A Collective Review of WCW Uncensored 1997 by Lance Augustine
Welcome back to the TJRwrestling retro reviews where we are breaking down every WCW Pay-Per-View during the “Monday Night War” era. We are fresh off of WCW Superbrawl VII, which featured some very good undercard matches, and the main event between “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Hollywood” Hogan for the WCW Heavyweight title. It was a step up from January’s Souled Out show, but that isn’t saying much. You can read my complete thoughts on that show and every WCW show we have reviewed here. Can this continue this upward momentum? Let’s find out!
WCW Uncensored
March 16th, 1997
Charleston, South Carolina
This is the show WCW had every year that had no-disqualifications in the matches. This event also has a big Triangle-Tag Team Match in the main event which will feature Dennis Rodman in a managerial role.
We are joined by the usual announce team of Tony Schiavone, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. They talk about the main event and everything that is going into it. There are a lot of moving parts that I will get into as I cover the match.
WCW United States Title Match
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Dean Malenko
There will be no disqualification in this match. This one has also been brewing for a few months leading up to this battle.
They face off in the ring to get the party started. Malenko shoves him down to the mat, but Guerrero comes back with a shoulder block. He locks Malenko in a headlock and punches the top of the head for good measure. Malenko is thrown into the ropes, and he takes Guerrero out with a shoulder block that sends him to the outside. Guerrero rolls back in the ring, but is met with a kick to the midsection and gets stomped on in the corner. Malenko hits a Brainbuster and talks some smack before slapping Guerrero in the face. Guerrero gets back to his feet and takes Malenko into the corner. He hits some shots to the head and stomps away on him. He throws Malenko into the other corner, but gets lifted and dropped on the top turnbuckle. He takes Guerrero down to the mat with a suplex. They go to the back where the NWO is surrounding Rick Steiner. They call for help as they go back to the ring where Malenko has a single leg crab locked on. He tosses Guerrero over the top rope, which surprisingly enough was still a DQ in WCW, and grabs the title belt. They both get back in the ring and Malenko wears him out with it. Guerrero counters an attack that has Malenko on his back after a suplex. Guerrero talks some trash back to Malenko before starting to hit some punches to the head. Guerrero hits a dropkick to the knee and starts to work exclusively on it. Guerrero comes off the top with another move to the knee and stomps down on it. He leaps over the top rope and hits a senton on the vulnerable part of the leg. Guerrero locks him in a leg hold which he turns into an STF that has Malenko riving in pain.
They show a picture-in-picture that has Rick Steiner being put on a backboard which will take him out of the main event tonight. Back in the ring, Guerrero sends Malenko to the outside and slams his head against the guardrail. He throws Malenko into the post and continues to stomp away on the knee. Malenko reverses another whip into the guardrail and throws Guerrero into them instead. They both slowly make their way back into the ring with Guerrero hitting a dropkick on the knee again. He locks on the Figure Four and grabs the ropes for leverage. Malenko fights with a rake of the eyes, but Guerrero is quickly back to his feet. He hits Malenko with multiple uppercuts and a high knee. Guerrero hits a back elbow and goes out to the apron and goes for his senton, but Malenko rolls out of the way. Guerrero comes back with a Baseball Slide while Malenko was on the outside trying to catch his breath. Guerrero comes out off the top, but Malenko moves and he hits nothing but guardrail. That looked like it sucked. Malenko rolls him back in the ring, but is slow to get in himself. Malenko with a boot, and some shots to the head. He works Guerrero into the corner and puts on a wristlock that takes both men down to the mat. He lets up and brings Guerrero to his feet, but is met with a backbreaker. Guerrero hits a powerbomb and floats over for a near fall. Malenko goes for a backbreaker himself, but Guerrero fights out. Malenko hits a low blow, but as he goes to capitalize, Guerrero rolls him up for two. Malenko climbs to the top rope and hits a frog splash, but picks him up at two. Malenko goes for a powerbomb, but Guerrero counters it with a headscissors. Powerslam by Malenko grabs a near fall. Malenko hits a German Suplex and covers for a two. Guerrero recovers and hits a Tornado DDT before trying to get a Texas Cloverleaf on Malenko and actually gets it locked in. Syxx, who has been feuding with both men, comes down to ringside. He tries to steal the US Title, but Guerrero grabs him by the hair. Syxx throws the camera he was holding into the ring and Malenko hits Guerrero with it to snag the win and capture the title. It went 19:14.
Winner and NEW WCW United States Champion: Dean Malenko
Match Rating: 4/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Come on, with these two, you knew it was going to be a great opening match. Both men had some great spots throughout, and Guerrero working on the leg of Malenko was the story of the match. They both hit some high impact moves that looked vicious and I have always been a fan of how great everyone in the division sold for each other. It came out later that Guerrero actually tore his pec during the match, which is wild to think about. Keeping Syxx involved was fine, and it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the match.
Mean Gene is backstage and talks about the match we just saw. He shills the hotline, per usual, and talks about the big main event tonight. It’s a Triangle Tag Team Match, for those who haven’t followed along just yet. Gene is joined by Roddy Piper, who is apart of that big match. Piper said he has lived his like in chaos and that he shouldn’t have to win a match to get Hogan in a cage. Piper says that Rodman knocked on his door earlier and wanted to try on his kilt. Piper said he has the Horsemen in his corner tonight, but he doesn’t know who is left at this point. He says that Hogan is in deep trouble and it doesn’t matter how many he has to go through. Piper is joined by Jeff Jarrett, Chris Benoit, and Steve McMichael. Jeff tells Gene not to instigate and that they are here to watch Piper’s back. The Horseman agrees that tonight it’s them together as a unit. McMichael says he owes the NWO for the attack last Monday and that he isn’t afraid of any of them. Piper tells Benoit he needs him tonight, and he responds in kind. It’s time for the next match
Psychosis vs. The Ultimate Dragon (w/Sonny Onoo)
They lock up to start the match with Dragon taking him down to the mat with a leg sweep. Psychosis fights back, but it doesn’t last long and both men are back to a vertical base. They exchange arm drags and Psychosis tries to throw him into the ropes, but Dragon fights it off. He hits a series of kicks that takes Psychosis down to the mat and kicks him in the back. Psychosis makes his way back to his feet and hits a dropkick and throws Dragon into the corner. He comes in with a clothesline and tries to do it again, but Dragon does a headstand on the turnbuckle and kicks Psychosis to the mat. He puts him in a Camel Clutch, but Psychosis fights out and puts Dragon in one of his own. Psychosis climbs to the top and hits a big leg drop, but only scores a two count. Psychosis climbs up the opposite corner and hits an elbow from the second rope. He locks Dragon in a chin lock to maintain control. Psychosis hits the ropes, but Dragon is ready and hits a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker. He puts Psychosis in a sleeper to keep him grounded. He hits Psychosis with a belly to back suplex and both men are on the mat. He throws Psychosis into the corner, but he gets a boot up to the face. He throws Dragon to the outside and follows him out with a suicide dive. Psychosis climbs back in just to hit a slingshot leg drop onto the floor. Dragon climbs on the apron and slingshots Psychosis who hits his head on the floor. Dragon hits a headspring elbow and follows that up with an Asai Moonsault. Dragon gets back in the ring and as Psychosis is trying to do the same Sonny Onoo hits him with a kick to the head. He finally gets back in, but Dragon quickly takes him down and hits another moonsault. He tries a Hurricanrana, but Psychosis reverses it into a Sunset Flip for two. Dragon slams his head into the turnbuckle before putting him on the top tope. Both men scrap and eventually they both come off in a double facebuster type of move. Both men slowly get to their feet and both try spin wheel kicks, but neither connect. Dragon with a scoop slam and goes up top, but Psychosis is right there to meet him. Psychosis hits a top rope Frankensteiner, but Dragon kicks out at two. He climbs back up on Dragon’s shoulders, but he is hit with a Liger Bomb. Dragon puts him back up and tries a Franksteiner from the top, but he slips and hits more of a Tornado DDT. He hits Psychosis with a Dragon Suplex and picks up the win after 13:17.
Winner: Ultimate Dragon
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: If you were going to follow up on the first match with something on the same level, this might be the right match to have. Was it as good as the opener? Not quite, but this had a lot going for it. Psychosis looked like a million bucks even in defeat, and this pushed Dragon up the card to challenge for the WCW Cruiserweight Title soon. The ending was a tad sloppy, but both guys worked hard and this was entertaining to watch.
Gene is joined in the entranceway by Diamond Dallas Page. He asks Page about “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and how he feels about Savage not giving him the time of day. Page says the people in the building know who he is, and that’s all that matters to him. He asks about Page joining the main event tonight, but Page keeps his focus on Savage. Page says he hasn’t forgotten about the attacks Savage has been giving him lately. Page says that if Savage is that bad, then snap into the bang. Savage is on the mic and tells Page that he is going to apologize to the fans around the fans for being on top of his game. He says he respects Page, but he doesn’t need to answer him. Savage and Elizabeth have a Playboy Magazine that features “Nude Celebrities”. He runs down the women in the magazine, and he says that Kimberly is the centerfold of the issue. They show it and it has NWO painted on it. Kimberly comes from the back and she has NWO painted all over her. Page turns his attention to her which allows Savage to hit him from behind and spraypainting NWO on his back. The best part? Gene is commenting on the whole thing. Elizabeth gets on top of Page, and she gets spraypainted as well.
Collective Thoughts: This was one of the better feuds of this time period, and it’s cool to see it taking place once again. Savage was playing mind games with Page for months, and this would all culminate in a big match in the not too distant future.
Martial Arts Match
Mortis (w/James Vandenberg) vs. Glacier
This is the in-ring debut of Mortis, AKA Chris Kanyon, for WCW. Glacier has been teased for weeks and has been undefeated so far in WCW. The Glacier vignettes were so cool when I was a kid, and totally hokey as an adult. These are essentially rip-offs of Mortal Kombat characters.
Glacier tries some kicks early, but Mortis jumps out of the way. Glacier gets control and hits a back body drop as Mortis is charging in. Mortis gets a thumb to the eye and gets the upper hand. He kicks Glacier in the back of the head and goes in to capitalize, but Glacier sweeps the legs. Mortis is on the apron, and Glacier kicks him to the outside. He comes over the top with a splash, and suplexes Mortis on the floor. Glacier rolls him in the ring and covers him, but Vandenberg pulls on the foot. Glacier chases him around the ring and is met with a baseball slide from Mortis. He picks Glacier on his shoulders and drops him face-first on the apron. He rolls Glacier back in the ring and hits the Buckshot Lariat, which is the finisher Adam Page uses today. Mortis hits a facebuster, but Glacier gets the shoulder up at two. He kicks Glacier in the back and then in the chest. He tries the facebuster again, but Glacier picks him up for a powerbomb instead. Glacier sweeps the legs and comes off the ropes with an elbow. That exchange was slop city. He hits Mortis with a backbreaker and kicks him in the face. Mortis comes back with one of his own and both men are flat on the mat. Mortis climbs up top, but Glacier hits the ropes and crotches him on the top. Glacier climbs up with him and hits a Superplex for a two count. Mortis is the first back to his feet, but is met with a jawbreaker. He climbs up top and tries a Karate Chop, but Mortis moves out of the way. Glacier hits a crossbody, but only gets a near fall again. He goes to kick Mortis’ head off, but he pulls the referee in front of himself. Mortis gets back to his feet and hits a sidekick of his own. He tries again, but Glacier moves out of the way and hits his to pick up the win after 9:04.
Winner: Glacier
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was an average match that gets demoted because of the fact they called this a “Martial Arts Match” and it was just a regular match. The action wasn’t bad, but it didn’t do as much for me as the previous two matches did. Glacier was kind of a flop after all the hoopla they gave to him coming in, but this was one of his better outings. Both men got some time in, so I guess that’s a plus.
After the match, Vandenberg calls to the back, and here comes Wrath. Wrath and Mortis both beat on Glacier before Wrath puts him down with a high impact slam and stands tall in the ring.
They go to a video where The NWO is following The Steiner Brothers in their cars. This leads to them hitting the back of the car and sending them flying into a tailspin which causes The Steiner’s car to flip over. The footage stops right after that incident.
Strap Match
Buff Bagwell vs. Scott Riggs
We got this match last month, and it was alright. This has the old school rules where the winner has to drag his opponent around the ring and touch all four corners. For those who don’t know, these two are former tag team partners and were known as The American Males.
Riggs charges the ring and Bagwell bails quickly. Bagwell gets in the ring and the referee puts the strap on his wrist. Riggs hits him with the strap before they can secure it and sends Bagwell back to the outside. Bagwell finally gets it on and the bell sounds. Bagwell starts whipping him right away and hits a clothesline. He climbs up top, but Riggs quickly knocks him off and starts hitting him with the strap. Riggs climbs up and hits a Superplex before continuing to wear Bagwell out with the strap. They go to the outside and Bagwell is pulled into the post. He rolls him back in the ring and starts choking him with the strap before hitting him again with it. He hits a back elbow that knocks Bagwell down to the mat. Bagwell fights back with a strike to the head and starts choking Riggs with the strap. Riggs slides underneath a clothesline and hits a low blow with the strap. He ties Bagwell up and starts to make his way to the corners. He hits the two closest to him, but Bagwell fights him which stops the momentum. Bagwell drops him throat-first on the top rope and talks to the camera about being the best. He slaps Riggs in the face and stomps away on him. He lashes him a few times before taking him down again. He slams Riggs into the corner and continues choking him with the strap. He hits the first corner and starts dragging Riggs around the ring. He hits the second one, but Riggs starts kicking him in the head and it stops. Bagwell snuffs it out and hits an atomic drop and hits him in the head with the strap. Bagwell continues the assault by stomping on the head and pulls him over his back which chokes him with something behind it. Bagwell tries to pin him, but obviously, it doesn’t work. He shoves the referee, who shoves him back, and pushes him into the corner. Bagwell hits a scoop slam and climbs to the second rope to hit The Blockbuster, but Riggs rolls out of the way. Riggs hits a couple of clotheslines and starts wailing on Bagwell with the strap. Riggs hits a powerbomb and climbs up the top and comes off with a missile dropkick. He ties Bagwell’s arms up and starts dragging him around the ring. He hits three before Bagwell grabs the ropes to stop the count. He hits Bagwell but soon finds himself being hung over the top rope. Bagwell keeps pulling on the strap and Riggs is out cold. Bagwell touches all four corners, and that is the end of the match. The whole thing went 12:25.
Winner: Buff Bagwell
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: It was fine, but nothing spectacular. The drama between the two has carried the feud, but at this point, it was pretty much burnt out. Bagwell was more of a singles star of the two and it showed here with a dominant win. Both of these guys, at least to me, are as average as it gets in the ring.
The NWO is backstage and continues to poke the bear with Page and Kimberly. They also talk about bringing in Rodman, and how he is NWO through and through. They show the magazine with Kimerbly in it again and say that after tonight, it’ll be more than Page that has huge problems on their hands.
Texas Tornado Match
Harlem Heat (Booker T. and Stevie Ray) (w/Sister Sherri) vs. Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge)
This match doesn’t have tags in it and all four men will be legal until the end.
Harlem Heat starts the match off by hitting both men with the garbage cans they brought to the ring. Rock and Booker are fighting on the outside as Grunge and Ray are “competing” on the inside of the ring. Sherri hits Rock with a frying pan on the outside, as Ray is wailing on Grunge with the lid. Both members of Public Enemy regain control and start hitting Harlem Heat with the trash lids themselves. It doesn’t last long and Harlem Hear is back on the offensive. Booker gets a couple of near falls in the ring, while Ray throws Rock into the stairs at ringside. They climb back in the ring just as Grunge is hitting Booker with a swinging neck breaker. Rock grabs a cookie sheet and hits both members of Harlem Heat with it. Booker blocks a blow from Rock, but Grunge is back in and crushes him with a garbage can. Dusty is losing his shit at this point. Rock starts choking Booker with a toilet seat as Sherri and Ray are double-teaming Grunge on the outside. All four men are outside of the ring, and exchange blows to the head with the garbage can. Booker hits Rock with a Harlem Side Kick and stomps away on him. Sherri gets back in on the action and hits Rock in the head as Harlem Heat is holding him up, Grunge starts beating on Ray with the can lid again, and Sherri is choking Rock with a cable that was outside. They roll Rock back in the ring, and he catches Booker coming off the top with a shot to the midsection. Rock hits him in the head with a pan, but Booker kicks out at two. Rock actually puts a wristlock on and climbs up top, but he gets knocked off. Grunge is laying on the outside with Ray continuing to beat on him. Sherri accidentally hits Ray with the trash can, but he no-sells it and continues to fight Grunge. Both members of Harlem Heat surround Rock in the ring and try a pin, but Grunge breaks it up with a pan. Public Enemy is back to their feet and the fans start chanting for tables. All four men are back on the outside and continue pounding on each other. Ray throws Rock back in the ring and hits a side slam. Booker comes off the top with a splash, but Grunge breaks up the pin. Booker goes for another Harlem Side Kick, but Rock ducks out of the way. Grunge takes out Sherri on the outside and puts Ray on a table. He climbs up on the apron and Rock comes out as well and both men crash through Ray on the table. Yeah, that hurt. Booker is in the ring, but gets taken out with a clothesline. Jarrett and McMichael come out to the ring, and McMichael hits Rock with the briefcase. Booker hits The Harlem Hangover and picks up the win after 13:17.
Winner: Harlem Heat
Match Rating: 2.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was almost impossible to follow. All four men were legal and they beat the hell out of each other. Sherri even got involved in the match before being wiped out by Grunge. The reason Jarrett and McMichael got involved was that they were the original opponents for The Public Enemy before they got inserted into the main event. Why that caused them to get involved is a mystery. Either way, this was a straight-up fight that was enjoyable enough.
Gene is backstage and is joined by one of the teams competing in the main event which consists of Scott Steiner, The Giant, and Lex Luger. Gene asks them about the status of Scotts’ brother Rick after the attack earlier in the night. Steiner says that he knows his brother and that he will be back stronger than ever. Steiner says he didn’t need any more incentive, but now he has it. Steiner said they won’t be able to hide behind the politics. Gene asks The Giant how he is feeling about tonight. The Giant says it’s time to do some spring cleaning in WCW. He talks up Steiner and Luger and says that tonight they will come out on top. They go to Lex who says that he knows the deck is stacked against them. He says The NWO has trashed the WCW and it ends tonight. He says that he is taking on The NWO for all the kids watching at home. He said they are prepared and will come out on top tonight.
WCW Television Title Match
Prince Iaukea (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
These two were waging war last month, and they are back here for a return match.
Mysterio goes for a springboard to start, but Iaukea moves out of the way. He hits Mysterio with a Samoan Drop and hits a senton from the apron. He sends Mysterio into the ropes, but Mysterio comes back by dropping him on the top rope. Mysterio slides underneath the legs and hits a Hurricanrana for a two count. Mysterio takes him to the outside and he comes out after him with a senton over the top rope. He rolls Iaukea back in the ring and comes off the top, but Iaukea is ready for it and catches him. He drapes him on the ropes and hits a springing powerbomb. Iaukea kicks him outside with a Baseball Slide and comes off the top with a splash himself. He hits Mysterio with an elbow to the back of the head and throws him into the guardrail. Iaukea climbs up on the guardrail and comes off with a splash, but Mysterio dives out of the way and he hits the floor. He gets him back in the ring and hits a split-legged moonsault for a two count. He throws him into the corner and climbs on the second rope to hit a bulldog for a two count. Mysterio wraps his legs around the head of Iaukea and tries to keep him grounded. Mysterio comes off the ropes with an Asai Moonsault, but only gets a two count. Iaukea fights back and hits some chops to the chest and starts working on Mysterio in the corner. He picks him up and Mysterio lands on the apron. Both men climb up top with Mysterio taking him down with a Sunset Flip for a two count. Mysterio hits a dropkick and climbs back up to the top. He misses a senton and Iaukea takes advantage with a leg drop. Iaukea hits a Nothern Lights Suplex, but can’t put Mysterio away. He works him against the ropes and hits another powerbomb on Mysterio. Iaukea comes off the top with a springboard, but Mysterio takes him out with a dropkick. Iaukeas pulls his legs out from underneath him and hits a clear low blow right in front of the referee. Mysterio goes to the outside and Iaukea is out behind him with a double ax. Iaukea rolls him in the ring and gets a near fall. Both men attempt dropkicks, but neither connect, and both men are down. Mysterio fights his way back to his feet, but so does Iaukea, and both men pound on each other in the corner. Mysterio hits multiple headscissors, but can’t pick up the win. Mysterio hits a flipping senton and covers him, but the bell rings at two. The time limit apparently stops the match. Mysterio tells him he thinks he deserves more time, and Iaukea agrees. The match is restarted and both men circle each other in the ring. Mysterio hits some chops to the chest and hits a leg drop. Both men are perched on the top and Mysterio takes him down with a Frankensteiner. He comes off the ropes for another Hurricanrana, but Iaukea outsmarts him and rolls him up to pick up the win after 13:41.
Winner and STILL WCW Television Champion: Prince Iaukea
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was another above-average outing for the smaller guys on the show. I feel like this match was a touch better than their encounter last month, but both matches delivered. Mysterio just flew around the ring here, but Iaukea wasn’t a slouch in his own right. There was a lot of back and forth although the time limit draw ending the match the first time kind of killed the momentum, but it was cool they restarted and got a clear winner.
There is a commercial for The Spring Stampede show that was halted for a few years before making a return in April. It’s time for the main event.
Triple Tag Team Match
Team NWO (“Hollywood” Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Randy Savage) (w/Dennis Rodman) vs. Team Piper (“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Chris Benoit, Jeff Jarrett, and Steve “Mongo” McMichael) vs. Team WCW (The Giant, Lex Luger, and Scott Steiner)
Here we are and I am going to try and explain the rules the best I can. This is a very “War Games” style match in the sense that there will be rounds, and with each round, more guys are introduced into the match. Obviously, Team WCW is down a man with Rick Steiner being taken out earlier in the night. If Team WCW wins, all the belts The NWO currently has will be returned to WCW and they will not be able to wrestle at WCW events for three years. If Team NWO wins, they will be able to wrestle for any WCW title at any time. If Team Piper wins, Piper and Hogan will face off in a cage. Talk about a convoluted mess.
Chris Benoit, Scott Hall, and The Giant are the first three men in the match. They will have five minutes before the other guys come into the fold. Benoit and Hall start going at it in the ring as The Giant is looking on from ringside He slowly climbs in the ring while Benoit takes Hall down with a clothesline. The Giant gets in and takes both men out with a clothesline. He slams their heads together and chops Hall in the corner. He works Benoit over and starts chopping him as well. Benoit fights back, but it doesn’t last, and The Giant throws him across the ring. He kicks Hall and sends him into the corner. He chokes Benoit in the corner and slams him down to the mat. Hall starts working on The Giant, but just gets tossed off for his trouble. The Giant hits a scoop slam on Hall and turns his attention to Benoit. He crushes him, which gives Hall a chance to get some shots in, but it isn’t enough to take him off his feet. The Giant hits Hall with an elbow drop and starts choking Benoit with his boot. Hall hits him from behind as the clock starts to count down from two minutes. Hall gets a sleeper on The Giant and it has him fading a bit before he just tosses him to the side. The Giant destroys Benoit with a Chokeslam and takes Hall out again. He is dominating this match so far. He charges in to crush Hall in the corner, but he moves, and The Giant goes over the top rope and it eliminates him from the match as the clock hits zero.
Jarrett, Savage, and Luger enter the match next. Jarrett starts working on Savage right away before Luger gets in and powers Jarrett down to the mat. Savage and Luger start going toe to toe with Luger pressing him over his head and slamming him down.
Steiner, Nash, and McMichael are out next for their teams. Steiner starts cleaning house and takes out the members of The NWO. The whole match has broken loose and Hall tries to hit Jarrett with an Outsiders Edge but he fights out. Nash hits Jarrett with a boot and sends him over the top to eliminate him. Nash is working on the Luger in the corner as Hall eliminates McMichael on the other side.
Piper and Hogan are the last two to enter the match, and Steiner is quickly eliminated before they get in the ring, which leaves Luger by himself. Piper goes after Nash before turning his attention to Savage. Hogan and Rodman finally make their way down to the ring with Rodman holding the title. Piper and Savage are going at it and Piper gets a chain around his neck. Nash is trying to eliminate Luger while Benoit and Hall are going at it. The Outsiders turn their attention to Benoit and start working on him in the corner. All of the men are now in the ring with Hogan and Piper going right after each other. They go through the middle ropes and Piper is beating on Hogan up the ramp. Savage flys outside and takes out both men before regrouping with Hogan to get back in the ring. Everyone is back in the ring as Savage interrupts Luger working on Nash. Rodman pulls down the top rope which makes Piper go over to the outside and eliminating him. Hall and Nash are working on Benoit before turning their attention to Luger. Benoit and Luger rebound and start working together as Piper is trying to fight off The NWO on the outside. Hall and Nash regain control and hit Benoit with an Outsiders Edge and tosses him out of the ring and out of the match. It’s down to The NWO against Luger. All four members are in the ring and all take turns working on Luger as Rodman jumps in the ring to join them. The five of them have a huddle in the corner and they signal to put this one away. Nash goes for a Jackknife, but Luger fights out. He takes on every one that is moving and gets Savage in the Torture Rack and he gives up. He throws Nash out of the ring and racks Hall who gives up and it is down to Hogan and Luger. Luger takes Hogan out right away as the referee keeps Nash from getting in the ring. While he is distracted, Savage slides in the ring and hits Luger in the eyes with some spray paint. No big deal, we have all been there before. Hogan crawls on top of him to pick up the win after 19:22
Winner(s): Team NWO
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was a mess at times, but overall, was a solid main event. The Giant was eliminated early after dominating the match, and from there, Luger was pretty much on his own. The NWO, including Rodman, had the upper hand throughout the entire match and it was a foregone conclusion after Piper’s team was eliminated and it was down to The NWO vs. Luger. We have seen and will continue to see, Luger facing these odds time and time again so it is a little stale at this point. I can’t complain overall, though, about the match.
After the match, Rodman paints NWO on Luger’s back and turns him around to start slapping him in the face. With the win, The NWO can challenge for any WCW Title they want to. Sting comes down from the rafters and takes out both members of The Outsiders. He hits Savage coming in and hits a Scorpion Death Drop on him. He picks Hall and Nash and hits both of them with the move as well. Rodman and Hogan are looking on from the aisle as Sting points the bat at them. He tells Sting to drop the bat, which he does, and Hogan jumps in the ring. Sting takes him out with some shots and hits him with The Scorpian Death Drop as well as the show goes off the air.
Overall Show Rating: 6.75 out of 10
This was a solid show with some great undercard matches and the main event didn’t disappoint, finally. I thought the Cruiserweight match to start off the night, as well as the other two on the card, set the tone nicely with some quality wrestling. With that thought in mind, it does make all the other matches try and live up to that standard, and they often don’t. The strap match was fine, and The Texas Tornado match was all over the place. The main event, as I eluded too, didn’t come up short as most did during this time. I do think having Luger fight every member of the NWO was a little played out at this point, but I understand what they were going for. Overall, this show was good, and a good way to progress WCW throughout the spring. On to Spring Stampede!
What did you think of WCW Uncensored 1997? Loved it? Hated it? Anything was better than Souled Out? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. While you are there, check out my new podcast network, The Heel Turn Collective. We have new content every single week including an AEW review show every Friday. Take care of yourself, take care of each other, and I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.