The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 10.26.90

The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 10.26.90

The Power Hour returns from a week off with yet another show completely recycled from a previous episode of World Wide Wrestling, because WCW.

I got inspired to go back to this again by Tom Green’s most recent video on great WCW jobbers by the way:

https://youtu.be/Vz2wsu48Ac0?si=XbAZ4aQg1F18dY8H

I cracked up at “How did they see Rock Hard Rick on the sign-in sheet and not immediately make him World champion?”

Taped from Gainesville, GA, as usual

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Paul E. Dangerously

The Steiner Brothers v. Barry Horowitz & Hassan Farouk

As Paul points out, only in wrestling do you see a Jewish guy teaming up with an Arab. Although I’m dubious about Farouk’s origins. Scott immediately runs this guy into the corner and drops him on his fucking head with a suplex and then demands Barry come in instead. I don’t blame him. Scott powerslams Barry and it’s back to Farouk, and Rick immediately clobbers him with a Steinerline before finishing him with the elevated DDT at 1:45. Man they just beat that poor guy like he owed them money.

The Midnight Express v. Tim Parker & Reno Riggins

Reno and Bobby trade full nelson attempts and seem to reach a truce, but Bobby nails him from behind. So Riggins tries a handspring elbow and Bobby slugs him down. Over to Lane and Riggins rolls him up for two as the Express are giving Reno a ton of offense in what would have to be their last match on this show. Over to Parker, but Lane cuts him off with a clothesline and the MX use an elevated spinebuster from Bobby to finish at 2:38. Man I was hoping they’d murder some jobbers for old time’s sake on the way out.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK! WITH GORDON SOLIE!

Of course, all the kids are talking about Halloween Havoc 90, which is 24 hours away! At least I think all the kids are talking about it, I can barely understand them with all their “skibidi toilet rizzler sigma” bullshit. BACK IN MY DAY we said stuff like “radical” and “tubular” and quoted the Breakfast Club AND THAT’S THE WAY WE LIKED IT. Anyway we take a look at Sid and Sting getting in some monkeyshines and Sid does a quick promo, and then take a look at Doom brawling with the Horsemen in a non-title match and going to a double DQ. Which unfortunately was the same finish we got on PPV. Gordon notes that tomorrow, some will be kings, and some will be knaves. OK then.

Terry Taylor v. The Italian Stallion

Paul notes that he forgot to wish Gordon a happy birthday, which is surprising because he’s usually so good with early American history. And then he makes sure to laugh at his own joke. Taylor works the arm and takes the Stallion down as we learn that Gary Sabau was actually an AAU National wrestling champion, which I did not know. Usually they just talk about his spaghetti eating side-hustle. Taylor gets a backslide for two, but Stallion cuts him off with a clothesline and goes to work with a slam and a fistdrop for two, working heel for some reason. Powerslam gets two. Stallion goes up and misses a ropewalk elbow. As if anyone was getting over walking the ropes. Taylor finishes him with a back suplex at 3:20.

The State Patrol v. Greg Sawyer & Mark White

The jobbers work on Wright in the corner, but Sawyer gets cut off by the Patrol and double-teamed. Buddy with a backdrop suplex and they use the Bushwhacker battering ram for two. Wright with a powerslam and he misses a blind charge, bringing Mark White back in. White makes a goofy comeback but runs into a punch from Parker, which sets up a half-assed version of the Rockerplex to finish at 3:24. Dangerously had been hyping up the JUDGE WAPNER SPECIAL for the entire match and that was the payoff. Craziest thing here was the corrupt cops beating up a White guy.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Steiners and Nasties sign the contract for their tag team title match, which shockingly turns into a brawl and results in Scott getting put through the table. This was actually a relatively new trope in 1990, by the way.

Ric Flair & Arn Anderson v. Tim Horner & Mike Rotunda

Damn, Horner and Rotunda are carrying these shows lately. Have we been sleeping on the Captain and White Lightning all this time? Horner takes Arn to the corner off a lockup, but Flair comes in and starts working on Horner’s arm before adding some chops. Horner fights back and chases Flair to the corner, and then the babyfaces go to work on Flair. Rotunda does a quick pinfall reversal sequence with Flair and bridges into a backslide for two, so it’s back to AA again. I gotta say, I’m really surprised that they had both Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda on the same roster at this point and never had them cross paths with either a match or a tag team reunion. Given Ole’s usual lazy recycling of old gimmicks and workers, that would seem like a no-brainer. Rotunda catches Arn with a sleeper and into the aeroplane spin, but Flair quickly breaks it up and we’re BONZO GONZO as Mike gets tossed and worked over in the Horsemen corner. Rotunda comes back with a sunset flip, but Flair saves again and hits Rotunda with a back suplex for two. Horsemen double-team Rotunda with a clothesline for two as this one is not taking off the way I was hoping. Horner gets the hot tag but the crowd is really quiet, and he backdrops Flair and goes up with a flying bodypress for two. But Flair pokes him in the eye and Arn hits a DDT behind the ref’s back, and Flair gets the pin at 9:23. This was fine and good and worth watching but I was thinking it was gonna be a barn-burner and everyone was just cruising in second gear. ***

NEXT TIME: El Gigante debuts and the Power Hour moves to Saturdays! We still don’t get actual TV tapings until halfway through November, though.