September 14, 2007
Matt Peddycord

WCW Beach Blast
June 20, 1992
Mobile, AL
Mobile Civic Center

The current WCW Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Sting (2/29/1992)
U.S. Champion: Rick Rude (11/19/1991)
World Television Champion: Steve Austin (5/23/1992)
World Light Heavyweight Champion: Brian Pillman (2/29/1992)
World Tag Team Champions: Rick & Scott Steiner (5/1/1992)
U.S. Tag Team Champions: The Freebirds (5/17/1992)

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Jesse Ventura.

WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman vs. Scotty Flamingo

Here is some of the changes Bill Watts made that hindered WCW and the light heavyweight division: the mats at ringside have been taken away – so if you splat out there, you splat on concrete. Also, moves off the top rope and throwing your opponent into the guardrail/ringpost would result in a DQ if you got caught by the referee. Had Bill Watts been booking WCW prior to or at Superbrawl with these rule changes, Pillman versus Liger would not be the classic match that we know it as today. Of course, Watts had a reason for the changes and that was to make WCW more sport-oriented by keeping the action inside the ring and on the mat instead of doing all the dangerous high spots. Fair enough, but WCW fans had already been subjected to all the awesome high-flying moves, so it was like taking away a kid’s favorite toy. Now that doesn’t mean there weren’t any more good light heavyweight title matches, because this was certainly good in my eyes. But if you take away what makes the light heavyweights special, you’re left with a stale, meaningless division. I’m looking at you, WWE. Scotty Flamingo is Raven, by the way. He’s all dressed up in fluorescent pink, tanned and has a good enough physique to not have to wear a shirt when he wrestles. He’s also pretty stuck on himself, which is what his character is all about. Waistlock exchange to start. Pillman goes after the arm and grabs a hammerlock, but Flamingo makes the ropes. Pillman catches Flamingo with a crucifix for two and then goes back to the hammerlock. Flamingo goes low to escape, but Pillman comes back and armdrags Flamingo to the mat for a short-arm scissors. Pillman adjusts to an armbar. Flamingo fights out and tries a hiptoss, but Pillman counters into one of his own. Back to the hammerlock we go. Flamingo gets to the ropes, but Pillman snaps off a headscissors and dropkicks Flamingo out on the concrete. Pillman follows him out with a double-sledge off the apron. Back in, Pillman climbs up top, but if he comes down voluntarily, he’ll be DQ’ed. Flamingo grabs him though before Pillman can get down and throws him half-way across the ring for two. He then tosses Pillman out for a pescado. Back in again they go, as Flamingo hits a fist drop off the middle rope for two. Flamingo pounds Pillman the apron, but then runs into a slingshot crossbody for 1-2-NO! Flamingo is right back up though and DRILLS Pillman with a clothesline for two. Now we hit the chinlock. Pillman fights up, but then runs into a knee. Flamingo then misses a corner splash, but maintains control with the chinlock. Pillman escapes into a sleeper, but Flamingo drives his face into the turnbuckle to break loose. Double-KO spot occurs. They trade blows, but it’s Pillman coming off the ropes with a spinning heel kick. Pillman delivers a pair of turnbuckle smashes and then sets up for some ten-count corner punches. Flamingo reverses a cross-corner whip and catches Pillman with a powerslam for 1-2-NO! Pillman can’t even stand on his own two feet now. Flamingo climbs the turnbuckle to celebrate like he’s just won, but Pillman is there to bring him down back to reality with a back suplex for 1-2-NO! Flamingo got his foot on the bottom rope. Pillman hits a face slam and then clotheslines Flamingo out to the rampway. Pillman comes off the ropes and DIVES at Flamingo, but he moves just in time and causes Pillman to land FACE-FIRST on the rampway. Back in, Flamingo hits a knee-drop off the middle-rope for 1-2-3. (17:29) Whoa, huge upset at the time. Good back-and-forth stuff from both guys. Flamingo reminds me of Carlito. ***½

Johnny B. Badd is here to emcee the Bikini Contest between Madusa and Missy Hyatt for the title of “First Lady of WCW”. Jesse Ventura is pissed he wasn’t picked to be the emcee because he thinks Badd doesn’t even like girls. Anyways, this is round one: the evening gown competition. Missy does it right, but Madusa walks out in a wedding gown complete with the veil and flowers and everything, which is just weird.

Ron Simmons vs. Taylor Made Man

Simmons restarts his quest to become the first black WCW World Heavyweight champ and so he has to go through…Terry Taylor to get there? Don’t get me wrong - Taylor is a great wrestler, but he’s nowhere near the world title. All the same, this is what we got. Simmons overpowers to start like usual and hits a three-point stance, but then Taylor yanks Simmons out to the rampway. Simmons fights back and press slams Taylor back in the ring. Clothesline puts Taylor out on the concrete, but Simmons quickly throws him back in for more Simmons offense. Taylor pokes the eyes to escape a bearhug and then avoids a three-point stance to cause Simmons to fly out on the rampway. Back in, Taylor hits a jawbreaker and the Curt Hennig running neck snap gets two. We go to the chinlock. Simmons fights out, but takes a backbreaker for two. Simmons then reverses a whip and hits a desperation SPINEBUSTER and snaps off a Powerslam for the 1-2-3. (7:10) Solid enough, but nothing special. **

Marcus Bagwell vs. Greg Valentine

Bagwell’s huge rookie push has come to a halt and now he’s jobbing out to the veterans. Bagwell, however, starts off strong with Valentine with slams and stuff. Bagwell turns away to pose and gets boos from the boys and cheers from the girls. He ducks low off a whip and pays for it with a forearm. Valentine wants a piledriver, but Bagwell backdrops out. Atomic drop and a pair of dropkicks put Valentine out on the floor. Back in, Valentine blocks a hiptoss with a clothesline and then chops away. Valentine hits a backbreaker and comes off the middle rope with an elbow drop, but Bagwell moves. Bagwell tries a knee drop, but Valentine moves out of the way of that and then goes after the knee. FIGURE-FOUR attempt is kicked away and a second try is countered into an inside cradle for 1-2-NO! Valentine goes back to work on the knee, but Bagwell counters for a pair of nearfalls. Valentine’s suplex is reversed into one from Bagwell for two. Bagwell mounts a comeback, but his knee buckles off a leapfrog. Valentine hits a shin breaker and gets the FIGURE-FOUR once and for all. That does it for Bagwell. (7:17) Haha, the crowd loves it! You’ve got to love seeing the grizzled old veterans take the new kids to school. That phrase looks kinda creepy when I type it, but that’s what happened here. **½

WCW World Champion Sting vs. Cactus Jack – non-title Falls Count Anywhere on the Gulf Coast

Finally, we get to witness the blowoff to this great feud that has been put on the backburner for quite a while. This match has been a long time coming, but it’s definitely worth the wait. You can throw out all the rules Bill Watts has put into practice in the last month or so because anything goes in this match. Cactus meets Sting on the rampway for a huge slugfest. Sting wins that and backdrops Cactus and then gives him a face slam for 1-2-NO! Cactus wobbles over near the corner, so Sting charges for a Stinger Splash, but Jack moves out of the way just in time to avoid the contact. Cactus comes off the apron for the Elbow Drop for 1-2-NO! Swinging neckbreaker gets another nearfall. Cactus tries to get the pin again with a sunset flip off the apron for another two-count! Sting blocks a headshot to the guardrail and returns the favor on Cactus. He fights back though and charges at Sting up against the guardrail, but Sting ducks and flips Cactus into the crowd! Sting hits a snap suplex to the concrete for 1-2-NO! He follows up by whipping Cactus into the guardrail to send him crashing over and back out to ringside. They finally get into the ring for the first time in this match. Sting blocks a kick and spins Cactus around, but then gets nailed with a clothesline. Cactus claws on Sting’s face and then hooks a body scissors. Jesse finds it genius that Cactus would use a wrestling hold in a street fight, because Sting wouldn’t expect it. JR ~ “Perhaps there is a method to his madness.” Cactus slaps away at Sting, which just revives him. Sting elbows out and pounds away, but then Cactus rakes the face and delivers the Cactus Clothesline out to the floor. Cactus might be the MVP of the match, but Sting is definitely taking his fair share of sick bumps himself. Cactus whips Sting into the guardrail, but then charges into a boot. Double-KO ensues. Cactus grabs a steel chair and WHACKS Sting in the back with it several times. Ventura questions why Sting would take this match with the craziest man on the planet when there’s nothing for him to gain. Cactus drags Sting around, but then takes a back suplex on the concrete! Another double-KO spot gets two for Cactus. Sting misses a Stinger Splash up against the guardrail and takes somewhat of a piledriver as well. Cactus climbs up to the second rope and dives out on Sting for an elbow, but he moves out of the way! Sting takes Cactus to the rampway and slams him down before BEATING him in the knee with the steel chair. Sting wants the SCORPION DEATHLOCK, but Cactus counters by rolling each other off the rampway down to the concrete. Back on the rampway, Cactus hits the DOUBLE-ARM DDT for 1-2-NO! Cactus slowly heads back towards the ring and doesn’t see Sting sprinting up behind him to nail him with a clothesline! Sting heads up top and delivers a flying clothesline on the rampway for 1-2-3! (11:24) I think JR called it best when he said it was a “wild and crazy match”. Fantastic brawl and one of Foley’s defining career moments. Sting did an awesome job too. ****¼

WCW U.S. Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude vs. Ricky Steamboat – non-title 30-min. Ironman Challenge

Another awesome feud wraps up here at Beach Blast, and it’s really a shame because these two would never have another high profile match like this again. Paul E and Madusa have both been barred from ringside for this one. Steamboat goes after the ribs immediately. Seems odd since Rude is so cut. Rude escapes a bearhug and buries his knee into Steamboat’s face. Remember, Rude and the DA broke Steamboat’s nose back in April. When was the last time you saw that kind of psychology used TWO MONTHS after an injury? Steamboat ducks a clothesline and slams Rude down for a modified bow and arrow. Rude rakes Steamboat in the eyes to get out of the hold, but Steamboat quickly maintains the control with a Boston crab. Steamboat REALLY cranks back on it too – into a Walls of Jericho. Rude still manages to get to the ropes. Steamboat hits a splash (for once!) and delivers a bunch of knee drops to the ribs. Steamboat hits a front suplex for 1-2-NO! Rude gets whipped into the corner, but catches Steamboat in the face with his knee HARD. Cover with a handful of tights gets 1-2-3. (Rude – 1 Steamboat – 0) Rude doesn’t screw around and delivers a RUDE AWAKENING for 1-2-3. (Rude – 2 Steamboat – 0) Rude heads up top and comes down on Steamboat with a flying knee drop, but that’s a no-no back in those days and Steamboat wins the next fall by DQ. (Rude – 2 Steamboat – 1) Inside cradle on Steamboat gets 1-2-3. (Rude – 3 Steamboat – 1) So, he’s right back to where he was before he gave Steamboat the DQ. Guess he was hoping for another pin out of that, but Steamboat fights back with chops on the ribs. Rude stops that though with a face slam and grabs a camel clutch. Steamboat crawls towards the ropes, so Rude jumps down on Steamboat’s back. Rude wants to bump ‘n grind, but his ribs are WAY too hurt tonight. Sorry, ladies. Now Rude buries the knee into the Dragon’s lower back. Back to the camel clutch we go, but Steamboat counters into an electric chair drop! Steamboat goes for the running splash, but Rude gets the knees up just in time. Swinging neckbreaker from Rude gets a bunch of nearfalls. Steamboat tries to chop back again, so Rude snapmares him down for a reverse chinlock at the 15-minute mark. Steamboat elbows out, but runs into a knee. Rude delivers some turnbuckle smashes and then hits a Piledriver! Cover, 1-2-NO! Rude wants a tombstone piledriver, but Steamboat reverses into one of his own for 1-2-3! (Rude – 3 Steamboat – 2) Just a desperation win though, as Steamboat gets pulled face-first into the corner. Rude heads up top again possibly sacrifice another fall – which would be stupid – so Steamboat instead crotches him and gives him a superplex! See, it’s legal if both guys are on the top rope, which makes NO sense. Steamboat slowly covers for 1-2-NO! Double-KO! There’s ten minutes left in this match. Rude lays back on Steamboat for 1-2-NO! Steamboat bridges up and into a backslide for 1-2-3! (Rude – 3 Steamboat – 3) Holy crap. Steamboat goes all Randy Savage on Rude with three nearfalls in around 30 seconds, so Rude kills his momentum with a jawbreaker. Rude drives Steamboat’s face into the mat a couple times and yells, “You ain’t no iron man!” I had no idea he was that bad at grammar. Forearm smash gets two. Standing clothesline puts Steamboat down long enough for a single-bicep pose. Rude chokes and pounds away before he goes for another RUDE AWAKENING, but Steamboat powers out and hits his own Rude Awakening! Cover, 1-2-NO! Rude’s foot is in the ropes. Steamboat follows up with knee drops and hits a suplex for 1-2-NO! Back suplex gets two. Rude then reverses a whip into the ropes and jumps on Steamboat’s back for a sleeper hold! That’s gotta suck. After 90 seconds in the hold, Steamboat finally drops to the mat. He’s bound to be in dream land by now. His arm doesn’t even drop once though as the crowd starts to get behind Steamboat. There’s 45-seconds left in the match! Steamboat gets to his feet and kicks off the corner to fall back on Rude for the 1-2-3! (Steamboat – 4 Rude – 3) The crowd erupts! Rude goes into panic mode! Clothesline gets two. Another clothesline gets two. A third one gets two. Inside cradle gets two. A big slam gets 1-2-NO! Oops, the time limit has expired. (30:00 Final Score: Steamboat – 4 Rude - 3) Oh, that’s beautiful. This was as great an iron man match as you’ll find outside of WWE. ****½

It’s time for round two of the bikini contest. Bring on the swimsuits. Madusa wears a boring one-piece while Missy puts on the two-piece. She really wasn’t that bad looking. If she wasn’t such a skank, I might care.

Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Steve Austin (w/Paul E. Dangerously) vs. Nikita Koloff, Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes

These guys have been doing six-man tags TO DEATH for the last 6-8 months, which may have had something to do with just why this match was less-than-exciting. Ole Anderson is now the senior referee in WCW. No one really cares though. Windham starts off working on Austin’s arm a bit. Rhodes tags in and hits a pair of dropkicks and applies an armbar in the wrong side of town. Austin easily tags out to Eaton. In case you’re wondering, Larry Zbyszko quit the Dangerous Alliance a week before this show. Because of his faux-pas at Wrestle War, it was only a matter of time until they beat the crap out of him anyway. Rhodes and Eaton kill time with some basic stuff. Eaton gets a rollup for two and tags in Anderson. Arn slaps Nikita on the apron, so you know Nikita is getting a tag. Arn’s just trying to bait Nikita into his corner though, but he doesn’t fall for it and stays on his side of the ring. Arn snapmares Nikita over and heads up top, but Ole is there to warn him about the DQ rule and Arn gets down. Nikita tries a rollup off the ropes, but Arn doesn’t budge. He thinks he’s one step ahead and then takes a SICKLE out to the concrete floor. The DA regroups and Eaton tags. Nikita grabs a bearhug, but Arn breaks it up. Double-team backdrop on Koloff fails and Bobby ends up colliding with Arn off an atomic drop. Austin runs in and takes a slam, so it’s time for plan #2 from the DA says Paul E. Windham and Arn tag in for a while. Windham controls until they crack heads. It was either that or butt heads and I decided on crack heads. Arn goes up top, but Windham is there. Arn thumbs in the eye and comes down on Windham off the second rope. AA then runs into a knee and Windham grabs a sleeper. Anderson suplexes out and Rhodes gets a tag. He cleans house on the Dangerous Alliance until Arn runs Dustin’s head into Bobby’s head. They have butt heads! How mature of me. Austin tags in and stomps a mudhole and walks it dry. The DA do a number on Dustin for several minutes. It looks to be over when Austin hits the STUNGUN, but the momentum takes Rhodes back into his corner to make the HOT TAG TO WINDHAM! Pier-six brawl erupts, but then Ole sees Arn coming off the top rope onto Windham after a SUPERPLEX on Austin for the DQ. (15:32) An OK finish I suppose since that strategy had been so successful for the Dangerous Alliance in six-man tags – you know, face hits his finisher and then one of the DA guys lowers the boom on them out of nowhere and the DA gets the pin. It’s kind of like, the nail in the coffin for the Dangerous Alliance even though they could have easily adjusted and just did that off the middle rope. I believe I’m over-thinking this stuff. Word salad aside, an off-night in the seemingly never-ending six-man battles. **½

Ricky Steamboat meets with Eric Bischoff for an interview. He says he looks forward to another US title shot against Rude, but then Paul E comes by and dampens his spirits with the news that he will never get another US title shot as long as Rude is champion! NEVER! Then out of nowhere, Cactus Jack comes by for a pull-apart brawl with Steamboat. Haven’t these two been great enough tonight? I guess they just don’t know how to not be great!

Alright! The final round of the bikini contest! Perhaps this hasn’t helped Johnny’s sexual frustration because he’s out in his gay cowboy outfit. Jesse Ventura leaves the broadcast table to help “wrap up” the contest and get a closer look. As for the ladies, Madusa comes out in a red, white and blue bikini. It’s kind of like a less flashy version of her outfit that she wore all the time when she was part of Savage’s entourage in ’99. Now let’s see what Missy has picked out for the contest. Uh oh, someone has stolen her bikini! I bet it was those Dangerous Alliance guys! Whatever will she do? Luckily, Jesse Ventura is bald and wears a head wrap and just so happens to be standing by Missy’s changing tent! Missy has an idea! She takes Jesse’s head wrap and somehow makes a bikini out of it. Well, hands down according to Johnny, Missy wins.

WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner vs. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams & Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy

This is one of the most anticipated matches of 1992 between two of the most dominant tag teams in the world. All Japan calls Williams and Gordy the Miracle Violence Connection, but I think I’m just going to stick with calling them Williams and Gordy. Scott and Gordy kick things off with a waistlock sequence. The feeling-out process continues until they slap each other and start rolling around on the mat like school children. Ref Randy “Don’t Call Me Pee Wee” Anderson steps in between these two dudes to get them calmed down. Doc tags in for some amateur-style mat wrestling. Scott controls for the most part until Doc backs Scott into the corner and buries a knee. He goes for a three-point stance into the corner, but Scott picks his feet up and gives him a Jack Brisco rollup for 1-2-NO! Rick gets a tag off a headlock, but Doc manages to hurry back over to his corner. JR mentions these two used to be in a group called the Varsity Club. Doc blocks a takedown and a hiptoss, but can’t block the belly-to-belly suplex! Doc takes a walk and comes back in to deliver a pair of three-point stances. He goes for a third, but Rick explodes with a Steinerline for two! Doc forces Rick into his corner and tags in Gordy. He misses a charge, but surprises Rick with a back suplex for two. Rick hits a back suplex of his own, but Doc gets a tag. Doc dumps Rick out onto the rampway and then nails him with a shoulderblock through the ropes to knock Steiner back down. Back in, Gordy tags and grabs a half-crab. Rick uses leverage to counter the hold into a standing legbar for a few nearfalls. He gets too close to Doc though and takes a shot to the face. Spinning toehold is applied by Gordy, but Rick kicks him away and hits another belly-to-belly suplex. Scott tags in and hits a t-bone suplex, then hooks on a modified bow and arrow. Scott maneuvers into a bridging cradle pin, but Gordy is rolled into his corner for an easy tag to Doc. He blocks a spinning belly-to-belly suplex out of the corner by holding onto the ropes and then grabs a chinlock. Gordy tags in, but gets hit with a crossbody off the ropes for two. Scott gets double-teamed, which slows him down quit a bit. Gordy goes after Scott’s knee with a stepover toe-hold. He lets go of the hold though and cleans Scott’s clock with a clothesline from hell! Doc tags in and gets kicked away by Scott, so Doc kicks him in the worked-over knee to put him down again. Clothesline from Doc gets only a one-count as Rick makes a save. Gordy applies the bow and arrow and then tags in Doc. Scott fires back on him, but Doc won’t have any of that and trips up Scott for a Boston crab. They take turns with the crab – including another Walls of Jericho for the second time on this show! Scott powers and crawls his way over to Rick and makes the HOT TAG! He’s a HOUSE OF FIRE! Powerslam gets two. STEINER BULLDOG to Doc! The Steiners want to put Doc away with the STEINER DDT, but Gordy knocks Scott down from the corner! Rick nails Gordy, but then turns around into a Mack truck named Dr. Death! Doc hands Rick over to Gordy for a MIDDLE-ROPE POWERSLAM! Doc covers for 1-2-NO! Oh snap! Gordy tags and delivers a dropkick for two. Double shoulderblock gets two on Rick. Doc nails a backbreaker and then lifts Rick up for another one. Cover gets two. Gordy tags and hits a back suplex for 1-2-NO! Doc tags and grabs a neck vice. Rick elbows out, but Doc buries a knee and hits the Doctor Bomb (gutwrench powerbomb) for 1-2-NO! Doc wins a slugfest, but Rick slips out of the OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE and shoves Doc off into the corner for a Steinerline! Gordy tags and hits a corner clothesline. He tries another, but Rick fires back with a Steinerline with one minute to go in the 30-minute time limit! HOT TAG TO SCOTT! He goes SLAM CRAZY on the heels! Doc gets kicked out to ringside as Scott hits the Tiger Driver on Gordy! Scott looks to finish him off with the FRANKENSTEINER, but the time limit has expired. (30:00 draw) Much better than their match at the Clash two days later (or technically four days earlier). Just a super hard-hitting match. No team took the Steiners to the limit quite like Williams and Gordy could. ****

Final Thoughts: ANOTHER awesome PPV! We’ve got four out of seven matches reaching ***½ or better on this show. There’s two 30-minute long matches that are given time to really get built up – which isn’t done in the big leagues anymore, so Bill Watts did a good job with that. Can he keep up the goodness? We’ll just have to find out as we go along. Anyways, thumbs up for Beach Blast 1992.