WCW 1993 : A New World of Sport

[SonOfSharknado]

Diamond Dallas Page vs Terry Taylor
Four Horsemen vs True Grit
La Cultura Torcida vs Samoan Swat Team
Scotty Flamingo vs Mitsuharu Misawa
Rick Rude vs Dustin Rhodes
Sting vs Arn Anderson

[Rekcut012]

Diamond Dallas Page vs Terry Taylor
Four Horsemen vs True Grit
La Cultura Torcida vs Samoan Swat Team
Scotty Flamingo vs Mitsuharu Misawa
Rick Rude vs Dustin Rhodes
Sting vs Arn Anderson

[Just here to look]

Gonna do some rather… interesting predictions here

DDP beat Terry: I mean, yeah

Horsemen beat True Grit: I mean, yeah (but this time, it’s tag teams!)

Eddie and Konnan beat Samoan Swat Team: I feel like LCT is heading towards the top, though this is 60/40 in my eyes

Flamingo wins via BS: do it. Do it you coward. Give this man the heat he should get.

Rick Rude beats Dustin: I reckon Dustin could pull off some major upsets, and starting off the season with the reigning champion losing to a newly promoted side would be great TV. Sure, I don’t think it’s likely enough that I’ll vote in that direction, but I’m saying the possibility is there

Sting beat Arn: 1PWFan has a good reason to vote Arn, however I’m going to go with the probably obvious pick, just to kinda feel it out. Also I just prefer sting and I’m going to be rather biased my predictions if I can be bothered to continue these.

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  DDP, Four Horsemen, Samoan Swat Team, Mitsuharu Misawa, Dustin Rhodes, and Sting... 

[DHK1989]

Diamond Dallas Page
Four Horsemen
Samoan Swat Team
Mitsuharu Misawa
Rick Rude
Sting

[Nightshadeex]

Diamond Dallas Page vs Terry Taylor
Four Horsemen vs True Grit
La Cultura Torcida vs Samoan Swat Team
Scotty Flamingo vs Mitsuharu Misawa
Rick Rude vs Dustin Rhodes
Sting vs Arn Anderson

[CactusHack]

January 1994 : Week 1

Hulk Hogan and Miss Elizabeth’s friendship is no more, apparently some underlying tension has come to the forefront of their relationship and they are no longer talking to one another.

CMLL’s Mephisto tore his achilles during a 6-man tag match and will be out of action for 1 year.

A bidding war has broken out for Power Plant star and former Division Two competitor Al Perez. WWF, AJPW and UWF are all in the running to attempt to sign the 33 year old star.

Brian Armstrong and Bobby Walker have become bitter rivals, refusing to speak to one another.

Genichiro Tenryu defeated Hiroshi Hase to win the NJPW Greatest 18 Club Championship for the first time. This win occurred at the Tokyo Dome.

Power Plant Singles and Tag Team Grand Prix Round 1/15; Card One

The Nubian Nightmares (1-0-0) def. The Wildest of the West (0-1-0)
Cobra (0-0-1) and Mr. Hughes (0-0-1) went to a double count draw.
Sons of the Mountain (1-0-0) def. International Sex Pistols (0-1-0)
Great Kokina (1-0-0) def. Al Perez (0-1-0)
Harlem Heat (1-0-0) def. The Western Boys (0-1-0)
Marquis Bagwell (1-0-0) def. Manny Fernandez (0-1-0)
Jeff Jarrett (1-0-0) def. La Parka (0-1-0)
Tom Davis and Jesse Barr (1-0-0) def. Speed Eleven (0-1-0)

Worthwhile Notes:

- Kokina dominated Al Perez in his debut.
- Harlem Heat avenged a loss from last season.
- Bagwell surprised Manny with a roll up victory in the debut match of his new gimmick as 'The Artiste'.
- Promo for next card : El Negro Y La Plata vs Southern Rockers.
- Promo for next card : Paul Orndorff vs Rayo De Jalisco Jr.
- MVP : Ultimo Dragon

W4WA Canadian Grand Prix Round 1/23; Card One

Dick Slater (1-0-0) def. Black Dragon (0-1-0)
Rey Misterio Jr (1-0-0) def. Greg Valentine (0-1-0)
Danny Davis (1-0-0) def. Gerry Morrow (0-1-0)
Richard Charland (1-0-0) def. Keith Hart (0-1-0)
Buddy Landel (1-0-0) def.  Canadian Tiger (0-1-0)
Lance Storm (0-0-1) and Leo Burke (0-0-1) went to a time limit draw.

Worthwhile Notes:

- Owen Hart debuted in a red carpet ‘homecoming’ segment where babyface wrestlers welcomed him back to Canada with open arms. He lays out Sledgehammer Anderson and calls himself the ‘True Born’ Hart. Great heat on his character here.
- Lance Storm played the spoiler in Legendary Leo Burke’s debut match, by bringing him to a draw. Lance Storm introduced a new gimmick - ‘Laser Point’. The live crowd digs the laser-heavy entrance.
- MVP : 'Laser Point' Lance Storm

[CactusHack]

On 12/23/2023 at 12:38 PM, 1PWfan said:

Remind me, how do the titles figure into the whole grand prix/tournament setup?

After a messy first year of some Titles being treated as PPV exclusives and some titles being Television Title style, with a pay bonus going to the holders, a 'Clash of Champions' one night tournament was held to unify the lineages of all belts. Currently, there are no titles being actively competed for, only the tournament championships themselves. The champions are awarded title belts to symbolize their accomplishment for the previous year, and it is handed over to the new champion at the end of the season.

[CactusHack]

"

It’s January 8th, 1994, and it is nearly freezing in Atlanta! WCW Grand Prix kicks the year off running tonight. WCW Saturday Night is brought to you by Pink Dream, the official soft drink of WCW. After the intro video of downtown Atlanta nightlife, the camera’s take us inside WCW’s neon-lit blue and pink studios where we are standing by with the WCW Analysis Team, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and Paul E Dangerously!

Welcome, to WCW Saturday Night - wrestling’s sabbath! We’re kicking off a new year with the first night of the 1994 WCW Grand Prix! But first, we have a word from our Commissioner, ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes.

The elephant in the room is the manner in which Rick Rude captured the championship to end the year last year and how WCW will react. While what Rude did is frowned up, ultimately there are no rules in place to prevent such an occurrence from happening. WCW is increasing the fine on violators, each perpetrator of interference will incur a penalty equaling 10% of the individual’s annual WCW salary.
Futhermore, WCW will continue to review it’s rules and regulations in order to maintain a fair playing field. WCW’s goal is to ensure the upmost integrity of it’s competition and Mr. Rude’s actions last year are a blemish on our sport.

You know, I am going to get some heat for this, but I would prefer to see things stay this way. The monetary punishment is good enough to deter the majority, but if you are willing to sacrifice more than a month of your pay for your legacy, then that should be your own prerogative.

Of course you would, Paul. You lack honour… Well, let’s run through tonight’s card for the audience at home! In Division Two action, we’ll see the WCW Grand Prix debuts of Canadian Grand Prix champion Mitsuharu Misawa and Scotty Flamingo as they take on one another.
In tag team competition, we will see The Samoan Swat Team take on the debuting Power Plant Tag Team Champions, La Cultura Torcida. We’ll also see The Horsemen’s first match in tag team competition as Austin and Pillman take on the rough and tumble team of True Grit.

And in our Premier League, we’ll see the two previous champions each kick off their journeys to attempt to claim the championship for a second time. First up, Rick Rude takes on my boy, one half of last year’s tag team champions, ‘Lonestar’ Dustin Rhodes. Then, in the main event of the night, it’s the man with the most wins in Premier League history, Sting! Sting takes on Arn Anderson in what is certain to be an amazing kick-off to our season.

Plus, Shane Douglas has promised to reveal his replacement in Division Two. Shane of course suffered a torn achilles during the off-season and is unable to compete in what was supposed to be his return to WCW.
Plus, we’ll hear from Player Enterprises, ahead of next week’s scheduled Round One match between Bigelow and Muta.
But wait… there is more! Hulk Hogan and Barry Windham will join me in the Danger Zone as we discuss their upcoming first round match! But that’s enough chatter - let’s go to the ring for our first action of the new season!

The neon night lights strobe in the set as the cameras zoom out and the analyst group continue to chat after their microphones are cut. Saturday Night theme plays and we cut to live shots of the ring and the crowd. WCW Saturday Night starts now!

Dustin Rhodes comes to the ring with Barry Windham. He’s followed up by an extravagant solo entrance by ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude. Rude is wearing a gold and pink robe and the Premier League championship belt around his waist. He plays to the crowd, clearly pleased with himself.

Rick Rude is a vile, disgusting human being. He seriously believes he deserves that title around his waist, but he’s a no-good crook I tell ya.

You know something, Jim? He gets to hold that title for a whole year… Is he going to be insufferable about it the entire time? I sure hope not…

Rude starts the match off by cockily approaching Dustin and trying to convince him to just walk out on the match now, because you don’t want no part of the champ. They posture a bit to prolong the start to the new season, raising the tension in the arena. Dustin refuses, punching Rude right in the mush and they go to work. Rude’s offence is overly cocky and leads to Dustin getting opportunities to counter, while Dustin’s offence is still inexperienced and he misses basics like hooking the leg on pin attempts as the match progresses.

Dustin is dripping with sweat and Rude is refusing to show signs of weakness. Dustin hits a dropkick and then goes to the top rope but Rude shoves referee Nick Patrick into the ropes, causing Rhodes to waffle down to the mat! Rude with the Rude Awakening, this one is over!

Rick Rude grabs the championship belt and poses in the ring, talking to the camera about how no one is going to take his belt away from him, he’s going to have it forever. JR says he’s a coward for resorting to underhanded tomfoolery to defeat the youngest competitor in Premier League history.

Rick Rude (1-0-0) defeated Dustin Rhodes (0-1-0) in 17:11 by way of pin-fall after a Rude Awakening. This was their first ever match against one another.

Austin and Pillman make their way to the ring accompanied by Ric Flair, Eddie Gilbert and Woman. The group is as confident and cocky as ever and Ric Flair has a bottle of champagne with him. The group showboats and is all smiles before the bell.

Referee Jimmy Jett is going to have his hands full with The Horsemen at ringside tonight. There is something I want to talk about - I’ve heard rumblings backstage that Steve Austin’s developed a reputation as a punk and the majority of the boys in the back have a bone to pick with him.

It’s more than just rumblings, Jim. You know, that Steve Austin is a bonafide prick. I tried to get some notes from him to talk about before tonights match, and he told me he didn’t talk with ‘the help’.

The match kicks off with back and forth brawling and two teams are extremely physical. All four men are flying around with wild bumps and big strikes, and the crowd is loving it.

The brawling continues as Bull Gantner enters the ring for some double teaming and Pillman blind tags himself in after an irish whip. Austin ducks a double clothesline and then lays out both members of True Grit. Tony Anthony and Austin spill to the floor as Pillman springs in with the Air Pillman on Gantner for the win.

The Horsemen celebrate in the ring and Flair pops open the bottle of champagne. They drink and pose before leaving as JR and Schiavone note that the party is just getting started for the Horsemen.

The Horsemen (1-0-0) defeated True Grit (0-1-0) in 12:23 by way of pin-fall after Pillman hit the Air Pillman on Bull Gantner. This was their first ever match against one another.

We go backstage to a set designated for Gary Hart, who is standing by reporting on the results of WCW World Wide from earlier this week, while results from Friday Night’s B-show, WCW Main Event, scrolls on the bottom of the screen.

My… what an exciting start to the 1994 season. But it didn’t truly start here, as on Tuesday night, things kicked off on WCW World Wide. In the first official match of the ’94 season, Tully Blanchard (1-0-0) defeated Nikita Koloff (0-1-0), and in the main event The Steiner Brothers (1-0-0) returned to the tag team division and picked up the win over The Rock N Roll Express (0-1-0) in a fantastic match.
Ricky Morton picked up a minor injury during the match as he landed awkwardly on his tailbone early in the match. We here at WCW hope that he is able to quickly bounce back.

Norman Smiley defeated Moondog Rex | Rob Van Dam and Canadian Tiger defeated Mike Samson and Randy Rose | Cynthia Moreno defeated Leilani Kai | Samoan Savage and Great Kokina defeated Public Enemy | William Regal defeated The Patriot.

Dan Severn joins Gary Hart for an interview, but before they can even begin, they are interrupted by Severn’s previous stablemate, Steve Williams. Williams is accompanied by Terry Gordy. Things are tense, but before anything happens, the Young Pistols arrive. They warn Miracle Violence Connection to focus on their Round One match against each other. Gordy and Williams laugh and leave.

Welcome, folks, to the Danger Zone! Tonight I have with me two first round opponents in Hulk Hogan and Barry Windham. Now, Hulk, you were able to experience your first Grand Prix match in the very last round as an emergency replacement partner, but this will be your first singles match. How do you feel going into the match? Did the tag match maybe clear some first-match-jitters?

Well… Let me tell you something, Brother. It was a great feeling to be able to step in and help The Killer Bee not only field a team, but also win their first match of all season. But in all honesty, it was more like an exhibition to me. It was good to get in the ring, but tag team wrestling brother, that’s not really my jam. So let me just say this - When I go to war with Brother Windham here, it’s going to be my maiden voyage in the land of WCW and the nerves are still there, brother.

Honestly Hulkster, it’s pretty convenient that your first round match is against someone who you had an ‘exhibition’ match against just recently. Perhaps management is safeguarding it’s biggest investment? Barry, how do you feel about being called an exhibition opponent by The Hulkster?

I gotta say… I’m a bit discouraged right now and I shouldn’t be feeling this way… Dustin and I were on the top of the mountain, the champions of the tag team division, destined for promotion. But Hulk here, you came in and beat us at the finish line - and now you are saying that it was a tune-up match for you? I hear that and it hurts. So you know what, Paul? Honor only goes so far… I am here to step into the ring, and defeat Hulk Hogan.

Well, there you have it folks. We are just two weeks away from Hulk Hogan versus Barry Windham - Remember folks, stay dangerous.

Mitsuharu Misawa makes his way to the ring, looking like he’s ready for competition. In contrast, Scotty Flamingo makes a flamboyant entrance, accompanied by Haku, Hansen and Alexandra York. Flamingo drops off a six pack of Pink Dream soda to the broadcast booth and hands Schiavone a hundred dollar bill.

Misawa is all business, but this is the biggest stage in wrestling - do you think he’ll be able to maintain focus with the larger crowd and Flamingo Corps goons all at ringside?

I am not too sure, JR. What I do know is that this match is brought to us by the cool refreshing taste of Pink Dream. Pink Dream - it’s the soft drink of your dreams!

The match focuses on Misawa’s superior combat skills early on, while Flamingo is trying to weasel his way out. It’s unclear how Flamingo intends to win the match, as he seems unable to get any real advantage over Misawa, who tosses around the rich kid with ease. Flamingo escapes for a bit, buying some time as Alexandra York comforts him. JR and Schiavone mock Flamingo’s efforts.

Misawa with a spinning back-hand strike that seems to KO Flamingo. Hansen jumps up on to the apron and referee Mike Atkins is distracted. Hansen is intimidating Atkins, when Haku enters the ring. Haku with the Savage Kick to knock out Misawa! JR screams that this is bullshit and knows a fine is coming for Flamingo Corp. Haku drapes Scotty Flamingo over Misawa and Atkins turns around finally and makes the count as Flamingo picks up his first win in his first match of WCW Grand Prix competition!

Hansen pulls Scotty Flamingo’s body out of the ring and carries him as he raises his arm in success. Misawa gets to his feet in the ring and is furious with the result, as Mike Atkins tries to explain to him the result. Hansen drags Flamingo to the broadcast booth, where he pulls out a check book and writes a $100K cheque from Flamingo Corp to WCW, paying on-the-spot for his interference penalty…

Scotty Flamingo (1-0-0) defeated Mitsuharu Misawa (0-1-0) in 16:36 by way of pin-fall. This was their first ever match against one another.

Diamond Dallas Page is out first and he makes his entrance with a new valet, an attractive lady in her early twenties that JR refers to as ‘The Diamond Doll.’ Out next is Terry Taylor, accompanied by Teddy Long and Nobuhiko Takada of Player Enterprises.

The big story here is Terry having to live up to the hype of Player Enterprises. Both Takada and Muta before him have won Division Two, and while he’s been near the top of the rankings each year, he’s still here while his peers have on to the main event…

You know Jim, on the other side of the table DDP has a lot to live up to as well. He’s been seen hanging out more and more with Hulk Hogan, and when your mentor is the best of the best, the expectations get really high.

Taylor is all business here as he strictly works a fundamental wrestling style, grounding DDP and attempting to secure submissions on his larger opponent. DDP tries to fire back, but he’s outclassed on every attempt by superior wrestling ability.

Taylor has DDP grounded with a sleeper hold, and DDP looks like he’s going to fade as Mike Atkins drops his arm twice without response, but he fires up raises to his feet. He feeds Taylor a couple elbows to the gut and then looks to escape the hold with an irish whip, but Taylor keeps it locked and the end looks near. Out of nowhere, DDP turns it into a shock cutter and collects the pin!

The Diamond Doll joins DDP in the ring as he celebrates. Terry Taylor was clearly caught off guard and he tries to complain to Atkins.

Diamond Dallas Page (1-0-0) defeated Terrence Taylor (0-1-0) in 15:02 by way of pin-fall. Diamond Dallas Page evens up their all-time record at one win apiece.

The title graphic shows for WCW’s Inside the Squared Circle segment, and the show pivots to a studio segment featuring the legendary Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, and Magnum TA.

Hello WCW fans! I am Magnum TA, joined here by Jesse Ventura, and we are glad to be back for yet another exciting year of WCW action! The opening week has been great so far and we still have two matches on the agenda. Now, Jesse, there was something in specific you wanted to talk about tonight.

Yeah, I’ve got a bone to pick with WCW management and the handling of the finish of last season. Rick Rude, Rude stole the championship from Sting. But he did it in a way that exposed the flaws in WCW’s rule book. And I think it’s on Dusty Rhodes and the whole management group to find an adequate solution, and I think the solution they came up with is soft and won’t actually fix anything.

Now, Jesse, just like any other sport, rules are developed and modified over time. This was the first major exploit of the lack of rules punishing outside interference. The punishment is 10% of the individual’s annual salary, which means the individual is effectively being charged more than what they make competing in the match.

You can’t be serious, Magnum. We just saw Scotty Flamingo blatantly exploit the rules tonight, effectively buying a win. Scotty’s a playboy, his WCW contract is play-money as he’s living off of family money. He could buy his way into a Premier League spot… And what’s stopping bankrollers to back cheap talent to exploit the percentage cost and buy championships? It’s ridiculous!

I guess you are right… I didn’t think about it that way. The majority of wrestlers need their wages to live off of, and having to pay more than a month’s worth of their earnings for most is a huge deterrent. We have to appreciate the reactionary measure from WCW management, and I’m sure that the decision will be modified as time goes on…
We are out of time for this week - from Jesse and myself, we’ll see you next week. Sending you all now to Gary Hart, who is standing by with Shane Douglas.

SSW kicks off it’s season this weekend, be sure to tune in for the future of wrestling! SSW, brought to you by Pink Dream Soda - the soda of your dreams…

Gary Hart is standing by with Shane Douglas. They talk about Shane’s injury and how he was looking forward to returning to WCW’s Division Two. Shane says that he has picked a suitable replacement, and will be in this man’s corner for the duration of the season, as he believes that this man can go the distance.
‘Freebird’ Michael Hayes enters the frame and says he’s ready to step into the ring as a solo act with his new manager, Shane Douglas, in his corner.

Next week’s main event is set to be Bam Bam Bigelow against The Great Muta. The two members of Player Enterprises are shown on camera with stablemates Takada and Teddy Long behind them.

Now, Muta… Here we are to start off the new season and it’s crucial that we work together as a unit to ensure that Player Enterprises captures its first ever Premier League Championship. With that said, a win here will help set the tone on one of our road’s to glory. I think… I think you should lie down for me. I’ve got a strong track record in the Premier League and am the better candidate long term. So, how about it?

*Muta stares quizzically at Bigelow, as Teddy Long stands there nodding in agreement with Bigelow’s idea.*
I… I understand.

The Samoan Swat Team comes out alone for the first time, no longer accompanied by Samoan Savage who was demoted at the end of 1993. Next out is the debuting team of Konnan and Eddie Guerrero! They come out to fast-paced latin music and try and play to the crowd.

I don’t trust those Samoans - they are wild men who have no regard for their opponents. Last season, they ended Jim Brunzell’s season prematurely, and they seemed to get off on it. These are dangerous men who can do a lot of damage.

You’re right Jim, but I have seen La Cultura Torcida, or ‘the twisted culture’ in action before. Their combined twelve years of experience wrestling lucha-libre style with an american twist provides them with truly unique offence that can catch anyone off guard.

This is an exciting, fast paced match, as all four men use explosive offence, with Konnan and Eddie showing off high-flying lucha libre offence while Samu and Fatu hit hard with fast and brutal strikes and tosses. As the match progresses, it becomes clear that La Cultura Torcida’s use of more technical wrestling is getting them in better positions to win, despite being outsized by the Samoans.

Konnan hits a series of rolling thunder lariats and tags in Eddie! Eddie works over Samu in the ring and then runs the ropes but is met by a clubbing blow to the back from Fatu. Eddie turns to argue and Fatu headbutts Eddie and Samu grabs him from behind and rolls backwards for a pin as the crowd boos.

Konnan tends to Eddie in the ring, as he holds his head in pain. Konnan calls for assistance and the Samoans laugh at him. Konnan gets in their face and the men are separated before further issues can arise. Eddie seems fine as he recovers.

Samoan Swat Team (1-0-0) defeated La Cultura Torcida (0-1-0) in 14:50 by way of pin-fall. This was their first ever match against one another.

Arn Anderson makes his way to the ring alone, looking confident as ever. Sting comes out second wearing a loud robe and is accompanied by Luger.

It’s always great to see Sting compete, but we still haven’t heard a word from him or Luger regarding the circumstances of their rekindled alliance. Luger went most of the year last year only appearing on cards he was schedule to compete on, and now here his is, showing up to be in Stings corner…

I think it’s great to see Luger turning the corner and having a change of heart. The fans have embraced him with open arms and he hasn’t even explained his motives yet.

The two men square off and Sting’s presence seems slightly different. It’s less energetic and more stoic. The two men go back and forth trading holds. Arn goes for the first be charge of the match with a running knee lift, but Sting dodges and sends Arn over the ropes. Arn’s leg gets tangled up and he seems to have hurt it.
The match goes back and forth further for quite some time, with each man building momentum and then being thwarted.

The back and forth action continues and Arn builds momentum with a series of moves. It looks like he’s building up to putting away Sting and lines him up for the Spinebuster. He lifts Sting, but his injured leg gives way and he collapses. Sting takes advantage, hitting a Stinger splash on him, a scoop slam, and then finishing him off with the Scorpion Death Lock. Arn has no choice but to tap out.

Arn approaches Sting as he celebrates, and wants to shake his hand after the match has ended. Sting glares at Arn, and Luger jumps into the ring. Luger nods at Arn as he backs up, tentative about Luger’s presence. Luger and Sting leave the ring together without shaking Arn’s hand, albeit never declining the handshake either. JR and Schiavone are conflicted by Sting and Luger’s actions as we head back to the analysis team in the WCW studio.

Sting (1-0-0) defeated Arn Anderson (0-1-0) in 18:30 by way of submission. Sting improves to 2-0-0 all time against Arn Anderson

Back in the studio, the analysis team of Harley Race, Paul E Dangerously and Dusty Rhodes run through a recap of tonight’s bouts, as replays of the finishes in air in slow motion. They then show the updated ranking boards.

So with tonights matches, the first two champions in Premier League history - Sting and Rick Rude - jump out to the top of the scoreboard with a quick start. It’s only fitting that everyone else is chasing the champions from day one. But I think we need to talk about what happened tonight in Division Two when Scotty Flamingo literally bought his first victory of the season.

You are not wrong, mister Race. I watched and saw as young Scotty Flamingo accepted the tainted victory with a smile and taunted the integrity of not just the sport, but WCW’s management team when he pulled out a chequebook to pay for his team’s interference.

I mean, did I not call it the second you announced the decision at the top of the broadcast? Flamingo doesn’t understand money, he’s walking around with his parents’ chequebook. I’m gonna ‘rock the boat' for a minute here - Flamingo is out there buying matches and spending more money on product placement with WCW. It’s incestuous and I don’t see how WCW can correct it.

He’s got you there, Dusty. How do you respond to the blatant exploitation of the rules? We're locked into this season and WCW has made it clear that no rule changes can occur midseason, but here we are on night one of a 45 week season, and the new rule put into effect has already proven problematic?

You got me there, Mister Dangerously. If you will… WCW management does not have a contingency plan in place for this sort of exploitation. No matter what rules exist, there will always be ways to exploit. But…

No buts, Dusty. WCW has opened a can of worms here that I don't think it knows how to fix and I think Scotty Flamingo’s Flamingo Corp is going to wreak havoc this year as a result. That’s all the time we have tonight folks, see you next week when Dusty pulls a…

The audio feed cuts out as a title card appears announcing tonight’s first star, Steve Austin! A moment of awkward still air time occurs and then WCW fades to commercial.

[Just here to look]

39 minutes ago, CactusHack said:

 

Misawa with a spinning back-hand strike that seems to KO Flamingo. Hansen jumps up on to the apron and referee Mike Atkins is distracted. Hansen is intimidating Atkins, when Haku enters the ring. Haku with the Savage Kick to knock out Misawa! JR screams that this is bullshit and knows a fine is coming for Flamingo Corp. Haku drapes Scotty Flamingo over Misawa and Atkins turns around finally and makes the count as Flamingo picks up his first win in his first match of WCW Grand Prix competition!

Hansen pulls Scotty Flamingo’s body out of the ring and carries him as he raises his arm in success. Misawa gets to his feet in the ring and is furious with the result, as Mike Atkins tries to explain to him the result. Hansen drags Flamingo to the broadcast booth, where he pulls out a check book and writes a $100K cheque from Flamingo Corp to WCW, paying on-the-spot for his interference penalty…

Scotty Flamingo (1-0-0) defeated Mitsuharu Misawa (0-1-0) in 16:36 by way of pin-fall. This was their first ever match against one another.

 

Giving the guy who’s paying to be here one of the hardest opponents first was always going to end this way. Saying that, while I did see this coming f**k off Scotty Flamingo you cocky cheating twat!!!

[CactusHack]

ROUND 1 : WEEK 2 CARD

The Journeymen vs PS Lucha
Johnny B Badd vs Z-Man
Kevin Von Erich vs Butch Reed
El Gigante vs Cactus Jack
Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader
The Great Muta vs Bam Bam Bigelow

SYNOPSIS

WCW continues the opening round of the 1994 campaign after an exciting yet controversial start to the season.

In Tag Team action, The Journeymen take on the newly promoted team of Blue Panther and Solar, PS Lucha. The Journeymen are coming off of a shock victory over Dan Spivey and One Man Gang to end off the 1993 season, and are looking to use their massive upset victory to jumpstart momentum for the new season. Meanwhile, PS Lucha looks to impress in their debut.

In Division Two action, Johnny B Badd takes on Tom Zenk in their first bouts. B Badd racked up a couple of knock-out victories at the end of last season and apparently spent the offseason training his boxing game further, while Zenk has plunged into skepticism of everything after his best friend (Brian Pillman) abandoned him for Ric Flair last year. Also, Kevin Von Erich and Butch Reed square off.

In the Premier League, El Gigante and Cactus Jack make their Premier League debuts against one another. With the financial backing of Flamingo Corp in his corner and an insane 22" height advantage, El Gigante has a massive advantage in his corner. Does Cactus Jack stand a chance? Plus, Ric Flair starts his new season against Big Van Vader. Flair received the fan-ballot majority, and is projected to win the league. But 'The Man' faces a massive hurdle as he faces the man with the longest winning streak in WCW Grand Prix history, Vader. Can the Four Horsemen continue their winning ways?

And in the main event, it's a clash between stablemates as Bam Bam Bigelow takes on The Great Muta. Player Enterprises holds three Premier League spots and that creates a unique advantage to capturing the World Championship. But can the stablemates put aside their egos? All this and more, this Saturday Night!

CURRENT STANDINGS

1PWfan : 3/6 - 50%
SonOfSharknado : 3/6 - 50%
Rekcut012 : 4/6 - 67%
Dawn : 4/6 - 67%
Lord Byron : 4/6 - 67%
Just here to look : 5/6 - 83%
Nightshadeex : 5/6 - 83%
Old School Fan : 5/6 - 83%
DHK1989 : 5/6 - 83%

[Old School Fan]

The Journeymen vs PS Lucha
Johnny B Badd vs Z-Man
Kevin Von Erich vs Butch Reed
El Gigante vs Cactus Jack
Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader
The Great Muta vs Bam Bam Bigelow

[Rekcut012]

The Journeymen vs PS Lucha
Johnny B Badd vs Z-Man
Kevin Von Erich vs Butch Reed
El Gigante vs Cactus Jack
Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader
The Great Muta vs Bam Bam Bigelow

[Just here to look]

PS Lucha beat The Journeymen- your name is the journeymen. That doesn’t fill me with any confidence

Johnny B Badd beats Z Man- not a whole lot to say

Butch Reed beats Kevin von Erich- see above

Cactus Jack defeats El Gigante- I think this is most likely. At worst, this is just what I want to happen.

Ric Flair TLD with BVV- Hahaha yeah I cannot decide

The Great Muta beats Bam Bam- I like Bigelow. I hope he does well. I mean I don’t think he will, but it’d be nice.

[SonOfSharknado]

The Journeymen vs PS Lucha
Johnny B Badd vs Z-Man
Kevin Von Erich vs Butch Reed - "Tragic Father"? Jeez, that's just mean! 
El Gigante vs Cactus Jack
Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader - Time Limit Draw
The Great Muta vs Bam Bam Bigelow - Bigelow wins but Muta makes him work for it. 

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  PS Lucha, Johnny B Badd, Kevin Von Erich, Cactus Jack, Big Van Vader, and Bam Bam Bigelow...

[Nightshadeex]

The Journeymen vs PS Lucha

Johnny B Badd vs Z-Man

Kevin Von Erich vs Butch Reed

El Gigante vs Cactus Jack - I was going to go with the giant, but then thought this is a perfect match for a no contest schmozz

Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader

The Great Muta vs Bam Bam Bigelow - Muta's reaction makes me think he's not following along

[DHK1989]

PS Lucha
Johnny B Badd
Butch Reed
Cactus Jack
Ric Flair vs Big Van Vader - DRAW
Bam Bam Bigelow

[sonny912]

Sorry did you call Von Erich the magic farmer or father? The thing's all blurry and moving around I can't understand it.

[CactusHack]

January 1994 : Week 2

After joining WCW just two years ago to help turn around the company, it seems as though Kip Allen Frey is done with the wrestling world. Having been gently pushed further and further away from day-to-day operations at WCW, his only comment on the matter was “Bischoff is playing a very dangerous game that seems too short-sighted to actually pay off. I wish nothing but the best for everyone else in the company and am excited to return to other opportunities within Turner Broadcasting.

Danny Davis accepted the position of head booker for NWA:NJ. He is expected to maintain his position in the WFWA grand prix. The newly founded company also hired Grace Pulver, Ruth Morris, Rockin Rebel, Stevie Richards, The Convict, Gino Caruso, Olympia Hartauer, Fantasia, Bad Crew #2, Tommy Dreamer, Mark Curtis, Barry Darsow, Tony Rumble, Tito Santana, Jim Cornette, King Kong Bundy, Linda Dallas, Tracy Smothers, Max Thrasher, Jack Victory, Misty Blues, Melisa Coates, Steve Regal, Dusty Wolfe, Jimmy Jannetty, Super Destroyer #1, Tasha Simone, Larry Winters, Doug Basham.

Al Perez opted to sign with Herb Abrams UWF, signing a 3 year exclusive contract valued at $1M.

Speaking of UWF, they also signed Honky Tonk Man to a 2 year exclusive contract valued at $400K. He proceeded to suffer a minor injury in his debut match.

Akira Hokuto and Mascara Magica have ended their relationship.

Rookie British wrestler Lloyd Tanner is undergoing surgery to remove a hernia and will be out of action for a few months.

George South has apparently quit his job at ECWA over payment issues.

Debbie Malenko defeated Sakie Hasegawa to win the IWA Women’s World Championship for the first time.

Scarecrow defeated El Dandy to win the Mexican National Light Heavyweight title for the first time.

Col DeBeers defeated David Sammartino to capture the UWF Americas championship for the first time.

B Brian Blair defeated Cactus Jack to win the UWF Israeli Championship for the first time.

Nikolai Volkoff defeated Steve Armstrong to capture the ECWA Heavyweight championship for the second time.

Danny Davis was crowned the inaugural champion of NWA: NJ, a decision which many may take issue with since he’s also the booker.

Power Plant Singles and Tag Team Grand Prix Round 1/15; Card Two

Tex and Shanghai (1-0-0) def. The Simpsons (0-1-0)
Van Hammer (1-0-0) def. Stan Lane (0-1-0)
The Heavenly Bodies (1-0-0) def. Public Enemy (0-1-0)
Rick Titan (1-0-0) def. ‘Underrated’ Rod Price (0-1-0)
The Moondogs (1-0-0) def. Disorderly Conduct (0-1-0)
Sabu (1-0-0) def. Samoan Savage (0-1-0)
El Negro Y La Plata (1-0-0) def. The Southern Rockers (0-1-0)

Worthwhile Notes:

- It’s acknowledged that Al Perez is going to be leaving shortly. His next opponent, ‘The Tennessee Prodigy’ Jeff Jarrett, mocks up. His replacement is revealed as Sam Houston, but Perez will honour his scheduled Round Two match against Jarrett.
- Samoan Savage and Sabu had a rule-bending hardcore match, that was followed by Great Kokina demolishing Sabu.
A segment aired hyping the round two match up between friends, as Harlem Heat will take on the Nubian Nightmares.
-Negro Casas was named the show’s MVP.

W4WA Canadian Grand Prix Round 1/23; Card Two

Buddy Hart (1-0-0) def. Rob Van Dam (0-1-0)
Ed Moretti (1-0-0) def. Chip Thompson (0-1-0)
Don Callis (1-0-0) def. B Brian Blair (0-1-0)
William Regal (1-0-0) def. Kid Kash (0-1-0)
Owen Hart (1-0-0) def. Bruiser Bedlam (0-1-0)
Chris Jericho (1-0-0) def. Sledgehammer Anderson (0-1-0)

Worthwhile Notes:

- Buddy Landel cut a promo criticizing his round 2 opponent, Rob Van Dam.
After his shock victory over Greg Valentine in round 1, Rey Misterio Jr was interviewed on how he felt about his big win. Before he could speak, he was jumped by Greg Valentine, Dick Slater and his Round 2 opponent, Danny Davis.
- MVP : 'Laser Point' Chris Jericho

LPWA Women's Grand Prix Round 1/19; Card One

Penelope Paradise (1-0-0) def. Combat Toyota (0-1-0)
Madusa (1-0-0) def. Jacqueline (0-1-0)
Wendi Richter (0-0-1) and Cynthia Moreno (0-0-1) went to a time limit draw.
Bull Nakano (1-0-0) def. Linda Dallas (0-1-0)
Debbie Malenko (1-0-0) def. Judy Martin (0-1-0)

Worthwhile Notes:

- Magnificent Mimi showed up to try and protest the season starting without her. She was kicked out by Nick Bockwinkel.
- Grand Champion Akira Hokuto’s next challenger will be Manami Toyota. A vignette is aired in the style of Lady Snowblood hyping the showdown.
- Bull Nakano was named the MVP of the show.

SSW Division 4 Grand Prix Round 1/23; Card One

Bruiser X Mastino (1-0-0) def. Tommy Jammer (0-1-0) {Filling in for Ricky Vaughn}
Paul Levesque (1-0-0) def. Randy Rose (0-1-0)
Brian Lee (1-0-0) def. Frankie Lancaster (0-1-0)
El Hijo del Santo (1-0-0) def. Jack Victory (0-1-0)
David Sammartino (1-0-0) def. John Rambo (0-1-0)
Rip Rogers (1-0-0) def. JW Storm (0-1-0)

[CactusHack]

On 12/28/2023 at 2:53 PM, sonny912 said:

Sorry did you call Von Erich the magic farmer or father? The thing's all blurry and moving around I can't understand it.

He's the 'Tragic Father' - playing off of his family history.

[sonny912]

4 minutes ago, CactusHack said:

He's the 'Tragic Father' - playing off of his family history.

Oh. Isn't that a little insensitive considering what they went threw? And even then shouldn't that apply to fritz rather then his son?

[SonOfSharknado]

Yeah, even if Kerry is still alive in this timeline, Chris has only been dead for two years. I can't imagine Kevin would be comfortable with the ring announcer basically going "There he is! The man with the dead family!" every time he comes out. 

 

EDIT: Aww. Poor Kip. 

Edited December 31, 2023 by SonOfSharknado

[CactusHack]

It’s January 8th, 1994, and it is nearly freezing in Atlanta! WCW Grand Prix kicks the year off running tonight. WCW Saturday Night is brought to you by Pink Dream, the official soft drink of WCW. After the intro video of downtown Atlanta nightlife, the camera’s take us inside WCW’s neon-lit blue and pink studios where we are standing by with the WCW Analysis Team, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and Paul E Dangerously!

Hello folks, and welcome to WCW Saturday Night, your home for the gold standard in professional wrestling. What a week we have on tap as Ric Flair takes on Vader, El Gigante takes on Cactus Jack and in the main event we will see two members of Player Enterprises collide when Bigelow takes on The Great Muta.

Muta joined WCW at the start of last season and would go on to win the Division Two title, while Bigelow has been a fixture of the Premier League since day one, holding on to a winning record inside of the division. Now then… The Player Enterprises stable has had some turmoil, if you will, recently… They’ve been arguing a bit more than usual and I wonder if they are headed towards a point of combustion here tonight.

I think that Muta being the groups rookie needs to fall in line and take the defeat. It’s a long season and he’s got to put over his seniors in order to give the group the best chance at winning. But, BUT, pride is a dangerous game. Last year, Rick Rude’s pride resulted in The Dangerous Alliance folding and Rude would go on to win the championship.

Now, Paul.. I don’t see Muta just lying down. I don’t think he has the ability to do that. I think our main event is going to be a barn-burner. I do however have fear about one of our other Premier League match-ups, as El Gigante takes on Cactus Jack one week after Scotty Flamingo bought a round one victory. Do you guys think that Flamingo Corp buys another win here tonight?

The only thing that I will say about this is that WCW management continues to review the rules and bylaws of our sport… Now if Mr. Flamingo wants to exploit that for the time-being, I imagine his luck will run out… You see, the fines stack, so if he’s found guilty of interference in favour of an individual rather than his own volition, he incurs the fines for both himself and the interfering party. If he can afford to bankroll WCW, well then…

I hate that attitude and I think that WCW needs harsher penalties for it’s competitors. Suspensions, point deductions, you name it. My blood is boiling! Let’s go to the ring before our first match occurs up here rather than down there!

The neon night lights strobe in the set as the cameras zoom out and the analyst group continue to chat after their microphones are cut. Saturday Night theme plays and we cut to live shots of the ring and the crowd. WCW Saturday Night starts now!

Vader comes to the ring alone for the first time in a long time, no Cactus Jack by his side. Meanwhile, The Four Horsemen make their entrance as a complete unit, accompanied like always by the beautiful ‘Woman’.

Here we have it - Ric Flair, voted to finish first place this season, in his first match of the year. He’s got a lot of hype to live up to, but if any one wrestler can do it, it’s ‘The Man’.

You know something, Jim? I bet you Vader regrets telling Cactus that he no longer wants Cactus joining him at ringside now that he’s got no one in his corner and the entire Four Horsemen group is standing opposite side of the ring from him. They’re snakes and someone has to keep them in line!

Ric Flair walks up and slaps Vader, mocking him. Vader snarls and Flair proceeds to play the chickenshit heel for the first half of the match, running and picking apart Vader’s legs. As the match wears on, Vader builds momentum each time he manages to corner Flair, battering him and slowing him down with each charge of offence.

Vader goes for the powerbomb, but Flair reverses it with a sloppy sunset flip! He’s got the pin, but Vader rolls forward, putting all his weight on Flair’s chest! 1, 2, 3! Vader defeats Flair in round one!

The Four Horsemen rush the ring but Vader is able to escape their attack unscathed and has his arm raised in victory by referee Nick Patrick! It’s not necessarily an upset considering that Vader has the record for longest winning streak in the division’s history, but knocking off Ric Flair is an amazing way to start off his season. Will this be the year of Vader?

Big Van Vader (1-0-0) defeated Ric Flair (0-1-0) in 14:58 by way of pin fall. The all time series between the two is tied, one victory apiece.

Kevin and Butch make their way to the rings for their first matches of the season. Von Erich won their first encounter and Butch Reed has consistently failed to impress.

Kevin Von Erich is gearing up for a new season, but he’s got that same attitude he’s had since joining WCW. It’s like he doesn’t want to be here, it feels as though he’s only here to put food on the table for his family. We all know the tragic history of the Von Erich Family and no one can blame him for the way he acts. But he’s so good in between the ropes, and the entire world is rooting for him to overcome his curse. Maybe this year, he can rise above his past…

He’s got a great opponent to start that rise against, as Butch Reed has two losing seasons to his name and I think this may be his last stand. He’s gotta bounce back and fast or this will be the last year we see Butch in a WCW ring.

The action in this one is average, but the story here of two aging stars desperate to start their year off on a winning note keeps the energy high. They go back and forth with near falls and Reed escapes the Iron Claw twice, causing seeds of doubt to build up in Kevin.

Von Erich lines up for the Iron Claw again, but Butch Reed over powers him. Von Erich sweeps the leg though and looks at his claw like it’s not doing the trick… So out of nowhere he viciously punts Butch barefooted in the temple. That’s all she wrote!

Von Erich stands over Butch Reed, seemingly ashamed of his actions as Butch needs medical assistance. The commentators put over the punt kick as a lethal new weapon added to Kevin’s arsenal that might just propel him to new heights.

Kevin Von Erich (1-0-0) defeated Butch Reed (0-1-0) in 12:58 by way of pin fall victory. Kevin Von Erich improves to 2-0-0 all time against Reed.

We go backstage to a set designated for Gary Hart, who is standing by reporting on the results of WCW World Wide from earlier this week, while results from Friday Night’s B-show, WCW Main Event, scrolls on the bottom of the screen.

Hello folks, it’s time for a recap of what went down this week on WCW World Wide. In Division Two action, Dan Severn was able to overcome Flamingo Corp distractions to pick up his first victory of the season as Dan Severn (1-0-0) def. Haku (0-1-0). After the match, Severn was on the opposite end of a Flamingo Corp beat down, when Tully Blanchard ran down and made the save. Severn seemed shocked by his round two opponent saving his bacon, but the two men shook hands.
Meanwhile, in the main event of the evening, The Miracle Violence Connection (1-0-0) were successful in their tag team division debut as they defeated The Young Pistols (0-1-0). It was an incredible match - if you aren’t watching WCW World Wide you are missing out.

WCW Main Event #98 Results : Ultimo Dragon def. Doug Gilbert | Tom Davis def. David Isley | Jeff Jarrett def. Frankie Lancaster | Negro Casas def. B Brian Blair

After discussing the results of the current week, Gary invites The Outsiders and Thunder Dragon to his set. They hype their match as the main event of World Wide next week. The Outsiders make jokes about their opponents, but Steamboat fires back by calling them under achievers.
The cameras then catch Misawa thanking Tully Blanchard for saving him last week. Tully says that he may not always see eye-to-eye with the fans of WCW, but he believes in tradition, and Scotty Flamingo buying his way into their competition is disgraceful.

Hello Hello and welcome one and all to the Danger Zone! I’m your host, Paul E Dangerously, and today I have with me Stan Hansen and Powerhouse Simmons ahead of their match next week on WCW Saturday Night. Ron, after a bit of a distracted finish to last season, how do you feel about facing off against Flamingo Corp’s heavy hitter next week?

Paul, let me make one thing clear. Last season was not one I am proud of, but one I cannot regret. While Sullivan robbed me from a stronger record, in battling him I learned about my own personal limits. I know now just how far I can go, I have no fear… Be warned, Stan.. You are about to enter the house of power!

Very powerful words indeed from Ron Simmons. Well, I turn to his opponent now, ‘Sugar’ Stan Hansen. Stan, you are renowned world-wide as a both a singles and a tag team champion, with one of the most deadly lariats in the game. But a lot of folks think you are tarnishing your legacy by standing behind Flamingo Corp. Hell, even tonight you have Flamingo and Ms York standing behind you. Care to comment?

It’s pretty simple, so let me break it down for you in words even a moron could understand. I wrestle because it’s the only sport that pays me to do what I’d do for nothing. And Flamingo Corp pays me more. I love beating the shit out of folks, don’t care what anyone thinks of me, and will take every penny I can to do it as long as I can.

There you have it folks. Next week, live on WCW Saturday Night it will be Powerhouse Simmons taking on ‘Sugar’ Stan Hansen. Be sure to put it in your calendars and remember, stay dangerous!

Flamingo Corp makes it’s unified entrance, as Gigante is accompanied by Scotty Flamingo, Haku, Alexandra York and Stan Hansen. As they make their way to the ring, Flamingo makes a pit stop at the announcers booth and provide the team with a six-pack of Pink Dream soda.

Someone has got to get this entourage of Flamingo Corp away from the ringside area. I understand that they are legally allowed to be here, but their presence only serves to annoy not just their opponent, but everyone watching.

Hey, you know, if they are going to keep providing us with free Pink Dream Cola each week, then I’m all for it. If we could get the Cola and not have them at ringside, that would be even better!

Gigante immediately puts the hurt on Cactus Jack, using his size advantage to pummel Jack. It’s very one sided for the opening minutes, but then Jack explodes with offence and hits a massive clothesline that sends them both over the top rope. From here it turns into a ringside car-crash spectacle with little actual quality.

After a distraction from Flamingo and York, Haku jumps in and hits Jack with the Savate Kick, and then Gigante locks on the claw hold. Nick Patrick turns around and sees Jack passed out and calls for the bell.

Flamingo Corp celebrate in the ring as Scotty Flamingo demands that El Gigante hoists him up on his shoulders! The group stands tall as JR and Schiavone berate the mockery of the rules that is occurring with Flamingo Corp. Scotty writes another big check on the back of El Gigante out to WCW, clearly flaunting his lack of regard to WCW’s rules.

El Gigante (1-0-0) defeated Cactus Jack (0-1-0) in 13:48 by way of submission. This was the first ever encounter between these competitors.

Johnny B Badd makes his entrance with his manager Jody Hamilton behind him. He’s fully embracing the ‘Wild Man’ boxer schtick, as he’s abandoned the Badd Blaster and now has rainbow coloured boxing robe instead.

Don’t let Johnny’s amazing technicolored dreamcoat fool you, the man has quite possibly the most dangerous left hook in wrestling. The guy is a three time Golden Gloves champion for Pete’s sake.

I talked with Johnny’s manager, Jody Hamilton, who has instructed me to stop calling that devastating right hook the ‘Tutti Frutti’. When I asked him what we should be calling it, he said to call it what it is, a ‘Wild Haymaker’.

The two men shake hands as this one gets started and immediately lock up. It’s clear from the get-go that Zenk’s strategy is to keep Badd in close proximity to prevent striking ability and any time Badd creates distance, Zenk grabs at Badd. As the match carries on though and Zenk’s stamina drops, Badd is able to begin to create his desired distance.

Both men look exhausted and start to trade forearm strikes. Z-Man builds momentum with a series of chops at increasing speed, but Johnny dodges the final strike and then lays out Z-Man with a Wild Haymaker. Referee Jimmy Jett dives in and calls for the bell before Badd attempts any further offence.

Zenk tries to get to his feet to argue with referee Jimmy Jett about the decision to call the match, but he stumbles to do so and can’t collect himself. Meanwhile, Jody Hamilton hypes up Johnny B Badd in the ring as his bounces on his toes back and forth.

Johnny B Badd (1-0-0) defeated Tom Zenk (0-1-0) in 15:08 by way of knockout. The all time series between the two is tied, one victory apiece.

The title graphic shows for WCW’s Inside the Squared Circle segment, and the show pivots to a studio segment featuring the legendary Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, and Magnum TA. At the bottom of the screen, a news ticker hypes next weeks WCW subsidiary shows.

Good evening, wrestling fans! Welcome to Inside The Squared Circle, with Jesse ‘the Body’ Ventura and myself, Magnum TA. Tonight, we saw the fan favourite selection for the 1994 season - Ric Flair - defeated in his first match of the season by Big Van Vader. Flair, the leader of The Four Horsemen, has got to be devastated by such an early loss. Perhaps though, he took his opponent a little too lightly?

Yeah, so here’s the thing, Mag. I was watching that match and Big Van Vader, he’s a beast, right? Longest winning streak in Premier League history, a 200 lbs weight advantage, and Ric Flair slaps him to start the match? What the hell was he thinking? I’ll tell you what he was thinking… He thought that because Vader lost to him last year, he would be a walk in the park this year. Pathetic if you ask me.

Now Jesse, I doubt that Ric’s intention was to take Vader lightly. Vader ultimately caught him by surprise with the reversed roll-up for the win - it wasn’t like he destroyed Ric after being disrespected.

It doesn’t matter, Mag. If you are in the Premier League, you are fighting the best of the best, and you can’t be pulling shit like this. Flair is one of the best in the world and yet he is caught up in this idea that he’s ‘The Man’… That he’s perfection, the standard to beat. Well, guess what. He got beat tonight because he isn’t. And he won’t be a champion this season unless he focuses on winning right from the opening bell.

It could have just been the strategy. Get the bull riled up so he’s offensively charged and lowers his guard… We’re going to send things down to Gary Hart who is standing by with Hulk Hogan.

Coming up this week: SSW Round 1, Card 2 featuring Stan Lee vs El Dandy | LPWA Round 1, Card 2 featuring Akira Hokuto vs Manami Toyota | PWFG Round 1, Card 1 featuring Gary Albright vs Doug Furnas | W4WA Round 2, Card 1 featuring Owen Hart vs Leo Burke

Hulk Hogan is shown backstage who is with Gary. Apparently he has asked TBS for this time to issue an apology. He welcomes Barry Windham, who looks annoyed and is accompanied by Dustin Rhodes. Hogan apologizes for calling their tag team encounter meaningless. Barry shakes it off and says not to mind it, but Dustin gets hot and starts shouting at Hogan. He’s all flustered and Barry holds him back and they leave the set. Hogan looks conflicted.

Next week’s Saturday Night main event will be Lex Luger versus Nobuhiko Takada. Last year, Takada brought Luger the distance and they ended their first ever encounter in a time limit draw. Duelling promos aired from the two competitors.

Takada - Last time we faced off, you took me the distance. I had underestimated you and let you play your game. But rest assured, I am Lex Luger, THE TOTAL PACKAGE, and when we get into the ring next week, I will overpower you. I will raise you above my head and make you submit to my Torture Rack. So, Takada, see you in seven days!

Next week, I take on the man with the biggest physique in all wrestling. But, it do not matter how many muscles Luger has, they’ve crowded the space inside his ears. Nobuhiko Takada is Submission Supreme and when we last met, I spent all 20 minutes learning Luger’s game. Now - This time - Luger taps out.

The two teams make their way to the ring, with PS Lucha (Solar and Blue Panther) making their WCW Grand Prix debuts after being promoted from the Power Plant. As the opening bell sounds, Dan Spivey and One Man Gang make their way to the ringside area.

What are Dan Spivey and One Man Gang doing at ringside? This is supposed to be a match between two teams in which they have no involvement with. Ever since they were defeated by The Journeymen and missed their chance at promotion, they have started to really grind my gears.

The Journeymen have momentum on their side after that victory. They haven’t had a winning season to their name yet, but they shocked the world to end last season, and I think that they may just be gearing up for their best season yet.

The match started off as an introduction to traditional lucha libra style, as Snow and Adams were bamboozled by the different wrestling approach from Solar and Blue Panther. The two lucha stars share a combined 33 years of experience and show off effortless intricate submission moves and lucha libre style takedowns. However as time progresses, the size advantage of The Journeymen gave them the upper hand.

The Terrors start arguing with The Journeymen at ringside. Adams is wrapped up by the distraction, allowing Blue Panther to regain his composure. Adams turns around and Panther leaps up with a head scissors take-down which transitions into a fujiwara armbar! Adams has no choice but to tap out!

The Journeymen have words for The Terrors, who are over-acting like they didn’t mean to cost Snow and Adams the match. JR comments that it’s clear that Spivey and One Man Gang are holding a grudge against the Journeymen for costing them a promotion last season.

PS Lucha (1-0-0) defeated The Journeymen (0-1-0) in 12:06 by submission when Blue Panther submitted Chris Adams. This was the first ever encounter between these competitors.

The two competitors make their ways to the ring separately, with the rest of Player Enterprises following shortly after.

By gawd, we’ve heard rumours that Muta will be lying down tonight to accept defeat and give his compatriot the victory. But I don’t think that is in The Great Muta’s nature. I think Muta has too much pride, too much honour, to lay down and not compete.

You know, I think you are right, JR. Which makes me wonder, if Bigelow expects Muta to lay down, how will the group as a whole react to Muta fighting back?

The match kicks off with Bigelow demanding that Muta lies down, with Muta conflicted about the request. Muta ultimately refuses and then Bigelow lays him out and smash talks him. Muta starts to fight back and this one turns into a battle fast with Taylor and Long freaking out at ringside, but Takada refusing to let them intervene. As the match carries on, Bigelow batters Muta with offence.

Bigelow hits a series of slams and Muta is wobbling. Bigelow tells him to stay down, and then lifts him up and hits him with Greetings from Asbury Park. Schiavone screams it’s all over. MUTA KICKS OUT!!! Bigelows eyes are bulging and he’s seething as Muta can’t even find the energy to make it back to his feet. There is only fifteen seconds on the clock and Bigelow screams at Muta to just lay down, but Muta refuses and the clock runs out.

Bigelow argues with Muta in the ring. Takada and Taylor get into the ring to try and quell the situation. Bigelow is still hot and Muta is holding his neck, trying to reason with him. Takada shoves Bigelow backwards and tells Terry Taylor to hold him. Takada consoles Muta, putting his arm on his shoulder and seemingly calming him down. Muta lowers his guard for a second, and then Takada turns on him, hitting him with a massive roundhouse kick! Player Enterprises swarm Muta, stomping the hell out of him. Teddy Long is shouting at Muta too, calling him an ungrateful punk. Security comes down and Player Enterprises leaves as Muta is hurt.

Bam Bam Bigelow (0-0-1) drew The Great Muta (0-0-1) when the 20:00 time limit expired. This was the first ever encounter between these competitors.

The updated ranking boards show Vader, Sting, Rude and El Gigante tied at the top of the Premier League with 3 more matches still to occur in round one. Replays of the finishes from this week are shown and then we turn to the analysis team of Harley Race, Paul E Dangerously, and Dusty Rhodes.

What an amazing week of wrestling we have had here in WCW. Not only did we witness two Premier League matches tonight, but on WCW World Wide, The Miracle Violence Connection stole the show with an incredible victory over The Young Pistols. Before we get into the nastiness of tonight, we’re going to award the MVP of the week to Dr. Death Steve Williams, of The Miracle Violence Connection. Of course, there is the unfortunate business of Flamingo Corp buying victories to discuss yet again…

The complete disregard for honour that the men of Flamingo Corp display is infuriating… I watched in dismay as once again the savage Haku jumped into the ring and influenced the result of a match with his interference… The fines are piling up already for Flamingo Corp and it's only week two! But I have a trick up my sleeve as well, and we will soon see if Flamingo Corp can keep up their ruse…

Ominous. You know what would be more effective? Skipping this charade of pretending to be playing a game with Flamingo Corp and pulling any funding that WCW receives from the company… Let's talk about that amazing finale between Muta and Bigelow. Where does Player Enterprises go from here?

Well, it’s crystal clear that they have moved on from The Great Muta - I don’t think there is any world where that display can be forgiven. The real question is does Muta make a clean break from the group, or will he have a vendetta to fulfill?

Muta showed tonight that he is an honourable competitor and I think that he will find a way to avenge himself with honour, if you will… He proved last year that he is driven to compete, so I think he will focus on the Grand Prix and the best revenge will be outscoring his former allies.

I know we are all humming about Muta’s change of heart displayed tonight, but what about Takada? That man was calm, and while it’s seemed like Teddy Long had been calling the shots for his collective for the longest time, tonight it was Takada who led the charge in the biggest decision the group has made. Is Takada the true leader of Player Enterprises? And more importantly, does he feel threatened by Muta?

After that thought-provoking query by Dangerously, the show transitions to replays of the assault on Muta. WCW’s theme plays as the show fades out.

[Nightshadeex]

You sure got me on that episode!