LowBlowPodcast

I am a fan of the best of seven... especially when it is booked to be an even showdown. It is a toss up which is why the series is there in the first place. Also agree with the tv time... I have run a couple of those where the time runs out on tv but the match isn't done and you will have to tune in next week! BTW if you want Joe Pedicino - feel free to let me know he's yours for the taking. He plans to sell off his shares of WCW!

1988 - Mid South is running wild with... JYD - Luger - Reed - Dibiase... what could have been huh? Interested to see how the ladies fit in here... are they a one off or are they a mainstay? Steiners are my all time favortie team... they are getting an early run but well worth it!

Here we go... AWA getting all the pieces in place. The Killer Bees are here... Poffo getting some huge heat... and please... Kokina is a beast who I wouldn't mind seeing take on a certain dude down in Texas right now.

I am loving this push of Neidhart... he has a tremendous upside that was never really found in his WWF days. I hope to see him get that here but I know he's got some heavy competition! "Barry Windham & The Undertaker vs. Curt Hennig & Scott Hall" This is great for so many different reasons... obviously you've fast forwarded Taker a bit... but in this light he is with some big guns and they can all make him shine.

I am driving through Memphis next week... I will give it a nod and wink for you. Landel and Slater is a match that would be fun to relive. There two could obviously go and when Slater is pushed right like he was in 'Mid South he's got a lot of potential. You've split this talent pool pretty well... Memphis is going to have to work harder to be bigger but they have ssome of the right pieces to do it.

Sorry everyone - I am going to be gone the next two weeks with limited access. I will do my best to keep up with shows and feedback.

Tuesday, June 13th - Clash of the Champions III Dubuque, Iowa - Civic Center The Clash III opens with a ruckus crowd. Tony and DDP are putting over a big night of action… as we’ve got a whale of a card set up here tonight. We will have 4 of the six opening round six-man tag team matches. We’ll have the television championship on the line. The WCW title will be defended when Ricky Steamboat takes on Dan Spivey. In the main event… Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race in a Texas Death Match… this is going to be a barn burner…. It is time to open things up right now… the television title is on the line! TV Title The Z-Man vs Bob Orton Jr. {A good way to get things opened up. Zenk has got some nice pop from the fans…. The title has bounced around a little bit but looks good right here. Orton is a great opponent for Zenk. He gets some good heat. He is able to make him look strong. Most of all, Orton bumps for him. We see Cowboy Bob look to work towards a finish but Zenk starts his comeback. The finish is hot with Zenk setting him up and then coming off the top rope with a DROP KICK right to the mush! 1….2….3!!! Zenk retains the title and walks to the back… Eric Bischoff is standing by.} Bischoff is standing on the ramp and Zenk is walking up. He is a little cotton-mouthed still but here comes DDP? DDP walks up and tells the world to hold a moment while he brings out his new buddy who is going to ROCK the world of WCW. The one and the only… The Honky Tonk Man!!! What in the world is this? Honky comes out to a chorus of boos from the crowd. He goes on to say that he’s the greatest entertainer in the history of professional wrestling and he’s come here to WCW to put a little shake, rattle, and roll into these fans. Zenk says that he doesn’t quite care for the Honky Tonk Man’s music but appreciates him coming here to congratulate him. Honky says he isn’t here to congratulate but he’s here to challenge him! Zenk says that you have to earn this shot… earn the shot huh…. Honky SMASHES THE GUITAR OVER ZENK’S HEAD! Oh my… officials run out here… Honky smiles and works the crowd… Zenk is knocked smack dab out! The Russians vs Chris Benoit, Tiger Mask II, & Dragon Azul {Our first six-man match is pretty fun in terms of action. Benoit and Tiger Mask are stars in the making here. The Russians do their job and get some heat. The problem comes when Gary Hart comes out with Crush and Chono… Benoit and Tiger Mask then get involved and we’ve got some extra curricular outside the ring! Inside the ring, Dragon Azul turns around and RUSSIAN SICKLE! 1….2….3!!! The Russians move on in the tournament!} Jake Roberts is in singles action and defeats Tommy Lane with the DDT. We get a peak at Damien who slithers all over him. Roberts with an impressive outing against an unimpressive opponent. Crush, Chono, & Muta vs The PR Trio {This one picks right up from where the previous match left off! The PR Trio end up with the luckiest draw of them all. Right away when the Japanese contingent get in the ring, Benoit, Tiger Mask, & Dragon Azul run down and we’ve got a six-man brawl in the aisle! The crowd is going wild. The referee has no choice but to count it out! The PR Trio get the win and we see Vega, Castillo, & Perez work the fans and get some big time heat! Bam Bam Bigelow comes out to a huge pop from the fans. He works the crowd and then has a decent little match with Mike Davis. Bigelow sets the bar a little bit higher here and gets the finish with a diving headbutt! 1….2…3! Bam Bam is back and he looks to be on the rise! Hacksaw Duggan & Nasty Boys vs Sabu, Taz, & Mark Madness {This one ends up being halfway normal… well not really. It is a glorified squash with Duggan and the Nasty Boys brawling all over. Sabu and Taz end up fighting with each other. The Nasty Boys set up Mark Madness for a huge Hacksaw Clothesline and the 3-count! Duggan and The Nasty Boys are moving forward… WCW CHAMPIONSHIP Ricky Steamboat vs Dan Spivey {Our WCW Title match is given all the time it is needed. We’ve got the Macho Man sitting in the front row with Elizabeth. They work the crowd. Dan Spivey looks like a monster. Steamboat, the David to Spivey’s Goliath, play the role better than anyone. He bumps for Spivey and sells everything he does. Spivey then works well with Steamboats fast action. Midway through… well… here they are… Bock and Brrisco are out here now. Savage looks to be getting hot outside the ring. Bock and Brisco aren’t doing anything wrong… just watching. Spivey picks up Steamboat and twirls him around and the referee gets knocked to the ground and he’s out! Brisco goes to check on him while Bock attends to Spivey. Steamboat then pulls him around and asks him what he’s doing!?! Bockwinkle says nothing and here comes Spivey with a boot right to the skull and Steamboat goes crashing into the guardrail right in front of Savage. Spivey picks up Steamboat and throws him across the guardrail. Spivey then looks over and says something to Savage… then Elizabeth… and Savage loses it! He jumps over the rail and attacks Spivey! The crowd is going nuts! The referee gets up and he calls for the DQ! Bock is irate and he tries to pull Savage off of Spivey… when he does… Savage gets right in his face and now here comes Spivey from behind! He is hammering down on Savage and here comes Steamboat! The officials and agents come down and break things up. Spivey is escorted to the back with Bock and Brisco… he’s calling out Savage and Steamboat… he wants both of em! Konnan, Solar, & Blue Demon vs Diablo & The Conquistadors {A pretty basic six-man. We see the Lucha Style toned down quite a bit which is okay for Konnan and the Conquistadors but not so much the others. We do get some fun little leaps and jumps but the high spots only do so much. Solar and Blue Demon are able to get the Conquistadors under control and Konnan then grabs Diablo for a corkscrew brainbuster that gets a pop from the crowd! 1….2….3! Konnan, Solar, and Blue Demon are moving on! Mike Rotundo vs Haku {Rotundo is somewhere in the middle right here. He appears to be a babyface but works as a heel. He just hasn’t gotten his rhythm yet. Haku… he’s a monster. He hammers and wears down Rotundo. Haku goes for a big kick to the throat but Rotundo ducks down and rolls through and gets a rollup for the 3-count! Rotundo gets out of the ring and Haku isn’t done. He is coming for more and Rotundo got his W and doesn’t seem to want anything else! Texas Death Match Dusty vs Harley Race {These two guys have done it all a couple of times over their careers. Tonight they get the final spot to show what they have left. The match is slow. Rhodes and Race almost kill any momentum with the pace but they have the star power to keep it going. We get a couple of close falls. Schiavone puts over how it is a pinfall and then a 10-count that must be reached in order to win. Race surprisingly gets the first fall when he smashes Rhodes’ head into the ringpost and then a 3-count. Rhodes gets up around the 7 count. A couple of minutes later, Rhodes hits a running crossbody and gets a 3-count. Race gets up around the 8-count. The fight spills outside the ring and that’s where things take an interesting turn. Rhodes gets popped and openly blades the absolute shit out of his forehead. This is a gusher. The crowd is in shock. Schiavone and DDP almost no sell it but it is getting everywhere. Once again, we see Brisco come out and he’s at ringside. We get into the final moments of the match and it is a couple of big elbows and Race is rocking and then Rhodes grabs him for a PILEDRIVER and the 3-count! Rhodes and Brisco are arguing with one another while the referee counts to 10! Mike McGuirk announces that Rhodes is the winner and he celebrates. Race rolls out of the ring and has some words with Brisco. Rhodes works the crowd but we fade out quite quickly.

World Championship Wrestling Saturday June 10 St. Louis, Missouri Nick Bockwinkle joins Tony and DDP to get things going tonight. He announces that the first round of the WCW Six-Man Title tournament will take place this Tuesday night in Dubuque, Iowa for the Clash of the Champions III! He shows a graphic of the teams… Hacksaw Duggan & Team vs Sabu, Taz, & Mark Madness The Russians vs Chris Benoit, Tiger Mask II, & Dragon Azul Konnan, Solar, & Blue Demon vs Diablo & The Conquistadors Crush, Chono, & Muta vs The PR Trio Hercules comes out with Slick and the Twin Towers and shows off his skills. He handles James Trickington pretty easily and finishes with the Torture Rack. Slick and his guys are out here and they are running down the Rockers something awful. Slick says he has got the challenge of a lifetime for these boys and his men are going to give them the beating of their young dumb lives! Hacksaw Duggan is out here… he is hyping up the USA and says he has got some buddies ready to ride with him into battle against the Russians! Russians win a six-man with Ivan putting the finishing touches on Paul Monroe with the Russian Bearhug Slam! Ivan Koloff calls out Duggan and asks who he is going to have as partners for the six-man at the Clash… to that… Duggan brings out his partners… Knobbs and Saggs… the Nasty Boys! Duggan and the Nasties come out… the Nasties tell Duggan they aren’t his buddies and they aren’t his friends but they will be his partners to get the six-man titles! We get a promo from Chris Benoit who is putting over the big title match later this evening. The titles will be unified and Benoit says he has room for the Mexican title and then he’s coming for Muta! The Conquistadors with Diablo win a tag team encounter Diablo walks his Conquistadors over to the booth but wait a minute… here comes Konna, Blue Demon, and Solar! Officials come out to break this up before it gets too crazy! These two teams will go at one another this week at the Clash! WCW is back and DDP and Tony are putting over the Clash when DDP says he’s got a very special guest coming this Tuesday to do it live and in living color! Tony presses him on who it is but DDP is hush hush. Who could this be? The Z-man defeats Vance Stevens via the Top Rop Dropkick Zenk walks over to do a promo but Orton comes out and tells him to kiss the title goodbye… Zenk tells him that the title isn’t going anywhere… Ace then slaps Zenk and the crowd pops as Zenk comes after him but nothing doing! Randy Savage brings us back to WCW and he is rocking right now. He puts over the Clash and shows his front-row ticket for the match with Spivey and Steamboat! He says that he smells something fishy about this Bockwinkel thing… he says he’s going to be there to make it go right down the middle! Chono & Crush win a tag team encounter against Kyle Wright and Lenny Carlson Muta and Gary Hart lead the men over to the booth. Hart puts over the Clash and the six-man tournament. He says that Muta will be watching the title match tonight and he looks forward to taking both titles from the winner! But… before all that… they plan to add the gold with the six-man titles! Dan Spivey comes out when we come back from break and he holds up the US title and says there’s a lot of chatter and bullshit about him being hand-picked. He fights for himself when he wants and who he wants. He wants Steamboat at the clash and he’s getting him. He wants the WCW title at the clash and he’s taking it. There isn’t a man alive who can stop him! Paul Roma puts on a nice little clinic against Moke Wallace and ends it with a high cross-body! Dusty Rhodes then walks out and he’s juking and jiving as he throws it all on the line. He says that he is putting everything he’s got in the ring on Tuesday night and Harley Race is going to get all of the American Dream! This is for every single one hour draw they’ve had. This is for every single blood bath wild brawl they’ve had. This is for the world titles between them and now it is for all the marbles. You coming down to throw down and daddy only one man is walking out! Harley Race welcomes us back and cuts a great promo on how Dusty Rhodes has come out here and run his mouth for months. Race says that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time in the Match Beyond but Tuesday Night there is nothing that will stop him from stopping Rhodes once and for all forever! Jake Roberts defeated Robby Johnson via the DDT Ricky Steamboat comes out with the World Title and the crowd is electric! Ricky Steamboat goes on to say… Dan Spivey is perhaps the most physically gifted talent in professional wrestling and maybe the most dangerous man in WCW. Ricky Steamboat points out how the WCW title is the premiere championship in the world… no one… and I mean no one can walk in here and make a claim for this belt… he will defend it against anyone and at the Clash he is going to walk in the ring and do just that and walk out with the gold! The Rockers come out and man are they getting some love from the crowd. They point out how they don’t have the rematch they want with the Twin Towers at the Clash but they will get them in the ring before too long. In fact… (Paul Roma walks out) the Rockers say that they’re in the six-man tournament and they will get the next big shot against the Towers and Hercules in one week’s time. They may have unified the titles but this is real unity and they will stop at nothing to take the Towers down! European vs Mexican Championship Chris Benoit vs Vega w/ Castillo & Perez {Well this one has got a lot on the line… these two men have got a lot of in-ring skill and we’re seeing more of the American style come into play. Benoit and Vega don’t have a huge following but people are giving Vega some heat and Benoit some cheers. We see chaos ensue when Castillo and Perez try to get involved… this leads to Dragon Azul and Tiger Mask II coming to help Benoit… Chono and Crush are out here now and we’ve got all six of them brawling outside the ring! Benoit out of nowhere with a big GERMAN SUPLEX… THEN ANOTHER… AND ONE MORE! He covers for the 1…..2…..3!!! Chris Benoit has won the Mexican Championship… the brawl is going on outside the ring… wait a second… MUTA… MUTA is here… Benoit turns around and MUTA MYSTS HIM RIGHT IN THE EYES!

World Championship Wrestling Saturday, June 3 Kansas City, Missouri WCW opens this week with Nick Bockwinkle and Jerry Brisco at the table with DDP and Tony. They put over the huge night of action from World at War and say that there are some announcements to happen tonight about the WCW title and other things. The first announcement is that the WCW and International Tag Team Titles have been unified for the NEW WCW World Tag Team Champions (New Belts) and they will be awarded to the Twin Towers later on this evening. We would also like to announce that WCW is going to be hold a series of matches to crown a new set of champions… the WCW Six-Man Champions. (Shows the new belts). This will be a tournament that will take place over the next couple of weeks and top talent will be involved as we crown the first-ever champions. Bock and Brisco will be back later on with more… right now we head to the ring. Dragon Azul & Tiger Mask II defeated The Rock N Roll RPMS! Dragon and Tiger join Chris Benoit over at the booth. They put over how next week Chris Benoit will be facing the winner of tonight’s big lumberjack match when Konnan tries to regain the Mexican title against Vega. Tiger Mask and Azul both say something in Japanese about being representatives of Japan and wanting to fight Muta for the title. WCW is back and here comes the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. He comes out and puts over the World at War and the Match Beyond. He says that blood was spilt on both ends and that things have come to a conclusion if you will. He wants to set the record straight… but here comes Harley Race. Wait a moment… Race isn’t happy. Race grabs the microphone and says that Rhodes had the cage… weapons… and teammates to do his bidding… but Race wants him ONE ON ONE! Dusty says he will do a dance with the devil in the pale moonlight but he wants a special condition if you will. Race says he doesn’t care where or how he is going to end the American Dream once and For Wall! Dusty smiles and says… well… Tuesday the 13th of June… Clash of the Champions - live here on WGN baby… Harley Race vs Dusty Rhodes… TEXAS DEATHMATCH! Race’s eyes expand… he can’t believe it but he then says he’ll be there and he’ll make sure Rhodes won't ever be able to come back! Ivan Koloff & The Russian Pitbulls win a six-man against Tony Rogers, Mike Simpson, & Walt Killbrew via the Russian Sickle! Before we go to commercials… we see the Rockers come out and put over the tag title match from World at War. They are really beaten up… bumps… bruises… they have got bandages… it is bad. They say they are hurt but not injured. They lost but they aren’t defeated. They want to bring the fight to the Towers and will find some way to do it. The size may be uneven but they have the hearts to win the titles back and will do whatever it takes to get them! We’re back on WCW and here comes the US Champion - Dan Spivey… but he isn’t ALONE?! Bockwinkle and Brisco walk out with him. We get the full announcement that At World at War - Randy Macho Man Savage won two falls to one but the deciding fall was in fact a count out. A title in WCW cannot change hands on a count out - therefore Rick Steamboat is still WCW Champion. At the Clash, on June the 13th, Rick Steamboat must defend the US title against the number one contender Dan Spivey. Spivey does not need to relinquish the US title for this shot as he has been picked by the championship committee. Spivey then tells Steamboat that his days are numbered. He’s going to put him through the ring at the Clash and walk out with the title! Haku beat the shit out of Kyle Farnsworth and kicked him in the throat to get a 3-count. Hacksaw Duggan comes out with his 2x4 and lets the World know that he is here in WCW to Beat People Up! He is happy that they won the match beyond but now he’s got a problem with Ivan Koloff and them Pitbulls. Duggan says he’s going to put a team together and they will be US Patriots just like him Tough Guy! We’re back on WCW and Slick is walking his men out to the ring. Hercules is set for singles action while the Twin Towers are standing by. Hercules with Slick destroys Mark Stevens and finishes him with a torture rack slam! Tony and DDP put over the unification of the tag titles and here comes Jerry Brisco to award the new belts to the Towers. Slick even has a cake for them. They are working the crowd but then the crowd ERUPTS when Shawn and Marty come out of the back with chairs and knock the Towers in the back and send them off the stage! Hercules comes over and gets a huge double superkick for his pleasure! Slick tries to get away but the Rockers grab him… and then they shove him into the CAKE! Slick is covered as the Towers come back and look for revenge! The Rockers escape through the crowd and the crowd is going wild! WCW is back once again and here comes Tom Zenk - the NEW Television Champion. He says he was an underdog the entire way and he know Michael Hayes was going to be a good champion but he will be better. He wants to defend this title every chance he gets. That brings out Bob Orton who says that he is sick and tired of waiting around here for his chance. He is coming and he wants a shot at Zenk. He says he’s beat him before and he’ll do it again. Zenk says he is free right now but Orton says he only gets paid to beat punks like him for big money. So he challenges him for the Clash and now we’ve got a TV title match to look forward to! Paul Roma shows off some great skills as he defeated Pauly Martins with a nice cross body! Before we go to break… wait just a moment… Ricky Steamboat comes out here and he’s hot. He says that the title means so much to him and it is being disgraced by the committee of Nick Bockwinkle and whomever else is on his side. He says he will defend the belt like a champion but he isn’t going to bow down to these demands and sanctions. He says that Spivey is big and tough but he’s going to get the beating of his life from this fire-breathing DRAGON! WCW returns and here comes Muta along with Chono, Crush, and Gary Hart. Hart puts over the Japanese title and says that next week’s unification bout with the European and Mexican title will be just a prelude to Muta winning all three and putting them together. He says Muta will go down as one of the all-time greats and while he does it - Crush and Chono are going to make sure of it. He officially enters the three of them as a six-man team for the six-man title tournament. Hart says gold is his color and the more he has the better he feels! He then has words for Tiger Mask II and lets him know that his ticket back to Japan is bought and paid for and Muta is going to stamp it! Bam Bam vs Mark Madness is a fun little match. Madness is at the end of his run here. Nothing much. He tries to get in some offense but Bigelow is working on a different level. The big powerslam into a diving headbutt spells the end and Bigelow is on to greener pastures while Madness is off to the wasteland. Before we cut to break we get a huge ovation for Jake the Snake Roberts who comes out and he’s got Damien on his shoulder. He lets Eric Bischoff know that he isn’t afraid of snakes but he doesn’t want others to be either. Roberts says that no one should be afraid of something that can sneak up on you… wrap itself around you… and put you to sleep in a matter of seconds before you even know about it. Just like Damien… the DDT puts everyone down and Roberts is looking forward to giving out his next dose! Randy Savage is here and the crowd is on fire! Savage - still supporting that elbow brace… he says that he and Elizabeth have got a lot of thinking to do and thinking is what they going to do as they sit ringside at the Clash for that big WCW title match. He understands that Dan Spivey has a shot… but Macho says he is a beaten man but not a defeated man and he will find his way to the top of the mountain come hell or high water. Look out world because the Macho Man is coming. DIG IT! Lumberjack Match Mexican Championship Konnan vs Vega © Lumberjacks: Chono, Crush, Nasty Boys, Russians, Solar, Blue Demon, Silver King, Conquistadors, Catillo, Perez, Taz, Sabu, Paul Roma, and Tiger Mask II {From the looks of the Lumberjacks… this is a wild bunch of talent. Chris Benoit is shown up by commentary. This one is a pretty good fight… neither pulls punches… and we get a little bit of fun with the lumberjacks. We see Castillo and Perez really lay the boots in on Konnan. Surprisingly, the Nasty Boys get a huge pop for press slamming Savio back into the ring! Taz and Sabu end up fighting outside the ring. We then get some chaos… we hear Benoit go off the mic - Muta has come out and attacked him! Tiger Mask runs over and he’s attacked by Chono and Crush. They hold him for Muta to MYST Tiger Mask! Vega is watching on… the Conquistadors try to get in the ring but Solar and Blue Demon pull them down. Wait a second… Silver King jumps in the ring…. Wait a second… he rips his mask off and Konnan turns around. Who is this guy? His face is painted like the DEVIL! Konnan can’t quite figure out what’s going on and this guy kicks Konnan low…He grabs him for a face crusher! This guy falls out of the ring and join the Conquistadors as they make their way back. Vega covers… 1…..2…..3!!! Vega keeps the Mexican title…. He faces Benoit next week to unify the titles… we’ve gotta go!

Two things... 1. Is Magnum TA available to be used in a non-wrestling/color commentary role? 2. I will pick up Damien 666

Open for offers on Haku

Jeff Gaylord is just this conundrum of a guy who has a spot in the history of pro wrestling in this era, I just haven't found a spot in my brain to put him. I love Street and Linda and the write up - makes a ton of sense. Terry Gordy looks strong and continues to be a guy who is scratching the surface of superstardom. I am intrigued to see how Slater and Rich plays out. In 1988 - these are guys who had enough name value to bring the heat and I know they can do it in the ring.

Spectacular use of the Newspaper - I think a territory like this is good to have some of these younger guys trying to find a way to get over and stay over. The Pavillion was definitely rocking.

Sounds like Sherri will now be in a wrestler spot for the roster. Sorry for the confusion.

I am going to move DDP into a non managerial role for the remainder of 1988 if that's okay... he will be fully in a color commentary role.

World At War - May 28th! Live on Closed Circuit TV Coming from Kansas City, Missouri Dark Matches: Mike Rotundo defeated Richard Ringo Haku defeated Blue Demon Paul Roma defeated Taz Hercules defeated Solar Crush defeated Silver King WCW World At War opens with a great view of the arena and we see the two ring set up along with the big stage. The fans are going wild as we cut to DDP and Tony Schiavone who are standing by. They put over the huge night of action we’ve got ahead of us. Every title is on the line tonight. We’ll see the tag titles unified. We’ll see Ricky Steamboat take on Randy Savage in a World Title match. Plus we will see the Match Beyond! Right now it is time to get things going and here we go! WCW - European Championship - Chris Benoit defends against Masa Chono w/ Gary Hart {A really good opener with both men bringing out the best in one another. With the title on the line… it is a 30-minute time limit and these guys go about 17-minutes to get us going. The finish involves Hart getting involves only for Benoit to knock him down from the apron… Chono comes from behind with a Suplex but Benoit lands on his feet and then clothesline Chono! Chono gets up and Benoit with one…two… three German Suplexes for the 3-count! The European Champion retains and looks good here…} WCW - Television Championship - Michael Hayes defends against The Z-Man {Hayes and Zenk know how to get the crowd going. Hayes is one of the most charismatic wrestlers on the roster and he flaunts that TV title like there’s no tomorrow. Zenk is able to get some big offense in and Hayes looks to be reeling. This title match has a 15-minute time limit but Hayes looks gassed around the 10-min mark. Zenk goes up top for a big dropkick but Hayes ducks out of the way… Zenk gets up and Hayes with a LEFT HAND right to the jaw… oh my Hayes comes back and grabs Zenk for a modified shake, rattle, and roll… But Zenk roll through it… Hayes swings with a big right hand and Zenk ducks and then hits a big atomic drop… Hayes is overselling… but Zenk backs up and goes on the middle rope with a dropkick right to the mush! 1…..2…..3!!!! ZENK HAS WON THE TV TITLE! The crowd erupts… what a surprise! Zenk grabs the belt and works the fans… Hayes is still selling in the middle of the ring… that kick got him SQUARE in the jaw! Tiger Mask II has an amazing showcase against Tommy Phan. Tiger Mask breaks all laws of gravity and flies around the ring. Some huge forearms set up Phan… and TIGER DRIVER for the 3-count! No doubt that Tiger Mask has Muta on his mind! WCW - United States Championship - Dan Spivey defends against Johnny Ace {Spivey is the man right now. He looks so strong here and Ace is a big guy but can’t match him. Ace with a couple of decent shots but Spivey is all that and a bag of potato chips with some huge shots. The finish is a powerbomb that shakes the ring. Spivey with the cover and then a couple of Haas… Haas… Haas… he is yelling for Steamboat! WCW - Mexican Championship - Konnan defends against Vega {Another solid title defense for the Mexican Champion here as he and Vega go about 14-minutes. Castillo and Perez come out and the PR Trio is making their presence known. We then see Solar, Blue Demon, and Silver King make their way to the ring. The fans can feel it as it is about to explode. The moment happens then when Vega is sent out of the ring… Konnan then hits the ropes and does a Plancha on the PR Trio, taking them all down! The crowd is rocking here. Konnan gets back into the ring while The PR Trio then take the fight to the Luchas outside the ring. Out of nowhere… wait a second… The Conquistadors come out of the crowd… they attack Konnan and set him up for a double implant ddt! They roll out of the ring as Vega rolls in… wait a minute… Vega covers for the 1…..2…..3! Vega is the new Mexican Champion! Castillo and Perez grab him and celebrate. The Conquistadors have finally gotten to Konnan… they’ve cost him the belt… what is next!?! WCW - Tag Team Championship Unification - The Rockers take on the Twin Towers {One of the more anticipated matches of the evening pits these two tag teams that are mismatched in about every way imaginable. We’ve got Hercules out here with Slick, like he needs extra help. This one is FAST from the outset and the Rockers don’t give the Towers a chance to breathe. Michaels and Jannetty seem to be fighting for their lives here and it all comes crashing down when One Man Gang grabs Jannetty out of the air with a powerslam that shakes the damn ring. This is the beginning of the end while Bossman and Gang go through and beat the living hell out of these guys. It ends up with Michaels and Jannetty both bloody from hardway shots. Both men end up with busted ribs from the splashes from the Towers. Shawn Michaels makes one more effort to get back to the top. He nails Bossman with a superkick that gives him stars. Jannetty comes at Gang… just as Slick gets up on the ropes… Jannetty with a cross body on Gang taking him out of the ring to the floor! Michaels goes outside the ring but Hercules with the CHAIN! OH MY! Michaels is down and out. Bossman hoists him up on the top rope… SUPERPLEX! Here comes One Man Gang out of nowhere with a 747 SPLASH! OH MY! Michaels is covered for the 1….2….3!!! Slick is going crazy! He grabs all the titles and brings them in the ring! Bossman and Gang are now the unified tag team champions of the world. They hold the belts up! Slick is going wild right now! We get paramedics out here for the Rockers who are both in serious shape. We even get Eric Bischoff down there to check in on them. This isn’t good. Jake the Snake Roberts makes his long awaited debut against Sabu tonight. Sabu is a wild and crazy character but the Snake is able to get him under control. Sabu gets in just enough offense to be good but Roberts is in complete control. The jabs… short arm clothesline… and then the DDT! Roberts covers for the 3-count. He works the fans… then we see it… Damien! The python is here and the fans are going nuts for it! Sabu sells it like crazy and we’ve got a snake problem here in WCW now! WCW - Japanese Championship - The Great Muta w/ Gary Hart defends against Azul Dragon {Titles aren’t afraid to change hands tonight… but Muta… well he’s in a league of his own right now in WCW. He is so damn smooth in the ring. He floats from move to move. Azul Dragon gives him a great match though. We’ve got some flying and quick moves. We see some signature moves from Muta including the spinning back elbow in the corner that delights the crowd. Azul tries to get going one more time but Muta is able to counter and then he hits a high knee right to the mush! Dragon is reeling and Muta with a double underhook suplex. Muta goes up top for a MOONSAULT! 1…..2….3!! Muta is still the Japanese champion and the crowd seems to be behind him a little. WCW - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - Ricky Steamboat defends against Randy Savage TWO out of THREE Falls {The grand entrances are something to behold. We also see Nick Bockwinkle out here and he’s pulling some strings with the referee. It is 2 out of 3 falls… 60-minutes… and here we go! They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. Smooth and smooth can get with some big DEEP arm drags from Steamboat. Some great fists by Savage. Both men are taking the other to the absolute limit. We’re about 18-minutes in when Steamboat goes for a high cross body but Savage rolls through and covers for him for a 3-count! Savage is pumped! Tony puts over how he could be the World Champion right now but DDP lets him know there’s two more falls maybe! The second fall gets going right away. We’re near the 30-minute mark and these two have taken the battle outside the ring. We get a big spot where Savage goes for a big clothesline but Steamboat moves and Savage’s elbow gets destroyed on the ringpost! Steamboat has no choice but to work the arm… and Savage is in trouble. Steamboat then goes into a series with the arm and we get some pretty great offense. Around the 37-minute mark… Steamboat locks in a nasty arm bar and Savage has no choice but to give up! He taps out and now it is 1-1! The crowd is stirring and Savage looks likes he may be out of it but he pushes the referee away and says he’s winning. Savage does everything he can for the final 8-minutes. He is punching and kicking but you can tell that his arm is torn to hell. We’ve got Bockwinkle out here… he is watching the time. Here comes Gerald Brisco now… Steamboat is making a comeback. Savage then hits a back elbow smash and Steamboat goes down. Savage goes over to the ropes and he says something to Bock. They are spewing words at one another… Savage goes up top…Steamboat out of nowhere… they’re both on the top rope but then they SLIP AND FALL TO THE CONCRETE FLOOR! The crowd is at a hush. The referee is counting….5……6…. Both men start to move. 7….8…Savage pulls himself up just as Bock is walking over… Steamboat falls back down… 9….1 (SAVAGE MAKES IT IN THE RING) 10!!! The bell rings and the crowd erupts! The fans are going wild as Elizabeth gets in the ring and hugs Randy whose arm is in shambles. Steamboat then makes his way up and he is exhausted. He grabs the belt and then he hands it to Savage to an ovation from the crowd. Mike McGuirk: And the winner…. And NEWWWWW WCW Heavyweight Champion… RANDY MACHO MAN…. Bockwinkle stops her and then grabs the referee. Brisco and Bock say something to the referee and tell him to do it! We see the referee walk over… he grabs the title belt from Savage and hands it back to Steamboat?!? Bockwinkle then says something to McGuirk… Mike McGuirk: Ladies and gentlemen… I have just been informed that the Macho Man Randy Savage did win the match but did NOT win the title due to the final fall being decided on a count out. Thus the title cannot change hands on a count out… so STILL WCW Champion… Ricky The Dragon Steamboat! The fans are pissed. The crowd is throwing things into the ring. Bock and Steamboat are now in a shouting match and Steamboat shoves the title into his chest. Bock backs up and here comes SAVAGE but Brisco and the referee stop him! The crowd is going nuts right now! Steamboat has to hold Savage back. This is absolute chaos! The Match Beyond: Dusty Rhodes, Hacksaw Duggan, Bam Bam, & The Road Warriors take on Harley Race, Bob Orton, Ivan Koloff, & The Russian Pitbulls! For the Match Beyond… I decided to give you pictures to tell the story. I hope you enjoy! The Stage is set The Alliance Makes their way to the War Zone Rhodes leads his men into battle Rhodes and Orton start The Alliance wins the coin toss! Russian Pitbull 1 comes in with a vengeance Road Warrior Animal dives in to even the odds! Russian Pitbull 2 is in and he's got the chain! Bam Bam Bigelow is on the War Path! Ivan Koloff is in and he is looking to hurt Dusty Rhodes! Road Warrior Hawk decides to take out the Pitbull! Harley Race is in and the Alliance has the full advanage! Hacksaw Duggan is in and the sides are evened up! In a blood brawl... especially Rhodes... Harley Race is forced to give up via the Figure Four Leg Lock! Duty Rhodes, Bam Bam, Hacksaw, and the Road Warriors celebrate the victory... what a way to cap off World At War!

World Championship Wrestling Saturday May 27 Omaha, Nebraska WCW opens with Tony and DDP running down the big card tonight… we’ve got Tiger Mask II debuting… a huge six-man lucha match… plus Michael Hayes and Dan Spivey take on The Z-man and Johnny Ace! Let’s head to the ring for our opening contest! The Twin Towers with Slick kill a couple of jobbers. We then see Hercules come out and he shakes hands with Slick! The Doctor of Style walks over and lets all the people know that the strongest man in the whole wide world is on his side and ready to take down the Rockers tomorrow night! The tag titles will be unified on the waists of the Twin Towers and the strongest man in the world is going to be the one to carry them around for the Slicksta! We are back with WCW and we see that ominous Jake Roberts video once again… this time he says… The long road of loneliness is winding… left here… right there… pretty soon you find yourself confronted with the option… take the road less traveled… go into the darkness… or find a way to the light… when you come upon this fork in the road know one thing… you won’t make the decision… I will! Ivan Koloff & The Russian Pitbulls win a six-man. The Alliance comes over and cuts a big promo on Dusty Rhodes and his team. They say that tomorrow night… the Match Beyond… it is going to be the end of Rhodes and his American Dream! Harley Race will ascend to the top of the WCW and Rhodes will not only bow at his feet but he will crumble as well! WCW is back and here comes Chris Benoit. He’s got Azul Dragon with him as he hypes up the big matches tomorrow night at World at War. He then brings out a very special guest… ladies and gentlemen… Tiger Mask II! Tiger Mask II defeats Gene Smith via the Tiger Driver! Benoit and company are standing tall and celebrating Tiger Mask’s victory… then we see Muta, Chono, Crush, and Gary Hart walk out and the crowd is stirring. Hart is trying to get it going right now but Benoit his holding his men back. Tiger Mask then says something in Japanese to Muta… and Muta something back before Chono pushes Tiger Mask. Oh my… this one could explode at any moment! Konnan is here on WCW as we return and he joins Tony and DDP for commentary. They talk about all the international stars in WCW and how these championships from Europe, Mexico, and Japan have significant value and if they were to come together it would truly be the triple crowd of professional wrestling. Solar, Blue Demon, & Silver King take on Vega, Castillo, & Perez in a fun lucha style 6-man tag. Everyone is flying around and getting in some good offense. The crowd isn’t 100% what to make of the action but we get some cheers and jeers here at there. The finish is messy when Konnan goes to check on Blue Demon but out of the back run Los Conquistadors! They are attacking Konnan on the rampway and here comes Silver King with a plancha taking them out! Solar is left in the ring… when he turns around Vega is there with a huge spinning heel kick! 1….2….3! The PR Trio has won this one. Blue Demon has vanished. Silver King is checking on Konnan…. This one is just getting started! WCW is back and the crowd pops big time when we see the Rockers come out! The fans are giving them some love but Marty and Shawn say they don’t want the cheers from the crowd but they appreciate it. They say that people in this crowd may love them or hate them but they all respect them. They talk about the Towers and their lack of respect. Tomorrow night… World at War… it is going to be a battle like no other… only one team can live at the top of the tag team mountain and the Rockers will do whatever it takes to cement their legacy right at the top! The Road Warriors w/ Paul Ellering come out and beat the living hell out of two dudes. They walk over to Tony and DDP… here comes Dusty and crew Rhodes and his buddies put over the Match Beyond tomorrow. They talk about the pain, bruise, and agony that will be endured inside that cell. There will be no escape for Harley Race. His henchmen will all go down… one by one… and when Race is standing… alone… he will be put down for all of the people out there in this country… it will be the American Dream for Dusty Rhodes daddy… but the American nightmare for Harley Race! We’re back on WCW and out walks Randy Savage and Elizabeth. They put over the huge title match tomorrow night… Savage says this is a must win for him. He doesn’t know if he will get another chance and he’s got to make it count against Steamboat… Liz says she doesn’t need Randy to be champion… but Savage says there is something inside of him that needs the gold more than anything… and he’ll do anything to get it! Paul Roma comes out and works over Roy Tyler and hits a nice cross body off the top rope for the 3-count. Rick Steamboat walks out with the world title and he once again holds it up to the television… he says this title has been the peak of professional wrestling since it was created and tomorrow night will be stand the test of time when two warriors step into that ring. Steamboat says that… wait a second… Nick Bockwinkle… wait a moment… Bock comes out and he says to Steamboat that the championship committee has just finished a meeting and due to the magnitude of the match… tomorrow night it will be a 2 out of 3 falls match now! Woah! Randy Savage comes out of nowhere and he’s right in Bock’s face. The crowd is going wild. Savage says they can’t give Steamboat this kind of an advantage. Bock says that this was a ruling and that the title will be defended tomorrow night in a ⅔ falls match or… or….or it will be vacated! Savage and Steamboat look at one another. Savage says that someone back there is pulling the strings and Bockwinkle may be the puppet master but no one holds the strings to Randy Savage. He says it’s on! Steamboat shakes Savage’s hand and says the same… this will be a 2 out of 3 falls match tomorrow night and the WCW Title will be on the line! MAIN EVENT - Michael Hayes & Dan Spivey v Tom Zenk & Johnny Ace {Good main event for WCW tonight. Spivey and Hayes have some fun give and take while Axe and Zenk look to pick up where they’ve left off in the past as a team. Spivey is a man amongst boys though and he looks to be an absolute monster here. Ace and Zenk have to find a way to fight back and somehow they do… Hayes and Spivey are reeling… Ace with a huge crossbody on Spivey and that sends both men over the top rope to the floor! Hayes is looking on but when he turns around Zenk off the top with a cross body and the 1….2…..3!!! Zenk pins Hayes! Ace and Zenk are the winners and the crowd is shocked! Fans World at War is tomorrow night… GET PUMPED! World At War - May 28th! The Match Beyond: Dusty Rhodes, Hacksaw Duggan, Bam Bam, & The Road Warriors take on Harley Race, Bob Orton, Ivan Koloff, & The Russian Pitbulls WCW - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - Ricky Steamboat defends against Randy Savage WCW - Mexican Championship - Konnan defends against Vega WCW - European Championship - Chris Benoit defends against Masa Chono WCW - Japanese Championship - The Great Muta defends against Azul Dragon WCW - Tag Team Championship Unification - The Rockers take on the Twin Towers WCW - Television Championship - Michael Hayes defends against The Z-Man WCW - United States Championship - Dan Spivey defends against Johnny Ace Tiger Mask II! Jake the Snake Roberts!

NWA has also sent their 2nd round pick to WCW from a trade.

Eddie with the Steiners is a great callback and something that could light a fire under them pretty quickly. Like seeing the dark matches - you've got a ton of talent and they are all getting a little bit here and there. Hansen to me is just a triple tough kind of guy and I like that he's bounced around a little here. He never stayed somewhere too long but he makes his mark everywhere he goes.

Love this NWA and how wild it is with all the different personalities. The old school feel is definitely alive and well and you've got some real contenders moving up. Arn Anderson is a bright spot and could be someone to keep an eye on. A singles run could put him over the top like it is for Tully. I also like Kamala and Jones here. You've got Wahoo in the mix as well. All good things my friend.

Great dual night of action - I have to think Bret is underrated as a brawler. I harken this match to something like his stuff with Diesel and even Undertaker to a point... but Bret could always hold his own... problem is that Windham is the man right now and it is going to take some real excellence of execution to get it done.

Huge fan of Power and Gordy as the Terry(i)s make their way (back) to the top. Gordy for me is the one who will be on top of the mountain quickly... in 88 he has got some good stuff... he can be top dawg before too long. A good tournament always draws in a rating and the tag titles are doing that. Make it anyone's ball game and everyone is a winner.

It was more or less a joke about how I always thought Dark Journey was attractive. Sorry.

Great feel to the show. I like USA storylines so I’m intrigued. I am also intrigued as to what dark journey had on under the overalls. Always a dark horse for me… pun intended

NWA sends their first round pick to WCW