OOOLD SCHOOOOL

[PowerButchi]

I think, for me, Rude was either sublime or fucking rotten. There was no middle ground. For every absolute cracker like the Chono NWA championship match, there's a match like that bloody Chono match from Halloween Havoc 1992. Same blokes, two very different matches.

[JNLister]

Wasn't that largely through Chono having broken his neck in the meantime? That said, Rude did have some stinkers in 1993 (particularly in comparison to the previous year), though that may have been partly his own injury at the end of 92.

[PowerButchi]

I honestly don't remember. You're probably right though.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I only found out recently from the Observer that Rude was training for a comeback in the WWF when he died. I'm pretty shocked they would take him back to be honest after walking out on them.

 

As fast paced as wrestling was back then, years seemed like a lifetime. In 1998 it seemed like Rude had been retired forever. His stretch from retirement to death was roughly only about the same amount of time its been since Jeff Hardy's last match in WWE. Its so strange. Like Benoit has been dead in the same time it took for the nWo to debut in WCW, become the largest company in the world, lose 10s of millions a year, go out of business, WWF re-sign the nWo and the nWo break up and Bischoff debuts. And Benoit's death doesn't seem to long ago. Time flies.

[Devon Malcolm]

Look at the names on that roster. I'd say WCW might have had a stronger roster in late 93 than WWF. Let's have a look at the following months WWF PPV.

 

It's funny, actually, but it's only when you mentioned the star quality on show that I realised that almost top to bottom it was packed with huge name stars. Absolutely amazing. It's mostly WWF I know from that time but WCW had loads to offer as well, and I was watching Saturday Night around that time.

[AshC]

It still irks me that I didn't go to a WCW show in 1993 when they were over here. Goodness knows what I was doing on October 26 while this was going on down the road...

 

WCW @ Cardiff, Wales

October 26, 1993 (3,000)

 

Steve Austin & Brian Pillman defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio.

Ricky Steamboat defeated Maxx Payne.

WCW Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys defeated Arn Anderson & Johnny B. Badd.

Ric Flair defeated WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal in a non-title match.

Sting & WCW US Champion Dustin Rhodes defeated WCW International World Champion Rick Rude & Sid Vicious.

Davey Boy Smith defeated WCW World Champion Vader via disqualification.

[garynysmon]

Shocking attendance though

[AshC]

It's a 5,000 capacity at most, so not a total disaster. But then they never came back. Incidentally, the early hours after that show played host to the infamous Sid vs Arn scissor fight.

[air_raid]

It still irks me that I didn't go to a WCW show in 1993 when they were over here. Goodness knows what I was doing on October 26 while this was going on down the road...

 

Yeah. I'm extremely jealous that my mate went to see this one :

 

WCW @ Manchester, England - G-Mex - March 13, 1993 (8,000; sell out)

Johnny B. Badd defeated Scotty Flamingo

Maxx Payne defeated Michael Hayes

WCW Saturday Night - 3/27/93: Davey Boy Smith pinned Vinnie Vegas at 7:58 with the running powerslam after Vegas missed a charge in the corner

Rick Rude defeated Van Hammer

Big Van Vader defeated Cactus Jack

WCW World Champion Sting defeated WCW TV Champion Paul Orndorff

 

Admittedly the tour was before I'd reached the stage of being able to persuade papa to take me to rasslin. Had it been a mere six months earlier, I'd have possible gone to :

 

WCW @ Birmingham, England - NIA Arena - October 29, 1993 (6,500)

Johnny B. Badd defeated Brian Pillman

Ricky Steamboat defeated Maxx Payne

WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal defeated WCW US Champion Dustin Rhodes; only the TV title was at stake

WCW Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio

WCW International World Champion Rick Rude pinned Ric Flair by using the ropes for leverage

Sting & Davey Boy Smith defeated WCW World Champion Vader & Steve Austin

 

Or from the tour you went to, better still, I'd have seen fat Barry and the blackest man alive :

 

WCW @ Birmingham, England - NEC - March 12, 1993 (10,500)

Van Hammer fought Maxx Payne to a time-limit draw

Michael Hayes defeated Scotty Flamingo

Davey Boy Smith pinned Vinnie Vegas

Rick Rude defeated Johnny B. Badd

Big Van Vader defeated Cactus Jack

WCW World Champion Sting & WCW US Champion Dustin Rhodes defeated NWA World Champion Barry Windham & WCW TV Champion Paul Orndorff in a bunkhouse match

 

Sandwiched neatly between the London and Dublin shows where Vader lost the title to and regained it from Sting, respectively. The Birmingham show was actually covered in the first SOW I ever bought, where I learned that Vegas broke the Bulldog's nose in their match.

 

Still, I'm not going to complain. If I'd gotten to go to the WCW show in October '93, there is a good chance I wouldn't have been treated to the WWF in Telford in March '94 off the back of 'Mania X, and I wouldn't trade seeing my hero march out with the belt five days removed from winning it to defend it against his evil brother for any other wrestling experience on the planet at the time - short of Mania X itself, of course.

 

 

EDIT - Speaking of WCW at the time, even though Roma is rightfully derided as the worst Horseman of all time, I actually really liked Pretty Wonderful.

[AshC]

Yeah, I wasn't allowed to go to the WWF in March '94 due to going to the WWF in December '93 (in part to make up for missing the aforementioned WCW show). Got to see Owen wrestle eventually (actually a month before his death) but never saw Bret run the ropes. Gutted. Still, got to see Savage vs Michaels.

[Devon Malcolm]

It's time for SuperBrawl 4 (1994) - DOUBLE THUNDERCAGE! Ooh.

 

Schiavone and Heenan are on commentary duty for this one. Heenan thinks that Ric Flair will be doing his last "WOOOOO!" tonight. He's wrestling Vader.

 

Johnny B. Badd v Michael PS Hayes

 

Except it isn't! Poor Dok is wheeled out in a wheelchair by Jimmy Garvin after claiming he fell down the stairs and / or slipped on a banana skin. Gene Okerlund is livid and calls him a liar. Garvin produces a very convincing doctor's note. Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel accepts the note - but invokes the Freebird Rule and tells Garvin he has to wrestle instead. Garvin says he's retired and is now a pilot. He has to wrestle in an hour's time. Heenan is agog.

 

Harlem Heat v Thunder & Lightning

 

Christ, who let Thunder & Lightning on a pay-per-view? Were Joe Gomez & Renegade busy?

 

This is a really boring match as you might expect with lots of wrist-locks and shit. Heenan and Schiavone talk about Batman & Robin for the most part because Heenan thinks Thunder & Lightning look like them. George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell might have got a better match out of Harlem Heat, in fairness. Harlem Heat win after a feeble kick to the head by Stevie Ray on the future NWO Sting. Shite.

 

To the locker room area with Okerlund who points out where the locker rooms of Vader and Ric Flair are. He's there because Vader promised to attack Flair backstage. But nothing happens now.

 

The Equalizer v Jungle Jim Steel(e)

 

Who? I've never heard of Steel. They can't even decide how to spell his surname. He's from the Florida Everglades. That's not even a fucking jungle!

 

This is shite as well. Heenan likes Evad's furry boots. He calls them Hair Jordans. Steele wins with a Lou Thesz Press that is apparently called the Steele Trap. Ugh. This was a Saturday Night opener at best.

 

There's a bit of an interview with Ricky Steamboat by Okerlund where he says he will meet the winner of Flair v Vader for a shot at the WCW Title. Mean Gene has had more screen time than there's been wrestling so far.

 

Terry Taylor v Diamond Dallas Page

 

Rooster gets the biggest reception of the evening so far. That's how bad it's been to this point.

 

Heenan spends most of the match commenting on the Diamond Doll of choice for the evening. She is quite delightful, actually. This match is alright, I suppose, but it goes on way too long. Heenan says that Gordon Solie and Larry Zbyszko hates Schiavone. The biggest pop of the evening is for a right hand by DDP that echoes around the arena. It sounded corking! Taylor wins with a roll-up and a handful of tights. Classic babyface move!

 

Fucking hell, it's Mean Gene again. Go away now. He does an interview with one of the German commentators for some reason. The crowd boos. He waffles on for about an hour and then fucks off back to DSF, presumably.

 

There's a promo for Spring Stampede now, Was a match cut or something?

 

Johnny B. Badd v Jimmy Garvin

 

Garvin wheels Hayes down to ringside again. Hayes says he wishes that he was in the ring because he'd knock Badd out AGAIN and tells Jimmy Jam to squeeze his head off for his crippled brother

 

Lots of wrist locks again. Heenan once again keeps me going in this one by saying that he doesn't like Badd and that he feels sorry for Hayes. He says Badd would look better with hair like Okerlund. Badd wins with a sunset flip off the top rope.

 

Badd then starts going after Hayes, who starts wheeling backwards frantically. Garvin stops him by kneeing him the back and then giving him the 911. Hayes says that this is all Bockwinkel's fault and Brain agrees and rightly says Badd is a coward.

 

Back to Okerlund again. He tries to get an interview with Vader, but he throws a chair at the door.

 

THE LORD STEVEN REGAL WORLD TV TITLE - Arn Anderson v Lord Steven Regal ©

 

This one's got a 30 minute time limit for some reason. Regal's not happy. He glares at Michael Buffer. Not impressed.

 

Regal stalls for about the first five minutes selling a sore ear from a headlock. Regal's selling in this match is fantastic. This is a technical match and I don't normally like them like that for too long but this is just fantastic, mainly because they're not doing the same fucking move over and over. Sir William hits AA in the throat with his umbrella after about 15 minutes and swings the match while Schiavone and Brain argue about Sir William's pocket watch. Heenan is relying on him for the time as he doesn't trust Gary Michael Cappetta. There's a great exchange near the end:-

 

Brain - "You know, there are rumours he is romantically involved with Lady Di."

Schiavone - "Regal or Arn?"

 

It goes about 30 minutes and the crowd are well into it for the most part, especially towards the end as they seem to think it will be another time limit draw until Regal wins by sitting down on an attempted sunset flip with help from that umbrella. Really good match.

 

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE - Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne v The Nasty Boys ©

 

This isn't one of their infamous brawls but rather a proper match. Or at least that's the theory. Knobbs comes to the ring strumming a guitar. He looks more convincing doing it than Man Mountain Rock.

 

Brain says Missy Hyatt's not there because she's getting a gum replacement after Cactus Jack kissed her. Ha! I used to think Payne was shit but in all these matches against the Nastys he was actually great. This is a really good match as well. Complete change of pace from the last match. Brain's so scared of these lot that he threatens to leave the announce table and call Lloyds Of London. Jack takes another one of his stupid bumps on concrete and a woman in the front row calls Knobbs a son-of-a-bitch.

 

The Nastys are predictably disqualified after waffling Payne with the guitar to break up the Payne Killer. Knobbs looks like he might have broke his arm because he landed face first when Payne tries an overhead belly-to-belly on him. Nutters.

 

More from Okerlund waffling on. He then interviews Flair and then Steamboat, who repeats exactly the same thing he said before.

 

Sting, Brian Pillman and Dustin Rhodes v Steve Austin, Rick Rude and Paul Orndorff - THUNDERCAGE MATCH

 

Fucking hell, Sting gets a MASSIVE reception from the crowd. It should never be forgotten just how over he was for years in WCW. Amazing.

 

This is a cracking match. All of them are on form, especially Sting. I have to say that I love Sting. I wish he hadn't spent years arseing around in TNA and had come to WWE. He's brilliant here and after the match gets the cage door slammed on him and then gets a Rude Awakening on the floor. Austin takes a nasty bump with his leg through the cage where he's lucky not to bust his fucking knee.

 

The babyfaces win after Sting chucks Pillman at Austin and pins him before the melee at the end. This has been a PPV of two halves and no mistake.

 

WCW TITLE - Ric Flair © v Vader - THUNDERCAGE MATCH

 

Big Boss Man is the guest referee under another one of his million aliases, this time The Boss.

 

I bloody love Vader's music. Vader was the first WCW wrestler I really loved. He's still probably my favourite. Apart from The Gambler. This is a great match, as expected. But. RIC FLAIR DOES THE SHITTEST CHAIR SHOTS OF ALL TIME. Vader's brilliant here. He lands on his feet from a moonsault and does Flair's 'upside down in the corner' spot better than Flair ever did.

 

Big Bubba gets handcuffed to the cage after he tries to do it to Harley Race who amusingly keeps twatting Flair through the cage. Race gets in the cage and they start double teaming Flair. Harley takes a huge bump from Vader accidentally clobbering him and then takes one over the top rope! This match is mental. Arn comes down but can't get in the cage. Steamboat tries to bust the lock off with a chair. All of a sudden Boss Man breaks free, twats Vader with the nightstick and calls for the bell even after Flair buggers up the Figure Four. Chaotic last few minutes but a slightly crap ending. Harley takes ANOTHER bump through the ropes. Vader's fuming and grabs Schiavone demanding justice.

 

Great second half to that PPV made up for the dull first half. Out!

[Astro Hollywood]

Knobbs looks like he might have broke his arm because he landed face first when Payne tries an overhead belly-to-belly on him. Nutters.

 

AKA one of the most brutal looking bumps ever.

 

[Devon Malcolm]

That's the one. Amazing that he could continue after that.

[Reznor]

That was pretty infamous wasn't it, a dislocated shoulder I think they said he suffered, and the story was along the lines of Payne just giving a big 'fuck you' to the Nasties who were trying to call the match, almost to the point of bullying. It looks bloody sore but there's just something comical looking about the way he flops over on himself

 

I loved that match btw. A lot more than the much lauded brawl at Spring Stampede which I think is one of the most overrated matches around. I guess you had to have been there. The thing is, the later match with Sullivan was a whole lot better too, and even that isn't generally remembered as much as the Spring Stampede one.

 

Loved the cage match on that show also. Couldn't be arsed with Flair/Vader though and got bored with the TV title despite liking the both of them.

 

If you're watching these PPVs chronologically, the next two or three should be a treat!

[Devon Malcolm]

I watched those other two Nasty Boys matches the other day and I agree the Sullivan one is the best. Fantastic brawl.

 

I'm not watching in order as I wouldn't be able to find them all, unfortunately. Just found a few randoms on Daily Motion.