The SmarK Rant for WCW Power Hour – 12.15.90

The SmarK Rant for WCW Power Hour – 12.15.90

Originally written 06.19.25

Three episodes left of these and then we can switch to 1989 Superstars instead. Sadly I don’t have any weird Australian time-traveling powers to allow me to just jump into the future to wrap it up and do the NYT Connections puzzle while I’m at it.

Taped from Gainesville, GA, as this is another one assembling from leftover scraps of other shows.

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Paul E. Dangerously

Brian Pillman v. Tim Hughes

We’re 24 hours from Starrcade, and just a reminder that Brian Pillman has literally been doing nothing for the past 4 months or so and isn’t involved in that show either. Again, how easy would it have been to just have him beat Arn Anderson for the TV title in October and defend it on the C-shows every week? Pillman dropkicks the rather doughy jobber to the floor and then back in for a double axehandle off the top and a senton to set up a chinlock. This dude is pretty immobile. Pillman actually gives him offense, as Hughes rakes the eyes and works Pillman over in the corner, but Brian fires back with chops and hits him with a spinkick that the guy can barely sell properly. Pillman drops an elbow on him and goes to a Fujiwara armbar while Paul tells a story about Flair looking like a homeless guy in preparation for the street fight at Starrcade, even though they ALREADY announced that Barry Windham was replacing him last week! I swear, this company sometimes. Pillman finishes with the flying bodypress at 4:00.

WRESTLING NEWS NETWORK! WITH GORDON SOLIE!

All the kids are talking about Starrcade 90 and the tag team tournament therein, and we get some footage of Great Muta from Starrcade 89 against Ric Flair to hype him up. Has anyone thought of rebooking that show? Might be a good idea. Also we take you back to Clash 13, a hideous show with a great main event,as Ric Flair beats Butch Reed to earn the tag team title rematch at Starrcade. Which he didn’t participate in. And then we go back to 11/24/90 as Doom brawls with the Horsemen again, and once again a reminder that we’ve already known for two weeks based on THESE TV SHOWS, that Ric Flair is out of the match and Barry Windham is replacing him. And we get ANOTHER promo from Arn and Barry here to reinforce that even though they’ve just spent the past few minutes talking about how Flair is in the match. Also Barry Windham and Arn Anderson should have been a hell of a tag team but were completely wasted and forgotten about after this. And then Gordon tries to throw to footage of Sting winning the World title back in June, but THE BLACK SCORPION intercepts this segment and does a voiceover while Gordon is all flustered. He was likely so drunk that he was hearing voices anyway.

The Big Cat v. Phillip Parish

Cat suplexes Parish and slugs away on him before choking him out on the ropes and dropping a knee on him. Motor City Madman joins us at ringside to hype up their tag team match with the Skyscrapers at Starrcade 90, and Cat slams Parish and drops an elbow on him. Cat with a powerslam and he finishes with a torture rack at 2:18. Sir, you may be big and/or catlike, but you are no Ernie Ladd.

Stan Hansen v. Elbert Bizzle

“He oughta get beat up just for his name” notes Paul in a true statement. Stan beats on Bizzle in the corner with a mouthful of chaw and then takes him to the floor and puts the boots to him before dropping elbows for two. Seriously, is that name a rib on the guy or what? Hansen with a back elbow and he drops an elbow for two before picking him up and hitting a corner clothesline before loading up the elbowpad and hitting a rather limp lariat. So he picks the guy up, and he’s basically dead weight, and then he tries another lariat and the guy goes down a little better this time but he’s still out of it, and Hansen pins him at 3:00. I think Stan rang the guy’s bell at some point there.

Lex Luger v. Joe Cazana

Luger with a pair of rollups for two as Cazana gets all frustrated and Paul E. talks about Michael Wallstreet, who has apparently debuted elsewhere in WCW and hasn’t appeared on the Power Hour yet. How can you even call it a POWER HOUR without Michael Wallstreet? Lex with a clothesline and powerslam and torture rack to finish at 3:00.

The Steiner Brothers v. The State Patrol

The Steiners chase the Patrol to the floor with clotheslines and Scott tosses Parker around with a tilt a whirl slam. Over to Wright and Scott slugs him down as Paul E. guarantees that Flair will be wrestling at Starrcade as Arn Anderson’s partner even though they have already said, MULTIPLE TIMES NOW, that Barry Windham is taking his place and he won’t be there. And Paul wasn’t even being a heel troll or anything, he was supposed to be speaking for the company there. Scott with a backbreaker on Wright and he goes to a chinlock, but Parker trips him up from the apron and beats him down with a nightstick on the floor. ACAB? Regardless Rick quickly finishes Wright with a Steinerline and top rope suplex at 6:45 anyway.

Sting v. Moondog Rex

This late 1990 TV push of Rex is so weirdly random. He never wins but he’s all over these shows getting constant TV time. I’d say they should repackage him and try something else with him but I guess they DID in 1991 and it didn’t go any better. Sting slugs away and gets a slam before backdropping him, but Rex escapes a headlock with a backdrop suplex to take over. He misses a blind charge and Sting kicks out the leg and goes to work on that with a kneebar, but then Scorpion gives us a voiceover to distract Sting, allowing Rex to roll him up for two. Sting beats on Rex in the corner while the Scorpion drones on, and the Stinger splash finishes at 3:44. And then a brainwashed woman charges out of the audience and attacks him before getting hauled off by security. Bitches be crazy, am I right fellas? This guy knows what I’m talking about!

Wow they’re really sliding hard into home plate with this PPV, aren’t they? Really selling the drama. God bless WCW.