Clash of the Champions XXIX — Vader and Dustin Save a Show Already Sinking into Hulkamania

Stars & Stripes and Pretty Wonderful have traded the belts enough by this point that the rivalry feels less like a feud than a lease agreement. The match itself is functional and occasionally sharp. Orndorff supplies the timing, Roma the athletic flourishes, Patriot gets the early momentum and Bagwell spends the middle absorbing the champions' control. The crowd wakes up for the closing sequence, where Pretty Wonderful attempt the Powerplex and Patriot knocks Roma from the top rope. Orndorff remains on the mat after the suplex, Bagwell lifts a shoulder and the titles change hands. It is clever in theory, clumsy in execution and extremely 1994 WCW.

The Honky Tonk Man arrives in WCW with the confidence of a man who believes 1987 is a renewable resource. Johnny B. Badd tries to drag him toward a faster television match, but Honky's offense is almost entirely nostalgia: headlocks, cheap shots, the Shake Rattle and Roll setup and a lot of stalling around his hair. Badd finally creates some motion and looks ready to close when the referee gets bumped. Honky reaches for the guitar, breaks it over the champion and gets disqualified. The match does not advance beyond the premise, and the planned Starrcade rematch disappears when Honky's WCW stay ends shortly afterward.

Harlem Heat and the Nasty Boys understand the broad shape of the match: punch people, isolate somebody, hit the hot tag and let Sherri change the result. The problem is that WCW's own on-screen graphic reveals Sherri as Harlem Heat's manager before the mystery can unfold. Stevie Ray keeps trying to make the secret phone call anyway, turning a basic tag match into a production error with wrestling attached. Booker provides the best movement, the Nasties provide the clubbering and the crowd reacts well enough once the finish arrives. Sherri's alliance matters historically. The match introducing it mostly feels like the control room got there first.

Vader spits in Dustin Rhodes' face and accidentally unlocks the best match on the show. Dustin double-legs him, tears off the mask, throws punches like somebody insulted the family and gets Jacksonville roaring before Vader has time to establish the usual monster rhythm. From there the match becomes a brutal argument over whether heart can move four hundred pounds. Dustin powerslams him, survives Vader Bombs, takes a terrifying launch over the top rope and keeps finding one more comeback. The bulldog appears to have Vader beaten until Harley Race creates the distraction. Vader crushes Dustin from behind and finishes with the wheelbarrow facebuster. This feels like old WCW surviving inside the new one.

Steve Austin has spent the year sliding from one of WCW's most promising young acts to a United States-title challenger who cannot make it through the opening minute. He and Jim Duggan barely engage before Vader charges in and triggers the disqualification at fifty-four seconds. The angle exists to connect Vader with Duggan for Starrcade, but Austin is treated like packaging material. Even worse, Duggan quickly clears both heels with the two-by-four, so the numbers advantage does not make Vader or Austin look especially dangerous. There is no meaningful wrestling to score. The historical value is watching WCW's interest in Austin evaporate in real time.

The main event has Hulk Hogan, Sting, a celebrity referee and three heels supposedly dangerous enough to headline the road to Starrcade, yet almost nothing feels dangerous once the bell rings. Dave Sullivan is removed after Avalanche crushes his arm, giving the villains a three-on-two advantage that should create urgency. Hogan and Sting survive anyway. Sting briefly provides athletic energy, Hogan takes the expected heat and Mr. T eventually uses Jimmy Hart's megaphone on Kevin Sullivan so Hogan can pin him. The post-match assault is more effective than the match because the Three Faces finally look threatening when nobody is trying to beat Hogan under wrestling rules.