A Collective Review of WCW Slamboree 1996 (Lethal Lottery) by Lance Augustine
Welcome back to another classic WCW PPV review where we are covering all the events during the “Monday Night War” era. I just covered WCW Uncensored 1996 and boy did was that something. If you haven’t seen the show yet, I suggest you do it for either enjoyment or a good laugh. You can also check out all the classic WCW PPV’s on the site here.
Slamboree is taking place before Scott Hall and Kevin Nash come into the fold (Hall appears on Nitro eight days after this) and WCW eventually overtakes the WWF in the ratings war. This show, in particular, is being billed as “The Lethal Lottery” in which random guys will be put in tag teams with each other. The winners of those matches will then be put in The Lord of the Ring Battle Royal later in the show, with the winner of that getting a shot at the WCW Heavyweight Title. I think I got that sufficiently covered. Uncensored set the bar pretty low the month prior, but let’s take a look and see how this show plays out.
WCW Slamboree
May 19, 1996
Baton Rouge, Louisana
The announcers for the show are Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Schiavone is the first voice we hear and all three of them welcome us to the show. They talk about all the combinations that could happen tonight with the Lethal Lottery, and they put over Sting vs. The Giant in the main event. They go down to the ring for the first match.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
Road Warrior Animal and Booker T. vs. Road Warrior Hawk and Lex Luger
Animal and Booker T. beat the hell out of each other last month in a Chicago Street Fight and they are on the same team tonight, so that’s fun. Animal and Hawk being on opposite teams is something else too.
Booker and Hawk start going at it before the bell. Luger and Animal start the match for their respective teams. Booker makes a case that he should be in the match first, but he eventually gets out of the ring. Luger gets Animal in the corner and hits some kicks before hitting a Powerslam but not going for the cover. Animal takes control and works Luger into the opposite corner and hits some shoulders to the midsection. Animal hits a Powerslam of his own followed by a shoulder block that takes Luger down. He whips Luger into the ropes, but he reverses course and hits a suplex that Animal no-sells. Animal hits a dropkick and tags Booker into the match. Booker pushes Animal out of the way and continues working on Luger. Booker with a sidekick and starts to work on Luger in the corner. He charges in but Luger gets the boot-up and hits a clothesline. Both men exchange clotheslines with Booker gaining the advantage and hitting a dropkick. Booker gets a chin lock on but Luger gets back to his feet and tries to mount a comeback before Booker ultimately takes him down with a scissors kick. Booker goes for the cover with Hawk making the save but it doesn’t sit well with Luger and two start trading blows. All four men start going at it and they all go to the outside of the ring. The referee counts to 10 and both teams are counted out and both teams are eliminated. The match lasted for 6:54.
Winner: No one
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was fun while it lasted. Animal and Booker T. beat on Luger for the whole match and Hawk never officially got tagged in, but it wasn’t the worst thing I have ever seen. Booker was the one with the most shine and got most of his usual stuff in, including the Spinaroonie. The double count-out means that all four men are eliminated from the Battle Royal later on.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) vs. The Taskmaster (w/Jimmy Hart) and Chris Benoit
Benoit and The Taskmaster have had quite the history and the two being on a team here is interesting. They feuded all through 1996-1997 and had some vicious battles between them.
Rock and Benoit start the match off with some shoves to one another. Rock takes out of the eyes of Benoit and works him into the corner with some punches to the head. Benoit comes back with some shots and sends Rock into the corner but he comes back with head scissors that takes Benoit down to the mat. That was impressive for the big man. Benoit picks Rock up for a Powerbomb but he reverses with a Hurricanrana. They go for the spot again but this time Benoit takes him down with a Powerbomb. He slams Rock’s head into the corner and tags in The Taskmaster. He sends Rock to the outside and starts hitting him with a chair. Benoit and Grunge are in the ring beating each other up. Public Enemy puts The Taskmaster on a table but Benoit saves him by hitting a clothesline on Rock. Rock comes back with a suplex on Benoit that makes him spill out to the floor. Benoit and The Taskmaster are both put on the table but Sullivan moves at the last moment and they come crashing down on Benoit. They roll him in the ring and pin Benoit to pick up the win and advance to the Battle Royal. The match lasted 4:44.
Winner(s): The Public Enemy
Match Rating: 1.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: There wasn’t much to the match until the end with Sullivan holding down Benoit and The Public Enemy taking him out. Public Enemy was a team that used the tables long before The Dudleys made them popular and they were a staple in most of their matches. Rocco Rock had some pretty good offense in the match and he was always pretty athletic for a big man, with Grunge never legally being in the match.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
Sgt. Craig Pittman (w/Teddy Long) and Scott Steiner vs. The Booty Man (w/The Booty Babe) and Rick Steiner
The Steiners stare at each other in the ring with Booty Man and Pittman starting the match off. Pittman works him into his corner and slaps on a Hammerlock. Pittman comes back with a headbutt to the midsection and makes the tag into Scott Steiner. Booty Man hits Scott with a knee lift but he reverses course and hits Booty Man with a Double Underhook Suplex before tagging Pittman back in. He covers Booty Man but only gets a two count. He gets back to his feet and works Pittman into the corner and makes the tag into Rick. Pittman hits him with some offense, but Rick catches him and hits a Powerslam. He goes for a clothesline, but Pittman ducks and hits a German Suplex. Pittman whips him into the ropes, but Rick comes back and hits a big clothesline. Pittman goes to the corner and he makes the tag to Scott which makes The Steiners are the legal men. Scott takes him over with a Fireman’s Carry before Rick comes back with a hip toss. He throws Scott into the ropes, but Scott holds off and grounds Rick with a waist lock. Both men exchange reversals and it’s a stalemate. Scott misses a clothesline and Rick hits him with one of his own. Scott is playing possum and rolls Rick up for a two count. Scott puts him in a Full Nelson but rick reverses it and hits a German Suplex. Rick goes to the top but Scott climbs up with him and hits a suplex off the second rope. Rick makes the tag and Booty Man comes in but misses a shoulder block and hits the post. He makes the tag to Pittman who tries to lock on The Code Red but can’t get it on. He exchanges tags with Scott and finally gets The Code Red on but Booty Man muscles his way over to his corner for the tag. Rick comes in and hits Pittman with a Bridging German Suplex and gets the three count to advance. The match went for 8:21.
Winner(s): The Booty Man and Rick Steiner
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: The most competitive part of the match was Rick and Scott going head to head and they actually had a pretty solid back and forth. The Steiners were always great in the ring because the stuff looked stiff and believable. The Booty Man and Craig Pittman were fine here, but obviously the stars showed a little bit brights. I forgot how fluid Scott was in the ring at this time, and The Steiners were always a favorite of mine growing up.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal and Squire David Taylor)(w/Jeeves) vs. VK Wallstreet and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
VK Wallstreet was previously IRS in the WWF and he is continuing the “money” gimmick here. Duggan and Wallstreet are a Heel/Babyface pairing, so it will be interesting to see how they hold up in the match.
Duggan and Regal start the match off and both men work the crowd. They lock up and Duggan takes him down with a hip toss. Duggan follows that up with multiple clothesline and tags in Wallstreet as Regal makes the tag to Taylor. He works Wallstreet into their corner and tags Regal back in the match. Wallstreet hits him with an Uppercut coming in and makes an aggressive tag to Duggan. The two exchange words and Regal hits Duggan from behind. Both men take each other down with a shoulder block. Regal makes a tag and Duggan goes for one as well but Wallstreet walks away. Duggan takes out both members of The Blue Bloods and hits Wallstreet as well. Duggan tapes the fists and takes out Taylor with it. He covers him and picks up the win for his team at 3:58.
Winner(s); “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and VK Wallsteet
Match Rating: DUD
Collective Thoughts: Duggan and Wallstreet going at it was only a matter of time since they were on opposite ends of the spectrum. There wasn’t much to the match and Duggan did most of the work for his team. The Blue Bloods losing here wasn’t a shock to me since they are a regular team, and Duggan was the only babyface in the match.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
“Dirty” Dick Slater (w/Col. Robert Parker) and Earl Robert Eaton (w/Jeeves) vs. Alex Wright and Disco Inferno
Slater and Disco start off the match with Slater going right after him but Disco cowering in the corner. Slater hits an elbow and chops Disco to the mat. Disco makes a tag to Wright and he comes in and starts working on Slater. Slater makes a comeback and tags in Eaton. Wright and Eaton go back and forth with Wright hitting a dropkick and head scissors. Eaton slides over to his corner and tags Slater back in the ring. Slater takes Wright down and attempts a Powerbomb but Wright powers out with a back body drop. He tags in Disco and he hits Slater with a flurry of offense. Wright clotheslines Eaton over the top rope which gives Slater a chance to hit Disco in the head with his boot to pick up the win. The match went for 2:56.
Winner(s): “Dirty” Dick Slater and Earl Robert Eaton
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This match was pretty short but at least we got some nice offense from Alex Wright, who was the star of the match. Disco Inferno wasn’t much of a factor in the match and it was over in the blink of an eye. I went a little higher in the rating because at least some of the back and forth was fluid.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
Diamond Dallas Page and Barbarian vs. Hugh Morrus and Meng
Meng, Barbarian and Hugh Morrus are all members of The Faces of Fear. Meng and Barbarian are a regular team but they will be facing each other here.
DDP and Morrus lock up with DDP slapping on a headlock. Morrus fights out and takes Page to the outside with a shoulder block. He goes to dive out after him, but Page moves and he hits the floor. Page rolls him back in and hits a clothesline for a two count. Page tags in Barbarian and Morrus tags in Meng and the tag team partners go at it. Meng hits a series of chops but Barbarian no-sells it and takes Meng down with a shoulder. Both men hit clotheslines on each other and Barbarian hits a sidekick. Meng gets back to his feet and hits a headbutt before tagging Morrus back in. He comes in and goes up top and hits the big elbow but only gets a one count. Morrus goes back up top, but Page knocks him off. The Barbarian goes up top with him and he hits a Belly to Belly Suplex from the top rope. He covers Morrus but Meng breaks it up at two. Meng hits a scoop slam and Morrus goes up top and hits a Moonsault but Page breaks up the count. Meng and Page clobber each other and Barbarian takes Morrus out with a kick to the face. Barbarian covers Morrus as Meng is covering Page and the referee counts them both, but awards the match to Page and Barbarian. The match went for 5:15.
Winner(s): Diamond Dallas Page and Barbarian
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was actually a fun match for how short it was. Page got some good offense in but Meng and Barbarian were the ones that really laid into each other. Page saving Barbarian from Morrus was good tag work and the top rope Belly to Belly was the move of the match. DDP and Barbarian advance in the tournament.
After the match, Barbarian and DDP celebrate in the ring as they go to the replays.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
Big Bubba and Stevie Ray vs. Fire and Ice (Scott “Flash” Norton and Ice Train)
Another off pairing in the first round. Stevie Ray’s brother and typical tag team partner, Booker T., was eliminated in the first match of the night.
Ray and Norton start off the match with Ray getting the upper hand and hitting a sidewalk slam. He picks Norton up and throws him into the ropes but Norton takes him down with a shoulder block. He works Ray in the corner and charges in twice but Ray gets the foot up and takes Norton down with a clothesline. He makes the tag to Bubba who comes in with a splash in the corner. He hits Norton with a spine buster but Norton kicks out at two. Norton takes him down with a shot and tag in Ice Train. He hits a scoop slam and sits down on Bubba for a two count. He throws Bubba into the ropes but both men hit clotheslines and take the other one down. Ice Train reaches out and makes the tag to Norton, who kicks Bubba in the leg and slams him down to the mat. Stevie Ray interjects in the match and hits Norton from behind. Norton comes back with a chop that takes Ray down to the mat, and Fire and Ice hit their double team shoulder block on Bubba to pick up the win and advance. The match went 3:32.
Winner(s): Fire and Ice
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a slugfest the entire match, which shouldn’t be a shock seeing all the competitors in the match. Norton was in there the longest for his team and went back and forth with both Big Bubba and Stevie Ray. Norton went on to have a more prominent role in the company and his partnership with Ice Train lasted for a little bit after this. Big Bubba and Stevie Ray picking up the loss here isn’t shocking since they were the mismatched team for the bout.
Lethal Lottery (1st Round) Tag Team Match
Eddie Guerrero and “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson vs. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair (w/Woman and Miss Elizabeth) and “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Anderson and Flair are both members of The Four Horsemen but are on different ends of the ring for this show. Savage and Flair have gone back and forth for the WCW Heavyweight Title over the last couple of months, so they are definitely an odd pairing here.
Flair’s music plays but he doesn’t come out to the ring. Savage’s music hits and he comes out to the ring. Anderson and Guerrero start doubling-teaming Savage from the start with Flair finally runs out to the ring, but he starts laying the boots to Savage. Guerrero and Flair start going back and forth with Guerrero getting the upper hand and taking Flair down to the mat. Guererro throws Flair into the corner and hits a back body drop and follows it up with a dropkick. Flair gets a thumb to the eye of Guerrero and walks over and hits Savage but it counts as a tag. Guerrero tags in Anderson and he brings Savage into the ring and starts working him over with some shots to the midsection. Savage fights back but Anderson keeps him isolated in the corner. He throws Savage into the corner and hits the AA Spinebuster but only gets a two count. Savage makes his way back to his feet but goes to his corner and Flair tags himself in. Flair hits Savage with some chops before Guerrero comes in and hits a series of his own chops and a dropkick. Savage comes in and hits Flair from behind and starts punching him in the head. Anderson comes in the ring while the referee is distracted and hits Guerrero with a DDT. Anderson throws Savage to the outside as Flair covers Gurrero and pick up the unlikeliest of wins. The match went for 4:04.
Winner(s): Ric Flair and Randy Savage
Match Rating: 2.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was essentially a 3 on 1 match for most of it. Flair took every opportunity he got to take Savage out of the match. He would tag in and attack his own partner, before being taken out by the other team. Savage finally had enough and attacked Flair towards the end of the match. Anderson taking Guerrero out wasn’t a shocking way to end the match because obviously he is trying to help his friend out. The crowd was super into this match and it’ll be fun to see if Savage and Flair can coexist as they advance.
After the match, Anderson and Flair continue to beat on Savage. Flair brings Elizabeth over to Savage and she slaps him in the face. Anderson hits him with a DDT on the floor and Flair continues to lay the boots to him before they head up the aisle and they go to the replays.
There is a commercial for the next WCW PPV which is The Great American Bash 1996. Spoiler alert, I will be covering that show next.
Gene is out with a few women and they will pick which teams will be getting a bye in the second round of the tournament. Gene takes the envelope and reveals that Fire and Ice are going directly to The Battle Bowl. Dick Slater and Robert Eaton will be facing off in the first match of the second round and will take on “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and VK Wallstreet. Gene sends it down to the ring for the next match.
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Dean Malenko (c) vs. Brad Armstrong
The Cruiserweight division was one of the best parts of WCW during this era. It was in its inception stages here, but they would be having matches that stole the show later on down the line.
Armstrong starts the match off quickly and grabs a waist lock on Malenko. Both men exchange some chain wrestling before Armstrong grabs a side headlock. He hits an Enziguri but Malenko isn’t down long and comes back with some offense of his own. Armstrong snuffs him out with a dropkick and Malenko goes to the outside. He gets in the ring and dropkicks Armstrong in the knee and wraps his leg around the post. Malenko continues working on the leg, hits a scoop slam, and comes off the second rope with an elbow. He hits a knee breaker and twists Armstrong’s knee again. He puts Armstrong in the Tree of Woe and takes another shot at the knee. He throws Armstong into the ropes, but he comes back with a Sunset Flip but only gets a two count on Malenko. Armstrong misses a dropkick and that opens the door for Malenko to continue his assault on the knee. He comes off the second rope again but Armstrong gets the leg up this time. Armstrong hits an elbow and hits a Powerslam but doesn’t go for the cover. He climbs up top and hits a Missle Dropkick and he puts Malenko in the Texas Cloverleaf, which is Malenko’s own move. Malenko powers out and throws Armstrong to the outside. He comes back in but Malenko is right there with him. They go up top and Malenko hits a top rope Gutbuster. He covers Armstrong and picks up the win to retain the title. The match went for 8:29.
Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko
Match Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a pretty competitive match from start to finish. Malenko was just getting started in the company and hadn’t quite reached his full potential. Brad Armstrong wasn’t too shabby himself and pulled out some impressive moves, but Malenko was too much in the end. He locked Malenko in the Texas Cloverleaf which was a cool spot because that is Malenko’s own move. It wasn’t the best Crusiweight match ever, but it was solid.
Gene is back in the aisleway with the three women again. They have a brief and very awkward exchange before they pick the next teams that will go head to head. The Public Enemy is the next team picked and they will face Ric Flair and Randy Savage. DDP and The Barbarian are the last teams picked and they will be facing The Booty Man and Rick Steiner.
Lethal Lottery (2nd Round) Tag Team Match
“Dirty” Dick Slater (w/Col. Robert Parker) and Earl Robert Eaton vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and VK Wallstreet
Duggan and Wallstreet immediately start fighting each other but eventually get on the same page. They throw Slater and Eaton into each other and square off in the ring again. Wallstreet kicks Duggan to the outside, but Slater and Eaton start attacking Wallstreet. Slater takes him down with a leg sweep and covers for two count. Duggan comes in the ring and grabs the referee as Wallstreet is taking out both members of the other team. Easton and Duggan go to the outside and continue to beat on each other by the guardrail. Duggan makes the tag and takes out Slater and Eaton with some right hands. Duggan knocks Eaton off the apron and takes Slater down with a clothesline and covers for a two count. Duggan hits a shoulder block but he falls to the mat with Slater. Wallstreet makes the tag but so does Eaton and he takes Wallstreet down to the mat. He climbs up top but Wallstreet sends him over to the mat. Wallstreet hits Duggan with a right hand, and Duggan hits him with one of his own. Easton rolls Wallstreet up and pins him to advance to the Battle Royal. The match went 4:08.
Winner(s): Dick Slater and Robert Eaton
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: There wasn’t much to it, and was more focused on Duggan and Wallstreet not getting along. Slater and Eaton were fine here, but the match didn’t do much to blow me away. Duggan was over with the crowd so that made it a little better, but for the most part, it was forgettable.
The Public Enemy is set to face Flair and Savage but Savage doesn’t come out to the ring. Flair makes his way out, but Savage is right behind him and takes him out from behind. Security comes down to ringside and tries to pull the two apart. Some guys come out from the locker room and they finally get them apart and they go to the back. The Public Enemy will advance to the Battle Royal by count-out.
Lethal Lottery (2nd Round) Tag Team Match
Diamond Dallas Page and The Barbarian vs. The Booty Man (w/The Booty Babe) and Rick Steiner
Steiner and Booty Man have been the only unusual pairing that has worked relatively well together. Booty Man and Page start off the match for their teams with Booty Man taking him out to the floor. He starts choking him with the cables at ringside and rolls him back in the ring. Steiner makes a tag into the match and hits Page with a power slam and covers him for two. He gets him in the corner and starts the 10 punches but Page pulls him out and drops him on the turnbuckle. Page makes a tag and The Barbarian takes Steiner out with a shoulder block. Steiner takes him down with a suplex and picks him up to the top rope and hits a Belly to Belly suplex. Steiner covers him for a two count. The Barbarian comes back with a Powerbomb and covers Steiner for a two count. Steiner tries to make a tag but The Barbarian has him in a front face lock. He tags Booty Man but the referee’s back is turned. The Barbarian throws him to the outside and Page lays some boots to him. He gets back in the ring, and Barbarian hits him with a clothesline, but he comes back and drops Barbarian on the ropes. He tags in Booty Man and he hits Barbarian with a high knee but Page breaks up the count. Booty Man covers Barbarian but Page comes in with an elbow to the back of the head. Barbarian covers Booty Man and picks up the win for his team to advance. The match lasted 5:05.
Winner(s): Diamond Dallas Page and The Barbarian
Match Rating: 1.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Page was definitely the star of this match and he got the most shine throughout. The Barbarian got in some stiff offense, but it was Page who hit the move that leads to the win. Steiner and Booty Man worked pretty well as a team, but you could tell that they are starting to push Page the most out of the four. Booty Man and Page also had some bad blood coming into the match over The Booty Babe, and they had the most interaction for the majority of the match.
WCW United States Title Match
Konnan (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (w/Sonny Onoo)
Mike Tenay is joining the broadcast team for this match. Konnan takes the early advantage by taking Liger down and works him into a submission hold. Liger comes back with some moves of his own and both men are feeling each other out. Liger slams him down and hits a senton, but Konnan rolls out of the ring before he can cover him. Liger comes over the top with a splash that takes Konnan out. He rolls him back in the ring and hits a Brainbuster for a two count. He gets Konnan in am armbar but he fights out and puts Liger in a modified STF. Both men exchange some counters with Liger eventually locking Konnan in a surfboard. Konnan tries to fight out but Liger counters and keeps stretching him out. Both men are back to their feet and exchange chops and Liger takes Konnan out with a kick in the corner. He picks Konnan up to the top and hits a big Superplex. Liger goes back to the top and hits a Big Splash but only gets a two count. He kicks Konnan to the outside again and comes off the top but Konnan dropkicks him on the way down. He rolls Liger back in the ring but Liger takes him out with suplex. Liger kicks him in the knee and hits a Fisherman Buster (thanks Tenay) for a two count. Liger goes for a head scissors but Konnan counters it into a slam and covers him for a super close near fall. Both men exchange near falls, and Liger hits a Powerbomb for a two count. Liger hits a scoop slam and goes back up top, but Konnan kicks him in the face. Konnan hits The Power Drop and picks up the win to retain. The match went for 9:30.
Winner and STILL WCW United States Champion: Konnan
Match Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was by far the match of the night thus far, but that isn’t saying much. These two had great chemistry and Liger was actually on the offense for most of it. Konnan has the size advantage and hits some big-time power moves, but Liger just kept coming back. This was a great example of how some of the lower card wrestlers had some quality matches that often go unnoticed in this time period. Liger winning here would have been cool, but Konnan was a good champion so I am cool with him retaining as well.
Gene is back and is talking with Ric Flair. In case you are counting at home, this is the third time we have seen him tonight. Flair that’s if he could be humble for a moment, he will tell Gene what he wanted to accomplish tonight. Flair says that he took Savage out and that he is locked up downtown and will undergo medical evaluation when he gets out. Flair says that Woman, Liz, and himself are going to have a wild night. Flair talks about Steve “Mongo” Mcmichael and says he went from being an NFL All-Star to telling Flair to back off. Flair says he has Mcmichaels wife in his back pocket and he can’t help it if she follows him around. Mongo comes out and the two have a face-off. Flair says he has protection because The Enforcer is out with him. Flair tells him to get one of his former teammates and Flair and Anderson will take them on in a tag team match. Mongo says that he has a partner in mind and he is here in the building. Kevin Greene makes his way out, and all four men start to go after each other. Greene was playing for the Carolina Panthers at the time, but he had some quality matches in WCW in the next year or so.
Battlebowl Battle Royal (Winner will be the Number One Contender for the WCW Heavyweight Championship)
The competitors in this match will be Scott Norton, Ice Train, Dick Slater, Earl Robert Eaton, The Public Enemy, DDP, and The Barbarian. Now that I have said that, I think we can all make an educated guess on who will be winning this match.
All 8 men start going at each other, with Slater trying to eliminate Page early. Barbarian and Rocco Rock are trying to send each other over the ropes, but Barbarian soon turns his attention to his partner tonight, DDP. Eaton is almost eliminated by The Barbarian as well but fights his way out. The Public Enemy starts on Ice Train and start working on Page right after. All eight men remain in the match and they all work into the same corner. Rocco Rock is eliminated first by Dick Slater and is soon followed by Eaton. Eaton takes out Parker on the outside, as Slater joins him among the eliminated. Scott Norton is eliminated next and Ice Train takes out everyone else in the match. Ice Train hits Barbarian with a clothesline and Page hits him with a Diamond Cutter. Page follows that up by hitting Ice Train and Johnny Grunge with Diamond Cutters and pins both of them. He covers Barbarian but he kicks out at 2. Barbarian catches a kick and takes Page down with a clothesline. He covers Page for a two count. Page hits an elbow and he covers Barbarian for a near fall. Barbarian ducks out of the way of a clothesline and rolls Page up for a two count. Barbarian hits a Tombstone but Page kicks out at two. Barbarian gets him in a Sleeper Hold, but Page comes back with a low blow. Barbarian comes back with a Powerbomb and covers Page for another two count. Barbarian climbs to the top and goes for a diving headbutt, but Page rolls out of the way. Page hits the Diamond Cutter and pins The Barbarian to become The Lord of the Ring. The match went for 9:33.
Winner: Diamond Dallas Page
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: The match was okay, but judging from the people in it, the finish was predictable. Page was eliminated early on, but the referees didn’t catch it. It was fitting for Page and The Barbarian to be the last two in the match since they were partners for most of the night. Most of it was forgettable, but it was cool to see Page getting a push this early in his WCW run.
Gene is backstage with the WCW Heavyweight Champion The Giant and Jimmy Hart. The stipulation for the match tonight is that Jimmy Hart and Lex Luger will be handcuffed together at ringside. The Giant says that Sting is nothing but a bug to him and that tonight he is going to exterminate everyone. The Giant says that when he is done with Sting, and that he will be waiting for DDP next. They go back to the ring for the main event
WCW Heavyweight Title Match
The Giant (c) (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Sting (w/Lex Luger)
The Giant won the title from Ric Flair on Nitro the night after Uncensored which was the last show we covered. He defeated Loch Ness, and let’s face it, the writing was on the wall in that match. Michael Buffer is making his usual introductions for the main event.
Sting starts the match off with a cross body and it doesn’t even faze The Giant. Sting comes back with an ax handle and puts him in a sleeper but he rams him into the corner. Sting comes back with a clothesline and a dropkick but The Giant remains on his feet. Sting goes to the outside to regroup, but is hit with a boot as he comes back in. The Giant charges into the corner but Sting moves out of the way. Sting goes for a scoop slam but The Giant is too much and lands on Sting. The Giant hits an elbow drop and the crowd is as loud as they have been all night. The Giant throws Sting into the ropes and hits an audible elbow to the jaw. He works Sting into the corner and hits him with some shoulders. Sting attempts to fight back but The Giant takes him down again. He locks his legs around the body of Sting and grabs the ropes for leverage. The Giant gets back to his feet and kicks Sting in the midsection. He throws him into the ropes and Sting tries to mount a comeback, but The Giant kicks him in the head and it sends him to the floor. He goes to chokeslam Sting through a table but Luger is holding Hart though which forces The Giant to drop him. Both men get back in the ring and The Giant hits a clubbing blow to the chest. He goes for a dropkick but Luger pulls Sting out of the way. Sting gets up and elbows the referee on accident, and start to kick The Giant in the corner. Sting hits a Stinger Splash and continues to beat on him in the corner. Luger and Hart are on the apron and The Giant grabs Luger by the neck but Sting takes him out with three Stinger Splashes. The Giant finally falls to the mat and Sting hits a low blow as he is falling behind him. The referee gets back to his feet as Sting hits a splash from the top rope but The Giant kicks out with authority. Sting goes back up top and hits another splash. Luger and Hart are fighting over the megaphone on the apron as Sting gets The Giant in the Scorpion Death Lock. They inadvertently hit Sting with it and The Giant hits the Chokeslam. He covers Sting and picks up the win to retain the gold. The match went 10:41.
Winner and STILL WCW Heavyweight Champion: The Giant
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a fun main event that the crowd was super into. Sting hit The Giant with everything he had, but in the end, it was Luger and Hart that cost him the title. They were going for Luger accidentally hitting Sting, but if you think Jimmy Hart can overpower someone like Lex Luger, I have a timeshare to sell you. The crowd really got off their feet for a few parts of the match, and this was just at the top of Sting’s popularity. The Giant was a dominant heel champion and this was a great start to his career. Although The Giant winning wasn’t surprising, Sting pulled out all of the stops and the two went out and had a competitive match.
Post-Match, the commentary team wonder if Luger hit Sting by accident or on purpose before telling us to tune in tomorrow night on Nitro to find out as the show comes to an end.
Overall Show Rating: 5.5/10
The first question that came directly to mind is, was this show better than Uncensored? I do think so, although a lot of this show was just match after match with no real storylines being built up. If you ever wanted to talk about one of the most overbooked events in history, this one has to come up. There were 15 matches on this show. All of them went under 6-7 minutes with only the title matches going longer. I normally don’t have a problem with that, but it’s a bit jarring when they just go one right after another and you have no time to digest anything. The Lethal Lottery concept is cool on paper and it came off fine, but overall the show suffered from a crammed card. We are close to the debut of The Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, showing up on the scene and WCW would take a drastically different look in the coming months. We are entering the hottest time in wrestling, and after watching the last few shows, it can’t come soon enough.
What did you think of WCW Slamboree 1996? Loved it? Hated it? Refuse to watch it? Either way, keep the conversation going over at @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. Support the site. Support each other. Consistently wash your hands, and I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.