WCW WarGames ‘92

1. Taylor Made Man and Greg Valentine vs. Freebirds – 6
2. Mr. Hughes vs. Ron Simmons – 4
3. Tom Zenk vs. Brian Pillman – 6
4. Tatsumi Fujinami and Takayuki Iizuka vs. The Steiner Bros. – 8
5. Sting’s Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & Nikita Koloff) vs. Dangerous Alliance (Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, & Larry Zybyszko) – WarGames Match – 9

On paper, you may see that first match and scoff, but that’d only show how little you know about professional wrestling. In that match are four certified legends, and although you won’t be seeing a moonsault through a flaming table, which any teen lacking self-esteem can do in their backyard, you will see terrific performances. These guys know how to absolutely drive the crowds wild, which is something I think a lot of wrestling writers don’t figure into their reviews, and is something I’ve been watching with a much more keen eye lately, as it’s one of the most important factors in the craft of telling a good story, and having a solid match.

Mr. Hughes and Simmons don’t steal the show, by any means, but they’re making an effort, which is something I can’t say about many mid-card wrestlers these days. Hughes’ sells aren’t good, he really needs to slow down and help us buy his opponent’s offense. Zenk and Pillman was just fantastic, it had a slow build, was the payoff to a major storyline, and featured an excellent finish. I’ve always been a Pillman fan, and Zenk held up his end of the deal, too. It was a very athletic and refreshing match.

I absolutely loved the Steiner Bros. versus Fujinami and Iizuka match. I urge you to seek it out as it’s the epitome of why I love wrestling. These guys held nothing back, and they all worked so hard in a very hard hitting and competitive match. The Steiner’s experience in Japan was very visible, as they went toe-to-toe with legend Fujinami and young gun Iizuka. There were so many huge spots and sequences in this match that I can’t do it justice by detailing them now. Scott Steiner almost broke his neck attempting a moonsault slam, a move the likes of which I’ve never seen attempted before or after this match. The best spot of the show saw Rick Steiner, who was perched on Fujinami’s shoulders, catch Iizuka in mid-air, whom had just leapt from the top turnbuckle, and give him a belly-to-belly suplex. It was an amazing and innovative spot—I’ve never seen anything like it. Guest writer Jessie and I exploded when we saw it, and re-watched it several times before finally settling down.

The main event is a classic match, arguably the best WarGames match ever, featuring a whole host of brilliant performances and more blood than the goriest of horror films. There are so many talented workers in this that you’d be insane to not want to see it, as some of the best wrestlers of all-time are on display in a chaotic cage match that has no parallel. Do yourself a favor and seek this video out, I guarantee you’ll be impressed. I can only speak for myself, but I’d rather see Bobby Eaton truly selling the effects of a chinlock, than see one more convoluted Ultimate X match or Elimination Chamber fiasco.