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WCW Starrcade 1990: Collision Course

by Scrooge McSuck

- Originally broadcasted on December 16th, 1990, from the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, MO, with Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously calling all the action, unless otherwise noted. Starrcade '90 continues the running tradition of uniquely booking the show in a way that completely ruins it. 1989 had the "Iron Man/Team Challenge", 1991 and 1992 had the Lethal Lottery Tag Team Matches... this one has a Tag Team Tournament featuring tag teams from all over the world, who other than a select few, are unknown to the WCW fanbase and thus no one gives a shit about. And it's three rounds worth of matches, too, to really make things hard to book, because this PPV is only slotted for three hours, and has to squeeze in 14 matches! At least when the WWF did that many matches at WrestleMania, they had an extra hour to play with. This should be... interesting.

Opening Match: The Z-Man vs. "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton:

Welcome to the solo career of Beautiful Bobby, with the Midnight Express split immediately after Halloween Havoc and Jim Cornette and Stan Lane taking off. Z-Man/Tom Zenk was undercard fodder for being a pretty boy... seriously, I think that was Ole Anderson's reasoning for not pushing him, so this is most likely a chance to let Eaton shine in singles action. Eaton is still rocking the classic Midnight Express theme, to my surprise. Z-Man is rocking an alleged 35 bout winning streak. My ass. Lockup, and we get a clean break. We're informed that Ric Flair is being subbed out of tonight's Tag Title Match by Barry Windham, for those who care. Lockup, and Zenk works the arm. Zenk with a pair of shoulder tackles and a high cross body for a two count. Zenk with another, followed by a slam, forcing Eaton to back off. Eaton with a headlock, into a hammerlock. Zenk counters and brings Eaton to the canvas, working the arm. Eaton escapes in the corner and bitch slaps Zenk in the corner. Zenk blows a spot, and they're back to a neutral position. Zenk brings Eaton down with a drop toe hold, and a series of counters leads to a pair of Z-Man dropkicks for a two count. They trade wristlocks, with Eaton gaining the advantage. Eaton knocks Zenk to the ramp with a short right to the chin. Zenk blocks a suplex, and brings Eaton out, onto the ramp. Zenk heads back inside, and quickly comes back out with a suicide dive. Back inside, and Zenk cheap shots Eaton for once. Whip across the ring, and Zenk meets the elbow of Eaton, and Eaton follows with a bulldog. Eaton heads to the top rope to a babyface pop, and the leg drop connects. Eaton allows Zenk back to his feet, and misses a charge into the corner. Zenk with a back body drop, followed by a dropkick for two. Eaton counters another back drop with a swinging neck breaker. Eaton heads to the top again, and eats boot coming off. Zenk to the top now, and he misses a missile dropkick. Eaton with a small package, and that gets three at 8:47. That's about as long as undercard matches will go tonight. Solid opener, nothing much more to say. It's a good 9-minutes of wrestling.

- Quick note on the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tournament... I'm all for honoring legends, especiall those who were stars locally, where a big event is to take place, but featuring the entire tournament on the PPV, with 90% of the performers unknown to the casual audience, is just a dumb move. I've tried to find information on if there was any qualifying matches for this "Tournament", but other than the South African representatives winning a match at the 13th Clash of Champions, I'm not finding anything.

The Steiner Brothers (USA) vs. Col. DeKlerk & Sgt. Krueger (South Africa):

Maybe someone in WWF circa 1997 saw this show and got the idea for the Truth Commission. At least in the late 80's, the whole South African situation was still relevant. Don't ask me for details, but I think DeKlerk is better known as Rocco Rock, and Krueger played Doink at some point after Matt Borne vanished. The Steiners are the reigning WCW US Tag Team Champions, and the only talent under contract being pushed in the whole thing. U-S-A chant to start. Rick grabs a headlock on Krueger, and Krueger quickly takes him down with a back suplex for two. Rick fails at a roll up, but a Steinerline takes Krueger's head off. DeKlerk tags in, and Rick nails both men with a double Steinerline. DeKlerk attacks from behind and hits a shitty spinning heel kick, knocking Rick to the floor. DeKlerk tries a somsersault to the floor, but Rick counters. Krueger attacks from the apron, but looks more like he fell. Rick casually tags in Scott, who slams both South Africans, and finishes DeKlerk with a tilt-o-whirl slam and the Frankensteiner at 2:10. Extremely rushed and sloppy. Next.

Chris Adams & Norman Smiley (UK) vs. Konan & Rey Misterio (Mexico):

Weird to think that at the end of the decade, three of these four would be under contract to WCW. Rey Misterio is not the one we're all familiar with, but his Uncle, who's less athletic, with substandard physical appearance and much less interesting. Konan is still masked, too. Smiley and Misterio start with a hammerlock battle until Team Mexico connect with a double clothesline. Adams comes in for a pair of dropkicks to clear the ring. Back inside, and Adams with a knee to the midsection, followed by a super kick to a big pop. Konan comes in, forgeting WCW doesn't follow lucha rules of entering the ring if your partner is knocked out of it. Konan with a wristlock takeover on Smiley, followed by a head scissors. Whip to the ropes and Smiley surprises Konan with a fisherman suplex for two. Adams tags in, and takes over Konan with a snapmare before settling in with a chinlock. Misterio tags in and Smiley hits both Mexicans with dropkicks. Sloppy match... Misterio takes a spill out of the ring, eating ring steps. Adams with a superkick and Smiley bridges Konan for a two count. Adams comes back in and works the arm of Konan. Whip to the ropes, and Adams catches him with a clothesline. Smiley tags in and we get some poorly constructed spots. Misterio sets Smiley across the top rope and hangs him up in the tree of woe before slamming him down. Konan tags in and bridges Smiley for the three count at 5:31. In the meantime, Misterio starts and stops a plancha spot on Adams a few times before finishing, hurting himself in the process (allegedly). Decent at times, but awkward pauses and blown spots all over the place.

The Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Japan) vs. Rip Morgan & Jacko Victory (New Zealand):

And here we go with the only other person WCW fans have a connection to: Great Muta. Sure, he hasn't been around since January, but he's still recongizable. I forgot that Morgan and Victory were actually under full-time contract (previously working as the New Zealand Milita before adopting the name "The Royal Family). Either way, they're in the JTTS Camp, so we know who's riding through here. Victory starts with a headlock on Muta, and comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle. Muta reponds by knocking Victory to the ramp with a dropkick, and follows from the top with a body press. Morgan pounds away on Saito, but a clothesline turns the tide. Saito takes Victory down with an armbar, then throws him across the ring with an arm drag. Muta and Morgan tag in, and Muta nails him with a spinning heel kick. Muta with his signature snap elbows and a toe hold. Saito tags in and goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Victory breaks it. Morgan with a back suplex on Saito for two. The Royal Family remains in control, doing little of note. Morgan to the top, and he misses a leg drop. Muta tags in and hits the handspring elbow on Victory. Everyone comes in to brawl, and heel miscommunication allows Muta to bridge Victory for the three count at 5:40 to a mild babyface pop. All over the place and just not very good. Did any of these teams have time to plan their matches beforehand?

Danny Johnson & Troy Montour (Canada) vs. Victor Zangiev & Salmon Hashimikov (U.S.S.R.):

What the christ... Zangiev and Hasimikov are two amateur wrestlers, allegedly competing in the Olympics. A brief search years ago might've confirmed this, but I honestly don't care. Never heard of either Canadian, which is always a good sign. This match is going to feature one of the least involved crowds I can possibly imagine, guaranteed. Zangiev quickly grabs the arm of Johnson, then switches to the legs. Is Zangiev shooting? Johnson manages to lock Zangiev in a head scissors, but Zangiev is able to escape. Zangiev with a bearhug, and he slams Johnson on his face going for a belly-to-belly suplex. That's a shoot, brother. Montour tags in and gets to face Hashimikov. Lockup and a clean break in the corner. Lockup, and repeat. Hashimikov with a belly-to-belly suplex and armbar... and the bell rings at 3:58, in favor of Zangiev and Hashimikov. Well, that was interesting. It sucked, but it was interesting.

Terry Taylor vs. Michael WallStreet (w/ Alexandra York):

I know Taylor is mostly a laughing stock to the wrestling community for his "Red Rooster" gimmick, but Mike Rotundo was saddled with his share of lame ideas... first becoming "Captain Mike", who allegedly was named so because he liked boating, then this, an arrogant heel who inherits money and uses computers to map out a gameplan, then jumps to WWF to play an evil accountant. Alexandra York is more familiarly known as Marlena/Terri Runnels, before the implants and bleached hair. The "computer" that York carries with her looks more like a keypad without a screen, but who am I to criticize 1990 technology? The computer predicts the match will end within 8:32, but there's no rule saying it HAS to go that long, especially on this show, with 14 matches squeezed into three hours. Taylor controls to start, pounding away and attempting a series of roll ups, frustrating Rotundo to the point of needing a breather to check over the strategy. Back inside, and Taylor quickly slaps on a side headlock. Rotundo takes control with a back breaker, followed by a suplex and leg drop for a two count. Rotundo slaps on the abdominal stretch, and yes, he DOES use the ropes for added leverage. Taylor mounts a mild comeback and drops a knee for a two count. Taylor with his atomic drop and bridge suplex combination for another near fall. Taylor goes for the Five-Arm, but Rotundo ends up in the ropes to force a break. Taylor comes off the ropes and gets nailed with the stun gun/hot shot. Rotundo with the Stock Market Crash (a Samoan Drop), and that's enough for the three count at 6:50, meaning the computer was accurate, it DID end in less than 8:32! So much for Terry Taylor's work in maintaining his spot in the WCW Top 10. An OK match, but these two are wrestlers who needed more time to get going, with less flash and more actual wrestling ability.

The Skyscrapers vs. Big Cat & The Motor City Madman:

This seems way out of place... the Skyscrapers had been disbanded for months at this point, with Sid settling into a role as a member of the Four Horsemen, and Dan Spivey acting as a lackey/protege to Stan Hansen. Big Cat would go on to work as Mr. Hughes, and Motor City Madman is... some untalented fat-ass hack. Seriously, no one knows dick about the guy. He's subbing for The Nightstalker (a very green Bryan Clarke, a.k.a Adam Bomb and Wrath), who was probably ran out of town for a Negative-5-Star Classic he had with Sid at the last Clash of the Champions. Everyone is probably hoping this to be short... and it is. The Skyscrapers bum rush the Cat and Madman, beat the crap out of them for about 45-seconds or so, and a double team powerbomb on the Madman sends him back to the unemployment line at 1:02. I know you have to squeeze a high profile name like Sid into the show somehow, but hey, maybe doing A CRAPPY TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT wasn't the greatest idea to fill the card out with!?

Ricky Morton & Tommy Rich (w/ Robert Gibson) vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (w/ Little Richard Marley):

We've discussed this already in the Halloween Havoc recap, but here we go again for those too lazy to check it out: Robert Gibson tore his knee up and the Freebirds were storyline given credit for it, and have been mocking him ever since. Little Richard Marley is, once again, former scrub Rocky King, acting as lackey to the Freebirds, who are going through a midlife crisis that involves cross-dressing. I can't imagine how bad I screwed up in a previous life to be forced to sit through a Freebirds match on practically every PPV and supercard from WCW between 1989 and 1992. Morton starts off hot, clearing the ring with dropkicks. Rich gets involved much quicker than he did at Havoc, and joins Morton in applying simultanious figure-fours. The Freebirds manage to escape and, to the surprise of no one, stall some more. Back inside, and Rich takes Garvin over with a hip toss, and takes a shot at King just for the hell of it. Hayes tags in, but Rich blocks the DDT and counters with a back drop. Morton tags in works over both men again, but Hayes wipes him out with a bulldog while trying to roll up Garvin. Morton takes a beating, but it's brief thanks to limited time for every match (fuck that tournament!). Hayes and King target the knee of Morton during the melee, but Gibson makes the save with the use of one of his crutches. Heel miscommunication between King and Garvin allows Morton to roll Garvin up for the three count at 6:14. Thank you, but it still felt twice as long. After the match, the Freebirds unceremoniously dump Rocky King as their protege/manager/whatever, beat up on Robert Gibson again, and walk away better off than the babyfaces. Whatever. Next, please...

The Steiner Brothers (USA) vs. Konan & Rey Misterio (Mexico):

Time for the Semi-Finals of the Memorial International Tag Team Tournament. I guess it wasn't Misterio, but Konan who was injured in their earlier match, because he's limping pretty noticably. The Steiners come out to their usual music this time 'round instead of the US anthem. Rick quickly takes Konan down and they fight through a waistlock. Konan surprises Rick with a heel trip and grapevines the legs. Back to their feet, and Scott tags in. Whip to the ropes, and he catches Konan with a powerslam. Scott sets Konan up on his shoulders, and Rick comes off the top rope with a bulldog. Well, he's dead. Misterio tags in, and it's his turn to take punishment. Paul E. points out a bad bruise on Misterio's leg from his high spot in the earlier match. He grabs a headlock, but Scott escapes with a rough fireman's carry, then slaps on a chinlock. Rick tags in, counters a hurricanrana and lays Misterio out with a powerbomb for the three count at 2:54. Two matches combined and the Steiners have barely worked 5-minutes. Not much of a match here, either. Just too rushed for anything to be worth a damn.

The Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Japan) vs. Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov (U.S.S.R.):

Please let this be the last of the Russians. Respect them for their amateur background, but they don't work the style that we as fans want to see, and it's boring as shit. I can't imagine the trainwreck it's going to be when it's either of them against Muta. Zangiev goes for the leg of Muta, but he quickly escapes and goes for the arm. Zangiev with a waistlock and bridge suplex for a two count. Saito tags in, and quickly has the arm worked on by the inspiration for Prince Albert. Hashimikov tags in and goes for a single leg trip, then slaps on a Boston Crab. Muta breaks it with a kick to the back of the head. Zangiev tags back in, and Saito sweeps the legs. Saito crosses the legs and turns over into a Scorion Deathlock, but quickly releases. Hashimikov with an overhead belly-to-belly on Muta, followed by a second, more delayed version for a two count. Zangiev comes in, and Saito drills him with a clothesline, then connects with a back suplex for the three count at 3:10. Well, that was much more watchable than I anticipated. Still wasn't very good, but Muta and Saito at least seemed to adapt to the amateur style of the Russians.

WCW United States Championship Match:
Stan Hansen © vs. "Total Package" Lex Luger:

Rematch from Halloween Havoc, where Hansen won the title from Luger, surprisingly clean. This is a bullrope match, so the winner is decided when one participant can touch all four corners without interruption. Don't you love those match types? Hansen attacks while Luger is being strapped, and throws him across the ring with a hip toss. Luger rolls away from an elbow and unloads with rights. Luger with a slam and elbow drop. Hansen no-sells it, knees Luger in the midsection, and whips him with the rope. Whip to the ropes, and Luger comes back with a clothesline. They spill to the floor as Jim Ross makes his token reference of Luger's CFL career. Hansen slams a chair across the back of Luger and tosses it back into the ring. Luger fights back with headbutts, and nails Hansen with another clothesline. Luger covers, but no pinfalls here. Luger goes for the corners, but Hansen interrupts at two and takes Luger down with a back suplex. Hansen with an elbow drop, and he goes for the corners, unsuccessfully. Hansen chokes Luger with the rope and hangs him over the top rope. Do anything you can to win, right? Hansen with an elbow from the second rope, and he again goes for the turnbuckles. Luger stops it with a clothesline, and pounds away with rights. Hansen chokes, but Luger fights free with knees to the head and a mule kick to knock Hansen out of the ring. Luger hammers on Hansen all around the ringside area, and yanks him by the arm into the post. Back in the ring, and Luger with a trio of leg drops. Luger goes for the corners, but a referee bump interrupts things as he touches it. The crowd pops huge, but it's not official. Hansen nails Luger with his boot and drops an elbow. Hansen attempts to revive the referee, but Nick Patrick comes in to replace him, and watches Hansen touch the corners, to some good, cheap, heel heat. Hansen with the lariat and touches the fourth at 10:17, but the sanctioned referee says no dice Jim Rice, and awards the match and the championship to Lex Luger. Finally, a Dusty Finish that actually sends the fans home happy. Not a highlight reel quality match, but it was much more watchable than their match at Havoc, and another example of Luger adapting to the style of a quality opponent, if he's motivated.

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match:
Doom © (w/ Theodore R. Long) vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham:

This is Street Fight rules, thanks to the match at Halloween Havoc ending in a lame Double Count-Out. As mentioned in the opener, Windham is a very late substitution for Ric Flair, another poor excuse for bait-and-switch. It's still no "Savio Vega for Shawn Michaels" though in terms of lame-ness. Are Anderson and Windham coming out to Z.Z. Top's "La Grange"? Everyone's decked out in t-shirts and jeans, which is NWA slang for "it's a fight." Simmons and Windham fight up the ramp, with Simmons taking control with a slam. Anderson rushes to help and pounds away with lefts. Anderson unwisely whips Simmons with his belt. Back in the ring, Reed takes Windham over with a suplex for two. Meanwhile, Simmons clotheslines Anderson and lashes him repeatedly. Anderson quickly responds with a chair shot to the knee. Reed nails Windham with the belt buckle, busting him open in the process. Windham is always good for a blade job back in the day. He escapes the punishment with a back suplex on the floor. Back in the ring, Windham with a slam, but he misses a knee drop. Anderson lays out Reed with a chair, while Windham takes care of Simmons inside the ring. Simmons with a weak blade job, but it's hard to tell. Reed is busted open, too. Anderson's turn. Windham goes for a DDT, but Simmons counters with a spinebuster for a two count. Reed returns to the ring and hammers away on Windham, and Arn is bloodied too, to complete the circle. Simmons with a press slam on Anderson, but a low blow from Windham slows him down. Windham climbs the ropes and takes Simmons over with his signature super-plex for two. Reed to the top rope, and he comes off with a shoulder tackle on Anderson. Windham with a DDT on Reed. Anderson with a chair, but Simmons blocks and lays Anderson out for a two count. Reed with a piledriver on Windham, followed by choking with a chair. Reed gets dumped outside, allowing the Horsemen to double up Simmons. Reed quickly saves and Simmons clotheslines Anderson coming from the top rope. Windham cradles Reed and Simmons covers Anderson for simultanious three counts at 7:36. The decision is... a draw, I guess, meaning Doom retains. Remember when TNA pulled that crap all the time during the weekly PPV era, and held titles up? Tie means champion retains in my book. Awesome brawl, by the way. One of the few matches worth checking out on this card.

Tournament Finals: Steiner Brothers (USA) vs. Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Japan):

They could've ditched the entire tournament and just done this match, and give everything else more than 6-7 minutes each because of it. Muta rakes the eyes of Scott and unleashes a series of kicks, ending with an enziguri. Whip to the ropes is reversed, Scott sweeps the leg and slaps on a single-leg crab. Rick tags in and Muta with a spinning kick to the chest. Rick ducks another and nails a Steinerline. Saito tags in and clubs Rick across the back of the head. Whip to the ropes, and Rick connects with a dropkick, followed by another Steinerline. Muta heads to the top rope and gets crotched in a random spot. We're informed the previous match did, in fact, end in a No Contest. They speculate further development to the feud, but I'm sure it was abandoned shortly after. Muta sends Scott to the corner and connects with the handspring elbow. Whip across the ring, and he meets a boot this time, and Scott follows with a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count. Saito slugs it out with Scott, and ends up on the losing side of it. Rick tags in , and Saito surprises him with a delayed back suplex. Whip to the ropes, and a collision knocks both men down. Well, this show is called COLLISION COURSE. Muta with a snapmare and twisting elbow drop to Rick. Saito gets some cheap shots in behind the back of the referee, knocking Rick's head gear off in the process. Muta heads outside, and rings Rick's bell. Team Japanese Awesome continue to double team Rick while Scott keeps bothering the referee. Muta nails Rick with a clothesline, which Paul E. cleverly calls a "Mutaline." Back inside, and Saito with some choking or nerve pinches, whatever. It's weird how the crowd cheered Muta all night, but now that he's against the Steiners, he's turned up the heel act to draw some decent heat. Muta misses another clothesline, and Rick connects with his own. Scott tags in, and connects with an underhook slam for two. Muta regains control on Scott, and Saito tags in, driving an elbow into the chest. Saito with a back suplex, but he opts for choking instead of a cover. Muta and Saito with a spike piledriver behind the back of the referee, but Scott won't stay dead. Whip to the ropes, and Saito with a sleeper, but Rick comes in with a sunset flip off the top rope, and that's enough for the three count at 10:53. Too bad he was the illegal man in the ring. I don't count making a tag midway across the apron, feet away from the tag rope, as legal. Solid tag team match, the only one worth a crap from the whole Tournament. Me thinks wrestling is rigged, considering the easy path for team USA. They get their trophy, and hey, a Jim Herd appearance too.

WCW World Heavyweight Championship; Steel Cage Match:
Sting © vs. The Black Scorpion (w/ The Messengers):

Special Referee: Dick The Bruiser
I'm amazed that of all the dumb crap I have reviewed and suffered through, I've never tackled this. Here's the short version of a very long story... the Black Scorpion debuted in August, with threats aimed at Sting and hinting at a past they shared. Rumors ranged who it could've been. Marks say Warrior, but he was not only the reigning WWF Champion, but his contract was nowhere near running out. Rick Rude was let go in September, but his no compete clause kept him away from WCW until the following Fall. Another option was the Angel of Death... who? Exactly. The voice behind the masked man was Ole Anderson, who was also rumored to be unvailed as the blowoff, but that never panned out. So things dragged for months, with no end in site, with no one penciled in for the blowoff, all while putting on lame magic tricks and mind controlling antics. As a kid I thought some of this was kind of scary. I would gladly welcome any time travels to find me as a 5 year old and slap me across the face for thinking anything of the kind. Sting had already beaten a Scorpion at Clash 12 (Al Perez), but the unmasking never took place. Once again, it's Title vs. Mask, and this time Dick the Bruiser is going to officiate things. I hate special referees who are so old and broken down, they can barely get to their knees to count. After the Scorpions "messengers" arrive, A SPACESHIP decends from the ceiling, revealing the "one, true Scorpion." My God, who came up with this nonsense?

Staredown and lockup into the corner, and Scorpion gives a clean break. Sting grabs a headlock, and Scorpion slaps his boobies before taking him down with a back suplex. Scorpion loses himself in the ropes before missing an elbow drop. There's a mild chant that kind of reveals who the masked man is. Scorpion tries to send Sting into the cage, but Sting blocks it. Paul E. speculates all the clues and hints were lies, trying to cover the festering shit smell of the eventual blowoff. Sting with a clothesline, knocking Scorpion to the outside of the ropes. Sting with a headlock and shoulder tackle, before being taken down with a lazy clothesline. Scorpion with a gutwrench suplex for a one count. Whip to the corner, and Scorpion with another clothesline. Scorpion with a snapmare (looks familiar) and an unusual form of a head scissors. Imagine being a wrestler known for all of your signature stuff, and trying to work a match without using any of it (for the most part). It's a hell of a handicap, I bet. Whip to the ropes, and Scorpion with an elbow and two count with an assist from the ropes (another familiar spot). Scorpion with short rights and another hard whip to the corner. Scorpion does it again, and follows in with a clothesline. Scorpion with a snapmare and cover for another two count. Scorpion settles into a chinlock, and this crowd is surprisingly not too into it. Scorpion uses the ropes for leverage, but Bruiser keeps pushing him off. Scorpion continues to control with rights and lefts. Scorpion catches him off the ropes with a press slam, and follows with a clothesline. His way of bumping is another familiar visual, too. Sting with a diving whatever the fuck, but he tastes steel instead of making contact with the challenger.

Scorpion recovers and goes for another pin, then chokes away. Bruiser and Scorpion have issues over his cheating. Whip to the corner, and Scorpion runs into a boot from Sting, but that's only good enough for a two count. Sting pulls him off the canvas and takes him back down with a suplex for another two count. Sting takes it to the corner and unloads with rights and boots to the midsection. Scorpion thumbs the eyes to stop the momentum, then rakes 'em again. Scorpion throws Sting face-first into the cage as the camera pans the "Black Scorpion fan club. All three of them." No, I wasn't in St. Louis for this. Scorpion rams Sting back into the cage over and over. I'm surprised there hasn't been a blade job yet, considering how many times Sting has met the steel. Scorpion with a piledriver for two. Bruiser's counting is SO god damn boring, the crowd isn't buying into any near falls. Scorpion slaps on some weird facelock/chinlock twist, running out of moves to do, apparently. Sting fights free and rams the Scorpion... into nothing. Whip to the ropes is countered, and Sting meets the steel, again. They do it again, and Sting comes off the ropes with a bulldog. Sting calls for the mask, then hits the Scorpion Splash. Sting applies the Scorpion Deathlock, but the Scorpion makes it to the ropes. Sting sends Scorpion into the cage and pulls off the mask, but he has another on under it, and he's managed to bleed through it, too! Short blonde hair is poking out of this mask, by the way. Fl--- I mean, Scorpion, tries climbing out, but Sting follows him up and crotches him across the top rope. Whip to the ropes, and Sting throws Scorpion into the cage again. Sting with a press slam, launching Scorpion face-first into the cage. Sting with a hip toss and diving clothesline. Sting heads to the top rope, and a cross body press finishes this off at 18:32, to one of the few pops of the match. Afterwards, the Messengers enter, but Sting and Dick the Bruiser fight them off and unmask them all. The real Scorpion tries to escape, but suddenly Windham and Arn Anderson come down to lock the cage. Sting fights everyone off and finally unmasks the Scorpion to be none other than Ric Flair, right as the PPV comes to an end. Feh. Had Ric Flair been the choice the entire time, it would've been whatever, just a bad storyline, but all the goofy shit presented for months upon months, and the chaos behind the scenes over the direction, made this one of the worst world title programs of it's time. It's also the worst Flair/Sting match, ever. Their 2001 Nitro encounter resembles their match at the first Clash in comparison.

Final Thoughts: There's a main event that time would like to forget. That one match aside, this show is just a rushed mess. Sure, you've got quality matches in the form of Doom/Horsemen, Steiners/Muta & Saito, and to lesser extents, Luger/Hansen and Eaton/Zenk, but the majority of the show was heatless filler, complete with a tag team tournament that barely featured much of the talent working for WCW, other than the eventual winners and a JTTS team. Most of the matches were just boring, but stuff like Team Canada vs. Team USSR had no right being put on a PPV, considering the absolutely poor quality due to poor pairings and lack of familiar work environment. Strong recommendation to avoid, unless you're enthusiastic about boring tournaments and dead crowds.

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