Capital Combat ’90

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Capital Combat

May 19, 1990

D.C. Armory

Washington D.C.

WCW added another show to their lineup, but this would be a one-off event. Thankfully, they were smart enough to change the name because it was originally Armed and Dangerous. For this show, WCW agreed to do some promotion for the upcoming movie, Robocop 2. Time-Warner was distributing it and, since WCW was part of that umbrella, they were chosen to promote the film. In true WCW fashion, they chose possibly the silliest method of doing that, but I will cover that later in the review. This show is known mostly for the Robocop nonsense, but it’s also known for being incomplete for years. The home video release cut the first three matches, so the only way to see the full show was to find tape traders who recorded the live broadcast. It’s a shame because there was some decent stuff that was cut. Thankfully, the WWE Network version is the complete show. In another WCW blunder, the wrong start time was printed on the tickets. Some fans missed the first match of the show because they arrived late. Oh WCW, you never cease to amuse.

The primary storyline for this show was the continued feud between Flair and Luger. Sting still wasn’t cleared to compete, so Luger and Flair were paired again. This time it would take place in a steel cage. The story is that the Horsemen attacked Luger and put him in the hospital for two weeks with an infected knee. Luger had only been released the day of this show, which caused concern from both doctors and officials. To make matters worse, The Horsemen have now added two new members. Barry Windham returned from his blink and you’ll miss it run in the WWF and Sid Vicious returned from injury to join the group. Ole Anderson was moved to a managerial role, much like J.J. Dillon used to be. To counter this, Sting enlisted the help of a newcomer, El Gigante, who some of you might remember better as Giant Gonzalez. Sting would also call on the help of one surprising, and quite silly, ally.

The show opens with a shot of a file marked “Top Secret”. It opens to show newspaper clippings about Sting being injured and about Robocop. Then a hand stamps the paper with the logo for Capital Combat ‘90: The Return of Robocop! A familiar voice then welcomes everyone to the show. It’s Tony Schiavone, who has returned from his trip to the WWF. He introduces a military band to play the national anthem on Armed Forces Day. They are dressed in Revolutionary War costumes and they play a pretty good rendition of the song. Some of the members seem kind of bored or perhaps they are deep in thought about what Robocop has to do with wrestling. Then, Jim Ross and Bob Caudle talk about the matches and give their predictions for the night.

The Road Warriors & Norman the Lunatic (w/ Paul Ellering) vs. Kevin Sullivan, Cactus Jack, & Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ The Big Kahuna)

Since Buzz Sawyer was injured at the last PPV, Sullivan has replaced him in the Slaughterhouse with Bam Bam Bigelow. Bam Bam decided to bring Oliver Humperdink with him, which seems an odd fit for Sullivan’s group. This would be another brief run for Bam Bam in WCW. He doesn’t tend to stay long in one place, other than Japan. That’s probably hurt his career some. Norman’s problems with the Slaughterhouse continued, so he asked The Road Warriors for help. I hope he wasn’t expecting them to help for long because they are about to be out the door.

Humperdink leads the team to the ring. He’s wearing an open shirt with nothing underneath as if he needed to be any more frightening. I wonder why Sullivan is letting him take the lead. The Road Warriors come out next on the backs of motorcycles and they’re not wearing their spikes. It feels like they already have one foot out the door of the company because they look like they couldn’t care less. Norman soon follows on a little scooter, which got a chuckle from me. Both teams enter the ring and Hawk walks up behind Cactus, who growls at him in response. The camera then shows a fan sign that says, “Cactus Jack for mayor.” Hey, it’s no more strange than Kane being a mayor, right?

Cactus and Animal start the match and the Road Warriors quickly have him bumping around to a powerslam and a hard clothesline. Bam Bam enters the match, but he and Hawk can’t take each other off their feet. Norman and Jack have a turn next and Norman gets the better of him. Bam Bam and Animal re-enter the match and Animal basically does the Cactus Clothesline over the ropes, which I’m sure Jack grumbled about under his breath. Cactus ends up tagging back in, but he flies out of the ring on a missed clothesline and Hawk sends him crashing over the guardrail. Jack nearly lands in the fans’ laps. Hawk follows it up by chucking the steps at Jack’s head and even Bob Caudle says that’s going too far. Poor Jack needs a break, so Sullivan and Norman fight. Sullivan’s team take advantage of a ref distraction to double team Norman and Bam Bam impressively suplexes him. Even Cactus gets in some shots and takes himself over the top to snap Norman’s head on the ropes. All three men take turns beating on Norman, but he finally hits a clothesline and tags Animal. Animal hits a flurry of offense, but everyone ends up brawling. In the melee, Hawk hits a flying clothesline to pick up the win. Ross tries to claim that Hawk was legal, but I’m pretty sure it was Animal.

It was a really fun opener. Jack and Norman bumped around like crazy to make it look good. There were some fun but brutal spots, especially with Cactus, but that’s normal for him. As I alluded to before, this is The Road Warriors’ last WCW PPV for a while. They will soon head up north for a couple of years. We will see them again soon on this blog.

Winners: The Road Warriors & Norman (9:38)

Mean Mark (w/ Teddy Long) vs. Johnny Ace

The Dynamic Dudes are no more. Shane Douglas left WCW after not really endearing himself to management. Apparently, he went to the bookers and tried to have the finish of a match changed to make himself look better. Shane would head to the WWF, but he wouldn’t do much of note there. Johnny Ace is flying solo, but he too would soon be gone from WCW.

Johnny makes his entrance before Sullivan leaves the ring. Why are they rushing through the show? He enters to a cheesy Beach Boys knock-off song. Mean Mark is out next and he has to sidestep Sullivan and company. Come on, WCW! That is disorganized. Teddy Long has to jog to meet him. I wonder if they traveled to the show together in a limo with Mark driving. Ross then talks about Mark’s background and mentions that he has a Sports Management degree from Texas Wesleyan University. You mean to tell me it’s not a mortuary science degree? He also talks about Mark playing basketball there. Could you imagine if Vince gave him a basketball gimmick instead of The Undertaker? Ross goes on to list off Mark’s favorite animal and singer. He might as well have written a dating profile for him.

Mark and Johnny shove each other and attempt some shoulder blocks. They trade off some missed moves before Johnny dropkicks him outside and hits a dive onto him. He decides not to keep up the attack, which allows Mark to re-enter the ring. Johnny works the arm and hits a springboard cross body, but Mark sends him outside for Long to attack. Johnny makes the mistake of chasing Teddy, so Mark attacks him and sends him back inside. He then hits a jumping clothesline and wears him down for a bit. He fends off a Johnny comeback and hits a big boot followed by a leg drop. However, he only gets a 2 count. I see what you’re doing there, WCW. Mark keeps cutting off Johnny’s comeback attempts and Long keeps interfering. Caudle talks about Teddy’s Hair vs. Hair Match later and jokes that Long could become a skinhead. What!? I sometimes wonder about Caudle. He says some questionable things. Johnny finally fires back with some dropkicks and a monkey flip, but he misses a cross body. Mark then hits the Heart Punch, which he apparently honed in Japan. He follows it up with a tight-rope walk into a flying elbow for the win.

This was a decent and slightly amusing match. It was a good showcase of what Mark can do in the ring. I can see why some people in the WWF became interested in him. Reportedly, Vince wasn’t immediately impressed by his skills. I guess he wasn’t amused at Mark not winning with a big boot and leg drop.

Winner: Mean Mark (10:41)

After the match, they show a replay of the flying elbow and they use a new feature called “The Slam-O-Meter”. It appears to be some sort of computer program that rates the moves on a sort of Richter Scale. The elbow is rated as an 8.2. I’m surprised that Vince never thought of something like this for Earthquake.

Next, Gordon Solie is backstage wondering what has become of his career because he’s waiting for Sting and Robocop to emerge from their locker room. Some security guards are standing watch over the door while Solie talks about Sting’s problem with The Four Horsemen. He also talks about Sting’s injury. He claims that Sting brought in Robocop to protect the little Stingers from the Horsemen and says that Sting has a big heart for doing so. Are they implying that the Horsemen would attack children? Gordon then says that nothing is happening back there, so they go back to ringside.

Meanwhile, Tony is with the Rock n’ Roll Express. He talks about the Corporal Punishment Match, where all four men will be armed with leather straps. A hoarse Robert Gibson says they haven’t forgotten the whoopin’ that the Freebirds gave them. He says they’re going to whip the Freebirds’—behinds like their mama should have. Ricky then talks about them going down many highways and coming back to the NWA. He brings up the Steiners and implies that they want a tag title shot. While he speaks, Robert starts sending a message in sign language. I’m guessing he knows someone that is deaf. If anyone can translate his message, I would love to know what he said. I don’t think he was translating Ricky’s promo because he doesn’t continue doing it. Ricky then talks about the Horsemen and Ole Anderson. He says he talked to Luger and Lex assured him he would take care of business.

The Samoan SWAT Team vs. Captain Mike Rotunda & Tommy Rich

I’m a little confused because this is clearly the pairing of the New Wild Samoans (Fatu & The Savage), but they went back to the SWAT Team name. WCW can’t seem to make up their minds what to call this team. On the other side of the match, we have quite an amusing development. Throughout his time in the Varsity Club, Mike Rotunda was known as the Captain of the team. It seems that he’s gone a bit nuts since the club broke up because now Mike thinks he’s a boat Captain. He’s dressed in nautical gear and has assembled a crew of fellow wrestlers that will continue to grow. Tommy Rich is just the beginning. This strange transformation also means he’s now a babyface.

Both teams make their way to the ring and the Samoans talk to the camera, but you can barely hear them. They keep attempting to do their pre-match ritual, but Tommy Rich interrupts them with a high-pitched whistle. The fans also distract them, but they eventually finish. Both Fatu and The Savage are much more articulate now. I guess they’re dropping the wild savage gimmicks. Don’t worry. The WWF will continue the tradition.

Tommy and The Savage start the match and The Savage keeps complaining about hair pulling. Rich takes an early advantage, so the Samoans swap places while the ref is distracted. Mike comes in and Fatu offers a handshake but he’s not falling for it. Mike takes him down with a facebuster and a couple of dropkicks, so the Samoans swap again. However, the ref catches them and makes them tag. Mike and Tommy keep gaining the advantage and locking the Samoans in holds. They even try some swapping of their own and the ref hypocritically allows it! The Samoans answer back with a side slam and wishbone poor Mike before tossing him to the floor. They attack him and then wear him down for a while. Mike gets a tag but the ref misses it. He fights back again and ends up too close to his corner, so he has to pretend to wander around to excuse not tagging. The ref misses another tag attempt, but Mike fights back with a clothesline. He finally makes a tag that the ref sees and Rich hits a dropkick, back drop, and 10 punches in the corner. Mike comes in to cut off an attack, but he distracts the ref. Rich grabs a sleeper, but The Samoans hit a flying axehandle and pin him.

This match was decent enough, but it dragged in places and had too much stalling for my taste. Plus, I’m just not sure Rotunda works well as a babyface. Maybe I feel that way because I’m too used to him as a heel.

Winners: The Samoan SWAT Team (17:54)

Tony is with the World Tag Team Champions, The Steiner Brothers. Rick struggles to say that Doom is a great team and they will do whatever they have to do to win. Scott then calls Tony, “Tommy—Tony Savonny!” He talks about how he and Rick went through a lot together and won a lot of matches. He says that the line to wrestle the Steiner Brothers is very short. He then tells Doom that they’re not going to have a match with them. Wait, what? Oh, he means that they will have a fight with them instead. I thought he meant they were canceling the match.

Next, Gary Cappetta announces the winners of some Capital Combat sweepstakes. He doesn’t say what they won, but based on the wife’s nervous look, I’m going to guess it’s lunch with Robocop.

Hair vs. Hair Match: Paul Ellering vs. Teddy Long

Even though their teams aren’t feuding anymore, Ellering and Long still have their issues. Only in WCW would you get a Hair vs. Hair match between two managers that barely have any hair on their heads. I’m guessing that someone backstage decided Teddy Long’s scraggly hair needed to go, so why not make a match out of it?

Gary Cappetta introduces a special ring announcer for this match, Missy Hyatt. I’m not sure who thought Missy had the voice for this sort of thing. I feel like this is a rib on the fans. He also introduces the special hairstylist for this match, Jay Tapper (not to be confused with Jake Tapper). He will shave the head of the loser. Missy then introduces the participants. Ellering comes out first and he’s at least grown his hair out somewhat for this match. Teddy Long is next and Missy introduces him as, “Sugar Ray Long.” He’s wearing headgear and boxing gloves.

Teddy jumps Paul before he can remove his jacket. He starts clubbing Ellering with his glove, but the ref pulls him away from Paul. Teddy then rakes the eyes and clubs him again, but Ellering answers back with a choke. They fight into a corner and the ref separates them, so Teddy uses the opening to load his glove. He punches Ellering, who sells the fact that it’s loaded. However, Paul responds by grabbing Long’s arm and forcing the glove off his hand. He then slams Long and hits him with the loaded glove for the win.

This was more of a storyline than a match. It served its purpose and was thankfully kept short. It was amusing enough to be harmless.

Winner: Paul Ellering (1:57)

Jay Tapper enters the ring and takes mere seconds to shave off the little hair that Teddy Long has. Long then tries to hide his head by hugging the ref and manages to drag him all the way down the aisle.

Tommy, I mean Tony, then welcomes Horsemen members, Ole, Arn, & Sid, who is dressed in a tux, for some reason. Ole talks about how people are calling Luger courageous, but he says only an idiot would do what Luger is doing. He guarantees that Luger will take his last breath in the squared circle and claims that the Horsemen have never allowed the title to leave Ric Flair. Is he low-key mocking Flair for losing the title while a babyface? Ole then brings in Flair, who says that if Luger has a problem with his leg, he will be a one-legged athlete for the rest of his life. He tells Lex he will pay the price for thinking he’s half the man that Flair is. Sid is probably thinking, “Yeah, Ric! Now, tell him you have half the brain that he does!” Arn then speaks and says that truer words have never been spoken. He says they are working collectively towards the same goal and as god as his witness, they’ll die before they let Flair lose his title.

NWA U.S. Tag Team Title Match: The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) vs. Flyin’ Brian & Z-Man (c)

For this match, Jim Cornette will be locked inside a small cage that is at ringside. It’s supposed to prevent him from interfering. I’m surprised it isn’t hanging from the ceiling, but it will become obvious why in a later segment. Before the match, Ross refers to this small cage as, “The Home for Wayward Wimps.”

Cornette leads the Midnight Express to the ring and grabs the mic. The dubbed version of their theme nearly drowns him out, so you can barely hear him introduce them. Brian & Z-Man enter next and high five their way to the ring. Cornette argues with the ref about entering the cage and they get into a shoving match. The two teams start brawling, which buys Jim some time, but referee, Randy Anderson, clotheslines Cornette. Brian & Z-Man then shove Jim into the cage and it’s locked.

Eaton and Pillman start and the Midnights are quickly taken off their game. Pillman & Zenk fluster them with arm drags, monkey flips, and a slingshot double clothesline. Eaton keeps trying to fight back, but the quickness of Pillman & Zenk is too much. The Midnights also fall victim to miscommunication and keep going outside to get advice from Cornette. Jim sees the camera and yells at him to go away. Zenk continues going back to the arm to keep the Midnights subdued, but Eaton takes control with some hair pulling. Pillman answers back with a nearly botched flying sunset flip and the Midnights have some more miscommunication. They remain in trouble until Pillman flies over the ropes on a missed clothesline. Eaton hits a neckbreaker on the floor and sends Brian into the guardrail before focusing on his neck. They double team Pillman and use ref distractions to attack him on the floor again. Pillman tries to fire back with a sunset flip, but the ref is distracted. The Midnights use frequent tags and double teaming and Pillman begins lightly bleeding from a weak blade job. Eaton then hits the Alabama Jam, but he surprisingly only gets a 2 count. Pillman comes back with a botched tilt-a-whirl slam and finally tags Zenk. Z-Man attacks both men and grabs a sleeper hold, but Lane breaks it. The Midnights then manage to hit a Rocket Launcher, but it still doesn’t get the win! All four men end up brawling in the ring, so the Midnights use the distraction to kick Zenk in the back of the head and roll him up for the win.

This was a great match. It built at a great pace to a hot finish. Cornette found a way to be entertaining, even while in a cage.

Winners: The Midnight Express (New Champions) (20:20)

Jim Ross then plugs The Great American Bash before going to Gordon Solie, who is still outside Sting & Robocop’s locker room. The door opens and Robocop emerges, but the feed becomes static and you only see glimpses of him.

Sting is introduced to a great reaction and makes his way to the ring. Robocop is introduced next, but he’s moving quite slowly. While the camera is focused on the entrance, The Horsemen jump Sting from behind and lock him in the small cage that was used for Cornette. Ole then yells at Robocop that they’ll reduce him to a bucket of bolts, while Robocop slowly walks over to the cage. He rips the door off its hinges and the crowd surprisingly pop for this nonsense. Sting is free and The Horsemen slowly back away in fear. You know Ole had to hate every second of this. The Horsemen then escape through the crowd, so Sting and Robocop leave. That’s it? I’m glad they kept it short, but it almost felt completely pointless.

Next, Tony is with The Junkyard Dog, who has returned to the NWA. JYD barks and says it’s been a long time coming. He claims he’s been all over the world, but he went to the mountain one time too many. Huh?? What does that mean? He calls out The Horsemen, Mean Mark, and anyone who wants to step into the dog yard. He also says that every dog needs a bone to chew on and he found himself one. Jim Cornette then interrupts and says it was supposed to be the Midnight Express’ interview time. He tells JYD to leave but not before asking where JYD has been. He gives Cornette a specific address and Jim replies, “That’s my mother’s house!!” JYD says that’s right and he’s Jim’s Daddy! Cornette attempts to distract JYD to look behind him and swings his racket, but JYD catches it and runs off Cornette. JYD then claims that’s why he quit school. He doesn’t do recess and he’s not there to play.

Corporal Punishment Match: The Rock n’ Roll Express vs. The Freebirds

Gary Cappetta accidentally calls this a Corporate Punishment Match, but he corrects himself. The RnR Express come out first and they ride a cart with a jukebox. It’s a pretty cool visual. The Freebirds are out next and Cappetta calls them, “The greatest rock and roll band of all time.” Ross points out that Hayes sings his own theme song, which doesn’t help their case for being the greatest rock band. The ref attaches the leather straps to the ring posts, but he won’t let the Freebirds take them, for some reason. Hayes looks to start the match and does the Moonwalk, but he stops to jaw with some old men at ringside who yell at him.

Hayes and Gibson begin the match and trade punches in the corner. Garvin comes in and demands Ricky. He gets his wish, but the Express double team him. Garvin gets the strap, but Ricky quickly steals it and whips both men. For some reason, they put the strap away and wrestle. The Express take control with double teaming and holds. They start switching without tagging, which angers Hayes. The ref does nothing to stop it. This must be that hypocrite ref from earlier. All four men end up in the ring and the Express do double Figure Fours, but Hayes rakes the eyes. Caudle seems confused as to why both teams are barely using the straps and I agree with him. Apparently, they hear him and grab the straps. Gibson whips both men until they bail outside. They put the straps away again, which is a mistake because Gibson gets in trouble. They attack him on the outside and throw him into the ring, but he tags after Garvin ducks for a back drop. Ricky ends up getting shoved into a Hayes’ punch, so the Freebirds start double teaming him. Morton tries to fight back, but Hayes cuts it off with another punch to the face. They end up tossing him to the floor and choke him with the straps. I’m not sure why they thought they needed to distract the ref to use them. Garvin continues the attack and yells, “Yeah yeah yeah!” A young Luke Harper takes notes. Ricky fires back by slamming Garvin off the top, ramming Hayes into the corner, and finally blocking a bulldog. He tags Gibson, who grabs a sleeper hold, but all four men end up in the ring. The Freebirds send Ricky outside and Hayes hits a DDT, but he doesn’t cover. He goes for a second one, but Ricky hits a flying sunset flip for the win.

This was a pretty decent match, but the straps barely played any role. It was a wasted stipulation. However, it was still a good watch.

Winners: The Rock n’ Roll Express (18:33)

Next, Tony is with another newcomer, The World’s Strongest Man, Doug Furnas. Phil LaFon is sadly not with him. Oddly enough, Tony asks him about Lex Luger. Doug says he looks good for a man who has been in the hospital for two weeks. He thinks Luger will be the new World’s Champion tonight. Tony then thanks him and ends the interview. Wait a second! They didn’t even talk about Doug! Did Tony accidentally ask him the questions he prepared for Sting??

Tony then brings in Sting and asks him about Doug Furnas. I’m kidding, of course. He talks to him about Luger. He talks about the doctors and officials warning Luger not to wrestle. Sting stumbles over his words a bit and says it’s Lex’s body and decision. He says he would do the same thing to take the title from Flair. Okay, so why didn’t he? He then says that Luger is going to do it, PERIOD!

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: Doom (w/ Teddy Long) vs. The Steiner Brothers (c)

What happened with that Doom/Road Warriors feud that was teased last PPV? I guess that fell apart. It might have something to do with the Warriors leaving, but I couldn’t find anything about it. I’m sure Doom were more than happy to move into a tag title feud instead.

Teddy Long leads Doom to the ring. Long has donned a bandanna to cover his head. Ron and Butch pose for the camera while Ross talks about their athletic backgrounds. The Steiners are out next and Rick really needs a haircut. His headgear is making his hair look ridiculous. Also, did Rick manage to lose his tag belt? The Steiners appear only to have one of them. Before the match can start, Rick snatches the bandanna off of Teddy’s head and the fans laugh. Long yells at them and one fan acts like he wants to fight him.

Scott and Simmons begin the match and Scott quickly gets the better of him. It turns into a four-way brawl for a moment before Scott hits Ron with a release German suplex. Reed enters the match and Ross tells us that Rick was going to be a teacher. That kind of ruins Rick’s whole gimmick, doesn’t it? Scott gets the better of Reed again, so Doom regroups. However, they soon gain control over Rick. He tries to fire back with a Steinerline. Reed was supposed to block it, but forgot because Rick falls over for no reason. The Steiners answer back when Scott uses a ref distraction to ram Reed into the guardrail. Simmons comes in, but Rick hits him with an inverted Tombstone and sends him to the floor with a Steinerline. Scott takes the opportunity to ram Ron into the guardrail too. Scott and Reed end up powering each other into the corners before Scott hits a slam and a shoulderbreaker for a 2 count. Rick tries his hand next, but Reed sends him outside where Simmons attacks. Scott manages to tag in, but he also gets in trouble. Doom keeps taking him to the floor for some cheating by Long. Reed then hits him with a powerslam and a piledriver before tagging Simmons. Scott finally fights back with a back drop and a Frankensteiner before tagging Rick, who hits a Steinerline and a powerslam. The Steiners then hit a double suplex, but Simmons breaks up the pin. The four men end up breaking into pairs to fight in and out of the ring. Rick goes for a top rope belly-to-belly, but Long distracts the ref. This opens the door for Simmons to pull Rick down from the top rope and Reed pins him for the win.

This was a pretty good power match and I’m kind of glad to see Doom get a tag title win. They’re shaping up to be a decent team. I wouldn’t mind seeing more matches between these two teams.

Winners: Doom (New Champions) (19:14)

Tony meets Doom in the aisle to get an interview with them. Teddy Long says he told everyone and his prediction was true. He says he may have lost some hair but he gained the world. Reed then says that everyone thought they were a couple of fly-by-nighters, but they’re world championship material. He also yells, “DOOM rules!” Simmons then says it was a good clean fight and they didn’t break any rules. He claims that the tag titles are home and says, “How sweet it is!” Long finishes by saying there will be a party and even invites Jim Herd. I guess he’s hoping Herd will supply the pizza.

Cage Match for the NWA World Title: Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair (c) (w/ Woman)

This match will take place inside the Thunderdome Cage. It’s not named as such and it doesn’t have either the electric wire or the decorations, but it’s the same cage. Also, Luger is still the U.S. Champion. You would think they would take it off of him for this feud so it doesn’t become stagnant.

Luger makes his way to the ring first. His U.S. Title belt falls off as he enters the ring, so he tosses it to the ref. Way to show respect to the belt, Lex. For some reason, the cameraman turns to look down the aisle and misses Lex posing. Flair is out next with Woman and he gets a lot of pyro. Some more fireworks then go off as the cage lowers over the ring. Woman is allowed inside the cage, but the ref wants to check her. Flair refuses to let him, but the ref persists. When he finally checks her, he finds an object in her glove. Ross calls it an international object, instead of foreign, because of WCW’s weird PC rules.

They start by fighting into a corner and Luger takes an early advantage. Flair’s offense doesn’t faze him, so Luger clotheslines, suplexes, and press slams him around the ring. Ric manages to lure Lex in by climbing the cage wall and attacks him. He chops him around the ringside area and against the cage, but Luger pops up after a suplex in the ring. Lex hits 10 punches in the corner and whips Flair across the ring for his signature bump. Flair keeps climbing the cage wall to get away, but Lex rams his head into it until he’s bleeding. Luger punches the cut and chases Flair around the cage. He gets him back into the ring and hits a Lex Superplex, but he hurts his knee. Flair pounces and attacks the injury before hitting a back suplex and locking in the Figure Four. He uses the ropes for leverage until the ref finally catches him and makes him break the hold. This draws out Ole, Arn, & Sid, who all try to enter the cage. Luger fights back with 10 punches and a running clothesline, while Sting arrives to fight off the Horsemen. However, he’s not alone. El Gigante joins him. Luger continues his attack, but somehow Ole gets the cage controls and raises it. Barry Windham appears and slides under the cage, just as Luger is getting Flair up in the Torture Rack. Windham attacks Luger and the ref—calls for the bell!? What!?

How do you have a DQ in a cage match!? Apparently, it’s acceptable to ram a man’s head into the cage, but interference is too much! This was such a good match until that lame ending!! I still enjoyed 99% of it, but that finish nearly ruined it.

Winner: Lex Luger (By DQ) (17:21)

The cage is still raised slightly, but it’s not supposed to be. Sting and El Gigante have to hide somewhere until the cage is lowered to excuse not simply sliding underneath. Ross even yells at someone in the back to lower the cage, but he immediately changes his tune once the cage is lowered. The Horsemen continue attacking Luger, so Ross starts yelling for the cage to be raised. Make up your mind Ross!! The cage finally raises again and Sting and Gigante decide to enter. They chase the Horsemen away, but the damage is already done to Lex. This whole segment was awkward because someone forgot to lower the cage after Windham entered. It’s almost laughable.

Tony meets The Horsemen in the aisle to get a word. The camera catches Windham patting Flair on the butt. I’m sure he must have whispered, “Good game.” Flair starts ranting and raving about how they did it. He yells at a fan and screams that they’re the Horsemen. His voice cracks as he tells Schiavone to look at his blood. He looks and sounds insane and it’s great. He talks about the title being his, but Sting attacks from behind and the Horsemen retreat while Ross tells everyone goodnight.

Final thoughts:

The Robocop nonsense will forever taint this PPV, but other than that and the lame finish to the main event, it’s actually a good show. There was some great action. I think people tend to overlook it because of the silliness, but there is some stuff worth watching. Even the Robocop stuff is worth seeing for a good laugh.

My next review will be a second shot of WCW. Sting’s moment has finally arrived. It’s The Great American Bash ‘90. Look for it next Saturday!