Match #5 for the WCW World Tag Team Championships: Pretty Wonderful (‘Pretty’ Paul Roma & ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff) vs. WCW World Tag Team Champions Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan w/Dave Sullivan
Sullivan intimidates Orndorff, and Mr. Wonderful tells him to back up. The inevitable Paula chants start in. Orndorff and Sullivan to start. Wonderful shows off his body and taunts Sullivan. He takes his sweet time before locking up. Orndorff scores with an arm drag and immediately poses for the fans. Another arm drag and the ref has to back Sullivan away from cheap shotting him. Jack is tagged in and Roma wants a piece of him. He taunts Jack just as Orndorff did to Sullivan. Waistlock takedown by Roma, and he’s full of himself.

Roma chain wrestles around Jack until Cactus gets over to the corner. Collar and elbow tie up and Jack bites the bridge of Roma’s nose, he grabs a headlock and tags in Sullivan. Shoulder block by the tag champ and he continues, Roma ducks a clothesline, laughs about it but runs into Jack’s headbutt. Roma rushes over to tag in Orndorff. He beats Sullivan into the corner, Irish whip but Jack blocks the impact. Sullivan sends him to the other side and lays in some chops. The tag champs double team Pretty Wonderful until the challengers roll out to the floor. Jack and Orndorff will restart the action.

Jack with a side headlock, to the ropes Jack scores with a shoulder block but Orndorff goes to the gut on the comeback. He beats Jack out to the floor. Jack blocks railing shot and lays in some forearms. Roma tries to help out but he’s whipped into a Kevin Sullivan clothesline. In the ring, it’s Sullivan’s turn with Orndorff. They trade shots in the corner, Roma tries to break it up but he’s backed off. Pretty Wonderful has their heads thrown together and a tag is made to Jack. Cactus grabs a hammerlock submission on the mat and he drives his knee into the back. He tags in Sullivan who snapmares him and stomps on the hand.

Quick tag back to Jack, forearm shot and he sends Orndorff for the ride. Mr Wonderful stops short and kicks him in the face. Roma is tagged in and he stomps a hole in Cactus. The ref backs him off from the corner. He drives Jack into the corner and Orndorff is tagged back in. Wonderful can’t lift Jack and Cactus instead scores with a vertical suplex. Sullivan is tagged back in, he rushes Roma and ambushes Orndorff. He drives both men’s head into the turnbuckle simultaneously. A double stomp on Orndorff’s gut and Roma is forced to make the save. Jack comes back in, Orndorff reverses an Irish whip but runs into a back elbow.

He staggers to the corner where Sullivan bites the bridge of the nose. Front facelock by Jack and he tags his partner. Sullivan works him down by driving his knee into the arm and follows it with some elbows. Jack is tagged back in and he grabs a front facelock. He sends Orndorff to the corner and tags Sullivan back in. He grabs the wrist, Orndorff breaks it and tags in Roma who throws rights and forearms. Sullivan aborbs them and chops back. Orndorff rushes in, Jack tries to help out but he’s backed off. Orndorff lands a piledriver and makes a cover, Dave Sullivan moves Kevin’s foot to the rope. Mr Wonderful stomps on Kevin’s face and grabs a reverse chinlock, Sullivan sits down to bust it up.

Roma is tagged in and they box, Roma gets the advantage and throws an elbow to the back of the head. Scoop slam and a top rope elbow from Roma, Sullivan gets his shoulder up. A frustrated Roma pounds away on Sullivan and Cactus makes the save. The distraction gives Wonderful a chance to trade places without a tag. He drops an elbow with some theatrics and Sullivan kicks out. Orndorff grabs a reverse chinlock. Sullivan escapes, hits the ropes but Mr. Wonderful grabs a sleeper hold. Sullivan falls back into the corner to counter out of it. Roma is tagged back in and he hammers the back of Sullivan before hitting a standing elbow drop. He moves to a reverse chin lock, Sullivan works to his feet to break out, he scores with a shoulder block but he’s dazed and confused.

Orndorff grabs him and holds him in place for a double team. Jack makes the save and he’s backed off. Front facelock by Roma and he tags in Orndorff legally. A quick double team and Orndorff lays in an elbow to the forehead. Irish whip but Sullivan gets his boot up. Roma is tagged back in, Sullivan tries to cut him off but can’t. A whip to the rope and a clothesline from Pretty Paul. He baits Jack with a kick and the ref backs him off. Orndorff is tagged back in and he sends Sullivan with a back body drop. Another tag to Roma who misses the swan dive from the top rope. Tags are made to Jack and Orndorff, Cactus takes control and hits a bronco buster.

He sends Orndorff again, Wonderful catches his boot but he’s spun around into another clothesline. Roma rushes in and he’s greeted with a scoop slam. Sullivan is back in to take care of Roma. Cactus hits his double arm DDT but the ref is preoccupied with Sullivan and Roma. From the floor, Roma pulls Jack’s legs out and holds him down. Orndorff takes advantage and holds him down for a pin and we have new tag team champions.
Winners and NEW WCW World Tag Team Champions: Pretty Wonderful (Orndorff/Assisted Pin)

• EA’s Take: Very bizarre flow to this match and the crowd was audibly bored through much of it, so much so that they started the wave. If you know anything about baseball, you know people don’t start the wave during a nail biting at-bat. I would say that it may be the calm before the storm as the crowd is anxious for Flair/Hogan, but to me this was four good wrestlers falling way short of putting on an engaging match. No chemistry, it was as if they all had different ideas of what the match was going to be and they couldn’t figure it out on the fly. That’s probably exactly what it was.

Match #6 for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan w/Jimmy Hart & Mr. T vs. WCW World Heavyweight Champion ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair w/Sensuous Sherri
Michael Buffer introduces WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel & Shaquille O’Neal who will be presenting the championship belt to the winner. They circle the ring and have a staredown. Flair shoves Hogan and we’re under way. Hogan shoots Flair to the ropes and hits a big shoulder tackle. Collar and elbow tie up and Hulk tosses Flair across the ring. Flair complains that Hogan grabbed his hair. Flair ducks a collar and elbow and struts around the ring, Hogan checks in with Jimmy Hart. Flair reaches in, this time it’s Hogan who ducks and he mocks The Nature Boy. Flair works into a hammerlock takedown, he twists the wrist and brings Hogan to his knee. Hair takedown by Flair and he won’t give up the wrist.

Hogan gets up but it’s another hair takedown by the champ. Flair tries one more time but Hogan blocks it, Hulk yanks Flair down instead and spins into an arm breaking submission. Flair stands up and puts Hogan’s shoulders down which breaks the hold. Flair wants no part of the look on Hogan’s face so he bails out and hides behind Sherri. Hogan rolls back in and Sherri consoles Ric. Back to the ring, they lock up, Hogan tries grabbing a submission but Flair crawls to the ropes. Hogan baits Flair into the turnbuckle and knocks him down with straight rights. He sends Flair into the turnbuckle and runs him over like a mack truck. He sends Flair for the big boot, the champ holds onto the ropes and bails out to hide behind Sherri again.

Hogan teases a big right to Sherri but shoves her out of the way and chases Flair into the ring. The Nature Boy is ready and cuts him off with knees and kicks. Big Flair chops in the corners mixed with some body shots. Snapmare by Flair as the crowd gets hot for Hogan. Flair misses a knee and Hulk pops right back up. He bites the bridge of Flair’s nose and lays in a series of rights as the fans count. Irish whip and Flair is reeling, he meets two separate turnbuckles and a series of rights from the challenger. Hogan hits the ropes and Sherri grabs his leg. Flair takes advantage and goes for the knee. He clotheslines the Hulkster over the top and out to the floor. Sherri grabs a chair but Jimmy Hart steals it away from her. It gives Flair an opportunity to put his boot to the back of Hogan’s head and send him into the safety rail.

In the ring, Flair comes off the top with a chop. He sets Hogan up for his patented knee and he lands this one. He positions Hogan for chops but Hulk throws it back in his face. He stalks Nature Boy into the corner, Flair drops down for a double leg pick up but can’t pin Hogan. An Irish whip and Hogan comes back with a clothesline. He tries a pin and the champ kicks out. Snapmare by Flair and he grabs a reverse chin lock. The Hogan chants are loud, Hulk works up to his feet but drops back down. The ref drop checks the arm, but he Hulks up before 3. He drives the elbow into the gut, hits some shoulder blocks and chases Flair into the corner with some rights. Irish whip and Flair flips out to the apron, Hogan finishes him off with a clothesline.

Out on the floor Hogan hits a belly to back suplex. From the apron, a vertical suplex by Hogan. He calls for the big leg drop but Flair rolls out of the way. Flair staggers up and tries the Figure Four. Hogan counters with a small package and Flair kicks out. He tries again, but Hogan trips him up. He tries a third time and he’s booted away. Hogan limps to his feet and Flair lifts him with a vertical suplex. Hogan pops right up and Flair is surprised to turn around and see that. He lays in some rights, whips Flair for the big boot, he goes for a cover but Sherri pulls the referee out of the ring. Jimmy Hart comes to help but Sherri clocks him. Flair cheapshots the back of Hogan’s knee and pulls him into position as Sherri climbs to the top.

Sherri lands a top rope splash as people come out to aid Randy Anderson. Nick Patrick comes out to take his place as Flair locks in the Figure Four. Hogan responds to the crowd and reaches for the ropes, and he gets there. Flair is upset and gets into an argument with Patrick while Sherri chokes Hogan on the side of the ring. Flair does more damage to Hogan’s knee and chops in the corner. Hogan absorbs a few and says “No”. He Hulks up again and stalks Flair. He pounds away in the corner, it’s an Irish whip but Hogan runs into an elbow. Sherri climbs the top rope again but Hogan dodges the splash this time. Flair is up on the other top rope but he’s pressed to the mat.

Hogan hits both Flair and Sherri with clotheslines and Sherri is knocked to the floor to a loud ovation. Hogan locks in the Figure Four on Flair, both Sherri and Jimmy Hart are up on the apron. Hogan shoves Sherri into the arms of Mr. T who carries her away from ringside. Flair has a pair of brass knuckles and he clocks Hogan with them. Hogan kicks out of it and pops up to his knees. Flair tries some rights but Hogan is fired up. Flair tries a shoulder block but he’s the one victimized. He lays in some rights, sends Flair for the big boot and drops the leg. We have a new champion.
Winner and NEW WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (Leg Drop)

• EA’s Take: It was probably a good idea to have this event in such a tourist-centric city like Orlando. They made such a life changing deal out of this and it was obviously enormous for WCW, but I don’t blame any southeast NWA loyalists who said, “I know who we’re SUPPOSED to cheer and boo, but you know what, screw that. Go Flair!”. I could definitely feel that there was a small bit of that in the crowd. They definitely thought through a lot of spots and sent the fans home happy, but if you’ve seen one Hogan match you’ve seen them all.

EA’s Finisher: No shortage of pomp and circumstance for the main event tonight. Other than the tag match stinking up the joint, it was dense with some good stuff. Arn Anderson turning on Dustin Rhodes was great and you can’t go wrong with the likes of Regal, Steamboat and Austin. Hype definitely helps a match as evidenced in the main event. Tt was one of the most boisterous crowds WCW has ever had up to this point and with Eric Bischoff the new man in charge and Hogan at the forefront, WCW is finally about to become a real player against the WWF.

Top Three To Watch
1 – Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair
2 – Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin
3 – Lord Steven Regal vs. Johnny B. Badd

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