The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 06.15.90

The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 06.15.90

Well my vacation has come to an end this week, with a lot of Jedi Survivor being played but no wrestlers dying that I know of, so that’s a win overall.

Clash XI has come and gone and it’s time for the build to Great American Bash 90 as Sting FINALLY gets his title shot.

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Sting

Barry Windham v. Johnny Ace

This is apparently pulled from another weekly show. They slug it out to start, but Johnny misses a blind charge off that. But Windham decides to free his ponytail and that allows Ace to backdrop him and chase him out of the ring. Back in, Ace charges and Windham sends him to the floor and drops him throat first on the railing. Hopefully that doesn’t affect his voice box moving forward. Although we know it didn’t affect his ability to snitch. Back in the ring, Barry misses an elbow but recovers with a powerslam while AA and Sid join us at ringside for moral support. But then the SUPERHEROES even the odds as this was obviously taped before WCW’s legal team got letters, and they give Ace some encouragement. So Windham gets frustrated and tosses Ace over the top rope for the DQ at 5:35. Rocky King joins the SUPERHEROES to celebrate, although he’s about the furthest thing from a super hero, more like the Snapper Carr of the team, but that does set up the next match…

World TV champion Arn Anderson v. Rocky King

YES I KNOW SNAPPER CARR GOT POWERS LATER ON. AA quickly drops a knee on him and beats him down while JR notes that Rocky “doesn’t have the greatest won-lost record in our sport” which is like saying “WCW’s legal team doesn’t have the greatest won-lost record in court”. Arn tosses him and hauls him back in before slugging him down and going to a neck vice. And then the Horsemen randomly run into the ring and beat Rocky down at 2:24 and the SUPERHEROES make the save. Well good thing Rocky King didn’t do a job here, gotta protect him.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK with Gordon Solie! We recap Clash XI this week and take a look at Flair retaining the title against JYD, which makes the third match already on this show with a Horsemen run-in DQ finish. Gordon is pretty sure they’re gonna have to do something about the Horsemen for Sting’s title match at the Bash. I do think it’s funny that they spent weeks building up the Dudes with Attitudes and Horsemen as this big thing and then dropped it cold once Sting won the title. Like I don’t think they ever mentioned the Dudes with Attitudes again after Sting’s victory. We could have at least had a Wargames match out of it! Sting, Luger & the Steiners v. The Four Horsemen? COME ON!

Stan Hansen v. Ralph Hodges

Hansen hits the ring beore Capetta can even escape and just mauls this poor fucker, hitting the lariat and then choking him out with the cowbell until the ref calls for the DQ at 0:45. Counting the JYD match from Clash XI that’s now 4 DQ finishes in a row on this show already.

Buddy Landel v. Lee Scott

They’re spelling Landel as “Landell” here as the spelling of his name continues to drive me eternally nuts. Pretty sure we’ll actually get a finish in this one at least. Lee takes him down with an armdrag but Buddy stomps him down while JR notes that “he’s surprised that Buddy has lived as long as he has given his out of ring exploits”. Ouch. Corkscrew elbowdrop finishes at 1:20. Lee Scott had a good look for a jobber but ended up switching to a referee soon after this.

Meanwhile, Jim Cornette interviews the Freebirds, but despite his efforts to steer them towards the Southern Boys or Doom, they decide they want a shot at the US tag team titles held by the Midnight Express, and Cornette ends the interview. Kind of a cool tease but it never went anywhere else.

The Rock N Roll Express v. The Freebirds

Robert trades armdrags with Garvin to start and Robert takes him down with a headlock, which at least is a pleasant change of pace from the Freebirds’ usual 7 minute stall to open matches. The RNR illegally switch off on a chinlock while Hayes throws a tantrum on the apron and then Hayes tags in to settle things himself. He slugs away on Morton, but gets backdropped before regrouping with a bulldog on Morton. Hayes drops an elbow for two and Garvin gets a backbreaker for two. They beat on Ricky in the corner for a bit, but Robert gets the hot tag and it’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and Ricky trips up Garvin while Robert gets a bodypress on Hayes for the pin at 6:00. Quick and inoffensive I guess. **

NWA World tag team title: Doom v. Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk

Didn’t even know this match ever happened. Zenk holds off Reed with dropkicks and the babyfaces work the arm in their corner and chase him to the floor for some advice from Teddy Long. That advice? “Don’t worry, I’m gonna book Pillman in a match against MEAN MARK CALLOUS, homie!” Back in, that seems to work, as Reed clotheslines Pillman and drops an elbow for two before going to a chinlock. Simmons beats him down, but Pillman gets a crucifix for two. Reed with a backbreaker, but Pillman flips out of it and makes the hot tag to Zenk, who hits Reed with a superkick for two. Sleeper on Simmons follows, but the ref puts Pillman on the apron and Reed hits an awesome flying clothesline to knock Zenk off of Ron’s back and that finishes at 6:56. That was a GREAT finish although the match wasn’t much otherwise. ***

And Sting reminds us all of the big card at the Omni this weekend as we wrap it up.

Couple of decent matches to end the show but the rest was a barrage of DQ finishes.