TLLK Posted December 18, 2023 Share Posted December 18, 2023 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER January 3, 1992 WCW Ted Turner has made a surprising announcement to open 1992, naming Kip Allen Frey as the new executive vice president of WCW. Frey is an unknown in wrestling, having worked for the Turner Broadcasting System since 1990. Before that, he spent several years as an intellectual property lawyer. Frey has been brought in to replace Jim Herd, who has been heavily criticized for his running of WCW over the last several years, when Turner first bought out Jim Crockett Promotions. Frey was introduced at a press conference by Turner himself as the man who would help steer WCW in "a new and exciting direction for the future." He also added that Frey would ensure that WCW keeps "real rasslin" on the SuperStation and other Turner properties. It's no secret that Turner views WCW as a true global competitor to the WWF, but the promotion's trend to more of the sports entertainment style in recent years has not worked well with its hardcore base of Southern fans. As part of the announcement, Frey announced that WCW would be making changes to its current format on TBS. Following next month's SuperBrawl II PPV, the World Championship Wrestling program will be rebranded to "WCW Saturday Night." Both Saturday Night and the Sunday evening show, Main Event, will be taped at the Center Stage complex in Atlanta each week. There are no plans for WCW Worldwide to continue into the new year. These television changes will be announced on this week's World Championship Wrestling show, which will lead into a Clash of the Champions card next Tuesday night on TBS. According to sources within WCW, there have been two major changes already under Frey's direction. First, Frey has instituted a bonus policy that will reward the wrestlers with the best performances on each major show with extra cash. We'll see how long this policy lasts, but if this results in better-quality matches for the viewers at home, it's a win-win for everyone involved — except for maybe the accountants at Turner. Second, after years of back-and-forth booking between Ole Anderson and Dusty Rhodes, WCW is changing course creatively. While Frey was the public announcement for an outward-facing leader of the promotion, Turner leadership also wanted WCW to move past the mistakes that have plagued the promotion for the last few years. WCW is looking to stick to its Southern rasslin' roots while also breaking some new "cutting-edge" ground in competition with Vince McMahon's entertainment-based product. In order to do that, sources say that WCW has picked the driving force behind what is currently the hottest part of the product right now to be its new head booker. And, while he is younger than the usual players in this position at WCW, he already has legitimate booking experience on his resume. His name is Paul Heyman. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate5120 Posted December 18, 2023 Share Posted December 18, 2023 Will be looking out for this. Always wondered, what WCW would have been like IRL, in 1992 if they would have made Paul Heyman head booker and let him run with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonny912 Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 A wcw run by Paul heyman!? Interesting. Wonder how many ecw guys will end up here. What happens to ecw at all?? Will EASTERN Championship Wrestling become like a developmental territory for them or will it become nwa's new top promotion like was originally planned? What happens to Eric bischoff now that he's not vp? Will all the guys he let go and sent to wwf like Austin, cactus jack, pillman and hunter Hearst helmsley stay with wcw and become big stars their? Will Hogan and Savage still jump ship and get creative control contracts and form the nwo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted December 19, 2023 Author Share Posted December 19, 2023 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER January 10, 1992 WCW The year's first episode of World Championship Wrestling on 1/4 was taped Saturday morning at Center Stage in Atlanta in front of a sellout studio crowd of 1,050 fans and shown later that evening on TBS. The show pulled an 0.55 (413,551 viewers) TV rating. As always here at the newsletter, the match ratings here are on a 0-100 scale. 1. Cactus Jack pinned Junkyard Dog in 6:23. Not a bad opener. Kind of had an old-school feel. (53) 2. Diamond Dallas Page, The Diamond Studd and Vinnie Vegas beat Jim Boss, Joey Maggs and Van Hammer in 6:37 with Page pinning Boss. Nothing much to say here other than Boss looking quite disastrous in the ring. (48) 3. The Steiner Brothers beat George South & Pat Rose in 5:47 with Scott pinning South. The Steiners were booked to look like a million bucks in this match. South & Rose have good chemistry for a tag team of openers. (57) 4. Larry Zbyszko pinned PN News in 5:11. Zbyszko, as you would imagine, carried this match to respectability. (54) 5. The Young Pistols beat The WCW Patriots in 6:36 to retain the WCW United States Tag Team titles with Tracy Smothers pinning Todd Champion. With The York Foundation disbanded, Alexandra has chosen the Pistols as her new clients. While Terry Taylor and Tommy Rich are working together on their own, "Richard" Morton was informed by her in a promo earlier in the show that he was still under contract. This title defense set up the Pistols facing Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes in a tag title unification match at the Clash on Tuesday. It also was not a very good match. (46) 6. Sting pinned Abdullah the Butcher in 15:03. A way better-than-expected main event, as few would have expected Abdullah to go 15 minutes in the ring, even with Sting. With Lex Luger's days in WCW seemingly coming to an end, it's clear that the company is setting up Sting to be the world champion. (73) Also on the show: Missy Hyatt announced she would now be managing Johnny B. Badd, The Dangerous Alliance cut a promo claiming that 1992 will be their year, a video was shown of Ron Simmons doing community outreach, Tony Schiavone interviewed Barry Windham, Steamboat & Rhodes hyped their title unification match with The Young Pistols and Jim Ross announced that Big Van Vader would face NJPW icon Antonio Inoki for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title at the Clash. ********************************************************************************************************************************** On WCW Main Event on 1/5, taped at Center Stage in Atlanta immediately following World Championship Wrestling, Big Josh pinned Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker (45), Ron Simmons pinned Rip Rogers in a solid bout (60), and Brian Pillman & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Terry Taylor & Tommy Rich (58). Several angles hyped up the Clash of the Champions card. ********************************************************************************************************************************** A few days later, the Clash of the Champions XVIII was held at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in South Carolina in front of a sellout crowd of 7,500. The show achieved a 0.48 TV rating (361,459 viewers) on TBS. 1. Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes beat The Young Pistols in 15:30 to unify the WCW World Tag Team and United States tag team titles with Steamboat pinning Tracy Smothers. Steamboat was the star here, as expected, and the finish saw Alexandra York order "Richard" Morton to interfere. His hesitation allowed Steamboat to catch Smothers by surprise and get the win. Afterwards, the Pistols attacked Morton for "costing them the match," which prompted a surprise return by Robert Gibson. Morton's longtime tag team partner chased off the Pistols and reunited with Morton in the ring, to the delight of the Southern crowd. (73) 2. Johnny B. Badd pinned Diamond Dallas Page in 9:32. Not a great match for this card, but there's no denying the charisma of both JBB and DDP. Afterwards, The Diamond Studd and Vinnie Vegas attacked JBB. (48) 3. Barry Windham & The Steiner Brothers beat The Dangerous Alliance's Rick Rude, Steve Austin and Larry Zbyszko in 16:34 with Windham pinning Rude after botched interference from Madusa. Everybody got a chance to shine in this match, and the backfiring shenanigans from The Dangerous Alliance at the end pleased the fans in attendance. This could potentially set up a United States title match between Windham and Rude in the near future. (72) 4. Cactus Jack pinned Big Josh in 9:50 in a Falls Count Anywhere match. This match was set up by Cactus Jack attacking Big Josh at Main Event on Sunday. The two brawled all over the place before Jack speared Josh into a barricade and got the victory. (56) 5. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton beat Sting & The Great Muta in 16:18 when Eaton pinned Muta. The Dangerous Alliance evened the score in this matchup, but Eaton didn't need Dangerously to interfere to beat Muta. Before this match, Harley Race interrupted a Sting promo backstage and told him that his former friend Lex Luger would be at SuperBrawl in a few weeks for a world title match. That news seemed to rattle Sting, who wasn't able to make the save for Muta at the very end. (73) 6. Big Van Vader pinned Antonio Inoki in 18:45 to win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title. This turned out to be one of the best WCW matches in quite some time, as Vader and Inoki went back and forth for nearly 20 minutes to close the show. A hard-hitting match between two of the very best on the planet right now, the ending of the show saw a particularly brutal Vader Bomb and the super heavyweight holding up the Big Gold Belt. It will be interesting to see what WCW's plans are with a second world title on their shows. (81) Also on the show: Brian Pillman cut a good backstage promo, saying that while he respects Jushin Thunder Liger and his talent — he has his sights set on the WCW Light Heavyweight title. All in all, this was a solid first supercard show for WCW in the beginning of this new era. The attention will now go to SuperBrawl II at the beginning of next month — which will be the week after the Super Bowl is held in Minneapolis. Sting vs. Luger for the WCW World title headline the show, and one would expect to see both Rick Rude vs. Barry Windham for the US title and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Brian Pillman for the Light Heavyweight title on the card. ********************************************************************************************************************************** NEWS AND NOTES - The WWF and NBC announced an extended contract for Saturday Night's Main Event. Both sides are said to be pleased with the terms. - New Japan Pro Wrestling's January 4th show at the Tokyo Dome was headlined by an early Match of the Year candidate between Tatsumi Fujinami and Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP World Heavyweight title. The show was seen by over a million viewers in Japan and has been praised as a massive success for NJPW. - Speaking of NJPW, the company has hired Dean Malenko to an exclusive full-time contract. The move is a sizable one for NJPW, as sources say WCW and several other companies were interested in bringing the 31-year-old onto their rosters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 OOC: - As you can tell, I'm playing the excellent 1992 mod as Paul Heyman, working as the head booker at WCW. I wasn't even born yet in 1992, and my knowledge of WCW and the business in general comes from a lot of reading and watching shows from the era. If something feels out of place or is unrealistic, that's probably why. - My style for this dynasty is going to be very Observer newsletter-ish, like the first couple of posts. It's more of the style that I prefer to write — I've never been great at match write-ups or thrilling promos in all my failed attempts at dynasties on here — and I am truly bad at getting graphics to look good. It's not going to be the most visually exciting thing you'll ever read, but I'm planning on having some fun with this format. You'll get a peek behind the curtain more often than not, and I'll chime in with news from other companies from time to time. - Playing as Heyman here has fantastic butterfly effect potential. The Dangerous Alliance was red hot at this time, and my thought was that WCW should've let Heyman get the ball and run with it. Here, you're avoiding the bad run from Cowboy Bill Watts, which ran off Heyman and other good talents from WCW in real life. I've played this save idea a couple of times without committing to a dynasty, and I've had a blast seeing how the wrestling world plays out with WCW trying to be a real alternative to the WWF of this era. - I'm making a product switch over the next few months from Sports Entertainment to Hokey Southern Rasslin, just because I like the perf/pop splits and the open-mindedness of the crowd to match types in that one over Classic Southern Rasslin or something different. To me, smashing Rasslin together with some ECW comes out as a product that will be hard-hitting and not afraid to get bloody while also being able to work in Japanese imports, luchadors and maybe even some women's wrestling down the road. - At least early on, I'm probably not gonna do in-depth TV write-ups like that first one before the Clash of the Champions, because not a ton of major things will happen there nearly as much as the growing PPV and special event schedule. You'll probably get some quick rundowns of what's going on and what you need to know before the big shows. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnikuniverse Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Maybe to get Malenko along with Benoit and Liger, you could get a working agreement with New Japan, if you don't already have it from the start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Dangerous Alliance being a force in WCW will be fun! Liger vs Pillman is always money (Pillman is always megastar by 1994), and Vader vs. Inoki getting an 81 in the main of COTC is both wild and expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted December 21, 2023 Author Share Posted December 21, 2023 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER January 31, 1992 WCW WCW is set this weekend for SuperBrawl II, live from the Target Center in Minneapolis on PPV. Sources inside the company are expecting a strong crowd and an even stronger show, as this will kick off what they feel will be the new era with K. Allen Frey at the helm and Paul Heyman taking charge of the booking. Here's a preview of the show and how we got here over the past month of WCW programming: WCW WORLD: Lex Luger (c) w/Harley Race vs. Sting Lex Luger finally made his return to WCW on television to build up the showdown between his friend-turned-enemy, Sting. Readers will know that Luger is expected to leave WCW for Vince McMahon's bodybuilding federation very soon. So, while many expect Sting to walk out of Minneapolis as the new world champion, it will be interesting to see what kind of match these two can put on. WCW UNITED STATES: Rick Rude (c) w/Madusa vs. Barry Windham The Dangerous Alliance has gotten under the skin of Windham and his associates Dustin Rhodes and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, who will defend their tag team belts on this card. Windham had a good run with this belt a few years ago, and he's vowed on television that he is going to get his hands on some championship gold very soon. WCW WORLD TAG TEAM: Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat (c) vs. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton w/Paul E. Dangerously Arn Anderson is going for his fourth WCW World Tag Team title run and what would be his first with "Beautiful Bobby." Rhodes and Steamboat have been a pretty strong duo, with Steamboat putting in top performances as Rhodes continues his climb up the ladder. WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Jushin Thunder Liger (c) vs. Brian Pillman Liger defeated Pillman at a house show in Atlanta in December to win the title, and those who were in attendance said that match had to be seen to be believed. WCW is running it back on a PPV this time, after Liger and Pillman have had strong matches both separately — and together as a tag team — on television. Liger is one of the best in the world right now, while Pillman has shined with his in-ring work and promo time over the last several weeks. Expect this one to deliver. Cactus Jack vs. Ron Simmons Both of these men are on strong winning streaks over the past month, and whoever wins this match should catapult themselves into a title picture of some kind. Expect a good, old-fashioned brawl between the maniacal Jack and the ultra-athletic Simmons. The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York After Robert Gibson returned to WCW to save Ricky Morton at Clash of the Champions, the Express has been on a nice roll, picking up where they left off as a babyface tag team. York, irritated after Morton didn't help The Pistols win the unified tag team titles and claiming that he voided his contract, has vowed to derail the Express and show why her new team is the real deal. Larry Zbyszko vs. Z-Man Zbyszko has been on a tear as the intimidating enforcer for The Dangerous Alliance, while Z-Man is looking to pick up some momentum in what has been an up-and-down few months for him in the ring. The Diamond Mine vs. Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt & The Steiner Brothers After Johnny B. Badd beat Diamond Dallas Page at Clash of the Champions, the Diamond Mine have had JBB in their sights. Both Vinnie Vegas and The Diamond Studd have beaten Badd in recent weeks, adding insult to injury several times. Hyatt recruited her old pals The Steiner Brothers to help even the score for this six-man matchup at SuperBrawl II. *** On WCW Main Event, which will air right before the PPV goes live this Sunday: Steve Austin will defend his TV title against Junkyard Dog, Big Van Vader will have his latest "Five-Minute Challenge" for a shot at NWA Worlds Heavyweight title, and The Fabulous Freebirds will be in action. WCW SUPERBRAWL II PREDICTION KEY - WCW WORLD: Lex Luger (c) w/Harley Race vs. Sting - WCW UNITED STATES: Rick Rude (c) w/Madusa vs. Barry Windham - WCW WORLD TAG TEAM: Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat (c) vs. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton w/Paul E. Dangerously - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Jushin Thunder Liger (c) vs. Brian Pillman - Cactus Jack vs. Ron Simmons - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Larry Zbyszko vs. Z-Man - The Diamond Mine vs. Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt & The Steiner Brothers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 - WCW WORLD: Lex Luger (c) w/Harley Race vs. Sting - WCW UNITED STATES: Rick Rude (c) w/Madusa vs. Barry Windham (via DQ; Rude retains) - WCW WORLD TAG TEAM: Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat (c) vs. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton w/Paul E. Dangerously (Paul E. gets involved to steal this one for AA & Bobby) - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Jushin Thunder Liger (c) vs. Brian Pillman - Cactus Jack vs. Ron Simmons - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Larry Zbyszko vs. Z-Man - The Diamond Mine vs. Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt & The Steiner Brothers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Sting Rick Rude Dustin & Ricky Brian Pillman Cactus Jack The Rock 'n' Roll Express Larry Zbyszko Johnny B. Badd & Steiners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted December 22, 2023 Author Share Posted December 22, 2023 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER February 7, 1992 WCW SuperBrawl II was held Sunday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, which was fresh off of Super Bowl one week earlier. The reported PPV buyrate was a 1.37, which isn't too far behind the 1.52 American buyrate for the WWF Royal Rumble a couple of weeks ago. WCW had a sellout crowd of 20,500 for the show. WCW held a bunch of events to try to capitalize on the big couple of weeks for the city, and the commentary team made several references to what happened in the game throughout the night. According to sources within WCW, the company is trying to make a real play at sports fans instead of leaning on more mainstream pop culture crossovers. We'll see if this works in the long run. The PPV began with Jim Ross standing in the ring for a special announcement: Minnesota's own Jesse Ventura has signed with WCW as a color commentator. He joined Ross and Dusty Rhodes at the announce desk, and WCW is planning for that trio to be the voices of the new rebranded Saturday Night program that will debut this week. The crowd went wild for Ventura, who did a quick preview of the card with Ross in the ring before heading down. 1. Brian Pillman pinned Jushin Thunder Liger in 17:02 to win the WCW Light Heavyweight title. There was a lot of hype to this one, and it turned out to be by far the best match until the final three of the show. Pillman and Liger put on a high-flying show for the fans in Minneapolis, playing off of each other extremely well. Pillman got Liger with a quick roll-up after a fast back-and-forth sequence to seal the win and reclaim the belt. There's zero chance this will be the last match between these two. (70) 2. Johnny B. Badd & The Steiner Brothers beat The Diamond Mine in 12:07 with Scott Steiner pinning Vinnie Vegas. Not a bad match here, as the Steiners carried the in-ring action while the other four got a lot of character work in here. After Missy Hyatt took out The Diamond Studd at ringside with a swift kick to the diamonds, Steiners hit Vegas with a powerful "Steinerizer" as Johnny B. Badd held off Diamond Dallas Page. (61) 3. Larry Zbyszko pinned Z-Man in 9:52. After a video putting over NWA World champion Big Van Vader, who handled El Gigante with ease on Main Event, Zbyszko got the night started for The Dangerous Alliance with a win. Z-Man looked out of sorts in this match, and there have been rumors that he's not getting along with folks backstage. (55) 4. The Young Pistols beat The Rock 'n' Roll Express in 10:08 with Steve Armstrong pinning Ricky Morton. A decent tag team match that ended with some Alexandra York shenanigans, as she distracted the referee long enough for Tracy Smothers to hit Morton with her trademark keyboard. This feud isn't over yet. (57) 5. Ron Simmons pinned Cactus Jack in 15:37. Nothing like two bigger dudes brawling all over the place. This match went all around the ringside area and even into the stands, to the delight of the crowd. In the end, Simmons capitalized on a risky top-rope elbow drop from Jack and came away with a win. Momentum seems to be building around Simmons. (68) 6. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton beat Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes for the WCW World Tag Team titles in 16:17 with Anderson pinning Rhodes. Some were expecting Paul E. Dangerously interference here, and for good reason, but he got himself thrown out by the referee midway through the match. Anderson and Eaton didn't need it, though, as they dismantled Steamboat's right knee before isolating Rhodes in the corner. A surprisingly clean finish to a strong match. Anderson is a tag champ again. (76) 7. Rick Rude pinned Barry Windham in 19:31 to retain the WCW United States title. Before the match, Eric Bischoff made the announcement that due to Dangerously's actions in the previous match, Madusa was banned from ringside for Rude's match here. The reaction from The Dangerous Alliance was incredible. Rude looked like he was going to get pushed to his absolute limit by Windham, but he proved he was one step ahead of everybody by sneakily using the ropes for leverage to get the win. Great match. (82) 8. Sting pinned Lex Luger in 15:20 to win the WCW World Heavyweight title. In perhaps the biggest upset of the night — the match itself, not the result — Sting and Luger had a hot main event. They made sure not to go too long here, working just enough to have a strong back-and-forth match without exposing Luger. Both men showed a lot of emotion, and the crowd went absolutely wild for Sting when he got the three count. After Luger walked to the back, Sting soaked it all in and spent the final minutes of the show celebrating in the stands with the fans. (80) All in all, this was one of the best big shows in quite some time for WCW, which is starting to feel like it might be turning a corner under new leadership. The company will want to nail the debut of the Saturday Night rebrand, and Ross announced toward the end of the show that Vader would defend the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title against a man who once held that belt in the main event. The next WCW PPV is Wrestle War, scheduled for early April, with a War Games matchup already being teased for that show. (80) *** NEWS AND NOTES - In a press conference after SuperBrawl, K. Allen Frey announced that WCW had agreed to terms with two incoming tag teams: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy (The Miracle Violence Connection, as they're known in Japan) along with Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers (The Fantastics). - During the PPV, Tony Schiavone interviewed Teddy Long, who announced that he had traveled the globe to find a new client for his managerial services. That new client, who will debut on WCW Saturday Night, is 24-year-old Mexican standout Eddie Guerrero. While Guerrero worked as a jobber in WCW a couple of years ago and had recently been Mascara Magica in CMLL, he will be on TV unmasked and working under his real name. - On a more somber but still hopeful note: Matt Borne, who has been working as Big Josh in WCW, has been sent to rehab for a serious drug problem and is expected to be away for a considerable amount of time. Sources say that Borne had failed multiple drug tests for the company in recent weeks but was very cooperative with leadership. Due to the growing steroid and drug scandals in wrestling, WCW has made it clear that it wants to be thorough with this policy and wants to support Borne on his road to recovery. - We're hearing that the former NWA world champion that WCW is planning to bring in for the Vader match on Saturday Night is Terry Funk — and it won't just be a one-off appearance. - WCW are said to be not interested in the two most recent WWF non-renewals: Tanaka and Greg Valentine. They are, however, expected to make a serious run at Jake Roberts when his contract expires in the coming weeks. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER April 10, 1992 WCW WCW will invade The Summit in Houston for Wrestle War 1992 on Sunday. The event will come just one week after the WWF's WrestleMania VIII, which set an extremely high bar with one of the highest-rated shows in TWN history at a 90 out of 100. While this isn't one of WCW's flagship events, the company is aware that there will naturally be comparison to what happened at the Hoosier Dome last weekend. With that in mind, let's take a look at the PPV card and how we got here over the last couple of months on WCW television: WAR GAMES: The Dangerous Alliance vs. Sting's Squadron This has all the makings of an instant classic, with The Dangerous Alliance staying nuclear hot in recent months as WCW World champion Sting built up an army to go up against them. Sting has partnered with the trio of Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham — with the first two feeling wronged by their losses to Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton for the tag belts — and Ron Simmons, who was on the wrong end of a Rick Rude disqualification in their United States title match a few weeks back on WCW Saturday Night. Expect a lot of brawling and a lot of chaos in this brutal team showdown. NWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT: Big Van Vader (c) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami Vader has continued his globe-trotting tear with the big gold belt, and his next high-profile defense will come against New Japan's currently unstoppable ace. Since these two men have had some excellent matches overseas, there's a lot to like about a rematch on American soil. WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Brian Pillman (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger Here comes the rubber match between Pillman and Liger, as the two battle once and for all to determine who the top lightweight is in WCW. Pillman has taken on a real air of confidence in interviews and matches recently, while Liger was recently voted by readers here at the Best Overall Worker in the World. Expect another standout showcase here. TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk After Terry Funk lost to Vader for the NWA title a couple of months ago, he's bounced back to put together a strong winning streak. The same goes for Jack, who dropped a matchup against Simmons at SuperBrawl II. Jack and Funk have traded words and punches over the last few weeks, and Funk delivered a strong message by taking out Jack ally Abdullah The Butcher last Saturday Night. TEXAS TORNADO TAG MATCH: Miracle Violence Connection w/Harley Race vs. The Steiner Brothers A lot of WCW fans have been waiting on this one. The Miracle Violence Connection haven't lost since arriving in the company and joining up with Harley Race, while the Steiners are on a strong roll themselves. The tornado rules should make for a real hard-hitting affair between two of the hottest tag teams in the world. The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York These two have built up quite the rivalry over the last few months, with the Pistols costing the Express some important matches — including a shot at the tag titles in March. Alexandra York has been the great equalizer here, but the Express are determined to make sure this one isn't a repeat of what happened at SuperBrawl II. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero w/Teddy Long Few people have had a more eventful couple of months than DDP, who watched his Diamond Mine fall apart when they lost another trio match in late February. The Diamond Studd was (legitimately) injured in the loss, and Vinnie Vegas (in kayfabe) blamed DDP for what happened. The bad blood boiled over in March, when DDP beat Vegas in a Loser Leaves Town Match. (Note: Kevin Nash signed a deal with WWF and is expected to debut there soon.) After DDP was drained from the emotional win, Long seized the opportunity to set up a rivalry for the young Guerrero. That will culminate in this PPV showdown. Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt vs. Scotty Flamingo JBB and Missy have formed quite the duo in WCW, but the latter has caught the attention of a mysterious newcomer who claims he hails from sunny Florida — Scotty Flamingo. The PNW product has shown a vicious side in his first couple of TV matches, and that's brought some real fire out of JBB in the buildup to this match. WCW WRESTLE WAR 1992 PREDICTIONS - WAR GAMES: The Dangerous Alliance (Rude, Anderson, Eaton, Austin & Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Steamboat, Rhodes, Windham & Simmons) - NWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT: Big Van Vader (c) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Brian Pillman (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger - TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk - TEXAS TORNADO TAG MATCH: The Miracle Violence Connection w/Harley Race vs. The Steiner Brothers - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero w/Teddy Long - Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt vs. Scotty Flamingo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 - WAR GAMES: The Dangerous Alliance (Rude, Anderson, Eaton, Austin & Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Steamboat, Rhodes, Windham & Simmons) - NWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT: Big Van Vader (c) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Brian Pillman (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger - TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk - TEXAS TORNADO TAG MATCH: The Miracle Violence Connection w/Harley Race vs. The Steiner Brothers - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero w/Teddy Long - Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt vs. Scotty Flamingo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KazAlmas Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Excited to see where Heyman takes WCW! - WAR GAMES: The Dangerous Alliance (Rude, Anderson, Eaton, Austin & Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Steamboat, Rhodes, Windham & Simmons) - NWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT: Big Van Vader (c) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Brian Pillman (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger - TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk - TEXAS TORNADO TAG MATCH: The Miracle Violence Connection w/Harley Race vs. The Steiner Brothers - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero w/Teddy Long - Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt vs. Scotty Flamingo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandal Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) - WAR GAMES: The Dangerous Alliance (Rude, Anderson, Eaton, Austin & Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Steamboat, Rhodes, Windham & Simmons) - NWA WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT: Big Van Vader (c) vs. Tatsumi Fujinami - WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Brian Pillman (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger - TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk - TEXAS TORNADO TAG MATCH: The Miracle Violence Connection w/Harley Race vs. The Steiner Brothers - The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Young Pistols w/Alexandra York - Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero w/Teddy Long - Johnny B. Badd w/Missy Hyatt vs. Scotty Flamingo Edited December 30, 2023 by Vandal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnikuniverse Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Sting's Squadron Vader Jushin Thunder Liger Cactus Jack MVC RNR Eddie Guerrero Johnny B. Badd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Sting's Squadron Vader Brian Pillman Cactus Jack MVC Rock 'n' Roll Express DDP Johnny B. Badd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLLK Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 TOTAL WRESTLING NEWSLETTER April 17, 1992 WCW Wrestle War 1992 was held Sunday night at The Summit in Houston in front of a sellout crowd of 16,000 paying fans. The show was said to have done a buyrate of 1.38 on PPV. Both are good numbers for WCW, but they underscore just how much work the company has to do in order to catch up with the WWF, especially after the massively successful WrestleMania show last weekend. The show was headlined by one of the best War Games matches in the company's history and featured some pretty important moments when it comes to the future of the WCW roster. Here are the results: 1. Brian Pillman pinned Jushin Thunder Liger in 15:05 to retain the WCW Light Heavyweight title. A bit of a surprise here in more ways than one, as Liger had been billed as arguably the best pound-for-pound wrestler on the planet in the buildup to this rubber match. The two had a back-and-forth showcase that lived up to the first two meetings, but many in the building were stunned when Pillman used a vicious low blow that the referee didn't see to roll up Liger. Pillman sneered at the booing crowd as he stood over Liger and then walked his way up the ramp with his title belt in hand. (69) 2. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Eddie Guerrero in 9:44. The fans are starting to get behind a face Page, and Guerrero looked pretty good with his offense. This was a solid match that showcased what could be a nice future for both men. (57) 3. The Rock 'n' Roll Express beat The Young Pistols in 12:45 with Robert Gibson pinning Steve Armstrong. A decent feud came to an end with the Express triumphing over the Pistols, who weren't able to take advantage of any Alexandra York interference this time around. Of note: Even in defeat, Tracy Smothers looked like the best worker in this one. (59) After this match, Tony Schiavone came out to the ring and welcomed back a returning member to the WCW roster — "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert. The crowd popped for Gilbert, who set himself up as a rebellious sort of babyface in his interview with Schiavone. He should be a key part of the Light Heavyweight division moving forward. 4. Scotty Flamingo pinned Johnny B. Badd in 10:09. The general WCW audience doesn't know a ton about Scotty Flamingo yet, but Badd is starting to catch fire. The finish got a little sideways, with Badd overreacting to Flamingo hitting on Missy Hyatt and falling to a quick pinfall. Will be interesting to see where they go with these two next. (51) 5. Cactus Jack defeated Terry Funk in a Texas Death Match in 14:44. Man, this was one of the bloodiest brawls in recent memory for WCW, with Jack and Funk going all over the arena and hitting each other with everything they could find. The Texas crowd ate it all up, and they were deflated when Funk wasn't able to answer the 10 count after Jack hit him with a brutal elbow drop to the outside. Afterwards, Jack got the house mic and proclaimed himself as the "baddest, toughest man in all of wrestling," which prompted a surprise entrance down the ramp from Jake Roberts. The Snake jumped Jack and forced him out of the ring, and he helped Funk to his feet and raised his arm, to the delight of the crowd. Roberts has officially jumped from the WWF to WCW. (75) 6. Miracle Violence Connection defeated The Steiner Brothers in 15:47 when Steve Williams pinned Rick Steiner. This one lived up to the hype, and it could easily go down as one of the best tag team matches of the year here in North America. Williams and Gordy are great fits for Harley Race, creating a really imposing group in and outside of the ring. The Steiners continue to show why they're one of the hottest tag teams on the planet, and they went toe-to-toe with the MVC all the way to the end. A furious back-and-forth frenzy ended with Williams hitting Steiner with a Doctor Bomb and getting the three count. Great match. (80) 7. Big Van Vader pinned Tatsumi Fujinami in 18:26 to retain the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title. Vader's globe-spanning tour of destruction reached a new high point in this match, taking down the man who is currently the ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling. This was a great showcase of the Japanese style to fans who might not be accustomed to it in the States, with great storytelling through the pure action in the ring. In the end, Vader's size and strength were too much for Fujinami, who showed a ton of fighting spirit in defeat. (82) 8. The Dangerous Alliance defeated Sting's Squadron in a War Games match when Steve Austin submitted Dustin Rhodes. Many fans were expecting Sting's Squadron to get one over on The Dangerous Alliance, but that didn't happen here. The Alliance started with the man advantage and used it well until both sides were at even strength. At that point, utter chaos broke out. Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa both got involved, as the door to the cage was broken through. Team members brawled all over the place, including the top of the cage. That's where the finish occurred, as Austin and Rhodes fought up top before a masked man ran down the ramp, climbed the cage quickly and took out Rhodes' legs. As the other four members of the Alliance held off the rest of Sting's Squadron from down below, Austin got Rhodes to submit to the Hollywood & Vine. After the match, the masked man was revealed to be none other than Brian Pillman, who opened the night with a heel turn on Jushin Thunder Liger. (83) Instead of getting knocked down a peg in Houston, The Dangerous Alliance walked out of Wrestle War even stronger. Pillman gives the group yet another current WCW champion to add to their ranks, joining Austin (TV), Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (tag) and Rick Rude (US). In the press conference after the show, Dangerously said that their next goal is to take the World Heavyweight title from Sting and have total control of the company's gold. This was a night for heels across the roster, but the additions of Gilbert and Roberts as tough-customer faces will make things more interesting in the days ahead. WCW has gotten off to a strong start with a pair of high-quality PPVs, with their next one (Beach Blast) coming up in less than a month. (81) *** NEWS AND NOTES - There was some very tough injury news for WCW this week, as the recently signed Tommy Rogers suffered a spinal injury while working for All Japan. He is expected to be out for more than a year. In the meantime, WCW is expected to sign Jackie Fulton to work with his brother Bobby Fulton and keep The Fantastics going with Rogers out. - The wrestling world is still in mourning over the untimely death of Charles Scaggs (2 Cold Scorpio), who overdosed in Japan earlier this month. With the recent news stories about the drug problems in pro wrestling — particularly in the WWF, which is also dealing with another major abuse scandal in the mainstream press — expect WCW and other major companies to take a stronger stance moving forward. - Jim Neidhart and Jimmy Snuka have both left WWF upon the expiry of their contracts, but neither of them are expected to land in WCW. Sources indicate that the company could have interest in Roddy Piper and Kerry Von Erich, whose deals with the company expire in the next few months. - Ric Flair is said to be unhappy with his current situation in WWF, and some in the industry are openly wondering if he will stay with the company through the end of the year. At WrestleMania, Flair lost a multi-man tag match toward the beginning of the show. - Eric Bischoff, who has been both a commentator on WCW Main Event and a backstage interviewer, is contemplating his future with the company. His contract expires in the next couple of months, and sources believe Bischoff would like to take on a greater creative role. Whether that happens in WCW, which has already given the reins to another young mind in Paul Heyman, remains to be seen. - After Beach Blast, WCW will hold its next Clash of the Champions Card on TBS in mid-June. That will be followed a few weeks later by the Great American Bash, one of the company's signature events. - NJPW will hold its Battle Formation show later this month, with a rematch between Fujinami and Vader — this time for the IWGP World Heavyweight title — headlining the card. Jushin Thunder Liger will also challenge Koji Kanemoto for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Me likey this usage of Brian Pillman. He should win everything! Dangerous Alliance formation looks sick now and the Blondes slot in perfectly to replace Arn & Bobby eventually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KazAlmas Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Brian Pillman opened the show and closed the show, no better way to get more heat than to crush the crowd "dreams" twice in one night, let's see if the Dangerous Alliance can keep this momentum forward and take the world title from Sting, that is going to be very interesting to see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonny912 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Scorpio dead!? Aw man, he would have been great for your ligthheavyweight division. He's the guy who put the 450 on the map. Not to mention his tag team reigns with Bagwell, sandman and Vader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRTVAndrew Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I had no idea this thread was a thing until after I'd launched mine, with the same company at the same time. I'm really intrigued to see what you do with this; hopefully we've got enough different ideas to keep folks on their toes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Excellent show. Eddie Gilbert is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time (and should have been the booker of WCW around this time, but alas) and will absolutely deliver for you. Jake popping up in the Texas Death was cool, hopefully he stays clean along with Gilbert. The main event put a bow on Pillman's turn, and linking him to Heyman and his crew will get him over for you. Sting's world title being the only piece missing from the Dangerous Alliance is good booking, and with a short turnaround to the next PPV I expect some good stuff coming up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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