Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Pro
Date: 3/16/1997
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Alex Wright defeated Pat Tanaka
2.) Harlem Heat defeated Mike Enos & Bunkhouse Buck
3.) Ice Train defeated Maxx
4.) Jim Powers & Hardwork Bobby Walker defeated Renegade & Joe Gomez
5.) Steiner Brothers fought Meng & Barbarian to a double count out
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Tanaka starts off with kicks to take Wright down to the mat. Wright heel kicks Tanaka to the mat. Wright continues to beat on Tanaka with strikes and an uppercut. Wright plants Tanaka with a back suplex. Wright works over Tanaka in the corner with stomps and right hands. Wright tries for a hurricanrana, but Tanaka hits a sit down powerbomb. Tanaka misses a splash in the corner and Wright goes to the top rope. Wright hits a missile dropkick to finish off Tanaka. (*1/2. For such a quick match, I thought they did a really solid job in there. I’m wondering if Wright using a missile dropkick will lead to a feud with Jericho.)
2.) Bunkhouse Buck and Stevie Ray kickoff the tag match with Buck working over Ray with strikes and an eye rake. Ray kicks Buck to the mat and continues with a scoop slam. Ray clotheslines Buck and plays to the crowd. Ray misses an elbow drop and Buck tags in Enos. Enos drives Ray into the corner face first followed by kicks. Enos runs into an elbow by Ray and Ray nails Enos with a big boot. Booker T tags in and works over Enos with an elbow strike. Booker hits a scissors kick. Buck kicks Booker from the apron and Enos keeps control with a backbreaker. Buck eye rakes Booker while the referee is distracted. Enos shoulder rams Booker in the corner and Buck returns to the match. Buck misses a running knee strike in the corner. Ray gets tagged in and hammers away on Buck. Enos enters to help Buck, but Buck accidentally big boots Enos to the floor. Ray holds Buck allowing for Booker to hit a leaping side kick and they win the match. (*1/4. I’m a fan of Enos teaming with Buck, but the match was fairly boring overall. I think Enos and Buck as a low level heel team to lose to the bigger teams is a fine role for them. Enos has plenty to offer if he were to branch off from Buck, too.)
3.) Here’s a shocking result. Bobby Walker pinned Renegade in the tag match with a top rope crossbody after nearly three minutes of action. You know you have fallen down the ranks when Bobby Walker pins you. Jim Powers hilariously considers themselves the “team of the 90s.”
4.) Scott Steiner and Barbarian kickoff the tag team main event. Scott cleanly breaks away from Barbarian against the ropes. Barbarian kicks Scott and follows with a few strikes. Barbarian drives Scott down with a side slam. Scott tosses Barbarian with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Rick gets tagged in and barks for the crowd. Meng enters and Rick is double teamed with strikes in the corner. Meng elbow strikes Rick and spikes Rick with a piledriver for a two count. Meng stomps on Rick but misses a clothesline. Rick takes Meng down with a powerslam for a near fall. Meng works over Rick with a strike and tags in Barbarian. Barbarian and Meng go to opposite corners and hit diving headbutts leading to a two count as Scott broke the cover. Barbarian kicks Rick a few times and overhand strikes. Meng continues to work over Rick with strikes and a throat thrust. Barbarian looks for a backdrop, but Rick stops Barbarian with a clothesline. Barbarian punches Scott on the apron to prevent a tag from taking place.
Rick continues to be worked over by Meng in the corner. Barbarian enters the match and Meng works over Rick with strikes and stomps. Barbarian enters and Rick fights them both off. Scott gets the hot tag and cleans house with clotheslines. Barbarian strikes Scott from behind and sits Scott on the top rope. Rick has Barbarian on his shoulders, but Meng punches Scott. Rick drops Barbarian over the top rope. All four men end up on the floor brawling and that leads to a double count out. (**. That was a solid main event with some decent action. These two teams seem to mesh fairly well and I think if they were to wrestle on Nitro it would be a lot of fun to see. I’m liking that the Faces of Fear are getting protected and aren’t jobbing out on Pro.)
Final Thoughts:
Uncensored 97 is the same day and exposes that Pro is a heavily taped show. I mean, I guess it’s possible that the Steiner Brothers went from Florida to South Carolina, but to do so on a PPV day would be a little silly. Same could be said for Harlem Heat. The show was fine this week with some entertaining action.
Thanks for reading.