4. Black Scorpion (1990)
Ah, early 90s WCW. A land where El Gigante, PN News and the Ding Dongs reigned supreme over TV time and the likes of Shane Douglas, Rob Van Dam and Steve Austin couldnt catch a break if they dove head first into an empty swimming pool. As was par for the course during this fantastical Jim Herd era of WCW, questionable booking was usually the green lit without question. One such angle that unavoidably springs to mind was the fabled introduction of the Black Scorpion character into a headline feud with the companys franchise player, Sting. In theory, the addition of a shadowy rival with a mysterious history, hell bent on destroying WCWs resident golden boy could have worked out well. Sadly for all concerned, this gimmick happened to land in the same lame year that Stings buddy Robocop had also made an appearance and what could have been a decent angle, quickly degenerated in nonsensical, deep-pan Herdness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjPdsYm3HEU Depending on who you talk to, its been revealed over time that the Black Scorpion was either intended to be original Four Horseman, Ole Anderson, or the former Latin Heartthrob of WCCW, Al Perez. However, fate would have it that neither Ole nor Al would end up being revealed as the man behind the mask. Sadly, Ole would suffer a broken arm just weeks into the angle, causing WCW execs to scramble for a suitable replacement. Al Perez would be that very replacement...right up until he flat out refused to do the job for the Stinger and made his swift exit presumably using his Black Scorpion magic and transforming into a tiger. An Ole Anderson reveal would have made good sense all round. Much like the Shockmaster before him, the Black Scorpion had been voiced by the elder Anderson sibling in promos since day one. Moreover, Ole had legitimate history with The Stinger dating back to when Sting had been briefly been a member of the Horsemen before his unceremoniously exit from the group and the two men had had numerous run-ins with each other over the years. Their history also fit in nicely with the frequent references to the Scorpion as being someone from Stings past; alluded to on a weekly basis by commentators and even in the Scorps own bizarre promos. So the question remained; exactly who the f**k was the Black Scorpion? Fans and WCW Execs alike were left scratching their collective heads over just who the man underneath the hood of the Black Scorpion was going to be. As usual, when push came to shove, WCW did what they always did and threw Flair into the equation as a quick fix for the payoff at Starrcade. Theres a reason that Black Scorpions initials are BS... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGJG3NPOBdI Despite throwing everything at the match including an ET-like entrance, a cage match stipulation and the inclusion of Dick the Bruiser as special referee/Popeye impersonator nothing could hide the fact that the Flair revelation was clearly a last resort and the whole ordeal is understandably still a sore subject with the 16 time World Champ to this day. Perhaps sadder still is the fact that WCW never did decipher the cryptic messages within those initial Black Scorpion promos and whatever happened between the two on a sunny LA beach in 86 will forever be mystery. Maybe the Stinger stole Scorps sun lounger or kicked sand in his Pina Colada I guess well never know.
Martyn Grant
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Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
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