Rebooking WCW: Week 12, 1992

Lines in the sand are slowly being drawn as Hart’s Faces of Fear continue to dominate the rest of World Championship Wrestling. With April around the corner, how will week 12 shake out? Coverage of both WCW Power Hour and WCW Saturday Night for the third week of March within, including some news notes!

WCW POWER HOUR

Event Date: March 20th, 1992

Location: Maine, United States

Attendance: 9,347

Total Viewers: 771,673

1. Bryan Clark defeated Scotty Flamingo in a singles match when Clark pinned Flamingo following a Pumphandle Slam.
2. The Deadly Duo Backstage Interview: Missy Hyatt was standing by with Cactus Jack, Sabu, and Gary Hart in a darkened room backstage somewhere. She questioned The Deadly Duo about The Steiners and how they plan to retain the WCW Tag Team Championship in an eventual match to come. Cactus Jack controlled the interview, allowing Sabu to pose and snarl, and Gary Hart happily standing aside to let Cactus do his thing. Cactus ripped into The Steiner Brothers for being everything he and Sabu hate about WCW. The Deadly Duo are in WCW to hurt people, to injury them beyond repair, and to be recognized and rewarded for doing so. They didn’t go to any fancy schools, they didn’t get the pretty girls, but they do have the one thing that matters the most… the WCW Tag Team Championship!
3. The Deadly Duo (Cactus Jack & Sabu) w/ Gary Hart defeated The Lightning Kid & Z-Man in a tag team match when Sabu pinned Z-Man following a Triple Jump Moonsault off the top rope.
4. Maxwell “The Merger” Nash w/ Alexandra York defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell in a singles match when Nash pinned Bagwell following a Liquidation Powerbomb.
5. WCW TV Championship Video Package: This week’s episode of Power Hour featured a strong recap video package chronicling the intense feud between Chris Benoit and “Stunning” Steve Austin, laying out the key events that have brought the two to the current point over the last several weeks.
6. “Stunning” Steve Austin, & The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton) w/ Paul E. Dangerously defeated Chris Benoit, & The Love Machines (2 Cold Scorpio & Art Barr) in a three-on-three tag team match when Austin pinned Scorpio following a Stun Gun.
7. A “Stunning” Strike with the Gold: “Stunning” Steve Austin used the WCW Television Championship belt not as a symbol, but as a weapon, catching Chris Benoit clean across the face with a sickening shot that dropped him cold after the match. The commentary team treated the moment as serious, saying that there was a good chance our champion was not going to be at 100% once his rematch with Austin occured, thanks to the Dangerous Alliance.

WCW SATURDAY NIGHT

Event Date: March 21st, 1992

Location: Delaware, United States

Attendance: 10,000 [SOLD OUT]

Total Viewers: 3,311,114

1. Jushin “Thunder” Liger defeated Rey Mysterio, Jr., Glen Gilberti, Juventud Guerrera, Perry Saturn, & Taz in a six-man elimination match when Liger pinned Gilberti following a Shooting Star Press off the top rope.
2. A Dragon, a Natural, and their Special Referee: Eric Bischoff appeared in the ring to discuss the situation between Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes. According to officials, it would all be coming to ahead at WrestleWar ’92 this May and it had been decided that their match would have a special referee to officiate. The only man for that job, as decided by WCW, would be none other than “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes! The announcement drew immediate interest from the crowd and commentary table alike. Moments later, Dusty Rhodes made his entrance wearing a referee shirt and grabbed a mic to address both competitors. He planned to keep things fair but told the fans not to be surprised if he allows things to get down and just a little bit dirty. His son needs a good butt whippin’ and he’s not going to let much get in the way of that at WrestleWar! Dustin Rhodes then made his way to the ring to tell his father he had no business getting involved in any of this with Steamboat. Dustin said that Dusty’s only place in pro wrestling today was behind the commentary desk like he has been doing every Saturday! Dusty’s time in the spotlight is over and he has no lessons left to teach him… then, Ricky Steamboat made his way to the ring! In a panic, Dustin pushed his father to the mat, slipped out of the ring, and ran away through the crowd. Steamboat let Dustin run and said that he wouldn’t be able to run away much longer! He is going to beat Dustin at WrestleWar for not only himself, but for the honor of the Rhodes family name!
3. Mr. Hughes defeated Monty Sopp in a singles match when Hughes pinned Sopp following a Sidewalk Slam.
4. The Challenge is Set: Brian Pillman made his way to the ring with a microphone, having one purpose in mind. He was going to lay down a challenge. Pillman called out the WCW United States Champion, “Ravishing” Rick Rude directly, making it crystal clear that he wanted him one-on-one at the next pay-per-view event, WrestleWar ’92. The promo walked the line between personal and professional, with Pillman wanting to ultimately prove who the better competitor was. He expected an answer from Rude personally, face-to-face, next week! Pillman closed with telling Rude his vacation had just been officially cancelled, via Air Pillman!
5. “The Merger” Makes a Statement: The match may have ended, but “The Merger” had some more punishment to dish out after the bell. A second Liquidation Powerbomb planted King Parsons, Jr. down with authority!
6. Brian Pillman defeated Chris Kanyon in a singles match when Pillman pinned Kanyon following a Top Rope Dropkick.
7. Steiners on a Roll: In the locker room, Rick & Scott Steiner were gearing up to take it to their opponents in a tag team match next. Rick started off by saying that the Deadly Duo had done a lot of ducking and dodging lately, trying to sneak attack or blindside he and his brother, but when it comes down to getting things done inside that ring… The Steiner Brothers are the best in the whole world at doing it! Scott fired up about tonight’s opponents next, saying that he and his brother had been hearing a lot of chitter-chatter about Maxwell Nash and the York Foundation gaining momentum in the tag team division. Well, he and his brother ARE the tag team division! Tonight, they would remind Nash and the Taylor Made Man exactly who they are!
8. Rick & Scott Steiner defeated York Foundation (Maxwell “The Merger” Nash & Taylor Made Man) w/ Alexandra York in a tag team match when Scott pinned Taylor following a Butterfly Powerbomb.
9. Austin & Regal Pre-Match Interview: Eric Bischoff interviewed “Stunning” Steve Austin and Steven Regal backstage this week ahead og their match with Bryan Clark and Chris Benoit. Paul E. Dangerously spoke up for “Stunning” Steve Austin first, explaining that Benoit’s days as WCW Television Champion are numbered. Austin is sick and tired of seeing his face every week and promised to recapture his title, come hell or high water. Regal shrugged at the thought of Bryan Clark, once again, with Mr. Hughes by his side. Regal said that with Steve Austin as his partner in the ring tonight, victory will only come even easier. Bryan Clark will continue to be publicly embarrassed at the hands of Steven Regal!
10. Steven Regal w/ Mr. Hughes & “Stunning” Steve Austin w/ Paul E. Dangerously defeated Bryan Clark & Chris Benoit in a tag team match when Regal pinned Clark following a Butterfly Suplex. Prior to the finish, Regal was passed his infamous brass knuckles by Mr. Hughes to use on Clark to help him secure the finish.
11. Some ‘Rude’ Comments for Brian Pillman: Aboard a private jet, the WCW United States Champion, “Ravishing” Rick Rude and his valet Madusa were relaxing and sipping champagne. Rude said that he had recharged his batteries more during this vacation than he has in a long time. As much as he enjoyed it, he couldn’t help to be bothered by a little fly that kept buzzing around him the last couple of days, one Brian Pillman. Rude said that, soon enough, he would be able to swat that little fly away. He would be returning to WCW full-time and would be more than ready for whoever thinks they’re going to stand in his way at the top… and whichever bugs he doesn’t have the time for, Madusa will be more than capable of squashing herself!
12. Last Week’s Challenge, This Week’s Main Event: At the commentary table, it was announced that Sting had apparently accepted Big Van Vader’s challenge last week and WOULD be defending his WCW World Heavyweight Championship in our main event next.
13. Sting defeated Big Van Vader w/ Harley Race in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship via disqualification following interference from the outside. Kevin Sullivan attacked Sting at ringside forcing the match to end. Sting was able to successfully retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
14. An Unexpected Ally Saves the Stinger: Big Van Vader made the save during the brutal beatdown at the hands of Kevin Sullivan, who had dragged Sting into the ring to continue the attack. Cactus Jack and Sabu made their way out to help put the boots to Sting. Just when it seemed like the officials weren’t going to intervene fast enough, Big Van Vader realized what was going on and stepped in on behalf of Sting in a shocking twist! The crowd erupted once Vader slid back into the ring and began unloading with punches and clotheslines on the Faces of Fear. Vader cleared the ring as Sting returned to his feet.
15. Services Terminated: Following Big Van Vader’s saving Sting, a confused Harley Race got into the ring to confront his client. Race pointed a finger at Vader, poking his chest hard and demanding to know what the hell he was thinking while saving the enemy?! Vader threw a head-ringing strike at Race that rocked him enough to set him up for a Vader Bomb from the corner! With a splat, Race was down and out and Vader grabbed a microphone to announce that Race had officially been fired!

WCW: IN THE NEWS

03/16/92 – 03/22/92

• The Steiner Brothers won the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the second time during NJPW’s Breakdown event over the past weekend. This victory marks the second time they have won the championship in NJPW, and ends the 131 day reign of Hiroshi Hase & The Great Muta. (03/16)
• According to reports, Terry Taylor is rumored to be the resident locker room prankster. Road agents seem to indicate the pranks haven’t been mean-spirited, with even more serious veterans reportedly finding it hard to stay mad at some of his ribs. (03/17)
• There is mounting heat being drawn by Kevin Nash in the locker room as of late, according to some backstage sources. It seems the recent character change and push may be going to his head a bit. (03/22)
• Ron Simmons has reportedly been somewhat frustrated with his booking as of late. Sources say that Simmons spoke with the office about a push after feeling he’s put the work in on television. (03/22)
• “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert has failed another drug test. Per the WCW wellness policy, he has been sent to a drug rehab facility for 60 days, effective immediately. It appears as though his backstage role has been placed on an indefinite hiatus. (03/09)