Rebooking WCW: Week 9, 1992

WCW slowly marches toward the May pay-per-view event and this time, it is war… WRESTLEWAR ’92! As tensions rise up and down the roster, how will this week’s WCW Power Hour and Saturday Night shape out? What about the explosive surprise debut of Kevin Sullivan last week? All that will be answered, and more!

WCW POWER HOUR

Event Date: February 28th, 1992

Location: Illinois, United States

Attendance: 8,000 [SOLD OUT]

Total Viewers: 675,711

1. Maxwell “The Merger” Nash Teaser: A video teasing the arrival of Maxwell “The Merger” Nash opened the show tonight. The promo featured cryptic visuals and flashes of Wall Street and other streets around New York City. There was no narration, just a pulsating audio bed and fragmented phrases flashing across the screen. The package closed with a written statement, “Miss Alexandra York has made a new acquisition, THE MERGER is coming!”
2. Taylor Made Man defeated Bill DeMott in a singles match when Taylor pinned DeMott following a Five Arm.
3. Bryan Clark defeated Hector Garza in a singles match when Clark pinned Garza following a Pumphandle Slam.
4. Attempted Chairshot Ambush, Foiled: In a shocking moment that sent ripples through the crowd, Steven Regal ran down to the ring following Bryan Clark’s match, and attempted to ambush him from behind with a thunderous chairshot. The attack came without warning, but Clark took the chairshot to the back without even a flinch. Security rushed in, but Steven Regal was already making his cowardly exit, as Clark pushed by security and followed after him.
5. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat Backstage Interview: Backstage tonight, Missy Hyatt caught up with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat to discuss the ongoing situation between he and Dustin Rhodes. The interview was short but sharp, with Steamboat making it clear that Rhodes’ actions wouldn’t go unanswered. Missy mentioned that scheduled for tomorrow night, is a sit-down between the two men moderated by Eric Bischoff, in an attempt to settle their deep-seeded issues!
6. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat defeated Matt Borne in a singles match when Steamboat pinned Borne following a Flying Crossbody off the top rope.
7. Kevin Sullivan Debut Replay: A replay video aired highlighting the surprise debut of Kevin Sullivan after the main event of WCW Saturday Night last week. More footage was shown from when the show went off the air, as the beatdown on Sting commenced. Gary Hart, Kevin Sullivan, and the rest of the Faces of Fear made a major statement.
8. Gary Hart & Kevin Sullivan Backstage Promo: In a backstage segment designed to spotlight one of WCW’s newest talents, Gary Hart spoke about his newest Face of Fear… Kevin Sullivan! Hart struck fear in the viewer’s heart, cementing Sullivan as a main event threat to Sting and the rest of WCW’s top talent!
9. Kevin Sullivan defeated Ron Simmons in a singles match when Sullivan pinned Simmons following a Double Foot Stomp off the top rope.

WCW SATURDAY NIGHT

Event Date: February 29th, 1992

Location: Massachusetts, United States

Attendance: 8,644

Total Viewers: 3,050,299

1. Big Van Vader Arrives: The cameras opened to the backstage area where Big Van Vader and his manager, Harley Race, were seen walking with clear intent. Commentary immediately picked up on it, speculating about what Big Van Vader’s presence backstage might mean for the rest of the night.
2. Taylor Made Man w/ Alexandra York defeated David Heath in a singles match when Taylor pinned Heath following a Five Arm.
3. Alexandra York Introduces Her Newest Acquisition: After Taylor Made Man’s win, Alexandra York stood with poise when Missy Hyatt approached her in the ring for an exclusive interview. Missy simply asked who this mysterious, ‘new acquisition’ was for the York Foundation, the same question everybody has been asking for the last twenty-four hours! York announced the arrival of Maxwell “The Merger” Nash, a familiar face with a new direction. The man formerly known as Oz made his entrance, now dressed in a button up, black suspenders, dark hair, sunglasses, and pinstripe dress pants. His new look lent him a renewed sense of danger, credibility, and inevitability. Alexandra York promised that Maxwell “The Merger” Nash alongside the Taylor Made Man were about to change the tag team landscape, and that everyone should be prepared for liquidation! Nash didn’t need to say much. A glare, nod, and a smirk was all he needed to provide.
4. Jushin “Thunder” Liger defeated Rey Misterio, Jr. in a singles match when Liger pinned Misterio, Jr. following a Liger Bomb.
5. “Stunning” Steve Austin Lays Down a Challenge for WrestleWar ’92: “Stunning” Steve Austin and Paul E. Dangerously appeared in the ring with one purpose in mind: to lay down an official challenge. He again called out Chris Benoit directly, making it crystal clear that he wanted him one-on-one at the next pay-per-view, WrestleWar ’92 coming up in May. The language was definitive, with Austin explicitly naming the event and daring Chris Benoit to accept. The commentary team made sure to highlight the gravity of this, positioning it as a major development that could resolve one of the company’s hottest rivalries, if Benoit gives in to Austin’s begging.
6. “Stunning” Steve Austin defeated Perry Saturn in a singles match when Steiner pinned Saturn following a Spinebuster.
7. Faces of Fear Backstage Promo: Somewhere deep in the bowels of the building, Gary Hart outlined the group’s collective vision. One-by-one, Hart reinforced each man’s place in the machine. He mentioned that there are no weak links here, meaning that plenty of fear still awaited WCW. Tonight, the WCW Tag Team Champions will make light work of the other three teams they are set to face and it will only be a matter of time before Sting is no longer the World’s Heavyweight Champion, complements of Kevin Sullivan!
8. The Deadly Duo (Cactus Jack & Sabu) w/ Gary Hart defeated The Canadian Connection (Keith Hart & Carl Ouellet), The Love Machines (Art Barr & 2 Cold Scorpio), and Ian Rotten & Bill Irwin in a four-way No Disqualification tag team match when Jack pinned Ouellet following a Double Arm DDT.
9. The Steiners Make a Post-Match Save: What began as a hard-fought four-way tag match turned ugly fast when Cactus Jack and Sabu launched a coordinated post-match assault on the already battered Art Barr & 2 Cold Scorpio. The beatdown was intense and methodical, until that music hit… The crowd exploded as Rick & Scott Steiner charged the ring, slid in, and cleaned house to stand tall beside the fallen team. The message was clear: the numbers game wasn’t always going to go unanswered for Hart’s Faces of Fear!
10. Big Van Vader defeated BG James in a singles match when Vader knocked out James following a huge Power Bomb. James was unable to continue the match, as ruled by the referee.
11. Sit-Down Between Dustin Rhodes and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat: In a pre-taped segment designed to keep both competitors away from chaos, at least temporarily, Eric Bischoff hosted a sit-down interview between bitter rivals Dustin Rhodes and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. Bischoff mentioned how it was only three weeks ago that he was hosting a sit-down between “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Steamboat… now he was here with Steamboat and his former partner! He questioned how we all got here. Dustin chimed in and said that there had been one common denominator in that equation! The main problem was definitely Steamboat, according to Rhodes. Steamboat said that the problem was more so jealousy running rampant in WCW. He was shocked that those same poor qualities that Rude has seemed to have rubbed off on his former tag partner! Steamboat mentioned how disappointed Dustin’s father must be in him. This lit a fire under Rhodes and the segment was quickly closed by Bischoff before these rivals came to blows!
12. Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) in a tag team match when Scott pinned Ray following a Frankensteiner.
13. What’s Next for the WCW Unites States Champion: On a beach in Southern Florida, “Ravishing” Rick Rude laid out on a beach towel, Madusa at his side. Rude spoke directly to the camera to provide his thoughts on recent events and what’s ahead for the WCW United States Champion. Rude delivered a composed, confident promo and mentioned being done with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. He said that he has beaten him twice now and recognizes that Steamboat seems to have his hands more than full with Dustin Rhodes. Rude claimed to be taking it easy moving forward, as he was in Florida and soon on his way to Aruba for a much-needed and EARNED vacation. What was next for the U.S. Champion? A little bit of R&R!
14. Sting defeated Bobby Eaton in a singles match when Sting forced Eaton to submit with the Scorpion Deathlock.
15. Through the Announce Table: After Sting’s win, Kevin Sullivan stormed out and launched another vicious surprise attack on Sting. The ambush caught Sting off guard as Sullivan laid into him with a barrage of strikes before hoisting him up at ringside and driving him through the announce table with a devastating slam. Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone scattered mid-attack, shouting in shock as the table exploded beneath the impact. Security rushed to ringside while Kevin Sullivan stood tall over the wreckage and stared coldly into the camera before being forced away as the broadcast came to a close.

WCW: IN THE NEWS

02/24/92 – 03/01/92

• Michael Hayes has failed another drug test. Per the WCW wellness policy, he has been sent to a rehab facility, enrolled in a 60 day program, effective immediately. This comes after Hayes just failing a test only two weeks ago, as reported previously. (02/24)
• Matt Borne was hit with an injury following his match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat on WCW Power Hour this week. Insiders suggest he landed wrong following the crossbody finish, potentially sustaining a rib injury. He is expected to be held from in-ring competition for the time being. (02/28)