Rebooking WCW: Week 13, 1992

March comes to an explosive close as WCW presents Power Hour and Saturday Night this week. The return of WCW United States Champion, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, is expected and much more! Also covered, this week’s promotion headlines.

WCW POWER HOUR

Event Date: March 27th, 1992

Location: New Mexico, United States

Attendance: 10,000 [SOLD OUT]

Total Viewers: 916,154

1. Rick Rude, Line One: As the commentary team opened the show, they got a surprise phone call via satellite from the WCW United States Champion, “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Rude was audibly in a rush, saying that he plans to be live on-hand and in-person to confront Brian Pillman tomorrow night, on WCW Saturday Night!
2. Maxwell “The Merger” Nash w/ Alexandra York defeated Art Barr in a singles match when Nash pinned Barr following a Liquidation Powerbomb.
3. Barr Attacked, Scorpio Makes the Save: The post-match assault began, as Maxwell “The Merger” Nash and his partner, Taylor Made Man, stood over Art Barr and chose violence instead of simple victory. A two-on-one beating ensued, with the crowd raining down boos. Before things got completely out of hand, 2 Cold Scorpio’s music hit and the crowd came alive. Scorpio hit the ring, throwing hands and clearing house. Nash and Taylor bailed, furious, as Scorpio stood tall with his grateful partner. Scorpio then grabbed a mic from ringside and challenged The York Foundation to a match tomorrow night on WCW Saturday Night.
4. Dustin Rhodes defeated King Parsons, Jr. in a singles match when Rhodes pinned Parsons, Jr. following a Western Lariat.
5. A Chilling Video from The Deadly Duo: A pre-taped vingette aired mid-show and it instantly shifted the atmosphere. Shot in shadowed corridors, lit by flickering lights and scored with warped, ambient noise, the promo featured Cactus Jack speaking in cryptic threats on behalf of his team with Sabu, aimed at Scott & Rick Steiner. The message wasn’t clear, but that was the point. It was unsettling. Jack didn’t shout or rage, just promised reckoning, disintegration, and that “what is coming can’t be stopped.” The visuals were surreal, smoke curling through doorways, close-ups on empty chairs, and Jack & Sabu staring through cracked mirrors.
6. Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Bad Breed (Ian & Axl Rotten) in a tag team match when Rick pinned Ian following a Steinerline.
7. Harley Race Confronts Van Vader: Harley Race marched down to the ring with his ribs clearly hurt. He was out there to call out his client, Van Vader, to set the record straight. If Vader wanted him fired, he was going to have to do it face-to-face, man-to-man. The face turn was made undeniable the moment Big Van Vader stepped through the curtain. Fans cheered him as he made his way to the ring. Vader asked if his message wasn’t clear enough last week, when he fired Race and banged up his ribs. Race said that last week wasn’t the way to do it, calling Vader a coward and saying that without his guidance, Vader would fall into obscurity! Vader simply stated again that Race’s services were no longer needed and in another act of defiance, Vader grabbed Race by his jacket, hoised him up, and planted him with a huge powerbomb. Commentary immediately framed the moment as a major change in direction for Big Van Vader, noting the shift in attitude and alignment.
8. Pre-Match Attack: The main event wasn’t given a chance to properly start as Shane Douglas charged down the ramp and ambushed Vader in the ring from behind. The crowd erupted in boos as Shane Douglas drove Van Vader into the barricade at ringside, with commentary calling this “a calcuted move to gain the upper hand before the opening bell.” Referees rushed in to restore order before Big Van Vader took too much damage. Harley Race was removed from the scene and the match was able to officially begin.
9. Big Van Vader defeated Shane Douglas in a singles match when Vader pinned Douglas following a Vader Bomb.

WCW SATURDAY NIGHT

Event Date: March 28th, 1992

Location: Arizona, United States

Attendance: 10,000 [SOLD OUT]

Total Viewers: 3,805,326

1. Rude Returns TONIGHT: A sleek, tightly produced video package aired opening the broadcast, announcing that tonight would mark the return of WCW United States Champion, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, who has been on vacation for several weeks. The video didn’t just show old footage, it framed a narrative: shots of key past moments, voiceover snippets from promos, and subtle teases of what Rick Rude may have in store for Brian Pillman tonight. Commentary followed up with brief context on where Rude has been and where he might be going as we march toward WrestleWar ’92!
2. York Foundation (Maxwell “The Merger” Nash & Taylor Made Man) w/ Alexandra York defeated The Love Machines (Art Barr & 2 Cold Scorpio) in a tag team match when Nash pinned Scorpio following a Liquidation Powerbomb.
3. Two Giants Cross Paths: In a seamless but loaded transition between matches, Big Van Vader made his entrance for the next bout on the card, only to encounter Maxwell “The Merger” Nash walking back up the ramp following his performance in the tag match that had just finished. For a moment, both stopped. No words, just a look exchanged. It could’ve been tension, or a mutual respect. The crowd picked up on it immediately, reacting to the visual, as commentary pointed out the subtle body language between the two giants. Sometimes the best teases aren’t scripted, they’re staged. This one felt like a moment to file away.
4. Big Van Vader defeated Arn Anderson w/ Paul E. Dangerously in a singles match when Vader pinned Anderson following a Vader Bomb.
5. “The Dragon” is Caught in a Trap: The backstage area descended into chaos when a fight broke out between Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes, inside Dusty Rhodes’ personal locker room. The segment began innocently enough, a quiet moment in which Steamboat was apparently to meet with Dusty in his room, when suddenly, Dustin burst in and launched fists and forearms. Furniture went flying, paperwork scattered, and gear was thrown around as Steamboat and Rhodes traded shots. Security and officials eventually stormed in to seperate the two, but not before damage was done, both to the room and each other. On commentary, Dusty implored that he had absolutely nothing to do with the underhanded attack. Rhodes said there was no doubt it was all set up by his son!
6. Scott Steiner defeated Diamond Studd in a singles match when Steiner pinned Studd following a Butterfly Powerbomb.
7. Hart Hypes Cactus: In a backstage segment designed to spotlight momentum, Gary Hart spoke about one of his main Faces of Fear, Cactus Jack. Not only was Jack one-half of the WCW Tag Team Champions, he was an unstoppable force. Tonight, this force was going to make an example out of Ron Simmons on behalf of Gary Hart and the rest of the Faces of Fear!
8. Cactus Jack and Ron Simmons fought to a television time limit draw.
9. Faces of Fear Attack, Steiners Even the Odds: After the bell, Ron Simmons didn’t have a chance to recover. Cactus Jack initiated a cold-blooded beatdown and was quickly joined by Sabu and Gary Hart to turn it into a calculated three-on-one assault. The attack was methodical, stomps, slams, and a message being sent loud and clear. When it looked like Ron Simmons might be stretcher-bound, Rick & Scott Steiner’s music hit. The crowd erupted as the tag team sprinted to the ring, diving in to even the odds. Punches were thrown, the attackers scattered, and the segment ended with Rick & Scott helping Simmons up in a moment of solidarity and rising tension betwen the Faces of Fear and the rest of the WCW locker room.
10. “Stunning” Steve Austin w/ Paul E. Dangerously defeated Brian Pillman in a singles match when Austin pinned Pillman following interference from the outside. Madusa appeared and attacked Pillman on the apron while the referee was down, allowing Austin to pick up a cheap victory.
11. Pillman Demands Rude to Show his Face: Following being screwed over by Madusa, Brian Pillman grabbed a microphone, visibly fired up. He wasted no time calling out “Ravishing” Rick Rude, accusing him of ducking him and sending his woman out to do his dirty work for him. The promo was firey, with Pillman demanding Rude come out and finally settle things face-to-face! It didn’t take long for Rude’s music to hit. Rick Rude returned to WCW television and charged straight toward the ring, shouting back at Brian Pullman from the aisle. Few words were exchanged, tempers flared, and then the fists started flying. The two tore into each other with wild punches, rolling around the mat, and the action spilling to the outside. Security and referees rushed down in a wave to break it up, but neither wanted to let go. Every time they were pulled apart, one would slip free and lunge back at the other, reigniting the chaos.
12. Sting Pre-Match Interview: Missy Hyatt caught up with Sting for a quick interview segment aimed at his match tonight against Steven Regal. Sting delivered a confident response that helped clarify motivation behind giving Regal a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship tonight. He has been running his mouth nonstop and thinks he has what it takes to capture gold here in WCW. Well, tonight, Regal will have to put his money where his mouth is against The Stinger! Sting also mentioned that since Regal has had Mr. Hughes watching his back lately, Bryan Clark has promised to be in Sting’s corner to help keep an eye on the big man for him on the outside!
13. Sting w/ Bryan Clark defeated Steven Regal w/ Mr. Hughes in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship when Sting forced Regal to submit with a Scorpion Deathlock. Going into the finish of the match, Mr. Hughes attempted to help Regal get to the bottom rope, but Bryan Clark laid him out, allowing Sting to pick up the clean victory over Regal. Sting was able to successfully retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

WCW: IN THE NEWS

03/23/92 – 03/29/92

• “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert has failed another drug test as part of his 60 day stint in a rehab facility. It has gone unreported whether or not this will keep Gilbert from returning to WCW completely. (03/23)
• Big Van Vader will no longer be touring with NJPW, as announced by the company this week. Reports suggest that this may be due to his role possibly being increased on WCW television moving forward. (03/25)
• Enhancement talent Ian Rotten has reportedly suffered a major bicep injury during his match with Scott Steiner this week. He is expected to be out for a significant amount of time at this point, possibly missing a good amount of the rest of the year. (03/27)
• Rumors backstage suggest that veteran enhancement talent, Bill Irwin, has requested a shot at Chris Benoit’s WCW Television Championship. Time will tell if the office responds to this rumored request. (03/29)