The Event Center Episode 5: Clash of the Champions 10 Review

The Event Center #5: WCW Clash of the Champions: February 6th, 1990

Introduction:
Hello everyone, Steven Caudle here welcoming you to another edition of The Event Center. We are going back to World Championship Wrestling from 1990. We are going to Clash of Champions 10: Texas Shootout. This is the infamous card where Sting gets kicked out of the Four Horsemen and where he tears his ACL all in the same night. So without further ado lets get down to the ring and get right into the action.

Show Opening:

The opening video is one of my favorites for any wrestling show. It’s cheesy and corny but its still awesome. Jim Ross and Jim Cornette are our commentators for the night. Ross runs down the card and pimps the hotline. They are saying you can call into the hotline and actually talk to Sting. Ross sends it down to Terry Funk who is ringside. He calls himself “Tuxedo Terry” and then he says to pull out your .45’s, .38’s and point them at your television screen because turner is about to blow you away with world championship wrestling. Funk says he will be in the ring with the Four Horsemen and he will have Funk’s Grill with Sting. He then kicks it to Gordon Solie. Solie talks about how he has tried to talk to the wrestlers but none of them have been very friendly.

Interview: The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering

Animal says that the Skyscrapers are going down. Hawk says what a rush for us and what a drag for the Skyscrapers. That was pretty much it for the interview because after Hawk says that he kicks it over to Solie who then returns us back to Ross and Cornette.

Match 1: Steve Williams vs. Samoan Savage

The Samoan Savage is led to the ring by the Big Kahuna. We cut to a vignette of Williams “saving another victim” by putting him in the back of an ambulance. The vignette leads to Steve Williams walking out to the ring for his match. Williams charges the Savage who is stretching in the corner. Williams then nails the Samoan Savage with a big clothesline. The Savage rolls to the outside to kill the momentum of Steve Williams. The Savage gets on the apron and Williams clubs him in the chest. Savage then falls back to into the ring and gets nailed with a couple of rights then a body slam.

Williams gets back up on the apron and gets thrown into the ring by the Savage. The Samoan Savage then hits Doc with a side slam. The Savage goes up to the top and goes for a huge splash but Williams moves out of the way. Williams gets up and gets the Savage in a elevated gorilla press slam. He runs around the ring with the Savage in the air. Williams then hits the Savage with a great looking drop kick for a big guy. The Savage hits Williams with a kick to the face. Williams then reverses a hip toss and gets him in a backslide for the 3 count.

Recap:
This was a solid match to start the card. Steve Williams was pretty damn awesome at everything he did and is a joy to watch. The Samoan Savage was agile and moved pretty well in the ring so it made the match work. Pretty good stuff all around here for an opener. I would definitely check it out.

Advertisement for Wrestle War 90: Wild Thing

We get the awesome advertisement for Wrestle War 90: Wild Thing. It’s so cheesy and corny yet awesome at the same time. I love it and it is one of my favorite ads for a PPV. The music and the graphics make it awesome. Definitely check it out if you can.

Interview: The Four Horsemen

Terry Funk starts off by saying there are two things that are going to be hard to beat in 1990 and thats World Championship Wrestling and the Horsemen. The Horsemen then make their way down to the ring for their interview. Funk says these four men are tough and that tough is an attitude. Flair gets on the mic and says “whenever we get the opportunity to get together we like to make a statement and tonight THE Horsemen are going to make a statement.” Ole then gets on the mic and tells Sting that he will no longer be a Horsemen. Ole said when Ric called him to get in the ring and the reason for it was to get rid of Sting. The one thing that no one could figure was when Sting jumped in to help Flair against Funk.

Flair gets on the mic and says Sting I bought you some time and that he needs to think about it. Ole says the next time you see us he won’t be so lucky. Sting grabs the jacket of Ole and Flair sucker punches him. Ole and Arn then hold Sting up while Flair yells at him and tells him that he bought him some time and to do the right thing and thats to tear up the contract to fight him at Wrestle War. Flair slaps Sting in the face and leaves him laying as they go to commercial break.

Recap:
This was an awesome segment. Ole Anderson is so believable in this role and it makes the segment. His gritty voice and his nonchalant attitude is perfect here and nice to see. Flair acting like the good guy by buying Sting some time to think about the proposition is a perfect heel move as well. Overall just a really great segment and it was delivered perfectly. Definitely worth checking out.

Match 2: Flyin’ Brian/Z-Man vs. Mod Squad

Pillman starts off in the ring with Spike of the Mod Squad. Pillman works the arm then snap mares Spike then Pillman drops a knee. Pillman goes for the pin and gets a 2. Spike irish whips Pillman into the turnbuckle but Pillman jumps over and hits Spike with a hip toss then nails an awesome drop kick. He then gets Spike in the arm bar and tags in the Z-Man. Z-Man comes off the middle rope with an elbow to the arm. Z-Man then throws Spike down as he keeps the arm bar in. Spike tags in Basher who gets hit with a hip toss once he got in the ring.

Pillman gets back to his feet and hits a couple of elbows to the midsection. Pillman hits the ropes and gets hit with a knee to the midsection. Spike gets back in the ring and gets another chin lock on Pillman. Pillman gets out of this chin lock by coming off the ropes. He does a leap frog over spike then hits a spinning elbow to send both men down. Basher gets the tag and he comes in to prevent Pillman from tagging. He whips Pillman into the ropes but Pillman goes for a crucifix pin but gets a 2 count. Spike gets the tag in and he goes up to the top rope and goes for an elbow but misses. Spike tags in Basher and Pillman tags in the Z-Man. Basher gets hit with a big back body drop. Z-Man takes both Basher and Spike and rams their heads together. Z-Man gets whipped into the turnbuckle but he hits Basher with a big cross body for the pin. Pillman comes in and hits Basher with a big drop kick to prevent him from breaking up the pin. Z-Man gets the 3 count on Basher for the victory.

Recap:
This match was nothing special. Pillman and the Z-Man were hitting some pretty good moves but nothing worth watching for. Not a fan of any of the guys in the match so not worth my time here. Mod Squad were garbage and had a lot of chin locks because they couldn’t keep up with the other two. I would go ahead and save yourself about 10 minutes and skip this one.

Match 3: Mil Mascaras vs. Cactus Jack Manson

The match starts off with Mascaras getting Jack in a head lock. Mascaras then hits Jack with a hip lock take over. Mascaras then hits Jack with a drop toe hold then gets Cactus Jack in a surf board type maneuver. Mascaras tries to get another submission move on Jack but he lets go and lets Jack get back to his feet. They do the knuckle lock tie up and Mascaras gets the advantage first. Mascaras drops down and gets Jack in a headlock with his feet and gets Jack in a couple of head scissor takeovers.

Both men run off the ropes and Mascaras hits Jack with a flying head butt type move followed up by a drop kick. Jack goes to the outside and grabs a chair and going after Cappetta. Jack then walks backwards and trips over the chair on the outside and starts blaming all of the fans for it. That was hilarious and awesome. Jack gets back in the ring and they tie up again. Mascaras then gets a full nelson on Mascaras. Jack hits Mascaras with an elbow and a punch but Mascaras no sells it and they end up in the knuckle lock up again. Mascaras goes low and drops Jack to the mat and goes for a Boston crab. Jack gets in the ropes and Mascaras breaks the hold.

They get in a collar and elbow tie up and Jack pushes Mascaras into the turnbuckle. Jack kicks Mascaras in the midsection then hits him with a right hand. He then drives Mascaras’s head into the turnbuckle and he follows that up by throwing Mascaras to the outside. Jack then hits a backbreaker on Mascaras. Mascaras gets up after no selling the back break and gets back in the ring. Jack is about to drop his elbow to the outside but he realizes Mil is not out there so he turns around and looks at Mascaras who hits him with a drop kick and Jack falls backwards and smacks his head on the concrete floor. Cornette on commentary says “OH MY GOD CACTUS JACK IS DEAD.”

Jack gets up to the apron and Mascaras suplexes him back into the ring. Jack is groggy when he gets back up to his feet and Mascaras hits him with a flying crossbody and gets a 3 count. Jim Cornette on commentary says that Jack is the real winner here after doing that spot.

After we get back from break Cactus Jack goes after the guitar player from the band. The drummer of the band named Wolf gets his hat knocked off of Cactus Jack. Wolf then clotheslines Jack from behind and they roll around on the ground fighting.

Recap:
There wasn’t much to this but Jack getting himself over in spite of Mil Mascaras. The backstory here was that Cornette and Sullivan called Jack into a meeting and told Jack that Mascaras wouldn’t sell for him and that he should his death plunge spot so the fans will remember him way more than Mascaras. I would say it definitely worked. Nothing sticks out about this match except for Jack tripping over the chair and Jack slamming his head on the concrete. For those two spots alone this match is definitely worth checking out. Insane how careless Jack was during his time in the ring.

Interview with Norman

Gordon reminds Norman this match is falls count anywhere. He says so he can put him in the middle of the ring or in the ropes in the corner. Gordon tells him that pins can be anywhere in the building on the stairs in the rest room anywhere. Norman says he may pin him by the hot dog machine then eat a few hot dogs then beat him up some more. He said he will get a 3 count then eat 3 hot dogs. Norman says that Sullivan keeps coming at him like a little rat and tonight he is going to get the rat.

Match 4: Falls Count Anywhere: Kevin Sullivan vs. Norman the Lunatic

Before Norman heads to the ring they show him at the zoo feeding animals. He finds a pig and he gets down on all fours and asks Kevin Sullivan is what he is doing. Says the pig reminds him of Sullivan because of the short legs and the pot belly. Norman makes his way to the ring and when he gets in Sullivan takes it right to him. He then throws Norman outside the ring then he jumps off the apron with a double ax handle. Norman reverse an irish whip and throws Sullivan right into the turnbuckle post. Norman then gets him back in the ring. Sullivan goes for a sunset flip and Norman falls down on him and squashes him.

Norman blocks a punch from Sullivan then hits 2 head butts on Sullivan. Norman grabs his shirt and starts choking Sullivan with it. Both guys punch each other up the aisle way. Norman goes for a pin after throwing Sullivan into the guard rail. Norman charges at Sullivan but Sullivan dunks and he hits Norman with a back body drop. They fight all the way up to the stage and head to the backstage area. Ross throws it over to Gordon Solie who commentates the action. Sullivan goes into the women’s rest room and Norman follows him back in. You hear a lot of noises then Sullivan comes out groggy and falls down face first. Norman then comes out holding a toilet seat and toilet paper as the ref raises his hand in victory.

Recap:
Not sure what to think of this match. The action was pretty solid and Sullivan beat the brakes off of Norman there for a little while. The body slam, suplex, and back body drop that Sullivan hit on Norman were really impressive as well. The finish was beyond stupid and a waste of time. You build to a finish and when you get to the point and you don’t even show the fans how it goes down? What the hell is the point. I understand you wanted a little comedy with the finish but what a waste of time. I would skip this match all together and move on.

Funk’s Grill: Lex Luger

Funk says he felt sorry for what happened to Sting and with the Horsemen. Funk apologizes to everyone for what happened. He was upset that nobody stepped in to help him because no one had the guts. He says he has a guy that has arms bigger than most and that he had the guts to come into the ring to help him. It is the Total Package Lex Luger. When Luger is getting into the ring Funk says here is a man and here is an American that would have gotten in the ring to help him.

Luger doesn’t want Sting coming in fresh and taking the built from Flair, who he has worn out. Fans start chanting they want Sting. Luger says you may want Sting but right now they have the Total Package. Luger says his accolades are endless. Luger says he has what every woman wants and what every man wishes he could be. He says everything he touches turns to gold and that he is the epitome of success. Luger says the one thing he has not achieved will be achieved and that is the World Title. Luger calls himself the greatest US Heavyweight Champion of all time. Terry Funk then cuts Luger off and sends it to commercial.

Match 5: Road Warriors vs. Skyscrapers

The match starts out with Hawk and Dan Spivey in the ring. Hawk gets dan in a side headlock but Spivey throws him into the ropes and they shoulder block each other. Spivey then throws Hawk outside of the ring but Hawk lands on his feet then he gets back in the ring and clotheslines Spivey. Hawk goes for a neck breaker but Mean Mark holds on to Spivey and Hawk falls to the ground. Hawk then hits Spivey with a big shoulder block that sends Spivey to the outside. The Skyscrapers and Teddy Long regroup on the outside. Mean Mark and Animal get the tags when they get back in the ring.

Ellering goes after Teddy Long while all four men battle it out. They try to spike pile drive Hawk on to the chair but they totally whiff so Spivey picks up the chair and nails Hawk and Animal with it numerous times. The Skyscrapers lay the Road Warriors out as the show heads to commercial break.

Recap:
Another match that there wasn’t much to. This show is filled with progressing the story towards Wrestle War 90. Not a lot of clean finishes or just random finishes that do nothing for either person or team. The only cool part about this match is seeing Mean Mark before he was strapped with the Undertaker gimmick. His agility and athleticism was in full display here and its fun to watch. Other than that there just isn’t a lot here.

Match 6: Belt vs. Mask Match: Steiner Brothers (C) vs. Doom

Scott Steiner and Simmons start off the match. They get in a collar elbow tie up and they try to get the advantage of one another but they aren’t really doing much. They do the same thing again but this time Simmons complains that Scott was pulling his mask. Simmons hits Steiner with a shoulder block. Simmons hits the ropes again but Scott does a leap frog then nails Simmons with a huge power slam. Scott then tries to mat wrestle Simmons but he eventually lets him go and they stand off. Simmons rakes the eyes of Scott then irish whips him into the turnbuckle but Scott reverses it and Simmons hits chest first into the turnbuckle. Scott then grabs Simmons and dumps him with a big time belly to back suplex.

Simmons tags in Reed who comes in and starts to go after Rick Steiner but nothing really happens. Reed clubs Scott in the chest a couple times while Scott is laying against the ropes. Scott goes off the ropes and they shoulder block but neither man moves. Scott then comes off the ropes and hits Reed with a drop kick then he hits Simmons with one. Scott forces Reed back into the ring then tries to go after the mask of Reed. Reed goes over to the turnbuckle and Simmons consoles him. Rick finally gets tagged in and he goes up against Butch Reed. They finally hook up then Reed hits him with a kick to the gut and a big knee to the midsection. Reed gets Rick into the turnbuckle and throws in a few punches. He tries to whip Rick to the other corner but Rick reverses it and he follows him then he whips him into the other corner and ends up back body dropping Reed. Reed goes to the outside then comes back in and tags in Simmons.

Simmons gets a few kicks then some right hands on Rick Steiner. He whips Rick into the corner and charges him but Rick moves out of the way and he nails Simmons with a belly to belly suplex. Simmons tags in Reed then Rick tags in Scott. Reed hits a few right hands on Scott Steiner then he rams him head first into the boot of Simmons. Simmons comes in and head butts Scott. He whips Scott into the ropes but Scott goes up and over but Simmons goes into the ropes and Reed hits him with a vicious clothesline. Simmons then body slams Scott then drops a leg drop on him. Simmons rams the face of Scott into the boot of Reed. Reed comes in and puts the boots to Scott. Reed hits a clothesline on Scott then drops a fist to the head. Reed gets on top of him and starts choking him. Rick comes into the ring and tries to take the mask of of Reed. While the ref is getting Rick out of the ring Simmons throws Scott to the floor. Reed goes out after him and picks up Scott and drapes him over the guard rail.

Simmons rolls him back into the ring. Simmons rakes the eyes then hits Scott with a big time spine buster in the middle of the ring. He goes for the pin and gets a 2 count. Both members of Doom get in the ring and they double back body drop Scott. Scott sneaks in a backslide but Reed kicks out. Reed picks up Scott and plants him with a pile driver. Rick comes in to break up the pin. One of the members of Doom hits Scott with a clothesline and sends him to the outside from over the top rope. Simmons throws Scott back into the ring and Reed prevents the tag. Scott goes for a sunset flip and Reed goes down and only gets a 2 count. Scott nearly gets the tag but Reed stops him. Reed hits Scott with a spinning neck breaker for the 2 count.

Scott reverses an irish whip then leap frogs Reed then dumps him with the Frankensteiner. Scott finally gets the tag to Rick and he comes in guns blazing. Rick hits Reed with an atomic drop then a big time clothesline. Rick then hits Reed with power slam then he gets up and clothesline Simmons out of the ring. Rick then works on the mask of Reed and gets it half way off. Rick has Reed in a headlock and when Reed goes to push him off the mask comes off. Rick puts the mask on then runs Reed into Simmons and rolls him up for the 1-2-3 and the victory.

After the match is over Simmons is in the ring reluctantly removing his mask. They say if Doom #2 doesn’t take off his mask then both men will be suspended from wrestling. Doom #2 doesn’t want to take the mask off but he finally does after a few second delay.

Recap:
Finally a decent match. There wasn’t a lot going on here but there was enough to be entertained. I really enjoy both teams so it was a pleasure watching them go at it. The spine buster was awesome and the psychology of the mask was very well done as well. A pretty good title match here that I would recommend checking out.

Interview: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, & Ole Anderson

Gordon says he doesn’t understand this action at all. Ole says Sting doesn’t understand either and that he is running out of time. Ole says they let Sting slide twice but they won’t let him off a third time. Ole says he better go tell the promoter the match is off or he is a dead man. Flair says they are looking at the most elite wrestling group in the world. Flair says that if Sting doesn’t get the release then after the cage match they will find him in the streets or in this building and take him out. Flair says if you like it or don’t like it you better learn to love it. WOOOO!!!!!

Match 7: Steel Cage Match: Ric Flair/Ole Anderson/Arn Anderson vs. Buzz Sawyer/Dragon Master/Great Muta

The match starts out with Buzz Sawyer vs. Arn Anderson. Anderson is stuck in the ropes and Sawyer chops him a few times then starts biting his neck. Buzz comes charging at Anderson, who moves out of the way, and goes flying into the cage. Buzz then gets whipped into the turnbuckle and Arn comes after him but Buzz gets his boot up. Buzz then takes Arn and throws him into he cage. Arn is stuck between the ropes and the cage and Buzz goes for a head butt but Arn moves out of the way and Buzz runs into the cage. Arn then bashes Buzz’s head 3 more times into the cage.

Flair gets the tag and him and Buzz just trade punches and chops. The Dragon Master gets the tag and gets chopped 2-3 times for his troubles. Flair hits the Dragon Master with an elbow off the irish whip. Flair then tags in Ole who lays in some forearms to the Dragon Master. Ole tries to get the Dragon Master to stop but he doesn’t. Ole then tags in Arn then the Dragon Master tags in Muta. The crowd gives Muta a huge ovation. They collar and elbow and Muta reverses it then irish whips Arn into the corner. Muta then hits his hand spring elbow in the corner. Arn does the Flair spot and falls head first.

Sting then comes running down to the ring and he tries to get into the ring. Sting tries to get at Flair but security and other wrestlers are trying to keep Sting from getting into the cage. Meanwhile, in the ring Buzz is going after Arn Anderson in the ring. Arn tags in Ole as they continue to show wrestlers holding back Sting. Ole back body drops Buzz into the cage and he falls right on his neck. Ole hip tosses Buzz who gets right up and chops Ole. They trade chops and elbows as the Dragon Master gets tagged in. On the outside Sting breaks free from the wrestlers and goes after Flair again on the cage.

Buzz suplexes Arn in the middle of the ring then he climbs up to the top of the cage and comes off with a big splash but nobody is home. Sting is still trying to get into the cage but he has a considerable limp and can barely stand. Meanwhile in the ring Arn Anderson dumps the Dragon Master with the spine buster. Ole and Flair come in and attack Buzz and Muta. Arn throws the Dragon Master into the cage then plants him with a DDT and gets the 3 count for the victory. Flair gets out of the ring and charges at Sting not knowing that his knee is done for. Wahoo is trying to hold Sting back so he doesn’t get hurt more than he already is. Flair lays in a few punches to Sting but security and wrestlers break it up as the credits start rolling to end the show.

Recap:
This match was eh to be honest. The cage was super short and the ring is super small for 6 guys to be trapped inside there. You are watching the match basically waiting for Sting to come down. Buzz had some crazy spots and was entertaining to watch. Arn was awesome like always. Ole was trash though. It was pretty incredible the reaction that the Great Muta got when he got tagged in and was able to get his offense in. I would check out the match just because its different for the time and there are some entertaining spots during the match. The show went over on time so there really was no show closing it was just the Horsemen brawling with all fo the wrestlers to the back as the credits started rolling.

Final Thoughts:
I thought this show would be better than it was but there are still some entertaining aspects to it. A lot of the matches had bad finishes that were builds to another match down the line. Such as the Skyscrapers vs. Road Warriors match. Instead of making this a stand alone show they used it as a 2 hour special to hype up Wrestle War. They really pushed the date and the main event between Sting and Flair and that was the theme of the show. It’s not wrong in the sense you are trying to push PPV buys but it can lead to a bad show and thats what this one ended up being for me. I would check out the Steiner Brothers vs. Doom match as well as the main event. Other than that theres not much to see here unfortunately.