WCW Saturday Night 8/8/1992

Written by: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 8/8/1992
From: Atlanta, GA

Matches:
1.) Dustin Rhodes defeated Mark Cantabury
2.) Dan Spivey defeated Randy Stallings
3.) The Junkyard Dog & Big Cat defeated Chris Sullivan & James Motes
4.) Van Hammer defeated Tracy Smothers
5.) Greg Valentine & Dick Slater defeated Ian Weston & The Italian Stallion
6.) The Barbarian defeated Tommy Angel
7.) Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton defeated Larry Zbyszko & Brian Pillman

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show opens with footage of a recent title match between WCW World Champion Vader and Ron Simmons.

2.) Jim Ross and Bill Watts note that Ron Simmons has won the WCW World Championship from Vader. Also, in Baltimore Jake Roberts made his arrival and attacked Sting on the same show.

3.) We see footage of a match between WCW United States Champion Rick Rude and Nikita Koloff that took place in Baltimore. The referee was knocked out and Koloff had the pin but Cactus Jack came out to get involved. That caused Sting to leave the commentary table and attacked Rude and Cactus Jack. Sting whacked Jack over the face with a steel chair and had set up for a press slam to the floor, but officials stopped him. Sting dumps Rude over the top onto Cactus and brings Cactus into the ring with a suplex. At this point, Jake Roberts slides into the ring from the crowd and attacks Sting with a chair shot over the back. Roberts drops Sting with a short arm clothesline. Roberts follows up with a DDT onto the steel chair. Roberts has Sting set up for another one and plants Sting head first onto the chair with another DDT! Roberts has his snake but the locker room has emptied and Roberts backs away on the floor.

4.) That attack by Roberts cost Sting his rematch with WCW World Champion and allowed Ron Simmons to take his place. With the great opportunity, Simmons shocked the world and pinned Vader to win the WCW World Championship.

5.) WCW World Champion Ron Simmons was interviewed by Tony Schiavone. Simmons has realized his dream to be the WCW World Champion. He can’t describe the feeling he has now that he is a champion. Simmons now knows what it feels like to be champion and in order for Vader to get it back he will have to drain him of his blood. He is proud to be a champion for the people.

6.) Jesse Ventura recently interviewed Jake Roberts. Roberts says that everyone is pointing fingers towards him for what happened to Sting. Roberts says nobody points a finger at a hunter who kills a deer. He baited Sting and he got him, just like a deer. Roberts wants Sting to tell the kids in the ghetto that its easy. Roberts is tired of doing the right thing because there isn’t a right thing to do. Roberts promises to make Sting’s life a living hell.

7.) Paul E. Dangerously is with the WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy and Steve Williams. They have apparently reached a deal together. They don’t want the Steiner Brothers around when they return from Japan. Dangerously is mad that Dangerous Alliance never got a rematch against the Steiner Brothers. So, they will take the Steiner Brothers out thanks to all the money that Gordy and Williams are giving them to do it.

8.) Zbyszko and Eaton start off the match with Eaton controlling Zbyszko with a headlock. Eaton keeps Zbyszko on the canvas working over his knee for a moment. Eaton tags out to allow Anderson to give the match a try. Zbyszko takes Anderson down with a drop toe hold and locks in a hammerlock. Pillman tags in and comes off the top rope before driving his knee into the back of Anderson. Anderson decks Pillman with an elbow but misses a few elbow drop attempts. Pillman fights back on the apron but is met with a knee lift. Pillman rams Anderson into the top turnbuckle and hits a top rope cross body for a near fall. Eaton tags back in and works over Pillman with strikes. Pillman hip tosses Eaton out of the corner followed by a head scissors. Eaton stops Pillman with a back breaker and tags in Anderson. Anderson works over the lower back of Pillman. Pillman drops Anderson but Eaton enters and puts Pillman back on the canvas. Arn misses a knee drop and Pillman tags in Zbyszko to allow Larry to work over the left knee with several stomps. Zbyszko decks Eaton on the apron with a right hand. All four men are going at it in the ring. Pillman puts the figure four on Anderson right in the middle of the ring.

Pillman arm drags Eaton but he is taken down to the canvas by Eaton with a hammerlock. Anderson tags in and controls the arm with an arm lock. Pillman kicks Anderson down to the canvas and tags in Zbyszko. Zbyszko kicks Eaton several times in the corner and delivers a swinging neck breaker. Pillman tags in and works over Eaton with strikes but Eaton tags out to Anderson who keeps control of Pillman. Pillman stops Anderson with a sleeper hold. Anderson drives Pillman down with a back suplex and goes back to control of the arm. Eaton keeps Pillman in an arm lock by punching Pillman while the referee was out of position. Eaton tags back in and knee lifts Pillman to the apron. Pillman punches Anderson on the apron and takes Eaton out with a springboard clothesline. Zbyszko gets the hot tag and clubs away on Eaton. Arn tags in but is slammed as is Eaton. Eaton stops Zbyszko with a right hand and Pillman knee lifts Eaton from the apron. Anderson stops the pin and all four men are involved. Eaton knee lifts Zbyskzo from behind and Eaton plants Zbyszko with an arm breaker, twice. Eaton stomps on Zbyszko’s arm and Anderson returns to work over the left arm some more. Arn sends Zbyszko shoulder first into the corner. Zbyszko continues to be double teamed and prevented from making a tag to Pillman. Zbyszko tries to fight out of the corner but can’t break free. Anderson takes Zbyszko down with a hammerlock slam as we go to commercial.

Well, this is a rarity. The match actually ended during the commercial. We returned and Zbyszko is holding his arm and Ross is playing it off as if Zbyszko has broken his arm. Eaton delivered a top rope knee drop to the arm and the bell was sounded after an arm lock. (**. I appreciate the focus on the arm by both teams. However, the match was rather boring and felt like it was taking forever.)

9.) Harley Race and Big Van Vader close out the show with some comments. Race believes that Vader was robbed because the opponent was changed at the last minute. Vader is not making any excuses. Vader feels no pain and he will end the war with Ron Simmons.

Final Thoughts:
It’s historic since Ron Simmons is the first African American World Champion in WCW. So, a lot of focus was put on that and virtually nothing else. Oh, and the debut of Jake Roberts, which is good for the heel side for the company. I thought that debut was done nicely even if his timing into the ring was off a little bit. The action isn’t very good but I like the developments for the angles.

Thanks for reading.