Written by: Matt Peddycord
WCW Worldwide
July 13, 1991
The current WCW Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Vacant (7/1/1991)
U.S. Champion: Lex Luger (12/16/1990)
World Television Champion: Steve Austin (6/3/1991)
World Tag Team Champions: Rick & Scott Steiner (3/9/1991)
U.S. Tag Team Champions: Freebirds (5/19/1991)
World Six-Man Tag Team Champions: Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin and Badstreet (6/3/1991)
Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Magnum TA!
They open the show with a somewhat random video clip of Paul E Dangerously smashing his cell phone on the back of Jason Hervey’s head from the Clash XV. Jason’s girlfriend Missy Hyatt stumbles in on high heels to chase Paul E out of the ring. Huh.
Let’s go to Jim Herd for one of the biggest wrestling news items ever. He announces that Ric Flair has been fired from WCW due to contractual issues that have been going on for the last year. As a result, the WCW board has declared the WCW World title vacant and now the current WCW U.S. Champion Lex Luger and Barry Windham will square off to determine a new champion. Herd extends his “best wishes to Ric Flair”. He even calls him a great champion. People make the argument that putting Barry Windham in the main event was a dumb idea based on the fact that he had been in the mid-card since he made his return back in May of ’90, but what other believable heels were there that could be put in that position besides a mainstay like Windham?
- The Diamond Studd (w/Diamond Dallas Page) vs. Rick Ryder
Scott Hall is chiseled in stone and bad to the bone! Random chick from the audience rips off Studd’s workout pants, but she’s not that great so DDP tells her “See ya!”. You trade the fallaway slam for the Samoan drop and you’ve got Razor Ramon ’91. He even climbs to the second rope with Ryder on his back for the SUPER Samoan drop. Side slam sets up a pump splash from Studd, followed by the DIAMOND DEATH DROP (Razor’s Edge). The 3D, if you will, gets Studd the win. (3:02) Just Diamond Studd sending a message to Tom Zenk for their match at the Great American Bash.
Paul E. Dangerously is hanging out in the Great American Bash control center. It’s tomorrow, you know. He runs through the infamous card.
- Barry Windham vs. Lex Luger for the vacant WCW World Title in a cage match
- Arn Anderson & Paul E. Dangerously vs. Rick Steiner & Missy Hyatt in a cage match
- Nikita Koloff vs. Sting in a Russian chain match
- One Man Gang vs. El Gigante
- Terrence Taylor & Steve Austin vs. Bobby Eaton & PN News in a scaffold match
- Black Blood vs. Big Josh in a lumberjack match
- Johnny B. Badd vs. Yellow Dog (Brian Pillman)
- Ron Simmons vs. Oz
- The Freebirds & Badstreet vs. The Young Pistols & Dustin Rhodes in an elimination match
- The Diamond Studd vs. Tom Zenk
- Richard Morton vs. Robert Gibson
- PN News vs. John Peterson
Yo baby, this match sucks. Belly to belly suplex gets Magnum’s attention and sets up the BROKEN RECORD splash for the win. (2:23) One has to wonder why WCW would consider putting this 400-pounder in a scaffold match.
Diamond Studd and DDP interview: They’ve been screwing around with Tom Zenk and now they’re going to get it on one-on-one at the Bash. Zenk, when you cross the Studd, you’re going to be seeing 3D. Diamond! Death! Drop!
- WCW World Television Champion Steve Austin (w/Lady Blossom) vs. Keno McKenzie
McKenzie looks like he’s borrowed Mr. Perfect’s neon orange tights, but doesn’t have the muscles to fill them. Austin has this guy pinned several times throughout the match, but lifts him up on the two-count. Lady Blossom gets in a great shot on McKenzie. When he tries to retaliate, Austin nails him into the guardrail. Back in, Austin puts the bad mouth on him and hits the STUNGUN for the win. (3:27) Austin’s looking great as always.
They show the clip of El Gigante getting his head shaved by Kevin Sullivan and One Man Gang on a recent episode of World Championship Wrestling. Now Gigante is bald and PISSED. Mainly just a rehash of what was done to Andre.
- Mr. Hughes (w/Terrence Taylor, Richard Morton & Alexandra York) vs. Scott Allen
Hughes is wearing that loaded black glove wherever he goes it seems. He does some angry big man stuff and finishes Allen with an ANGRY BLACKMAN SLAM. (3:25) After the match, Robert Gibson comes out all alone for a face-off with Morton. That gets him beat up by the York Foundation until Dustin Rhodes runs down for the save. Definitely the hottest segment of the whole show.
- The Hardliners vs. Sonny Trout & Chris Sullivan
The Hardliners are old-timers Dick Slater and Dick Murdoch. I could think of another name for these guys which has to do with their first names, but even that is somewhat contradictory considering their ages. The Hardliners are best known for injuring the Steiners and putting Scott out of action until Halloween Havoc in late October. Onto the match, they concentrate on the arm of Chris Sullivan until he’s had enough and taps out to a half-nelson. (5:14) That’s your main event, folks.
Next week’s main event will Yellow Dog, Bobby Eaton & Dustin Rhodes taking on Barry Windham, Arn Anderson & The Diamond Studd! Boy did we get shafted this week!
Final Thoughts: Definitely this was the hard sell for the Great American Bash, but the most interesting segment was of course the Jim Herd announcement. I mean, what’s bigger than that? Next up, the Great American Bash ’91!