Backstage: The winner of the PWI Most Popular Wrestler award, Sting, is standing by with ‘Mean’ Gene. They discuss his match with Avalanche, he looks to all the different Stingers because they’re his life blood. He feels like a giant killer tonight.

Match #5: Mr. T vs. Kevin Sullivan
T drives Sullivan into the corner and delivers a hip toss. Sullivan is stunned, and Santa Claus makes his way from the back and walks down the aisle. In the ring, Mr T hits a couple head butts and delivers body shots to Sullivan. Irish whip by T and he goes back to the body. Another whip and Sullivan crumbles. T is baited into being tossed through the middle ropes and the fight ensues on the floor. Sullivan pulls the referee shirt off of Mr T, but he is fighting back. Sullivan drives T into the steps and breaks the referee’s count.

A forearm by Sullivan and a poke to the eyes. Kevin with a karate chop to the back of the neck as Jimmy Hart rushes from the back. The Santa hat falls off and it’s revealed to be Dave Sullivan. Dave sneaks up onto the apron while Hart runs a distraction to the referee. He clocks Kevin with a megaphone, Mr T makes the cover and we have a winner.
Winner: Mr. T (Outside Interference)

• After The Bell: Kevin attacks his brother on the outside, driving him into the rail and the ring post. He pulls him into the ring and delivers a piledriver. He pulls the Santa belt off and whips Dave with it.
• EA’s Take: Well, it doesn’t get much more gimmicky than this match. Not much more to say about it. If not for the post-match attack, I was going to say, ‘That was actually a pretty heel way to win’.

Backstage: ‘Mean’ Gene is joined by WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan & Jimmy Hart. He’s asked about his title match tonight as well as the presence of ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. He hoped Butcher would realize blood is thicker than money, but that’s not the case. As far as Macho Man goes, they have a history of personal differences, he hopes it doesn’t come to this but if he steps over the line, he’ll take care of business.

Match #6: Sting vs. Avalanche w/Kevin Sullivan
The fans roar for the Stinger. Avalanche stomps around and the fans react with boos. They jaw in each others’ face, Avalanche shoves him into the corner but Sting returns the favor. Sting blocks a right and stuns the big man with his own. Collar and elbow tie up, Avalanche with position in the corner and doesn’t break clean. He clubs Sting down and drives his eyes on the top rope. Big elbow from Avalanche, Irish whip and Sting moves. He tries to chop the big man down with kicks, but Avalanche doesn’t go down. They lock up, Avalanche takes advantage with a double wrist lock. Sting drops to his knees, but works his way back up.

Avalanche throws his knee into the midsection and follows with a headbutt. Sting receives shoulders to the midsection in the corner and he collapses in the middle of the ring. Sting is thrown head first into the top turnbuckle. He fights back with a series of kicks, but Avalanche again will not go down. Sting tries to catch the big man in a scoop slam but no can do. Avalancheslams Sting and follows it by dropping an elbow, the ref counts and Stinger kicks out. Avalanche drops a leg across Sting and crushes him in the corner. Avalanche lifts Sting and slams his back into the top turnbuckle before choking him with his boot. Sting is rocketed back from the top rope before jawing with the referee. Sting reaches deep down and fights back with more kicks, Avalanche rolls out to the floor to regroup with Sullivan.

Slow back to the ring, they lock up, side headlock by Avalanche. He drops to a knee and the ref checks on the former World Champion. Sting uses the top wrist to break the hold, but Avalanche pulls him back in. Sting tries to chop him down by beating on the hamstring and knee, but he runs into a low bridge. Avalanche poses and the crowd boos, Sullivan calls for him to finish Sting. Avalanche lifts him up for a big power slam. He’s slow to cover and Sting raises his shoulder. Sting tries to go back on the attack, but he’s manhandled. In the corner, big overhand chop by Avalanche and he grabs on with a bearhug. Sting is driven back into the corner but he leaps on Avalanche’s back with a sleeper hold.

The big man tries driving him into the turnbuckles, but Stinger keeps hanging on. Sting goes for a scoop slam but cannot lift Avalanche who falls on top for a 2 count. Avalanche chokes Sting until the ref backs him off. Sting is lifted for a power slam and Avalanche stomps around. Sting is up as Avalanche poses, Stinger delivering a clothesline and heading for the top rope. He comes off the top with a big elbow. He follows with a clothesline and drop kick but cannot take Avalanche all the way to the mat. He pursues with rights and another dropkick which pushes Avalanche into the corner, squishing the referee behind him. He hits a Stinger Splash and the referee goes down. Sting lifts the big man for a scoop slam and he goes for the Scorpion Deathlock.

Kevin Sullivan rushes in to make the save but he’s tossed into Avalanche. The big man is able to drive Sting into the corner with Sullivan in his arms. The Avalanche Drop is put on Sting, prompting Hulk Hogan to rush into the ring, chair in hand to even the score. A 2nd referee is right behind him and he calls for a DQ due to Sullivan’s interference.
Winner: Sting (Disqualification)

• EA’s Take: Sting matches can often salvage an otherwise ho-hum show, but this was an unfortunate snoozefest. I’m surprised to see a Hogan run-in right before the main event. I’m not trying to be unfair, but I can assure you Hogan/Butcher isn’t saving this nonsense and we get more of Hulk’s friends joining the company. It’s too bad because Avalanche/Earthquake was one of the better big men in history.

Video: Jimmy Hart is awarded the 1994 PWI Manager of the Year.

Match #7 for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: The Butcher w/Kevin Sullivan & Avalanche vs. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan w/Jimmy Hart
WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel sends Sullivan and Avalanche back to the dressing room before the start of the match. Collar and elbow and Hogan powers Butcher to the corner. He tries again and again, finally laying in some chops across the champ’s back. Side headlock by Butcher and he throws a shot to the throat. Back to the side headlock, but Hogan throws him to the ropes for a back elbow. Butcher hits the floor and pulls Hogan out as well. Hulk is thrown into the steel and his eyes are raked. Butcher shoves him into the apron and rakes Hogan’s back before choking him with a microphone chord.

The ref tries to get some order, but Butcher rakes his back over and over. He grabs a chair but Jimmy Hart grabs it from behind. Butcher sets his sights on the manager, but Hogan blindsides him with an atomic drop. Butcher is run into the ring post and Hogan grabs a chair, striking him on the back. He grabs it again and runs it into his forehead. Hogan chokes him with the chair and unleashes some rights. Butcher is rolled back into the ring, but he’s up quick and lands a knee into Hogan face. Hulk is choked on the middle rope as the ref tries to back him up. Forearm and a back rake by Butcher. He clubs away and lifts the champ for a big slam. To the 2nd rope, Butcher tries a double ax handle but Hogan rolls out of the way. He’s up and he lays in rights to the challenger. Hulk drops to his knees and bites the bridge of the nose.

Butcher is shot to the ropes for a clothesline and he drives his boot into Butcher’s eyes. He grabs a chin lock and lays in some rights. Irish whip and Hogan follows with a clothesline and a chop. He rakes the eyes and steps up to the 2nd turnbuckle for some rights as the crowd counts. He bites his nose again. He shoots Butcher in for a back drop, but Butcher stops short and boots him. Butcher chokes the champion until the ref backs him off. A nerve hold is applied by Butcher as the crowd chants for Butcher. Hulk works his way to his feet but Butcher pounds him down once again. The nerve hold is reapplied. The champ uses the crowd to Hulk up, he throws some elbows into the gut, hits the ropes for a shoulder block and runs again, but Butcher cuts him off.

A whip into the turnbuckle and Butcher grabs a sleeper hold. Hulk falls to the mat as the ref checks in. He reaches down deep, but he’s down again. The ref drop checks the arm, but he says ‘No’ on 3. Butcher thinks the arm dropped and he celebrates. The ref tells him that’s not the case as Hogan plays possum on his back. Butcher goes for a cover and Hogan has a big kick out. Butcher tries some rights, but no way. Hogan gives a point, blocks a right and throws some his opponents’ way. Here comes the other Faces of Fear, Kevin Sullivan & Avalanche. Hogan fends them away from the apron long enough to drop the big leg on Butcher and that’s all she wrote.
Winner and STILL WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (Leg Drop)

• After The Bell: The Faces of Fear continue to attack Hogan, 3 on 1. He grabs a chair to fend them off, and from the back, out comes ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. He appears to recruit the Faces of Fear for a 4 on 1 situation, but instead blindsides Sullivan and helps Hogan clear the ring. Jimmy Hart rushes back into the ring to jump around in celebration. Savage is holding the belt and they give each other a long staredown before Randy hands it to him. The Mega Powers shake hands and the fans love it.
• EA’s Take: This main event SHOULD have been the big Ric Flair rematch, it COULD have been Vader and to the lesser extent, you could have had a duel-icon babyface match with Sting. You even billed it as a Triple Threat featuring Vader and Sting. Instead, we had this. Sullivan’s ploy to destroy Hulkamania does become a little more interesting in 1995, but for the time being this was just…ugh. I know he and ‘Butcher’ are real life buds and given the number of back rakes, I’m wondering if they were both just itchy. I mean, the match wasn’t terrible, but this is theoretically your ‘WrestleMania’ main event for heaven’s sake. Savage’s run-in could be seen from a mile away and with the heels already having the numbers, you knew ‘The Good Guys’ would be aligning. All in all, it was kind of a stinker.

Backstage: The babyfaces celebrate in their locker room until the party is crashed by WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Vader & Harley Race. He can feel that for the first time in his life, Hogan is afraid. He demands to Commissioner Bockwinkel and Hogan for a shot at his WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan shoves Vader and has to be held back. Vader is driven back temporarily, but he rushes Hogan until a crowd is put between them. Bockwinkel says there is no question that Vader is the #1 contender so his demands are legitimate. His behavior is out of line, but they need to discuss a potential match going forward.

EA’s Finisher: What…a…dud. I guess the main event has to be the #1 match below just because it’s the main story with the most hype and that translates with the crowd. As a Macho Man mark, his WCW PPV debut was the best part for me, but even then I was underwhelmed. The US Title match was a slow slugfest, the TV Title match was a last-minute replacement match, the Tag Team Champions (Stars & Stripes) weren’t on the card for some reason, Wright and Levesque provided a decent wrestling encounter that lacked fan investment, Sting and Avalanche underwhelmed, Sullivan and Mr. T was a quick gimmick match and be it injury, leaving the company or just not being on the card, you’re down a slew of talent. No Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Cactus Jack, Dustin Rhodes, Steven Regal, Ricky Steamboat, so on and so forth. I’m not trying to be negative, but come on. Unless your goal is to watch the complete WCW PPV chronology, I would use your time watching a different special on the Network.

Top Three To Watch
1 – Hulk Hogan vs. The Butcher
2 – Jean-Paul Levesque vs. Alex Wright
3 – Johnny B. Badd vs. Arn Anderson

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