WCW Saturday Night 10/30/1993

Written by: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 10/30/1993
From: Columbus, GA

Matches:
1.) Johnny B. Badd & Erik Watts defeated WCW Television Champion Lord Steven Regal & Paul Orndorff by disqualification
2.) Ice Train defeated Tony Zane
3.) WCW United States Champion Dustin Rhodes defeated Pat Rose
4.) Steve Austin & Brian Pillman defeated Chris Kern & Chris Sullivan
5.) The Colossal Kongs defeated Al Hunter & Jason Johnson
6.) The Shockmaster defeated Chic Donovan
7.) Ricky Steamboat defeated Bobby Eaton
8.) Ric Flair defeated Sid Vicious by disqualification

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Watts and Regal start off the opening tag team match. Watts backs Regal into a corner but backs away cleanly. Watts has a wrist lock on Regal but is quickly taken down to the mat. Watts shows off his mat wrestling by keeping a hammerlock on Regal. Orndorff tags in and is met with a shoulder blocker from Watts. Orndorff tries to mat wrestle with Watts, but Watts controls him with a hammerlock on the canvas. Badd tags in and takes Orndorff down to the canvas to keep control of the contest. Orndorff decks Badd but misses an elbow drop. Orndorff keeps Badd on the canvas and tags in Regal. Regal controls Badd on the canvas working on his ankle. Badd flips Regal and continues to work over his arm. Regal knee lifts Badd and is key with a shoulder block. Regal trips Badd followed by pulling his leg. Orndorff tags in and controls Badd with a bear hug. Orndorff drives Badd down to the canvas with a spine buster and stomps on Badd. Orndorff misses an elbow strike in the corner. Watts tags in coming off the middle rope with a double axe handle to keep control of Orndorff. Watts shoulder blocks Orndorff but Regal pulls down the top rope and Watts crashes to the floor. Regal hits a snap suplex on the floor to hurt the lower back of Watts. Orndorff stomps away on Watts before hitting a clothesline and tags in Regal. Regal takes Watts down with a butterfly suplex for a two count. Regal sends Watts into the corner and works over Watts with more strikes. Regal boot scrapes Watts and Orndorff tags in to deliver a boot to the midsection. Orndorff keeps Watts on the canvas with a chin lock. Watts breaks free from Orndorff hitting a hip toss but is tripped to the canvas and Regal tags back in. Regal drops Watts with an uppercut and a dropkick.

Regal nails Watts with a double knee strike and Orndorff enters the match controlling Watts with a front face lock. Badd gets the hot tag and hammers away on Orndorff but the referee didn’t see the tag. Watts gets sent over the top to the floor. Orndorff rolls Watts into the ring and connects with a standing dropkick. Watts attempts a leapfrog but collides with Orndorff and they both crash to the canvas. Orndorff tags in Regal and Badd gets the tag as well. Badd cleans house on Regal with strikes and a knee lift coming off the ropes. Badd drops Orndorff as well before ramming him into Regal. Badd is all fired up. Orndorff sends Watts into the ring post. Badd nearly pins Regal in the ring. Badd misses a dropkick as Regal sidesteps the attempt. Orndorff enters and hammers away on Badd with strikes. Orndorff clotheslines Badd and kicks the referee to the floor. Maxx Payne gets in the ring and the referee calls for the bell. Orndorff is going to let Payne hit Badd. However, Payne decks Orndorff and Regal instead! After the match, Payne grabs Badd and is met with a punch. Watts is trying to calm Badd down and explain to him what happened. Payne offers his hand to shake with Badd. Badd thinks about it and he does shake his hand. (*. Regal and Orndorff couldn’t get this match over with the crowd. The face turn for Payne doesn’t seem to make much sense. I mean, I don’t care about Payne at all, so it doesn’t really matter what he does. This was a long fifteen minutes.)

2.) Ric Flair shared some pre-tape comments regarding his match with Sid Vicious tonight. Flair has lived like the man because he’s been the man ten times. Flair has to beat Sid in order to get to Vader, and he’ll do just that. Flair wants the WCW World Champion once again. Flair is going to show Sid that he is the greatest.

3.) We hear from several WCW wrestlers who discuss Battlebowl and they explain concept of not knowing your partner or opponents. If you win the tag match then you both go into Battlebowl. All the wrestlers put over the Battlebowl match and how unique it is. I mean, it’s a battle royal. Anyway, it takes place on November 20th and starts at 8:30 for some reason.

4.) WCW United States Champion Dustin Rhodes is interviewed following his easy victory. Rhodes says that the WCW US Championship means everything. He’ll be wrestling Paul Orndorff at the Clash of the Champions and expects nothing less than 110% from Orndorff. We hear some pre-tape comments from Paul Orndorff and the Assassin n. He incorrectly says the show is on September 10th and insults Dusty Rhodes calling him jelly. He is annoyed that Dusty hasn’t acknowledged. He is going to hurt his family and not one member of his family is going to be safe from him. Orndorff chimes in says he doesn’t like the Rhodes family. Orndorff calls Dustin a snot punk kid. He is going to win the title and let Assassin sleep better. Dustin gets fired up saying that has beaten down every challenger who has tried to get to his father. Dustin suggests Assassin settle his issues with Dusty face to face.

5.) Sid Vicious shared some pre-tape comments regarding his match with Ric Flair tonight. He admits that Flair is the greatest wrestler and champion. However, things change and one day people come too old and too tired. Sid considers himself the young lion and he rules the world.

6.) Steve Austin and Brian Pillman are interviewed following their squash victory. Pillman says the big blonde machine rolls on despite a conspiracy. They are a human magnet for success. Col. Robert Parker comes out and puts over Steve Austin while ignoring Pillman. He says that Austin won that match all by himself. Pillman asks Parker what about him. Parker tells Pillman that he’d put him down with his injured leg. Parker ends up getting decked by Pillman and he hammers away on Parker. Wait a second, Austin attacks Pillman! Austin sends Pillman into the guard railing and drops Pillman throat first across the railing. Austin holds Pillman allowing Parker to get several cheap shots in. Pillman has been laid out by his tag partner. The Hollywood Blonds are over with, folks!

7.) Harley Race and the Colossal Kongs are interviewed. Race is asked about the Flair/Sid match where the winner meets Vader at the Clash of the Champions. Race wants Sid and Parker to think about what they are going to get themselves into. Race knows that Flair already knows what’s going on since they have wrestled before. Race says whomever walks into the Clash to challenge Vader will not walk out.

8.) Road Warrior Hawk shares some pre-tape comments regarding WCW International Champion Rick Rude. Hawk says that Rude knows his face but not his mind. Hawk doesn’t even know his own mind. Hawk says his body will drive right over Rude. Hawk says Flair’s catchphrase about being the man. Hawk wants the gold. He is pretty good at ruining lives and Rick Rude is number one on his list. Hawk doesn’t care if Rude doesn’t like it.

9.) Steamboat backs Eaton into the corner but doesn’t deliver a shot or anything. Eaton takes Steamboat down to the canvas with a headlock and elbows Steamboat away on the mat. Eaton attempts a hip toss out of the corner but Steamboat counters with one of his own. Steamboat controls Eaton with a wrist lock. Steamboat comes off the ropes to hit a shoulder block and an arm drag. Eaton gets up and staggers Steamboat with a right hand and a scoop slam. Eaton misses an elbow drop, Steamboat head scissors Eaton and controls Eaton with an arm drag. Steamboat controls the left arm of Eaton and keeps him on the mat. Eaton holds the ropes and boot scrapes Steamboat to get out of the hold. Eaton chokes Steamboat over the top rope briefly. Eaton avoids a chop by bailing to the floor. Steamboat follows but is decked by Eaton and knocked down on the floor. Eaton rams Steamboat back first into the apron and returns to the ring. Eaton has Steamboat on the apron delivering an overhand strike followed by a knee. Steamboat goes for a sunset flip from the apron and nearly wins the match. Steamboat takes Eaton down with an arm drag to keep control again. Steamboat chops away on Eaton but is stopped by an eye rake. Eaton snap mares Steamboat for a two count. Steamboat takes control with a hammerlock on the mat. Steamboat leaps off the apron trying to hit Eaton on the floor but misses and hits the railing chest first. Eaton rams Steamboat into the railing a second time. Eaton brings Steamboat back into the ring from the apron with a suplex. Eaton heads to the top rope but Steamboat gets up and delivers a few shots. Eaton leaps off and is met with a strike in the midsection. Eaton decks Steamboat with a clothesline for a two count. Eaton comes off the ropes with a swinging neck breaker for a two count. Eaton decides to go to the top again but is crotched by Steamboat. Steamboat hits a superplex and climbs to the top rope. Steamboat leaps off to hit a cross body but Eaton rolls through nearly winning the match. Steamboat stands up with Eaton on his shoulders and drives Eaton down to the canvas. Steamboat has a rollup and pins Eaton. (*1/2. Jeesh, this was a boring match between two guys I normally enjoy. Eaton just doesn’t matter anymore and it’s a shame. When they wrestled in ’92 during the Dangerous Alliance angle it was something that mattered. The fans were mostly dead for this.)

10.) Flair fakes Sid out and lets out a Woo at the start of the match. Flair backs Sid into a corner but gets shoved down to the mat. They do the same spot. Sid shoulder blocks Flair as he comes off the ropes. Flair again comes off the ropes and is knocked to the canvas with another shoulder block. Sid kicks Flair in the midsection but misses a clothesline. Flair chops Sid to the floor and Sid regroups with Parker at ringside. Sid works over Flair with strikes to drop Flair to the canvas. Sid sends Flair flipping into the corner and Flair falls to the floor. Sid pulls Flair back into the ring and attempted a big boot but Flair leg trips Sid and slams Sid’s head against the canvas. Flair actually leaps off the top and double axe handles Sid on the floor! Flair tosses Sid into the crowd over the railing. Flair lays Sid over the railing to deliver a few kicks. Flair chops Sid against the railing as well. Flair brings Sid back into the ring where Sid connects with a clothesline and taunts the fans. Sid stomps on Flair on the apron. Parker chokes Flair while the referee is distracted by Sid. Sid grabs a chair on the floor and whacks Flair over the back. Sid returns to the ring and taunts the fans. Sid brings Flair back into the ring from the apron with a vertical suplex for a two count. We go to commercial…

Sid has a bear hug on Flair and is getting a two count on a cover attempt. Sid keeps Flair in the traditional hold. Sid drives Flair down to the canvas with a scoop slam. Sid controls Flair with a chin lock and goes back to a bear hug. Flair fights his way out of the hold but Sid plants Flair with a power slam for a two count. Sid chokes Flair but lets go before five. Flair hammers away on Sid against the ropes. Flair goes to the top rope but gets caught in midair and Sid puts another bear hug on Flair. Sid misses an elbow drop coming off the ropes. Flair pulls Sid to the corner and wraps his left knee around the ring post. Flair wraps his knee around the ring post a second time. Flair stomps away on Sid working on his legs. Flair pummels Sid with right hands. Flair eye rakes Sid but Sid blocks being rammed in the corner. Sid rams Flair into the turnbuckle and connects with a big boot. Flair kicks Sid away and is sent into the corner but runs the apron hitting an axe handle. Flair plants Sid with a back suplex. Flair goes for the cover but Sid powers out and Flair lands on the apron. Flair goes to the top rope and hits another double axe handle. Flair locks in the figure four in the middle of the ring. Sid manages to turn the move over on Flair but Col. Robert Parker enters and attacks Flair. That gives the match to Flair by disqualification. After the match, Sid is dumbfounded by what Parker just did. Parker is trying to explain his actions but Sid appears to be pretty upset about it. Sid grabs Parker for a choke slam and we go off the air, but Sid clearly lays him out with a choke slam! (**. It was a slow match but their brawling on the floor was enjoyable. Flair did what he could with Vicious here and got an average match out of him.)

Final Thoughts:
It was an average episode for Saturday Night. They continue to have several feature matches on the programming, but it’s not really doing much in terms of overall quality for the show. Looks like the Hollywood Blonds have split up and Sid is turning face. I think Sid connects better with fans when he plays a face. I don’t have any interest in the Battlebowl pay per view, but there are for sure making the Clash of the Champions a bigger deal. I’m interested to see Sid’s role as a face moving forward.

Thanks for reading.