Rosemont, Illinois was the setting for WCWs Spring Stampede pay-per-view on 17th April 1994. The stacked card reads like a whos-who of the greatest talent in pro wrestling at the time: some a few years past their true prime, some yet to reach it. Jerking the curtain was future WCW world champion Diamond Dallas Page losing to Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) in five minutes, while Lord Steven later William Regal fought the soon-to-be Loose Cannon, Flyin Brian Pillman to a time limit draw for the WCW TV title in a good-to-great technical brawl. The middle of the card would see Steve Austin (yes, that Steve Austin) beat The Great Muta to retain the US title and Sting defeat Rick Rude for the WCW International heavyweight title (secretly the old NWA heavyweight championship belt, but dont tell anyone). Both quality matches and it would be Rudes last pay-per-view battle, as hed suffer a career-ending back injury only a few weeks later but it would be the Chicago Street Fight between the Nasty Boys and Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne that would stick in the memory longest. A wild, weapons-filled brawl that lurched all over the arena, the match was nine minutes of mayhem ending with the Nastys going over after a shovel to the future Mankinds head. Cap that off with someone named Bunkhouse Buck beating Dustin Rhodes (later to make his name as Goldust in the WWF/E) in a legitimately great match, and a decent big man bout with Vader versus The Boss (WWFs Big Boss Man), and thatd be enough to send most people home happy but this card wrapped up with another in the long-running series between the legendary Ricky Steamboat and Rick Flair. Its not quite as good as some of their others from a few years earlier, but their chemistry in the ring was palpable, and the action is flawless right up until the double-pin no-contest finish saw Flair retain the WCW world heavyweight championship.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
