To Go Back in Time...

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

The closest big arena I live near is the Norfolk Scope here in VA. I was just looking at the new NWA/WCW results site that some of my fellow Smart Marks are putting together, and came across this house show card...

 

*** Norfolk, Virginia

 

05-29-92, The Scope

 

1. Cactus Jack defeated Tom Zenk.

 

2. Van Hammer defeated J.T. Southern.

 

3. Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham defeated Greg Valentine & The Taylor Made Man.

 

4. WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman pinned Scotty Flamingo.

 

5. WCW Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers defeated Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko, & Paul E. Dangerously when Rick pinned Zbyszko.

 

6. Sting & Nikita Koloff defeated Arn Anderson & Steve Austin in a steel cage match.

 

7. WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude defeated Ricky Steamboat in a "Best Two Out of Three Falls" steel cage match.

 

 

...all I can think of is "Why can't I go back in time and have front row seats?"... sounds like a kickass show. I miss old school WCW.

[cawthon777 0]

After looking through these old issues of Pro Wrestling Illustrated for results, I'm thinking the exact same thing.

 

As I'm currently going to college in the Roanoke, VA area, I could be guarenteed a show at least once a month at the Civic Center during the JCP / WCW days. And while we did get a fantastic Angle / Brock 40-minute match here in September, it's not much compensation since the WWE came to Roanoke only twice in 2003.

[Betty Houle 0]

The closest big arena I live near is the Norfolk Scope here in VA. I was just looking at the new NWA/WCW results site that some of my fellow Smart Marks are putting together, and came across this house show card...

 

*** Norfolk, Virginia

 

05-29-92, The Scope

 

1. Cactus Jack defeated Tom Zenk.

 

2. Van Hammer defeated J.T. Southern.

 

3. Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham defeated Greg Valentine & The Taylor Made Man.

 

4. WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman pinned Scotty Flamingo.

 

5. WCW Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers defeated Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko, & Paul E. Dangerously when Rick pinned Zbyszko.

 

6. Sting & Nikita Koloff defeated Arn Anderson & Steve Austin in a steel cage match.

 

7. WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude defeated Ricky Steamboat in a "Best Two Out of Three Falls" steel cage match.

 

 

...all I can think of is "Why can't I go back in time and have front row seats?"... sounds like a kickass show. I miss old school WCW.

I went to a WCW house show in 1992. It wasn't quite this line-up but it did have:

 

Vader vs. Marcus Bagwell

Cactus Jack vs. Tom Zenk

Van Hammer vs. Terry Taylor

Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham vs. Steve Austin & Larry Z (Street Fight)

WCW Tag Team Champions Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson vs. the Steiners

WCW World Champion Sting vs. WCW US Champ Rick Rude

 

no Steamboat, unfortunately.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

7. WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude defeated Ricky Steamboat in a "Best Two Out of Three Falls" steel cage match.

That has HOLYSHITKICKASSMATCH written all over it.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

7.  WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude defeated Ricky Steamboat in a "Best Two Out of Three Falls" steel cage match.

That has HOLYSHITKICKASSMATCH written all over it.

Took the words out of my mouth.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

This is JUST RIGHT AROUND Bill Watts time...

 

I don't smell his touch on this card, tho, since the Cruiser title wasn't held by a joke, there weren't 40-minute DQ-matches, and Cactus actually wins.

[cawthon777 0]

Watts was already there. He came in a few weeks before Beach Blast 92.

 

Cactus had to win against Zenk if they wanted ANYONE to pay money to see him face Sting at the PPV.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Plus as much as Watts hated Cactus, he hated pretty boys like Zenk more.

[JHawk 0]

Plus as much as Watts hated Cactus, he hated pretty boys like Zenk more.

It's hard to say exactly how much Watts hated Cactus since Cactus was injured for more than half of Watts' run.

 

Remember, Cactus was Ron Simmons' first challenger at a major show after Simmons won the title (Clash XX in September -- which is where Cactus was injured). It was also in Watts' run where Cactus initially turned face, and the face turn didn't bomb until Bischoff took over and approved the "Lost in Cleveland" skits.

[cawthon777 0]

I don't think Cactus' face run "bombed". If anything, his push was cut prematurely in order to set Vader up for Flair at Starrcade, which left Cactus with no real direction.

 

He played off the amnesia bit perfectly on TV, claiming he didn't expect anyone to fall for it however two men did - Harley Race and Big Van Vader. And when he made his surprise return at the August 93 Clash, that arena popped huge.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Watts is brilliant...job Cactus to Simmons...then bring in BUTCH REED as the partner to THE BARBARIAN.

 

"The fans will be scared because Reed will tell Barbarian all the SECRETS of how to beat Simmons! Well, I'll be, Halloween Havoc in October? BARBARIAN Vs. RON SIMMONS! Wait, how can I get Doc and Gordy in the match? They have to be in all the matches!"

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Sad thing is, say what you will about Watts but when he was in WCW it was probably the best......in ring(not counting WCW in 96-97 with guys like Eddie, Benoit, ETC)at least. Now if it wasn't for those dumb ass rule changes..................

[Betty Houle 0]

Sad thing is, say what you will about Watts but when he was in WCW it was probably the best......in ring(not counting WCW in 96-97 with guys like Eddie, Benoit, ETC)at least.

I really can't agree. A lot of the Watts' shows were marred by really long, BORING matches. Often pointless, to boot!

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Sad thing is, say what you will about Watts but when he was in WCW it was probably the best......in ring(not counting WCW in 96-97 with guys like Eddie, Benoit, ETC)at least.

I really can't agree. A lot of the Watts' shows were marred by really long, BORING matches. Often pointless, to boot!

I can't totally blame Watts for that, because the stuff with the good workers was always exceptable. If the matches were bad, it's because of the workers....even though they shouldn't have been given that much time......

[cawthon777 0]

I've been a fan of the Watts WCW era for years. Bringing in Muta and Liger for spot shows. Making WCW such a strong force in the NWA World Title Tournament in Japan (feat. Rude, Austin, Anderson, in addition to the Steiners in non tourney tag matches). The Steiners / Doc & Gordy rivalry. Steamboat / Rude. Giving house shows importance with the occasional title change or noteworthy event. Even the brief managing of Anderson & Eaton by Michael Hayes (there was potential there).

 

I didn't mind the new rules, as hampering as they might have been to the workers, because it helped give add a legit-contest aura to the product which was great because it made it that much more distinctive from the WWF at the time.

 

About the only problem I had was the slow jobbing out of the Dangerous Alliance. Rude was the only one who was able to avoid that.

 

We could easily sit back and bitch about how Cactus was or wasn't used ... but if you think about it, he had been in WCW for less than a year when Watts came in and hadn't been used THAT well up to that point. Bringing Butch Reed into the equation, IMO, was a smart move from a booking perspective. Doom dominated the NWA / WCW for nearly a year as tag team champions and that memory was still fresh on the fans' minds.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Watts is an idiot.

 

"When Watts was in charge WCW was at its best ringwise".

 

Perhaps. But it's not like he was responsible.

 

Sting, Windham, Anderson, Pillman, Steamboat, Rude, Austin, and the usual were already there.

 

As for Liger, WCW used him much better (albeit only briefly, damnit!) during late 1991 and early 1992, at house shows, too.

 

Putting the WCW Light Heavyweight Title on Flamingo and a HEATLESS Brad Armstrong? Dumb. No top-rop maneuvers? Huh?

 

Pointless and heatless Heel Vs. Heel tag matches?

 

The Barbarian. Nuff said.

 

Erik Watts.

 

Beach Blast's 30-minute main event time limit draw.

 

Sometimes I think Watts was in love with Williams & Gordy and attempted to win their affections by booking every show around them.

 

I'm sure the signing of Scorpio was due to Vader.

 

Ron Simmons: World Champion

 

Michael Hayes: Manager of Eaton & Anderson.

 

There's hundreds of ridiculous Watts ideas to make fun of.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

I found it silly that Eaton & Anderson, a dominant team who held singles titles and multiple tag belts would need Michael Hayes, a shitty wrestler in one of the worst tag teams ever who had the tag straps for about 5 minutes to "help them" beat Williams & Gordy. Not to mention, when Hayes' team finally started getting momentum, Gordy & Williams dropped the tag straps to Windham & Rhodes, thus making the services of Hayes pointless.

 

Watts realized this, I suppose. What did he do? Jobbed Anderson & Eaton to Erik Watts clean at the Clash.