-Today we look at Clash of the Champions XXV from WCW.
-Clash XXV was shown on TBS on November 10, 1993 from the Bayfront Arena in St. Petersburg, FL.
-Intro.
-Mean Gene Okerlund welcomes us to the Clash. Welcome Mean Gene! He pushes the WCW Hotline and then throws it to Jesse Ventura and Tony Schiavone, who talk about what is going to happen tonight.
-WCW International World Championship Match. Rick Rude vs. Road Warrior Hawk: Rude does his pre match routine. Hawk gets a great reaction when he comes out. The bell rings. They are face to face. Hawk pushes Rude. They lock up and push off. Another lock up and push. Rude poses. Hawk throws Rude into a corner and Rude complains that his hair was pulled. Hawk asks for a test of strength. Rude backs off a couple of times. Rude attacks Hawk. He hits forearms and elbows. He runs Hawk into a turnbuckle to no effect. Hawk comes back with a flurry of offense. He slams Rude down. Hawk with a suplex for a two count. Hawk with a corner whip. Rude with a backbreaker. Rude goes up top and gets caught. Hawk and Rude battle to the outside. Back and forth. They both get counted out. The fans boo.
-The Equalizer vs. The Shockmaster: Equalizer attacks Shockmaster as soon as he gets in. He drives Shockmaster into the corner. Equalizer chokes Shockmaster on the top rope. He beats Shckmaster down on the ropes. He hits Shockmaster with a leapfrog body guillotine. Equalizer with a belly to back suplex for a two count. Equalizer continues the assault. Shockmaster comes back with a big boot. Back and forth. Shockmaster with a bear hug slam to get the pin.
-Mean Gene talks to Col. Rob Parker. He says he's dropped Sid Vicious for Stunning Steve Austin. They bury Sid, who has had his dust up with Arn Anderson in England by this time and although they still show some pre-recorded things, he is no longer with the company.
-WCW Television Championship Match. Lord Steven Regal with Sir William vs. Johnny B. Badd: Badd out to a great reaction with his Badd Blasters. Regal booed when he and Sir William come out. The bell rings and Badd tries to get the crowd into the match. They circle each other. They trade moves. Badd with a takedown and gets a series of two counts. Regal backs away to regroup. Badd with a wrist lock. Badd with a hammerlock into a side headlock takeover. Back up into the side headlock. Quick paced match. Back and forth. Badd with the headlock. Regal with a surfboard. Badd comes back with a drop toe hold into a series of side headlocks. He follows it up with a shoulder block. Regal ducks another move and Badd goes flying into the ropes hard. Regal takes advantage with uppercuts. Regal with a crossface. Regal with an arm bar. Back and forth. Regal with more uppercuts. Regal with a butterfly suplex. Badd with a punch to knock Regal down. Badd with a cover, but William puts Regal's leg on the ropes. Regal with a roll up and a handful of tights to get the pin.
-Steve Austin with Col. Parker vs. Brian Pillman: They start fighting as soon as Austin gets in the ring. Jesse openly lamenting the demise of the Hollywood Blonds. Parker goads Pillman, allowing Austin to attack Pillman. They fight to the outside and Pillman runs Austin into the barricade. Pillman chopping Austin. Back in, Pillman hits a backdrop and chops Austin in the corner. Austin begs off. Pillman and Austin fight out to the ramp. Pillman backdrops Austin and goes up top, but Austin gets his leg up. Austin drops Pillman from the ramp onto the barricade. Austin with a forearm to Pillman. Austin on the offensive. Back and forth. Austin with a modified Stun Gun Pillman chops Austin. Austin chokes Pillman on the second rope. Austin with a half crab to Pillman. Austin grabs the ropes for leverage. Pillman fights back. They trade shots. Pillman with a back elbow off the ropes. A double count going as both men are down. Pillman crotches Austin on the top rope. He chops Austin and goes for a superplex, but Austin slams Pillman off. Austin comes off and Pillman catches him with a dropkick. He gets a two count. Pillman with a victory roll for a two count. Pillman goes for a press and Austin gets a power slam for a two count. Pillman with a DDT for a two count. Austin with a modified Samoan Drop for a two count and then Austin goes up top. He goes to drop the knee, but Pillman moves and gets a two count. Austin misses a Stun Gun attempt. Pillman goes for a slingshot clothesline, but misses it when Parker grabs his leg and Austin gets the pin. Pillman attacks Austin and Parker after the match.
-Mean Gene with the BattleBowl Control Center running down the event.
-United States Championship Match. Dustin Rhodes with Dusty Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff with The Assassin: Dusty and the Assassin start yelling at each other as a Dusty chant goes out. The bell rings. They circle each other and lock up. They drive to a corner and break. Another lock up and Rhodes with a side headlock. Rhodes with a shoulder block and a pair of body slams. Rhodes with a side headlock takeover. Orndorff shifts his weight and tries to get a pin with a handful of tights. Rhodes goes back to the side headlock. Orndorff up with a wrist lock. He drives Rhodes to the mat as a Paula chant goes out. Orndorff with an arm bar into a hammerlock. Assassin tells Orndorff to break the arm. Rhodes fights out. He drives Orndorff into the corner. He gets Orndorff down and gets a leg lock on. Orndorff comes back. Rhodes with a snap mare into a reverse chin lock. Orndorff comes back with an arm bar. Orndorff with a belly to back suplex into a chin lock. Rhodes comes back and gets a back slide for a two count. Orndorff suckers Rhodes in and drives him into a turnbuckle. Orndorff taking over on Rhodes. Back and forth. Rhodes with a lariat for a two count. Rhodes goes for a bulldog, but Orndorff drops down. Orndorff comes back and signals for a piledriver. Rhodes reverses into a backdrop. Orndorff goes up top. He misses a knee drop when Rhodes moves. Rhodes gets an inside cradle to get the pin. Orndorff clotheslines Rhodes out and the Assassin runs Rhodes into a ring post. Dusty attacks the Assassin and throws him into the ring. Dusty hits the Bionic Elbow and goes to take the mask off. Orndorff comes in and attacks Dusty with a roll of tape. They attack Dusty with the US title until Dustin runs the heels off.
-Mean Gene talks about the WCW Hotline.
-WCW World Tag Team Championship Match. The Nasty Boys Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags with Missy Hyatt vs. Sting and The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith: When Hyatt comes out, oh man, she really is the Walking Riot. Sting and Smith attack the Nasty Boys as soon as they get in the ring. Smith and Sags fight out to the ramp. Rick Rude comes out from under the ramp and attacks Smith. He hits the Rude Awakening before being run off by Road Warrior Hawk. Hawk checks on Smith as Sting hits Knobbs with a splash in the ring. Sting goes and checks on Smith. He helps Smith to the ring and the bell rings. Sting with a double clothesline. He cleans house on the Nasty Boys. He throws Sags out. Knobbs and Sting go back and forth. Sting drops an elbow on Sags. Sting with a corner clothesline. He drives Sags into the mat. Sting with a scoop slam. Knobbs throws Sting into the ring. Knobbs tagged in. Knobbs with a gut wrench suplex. Knobbs distracts referee Nick Patrick so Sags can throw Sting outside. Knobbs suplexes Sting back in and gets a two count. Knobbs with a bear hug. Smith wants to tag in. Sting with a belly to belly suplex. Sags tagged in and throws Sting out. Knobbs chokes Sting with Knobb's own jacket. Knobbs with a chin lock on Sting. Sting lifts up and falls back on Knobbs. Sags and Smith both tagged in. Smith with power slams to both Nasty Boys. He cleans house. He runs the Nasty Boys together. He hits a double clothesline and double DDT. Smith throws Sting on the Nasty Boys. Smith with a power slam to Knobbs, but Patrick is trying to get Sting out, allowing Sags to drop an elbow on Smith and Knobbs gets the pin.
-Tony and Jesse talk about Jesse being on the Hotline.
-Col. Rob Parker approaches Ric Flair and challenges the winner of the Main Event on behalf of Steve Austin.
-WCW World Championship Match. Vader with Harley Race vs. Ric Flair with Fifi: Michael Buffer makes the introductions. Flair puts Race in the figure four before the match, but that gives Vader the opportunity to splash Flair. Vader beats Flair down in the corner. Vader picks Flair up and slams him. Flair tries to get away, but Vader hits a Vader bomb. Vader beating Flair down in the corner, but Flair chops Vader and stomps Vader down. Vader comes back and drops an elbow on Flair's leg. Vader hitting Flair in the corner again. Flair thrown outside and Race throws Flair into the barricade. Vader goes to splash Flair, but Flair moves and hits Vader with a forearm on the floor from the top rope. Drink em if you've got em folks. Flair chopping Vader on the outside. They fight to the inside. Flair chops Vader in the corner. Vader with a big boot to get Flair down. Vader goes for a splash from the bottom rope, but Flair moves and gets the figure four on. Vader gets to the ropes as Race rakes Flair's eyes. Vader suplexes Flair in from the apron. He gets a two count. Flair slams Vader as Vader was going for a splash and Flair gets a two count. Flair with a top rope forearm. He hits a second one. Take a shot. Flair with a corner whip, but collapses as Vader comes back with a clothesline and referee Randy Anderson gets hit instead. Flair goes up top, but Vader catches Flair as he comes off. He puts Flair on the top rope and superplexes Flair. Vader drags Flair to a corner and goes for a moonsault, but Flair moves. Flair covers Vader and it appears the referee counts to three. Flair grabs the title, but the referee had disqualified Vader. Parker and Austin come in and attack Flair. Flair and Austin go back and forth in the corner. Dustin Rhodes and the Shockmaster run the heels off.
-Mean Gene interviews Flair. Flair screams that he's back and challenges Vader and Austin to a match on WCW Saturday Night and says Sid Vicious will be his partner. That's called we had it taped already. They accept the challenge and sign off from the Bayfront Arena.
-Final Thoughts: This was an okay show. Worth at least one watch.