SuperBrawl II
Milwaukee, WI
Mecca
February 29, 1992
Here we are at a very interesting point in WCW. There were a lot of changes going on with the product, with many more to come later in the year.
Now, as for the event itself, it was a whole new WCW. The one and only Jesse the Body Ventura made his full event debut after his one match teaser at the Clash. The team of Ross and Ventura was outstanding. Jesse brought a huge presence and a legitimacy to the PPV. His style of commentary is unlike any other, and he really got the matches over as though they were real. He also provided a lot of explanation behind the moves and why guys chose to do things at certain points in the match. He provided so much psychology to even the most basic match.
One new boring feature of this PPV were the “host” segments with Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff. Much like a sports broadcast they sat at the back of the arena and previewed the upcoming matches. The segments were dull and pretty much pointless.
The event was coming live from the Mecca in Milwaukee. What a strange venue for a PPV! It was basically a large theatre (the entrance way was on the theatre stage) with a Middle Eastern themed building design. It was a fairly small crowd but they were hot all night.
Jesse Ventura made a big entrance on a Harley Davidson and received a HUGE pop! One of the biggest of the night. I can’t say enough things about how much Jesse brought to the table for this event.
1) Brian Pillman pinned WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin Liger to win the title at 16:59 with a leg roll up into a bridge after the champion missed a dive off the top; after the match, the two men shook hands and hugged
WOW! What a phenomenal match! I’ve seen this match a few times, as it was also featured on the Brian Pillman DVD. Two of the all time greatest lightheavyweights go toe to toe for nearly 20 minutes in an aerial and mat war. What a thrilling match this was! Liger was doing moves in 92 that no one had seen in mainstream US wrestling. The punishment level was high as these guys were killing themselves pulling off some of the spectacular moves. I laughed at the crowd chanting “USA” at points, considering both guys were basically faces. Excellent way to start a PPV!
2) Marcus Alexander Bagwell pinned WCW US Tag Team Champion Taylor Made Man at 7:38 with a roll up
Instead of being Terrence Taylor, he was now known as the “Taylor Made Man” – what a dumb name! Ross mentioned that Taylor was one half of US tag champs with Greg the Hammer Valentine! What a weird team, too bad they weren’t defending the belts on this card. This match was kind of boring, as Bagwell was still so green and basic in the ring. Ventura does a great job of putting over the angle that Bagwell refused to go under the wing of Taylor, and questioned why he would turn down such an exclusive offer. Bagwell wins in a cheap way and the crowd mostly boos him.
3) Ron Simmons pinned Cactus Jack with a powerslam at 6:34; after the match, Abdullah the Butcher attacked Simmons from behind until the Junkyard Dog came out of the crowd, knocked down two security guards, and cleared the ring
Good match re-establishing Simmons as a top contender. Cactus is really hitting his stride in WCW and worked hard to make Simmons look like a wrecking machine. They showed the Dog in the crowd earlier in the show and you knew he would be getting involved. Not sure why they would bring that crack addict back, as he looked fatter than ever.
4) Van Hammer & Tom Zenk defeated Vinnie Vegas & Richard Morton at 12:01 when Zenk pinned Morton with a sunset flip out of the corner after Morton hit the turnbuckle
Jesse was hilarious on commentary in this one. He talked about Hammer’s physique, but stated that everyone knows there’s no money in bodybuilding – a pretty obvious shot at the WBF. He also made a lot of jokes about guys named Vinnie. This match made no sense, with two makeshift teams with four guys who had nothing to do with each other. It was fairly entertaining, especially when Vegas was in the ring.
During the show there was an angle where Missy Hyatt was again trying to get backstage interviews. She tried to interview Ricky Steamboat, but his personal ninja bodyguard was protecting the room. Madusa showed up and tried to get into the room, but was blocked by the ninja. She slapped the ninja who then chased her down the hall.
5) Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham defeated WCW TV Champion Steve Austin & Larry Zbyzsko (w/ Madusa) at 18:21 when Windham pinned Zbyzsko with a lariat off the top after Rhodes shoved Zbyzsko off the top
Another good long tag team match. I liked how WCW trimmed the card by a few matches to give some of these better matches a lot more time. It was awesome hearing Ventura calling a Steve Austin match. The Dangerous Alliance was the most dominant group in the company in early 92 and I was enjoying their feuds with the top faces. Windham finally gets his revenge from Halloween Havoc by putting Larry away for the win.
6) WCW Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (w/ Madusa) defeated Rick & Scott Steiner via reverse decision at 20:05; the challengers originally won the match and titles when Scott pinned Eaton with the Frankensteiner but the decision was overturned since Rick – blinded by powder thrown in his face by Anderson – accidentally dropped the referee with a belly to belly and dumped Anderson over the top to the floor
The second of three Dangerous Alliance matches in a row, and another extremely entertaining long match. This show had way more of an NWA flavor with all the long tag matches and emphasis on titles. With these four longtime NWA/WCW legends you just knew it would be great, and these guys delivered. The end Dusty finish, while predictable, actually worked well as this feud was still really hot.
7) WCW US Champion Rick Rude pinned Ricky Steamboat (w/ the ninja) at 20:00 after the ninja, Paul E. Dangerously in disguise, repeatedly hit Steamboat in the head with his phone as Steamboat went up to the top rope; pre-match stipulations stated Dangerously was barred from ringside for the bout
Jesse Ventura was just awesome in this one. Rick Rude was always one of his favorites and he puts Rude over strong here. Steamboat and Rude (who last had a major event singles match at Rumble 88!) put on a classic, trading holds, near falls, and wear-down holds. Rude was an underrated master of selling, as he favors his left arm all match long after Steamboat worked it over. The ending was genius as Madusa and Paul E’s plan worked to perfection. Ventura was again awesome in declaring Dangerously a genius for putting together such a master plan. Awesome match.
8) Sting pinned WCW World Champion Lex Luger (w/ Harley Race) to win the title with a crossbody off the top at 13:01 after fighting off an interfering Race on the floor
This is the end of Lex Luger’s historic first run in NWA/WCW. Since 1986 Luger has been on top of the cards and a fixture in the company. At the beginning of 92 he began having contract problems and only made sporadic appearances. We all know he would show up via satellite at Wrestlemania 8 a month after this. It sure will be weird to watch the upcoming events without Luger. This match really wasn’t anything special. Ross and Ventura talked at length about Luger not wrestling for the last month or so, and how rusty he was. He was completely jacked and slow, and Sting has to work hard. Considering the months of build, this sure felt flat. With three hot matches before this one it was kind of letdown. But the crowd popped big for Sting’s win and Luger quickly heads to the back and to the WWF.
Overall this was a tremendous PPV – a lot of fun to watch, with a ton of great action and outstanding commentary.
the RepoDan Wrestling Institution 