This week on Random Reviews, we’re going back to WCW’s B-shows with some matches from mid 90s Pro and Saturday Night!
A massive shout-out to Monsoon Classic on YouTube for posting these matches which (at time of writing) aren’t on the WWE Network.
Ron Studd vs. Jack Boot (WCW Saturday Night, October 12, 1996)
Jack Boot was one of DeWayne Bruce’s gimmicks in WCW, alongside the Leprechaun and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker… this was apparently Jack Boot’s debut, after shedding the Leprechaun gimmick three months earlier. The 7’2” Studd was best known as the Yeti – you know, the Mummy-like character that dry-humped Hulk Hogan all those years ago?
Anyway, the massive size-difference between Studd and Boot made this a freak show. Boot’s offence was mostly in the form of forearms to Studd’s mid-section, which was cut-off by a tree slam-like maneuver. Studd lifts up Boot with ease and charges him into the corner to some boos. More clubbing forearms follow, before Boot’s whipped hard into the turnbuckles.
Studd calls for his finisher, and my God they let him use a stalling suplex… and that’s the win. A vertical suplex. As a finisher. Maybe ten years earlier that may have gotten him over, but this just screamed “you’re a job guy, we’re not even going to give you a finisher”. *
The Amazing French Canadians (Jacques Rougeau & Carl Ouelette) vs. Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) (WCW Saturday Night, November 9, 1996)
The Amazing French Canadians were the same guys who flitted between WCW and WWE – where they were known as the Quebecers. They try and sing the Canadian anthem, but Harlem Heat’s music cuts them off…
Sister Sherri accompanied the Heat, and they exchanged shots at the bell as the Heat took the Canadians into the corner. The former Quebecers were Irish whipped into each other, before a double team back body drop took down Ouelette. As Dusty Rhodes tries to pronounce that surname, Stevie Ray hits a big boot and an elbow for a near-fall. Rougeau trips Booker, as Ouelette clotheslines him to the outside for some heel cheating. Rougeau rolls in Booker, and then they double-team him in the corner, before a combo lariat and leg sweep gets Ouelette a near-fall on Booker.
A double-team hot shot sends Booker into the top rope, and in comes Stevie Ray to try and break things up. That distraction just allows Booker to get double-teamed again, as Colonel Rob Parker comes out for some reason. The Canadians try a double-team, but Booker rolls away as Ouelette attempted to get back dropped onto him.
Parker overacts at ringside and climbs up onto the apron, which leads Sherri to slap him… he goes to retaliate, but Stevie Ray and Booker T go out to make the save, which leads to them getting counted out. Stupid, stupid finish, which did nothing for either team. But it did continue the Parker/Sherri story, I guess… **
Bobby Walker vs. Arn Anderson (WCW Saturday Night, September 7, 1996)
Anderson was billed as a member of team WCW for the following week’s War Games at the Fall Brawl PPV… so you’d expect this to be a walkover, right? Well, he kneed Walker in the midsection, then tossed him over the top rope, and referee Nick Patrick called this off as a DQ because of that old WCW rule where being thrown over the top equalled a disqualification. DUD.
This was just an excuse to get Arn on TV ahead of the WCW/nWo War Games match. A waste of time.
American Males (Marcus Alexander Bagwell & Scotty Riggs) vs. Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) (WCW Saturday Night, May 25, 1996)
Argh, the American Males’ catchy-but-horrific theme music… ditto the Steiners, who had their day-glo singlets still here.
The two Scotts lock-up and Steiner gets a shoulder tackle, before Riggs gets a dropkick. A blocked back body drop leads to a double underhook powerbomb from Steiner, as Bagwell and Rick come in. Some punches from Bagwell keep Rick down, but he blocks a suplex and ends up taking a dropkick. Bagwell monkey flips Rick, then goes up top for a big splash, but Rick kicks out at one.
Bagwell goes up again, but his double axehandle is caught as Rick throws him with ease with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. A forearm and an elbow drop take down Bagwell, before Scott comes in with a powerslam into the corner on Bagwell. Scott’s taken down with a big boot, as Riggs makes the tag in, and the American Males take down Scott with a double back elbow for a near-fall.
Both Steiners end up in the ring to lay out the Males with clotheslines, before Scotty Riggs eats a Frankensteiner for the win. Short, simple and just about what you’d expect from a squash match. **
Kurasawa vs. Ice Train (WCW Saturday Night, August 31, 1996)
If you shave Kurasawa and add twenty years onto him, you’ll recognise him as “that guy who does a crossbody in every match in New Japan”. Yup, Manabu Nakanishi spent around a year in WCW during his formative years, where he was relabelled. The “Godfather of WCW” Teddy Long accompanied Ice Train, but no women. You’d have to wait just under three years for that Godfather…
Kurasawa starts by yanking the arm of Ice Train, before he headbutts it and takes down the Train with a judo throw. Some kicks from Kurasawa are replied to with a Monglian chop and finally an avalanche in the corner as Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone tried to sell that Kurasawa may not be at 100%… because he was chokeslammed on WCW Worldwide that aired earlier that day. Ah kayfabe, how I miss you.
After an Irish whip into the corner, Ice Train hiptosses Kurasawa, before a powerslam off the ropes set up for a leaping splash, but there’s no pin attempt. Instead, Ice Train gets a hammerlock and rams Kurasawa’s shoulder into the corner, and then headbutts the shoulder. A Yuji Nagata-esque armbar follows, before a legdrop to the shoulder gets Ice Train another two-count, before he takes down Kurasawa with a Fujiwara armbar to force a submission. Just think, less than a year later, Kurasawa would be back in New Japan and would win gold, before ultimately having a month and a half with the IWGP title in 2009! *½
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