WCW Pro 5/18/1996

World Championship Wrestling presents Pro
Date: 5/18/1996
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Kevin Sullivan defeated Julio Sanchez
2.) Jim Duggan & Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated VK Wallstreet & Mark Starr
3.) Booty Man defeated Steve Doll
4.) Harlem Heat fought Masa Chono & Masa Saito to a double disqualification
5.) Chris Benoit defeated Brad Armstrong

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Sullivan is a lunatic. Sullivan brings Sanchez into the crowd and tosses Sanchez over the railing to the floor, which Sanchez took very well. Sanchez would be later known as Julio Dinero in ECW and TNA.

2.) I’m assuming that Wallstreet has hired Starr to do work on his home or something to justify the random pairing. Starr is part of Men at Work with Kanyon and wears construction worker gear while Wallstreet is basically the opposite.

3.) Pittman and Wallstreet kickoff the tag match. Wallstreet goes to the ropes quickly to get out of a waist lock. Pittman takes Wallstreet down to the mat, but Wallstreet quickly gets to his feet. Pittman arm drags Wallstreet and plays to the crowd. Pittman headbutts Wallstreet and tosses Wallstreet with a suplex. Starr gets tagged in as Duggan enters the match. Starr knee lifts Duggan against the ropes and Wallstreet decks Duggan from the apron. Starr forearms Duggan on the lower back a few times. Duggan sends Starr into the corner and Pittman tags into the match. Starr eye rakes Pittman and gains control in the corner with Wallstreet nailing Pittman with a cheap shot. Wallstreet enters the match and hammers away on Pittman. Pittman gets a sunset flip for a two count, but Wallstreet stomps on Pittman. Wallstreet nails Pittman with a clothesline. Wallstreet misses an elbow drop and both men struggle to make a tag. Duggan gets the tag and cleans house on both men. Wallstreet and Starr are sent into each other. Wallstreet decks Duggan from behind to help Starr. Starr accidentally clotheslines Walstreet. Duggan and Pittman clothesline Wallstreet leading to the three count. After the match, Wallstreet is pissed and attacks Starr to end the team after one match. (*. It was actually a bit better than I was expecting. I don’t know why, the Duggan/Pittman team is growing on me. They aren’t necessarily overly good, but it seems to just work and make sense. If we get a Starr/Wallstreet match I hope Starr pulls off an upset win.)

4.) Saito and Chono attack before the bell to get the early advantage. Chono works over Ray on the floor. Ray elbows Chono after no selling a kick by Ono. Ray and Chono get back into the ring. Ray clotheslines Chono for a one count. Ray slams Chono to the mat and tags in Booker. Booker stomps on Chono followed by a leaping sidekick. Chono bails to the floor to regroup. Saito gets in the ring, but doesn’t do anything. Chono eye rakes Booker, but doesn’t followup. Saito tags into the match and hits a Saito suplex. Saito stomps on Booker followed by a strike to the shoulders. Booker fires back with forearm strikes against the ropes. Booker elbows Saito to the mat, but Saito has a smile on his face. Booker ducks a clothesline and hammers away on Saito. Saito eye rakes Booker and chokes Booker over the top rope. Chono returns to the match working over Booker in the corner. Chono takes Booker down to the mat and delivers a big boot to the face. Chono is double teamed in the corner and Ray enters the match. Ray misses a splash in the corner. Ray hits a leaping double clothesline. Booker gets the tag and cleans house. Booker heel kicks Saito followed by two dropkicks. Harlem Heat stalk Ono on the floor. Saito and Chono attack from behind. Booker nails Chono with a forearm strike. The referee is calling for the bell and the match has been thrown out because both teams are brawling in the ring. (**. It’s cool to see some NJPW guys randomly appear on WCW Pro and have a strong matchup with Harlem Heat. I’m not surprised by the no contest finish. The crowd seemed extra into the match as they responded well to Harlem Heat. I don’t think this is a face turn for Harlem Heat, but rather the fans cheering for guys they know.)

5.) Armstrong puts a headlock on Benoit to start the match. Armstrong arm drags and dropkicks Benoit to the floor. Armstrong drop toe holds Benoit to the mat and keeps control on the mat. Benoit gets out of the headlock, but is kicked on the side of the head. Armstrong goes back to a headlock on the mat. Armstrong springs off the corner to maintain a headlock on the mat. Benoit stops Armstrong with a suplex to gain the advantage. Benoit delivers a backbreaker for a two count. Benoit keeps Armstrong on the mat with a chin lock. Benoit avoids a dropkick by holding onto the ropes and elbows Armstrong to the mat. Benoit forearms Armstrong in the corner, but runs into a boot in the corner. Benoit clotheslines Armstrong for a near fall. Benoit tries for a suplex, but Armstrong gets a two count on an inside cradle. Armstrong avoids a dropkick attempt. Armstrong backdrops Benoit out of the corner. Armstrong delivers a strike to the gut a knee lift for a near fall. Armstrong ducks a clothesline, but Benoit avoids the side Russian leg sweep by holding the ropes. Benoit hits a full nelson suplex with a bridge for the clean win. (**. An enjoyable match with Armstrong keeping a good pace with Benoit and his offense wasn’t terrible. I could get behind Armstrong being a guy to have solid matches with work rate guys on Pro level shows moving forward.)

Final Thoughts:
I liked the show this week as it felt fresh with some different faces appearing and there were a couple of solid matches.

Thanks for reading.