WCW 1993 : A New World of Sport

[CactusHack]

December 31st, 1992, Atlanta Boardroom

Board of Directors meeting

Kip Frey

“During 1992, WCW invested in 3 properties. The LPWA in the South East, WFWA in Alberta Canada, and GWF in the Mid South. The GWF was immediately rebranded as Power Plant Wrestling, a middle ground for young talent to hone their craft and prepare themselves for the WCW as well as a landing place for talent unsuccessful on the main roster, looking to re-establish themselves. Our first three months of running LPWA saw it operate at a loss, but once properly established, the brand has consistently grown in profitablity, with the property netting us $45,000 in 1992. Power Plant Wrestling has proven an immediate commodity, netting $91,500 in the 3 months of ownership. The Canadian brand, WFWA, is a losing property, as it’s sole purpose is development of talent. Unfortunately, in 1992, the WFWA lost us $300,000.”

Grumbles from the group.

“That said, we have consistently decreased costs for the show, and have continued to grow revenue brought in via sponsorship, merchandise, and ticket sales. We are also still incurring grandfathered staffing costs as we slowly integrate WCW paid talent and phase out the old costs. Our projections estimate that the property will continue to lose money through 1993 and will begin to show profitability in 1994.

Despite the gross developmental losses in 92, as well as growing the roster of employed staff from 73 employees to a staggering 244 employees across our primary company and our subsidiaries, and a performance incentive costing WCW $480,000 annually, WCW was able to turn the corner in 92, netting $5,000,000 in profit over the year. Folks, WCW is officially playing with the big boys.”

Cheers from the group.

“Our cost concerns for 93 include the contract renewals of several key employees, all expecting to ask for massive increases. These staff members are: Rick Rude, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Paul E Dangerously, Ron Simmons, Brian Pillman and Sting. Rick Rude. It is unlikely that we can afford to pay all men the contracts they expect. JR, that means you’ll have to have some hard conversations this year. The good news is, all the boys are happy and that should make some of the decisions easier for the talent.

We have some great leaders at the top of each of our subsidiaries, in Ole Anderson, Gene Kiniski and Roddy Piper. So for 1993, the expectation is continued growth, stability, and profitability. And with that I’d like to…”

Eric Bischoff interrupts, and Kip Allen sighs. Everyone turns their attention to Executive Producer Eric Bischoff, who was promoted to the head of WCW just three short weeks ago, much to the chagrin of Paul Heyman and Kip. Kip has been positioned as Ted Turner’s TBS senior representative - effectively taking away most of his actual power in WCW. The change hasn’t been clear, but the majority of staff are thrilled that WCW has turned the corner and is successful for the first time.

Eric Bischoff

“Thanks Kip, for the earnings report. That’s wonderful information - however we’ve heard enough for today. It’s New Year’s fucking Eve. We are making bank. And so… our New Years Eve gala is going to be quite the night! I don’t expect anyone to stay here any longer today. Let’s get our party on!"

Edited January 8 by CactusHack
Added Tags

[CactusHack]

 

Recapping 92

The World Championship & Premier Grand Prix

Immediately after the Great American Bash, Simmons won the US Heavyweight belt and carried it through the summer, continuing his dominant tear through WCW and is granted a Last Chance title shot at Beach Blast, where he finally overcomes Lex Luger in the main event in a 25 minute war, exceeding the standard WCW time limit, and is crowned WCW Heavyweight champion, holding both titles simultaneously. 

Meanwhile, after the Great American Bash Sting also was vying for his world championship rematch and belief was he’d be next in line as he maintained his dominance, tied at the top of the WCW standings with Luger and all signs pointed towards that match finally happening after the infamous triangle match at Great American Bash. Until Vader defeated Sting is Round 8, handing him his first singles loss of 92. After this loss, Sting was still at the top of the rankings, tied with Simmons, and WCW constituted that he was still in title contention. However, during a US title defence for Simmons over Tully Blanchard where Sting was a guest commentator and the group was pushing ‘who is the rightful contender?’, Sting left the commentary booth with his heart no longer in this. He said he wanted to avenge his loss to Vader and was ultimately booked into a tag team match at Beach Blast. Sting and Pillman were able to overcome Vader and Cactus, when Sting submitted Cactus Jack - but Vader was still untouched. 

At this point, Vader was in earshot of first place, only 2 points behind Simmons and Sting and 3 points behind Luger. Vader maintained dominance in singles competition, when he defeated the new World Champion (Ron Simmons - now being acknowledged as Powerhouse Simmons) by Count Out during Grand Prix competition. Vader’s only loss that season came from previous champ (Lex Luger) under the same circumstances, and WCW officials opted to announce Vader as the number one contender for the world championship at Halloween Havoc, while Sting floundered down the card, featuring in an 8-man tag (again with Pillman) and Lex Luger opted against competing at Havoc, instead insisting on focusing on ‘what really mattered’ - his first place position in the 92 Grand Prix. At Halloween Havoc, Powerhouse Simmons’ journey to the top ended when Big Van Vader put him down definitively. Simmons would run the rest of the season out with wins as the US Heavyweight champion, as WCW painted the picture that his fairy tale story made him a champion, but he’s going to have to earn another shot as his third singles loss of 92 took him out of the equation.

In the Grand Prix, both Luger and Sting focused on a first place finish, winning out the remainder of their matches for a clear cut first and second placing, as each week more and more competitors dropped out of the running for first place. The two men were determined, and when it came down to the final round, Luger and Sting were finally paired up to face off one vs one. Luger was still unbeaten, and as a result he would be crowned champion if he won or the match went the distance, but Sting would be crowned champion if he won. WCW’s committee determined that the winner of the Grand Prix would face Big Van Vader at Starrcade to unify the Grand Prix and The World Championship, ensuring only one championship was deemed the top prize in all of wrestling.

The last match of the 1992 Grand Prix saw Sting defeat Lex Luger with 1 minute remaining, locking in the Scorpion death lock with 90 seconds remaining and Luger not being able to survive. The historic occasion was ruined by Big Van Vader, who assaulted Sting and destroyed the championship trophy - claiming he was the only champion that mattered. At Starrcade, Sting and Vader went through a 25 minute war that saw Sting defeat Vader by submission to unify the top championships.

Meanwhile, in earth shattering news, Ric Flair jumped ship back to WCW, appearing in October on WCW programming, where he announced that he would compete in the 1993 Premier league. His appearance caused dissension between The Dangerous Alliance, as some members had previous allegiance to Flair as part of the Four Horsemen, and this was only exacerbated by Flair nonchalantly stating that he was reforming the Horsemen. Flair would make matters even worse by targeting previous members, Tully and Windham as he proclaimed things will be different. Paul E Dangerously is furious with Flair.

 

Division 2 Grand Prix

The Division two grand prix saw Nobuhiko Takada run away with the top prize, however he didn’t leave 92 unscathed as in a massive upset in Round 13, Dustin Rhodes rolled up Takada to claim the WCW TV title. Takada ended up clearing second place in his division by a full 9 points, and was proclaimed the Rising Star of 92.

Meanwhile, a massive race had formed for the second promotion spot was taking place, as ultimately seven men would finish 92 within 3 points of each other for the coveted spot. Dustin Rhodes, Terrence Taylor, Jerry Lawler, Jushin Thunder Liger and Cactus Jack would all come up just short of that claim, but Brian Pillman and Steve Austin had emerged as the two top stars, finishing tied for second place and with their head-to-head match ending in a draw. WCW management confirmed that they would face off at Starrcade with the winner claiming the second spot. And in the end, Brian Pillman was able to claim victory. Behind the scenes, the second place finish was initially planned to go to Jushin Liger (both Liger and Pillman pulled off comeback runs in the last 6 matches of their seasons) but Pillman’s rise in match quality through the second half of the season resulted in the decision to make the change.

 

Tag Team Grand Prix

After a phenomenal phenomenal 7 match winning streak, The Young Pistols were primed to be the team to beat in 92. However, their second half of the season wasn’t as fortunate, as they faced other top teams The Enforcers, The Rock N Roll Express and The Outsiders in losing efforts. Meanwhile, two other teams emerged as best in class, as The Steiner Brothers and The Enforcers continued to war, as The Enforcers maintained the top spot, but The Steiner Brothers continued to have their number, winning the World Tag Team Championships at Beach Blast in a three way tag team match and then retaining at both Halloween Havoc and Starrcade. The Enforcers and The Steiner Brothers ended the Tag Team Grand Prix positioned 1 and 2 and earning promotions.

Meanwhile, The South Atlantic Stronghold’s success petered out when the Young Pistols decided they were determined to regain the US Tag Titles. The war between the Pistols and the Stronghold saw The Rock N Roll Express draw the Enforcers and then lose to The Outsiders, putting them out of contention for promotion. With both Lawler and the Express failing to earn promotions and the Express losing the championship paydays when The Pistols regained the US Tag Titles, Scotty Flamingo snapped, showing an eviler side of him, stressed that he was running out of money and had banked on a promotion for a big pay day. Flamingo sold Jarrett and Kash’s contracts to lower tier divisions to make dividends. Flamingo started to give the Express shit for their performance and 92 ended with them beginning to build babyface sympathy, teasing a future turn.

While The Pistols were thrilled to regain their titles, unfortunately for them they ended their season against the rising Outsiders. Hall and Nash defeated The Pistols to win the championships and proclaimed that 93 would be their year.

Lastly, a series of strange satanic ritual segments aired with Kevin Sullivan, that lead to him recruiting a league of monsters, with Abdullah and Haku joining him, as well as the corruption and turning of El Gigante and Big Josh. The team formerly known as Big and Bigger was rechristened as Corruption, after Josh started painting his face like a clown slowly, until he fully snapped into the Doink character.

 

Demotions & Division Changes

Unfortunately, not everything can be positive. Where there are winners, there must be losers. The following wrestlers were demoted from the Premier League and joined Division 2 for 1993: Butch Reed, Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard. Meanwhile, One Man Gang and Dan Spivey opted to team up in the tag division as part of their demotion. Barry Windham joined forces with Division 2 wrestler, Dustin Rhodes, moving them to the Tag Division as part of Windham’s demotion. And after Jimmy Garvin announced his desire to remove himself from active competition, Terry Gordy joined Michael Hayes as the feature tag team of the Fabulous Freebirds.

Bobby Eaton also moved on from singles competition when he opted to pursue tag team success with Dave Finlay. Meanwhile, Bobby Fulton moved from the tag division to the singles division after Tommy Rogers suffered a torn rotator cuff that will keep him out of commission for 1993.

Van Hammer, Shane Douglas, Austin Idol and The Southern Rockers were all demoted to the Power Plant. Division.

 

Ladies Grand Prix

In the LWPA, Madusa was able to claim first place in the Ladies Grand Prix, edging out Wendi Richter by two points. Neither woman suffered a single loss in 92, but Wendi ended up drawing one more match than Madusa. In other news, Akira Hokuto began to emerge as the face of Women’s wrestling, as she competed in Japan, Mexico and American with winning records in all three countries, consistently with the best performances in the world.

[CactusHack]

Authors Note

Ripping a few bandaids off here, no point in dillydallying - Apologies for the incompletion of the 1992 season diary. The forum move coupled with the sheer volume of writing made it less than enjoyable to complete writing what I had started. I lost momentum and lost interest in the writing. Outside of a handful of matches (ie Luger vs Simmons, Reed vs Gordy) I really disliked writing matches - and it resulted in me not spending time writing what I enjoyed writing, specifically the behind the scenes stuff and the world-building summaries. So, for 1993, I will be changing my format to be more summarization and less focus on the individual shows.

I also failed to write about the joining show, LPWA. The world that is building out in my little sandbox is really awesome and I'm excited to share more about the world as a whole, but in order to do that, I have realized I need to cut out content of shows to keep this enjoyable. I didn't enjoy robbing my readers of the satisfying conclusion of Ron Simmon's journey in 92, and looking back I should have given him the title at Great American Bash so that the 92 diary could have at least had proper closure provided to it, even if it wasn't right for the longer story I wanted to tell.

So, in summary, the 93 diary will be summary based rather than show based. I'll summarize a full round at a time, and only run predictions for the Premier Division to keep both my management requirements reduced and the reader's engagement more approachable.

Cheers, and welcome to 93!

[CactusHack]

WCW 93 PREMIER LEAGUE GRAND PRIX

 

WCW 93 DIVISION 2 GRAND PRIX

 

WCW 93 TAG TEAM GRAND PRIX

 

WCW POWERPLANT 93 DIVISION 3 GRAND PRIX

 

WCW POWERPLANT 93 TAG TEAM DIVISION 2 GRAND PRIX GRAND PRIX

 

LPWA 93 WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX

 

WCW 93 DIVISION 4 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

Edited December 10, 2022 by CactusHack
Fixed two names

[CactusHack]

RANKINGS

Edited August 12, 2023 by CactusHack
Round Eleven posted

[CactusHack]

1993 ROUND 1 CARD

Prediction Grid:

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sting

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat

Powerhouse Simmons vs Steve Williams

Kevin Sullivan vs Lex Luger

Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

Larry Zbyzsko vs Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Rick Steiner vs Nobuhiko Takada

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Powerhouse Simmons, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Big Van Vader, Arn Anderson, and Nobuhiko Takada...

And welcome back, @CactusHack...

Edited November 27, 2022 by Lord Byron

[DinoKea]

Premier Division R1 Predictions

Sting (1-0-0) def. Bam Bam Bigelow (0-1-0)

Rick Rude (1-0-0) def. Ricky Steamboat (0-1-0)

Powerhouse Simmons (1-0-0) def. Steve Williams (0-1-0)

Lex Luger (1-0-0) def. Kevin Sullivan (0-1-0)

Ric Flair (1-0-0) def. Brian Pillman (0-1-0)

Big Van Vader (1-0-0) def. Larry Zbyzsko (0-1-0)

Arn Anderson (1-0-0) def. Scott Steiner (0-1-0)

Nobuhiko Takada (1-0-0) def. Rick Steiner (0-1-0)

Division 1 Final Table Prediction:

1st: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
2nd: "The Crow" Sting
3rd: "The Mastodon" Big Van Vader
4th: "Total Package" Lex Luger
5th: "Powerhouse" Ron Simmons
6th: "Ravishing" Rick Rude
7th: "Beast of the East" Bam Bam Bigelow
8th: "The Dragon" Ricky Steamboat
9th: "American Muscle" Scott Steiner
10th: "Submission Supreme" Nobuhiko Takada
11th: "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson
12th: "Dog-Faced Gremlin" Rick Steiner
13th: "Flyin'" Brian Pillman
14th: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams
15th: "Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan
16th: "The Cruncher" Larry Zbyzsko

Edited November 27, 2022 by DinoKea
Added nicknames for fun

[DHK1989]

Sting

Rick Rude

Powerhouse Simmons

Lex Luger

Ric Flair

Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner

Nobuhiko Takada

[sonny912]

Their are a few typos in the introduction with both members of the midnight express being dennis condroy and both members of solar and panther named blue panther but despite that this looks good.

[Old School Fan]

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sting

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat (Rude will cheat his way to a win like he usually does when he faces superior talents like Steamboat)

Powerhouse Simmons vs Steve Williams

Kevin Sullivan vs Lex Luger

Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

Larry Zbyzsko vs Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Rick Steiner vs Nobuhiko Takada

[KyTeran]

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sting

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat

Powerhouse Simmons vs Steve Williams

Kevin Sullivan vs Lex Luger

Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

Larry Zbyzsko vs Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Rick Steiner vs Nobuhiko Takada

[mmaaddict]

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sting

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat - DRAW

Powerhouse Simmons vs Steve Williams

Kevin Sullivan vs Lex Luger

Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

Larry Zbyzsko vs Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Rick Steiner vs Nobuhiko Takada

[Nightshadeex]

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sting

Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat - Draw

Powerhouse Simmons vs Steve Williams

Kevin Sullivan vs Lex Luger

Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

Larry Zbyzsko vs Big Van Vader

Scott Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Rick Steiner vs Nobuhiko Takada

 

 

I finally got caught up on 1992, bummer you couldn't finish it. I honestly skipped the match write-ups unless they were important to a story being told. I'm totally good with a sentence or two summary about the business of the match.

 

Do you actually give the bonuses in game? If yes, how is morale affected?

[CactusHack]

THE ANNOUNCERS The focal point of 1992 for WCW was the relaunched show, WCW Saturday Night. The show's focus of being presented as an authentic sports experience meant a strong emphasis on play-by-play commentary and consistent storytelling. Initially, the booth was just JR and Schiavone, but as Bischoff’s power grew, he joined the booth. Jim Ross was positioned by Kip Frey as the new Head of Talent Relations, responsible for carrying out day-to-day human resource needs as well as enforcing WCW's new zero-drug policy. In addition to his roles in human resource and colour commentary, JR is a member of WCW’s Scouting committee, as sene on his popular B-Show segment, Jr’s Indie Spotlight. Due to his broadcast colleagues increased responsibilities, Tony Schiavone is responsible for the bulk of the play-by-play at the booth and has been dubbed ‘The Voice of WCW’. Upon Kip Frey's hiring in 92, Kip took Bischoff under his wing as he saw the young C-Show announcer as a breath of fresh air and potential visionary. However, Bischoff began to exploit Kip's fondness towards him in order to get himself ahead and push his own agenda, including the negotiation of WCW's purchase of three subsidiaries, poising WCW for rapid expansion. At the end of 92, Bischoff was promoted to Executive Producer and is responsible for oversight of all WCW production and decision making.

THE FRANCHISERS Over the course of 1992, Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff came to terms to allow WCW to purchase three properties. Bischoff and Frey determined that each property would exist under the WCW structuring and WCW would subsidize the performer contracts. Bischoff hired individuals to operate as VPs of each property and meet the mandates of WCW management. 1992 was a wild year for Roddy Piper. In February he divorced his wife of a decade, losing connection with his children. And come July, his WWF contract was not renewed. It seemed as though Piper’s career in the squared circle had ended. But when WCW purchased GWF, the decision was made to hire Roddy in a decision deemed reckless. Ole Anderson was hired to oversee Ladies Pro Wrestling Association, after having submitted his resignation to WCW early in ’92. Having previously been considered as a prick, Ole aimed to turn a corner and leave a positive mark on professional wrestling. Unlike Roddy and Ole, Bischoff opted to hire current West Four Wrestling Alliance’s Gene Kiniski to oversee the promotion, rather than an external hire. The decision was made due to the desire to keep the promotion in Canada, and ensure that the individual responsible for the property understood the market.

INSIDE THE SQUARED CIRCLE To start 92 off, Kip Frey was adamant about presenting WCW as close to a sport broadcast as possible. As a result, the management group watched programs like Sunday Night Football and Hockey Night in Canada. Coach’s Corner starring Don Cherry was a strong inspiration for the group, and immediately, they put together a segment akin to it called Inside the Squared Circle. First task was to find an outspoken strong personality to mirror Don Cherry’s success, and the role given to Jesse Ventura as a result. The strong, boisterous personality was to become a weekly staple of the WCW Saturday Night broadcast, giving highly opinionated, unscripted dialogue in a self contained segment. Meanwhile, as a sign of goodwill to the company during management change, the decision was made to pair Ventura with Magnum TA, who had been floundering as a member of the broadcast team. Due to his injury, Magnum’s youth makes him a long term player, but needed someone to carry the segments as he developed his own skills. After a strong start to 92, Kip Frey’s personal affection towards Eric Bischoff resulted in Frey allowing Bischoff to take credit for his successes, in turn undermining Frey. Frey was taken out of the position of control and was reimagined as a TBS representative, working under TBS budgets without any actual oversight.

THE ANALYST TEAM / BOOKING COMMITTEE Much like the Inside the Squared Circle segment pulling from other sports shows, Kip Allen Frey wanted to utilize pre-shows and post-shows with an analysis team breaking down the product with statistical analysis, predictions and reviews. This team was made up of high ranking WCW officials, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and Paul E Dangerously. The team in charge of this on-screen also doubled down as the behind the scenes primary decision-makers for match out-comes. They were determine winners and losers, a larger committee (overseen by Bischoff) would sign off on the decisions or over turn any decisions where there was strong opposition, and then Harley Race would delegate the match details to his Road Agent team. On top of these duties, Dusty Rhodes is the storyline Commissioner of WCW, responsible for announcing rule changes, over-arching decisions, and booking PPV cards. During 92, Dusty and his friend Magnum TA had a falling out, resulting in a storyline dispute where Magnum would criticize Dusty’s lack of decisions. Under the management of Kip Allen Frey, the group was very successful. However, it’s been no secret that Eric Bischoff and Paul E Dangerously have been butting heads since management turn over occurred and it begs to be seen whether Paul can co-operate under a boss that he strongly disagrees with.

THE ROAD AGENTS As WCW’s management staff roles were defined and the emphasis on in-ring performances increased, WCW transitioned away from Booking staff and towards a road agent team. The team, led by Harley Race, is responsible for the laying out of all matches and develop engaging finishes as well as supporting with the coaching and development of talent. Known for his strong outspoken opinions against the WWF, legendary world champion Bruno Sammartino left the WWF in 88 and became critical of the steroid abuse present under Vince McMahon. WCW brought him in to enforce their strong stance as a clean company, further pushing the authentic sport experience. Bruno is the road agent for Premier Division. Gary Hart was brought in to replace Mike Graham, after Graham was demoted to WFWA as punishment for negative backstage antics. The iconic manager is the acting road agent for all Tag Team Division matches. Lastly, overseeing Division 2 is Jody Hamilton. Hamilton’s role has been growing in the background as his wrestling school, internally dubbed as the power plant, has become more and more important in discussing the future of WCW. Upon the purchase of GWF in late 92, the subsidiary was renamed Power Plant Wrestling, indicating some sort of involvement with the promotion for Hamilton.

 

[CactusHack]

On 12/2/2022 at 11:36 AM, Nightshadeex said:

Do you actually give the bonuses in game? If yes, how is morale affected?

Yes - Each week I give a bonus to the worker with the best individual performance. I'm a bit of a data junkie, so I catalogue all my worker's performances. Each bonus gives a morale boost - which ultimately results in a better backstage rating, which results in everyone working better and reducing incidents. The other thing is, I have user points in Leadership to help ensure more positive backstage atmosphere. It has resulted in a stronger ability to convince workers to stop any negative usage issues (drugs, steroids) and from my experience hasn't had any negative ramifications. 

[CactusHack]

Following a wild bidding war involving the WWF, WCW, NJPW and AJPW, Sid Vicious joins NJPW for $84,000 per month.

Hulk Hogan and Linda have divorced.

Ted DiBiase’s contract with WWF has expired, the 38 year old is now a free agent.

Reverend Slick’s contract with WWF has expired, the 35 year old is now a free agent.

George Hines signed an exclusive contract with AJPW and has left SMW, SSW.

WWF sign Dino Bravo to an 18 month contract.

Tarzan Goto has signed an exclusive contract with FMW and has left W*ING and PWFG.

Yoshiaki Yatsu and Headhunter A sign exclusive contracts with SWS, leaving UWFi and RINGS.

Salman Hashimikov has signed an exclusive contract with NJPW and has left UWFi and PWFG.

Following a rollercoaster year, All Japan Pro Wrestling returned to being considered as a Big Company.

Mike McGuirk appeared an a radio show and announced that her and Rick Martel have started dating as a byproduct of his recent major injury.

Paul Jones announces his intent to retire.

Bobo Brazil retired.

ULL drop Gran Hamada as it’s figure head, Sakigake Gantetsu quits.

Major League Ladies Wrestling’s WWOW has gone off the air.

Phil Lafon suffered a medium concussion and will be out of action for 37 days.

Luke Williams of the Bushwhackers has sustained a knee injury and will be out of action for 2 and a half months.

Scott D’Amore has founded Border City Wrestling, based out of Ontario Canada. It has also launched the Can-Am Wrestling School. Bill Watts is anointed head booker. D’Amore has signed a deal with CHCH-TV to broadcast their events. The following wrestlers signed with BCW: Psicosis, Super Calo, 911, Tiger Ali Singh, Chris Champion, Chuck Fader, Bobby Clancy, Tommy Young, Verne Siebert, Bob Brown, Boris Kruschevv, Killer Tim Brooks, Steven Dane, Chic Cullen, Goldie Rogers, Kurt Mir, Billy Gunn, Junkyard Dog, Mike Sharpe, EZ Ryder, Frank Blues, Rip Oliver, Eddie Creatchman, Douglas Patinkin, Jason Helton, Eddie Watts and Nelson Veilleux

Andre Baker has founded NWA: UK Hammerlock, based out of Southern England. The promotion immediately joins the NWA alliance. It has also launched it’s own wrestling school. The promotion hired Flash Barker, Orig Williams, Brian Maxine, Greg Valentine UK, Johnny Angel, Marty Jones, John Kenny, George Burgess, Lewis Blain,Tony Walsh, Max Ward, Blondie Barratt, Dave Bond, Gordon Pryor, Jackie Pallo Jr., Lee Bronson, Lloyd Ryan, Mel Stuart, Tom Tyrone, Jim Fitzmaurice, Kid McCoy, Gary B. Ware, Rocky Moran, Nic Parry.

JT Lightning has founded Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling in the Great Lakes. Ron West is anointed head booker. The promotion has signed Paul Roma, Todd Champion, Jimmy Jett, The Patriot, Rikki Nelson, Axl Rotten, New Jack, Ray Odyssey, Billy Jack Haynes, Mike Samson, Ricky Rice, Chris Walker, Teijo Khan, Tarek The Great and Dutch Savage.

Masayoshi Motegi has founded Wrestle Yume Factory in Kanto. Shoji Nakamaki is anointed head booker. The promotion has signed Crusher Takahashi, Takao Omori, Don Arakawa, Joel Deaton, Hiroshi Shimada, Herman Renting, MEN’s Teioh, Headhunter B, Horace Boulder, Hiroyuki Unno, Masayuki Naruse, Heavy Metal, Indio Guajaro, Flying Kid Ichihara, Basho Uboshita, Tabito Suzambo, Yusuke Yamaguchi.

Immediately after Hogan’s divorce, the WWF strapped him up with the WWF Heavyweight Championship. Pundits believe this to be a morale controlling device in order to ensure that when his contract is up in June, he doesn’t consider leaving. This is Hogan’s fifth reign with the belt, increase his record title reigns with this belt. At this time, the WWF Heavyweight champion is considered the most Prestigious Championship in all of wrestling. This ends Jake Roberts first title run.

Satoru Sayama defeated Jushin Liger to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at the Jan 4th Tokyo Dome show.

Also at the Tokyo Dome show, Hiroshi Hase def. Riki Choshu to end a near two year reign, capturing the NJPW Greatest 18 Club Title.

Cactus Jack defeated Iceman King Parsons to win the UWF Israeli Championship.

At the Royal Rumble, Koko B Ware defeated Shawn Michaels to capture the WWF Intercontinental Championship. This is his first reign.

Randy Savage won the 1993 Royal Rumble, for the second year in a row, repeating Hogan’s feat from 90-91. The two are on a collision course for Wrestlemania, in what could be an epic rematch of their 89 Wrestlemania main event.

Brazo De Oro defeated Dr. Wagner Jr to become the CMLL World Middleweight Champion. This is his first reign

Villano III def. El Dandy to become the CMLL World Light Heavyweight champion. This is his first reign.

The following individuals have entered the wrestling world: Hido, Azteca, Alexander the Great, Jeff Bradley, Charles Robinson, Carlos Cabrera, Brandi Alexander, Gabe Sapolsky, Mike Adamle, Zoogz Rift, Fifi, Bryant Anderson, Darren Walsh, Justin Starr, Cuervo, Dave Lagana, Ruffneck, Tommy Starr, Jesse the Latin Freebird, Sean Casey.

[CactusHack]

In an unfortunate bit of irony, in week 2 Scott Putski sustained a broken neck during his Main Event match. One week later, his father was brought in on a one night only deal, where he tore his quad. Father and Son are both out of action for one year. Shane Douglas started a storyline where he’s upset that WCW is considering him independent after being highlighted in JR's Indie Spotlight, and blames it on them trying to placate Ric Flair after Shane had begun his Wannabe Nature Boy gimmick in ’92. Rey Misterio Jr (who competes under WFWA) was highlighted for being the youngest competitor across all divisions in WCW's history at the age of 18. Lastly, Black Dragon, another WFWA talent, was highlighted as someone not to sleep on. At 20 years old, Black Dragon has a lot of time to hone his craft and emerge as a viable wrestler and has already competed in matches with quality well above his age.

At the Power Plant, Round one got off to a strong start across it's two nights, as the current reigning ECW and NWA champion Eddie Gilbert defeated his brother in the main event of night one to get off to a 1-0-0 start. Eddie Gilbert has been considered the runaway favourite to finish first in Division three and receive promotion to WCW. Van Hammer started his attempt at redemption against The Raging Bull Manny Fernandez, and the two men beat the snot out of each other. Van Hammer was unable to get the win, as the hardcore veteran claimed victory.  And in shocking news, after Austin Idol lost his match against Action Jackson, he was terminated for poor behavior. GM Roddy Piper is now tasked with replacing a talent in Division Three on short notice.

In the tag team division, Night Two was headlined by Speed Eleven versus Solar & Panther. It was considered a surprising choice as none of the four men are considered stars yet, and four foreign talents being displayed in match for the South seemed unlikely to work for the crowd. However, the decision was the right call, as the four men put on a wrestling clinic that won the crowd over. Ultimately, the team of Great Sasuke and Ultimo Dragon won, but all four men gained the respect of their new audience. Another well received match was the bout between La Cultura Torcida and The Simpsons, which ended in a double count out after the two teams lost control. Konnan's gimmick of being a Latin Legend is absolutely legendary and it is pretty much a sure thing that he'll be a huge focus for the entire year.

This was the first LPWA round after expanding to 20 women, and the focus was split between Madusa's first match after being crowned champion of 1992, and rising sensation Akira Hokuto, who's matches have eclipsed all other women in terms of quality and was crowned the Women's wrestler of the year in 92 by the Observer. Akira Hokuto started off the season with yet another top-ranked match and strong win, while Madusa was unable to secure victory, going the distance against Lioness Asuka. Another developing storyline is Magnificent Mimi's destiny. Considered to have the greatest look in all of wrestling, The Greek Goddess is emerging as the self-professed heir to the throne. She started 93 off with a decisive victory to continue this story.

Debuting in the LPWA grand prix were Tina Moretti, Terri Powers, Manami Toyota, Malia Hosaka and Bison Kimura. Jacqueline and Debbie Malenko also became regulars after filling in for injuries in 92. Bison Kimura is working no gimmick needed and it's not so strong. Tina Moretti debuted as 'The Sport Club Starlet' and her pompous face gimmick is great. Malia Hosaka debuted under a heel Tropical Terror schtick, which was received as great. And Jacqueline is sporting a model gimmick of 'Miss Texas' which is also great.

Up in the north, the 20 man Fourth division kicked off with it's eclectic cast of rookies, past-their-prime veterans, and foreign imports. The big talking point of course was WCW stealing Mitsuharu Misawa from All Japan and sending him to Canada. Considered to be one of the greatest in-ring talents in the world, Misawa started his journey to the top of WCW with a victory. Elsewhere, two time limit draws happened between Lance Storm and Buddy Hart, and Chris Jericho and Keith Hart. The two younger stars in Jericho and Storm are considered to be the lynchpins of the promotion currently, hosting the strongest matches as they develop. There is a strong desire to keep them in WFWA as the focuses as the company phases out it's older talents and focuses on becoming the entry point for the WCW system. And finally, Baron Von Raschke's insane veteran gimmick as The Gouger has gotten super over, as he's transitioned his Claw finisher to include his fingers gouging at his opponents eyes. His opening contest victory over Sledgehammer Anderson came as a surprise, as Sledgehammer Anderson had emerged as a likely candidate to finish near the top of WFWA's Canadian Grand Prix.

[CactusHack]

Powerhouse Simmons and Steve Williams kicked off Round 1’s elite division with a hard hitting brawl. Simmons was determined in the start of his 93 campaign, while a story surrounding the Shooters Club is developing after Ken Shamrock opted to follow Dan Severn’s lead in taking a pro fight and there is frustration between their group mounting. Simmons finished Williams with a Spinebuster for the pin.

Powerhouse Simmons (1-0-0) def. Steve Williams (0-1-0) in 13:02 to retain the WCW US Title. Simmons improves to 2-0-0 all time against Williams.

Last year’s inaugural main event went the distance, and the follow up PPV match Rude won in a match that went longer than the league match time limits. This year, Rude came out with only Steve Austin and there was continued friction between the fractured Dangerous Alliance. Austin attempted to get involved, but it only served to distract Rude, allowing Steamboat to catch him with a pin for the win.

Ricky Steamboat (1-0-0) def. Rick Rude (0-1-0) in 19:29. Steamboat improves to 1 win, 1 draw all time against Rude.

The running story building up until the third night of Round 1 in Division Two was who would be revealed as the final member of the field, with Schiavone and JR selling that it could be a former WCW champion, or an international sensation. Ultimately, it was revealed to be The Great Muta, who defeated Kevin Von Erich with a moonsault. Another big match for the division was Tully Blanchard beating Nikita Koloff in a battle of the demoted. Tully won after cheating.

Elsewhere, DDP was victorious in his Division 2 debut over Tom Zenk, after referee Jimmy Jett decided that Zenk couldn't continue due to a knee injury. Zenk is playing up a 'No Days Off' gimmick, and Schiavone sold his injury as a result of over-training. Bobby Fulton won his first singles contest over Samoan Savage, and Johnny B Badd came up short in his debut against Cactus Jack. And Al Perez has begun a well-received 'Snakebitten' gimmick, where his luck has gone south. He lost to Butch Reed in a very even match when he tripped getting back into the ring and stumbled right into a DDT from Reed.

Finally, caught up in the drama of the disintegration of The Dangerous Alliance, Steve Austin has been approached by both Flair and Rude. And during his first round match against Terry Taylor, Austin was distracted and missed out on an opportunity to put away Taylor, resulting in their match going the distance for a first round draw.

Sting and Bam Bam had an all out physical war. Bigelow was in control for most of the match, but Sting overcame the odds and made Bigelow tap out. Teddy Long was furious at ringside that Bigelow disappointed him.

Sting (1-0-0) def. Bam Bam Bigelow (0-1-0) in 14:24. Sting is 2-0-0 against Bigelow all time.

We’re seeing a new Luger here, as his second place finish has left him focused and determined to not come up short. Luger bullied the smaller Kevin Sullivan consistently and ultimately made him tap out to the Torture Rack. Sullivan was flanked by his league of monsters.

Lex Luger (1-0-0) def. Kevin Sullivan (0-1-0) in 17:26. Luger improves to 2-0-0 all time against Sullivan.

In the main event of week 2, we got our first taste of new blood in the Premier League, as Division 2 runner up Pillman took on the Nature Boy. This was a 19 minute epic where Pillman gave Flair everything he got, looking to prove he belong in the top division. Pillman busted open Flair and had several near falls, while Flair targeted the knee. Pillman went for Air Pillman, but his knee gave out and Flair locked in the Figure Four. Pillman refused to tap, but passed out due to pain and Flair was given the victory. Wrestling Observer ranked this match as the best match of Round One.

Ric Flair (1-0-0) def. Brian Pillman (0-1-0) in 18:43. This was their first ever encounter.

During the build up to Rhodes and Windham taking on the Rock N Roll Express, problems within the South Atlantic Stronghold continued to grow. Scotty Flamingo, expressing frustration with the lack of results from his investments in 1992, threatened the Rock N Roll Express with termination of their contracts. Flamingo's childhood friend, Mr. Sandman, debuted as a mooching sponge who keeps getting handouts from Flamingo. During the match between the Express and the Lonestar Cowboys, Flamingo attempted to get involved and it backfired resulting in Windham pinning Morton.

Meanwhile, Nash and Hall have begun promoting themselves as the runaway favorites for 1993, interrupting Magnum TA's Main Event recaps to laugh at the tag teams competing their and put themselves over. They retained their WCW US Tag Team Championships against the debuting team of Tony Anthony and Bull Gantner, True Grit. True Grit had dominated Main Event exhibitions throughout the second half of 1992 and have amazing chemistry.

In other action, renamed Corruption (previously known as Big and Bigger) were disqualified in their match against Spivey and One Man Gang when Doink attacked Spivey with a steel chair. With Jimmy Garvin in their corner, the Freebird team of Hayes and Gordy started off 93 with a win. And both Norman Smiley and Dave Finlay were victorious in their respective debuts, as both men found themselves on winning teams.

After intimidation the week prior, Larry Z attempted to square up with the Mastadon, but never came off as a real threat to Vader. Vader got the pinfall victory after a massive powerbomb, putting Larry’s promotion off to a tough start.

Big Van Vader (1-0-0) def. Larry Zbyzsko (0-1-0) in 13:12. This was their first ever encounter.

In a highly technical battle reminiscent of Japanese Strong Style style, Takada and Rick battled in a violent match that featured vicious strikes. The ongoing story was curiousity over whether Takada would be shook up in the higher division after suffering a late loss in 1992. Ultimately, Takada’s strikes were too much as he hit three stiff front kicks to Rick’s face that left him staggered to the point where Nick Patrick had no choice but to call the match. Rick argued after the match that he should have been allowed to continue as he could have made time.

Nobuhiko Takada (1-0-0) def. Rick Steiner (0-1-0) in 18:29. This was their first encounter.

In the main event of night three, Scott and Arn went the distance is a gruelling battle where neither man was willing to break down. After a long feud between the two in 92, Arn appeared determined to get a win back, as the Steiners had bettered The Enforcers in regular season play and twice on PPV. Arn controlled the match, but was unable to put away Scott, who is being promoted as the All-American Muscle.

Arn Anderson (0-0-1) and Scott Steiner (0-0-1) go to a 20:00 Time Limit Draw. Scott Steiner leads the all time head-to-head, 1-0-1.

[CactusHack]

1993 ROUND 2 CARD

Prediction Grid:

Nobuhiko Takada vs Lex Luger
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Ric Flair
Kevin Sullivan vs Sting
Rick Rude vs Big Van Vader
Steve Williams vs Ricky Steamboat
Powerhouse Simmons vs Brian Pillman
Scott Steiner vs Larry Zbyzsko
Rick Steiner vs Arn Anderson

Contest Standings:

Old School Fan : 5/8 - 63%
Nightshadeex : 6/8 - 75%
KyTeran : 6/8 - 75%
DinoKea : 6/8 - 75%
mmaaddict : 6/8 - 75%
DHK1989 : 6/8 - 75%
Lord Byron : 7/8 - 88%

[DinoKea]

1993 Round 2 Predictions
Lex Luger def. Nobuhiko Takada
Ric Flair def. Bam Bam Bigelow
Sting def. Kevin Sullivan
Big Van Vader def. Rick Rude
Ricky Steamboat def. Steve Williams
Powerhouse Simmons def. Brian Pillman
Scott Steiner def. Larry Zbyzsko
Arn Anderson def. Rick Steiner

[KyTeran]

Nobuhiko Takada vs Lex Luger
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Ric Flair
Kevin Sullivan vs Sting
Rick Rude vs Big Van Vader
Steve Williams vs Ricky Steamboat
Powerhouse Simmons vs Brian Pillman
Scott Steiner vs Larry Zbyzsko
Rick Steiner vs Arn Anderson

[Nightshadeex]

Nobuhiko Takada vs Lex Luger - Oh man, I really want to go Takada here, but... I'll call it a draw.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Ric Flair
Kevin Sullivan vs Sting
Rick Rude vs Big Van Vader - Come on Rick, take the big man to a draw!
Steve Williams vs Ricky Steamboat
Powerhouse Simmons vs Brian Pillman
Scott Steiner vs Larry Zbyzsko
Rick Steiner vs Arn Anderson

 

I did this format with a Ring of Fire save many, many years ago. It's always fun to run leagues.

[DHK1989]

Lex Luger
Ric Flair
Sting
Big Van Vader
Ricky Steamboat
Powerhouse Simmons
Scott Steiner
Arn Anderson

[smw88]

Lex Luger
Ric Flair
Sting
Big Van Vader
Ricky Steamboat
Powerhouse Simmons
Scott Steiner
Arn Anderson