Post by Leo on Jul 27, 2023 17:55:41 GMT -5
Phoenix Rising for 07.30.23
Live from the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Aubrey Edwards
Free-4-All Preshow
“The Man With the Hands of Stone” Ronnie Garvin vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff with Col. Robert Fuller
Referee: Tommy Young
Power match from the start with Orndorff winning most of the way. Garvin ducks a spinning back elbow and gets an inverted atomic drop on Orndorff. He does a shaky leg sell and Garvin clocks him around the head with a bell ringer. Body slam and he starts in on the Garvin Stomp, but Fuller takes the apron. Garvin knocks him off with a Superman Punch. Orndorff with a schoolboy rollup, but Garvin rolls out. Haymaker by Garvin and this time he completes the Garvin Stomp. He covers, but a recovered Fuller puts his man’s foot on the ropes. Garvin goes for the Stunner Cutter (inverted stunner), but Orndorff head butts him. Reverse side Russian leg sweep. Jumping elbow drop. He covers for two. Garvin backdrops out of a piledriver try. He goes for the Superman Punch, but Orndorff feints back and he whiffs. Orndorff with a standing lariat. Second jumping elbow drop. He boots Garvin in the head a couple times and finishes with the piledriver.
Winner: Paul Orndorff by pinfall at 10:32.
Segment Notes
* Just a match to get these guys on the show and keep them relevant.
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“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is out on the interview stage with SoCal Val. “The American Dream has been away from the people for too long. I’m back here today in Mobile, Alabama. I’m back here today at Phoenix Rising. I’m back here today to face Magnum TA, my former friend turned enemy. This has been slow boiling for several months. The fates have conspired to keep us apart, but, finally, the clash for all ages, the clash for all time, the clash that will rock the pillars of heaven will take place here today in Mobile, Alabama. Magnum TA I come to you today riding the edge of a lightning bolt on a silver saddle and I will leave here with my hand and my head held high.”
COMMERCIAL
Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Black Mamba vs. The Pillmans (Brian Sr. and Brian Jr.)
Referee: Joey Marella
Winners: Jake Roberts and Black Mamba by pinfall of Mamba on Brian Jr. at 9:32.
Segment Notes
* Creative is still very high on Black Mamba’s potential to steal a house with Jake Roberts at his side.
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Magnum TA is out on the entrance stage with SoCal Val. “Dusty Rhodes, I don’t know what the hell you just said out here. And I bet these people don’t know either. They cheer for you, because they’re conditioned to like when a dog hears the dinner bell. I tired of being your dog, the loyal companion at your side who took all the crap and none of the accolades. If we’ve been held apart the past few months here in WCW, it wasn’t the fates doing it, it was you. You faked an injury. You faked outside commitments. You ran until you couldn’t anymore. Tonight, here in Mobile, Alabama, on Phoenix Rising, I will finally get you in that ring and you’ll realize you should have just kept running.”
COMMERCIAL
Winner joins the nWo
Taya Valkyrie vs. Tamina Snuka
Referee: Aubrey Edwards
Winner and new nWo member: Taya Valkyrie by pinfall at 7:57.
Segment Notes
* Valkyrie seemed a better fit for the nWo than Snuka. Creative is unsure what to do with Snuka after this. She’s been a non-starter since joining WCW, despite being the inaugural WCW U.S. Women’s Champion.
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Shane McMahon from the entrance stage hypes the Great American Bash for Aug. 27 and the women’s special on Tubi on Aug. 12. The Queen of the Ring tournament will feature two surprise entrants that will make the WCW women’s division, the best in the UWA, even stronger.
COMMERCIAL
Davey Boy Smith with Col. Robert Fuller vs. Harry Smith
Referee: Tommy Young
Harry is in the ring first. Davey Boy comes out to the entrance stage and announces his new manager, Col. Robert Fuller, and his joining of the Stud Stable. Fuller interferes throughout the match and this draws out Natalya of the Hart Foundation. Fuller tries to grab Harry’s foot from the outside. Natalya chases Fuller around ringside and into the ring. Fuller conveniently loses a shoe and Davey Boy grabs it to hit Harry with it. But Harry kicks Davey in the gut, hits a double ax handle to his back while he’s doubled over and then finishes with the Bulldog Bomb. After the match, Harry says he’s got his own major announcement, that he’s joining the Hart Foundation.
Winner: Harry Smith by pinfall at 12:45.
Segment Notes
* Fuller scouted Davey Boy on the last Thunder to tease him joining the Stud Stable.
* It’s been established that Natalya has a manager’s license.
* Creative feels Davey Boy has more of an upside than Harry, but Davey Boy wanted to put his son over and set him up for the Hart Foundation.
Main Show
WCW U.S. Tag Team Titles
The Miracle Workers (Eli Drake and Mike Bennett) © with Maria Kanellis-Bennett vs. Harts Afire (Bruce and Keith Hart)
Referee: Joey Marella
Natalya runs out early and chases Maria to the back. Back and forth for the first part until the heels isolate and work over Keith. They keep insinuating Bruce is trying to enter the ring to distract Marella and then double team Keith. Finally, Bruce has enough and goes to the floor and pulls Bennett off of the apron. They fight. Keith fights out of the Gravy Train and goes for a backslide. Drake flips out of it, but comes up into a dropkick that backs him into the near corner. Keith with a victory roll out of the corner, but Mike flies in out of nowhere and nails Keith with one of the title belts to draw the disqualification.
Winners: Harts Afire by disqualification at 10:21. Miracle Workers retain the titles.
Segment Notes
* Creative didn’t want to move the belts here, but the Harts needed the win to keep things going.
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Shane McMahon goes into one of the luxury boxes and introduces Hugh Hefner surrounded by the Nitro Girls. Hefner knows there have been rumors and he’s here to say they are true. One lucky WCW lady will be a cover model for Playboy Magazine and she’ll be announced at the Queen of the Ring Tournament Aug. 12 on Tubi.
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Submission Match for the WCW Wild Card Title
Killer Kross © with Maria-Kannellis Bennett vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Referee: Aubrey Edwards
Maria doesn’t come out with Kross. Barrett guesses she’s still being chased down through the back by Natalya. Kross uses his size and strength advantage to beat up and wear down Hart from the start. He works the lower back with a bear hug. Hart breaks out with a bell ringer. Then comes off the ropes with a knee clip and he hits a knee breaker. Hart with a backbreaker and side Russian leg sweep. He goes for the second rope elbow, but Kross puts his foot up and nails Bret in the jaw. Kross with a spinning side slam. He locks in the Kross Jacket, but Hart manages to hook the bottom rope with his foot for the break. Kross with an Exploder Suplex and goes back to the Kross Jacket, but Hart walks the near corner to flip over Kross. Second knee clip. Second rope bulldog. Hart gets the Sharpshooter and Kross eventually taps out.
Winner and new WCW Wild Card Champion: Bret Hart by submission at 15:33.
Segment Notes
* Maria wasn’t at ringside, because they wanted this to be a fairly clean one-on-one bout, knowing Hart could get Kross over even in a loss.
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We cut to the back where Natalya is still chasing Maria. She rounds a corner and Natalya follows to be speared by Taya Valkyrie. Taya then throws Nattie into the wall and stomps on her until Steve Blackman and security back her off. Maria hugs Valkyrie and welcomes the newest member of the nWo.
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UWA Universal Tag Team Titles
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) © vs. The New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart)
Referee: Tommy Young
The champs jump the challengers at the bell and start with Neidhart. Jim ducks a double team clothesline and hits a flying double shoulder tackle to both guys. Tag to Owen. Owen blitzes Wheeler for awhile with his fast offense. Wheeler catches Owen’s foot on a superkick try. He attempts to turn it into an enzuigiri, but Wheeler ducks and grabs the other foot as it comes around and turns it into a wheelbarrow face jam. The champs use fast tags back and forth to work Owen over. Cradle DDT by Harwood gets a two count. He goes for a spinebuster, but Owen blocks and turns into a hurricanrana for two. Tags all around. Neidhart is a house of fire. Anvil Flattener to Harwood. Anvil Flattener to Dawson. Tag to Hart. They go for the Hart Attack Clothesline, but Dawson cuts off Hart. Harwood breaks Jim’s grip with a bell ringer. Snap DDT. Shatter Machine to Owen as the legal man and pin by Harwood, but Neidhart breaks it up. Young gets them out of the ring. Harwood low blows Hart and gets a rollup with a handful of tights for the win.
Winners: FTR by pinfall of Harwood on Hart by pinfall at 17:45.
Segment Notes
* There’s been talk by the UWA board of moving the tag belts to the New Foundation, but not here. While the champs needed a win to make it look good, double cheating at the end gives the Foundation a legit rematch claim.
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Mickie James and Rick Martel are in the back with SoCal Val. James is livid about being in a shark cage hanging above the ring for the coming match with her estranged husband Nick Aldis. Shane McMahon is trying to humiliate her, well she doesn’t need his help to do that. Rick Martel is coming into Phoenix Rising with the U.S. Title and Mickie James and he’s leaving the same way. Martel tells Val to keep it warm for him, she might be going home with the Model tonight.
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“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes vs. Magnum TA
Referee: Joey Marella
This is a brawl that goes inside and outside the ring with Marella having a hard time keeping control. Magnum backdrops out of a piledriver on the floor and then gives Rhodes a belly to belly suplex through the announce table. As Marella is checking on him, Magnum exposes a turnbuckle pin back in the ring. Dusty makes it back in, blocks some punches by Magnum and comes back with punches of his own. Rhodes goes to whip Magnum into the exposed corner, but he reverses and Dusty runs into it head first. Rhodes starts bleeding a gusher and Magnum works the cut pretty good. Marella keeps trying to check it and Rhodes shoves him off. Rhodes is woozy and doesn’t seem able to defend himself when Magnum hits a discuss clothesline. He hits a second rope knee drop to the head wound. Hits a second and at that point Marella calls him off. A dazed and bloodied Rhodes is carried from the ring, still muttering how he doesn’t quit and wants to continue.
Winner: Magnum TA by referee stoppage at 14:50.
Segment Notes
* This is a setup for a bigger blowoff at the Great American Bash.
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SoCal Val talks to Jake Roberts in the back. “Black Mamba and myself won here earlier tonight against the ineffectual Brian Pillman and his soft hearted and soft headed son. But that’s not causing the waves of chaos here in WCW I have sworn is my mission to do. A few months ago I attacked Chris Jericho out of nowhere and while I didn’t win the battle in the ring. I won the battle of the minds. You see you never know when the snake is going to strike. And a snake is never full, even if he just feasted. Phoenix Rising isn’t over and neither are my plans, trust me.”
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UWA Universal Women’s Title
Jade Cargill © vs. “The Queen” Charlotte Flair
Referee: Aubrey Edwards
A cocky Cargill is outwrestled by Flair early on, but when she tries to use her power, she finds Flair can match her there too. Barrett on commentary says it’s rare Cargill finds herself against someone equally big and strong. Flair goes for the Queen’s Boot in the corner, but Cargill moves and Charlotte gets hung up. Cargill hangs her in the tree of woe and hits a baseball slide to her face. Jade pulls Flair out of the corner and transitions into a gutwrench backbreaker. She goes for the Jaded, but Charlotte fights out. Flair with a big hip toss over the ropes and Cargill lands hard on the apron. Charlotte with a baseball slide into the back. Flair goes for a suicide dive, but Cargill moves and Flair impales the ring wall. Cargill with a snake eyes on the ring wall. She gets Flair back up in that position and goes to ram her head first into the ring post, but Flair slips out and shoves Cargill into it with her shoulder. Flair with a Queen’s Boot, but Cargill ducks and Flair busts her leg on the post. Both women are banged up and laying on the floor and just start rolling around cat fighting until Edwards counts them both out.
Winner: Double count out at 11:40, meaning Cargill retains the title.
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SoCal Val in the back with a rambling and near incoherent Dusty Rhodes still soaked in his own blood. “I never quit. I don’t know how to quit. You can’t make me quit, Magnum TA, even by bleeding my own blood until there’s not a drop left. The Dream might be down, but not out. You didn’t beat me, my own sweat and blood beat me here tonight. But this isn’t over between you and me yet, Magnum. For next time you will bleed your own blood.”
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WCW U.S. Title
Mickie James in a shark cage suspended above the ring
Rick Martel © vs. “National Treasure” Nick Aldis
Referee: Joey Marella
James refused to go into the shark cage. Steve Blackman comes out and purposely pushes her in and locks the door. The cage is raised 20 feet above the ring. Martel and Aldis do a great back and forth match. Martel runs up the corner on a whip and does a turning crossbody, but Aldis ducks under it and Martel wipes out. Aldis goes for the Treasure Chest, but Martel backdrops out. Gutwrench suplex for two. Martel goes to the apron for a slingshot suplex, but Aldis gets his knees up and then hits the Treasure Chest. James shakes the cage door and it opens, she falls out hanging on the door and then drops, landing on Marella as he counts the pinfall. Aldis goes to check on James and Marella, but Martel hits a low blow from behind. Snap DDT. He goes to check on Marella, not caring about James. However, Aubrey Edwards runs down to the ring. Martel is caught from behind in a waistlock by Aldis and he reverses. He hits a German suplex with a bridge. Edwards is on one side and counts, but Marella counts on the other side. Edwards tries to give the belt to Martel, but Marella tries to give it Aldis. James comes around, steals the belt and takes off. The instant replay shows Aldis getting his shoulder up on Marella’s side and from his angle it looks like Martel’s shoulders are touching the canvas. From Edwards’ side she can only see Aldis’ one shoulder and Martel’s shoulders look up.
Winner: Indeterminate at 15:20.
Segment Note
* The cage was slowly lowered as the match went on and James dropped from the bottom of the door, so it wasn’t much different than her doing a top rope splash and not as dangerous as it looked.
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Shane McMahon in the back said Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair both proved how tough they are, but them and the fans deserve a definitive conclusion. That’s why he’s booking a return match for Queen of the Ring on Tubi on Aug. 12 and to make sure there will be a winner and they don’t go out of the ring, it will be inside a steel cage.
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UWA Universal Men’s Title
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho © vs. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig with Col. Robert Fuller
Referee: Tommy Young
Jericho with the early control, but he wipes out on a Lionsault and Hennig takes over. Jericho makes a comeback, but Hennig catches him a crisscross and lays him out with a Stun Gun. Rolling neck snap. Inverted atomic drop sets up the swinging knee lift. Hennig gets cocky and taunts the crowd. He bends over to pick up Jericho, but gets rolled over into a small package for two. They come up and Jericho hits a series of arm drags. Hennig powders to the floor. Jericho off the top rope to the outside with a flying crossbody. Jericho with a springboard leg drop off the ring wall. He throws Curt back into the ring and then comes in from on high with a missile dropkick. A lionsault hits knees. Hennig hooks up the PerfectPlex, but Jericho reverses into a suplex of his own. Codebreaker for a two count. Double underhook powerbomb for two. Jericho with the Liontamer. Hennig makes the ropes to break. Jericho sets up the Breakdown, but Hennig breaks it and hits a few elbow to the side of the head. Curt with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He goes to a figure four. Jericho turns it over. They break. Hennig with a seated dropkick. He goes to put it back on Jericho, but Chris kicks Hennig off into the ropes. Jericho kips up and superkicks Hennig as he comes off the ropes. He falls back into the ropes and falls off into a Judas Effect. Lionsault for the victory.
Winner: Chris Jericho by pinfall at 24:04.
Segment Notes
* Both guys wanted this to be clean and straight up, hence no Fuller interference.
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SoCal Val has Maria Kannelis-Bennett and Tony Atlas in the back. Maria said Kross might have lost the Wild Card Title, but the Miracle Workers still have the U.S. Tag Team Titles, the nWo still has the Trios Titles and now a new member in Taya Valkyrie. And, in a few short moments, they’ll deliver one of the greatest and most respected men ever in professional wrestling a tremendously humiliating defeat as Ernie Ladd will have to kiss Tony Atlas’ feet. Is Tony looking forward to it, he’d be lying if he said no.
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Kiss My Foot Match
Loser kisses the winner’s foot
“Big Cat” Ernie Ladd vs. “Mr. nWo” Tony Atlas with Maria Kanellis-Bennett
Referee: Joey Marella
Atlas jumps Ladd at the bell and beats him down. He flexes a lot and taunts Ladd with moving his foot toward Ladd’s mouth. Ladd grabs Tony’s raised foot from his knees and stands up while holding it. He spins Atlas around and gets an atomic drop. Ladd with a clothesline to the back of the head. Ladd with a leg drop to the back. Maria gets on the apron. Ladd goes over to her and kisses her on the apron. Atlas charges and Ladd moves so he slams into her. Ladd with a sleeper hold from behind and Atlas passes out. Ernie takes off his boot and puts his foot in Tony’s passed out mouth. The crowd pops.
Winner: Ernie Ladd by submission at 8:34.
Segment Notes
* Yeah, Atlas was more okay with sucking Ladd’s foot than the other way around.
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Video to hype the Elimination Chamber highlighting each entrant. There just wasn’t enough time to give all six a promo.
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Kamille Kaine vs. Rhea Ripley
Referee: Aubrey Edwards
Kaine controls early, but she posts her shoulder on the ring post while going for a spear. Ripley brings her out of the corner with three rolling German suplexes, then turns her into a single arm DDT for a two count. Kaine powers out of a full nelson and gets a spinning forearm to the face. Kamille rocks Ripley with several European uppercuts. Ripley fires back and grabs Kaine’s hair for a slinging throw into the near corner and she slumps. Ripley with a running big boot to the shoulder. Bulldog out of the corner. Kaine fights out of the Riptide, gets a kick to the gut and follows up with a flying neckbreaker. Long delayed vertical suplex, but Ripley fights back to her feet and reverses to a long delayed vertical suplex on her end. Kaine fights back down and gets a Falcon Arrow. She wants the spear, but Ripley rolls to the floor. Kaine with a suicide dive out, but Ripley moves and Kamille wipes out. Riptide on the outside. Ripley rolls Kaine back into the ring and finishes with a swanton bomb.
Winner: Rhea Ripley by pinfall at 11:56.
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Martel and Aldis are playing tug of war over the U.S. Title in the back. Shane McMahon comes up and takes the belt away from both of them. He’s holding it up in a best of seven series between the two. And the winner can’t challenge again as long as the other is the champion. And Mickie James is banned from ringside. That’s an automatic loss for Martel if she even pokes her head out from behind the curtain. Steve Blackman separates the two men as McMahon goes off with the belt.
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Elimination Chamber for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
“Macho Man” Randy Savage © vs. Ultimate Warrior vs. “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan vs. “Stunning” Steve Austin vs. “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle
Referee: Tommy Young
Segment One
Angle and Guerrero start. They work inside the ring to start out. Guerrero clotheslines Angle over the rope to the platform and then does a slingshot suplex out onto him. Eddie goes for a suplex, but Angle reverses into a release front suplex into a pod wall. Kurt with the ankle lock, but Guerrero rolls through and flings Angle into the pod wall.
Segment Two
Hogan is first out of a pod. He’s good with hanging back and watching Guerrero and Angle go at it. They eventually decide to team up and go after Hogan. He fights back with his big punches. He goes for the big boot on Eddie, but he slides underneath and comes up with a dropkick, that sends Hogan into Kurt for an Angle Slam. Frog splash on Hogan, but Angle pulls Eddie off with an ankle lock. Hogan pulls Angle off and press slams him over the ropes to the platform. He turns around into a Cactus Clothesline from Guerrero. Hogan backdrops Eddie into a pod wall. He goes for the Ax Bomber on Angle, but he ducks and Hogan nails his arm on the pod wall.
Hogan seems to be in real pain and begs off to referee Tommy Young. The commentators mention how Kevin Owens beat Hulk Hogan at Slamboree in May when something similar happened and Hogan tapped to an armbar. The door opens and Hogan is taken out by paramedics. However, one of the paramedics grabs Guerrero and delivers a DDT to him. It’s Jake Roberts! Why he attacked Eddie will have to be answered on Nitro. There’s no rule against outside interference, so an opportunistic Angle hits the Angle Slam for good measure and gets the pinfall to eliminate Guerrero. Hogan is declared eliminated due to injury.
Segment 3
Steve Austin is next out. He blitzes a worn out Angle. Second rope elbow drop gets a two count. Stun Gun gets a two count. Angle pushes Austin out of a stunner try and catches him coming off the ropes for an Angle Slam, but Austin drops out of it into an inverted DDT. Another Stunner try, but Angle turns it into an atomic drop and follows with a clothesline to the back of the head. AngleSault eats knees. Both guys down.
Segment 4
Ultimate Warrior is released from his pod and goes bananas with clotheslines and flying shoulder tackles on Angle and Austin. They eventually climb to the top of two empty pods so the Warrior can’t get them. They yell at each other about going after him. They eventually dive off with flying shoulder blocks onto Warrior, which he no sells. Gorilla press slam on Angle. Gorilla press slam on Austin. He goes to splash Angle, but it eats knees. Austin nails a Stunner and Warrior falls into an Angle Slam and both guys gang up on him for the cover, but he still kicks out at two.
Segment 5
Savage is out of the pod and immediately jumps to the top rope and comes off with a double ax handle to Warrior. Hooking clothesline to Warrior. Angle and Austin swoop in for a triple suplex on Warrior. Savage with a long distance flying elbow smash from the top of a pod onto Warrior and the three guys cover him for the pin and elimination.
As they come up, Austin hits the Stunner on Angle, who is running on fumes. But, Savage gets a hooking clothesline on Austin followed by a suplex. Angle goes after Savage, but walks into a spinning back elbow that turns him around. High knee to the back sends Angle into the ropes and he bounces off into a neckbreaker. Elbow smash eliminates Angle.
Segment 6
Austin with a knee clip as Savage celebrates the pin victory on Angle. Knee breaker. Stun Gun. Savage shoves out of the Stunner and he works the boxing jabs. Austin goes down and takes a jumping knee drop. Flying elbow smash misses. Austin with a standing spine buster for two. He locks in the Rattlesnake Clutch (Million Dollar Dream/Cobra Clutch). Savage pushes Austin back and they fall over the ropes to the platform, but Austin still has it locked on. Savage backs Austin into a pod door, but he won’t let go. He backs him in again harder. The third time is harder. The fourth slam into the pod door shatters it and they fall through it into the pod. Both men are cut and bleeding. Savage slings Austin out to the platform and gets a springboard moonsault off the ropes for the finish.
Winner and still WCW World Heavyweight Champion: “Macho Man Randy Savage by pinfall last eliminating Steve Austin at a total time of 40:45.
Segment Notes
* Arm injury was so Hogan wouldn’t have to job to anybody.
* Warrior agreed to job to the triple pin and some hellacious offense.
* Roberts interference was to set up Guerrero vs. Roberts for GAB.
* Look for Angle vs. Warrior at GAB.