WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII

Opening video focuses on Paul E. swearing the end of Sting. Tony and Jim welcome us to tonight's event with Missy and Eric on the interview ramp. Missy and Eric have a very Barbie and Ken look to them. I guess a lack of balls would explain Eric's many years of anger. Vader and Hughes face the Steiners. Ric and Vader stiff the shit out of each other. Vader goes over the top after 2 Steinerlines. Vader goes up top and Scott shakes the rope and Rick super-belly to belly suplexes Vader. Vader and Scott are in and Vader powerslams him. Hughes misses a corner charge and comes up selling his balls before Rick's bulldog off the top to Hughes ends it.

Young Pistol Tracy is out in his glittery gold and silver jacket while the Taylor Made Man looks like a cheap male stripper. Bagwell works with Taylor, whose job would be throughout the next few years in every company would just be to warm up younger talent. Rookie Marcus Bagwell has the crowd on their feet. When's the last time an actual WWE crowd cared about an act this much? JIM ROSS TALKS ABOUT FOOTBALL! The partners switch positions on the apron mid-match for some reason before the heels double-team choke Pillman. Pillman takes a flying back elbow from Tracy on the apron and takes an apron bump for it. Bagwell gets a hot tag and stripper pants and all slugs away on the heels. Pillman dropkicks Taylor into Tracy and Bagwell gets the win. This is put over as a big deal because it's his first Clash win.

We get Liger-Pillman highlights and some quick Tokyo Dome footage. Richard Morton is out, mullet and all because WCW paid well - but not enough to cut the mullet. Johnny B is out and his first bit of pyro duds out, but luckily, he's got pyro guns ON HIS GEAR and the other pyro works fine. A kid wants to stuff a dolalr into his garter...well that's a bit odd. Johnny just leaves and there goes that. Morton is put over as undersized, but able to overcome the odds...and yea, he's the heel. Morton powerslammed for 2. Johnny rolls through and cradles him to win it out of nowhere.

Pillman cuts a promo on Japan saying he respects the Japanese people, but can't stand their companies causing Americans to lose jobs. He rants about this for a while and then slug Johnny. DDP is out making Johnny B. Badd look suble to face PN NEWS!? DDP is so green here, but he's WORLDS better than PN News. RAPMASTER SPLASH ends it. DDP looks like a national star. PN News looks like someone who would be a mid-carder in a stable led by Downtown Bruno.

Rankings are gone over before Kip Frey runs down the contract for Sting vs. Luger at SuperBrawl II and brings out Jesse Ventura, who comes off like a bigger star than about 80% of the roster. Sting comes out and we get a video stagement from Luger and when it comes to covering up for not having enough dates on the guy, this is a great cover reason. Sting signs and says he wishes he could just grab Luger and take him out now. Sting's white and gold getup is fantastic.

Cactus Jack is out to make Van Hammer a star in the best match of the latter's career. Hammer is out in...a cow-themed getup and neon pink. Hammer hits the Sting/Jindrak dive from the ramp to the ring for 2 and legdrops him for 2. Cactus clothesline to the floor. Mick misses a second rope sunset flip to the floor and just makes a sickeing thud - but he gets 1 as Hammer at least goes down to mime this doing SOMETHING. Hammer gets a cradle for 2 on the ramp.

THEN MICK SPLATS OFF THE APRON TAKING A HIPTOSS!

They fight backstage and break a car post and Mick smacks his face with it. Missy howls away on the mic while Hammer bleeds from his chest and Mick gouges him with a bull skull. They fight into a holding pen where Abby is...for some reason and he and Jack brawl and then Abby accidentally hits Hammer with a shovel and Cactus wins. Abby picks up Missy and throws her in a trough before he and Cactus brawl more.

Big Josh and Brad Armstrong face the Freebirds, with Garvin smacking Brad with a lariat. The 'birds intro has been cut in the Network version now - although it was there before.  Ross describes a 'birds match as A GREAT SCIENTIFIC EVENT. Big Josh hits the log roll. Birds double DDT Brad and win it. Badstreet USA is used for their post-match theme and works so much better. Steiner profile or something is up next. It's a long video showcasing them beating a bunch of now-WWF teams including the LOD, Headshrinkers, Nasty Boys to bury that company - but also throwing in New Japan teams to make it not just a passive-aggressive piece.

Thomas Rich is out announced at 239 pounds, so in kayfabe, he's only FOUR POUNDS above the LHW limit. Yeah sure. Vinnie's out in a cheap suit and gigantic pants doing a terrible Vegas accent. In-ring, he looks like a giant version of King from Art of Fighting. Snake Eyes hits and this is the falling version and that's it. This was nothing.

Heyman buries WCW's top faces who will face his team tonight. FOR SOME REASON, Ron is representing the ghetto. He promises to leave someone like Magnum TA...how about not ever doing that? Arn, Bobby, and Zybisko are out for the Alliance to face Steamboat, Barry, and Simmons. BOBBY AND BARRY GO AT IT! This should be great. And this is some of Bobby's best gear ever - it's not his red, white, and black gear, but it's close. BARRY HITS A LARIAT ON BOBBY! Superplex to Bobby gets 2.

EVERYONE DOES FIGURE FOURS! Bobby and Dustin go at it. It's fitting that here in 2020, Dustin is now in the Beautiful Bobby role of the grizzled veteran who can work any role up and down the card. Larry and Barry are mid-ring and Larry stops short on a Barry lariat attempt and he just plops to the mat. Dustin takes a big bump for a phone shot from Paul E on the ramp. Arn misses a pump splash due to Dustin getting the knees up and Arn sells this tremendously.

Bobby charges in and goes ball-first into the buckle before tagging Arn in. ARN EATS A DOUBLE BOOT AND FLAIR FLOPS DOWN! Bobby comes in and eats a big punch from Barry off the top, and the taped fist gives the faces the win. What a great match - just smooth work from everyone involved. Tony is backstage to interview the faces and BARRY DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT HIS DOCTOR'S SAY - HE'S HERE TO KICK...TAIL AND TAKE NAMES. And he'll stop taking names! This is the best promo I've ever heard from Barry.

The main event is up with Austin and Rude coming out to face Sting and Steamboat. I love Rude wearing the US Title over his robe, although Steve's early '90s gear definitely drags things down. Austin in this group with his Hollywood Blondes getup would've looked far better. God, Turbo Charged was such a perfect theme. In hindsight, "A Man Called Sting" may have been an theoretical more major league-song due to the lyrics, but fuck is it kiddy shit compared to Turbo Charged. Ross and Jesse chat about football for a bit.

Jesse talks about how a manager can see things that you as a wrestler can't see. AND THAT IS ONE TINY THING that makes managers such a smart asset to AEW. It logically makes sense to want one to see things you can't and better your career. RUDE SELLS ATOMIC DROPS and Jesse points out that Sting is lowering himself to using the nails to attack. I like that Jesse would use real-world logic to point out hypocrisy.

The faces cheat back and forth off of camel clutches and Jesse goes nuts, while Ross says that they're just doing it before the Dangerous Alliance does - which, in this feud makes sense. Sting goes for the veritcal butt splash, but Rude gets the knees up. Steamboat tags in and runs wild on Austin before Steamboat gets a victory roll - but Rude clubs him and hits a big left arm lariat. I like that Jesse compares the various sides of the ring to a 50 yard line - so if you're watching and you're a football fan, you can get the structure of the playing surface and how it plays a part in the action. Also, in this era, you would always have the announcers bring up how important it was to get out the opposing side's corner and you never get that now...outside of AEW and New Japan. Steamboat dives onto Austin and wins it.

Rude Awakening to Steamboat and Sting misses a stinger splash and A SECOND RUDE AWAKENING ON STEAMBOAT and he goes limp. Rude lashes Sting with Paul's belt. Sting's a valiant partner and covers up Steamboat to take the damage. HOW CAN YOU NOT CHEER STING!? He's taking all the lashes for his partner here. What a difference in character between Sting and Hogan. You would NEVER see Hogan do this and look at all weak.