Backstage: Missy Hyatt is outside Ricky Steamboat’s locker room. She runs into The Ninja and requests an interview with The Dragon. She takes his answer as a yes and opens the door. Ricky Steamboat appears to be in an alcove with candles, Hyatt speculates that he’s meditating as The Ninja quickly redirects her away. Madusa is walking through the hall, she blows off Hyatt and flirtatiously tells The Ninja she wants to see Steamboat. He tells her to go, the two argue until Madusa lays in a slap and she’s chased down the hall.

Match #6 for the WCW World Tag Team Championships: WCW World Tag Team Champions ‘Beautiful’ Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson w/Paul E. Dangerously vs. The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott)
Ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta reads an announcement that WCW’s Executive Vice President has made a ruling that Paul E. Dangerously be banned from ringside. Dangerously is incensed and other referees assist in getting him to the back. Madusa comes out, consoles Dangerously on the entrance ramp and signals that there is no rule stating she can’t be there. Scott and Eaton start us off. Collar and elbow tie up, Scott with position and it’s broken on the ropes. Tie up, Scott with a wristlock and a fireman carry takeover. Scott ducks a tie up, double leg pickup into a spinebuster. Scott grabs a reverse chin lock, back to their feet and Eaton goes down with a single leg pickup.

He hangs on to the ankle and Bobby crawls for the bottom rope for a break. Collar and elbow, Scott grabs the side headlock, and takes his opponent over with another single leg pick up finished with an elbow to the jaw. Eaton for the ride, but he reverses it with a neckbreaker. Beautiful Bobby heads for the top rope, Scott catches him in a waistlock and sends him over with a belly to belly suplex. Bobby rolls out of the ring to slow it down. He comes up on his side of the ring and Anderson gets the tag. He takes his time and paces around the ring. He taunts Rick and the ref has to back him off. Scott makes the tag to his brother and there is a sea of barking.

Collar and elbow, side headlock by Rick, Anderson sends him to the ropes and drops down the mat. The Dog Faced Gremlin stops short, drops to all fours and spooks The Enforcer before kicking him in the head. Collar and elbow, side headlock by Rick, they hit the ropes and Anderson gets powerslammed. Double A wants timeout in his corner and he buys some time. Collar and elbow tie up and Rick delivers rights for both of his opponents. Anderson retreats to the floor and checks in with Madusa. They tie up, Rick drags him into his own corner and tags in his brother. Forearms and a wristlock into an armbar by Scott. Reversal by Anderson who kicks Steiner’s midsection before bridging him to the mat with a hold.

Steiner impressively bridges back to a vertical base. Eaton comes in and tries grabbing the other arm, but they are each thrown over with reverse arm drags. Rick comes in and sends their opponents over with a double Steinerline. Anderson is slow to return to the ring, he strategizes with Eaton and lands a kick to the gut for a charging Scott, followed by dumping him to the floor. Eaton tries to whip Scott toward Double A, Scott reverses, Anderson pulls up short for the clothesline and Steiner lifts him for an inverted atomic drop followed by a Steinerline to the floor. Rick rolls Anderson back into the ring and chases off Eaton. Snapmare into the reverse chinlock by Scott. Anderson returns to his feet, muscles his way to his own corner and tags in Eaton.

Bobby with a right before pulling him onto the ramp. Scott reverses the Irish whip toward the ring and he lifts Bobby for a tilt-a-whirl slam. Scott drops Eaton back in the ring and he locks in a camel clutch. Scott grabs a wrist lock and tags in Rick. The older brother holds the arm bar until Eaton rakes the eyes. He lifts Steiner for a scoop slam and climbs the turnbuckle. Rick jumps up and catches him from behind, he puts Bobby on his shoulders and Scott comes in for the elevated Steinerline. Anderson rushes in but he’s subdued. Eaton and Anderson have their heads knocked together. Rick tries to leap off the middle turnbuckle, but Bobby catches him with a low blow. Eaton tries a pin and gets two. The Enforcer is tagged back in and he drives the boot into the midsection.

Snapmare takeover with many stomps to the chest by Anderson. Rick’s face is driven into Eaton’s knee and a tag is made. Steiner is worked down to the mat with a hammerlock. The crowd gets behind Rick and he’s slow to get up. Big elbows to break up the hold, he hits the ropes hard but Anderson rushes in after a blind tag and surprises him with an elbow. Steiner blocks the suplex, Bobby comes in and tries to help lift him, Scott runs in for the save and both men receive belly to bellies. Eaton cheap shots Rick on his way back to the apron and Anderson takes advantage of it. He tries a double ax handle but Steiner reverses with the lariat. Scott is tagged in, and he lifts Anderson for a back body drop followed by a vertical suplex.

A lateral press gets a two count. Scott holds Anderson with the arm bar, Double A escapes with a knee to the gut. He lands some lefts and Scott fights back. Steiner distracts himself with Eaton and Anderson slams his head into his partner’s. Anderson drives the elbow into Steiner’s spine and drops a knee for a two count. Eaton is tagged in and he lands a right. Scott is lifted for a scoop slam and he climbs the top rope for a flying knee to the head, he receives a very close two count. Anderson is tagged back in, he works over the head. They run the ropes and Double A catches him with a DDT. He’s slow to make the cover, and Scott kicks out three times. The two lock hands and Anderson struggles to keep him down.

Scott leg scissors the standing Arn’s waist, but the veteran turns it into a Boston crab. A tag is made to Eaton while the hold is still applied, Bobby drops the elbow on the back of Steiner’s head before locking in a camel clutch. From all fours, Scott grabs Eaton’s feet and takes exaggerated steps toward his brother. When they get too close, Eaton releases the hold and hits Rick with a forearm. Rick is backed away by the referee and Bobby tosses Scott over the top rope to the ramp. Anderson takes advantage of the distraction with a back breaker, Bobby sets up on the top rope and lands a Rocket Launcher. The referee tries to restore order with the non legal men and Scott’s face hits the rail. He blocks attempt number two and retaliates by returning the favor.

Bobby blocks a shot into the ramp and sneaks in an eye poke. Scott is rolled back into the ring, Eaton blocks his attempt at a tag and changes up with The Enforcer. Anderson with forearms to the back, he tries to ram Scott into Eaton’s knee but it’s reversed. Scott reaches over and the hot tag is made. Rick cleans house with Steinerlines. He sets up Eaton for an elevated belly to belly, but this time it’s Anderson who sneaks up from behind and puts him on his shoulders. Eaton goes to the top for a flying cross body, but Rick catches him in mid air for a belly to belly suplex and a paper thin 2 count. Rick fends off Anderson, Double A reverses the Irish whip but eats Steiner’s boot. Rick with a bulldog from the top rope, the pin gets broken up by Beautiful Bobby.

Scott takes care of him while Anderson reaches out for a foreign object from Madusa. He throws powder in Rick’s face, who accidentally belly to bellies Randy Anderson while blinded. Scott works Eaton over with rights in the corner, and Rick elevates a charging Enforcer over the top rope with a back body drop. Scott lifts Eaton up for a powerbomb, while a second referee enters the ring. He sends Bobby to the ropes and catches him with a Frankensteiner. The second referee makes the 1-2-3 and it appears we have new champions. Senior referee Nick Patrick makes his way to the ring and conferences with the other officials and the decision is made that the Steiners were disqualified for putting their hands on Randy Anderson.
Winners and STILL WCW World Tag Team Champions: ‘Beautiful’ Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson (Disqualification)

• EA’s Take: You HAD to know this one was going to be good given the tag team specialists involved. Rick Steiner’s reversal into the belly-to-belly from the shoulders was brilliant. Everyone walks away looking great and the finish obviously creates grounds for a rematch. I’ve said numerous times that I don’t care for the screwed finish, BUT I can get behind it when one’s executed correctly and makes sense.

Backstage: Missy Hyatt is backstage, once again trying to get an interview with Ricky Steamboat. The US Championship challenger exits his locker room looking completely focused and walks right by Hyatt.

Match #7 for the WCW United States Championship: WCW United States Champion ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat w/The Ninja
Paul E. Dangerously is once again banned from ringside. Collar and elbow tie up and a quick break. Another tie up, they struggle for positioning before it’s broken in the corner. Rude tries a cheapshot but Ricky catches him with a series of strikes. They run the ropes and Steamboat hits a couple of deep arm drags followed by lifting the champ up by his neck. The Dragon slams Rude’s face into the mat and gets a two count. He locks in an arm bar and works it over hard. Rude can’t make the break, Steamboat transitions to a wristlock and kicks him in the gut before maneuvering back to the arm bar.

Steamboat hangs onto the arm while sliding out of the ring to slam it into the ring post. Another deep arm drag and he continues to hang on. Ricky works the shoulder over with forearms, Rude works to a vertical base and fights his way out of the hold. He pounds Steamboat in the corner with forearms. The referee backs him off the corner. On his next pursuit, Steamboat fends him off with a series of martial arts kicks. Steamboat ducks a clothesline, and goes right back to the armbar, trying to weaken the chance of a Rude Awakening. The Dragon turns it into a hammerlock and a scoop slam. He refuses to give up on the arm. Rude breaks it with a right and chop.

They run the ropes and avoid contact before Steamboat catches him with a quick crossbody and a nearfall. Both men jump up to their feet, and Steamboat hits a quick arm drag and returns to the submission work. Rude is slow to his feet, he tries to turn the tables but instead gets chopped. Rude reverses the whip to the ropes, he attempts a crossbody over the top rope but they fall short. Rude stomps Steamboat from the apron to the floor and then drops him over the steel railing. Rude delivers forearms to Steamboat’s chest from the apron and vertically suplexes him back into the ring. Steamboat is quick up, and they exchange blows.

Rude sends Ricky to the ropes and hits a clothesline, but immediately starts favoring the shoulder that had been worked over so hard. Snapmare into a reverse chinlock by the US Champ. Ricky gets back to a vertical base, they run the ropes but Steamboat gets a kick to the face and a clothesline. Rude gyrates for the crowd and he hangs him across the top rope before hitting a spinning neck breaker. Rude lifts Steamboat for a piledriver and slowly goes for an arrogant cover, Ricky kicks out. On their feet, Steamboat lands a right but Rude does one better spinning him into a belly to back suplex. Another slow cover and Steamboat barely gets the shoulder up.

Snapmare takedown into a reverse chin lock, but The Dragon is quick to get to his feet and reverse out of it with knee to knee contact. Steamboat takes the legs of the supine Rude and locks in the Figure Four. Rude reaches for the ropes and gets them. Steamboat drags the champ to the middle of the ring to try again, but Rude kicks him to the corner and clotheslines him from behind. Rude climbs to the top rope and lands a big right. He tries to pose for the crowd but he’s clearly favoring the arm. Snapmare takedown and Rude heads back for the top rope and he lands a forearm across the back of the neck and pops up for a clothesline. Steamboat kicks out at two. Rude goes back to the reverse chinlock, Steamboat vertical but Rude hits a forearm knocking him back to his knees and locks in the camel clutch.

The Dragon grabs Rude’s ankles, and stands up with the champ on his shoulders and simply falls backwards. Slow to their feet, but men exchange rights. They hit the ropes, avoid contact and collide heads in the center of the ring. Extremely slow to get up, Steamboat takes the first chop. Rude reverses the whip to the ropes and he leaps on Steamboat’s back for a sleeper hold. The Dragon drops to his knees and falls all the way down to the mat. The ref drop checks the arm but cannot get to three. Steamboat works his way up, he escapes the hold and hits the ropes. Rude tries to grab him again but Ricky shoves him off and grabs a sleeper of his own.

Rude is quick to break it up with a chin buster. Rude is the first to his feet and he’s climbing the turnbuckles. Steamboat kicks him down to a seated position and sets up the superplex. He gets him but he’s slow to cover and Rude kicks out. Steamboat hits the ropes and delivers consecutive clotheslines. He kicks a staggering Rude across the middle of his back and imitates the champ’s taunt. The Dragon elevates him with a back body drop and clotheslines Rude from a sitting position. A quick pin but it’s not quite enough. Rude is thrown to the ropes and lifted high in the sky for a face plant.

Steamboat is fired up and he climbs to the top, he lands  a big chop before going back up to the top. Before he can get there, The Ninja attacks him with a cell phone, knocking him on the top of the head. Rude comes over to make the lazy cover and retain the championship.
Winner and STILL WCW United States Champion: ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude (Outside Interference)

• EA’s Take: Interesting match between two future Hall of Famers here. Most of the first half of the match was telling the story of Steamboat subduing the ability to hit the Rude Awakening. Rick sold it at times, but I’m surprised to not see a failed attempt at it. Obviously The Ninja was Paul E. and I’m sure this should result in a rematch between these two. The attempted crossbody over the top rope was an ugly and surprising botch for two known pros and I think they have better efforts in them. They used Rude’s physique to re-emphasize the jab that there is no money in body building for the second time tonight now also. Oh WCW, you slay me.

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