Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 7/30/1994
From: Atlanta, GA
Matches:
1.) Marcus Alexander Bagwell & The Patriot defeated Fred Avery & Frank Lancaster
2.) Diamond Dallas Page defeated Barry Houston
3.) Harlem Heat defeated Alex Davis & Kenny Kendall
4.) Brian Pillman defeated Rip Rogers
5.) WCW Television Champion Lord Steven Regal defeated Mark Starr
6.) Terry Funk & Bunkhouse Buck defeated Todd Morton & Joey Maggs
7.) Ric Flair & WCW United States Champion Steve Austin defeated Sting & Ricky Steamboat
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel has a major announcement to share with the fans. He goes over the Bash at the Beach pay per view and claims that the Hogan/Flair match was the most watched match in WCW history. As champion, Hogan must defend the championship within thirty days. Thus, Ric Flair took advantage of this and a rematch will occur at the next Clash of the Champions in Iowa. Sherri Martel has been fined $25,000 for her involvement at the Bash pay per view.
2.) Mean Gene conducted an interview with Harlem Heat, who took some time off from WCW to dwell on some things on 110 Harlem Street. They think they’ve been held back because of politics in WCW. They have a master plan that will lead them to success. They met someone that they can trust but we shall not know what that is. And, at the end it seems like they are dropping Kane and Kole names officially.
3.) WCW Television Champion Lord Steven Regal and Sir William are interviewed by Mean Gene following his squash victory. Gene says that Regal insulted and embarrassed Antonio Inoki recently. Regal says that America is insulting professional wrestling by not giving him the recognition that he deserves. He recently came back from Japan and defeated all their top stars. He comes back and they try to steal his spotlight by awarding Inoki in front of him. He will defeat Inoki to get his recognition.
4.) Footage from last Monday in Macon, GA is aired where Dusty Rhodes returned and attacked the Stud Stable with biotic elbows. Dustin Rhodes came out and helped his father attack Parker and Terry Funk. Meng got in the ring and confronted Dusty Rhodes but several wrestlers got in the ring to keep them apart. After the brawling, Dusty cut a promo about neglecting his son. He became a corporate cowboy with a suit and neglected Dustin again. Dusty is pissed about Arn Anderson turning on his son who was vulnerable. Dusty wants Dustin to be his partner on August 23rd for the Clash of the Champions to take on the Stud Stable. Dustin is getting rather emotional and Dusty just wants a hug. Dustin gives his father a hug and they’ll be partners. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Dusty turned on his own son?
5.) Sting and Flair start the main event, but Flair gets cold feet and tags out to Austin instead. Sting decides to tag out and tags in Steamboat causing Austin to bail to the floor as well and tags in Flair. Flair and Steamboat start the match with Steamboat hitting a backdrop and tags in Sting who takes Flair over with a press slam with the crowd going nuts for the action. Sting pummels Flair in the corner with right hands and knocks Austin off the apron. Sting blocks a hip toss and nearly pins Flair with a backslide. Flair falls on his face and begs off from Sting in the corner until Sherri helps pull Sting to the floor. Flair holds Sherri in front of him and Steamboat is going after Austin. Sting gets in Sherri’s face and it allows Flair to deliver an eye rake to get the cheap advantage. Flair works over Sting with chops and they enter the ring. Austin tags in and works over Sting with strikes and a knee drop. Austin rams Sting face first into the corner but runs into a big boot. Sting backdrops Austin and tags in Steamboat who came off the top to deliver an axe handle on Austin. Austin sends Ricky to the floor and knees Steamboat on the apron. Steamboat pulls Austin to the floor and they trade shots on the floor. Austin rolls Steamboat into the ring and goes to the top rope but is met with a strike to the midsection. Steamboat plants Austin with a swinging neck breaker and a leaping forearm drop. Flair tries to get involved but gets stopped by Steamboat with chops. Sting got a few shots in on Austin. Steamboat keeps control of Austin with an atomic drop. We go to commercial, but don’t worry the tape machines are running!
Steamboat controls Austin with a chin lock for a few moments. Austin breaks free with a jaw breaker and chops Steamboat followed by right hands. Steamboat counters a backslide attempt and crotches Austin on the top rope. Steamboat hit a superplex but Austin kicks out at two on the cover attempt. Sting tags in and scoop slams Austin to keep control in their favor. Sting attempts a big splash but Austin gets his knees up to block it. Flair tags in and is confident with Sting weakened on the canvas. Flair hits a delayed vertical suplex but Sting pops right up and clotheslines Flair a few times. Sting goes for a leaping clothesline but he only goes over and Flair remains in the ring, which was a bizarre looking botch. Sting has an inside cradle but Flair kicks out as the referee took a minute getting back into the ring. Flair begs off again before bailing to the floor. Sting clotheslines Flair and Austin to get momentum. Sting press slams Flair off the top rope. Flair goes to the corner and Austin tags himself in. Sting shoulder blocks Austin but Austin nearly wins with a few rollups. Sting press slams Austin but Austin low blows Sting in the corner with the referee out of position. Austin tosses Sting over the top to the floor where Sherri Martel gets cheap shots Sting several times. Guess what? It’s time for another commercial!
Sherri is choking Sting on the floor before rolling Sting back into the ring where Flair keeps control with strikes. Austin hits a middle rope knee drop but Sting kicks out on a cover attempt. Sting shoulder blocks Austin but Austin stops Sting with a backdrop. Austin leaps off the middle rope but Sting got his knees up. Steamboat and Flair tag in with Steamboat cleaning house on Austin and Flair. Steamboat backdrops Austin and Sting decks Flair off the apron. Austin nails Steamboat with a clothesline and Flair gets tagged in. Steamboat backslides Flair but only gets a two count. Ricky and Flair collide and both go down. Austin gets tagged in and knee strikes Steamboat a few times. Austin brings Steamboat into the ring with a suplex from the apron for a two count. Austin abominates stretches Steamboat and allows Flair to deliver a shot to the ribs. Flair chops Steamboat in the corner and Sherri eye rakes Steamboat. Steamboat chops Flair but gets taken down to the canvas. Austin knee drops Steamboat for a two count. Steamboat fights back with a chop and struggles to reach his corner as he’s back into the wrong corner. Ricky fights out of the corner with strikes and tags in Sting but the referee didn’t see the tag, of course. Sting press slams Flair and Steamboat crotches Austin on the top rope. Sting splashes Flair in the corner and puts the Scorpion Death Lock on Flair! Sherri goes for a cross body but Sting catches her and tosses her over the top onto Flair, but Flair straight up doesn’t catch her and she crashes to the floor. This distraction allows Austin to pin Steamboat in the corner! (***1/2. A great TV main event that gave them plenty of time. Though, it is a little annoying that Flair never can get momentum over Sting. Plus, it is great that the heel team actually won the match! This was exactly what I was hoping it was going to be.)
6.) Sting and Ricky Steamboat are interviewed after the match. Steamboat is disgusted with Steve Austin and wonders when Austin is going to win a match cleanly. Steamboat questions what kind of champion Austin is. Steamboat wants Austin at the Clash and he’s going to have stipulations for the match. Sting chimes in saying that Flair has only ever known the WCW World Championship and now he’s a weak man without the championship that Hulk now has. Sting wants the winner of the match between Flair and Hogan at the Clash. Sting is hoping that Flair wins the match so he can get a shot at him.
Final Thoughts:
An enjoyable episode for WCW that continued the feuds and we got a solid main event to close the program. Gotta love productive programming.
Thanks for reading.