Wait a second, that’s not Hulk Hogan!
Written: Aug 21 '01 (Updated Aug 21 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sting VS Vader; Startlingly decent hardcore tag match
Cons: Terry Funk’s behavior; People having to pay to see Bunkhouse Buck wrestle; Disappointing ‘surprise’
The Bottom Line: Nothing special. I would consider renting this, but I’d never buy it again.
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| cactus_matt's Full Review: WCW Slamboree '94 |
WCW was getting set for major change in 1994. After years of being hailed as the underdog federation, they were finally coming close to attaining Hulk Hogan, the superstar that had been Vince McMahon’s meal ticket for nearly 10 years. It’s a dubious distinction as to whether Hogan truly helped out in the long run, but they had to try something. They had placed major stock in Rick Rude as a top heel, and he had just suffered a career-ending injury. Although Ric Flair had been accepted back with open arms after his WWF stint, they were seriously in need of another big name to help freshen things up.
Rumors had been floating around that Hogan could show up in WCW at any time. It was therefore an object of speculation when Col. Robert Parker boasted a mystery opponent for Ric Flair at Slamboree ’94. The mystery opponent was said to be 6’7”, bordering 300 lbs., and a former world champion, a very accurate description of Hulk Hogan. Was it a blockbuster surprise that would turn the wrestling world upside down? Or was it a cheap ploy to increase the pay-per-view buyrate?
Always in search of some good oldschool wrestling, I found this tape for a decent price at Amazon.com. Unfortunately, this comes from a time when Turner Home Entertainment decided to save money during production by recording all their WCW videos in extended play mode. As a result, the picture and sound quality is pretty shoddy, akin to something that was recorded off television in a similar fashion. Not only did it allow them to save a few bucks, but it also makes it more likely that your copy will wear out rapidly, forcing you to go out and buy another.
Slamboree ’94 – A Legend’s Reunion – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The show starts off with ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund introducing a group of wrestling legends on hand for the card. They really screwed this up and had lots trouble keeping the old guys in line. Terry Funk is called, but doesn’t even come out. Larry Hennig has his name misspelled on the television graphic. Some of the legends look miserable and not too happy to be there.
Down at ringside, Tony Schiavone and Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan discuss the circumstances surrounding the matches of the evening. Nick Bockwinkel comes out and wants to discuss an overturned decision on Sting’s ‘International World Title.’ Sting refuses to accept the title without a match, and vows to challenge Vader later on to see who the real champion will be. Sting is wearing a red sport coat and sunglasses. Nice fashion sense, Sting.
Match 1 – US Champion ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin w/Rob Parker VS Johnny B. Badd
Badd sucks up to the fans by wearing ‘Philly Rules’ on his outfit. Austin’s tights simply say ‘US Champ.’ Sherri Martel is shown at ringside, apparently scouting talent. Lots of ECW fans as well. Badd takes control and works on Austin’s arm for a long, long time. Badd catches Austin in a roll-up for a two count, and the bell rings for some reason. Badd reverses a headlock by Austin into a back suplex, but Austin lands on him and gets the pin. Very sloppy finish, and only an average match. No one cares about Badd.
2 ½ out of 5 stars.
Mean Gene talks with legends Wahoo McDaniel and Ernie ‘The Cat’ Ladd. Wahoo humorously answers Bobby Heenan’s accusations of selling Indian blankets down on the corner.
Dusty Rhodes is shown in Hollywood blabbering about random things. I don’t see any point to this.
Match 2 – Tully Blanchard VS Terry Funk – Legends Match
Classic wrestling commentator Gordon Solie joins Bobby Heenan for the match. Tully comes out to music that would be used by Chris Jericho a few years later. Terry comes out with his branding iron and jumps into a section of the crowd filled with ECW fans. Tully attacks Terry on the outside. Terry grabs some crutches from ringside and tosses them in the ring, but the ref slides them out. Terry curses at Tully and won’t let him get any offense through. Tully has little choice but to play along. Terry pulls off all sorts of careless, dangerous moves with no regard for Tully’s safety. Poor old Gordon Solie is confused and doesn’t know what to say about Terry. Terry attempts to piledrive Tully off the top rope onto a chair and the ref calls for a double DQ, ending this sad display. Terry’s behavior is completely unprofessional and an insult to what the match was supposed to be about. Afterwards, Terry grabs the ECW Hat Guy’s hat and drops an elbow on it. Terry looks thoroughly liquored up.
½ out of 5 stars.
Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura is in the back with Ric Flair discussing the possible identity of Parker’s mystery man.
Match 3 – Larry Zbysko VS Lord Steven Regal w/Sir William
Tony is back commentating with Heenan. Larry is returning from a few years off. Larry and Regal pace around the ring for a long time. The two finally lock up, and Larry catches Regal in a single-leg takedown. Then… they pace some more. Another takedown, and more pacing. Finally, they get started and exchange some weardown holds. Both men are showing their abilities, but not taking it anywhere. Regal attempts a double underhook suplex, but Larry flips it over for the pin. Some solid oldschool wrestling displayed was here, but maybe a bit too oldschool. The match took too long to get started and didn’t result in much once it did.
2 ½ out of 5 stars.
Terry Funk is in the back with Mean Gene. Terry says that he is the legend, and that’s why he didn’t bother coming out earlier on. Terry threatens to stick around all night.
Gordon Solie and Lou Thesz are in the ring to induct some of the legends into the Hall of Fame – Harley Race, The Crusher, Ernie Ladd, Masked Assassin (who looks miserable), Ole Anderson, and the late Dick the Bruiser. The majority of the crowd looks as if they could care less, which is too bad.
Match 4 – Dustin Rhodes VS Bunkhouse Buck w/Rob Parker – Bullrope Match
Dustin comes out to some lame music. Buck belongs on WCW Pro, not on a pay-per-view. Both men are tied at the wrist to the bullrope. Dustin dominates early on, trying to work on Buck’s leg. Buck takes control and turns it into a useless brawl. Dustin hits Buck with a cowbell for the pin after some botched interference by Parker. Afterwards, Terry Funk runs out and busts Dustin open with his branding iron. Buck lifts Dustin for a spike piledriver, but can’t hold him up. Sad, sad, sad. Buck has no ability, no charisma, and a terrible outfit. Boring, aimless match.
1 out of 5 stars.
Mean Gene with some more legends. He offers to take them out for drinks later on.
Heenan says that he wants to go back to the back and see what Terry Funk is up to. Ooooo-kay. Jesse Ventura takes his place.
Match 5 – World Champion Ric Flair VS Parker’s Mystery Wrestler
Parker comes out to introduce his mystery wrestler. The camera pans over some Hogan signs in the crowd. The mystery wrestler is a flabby, out-of-shape Barry Windham. The two men trade offense until Windham gains control and works on Flair. Windham nails the superplex. Flair recovers and applies the figure-four leglock, but Windham makes it to the ropes. Flair goes to the top rope and surprisingly makes it off, landing a cross-body on Windham for the pin. Windham was a disappointing and misleading ‘surprise.’ An otherwise average match, with Windham maybe suffering from a bit of ring rust.
3 out of 5 stars.
Mean Gene with yet more legends.
The next bout, a ‘Broadstreet Bully’ match, is to be officiated by former Philadelphia Flier Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. Dave cuts a promo and says that they didn’t nickname him ‘The Enforcer’ for nothing. Er… wait, I thought his nickname was ‘The Hammer’?
Match 6 – Tag Team Champs The Nasty Boys VS Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan – Broadstreet Bully Match
Schultz comes out wearing a jersey and holding a hockey stick. Tony keeps mistakenly calling this a ‘Badstreet Bully Match.’ Sullivan uses one of the aforementioned crutches on Brian Knobbs. Cactus grabs a trash can and wears out both of the Nasty Boys. Cactus goes for an elbow off the second rope onto Saggs on the floor, but Saggs moves out of the way. The Nasty Boys double team Cactus. Tony is cracking up and saying that this match is “the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.” Cactus is busted wide open. Cactus is tossed off the ramp and through a folding table. Schultz sits back and does nothing. Knobbs chokes out Sullivan as Saggs takes Cactus back into the ring. Saggs tries to use Schultz’s hockey stick on Cactus, but Schultz doesn’t want to share and the two mix it up. Cactus hits Saggs with the hockey stick and Schultz lays down a fast three-count. Afterwards, Maxx Payne and Dave Sullivan come out and assault the Nasty Boys. Not much more than an above-average hardcore match, but the crowd was really into it.
3 out of 5 stars.
Mean Gene is with the last of his legend friends. Verne Gagne doesn’t seem too amused by the match he’s just seen and hopes that they’ll put a stop to things of the sort in the future. He must really be grimacing these days.
Match 7 - Sting VS Vader w/Harley Race – to decide International World Title
Bobby Heenan is back with Tony now. Sting and Vader have a staredown. Vader overpowers Sting. Sting somehow manages to suplex Vader. Vader recovers and maneuvers Sting into the corner for two Vader Bombs. Vader works on Sting with some surprising technical prowess. Sting goes for a flying clothesline, but hits the ref. Vader holds Sting so that Harley can hit him with a chair, but Sting moves and Harley lands an extremely weak-looking chairshot on Vader. Sting tries for a Stinger Splash, but Vader catches him in a powerslam. Vader tries for the moonsault, but Sting moves. Sting lands a top-rope splash and gets the pin. A good, well-paced match, but somewhat marred by Harley’s sad interference.
3 ½ out of 5 stars.
So, is this card really worth seeking out? Well, it’s nothing really groundbreaking, but it isn’t as bad as some other 1994 WCW events I’ve seen. All the better if you can find it to rent, though. There’s just not much here that I care to watch over and over again. The big ‘surprise’ turned out to be a big disappointment as Barry Windham. Everybody was expecting Hogan, and WCW knew that. The whole ‘legends’ theme didn’t carry over all that well, but it was nice to see the guys getting recognized.
Terry Funk was high on ECW and really didn’t belong in the match they put him in. The Broadstreet Bully Match was mindless, but all the guys worked hard and did some decent bumps. Both Sting and Vader gave some extra effort to make their match a little better. Everything else was a total loss or just there as filler. Overall, an average outing from WCW.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cactus_matt
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Location: Florida
Reviews written: 40
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