Mike Reviews WCW Clash Of The Champions #29

Happy Clashin’ Friday Everyone!

We’re back with another 1994 WCW review, as this time we’re looking at Clash of the Champions #29. Back at Halloween Havoc, Hulk Hogan finally won his feud with Ric Flair, but then a new one started when Kevin Sullivan, The Avalanche and Brother Bruti left him laying. So tonight on The Clash, that feud will continue

You can view the card for Clash #29 by clicking below

WCW Clash Of The Champions #29 Card

All the pics used here were from a review by Benjamin Trecroci

Clash #29 is emanating from Jacksonville, Florida on the 16th of November 1994

Calling the action are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

I have to say that I love the theme for Clash #29. It’s like something you’d hear whilst playing a game like Road Rash.

The announce team hypes up the card tonight.

Mean Gene Okerlund hocks his hotline. Make sure you dial now kids, Mean Gene’s pet orca ain’t gonna feed itself! Don’t bother asking for your parent’s permission either, only suckers do that. Gene brings out Colonel Robert Parker and THE MONSTER MENG for some promo time. Parker says he has a contract for his clients Arn Anderson and Bunkhouse Buck to face the winners of the next match.

Opening Match
Luchas de Apuestas
Titles Vs Mask
WCW World Tag Team Titles
Champs: Pretty Wonderful (“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff and “Pretty” Paul Roma) Vs Stars And Stripes (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and The Patriot)

Pretty Wonderful regained the belts from S&S back at Halloween Havoc, so the former Champs are getting a crack at winning the Titles again here at Clash #29, with The Patriot having to put his mask on the line as collateral. Bagwell should have been forced to put his hair on the line here as well, as this is pretty much a free hit for him but his partner has put quite a lot on the line. Bagwell shines on both Champs to start, looking good in the process, with Patriot getting his licks in as well. The crowd is really into the action, as the challengers seem to be well-liked and the Champs seem to be strongly disliked, so that keeps things entertaining. PW keep trying to cut one of the challengers off, but the Champs keep getting foiled, which was par for the course with PW’s matches based on the shows I’ve watched during this run. Usually there’d be an elongated babyface shine and then you’d get an overly long heat segment and a really short finishing stretch, so let’s see if that’s what happens at the Clash.

Eventually Bagwell takes a spill to the floor, and that allows PW to cut him off and work some heat. Bagwell sells that well and the crowd stays with him as the heat segment goes on. And amazingly my earlier prediction comes true, as we don’t even get a hot tag here once the heat segment comes to an end. Roma tries heading up with a Splash whilst Orndorff suplexes Bagwell. However, Patriot shoves Roma off the top rope, whilst both Orndorff and Bagwell’s shoulders are down on the mat. Bagwell manages to lift a shoulder, and that gives Stars And Stripes the tag belts in an incredibly flat finish that didn’t really make much sense. Would it have killed them to just do a proper hot tag and finishing sequence?

WINNERS AND NEW CHAMPIONS: STARS AND STRIPES
RATING: **

Thoughts: This was the usual Pretty Wonderful match, in that it was okay but it could have been a lot better if they’d just worked the standard tag formula and hadn’t tried to get too cute with the finish

Match Two
WCW World Television Title
Champion: Johnny B. Badd Vs The Honky Tonk Man

These two went to a time limit draw back at Halloween Havoc, so Honky is getting another chance to win the belt here. I’m frankly amazed that they never thought to put Colonel Parker with Honky actually. You’d think that one would write itself? Badd shines on Honky to start, with Honky selling that all well and Badd displaying some good charisma. The crowd digs it for the most part, with Honky playing an excellent buffoon who is progressively getting more annoyed that he can’t get anywhere with Badd in a fair fight. Eventually Honky has to start throwing sly punches and fighting dirty just to get anything going with Badd, but Badd even has an answer for THAT, which just causes more wailing and gnashing of teeth from Honky.

Another cheap shot from Honky allows him to finally work a little bit of heat, with Badd selling it well, even when Honky puts the Champ in an outrageously loose chinlock at one stage. Badd is soon fighting back, ramming Honky face first into the turnbuckles and then adding a ten punch for good measure. Honky’s selling continues to be great, as it’s just really fun to watch him get beaten up. Honky eventually decides he’s had enough of this mother grabbing TV Champion on this Monday-to-Friday Clash of the Champions event, so he shoves Badd into the referee and then clocks Badd with his trusty guitar for the DQ finish.

WINNER BY DQ AND STILL CHAMPION: JOHNNY B. BADD
RATING: **

Thoughts: I actually didn’t mind that finish, as the whole story of the match was that Honky couldn’t get anything going against Badd and the frustration eventually led to him losing his cool and clocking the Champ with the guitar out of spite. Sadly Honky would skip town before the logical blow-off to the feud where Badd would finally get revenge and a pin fall victory, but this was a good way to elongate the feud a bit longer without someone having to get pinned

The Three Faces of Fear cut a promo backstage. It’s okay, if a bit by the numbers. It wasn’t very well mic’ed and you could here a generator whirring in the background as well, which made the whole thing look a bit amateur.

Match Three
The Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) w/ Sister Sherri Vs The Nasty Boys (Knobbs and Sags)

The Heat were doing a gimmick at the time where they’d come out talking to a mystery person on a mobile phone, with the idea being that they’d eventually reveal who it was. Sadly the WCW graphics people end up spoiling the surprise, by stating on the entrance graphic that Sherri is managing The Heat tonight. They then put the graphic up AGAIN when The Nasty’s come out as well, just in case someone missed it the first time. Oh WCW,

Anyway, the match isn’t too bad in the early going here, with The Nasty’s getting the better of things with their brawling tactics and the crowd digging it for the most part. The crowd has been one of the best parts of this show actually, as they’ve been into the most of the show thus far and it’s given Clash #29 a good atmosphere. It’s not like The Nasty’s are not level technical grapplers or anything, but they can punch and kick well enough that the babyface shine is watchable, especially when you factor in the decent crowd reactions. A long terribly applied leg lock from Knobbs onto Booker slows things down somewhat, but they take an advert break and when they come back they have Stevie cheap shot Knobbs for the cut off and heat segment. Knobbs sells that fine and The Heat do a good job working him over.

Booker misses a head butt from the second rope though and it’s hot tag Sags, which sadly isn’t that great because Sags runs around trying to get at The Heat rather just standing in the middle and letting the Heels coming to him. Things breakdown following that, with The Nasty’s getting the better of things, which leads to The Heat picking up the mobile phone and calling for some help. This leads to Sherri Martel heading down to ringside and distracting Knobbs, which stops him from breaking up the pin fall on Sags meaning that The Heat pick up the win.

WINNERS: HARLEM HEAT
RATING: *1/2

Thoughts: This started well enough, but it fell apart a bit towards the end and it didn’t help that the graphics team spoiled the surprise before it happened

The replay shows that Booker came off the top with a cheap shot to Sags for the finish, but I missed that initially because I was focusing on Sherri. And in fairness, Sherri was worth focusing on here (woof woof).

Match Four
Vader w/ Harley Race Vs “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes

Vader had finally ended his feud with The Guardian Angel and it wasn’t time for him to feud with Hulk Hogan yet, so he was just in the upper mid-card having good matches until it was time for him to go after Hogan. Vader does his usual routine of punching his opponent really hard in the early going, but Dustin weathers the storm and throws some punches of his own, which causes the crowd to explode. Man, this crowd has been fantastic so far tonight. They’ve made every match more enjoyable due to being into everything. Dustin actually manages to clothesline Vader over the top rope to the floor, which isn’t a DQ because that’s only a DQ when WCW decides it is. Race even takes one his customary bumps from Dustin, as they’re doing a good job of presenting Dustin as a threat to the former World Champ here and the crowd is totally buying into it.

Vader eventually manages to catch Dustin with a body attack when Dustin rushes in one too many times, and that’s the cut off and heat segment. Dustin sells well in the heat, likely because Vader isn’t giving him much choice, and Vader does a very believable job of looking like a big scary man who could batter you. Dustin eventually manages to catch Vader with a slam of all things and then adds some punches from the mount. Dustin shoves the ref when the ref tries to stop the punching, and that allows Vader to fling Dustin over the top rope to the floor, but it’s not a DQ because the referee missed it. Dustin is walking wounded when he gets back into the ring, and the Pump Splash gets Vader a two count, as does another one, as Dustin is showing good defiance here in the face of what seems like certain defeat.

The crowd sticks with Dustin, despite him getting creamed by a human grizzly bear, and that allows Dustin to counter a second rope dive from Vader into a Powerslam and then make the comeback with punches and clotheslines. Vader won’t go down at first, but Dustin heads up with a clothesline and that’s finally enough to bump Vader for two. Dustin manages to DDT Vader from the second rope following that, but Vader kicks out again, so Dustin gets the Bulldog, which was his finisher at the time. Race distracts Dustin before he can get the win though, and that allows Vader to get a Wheelbarrow Slam for three, which was set to be his new finisher at the time.

WINNER: VADER
RATING: ****

Thoughts: That was an excellent match, with Dustin being a great gutsy underdog babyface fighting defiantly to the end, whilst Vader was a great big scary monster who finally managed to prevail thanks to help from his manager. Vader gets a three count but Dustin doesn’t look weak in defeat

Vader and Race look to batter Dustin some more following that, but Jim Duggan runs down to make the save and set up a match with Vader at Starrcade.

Mean Gene is backstage with Hulk Hogan, Sting, Evad Sullivan and Jimmy Hart. Hogan thinks the Heels are counting their chickens before they hatch, whilst Sting is fired up, and is also wearing red and yellow to show that he’s unified with The Hulkster. This was the usual bombastic Hulk Hogan promo segment, so if you normally like those then you’ll probably like this.

Match Five
WCW United States Title
Champ: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan Vs “Stunning” Steve Austin

Austin got intentionally DQ’ed against Duggan back at Havoc, so they’re running it back here again so that Duggan can defeat Austin properly. They barely lock up here before Vader runs in to attack Duggan for the almost immediate DQ.

WINNER BY DQ AND STILL CHAMPION: JIM DUGGAN
RATING: N/A

Thoughts: Not even a match really. This was just an angle to swap Duggan’s rival from Austin to Vader.

Duggan chases off the Heels with his 2×4. Austin doesn’t seem too mad about the match ending so abruptly.

Starrcade will be the 27th of December, and yes we’ll get to that one next month (heaven help me).

Main Event
Guest Referee: Mr. T
The Three Faces of Fear (“Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, The Butcher and The Avalanche) Vs WCW World Champ Hulk Hogan, The Man Called Sting and Evad Sullivan w/ Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart

Butcher would be better known as Brutus Beefcake, and he betrayed The Hulkster back at Havoc after years of lackeying for the WCW Champ. Avalanche was Earthquake in the WWF, as lots of ex-WWF guys were getting brought in to WCW and reprising familiar roles now that Hogan was in there. Kevin and Evad are storyline brothers, but Evad loves Hulkamania whilst Kevin hates it. As mentioned earlier, Sting is rocking red and yellow here and joins the ranks of babyface stars who are happy to pal around with The Hulkster. Hogan has at least deigned to wear face paint here, so that he looks a little bit like Sting and it isn’t just Sting dressing up like Hogan.

Team Hogan works over Kevin to start, but The Three Faces of Fear eventually triple up on Hogan and beat him down for the cut off, with Evad having his arm splashed by Lanche at one stage. This leads to Evad having to leave the ringside area for some medical treatment, meaning that Hogan and Sting are now going to have to go at it 2 on 3. To be honest, Evad is so useless that they were pretty much doing that already. Hogan sells big for the Heels as they work him over, which is what they need to do in order to make them look like a threat. Avalanche was still fresh to WCW at the time, and he has his impressive size to help get him over, but Sullivan and Butcher had both been presented as mid-card guys in WCW, so they needed some credibility in order to be taken seriously against stars the calibre of Hogan and Sting, so Hogan doing the big sell job and Evad getting taken out of the match helps on that front at least.

Avalanche is moving more slowly than he was in his WWF run here, but he still looks decent on offence for the most part, whilst Butcher is trying to get across a more villainous character but he just comes across as being hammy. Sting eventually gets the hot tag, and he shows good fire as he runs wild on the Heels. However, Lanche is really big and he ends up squishing Sting in the corner in order to give us our second heat segment. Sting sells well during that, with Lanche continuing to look good on offence and Butcher continuing to look pretty bad, whilst Kevin is just “there” for the most part. Kevin is basically there to take the bumps on his team, and he does a decent job in that role, especially when Sting launches Kevin across the ring and tags in Hogan. Hogan and Butcher can’t go at it one on one due to the two other Heels getting involved, which leads to things breaking down and Kevin trying to clock Hogan with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone. Mr. T stops that though, and Hogan just kind of pins Kevin straight after for three. I don’t think Kevin even took a move or got hit there, he just kind of laid down after T had taken the megaphone away and Hogan just pinned him. That looked really weird.

WINNERS: TEAM HOGAN
RATING: *3/4

Thoughts: I’m kind of amazed that the babyfaces won there in all honesty. Avalanche aside, none of the Heels look like a credible threat to either Hogan or Sting, so the bad guys really needed to win here in order to get some steam on them as an act. The babyfaces had an out due to Evad getting taken out of the match as well. Butcher was supposed to be challenging Hogan at Starrcade, so he should have really pinned Hogan following some kind of shenanigans here. The match itself was pretty meh in all honesty. Hogan and Sting sold well and Avalanche looked good, although he was moving in a more laboured way than he was during his WWF peak. Butcher looked pretty bad and Kevin Sullivan took a few nice bumps, but whatever the finish was supposed to be didn’t work at all. The crowd seemed into the action at least, but they’ve been a great crowd all night so that’s to be expected

The Three Faces of Fear do the Heel beatdown on Hogan and chums following that, but it rings a bit hollow considering the babyfaces had already won the match. If they’d had the Heels win and THEN done the beatdown, then this might have been an effective way of getting the new Heel group over.

In Conclusion

Outside of the disappointing Main Event, Clash #29 was a decent show for the most part. The crowd were fantastic throughout the entire show, and that kept the average matches interesting and made the good match on the event even better. Vader Vs Dustin Rhodes is the clear highlight of Clash #29, but there was enough decent stuff elsewhere that I will give the show a mild thumbs up.

Mildly recommended show