SuperBrawl VII: A Good Undercard Gets Trapped Beneath a Very WCW Main Event

Syxx and Dean Malenko give SuperBrawl VII a strong opening match by letting Malenko work with unusual aggression instead of his normal icy control. He attacks quickly, pulls Syxx up from covers and treats the stolen championship belt like a personal insult rather than a prop. Syxx eventually settles the pace with kicks and neck work, and the match becomes much more competitive without losing the hostility. Eddie Guerrero's attempt to stop Syxx from using the belt accidentally helps create the title change. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 6.41, while TJR rated it three-and-a-half stars. The interference finish keeps it below the next tier, but the wrestling is sharp.

The six-man lucha match is chaotic in the most productive way. Konnan gives his team a power base, La Parka provides charisma and reckless movement, and Juventud Guerrera keeps the match accelerating whenever the pace threatens to settle. There are missed dives and moments when the legal-man concept becomes more of a suggestion than a rule, but the crowd responds to the constant motion. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 6.32, while the Observer gave it three-and-three-quarter stars and TJR landed at three stars. It is not polished enough to call excellent, but it gives the card variety and makes WCW's international depth feel like a genuine competitive advantage.

Prince Iaukea against Rey Misterio Jr. is better than the champion's push has any right to be. Rey supplies the spectacular offense, including a violent-looking dive to the floor, while Iaukea keeps up well enough that the match never becomes a one-man exhibition. The awkward top-rope sequence near the end exposes the experience gap, and Steven Regal pulling Rey into the apron gives Iaukea another protected victory rather than a defining one. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 6.02, and TJR rated it three-and-a-quarter stars. The work is lively and the crowd cares about Rey. Iaukea remains the least convincing part of his own championship program.

Diamond Dallas Page against Buff Bagwell is more important for Page's momentum than for the wrestling itself. Bagwell is still learning how to fill space as an nWo heel, so the opening stretch drags and the match relies heavily on Page's connection with the crowd. Once DDP begins the comeback, the atmosphere changes immediately, and the Diamond Cutter feels like a finish the audience is desperate to see. WCW refuses to give them the clean payoff, sending Syxx and other nWo members out for the disqualification. CAGEMATCH currently sits at 4.80 and TJR gave it two-and-three-quarter stars. The match is average. DDP's trajectory is anything but.

Eddie Guerrero versus Chris Jericho is the best pure wrestling match on the show even though the Cow Palace audience takes a while to reward it. Jericho mixes power moves with the athletic offense that will soon define his cruiserweight run, while Guerrero continually finds ways to counter without making the match feel rehearsed. The closing stretch is filled with believable reversals, including the sudden sunset-flip finish that keeps Guerrero champion. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 6.82, and both the Observer and TJR put it in the three-and-a-half-star range. The only thing missing is a hotter crowd and a stronger story entering the match. Technically, it is excellent work.

The three-way tag match loses its original purpose before the bell because the Steiner Brothers have been written out through the nWo car-crash angle. Without the Steiners, the number-one-contender stakes disappear and the remaining teams mostly trade power spots until the rules become optional. Booker T and the Barbarian provide the best individual moments, while Public Enemy are useful whenever the match turns into a scramble. The finish arrives abruptly when Rocco Rock scores the pin without much legal structure. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 4.30, and TJR rated it one-and-a-half stars. There are fun bursts, but the bout feels like a replacement plan WCW never finished writing.

Jeff Jarrett against Steve McMichael is built around whether Jarrett can earn a place in the Four Horsemen, with Debra standing between her husband and the man she increasingly supports. Jarrett does most of the technical lifting, but McMichael remains too inexperienced for the match to develop a comfortable rhythm. Long stretches of basic offense and stalling make eight minutes feel considerably longer. Debra finally throws the briefcase past Mongo to Jarrett, who uses it to get the victory and the Horsemen spot. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 3.57, while TJR gave it one-and-a-half stars. The storyline moves forward. The wrestling mostly waits for the finish.

Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan turn another chapter of their feud into a compact, ugly brawl that works better as spectacle than as conventional wrestling. Woman and Jacqueline being strapped together adds another moving piece, and the cameras struggle to capture everything once both fights spill around the building. Benoit and Sullivan still provide the physical center, throwing hard shots and using the environment without pretending the match needs technical elegance. The finish with Benoit diving onto Sullivan and Jacqueline through a table is memorable even though the table barely cooperates. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 6.46, and the Observer gave it three-and-a-half stars. Messy, intense and appropriately hostile.

The tag-title match is limited in conventional wrestling and excellent in live-event structure. The Giant begins alone because Lex Luger lacks medical clearance, forcing him to survive Hall, Nash and Syxx long enough for the crowd to believe the nWo will simply overwhelm him. Nash powerbombing the Giant is the visual centerpiece, a remarkable strength spot that immediately creates the need for a rescue. Luger then arrives with his injured arm, throws Bischoff aside and ignites the building before putting Nash in the Torture Rack. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 6.66, and TJR gave it three stars. The title change is reversed the next night, but the moment itself absolutely works.

Hollywood Hogan versus Roddy Piper is a bad wrestling match attached to an important storyline turn. Piper comes out after the heavily promoted Alcatraz preparation and immediately turns the match into eye pokes, biting, choking and low blows, while Hogan stalls and works a slow heel brawl. The famous problem comes at the finish: Hogan's arm drops three times in Piper's sleeper, but Randy Savage pulls Hogan toward the ropes too late for the visual to make sense. The match restarts anyway, Savage helps Hogan win, and then officially joins the nWo. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 2.24. The angle matters. The execution is a mess.