Happy new year to everyone who gives this a read. My first RetroView of 2023 continues the journey down the WCW pre-nWo with WCW SuperBrawl VI. Coming out of Starrcade, WCW is gaining more steam as a challenger to WWE.
Macho Man Randy Savage versus Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hulk Hogan meets The Giant in the same cage. Sting and Lex Luger face off with Harlem Heat with the winners facing The Road Warriors later in the show.
The undercard features some possible gems in DDP versus Johnny B Badd and Konnan versus One Man Game. We’re welcomed to the sixth SuperBrawl with Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes.
That latter talks about the danger Hulk Hogan is in tonight against the Giant. Heenan, as always, proclaims that Ric Flair will be champion by the end of the night.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
Street Fight
The Nasty Boys vs The Public Enemy
Interesting one here with two teams that Schiavone points out their similarities. The fight picks up right away; not many wrestling holds will be in this one.
It doesn’t take Rocko Rock long to bring a table into the match, but he’s greeted with multiple chair shots from Jerry Sags. This is exactly what you’d expect from these two teams.
Lots of plunder, the piledriver onto a metal trash can by Sags on Johnny Grunge is a nice touch; barely any time in the ring and a table spot for the finish. The Nasty Boys get the win after Rocko Rock is missing a dive onto a Brian Knobbs, who moved at the very last second.
Winners – Nasty Boys
We get our first Mean Gene interview segment in the locker room area. Of course, he plugs the WCW hotline. Okerlund is joined by Konnan, and this is pre-nWo Konnan, an honorable wrestler. He tells Mean he will still be United States Champion after defeating One Man Gang.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
Special Challenge WCW Television Championship Match
Johnny B Badd © with the Diamond Doll vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Everything is on the line in this one. The Television Title, the services of the Diamond Doll, and the remainder of DDP’s six million dollars. This is my least favorite incarnation of DDP; give me people’s champion DDP every day of the week.
The fight starts outside the ring as the two rivals brawl around the squared circle. Watching the last few WCW shows leading up to this is making me appreciate this little rivalry between these two.
The Diamond Doll is giving a lot of camera time; her taunting DDP with the 0 card is pretty entertaining. Late in the match, there is a great near fall when Badd surprises DDP with a roll-up.
That’s followed up by an even better sunset flip from the top turnbuckle over DDP for another two count. We get a great sleeper hold sequence. Side note: not enough sleeper holds in WWE anymore before Johnny B Badd gets the win with a tombstone piledriver.
To the winner goes the spoils, Badd gets the belt, the girl, and the six million dollars.
Winner – Johnny B Badd
Mean Gene is now joined by Harlem Heat. Stevie Ray says they will own the gold. Booker T calls Luger and Sting punks before saying they refuse to leave without the World Tag Team Titles.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
WCW Tag Team Championship Match
Sting & Lex Luger © vs Harlem Heat
The announcing trio discusses the continued tension between Sting and Lex Luger and how that might affect them in this match. The entire time before the action begins, Sting give a look of mistrust.
Workhorses Sting and Booker T begin the match. As expected, they work really well together. Luger gets in, and the pace picks up, but he’s quickly taken down by a double back elbow from Harlem Heat.
As Luger rolls ringside to recover, Schiavone mentions that Sting keeps looking at Luger in disapproval. Once Sting and Booker T get in the ring together again, the action picks up. We get a spinarooni from Harlem Heat mid-match, and the crowd roars in approval.
Ten minutes in, and Schiavone mentions that the winner will still have to face the Road Warriors later in the show. Stevie Ray slows down the pace with various rest holds.
Harlem Heat separates Luger from his partner with quick tags, and the crowd began to rally behind Luger. We get a tag, but referee Nick Patrick is distracted by Stevie Ray.
A frustrated Sting rushes into the ring and begins attacking Harlem Heat, eventually, he’s sent over the top rope. The distraction of a ringside fight between Sting and Booker T allows for the Road Warriors to come out and cost Harlem Heat the match.
Winners – Sting and Lex Luger
Mean Gene grabs Sting and Luger at the entrance curtain. Okerlund mentions the outside interference, but Luger cuts him off. He proclaims they’re the champs, and Sting agrees. In all the celebration, Okerlund is ignored when he asks if Sting saw what happened.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
WCW United States Championship Match
Konnan © vs. One Man Gang
The Dungeon of Doom generic horror music brings out One Man Gang. Schiavone talks up Konnan and the bright future he has in WCW. The massive One Man Gang attacks Konnan before the bell and begins pounding on him in the corner.
The crowd is pretty quiet in this one, even after Konnan hits a dive onto the outside. Per usual, a One Man Gang match is very slow-paced. There is a great close-up by the cameraman when Gang is pulling on Konnan’s face.
Konnan gets some momentum with a flurry of dropkicks but is eventually swatted away by Gang. The overconfident One Man Gang pulls Konnan up from the mat during an obvious three count.
He then misses coming off the top turnbuckle leading to Konnan earning the win with a front flip off the top turnbuckle.
Winner – Konnan
The Road Warriors are questioned by Mean Gene and they tell Sting and Luger that there’s no way they’re going to be them.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
I Respect You Strap Match
The Taskmaster vs Brian Pillman
Pillman comes sprinting out after the Taskmaster makes his entrance. Sullivan takes him down, but Pillman continuously whips his hip with the strap. Pillman eventually grabs the mic after Sullivan gains some momentum and Pillman drops the iconic line.
“I respect you, booker man.” – here
Pillman makes a quick exit as Taskmaster, and Jimmy Hart are left in the ring utterly confused. Pulling back the curtain at its loose cannon best.
Winner – The Taskmaster
Arn Anderson heads to the ring, and the Taskmaster hits him with the belt. This causes Anderson to remove his shirt and step in for the match. They begin whipping each other with the strap. Arn’s rocking some awesome 90’s maroon shorts.
After a few minutes of solid brawling, this ends in a no-contest after Ric Flair comes out and tells them to stop and focus on finishing Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. We cut to the back, and Mean Gene is interviewing Jimmy Hart and the Giant. They promise pain and all the bad things in the world are coming Hulk Hogan’s way.
WCW SuperBrawl
WCW Tag Team Championship Match
Sting & Lex Luger vs The Road Warriors
Luger tries to leave before the match begins, but Sting persuades him to come back. His shenanigans delay the match for quite a few minutes. This frustrates the announcers and Sting. Hawk and Sting eventually get this match going.
The Road Warriors cut Sting off from his corner fairly quickly. It gets interesting when Luger tags in. All of his recent actions have the announcers questioning his every move. The Road Warriors hit Luger with a plethora of power moves.
Sting gets the hot tag, but his momentum is cut short after his dive from the top turnbuckle ends when he crashes into Animal’s knees. He once again finds himself in deep water with the Road Warriors. After an attempted vintage fire up by Sting, the match spills to the outside.
All four men begin brawling around the ring and down the entrance aisle leading to a disappointing double count out.
No Winners
Ric Flair with Woman by his side, is in the back being interviewed by Mean Gene. Flair accuses Hogan of trying to cause a rift between Arn and the Taskmaster. He then turns his focus to Savage and the cage match.
Flair threatens to take Elizabeth home with him tonight and predicts a new World Champion will be crowned.
Just another great promo from the Nature Boy. Of course, we get the response from Savage. Decked out in a shiny blue, neon yellow out fit and the World Title around his waist. Savage mentions the Mega Powers are cool and both are winning tonight.
Crazy to think, even in WCW, Flair versus Savage for the title is ousted out of the main event by a Hogan versus a giant match.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
Steel Cage WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Savage © vs. Ric Flair
Michael Buffer dramatically rings in the co-main event as the first of two cage matches. Flair and Woman are in matching purple attire, countering the blue of Savage and Elizabeth.
The Nature Boy takes his sweet time entering the ring, something Schiavone equates to playing mind games. Flair finally gets in the ring, and Savage goes on the attack. You’ve got to love the look of the old-school WCW cage.
Surprisingly the ref is the first one to get bloodied as he gets decked and comes up with a bloody nose. Flair fends off the early assault by Savage and takes control of the match. The vintage toss of Flair from the top rope by Savage swings the momentum in Savage’s favor before he applies the figure four on Flair.
While this is happening, Woman is shown screeching from ringside. At one point, Savage climbs to the top of the cage and tries to hit a massive double axe handle, but he’s met with a punch in the gut from Flair.
This is when Flair starts to use the cage as a weapon, slamming Savage face first into the metal structure.
Figure then applies his own figure four. Somehow Savage fights his way out, and he uses the cage as a weapon. Raking Flair’s face across the steel. Shortly after, Flair is bleeding like only Flair can bleed.
The crowd goes wild when Savage almost pulls Flair’s tights completely down. Heenan sums it up perfectly.
“We may be in Tampa, but it’s moon over Miami.”
A crimson-faced Flair tries to escape again, and once again, Savage pulls his pants down, this time exposing his entire a**. Dusty Rhodes is cracking up on commentary as Schiavone tries to compose himself. The hilarity of these moments has added a spark to this match.
Woman attempts to intervene with some kind of powder that she tries to throw in Savage’s face. In a shocking moment, Elizabeth slides her shoe to Flair leading to him using it to blast Savage in the face.
Buffer announces that for the 13th time Ric Flair is World Heavyweight Champion. Schiavone is absolutely dumbfounded on commentary by the betrayal.
Winner – Ric Flair
An eye patch-wearing Hulk Hogan comes out, chair in hand. He hits Arn Anderson, who came out to celebrate with Flair. The two Horsemen make a quick exit, championship in hand.
WCW SuperBrawl VI
Steel Cage Match
Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant
Before the start of the main event, you can hear a portion of the crowd chanting “Hogan sucks.” Raising the stakes, Mean Gene announces this match is declared as an unsanctioned match. Buffer is back to ring in the main event.
The Giant enters first escorted by the Taskmaster and Jimmy Hart. Hulk Hogan comes out and even his climb over the top of the cage to enter the match gets a relatively quiet response.
This is definitely when the tide of popularity had begun shifting away from Hulk Hogan. Hogan sends the Giant reeling with a variety of right hands and running him into the cage. Like most Giant-Hogan matches, the big man starts to wear down Hogan with bear hugs and other power moves and holds.
The announcers have mentioned Andre the Giant a few times in this as they are still trying to push the Giant as Andre’s son angle. Per usual for a Hogan cage match, he is bloodied midway through.
We get the standard Giant mid-ring bear hug which slows the match to a snail’s pace. Jimmy Hart tries to rile up the crowd as Hogan begins his typical hulk up. The crowd once again, is a mixture of cheers and boos.
The Giant is busted open after receiving around nine slams into the cage. Hogan hits the big boot and body slams the Giant, and of course, the leg drop, actually three leg drops. The Giant shocks Schiavone after sitting up quickly after the leg drops.
Both men up on the top turnbuckle before the Giant is sent crashing to the mat. This allows Hogan to climb over the top of the cage and escape for the win. Waiting for him a chair shot to the back from the Taskmaster. This doesn’t phase Hogan as he chases Taskmaster back inside the cage.
The entire Dungeon of Doom runs out to the ring and Hogan begins hitting each member with the steel chair. Hogan chases off the Dungeon of Doom while the Loch Ness Monster (WHO?) tries to enter the cage.
His Dungeon of Doom cohorts holds back the massive Monster.
Winner – Hulk Hogan
The show ends with the Dungeon scurrying to the back while Hogan poses in the middle of the ring.
Pretty solid show, Flair and Savage for the title should have closed it down, but Hogan’s going to Hogan. Next time my journey towards the creation of the nWo continues with Uncensored 1996.
Featuring Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage versus Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and basically the entire Dungeon of Doom in a Doomsday Cage Match.
Oh boy!
