Match #10 – Pat O’Connor Memorial Tag Tournament Semi-Finals: Mr. Saito & The Great Muta vs. Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov
Muta and Zangiev are in first. The two test strength and chain wrestle. Back to their feet and they tie up.  Zangiev bridges Muta with a suplex that earns a two count. Saito is tagged in and is taken over by an arm drag. Zangiev hangs on with an arm bar. Saito fights back to his feet, moves his opponent to his own corner, and a tag is made to Hashimikov. The two tie up and there is a clean break. Hashimikov works Saito down and into a Boston Crab. Muta with a stiff kick from behind to break it up. Zangiev is tagged back in. Single leg takedown by Saito who attempts a cloverleaf and it’s released quickly. Both teams exchange. Collar and elbow tie up and Hashimikov is taken over with a belly to belly suplex. Muta is sent for the ride and is lifted into a fireman’s carry take down. Saito breaks up the pin. Both partners tag out and Saito rushes Zangiev with a clothesline. Belly to back suplex by Saito and they pick up the win.
Winners: Mr. Saito & The Great Muta (Saito/Back Suplex)

• EA’s Take: If this show is supposed to be their WrestleMania, it couldn’t be more boring. The Russian team is so god awful in the ring. How on Earth were these two guys put on pay-per-view?

In The Arena: Tony Schiavone introduces his guests, Doom & Teddy Long. Long taunts Windham and Anderson while the competitors give a little bit of their background and explain why they’re ready for a battle.

Match #11 – Texas Lariat Match for the NWA United States Championship: NWA United States Champion Stan ‘The Lariat’ Hansen vs. Lex Luger
Randy Anderson tapes the lariat rope to the competitors hands. Hansen ambushes Luger right away. Snap mare takedown and a headbutt from the champion. He misses an elbow and Luger fights back. Hansen is sent for the ride and gets a stiff elbow. Power slam and forearm from Luger. Hansen is back up whips Luger with the rope. He chokes Luger and the referee breaks it up in the corner. Luger is sent to the ropes, but stops short, kicking Hansen. Big clothesline from Luger and the two roll out to the floor. Now Luger uses the rope as a weapon and chokes Hansen. This is short lived and Hansen assaults him with several strikes.

Luger is thrown into the chairs. Hansen picks one up and delivers a shot across Luger’s back. Hansen rolls the challenger back into the ring. Luger is quick to his feet with a series of rights. A headbutt by Lex, Irish whip and clothesline. Luger goes for a pin, but is reminded that pins mean nothing. The crowd counts as Luger lays over Hansen with rights. Luger starts dragging his opponent around trying to touch the turnbuckles. Hansen interrupts at the third corner and lifts Luger for a sloppy belly to back suplex. Hansen wraps the rope around Luger’s neck and it’s his turn to try for the turnbuckles. Luger stops the momentum and kicks Hansen in the gut. Luger beats him down but Hansen kicks him in the face.

Hansen wraps the rope again and throws Luger over the top rope and hangs him. The ref breaks it up and Hansen follows Luger out of the ring. Head to the ring post for Luger and he’s rolled back into the ring. Elevated elbow drop by the champ who goes for the turnbuckles. He gets three, but Luger jumps to his feet and rushes him with a clothesline. Both men brawl on the mat and Hansen chokes the challenger again. Knees to the head from Luger and Hansen is kicked out to the floor. Luger gives chase. Straight rights and he uses the rope to throw Hansen into the apron. He drags Hansen into the ring post and Hansen hits the floor. Luger with a few more strikes and Hansen is rolled back into the ring. Luger drops a few legs on Hansen.

He heads for the turnbuckles and drags Hansen like dead weight. Hansen is slow to get up but Luger kicks him back down. The ref is knocked down along the way. Luger gets the fourth turnbuckle but Randy Anderson wasn’t looking. Hansen crawls back up and beats Luger with his cowboy boot. He wraps the rope around Luger’s neck and tries to get Anderson up. Senior referee Nick Patrick comes down to the ring and counts as Hansen drags Luger around and goes for the four turnbuckles as the crowd boos. Luger provides resistance before turnbuckle four, but Hansen hits him with the lariat and dives to touch turnbuckle number four. The bell rings and Hansen is declared the winner. A groggy Randy Anderson stumbles to his feet and says “No”. He saw it all and reverses the decision, declaring Luger the new champion.
Winner and NEW NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger

• EA’s Take: After their Halloween Havoc match had a low work rate, they needed a stipulation match to spice it up and it did some of that. The rope match is Hansen’s “specialty”, but as I’ve said before, it just does nothing for me personally. Luger’s whole year was a little screwed up having to spend the first half of it chasing Flair due to Sting’s injury. Therefore, he was kind of losing momentum and this big win didn’t feel as big as what WCW was going for, at least to me.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7