Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 1/18/1992
From: Atlanta, GA
Opening Contest: WCW United States Champion Rick Rude defeated unknown: The show starts in progress due to some TBS difficulties, I believe. Rude wins the match following the Rude Awakening.
Jim Ross introduces pre-tape comments by Abdullah the Butcher and Cactus Jack. Jack says that sometimes brothers and best friends have their issues. They have too much in common to throw it away and they aren’t done issuing out pain. During the promo, Butcher shoves paper into Jack’s mouth.
Tony Schiavone goes over the top ten. Zbyszko, Gigante, Vader, Rhodes, Jack, Rick Steiner, Steamboat, Steve Austin, Sting and Rick Rude are on the list. Rude is the number one contender, but Sting is getting the title shot at Superbrawl II.
Second Contest: Cactus Jack/Abdullah the Butcher defeated Tom Zenk/Brad Armstrong: Zenk and Armstrong attack their opponents on the floor with Armstrong catapulting Butcher on the floor. Zenk backdrops Jack over the railing onto the floor. Jack and Zenk trade blows in the corner to legally start the bout. Zenk gets a near fall following a middle rope cross body and kicks Jack to the floor. Butcher tags in and works on Zenk with several strikes until Armstrong tags in. Armstrong punches Butcher in the corner a few times. Butcher stops Armstrong with a throat thrust. That’s all that Butcher is capable of doing, apparently. Jack tags back in but Armstrong fires back with right hands and knocks Butcher off the apron. He rams Jack and Butcher into each other but Jack recovers and beats down Armstrong but that doesn’t last. Armstrong goes to hit the ropes but Jack grabs him and Butcher knocks Armstrong down. Butcher wins the bout following an elbow drop. (*. I am far more interested in seeing a Jack/Zenk match then I am seeing Butcher tag with Jack. Butcher doesn’t do much when there aren’t hardcore rules.)
After the match, Zenk leaps over the top rope to take Jack out with a dive. Jack stops Zenk by ramming him head first into the guard railing. Wait a second; Butcher has smashed Jack over the head with a chair! The fans are chanting for Butcher as they brawl to the backstage area.
Eric Bischoff hosts WCW Magazine segment. Harley Race says that Lex Luger will tell everyone next Tuesday who his next victim will be. Apparently WCW doesn’t know they are promoting a Luger/Sting match for Superbrawl II. Race promotes his man as the greatest wrestler to ever live. Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton were able to defeat WCW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes to win the titles. Paul Dangerously cuts a promo says that they are slowly but surely moving towards total domination in WCW. Dangerously says that both Eaton and Anderson have been named the greatest tag team wrestler ever to compete. Dangerously says they will be writing history with their victims blood. Anderson says the belts belong to them and doesn’t care who comes after them. This Tuesday at the Clash of the Champions, Rick Rude teams with Steve Austin to compete against Sting and Ricky Steamboat. Bischoff brings up the Young Pistols who believe they need to beat the Steiner Brothers. Tracy Smothers cuts a promo saying that they need to beat the Steiner Brothers, who have never beaten them. Smothers doesn’t care about the fans while the Steiner’s do. Steve Armstrong chimes in and mentions all the titles the Steiner’s have held. Armstrong says that they are going to ride the Steiner’s like a couple of rodeo clowns!
Third Contest: Terrence Taylor defeated Joey Maggs: Taylor wins the bout following a leaping forearm smash.
After the match, Jim Ross interviews Taylor. Taylor says that 1992 will be his year. Taylor continues to say he doesn’t need the fans to be a success. He believes the computer nearly ruined his career. Taylor thinks that over the next few weeks the fans will understand what the Tailor Made Man is all about.
Hey, they actually aired the right Superbrawl II ad which didn’t spoil the Sting/Luger announcement this time!
Fourth Contest: Van Hammer defeated Chuck Coates: Hammer wins the bout following a slingshot suplex.
Jim Ross hypes up the Mr. Hughes/PN News grudge match. Ross talks about what happened a few weeks ago between them. A video airs where Mr. Hughes attacked News while he was rapping. This happened three weeks ago. Hughes rammed News face first into the guard railing. Hughes began to gouge News’s eyes.
Before the next match, PN News shares a rap saying that he is here to get revenge on Hughes and doesn’t care if he wins or loses.
Fifth Contest: Mr. Hughes defeated PN News: News goes after Hughes with several right hands but Hughes poke him in the eyes and gains control with a side headlock. News manages to hip toss Hughes after screwing up the first time. Hughes bails to the floor where Harley Race gives him advice. Hughes returns to the ring but is met with right hands and News scoop slams Hughes! News connects with a belly to belly suplex and heads to the top rope. News leaps up and splashes Hughes! Race distracts the referee while Vader comes out and holds News on the apron. Hughes knee lifts News in the back and wins the match. (DUD. While the reasoning behind this feud was kind of interesting the match sucked. I didn’t like the finish at all. I would have to think that Hughes, along with Vader, are supposed to be new top heels in the company. I can’t imagine that PN News is considered an asset and thus didn’t need to be protected, in my opinion.)
After the match, Vader and Hughes beat down News. The Steiner Brothers run down and attack their opponents for the Clash of the Champions sending Vader and Hughes to the floor!
Sixth Contest: Ron Simmons defeated Larry Zbyszko: Simmons backs Zbyszko into a corner but the referee breaks Simmons away. Zbyszko takes Simmons down to the mat with a fireman’s carry and taunts him afterwards. Simmons quickly blocks a right hand and press slams Zbyszko. Simmons begins to kick his leg until Zbyszko bails to the floor. Simmons tries to do some amateur wrestling but Zbyszko gets to the ropes. Zbyszko backs into a corner and cheap shots Simmons with a right hand before dumping Simmons to the floor. Madusa hits Simmons with a right hand and Zbyszko rams Simmons into the guard railing chest first. Zbyszko scoop slams Simmons for a two count back in the ring. Simmons elbows Zbyszko out of a sleeper hold but is slammed back to the mat. Simmons continues to elbow out of sleeper and rams Zbyszko chest first into a corner. Simmons knocks Zbyszko down with a few shoulder blocks but misses a third one and hits the ring post. Simmons counters a brain buster attempt with an inside cradle for the win! (*. Nothing really of a match, but could possibly be a feud beginner between both men considering the aftermath.)
After the match, Zbyszko attacks Simmons hitting him with the brain buster!
Main Event: WCW Television Champion Steve Austin/Bobby Eaton defeated Sting/Marcus Alexander Bagwell: Bagwell and Eaton kick off the main event. Eaton backs Bagwell into a corner and delivers a right hand. Bagwell knocks Eaton down with a right hand of his own after Eaton slapped hands with Austin. Bagwell puts a side headlock on Eaton and comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Bagwell blocks Eaton trying to send him out of the corner and tosses Eaton across the ring with a hip toss. Austin tags into the bout. Austin backs Bagwell into his own corner and Sting tags in causing Austin to quickly back away. Austin controls Sting with a headlock and a shoulder block. Sting hip tosses both Austin and Eaton before connecting with a double running bulldog. Sting remains in the ring while Austin and Eaton are on the floor regrouping. Austin backs Sting into a corner and rams his shoulder into Sting’s gut. Sting fights back but misses a Stinger Splash, luckily stopping himself. Sting is able to hit both Austin and Eaton avoiding a double team and they bail to the floor. Sting arm drags Eaton after he tags in. Bagwell tags in and punches Eaton in the midsection. Bagwell controls Eaton with an arm bar but is backed into a corner and Eaton gets a few shots in. Bagwell arm drags Eaton again and goes back to an arm bar. Austin tags in but Bagwell quickly arm drags him as well. Austin hip tosses Bagwell but Bagwell recovers with another arm drag. Sting tags back in and begins to wrench Austin’s arm while biting him! Sting tries for a running body splash but Eaton shoves Austin away from the ropes and Sting flies over the top to the floor. Eaton rams Sting into the ring post and guard railing before sending him back into the ring. Austin chokes Sting over the top rope and distracts the referee so Eaton can do the same. Austin back elbows Sting as he comes off the ropes for a two count. Eaton tags into the match and rakes Sting’s eyes. Eaton elbow drops Sting right in the face and tags out to Austin. Austin sends Sting back first into a corner and delivers several right hands. Sting begins to battle back on both Eaton and Austin with right hands and kicks. Austin stops Sting with an eye rake and Bagwell tags out a blinded Sting. Bagwell cleans house with clotheslines and elbow strikes. Dangerously trips Bagwell as he runs the ropes and Sting puts a sleeper on Dangerously! Eaton and the Dangerous Alliance attack Sting on the floor while Austin hits the Stun Gun on Bagwell to win the bout! (*1/4. I didn’t like the match at all. Bagwell apparently can’t do much other than the standard moves which you could see at your local independent promotion. He clearly shouldn’t be wrestling against veteran guys. The finish was the only decent part of the match since it was obvious that Bagwell was taking the fall here. The aftermath was done nicely as well.)
After the match, Austin holds Bagwell while Dangerously whips him with his belt! Ron Simmons, Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat run down to the ring to chase off the Dangerous Alliance!
Final Thoughts: I didn’t really enjoy the complete show. The Dangerous Alliance/WCW feud is progressing well still and the Cactus/Abdullah feud is only entertaining or enjoyable because of how violent it could possibly get. The Dangerous Alliance capturing the WCW World Tag Team Championships continues to give them creditability as legitmaite threats towards top babyfaces in the company. I just want the Steiner Brothers to get involved with the Dangerous Alliance since they are easily the top babyface tag team in the company. It was a rather lackluster episode as the final hype up show heading into the Clash of the Champions which takes place on Tuesday.
Thanks for reading.