot in a tasteful way, which once again shows that she’s met the brief. It looks like Missy has had her bikini stolen, but she ends up grabbing Jesse’s bandanna and crafts a makeshift one on the fly. I believe you can do that on Minecraft as well. Anyway, Missy looks good but I think Madusa won it in the end, but Missy is declared the official winner.
Main Event
WCW World Tag Team Titles
Champs: The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) Vs The Miracle Violence Connection (Terry Gordy and Dr. Death Steve Williams)
Bill Watts liked nothing more than rough tough guys with legitimate sporting and fighting backgrounds knocking seven bells of coleslaw out of one another, hence why this is closing the show instead of the Rick Rude Vs Ricky Steamboat or Cactus Jack Vs Sting matches, even though most fans would consider those to be bigger bouts. Doc and Gordy were both big stars in Japan and had also worked for Watts in Mid-South, so they were obviously going to be figured in now “The Cowboy” was calling the shots.
Jim Ross is primed on commentary, as you can just hear the excitement in his voice at the prospect of these big lads striking and suplexing one another. The opening exchanges are good stuff, as they combine amateur styled grappling with punches and kicks when things heat up a little bit. The crowd seems into the idea of things breaking down into more of a fight, and they pop when things get a bit heated between Scott and Gordy. The quality of the wrestling is good, as everyone involved knows how to handle themselves in a real fight and do a good job of translating that hyper realism into a pro wrestling scenario. It feels far more like watching a BattlArts or UWFi match actually, except no one is doing kicks and it’s more about grappling than martial arts.
Doc and Gordy establish themselves as the Heels by throwing Rick to the ramp way and then not allowing him to get back in, which leads to them controlling him in their half of the ring. The crowd isn’t making a lot of noise but it feels like they are paying attention to the match. I don’t get the impression that they are bored but rather viewing it like a Japanese crowd, in that they are watching intently rather than making a lot of noise chanting. There are even some scattered cries of support from the crowd now and then, again like you’d get in Japan. Rick eventually tags out to Scott, but it’s not really built like a proper hot tag and Scott is soon going back and forth with the Heels rather than making a big hot comeback to fire up the crowd.
From what I’ve seen of their WCW work, Doc and Gordy didn’t seem to really care for doing the traditional tag team formula most of the time, with most of their matches basically being them just out wrestling the other team until they won, with the opposition occasionally being allowed the odd crumb now and then so the match wasn’t a total bore fest. They do at least attempt some sly cheating in this one to try and get some heat, such as Doc kicking Scott right in the leg and then clubbing away at him with Gordy whilst the ref tries to deal with Rick. Scott sells the leg big, crumpling whenever Doc or Gordy target it, stopping any potential comebacks before they can start. It makes sense from a psychology standpoint, but it’s not especially exciting to watch and it starts to drag after a certain point due to the rather muted crowd.
Scott ends up dragging himself to the corner whilst in THE DREADED YOUNG LION BOSTON CRAB in order to tag Rick, but I think the ref was supposed to miss it as it feels pretty flat for what is supposedly a hot tag and Rick is immediately cut off and power slammed off the second rope by Gordy for two. Doc and Gordy do NOT like hot tag segments do they? Goodness me, I think Rick got one move in before getting cut off and beaten up. This is technically our third heat segment too, with only 5 minutes left on the 30 minute time limit to boot. What an oddly structured match, especially for something that is supposed to be the Main Event. I mean, Rude Vs Steamboat not only went 30 minutes but featured great wrestling and storytelling, whilst Cactus Vs Sting was a high octane brawl that would have made an exciting show closer, yet we’re getting Doc and Gordy refusing to sell and basically killing this match dead at every turn.
Rick continues to get absolutely levelled by the Heels, with the time announcements finally getting the crowd invested because they know both teams are running out of time. Rick eventually manages to slip out of an Oklahoma Stampede and gets a desperation Steinerline. We get the 1 minute warning, as Rick makes the tag to Scott, who comes in with slams on the Heels. Scott gets an under hook powerbomb on Gordy and gets the Frankensteiner just as the bell rings to make this one a draw.
TIME LIMIT DRAW
RATING: **1/2
Thoughts: The actual wrestling on display here was solid and well executed, but the match really started dragging after a certain point, as watching Doc and Gordy choking the life out of their babyface opponents for so long just got dull. The last minute was hot, and I get that the story they were telling was that The Steiner’s got essentially dominated by the Heel team for the majority of the match so as to establish the Heels as genuine contenders, but they could have told the same story with 20 minutes in the mid-card as opposed to boring everyone in the Main Event when there were better candidates for the Main Event slot. I do fully expect this match to have its fans, but it wasn’t for me I’m afraid.
In Conclusion
There’s nothing actively bad on this one and there are two classic matches elsewhere, so that’s plenty for a thumbs up overall. I’m not an especially big fan of the Watts Era due to Watts’ obsession with having Doc and Gordy destroy everyone, the stupid new rules that were implemented, and the significant downgrade in the production values, but they still had a strong roster full of guys who could have good matches when allowed to. It’s wasn’t as good as the first half of 1992, but there was still plenty to enjoy here. I just think they should have closed with the Falls Count Anywhere match and done the Cactus/Steamboat angle on TV.
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