In The Arena: Paul E. Dangerously makes his way to the ring dressed in a Mexican getup. The good news is his name is Paul E. Dangerously and this is the ‘Danger Zone’. The bad news is that he works undercover for immigration and all of the illiegals in the crowd are under arrest tonight. He introduces his guest, El Gigante. Dangerously taunts Gigante, and says perhaps he wants to learn some english words like “jerk” because that’s what he is. He explains that Gigante has been assigned the special guest referee for a future cage match between Flair and Sting. He’s never known an honest Latino and believes that he’ll cheat Nature Boy out of the match. He gives Gigante a chance to forfeit his role. Gigante doesn’t speak English, but maybe he’ll understand “this” and Dangerously throws his sombrero into his face. Gigante lifts Dangerously up for a scoop slam and leaves the ring with his sombrero.

In The Arena: This time alongside Tony Schiavone is Hiro Matsuda & The Great Muta. They discuss WCW’s upcoming ‘Rolling Thunder Tour’. Matsuda says that Muta will have a home field advantage when he faces Sting in Japan.

Match #7: Big Van Vader vs. Stan ‘The Lariat’ Hansen
Hansen attacks Vader, but is grabbed in a bear hug. Vader pulls him onto the ramp and they brawl. Vader is dumped back in the ring and Hansen stays on him. He rams Vader into the turnbuckle. Vader comes back with a clothesline and delivers big rights on the mat. Hansen kicks out at two. Irish whip and a big splash by Vader. He drops an elbow on Hansen who kicks out at two. Reverse chinlock by Vader. He delivers a right and dumps The Lariat outside. Vader gives chase but Hansen fights back. They exchange rights. Vader with a headbutt and Hansen staggers back into the ring. Big rights by Vader in the corner. Irish whip again by Vader, but Hansen moves.

Belly to back suplex on the 400 pound vader and he gets a two count. Stomps and elbows to the head of Vader. Hansen uses the ropes to drop an elbow and another near fall. Hansen boots Vader back to the floor. Both men use weapons on the outside and nearly hit the commentary team. Vader is rolled back in. Hansen with a series of rights and a forearm knocks him back outside. Vader fights back with a forearm and sends Hansen gut first on the railing. Vader with an elbow and he comes back into the ring. Hansen is slow to get up.

He rolls back in and Vader kicks him back out. Hansen pulls his opponent on the outside and sends him face first into the stairs. Both men roll back in and brawl from their knees. Randy Anderson tries to break it up. He’s shoved by Vader and dumped to the outside by Hansen. He calls for a double DQ.
Winner: Double Disqualification

• After The Bell: Both men continue brawling and Vader heads for the top rope and hits a flying clothesline. He goes for a big splash but Hansen moves. The Lariat stands up and hits a football tackle. He grabs his rope and chokes Vader. Vader turns it on him and drags him toward the back. They take turns with the upper hand but disappear behind the curtain.
• EA’s Take: A taste of Japan comes to WCW with this one and as you’d think, it was just an absolute melee. I don’t quite understand the double DQ finish here, knowing that they don’t meet again and Hansen is back off to Japan in June.

Match #8 for the WCW United States Championship: WCW United States Champion Lex Luger vs. ‘Dangerous’ Dan Spivey
Collar and elbow tie up and Luger powers Spivey to the corner before a quick break. No rest time before another tie up. Spivey lands lefts in the corner. Luger reverses a whip to the ropes and lands a back body drop. Football tackles by Package followed by a clothesline. Collar and elbow and Spivey takes control with some big hammers. Luger blocks an atomic drop and gets a two count on a belly to back suplex. The two regroup and tie up. Spivey takes control in the corner. Irish whip by Spivey and Lex gets his boot up. Big rights by the champ and Spivey goes down. Hip toss by Luger, he goes for a cross body but Spivey moves.

Luger falls into ring number two. Spivey drags him to the apron and brings him back into the ring with a vertical suplex. Spivey with kicks to the ribs. Piledriver by Spivey and Luger kicks out. Big left by the challenger followed by a neck breaker. He still can’t get three, and he goes into a reverse chin lock. Luger is sent for the ropes and he gets a DDT and another two count. He saddles Luger across the middle rope. Luger fights back with quick strikes but a Spivey head butt takes him down. Irish whip and close clothesline by Spivey, Luger kicks out again. Spivey sends him again, Luger moves, Spivey hits the turnbuckle and gets rolled up for two. Spivey stays in control with kicks to Luger’s back. Luger blocks a vertical suplex and comes back with one of his own.

Luger can’t capitalize and Spivey is up first. A scoop slam from Dangerous Dan followed by a top rope elbow but the champ kicks out again. Swinging neck breaker by Spivey but he still can’t get him. Spivey moves into a headscissor submission. Luger is sent to the ropes for a big boot to the face, but he once again kicks out. Spivey goes for another piledriver, and lands it on the 2nd attempt. Luger kicks out but he’s hulking up. Spivey delivers lefts, but Luger fights back. The momentum is stopped by a belly to back suplex from Spivey. Reverse chin lock by Dangerous Dan. Nick Patrick checks the arm but Luger doesn’t let it fall 3 times.

The crowd gets behind Luger who gets back to a vertical base. He lands some mid section elbows but Spivey pulls him over with a Japanese arm drag. Football tackle by Spivey. Dan tries another offensive move but Luger lifts him and hangs him over the top rope. He falls to the apron before rolling back in. Elbow and rights from Luger knocks Spivey on the mat. Package with a flying clothesline from the second turnbuckle. He sends Spivey for a power slam. Luger goes to pick him up but is dumped outside. Back up on the apron, Luger lands a shoulder block to the mid section and returns with a sunset flip. Spivey holds the ropes and doesn’t go down.

He pounds on Luger’s head. Spivey sends Luger and both men hit each other with clotheslines. Patrick starts the 10 count. To their knees, both men exchange blows. Vertical base and Luger lands two more. Another run to the ropes and they collide once again. Luger slowly heads for the top rope. Spivey catches him. He goes for a gorilla press, but Luger rolls through it and retains the title.
Winner and STILL WCW United States Champion: Lex Luger (Roll-Up)

• After The Bell: Tony Schiavone is with Grizzly Smith and Nikita Koloff for the presentation of the new, $20,000 US Championship belt. Koloff explains that he takes pride in presenting it to the champ, but immediately clocks him with the belt. The seemingly retired Koloff is coming back and gunning for that belt. The Championship committee explained to him he has to prove he deserves a match. Koloff accuses Luger of stealing the title from him 4 years ago and he’s coming to reclaim it.
• EA’s Take: Spivey really impressed me in this match. A really diverse move set for a big man, especially in this era, but I suppose his work in Japan really helped in that way. The match would honestly mean nothing for him in the long run though, as anytime you start an angle immediately following a match, said match is quickly forgotten.

Match #9 for the WCW World Tag Team Championships: WCW World Tag Team Champions Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed) w/Theodore R. Long vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy ‘Jam’ Garvin & Michael ‘P.S.’ Hayes) w/’Diamond’ Dallas Page, The Diamond Dolls & Big Daddy Dink
DDP, accompanied by The Diamond Dolls, delivers an introduction for The Freebirds as well as Big Daddy Dink. The Freebirds Suck chants start right away. Hayes and Simmons lock up and Hayes accuses him of pulling the hair. Collar and elbow and once again we see the same result. Simmons cuts off a collar and elbow and pounds away. Two consecutive Irish whips and he grabs Hayes in a bear hug followed by a spine buster. Hayes catches Simmons after an Irish whip and lands a bulldog. Simmons kicks out at two. Hayes goes for the ride and receives a power slam. Garvin tries to save his opponent off the top rope and he gets a power slam as well.

The Freebirds regroup with Big Daddy Dink. Back to the ring and it’s Garvin’s turn. He wants Reed and Doom obliges. Garvin with a big flurry but Reed takes control. They run the ropes and Garvin hits a sunset flip. Reed scissors his legs and kicks out. Hayes is tagged in to a sea of boos.  Hayes is sent for the ride, he makes a blind tag to Garvin, Reed lifts Hayes in a military press and sends him over. Garvin rushes in and is also lifted, but Hayes catches him with a left and Garvin falls on top of him. To their feet, they run the ropes and Garvin takes a back breaker. Reed with a double under hook suplex and Garvin kicks out.

Tag is made to Simmons and Doom delivers a double elbow. Standing leg drop followed by a series of head butts by Simmons. Garvin is dumped outside of the ring. The ref gets hung up by Simmons and Hayes squabbling and Reed takes advantage with a scoop slam on the floor. Hayes comes to check on his partner and Randy Anderson backs him off. Garvin is rolled back into the ring. Simmons pounds on the Freebird and uses Reed’s boot as a weapon. Tag is made to Hacksaw. Garvin is sent for the ride, and reverses it into a DDT, both men are down. Simmons is tagged in first and delivers a spinebuster. Hayes breaks up the pin.

Garvin is sent again and receives a power slam and once again Hayes breaks it up. Simmons and Hayes brawl. Big Daddy Dink gets up on the apron to distract Randy Anderson. Simmons holds Hayes in place and Long tosses Reed a foreign object. Hayes moves away from the right and Reed accidentally clocks Simmons. Hayes and Reed get tangled up and Garvin dives on Simmons for the pin.
Winners and NEW WCW Tag Team Champions: The Fabulous Freebirds (Garvin/Foreign Object)

• After The Bell: Doom gets in a disagreement. Simmons shoves Teddy Long and Reed turns on his partner, brutally attacking him with the brass knuckles.
• EA’s Take: It was the first tag team championship match I’ve seen in these NWA and WCW PPVs that didn’t have a defined babyface, so that was different. They had been teasing a breakup of Doom and here it is. Simmons will clearly be the babyface, while Reed sticks with Teddy Long and I anticipate a showdown at SuperBrawl. Clocking in at less than 7 minutes, I’m wondering if this match fell victim to timing, because these guys could have easily delivered more.

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