Chairshot Classics: WCW SuperBrawl – Return From The Rising Sun (1991)

In The Arena: ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page is joined by The Diamond Dolls, brags about the Freebirds’ win and tells the crowd he has it all, including his new segment “The Diamond Mine”. He discusses the Steiners vs. Sting and Luger match and throws it to the competitors delivering a taped promo. He then introduces his new client, The Diamond Studd, a man fans will much better know in the future.

Match #8 – Stretcher Match: El Gigante vs. Sid Vicious
Sid can’t move Gigante with a shoulder block. He’s thrown away from a couple collar and elbow tie ups. Vicious calls for a test of strength and he takes a cheap kick. Sid hits some rights. Gigante reveres the whip and lands a clothesline. Sid rolls out of the ring to regroup. Collar and elbow tie up and Vicious hits a low blow. Sid tries to chop him down by kicking the knees. He goes to work on the bigger man in the corner. Vicious backs up for a splash and he meets Gigante’s boot. A claw grip is applied and Sid is pinned.
Winner: El Gigante (Claw Hold)

• After The Bell: One Man Gang & Kevin Sullivan ambush Gigante, but they’re dealt with quickly. Gigante scoops Gang onto the stretcher, but Sullivan throws powder in his eyes. The blinded giant is whipped with chains and hit with the stretcher before Sullivan and OMG head back to the locker room.
• EA’s Take: This was Sid’s last PPV match before heading to the WWF, so it makes sense to go out on his back. Just a shame it had to be to a guy with no talent at all. It is amazing however, to see him towered over in size by anyone. Overall though, another short and fairly boring match. The show was off to a good start, but the middle has been horrendous. I’m confident these last bouts can save it – I hope I’m right.

Match #9 is a Steel Cage Match – Theodore Long Must Be Locked In A Cage & Suspended In The Air: Ron Simmons vs. Butch Reed w/Theodore R. Long
A brawl immediately ensues. Atomic drop and a clothesline from Simmons. Reed is sent for the ride and his head hits the steel. Simmons leaps at his opponent and Reed moves. Simmons reverses an Irish Whip and hits a belly to back suplex. He whips Reed once again but this time Butch gets his boot up. Standing elbow drop by Reed and he gets 2 count. Simmons is lacerated and he’s thrown into the steel once again. Reed bashes his head over and over again and bites the bridge o Simmons’ nose. Snapmare and a stomp by Hacksaw. He holds Simmons up for a series of rights to the side of Simmons’ head.

Long directs traffic from the cage as Reed hits a double ax handle. Simmons fights back with rights, but he misses a drop kick. Right fists are dropped on Simmons and he chokes out his former partner. Simmons manages some kicks to the mid section and he throws Reed into the cage. Reed is beaten down but stops the attack by tripping Simmons into the steel. Reed hot shots Simmons across the top rope and drives his head into the mat. Reed complains to the referee when he felt his count was slow. Reed lifts Simmons for a piledriver but cannot get 3. Simmons is choked across the top rope and whiplashed onto his back in the middle of the ring. Reed uses Simmons like a battering ram, once again driving his opponent into the cage. He rocks the other half of Doom with straight rights and Simmons is forced to kick out at two.

Reverse chin lock by Reed pulls Simmons down. The crowd chants “Go Ron Go”. Simmons is slow to get back to his feet and he lands some elbows. He sends Reed for the ride, but his backbody drop is reversed into a neck breaker. Reed climbs to the top rope and lands a flying shoulder block, Simmons gets his leg on the rope to break the pin. Reed goes for a big splash, but Simmons gets his knees up. Ron’s fired up and gets his back body drop in. They run again and Reed gets his knee up. Simmons is sent to the ropes and they both get knocked down with clotheslines. Long throws a foreign object into the ring, Reed picks up the chain, the referee lectures him but he’s blown off. Simmons ducks the right hand and lands a spinebuster for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Ron Simmons (Spinebuster)

• EA’s Take: As is a small trend of the night, Butch Reed left the company shortly after this night. I have to wonder if they mutually knew this would be the case now, which caused them to break up Doom. The suspended cage stipulation is a retread of an old Jim Cornette gimmick and this split was a long-time in the works, but the payoff really fell a little flat for me. Simmons is going to be onto much better things now though, as his singles career takes off.

Match #10 for the WCW World Tag Team Championships: WCW World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers vs. WCW United States Champion Lex Luger & Sting
Luger and Rick start us off. Collar and elbow tie up is quickly broken clean. They go for it again and Steiner works Luger into the corner. The ref breaks it off and they circle. Arm drag takedown by Luger and they regroup. Luger goes in hard and Rick with a single leg takedown, Luger crawls to the ropes to break it. Side headlock by Luger and Steiner is taken down. Back to their feet, a double leg take down by Steiner and Lex crawls for another rope break. Side headlock by Rick, and there is another break on the ropes. They run and Rick bounces off of Luger’s shoulder tackle. A scoop slam by Luger earns a two count.

An Irish whip by Luger, Rick moves out of the way and he plants the US Champ with a German suplex before delivering a Steinerline. Luger kicks out at 2. An Irish whip and a backbody drop comes from Steiner. Luger is sent for another irish whip but comes off the turnbuckle fast with a clothesline. Luger hits a military press and tags in Sting. Rick is clotheslined over the top rope and Sting flies to the outside with a plancha. Back in the ring, Sting hits a running bulldog, and then lifts Rick up and runs him into the turnbuckle upside down. Sting sizes Rick up, but Steiner moves away from the Stinger splash. Scott is tagged in and lifts Sting for a suplex followed by a tilt-a-whirl slam. Sting reverses a whip to the rope and lifts Steiner across the top rope.

Lex is tagged back in and immediately hits Scott with a vertical suplex. Quick tag to Sting and he’s greeted with an atomic drop. Scott sits Sting on the top rope and throws Sting with a belly to belly suplex and a very close two count. Sting is set back on the top again, and Scott goes flying over the top rope when Sting moves away from a clothesline. Luger is back in and he suplexes Scott from the apron. Scott reverses Luger’s charge and executes an amateur takedown. He Luger reverses the whip and scoop slams Steiner. He calls for the torture rack and Steiner counters with a side Russian leg sweep. They’re both slow to get up, a blind tag is made to Rick and he comes off the top rope with a bulldog.

He drops an elbow on Luger and gets a two count. Sting saves his partner with a missile drop kick and Scott takes offense. Rick nails Sting from behind as he heads back to his corner. Rick and Luger duck multiple clotheslines and collide in the middle of the ring. Scott and Sting both get hot tags, Sting with a fallaway slam. Straight rights from Sting, Scott reverses the backbody drop with a forearm. Sting reverses Scott’s piledriver with one of his own. Rick breaks up the pin, and Luger rushes to Sting’s defense. Rick and Luger tumble to the floor, knocking down the referee on their way.

Sting hits the Stinger Splash but there is no referee to make a count. Nikita Koloff makes his way to the ring and attempts to hit Luger with the Sickle with a chain in hand while he’s standing on the apron. Sting moves his partner out of the way and gets hit with it instead. Scott rolls on top of Sting and the Steiners pick up the win.
Winners and STILL WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (Scott/Outside Interference)

• EA’s Take: This match was named the PWI Match of the Year for 1991 – so yes, it was very good and is definitely one of the hidden gems that isn’t given the type of love in the history books that it deserve. You had to know it was going to be considering the personalities and popularity of who was involved. The end of the match shenanigans will be settled in a Russian Chain Match at the Great American Bash and this is just such a classic that I’m fine with the screwed finish, which I typically am not a fan of.

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