Chairshot Classics: WCW Starrcade ’91 – BattleBowl & The Lethal Lottery

Match #5: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger & Arn Anderson w/Harley Race vs. Terrance Taylor & ‘Z-Man’ Tom Zenk
Zenk and Double A get the first call. They hit the ropes and Anderson stops short of Zenk’s big right and rolls to the floor. Taylor taps him on the shoulder and clocks him with a right before rolling him back in the ring. Anderson stumbles back and forth between fists from Z-Man and his own partner before catching Zenk’s foot. Z-Man leaps up and flips The Enforcer with a kick to the head. Luger interrupts the count and goes toe to toe with the charging Taylor. Taylor and Zenk clear the ring, but are hesitant about trusting each other. Luger and Anderson regroup and it’s the champ’s turn. He locks up with Zenk and grabs the side headlock.

Shoulder tackle by Luger, on the comeback Z-Man leap frogs him followed by an arm drag, drop kick and a hip toss. He holds Luger with the arm bar, goes to the wrist lock and tags in Taylor. Taylor hands onto the wrist on a vertical base. Luger tries fighting out of it with rights. The hold is broken, Taylor ducks a clothesline but Luger catches him with a gorilla press slam. Luger pulls up Taylor but eats a chinbreaker. Kick to the midsection, snapmare and a flip over the neck of Luger, a lateral press but Lex kicks out. Running neckbreaker by Taylor but he can’t put him away. Taylor goes to the hammerlock and Luger drops to a knee. The champ backs him to the ropes to break the hold and catches his opponent with a stiff elbow to the face.

Taylor rolls out to the apron, baiting him with a shoulder block. He goes for a sunset flip and Luger tries to stay on his feet. Lex lands a right and keeps a wide base. Taylor finally gets him over but a tag is made to Anderson from the mat. The Enforcer drives his knee into Taylor back, followed by his face. Taylor’s eyes are raked on the top rope. Taylor reverses the Irish whip but Anderson catches him with an elbow. Taylor gets position, hooks the arms for a backslide and a two count. To their feet and Arn has to kick out from a clothesline. This time it’s Taylor who surprises his opponent with an elbow off the Irish whip. He lands a splash from the second turnbuckle and Double A kicks out.

A tag is made to Z-Man who climbs to the top hitting Anderson with a big crossbody and a near fall. Zenk goes to work in the corner with rights. Anderson carries him off, Zenk hits the ropes hard but he’s tripped by Race on the outside. Anderson nails his patented DDT but he’s slow to make the cover. Taylor breaks up the pin and Luger is tagged in. Z-man is lifted for a vertical suplex that’s kicked out of. Knees to the chest keep Zenk down. Luger won’t allow him to crawl and make the tag to Taylor, and here comes Double A. Anderson sends him for the ride, but Zenk catches him and sends him face first into the canvass. Luger is quickly tagged back in and he stops Zenk before he can make his. Vicious right from the champ followed by a power slam.

Zenk kicks out at 2 once again. Tag to Anderson who enters with a knee to the mid section. The Irish whip is countered with a knee to the face. Anderson tries again but eats it again. Z-Man positions himself on the second rope, but Anderson catches him in the mid section. This time it’s Anderson who tries the double ax handle, but instead gets a boot to the face. Both men are slow to get up, but both tags are made. Taylor comes in on fire, knocking Luger down with a series of punches. He gives some to Arn for good measure. He hits an atomic drop and rolls Luger up but can only manage two.

A flying cross body and again a close near fall. Taylor hits the ropes, Luger tries a hip toss, but it’s countered into a backslide for two. Lex stops the momentum with a thumb to the eye. They hit the ropes and Taylor catches him with a gut wrench suplex. Anderson rushes to break up the pin. They set up Taylor for a double vertical suplex, and Zenk kicks Anderson away. Taylor catches Luger in a small package, but the referee was busy redirecting Z-Man. Anderson takes a shot at Taylor and the champ lifts him for the Attitude Adjustment piledriver.
Winners: Lex Luger & Arn Anderson (Luger/Attitude Adjustment)

• EA’s Take: Wouldn’t you know it, years before John Cena, a world champion was using an “AA” – only this isn’t a weak Death Valley Driver variation, it’s a piledriver. If this were a tournament format, the winners of this match would be a serious force to be reckoned with because you have the World Champion teaming with one of, if not the, best tag specialists of all-time. I could have watched another match or two with those guys together.

Match #6: WCW World Tag Team Champion Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat & Todd Champion vs. Cactus Jack & Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
Abdullah the Butcher is in the back and furious he’s not Jack’s partner, brutally attacking Parker using lockers and a broom. Abdullah makes his way to the ring, but he’s sent away by a team of referees. Parker gets to the entrance ramp where he’s attacked once again by The Butcher. Steamboat starts against the lone Cactus Jack. Collar and elbow and they exchange chops and rights. Jack rakes the eyes and screams psychotically as he hangs Steamboat’s head up against the top rope. Steamboat fights back, but Jack stays in control with lefts. Jack bites Ricky’s face and rakes the back. Vicious clothesline by Jack and a two count off the lateral press.

Steamboat fights back with chops, but Jack rakes the eyes and tries sending him over the top rope. The Dragon holds on and flips back into the ring. Cactus charges and he’s given a back body drop to the outside. Steamboat flies through the middle ropes and stays on him by driving Jack into the guard rail. Jack rolls back in and Ricky follows. Steamboat ducks a clothesline, sneaks through Jack’s legs and delivers a few kicks to the head. A tag is made to Champion as Steamboat holds his opponent in a front facelock. Todd with a double ax handle. They exchange strikes and Champion lifts him for a scoop slam and a leg drop.

He grabs a front face lock as Buddy Lee Parker slowly crawls his way toward the ring. The hold is broken with an elbow, Champion grabs a bear hug but Jack rakes the eyes. Champion is thrown to the floor and Cactus drops an elbow from the 2nd turnbuckle. Champion is rolled back into the ring, snapmare and front facelock by Jack. Parker has made it to the empty ring #2. Slow to their feet, Jack hits the ropes and he’s powerslammed. He kicks out at two and moves away from a standing leg drop. Jack goes for the top rope and Champion stops the double ax handle with a shot to the mid section. Straight rights by Champion.

Both men collide in the middle of the ring and Jack rolls over to make a tag to the shaky Buddy Lee Parker who just made it to his side of the apron. Cactus hip tosses him into the ring while Steamboat is tagged in on the other side. Chop from Steamboat and a power slam. The Dragon goes to the top rope for a diving crossbody and he picks up the win for his team.
Winners: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat & Todd Champion (Steamboat/Top Rope Crossbody)

• EA’s Take: This is a seriously disappointing use of Ricky Steamboat. He’s one of the best talents of the era and he barely works half of a what…six or seven minute match? Plus the finish was him, as a big time babyface, coming in to squash an underdog sacrifice? This has been a good show, but WCW displayed their colors here.

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