Week 1, March 1990

With a week left before the “Uncensored” pay-per-view, the NWA is a whirl of activities and hot storylines. There’s great things, like the signing of Rowdy Roddy Piper and the successful Worldwide feud of The Hart Foundation against the Four Horsemen, and then there’s a few bad things, like losing their contract with ITV, which broadcasted WCW Saturday Night in the United Kingdom and the slacking ratings of the WCW shows altogether. It’s this last issue that is causing head booker, Greg Moe, the most headaches. After this weeks shows, Ted Turner called a meeting of Greg Moe, Jim Cornette, Jack Lanza and Dory Funk Jr. The subject and meat of that meeting is posted on this page at the bottom, following the posting of the shows.

NWA Worldwide: Decatur Civic Center (Great Lakes) 5,000 Sell Out “B+”

The show opened with a in ring argument between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Horsemen Tully Blanchard. The argument started when Blanchard came out and interrupted Piper who was doing a general fan greeting with the 5,000 fans of Decatur Illinois. During the altercation, many insults were passed back and fourth, and ended when Tully Blanchard shoved Piper, who then came back with a quick poke in the eye of Blanchard with his thumb, which caused Blanchard to roll around on the canvas in agonizing pain. They were booked in a match for later on tonight.

1. Hart Foundation (Dynamite Kid & Jim Neidhart) drew with the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) to retain the NWA Tag Team Titles “C+”
This really should have been a better match. Insiders say that the Road Warriors are still upset about dropping the titles to Dynamite and Neidhart, and this performance may support that. Hawk and Animal seemed to just be going through the motions during this match. There are other rumors going around that Hawk has been popping pain killers by the handful before his matches, and if this is true, this too may be the reason this match didn’t really find it’s grove.

(After returning from commercial, we are in the dressing room of the Four Horsemen. Sitting around in front of their respective lockers, are Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson. The four of them are all getting ready in total silence and you can feel a tinge of tension in the room. Suddenly Ole breaks the silence.)
OLE: “So what’s going on fellas? What’s Luger been doing hanging out with you guys whenever I’m not around?” (Still the other three sit silent.) “Come on Arn, what gives?”
ARN: “Look Ole. You’re my brother, and I love ya, but damn Ole, things just aren’t going real great.”
OLE: “Yeah, I know, but are you telling me that all this crap has been my fault? Come on!” (Suddenly Ric Flair interrupts with a loud furry.)
FLAIR: “You’re damned right it’s your fault!” (Standing now yelling with a face turning red as a beet.) “Where have you been?! Where have you been!? You keep dropping the ball pal! Woooo! It’s you! It’s you!” (Ole looks at Arn, who has his head turned down refusing to look at Ole.)

BLANCHARD: “Ole, here’s what’s going to happen. Tonight, we talked Greg (Moe) into putting you in a match with Bret Hart.” (Ole shakes his head with disgust.) “If you can beat Hart, we’ll reconsider this, but if you don’t beat Hart, and show us something that’s Horsemen quality, you’re out. You’re out of the Horsemen and Lex Luger is in.” (Ole looks at Arn who still has his head down, then looks at Blanchard and Flair with a look of having been betrayed in his eyes, then walks out of the room.)
FLAIR: “You better show me something big man! Woooo! You show me something!”  

2. Sting defeated Mike Shaw to retain the NWA North American Title “B”
Mike Shaw put in another great performance while working with the upper level workers of the NWA. He’s doing quite a bit for himself and his chances of someday headlining a show. Sting, of course did his usual great performance.

3. Bret Hart defeated Ole Anderson “B”
Though Ole put up a marvelous fight, he just wasn’t able to beat Bret Hart, who beat him by making Ole submit to the Sharpshooter. Bret held the Sharpshooter on Ole long after he tapped and the camera caught Ole’s face as if he was hoping his Horsemen mates would come out to help, but no Horsemen appeared. After the match, the camera follows Ole Anderson up the ramp, as he walked slowly toward the entrance on his way to the back. He hung his head low, and you could tell he was feeling really hurt and betrayed by the other Horsemen and knew his time with them was now over.

4. Tully Blanchard drew with Roddy Piper to retain the NWA United States Title “B+”

Blanchard and Piper really worked well together. The match was a piece of art, as each man took turns taking the lead, then giving the other a comeback. This went on three or four times throughout the match, and both really played well to the fans. The match ended in a draw when the referee rang the bell after Ric Flair and Bret Hart each did a run in at the end. The fans were standing and cheering the whole match, and Greg Moe now knows he holds this match in his pocket like a card shark holds a hidden ace of spades.


WCW Saturday Night: Hofheinz Pavillion (Mid South) 10,000 Sell Out “B-”

(The show opened with the camera on Jerry “The King” Lawler in the ring talking to the fans about how bad he wants a rematch with Terry Funk at “Uncensored.” The fans applaud seemingly agreeing to the idea and Lawler looked quite pleased with the response. Suddenly from the sound system, Terry Funk’s music plays, and he walks out from the back and right along beside him is the new WCW General Manager, Jim Cornette. The two men walk down the walkway to the ring to a choirs of boos. Lawler seems quite nervous, but puts on a good face acting as brave as a man should be allowed to be. Funk and Cornette climb in the ring, each holding microphones.)
FUNK: “You want what? You have to be out of your little old mind Lawler!” (The fans boos as Funk looks out to the hostile fans with a big, toothy grin.) “Yeah, you’re out of your freaken mind Lawler! I already beat you once, and hell, you’re not even the TV champion anymore.” (Funk once more teases the fans with his huge grin showing the big gap where someone had at one time knocked out one of his front teeth. Lawler looks out at the fans to gather courage.)
LAWLER: “Yeah, it’s true. You beat me last time, and I’m not the TV champ anymore…..but I’ll tell you this Funk. If you climb in the ring with me one more time……I’ll kick your sorry ass!” (Funk’s grin turns to a look of anger as he looks back at Lawler and out to the fans.)
FUNK: “Well hell Lawler, I’m in the ring with you right now. Why don’t you commence to kicking….my…..sorry…..ass!” (With each word, Funk pokes his index finger in Lawler’s chest. Right when Lawler appears to be ready to swing, Jim Cornette holds up his arms and holds the mic to his mouth.)
CORNETTE: “Now hold on there boys! Hold on! Let’s get a grip on this. Lawler, you say you want Terry in the ring, and Terry, you look like you’re more than ready to oblige Lawler, so what do you say we make this a match? (Funk and Lawler both seem like they are agreeable to what Cornette is saying.) “Yes, let’s make this at Uncensored. What do you say, the both of you?” (Funk and Lawler both nod their heads as the fans also seem to agree.) “Alrighty then. At Uncensored, Terry Funk will defend his title against Jerry Lawler.” (Lawler is quick to add.)
LAWLER: “Jerry….The King…..Lawler.” (The fans roar with approval.)

FUNK: “Oh, you want to be The King? Well Lawler, a King wears a crown, so we better crown your ass!” (The fans react to the sight of someone coming out of the fans behind Lawler, and we see that it’s Kevin Sullivan.) “Crown his ass Kevin!” (Funk steps back and before Lawler can turn to face the new threat, Sullivan is on him with a steal chair in hand and hit’s Lawler over the head with it. Lawler drops to the canvas and Sullivan continues to smash the chair on various parts of Lawler’s body. Terry Funk just stands and watches with his big grin that has now returned. Kevin Sullivan does a complete beat down on Lawler leaving him in a pool of his own blood. Funk finally steps forward and leans over the unconscious Lawler.)
FUNK: “See you at Uncensored…… King!” (He laughs like a man who has just escaped a funny farm, as the show goes to commercial.)

1. The Great Muta drew with Jerry Lawler to retain the WCW Television Title “B-”
Jerry Lawler appeared to still be out of it as he waited for Muta to come out and defend the TV Title against him. The Great Muta looked really sure of his chances, but during the match, Jerry Lawler started to gain some momentum, but it didn’t last long as Terry Funk and Kevin Sullivan each came out and picked up their earlier beat down once more. The referee called the match a no contest and a draw and the fans booed like there was no tomorrow as the show went to commercial.)

2. The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes, Garvin & Gordy) defeated Dick Murdoch, Dustin Rhodes & Eddy Guerrero to retain the WCW Six Man Tag Team Titles “C+"
The Fabulous Freebirds finally got a chance to defend their six man titles, and the match wasn’t too bad, but once more, the fans didn’t really get into the match like what was hoped for. In the match, Michael ‘P.S’ Hayes really looked good and put on his usual flamboyant show, really getting under the fans skins, which is what he was shooting for.

3. Super Zenith defeated Kamala the Ugandan Giant “B-”
Super Zenith really performed well once more and the fans really got behind him again, even though he was facing the big, awkward Kamala the Ugandan Giant.

(As Super Zenith reached the locker room after his match, he ran into Cowboy Bob Orton and Stan Hansen sitting there playing a hand of cards. They saw Zenith walk in and they tried to pretend like he wasn’t there or didn’t see him. Zenith walked up to them.)
ZENITH: “Playing cards huh? I like to play cards.” (Hansen and Orton pretend not to hear him.) “I say, I like to play cards too. Care if I sit in?” (Orton and Hansen stand.)
HANSEN: “Uh…..actually, we were just finished playing. We have to get ready for our matches.”
ZENITH: “You didn’t see? You guys aren’t on the sheet tonight. You’re not wrestling tonight.”
ORTON: “Oh, Hansen meant we needed to get ready for next week.”
ZENITH: “Next week? That’s silly. What do you have to do to get ready for next week?” (Hansen and Orton walk out the door and begin to close it.)
ORTON: “Did I say next week? Oh……..(closes the door and the two walk away down the hall.)
HANSEN: “Hurry….go…go!” (The camera returns to Super Zenith.)
ZENITH: “Huh, them boys must have been drinking or something.” (Puts his fingers to his chin in a questioning manor.) “I’ll have to talk to them about mixing drinking with wrestling.”

4. Kevin Sullivan defeated Rick Steiner “B”
Kevin Sullivan and Rick Steiner put on a marvelous match together with Steiner allowing Sullivan to really get over with the fans. Greg Moe asked Steiner to help Kevin out so that he can get over enough so that he can have a bigger role at Uncensored. The fans seem to have really bought into Sullivan’s ability to fight brutally while winning his match.

5. Terry Funk drew with Sid Vicious to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Title “B”
In a rare double heel match, Terry Funk defended his title against Sid Vicious. The fans were really happy to get a chance to see these two face each other and the match was a big hit with them. The match was a draw when both men knocked each other out with some hard punches that each man was able to really sell to the fans. They were both counted out with a ten count, as each tried to stand by dragging themselves up using the ropes, but neither was able to beat the count.

Off Camera and after the show:

After the WCW Show completed, Greg Moe called in Jack Lanza, Dory Funk and Jim Cornette, and when each walked into Greg’s office, they were shocked to see Ted Turner himself sitting there at a large meeting table. He explained to them that Greg had expressed to him that the WCW show wasn’t holding up as good as the NWA show was, and Greg felt that something needed to be done. Ted Turner agreed and wanted to call this meeting.

Cornette spoke up and said the problem was that all the best stars were on the NWA show and the WCW lacked the star quality. This appeared to make Greg Moe angry and he replied that there’s nothing stopping the wrestlers on the WCW show from becoming stars themselves, and that’s what he expects from them. He charged Cornette with making it happen, and Ted Turner seemed pleased with Greg’s comments.

Greg also assured them that he thought he was on the verge of signing another top star, and that if he is able to pull the signing off, he is going to put him on the WCW roster right away. Greg said he’s a top heel in the industry and if the baby faces on the WCW roster can’t hold up their end in a feud with him, he was thinking of bringing Sting over from the NWA roster, but doesn’t really want to have to do it, but he promised them he would if it was needed.

They all left the meeting with a new fire under them and at the same time, in the back of their minds, they had a fear that Greg Moe could pull the trigger and get rid of each of them if he wanted to. So, insiders expect a new surge in quality of WCW shows in the near future to compete closer with the NWA shows.  

Just one week away!!!